What’s the most appropriate, most Jasonesque way to end a string of poetry posts?

How about incorporating Jason favorites Sherman Alexie and FreeDarko?

Alexie, in addition to being an award-winning author, is a passionate basketball fan. He was so incensed that Allen Iverson was voted to start in the All-Star game that he wrote a poem for ESPN.

Then, Bethlehem Shoals of FreeDarko wrote a poem in defense of AI.

Alexie ended the slam battle by smashing on Monta Ellis, Vince Carter and Tracey McGrady and boosting Cavelier Anderson Varejao. (Tell those French authors that this is how you conduct a beef.)

I have not linked to Shoals’ poem as he is a sucker MC.

Next, much ado has been made out of Borders throwing away their unsold books. To explain, bookstores need only return the cover to receive a refund from the publisher for their overstock. (Note: this is why you occasionally see books without covers at secondhand sales. Don’t buy them. They’re essentially stolen property.) After mailing back the cover, they toss the rest of the book.

Well, that didn’t sit well with some people. They threatened boycotts — stuff like that. As a result, Borders announced they would be donating and recycling their overstock now.

I think the whole situation is pretty silly. Yes, Borders should recycle instead of simply trashing leftover books; but why are they being asked to give away products that they are trying to sell?

Do people picket restaurants and tell them to donate their leftover food at the end of a night?

The people who protest Borders are missing what I consider a key fact. It’s not difficult to get a book.

Intellectually starved children are not suffering because they can’t find Poe or Dickinson on bookshelves, as this Huffington Post writer implies. They can go to a library — almost any library. If it’s not in stock, they can order it.

No, children are intellectually starved because they do not have the desire to read. It doesn’t matter who donates how many books to what. If kids don’t want to read, they won’t. Borders’ announcement won’t change that.

Finally, Tricia, I’ll play your game. In fact, if you can guess my book without cheating (honor system), I’ll buy you a Frosty.

Harut.
Sleepers of the Cave.
Iblis.
Prophet.
Night journey.

Jason Lea, JLea@News-Herald.com

I’ve previously mentioned my obsession with Free Darko, the basketball blog that is about so much more than basketball. It’s about style, individuality and, occasionally, the indulgence of tangents.

The primary authors of the blog also wrote a book, The Macrophenomenal Pro Basketball Almanac. I finally got my hands on a copy last weekend; and it’s even better than the blog.

If you love basketball — not just the game, but the individual narratives encapsulated within — you will love The Macro-Mahna-Mahna Basketballmanac. The Free Darko ethos celebrates the individual. Consequently, there is no indepth discussion of team mechanics. Instead, it glories in the faults and successes of single players.

The book offers illustrated, well-researched and hysterical highlights about the stars of the sport. (Most of the big names are here. A few like Chauncy Billups and Steve Nash are missing. But this book is not intended to be exhaustive. Not every player deserves the depths of analysis the FD writers provide.)

My favorite chapter is on Phoenix guard Leandro Barbosa. The FD crew lauds his speedy scoring. (He scores about 3 seconds faster than the average NBA player.) Then, they extrapolate upon this theme by figuring how much quicker Barbosa could have accomplished certain historical activities. For example, Magellan could have circumnavigated the world in 2.4 years if he had a crew of Barbosas. The Hundred Years’ War would have lasted 97 years instead of 116 had the French been replaced by an army of Barbosas.

This sort of silly-seriousness runs through the book. Want to know the affect of sleep deprivation on Tracey McGrady’s game? They got it. Want to know what superstar’s grandma admonished their grandson’s tattoo by telling him, “Dwyane Wade wouldn’t have done that?” They got it.

My one gripe with this book is that it is written with the present firmly in mind. (And by “present” I mean 2008, when the book was published.) Consequently, The Macro & Cheese Basketballniac already feels outdated in its assessment of some players.

For example, the public’s perception of Ron Artest is now completely different since he forced a Game 7 against the Lakers with a Rockets team that didn’t include Yao Ming or T-Mac. He went from “defensive all-star/malignant tumor” to “man who darn near slayed Goliath.”

How differently do we perceive Rasheed Wallace, Billups or even Lebron James after a single year?

The good news is the FD guys are supposedly working on a new book; and, this time, I won’t be waiting six months to ready it.

-Jason Lea, JLea@News-Herald.com

I can’t believe we’ve already been together a month. It seems like just a few days ago I was telling you how I hated Charles Dickens and you were asking me if I even read books.

Usually, I celebrate my month-aversaries by forgetting the date, but let’s try something different.

Today I’ll tell you about some of the blogs I frequent while I should be working. (Don’t judge. You do it too. You’re probably doing it right now.)

1. Joshreads.com
The self-proclaimed comics curmudgeon breaks down the daily funnies and explains to you why they are not funny at all. I’m impressed with how much satire he can ring from three panels of exposition. (Or only one panel when he’s critiquing Marmaduke.)

I appreciate any blog that takes a serious look at the inane or an inane look at the serious, and this site is certainly the former. If you’re still on the fence about adding the comics curmudgeon to your rotation, consider this. Joshreads got me to care about Mark Trail. Yeah, he’s that good.

2. Freedarko.blogspot.com
All due praises to my friend who turned me onto Free Darko (providing the best in Slovenian farm league analysis and reporting since 1968.)

I can’t tell you with any certainty what Free Darko is about. There’s a lot of good, in-depth basketball analysis; but saying FD is about basketball is as limiting as saying “Citizen Kane” is about a sled.

(Hyperbole is when anybody compares anything to “Citizen Kane.”)

To hint at FD’s contents, I offer this. A recent post asks if the current NBA atmosphere has morphed from a three-headed dialectic of world, self and pastime into a Platonic ideal where the rhythms of craft tamp down man and his problems. (Their words, not mine.) If that’s the kind of discussion you want to be part of, FD is for you.

3. MPLReader.blogspot.com
You thought I was going to ignore Mentor’s Reader? Really?

I’m not just throwing Amanda D., the author, a bone because she reads (and occasionally comments) on this blog. In fact, I’d be more likely to tease her for linking to something called the Totally Tween blog. In her defense, I’m pretty sure the tween thing is work related.

As a rule, I avoid literary blogs. They tend to be self-indulgent. (Example: My hip-hopper/author analogue post.) But Amanda has a simple mission. She wants to recommend a book you’ll like.

Sure, it’s fun to use Jane Austen quotes to blow off your spouse or argue with your boss about Junot Diaz; but sometimes all you want from a book blog is something new to read. Amanda’s good for that. (So is my co-blogger, Tricia.)

Amanda’s concise, funny and not too proud to admit that she never read “To Kill a Mockingbird.” (Though she should be penalized for beginning one post with “Oh my gosh, you guys.”)

As a matter of tact, I should remind you of the other News-Herald blogs. (My personal favorite is the entertainment blog. I approve of anything that compares Jerry of Tom & Jerry fame to A-Rod. I avoid the pet blog because I cannot stand cute animals. Seriously, I cannot. It must stem from a childhood trauma involving a fluffy rabbit.)

- Jason Lea