Sneaker Boutiques Are Using the Yeezys to Extort Their Customers

So the black and pink colorway of the Nike Air Yeezy will be released tomorrow morning. It is the second of three colorways to be released. The exclusive sneaker, inspired by Rapper Kanye West, has been argued to be the most hyped and sought after shoe EVER. The shoe's initial release on April 4th drew small crowds of people to camp outside shoe stores across the country. With this second release, shoe stores and high end sneaker boutiques around the country are using the opportunity to pull as much money as possible out of their customers hands.

After seeing how so many people went all out for the initial release, shoe retailers across the country are jacking up the prices for tomorrow's release. Shoe retailers, Leaders in the CHI and their sister store Burn Rubber right outside of Detroit, will be putting the shoes on the shelves for at least 300$. Nike's suggested retail price is 215$. To add to the extortion, both stores will be raffling off the first place in line for 15$ dollars.

I could go on, but i won't. Its sad.

I Was There At 3AM...And I Still Didn't Get Some of Those Damn Shoes!

And so there we were. About 20 young people sitting snuggled outside of Burn Rubber Sneaker Boutique in Royal Oak Michigan, on a chilly April evening. They sat in lawn chairs bundled in heavy coats and sleeping bags, and shared stories about rap battles and legendary lyrics. Passersby enjoying the Royal Oak night life would ask “What the heck are you guys waiting for?” The answers changed for sarcasm as the night wore on. “Jesus” one annoyed patron yelled, “Christ is coming tonight. Didn’t you hear?”

We weren’t exactly waiting for our savior, but if the big man upstairs ever did come back to down to earth, he definitely wouldn’t be wearing those old rope sandals. No, instead the messiah would choose to rock a pair of Nike Air Yeezys, the Nike shoe inspired by rapper Kanye West. Limited pairs of these exclusive shoes hit stores today, April 4. When I say exclusive, rumors had that Nike only released 1,000 pair nationally. Burn Rubber, the sneaker boutique where I was camped, only had 11 pair of the highly sought after shoe. All over the country passionate but unlucky “sneakerheads” went home empty handed after waiting all night in the cold. (I left at 3AM, after realizing I had no chance). Those that did get the sneakers started their camping as early as 11AM Friday morning.

Well those of us that did not get the shoes definitely learned our lessons for May 2nd, when Nike will release the black and pink version of the Air Yeezy. Hmm…wonder if the hype will carry to this next release. Will people camp out 2 days prior to the release of the shoe, or was the hype of the initial release a one time deal? I think we know the answer to that question, but…I guess we have to wait til May 1st…or April 30th to find out.

Fresh Prince Father Farewell

Three Things That Will Make The Lions Contenders

Well, its looking like 0-16 is inevitable for my Detroit Lions. With three games left vs. the Colts, Saints, and Packers, the odds aren’t good, or they are…aren’t, whatever. All three teams will be fighting for playoff spots the rest of the way. The Packers could get knocked out of contention soon, but Detroit hasn’t won a game in Green Bay since I was 4 years old, and I'm not counting on a win this time around either.

Looking forward, here’s what the Lions need to do to become a contender.

Build the team from inside out

Look at the teams that have had success this year. From Pittsburg, to Tennessee, to New York both the Giants and Jets. All of them have formidable offense and defensive lines. And if this year is any indication, you don’t need great wide receivers and a great quarterback to win. If an offensive line opens up some holes, John Clayton himself could be your running back.

Keep Daunte Culpepper

Daute will have one year left on his contract, and will be a relatively inexpensive starting quarterback. Plus it looks like he may be able to develop a rapport with Calvin Johnson. The Lions are going to need Culpepper around to mentor the quarterback they take on the first day of nexts year's draft.

Don’t take a quarterback in the first round.

Granted, this team has very few pieces to build around (can’t build around a wide receiver), but a quarterback is not the answer. Getting a left tackle that would push Jeff Backus to guard makes a lot of sense. Also, no matter what defensive system is implemented next year, this team is going to need a pass rusher. Players that get 15 sacks can make a defense look better than it actually is (see San Diego).

Hey don’t worry Detroit fans, odds are they have to be good one year, right? Why not next year?

What's Wrong With Kanye West?

There's something up with Kanye. You can hear it in his latest album, 808's and Heartbreak. You can see it in his latest interviews with Angie Martinez, Conan O'Brien, and Jimmy Kimmel. The vibe is wrong. His tone is somber and his smiles seem manufactured-and all of this is extremely noticeable.

This is the reality for West, whose mother passed in a very public plastic surgery incident. West has blamed his mother's death on his acquisition of fame. While 808's and Heartbreak speaks to this tragedy, it mainly chronicles the break-up with his ex-fiance. All this tragedy has lead to the new sound in Kanye's fourth album.

While the autotune sound has been the main criticism of this album there are other stark differences to notice. The lyrics are simpler than in past albums and don't always seem coherent. The tone is also noticeably dark, which West himself has pointed out.

Perhaps this is merely West dealing with life and nothing more.

The College Football Mess

Anyone that says the BCS gets it right is kidding themselves. Don’t take this statement to be an endorsement of a college football playoff. It’s not. It's a NON-endorsement of the current system. This is a observation based on a couple of factors.

#1 is only #1 by default.

If not for the losses of teams ranked higher before this week, Alabama would not be #1. This is not to say that Alabama is not the best team in college football. I'm only saying its too hard to tell. Put Alabama up against USC or Penn St.-Is Bama a lock to win? It's too hard to say.

Better conferences get punished.

The Big 12 has a couple of teams I'd like to see in BCS bowls this year-Texas, Missouri, Texas Tech, Oklahoma, Oklahoma St. Three of these teams won't be playing in the BCS because of the rule that only 2 teams from a BCS conference can play in BCS bowls. Do any of these teams desereve a shot at the national championship? Ah, yea I think so.

If the BCS gets it right, then maybe the NFL should adopt it.

D.L. Hugley on Sarah Palin

I had to put this quote up.

"I can see the moon from my house, that don't make me an astronaut."