JEFFREY PILLOW

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Written by Jeffrey Pillow — appearing in the Friday, July 16 issue of The Lynchburg Ledger newspaper. For distribution stops, click here. Excerpt:

Street poet, cadence carpenter Rich Ferguson (Where I Come From), who could somehow make enchiladas relevant in the post-post-modern jib jabs of verse, rhythm, and rhyme, is an American spoken word artist to behold. Street meets soul as if a lingering piece of San Fran gold mysteriously appearing from the gluts of the LA Basin, liquefied reverb, straw cap, cawing through air spaces in his gums, “The Earthquake is Here! Where’s the Kick Drum?”

Tapping into the arterial vein of Los Angeles street life, Ferguson’s poetry oozes raw emotion with a pink underbelly. Be it the “boom-boom beat of all these bombs dropping” after the loss of a dear friend or the recollection of one night’s cross-dressing exploits (“The panty hose was the hardest to get on. Every inch of the way, the elastic material constricted movement, bound blood, itched the skin”), Ferguson’s inimitable interplay of lyric and language, culture possessed and exorcised by words and wordsmiths, haunted shadows on sidewalks, beckons the listener/reader line by line, swaying side to side like a healed Stevie Wonder to the beat of a song wholly his own in statu nascendi inter spem et metum …

King without a Crown. Why the legacy of LeBron James will be marred for good by his decision to play for the Miami Heat. This … I’ll have more on it tomorrow.

I imagine Kobe watched last night thinking, as “The Decision” was made, how he can’t wait until next year. It’s hard to believe a savvy NBA veteran with five rings can be overshadowed by a self-promotional, ego driven 25-year-old with zero. But then again, Wilt “The Stilt” Chamberlain was the most dominant player of his day (like LeBron is now) and how many rings did he achieve in his illustrious career: two. And how many did my man Bill Russell? Yeah.

Screeching halt! In case you missed it, read Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert’s statement to fans on Lebron’s “cowardly departure” from Cleveland. Talk about scathing. (Though, promising the Cavs an NBA championship before LeBron gets one was a biiiiit much) Direct link here.

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Late Thursday night, Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert issued the following statement on LeBron James’ departure from the franchise.

Dear Cleveland, all of Northeast Ohio and Cleveland Cavaliers supporters wherever you may be tonight;

As you now know, our former hero, who grew up in the very region that he deserted this evening, is no longer a Cleveland Cavalier.

This was announced with a several-day, narcissistic, self-promotional build-up culminating with a national TV special of his “decision” unlike anything ever “witnessed” in the history of sports and probably the history of entertainment.

Clearly, this is bitterly disappointing to all of us.

The good news is that the ownership team and the rest of the hard-working, loyal, and driven staff over here at your hometown Cavaliers have not betrayed you nor NEVER will betray you.

There is so much more to tell you about the events of the recent past and our more than exciting future. Over the next several days and weeks, we will be communicating much of that to you.

You simply don’t deserve this kind of cowardly betrayal.

You have given so much and deserve so much more.

In the meantime, I want to make one statement to you tonight: “I personally guarantee that the Cleveland Cavaliers will win an NBA Championship before the self-titled former ‘king’ wins one.”

You can take it to the bank.

If you thought we were motivated before tonight to bring the hardware to Cleveland, I can tell you that this shameful display of selfishness and betrayal by one of our very own has shifted our “motivation” to previously unknown and previously never experienced levels.

Some people think they should go to heaven but NOT have to die to get there.

Sorry, but that’s simply not how it works.

This shocking act of disloyalty from our homegrown “chosen one” sends the exact opposite lesson of what we would want our children to learn. And “who” we would want them to grow up to become.

But the good news is that this heartless and callous action can only serve as the antidote to the so-called “curse” on Cleveland, Ohio.

The self-declared former “King” will be taking the “curse” with him down south. And until he does “right” by Cleveland and Ohio, James (and the town where he plays) will unfortunately own this dreaded spell and bad karma.

Just watch.

Sleep well, Cleveland. Tomorrow is a new and much brighter day…

I PROMISE you that our energy, focus, capital, knowledge and experience will be directed at one thing and one thing only:

DELIVERING YOU the championship you have long deserved and is long overdue…

Dan Gilbert

Majority Owner

Cleveland Cavaliers