MOOKIE’S JAM
Pearl Jam may be the most slept on, music making, basketball fans of all time. It's easy to see how Drake, Rihanna, Jay Z and Skee Lo show their love for the sport, from their NBA court side seats and hoop based lyrics. But do you know about this '90's alt rock band's testament to the most random hooper you've never heard of?
The Seattle based grunge gods of growling, guttural, emo ballads and heavy distorted guitar riffs exploded on the scene in 1991 with their debut album. Around the same time that they were writing songs and banging drums, a lightening quick point guard playing for Oklahoma University was also making a household name for himself as the energetic, engine, leading OU's high powered offense to the national title game. The Sooners lost to perennial powerhouse Kansas University that season but not before the world, and some flannel and jean short sporting rockers from the Northwest took notice of the dynamic Sooner point guard, Mookie Blaylock.
Mookie would stay in school another year to earn all American honors and eventually a first round draft selection by the New Jersey Nets with the 12th pick. The defensive minded, floor general spanned a 13 year career with the Nets, Hawks and Golden State Warriors. As an early '90's lynchpin for Lenny Wilkins' electric Atlanta Hawks, Daron Oshay "Mookie" Blaylock began to creep into the psyche of popular culture as the NBA expanded with more televised games and the sport itself booming in popularity.
Turns out Pearl Jam bassist, Jeff Armant was a massive Mookie fan and when the newly formed band landed it's first gig opening for Alice In Chains, they needed a name for the tour's concert poster. On a whim Armant had inserted one of his many Blaylock trading cards into the tape cassette jacket before giving it to the tour handlers, and they thought, why not further this artistic impulse and at least temporarily title the band after this random hooper. Armant and the guys loved it, so as it was, during the bands virgin tour they were known as "Mookie Blaylock". The name only lasted a couple months before their fame ballooned and some very smart lawyers decided they should instill a more legit, less sucky band name before releasing their first studio album. However, the Mookie love couldn't be stamped out forever so the band honored their herald, hardwood hero by naming the first album as Pearl Jam after Mookie's on court number, Ten. The long haired, hippy riff slayers even huddled like a basketball team ready to break before a big game for their album cover art, further honoring number ten and the basketball gods.
In 1991 my music cassette tape collection started with a genre bending purchase of Metallica's The Black Album, Young MC's Stone Cold Rhythm and this Pearl Jam banger. I'm 45 years old now and I still remember the life changing trip to Disc Jockey like it was yesterday. Unwrapping the protective plastic that encased musical cartridges and breaking the initial, slight resistance of a brand new cassette is still lodged in my nostalgia despite the passing years where our digital boom has sadly taken place of analog's tactile touchstones. Removing the polymer cassette and using a number 2 pencil's hexagonal shaft, I would methodically twirl the tape reels to perfection so the precious ribbon was free of lag or twists that could possibly distort the sounds of my favorite songs.
There were plenty of epic hits from these three albums, and I listened to all of them constantly that year, but the album that stuck to my amygdala and still makes my motor cortex mosh with a hypnotic nod is Pearl Jam's, Ten. Like the whole damn album. From the haunting intro of "Once" that sets the tone for this alt rock gem, to the opening riff on "Alive" birthing my first air guitar, this freshman drop from Seattle's grunge gods is still debated today to be one of the greatest albums ever made. There's the famous, unhinged finale on "Black", and of course Eddie Vedder's growling vocals, driving hits like "Porch" and "Why Go". This masterpiece of music helped define a generation and not to mention, my awkward adolescence. To think, if Mookie Blaylock had even the slightest hand in helping cultivate this creative montage of music that has shaped my taste in sound and fashion over all these years, well, that just makes a hoop head like me smile and nod my noggin' all the more.
Week 2 Recap: Season 9, Fall League '26
The insignificance of Team Irrelevant's quality is easy to overlook when you have players like Finn "Fly" Coles gathering a bounty to fill the emptiness with a purposeful stat line of 33 pts, 11 rips and 3 dimes. For those lovable Degenerates they got less than a low moral first half shooting effort from Anthony "Range" Armijo as he launched 17 pts, 6 rebs and 2 assists before the decline from competition began and the irrelevance started to matter. In the end of such a meaningless, morally corrupt contest Team Irrelevant prevailed 78-60 for an easy notch in the win column.
The most recent additions to teams often find impactful, latest, greatest versions of themselves and that's where Team Nuevo is headed with innovative game play powering a 101-82 shellacking over Silent Storm's early season drought like numbers. Josh "Tres" Salazar was pristine in the rain department with a cheddar ball laden 29 pt, 1 board, 2 dime stat line that managed to let the sunshine in on Shawn "Shush" Daniels and his very loud 27 pts, 6 rebs and 2 assist night.
As this vicious summer comes to an end and the surf season subsides the Heat Wave made sure to get one last set in as they were riding tubes of molten fire and burned through the sting of Killer Bees big man to post a big dub and a double shaka with a 93-73 twamp. The dude catching the most gnar was totally Vince "Damn" Damelio and his 20 pts, 5 rips and single assist. Thank the nectar gods that Donnie "Shaggy" Ricker suited up and provided the only semi painful sting in a 31 pt, 13 reb, single dime buzzing through the waves.
Hoopers who imbibe in loquacious beverages often carry stellar team chemistry and that hyperbole was on full display Tuesday night as it took a full effort and a tense, hard fought Elam ending to topple the massive Mob energy and sip champagne victory, 70-68 to start 2-0 on the season. Of all the hot beverages cooking, Lucas "The Kid" Turner was the most drinkable sportsperson for Bev's as he went off like a pumpkin spice latte in October for 27 pts, 13 rips and 2 here ya go's. The Mob's massive numbers were down but still managed to get some multiplying like a murder of crows montage thanks to Ben "Big Ugly" Ellsworth who got a 20 pt, 17 reb, one dime and one late game swat line going for the marauding mob of hoop heads looting and pillaging purposes, but in the end they got sacked due to some stingy, espresso fueled defensive energy.
Familiar foes went toe to toe to close out "The League" night of wanna be pros and boy did we get a show from those that sport bolos with fashion that seems to only grow. For the dapper flannel shirt with jeans team, Derrick "Goggles" Carls was outfitted the sickest as he deposited 22 pts, 9 rips and 2 dimes in the drip account and helped Santa Fe Style trounce Dad Bods 109-80. The chubby, round the middle but slightly formed biceps were flexing for Alex "Dreads" Gutierrez as he filled the stat line like a brewery beer pitcher with 22 pts, 8 rebs and 2 dimes but didn't get the fantasy football crew together in time to stave off the mad fashion sense from Santa Fe's finest.
The units involved in producing an integrated project solution was many on Wednesday night, however technical difficulties did not allow the exact measurement of parts to be studied. What we do know is that the involved units managed to create problems for the project managers who had no solution for the massive squad of area code dialing beefcakes. Through the static, final score 505 Unit 86, IPS 67. Way to not get twamped.
Those icons of the casual basketball sphere were not concerned with the pueblo gods sacred meaning of mercy as they jumped on the sun worshipers early and often to give a contrite fable of a twamping, 86-60. Jaylen "Run One" Lovato was the luminary of hardwood, amassing 24 pts and a dime for the legends as he was able to match the shine coming off of Alexis "Lexy" Lozano's sun-ray of a stat line, 13 pts, 7 rebs and 3 thefts as Pick Up Legends claimed victory over Zia Elite.
It's a little like that perfect burger bite when meat, cheese and chile all find their perfect ratio between two pieces of bread. That was Jeremy "Big Smooth" Romero's jumpshot on Wednesday night as he added a little mustard to the tune of 19 pts, 9 rips and 3 dimes to lead Blakes over the orange logo, corporate, catalysts of style 70-65. Temu Drip did get a super sale of a game from Saddiki "Smiles" Sowa and his happy demeanor despite the loss 19 pt, 7 reb, 2 dime and a theft performance.
The royals of rim keeping squeaked a come from behind dub over those idioms of matured perfection as they had Prime Time bow and kiss the ring 63-60. The Rim Job Kings got a collective effort behind Adrian "Game" Savedra's all around line of 12 pts, 7 rebs, a dime and a swipe to out duel Kareem "The Dream" Masibuwa and his peak audience approval game of 19 pts, 3 rebs and a dime.
We got at least one competitive contest from our 35+ League as those integrators of problem solving acronyms out lasted the crafty vets of hardwood glory to secure the win 80-65. The only abbreviation necessary for Greg "Gun Slinger" Trujillo's 41 pt, 4 rip, 3 dime, 1 swipe outburst was MVP as he single handedly carried the solutions to problem solving integration. Los Vets did get a purple heart performance from Julio "Dizzy Rascal" Rascon as he came to the party late but made up for it with 25 pts, 2 rebs and a dime to lead the aging hero's to the finish line.
In blow out number one, the mafia minded mobsters had no mercy for their elite status Santa Feans as Andrew "Say Uncle" Ellsworth tormented the southwestern selects with a 20 pt, 10 reb, 10 dimes and 5 thefts triple double as the wise guys won 82-39 in a bloodbath. Santa Fe Elite did get a solid stat line from Luke "Wake Up" Wakefield with 11 pts, 6 rebs, 2 dimes, a steal and a 'Tumbo to reconciliate some comradery among the aristocracy.
Blow out number two put a bow on our week of action and those Arctic Monkeys of mayhem couldn't wait to get to that famous hotel room on the fifth floor, but not before Rob "Moo Moo" CdeBaca milked the competition for 38 pts, 5 rips, 3 dimes and 2 thefts to lead the metric monkeys of mass and volume. Our favorite worshippers of the pueblo sun god and her four horseman of the apocalypse were back in action...sort of. Through some lax defensive Mike "The Mouth" Rivera managed 16 pts, a board, and 5 dimes to help quell the reign of mediocracy and absorb at least a couple rays of sweet Zia sunshine. Final score, 505 Unit 121, Zia Elite 72...ewww.
Respect the game, Santa Fe Swish
*Sorry for any grammatical errors. This was written by a human. On a computer. But still...MoStly HuMaN.
