Michael Jordan

When Saul Williams Preaches, We Listen

The Texans and Suns Still Have Hope (But Not Much)

Steroids, Roger Clemens and Mindy McCready: It’s Getting Shakespearian Up in Here

Lakers-Celtics: Not with a Bang, Barely with a Whimper

Letters 09-21-2000

Listen to the Music, Still Fuming, Building Bonds

The Five Worst Basketball Movies of All Time

Listen to the Music, Still Fuming, Building Bonds

Press Picks

Listen to the Music, Still Fuming, Building Bonds

Sound Check

Listen to the Music, Still Fuming, Building Bonds

News Hostage

Dead Man Walking

For The Final Four: Five Most Inspirational Pre-Game Speeches

As the NCAA Tournament builds to a climax, one can only speculate about the kinds of speeches offered by the likes of Texas' Rick Barnes and OU's Jeff Capel before their respective matches against Duke and North Carolina. One thing seems certain, it probably wouldn't have hurt to have one of these ... More >>

Why Do Mexicans Take So Long To Warm Up Their Cars

As the NCAA Tournament builds to a climax, one can only speculate about the kinds of speeches offered by the likes of Texas' Rick Barnes and OU's Jeff Capel before their respective matches against Duke and North Carolina. One thing seems certain, it probably wouldn't have hurt to have one of these ... More >>

Amazingly, the Comets Couldn't Survive

Who's Got Next?

Baller's Ball

Where to party this All-Star Weekend

Top of the World

You've never heard of him, but Mike Willcox is one of the best on the planet at what he does

We Know What You Should Do This Summer

Your guide to beaches, water parks, day trips, festivals and more

Fire in the Belly

Rice's new basketball director reveals the secret of his fall from NBA stardom

Anarchy in da USA

Looking for the true spirit of the Ramones? Try going to an underground hip-hop show.

Ladies with Balls

Team USA's scrappy soccer starlets kick it at Reliant Stadium

Best Local TV Commercial

Hilton Furniture

The Love of Giants

Yao Ming and Ye Li won't be seeing each other May 6 after all

Velocity = Size + Sound

Velocity Games has changed the face of arcades

Oh, The Lakers Will Learn All About Ron Artest

On the way to his fourth championship, Kobe Bryant was guarded by Mickael Pietrus, Hedo Turkoglu, Courtney Lee, Dahntay Jones, Carmelo Anthony, Shane Battier, and all of the Jazz players whose names Jerry Sloan could remember. None of them had the combination of speed, size, and advanced weaponry ne ... More >>

Longhorns Join The Undeserved-Victory Hall Of Fame

​The UT Longhorns will be playing in the BCS title game, thanks to a thoroughly undeserved win against Nebraska for the Big 12 championship, such as it is.How badly did the Horns play? Against a completely mediocre Cornhusker team, the vaunted Horns offense was utterly stymied. QB Colt McCoy threw ... More >>

The Top Five Christmas Day Sports Moments

As you've probably figured our by now, Christmas Day is not just for opening presents and spreading the love. It's also about parking yourself in front of a television and watching sports. It's part of what it makes the day so unique, especially for men -- they get to do something they rarely experi ... More >>

The H-Town Countdown: We Interrupt This Countdown to Bring You Some Basketball/Rap Metaphors

Roughly 84,000 rap albums have been released in Houston since 1989. We're counting down the 25 best of all time every Thursday. Got a problem with the list? Shove it. Just kidding. Friendship. Email it to sheaserrano@gmail.com.​You know how at the end of each American Idol season they drag the fin ... More >>

A Horse With No Name: Livestock Songs Fit For The Glue Factory

​ At Rocks Off, there is no yin without yang, no Yahweh without Satan, and no Charles Barkley without Godzilla. And since we already presented you with an assortment of rockin' livestock songs (to get you in the mood for the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo), it's only fair that we offer a count ... More >>

Game Time: Ten Historically Significant March Madness Buzzer Beaters

In my effort to help everyone prepare for March Madness, I bring you the second installment of the March Madness Preview. (Click here for yesterday's first installment -- you know the part with my picks and what not.) Today, we look at some of the most historical buzzer beaters in tournament histo ... More >>

6 Songs You Never Want To Hear At Graduation

​It must be that time of year again. Seniors are suffering from GTFO Syndrome, and their loved ones are bracing themselves for several hours of obligatory, coma-inducing celebrations of learning known as "commencement." Yes, it's graduation season. Yet it could be worse. Surprisingly enough, there ... More >>

Commiserating The Lakers Win With Five Predictions About Bun's Forthcoming LP, Trill OG

​Welcome back to Five Spot. Every Friday, we'll examine a recent bit of music news and, albeit sometimes awkwardly, tie it to a bit of Houston rap. We'll incorporate the number five in there somewhere. Send tips to introducingliston@gmail.com. Ack. The Lakers won the NBA Championship las ... More >>

Game Time: Kobe Bryant: One Down, One To Go (And Neither of Them Are You, LeBron)

You, Senator, are no Michael Jordan​ "I've got one more than Shaq." -- Kobe BryantThe accolades would seem to indicate that respect has not been an issue for Kobe Bryant -- the respect of fans, the respect of his peers, the respect of the media.In his career, Kobe Bryant has been selected to the A ... More >>

Game Time: NBA DRAFT -- Worst Lottery Picks Of The Last 15 Years

cutline​As "must see" events on the sporting calendar go, the annual NBA Draft is highly underrated. If you ask the average sports fan his or her five most watchable sports nights of the year you'll probably get canned answers like the Super Bowl, a Game 7 in the MLB or NBA playoffs, and any inte ... More >>

Doug Glanville: A Book That's Interesting But Superficial

He was there for the Steve Bartman game​Doug Glanville wasn't the greatest player to ever play major league baseball. He lasted just nine seasons in the majors, playing for three teams, and getting only 1,100 hits. He was never exactly a household name. But unlike most of the people in the majors, ... More >>

Eskabel: Ready To Get All Trae Tha Truth Tonight

The hip-hop world is a less than sensible place - lots of times, you're even required to clarify when bad means bad and when bad means good - so once a week we're going to get with a rapper and ask them to explain things. Have something you always wanted to ask a rapper? Email sheaserrano@gmail.com. ... More >>

Remember Eskabel's Pep Talk?

Houston's history is dotted with albums that, fairly or un, have been swept aside. We'll examine them here. Have an album that you think nobody knows about but should? Email sheaserrano@gmail.com. ​Eskabel Pep Talk (Black Shark, 2010) Eskabel, the Missouri City spitfire MC who's just as like ... More >>

Air Jordan Frenzy: Say What Now? Five Possible Explanations

Air Jordans and the madness of crowds​Huge crowds jammed Houston stores today looking to buy the latest version of the Air Jordan sneaker. Cops were called out to handle some unruliness connected with having a chance to purchase the $175 Air Jordan 11 Retro sneaker. Hundreds of people lined ... More >>

Grandfather Child Finish Album, Resume Crushing Crowds

Mark C. Austin​There are two things you need to know about Grandfather Child: They're a super group made up of the best pieces of other bands. The lineup is Lucas Gorham, Ryan Chavez, Robert Ellis and Geoffrey Muller. In case you're not terribly familiar with the Houston independent music s ... More >>

10 Meaningfully Awesome NBA Dunk Contest Dunks (with VIDEO!)

As All Star Games go, in terms of meaning, effort, enthusiasm, pomp and circumstance, the NBA All Star weekend is in the meaty part of the curve. Football's Pro Bowl becomes a bigger and bigger joke every year (highlighted by fanboy journalist Jay Glazer of Fox actually calling a play in this seaso ... More >>

Kim Kardashian's "Jam" A Hurdle Too Big To Clear

Photos via kimkardashian.celebuzz.com​Stick to what you're good at: A simple, yet, invaluable lesson that can save you lots of embarrassment. Kim Kardashian hasn't learned that lesson, but she will soon when she breaks into the music industry with her pop debut, "Jam (Turn It Up)," a nightmare ... More >>

Five Former Houston Rockets' Garage Sales We'd Like to Attend

Pippen loved him some beanie babies.​With an NBA lockout looming this offseason, current players should take note of the financial misery of former Houston Rocket and future Hall of Famer Scottie Pippen. Once the right-hand man of Michael Jordan, Pippen has fallen into such difficult financial ... More >>

Rise Of Lil B And Odd Future Both A Gift And A Curse

​So you've written the greatest song the world has never heard. You spent a good two-and-half hours on those brain-melting metaphors, and another three laying them on wax. Every bar requires repeated listening to fully digest. Your ad-libs are on point like Chris Paul. The beat knocks harder ... More >>

Top 5 Celebrities Who Tried to Go All NASCAR...and Failed

Kyle Busch: Qualified to break traffic speeding laws.​If you're going to travel at more than 80 miles an hour over the limit, you should probably be a professional speedster and not a celebrity with run-of-the-mill driving know-how. On Tuesday, Kyle Busch, a championship-winning NASCAR driver ... More >>

Remember Mr. Wired Up (Oh Boy)'s Inside My Mind?

Houston's history is dotted with albums that, fairly or not, have been swept aside. We'll examine them here. Have an album that you think nobody knows about but should? Email sheaserrano@gmail.com. ​Mr. Wired Up (Oh Boy) Inside My Mind (Self-released, 2011) Despite having gained some tractio ... More >>

NBA Draft Rewind -- 1986, The Worst Draft Ever

Plus the shorts sucked​As much as those who construct teams in sports would like to think that they have a formula and a blueprint that they can go execute with any team in any market and be successful, the fact of the matter is that even for the best personnel men in the best-run organization ... More >>

Carry That Weight: The Best Bands Pegged As The "Next Beatles"

Laugh now, but remember when Definitely Maybe came out?​How much pressure must it be to have someone, probably some flacky music journalist running out of metaphors and superlatives, call your band the "Next Beatles" just as you start your rock career? That's like being called the next Jesus C ... More >>

Recasting The Geto Boys From Houston's Under-25 Ranks

​So here's how this happened: Thursday night, while prepping the next installment Houston Press Underground Rap Awards, which we were planning on featuring in this space at this exact moment, a side note for an award spiderwebbed into a way-too-long e-conversation with several people that wa ... More >>

Ask A Rapper: E.S.G. and the Rapper That's Going to be Better Than All You Suckas

The hip-hop world is a less than sensible place - lots of times, you're even required to clarify when bad means bad and when bad means good - so once a week we're going to get with a rapper and ask them to explain things. Something you always wanted to ask a rapper? Email introducingliston@gmail.com ... More >>

Houston Rockets 1993 vs. Houston Rockets 2012, the Hard Truth

Photo by Jeff BalkeRockets need more than Rowdies this year.​It's been a tough start for the hapless Rockets. With early injury problems, a trade that didn't happen in the lockout-shortened offseason and a new unproven coach, it's no wonder the first few weeks of the season have been somewhere ... More >>

Saturday Night: Kendrick Lamar at Warehouse Live

Photos by Marco Torres​There's nothing in Kendrick Lamar's catalog that suggests he's a capacity crowd artist. He doesn't chase radio glory. He doesn't make what you call, um, hits. He's just starting to log big name cosigns. Yet, on Saturday, Warehouse Live was packed from end to end with hip ... More >>

All Retro Everything: This Week In Houston Rap Videos

​Ah, rappers and music videos. Some are vehicles for self-promotion, others are tools used to promote a message, a gaggle of asses or some good ol' wholesome debauchery. In the case of the Houston rap class, music videos are always eye opening glimpses into the future, either telling what a ta ... More >>