Twitter: @dougmerlino
- @kashanacauley I liked it better when disgraced people moved to the mountains or went to serve the poor. 05:20:38 PM June 07, 2013 from Twitter for Android in reply to kashanacauley ReplyRetweetFavorite
HUSTLE REVIEWS/ INTERVIEWS/VIDEO
- Author's Hour (video)
- Bookforum
- Booklist
- Crosscut
- Daily Cal
- East Bay Express
- Gelf Magazine
- Kirkus
- LA84 Foundation
- Leonard Lopate (NYC NPR)
- Library Journal
- Open Salon
- Panel at Berkeley (video)
- Seatown Sports
- Seattle Times
- SLAM Magazine
- The Conversation (Seattle NPR)
- The Novel Road
- The Team at Town Hall Seattle (video)
- True Hoop
- Washington State Book Awards
- Yaacov Lozowick
LONGER POSTS
- Ari Kohn on prisoner reentry
- Cornel West on Engaged Citizenship
- Damian Joseph Update
- Earl Lloyd, first black player in the NBA
- Great b-ball books: Halberstam's "Breaks of the Game"
- How to Publish a Kindle E-Book in 7 Easy Steps
- Hudson Taylor: Enlisting Athletes to Fight Homophobia
- In Memory: Jim Merlino
- On the Flight to the Exurbs
- On the Meaning of "The Hustle"
- Thinking about Mohamed Bouazizi
Archives
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Monthly Archives: May 2011
Random Music: “Demolition Man” by Grace Jones
Safe to say she takes this song to a place Sting never imagined. You come to me like a moth to the flame It’s what you need but I don’t play that game You kept on coming you should have … Continue reading
A Brief History of the Crossover Dribble
Great video, with Dwayne Wade, Tim Hardaway, Pearl Washington and Allen Iverson talking about the development of the move. Includes footage of Iverson crossing over Michael Jordan two times on the same play. As Iverson says, the amazing thing is … Continue reading
Posted in Blog
Tagged Allen Iverson, basketball, Crossover dribble, Dwayne Wade, Michael Jordan, Pearl Washington, Tim Hardaway
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Interview with Ari Kohn: On the Politics and Realities of Helping Former Prisoners Escape the Past
Ari Kohn compares the difficulty of getting into the program he runs with that of gaining entrance to an elite university – over the last five years, he’s been able to accept less than 25 percent of the hundreds of applications … Continue reading
Random Music: “More Bounce to the Ounce” by Zapp
Because — apologies to Peter Frampton — Roger Troutman was the Paganini of the Talk Box. httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lK6wOG_aDl8 Troutman also put in an immortal appearance on this song.
George Orwell on the Rich and the Poor
A passage from Down and Out in Paris and London, in which Orwell reflects on working as a menial kitchen laborer a large Paris hotel: The mass of the rich and the poor are differentiated by their incomes and nothing else, … Continue reading
Posted in Blog
Tagged Down and Out in Paris and London, George Orwell, rich and poor
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Michael Jordan and the Global Fame Machine
To learn more about my e-book, The Crossover: A Brief History of Basketball and Race, from James Naismith to LeBron James, click here. It includes this essay plus much more. Michael Jordan Takes the World By Doug Merlino Sometime this … Continue reading
Bill Gates and the Shadow Department of Education
Bill Gates was inescapable as I was writing The Hustle. The first reason was that he is the most famous and prominent alum of Lakeside, my former private school, which features heavily in the book. But as the reporting of … Continue reading
Judgment Day Blues
All this Rapture talk got a couple chilling songs stuck on repeat in my head, one by Son House, one from Johnny Cash. “John the Revelator” httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NN2u_wFsFYA&feature=related “When the Man Comes Around” httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5dYxX-PNno
Idealism Grinds against Pragmatism
Tony Kushner on Obama, the way some of his friends reacted to him, and the process of political change: “Instantly, before the inauguration had even taken place, it became ‘oh he’s betrayed us, ‘oh he’s so terrible,’” Kushner said. “Well, it’s … Continue reading
Random Music: “Death Don’t Have No Mercy” by Reverend Gary Davis
Back in college, I bought a Rev Gary Davis compilation CD on impulse. Ever since, I revisit his songs every now and then. His stuff is timeless. He was really able to just sing about love, loss, pain, faith and … Continue reading
Interview with the LA84 Foundation about “The Hustle”
The LA84 Foundation was started with surplus funds from the 1984 LA Olympics with the purpose of helping youth through sports. I was recently interviewed for the foundation’s newsletter, which you can read here or below. *** SL Interview: Writer … Continue reading
Posted in Blog
Tagged basketball, David Davis, Doug Merlino\, interview, LA84, The Hustle, Youth Sports
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Revisiting Larry Bird and Magic Johnson, Unwitting Racial Signifiers of the Reagan Era
To learn more about my e-book, The Crossover: A Brief History of Basketball and Race, from James Naismith to LeBron James, click here. It includes this essay plus much more. Magic Johnson and Larry Bird: The Rivalry That Transformed the NBA By … Continue reading
Posted in Blog
Tagged 1980s, basketball, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Race, Ronald Reagan
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On Spencer Haywood, Free Agency and the Nexus of Race, Money and Power in the NBA
To learn more about my e-book, The Crossover: A Brief History of Basketball and Race, from James Naismith to LeBron James, click here. It includes this essay plus much more. Spencer Haywood, the NBA Draft and the Legal Battle That Shaped the League … Continue reading
Random Music: “Maybe I’m Amazed” by The Faces
Rod Stewart, Ronnie Lane, Ronnie Wood, et al. tear up some Wings-era McCartney. I love how they stay true to the original melody but totally make it their own. httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLhoLkTyNkM
