A Day Of Freedom, Women's Footaction Outlet Deals, & DTLR Polo's

Air Jordan 9 Retro
White / Black / University Blue

It's bright and sunny outside and my wife and children are going to visit her family out of town for the day so I have the day to myself and no plans. Might go visit friends, might see how the Playoff 13's and Cincinnati Griffey's sold this morning, might just check out a few movies I need to catch up on. Just going to enjoy the sun and weather and try to get out of the house. Since it feels like spring I decided to wear something in a color that always makes me think of spring and sunshine for some reason. These Jordan Retro 9's might have some black in them but the white and university blue just say spring weather to me. They were released last May 29th so maybe that's why I think of it as a spring shoe. They retailed for $150 and if your a savy Internet shopper you can actually find them for under retail online. This is another example of Nike Jordan over doing it with one particular model thus decreasing the demand for them. There were 6 different colorways of this shoe released last year, 7 if you include the Bin 23 colorway. At some point even diehards will get burnout on a model if you flood the market with to many colorways.

The 9 was designed by Tinker Hatfield and was the model that came out during MJ's baseball phase. They include the Jordan Logo on the side sole, the 23 on the back heel and were designed with a speed lacing feature for easy wear. These are also the shoes Jordan is wearing on his statue outside the United Center in Chicago.  The ironic thing about that is that MJ never actually wore these as a Bull. They were released after his retirement and before his first comeback. Some people consider this a plain and unremarkable Jordan model but it has grown in popularity over the years and is now looked at as a classic for it's simplicity. funny how time alters one's view of things.

Got a few pics of some women's shoes I saw up at the Footaction Outlet yesterday I figured I would pass along to keep you guys informed. If you see anything you want more info on just let me know. The Nike's are still 50% off up there.

They also had a few girls Polo Boots at the Footaction Outlet that I grabbed pics of too. These are 70% off right now so you might want to grab some even if your just planning to sit on them until next winter.

And finally, I grabbed some pics of these men's Polo Boots from DTLR which are on sale right now. As you know, DTLR sales at the drop of a dime so you might want to grab them asap if your interested.

Rain, Cupcakes, And NBA Trades

Timberland Woodbury
Brown

Once again, rain has canceled Nike SB Friday so instead I went with these Timberland Woodbury Boots. I got these last November from the Footaction Outlet for $60 (retail is $120) and they quickly became a every day favorite especially during the nasty weather at the end of last year. They aren't super flashy or exclusive, just a good, solid, waterproof, outdoor boot which I'll get use out of for years to come.

Decided to go with the store bought frosting for my cupcakes I made yesterday for my son's school. I'm just not a huge fan of homemade frosting, just tastes off to me for some reason. I did make a slight modification to my cupcake recipe yesterday and according to the reviews was a good change. The original recipe called for a cup of buttermilk which I changed to applesauce when I first used it. Yesterday I changed the applesauce to fat free yogurt and they turned out great. They just have a unique flavor to them that really sets them off. Frosted half of them with chocolate icing and the other half with vanilla icing for those weird people who like vanilla for some reason. Cakes are always supposed to have chocolate frosting. The cake can be vanilla but the frosting should always be chocolate. Always. Hopefully they won't poison anyone tonight at Family Fun Night at my son's school. And hopefully we'll win some prizes in the Bingo games tonight too.

Now as for yesterdays trades, loved what OKC did but not sure about Boston, need to see how that plays out before I pass judgements. The Memphis / Houston trade was a sneaky little deal which might work really well Memphis if they continue playing as well as the have been. I see the point of what MJ did with trading Wallace and that trade really helps Portland. The Bobcats needed to be blown up or they would just flounder in the 7 - 8 seed area forever. And Portland really strengthened their team with a great complimentary player in Wallace. As for the rest of the trades, they same to have been made just to have been made. Typical NBA GM moves, just do something to fool your fans into thinking your doing something.

Oh well, later this afternoon I'll be throwing up something on all the women's shoes at the Footaction Outlet plus a few men's Polo Boots from DTLR so make sure you come back and check it out, Cheapsoles

Cupcakes, Air Raids, And My Big Debate







Nike Air Raid
Black / Medium Grey / White

Today's shoe is the Nike Air Raid, Nike's outdoor basketball shoe from 1992. This pair is from 2008 which is the last time they were retroed. This is another of those shoes from that early '90's era of shoes which I loved in high school but couldn't afford and had to have now that I can afford them. These retailed for $95.00 at FootLocker which is $5.00 more then they were when Nike retroed them in 2003. This is the original colorway model , Black / Medium Grey / White.

The story behind the Air Raids actually begins with Reebok. Reebok had just released their Blacktop collection and Phil Knight told legendary shoe designer Tinker Hatfield to design an outdoor shoe for Nike. Tinker went to the playgrounds and asked players what they needed and designed the Air Raid as a result. Spike Lee was hired to promote the shoe and Tim Hardaway was used in the ad spots. Due to Spike's upcoming film Malcolm X some people wrongly assumed the straps across the shoe were in homage to Malcolm X but they were really just a design feature to stabilize the shoe.The ads for the Air Raid were crazy with lots of loud colors and one spot even featured a direct lift of a scene from Spike's film "Do The Right Thing". Some people refer to the shoes as "Malcolm X" and some people, like me, simple call them the Tim Hardaways but neither is technically correct. The shoe had nothing to do with Malcolm X and Tim Hardaway never wore them on an NBA court. These shoes were designed for outdoor use and literally say so on the back heel.

I know I said yesterday I would try to get some pics of some women's shoes from the Footaction Outlet up today but that was before I volunteered to bake some cupcakes for my son's school so I'm spending the day baking in the kitchen. And I make my cupcakes from scratch not from a box so I actually have to put in a little work. The only problem with making them from scratch is the mess they create. But thanks to my wonderful sister-in-law I have a great food processor which made the mixing alot easier then it used to be. Just have to decide if I want to use store bought frosting or make my own. I'll let you know tomorrow.

The bigger issue I'm debating is on what wall do I want to put the NOS (new old stock) Powell Peralta '91 Steve Caballero "Mask" deck I just got in. I have about 7 skateboards hanging on the walls in the room over the garage (my room, or at least that's what my wife likes to pretend it is) along with various items leftover from my days as a record store owner. On the back wall I have 3 Powell Peralta reissues on one side of the window and 2 vintage decks (a Steve Saiz Powell and a "Jinx" Vision) on the other side. Just trying to decide if I want to keep all the vintage decks together or do I want to put the Caballero "Mask" on the wall beside the Caballero "Dragon & Bats" reissue. I have pics below so maybe you guys can offer some advice. Plus if any of you guys have some decks in decent shape laying around feel free to let me know. Would love to add more so the wall. Till tomorrow, Cheapsoles



Powell Peralta Reissues
Vallely, Caballero, & "Bones" Rodriquez (clockwise)



Original Powell Saiz "Totem Pole"
And Vision Marty "Jinx"

Original Powell Peralta '91
Steve Caballero "Mask"

Melo, Footaction Finds, And DTLR Sales

Jordan Melo 5.5
Light Graphite / Metallic Silver / University Blue

I figured since tonight is Carmelo's Knick's debut I might as well wear the only pair of Melo's I own. These are his second signature model with Jordan Brand. They were called 5.5's as they were inspired by both the Jordan 5 and the Jordan 6. They supposedly took the best parts of both shoes and combined them to make this model. So basically this was a earlier hybrid / fusion by Jordan. I guess we can blame Carmelo for all the crap Jordan puts out now. This pair was released in 2005 and retailed for $125.00 which is what I paid for them when I got them from FootLocker. The colorway is listed as Light Graphite / Metallic Silver / University Blue.  They have the reflective material on the tongue and a 15 on the side above the words Myrtle Ave. which was Melo's number in Denver and the area of Baltimore he was raised in. They also included Melo's signature across the back heel over the Jordan Jumpman logo. Now as for this trade, I just don't see the greatness of it from a pure basketball perspective. Yes it'll put butts in the seats and will be fun to watch but at best it makes the Knicks the 4th best team in the East, and that depends on how Orlando is playing at the time. The Celtics, Heat, and Bulls are easily better than the Knicks so how does this make them so much better this year. Plus with what they're going to end up paying both Amare and Melo and with the salary cap getting reduced in the next CBA they won't have the room to pick up a third big name like Chris Paul they way everyone assumes they will. Of course, now that the Nets have traded for Deron Williams he probably won't be available either. Not really sure about that trade either. OK, the Nets get Williams but they are still the Nets just with a better point guard. There is still nobody for him to pass the ball to so what was the point of the trade.

Went by both Footaction Outlet and DTLR today and saw a few items to hip you guys too. Should have some new women's stuff from Footaction Outlet up tomorrow. Check the pics below, attached the name of the store below each pic for you too. The sale at Footaction is still 50% off for Nike's and 70% all non Nike shoes plus 80% off all the clothes. The DTLR stuff has the prices attached.

DTLR

DTLR

DTLR

Footaction Outlet

Footaction Outlet

Footaction Outlet

Footaction Outlet

Big Nike, Long Beach, Pretty Woman Thoughts, & Spaghetti Sauce Recipes

Big Nike High Premium QK "LBC"
White / Black / Varsity Purple

Todays shoe is the Big Nike High Premium QK "LBC" or as I like to call it, part of the leftovers. This is a shoe I bought at the Nike Outlet in Myrtle Beach SC in several sizes for $25.00 (retail is $90.00) to resell when I had my shoe business. When I decided to liquidate my stock last May and closeup I still had this shoe left in a size 12 so I figured why not keep it. It's not like I didn't pay for and I did have several shirts to match it. Plus I knew that no one else in Columbia would have it since it was a west coast exclusive and was never released down here.And let's be honest, we all like having things nobody else has right? The Big Nike, yes that the name of the shoe, is one of Nike's '80's era basketball shoes that nobody really seems to care about or pay much attention too but Nike for some reason decided to bring it back a few years ago. This is one of those shoes that's old but isn't considered a retro, kind of like the Dunk or Blazer. As a matter of fact, now that I think about it, only Jordans get the retro tag. Nike just reissued the Nomo's and it doesn't say retro anywhere on the box and it hasn't been out in over 15 years. Just another marketing game Nike likes to play. These Big Nike were part of the LBC / ATL pack which consisted of  two pairs of Big Nike's. This pair in White / Black / Varsity Purple with a large LBC on the heel in place of the standard NIKE (hence the name Big Nike, I know, it's so stupidly simple) while the ATL pair were in the Atlanta Hawks colors and had ATL across the heel. They also replaced the Nike  

 Logo on the tongue with the logo of the city on the heel. Neither shoe has any sort of resell / aftermarket value, they are Big Nike's after all. It's just one of those shoes in the pile that I might throw on once or twice a year if I happen to see the box on a day when I have on a purple shirt. My daughter loved them this morning when I broke them out because they had purple in them like her AirMax so that makes them worth wearing today.
OK, so here's my thing with Pretty Woman, and yes I'm talking about that movie women (especially white women, just being honest) love for some reason. Do you people get that Julia Roberts character Vivian is a whore, prostitute, hooker, streetwalker, whatever you want to call her. Not a escort, not a call girl, a hooker. She stands on the corner and services any guy who comes by and pays her. How can you act like it's such a great love story when you know if your son, brother, father, uncle, whoever showed up with some girl he meet tricking and said he was in love with her and was going to take her off the track and marry her you would all kick his ass. But because people like to pretend Julia Roberts is beautiful women seem to overlook her character's whorish past. And don't say it's because I'm a guy, I happen to enjoy dumb predictable romantic comedies. Love Actually and Notting Hill are two of my favorite movies. Even junk like The Proposal and Two Weeks Notice are watchable to me. Hell I even enjoyed Sleepless in Seattle and You've Got Mail so you can't use that excuse. And don't get me started on Dirty Dancing, that movie kicks all kinda ass, but Pretty Woman, seriously? It's not a bad movie but how is turning a ho into a housewife an epic love story?

Last thing, I need some really good spaghetti sauce recipes. And no just open a jar jokes either. I want some old school family recipes to experiment with so if anybody has any hit me in the comments section. Till tomorrow, Cheapsoles.







Trevor Bayne, Random Thoughts, & Public Royalty a/k/a Yet Another $10 Shoe

Public Royalty Funk Shooter
Black / Grey / Red

Today is Non-Nike Monday and I'm spending the day home relaxing with my wife while the kids are at school and daycare so I just grabbed a pair off the pile and it turned out to be these Public Royalty Funk Shooter's. I think this is just the third time I've worn them since I bought them over a year ago from the Footaction Outlet for only $10.00 (retail is $64.99). I bought them for two reasons, they were funky and different plus they were cheap. Never bought any to sell since I knew no one would buy a shoe they had never heard of no matter how cheap they were. That's something I've never understood about simple people, they'll wear the ugliest stuff (Coogi for example) as long as the name is mentioned by enough rappers but won't rock something that's actually hot and looks good because the name isn't right. Guess they would rather follow then lead.

Speaking of leading, I have to congratulate Trevor Baynor on his improbable and amazing win in the Daytona 500 yesterday. The kid is just the second driver to ever win the Daytona 500 the first time he raced in it. And to be honest, the first person to do it was Lee Petty in the very first 500 ever run so that really doesn't count does it. And yes half of the field, including a lot of the top drivers, was taken out early in the race but he earned that win. He was at the front all race long and whoever drafted with him drove straight to the front all day. The kid can drive and has great talent plus he is pretty good with the media and can be a huge shot in the arm to the sport.

On to my random thoughts, how long until Blake Griffin gets a signature shoe? And can we get Kevin Love a model with a real sneaker company too? Can't we go back to the day when Nike was making signature shoes for everybody without really making signature shoes for everybody? The Shake NDestrukt was Dennis Rodman's signature shoe without being called the Dennis Rodman. The Nike Air Force 180 was David Robinson's signature model without being called his signature model. Gary Payton had the Payton Zoom Flight "Glove" and Barkley had the CB Max 94. Just realized while watching Real Talk that Kevin Smith rocks Jordans which makes him even greater. Am I allowed to slap these little children who keep thinking Lil wayne is the greatest rapper ever? Look, I know dude has talent and I like his stuff most of the time but seriously, he's not doing anything that guys like Scarface and Outkast havent been doing for years. It's just that most rappers have dumbed down their lyrics to the point that actually having a little intelligence in your lyrics makes you great. How come Lebron seemed to be the only player on the East Squad to give damn last night? The Celtics guys seemed to think it was a big joke, Dwight Howard a/k/a "The Big Overrated" didn't even bother to show up, and everybody else was trying to make a name for themselves. I'll give Joe Johnson some credit too but he's Joe Johnson so he was just happy to be there. And can someone please explain to Chris Bosh his role? What the hell was he doing taking a three at that point in the game? And why exactly is Carmelo such a huge get for the Knicks? Isn't he exactly the same as Amare? They both  score a ton but can't defend or rebound. I know people said Lebron and D-Wade are the same type of player but the both score, pass, rebound, and defend so they can work together but not sure how Melo and Amare fit togther. Enough for now, Cheapsoles.

Let's Go Racing Then Watch Some All-Stars or Lazy Sunday's Pair - Nike Zoom Sharkley

Nike Zoom Sharkley
Black / Varsity Red / White / Metallic Gold

Getting this up a little late in the afternoon but I was trying to get everything out of the way this morning so I can just sit back and watch hours upon hours of TV. The Daytona 500 is seconds away from starting and after that I get to roll right into the NBA All-Star game. My wife and son are gone on a play date and my 2 year old daughter is passed out in her room for a little while. Made my garlic infused olive oil and ginger infused olive oil made this morning so my day is free and clear until I cook dinner tonight. And since I'm not doing anything today but watching racing & basketball figured I might as well get one of those odd pairs I have in the stash. These are the Nike Zoom Sharkley which is a hybrid of the Nike CB Max 94 (Barkley's) and the Nike Shake NDestrukt (Dennis Rodmans's). I have three pairs of these for some reason. Probably due to my love of the Barkley's and the fact that I got them for $30 each. That is a problem I have when I get a pair of some random shoe at the Footaction Outlet. After I get that first pair I feel the need to get every colorway I see up there. I have issues, I know. These shoes retailed for $88.00 and as I said earlier, I paid $30.00 for them. The colorway is listed as Black / Varsity Red / White / Metallic Gold.

The race is pretty exciting so far and loving the new Transformers spots they keep showing. Looks like Bay has figured out what he did wrong with the second one. That last Transformers movie was a piece of crap and was hard to watch but hopefully this one will be much better. Looking forward to the All-Star game tonight. Still think Blake is going to show out tonight like he did last night. Oh well, take back what I said about the race being exciting, they just had the big one really early in the race and half the cars are done. Not just half the cars but it was most of the good cars. Going to be a weird one. Back to Blake, he did his thing last night, just straight power dunks and insane height and leaping. Think this is his national coming out party. The casual fan is going to learn about the next big superstar today. I can easily see him getting a signature sneaker next season. Just in time for me to start buying sneakers again. Till tomorrow, or later this afternoon depending on how I feel, Cheapsoles