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Cavs Win the Title

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Love to NE Ohio tonight, congrats to the Cavs, and respect to the Warriors for an amazing series and playoff run.

I am a Lakers fan first and always, and LA is my hometown, but I was born in Ohio and moved back there thirteen years ago to witness an amazing talent develop first hand. We saw the games, the scrimmages, the fan events, and our boys met the team and got the signatures.

LeBron blew my mind and brought to mind my childhood hero, Magic Johnson. James never wanted to be the next Michael and it was never a good comparison. He’s about the pass, the triple double, as much as the dunks. And I remember the year he added the chase-down block to his game–who does that?

And then he bailed for Miami and I loathed his selfishness like everybody. He made me think of Kobe: the ego that destroyed one of the great partnerships in the history of the game.

When LeBron returned to Cleveland it was the pivot in his career and, as with Kobe, things were complicated with the fans.

Redemption is in the heart of beholder–or Witness–something every fan will have to weigh for themselves. But, LeBron has atoned. Maybe Kyrie should have gotten that MVP even, but that’s ok. It was LeBron’s night. Congratulations, from steamy LA.

And as for the game of basketball? Well, I’m glad there’s still more than one way to win a championship, dominant strategies ruin a game. This year the old truths won out:

Live by the three, die by the three,
the And1 is greater than the three,
And defense wins championships.

Also… Go Lakers, see you soon Luke Walton, and LeBron you are welcome here anytime =D

Mini Review of Ken’s Ramen, Providence RI

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Top Three Impressions of Ken’s Ramen – You Won’t Believe Number 2!

For a ramen virgin (no, what we ate in college does not count), a first-time experience at Ken’s Ramen was the kind of revelation more worldly gourmands might recall wistfully. Having no prior experience with ramen joints, everything fascinated; from new tools and tastes to their fill-in-the-blanks ordering protocol. Here are my top three impressions to a n00b:

1) Real ramen is *complex*.
Yeah, there’s depth to a bowl of ramen… it starts thin but the broth deepens in character, color, even texture as you plumb the lower strata. About midway through a warm food glow pervades ones consciousness and, in that elevated state, individual shitakes and impossibly tender chicken pulls become both more distinct and blend completely together in a paradoxical harmony. I likey.

2) They could have called it “Rap & Ramen”
The vibe is East Coast Yakuza, circa mid ’90s. I’m not casually slangin stereotypes here, their tee-shirts proclaim “cartel” and the soundtrack prominently features Biggie and Wu. In fact, I felt like I was living scenes from my favorite graphic novel from last year, ‘Get Jiro’ (the Anthony Bourdain penned dystopian future food gangsta fantasy.) This is all good with me, but may be off-putting to some foodie factions.

3) Longitudinal Studies Required
For a seemingly simple menu, there’s an awful lot I have to go back and try! All the ingredients were of terrific quality and attentively prepared; what’s great is that there are a good number of add-ons and variations to experiment with. So, I’ll be going back to try their thick noodles and dipping goo, the braised egg, blackened pork, sea urchin roe, and more. I had the stock Chicken Paitan this time to establish a base line experience, but sampling my son’s vegetarian broth made me wish for a cow’s anatomy – I’m thinking four stomachs here, not impressive udders.