Today is the day the NBA gathers all its biggest and most accomplished stars for their annual All-Star game, a chance for fans of the sport across the world to enjoy the wonders and excitement that basketball brings, so it’s only fitting that it would coincide with the birthday of the greatest entertainer and player the NBA ever saw, Michael Jordan.

Recognized by an overwhelming majority of fans, former players and legends alike as the greatest of all time (G.O.A.T.), Jordan turns 50 years old today. He stands atop the world of sports as not only a historically unparallelled athlete, but also as one of the world’s most famous people, a pioneering shoe endorser and NBA owner as well.

He is a six-time NBA champion, six-time NBA Finals MVP, five-time regular season MVP and is the NBA’s third all-time leading scorer with 32,292 career points. He’s an NCAA champion, two-time Olympic Gold medalist with 14 NBA All-Star selections and three All-Star game MVPs. He won the slam dunk contest twice and was named rookie of the year in 1985 and defensive player of the year in 1988. He holds an incredible amount of NBA records, including highest career scoring average (30.1), most scoring titles ever (10), most consecutive scoring titles (7 straight), he’s third on the all-time steals list with 2,514 and he led his Chicago Bulls to the greatest record in basketball history – 72 wins and only 10 losses.

He inspired an entire generation with his skills. His reach didn’t only extend to fans either, but helped spark the careers of future legends like Kobe Bryant and LeBron James.

“Sometimes I dream…that he is me…”

I don’t stand a chance at properly measuring his greatness with my words, so I’ve assembled some excellent articles, stories and videos that do a much better job, including a piece from the great Michael Wilbon on Jordan’s unmatched achievements and an excellent interview and look into the mind of the man himself by Wright Thompson. You can also take a look at some photos of the best moments in Jordan’s career.

Reading’s not your thing? Not to worry, grab a chair, relax and enjoy the videos below.

Happy Birthday your Airness, thanks for all the wonderful memories!

-Will.

When it comes to finding fast, delicious food perfect for almost any occasion (probably not ideal for weddings), pizza always comes to mind. It’s in my top 5 fast food hall of fame and when made correctly, it’s hard to argue against ordering it to fight the eternal enemy we call hunger.

I’m a pizza fanatic, but only of the kinds that Al Bundy or Homer Simpson would enjoy. No pineapples, spinach, lettuce or whatever other atrocities places like CPK and hipster bars can come up with. I’m talking about the basics, pepperoni, cheese, bacon, sausage, ham, etc.

The best pizza is greasy, relatively inexpensive, heavy on toppings and doesn’t have cardboard crust. In the past 10 days I’ve enjoyed a pizza (or 5) and decided to share some of the photos.

Al Bundy summarizes my views on pizza with chicken, fruit or random vegetables.

First up was a very economic option found only in Los Angeles. It’s called La Pizza Loca (the crazy pizza) and it’s a Latino pizza chain that makes a pizza called “La Gigante,” a literal “giant” pizza that costs just $10 and has 32 square-cut slices. It’s far from a perfect pizza, but it is ideal for hanging out with friends or watching sports on a reasonable budget. For a few extra dollars ($12.99) you can make it a meat lovers gigante and they add ham, bacon and sausage. Not wanting to choose between the two, I went with both.

After that I went for the thin crust, New York style with Greco’s NY Pizza. I’ll admit up front that me and the traditional New York style don’t get along. I’ve never been crazy about really thin crust or dry crust, which I know other people really enjoy. With that said, I still hit up Greco’s with an open mind and gave it a fair chance. The pizza was more expensive ($19 for a large pepperoni and cheese pizza) and it was definitely very thin, but the pepperoni was good, the sauce had a nice kick and the melted cheese was delicious.

And now we arrive at my favorite part of this post, where I focus on a special pizza spot called Joe Peeps. Remember when I said that the best pizza is inexpensive, greasy and isn’t afraid to make you conquer a mountain or two of toppings on your journey to pizza heaven’s peak? Well Joe Peeps is that place. They specialize in making pizzas that drown in whatever toppings you love, all served on top of a thin yet soft crust and fluffy bread made fresh every day. My personal favorite is their 18-inch XL Pizza, covered in pepperoni and sausage, which I had this past Sunday. Feast your eyes on this delicacy (those are “light toppings” by the way), which has 10 slices and comes out to about $22.

I’ll finish the post off with a classic choice and one I grew up on. The one and only Pizza Hut, who offer a great deal with their $10 special for any large with up to 3 toppings. As far back as I can remember, I would bug the heck outta my mom, brothers and sisters to make sure we would order some Pizza Hut, specifically the meat lovers one with pan crust. It’s about as greasy as you can dream of and has the awesome combination of delicious pepperoni, sausage, bacon, ham and nostalgia all in one. I went there with my older brother today and just like it has for decades, it made the day even better.

Don’t believe me? Just watch.

What are your favorite pizza places? Let me know on Twitter @TheCherchLife.

(Photo courtesy of dontoine)

I write this post with a great sense of sadness, as the time has come to say goodbye to a friend, or as the title and photo suggest, to pour out a lil liquor. While the loss I’m speaking of isn’t an actual person, don’t let that fool you into thinking that it isn’t a significant one. You see, this post is dedicated to the memory of some of the best food you’d find in any corner of Los Angeles, (home to some of the world’s best tacos and burritos), “Super Tacos La Rana (Estilo Jalisco)” or as it was commonly known, just simply “Rana.”

(Photo courtesy of Robert S. on Yelp)

Located in North Hollywood, CA, Rana was taco truck gold, aka large portions of inexpensive and delicious, greasy Mexican food served piping hot. The flavor of their asada was top notch, with just the right amount of saltiness that left you addicted and fiending for more. It was always cooked fresh and seasoned as you waited in line, allowing you to watch the giant mountains of finely diced beef sizzle in grease and doused in their perfectly concocted seasoning, just waiting to be devoured.

The last Rana burrito I ever ate (December 2012)

Their food choices were just as great, with options that were all cheap ($4 for huge burritos, quesadillas or tortas) and only $1 each for tacos and mulitas, which were heaven-sent mini treats of your choice of meat mixed with cheese and covered in two golden-brown corn tortillas that perfectly complimented a main course burrito.

Two asada (beef) mulitas, covered in green chile, cilantro and onions.

The meats available were plenty; asada, al pastor, carnitas, lengua, chicken (ugh) and a number of other common choices like buche, etc. The asada was their magnum opus though, a masterpiece of culinary street art and the essential ingredient to their superb burritos (meat, beans & cheese) and what I would confidently call the best quesadilla in LA.

An asada (beef) quesadilla, sliced into three pieces, accompanied by a mulita.

The quesadillas consisted of a large, toasted flour tortilla that would overflow with large amounts of thickly-sliced white cheese and asada, all cooked smack dab in the middle of of all the greasy deliciousness oozing all over their hot griddle. Behold the beauty above, as well as several other ones I ate through the years below.

They were parked in the same spot every Wednesday to Sunday for years and I was a regular since about 2010. The food was so great and the prices so affordable that they were packed with customers from the minute they’d arrive around 6 pm until they would close at about 2 am. The drawback of their popularity was the wait, which was usually about 20-30 minutes from the time you ordered until you picked up your food, but it was always worth the time.

My family and I made weekly trips to their truck and we never let a chance to brag about how great Rana was pass, eventually introducing it to as many people as we could. Everyone always ended up coming back or asking us when we were going again, eager to put their orders in. Sadly, they disappeared on the week before Christmas 2012. I was optimistic that they were only gone for the holidays, but my fear grew with each week that passed without their return. Google and social media searches gave no hints of their whereabouts, so I started to ask around, and word on the taco streets was that they were gone for good, victims of an unknown problem that forced them to leave.

I began the mourning process by telling people the unfortunate news, still shocked and left with the sad reality that all I’ll ever have is the memories and photos on my Instagram.

No more quesadillas, no more mulitas, no more burritos and no more Rana. Pour out a lil liquor indeed.

Now that that’s out of the way though, I want to talk about one of the things that I love most in life – food. I took an all-expenses paid (birthday) visit to the kind of place junk food addicts like me love; the Dog Haus in Pasadena, California. (Hat tip to my brother-in-law, sister & fam).

It’s a local independent business that serves up just the right combination of carnivorous excess and the sloppy, dripping deliciousness wandering hungry folks like myself live for.

I’m talking massive burgers and hot dogs morphed into unique works of art, each with perfect yet seemingly random groups of ingredients blended together with the soft, sweet taste of Hawaiian Rolls.

Do you love the taste of Italian sausage, pastrami or a handful of Hawaiian rolls? Of course (who doesn’t), so why not have them all at once? That’s where “The Fonz” comes into play (pause), as in the Dog Haus’ own mix of spicy Italian sausage, hot pastrami and 2 toppings under globs of melted mozzarella and served on toasted rolls.

If that doesn’t do it for you, there’s the “Big Ern McCracken,” which pairs two succulent 1/3-pound Angus beef patties smothered in melted cheddar cheese with a sliced jumbo-size all-beef dog smack dab in the middle. Add a fried egg (yolk intact) with some mayo and the aforementioned toasty rolls and you’re in for one messy trip into food heaven. The towering creation is like an adventure with every bite, each requiring great care and focus but rewarding you with such a satisfying taste. It left a first-time Dog Haus visitor like me with quite an impression.

I also got a look at their “Downtown Dog” aka a hot dog wrapped in smoked bacon with mayo, mustard, ketchup, sautéed onions & peppers. While not as fancy as its culinary colleagues above, it was certainly no slouch.

Neither were the onion rings, which were crunchy and moist, at the same damn time! Sorry, I couldn’t resist.

They had at least half a dozen toppings for fries and sides like onion rings, including the standard fare (ketchup & mustard) as well as deli and Dijon mustards, chili, BBQ sauce and the classic must-have ranch dressing.

(The meal pictured above was for 3 adults and included 2 sodas, 1 milkshake, onion rings and came out to a very reasonable $35 total.)

Aside from the great food the Dog Haus is also very affordable, with all their “Haus Dogs” costing $5.95 and the individual burger prices range from as little as $4.50 for a cheeseburger to $8.50 for the Big Ern, with extra toppings like bacon, fried eggs, cheese or mushrooms adding on anywhere from 25 cents to one dollar.

Sides (tots, fries, onion rings and chili) start at $1.95 each and max out at $4.50 while fountain drinks come with free refills and are $1.60 for a regular and $1.95 for a large. The staff was very friendly and eager to accommodate their customers, which hovered in the “15-20 at a time” range on a Sunday afternoon. They have two locations (Pasadena & Alhambra) as well as a “Biergarten” that serves beer.

All in all, it was well worth the trip to Pasadena and I know it’s a place I’ll be frequenting for years. With its signature style, affordable prices and heaping serving sizes, for once, men will be clamoring to be in the Dog Haus.

-Will.

Are you a Dog Haus fan? Spread the word or share your experience with me on Twitter @TheCherchLife.

The Dog Haus Business hours:

Dog Haus (Pasadena)
Open daily 11am-10pm
(626) 577 HAUS | (626) 577 4289
105 N Hill Ave
Pasadena 91106

Dog Haus (Alhambra)
Open daily 11am-10pm
(626) 282 HAUS | (626) 577 4289
410 E Main St
Alhambra 91801

Dog Haus Biergarten
Open daily at 11am
(626) 683 0808
93 E green St
Old Pasadena 91105

One of the best things about living in Los Angeles is that we’re usually blessed with great weather all year long. Sure, the summers get a bit on the hot side, but our version of “cold winters” would be laughable to most people anywhere else in the U.S. and we spend most of each year in a state of perfect temperatures.

The excellent weather gives us an almost year-round ability to have relaxing barbecues, including in late October.

With that in mind, I got together with some family and friends for a delicious Sunday BBQ. Aside from the sunny conditions, the day was also inspired by LA’s own famous Original Tommy’s World Famous Hamburgers. They’ve been a family favorite for long before I was born and make some of the best chili burgers you’ll ever eat. They had a contest this year asking customers to make their own chili-burgers at home using their “Chili to go” specials and one winner made a video so delicious looking that I had to try it out myself.

The first step was getting the right ingredients from the store, which ended up being 12 pounds of ground beef, a block of sharp cheddar cheese, onions, jalapenos, tomatoes, hamburger buns, bacon, sliced cheese and of course some Tommy’s chili to go. Once we had the stuff ready, the onions, jalapenos and cheese got diced into little squares and added into the ground beef.

After that, they were made into jumbo patties and prepared to be cooked over an open fire, with some nice cold beers and bacon ready along the way.

The grill outside was full of mesquite charcoal and cooked the burgers to a flame-broiled and juicy deliciousness.

Once they were cooked and ready to go, the bacon, cheese and Tommy’s chili were added, making for some great chili-dripping times.

It was an affordable BBQ, with the ingredients totaling about $40 and it fed more than 10 people to the tune of about 2 to 4 burgers for each. Add in some cold beers and soda, the welcoming weather and some NFL action and it definitely was a Cherch life.

-Will.

I’ve been neglecting my actual writing lately for a lot of reasons. Real life stuff happening outside the Internet and my work blogging about the latest and greatest in California’s rap scene for WestCoastRydaz.com (WCR) usually keep me very busy, not to mention all the time I spend hitting different blocks in LA in pursuit of my quest for the best food in the city.

With so much to do, finding the free time to just sit down and write about stuff I love didn’t seem very likely – until today.

Covering music like I do with WCR means I get a ton of e-mail music submissions and it’s not always easy to sift between the different skill levels stuffing my inbox (pause), so I didn’t really know what I would be getting when I saw a new e-mail about an artist named Shad Robinson. I recognized the name of the sender (Fredo Tovar) as a well-known and talented music director outta Cali with his APlusFilmz company so I knew it wouldn’t be something amateur.

After opening the e-mail I saw it included a link to the video for Shad’s single “Cardboard” and links to download his “1989″ album for free and purchase it on iTunes, as well as for his website and social networking information. All that sweetened the deal for me, since a lot of e-mails I get are just random unnamed songs with no photos or information attached.

As I prepared to get some work done I opened up his bandcamp page to listen to the album in the background. I’ve done this before with other submissions and it usually just plays the back while I work, but this time was different. Within a few minutes the song “1989” caught my attention, its raw lyrics and passionate emotion speaking directly to me from my speakers.

I had to stop every thing I was doing and hit the rewind button on the song.

As the song started again from the beginning, it was clear this wasn’t just another random artist. The emotions behind his words were especially powerful and stood out to me, which is saying a lot for lyrics as strong as the ones on the track and the topic itself – a woman struggling with abuse, drugs and abandonment during pregnancy. Here’s a preview of the lyrics on the song:

“Syringe needle, arm wrapped with a tourniquet/
Coke in the spoon she got the heat, she about to burn the shit/
In the corner of an empty room, ain’t even furnished yet/
This the type of pain you can’t relieve with no Percocets/
She’s out her mind, happiness she’s tryin to search for it/
All to find it in 30 minutes worth of perfectness . . .
Addicted to the blurriness, not worried about no birth defects/
Middle finger to the womb like ‘fuck you son’
The other to the sky like oh God ‘fuck the sun.’”

The song gives the impression that it’s a tale of the personal experience his mother went through, but even if it’s not it’s a testament to his ability as a songwriter and artist that he was able to share such a powerful message. For someone like me, it was a refreshing reminder of the things that made me fall in love with music in the first place; an artist’s gift to touch the lives of his listeners and those going through similar issues through his own words and a microphone.

The rest of the album solidifies that talent, as he showcases it further on songs like “Dear Sarah” and “Don’t Fade Away.” It has a crisp sound, sticks to a theme and most importantly, it shows that he respects music as an art. The production, music videos and overall product are all on point, earning him a new fan in me and hopefully opening a path for him to continue to make music the way he does. I’ll leave you with this quote of his, off the song “Thank You’s and Fuck You’s” where he asks;

“It’s more than music when I put my soul on it/One question I ask is ‘will they notice this?’”

The answer is yes, people are noticing.

For more on Shad Robinson check out his website ShadRobinson.com or follow him on Twitter @ShadRobinson.

-Will.

Okay I kind of exaggerated in the headline, so sue me (please don’t), but I did get the great opportunity to cover two days of a pre-ESPYS event hosted by ESPN The Magazine at the W Hotel in Hollywood. I was there representing two sports sites I write for (YouBeenBlinded.com & TwoMiddlesUp.com) and got to meet and interview some great stars and sports figures like Ray Allen, Shawn Marion, Jason Kidd, Tyson Chandler, Michael Wilbon and many more. You can watch a few of my interviews below, and check the rest out here, here, here and here.

The 3-day event mostly consisted of stars being given a ton of free stuff by everyone from HP and Xbox to Skull Candy and expensive suits, all the while being escorted through the gifting suites by beautiful women and catered to with delicious free food and drinks.

Ah, the life of a celebrity must be sweet. Since I was only covering the event and I’m not famous, I was relegated to observing it all, which wasn’t the least bit bad. I got to shake hands with and talk sports with several people I admire and the atmosphere was a joy.

You never quite realize how big some athletes are until you see them in person (Dirk Nowitzki looked like a giant, as did Tyson Chandler) and how small some others are (I’m looking at you Danica Patrick and Justin Bieber).

It was also refreshing to get positive vibes from big names like Erin Andrews and Jason Kidd, who were both gracious in their interactions with me. It wasn’t quite as fun to get brushed off by others, but there’s no hard feelings, it’s all part of the game we take part in.

Much like Beadle in this photo, I had my fingers crossed I'd get to meet her.

The whole experience was a great one, but the highlight had to be finally getting to meet ESPN’s Michelle Beadle, who is most well known for being one of the hosts of SportsNation. Her down to earth personality, sports knowledge and blunt honesty are big reasons why she’s so popular and it was great to see that she’s even more fun in person. I ran into her in the hallway of the gifting suite and when I finally got past my nerves and had the courage to say “Beadle!” she was nice as can be. She was hanging out with fellow sports reporter hottie Hannah Storm and took a picture with me, all while jokingly poking fun at my nervousness. In other words, it was awesome and exactly what you’d expect from Beadle.

When it was all said and done, it was a priceless experience for a young journalist and sports fan like me, giving me another cool chapter to add to my “Cherch Life.”

-Will.

Despite a long history of food trucks (aka roach coachs & taco trucks) serving loyal customers for years in cities like Los Angeles, the past several years have seen a dramatic rise in the popularity of “gourmet” food trucks that serve everything from Korean BBQ and sushi to hamburgers, ice cream and more. I was admittedly skeptical of the new craze, preferring to stick to the trucks I knew, but when I saw that there was a group organizing a food truck festival in the Valley called the NoHo Food Truck Fest I decided I’d finally check them out.

It was definitely a great decision on many fronts, the first being that it was for a charity called “Hope for Paws” which benefits dogs. I’m a big dog lover and that combined with the awesome food truck lineup drew me in.

It started up at 11 am but that was a bit too early on a Saturday for me, so I ended up going with some of my family around 3 pm. The charge to get in was $5, but like I said earlier, the proceeds went to the charity so it wasn’t a big deal. There were about 12-15 trucks lined up along the sides of the big parking lot used for the event, with dozens of booths and tents set up all along the middle of the event for a variety of things, from arts and crafts to veterinary info and much more.

Of course my main interest was the food, so I gave each truck’s menu a look and ultimately decided on Baby’s Bad Ass Burgers, which combines the perfect combo of big hamburgers and beautiful women. I went with the “Original Beauty” combo, which is a 1/2 lb cheeseburger with sauteed mushrooms and added an order of seasoned curly fries. The burger was $8 and the fries $2, so I was able to get a decent sized meal for only $10 bucks. I threw in 2 orders of ranch sauce for another dollar and my total was a respectable $11, which was no worry once I ate the delicious, juicy burger. You can check it out below.

1/2 lb burger with seasoned curly fries

My brother in law went with a spot called “Da Munch Box” for a pastrami, but was honestly left unsatisfied and decided to give “The Greasy Wiener” a try. They had a special combo called “The Bomb” that came with a bacon-wrapped chili dog, a can of Coke and chili cheese fries topped off with bacon bits. It came out to $11 as well, but looked well worth the price. See for yourself below.

Bacon wrapped chili cheese dog with chili cheese fries & bacon bits

We also picked up some sliders from The Greasy Wiener, which were good too. After that we sat back and ate while enjoying some entertainment on the stage. The best part of the show was a dope and energetic “Hip-Rock” band named Full Clip & Paper Chase that did a set that switched between performing covers of famous songs (Lenny Kravitz – “I Want to Get Away”) and some very catchy original pieces. One of the highlights was them covering “La Negra Tomasa” with Paper Chase flipping a verse in English and Spanish.

It was an all-around fun time, with the only sour spot being that it was kind of hot, but the umbrellas and cold drinks took care of that. It’s the second time I’ve seen the event take place in the last few months, so it’s probably not the last time it’ll be around. With the low prices and great experience, it’s well worth checking out.

-Will

Fox News has long been regarded as a media wing of the Republican party and conservative ideology by most people who aren’t a part of those two movements, although it’s a charge the cable news giant vehemently denies. They regularly point to their slogan of “Fair and Balanced” in their defense, even though many would argue their coverage doesn’t live up to those standards.

One of the most recent examples of the network creating and running with a story that benefits a right-wing rally point is the issue of a rapper’s recent visit to the White House for a poetry event. To hear them tell it, it represents yet another example of an evil, radical White House that supports violent, misogynistic and cop-killing sympathizers like Common.

wait, what?! You mean the guy who made this video?

Yeah, they really went that route and chose one of the most pacifistic, socially conscious and PG-13 rappers out today and tried to turn him into a villain.

The fake controversy was spearheaded by Fox talking heads Sean Hannity and Bill O’Reilly and political pals like Sarah Palin. It all naturally drew a response from the hip-hop community that was a combination of laughter (since it was a ridiculous charge to level on Common) and anger because it pointed to the deeper-rooted problem of a political party desperately trying to make a black president and black musicians appear as un-American and overall bad people. I say this with confidence because I know it isn’t just a coincidence that the targets are always of a slightly darker skin tone (wink wink) than the angry people name-calling and because of stuff like this blatant hypocrisy about it all, highlighted by Jon Stewart and the Daily Show.

That seemed like a perfectly put-together example of how contrived the whole Fox News fiasco was, but it apparently wasn’t enough for O’Reilly, who prides himself on his blind stubbornness. So much so that he challenged Stewart to a debate on his Fox show, during which Stewart proceeded to so powerfully own O’Reilly that he might as well have taken his lunch money and paycheck.

I’ll give Bill credit on his unbreakable ability to close his eyes and ears and bulldoze any and all logical thought in his way. Gotta love how he repeatedly ignored Stewart’s other similar examples and just incessantly tried to discredit and vilify Common. He might as well have just punched Stewart, jumped on his desk, looked at the camera and exclaimed that now is the time to “take our country back” from these nefarious, thugs (you know, the minorities) and start the revolution!

At least then he’d truly live up to his whole “no spin zone” label.

-Will.

It’s all looked a lot more like the NCAA’s March Madness with top seeds like the San Antonio Spurs, Chicago Bulls, Miami Heat and Los Angeles Lakers all struggling to put away the bottom seeds. The best example of that is the fact that the 8th seeded Memphis Grizzlies currently hold a 2 games to 1 lead on the Spurs, who led the NBA all season long and finished as the second best team in the league.

Conventional wisdom and assumptions that the top seeds would easily dispose of their opponents have gone out the window, making Sports handicapping reviews even more useful for everyone looking to successfully pick winners. As people and fans rush to find any tips that might put them closer to knowing who has a better chance of winning, stuff like a Sports Picks Buffet trial help people choose from the best information out there.

The highly competitive series have given fans the best that sports has to offer; the unique exhilaration and unpredictability of watching the world’s top athletes give it their all. It’s all coming down to effort and heart and it’s must see TV.

With more than a month left of NBA playoff action as well as the continued progression of the young baseball season, there’s a lot of fun to be had for sports fan, including getting a head start on making your 11th Hour MLB picks.

-Will.