Things That Ain’t Easy: Finding Athletes, Phoenix

By Chris Mottram
Chris will be blogging from somewhere in Arizona all week where apparently a game is happening. He promises to not once mention anything that might actually occur on the field of play.⇥
After two straight days of Radio Row, we headed to an area known as Westgate to mingle with the common folk (more or less a 21st century strip mall next to the stadium). Our first stop was a store called Just Sports. Before I could even begin to admire the wide array of hot fitted hats on display, a man I recognized brushed past me. I was fairly certain it was who I though it was, so I stalked him. Literally.
I followed this man about 200 yards down the sidewalk and all the way to his car where I finally yelled, “Excuse me.” The man turned. “I think it’s you, but I can’t tell. What’s your name?”
“Brandon.”
“It is you! Brandon Lloyd,” I yelled with way more excitement than is necessary upon meeting someone such as Brandon Lloyd.
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And with that I had my first athlete/celebrity sighting amongst the general public. Actually, it was a two-for-one because B-Lloyd was with his boy, the world famous Caucasian rapper Chaotic, who naturally has a MySpace page.
I inquired as to where I could find Fred Smoot, who supposedly is in town, but Lloyd was of little assistance (they don’t hang out because Lloyd doesn’t like to party; Smoot does -- I had no idea). What I did discover throughout our conversation was that Lloyd was to perform in Glendale tonight. In case you don’t know, he’s an accomplished hip-hop artist.
Once my nerves settled from being in the presence of greatness, we checked out the Mcfarlane store, where you can buy miniature figurines of athletes (my favorites: Chris Weinke, Michael Vick, William Green, and T.O. as an Eagle). It was there that I spotted a Dude wearing a shirt that read “PHX Ain’t Easy†-- obviously a play on “Pimpin’ ain’t easyâ€:
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I had to ask the Dude about it, and his answers did – and continue to – befuddle me:
ME: Yo, what’s your shirt mean?
DUDE: Phoenix ain’t easy? It means it ain’t easy.
ME: Oh, alright. Cause I didn’t know if it was like an inside thing.
DUDE: A friend of mine makes ‘em. It’s his clothing company. He’s from the east coast. He’s from Massachusetts. He hates the heat out here.
ME: So that’s why Phoenix ain’t easy?
DUDE: Yeah. That and the overall situation.
In hindsight, I probably should’ve followed up with, “What situation?”
I’m going to assume he meant the lack of any culture, nightlife, 7-11s, and public transportation in Phoenix.↵