Upper Deck Kobe Bryant GOLD Lithograph by Shepard Fairey (OBEY Giant)

A little over two weeks ago Kobe Bryant added the missing piece to an already amazing resume, winning an Olympic gold medal for the United States of America in Men’s Basketball at the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics. The reigning NBA MVP from the Los Angeles Lakers is already a three-time NBA Champion, ten-time NBA All-Star and two-time NBA All-Star MVP and he can now proudly add gold medalist to his list of sterling credentials. To commemorate this gold medal winning achievement, Upper Deck is adding a third limited edition lithograph to its series of Kobe Bryant Lithographs by Shepard Fairey.


The newest lithograph, entitled GOLD, comes in two autographed editions and can be purchased framed or unframed. The Kobe Bryant and Shepard Fairey Dual Autographed GOLD Lithograph is limited to just 100 pieces and sells for $1,299.99. The Dual autographed litho also comes with Kobe’s added inscription of “USA GOLD '08.” The Shepard Fairey Autographed GOLD Lithograph is also limited to 100 pieces and sells online for $349.99. Both lithographs can be found at the Upper Deck Online Store and are available to ship on October 17, 2008.


As much as I love this Kobe Bryant/OBEY Giant collaboration, the prices of the two lithographs are a little too high for The Blot. Neverthelss, if you think you might want one or both of these highly sought after collectibles act now, because both should sell out rather quickly. Both editions of UD’s first two Kobe/Fairey lithographs, KOBE and MVP, are already practically sold-out.

Michael Phelps To Host Season Premier of Saturday Night Live

14 time gold medal winning United States Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps has been tabbed as the host of the season premiere of Saturday Night Live’s 34th season. (link) Phelps, who recently won eight gold medals at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, is the latest in a long line of the world’s greatest athletes to host NBC’s legendary sketch comedy show. Previous athletes to have hosted SNL include Michael Jordan, Wayne Gretzky, LeBron James, Tom Brady, Lance Armstrong and best of all, Peyton Manning.


Joining Phelps on Saturday Night Live’s season premier as the show’s musical guest will be hip-hop superstar Lil’ Wayne. (link) This will be the rapper’s first appearance on Saturday Night Live and it could not have come at a better time. This year has seen Lil’ Wayne finally achieve the type of mainstream success many hip-hop fans knew he was destined for. It is nice to see Weezy finally be recognized as one of, if not the, best hip-hop artists of his generation. His latest album, 2008’s Tha Carter III, “sold over 1 million copies in its first week of release, a feat not achieved since 2005.” (link)

Be sure to tune in to see both Phelps and Lil’ Wayne on the 2008 season premiere of Saturday Night Live on September 13, 2008 at 11:30/10:30c, and as always, only on NBC.

2008 Beijing Summer Olympics - Michael Phelps Goes 8 For 8

The Blot has watched so much Olympic coverage over the past 10 days that my head hurts. When NBC announced they would be airing more Olympic coverage of the Beijing Games than of all of the coverage of the previous summer and winter Olympics combined they weren’t kidding! And yet even with all of this coverage the ratings are higher than ever.


One reason for this has to be that all of the United States has been following the amazing feats of American swimmer Michael Phelps. He’s won all 8 races he competed in and broke 7 World Records and 1 Olympic Record in the process becoming the only Olympic athlete ever to win 8 gold medals in a single Olympic Games. This surpasses the record set by American swimmer Mark Spitz at the 1972 Munich Summer Olympic Games where he won 7 gold medals in 7 events and set 7 World Records.

Did anyone catch the joint interview Bob Costas did with Phelps and Spitz after Phelps tied Spitz’s record? I thought Spitz was so gracious and called Phelps’ accomplishments epic. Spitz went so far as to call Phelps the greatest swimmer ever. I was happy to see how well Spitz took the breaking of his record, but I am not sure how I feel about Phelps’ anointment as the best swimmer ever. There have been some amazing swimmers over the past 100 years and to say that Phelps is hands down the greatest seems disrespectful to everything that has come before him.

On the one hand swimmers today are bigger, faster and stronger than ever before. The competition Phelps faces every day seems to be much better than the competition in the 70’s and 80’s ever was, but like with all sports it is very hard to compare athletes from different eras. I also have a problem with the crazy rate World and Olympic Records are being broke at these Beijing Olympics. There is not a doubt in my mind that the pool is “juiced.” I’ve even heard that the pool was built deeper than most pools to allow for faster times.

While Phelps’ 8 gold medals are not tarnished at all because of this, it does put many of the time records he set in question. It is unfortunate, because now we’ll never know how many records Phelps would have set in an un-juiced pool. The fact that Spitz set 7 World Records and Phelps set 7 World Records is a wash, but to me the Spitz records seem like a bigger deal. In the end, we’re really discussing apples and oranges and the fact remains that Phelps is now the most decorated U.S. Olympic athlete of all time and has set a feat not likely to be broken for many, many years.

Oh yeah, can anyone explain to me why Phelps’ sister Hilary was always shown crying after every single gold medal winning race? After Phelps’ first few wins I would have thought the emotional impact of his accomplishments would have lessened. But no, after every single final there she was sobbing next to Phelps’ jubilant mom. I’m a sucker for things like this, but I think crying on eight times in a week might be pushing it. Oh well, I guess she was just stuck in the moment. It did make for some entertaining television and I’m sure NBC praying for Phelps to win and sister Hilary to cry.

Kobe Bryant and LeBron James USA Basketball Edition Upper Deck All-Star Vinyl Figures

To commemorate the Games of the XXIX Olympiad Upper Deck is producing two limited edition Team USA figures: a LeBron James USA Basketball Edition All-Star Vinyl Figure and a Kobe Bryant USA Basketball Edition All-Star Vinyl Figure. Both figures are wearing the exact same Nike uniforms Team USA is wearing in Beijing, and even has the special graphic featured on the backs of the Team USA Nike jerseys. (link) This is a great way to commemorate the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympic Games, but only if we win the Men's Basketball gold.


The Redeem Team still has a few more games to win before they can bring the gold back to the United States. So far the U.S. Men’s Basketball team is 3-0 and on their way to doing just that. What I like best about these two figures is that they will never become outdated like many of the Upper Deck NBA All-Star Vinyl Figures already have. Players and teams move around so much that UD’s Shaquille O’Neal Heat figures and Kevin Durant Sonics figures are already inaccurate. Plus, who knows where LeBron will end up once his current contract expires. But LeBron and Kobe will forever be members of Team USA and will always have worn numbers 6 and 10 respectively for the 2008 Beijing Summer Games.


The Kobe Bryant and LeBron James USA Basketball Edition All-Star Vinyl Figures are both limited to just 500 figures and are on sale now at the Upper Deck online store for $74.99 each.

2008 Beijing Summer Olympics - Swimmer Amanda Beard Is One And Done

The Blot is sad to report that my favorite United States Olympic swimmer and reigning Olympic champion of the 200-meter breaststroke, Amanda Beard, failed in her bid to defend the gold medal she won at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. In a preliminary heat last night the four-time Olympian was unable to advance to semifinals in her signature event, the 200-meter breaststroke.

According to reports from Beijing, “Amanda swam the 200 in 2 minutes, 27.70 seconds, more than 2.5 seconds slower than her entry time and nearly 4.5 seconds slower than her Olympic record time in Athens four years ago.” (link) While Beard still currently holds the Olympic Record in the 200-meter breaststroke, I would imagine that mark will be eclipsed later in the week like almost all of the other swimming records have been over the course of these Olympic Games.


This was Amanda’s only event of the 2008 Beijing Summer Games and will more than likely be the highly decorated swimmer’s last race ever at a summer Olympics. I am sure the U.S. swim team and fans around the country will miss seeing the PETA supporting model at future competitions.

2008 Beijing Summer Olympics - USA Men’s Basketball vs. Angola

The Blot woke up early this morning to watch some USA Olympic basketball live and it was definitely worth the lack of sleep. Like with the USA squad’s first game against China, their second game against Angola ended in a blow out with Team USA beating Angola 97-76. It’s nice to see this team come together and start to gel with a 2-0 start. They’re definitely not where they need to be yet. For one thing, our team of NBA players will definitely have to step up their outside shooting as the competition gets stiffer. Greece and Spain, the other two countries in our pool, will be much tougher matchups than our first two opponents.

I have to say, my favorite part of Olympic basketball is how quickly the games are played. And I’m not talking about the Redeem Team’s run and gun style. No, I mean the fact that there are no television timeouts! It is so great to be able to sit down and watch a full basketball game in less than two hours. It is a problem if you need to run and get a drink or go to the restroom, but that’s a problem I can deal with any day. It just goes to show how long and drawn out NBA and even college games have become due to television coverage.

It also helps that each quarter of Olympic play is only 10 minutes long as opposed to 12 minute NBA quarters. Plus there doesn’t seem to be as many fouls called, but that could just be because the United States’ games have both been blowouts. Regardless of the reason, the games really feel like they have a much better flow to them and it’s something the NBA sorely lacks. I honestly believe if NBA games were shortened it would bring more importance to the first three quarters, instead of just the fourth as things stand now, and it would be hard for fans to lose interest. Just take these Beijing Olympic basketball games for instance, turn the channel during one of Team USA’s games and you might miss half a quarter.

Tim Tsui and Alice Chan Coca-Cola 2008 Beijing Summer Olympic Pin Sets

It seems like most of America has Olympic fever and it’s all anyone can talk about. While most people today are talking about the stunning come from behind victory by the United States in the 4x100 freestyle relay that kept Michael Phelps’ quest for 7 Olympic gold metals in a single Olympic Games alive, The Blot is excited about something entirely different. You see my favorite thing about the Olympic Games, summer or winter, is not always the athletic competitions. No, my favorite aspect of the Games is its unofficial spectator sport, pin trading.


While I usually try to stick to NBC related Olympic Pins like the two you see above, a new series of pins produced in extremely limited quantities by Coca-Cola has really caught my eye. To really capture the Olympic spirit Coke has commissioned two Chinese artists, Tim Tsui and Alice Chan, to each design a set of 12 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics pins. The real reason I am so excited about these particular sets is that it combines two of my hobbies, Olympic pin collecting and designer vinyl. Hong Kong artist Tim Tsui designer vinyl figures Da Warrior and Da Fighter are very stylish pieces, and I love the fact that Tim Tsui has incorporated his trademark gorilla logo into his Olympic pin series.


While I’ve only been able to find a picture of 4 of Tim Tsui’s Olympic pins, he has confirmed that his set includes 12 unique styles and is extremely limited. (link) More is known about Alice Chan’s 12 pin Princess set. (link) It depicts the Chinese Zodiac in Chan’s unique contemporary art style. You can see her entire 12 piece Coke Beijing Olympic pin set below.


I’ve got some pin traders in Beijing keeping an eye out for the Tim Tsui set or me, but I haven’t heard of any pin sightings yet. A few of Alice Chan’s Princess pins have already found their way on to eBay though. So I'm sure its only a matter of time until a few pieces of the Gorilla set find their way onto the ‘Bay as well.

Amanda Beard Bares All For PETA - Full Anti-Fur Advertisement

After receiving a few e-mails asking for more Olympic coverage on The Blot Says… and even more e-mails commenting on Olympic swimmer Amanda Beard’s new ad campaign for PETA, I thought I’d try to make everyone happy by posting the full Amanda Beard anti-fur Olympic PETA poster since there’s really not much going on over in Beijing yet (except for the U.S. Men’s Soccer team beating Japan 1-0 in their first game a day after the U.S. Women’s Soccer team was shut out in a loss in their opening game to Norway).


Stay tuned for more coverage of the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics coming soon on The Blot Says...

The Games of the XXIX Olympiad

The 2008 Beijing Summer Olympic Games are finally here! The Blot’s been anxiously awaiting the 2008 Opening Ceremony and the official start of the XXIX Olympiad. What can I say, I’m an Olympics junkie. Every two years I plant myself in front of the television for two weeks straight and get wrapped up in the greatness that is World competition.

While I don’t always love the way NBC dramatizes every single athlete and Olympic sport, they at least make it interesting and highlight the amazing stories that encompass the Olympic Games. Take for instance this compelling story about Lopez Lomong, a former Lost Boy of Sudan who yesterday was chosen to carry the flag for the U.S. in the Opening Ceremonies on Friday. If something like that doesn’t blow you away then I don’t know what will.

Over the next two weeks legends will be made and interesting stories told, but to The Blot these are the 5 questions I can’t wait to have answered:

1. Can “The Redeem Team,” the nickname given to the 2008 U.S. Men’s Basketball Team, regain the dominant form of the original 1992 “Dream Team,” or will this team under whelm like the U.S. basketball squad has over the past 8 years?

2. Can Michael Phelps achieve his goal of winning eight gold medals in a single Olympics and break the record held by swimming legend Mark Spitz for the past 36 years? Oh yeah, and will Phelps shave that ridiculous goatee he's recently grown?


3. After all this talk of China’s pollution, will we notice any significant effect from it on the Olympic athletes?


I’m guessing the answer to this one will be a resounding yes and that very few World Records will be broken (especially in outdoor events) over the course of this year’s Olympics.

4. With Paul Hamm, the reigning gold medalist in the Individual All-Around Men’s Gymnastic event and the only American to ever win gold in that event, out of this year’s Olympics due to injury, will another male gymnast step up to the plate and bring gymnastic gold back to the good old U.S. of A?


I have no idea the answer to this one, but now that Hamm’s twin brother Morgan is also out of the Olympics due to a nagging ankle injury, the Men's Gymnastics team is going into the team competition severely weakened and our medal chances have now been reduced significantly. (link)

5. And last but definitely not least, what will the reaction be to four-time Olympian Amanda Beard’s new anti-fur ad for PETA where she posed nude in front of an American flag?


Beard has chosen to bare her skin to help save animals’ skins. To find out more about Amanda’s feelings on fur and China’s role in the fur industry click here (and here).

Obviously there are tons of additional questions that could have been asked, but I’ll defer those to NBC’s Olympic coverage. For those of you interested, there were two questions that almost made the top 5: 1. Will 41-year-old swimmer Dara Torres medal in these Olympic Games (and is she really not doping)? and 2. How many current and former Texas Longhorns will medal over the next two weeks (Hook 'em Horns!)?