BOB T-Shirts!!

(Drumroll please..... )

Alas...

After months of promises...

After failed money-laundering attempts involving Google...

After I finally scrounged up all my US, Costa Rican, and Icelandic pennies lying around...

BOB Nation is proud to present...

The Limited First Edition Ballin' on a Budget T-shirt!!!

(click to enlarge)

Small - $20.00Medium - $20.00Large - $20.00X-Large - $20.00

I know, I know. The first thing that pops into your head is: "Willard, I thought you could barely dunk?" But please look past the technicalities, and know that this is for a good cause.

The T-shirts are available for $20 (US/International shipping & handling included). Not only will you get a cool t-shirt, but you will be supporting BOB Nation IMMENSELY!!

More details:

- We are in "Pre-sale mode" right now (the shirts will be arriving at BOB Nation Headquarters in about two weeks).

- We are using Google Checkout to complete the purchase process. It is quick, painless, and 100% secure. If you would rather not use Google Checkout, get in touch with me and we can work something out (willardjjohnson@gmail.com).

- Sizes are Small, Medium, Large, and X-Large for now.

Much thanks to Larchmont Brand for making this happen!

This Weekend....

From The Los Angeles Times' interview with TNT analyst and former NBA player Reggie Miller, on this upcoming weekend's NBA Dunk Contest:

What unique things do you guys at TNT have planned for this year's coverage?

"For the slam-dunk competition, you know that show 'Sport Science?' We'll be measuring with a sensor in the net the velocity, trajectory, the force of all those dunks and be able to say, 'That one's in comparison to someone dropping a brick off a 10-story building,' or whatever it is. That'll be cool. The technology of a broadcast evolves so much, and Turner does a great job of being cutting-edge. They'll also show and compare the biggest dunks, like when Shaq ripped the rim off the backboard, Shawn Kemp's, [Darryl] Dawkins'."


Technology + Basketball = .....

Tune in this Saturday, 8pm EST, on TNT....

BOB Update

As the maze of cobwebs have taken over and bits of iron oxide have initiated their corrosion process on the blog, I thought I'd give an update to the brave and die-hard few who still have been valiantly visiting BOBNation.com.

The Highlights:

- I sadly had to say goodbye to the basement cubicle I was living in, and have found a respectable and civilized living situation. The good news: I now have a bed I fit in and I no longer have to duck to get to the toilet. The bad news: The constant rumblings of the subway no longer lull me to sleep.

- I am now fully entrenched in the online dating community. No further comment (but the following clip basically sums it up).

Chatting Online With Babes
Napoleon Dynamite — MOVIECLIPS.com

- The Jeremy Lin story has been an incredible thing to watch. A true pioneer in the world of nerdy hoopers, he is our Savior and holds the Holy Grail of which us bball vagabonds are searching for. I had played against Lin during the first of the now annual MIT vs. Harvard match-up, and a co-worker of mine came across some pictures from the game:

I call this one "Willumination" vs. "Linsanity"

Unfortunately, some not-as-flattering pictures were discovered in the set, including a play that I had erased from my memory:

I call this one "Willumination" vs. Gravity

And the aftermath...

- Speaking of dunks...be sure to watch the NBA dunk contest (This Saturday at 8pm EST on TNT). There may or may not be a BOBNation sighting...

Mens et Manus...et Pilam

To everyone who was directed here by the Slice of MIT blog, MIT News Office, or MIT Athletics...welcome!

I'd like to apologize to all alumni if any of my antics documented here have embarrassed the MIT name. Actually I know they have, so I'll just say I'm from Harvard from now on (just a blabbering, miscalculating simpleton who's not making much sense...he must be from down the river).

To stay informed of BOB (Ballin' on a Budget) Nation's quest to reach the far ends of the globe with a basketball and a couple of bucks in hand, go ahead and "like" the page (at the top) or sign up via email (to the left) to officially become a part of BOB Nation. One goal of ours is to show the world that nerds can play a little hoops, and we'd love to have you join in the journey.

Mens et Manus...et Pilam (Mind and Hand...and Ball)

The Big Time

I mentioned a couple weeks ago about my trip to Hollywood back in August. The BOB legal department (which has been under a lot of stress lately) informed me that I could finally divulge on some of the details of the trip...

The short version (I will save the long version for after the show airs so as to avoid any more "invalid activities" on my part...Google on my behind is enough) :

I was selected to audition for a reality basketball TV show sponsored by Budweiser called The Big Time. I was flown to LA as a semifinalist, made it to the final round of nine after interviews and a tryout, and experienced a brief glimpse of hope that I had made the show (a "false alarm", if you will), which airs this Saturday on ABC at 3pm EST. Unfortunately I didn't make it on the show (the only thing I really had going for me was the nerd card; these players were much better than me), but holy moly it was a really cool experience none the less.

Above is an ad that was on NBA.com. I played against these three guys during the auditions. They are VERY good (it is a blessing in disguise that I didn't make the show as these three would have dunked all over me and made me look like a doofus on national television...instead of just on a blog).

Below is one of the commercials that has been aired a bunch:




So be sure to check out the show (Saturdays at 3pm EST on ABC)! Also wish me luck on another reality TV show I'm auditioning for called "Washed Up Hoopers Who Have Too Much Time On Their Hands Blogging And Making Fruitless Videos And Trying To Con Well-Established Internet Organizations"

Google-1 Willard-0

They hunted me down.

I tried laying low under the radar...crawling through the high grass...slipping through the tiny cracks of the ever-growing cyberworld...being as sneaky as a 6'8" uncoordinated beanpole can be. But my covert operation was busted. I received an email the other day from Google with the subject line of "Your Adsense Account has been disabled."

(For first-time readers, BOB Nation was once peppered with ads from Google. I would get paid roughly 50 cents every time an ad was clicked).

According to the BOB legal department, my constant badgering to my readers of demanding ads to be clicked was deemed as "invalid click activity." (Also my mom clicking ads 100 times a day probably constitutes as "invalid click activity." She did buy shoes from one of the advertisers, however. Maybe I'll put that in my appeal)

After deciphering the paperwork, the legal department explained it to me in plain English: no more ads.

So...thank you to everyone who "visited our sponsors." You earned BOB Nation $200 (so actually its more like Google-1 Willard-200! Hah!) which will be used towards the T-shirts (I promise, they are coming).

If you have any other quick-money schemes, please contact the BOB Quick-Money Scheme Department.

BOB Cribz!