Planking is what all the cool kids are doing these days. What is it? Apparently you just lay face down on any surface(s), with the stipulation that your body must be stiff. As a plank. That's really about it. It's kind of like parkour on ketamine—done by a sloth.
Being purveyors of all things hip and in-the-know, several Alibi staffers decided to explore this puzzling phenomenon. One finding was that your level of plank-coreness—at least in Downtown Albuquerque—can be directly attributed to how much pigeon shit you are willing to subject your face and torso to.
When I was a kid we used to have this thing called "sunbathing." You'd lay facing the other way, on comfortable surfaces like grass and sand. Not face down. Not in pigeon shit. Kids these days.

 

 

 

 

 

• All inclusive (fonduefork) [ Fri Jul 8 2011 3:32 PM ]
  
• Xzibit claims planking is racist (freedumb) [ Fri Jul 8 2011 4:19 PM ]
  
• Whatever (Frostbite) [ Fri Jul 8 2011 7:56 PM ]
  

Federer crying in 2009

After Serbia’s Novak Djokovich played Roger Federer on Friday in the semifinals of the men’s singles at the French Open, I wondered how Aleks Kostich was holding up.

In last week’s Alibi, I wrote about Kostich, a Serbian-American who lives in Albuquerque. A huge tennis fan, Kostich had been avidly following Djokovich’s undefeated match string, which began late last year. The number had reached 43 straight. He needed three more wins to tie the modern-day record of 46.

As everyone by now knows, it didn’t happen. The Fed Express prevailed, in four tense sets.

How did Kostich feel? I resisted calling him lest he think I wanted to rub it in. Kostich knows I like Fedster, and I do, except when Federer cries, which he did after he lost the Australian Open to Rafa Nadal in 2009.

On Sunday morning, Federer fell once again to Nadal. No tears this time, at least that I could detect.

But what was up with Kostich? Why hadn’t I heard from him?

Midafternoon Sunday I found a message on my cell phone.

“Just got back into town from Santa Fe. We went there trying to avoid all that smoke. Thanks for the piece. Unfortunately things didn’t pan out for the man himself. But you know, I guess you got to roll with it. I expect him to come back pretty strong for Wimbledon. There’s no reason he can’t have that success at Wimbledon. Looks like Roger expended himself in the semifinal. See you around.”

Clay Guida takes down Anthony Pettis

NBA Finals
Miami's Chris Bosh has been the third wheel of the "Big Three" for the entire season. While LeBron James and Dwayne Wade garner much of the credit and/or blame for the team's results, Bosh is usually forgotten. But after a 16-foot jump shot to hold off the Dallas Mavericks 88-86 in game three of the NBA Finals, Bosh might be changing some minds. (Not to mention his stellar play against the Bulls in the Eastern Conference Finals.) The Mavericks tried to surge in the fourth quarter with the scoring of Dirk Nowitzki but didn't get any help from his key role players. Miami has the momentum, but the Heat were still out-rebounded and received little help from their bench. The Big Three have played well, but if their role players fail to step up, their title hopes could quickly disappear. Meanwhile, if you're a Dallas fan, don't panic. Dirk Nowitzki is possibly the best player on the court and the Mavericks defense is holding steady.

Boxing
Saturday night was a good night for New Mexico boxers and MMA fighters making noise on the local and national level. Boxing legend Johnny Tapia earned a unanimous decision victory over late replacement Mauricio Pastrana at the Hard Rock Casino in Albuquerque. Some experts are saying this may not be the last time fans see Tapia in the ring. Hopefully, if Tapia can string a couple of more victories together, a title fight could be the proper send-off Tapia has been searching for.

Mixed Martial Arts
Experts and fans labeled Anthony Pettis as the next break out star in MMA. Pettis has been known for throwing the most dramatic kicks in the history of the sport. Promised a title shot, Pettis decided to take another fight after both UFC Lightweight Champion Frankie Edgar and Grey Maynard fought to a draw. So when UFC President Dana White matched Pettis with Clay Guida, many thought Pettis would easily dispose of "The Carpenter." Guida, a member of Albuquerque's Jackson's MMA, used footwork and takedowns to edge Pettis in a unanimous decision during The Ultimate Fighter Finale. Pettis showed potential with tight striking and submission attempts but Guida's ground strikes were too much. Guida, who was first known as a mid-level fighter, has now placed himself in title contention.