LA Times Looks at Skid Row Hoops, but Misses Out on 3 on 3

I woke up this morning, accessed a computer and punched in the blogdowntown.com address. I was surprised to see this article. I read between the quotes. It appeared to be negative. I did not want to comment without reading the article. I walked outside and ran into OG, the commissioner of the Skid Row league. He badgered me(smile, OG) into walking across the freeway to a work source center. I did not want to go but I did. He pushed me to free myself, to challenge myself. Finally we arrived and I got on a computer. I was not going to get on one again until tomorrow. I checked my email address. There was a letter from a woman with whom I interviewed on Friday.

SHE WANTS TO SEE ME TODAY.

Had I not pushed myself, I would never have known. I would have missed the opportunity to seize the moment.

I thank OG for it. He pushed me to do that. That is what his league is about. It is about the cup being half full instead of half empty. He wants you to see what you do have instead of what you do not have. It is all about attitude and on Skid Row you need all of the positive you can get to help you.

If I get this job. Eric Richardson played a part in it also. He would not want me to say that. He may not believe it. He gave me the chance to write. He gave me the chance to believe in myself and to keep pushing. I am doing just that. I live on Skid Row. They help me believe that the stereotypical attitude of a person who lives on skid row is not in me and it does not have to be in anyone.

Good luck with your job at SRO Housing Corporation Walter.

SKIDROW 3on3 STREETBALL LEAGUE has been a miracle from it's "very inception" (March of 2007). We are in our second season (in one year)..that's amazing.Most of the missions say that they have "basketball teams" (which are unaccessible to the hundreds of men that do not want to go into a program "just to play basketball"). If there has been a 'league or a conference"...it never had a name prior to the creation of the Skidrow 3on3 Streetball League. The community simply called it "the no-name league".

We know that missions have connections and "millions of dollars" and can afford to pay for the type of press that can come out in the sports page about a "single" match-up. And for the need to "divert their donors or future "donors" from the efforts and growth of the Skidrow 3on3 Streetball League that type of press coverage is necessary.

But there is "room" in America and certainly on Skidrow for as many Leagues or Conferences that it will take to get the attention of men, women and children to encourage them to "find methods by which to make their lives better".

The Skidrow 3on3 Streetball League was not created "to get a little happiness or forget your problems for an hour and a half" but rather to motive the men (the fans) to believe in themselves. The prove to themselves that "this community" can create something of their own.

One must understand that the Skidrow 3on3 Streetball League belongs to the "community" not some "particular" service provider. There's nothing wrong with playing on the mission's teams...nothing at all. (Some of our league members play on missions teams..that's probably why they win), but again Skidrow 3on3 Streetball League is 'MORE THAN JUST A GAME"! It's about (1) gang intervention (2)recovery (3)life skills development (4)mentorship (5) community development (6)employment and business venture development (7)self-help (8)partnership.

Skidrow 3on3 Streetball League builds character, empowers the men and women of the league. It creates a "winning attitude" towards life. We simply use the game of basketball to do all this.

OG Man (Commissioner)