Missed Me??

yesterday was non-stop, my bad for not getting at you.. it wasn't as much a crazy day for my WNBA FAM, but more a crazy day for me.. but i got through it, and i apologize for not being around for this daily talk..

i did get a number of things accomplished for my women, though.. 1st, Ketia is about to host her 1st basketball camp in October.. to me, that's a pretty big deal.. i know i talked about it in prior blogs, but i'm serious.. she did this w/ Smoke (her father), and i'm happy for her.. some may think that it's all about me, or that's what i'm motivated by.. well, i'm sorry to disappoint, but you're wrong.. i'm motivated by change.. with or without me.. Ketia should be proud of this.. now, my part begins.. and it's begun (peep the tweets later on)..

y'all know Syl is out.. at home w/ the family.. she needs that break, so this is that "leave Syl alone" stage.. she finished her season - a great one at that - so now she gets to be w/ family and friends, and rest for a split second.. then she'll be headed to participate in the World Championship festivities.. i wished i could have made it over there.. who knows, maybe i will sneak over there.. we'll see.. but i am proud of what Syl accomplished this season.. she shut up a lot of people w/ her play.. on that note, i'll shut up and let the numbers paint the picture for you.. do your research..

for Temeka, from my perspective, it's all about pausing for a second to catch our breath and figure out the right path.. we tried so much this season.. some things just to see if there was a market out there for things.. the resounding answer to that is "no".. but that's more from a financial standpoint.. we had some great things going for Temeka all season long, but we didn't hit on every one of them.. some of that is on us, some of that is on the market, some of that is just a learning experience.. while the WNBA has VERY loyal fans, the fact is that it all gets lost in translation.. not enough awareness.. not the right type of awareness.. some support, not enough support.. the league's brand, and the league's confused branding.. so many things we can point to, but the effort is there.. now we've just come to a point where we have to truly assess things.. for me, Temeka sets the bar.. it's almost like she's the first doing these things.. so we're learning on the fly w/ things that work or don't work.. from an experience standpoint, the things that we've done w/ Temeka for our NFL and NBA guys work like a charm..

BG just had a celebrity basketball game last weekend.. it was AMAZING!! the support was there, the stars turned out, the media was there.. it was his 6th annual weekend, and it amazes me how quickly you can make things happen.. i say all of this to say that i can take the shots from people questioning how well we can do things, because i lay on a foundation of work product that has been EXTREMELY successful.. let's not get that twisted.. but for the WNBA? man, it's an all day affair of headaches on most days.. and then the time is non-existent..

let's look at the season the Mercury had.. it wasn't what we expected, huh? well, think about how that affects my job.. every pitch is shot down.. "wait, they're not even playing .500 ball, Q? how are we supposed to highlight that?".. every opportunity is shot down.. "did you see how they played last night? how did they lose that one? a feature on who? she just played 16 minutes in that loss!".. everything is used as a slight or excuse.. but sadly, the excuses are valid (so then are they excuses?).. so yea, it's not easy at all when the perfect storm never appears.. because truth be told, w/ the WNBA, you need a perfect storm..

i thought the Meek Moments children's book would be a perfect storm.. and i think it will be, it will just take time.. we have the media now.. that's a HUGE plus for us.. that's usually the most difficult.. but, i think there's a misconception on all of this.. WE paid for this.. not a sponsor.. WE being FAM and Temeka.. WE tried to get sponsors and put feelers out for over 2 years.. WE made a decision to stop waiting and figure it out on our own.. so WE got to work.. WE found a self-publishing company that we felt was the best.. that meant not worrying or spending too much more time on things.. so, if AuthorHouse could do all the heavy lifting (outside of writing and putting the book together), we would be happy.. that's what we did.. but the reality is that it takes a couple months post debut to truly get things moving.. the publisher didn't really know what to expect, because we didn't know what to expect.. we hoped for the best, but never knew.. you can't force Barnes & Noble or Borders to place the book on the shelves, especially when you're self-publishing.. they place it online first to see how the books move.. if they don't move, it's an uphill battle for them to place it in their stores.. but that's business.. that's smart business.. that's not a FAM decision or a Temeka decision.. the people got Barack elected.. the people got Barack from no name to name brand in less than 2 years.. the people would also have to get Temeka's book in stores.. this is nothing new.. if the demand is there, things happen.. the demand isn't here.. yet..

so yesterday and today i spent time explaining things and planning things.. i wish i was Kanye and had all the Power.. but i'm just a man journeying through this world.. most of the time, alone.. you think you know?? nah, you really don't.. you think you want my life?? nah, you really don't.. Entourage has nothing on what we go through.. it's close, but it's worse than that.. remember how E pretty much had to shut his doors (luckily he had people in high places - i.e. an ex girl who's family is POWERFUL)? that's the reality.. Ari and his issues? that's all day, every day.. you see his relationship w/ his wife? that's all day, every day.. somehow, i'm still here, though.. i'm still standing.. and i will continue to stand.. strong.. but you won't catch me in that position, though, cuz i'm on the move.. when i stand, others are walking.. when i walk, others are running.. when i run, you ain't catching me.. point blank..

i'm out.. Usain Bolt..

i - Q..