- - - -
Dear Mr. Prime,
We have received your accident-claim reports for the month of June—they total 27. I regret to inform you that GEICO will not be able to reimburse you for any of those repairs. I feel that I have sent the same letter to you once a month for the last six months, and I am now sending it again.
Since becoming a GEICO customer in January of this year, you have reported 131 accidents, requesting reimbursement for repairs necessitated by each one. You have claimed not to be responsible in any of them, usually listing the cause of the accident as either "Sneak attack by Decepticons" or "Unavoidable damage caused by protecting freedom for all sentient beings."
The only repairs for which you were reimbursed were the replacement of a cracked fender and a headlight, required after a Mr. I. Ron Hide backed his van into your truck; these cost $1,286.63. Our own investigation concluded that you were not at fault and that Mr. Hide had been drinking prior to the accident. Though police were unable to test his blood-alcohol level—Mr. Hide claimed that it would be impossible for police to examine his blood-alcohol content with a Breathalyzer, because he "doesn't breathe"—under Washington-state law, refusal to take a Breathalyzer test is equivalent to returning a result above the legal level.
But, I repeat, those were the only repairs for which you have been reimbursed, and it was a very minor accident in comparison to your other claims. I mention a few to illustrate the larger trend:
And the list goes on. Mr. Prime, I am going to remind you again: Your policy with GEICO only reimburses you for accidents that occur while you are engaged in the reasonable use of your truck and trailer. As I told you when you originally purchased the policy, GEICO does not offer Megatron coverage, Starscream coverage, Soundwave coverage, Decepticon coverage, or Energon-blast coverage. Those are just not the types of damages we would expect from reasonable use.
To sum up, GEICO has been unable to reimburse you for any repairs, but due to the high number of accidents you have been a party to this month, combined with the many accidents you have had in the preceding five months, your premium has increased to $235,567.50 per month. While that may seem like a lot, I remind you that it is a savings of $137 over Progressive and $98 over State Farm. Please have your check into our main office by the end of July.
Regards,
Simon Furman
GEICO Agent
Thanks Paul! I really appreciate the love man! What's good America?!?! It's ya boy, King James in the building and I'm here to let you know why I should be the MVP.......(like the award isn't already mines already). I've never been a selfish person, (coughing)6.7 assist per game, but in order to convince you to vote for me for MVP, I'll have to brag on myself a lil bit ya know. But before I get started, I would like to dedicate my MVP season to Skip Bayless. Skip, your continual hate has motivated me to take my game to another level. I really don't care if you will never like my game, but you WILL respect it!!!!! Yezzir!
ANYWAYS, here are 6 reasons (in honor of my 6th season) why I, Lebron Raymone James, Should take home the Maurice Podoloff Trophy.
1. PPG-28.4, RPG-7.6, APG-7.2, SPG-2, BPG-1, FG- 49%, FT- 79% during 37 minutes per game.....................Team Record 66-16
LET THAT MARINATE PLEASE.............................................................................................
Ok, now last years MVP- PPG-28.2 (lower), RPG-6.3 (Puh-Lease), APG-5.4 (And I know it hurt him to share the ball that much!), SPG-2, BPG-too small to compare, FG- 46% (sigh), FT- 84% (ok, so he has me there)...................Team Record 57-25(Kidding Me!!!).....................
Can I have my trophy now?!?!
ming! I mean, sure Mo Williams was a great addition to the team and yes, he's an all-star, but he was a replacement's REPLACEMENT!!!!! Meanwhile, I have to work with Big Z, Varejao, DW, Big Ben, Wally, Boobie, and whoever else Mike puts in the game (yea, we're on a first name basis.......matter of fact, he's MY assistant coach!). I must give D Wade props though. He is definitely working with scraps. But seriously, 66 wins?!?!?! Yea, i didn't think so! Also, my camaraderie with the team (see picture above), is parallel to no other star in the league! Kobe barely likes anybody else on his team and D. Wade is too into himself to even share the spotlight with his team!
LBJ is MVP
By Paul Derek Nixon, Guest Contributor to Page 3
It disgusts me that I have to write this. The fact that everyone in the knowledgeable basketball world doesn’t believe that LeBron James is hands down the MVP of the NBA for the 2008-2009 season is a testament to the times. People don’t watch basketball games anymore, they just look at box scores. I guess I shouldn’t be too surprised. Someone told me once that Kobe is the greatest of all time because he scored 81 points in a game. Someone else told me recently that he thought Lil’ Wayne was the greatest rapper of all time. We have really short memories. More and more we’re becoming an “out of sight, out of mind” society. We eat minute rice because Basmati takes too long to cook and Taco Bell because we don’t have tip a server. We drink soda because it tastes better than water, and we watch Sportscenter because we don’t have time to watch the game. Don’t get me wrong, I love minute rice, Taco Bell, soda, and Sportscenter, but at least I recognize a shortcut when I’m taking one. It is important that we do thorough evaluations of players and their seasons when we’re deciding these end of the year individual awards. That being said, let me explain to you why LeBron James is the NBA’s Most Valuable Player this season.
Over the years I’ve come to realize that different sports writers evaluate their season MVP based on different criteria. Some say it should go to the best player on the best team. The Cleveland Cavaliers have the best record in the NBA and King James is their leader. LBJ is MVP. Others say it should go to the player with the most impressive individual statistics, regardless of the record of his team. LeBron’s season averages are: 28.4 ppg, 7.6 rpg, 7.2 apg, 49% fg, 34% 3p, 78% ft, 1.7 st, 1.1 bl, and 1.7 pf. The league hasn’t seen numbers this balanced since MJ’s 32 8 and 8 season 20 years ago. If stats are your only criteria, then LBJ is MVP. Some writers think the MVP is the player who makes his team better. Daniel Gibson. JJ Hickson. Anderson Varejao. Delonte West. These players were all nothing before LeBron came along. LBJ is MVP.
Still others think the award belongs to the player that makes the most difference in the quality of his team. This is the tricky part. See, most people would put D-Wade above the King in this category. I concede that without D-Wade and LBJ, respectively, the Heat are a much worse team than the Cavs. However, it is much more difficult to take something good and make it great than it is to take something horrible and make it decent. Do you know who else makes horrible teams decent? Nearly every all-star on an around .500 team does it. Why not vote for any of those guys? I love Dwyane Wade, I really do, but all he does is make a putrid team decent. The Heat are still not a good team with him at his best, they are only decent. Kobe’s team is good with or without him, but LeBron’s team isn’t as good as sans LeBron as Kobe’s team is without their best player. LBJ is MVP. I’ve even read some sports writers’ opinion that the best teammate deserves the MVP. Have you seen a Cleveland game this year? Those guys love each other, and it all starts with the King. As the leader of that team, he holds his team to an extremely high standard of work ethic and performance, but he’s also the loudest cheerleader and the guy having the most fun. In this regard, he’s more Magic than Mike, and it has worked wonders for his team. Wade isn’t a bad teammate per se, but he’s certainly no LeBron. Kobe’s a bad teammate, pure and simple. LBJ is MVP.
Regardless of the method you use to evaluate the MVP, LeBron should be your vote. We can even go to non-basketball related areas to prove this point. How about marketability? Kobe isn’t even in this conversation. D-Wade has done a good job with his hilarious T-Mobile commercials and his reviving of the Converse line, but LeBron is still head and shoulders above him. LBJ has officially crossed over into mainstream, non-sports arenas of entertainment. He has graced the covers of both Vogue and GQ magazines, and despite his umpteen arm tattoos, has the clean-cut image that both KB24 (rape charges) and D-Wade (messy public divorce) lack. LBJ is MVP. He even has a cooler nickname than those other guys! History shows that sports nicknames work best when they fall in line with either a player’s first or last name: “Air” Jordan; “Magic” Johnson; Larry “Legend;” Wilt “The Stilt;” “Penny” Hardaway; Hakeem “The Dream;” Clyde “The Glide.” Heck, commentators (particularly Mark Jackson) even call Daniel Gibson “Boobie” more often than they call him Daniel because it works so well with his last name. I like D-Wade’s nickname (Flash) better than Kobe’s (Black Mamba), but they both pale in comparison to King James. LBJ is MVP.
But let’s put all of these reasons things aside for a minute. The main reason LeBron James is the Most Valuable Player in the NBA this season is because of the historical significance of the season. See, to all you microwave using, box score studying sports “fans,” LeBron’s season this year is a little worse than his season last year. His point, rebound, and assist numbers are all down. But this year, he played nearly 3 minutes less per game and shot a higher percentage in every category while also averaging fewer turnovers. He also played more games, with the only game he missed being the last game of the season, which he missed because his coach wanted to rest him; the team lost the game, by the way. It’s no coincidence that the same year LeBron plays a career high in games, the team set all sorts of franchise records in victories, types of victories, locations of victories, and margins of victory. LeBron had one of the most efficient seasons in the modern history of the league. The league didn’t record turnovers during Oscar Robertson’s triple double season or Wilt’s 50 ppg season (which, by the way, occurred in the same season), so we can’t accurately evaluate those. But since the ’73-74 season, LeBron had the third best season OF ALL TIME. Such a season must be rewarded with the highest individual honor the league bestows. It simply has to. Don’t believe? Check out this article by ESPN’s John Hollinger for irrevocable proof.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/columns/story?columnist=hollinger_john&page=PERDiem-090324
So there it is. Wins, stats, team achievements, historical significance, cool nickname, and crossover appeal. LeBron James is the MVP of the NBA, period (space, space).
Note: Our thanks to Paul for taking the time to talk about Lebron. Check out Part II by Terrell McCoy coming soon!
but someone has to do it. I bet if you asked Wade or Bron who their pick for MVP was, they would be pointing out to LA. And while we are talking about Wade or Bron, need I remind you that I am a big reason why they are having the years they are having in the first place? Those dudes weren't waking up at 6 AM to put up 1000 jumpers before lunch. They watched ME working that hard during the 2008 summer. That helped them realize what it really takes to be the best, to work hard to stay on top of your game, to always add new things. It's the most important lesson I learned early on watching Jordan, and it is probably going to be the most important thing I pass on to these younger guys. So, forget that I have 3x rings Wade has, or that I have lost more finals then Lebron has been to, or that I am a lock for the Hall of Fame, and that I am ranked in the top 3 in points, (while still leading my team in assists.) Forget that I am my team's best player, and that we have the second best record in the league. Forget that my team is the favorite to get out of the West (the tougher conference), and that, with a healthy Bynum, we should be getting another ring this year. It's ok. And lastly, forget that I am still only 30 and have a good 3 to 4 more seasons to make you hate me more. I understand. I'm not mad. I'm not even really going to bother you with numbers or facts to strengthen my case because it doesn't really matter with you all anyhow what I do. You were never completely comfortable with me being the undisputed best player in the world anyway. Story of my life.
A fluid-filled structure, such as a bladder, is disclosed. The bladder has a first surface and an opposite second surface that are peripherally joined to define various edges. The bladder encloses a fluid between the first surface and the second surface. A portion of the edges may have a concave configuration, or the edges may have both concave and convex configurations. A shape of the bladder may be a tessellation pattern so that a plurality of the bladder may be efficiently.
Application number: 12/016,015
Publication number:
Filing date: Jan 17, 2008
Inventors: Vincent F. White, Jennie R. Caudle, Stuart C. Forstrom
Assignees: NIKE, INC.
U.S. Classification
036029000; 03603500B; 036045000
1. An article of footwear comprising an upper and a sole structure secured to the upper, at least one of the upper and the sole structure incorporating a bladder that includes a first surface and an opposite second surface that are peripherally joined to define three first edges and three second edges, and the bladder enclosing a fluid between the first surface and the second surface, the first edges alternating with the second edges, and the second edges having a concave configuration. 2. The article of footwear recited in claim 1, wherein the bladder is encapsulated within a polymer foam material of the sole structure. 3. The article of footwear recited in claim 1, wherein the bladder has a hexagonal configuration. 4. The article of footwear recited in claim 1, wherein the first edges have a convex configuration. 5. The article of footwear recited in claim 1, wherein at least one of the second edges has a first indentation and a second indentation, the second indentation extending closer to a central portion of the bladder than the first indentation. 6. The article of footwear recited in claim 1, wherein the bladder includes a bond between the first surface and the second surface, the bond being spaced inward from one of the first edges and the second edges, and the bond defining a channel between the bond and the one of the first edges and the second edges, the channel extending substantially parallel to the one of the first edges and the second edges. 7. The article of footwear recited in claim 6, wherein the bladder includes an inflation area in fluid communication with the channel, the inflation area providing a zone for inserting the fluid into the bladder, and the inflation area being sealed to seal the fluid within the bladder. 8. The article of footwear recited in claim 6, wherein the bond is bisected to separate the channel from a central portion of the bladder. 9. The article of footwear recited in claim 1, wherein the bladder includes at least one tab extending from one of the first edges. 10. The article of footwear recited in claim 9, wherein the tab is utilized to locate the bladder within the footwear. 11. The article of footwear recited in claim 1, wherein the first surface and the second surface are devoid of internal connections in a central portion of the bladder. 12. The article of footwear recited in claim 1, wherein the fluid is pressurized. 13. An article of footwear comprising an upper and a sole structure secured to the upper, at least one of the upper and the sole structure incorporating a bladder that includes a first surface and an opposite second surface that are peripherally joined to define three first edges and three second edges, the first surface and the second surface being devoid of internal connections in a central portion of the bladder, and the bladder enclosing a fluid between the first surface and the second surface, the first edges having a convex configuration, and the second edges having a concave configuration. 14. The article of footwear recited in claim 13, wherein the bladder is encapsulated within a polymer foam material of the sole structure. 15. The article of footwear recited in claim 13, wherein the bladder has a hexagonal configuration. 16. The article of footwear recited in claim 13, wherein the first edges alternate with the second edges. 17. The article of footwear recited in claim 13, wherein the bladder includes a bond between the first surface and the second surface, the bond being spaced inward from one of the first edges and the second edges, and the bond defining a channel between the bond and the one of the first edges and the second edges, the channel extending substantially parallel to the one of the first edges and the second edges. 18. The article of footwear recited in claim 17, wherein the bladder includes an inflation area in fluid communication with the channel, the inflation area providing a zone for inserting the fluid into the bladder, and the inflation area being sealed to seal the fluid within the bladder. 19. The article of footwear recited in claim 17, wherein the bond is bisected to separate the channel from a central portion of the bladder. 20. An article comprising a plurality of bladders that enclose a pressurized fluid, each of the bladders having a tessellation configuration wherein edges of a first bladder are positioned adjacent to edges of a plurality of second bladders, and the edges of the first bladder have a shape that mates with the edges of the plurality of the second bladders. 21. The article recited in claim 20, wherein the edges of the first bladder include a convex edge and the edges of the plurality of the second bladders include a concave edge, the convex edge being positioned adjacent and joined to the convex edge. 22. The article recited in claim 21, wherein a tab protrudes from the convex edge, and the tab extends into a corresponding indentation in the concave edge. 23. The article recited in claim 20, wherein the first bladder and the second bladders are substantially identical to each other. 24. The article recited in claim 20, wherein the first bladder includes a bond that is spaced inward from a periphery of the first bladder, the bond defining a channel between the bond and the periphery, and the channel extending substantially parallel to the periphery. 25. The article recited in claim 24, wherein the first bladder includes an inflation area in fluid communication with the channel, the inflation area providing a zone for inserting the fluid into the first bladder, and the inflation area being sealed to seal the fluid within the first bladder. 26. The article recited in claim 24, wherein the bond is bisected to separate the channel from a central portion of the bladder. 27. A bladder comprising: 28. The bladder recited in claim 27, wherein each of the bond and the channel extend substantially parallel to the edge 29. The bladder recited in claim 27, wherein the inflation area is centrally-located with respect to the channel. 30. The bladder recited in claim 27, wherein the bond is bisected to separate the channel from a remainder of the bladder. 31. The bladder recited in claim 27, wherein the channel extends from opposite sides of the inflation area. 32. The bladder recited in claim 27, wherein the edge has a concave configuration, and the bond and the channel extend substantially parallel to the edge. 33. A method of manufacturing a plurality of bladders, the method comprising steps of: 34. The method recited in claim 33, wherein the step of forming includes shaping the bonds to have a hexagonal configuration. 35. The method recited in claim 33, wherein the step of forming includes shaping the bonds to have a hexagonal configuration with three first edges and three second edges, the first edges having a convex configuration, and the second edges having a concave configuration. 36. The method recited in claim 35, wherein the first edges alternate with the second edges. 37. The method recited in claim 33, wherein the step of forming includes defining an inflation channel in one of the bladders by forming a bond that is spaced inward from an edge of the one of the bladders. 38. The method recited in claim 37, wherein the step of forming includes defining an inflation area in fluid communication with the inflation channel. 39. The method recited in claim 38, further including a step of placing a pressurized fluid within the bladder. 40. The method recited in claim 39, wherein the step of placing includes coupling an inflation device to the inflation area to inject the pressurized fluid.Claims
What is claimed is:
APRIL
04/11/2009 Air Jordan I Retro Premier "Hare" (limited release)
374454-011 Light Silver/White-True Red
$120.00 
MAY
05/30/2009 Air Jordan XII Retro (limited release)
130690-018 Black/White-University Blue
$150.00 
05/30/2009 Jordan "Raging Bull" Defining Moments Package II (limited release)
360968-991 Multicolor/Multicolor
136027-061 Black/Varsity Red-White
136027-xxx Air Jordan V Retro Varsity Red/White-Black
$310.00 
JUNE
06/2009 Air Jordan V Retro (limited release)
136027-121 White/Dark Cinder-Dark Army-Del Sol
$135.00 
JULY-
07/2009 Air Jordan 60+ Pack #1 (limited release)
xxxxxx-xxx Multicolor/Multicolor
xxxxxx-xxx High Black/Varsity Red
xxxxxx-xxx High White/Black-Celtic Green
$???.??
07/2009 Air Jordan I Retro High "Do The Right Thing" (limited release)
xxxxxx-131 White/Sea Green
$105.00 
07/2009 Air Jordan I Retro High "Do The Right Thing" (limited release)
xxxxxx-161 White/Varsity Red
$105.00 
AUGUST-
08/2009 Air Jordan 60+ Pack #2 (limited release)
xxxxxx-xxx Multicolor/Multicolor
xxxxxx-xxx VII Retro Black/Dark Charcoal-True Red
xxxxxx-xxx VII Retro White/Varsity Royal-Black
$???.??
08/2009 Air Jordan I Retro High (limited release)
xxxxxx-003 Black/Neutral Grey
$105.00
08/2009 Air Jordan III Retro (limited release)
xxxxxx-xxx White/Cement Grey-True Blue
$???.?? 
SEPTEMBER
09/2009 Air Jordan I Retro High "Alpha/Omega" (limited release)
xxxxxx-xxx Black/Shadow Grey
$110.00 
09/2009 Air Jordan I Retro High "Alpha/Omega" (limited release)
xxxxxx-xxx Grand Purple/Varsity Maize-White
$110.00 
09/12/2009 Air Jordan I Retro High "Hall Of Fame" (limited release)
xxxxxx-xxx White/Varsity Red-Black
$110.00
09/12/2009 Air Jordan III Retro "Hall Of Fame"(limited release)
136064-xxx White/Fire Red-Cement Grey
$125.00 
OCTOBER
10/2009 Air Jordan XII Retro "Rising Sun" (limited release)
130690-xxx White/Black-Varsity Red
$150.00
NOVEMEBER
11/2009 Air Jordan XII Retro "Flu Game" (limited release)
130690-xxx Black/Varsity Red
$150.00 
DECEMBER
12/2009 Air Jordan XI Retro "Space Jam" (limited quickstrike release)
378037-041 Black/Varsity Royal-White
$175.00 
12/2009 Air Jordan XII Retro (limited release)
130690-xxx White/Varsity Red-Black
$150.00 
12/2009 Air Jordan XII Retro (limited release)
130690-xxx White/White
$150.00
And these have been mentioned.
Jordan III Retro Package #1: (limited release)
xxxxxx-xxx Multicolor/Multicolor
xxxxxx-xxx III Retro colorway tbd
xxxxxx-xxx III Retro colorway tbd
$???.??
Jordan III Retro Package #2: (limited release)
xxxxxx-xxx Multicolor/Multicolor
xxxxxx-xxx III Retro colorway tbd
xxxxxx-xxx III Retro colorway tbd
$???.??
Jordan XI Retro Package "Snakeskin" (limited release)
xxxxxx-xxx Multicolor/Multicolor
xxxxxx-xxx XI Retro colorway tbd
xxxxxx-xxx XI Retro coorway tbd
$???.??
Jordan Slam Dunk Package: (limited release)
xxxxxx-xxx Multicolor/Multicolor
Air Jordan II Retro colorway tbd
Air Jordan III Retro White/Cement Grey-Fire Red
$???.??
Air Jordan IV Retro "DTRT 20th Anniversary" (limited release)
xxxxxx-xxx White/Cement Grey-Black
$???.?? 
Air Jordan VI Retro (limited release)
xxxxxx-xxx Colorway TBD
$???.?? 
Air Jordan XII Retro (limited release)
130690-xxx White/White-Varsity Red-Black
$150.00
Air Jordan XIII Retro (limited release)
xxxxxx-xxx colorway tbd
$150.00
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