The Converse Blog's Friday Flashback: Michael Jordan Team USA

Happy 4th of July, which is without question the most important American Holiday. The only problem is, July 2nd 1776 is the actual day that the Continental Congress actually voted for independence. The written Declaration of Independence was dated July 4 but wasn't actually signed until August 2. Fifty-six delegates eventually signed the document, although all were not present on that day in August. By the way, I put in an application for a social studies teaching position yesterday. I don't know what that means for the blog, maybe I'll just have to post at night. Anyway....today's flashback is all about the Red, White, and Blue!

I am not sure the shoe(s) that Michael Jordan is wearing hear, but I do know that they have a Chevron and they do have Star and that makes them Converse.  I can't think of shoe brand that is any more American than Converse and I am going to wear my pair of Chucks today, the ones with the American flag on them.

I am flying out to Orlando tomorrow for a week of vacation and I can't wait.  I am going to hit up at least two Converse outlet stores.  We're going to the Tampa Bay Rays game on Sunday and I might try to get to the Converse store outside of Tampa, but we'll see.  This means two things, I probably won't be able to post any pics from the summer league or give any updates on Rose, Beasley, or any other rookie signings by Converse.  I am going to just future post some pictures for the rest of the week, I didn't really plan ahead enough so you'll just have to stop in and see what's up. 

The Converse Blog's Weapon Wednesday!

Again, sorry for the later post today. I was waiting to see if anything new had surfaced on Rose and or Beasley. But alas nothing to report today, but you know what they say, "No News is Good News. So lets get to today's Weapon Wednesday. I found these Weapons, in Green/Yellow ostrich skin, sometime last month.





This is Weapon make up is understated at first, but the more I look at them they really come to life. I also think that the gum outsole adds a really nice touch. And the light green has a the look and feel of some vintage luggage you might find a vintage store. Well that's it for today, thanks for checking out the blog!

The Converse Blog: Converse Ad

Hi all, I am sorry for the late post today, I was waiting to see if anything official came out about Rose and or Beasley. Alas, at 1:58 on Monday afternoon I think it is safe to assume we won't be hearing anything today. I am going crazy waiting to hear or see anything on who Converse has signed from this years draft. It's a good thing I've at the Championships Wimbledon to help pass the time today. So I decided to go with a Tennis Ad for today's post. Below is the whole ad, followed by larger views of the ad in parts.

The ad reads as follows....
Since 1919, the game, the clothes, rackets, balls…all have changed. Names and fads have come and gone. But one thing has been consistent: the Star trademark on our shoes still indicates a shoemaker whose basic goals have been to give an athlete the best support and fit possible. The fact is we think we put more protection under foot, have an excellent weight/support ratio, and develop style that considers comfort as well as good looks. The ’74 edition of our tennis All Star reflects all of this. New styling, in suede, smooth leather, and canvas uppers, padded ankle collars, lace-to-toe and U-throat models, light weight soles, and more styles for women including a new blue suede model. If you aren't playing in Converse already, take a step on the right sole and in the direction of a more enjoyable game. Get into Converse and see how a star performs on the court.

While the ad offers a lot of details about the new tennis shoes, it also has a pretty ridiculous run on sentence. I have seen the pair on the top right, with the out lined star, re-issued by Converse. You can find them at Size?, which is where this picture below came from.

Thanks for stopping in and checking out the blog. I hope to break in with some news on Rose and Beasley soon. Keep checking back for those updates.

The Converse Blog: Even More Breaking News...maybe....Derrick Rose to Converse!

It seems like I've been doing this a lot lately. First with reports on Kevin Love and Michael Beasley, now with a report on Derrick Rose. Again I haven't heard anything official, and he was photographed wearing Fila's the day before the draft. But this is the day after the draft, in a very public appearance. How public, throwing out the first pitch in the White Sox Public. He is also wearing a navy colorway of the Pro Leather Ox which I don't believe has been released yet. So accept this as pure speculation.






This is very exciting. I do have an update on the Kevin Love signing, it also being reported through Sole Collector. If you would have told me that Converse signed just one of these three rookies I would very pleased. If they have actually signed all three, well I am not sure how I would respond. To put this perspective, Converse hasn't signed a number one draft pick since Larry Johnson in 1991. They also haven't signed the rookie of the year since Larry Johnson either. And while neither Rose, Beasley, or Love are locks for the award I like their chances, even with Oden being a rookie too. With the other brands reportedly shy about passing out endorsement dollars, Converse has the chance to make a big splash with this class.

The Converse Blog's Friday Flashback: Converse Spectre

I am dragging this morning, after a late night of the NBA Draft with a few games of Rook mixed in for good measure. Still no official word on who Converse has signed from this years draft, but hopefully something will come out soon. Today's Flashback is a clean and classic pair from the 80's. The Converse Spectre!







It is a pretty simple design, but would allow for a nice dash of color to be mixed in, depending on the colorway.








I really like the look that gives off, sort of like a low top shoe with a high shoe growing out of it. I hope that makes sense, at least it did in my head. Well that's it for today...at least the flashback, I hope to hearing something on the rookie front later on. Speaking of rookies, Derrick Rose went first in the draft and first in the poll here. With Michael Beasley, O.J. Mayo, and Kevin Love rounding out the top 4 in the poll. I hope to have a new poll up soon.

The Converse Blog: More Breaking News...maybe....Michael Beasley with Converse.

Last night after I posted the pictures from Kevin Love wearing the Converse Pro Team I started to get really excited about what else Converse might be up to with this Draft Class. I had hoped for O.J. Mayo to slip to Converse since he had fallen out of the top spot in the draft but word has came out and Mayo is with Nike.

Then this morning I was looking at Dime Magazine' website and they had a few pictures of Michael Beasley, wearing Converse. Here they are below, pictures by Matt Brown.





I was then at my local books-a-million and noticed Beasley on the Cover of the current ESPN magazine. He is wearing a suit with a pair of Chuck Taylor's, pretty cool pictures by the way. I wouldn't have thought much about it if not for the pictures above. Then later on in the magazine there is a picture of him wearing the new John Varvatos Jack Purcell's, that I am not even sure are out yet.

This really got my mind working and then I started looking other places to see if I had missed something a long the way. That's when I found this clip from ESPN







Again, I haven't heard anything official but I like the evidence. Stay tuned for more.

The Converse Blog: Breaking News....maybe....Kevin Love with Converse?

I love the NBA Draft. In fact it might be my favorite sporting event of the whole year. I can't explain my love for it, I just know that inside I look forward to this day all year long. I love even more now that Converse is back to being a major player in NBA. Last year news broke a few days before the draft that Converse had signed Alando Tucker. Then a few weeks later news surfaced that linked Acie Law to Converse.

Like last year the players invited to the Green Room during the draft participated in an NBA Cares event. Also like last year many of the players wore sneakers of the brand they signed with. So I was looking forward to the pics to come out and I love what I found. In the bottom right hand corner of this picture you can see someone wearing the Converse Pro Team Black/White colorway, (for sale at Converse.com).



You can't really see as well as I'd wish, but if you look at the large photo here, you will see that Kevin Love is wearing Converse.





However, I don't know for sure that this means he is signed to Converse, nothing official has been released, to my knowledge. Also Derrick Rose has on some Fila casual shoes, and I am not sure Fila even makes basketball shoes anymore. So take this info at your own risk, however I feel pretty good about assuming Kevin Love is with Converse.