As a kid growing up in
Memphis I was very much into sports.
From organized sports including the big three to golf and tennis.
But it was nothing like my favorite two games growing up.
Pick up and run football and 21.
Pick up and run was the best because there was normally only one kid in the neighborhood with a football. Everybody it seems had basketballs but such wasn’t the case with footballs. So on any one of them three open fields from Castalia Heights, to Magnolia Elementary School of the field by the ditch next to South Parkway Gardens Apartments. In Pick up and run would be any where from four to forty young men playing no-holds bared football in which who ever got the ball would run and be subject to being gang tackled (which was usually the case) by all else playing. 
Now I loved that, but didn’t love it more than 21. 21 was the basketball equal to pick up and run. The best games were played with 15 or more people. Object was to be the first one to get to 21 in points via free throws or a regular basket. We never played the tip version, for real ball players had to take it back pass the free throw line and score between all those playing. We had another version called Arkansas 21, which was also called rough house – which was strange since the winner had to score 36 points.
I say this because not always do I get the chance to talk of my love of sports and politics without a discussion of economics or some other mundane esoteric stuff. But I just wanted to know if folks imagined like me, what the games of 21 will look like for the future occupant of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. I will give Obama the benefit of the doubt, that he does enjoy 21. I mean James Joes, although 54, was a forward at Georgetown back in the day and Eric Holder (next AG) played ball at the reputable Stuyvesant High School in NYC. Add to the mix Obama’s personal assistant – Reggie Love who played round ball and football at Duke University and Arne Duncan, who lettered in Basketball at Harvard - Mr. Obama (a member of a Hawaii state basketball championship team back in the day – may need to step his game up. I mean I hear Susan Rice was one of Washington, DC’s best point guards back in the day. 
What does this mean, well really nothing, except I love sports, and wish they would televise some of the games one day – I mean professional basket aint like what it used to be, and well 21, is always 21, especially if you aint got enough folks to run a 5 on 5 full court game.
