Air Jordan VI 'Infrared' Pack

PIFF. That is all I have to say about the new Jordan VI Infrared pack dropping. Well, not really. The VI is one of the more underrated silhouettes in the JB catalog, but definitely one of the richest in Jordan history. Released first in 1991, they were the shoe that MJ won his first NBA title in. They also were the first that Tinker Hatfield personally consulted Mike about, adding touches like a molded back to protect his Achilles tendon, a sturdier rubber sole than the V, and reinforced toes. Now, they're coming back out in a pack (haven't seen a good one since the DMPs) featuring a new white/infrared and the more familiar black/infrared colorway. No word yet on when they're dropping, but considering the lack of number retroes coming out lately, they'll definitely be out sooner than later. Think early summer. Check out some more pictures...

Air Jordan White/Varsity Red II & White/True Red XIII

Sneaker News has been providing me with fodder with which to waste my upcoming paychecks as of late. A few weeks back I posted up the Cool Grey XI's and the White/Cement III's, in some misguided attempt to make myself feel better about all the sneakers I should've been copping last year. Regardless of my own vices, Air Jordan is keeping the retroes lined up for 2010, with the II's and XIII's coming out this year, both in their OG White/Red colorways. The XIII's should be out in the Winter and the II's are on the way for this spring (that's like 2 weeks away, isn't it??). Get your finances in order if you're going for that Saturday release, and check some of the flicktures...

Air Jordan 'Nightmares Never Sleep' Commercial

So what if the sneaker itself looks sub-par? So what D-Wade is nowhere near close to getting back to the Finals with that sorry team of his? When Jordan Brand is backing you, it's pretty much a given that not everything is as bad as it seems. Dwyane Wade's signature sneaker will probably be the Air Jordan 2010 (there seems to be a huge hole in the middle of it) and JB has started off marketing their new cash cow the right way. This commercial is ILL. Check out the 'monster' that the Artist Formerly Known as Flash has become...

Air Jordan Cool Grey XI & White/Cement III

I can't even lie. When I got wind of this news, I was conflicted. About a month ago, I got on Jordan Brand and Nike for rehashing a most of their great sneakers and lacking in new releases. I'm eating my words now because I'm actually hyped for both of these. The Cool Grey XI's and White/Cement III's are two of the cleanest releases from Jordan Brand EVER. According to Sneakernews the XI's are looking at a holiday 2010 release. The III's are just confirmed for this year as part of the 'Slam Dunk' package (the kicks that Jordan wore in both of his Slam Dunk contests) with some II's. Better get your connects ready or start lining up now. And call me a hypocrite, but I slept on both of these, so not copping is NOT an option. Check the flicktures...

Become Mars Blackmon

Every so often, Jordan Brand comes out with something that isn't a rehashed version of something it's already done. Unfortunately, this time it's not a sneaker. To commemorate the re-releasing (how the hell are they re-releasing a re-released mash-up??) of the Air Jordan Spiz'ike, Jordan is doing a 'Become Mars' campaign on their website. You can upload a picture of yourself to the Air Jordan website, and have your likeness transformed into that of the iconic Mars Blackmon, known to sneakerheads worldwide. They also doled out an iPhone app for the campaign. It's a pretty novel idea, but sometimes you just gotta become Mars Blackmon (don't judge my logic there)...

Dear Nike

Who knew one release could tell so much about a company??

It's a funny thing about sneakers. Everyone loves to hate on them, and the fact that everyone is copping them, but no one ever takes into account who releases them. Nike, you released the first Air Jordan XI's in 1995. It was crazy because Michael Jordan himself got fined $5000 a game during the playoffs for wearing them. That fact only served to hype the sneakers up even more. The original Space Jam XI's were released in 2000, to even more hype, with sneaker collectors lining up for days to get their hands on a pretty nice colorway. Today, Twitter, the blogs and every mall in America were filled with 'sneakerheads' all looking for the same thing: another shot at those Space Jams. Therein lies the problem: another chance.

Nike, for the past decade, you've been giving people 'another chance' to get all of your more popular releases from the previous decade. There's nothing wrong with that. In fact, I relish the opportunity to get a sneaker that I was too young, or dumb to see the value in, or even afford. However, Nike, it is a HUGE problem when EVERY hot release you guys come out with is a retro. Think about it. What was the last sneaker you guys came out with, that people were lining up for, that WASN'T a retro?? I racked my brain for about 20 minutes trying to find one original sneaker from the past ten years. I couldn't find anything. Dunks and Uptowns are from the 80s, all the Jordans after XVI suck and Air Maxes stopped being hot after 2000. Even the Nike Basketball sneakers get rehashed. Penny's, KG's and other signature kicks are getting retroed too.

Here is some simple economics, Nike: rarity drives prices up. If you can't get something, that makes its value that much more for you. That said, I can understand why you guys keep retro-ing sneakers. You won't see a cent of the value of OG sneakers after retail (eBay and sneaker forums killed that profit), which is why you guys keep re-releasing them. Even so, you guys are tarnishing your legacy like that. 1/2 Cents and Sharkleys suck, as do the rest of your recent releases. Maybe you should focus more on R&D, and less on recapturing the magic of the past. Yeah, the Jams are a good sneaker, but how many times can you re-do a good thing before it gets (gasp) old???

Air Jordan 25th 'Silver' Anniversary

As if Jordan Brand didn't have enough to celebrate in the last year (sarcasm), they decided to make another reason for idiots to stand in the cold. They've more or less just re-re-retroed every sneaker in the Air Jordan series, with a white/metallic silver colorway. Of course some of them look dope (V's, VI's and XI's; the usual suspects) but none of them will ever hearken back to their OG forefathers. If you have the money, then as a collection, it might be a good investment. For the rest of us, it's just another window-shopping visit to Flight Club. There's no word as to a release date for any of these, so keep your eyes peeled for another preview...

Dear Jordan Brand (RE: Air Jordan 2010)

So, THIS is the next Air Jordan sneaker? After over 20 years of fashion, style and cultural innovation, this is the best you guys could come up with? I never knew you guys and Payless (no offense) were doing a collab! No seriously, this looks like one of the generic shoes that comes with create-a-players in basketball video games. Jordan Brand, what are you guys doing? Since the XV's, none of your releases have been that hot. It's seeming more and more that Jordans are destined to die out with retros fading in quality and ridiculous concepts like the Fusions. Get it together fellas, because this looks worse than the Dada's Chris Webber was wearing for a while. At least those looked right for the times. The 2010's look like what we thought sneakers would look like when we were still in 1995...