The N. Period

Always a hot choice ever since their 1988, the adidas ZX 9000 has been constantly reinvented by way of some of the freshest colorways on the block. These new jawns are definitely no exception, tricked out in a light aqua and shockingly bright blue. I can defintely add these to the list my all-time fave ZX 9000s. My birthday IS next week (hint-hint).

OK so maybe I forgot for a little while with the NBA on its yearly break, but gee wiz that LeBron James is a silly one. For the release of the Nike LeBron Zoom VI The Swoosh has teamed up with The King to make what is clearly one of the more entertaining footwear spots we've seen in some time. Looks like Bron-Bron will rake in a ton more money with this one.

Eric Wareheim, of Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! fame has created a stunnig video for MGMT's song "The Youth." If you like these comedians like I do, this video is a must. Also, worthwhile for anyone with even a passing interest in breakdancing.

Originally released in 1987 the first shoe to fill the category of "cross trainer." Popularized by John McEnroe, these shoes are now available in this great Deep Royal colorway that goes perfectly with regulation Dodgers, Rangers, Mets, or Royals caps, 'cus that's what kids do nowadays, no?

We here at The N. Period are big fans of New Balance (now if we could only convince them to add a small punctuation mark to their logo), so without further adieu we introduce this clean grey-on-grey colorway that NB uses for the MT580 shoe -- our current featured Kick of the Week. Originally released as a trail shoe by the Japanese company Mita in the 1990s, the 580 has seen many special editions in the Land of the Rising Sun due to its simple, elegant design and solid build.

When adidas released the ZX 800 in the mid-1980s the running world was turned on its ear with what was at the time one of the most technically-advanced shoes around. Now, over 20 years later, the Brand with the Three Stripes proves that it has indeed created a timeless classic.

A nice pair of blues, special for the ladies.

The US men's soccer team was far from impressive, echoing the performance of the women's team the day before, but they managed to get the three points against Japan on the strength of a goal from Stuart Holden. What I found more interesting, though, was the fact that the team was missing the official team crest on the jerseys and shorts, another way that they mirrored the women's showing.

It all happened so fast. Today in Beijing the Olympics quietly kicked off with the first round of women's soccer matches. Sorely missing their star Abby Wambach, who suffered a broken leg last month, the US team gave up two goals in the first four minutes to Norway and struggled the entire time en route to losing the match. You know what else the US team seems to have lost? The badges from their jerseys.

Success! Mavs star Dirk Nowitzki will represent his nation and carry the German flag for the Opening Ceremonies of the 2008 Beijing Olympics. You know what else? he got a sweet new haircut to celebrate the whole affair.