I’d like to own a warehouse in the middle of nowhere. A huge property in some random and remote location that doesn’t receive too much attention, but still attracts a following. In the movie “Field of Dreams,” there is a moment at the end where you see this huge line of cars trying to come to Iowa to watch the all time greats play. That baseball field was beautiful in the movie. I don’t want this warehouse to be externally beautiful. I want it to be a huge steel mass that the majority of people might walk by, comment on its sheer size, and carry on if not to shrug their shoulders in passing in response to its ugly exterior. I’m thinking if you took something the size of Powell’s book shop in Portland and put it in the boonies, it would be similar to this warehouse.
In the summer, scores of basketball players would gather to come play in 1 on 1, 3 on 3, and 5 on 5 tournaments. It would be big enough inside to host about 10-15 full size NBA basketball courts and there would be stands in the middle of all of them, so word of mouth spectators could come visit if they pleased. Some of the runs would be competitive and others would be professional, but most of all it would be a place for anybody to get better if they wanted to. A place where ex-NBA’ers could get back in shape, dropouts could attempt to resurrect their career, hopefuls could test their levels against elite competition and current superstars could come to take a break from Summer Pro-Am’s to just get a full taste and accurate preview of what the upcoming season might look like. It would be a far cry from some good pickup with a couple of All-Stars at UCLA; it would be a place where recent retirees could show the new school cats what old-school basketball was like. The type that love to say “No blood, no foul.” And no refs either. The bullshit wouldn’t be allowed, but neither would the bullying. A slap on the wrist would be played through, but a cry-baby wouldn’t be tolerated, either. Some of the technicians are working on a specific court that brings with it a special surprise. It’s called “Prime Court.” When you step on the court you immediately become the prime version of yourself. We’ve kept it on the hush because we know what would happen if the media got word, but I’m obviously excited that we’ll be able to end a lot of those ridiculous debates about who would win between some of the all time greats. Lebron vs. Kobe. Kobe vs. Mike. Mike vs. Lebron. Warriors vs Bulls. “Prime Court” has a lot of potential.
Then in one of the far corners on the other side, secluded from a lot of the madness, I have a quiet space called the “The Confessional.” In short, it’s a place for all of those responsible for watering down baseball, particularly the alleged steroid abusers to come clean. Maybe Barry Bonds would show up. Maybe Rafael Palmeiro would arrive crying. Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire are already regulars. Brady Anderson has showed up as has Manny Ramirez. There are a couple that I will not mention. It’s not meant to be an overbearing environment. It’s meant to be a sanctuary. You see, in the warehouse there is 100 percent anonymity. Clandestine media invaders, thinking their cover was safe, would find that it would be blown on arrival. Try to attempt a secretive photo and the device would be scrambled forever. Try to jot down a spare word that could potentially become a story and the words would appear as gibberish. It wouldn’t take long for any trespasser to realize that the special aura of the warehouse could not and would not be tainted.
In many ways, the warehouse is full of magic. Not magic like “Harry Potter” per se, although there are “Harry Potter” type elements featured there. For one, the warehouse could be compared to “the room of requirement,” in the sense that it is a huge space that no-one really takes notice of and not everyone can access. In one section of the warehouse there is a space called “Conspiracy Theory,” in which the visitors can go and sit for hours to read documents about whatever moment in history they like and watch as much film as they want from alternate perspectives. The technicians at the warehouse have a good relationship with organ donors, so if someone were to say, “I’d like to figure out more about the Kennedy assassination” or “I’d like to learn more about the 2000 election” or “Is there a cure for AIDS or Cancer?” or “Are there aliens living on earth?” or “Is the Illuminati a real thing”, you’d have the opportunity to look through the eyes of people involved with these topics (historians, investigators, witnesses) to see for yourself. Think “the Pensieve” in the HP books, but your body remaining physically in one place instead of being transported to another time.
The warehouse has been earning quite the reputation lately of being a great center and hotspot for awesome collaborations. There is a state-of-the-art arts center called “the Ladder”, in which virtuosos and creatives from all over the artistic stratosphere come together to sit, talk, and experiment with one another. I remember when I’d hear cool things about famous people getting together in Hollywood. Kanye West and Spike Jonze. Jimmy Iovine and everybody. I overheard someone saying that Jay-Z, Muhammad Yunus, Al Franken, and Zuckerberg were discussing something the other day in “the Ladder.” That same person told me that Michelle Obama, Malala Yousafzai, Angela Davis, Oprah Winfrey, and Joan Baez had been talking all week in the board room. That gave me chills. There seems to be nothing that surprises me anymore. I saw J.K. Rowling speaking with Beyonce the other day. It took a lot of effort not to flip out. Then I saw Kevin Durant talking to Jeff Bezos and I ached to be a fly on the wall for that conversation. The Sonic fan in me hoped for the best.
During the school year, the warehouse has one part of the building that serves as a sort of alternative school/juvenile detention center/psych ward/rehabilitation center. Kanye sometimes voluntarily checks in to the psych ward, but the presence of someone so well known is very rare. He also voluntarily speaks to the students at the alternative school and sometime involuntarily ends up at the detention center. All tasteless jokes aside, he is actively involved with the board of directors running the facility and makes annual contributions and through his support, he has brought other inspiring and influential people to come and speak to the students and at-risk youth. Every month there are workshops conducted by the fantastic team that runs all of the centers. It is intense, there is lots of resistance, but ultimately all of the students and patients come out of it feeling more confident and prepared to make the next step. Many of the aforementioned collaborators have instituted a mentoring program in which they form a special relationship with a student and agree to be there sponsor and mentor to help them get out of their funk and make it to the other side. Tarantino was here last month and took a keen interest in a creative young student, who had a knack for writing screenplays. They hit it off and the rumor is Tarantino is using some of the kid’s content in his next movie. Or this other young girl who was kicked out of school because she had a “writing problem.” Not that she didn’t write enough, but that she wrote too much; she wouldn’t do anything else in any other subject but write. Zadie Smith heard about her after a conference at “the Ladder” and agreed to help out the girl turn this “problem” into writing books.
Anything seems possible here. Aside from the flagrant foul in a old-timers vs. new timers hoop game, the bad energy is at a minimum. Deep breaths are taken here. You might here Kanye yell, “Can we all just take like 10 deep breaths real quick?!” and not surprisingly, you can feel the collective sigh that everyone in the building agrees to take. People are valued for who they are and the sky really is the limit for anybody and everybody. There is such little judgment and when there is, it’s vocalized and talked out. Everyone in the building has been through something, knows that it takes a lot to deal with it, and that they are surrounded by people that care, want to help, and keep them safe. That’s the underlying theme at “the warehouse.” It’s a big space, but it feels small. It’s intimate and the technicians are constantly reworking and bettering the atmosphere. There are white boards FILLED with new additions, acquisitions, and planning for the future. I can’t wait to see what they come up with.