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It’s March 3, 2008, a brilliant day in Santa Barbara. But for Eric Frimpong, it feels like hell. He’s in Superior Court, encircled by sheriff’s deputies, making one more trip to the Department 2 courtroom. This is his last stop on the outside for a while, a painful reminder of how far he has fallen. He left his native Ghana in 2005 to play soccer for UC Santa Barbara; a year later he became a campus hero while leading the Gauchos to their first-ever national championship. If the immigrant experience can have a sound, Frimpong’s sound was a raucous stadium. But in 2007, just weeks after being selected by the Kansas City Wizards in the MLS draft, he was accused of raping another student on the beach near his house. Now he’s a convicted felon.

Frimpong enters the courtroom, which is packed with students and parents, former teammates and coaches — row upon row of supporters. They’ve come for the sentencing that concludes a trial that has rocked this community: People v. Eric Frimpong. Or more accurately, People v. Eric Frimpong and His People.

A victim’s advocate reads a statement on behalf of the accuser, referred to in this story and in news coverage throughout the trial as Jane Doe. “I don’t care that he’s a soccer star…and I’m a nobody,” the statement says. “Eric Frimpong ruined my life.”

There’s a rumble in the gallery. If his supporters could chime in now, they’d say that the kid in the prison garb has never spoken an unkind word or acted aggressively toward anyone. They would remind the court of the points made at trial: that his accuser was a woman with little memory of what happened that night because of a near-toxic blood alcohol level; that Frimpong’s DNA wasn’t found on the victim; that semen found on her underwear belonged to a jealous boyfriend, a white student who was never a suspect. They would argue that overzealous law enforcement was determined to nail a high-profile athlete, facts be damned, and that this was the Duke lacrosse case all over again — except that the defendants in the Duke case were white men from affluent families with the means to navigate America’s justice system, unlike Frimpong, who is poor and an immigrant.

Judge Brian Hill, citing Frimpong’s clean record and “a lot of community support,” delivers his sentence: six years in state prison. As Frimpong is led away, many people in the gallery are crying. Out in the hall, Paul and Loni Monahan stand solemnly while the courtroom empties. Their son, Pat, was Frimpong’s teammate, and the Monahans — a white, middle-class family — had ­embraced “Frimmer” like a son and a brother. Loni distributes copies of a printed statement: “We will continue to fight for Eric. We will not rest until he is exonerated and the ugly truth of his wrongful prosecution and conviction comes out.” When the leaflets are gone, she leans against a wall, tears flowing. “Eric believed in our system,” she says. “He believed justice would prevail.” Then she straightens. “Before I was sad,” she says. “Now I’m mad.”

Something good happened in Santa Barbara. Even now, as Frimpong sits behind a glass partition in the visitors’ room of a California jail, he smiles easily while talking about where he’s come from and what he has achieved. The way he sees it, he has always been fortunate.

Back in Ghana, in western Africa, he and his three younger siblings were raised by their mother, Mary, in the poor farming community of Abesin, but her job as a typist with the government forestry department allowed the family to have plumbing and electricity, unlike many of their neighbors. Eric was an engineering major and a midfielder for Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, in Kumasi, when he caught the eye of UCSB assistant Leo Chappel, who attended a 2005 match to scout the son of a Ghanian pro but ended up offering a scholarship to Frimpong instead. The first words out of Frimpong’s mouth? Thank God. The next: What’s UCSB?

By that August, the Gauchos had a crafty midfielder with intangibles to burn. Frimpong’s intelligence, instinct and vision, along with his speed and touch, made him an on-the-ball force. He also had a winning personality. “Frimmer was very humble and considerate, on and off the field,” says head coach Tim Vom Steeg.

As a senior the next year, the 5′6″ Frimpong developed a reputation as a lockdown defender in leading the unseeded Big West champs to a string of improbable NCAA tournament wins. When the final whistle blew on the 2006 national championship game, the Cinderella Gauchos had defeated four-time king UCLA. Frimpong earned All-Big West honors, a spot in the MLS supplemental draft and the gratitude of his peers. “He was the heart and soul of the team,” says Pat Monahan. “Eric won us that championship.”

Everyone around Frimpong was buoyed by his success: his mother, friends and classmates, prominent locals who had helped him out along the way with invites to dinner, rides to the store and, when he struggled with homesickness during his junior year, a fund-raiser that yielded $3,000 for a ticket to Ghana. “We all tried to pitch in, because Eric’s so darn likable,” says Tim Foley, a booster who made Frimpong a regular guest at his family’s home. “He was an American success story.”

The Monahans were especially proud. Frimpong had met his “American parents” on move-in day in 2005, and they promptly invited him to spend Thanksgiving in San Diego. They gave him his first cell phone and laptop and took him on family vacations. They sat in their kitchen for hours listening to his stories about Ghana. They were also impressed by his knowledge of the Bible, and his quiet spirituality helped bolster their own faith. “He was going to graduate, play professionally, make more money here than he ever could in Ghana and bring it back to support his family,” Loni says. “Eric really had it all.”

With the support of friends, including girlfriend Prieto (far right), Frimpong stayed in school after the incident and graduated.

Something bad happened in Santa Barbara. On Feb. 17, 2007, sometime after midnight on a fast-eroding bluff of beach right below 6547 Del Playa Drive, Jane Doe was raped. She said Eric Frimpong did it, and an all-white jury agreed. But the nature of the case, and some of the more slippery details surrounding it, has divided the community, raising questions about the reliability of the victim’s memory, the true character of the accused, the motives and tactics of law enforcement, even the fairness of the justice system. Amid all the controversy, though, two simple truths remain: A young woman was victimized, and a young man’s dream was shattered.

UCSB is among the nation’s top party schools, and oceanfront Del Playa is the belly of the beast. Even a model student-athlete like Frimpong, who maintained a 3.0 GPA while working on a double major in applied mathematics and business economics, found it hard to skip the party entirely. After the Gauchos won it all, they were the toast of the town, especially Frimmer. As Pat Monahan puts it, “You’d walk into apartments and see Ghanian flags hanging over people’s beds.”

Frimpong’s journey from soccer hero to convicted felon began a little more than halfway through his senior year. (The account that follows is based on police reports, interview transcripts, court proceedings and comments from trial observers.) The night of Feb. 16 began for Frimpong in the same place where he started most Friday nights, on the couch in his house at 6547 Del Playa Drive, watching a movie with housemates. His girlfriend, Yesenia Prieto, was working late, but Eric had reason to celebrate, fresh off an impressive 10-day tryout for the Wizards, so he showered and went to meet friends at a party at 6681 Del Playa Drive. It was outside that home, at about 11:30 p.m., that Frimpong met Jane Doe, a UCSB freshman. They struck up a conversation, then walked back to his house to play beer pong. They arrived just before midnight, and Eric introduced Jane to his roommates before taking her to the patio, where the two of them played beer pong for a few minutes until, according to Frimpong, Doe said she wanted to smoke, so they headed for the park next door. At the park, he says, Doe approached another male, who appeared to have followed them. When she walked back to Frimpong, she started kissing him, but he wasn’t interested because she smelled of cigarettes. Doe became aggressive, he says, and stuck her hand down his pants. He pushed her away, then headed to the home of his friend, Krystal Giang, who’d been expecting him. By 4 a.m., he was in bed at Prieto’s apartment.

About an hour and a half earlier, Jane Doe, accompanied by her sister and two friends, checked into Goleta Valley Cottage Hospital emergency clinic, claiming she had been raped. She was transferred to the Sexual Assault Response center downtown, where a nurse discovered a laceration to Doe’s external genitalia and bruises on her body, findings consistent with sexual assault.

“Yesterday was a really good day,” Doe told sheriff’s detectives Daniel Kies and Michael Scherbarth when they arrived at her dorm room the next morning, according to a police transcript. The reason for cheer: The 18-year-old Doe had just regained her driver’s license following a juvenile DUI conviction. At around 9 p.m. on Feb. 16, she went to a party with her sister, Elizabeth, and friends Mia Wolfson and Lakshmi Krishna. After stopping at a second party, Doe left the group and headed for a fraternity bash on Del Playa. “That’s where I saw the guy,” she told police.

From there, Doe’s story is mostly consistent with Frimpong’s, up to and including their game of beer pong. “He was really nice,” she said. But their accounts differ sharply after that. According to Doe, the next thing she remembers is being on the beach, where the nice guy turned violent, knocking her to the ground, striking her in the face, holding her throat and raping her before fleeing. Having lost her purse, Doe walked to Del Playa, where she stopped a passerby, student Justin Hannah. Using his cell, she phoned a friend, her father and then Wolfson and Krishna, who picked her up around 1:30 a.m. Doe, who admitted to drinking heavily throughout the evening, couldn’t remember anything between stepping into their car and going to the hospital — a period of one hour — but her friends would fill in the blanks: At first Doe didn’t want to go to the hospital because she was worried about getting in trouble for drinking. But back at the dorm, her friends kept urging, and she relented. Sitting with the detectives that morning, she described her attacker as a black male who spoke with an “island accent” and had “big lips” and short hair. His name? “Eric, I think.”

Sometime around noon on Feb. 17, Kies and Scherbarth spotted Frimpong hanging out with friends at the park on Del Playa. When Kies asked if he would accompany them to the station to talk about “what happened last night,” Frimpong agreed to go, despite being unsure what the detective meant. Once at the station, Kies reminded Frimpong that he had come voluntarily and asked him to describe what he’d been doing the previous night. According to the police transcript, Frimpong told Kies about watching a movie at home, then going to a party and eventually meeting Doe, whom he described as one of the “random soccer fans,” and playing beer pong with her before heading to Giang’s house and later to Prieto’s. Kies then asked for Frimpong’s consent to collect the clothes he’d worn the night before. “Yeah,” Frimpong responded, “but I still don’t know what’s going on.” Kies explained that the girl said that they’d “had sex” on the beach.

“Wow,” Frimpong responded.

Kies then informed Frimpong that he was being detained and read him his rights. Minutes later, he explained the rape accusation. “I didn’t have sex with her,” Frimpong insisted. Charged with felony rape, he phoned Paul Monahan, who spread the word. Vom Steeg couldn’t believe it: “I’m thinking, Frimpong? Rape? No way.” (The coach later asked Frimpong directly. “I said, ‘Eric, is there any chance you had sex but you thought maybe it was consensual?’ He said, ‘Tim, I never pulled my pants down.’ I said, ‘If you did this, DNA will prove it.’ He said, ‘Coach, I’m not stupid.’ “)

“I don’t care that he’s a soccer star and I’m a nobody,” the victim wrote. “Eric Frimpong ruined my life.”

By the next day, Frimpong supporters had mobilized. Vom Steeg arranged for Paul Monahan to meet with Foley, and it was agreed that Monahan would fund a defense while the $100,000 bail would be paid by Foley and Cam Camarena, a former UCSB soccer player who helps finance Right to Dream, a program that brings Ghanian players to America. Based on a referral, they hired attor­ney Robert Sanger, and funds were bolstered by the campus-based Eric Frimpong Freedom Fund, which raised $25,000 within months. When Frimpong was released on bond, teammates were waiting outside the police station. “Nobody knows Eric like we do,” says former teammate Alfonso Motagalvan. “And he’s just not capable of doing something like this.”

When the test results came back in March, Frimpong’s DNA hadn’t been found on Jane Doe’s clothing or body, but Doe’s DNA had been found on Frimpong: in two nucleated epithelial cells, found on his scrotum and penis, and in an unspecified trace under his fingernail. (Epithelial cells are found inside the body and in body fluids like mucus, saliva and sweat. These tested negative as vaginal cells, but such tests can be inconclusive. When the case went to trial that November, the defense argued that the findings were consistent with Frimpong’s claim that Doe had grabbed his genitals.) Also, semen found on Doe’s underwear didn’t match Frimpong’s — but it was a match for that of Benjamin Randall, Doe’s sexual partner throughout her freshman year. Randall told authorities that he and Doe had engaged in intercourse seven days before the rape; Doe said they’d had sex four days prior but that she thought she was wearing different underwear, and she told a nurse that they’d used a condom. (During the trial, Doe and Randall confirmed they’d been together at parties the night she met Frimpong. Randall testified that, while en route to a friend’s house, he spotted Doe and Frimpong walking on Del Playa at about 11:40 p.m. Randall then called Doe, and she told him she was headed to “Eric’s house to play beer pong.” Under cross-examination by Sanger, Randall admitted, “I might’ve been a little upset. I guess you can call that jealousy.” He also testified that after the call, he returned to his dorm at Santa Barbara City College, where he spent the night alone.)

Despite having DNA evidence matched to him, Randall was never a suspect. Neither was the man who retrieved Doe’s purse, which she said she’d lost either on the beach or at Frimpong’s home. It was delivered to the sheriff’s department the next day, minus $30, by someone described in the police report as a “can recycler.” But because of a “language barrier,” he wasn’t questioned.

Frimpong was the only suspect, even though there was no apparent sign of sexual activity — no blood, semen, vaginal secretions — or any scratches or other telltale marks of rape on his body or clothes. The absence of abrasions was odd. Doe told authorities she was wearing a “thicker ring” on her right ring finger and that she hit her attacker so hard, “all my knuckles were screwed up.” There was also very little sand found on his clothes. (At the trial, Dianne Burns, a criminologist who examined the physical evidence, testified to the presence of two small vials’ worth of sand in the cuffs of Frimpong’s jeans and in one pocket.)

Still, the district attorney’s office pressed on, in a case reminiscent of one that was unraveling on the East Coast. “There was always a strong parallel to the Duke case,” Vom Steeg says. “From the start, the sheriff’s department felt like they had their guy. But when the evidence didn’t turn out the way it was supposed to, their position became, ‘If she’s willing to testify, we’ll go forward.’ ”

Tony Mastres/UCSB
Frimpong’s (sliding) lockdown defense keyed the UCSB Gauchos’ improbable run to the 2006 NCAA soccer championship.

Using phone records, authorities estimate that the attack took place between 12:15 and 1:15 a.m., a time period for which Frimpong did not have a solid alibi. James Jennings, a bicycle taxi driver, said he gave Frimpong a lift between 12:30 and 2 a.m. and that the player acted like “the happiest guy in the world.” Giang told authorities that Frimpong arrived at her home sometime between 11 p.m. and midnight. But a 1:34 a.m. phone call from Frimpong to Giang seemed to place his arrival later than she had estimated. Also thorny was the testimony of Hannah, the student who had lent Doe his phone. He said that while Doe “looked like she had just come out of a traumatic experience,” her clothing didn’t appear to be dirty or sandy. He also said that she told him that she “didn’t know what had happened.”

Throughout the investigation and during the trial, Doe admitted to gaps in her memory. In her interview with detectives, she claimed she had consumed “a couple shots of vodka” before leaving her dorm. In an interview that April with assistant district attorney Mary Barron, the lead prosecutor, Doe said she’d consumed more throughout the evening. “I know I had beer,” she said. “And I know I had rum.” She also acknowledged that her memory after beer pong was hazy. “That’s when it starts to, like, cut out,” she told Barron. According to the transcript, Doe had little memory of going to the beach, and her recollection of the rape itself was scattered. Asked whether she recalled going outside to smoke, Doe said she “probably” smoked but didn’t remember when. “I don’t even know, since there’s that chunk missing.”

So what happened on the beach? Doe said Frimpong may have tried to kiss her, but when pressed by Barron she admitted, “I have no clue. I’m just assuming…” She also said, “I remember him biting me on my face,” even though she had told the emergency room doctor she thought she’d been hit, and when questioned by detectives, she said she didn’t know about being bitten — despite Kies’ saying, “That’s definitely, most definitely, teeth marks, dude,” about the bruise on her cheek. When Barron questioned her about it, Doe said, “But later, when they’re, like, ‘It looks like teeth marks’ …I remember that happening.”

Doe continued, “I saw him, like, feel around — take off his belt — or something on his pants — I don’t know.” She said she remembered being penetrated, and “it felt like a penis.” Barron asked if the attacker was the same person she’d played beer pong with. Doe said that while she couldn’t recall going to the beach, she remembered the attacker’s accent, his eyes (”They were white”) and his lips (”They’re big”). She was also fairly confident that the rape lasted “15 minutes at the most… but then, since there’s that huge chunk of time that I don’t remember, it could be anything.”

Many of Frimpong’s supporters believe that race is at the heart of the case. Santa Barbara County has nearly 425,000 residents, but only 2% are black. “I love this town,” says Foley, a resident for 30 years, “but there’s no question there’s racism here.”

Thanks to Frimpong’s celebrity status, he wasn’t flying under the radar. “I’m 100% convinced that they were going to nail this guy before he walked into the station,” Foley says. (At the trial, Burns testified that in a Feb. 22 phone call from Kies, the detective asked her to expedite her usual process, reminding her that this was a “high-profile case.”)

“Eric never blamed corruption, never called anyone a racist, never called the girl a liar. He maintained faith that our justice system would see him through.”

Back on campus, media coverage led to an unwelcome surprise for the defense: After reading about Frimpong’s arrest, another student came forward claiming that she too had been assaulted by him. This new Jane Doe told police that a few weeks before the rape, he had acted aggressively toward her, grabbing her buttocks and tackling her on the beach. The DA used the accusation to charge Frimpong with misdemeanor sexual assault, which made for a second count at trial. (He was found not guilty.) “The DA’s office filed a weak claim of sex­ual assault to portray Eric as a serial sexual predator and bolster the flawed rape claim,” wrote Kim Seefeld, a local defense attorney and former prosecutor, in a blog post on Jan. 15, 2008. “The allegations severely prejudiced him before the jury.”

The second charge also sent Frimpong back to jail, where friends say he was taunted by deputies. When Paul Monahan picked him up later that day, after Foley and Camarena paid the additional $250,000 bail, Frimpong broke down in tears.

There was no trip to the White House with the rest of his teammates. After the second arrest, Frimpong went into seclusion, moving to an apartment with Pat Monahan and relying on friends to run errands and deliver food. He still ventured out for dates with Prieto, and he remained active on the field, playing in an intramural league and with the semipro Ventura Fusion. He also took a part-time job with Foley. “I tried to give him pocket money, but he wouldn’t take it,” Foley says. “He was a different kid, just as sad as can be.”

Meanwhile, a battle raged among the student body. On one side were Frimpong’s loyal backers, who attested to his character in TV interviews and who carpooled in large numbers to his hearings. On the other side were victims’ rights advocates, who responded with rape awareness presentations on campus and a confrontation with Frimpong supporters at an MLK Day rally. “It was ugly, with a lot of people saying a lot of dumb things,” Giang says. “People just forgot that at the heart of this are the facts, not just vague concepts.”

None of it kept Frimpong from graduating in June 2007. “Nine out of 10 kids would have dropped out,” Vom Steeg says. “It says a lot about his character.” Adds Camarena, now the head coach for the University of Hawaii at Hilo: “Eric never blamed corruption, never called anyone a racist, never called the girl a liar. He continued to uphold American values. And he maintained faith that our justice system would see him through.”

Frimpong put that faith in an all-white jury of nine women and three men. His trial began on Nov. 26, and for three weeks Department 2 was home base for Team Frimpong. Many supporters came with notebooks, and during recess they would go to the café across the street to discuss the latest unfavorable ruling. They point to the time, for example, when Barron may have implied to the jury that Frimpong had chosen not to testify, even though the prosecution is not allowed to refer to the defendant’s right to remain silent. While Judge Hill said that there were “possible inferences,” he denied Sanger’s motion for a mistrial. Also, during jury deliberations, Hill refused to dismiss juror No. 5 after her arrest for drunken driving. (The defense argued that the juror, whose case was in the hands of the DA, couldn’t remain impartial.)

Perhaps the most troubling ruling, as far as the defense was concerned, involved bite mark analysis. The prosecution’s forensic expert, Norman Sperber, testified that he couldn’t rule out Frimpong for causing the bite on Jane Doe’s face. But detectives failed to disclose that they had first approached another expert: Raymond Johansen would later testify, outside the jury’s presence, that after preliminary analysis, he told Kies that the bite mark was “vague.” Law enforcement is required to turn over evidence that doesn’t point to the defendant as the suspect; suppressing such evidence is grounds for a mistrial. But Kies failed to file a report of his conversation with Johansen. When questioned by Sanger, the detective stated that while he had indeed approached Johansen first, the dentist had failed to provide any opinion. Kies and senior DA Ronald Zonen both told the court that they had passed over Johansen because he wanted to charge for his services, and Sperber wasn’t charging. But Sperber testified that he always charges for his services, and he did so for this case, too. Judge Hill, who had served 19 years as a Santa Barbara DA prior to sitting on the bench, ruled that Johansen’s testimony was not exculpatory and denied that motion as well.

Nonetheless, Frimpong’s supporters save much of their scorn for Sanger. The prosecution rested its case on Dec. 12, having called 32 witnesses; Sanger questioned them all on the stand but called only one additional witness, a blood expert who testified that Doe’s blood alcohol level at the time the sample was taken, 5:37 a.m., was .20, and that it could have been as high as .29 at the time of the incident — an almost lethal level. Sanger rested his case the next day. “The final score was 32-1,” Vom Steeg says. “I feel guilty, like we didn’t do enough.” Loni Monahan spoke to Sanger throughout the trial about his strategy. “He told me, ‘The best defense was no defense, because it would demonstrate there’s nothing to defend,’” she says. “We made a mistake.”

The jury began deliberating on Friday, Dec. 14; the next Monday, just after 3:30 p.m., came the guilty verdict.

On Jan. 31, 2008, with Frimpong in jail awaiting sentencing, the defense filed a motion for a new trial, citing several factors, including a development with the jury: In a written declaration to the court, juror Ann Diebold stated, “I regret the decision I made in finding Mr. Frimpong guilty.” Among her many points was the court’s refusal to provide the jury with evidence they had requested for review, including Doe’s testimony and Frimpong’s interview with Kies — the latter because some jurors stated that they wanted “the opportunity to hear Mr. Frimpong’s side of the story.” (They were read only Doe’s direct testimony, without cross-examination, because Judge Hill said “it would take some time to gather the additional information,” Diebold wrote.) Diebold also claimed that the jurors rushed through deliberations so they could conclude the case by the Christmas holiday. “I felt pressure from the judge and other jurors to reach a verdict by Dec. 18,” she wrote.

Sanger’s motion was a last-second heave, but it allowed him to put his own forensic dentist on the stand. Defense expert Charles Bowers fell ill during the trial and was unable to testify, but at the hearing on Feb. 28, he delivered his opinion: Frimpong’s teeth could not have made the bite, but Randall’s teeth could have. As Bowers spoke, there was a buzz in the gallery. But Judge Hill was unmoved. He began the hearing by saying that in his 27-year career, “I’ve not seen a rape case with so much incriminating, credible and powerful evidence,” and ended it by dismissing the motion. Three days later, he sentenced Frimpong to six years.

Paul Wellman/Santa Barbara Independent
Frimpong’s supporters were a vocal presence throughout the trial, and many continue to fight for his freedom.

Today Eric Frimpong is prisoner F95488, a ward of the California Correctional Institution in Tehachapi, about 75 miles northeast of Santa Barbara. Friends and supporters continue to fight for him, but none worries more than his mother. “She’s sick to death,” says Loni Monahan, who provides Mary with weekly updates. “We understand one of every 10 words, but we’re moms, so it’s enough.” Loni’s own son marvels at Eric’s almost preternatural calm in the face of adversity. “The kid’s in jail, and with all his issues, he’s the one keeping us sane,” Pat says.

Frimpong is small in size, but he seems to have avoided many of the pitfalls of life behind bars. He even calls many of his fellow inmates his friends. One of them is 45 year-old Terry Carter, who served time with Frimpong at Santa Barbara County Jail. “Eric was a godsend, just an amazingly positive influence,” he says. “It’s funny, but to guys twice his size, the kid’s a leader.”

Every day, Frimpong led group exercises in the yard, but his primary pastime was Bible study. Before his arrival it was Hispanics-only, so Eric started his own, and some of them joined his.

“It’s a terrible thing that happened to me,” Frimpong says. “Being in here, I keep asking myself why God put me in that situation. And then it struck me: Maybe I can reach more people, help more people, if they hear my story.” His supporters say it’s working. “All you have to do is look at Frimmer’s camp — he hasn’t lost anyone,” Vom Steeg says. “In fact, since the trial, he’s actually gaining supporters.” In Ghana, Frimpong’s plight is well-documented by the media. In Santa Barbara, people continue to proclaim his innocence, even when it’s not easy to do so. After writing several opinion pieces in the local papers, Kim Seefeld was inexplicably subpoenaed to appear at the hearings on the motion for a new trial. (She was never called to testify.) “I got harassed by the DA, subpoenaed and threatened, all because I stuck my neck out for someone I believe is innocent,” says Seefeld, who plans to continue her writing. “That’s what happens to a citizen who dares to question our justice system in Santa Barbara.”

And then there are the letters from all over the world, many containing donations. “These are people who don’t even know Eric, have never spoken directly to him,” Loni Monahan says with awe. “Eric was born to be a pro soccer player, but he’s realized he has more impact in the direction he’s going. There’s a groundswell going on.”

The key addition to Team Frimpong is Ronald Turner, a Sacramento-based, court-appointed appellate attorney who has filed the opening brief in an appeal with the Second Appellate ­District of California. The process gives Frimpong hope. So too does his dream of eventually attending seminary and becoming a priest. Not that he has given up on turning pro. “He’s very determined,” says Andy Iro, Frimpong’s friend and former teammate, now with the MLS’ Columbus Crew. “His reputation has been tarnished, but if anyone can come out of this a better person, it’s Eric.”

Many nights, Frimpong says, he dreams the same dream: He is running, but not from anyone or anything. His bare feet punch the shoreline, toes clawing the sand, while the sun sets on the Pacific Ocean. “My body can be in prison,” he says. “But my mind and soul are in Santa Barbara.”

Something bad happened there. Two young lives were suddenly, sadly interrupted. But in the end, something good may still come of it.

Ok, everyone, let’s start the meeting. Before you start talking about winning us Oscars, I’ve got the best idea for a movie ever. It’s about an alien race that lands on Earth but they are actually “robots in disguise.” Catchy isn’t it? These large robot-alien things can have a civil war on Earth, because, well, we need a plot. And that’ll pretty much be the plot for the entire movie and all of the sequels–and there will be sequels.

I know it’s kind of weak, but come on, we’re creating a summer blockbuster here, it’s not like people will actually have to like it. We’ll just hype it up so much with viral marketing campaigns and MySpace that they will feel left out if they don’t see it. Trust me, once they are in the theater with their over-sized popcorn and gallon of soda, we will pump so much CG work into this movie that it’ll overload their senses and no one will remember that they actually paid $10 to see this piece of crap. If all else fails, we’ll just add a really hot chick bending over muscle cars and motorcycles, like on the covers of those magazines behind the counter at the gas station. That will surely bring some nerdlings into the movie, if they aren’t already drooling over the concept of robots on Earth.

Oh, and since these robot-aliens (or is it alien-robots?) are larger-than-life, that means we’ll need some larger-than-life explosions to take them down. Williams, start looking for directors. Get me anyone but Michael Bay, he is sooo 1998.

Now what about actor choices? We need a strong, manly actor that can lead the entirety of mankind to victory over a highly-advanced alien race, and in the process woo over any female lead that we throw his way. Suggestions? Hmm, Greenberg, you may be onto something, Arnold Schwarzenegger would be perfect! Oh, oh, and he could be a robot himself, too! What’s that, Crawford? He’s busy running California right now? Oh you’re right, damn, and he’s literally larger than these robot-aliens, anyway. He’d dwarf them in comparison and the camera angles would never work. Hey, I’ve got it: Shia Lebeouf! He’s not any of the things I mentioned we needed, but we owe it to him after that vine-swinging scene in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

What’ve you got for me, Williams? Michael Bay is the only one who will touch this concept? Fine. He’s in. As long as he doesn’t put meteoroid-looking fireballs hurling through buildings like in Armageddon, into this movie we should be fine…or Ben Affleck.

Any other suggestions before a power lunch? Yes, Johnson? That’s a fantastic idea! We definitely should base it off an old cartoon series from the 80s; don’t even get me started on the merchandising possibilities! Plus that will save time on robot-design, we’ll just rip off the old stuff. Speaking of kids, my kids have been listening to this band, Linkin Park, and I think they would be great for the soundtrack. The music is over-produced and it all sounds the same, but it has an industrial flair to it which will be perfect for the robot-alien theme. It’s sure to get us, at least, an MTV Movie award.

I think we’ll end the meeting on a high note. Oh, and get in touch with James Cameron, I want him to re-direct a film version of Titanic: The Musical. Mel Brooks did it with The Producers, I think it’s golden.

- David the Day

Fireworks! Slavery! Fun!

Listen to the show for some great music and great horoscopes!

Links for this episode

Also, this was the first week with the Something Planet World Record Challenge in which Endless Mike tries to drink a whole gallon of chocolate milk in under an hour! Does he make it? Listen to find out! (Video coming soon). And if that isn’t mysterious for you enough, we talked about Unidentified Flying Humanoids during mysteriousnesses! Creepy!!!!

We have t-shirts for sale, and we’ll have a link posted here very shortly.

Links for this episode

John J and his girl went to Metrocon to spy on all the anime kids. He got some photos and we held the Something Planet Costume Awards. Check the links below for the pictures.

Links for this episode

With that being said, we talked about Noah’s Ark in the mysteriousnesses segment and how the right-wing Neo-con-Christian-Arkites are using it to their advantage.

David Cook (The man not the singer) also called in a relayed a story to us and talked about the CDs he sent us.

Links for this episode

We also talked about Supertition Mountain, and only Smitty was brave enough to tackle the challenge to go there and search for the Dutchman’s Lost Gold Mine! Spooky.

Links for this episode

Mysteriousnesses tackles a grave problem in the world of ocean travels: the Kraken. John J and David the Day were kayaking one later afternoon/early evening, and almost encountered a Kraken. Luckily, they got to the shore before the Shadow of Night crossed their path (the Kraken can’t swim in sunlight, duh.)

Links from this episode

This is up on Tuesday because yesterday was Memorial Day and we were busy respecting the fallen service men and women who served this country to the fullest.

But some great music as always, so listen up!

P.S. We had to recover this show because our computer rig froze during the recording. Because of this, some of the audio seems like it’s skipping in some parts, we can’t do anything about it, sorry!

P.P.S. Every 10 seconds, the audio will play 1 second from exactly 10 seconds in the future. This podcast is like an episode of lost…

P.P.S. It happens every 10 seconds for the first 25 minutes, but then it happens very sporadically after that.

So this is a “Best of Something Planet” episode. It’s got a bunch of funny bits I’ve calculated with my super brain to be some of the funniest clips.

Sorry it took so long to get up, but my wheelchair was in the repair shop, I couldn’t type.

John celebrated by cutitng his long hair off. Locks of Love wouldn’t take his hair, so he donated it to PETA who will give his hair to animals that lose their hair during lab testing. Can you imagine a chimp wearing John’s hair as a cape?

And since it’s our one-year anniversary, in a tribute to rebirth and all things spiritual, Mike decided to drink baby formula mixed with wine from a box. Here’s the video… if you’re reading this from iTunes, please visit SomethingPlanet.com and find Episode 52 to view the video.

Let us know what you think of this episode. It was really strange for us. Probably because John and Mike had a safety meeting right before we started. Don’t judge them, they want to be safe. There are several bloopers partly because of this, and we’ve put them immediately after we play the last song.

John and David got into a debate over their putt-putt scores and they stopped talking to each other for a segment or two, and resulted in the episode title as well.

So, fuck you, too, John.

We had a very action-packed weekend, you’ll wanna listen to all the cool stuff we did so you can live vicariously through us.

We also played wiffle ball during one of the breaks, it was awesomeeeee.

Stuey B couldn’t join us for this episode because he was working (weird, we know…), so Rocco the Roadie stepped in to fill out the void of blackitude.

And more government coverups for mysteriousnesses.

Dana White had some choice words about some whore journalist, and we’ve got the exclusive clip.

Endless Mike also led us through a charming return of the Mental Challenged Challenge.

its not that she hates obama, there are plenty of people with average to above average intelegence who hate him.

watch and see what i mean

He likes it on everything: ice cream, pasta, his mouth, whatever.

It makes us all laugh thinking about it, but he’s sooooo into it, and that makes him different than everyone else. He should be shunned. If you see him, shun him. Or stone him, whatever makes you happy.

During the recording of this episode, David the Day had the flu, and it sucked big time. There was also a big highway crash in the middle of recording and the Bayflight Emergency Helicopter landed on the road next to our studio.

We get a comprehensive week 1 tour update from The Stick Martin Show’s Ball Sweat & Tears Tour

Listen to mysteriousnesses if you wanna take a hit off dat New York White, Albino Alligator joint.

Stories were told, and Justin got progressively dirtier as his consumption of Yuengling increased (weird). Our weekend was filled with kayaks, parties, and vomit.

We went off topic during mysteriousnesses this week, but it worked out in the end.

We started a new (short) segment this week called “Words of Wisdom” and I don’t want to spoil who reads the said Words, so I’ll let you find out. It’s right after the first song.

There’s a lovely segment on “porn snafus” or things that we don’t like about porn, it’s really insightful, please post your porn snafus as well. Also, since we were at the House of Blues in Downtown Disney for Flogging Molly, we talked about REAL ghosts haunting the Haunted House in the Magic Kingdom. Lots of negative energy, Disney was a madman.

Hey, guess what? We’re on Twitter now, so check us out at www.twitter.com/somethingplanet

Are Violent Video Games Preparing Kids For The Apocalypse?

We saw Senses Fail at Jannus Landing this weekend and then found ourselves wandering an abandoned mall. I think zombies were present, I’m not entirely sure.

We had a pre-recorded phone interview with the band City Lights. To no fault of City Lights, the interview turned out awkward because of several reasons which we highlight in the Massive Media section. But, David the Day will redeem himself when they meet us in-studio Easter weekend. They kick ass, so be sure to listen to them and the other rockin’ bands we play this week.

DSM will probably be playing at our Something Planet Birthday Party (ON MAY 9th–MARK YOUR CALENDARS) as well, so get a preview of them now and then come rock out with your faux hawks out.

We finally talked about the Loch Ness Monster (Nessie), so feel free to post comments on your own theories about Nessie (like how she’s a slut and continues to propagate anachronistic sea-creatures.)

Corporate Jerod had quite a rant at the very end of the show (after the last song is played), do not miss it!

Oh, and P.S. David the Day does not have herpes!

His new CD Grass Dubs is dropping soon, so keep checking here for updates or add him to your MySpace at myspace.com/baddaskat or his Web site BaddaSkat.com. He’s also performing with Kana next Friday at the Meridian Hookah Lounge in Tampa and you can bet your dubs Something Planet is going to be there (you should too).

You’ll learn what dub is and the difference between a dub and dub plate. It’s a very educational podcast this week. Badda was also our resident Chem Trails Expert, oops I mean, Novice, for mysterousnesses, so educate thyself. Seen.

Oh yeah…it was also Endless Mike’s birthday. Happy birthday, dickhead (he shaved his head).

Endless Mike wasn’t with us (except for the interview), so Corporate Jerod took over as fourth mic. The Corporate Report dealt with Shmishshmortions (whatever those are.)

We also had some other things happen right before recording that involved two girls and no cup (but tongues and green tea instead). E-mail us, call our voice mail 813-964-7526 or comment us and we’ll tell you what happened.

Anyway, enough after football. Listen to the episode. We had a bunch of questions this week, and we enjoyed all of them, so keep sending them in, people!

Plus, some creepy African prehistoric sauropod graced our presence during mystereousnesses.

PEACE.

Endless Mike passed his Mentally Challenged Challenge rights off to John J for some Presidential trivia and you’ll never guess who won. As far as music, we have some fresh tracks from Badda Skat/DJ Pure Fire, The Stick Martin Show, Elevated, and NOTE.

And holy shit. We talked about the Mothman again…WITH THE LIGHTS OFF. It was scary.

Also, we’d like to thank our newest listeners as well as our long-time fans for listening to the show and participating–whether it’s questions for Citizens of Something Planet, leaving us iTunes reviews, calling our voicemail 813-964-PLANET (7526), or just shooting us an e-mail something@somethingplanet.com to tell us how much you love and/or hate us, we really appreciate it. Our 1-year anniversary is coming up and so is our new site which will be action-packed! So from us to you, thanks! Except that bartender…fuck her.

Corporate Jerod’s hair disappeared, but he still discussed the brave, young enforcer of the law who executed a perp, taking justice into his own hands!

We also had a lovely round of Mental Challenged Challenge Academy Awards Edition!

We played some great music this week, two bands of which we saw this last weekend at “A Reason to Rock” concert benefiting Parkinson’s research.

Our friends Variety Workshop have a CD release party coming up this Saturday @ Big Shots in Clearwater, Florida so check out their myspace for details: myspace.com/varietyworkshop

And also Tom Hanks called in to talk about the Money Pit for Mysterousnesses.

We revisited Shadow People and we all had trouble sleeping later on (no joke).

We also had some really good questions sent in this week, so take a listen.

And ladies, don’t listen to the guy under weirdo of the week…shave, okay? Corporate Jerod also fell asleep during the show, and we have pictures (coming soon).

We introduced a new segment that will, on occasion, replace Weirdo of the Week and the Mentally Challenged Challenge… Something Planet’s One Night Stand: a Dating Game. Our first contestant was Endless Mike, and the winner, Erika, won a date with Endless Mike and a gift card to TGIFriday’s.

Mysteriousnesses dealt with Crystal Skulls and possibly crystal meth too…

yeahitdiddealwithcrystalmethi’mgoingtogocleanthekitchennowkthxbye

We went to Next Big Thing and met Flogging Molly, and also saw Soulfound, Trace of Day, and Drew Street Mary at a rock show last Saturday. They all rocked the house down, and Endless Mike showed his appreciation by drunkenly fist-pumping wildly into the air for a good two hours.

Mysteriousnesses this week dealt with Atlantis (the mythical island-state, not the gay/lesbian cruise line)!

AUTOMATIC LOVELETTER FANS: We want to hear from you! Leave a comment! Give us some feedback!

They call it the Pistol Shrimp because it can snap its larger claw shut so fast that it causes an underwater shockwave to travel straight outward from the appendage. The resulting blast is powerful enough to kill small fish at a distance, and even stun much larger ones. In a nutshell, the Pistol Shrimp has evolved its hand into a god damn gun. It is one of only a few species capable of producing Sonoluminescence – which is a sound so loud that it actually produces light – because the bubble created by this claw-shot, upon collapsing, briefly creates temperatures hotter than the sun. So to sum up: There is a shrimp out there in the ocean – right now  – that wields a power akin to that of the sun itself, and fires death-rays from its claws. I’d stay away from the Red Lobsters for a while, because when the revolution comes, they will not be spared.     -Atom Web

We delved into the weird world of the Bermuda Triangle and also touched upon transdimensional gnomes…those bastards. So check it out!

P.S. Stuey and John fought during the breaks of the show, but then made up and touched each other’s bum-bums!

Not that I’m complaining, I’m just wondering where they went.

Black Guys on a Beautiful Day

Take care and if you celebrate any other crazy holidays besides x-mas like quanza, or festivas you should prepare too

Merry x-mas and a happy new year (hopefully)

JohnJ

JohnJ slept on a crappy air maitress.
StueyB loves pumpkin pancakes.
David the Day got owned.
Endless Mike does “Horoquotes” this week.

P.S. David the Day, Endless Mike, and Stuey B all saw Twilight two times… Kristen Stewart is so hot.

-Endless Mike

We also talked about some really creepy stuff during mysteriousnesses (lots of negative energy in this one), and had one of the most retarded mental challenged challenges ever.

Plus the Detroit Lions are on their way to a victorious-less season and I have all the confidence in the world they can pull it off!

John J conducted a therapy session with David the Day to see why he’s such a (loser) really nice guy; Stuey B discussed sports that matter to him and no one else during Planetary Sports; David the Day delved into the world of pissing on people during Weirdo of the Week; and Endless Mike reported live from Paris where zombie armageddon apparently has started.

We also discussed one of the worst military cover-ups in history during mysteriousnesses. JohnJ has vowed to do some ghost stories next week (creepy.) Don’t forget to chec

AUDITION NOTICE

The Film Factory

Casting for upcoming project to be submitted for the St. Petersburg Film Festival

Auditions will be held at the West Coast Players Theatre

21905 US 19 N
Clearwater
(In the Clearwater 19 Commerce Center)

Dates: Saturday November 15 – 10 AM (or by appointment)

ROLES AVAILABLE

Sonny: 30s scruffy, gigolo-manner, rough, self-involved, has a tumultuous, heated relationship with wife, Delores. He’s edgy, expresses resentment, blue-collar type.

Delores: 30s, stay at home wife of Sonny. Argumentative, very loud, pushy, demanding. She’s fed up with Sonny at this point. Transplanted Bronx attitude.

Gloria: late 20s early 30s, innocent, risk-taker, a little shy, adventurous, simple. Not the prom-queen but pretty. She has a beautiful spirit about her. An innate sweetness.

Elsie: 20s, tall, thin, has a quality that is eye-catching, but not in a super model way, Just something that is attractive. (no dialogue planned, mostly presence.)

Military Officer (Chinese, Cuban, Columbian, etc.): late 30s-40s air of leadership, very official (no dialogue planned, mostly presence.) Chinese should be clean cut.  All others can be clean cut but scruffy and bearded is desired.

Also looking for 6-8 Extras

For more information on location or scheduling conflicts, contact:

Alan Mohney Jr. / 727-224-2192 / wcplayers@gmail.com

We also tried something different with the show today. You may notice us introducing each segment, well, that’s because we’re going to offer each segment individually. This week we mentioned you can get the full podcast a couple more times than needed, but we’ll fix that next time.

Mr. Ed Best was on the show as well, telling us about his experiences growing up through the civil rights movement.

The video above if for you to laugh at but I want to stress the need for new foreign policy. Too many have died in the past 8 years because of bushes foreign policy and i think its time for a new one.

thanks guys

JohnJ-

We went to several Halloween parties over the week and got some mixed remarks (and propositions) from to our costumes.

And in good haunting fun, Stuey B disappears halfway through this episode! Creepy!

Listen up!

We’ve had 4 people disrespect us in some way in the last week or so, so we took some time to talk about them. Including the crazy chick Nadia from Craigslist (as if we didn’t see that one coming). We can’t give out her information due to that whole defamation of character thing, but we know you’d help us bash her if you could Add David the Day to your MySpace to view the post he talked about that sparked such a negative response–it’s in his “About Me” section.

As always we found some really awesome bands to include on the show, including Soulfound who’s show we went to over the weekend. They are one of the most energetic bands I’ve ever seen. Ivan loses about 5 pounds in water weight from how much he sweats during the set. We also had Rachel Goodrich; Brook Pridemore; and our friend and street team member, Chelsea Tobey

We saw Tres Bien’s last show in Florida and it rocked! John J yelled at a bunch of people too, it was funny. Well, not at the time, but when you look back at these things, it is.

Also, the Corporate Report is back with Corporate Jerod and he’s pissed off!

Jenny Flory was our musical guest and pleased our ears with some acoustic goodness.
Jessica Bishop righted some wrongs and told us about her amazing acting skills.
Angela Vallee gave us an interview about her delicious Meals n Heels business.

We discussed many important issues in today’s world such as racism, politics, and erectile dysfunction (not necessarily in that order), so be sure to listen to the whole show!

After the show we took Jenny out for her birthday and bought her some breakfast at iHop. She said it was her best birthday ever, awwww. Though as nice as that was, I’m sure it was the wine talking.

Update: Jayson did another for us!

Contact us for more info!