If my calculations are correct, when this baby hits eighty-eight miles per hour. . . you’re gonna see some serious shit.

– Dr. Emmett Brown, Back to the Future

I have come across many worthy causes in my time, but few have been quite as worthy as this.

Al Cabino, passionate “sneakerographer” and “sneaker activist,” has launched a quixotic campaign to pressure Nike into reproducing the moon-boot sneakers worn by Michael J. Fox in Back to the Future II.

Cabino contacted me a few months ago, while my blog was on hiatus. Launching into the third-person faster than Rickey Henderson, he wrote:

Internationally famous sneakerographer Al Cabino is fighting for your right to wear sneakers inspired by the film “Back to the Future Part II.” Cabino launched a petition requesting that Nike release a shoe modeled after the gray moonboots worn by Michael J. Fox in the 1989 movie. Nike originally created the sneakers for the film, but they were never made available to the public, something Cabino is hoping to change. So far, he’s collected more than 18,000 signatures from more than 50 countries. You can sign it here, so go, now. What are you waiting for! Your dream could be a reality!

According to Cabino’s blog, his petition has been featured in The USA Today, Jane Magazine, The Sun, and a host of blogs. So far, at least, Nike remains unpersuaded.

If you doubt Cabino’s sincerity, check out this interview, in which he discusses Pope John Paul II’s favorite brand and reveals his top ten sneakers of the moment. Asked whether he’d like to give any shout-outs, he responds:

Thank you to all the sneaker fans, Phil Knight, Chuck Taylor, the Swoosh, the Dassler brothers, Tinker Hatfield, the Van Doren Rubber Company, The Pump, the legendary Montreal Canadiens hockey club, Schwartz’s Deli, MTV Canada, MTV USA, MuchMusic, Ferrari, Spike Lee, Hiroshi Fujiwara, Spike Jonze, Sam Roberts, AC/DC, Pelé, George Clooney, Larry King, Ed Bradley, Colette, and my whole family.

So, yeah, the dude is sincere. And perhaps a little nuts.

Listen — we’ve all signed petitions and watched them disappear down the memory hole, but this one can really make a difference. Especially for Al Cabino. Do it for him, and do it for me — if only so that I stop finding pictures of Marty McFly in my inbox.

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