It was like I went back in time...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXN6tgE4g_4
Might have been attorney Kent's purple shirt and white sunglasses that made me think it was another earlier decade, or the fact that both Jim Back and Deto promised to show up (they didn't), or maybe it was the return of Wilbur and Fish. Hard to say.
What I can say was that ball was played this weekend. Some may say, as they did on Saturday, that there's too much interest. Better too much than too little, say I.
And I do recall a brief chat I had with LJ about the ying and the yang of what was once called Panda Corps--good will vs. good game. And there is a balance.
Amazingly, I'm on the good will side of things, if you can call it that:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cHInMusWJdY
Wasn't always true. But it was true enough to be inclusive, if you can make it through basic training.
Sometimes I think some of you forgot what it was like to be in basic training, and want to go back to the days of where we found the Riata--where one team played all day and killed all comers. Until, of course, we came along:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWsz7u4eN8I
Which brings me to the first game I played on Saturday. There was a super team formed. Me, Scott, and Ronin Steve went on Big Mike's team with his buddy and another tall guy whose name escapes me. LJ refused to play. No chance, doesn't make sense in terms of "money ball."
Fair nuf. I didn't value my chances either. And I know how the game is played--I'm just trying to speed it up. There is nothing more dishonorable then watching a scrub squad trying to recruit players when there are a dozen dry Pandas and no one wants to come in. I went in with the full expectation we would lose that game, and (hubris), that I would then get picked up on a better team. And then, the super team ruined everything by losing to us, on the good side.
Hey, dumbasses--win when you're supposed to win! Otherwise, how can I plan out the future to get a BBG rolling. The unexpected win locked me in to an unbalanced spiral for the next couple of hours.
Kahn, I'm laughing at the superior intellect.
Quite the conundrum. Because here's what I'm getting in terms of feedback at the exclusive resort community--a lot of new people are gaining interest, and want to play and learn. This makes a lot of old people cranky. Well, here's what I got for ya:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHi78S2BvoA
But the first rule is, if it's you're first day at Fight Club, you have to fight.
That means scrubs, people. But lemme ask you this? How does one ever un-scrub if you're not allowed to play?
Here's one thought--people who are less skilled put up shirts and then you damn well play with them if you are chosen. Another is make them captains. Yet another is the "standard" win 3 and bust the team doctrine, which is supposed to be followed when things are crowded with 2 new teams playing.
Dan had the camera on games Saturday, so it will speak with more reliability (sans editing), than I could. But I thought there were some amazing hits and awesome rallies. Sheriff (little big man) had a good day. Doing the safety dance, and having more fun than I've seen him have in many a year.
I'm told by the new people that I'm doing good work out there. A lot of you disagree. And, on occasion, I feel punished for it. Just because I am willing to play with D league players doesn't mean I belong there.
Have patience--we will get to BBGs. By my estimate, at least 25-33% of them will qualify. IMHO, worth the price to have a growing interest in the league.
Don't get me wrong, soldiers deserve soldiers:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GN2k6VgUyBo
But, I don't know, every once in a while, the tude exuded by a superior lineup, gets me riled some--you been out there long enough, you can feel it in the air:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GGNdnlCbfMs
It was a chirpy weekend. And, at the end of the day, from my perspective, it continued to be so. Even though I shouldn't, I'll say this out loud--the downside of being a "professional" ball player is that you know too much--you look at the odds, realize it's just another game, there will be others, it's been a long day, you're tired. So you figure you'll go out there, give a good showing, and go home with an L, but a respectable L.
Until... something happens. Don't know what it was--Jared, I'm looking at you, but I felt a disturbance in the force--a disrespect vibe, which got me a bit, disturbed:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xUlqDMcS_RE
I'll let you do the numbers--me, Scott, Dwayne, Alex, Joe, and a Jared who dat player whose name I haven't got yet (sorry dude), took on Jess, Ford, Fish, Dan, Jared, and Ronin Steve.
Lost the first one like 15-12 on the sunny side, but I wasn't that close.
And then, something snapped.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yEFHv6wqhJM.
Decided I didn't feel like going out like that. Maybe that energy was infused into the team.
Long story short--close fought W, which should've been an L. Put that energy thing into intangibles, and remember it's why we play the games in the first place, rather than just lining up and deciding who wins by the matchups:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A12-KN5UijA
Our children is learning, super teams