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 Post subject: A simple plan
PostPosted: Sat Aug 09, 2014 11:08 pm 
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Yeah, it was supposed to be. I wrote a whole detailed AAR, and then the website wanted me to sign in. Now it's gone. Is this what I just paid for, Dan?

I really, really hate covering the same ground twice.

So, now, a shorter:

LJ is correct that secret BBG needs to happen earlier than we tried today. That's why today was a test. Who knew that, when we Pandas, who, apparently are the only players that matter, are not present, that Riata plays ball without us? News to me! : )

So players were on hand that didn't fit the BBG model. Too bad, so sad. Our own BBG players won't even put up a freaking shirt, because they somehow think they deserve game.

Well, right out of the gate, Joe and a bunch of lady sand ballers almost invalidated that policy--he served it up 7-0, which, in and of itself, makes me think you deserve a shot at starting. We almost had to sit.

I know why we're hard hearted--a chink in the armor gets you killed. Big (rusty) Ben missing 5 serves in a row, Alex setting himself 5 times, that will do it. Only advice I have is that you don't want to be "that player," meaning the one that let your team down and/or got chumped on the matchups.

But that's why we play the games, so we can get a play of the day like this--Jared's friend Jim, who comes in shorter than me and probably about as old, with a 1 handed stuff of Mikey on the net! Vet BBWhat??

When the BBGs happened, it wasn't with all old school players--we were short a few, which means people had to step up and do their part.

But there was one game, where it was super quiet out there, because the teams knew it was on--the ball wouldn't go down, no matter how good your play was (hint--another sign a BBG is in progress), and I started listening to the ball coming off peoples' hands. Sounded like this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZnYtFJWyR8

Here's a thought--being mean elitist bastards is what road trips are for--on those, no mercy!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FEp76ppPc8o

Those are agreed to the death matches. But that's not what we're doing at the exclusive resort community.

We are not propiretors, we are invitees. Remember that, people. There are many of you who don't think you have to put a shirt up to play. Because you think you deserve to play. You're wrong.

Some of the most fun I had all day was helping a good lady baller out of San Marcos named Caroline set up a good team to get a win. More than one, actually.

Conversely, in the heat of battle, I may not always hold true to dry people play up there, and be inclusive. If you are not being picked to play, put up a shirt--then you are guaranteed a game.

There's 2 ways I can think of to go with LJs BBG extravaganza--first is to do it. I'm down. But, in terms of doing BBGs in the future, rather than thinking it's our right, how about asking?

At Argosy, we had to stop the concept of "run it back" and "best of 3" because others were waiting. Same but double at a place like Riata. But here's a concept Nice Beth was able to help out with--we'd set up a BBG, and others would want to get in. She'd tell them this is probably not the game you want to play, because these bad guys have been waiting all day to kick the crap out of each other. Sit one game, and then you're in.

If we ask people nicely to sit one game so we can kick the crap out of each other, and give them a good show, I bet they'll agree, even at the exclusive resort community.

We're doing good work up there, and, non road trip, it is better to be loved than hated:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-zpOMYRi0w

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PostPosted: Sun Aug 10, 2014 12:06 am 
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I would like to propose a new plan to avoid the scrubs and achieve major BBGs:

Late Ball!

It's like the plan for early ball, except we get there real late after all those damn scrubs have left, and then we ball it up with BBGs!!

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PostPosted: Sun Aug 10, 2014 12:27 am 
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We may need to bring some spotlights, however that is much more desirable than getting up early on a weekend.

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PostPosted: Sun Aug 10, 2014 12:31 am 
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Define scrub. Seriously. And, of course, since the term flies around generally, don't be afraid to say who's who.

Have you ever been beaten by scrubs, when you thought you were gonna win? Feel free to share those stories with the class.

I am not getting soft in my old age. People who are lippy, think this game is easy, bring in like minded amateur teammates, and lather, rinse, repeat... they resemble the scrub remark. And should be treated as such.

How many times do I have to say this! You're working at cross purposes with a longer term strategy. The thing that brought Riata down in the first place was elitism, having a bunch of old guys dominate the games. Does this sound fucking familiar in any way???

Here's a definition of scrub that I work with--I AM A SCRUB. I am old, and short, which means I will be at a disadvantage against many players. I don't always play the ball well, or the way my team wants me to. I do have a certain amount of experience, and can do some things well, but not every team needs that.

Can I be on your team?

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PostPosted: Sun Aug 10, 2014 12:39 am 
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Good points. We were all scrubs once.

I hereby renounce my Late Plan, and think we should just do things how we've been doing them.

:cowbell:

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PostPosted: Sun Aug 10, 2014 12:46 am 
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-nsLFSqu2c


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PostPosted: Sun Aug 10, 2014 1:13 am 
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Also, this. We were the folks that broke the glass ceiling at Riata. Ladies play. Let's not go backwards.

Not smart that they decide to play in bunches. Even I have to admit that tall men on your team have uses...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EfKVMLxFot0

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PostPosted: Sun Aug 10, 2014 1:22 am 
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LJ Riata resident is. His plan 8/17 we do. Today was a test. 8/17 will be more of a test. But right now, we need to get through 8/10. Because, as all know, you're only as good as your last game/play.

whttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1D-aJSDJqlAe

Who wants to step up? Free to all...

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PostPosted: Sun Aug 10, 2014 1:56 am 
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Also, when there's a big ass party blasting their tunes from across the way, why do you try to match them? Just creates cacophony. Also, mea culpa, I like techno.

Which means it's just a matter of time until I challenge little blondie blondie to a dance off--I know who will win, just sayin:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VErXDjMqUak

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Bxpt7waG4Y

Someone should put some competition out there for her. Or tell her that ball and dancing have kinda the same moves.

Until this happens:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVACVY4DBew

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PostPosted: Sun Aug 10, 2014 12:26 pm 
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i am sorry to say but yesterday was disappointing. yes there were some good games but dammit its just hard as shit to get the game quality i need to keep my attention.

the alex and ben routine to be counted on f-ups just kill the rhythm.

but far and away the biggest problem i have is the bitching. it just won't stop. there are way too many people out there who simply don't understand what it means to play a team sport. on every play that doesn't go perfect there is bitching. lets do this. hey why not pass it? hey why not try this side?

hey WHY DON'T YOU SHUT THE FUCK UP.

i was out there doing my best to stay positive. every time one of my team hit it out or in the net it - i was there saying "good shot" or "don't worry about it" or whatever. i didn't fucking act like a faggot every time we messed something up.

then i go something like 8 for 9 on hits. including like three from the back row to win a game. next game starts and i miss one long. and low and behold i have misty and joe fucking bitching at me. fuck them. and fuck this shit. i am sick of this BS attitude that everyone out there can't fucking shut up for a game and just enjoy it. its a game. sometimes people miss a shot. get over it. you fucking kill the team's rhythm when you have to interject your fucking nonathletic mindset into the game.

not playing today because of this shit. next time out there i am leaving any game where that shit becomes prevalent. it has to stop.

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PostPosted: Sun Aug 10, 2014 12:51 pm 
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to your other points chief - i have no clue why pandas don't put up a tshirt.

i got kent pissed at me for him playing a game, and then losing, and then claiming next cuz his shirt was there. i stepped in as the "asshole" to stop that shit. i got kent on the next team, but dammit this is a behavior that has to stop.

its a fucking circus of ethical challenges out there. almost all of them lack some general principles on this shit. so you see, it can flow both ways with the shirts. no shirts. too many shirts. what we lack are actual shirts. ones for people who have next and such and aren't playing the current game.

maybe for me next appearance i will casually float into the pool and demand to play - ala some special residents. and then get mad at everyone and fuck off for two hours, come back, demand again, and then sit there complaining to everyone how everyone hates me and i suck.

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PostPosted: Sun Aug 10, 2014 2:43 pm 
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and some more here chief. i now remember the game that misty drafted me. before the game she tells me "don't be a jerk". i was like huh? just don't be a jerk? i was like what do you mean misty?

"you know not all hard hitting and crazy, like you were with the girls".

of course the girls were all very good sand players and could really ball. after the first game i was super nice to them and asked them to keep playing. they were digging it. maybe misty wasn't, but they were. but then they forgot to get a shirt up, or didn't understand.

aside from my anger here (and misty's very odd social anxiety thing) i think we are mainly doing a great job. lots of folks interested and wanting to play. we need more pandas to obey the rule of the shirt. we need more positivity from everyone out there. that starts with us because they are mostly still intimidated. we need to make sure they are engaged and not angry as shit and bitching during the game.

the more i think about it the more i realize poor misty really created lots of weirdness out there yesterday.

and on a final note - the talent level was outstanding.

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PostPosted: Mon Aug 11, 2014 1:37 am 
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Dan, I'm too long winded for the website. This is killing me. Another post that just got wiped out.

Shorter, again. To address college's concerns:

Would you say the Riata is better, worse, or about the same as we found it, say 7-10 years ago, when we first busted the exclusive resort community's cherry?

Pulling shirts is not always the goal. Let's use the Kent example. If memory serves, he played on a not so good team to fill in. And then I was going to be thrown into the mix as well, meaning my shirt would go as well. No trading or bartering of shirts. Shirts are shirts, and if you play, you're gone!

This approach will end up slowing games down, and preventing certain strategery about getting good games going.

We already have a problem getting players to play with new people who shirt up but don't have a full team. Makes it a lot worse if you lose your spot for playing with them. It will slow the game down, big time if we stick to the letter of the law.

Criticism? I'm more or less used to it. As always, but now with the help of Riata residents, I attempt to do the greatest good for the greatest number.

What I fully expect to have on my headstone when you bury me under the Argosy pool (what's that smell?) is "Chief is a poopy head, and I like cheese."

Because I'm experienced, how many serves am I allowed to miss on the day? I'd say zero. How many of my sets are supposed to be perfect, no matter what? 100%.

That's a lotta pressure. My thought is that there's a lot worse things that could happen to you than having people depend on you and expect you to be perfect. Agreed, it's a lotta responsibility. But if you want to be an elite player, I expect it comes with the territory.

And, when players get frustrated that things aren't perfect, or get upset when they are told they don't play perfect, and then don't play, it makes it harder on the rest of us.

I'm at the end of my career, and would like to see something sustainable when I'm gone. Which is different than the lessons I taught early on.

But seriously, folks, "best of 3" and "run it back" started to die at Argosy right around the time we got more than 8 people wanting to play.

Minus one truly clown college crew of scrubs, I'm still at a loss as to how we can justify ruling a pool. Because I'm guessing that at least one of the BBGs LJ is calling down next weekend will go like 15-2. And anyone can lose like that! How do you explain to the people that have to sit why your 2 points were better than theirs?

Open question--what is a good % for a hitter? As a setter, I have to be 100%, under the mantra "if the set ain't pretty, big man looking shitty." Some hitters will transition when I blow it, if I'm lucky.

I'm sorry there's frustration out there. But I'm doing the best I can. And, at this stage of my career, I'd rather leave something behind that doesn't involve death and destruction.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_b7bgtu2O4E

Those who think that makes me weak are welcome to step up to the plate

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PostPosted: Mon Aug 11, 2014 9:16 am 
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who is saying you're weak? lets not talk past each other.

i agree with everything you say. i was venting, yes, i agree there. it wasn't my best thoughts. i was actually doing quite well in the battles. i just sat there quiet and did my best to enjoy myself. and did my best to make sure others there did too. i just lost it when i had to get bitched at for hitting a ball out of bounds. that puts me off on way too many levels.

i actually most of the other times saturday. and i can take the suck medicine myself for the time being. we have no other medicine to take. and yes, they are getting better.

lets just work on eliminating the bitching. its grating and doesn't help anyone.

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PostPosted: Mon Aug 11, 2014 9:32 am 
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A lot of good pts and a good rant...

1. Misty is Misty...The sand crew has been dealing w/ her umm "idiosyncrasies" for almost a decade...I would even venture to say there has been more tension because of her extreme sensitivity and trying to run things when there is a system that kind of mostly works...At the heart of things tho she is a nice person that would kill for anyone she has ever met, but one you have to work w/ or ignore at certain times...

2. Mikey Mikey Mikey...I agree w/ so much of your post, but do you know how boring it gets for Chief, a few others, and me to be expected to set basically Ford, Edub, Scotty, and you every game every pt...I dont even get mad at Chief for his two overs anymore because he knows thats his only opp to hit...I have gone literally whole games where I set you or the other 3 every ball, and some times where there should have been some reciprocity...Yeah, I will never be a hitter because of height, knee surgeries, lack of fast swing, nubs, and because I never get a chance to swing more than once per game per day if that, so yeah, we are going to bitch a little when the big hitters screw up because our role is expected near perfect sets all the time, and when there is a chance at passing back to us it rarely happens...And yes, I do prefer to play w/ the big hitters and do my role, but I also would like to take a wild swing every now and then...Who knows, maybe they will become better if set a few more times...My favorite wins in my vball career were 3 pg games where a team w/ of 3 them were on same time like Chief, Jarrett, Crawfish or me because we shared the ball at all costs, and got to be offensive...

3. For the most part games are fun these days...We bitch about the same things every season...

4. I do hope the BBG noon game really happens...We do need to have a talk w/ a few Pandas that might be inviting some not ready for that level tho...


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 Post subject: Re: A simple plan
PostPosted: Mon Aug 11, 2014 10:33 am 
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Chief wrote:
I wrote a whole detailed AAR, and then the website wanted me to sign in. Now it's gone.


Chief, if that happens again, click the back button until you get back to your post, then copy it, log in, and paste it.

How long would you say you were logged in for when it kicked you out?

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PostPosted: Mon Aug 11, 2014 2:25 pm 
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The Lip wrote:
A lot of good pts and a good rant..

2. Mikey Mikey Mikey...I agree w/ so much of your post, but do you know how boring it gets for Chief, a few others, and me to be expected to set basically Ford, Edub, Scotty, and you every game every pt...I dont even get mad at Chief for his two overs anymore because he knows thats his only opp to hit...I have gone literally whole games where I set you or the other 3 every ball, and some times where there should have been some reciprocity...Yeah, I will never be a hitter because of height, knee surgeries, lack of fast swing, nubs, and because I never get a chance to swing more than once per game per day if that, so yeah, we are going to bitch a little when the big hitters screw up because our role is expected near perfect sets all the time, and when there is a chance at passing back to us it rarely happens...And yes, I do prefer to play w/ the big hitters and do my role, but I also would like to take a wild swing every now and then...Who knows, maybe they will become better if set a few more times...My favorite wins in my vball career were 3 pg games where a team w/ of 3 them were on same time like Chief, Jarrett, Crawfish or me because we shared the ball at all costs, and got to be offensive....


hi sir. thanks for your input, and yes, i understand this issue and have been at many times trying to avoid being the one hitting. it is a problem. i actually tell myself numerous times to just set but then the ball keeps coming my way. so i hit it. my rant was more about the issue of the complaining when we mess up. whether is a bad set, hit, pass whatever. it just kills the mood.

re: setting. i try like hell to line up so i can set the folks who know one else sets. i believe you and chief can attest to this. i try.

hard line to walk. hard to sometimes stay positive out there. i lost my patience here on this board but i was cool in the pool baby. we just need to balance ying and yang.

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PostPosted: Tue Aug 12, 2014 8:41 pm 
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Dan,

Thanks for the advice. I'd say about an hour. A Chief's work is never done. It takes a while to recount the day's events, address people's concerns, and come up with the proper video accompaniments

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PostPosted: Tue Aug 12, 2014 10:20 pm 
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Shirts, shirts, shirts... Riata is always going to be chaotic. Shirts are not my technology. I know how to put one up. That's about it. But I've been running them bottom up, Misty top down, which can get confusing. Won't get into the strategy behind building a team that goes with the shirt on deck--Misty and I do have different ideas on that on occasion.

One thing I do seem to recall from the Marquis of Shirtsbury rules that tended to favor the regulars that has now gone by the wayside--if you put up a shirt, and didn't have enough players, you're outta here! Come back when you've got 6. Never liked that one, which was one of the ways I started playing on farm teams, so they could actually play. Also, rules about flipping your shirt back up to the top after you played used to be frowned on--if you're in the pool, no shirt for you. Seems to have changed.

Thus, from my perspective, shirt rules continue to evolve, and are not as ironclad as they once were. Which is a good thing. If they stifle involvement, or get in the way of good game, exceptions need to be made.

Addressing Ford's worries about 3 in a row and bust up being ironclad, I only think it needs to be if people are waiting, vs. say the end of the day. Seems to be working well through most of the day, in that it facilitates participation, and doesn't frustrate other good players who figure out they are going to end up short in terms of a squad to take them out--all day.

And there's nothing that says 3 and out doesn't mean the same team couldn't come back later, if they say, put up a shirt after had to exit the pool after 3 victories. Might mean you'd be sitting a while. And you would slow down the game, because a lotta people off the winning team get picked up to play again right away (and if you don't, you probably will in the next game, either by people willing to sub out for you or by, dare I say, putting up a shirt, or asking someone who has one if you can play with them), but you could do it and preserve your team, if so inclined. What we appear to have ended, in favor of more flexibility, is that you sit one out, let 2 new teams play, and then play the winner, although I will say that should stay the rule on 4th of July, and maybe Labor Day/Memorial Day weekends, where interest is way large. Up for discussion...

Maybe it's just me, but by the end of the day, I would like to have played with all the good players out there, and don't mind playing with the ones who aren't considered top tier either. It's an honor to be invited, remember that, and you should try to make the teams you are on better in return. We vets are not the only ones who want a W. And the less skilled/dominant players are picking you up because they expect you to help get them one.

And people are learning from us--Wings was telling people on his team how to draw up plays. That's the start; next comes execution.

I'm paranoid about being cut off, so part II will be court chemistry/drama and paying the game.

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PostPosted: Tue Aug 12, 2014 11:13 pm 
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Well, I'd be lying if I didn't say the Riata wasn't filled with interesting, polymorphous, and perverse personalities.

Why that would seem foreign to anyone in panda corps escapes me. Soul Glo, K-K-K-Ken, Batman, Marla, anyone?

It is not always going to be easy to deal with, on or off the court. After all these years, I kind of take it for granted that there are going to be plenty of ideas about what the ultimate goal of ball is and what is supposed to happen on a daily basis.

While I may not always agree with what Misty is trying to do out there, she did take the time to explain her rationale to me, at length, and breaking into water ball can be a little intimidating. Perhaps if it was explained to her that the elite best of 3 and then bust it up is an effort to accommodate all concerned, so good players can blast away and be "jerks" to each other, and get it out of their system, and then let others play/mix it up, that this is perhaps a decent solution. Meaning it won't be popular with anyone because it involves compromise!

Misty has called me out for throwing elite weight around in years past. Did we do that? Yes, we did! With more or less full backing from LJ, and tacit support from Tbone, both residents, I might add. This is the first year we're trying something a little different. She has not yet told me how we are supposed to deal with drunk clown show teams she refers to as "rogue males." By not voicing her opinion, I think kill them as fast as you can is agreed to, by the fact it has not been protested.

I full well understand that you can end up losing by winning--if your good team has to fight its way through a bunch of not so good teams, and end up with only one BBG in the mix, or none.

That's were a certain amount of "shirt strategery" and a lotta intangibles come in. Example. On Saturday, after I stayed out to preserve my shirt (letting Kent play in my place), I did so because I had 2 other players sitting out (Jarrod and LJ, if memory serves), and knew I'd have a good team to take on winners, by picking up 3 players from the losers. Conventional wisdom on the outside of the court was that the team headed by Mikey and Navy would lose, and I'd get them. Instead, amusingly, Jess, Ford, Wescott, Scott squad lost! Extra bonus, but it was gonna be good either way, get it?! And Scott had to sit--didn't pick him--too drunk. See, there are tough decisions all around, and people are going to be hurt fee fees.

And boy did the team I picked struggle. Speaking of struggling, did I mention the first team I played on that was supposed to win went down like 10 points before we got our first one? If we're venting, I hate that. Messes with my rhythm.

My plan is to say things in general, like, "Wow, do you all wanna sit down? There's a lotta shirts up. You'll be sitting for a while. We're sure playing like this team wants to sit." Because the way we are playing, that's a reality.

It's a big pool, with a lotta drinking, and people that are very "new" based on the history of this league. Yep, the Alex and Ben show, one missing 5 serves in a row, the other setting himself 5 times in a row, is likely to get you killed.

But here's where criticism might be helpful, if it is constructive. I tend to give up on positive if people keep making the same mistakes, and point out the facts on the water--you're playing like "that guy" who's going to lose the game for your team.

And if you want me to play again on your team, or be on mine when the chips are down (see BBG), why should that happen?

Now, that being said, I think both A & B "got it." Big Ben found his serve at just the right time before he left to get us a W. Alex found his game the next day and stuffed the crap out of Jess, for one, on the net. And they shook hands afterwards.

Players respect good play, and disrespect bad play. That ain't gonna change. What you say about it and how you convey the message can. How about this Zen moment, "You realize out here that you are only as good as your last game/play, and that when you're new, they will remember the bad ones more than the good ones."

In terms of wandering complaining residents, I will personally offer to sub out for them (because I play a lot). They usually decline, because deep down they understand what they're doing is not going with the flow of game out there. You can remind them that this is not how things work out there, but residents are residents, and can only be told to F off by other residents (LJ, where art thou?).

Better, I think, to explain it to them as rationally as possible, even if they are drunk (they usually are).

In terms of our own players, Jarrod, getting in a slaps fight with Alex at the net is frowned on. Mikey would've lost his shit. You know better.

But I can't say a little horseplay is nothing that hasn't happened at the saintly Argosy. We had our share of hooliganism.

Installment the third will talk about game play in its current form.

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PostPosted: Wed Aug 13, 2014 12:26 am 
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Installment the third--game play.

As an adjunct to LJs post, adding my own 2 cents. I don't do as many "Chief on 2" as I used to, mainly because the pool has gotten taller. I'm not exactly a stupid player and don't think I can hit into the big fellas. Sets off the net provides a slightly different story, but I concede I'm not going to get a lot of those.

Often I've transitioned into dinks over the net, often because that's all I can do with the ball, or all I "feel" I can do with the ball (more on that later), which means 1 set 2 too tight on the net. Also some learning from Dan, giving credit where credit is do--fake set can freeze a whole team. But that's rare compared to the no option and over. I'm getting pretty good at that tip shot, which means I've had too much practice!

And a lotta times then that happens, I get, "Why didn't you set?" Let's look at the game film and show me where I was supposed to go! I get 1 inch passes, shit that's way off and I'm diving for, etc. Maybe I'm missing the Jim Back ironic humor here.

In comparison, watching a ball fall between two hitters, or where they decide it was a little to close to the net to go up against another big fella makes point guards laugh, don't you think, LJ?

I've had a problem for years with the way plays are called up there in a big ass pool based on the ideal rather than the real. Stared with Fish: "2 to Chief!" Thank you, but not always--for example, if I'm front left/right, and a deep ball serve goes all the way to the back of the pool opposite, there are people who will actually try to field that by passing to me! Allow me to suggest a caveat, "or put the ball on 2 in the air as best you can to the next available passer."

I've asked the question before of what made Argosy good? Adaptation, and teamwork. Some of that is missing these days methinks.

We had a particular series where I was doing what I was supposed to, passing to the hitters, 3 times in a row on some rallies, and LJ is telling me, "just take it over, between front and server, it's open." When I finally did, correctly, the 8 point beating stopped.

Hitters hit. Setters set. But some rules can be bent, others can be broken. And, if the right plays aren't working, try something different. For goodness sake, late in the day on Sunday, Gabber, who rejoined the game after way too long of an absence, got a set, and popped one over--birdbath!

Personally, I don't have a good idea about why Ford can't get a set when he's matched up against me. But I do enjoy that running joke, which I hope continues for my entire career! I have one idea though--it means I have a server on my team who knows something about match ups and where to serve, to make sure mismatches can't be exploited.

But I digress, we're talking about hitters and point guards here. It's supposed to be a big difference in ego, like Maverick and Goose. All about the pilots, man.

And like fighter pilots, or NFL wide receivers, they want the ball on every play. That's understandable, because it goes with the mentality of the job.

Problem is, when Goose tells you you don't have the shot, or shouldn't keep hammering, they are often apt to do it anyway, rather than adapt their tactics.

They always want the ball, and have a sad when another hitter gets it. Where's MY hit? I had a matchup! Not that they always understand that me and LJ ask these questions on occasion--we fly in the back seat.

I've been developing a give and go with Jarrod, that he wasn't able to do until recently. In the last couple of weeks, he's nailing it. Point scored, and what do I get from Taz, "Oh, I see who he likes to play with." Or, "Why don't you pretend I'm Mikey and set me?" We scored a point, right? Does it really matter who did it? More importantly, more hitters from a PG perspective who can hit from more places = more options and better game.

We triple covered Javie in one game. That can't be fun!

LJ spends more time on prima donna butthurt than I do. But that doesn't mean it doesn't exist:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYymFWsBxk0

Percentages are part of the game, hitters. I'll leave it to sports statistics guys like the Sheriff to tell me whether a volleyball hitter needs to have a better percentage than a baseball hitter. I would think yes, since, if the point guard does his job right, you're not trying to hit a fastball, but a softball pitch.

Hope the hitters are still reading, because I depart from LJ on this part. I do get sets, and good ones, from Mikey, Dub, Jess. Don't recall getting one from LJ recently, although I do try to set him(!). They do not criticize my hits--I tend to do that myself(!), and they apologize if they don't set me within my strike zone.

I also don't mind criticism. Give and go is not an easy pass to make, and I have had to take instruction in how to do it. Not a problem.

The ultimate difference between a setter and a hitter is this--at the end of the day, I always ask, provided I haven't already been told, "how were my sets?" Hitters don't seem to ask that question. And get mad if it comes up.

So I don't bring it up. But there is this--and it's only something I can do instinctually, vs. with ups and vision--if you can see the court, aim, and hit off the block by intention, can't you also realize when a set is not where you want it to be and therefore transition the hit, or take a bit off of it rather than blast if the last couple good passes you blasted were off?

I cannot answer that question, because I'm not a hitter : ) Never mind, don't ask the question--just blast effectively.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vwBbrngafl0

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Installment the last--what is a BBG? BBGs involve good players. Does that mean that they will always be good games???

I've touched on this before--there are ways to tell, but it always won't be about the score. And losing bad in a BBG can tend to rile you

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEmmOs4Q5C8

In a good game, the ball doesn't go down, points are hard to come by, and rallies seem to last forever, until someone makes a mistake:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZnYtFJWyR8

But not all BBGs are good. Or balanced. They just happen to involve good players, Who sometimes lose, badly. See upcoming NFL, the.

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PostPosted: Fri Aug 15, 2014 10:42 am 
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Shirts are dumb.

First 12 in get to play. Right then, not "after a smoke", not "let me get a beer", not "I'm in, let me go pee and then chat this person up".

If more than 12 want to play, dry get priority. After all the dry people are in, wet people that won the last game get priority.

It's super easy, makes game happen faster, and rewards those who are engaged.

And could never happen at Riatta, because entitlement and hormones. Prove me wrong.


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Shirts are dumb.

First 12 in get to play. Right then, not "after a smoke", not "let me get a beer", not "I'm in, let me go pee and then chat this person up".

If more than 12 want to play, dry get priority. After all the dry people are in, wet people that won the last game get priority.

It's super easy, makes game happen faster, and rewards those who are engaged.

And could never happen at Riatta, because entitlement and hormones. Prove me wrong.


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PostPosted: Fri Aug 15, 2014 1:22 pm 
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p wrote:
Shirts are dumb.


Pants doesn't like shirts. Should we tie up our pants?

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lol dan. but pat is right on both accounts. shirts are silly but its what we have. but at riata we have a bigger issue - ethics. when they lack the system won't work regardless. at the argossy our respect for the ggame and friends allowed us to manage.

ethics.

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Already wrong, Pants, given our secret BBG plan.

But also right--slowly but surely, we are bringing the Argosy Way to the exclusive resort community.

What is this win and stay in doesn't work anymore concept you speak of? What do you mean people with lady parts should get to play? Who are these dry people you speak about who are not on my winning team and are therefore invisible and undeserving? What do you mean that a ball that hits water, skips, and then hits wall is not out? Who are you that says that we can't argue about that until my flawed vision is a reality?

Well, I think we've fixed all that. Or at least addressed it.

You know I bought them a white board to try to eliminate the shirt confusion? You know what Tbone told me? It made things worse! People would erase, and cheat by writing above others:

Well, it appears we have a long way to go....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1wmQeXuDGGU

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Guy named Pants says shirts are dumb. Conflict of interest me thinks.

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Ah, I remember the good old "win and stay in" "us" and "them" conflicts at Riata:

We of the dirty Philadelphia gym have been sharing our culture with Riata for a few years now:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FXaTcZWBfC0

I at least try to only kill as long as killing is necessary. Fight as hard as you can, until BBG best of 3 decides things had a goal that some of the players in same may not have agreed on--mix it up, so that fellow warriors can learn how to play together.

Many things have changed, for the good, I think. When I first got to Riata, women didn't play. Clearly you don't know our women!

Changing a culture, for the good? Don't tell me it can't be done!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xu3kyRv3PEI

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