AWVP

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eInUUfyqa5o

Tbone? Dat you? I'm thinking a perfect birthday present for Tbone (Sept 20) is a sweater. Hell, get us both one, since we both have the same birthday, then we can show up as Twins. And I can be warm in cold weather.

Moving on to Chiefsop's Fables...

We had a pretty full turnout today: Pandas, and devils (both brown and white), and Grizzles, oh my!

Also Tazzies, Grape Apes, Monkeys:

We had a turtle riding a Walrus to victory, in short, the full menagerie!

The day started for me before the games did--a full text barrage where Lip took on paid mouthpiece attorney Kent:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9DCAFUerzs&t=225s

That's quite an achievement in Lipping. And the Lip won. Although I think Scully is way funnier.

See Lip lip! Lip, Lip, lip. See Lip win... on a team Joe chose! Credit to Joe, Scully, Scott, Taz, Marcelo for their wins. The were faced with some solid teams. Including an old Argosy Squad, that included Mikey Dub Wescott Kent Monkey and T2, if memory serves. They had the game, then lost it.

Lip gets credit for blocking Javi. That turned Big Brown into Big Frown (h/t Mikey).

What an amazing day! The ball just won't go down! Leading to some amazing rallies. The T models are the only players who have made plays while under water, and the younger T2 model did a couple of those today. Just wild enough to play effectively. Some amazing blocks. He and the Grizzle put together 2 cross court saves before getting a point.

Hitters abounded. Scott, Javi, Taz, Dub, Mikey, Joey, Wescott, Johnathan in no particular order.

That led to a lot of noggin doggin hilarity. I got hit in the face on my first play of the day after Brown Devil blasted a ball through my hands (spiking off Chief's head, I'm told, is every baller's dream. Can you guys get another dream?). I wish we had film of the ball one inch off Tbone's head!

Games were hella competitive. As they should be, at this stage in the season.

And the crowd was entertained. That's actually part of the game! I'm not sure what "you're my pony" means, but it sounds positive.

Everyone had some good plays. Nate, props on some sets (work on that second serve, too netty), Kent's serves were in, he had some good passes, and had a block in there. Monkey is playing strong. But at this stage of the season, that's to be expected. What's important is being able to string them together, especially as a team.

Because if you don't, won't win, and you sit. As I did. And since the games are tight, they will be long, so your sit will be long. Think on that...

I was able to rally late in the day, with the major support of a very good team: Javi, Dub, Jonathan, Jarrod, Joey, to get to victory.

In the last game of the day to 21, vs. LJ, Mikey, Taz, Kenny, Wescott, Monkey.

This one goes out to Ford: lining up your hitters is important. I want to thank the other team in the first game I won early in the day for starting Javi in the back row! Genius.

In game 1 of the last 2 games, Jonathan wanted left power position. Javi said no no no. And that's fair. He has more experience. But as a hitter, if you don't get to hit from the power position, you don't learn. Hence the connundrum.

So, back to the last game. Close, with darkness and rain closing in. Our team serving on point-19, Jonathan calls for the hit on the left, I put it up, he powers in down!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ooOcvv7694w

Enjoy your moment!

Now there's another adage--"if the set ain't pretty, big man looking shitty." And Edub was saying today, "Point guarding is so easy!" Grrr. Please teach that to the rest of the bigs. It's the only way we'll win in Dallas.

And I'll admit I struggled today. Woodcock was laughing at me because I was saying "Oh no" as soon as the ball came off the hands of the first pass and it wasn't coming to me. I'm supposed to be able to play on the move. Didn't always work for me today. When the offense comes through you, it comes through you, so play great dammit. 50-50 ball is good enough for the provinces, but not good enough for Rome. I have some things to think about on that...

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

The Game is in your hands, Pandas, each and every one of you!

I'm so pleased and proud to have the honor to be playing with such a polymorphous and perverse crew of characters. We're not only characters, we have character.

Most fun you can have with your short pants on.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMaJyUQfwv4

I love watervolleyball, and Panda Corps!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-yZNMWFqvM

_________________
Chief

Death from above! Fire down below!

No Dynasty talk I notice...I had another 2 today...Add them up if you can count that high...And in my 2nd Dynasty we rode Taz more than the Walrus...Also, for all the talk of bigs, MarSeto and I are something like 100 & 3 this season...Give us 2 bigs, and Vegas won’t even put a line on the game...More guaranteed than Bama...I do enjoy how 2 players that had 2 hits max all day get pub, but 6&2 gets mostly backhanded compliments...Its okay, cuz I’ll just keep on winning...

And yes Defense is mighty good at end of season as many games go long...Taz was Player of Day as he was unstoppable tooling people left & right no matter the set...Well, he did lose 2 games early...Reason, not on my 1st Dynasty team...Because for all the Me, Myself, and I Lip talk it cannot be denied I am Team first & Win Priotized PGOAT...

Also, I would be remiss if I didnt bring up the Great Wall of Big Brown & Joey...My team won that game, and I dont know how because Holy Wow Batman is it hard to score on that duo next to each other...Block Block Block City...Joey, is gaining learning momentum in back row play as well...Learning curve high...

Oh, and I blocked Javi clean once, along w/ blocking 1 of 3 of Jonathan's total hits on day that got pub...Forgot that too I see Chefy...

great games. ball was hard to get down!

i blew two points to help lose one game at the end of the day. that sucked.

that first dynasty with the Lip and Javi was fun.

I was too damn tired to play as much as i did.

_________________
My favorite color is baby blue.. I’m 6’2 and I like water cause it taste good. - Jim Back

You didnt blow that last game...I normally dont get tired, but I def trap set you at 19s, and there were 2 defensive plays I usually make in my sleep...We were overmatched on paper...Getting that last win would have been nice to go 7&1 on day...

I'd like to add that it was fun to watch Jarred get a few strong spikes - one from the front row, and another from the back row. He's starting to get that down. Marcello's sets to Jess were spot on - which sure makes the next hit much harder to handle. Also, LJ was sitting me quite a few on a silver platter during our dynasty run. Many of them were absolutely perfect. Although, I after the first win (about which I felt I had a quite a few winners), LJ said I struggled ... it's so hard to please such a perfectionist coach - I'm sure we've all had one!

typo I last post: "setting" - not "sitting"

I like that Coach title a lot...Thanks Walrus...And did I stop feeding you?!? Hell no! WALRUS has got to eat, and the Lip kept on feeding you to my 2nd Dynasty of day..#FeedWalrus!

Jarrod should win Most Improved for sure along w/ either Creepy or Nate for 2nd time IMO...Jonathon should get some consideration as well...Before his hiatus to indoor he had no offense at all...Now, he has some legit hits when set well..

Well well well. At long last, Pandas are speaking up.

To avoid TLDR, the AARs have long since stopped being a blow by blow chronicle of the games' events written from my perspective near the waterline.

Nay, they have been written more as semi contemporaneous notes, made at or near the time of the action, emphasizing the high notes, and the low, on occasion: the comedy, the tragedy, the thrill of victory, the agony of defeat.

While some comments are preLIPtable, I'm glad to see others chiming in.

Point of order vis a vis LJD1. I was told it happened. Didn't see it. Could've interviewed Pandas on the subject, but I was quite sure Lip would provide his version.

Sigh. Some people never learn...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KeVca9MwDX8

_________________
Chief

Death from above! Fire down below!