AWVP

Super Saturday AAR. So glad that everyone has gone back to 2 means 3 so quickly. Which is why we say 2 because if we said 3 it would be 4.

But can 2 mean 2 tomorrow for real? That would be nice.

Get well soon wishes for absent panda Riata Chief Dan and administrative note. There’s a reason I always ask Dan how many rolls did you bring and the answer is always 3 rolls.

Danny’s out for one day, one freaking day, and there were zero rolls for the bathroom and the roll holder is exploded and lying on the floor in pieces.

I will bring one roll tomorrow. Those scheduled for early arrival can wipe your asses with your hubris.

But we can’t get to tomorrow until we talk about today. And there are some stories to tell.

Surprise Grizzle sighting. He covered some ground today and had some good saves with a couple of hits thrown into the mix. Will there be future sightings, maybe with some Houston pirates in tow? Only the future and Grizzle can say.

My buddy Snyder is showing up on the regular again. He’s an OG from the earliest days of Argosy ball. Can only play 3 games max though, to avoid pulling something. I will point out he’s about 2 months younger than me : )

2 dynasties busted today. Mine was the first. Watched that photo fade right before my eyes : (

And then… this team got the photo?

Yep. Congratulations. That’s why we play the games.

Dynasty team played as a team. With frequent huddles. Navy coached them up. Yes, that is Nate in the winners circle. I credit the power of 4 loko for his performance. Good serves and fielding.

But I promised to credit a standout performance today by… Miami. See Miami hit Miami hit. See Miami block. See Miami serve.

Makes me rethink you have to play on the regular to be good.

What I don’t have to rethink is the team play thing. The team that comes together first and makes the least mistakes is probably gonna win, even if overmatched.

I will add that besides glass at the pool and hanging on the net, weird plays and mistakes in the course of play make Kenny very mad.

https://youtu.be/A_MnyV-HH3U?si=yyKiA3AKAZiiFlsC

Back to the positive. Kyle, gaining acceptance. Needs to focus on where he is lining up on any given play though.

Victoria—girl power. Got some nice serves.

Funny story. Bunch of new guys looked at us playing and were like this is easy. We want in. They had 5 players. Any guess on who played with them to make 6? Watervolleyball is not easy. We tend to make it look easy. 15-1 was the score.

Serving was interesting today. While big blast fastballs are strong, it’s good to have some other stuff in your repertoire. A good server can pick people apart. As can a new one you’re unfamiliar with—where is that gonna go?

Had some big deficits and some big comebacks today. If memory serves, last game to 21 went to 23, where me and Kenny managed to claw our way back to .500 record on the day.

For me at least, there is something zen-like driving home as the sun is going down, knowing that I balled today, and will do so tomorrow.

Let it be so, for all pandas. One league.