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 Post subject: Forf of July 2017
PostPosted: Tue Jul 04, 2017 10:56 pm 
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Posts: 3995
Location: AWVP World Headquarters
To absent Neighbors and comeback players; first the facile reference:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1mlCPMYtPk

It's the 4th, at Riata, so ball is gonna look a lot like this, natch.

Good turnout today. I missed the first game, but was drafted for the second (thanks LJ). Two point guards down the middle is my happy place. The mark of a professional, I suppose, is not to let the scoreboard from the last time you played get you down. In my case, ZERO wins on Sunday. Also, know your weaknesses, and try to overcome. In my case, being nervous in the service in initial BBGs.

But today was another day. Double Dynasty. Should've been triple dynasty, but we were up 12-4 and did a stupid thing--started taunting the other team, experimenting, and lost all energy. Stupid. See Darth Nowell from Dallas: "put the pedal to the metal, and don't let up." We let up, and let a triple dynasty opportunity go. This upset me, because the glory of Triple D was within our grasp.

I'd credit the turnaround in my record to the players I was lucky enough to have on my teams--if memory serves, Mikey, Javi, Jess, Scott, LJ,, Kenny Rogers, Jarrod, TJ the larger and last but by far not least TJ the smaller.

LJ and TJ are good at picking players they want to play with, and making it work. Additionally, LJ knows lineups.

Speaking of lineups, it's very nice to see TJ the larger and Wilbur return to the lineup. I hereby propose an award be added to the ceremony: Comeback Player of the Year. Right now the two of them are battling for that new tin can.

While not as bad as years past, a lotta new players out there ready to try their luck. That requires administration. Under orders from Tbone, running the show was my responsibility. I will tell you, chiefing is hard. But it's my duty...

From the organizational side of games today, let me say this. Games will not start until we have 6 players on each side if there are 6 players available to play on each side. If one side only has 5, then the other side can just take one out if no one wants to play. You got that?!

It's annoying trying to recruit for the new guys. It slows the game down when no one wants to play. Because Rule #??? is that it's better to play than not to play. Adjunct rule is sitting sucks.

Case in point. Even though I had just played, and because nobody else wanted to, LJ finally joined me and Malachai on the sun side with the new guys, including one dude who was wearing a superman cape! Yeah, cape is a first. And maybe that's what held is game down--too heavy? But more likely it was inexperience. Anyway, the team no one would play on almost won. We had the lead at one point! And lost 15-12. Shame on you vets, shame on you. Should've never been that close.

Other administrative points along these lines. Shirts are shirts. Needed when there are more players than spots. However, that tends to bunch up the newbs, and congregating all the new players together is usually a recipe for failure. See Scott's 15-0 service slaughter.

Fish helpfully suggested that they try to get in 1-2 at a time on teams. Great idea! Except I've never seen that happen on a Fish team. Fish? Fish?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QanC47gRBaE

Finding the Fish when new players want to play is damn near impossible. Which means I get them. So I think I understand how this equation works.

Which gets me to the meaning of ball. Will and TJ the larger have rediscovered it. Kent and Fish as well. And it is great to have absent friends and experienced players back in the mix. Because of this, I am proposing a new award--Comeback Player of the Year.

What is the meaning of ball? Shall I tell you? It's the least I can do. Ball is not slaughter. Slaughter will happen, but, as you know from 4ths past, it's not very fulfilling (see Ford: kill em faster, Chief).

In the line to pee, I heard one guy say, "I lived here 7 years ago. They were good then, and they're good now. And it goes on, generation after generation." Now we're getting somewhere!

How does that happen? It doesn't happen by shutting people out.

Origins of Argosy, an old story told before. I grew up on the beach but was never even allowed to try to play by the evil sanders who dominated the courts.

Came to Austin, found a pool with water volleyball, but was told I sucked because I was an over on 1 guy. It was all I could do! But they said don't bother coming out. You're not good enough. Wait a minute. I live here!

If that hadn't changed, a LOT of things would be different right now.

Then, like magic, they were all but gone the next year, and the pool was mine. What followed was like an 8 year skill and team building exercise before Argosy was ready to take on anyone. In that time and thereafter, we developed what I would call the Argosy way.

What is the Argosy way? Everyone plays every position. You play as a team. Women play. Dry people play. Dominant teams are broken up to mix it up.

No one else did that. And now it's part of the process, more or less. It's a start.

And here's the point. It worked. So I always look askance at not at least letting people have the opportunity to play, and/or on less busy days, to adopt the Fish fashion (as yet unexplored by him) of letting a couple of new guys bet split up and play on good teams.

The practice of ball. Always more to learn.

Happy 4th, with some culture:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DqAdlkJDt7k

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Chief

Death from above! Fire down below!


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 Post subject: Re: Forf of July 2017
PostPosted: Wed Jul 05, 2017 12:48 pm 
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Joined: Mon Oct 03, 2005 9:05 am
Posts: 950
Location: Austin, Texas, Planet Earth
that was me that jumped in with you and the super hero tard team. glad my presence was noted to being equivalent of LJs...

too much talking. pretty much always teh case.

i am surrendering the late games myself. i vote for early arrival all the time and at least those of us that can play, quietly and respectfully, can try to get some good games inn before the boobery takes over

first 3 or 4 games were excellent and why i like to fight...

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


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 Post subject: Re: Forf of July 2017
PostPosted: Fri Jul 07, 2017 12:49 am 
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Joined: Wed Oct 05, 2005 1:15 am
Posts: 3995
Location: AWVP World Headquarters
All players who play on tard teams are honored equally. From one perspective, equally tarded.

I look at it another way. A more positive way. Playing is its own reward. New players, whether they know it or not, need backup. Those experienced players who volunteer for play where the team is dicey, or worse, a suicide mission, are wise, not tarded.

They're making sure play moves forward in an expedient manner. See the shameful performances of getting peeps in the pool this extended weekend. They are engaged in Navy's Friend Acquisition Program (FAP), which all agreed at an awards ceremony past should be enacted, and yet not all Pandas embark. Recruiting is important, as our ranks our thin. If you only play with (some) of the players you know, how does the league grow?

They're standing against the odds, which is what Arogosy did when we started traveling to find other intelligent life in the universe and share our culture.

Everyone can be a god for 5 minutes. That should be our credo. Remember, I almost took a game with 5 younglings who had never played before.

The greater the odds, the greater share of honor. And the greater the shame for the losers who should've won. I've laughed more times than I can count when saying "sit down!" while knowing I sure don't like being there myself losing the game that should be a win.

While the ways of Ballchair are unfathomable and mysterious, I'm pretty sure he's not a fan of elitism. Otherwise, how to explain his sense of humor when good teams lose teams they should beat?

And how you treat people sometimes goes around:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6PXoggIPSeg

Here's a thought: why not share your stories about when you came out to ball as a rookie and got the scrub treatment, aka what you did with your first AWVP summer vacation. I've shared mine. Why not share yours?

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Chief

Death from above! Fire down below!


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 Post subject: Re: Forf of July 2017
PostPosted: Mon Jul 17, 2017 9:45 am 
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Good stuff...


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