To absent Neighbors and comeback players; first the facile reference:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1mlCPMYtPkIt'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=QanC47gRBaEFinding 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