Right here is where I have been putting how great my team is and how I am proud of them but unfortunately today is a different story.
We haven’t had a team practice for the last 2 weeks and it showed today. I wasn’t planning on not having a practice, especially with us playing the undefeated Waves today but I am still just way too sick. It’s been a week since I caught this cold and I only feel worse. I am sure my depression isn’t helping me beat it either.
Today’s game really made me wish that I had an assistant coach. I am sure that he could have drawn up some plays better than my groggy self today. My throat is so sore that my voice is gone. You can really only understand me when I whisper. As you know when you are coaching in a game, you cannot whisper. It does not motivate your team and in a high school gym, no-one will hear the whisper; not that all of the kids would listen anyway. In fact, my voice was so shot that I had a bad sub mix up and one of my better players played 5 minutes less than I wanted. In those 5 minutes, this player could have easily put up 8 points.
It felt like 99.9% of today’s loss was because of my decisions to cancel practice or not getting through to the kids. 3 of my kids fouled out. This could easily be prevented because when we do practice, I drill in the importance of not acting guilty after the whistle is blown.
The other .1% was my team walking in to the game intimidated by the Waves record. We played with our heads down and it showed. We never had the lead and as I said 3 of my players fouled out. I am thankful that we had all of our players (my player who missed the last game after being sick is 100% and was able to play).
We will practice before Saturday no matter what. We may play the Aztecs but I don’t want to be the first team to lose to them. We lost by 22.
Bruins 60 Jayhawks 57 OT
Trojans 85 Matadors 61
Longhorns 67 Aztecs 66
Hurricanes 67 Huskies 55
1. Waves 8-0
2. Hurricanes 6-2
3. Bruins 5-3
4. Jayhawks 4-4
4. Huskies 4-4
4. Spartans 4-4
7. Matadors 3-5
7. Trojans 3-5
9. Longhorns 1-6
10. Aztecs 0-8 next game
Fox Sports’ J Morosi enlightens us that MLB teams still serve alcohol after games. This was something that I assumed was banned but is not.
http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/morosi-baseball-should-ban-booze-012810
http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/index.php/the-new-inefficiency
Great article about how veterans are the new moneyball guys. It used to be on base guys, then recently was defensive guys, and now a theory about how it would be wise to stock up on veterans because they are cheap. I completely agree.
Speaking of veterans, Jim Thome is a great player on paper but if I was a GM, I would never in a million years sign him. He can’t play defense, in fact he doesn’t. He agreed to waive his no trade clause last year to go to LA on the condition that they understand he can’t play first base.
I would much rather take a lesser hitter if he could play a few positions
royal rumble prediction
January 31, 2010
There are 3 rumors going around: HHH will face Sheamus at Wrestlemania
Undertaker will face HBK at WM
Randy Orton will face Ted Dibiase at WM.
Royal Rumble participants
John Cena, Batista, Triple H, Chris Jericho, Shawn Michaels, Matt Hardy, CM Punk, Shelton Benjamin, Ted DiBiase, The Great Khali. Cody Rhodes, Yoshi Tatsu, MVP, Chris Masters, The Miz, William Regal, Kofi Kingston, Kane, R-Truth, Mark Henry, Zack Ryder, Jack Swagger, Big Show, Evan Bourne, Carlito
Other 5 is any-one’s guess. Here is mine:
Luke Gallows
Edge
Hart Dynasty or Cryme Tyme
Beth Phoenix
I am going to cut down the 30 to the people that I can imagine headlining a Wrestlemania:
Batista, HHH, HBK, Matt Hardy, CM Punk, Shelton Benjamin, Ted Dibiase, Cody Rhodes, Miz, Kofi Kingston, R Truth, Zack Ryder, Evan Bourne, and Edge.
Take away the jobbers and people who realistically do not have a chance and you have:
Batista, HHH, HBK, CM Punk, Ted Dibiase, Cody Rhodes, Miz, Kofi Kingston, R Truth, and Edge.
And now for the reasons on why the following people wont win:
Batista: Makes a bad heel, (acting wise)
HBK: I would puke if I saw him in another wrestlemania main event
Ted Dibiase & Cody Rhodes: deserve a push but wwe will never give it to them
R Truth: I can’t stand his rap. I couldn’t stand it when he and Road Dogg were partners and I can’t stand it now. It will sell tickets especially if he releases an album around wrestlemania time but like I said, I hate it and if I was on the booking team I would not put him in the main event.
Miz: maybe next year
Edge: He deserves to win a Royal Rumble but he is not confirmed
Leaving:
CM Punk: Would be a nice safe winner who could have a great feud with anyone
Kofi Kingston: What a great way to start a push
However:
HHH: Will win because WWE is dick-less and afraid to push talent.
Another game, another win. There is not much to say about this win. We played a team who’s only win was a close game to the Trojans who only had one win entering today themselves. I gave one of my players my cold so he wasn’t at the game. We didn’t need him.
Not that it matters but I am still sick. I actually feel worse. I sat on the bench most of the game, didn’t even yell words of encouragement. I don’t remember calling any time outs; I didn’t need too. I was zoning out and drinking water with my bench players. It was the first game that I remember sitting down ever. I that just goes to show you how sick I am. FYI: coaching is not this easy.
I hope the Longhorns coach wasn’t offended. It was obvious he was coaching his guts out today and still failed. His team just didn’t have the talent to compete with mine. I should call him and tell him that it was a great game and make sure that he knows that I respect him and his team. He is one of the few nice guys that coach in this league.
We won by about 25. I would post the score but I honestly don’t remember it. Maybe my brother does.
Hurricanes 50 Bruins 39
Trojans 30 Jayhawks 26
Waves 80 Matadors 60
Huskies 77 Aztecs 20
1. Waves 7-0 next game, hope I am feeling better because I would love to be the first to beat the giant at the top
2. Hurricanes 5-2
3. Jayhawks 4-3
3. Bruins 4-3
3. Huskies 4-3
3. Spartans 4-3
7. Matadors 3-4
8. Trojans 2-5
9. Longhorns 1-6
10. Aztecs 0-7
Is Kurt Warner a hall of famer? That is the question.
Kurt Warner was in his thirties by the time he established himself as a legit NFL player. He led his team to two super bowls, winning one in what was basically his first 3 seasons of the NFL. What I have a problem with is he flamed out for a while after those Super Bowls. It took him 3-5 years to come back to glory.
I am thinking if Kurt Warner led a team like the Steelers to the Super Bowl last year and lost would we be giving him as much as credit? Since he led the Cardinals and the lowly Rams to Super Bowls, are we giving him credit when he we should be giving it to his amazing receivers.
I have always thought that Kurt Warner was a product of a good general manager. He had Marshall Faulk, Issac Bruce, and Tory Holt (3 more deserving players for the Hall of Fame than Warner) in St. Louis and had Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald (2 all world recievers) in Arizona.
I think that if Kurt Warner belongs in the NFL hall of fame then Curt Warner (The great Seahawks running back who made them relevant for the first time ever) should be in the Hall of Fame.
Are we just so desperate for a feel good story that we want to put him in the Hall of Fame or do we put him in the Hall of Fame for his Arena Football accomplishments as well? I say that we put him in the hall of fame because it is the pro football hall of fame and like it or not Arena Football is pro football, just like canadian. Even then, I am not sure if he is a first ballot Hall of Famer, he did not play long enough.
I was watching TNA and all I saw were the fans all had beer unless they were kids. I have a point of view on this from 3 perspectives: a wrestling fan who has attended several events where they serve beer with a child, a rock star (well not star but a performer), and a teacher/coach.
I have a few golden rules in my life. One of them is to never drink alcohol in front of a child. If you see me at team parties, wrestling events, or even restaurant nights: I will never have an alcoholic drink in my hand. Once I went to a restaurant fundraiser for a school that I worked at with Mrs. Rose and we wanted to drink some margaritas so we begged the waiters to put us in the back and away from the kids. I don’t even think that places like Chuck E Cheese or wrestling events that have kids should serve beer.
As most of you know, I attend just about every PWG event. Well, my brother is the loud mouth kid who is always yelling at the wrestlers. I hate it when drunk people react to him; it scares me. I have seen people get in his face and yell, people flip him off (which is a other story but basically I have no problem if you curse in the show but to direct it at a kid is my problem), some people even throw there beer at him. How do I explain to my mom that my brother smells like beer because a drunk guy threw beer at him? More importantly, how do I explain to my brother why these people are acting childish around him? Drunk people are children in adult bodies. I have no problem standing up for my brother but I do not want to get in a fight with a drunk guy and 5 of his friends who are also hammered so most of the time, I have to keep my mouth shut or tell my brother to be mature and stop acting his age. I have yet to see it in a wrestling event but one of these days, a drunk guy will hop the ropes and attack someone.
I have also had problems at concerts with drunk people; and not just in the pit. I have seen drunk people come up on the stage and harass members of the band mid song more than once. I hate having to watch my back in the pit for the fear of accidentally hitting a drunk too hard.
Look, I understand that beer brings revenue. Beer is extremely cheap revenue. I understand that money runs the world and helps promoters pay for the talent (wrestlers/bands). But look, we have bars and clubs for people to get drunk in. They go to these places for the specific reason of getting drunk with their friends and leaving with a new friend. When I go to a concert or a wrestling, I go for the concert. Take away the alcohol, it creates a hostile environment. People are at said events for the purpose of seeing the show.
Coaching Cameron Rose
January 28, 2010
A broken heart and a depression from losing my job couldn’t keep my away from my duties as a coach but a sinus infection and a fever could. Even then, being sick could only keep me away from practice. I am not the type of person to miss a game at all.
Well, I didn’t miss the game despite not being able to talk or swallow anything without pain. That didn’t stop me at all. I was as loud as ever. I just conserved my voice by not yelling at the ref and whispering in the huddles. I really had no reason to complain to the refs. My team had the game won by the the first half despite playing a team that has played better than us. I am also proud because the dunk could have easily ruined the season for us. I think that the only kid that remembered that it happened was my brother and that is only because he is so sensitive. I have since arranged a bribe that he gets 7-11 slurpee after every game or practice that he doesn’t talk about it.
The Huskies are a very good team, we just played up to our potential. My star player put up 30 points and the rest of the team had 50+ points split between 5 players. I gotta give my brother credit, he has been working hard on his 3 pointers and hit an open look 3 pointer for his first ever 3 pointer in front of the team. He is a short little runt and the high school 3 point line that we play on is pretty far away for a 4 foot tall skinny kid.
I was very respectful during this blowout. At one point, I called a time out to kill my own team’s fast break. I also had my turnover prone kids throw the in bound passes towards the end of the game; partly so they can work on it and partly so the other team had a better chance to intercept the pass and lessen the blow of the blowout. Final score: Spartans 86 Huskies 48.
Hurricanes 50 Trojans 44
Waves 69 Longhorns 30
Matadors 44 Jayhawks 29
Bruins 38 Aztecs 32
1. Waves 6-0
2. Jayhawks 4-2
2. Bruins 4-2
2. Hurricanes 4-2
5. Huskies 3-3
5. Matadors 3-3
5. Spartans 3-3
8. Longhorns 1-5 next game
8. Trojans 1-5
10. Aztecs 0-6
Coaching Cameron Rose
January 24, 2010
I know that it’s Sunday and that I should be watching the football playoffs instead of typing this but if I would have posted this yesterday, every other word would have been a curse word.
This was one of the rare weeks, where we did not have a weekday game. I kind have wish we did so the game could have kept my head away from all of my bullshit. I lost my part time job as an aide (due to budget cuts) and my girlfriend broke up with me (we were only together for 3 months but it still hurts). Obviously, this has not been a good week.
If I had to pick one game on the calendar this it is the most important personally to me, it is the next game against the Bruins. We are playing my neighbor who’s mom got him off my team. This game is personal.
I took so many notes on this team that I was overwhelmed
On top of being a person with questionable character traits, I also question his basketball strategy. This coach lives and dies by the three pointer. I do not believe that, especially at this age. The kids should not get in the habit of taking ten long range shots a game, I think that they need to learn to take the high percentage shots and then work on the long range in practice. Even then, I think that long range shot is only good in small doses. If you rely on the three point shot, you can easily take yourself out of a game.
Well guess what, long range shooting from the other team took my team out of the game. They Bruins threes kept sinking in.
Something that I have never seen happen in a youth basketball game happened today, I saw a kid dunk in a game. It was great, the crowd went wild; so did I but for another reason. I was pissed.
Now, I understand that dunking is a common thing in basketball. However if you dunk in youth sports, in a recreation league game against my team then I am going to go ape-shit on you. I felt this kid showed no signs of respect to my team. It was clearly premeditated. I remember seeing him at tryouts trying to dunk. This is what established him as a first round pick. My team was down by 16 points with 6 minutes to go. The Bruins did not need any momentum, the had the game was basically won.
After this happened, I immediately called a timeout, to kill the momentum of the other team, to get my team to not play with their head down, to complain about the play, and to give the refs time to call a technical foul on the kid. Instead I got a foul and was made to look like the bad guy. I should be pissed but I will not the bullshit get to me when I am looking out for my team and for the good of youth basketball.
The Bruins coach may have taken the kid that dunked out of the game for the rest of the game but the damage was already done. The Bruins won the game. I give my team credit for getting the final score within 5 and not finishing with their heads down and playing with a chip on their shoulder. It was as if the Bruins threes got in our head and the dunk woke us up. It may have been my best 5 against the Bruins scrubs (who included my neighbor, ha) but those were 6 great minutes of basketball. The Bruins finished the game with confidence and my team played the hardest 6 minutes of basketball that I have ever seen. I am proud of them.
I wish that I could say that we lost because I let my personal problems take me away from the game but that is far from the case. We lost because the other team beat us. However, thanks to the game, I was able to live my life and not think about my demons. Instead of being pissed at my ex girlfriend and the people that laid me off, I am not pissed at how the game went. I am pissed that my neighbor and former friend who fucked me over went home with a smile on her face; I am pissed that the coach of the Bruins who I am convinced played a role in getting the player off of my team went home smiling, knowing that he got to me. I may have coached emotionally but that is just who I am, an emotional person.
After the game I told my team to forget about this game. I won’t acknowledge it. The last 6 minutes of the game should have went differently. I told the parents to expect to come to practice to play, yes my parents. I want my team to play 5 on 5 against taller competition and learn to put their hands in the face of taller shooters, something that I think would have benefited us today.
Waves 58 Jayhawks 29
Huskies 60 Longhorns 39
Hurricanes 70 Matadors 31
Trojans 45 Aztecs 28
1. Waves 5-0
2. Jayhawks 4-1
2. Bruins 4-1
4. Hurricanes 3-2
4. Huskies 3-2 next game
6. Matadors 2-3
6. Spartans 2-3
8. Longhorns 1-4
8. Trojans 1-4
10. Aztecs 0-5
