Tonight I played in my first game of the 2010 Spring Adult Jewish Basketball League (AJBL) season. We won, 52-49. It was tied at halftime, 30-30.
My primary concern was how out of shape I am. Well, I made it through the game alive, although I was feeling it about 5 minutes in. I managed to survive, calling for subs when I was winded. I could feel my brain turning to mush in the second half and I took a few dumb shots. All in all, though, I played pretty well. Defense was average. I got beat on a backdoor cut. No steals. No fouls. Gotta work on my aggressiveness.
I started the scoring off for both teams with a 3-pointer from the left corner. What's with me and starting off my season with a made 3??? I seriously have done this 3 times now. Twice in the AJBL and once in the Alumni League about 6 years ago. And usually, my shooting is all downhill from there. Sort of true tonight, but I actually shot better than usual, going about 3 of 8 from the field. Missed a lay-up off a beautiful drive left from the top of the key. Wish I could have that one back.
This team has some size and good speed. I look forward to a fun season. Our team name is "My Generation". No clue why. All the team names are pretty random and terrible. But what do you expect from old men over 30?
Free throw update: 0-2. Didn't I shoot 100 free throws today? WTF?
Stat line: 7 pts, ~3 assists, ~1 rebound.
Uni-tracker: Blue jersey, Blue Nike Dri-Fit shorts, "Milwaukee" undershirt.
Team record: 1-0.
Thursday, April 8, 2010
100 Free Throws
I hit the basketball court for about an hour today to work on my shot. Specifically, my free throw shooting, which has been atrocious. I play in an over-30 league (many blog postings to follow) and my free throw percentage has been around the 30% mark over the span of three seasons. So, after a season off, I'm back at it tonight for Game 1 of the 2010 Spring season.
I shot 100 free throws today. My goal is to do this throughout the season and chart my progress. Check out my makes per 10 below. I can only get better, right? Right?
3,2,2,7,3,3,2,3,4,2 = 31
31??? THIRTY-ONE??? That's worse than Shaq! That's worse than Shaq blind-folded! At least I'm consistent with my performance over the last 3 seasons, eh? Yeah, shooting by myself with no pressure is a lot like real game situations. FML.
That 7 looks promising. We need that to be a rule more than a blatant exception.
Nap time. Gotta rest up to fail miserably tonight!
I shot 100 free throws today. My goal is to do this throughout the season and chart my progress. Check out my makes per 10 below. I can only get better, right? Right?
3,2,2,7,3,3,2,3,4,2 = 31
31??? THIRTY-ONE??? That's worse than Shaq! That's worse than Shaq blind-folded! At least I'm consistent with my performance over the last 3 seasons, eh? Yeah, shooting by myself with no pressure is a lot like real game situations. FML.
That 7 looks promising. We need that to be a rule more than a blatant exception.
Nap time. Gotta rest up to fail miserably tonight!
Thursday, April 1, 2010
My NFL Proposal
So a lot has been discussed about this silly OT proposal, where a team that kicks a field goal in their first possession would then allow the other team to get the ball and an attempt to score.
Fine. I'm not too concerned about this, seeing as this would only show up in the playoffs and the odds of seeing OT games are slim as it is.
What I'm more interested in are the discussions about moving to a 17-game season. Where is all that chatter? Well, I couldn't sleep, so I thought I'd provide a proposal that I think would work very well and add even more intensity to this league. Who doesn't want more intensity? Check it out...
There are 32 teams in the league, so I say split them up into 4 total divisions based on regions. Each team would then play the other 7 teams in their division twice - totaling 14 divisional games - and then one team from each other division - totaling the remaining 3 games.
This would create additional rivalries. For instance, what could be called the Northeast division would essentially combine the current NFC and AFC East, with a few exceptions. You'd have Philly, Washington, NY Giants, NY Jets, New England, Buffalo, Baltimore, and Carolina.
Other divisions would be:
South: NO,TB,MIA,ATL,JAX,HOU,TEN,DAL
West: SF,SEA,ARI,DEN,SD,OAK,STL,KC
Midwest: MIN,GB,DET,CHI,IND,CIN,CLE,PIT
Some classic rivalries would be broken, but I don't think this would kill the league. Dallas moving to the "Southern" Division might have an effect, but I would think playing teams closer to home over the years would help develop better, fiercer rivalries.
Anyways, this plays into the NFL wanting a 17-game season. All teams essentially play the same strength of schedule with this equal round robin format. Also, travel costs are cut substantially. Fans are able to go to more games, instead of having to fly out west for multiple games, for instance, in the current format. And ultimately, true regional champions are determined before the Super Bowl is played for league bragging rights.
I mean, who really cares about the Cleveland vs. San Francisco game if it doesn't involve two great teams? Not to mention, attendance doesn't reflect this. And most people aren't watching these types of games (San Diego vs. Buffalo? Detroit vs. Oakland? Washington vs. Seattle? Huh???) unless they have fantasy implications.
Sure, it's nice to see your team play someone out of their division and region, but let's limit that to 3 times per year. When you're playing 14 games of true divisional meaning, fans and players are more likely to show up and get up for these. Why wouldn't a Washington vs. Carolina rivalry work? Dallas playing Houston twice a year makes much more sense to fans in the Lone Star state. Who wouldn't want to discuss that rivalry going forward?
There's plenty of room to play with the inter-divisional schedules, too. If Dallas still came out East to play Washington every year, there's room for that in the 3-game out of conference schedule. And the playoff schedule could see the North play the South one year and then the North play the Midwest the next. Maybe the top 3 teams in each league make the playoffs, with the bottom two fighting it out for a guaranteed third matchup that year to play the top team who has earned a bye week.
Personally, as an Eagles fan, this allows me for more chances to see my team play. A schedule with both New York teams twice lowers my travel costs over the season if I'm a die hard and raises the likelihood I could show up to more games. East Coast bias? Perhaps, although a Denver vs Arizona match-up twice a year isn't exactly a worse situation for Broncos fans than they currently experience. Denver vs. Oakland? Who goes to those games anyways?
I think the most fitting argument is that this would put more fans in stadiums. If you're only relying on Jacksonville's fans, for instance, to fill the stadium when San Francisco comes to town, well, you see how that goes. But when JAX plays Tampa, Miami, and even Atlanta every year, you're more likely to see those fans show up from the short distances from JAX to fill the seats. I know certain teams travel well, but I also know this isn't saving the NFL in that regard, as Pittsburgh fans aren't selling out the Oakland stadium when they travel out west to play the Raiders.
So, there you have it. Sure, this may kill a few historical rivalries like the Cowboys vs. the NFC East, Indy's current rivalries with the AFC South (not really that strong anyways, except over the last 10 years maybe?), and the Dolphins vs. the AFC East, but I think the new regional rivalries would have a chance to grow very quickly. Heck, if Miami came out of the South to play the Jets in the playoffs, I'm sure that would create an even more dynamic match-up. Or Dallas vs. Philly in the Super Bowl? I'm sure the football gods would work their magic.
Fine. I'm not too concerned about this, seeing as this would only show up in the playoffs and the odds of seeing OT games are slim as it is.
What I'm more interested in are the discussions about moving to a 17-game season. Where is all that chatter? Well, I couldn't sleep, so I thought I'd provide a proposal that I think would work very well and add even more intensity to this league. Who doesn't want more intensity? Check it out...
There are 32 teams in the league, so I say split them up into 4 total divisions based on regions. Each team would then play the other 7 teams in their division twice - totaling 14 divisional games - and then one team from each other division - totaling the remaining 3 games.
This would create additional rivalries. For instance, what could be called the Northeast division would essentially combine the current NFC and AFC East, with a few exceptions. You'd have Philly, Washington, NY Giants, NY Jets, New England, Buffalo, Baltimore, and Carolina.
Other divisions would be:
South: NO,TB,MIA,ATL,JAX,HOU,TEN,DAL
West: SF,SEA,ARI,DEN,SD,OAK,STL,KC
Midwest: MIN,GB,DET,CHI,IND,CIN,CLE,PIT
Some classic rivalries would be broken, but I don't think this would kill the league. Dallas moving to the "Southern" Division might have an effect, but I would think playing teams closer to home over the years would help develop better, fiercer rivalries.
Anyways, this plays into the NFL wanting a 17-game season. All teams essentially play the same strength of schedule with this equal round robin format. Also, travel costs are cut substantially. Fans are able to go to more games, instead of having to fly out west for multiple games, for instance, in the current format. And ultimately, true regional champions are determined before the Super Bowl is played for league bragging rights.
I mean, who really cares about the Cleveland vs. San Francisco game if it doesn't involve two great teams? Not to mention, attendance doesn't reflect this. And most people aren't watching these types of games (San Diego vs. Buffalo? Detroit vs. Oakland? Washington vs. Seattle? Huh???) unless they have fantasy implications.
Sure, it's nice to see your team play someone out of their division and region, but let's limit that to 3 times per year. When you're playing 14 games of true divisional meaning, fans and players are more likely to show up and get up for these. Why wouldn't a Washington vs. Carolina rivalry work? Dallas playing Houston twice a year makes much more sense to fans in the Lone Star state. Who wouldn't want to discuss that rivalry going forward?
There's plenty of room to play with the inter-divisional schedules, too. If Dallas still came out East to play Washington every year, there's room for that in the 3-game out of conference schedule. And the playoff schedule could see the North play the South one year and then the North play the Midwest the next. Maybe the top 3 teams in each league make the playoffs, with the bottom two fighting it out for a guaranteed third matchup that year to play the top team who has earned a bye week.
Personally, as an Eagles fan, this allows me for more chances to see my team play. A schedule with both New York teams twice lowers my travel costs over the season if I'm a die hard and raises the likelihood I could show up to more games. East Coast bias? Perhaps, although a Denver vs Arizona match-up twice a year isn't exactly a worse situation for Broncos fans than they currently experience. Denver vs. Oakland? Who goes to those games anyways?
I think the most fitting argument is that this would put more fans in stadiums. If you're only relying on Jacksonville's fans, for instance, to fill the stadium when San Francisco comes to town, well, you see how that goes. But when JAX plays Tampa, Miami, and even Atlanta every year, you're more likely to see those fans show up from the short distances from JAX to fill the seats. I know certain teams travel well, but I also know this isn't saving the NFL in that regard, as Pittsburgh fans aren't selling out the Oakland stadium when they travel out west to play the Raiders.
So, there you have it. Sure, this may kill a few historical rivalries like the Cowboys vs. the NFC East, Indy's current rivalries with the AFC South (not really that strong anyways, except over the last 10 years maybe?), and the Dolphins vs. the AFC East, but I think the new regional rivalries would have a chance to grow very quickly. Heck, if Miami came out of the South to play the Jets in the playoffs, I'm sure that would create an even more dynamic match-up. Or Dallas vs. Philly in the Super Bowl? I'm sure the football gods would work their magic.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Pennant Race
When I was a kid, I collected pennants and hung them on my bedroom wall. Every time I went to a sporting event - usually Sixers and Eagles games - I would buy a new team's pennant.
When I got older, I grew out of this phase, and at one point decided I didn't even need to have these pennants around if I wasn't going to do anything with them. The logical solution? Hand them over to my buddy, Gary, who I knew had plenty of room for them on his bedroom wall.
Now I'm an (almost full grown) adult, and I've started this blog of mine, and I've grown nostalgic of days gone by. So I contacted Gary's little sister, who has taken over his old room (a rite of passage in that family - it's a rather awesomely huge, sort of guest house-like living space) and she was gracious enough to send along some pictures of what's turned into 2 full pies of pennants.
Check it out! I'll tell you which ones are mine after the pics below...
Lakers, Reds (?) and Tigers are Gary's on the first pie. All others are mine: Giants, Bucks, Cardinals, Eagles, NJ Generals, 49ers, Redskins, Vikings, Patriots, Raiders, Flyers, Nets, Expos.
I believe the only one of mine on the second pie is the Celtics. As you can see, this one is overrun with Big Ten teams, for the most part. Shout out to the Midwest!
This might lead to 2 obvious questions - where are the Sixers and Phillies ones? I do recall having a Phillies one, but honestly don't know where it went. And seeing as the Sixers were my favorite team, I had to have had one of those, right? Can't seem to figure this one out.
When I got older, I grew out of this phase, and at one point decided I didn't even need to have these pennants around if I wasn't going to do anything with them. The logical solution? Hand them over to my buddy, Gary, who I knew had plenty of room for them on his bedroom wall.
Now I'm an (almost full grown) adult, and I've started this blog of mine, and I've grown nostalgic of days gone by. So I contacted Gary's little sister, who has taken over his old room (a rite of passage in that family - it's a rather awesomely huge, sort of guest house-like living space) and she was gracious enough to send along some pictures of what's turned into 2 full pies of pennants.
Check it out! I'll tell you which ones are mine after the pics below...
Lakers, Reds (?) and Tigers are Gary's on the first pie. All others are mine: Giants, Bucks, Cardinals, Eagles, NJ Generals, 49ers, Redskins, Vikings, Patriots, Raiders, Flyers, Nets, Expos.
I believe the only one of mine on the second pie is the Celtics. As you can see, this one is overrun with Big Ten teams, for the most part. Shout out to the Midwest!
This might lead to 2 obvious questions - where are the Sixers and Phillies ones? I do recall having a Phillies one, but honestly don't know where it went. And seeing as the Sixers were my favorite team, I had to have had one of those, right? Can't seem to figure this one out.
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