So I finally took the plunge and setup a website.
I like blogger and could have happily continued to use it as an acceptable blog, but China keeps blocking it and it's just getting annoying.
So I have a fully functioning website now that should be regularly updated and even have lots of media, like photos and videos, hardwired right in.
web.mac.com/thebatesdynasty
enjoy...
Also, if anyone has a clue how I can import some of my blogger posts into my .mac site, let me know...
Showing posts with label basketball. Show all posts
Showing posts with label basketball. Show all posts
10/09/2007
7/29/2007
Barkley vs. Godzilla
I don't remember things from when I was young. Some might say that there's something wrong w/ my memory when it comes to recalling events from my 'childhood', we're talking 0-16 years old. I don't know why, I just don't remember little things. But there is one thing that I remember VERY well, and that's when Nike came out w/ the Barkley vs. Godzilla ad campaign.
Some of you might have realized by now that I love basketball, you also might have realized that Charles Barkley is my favorite player (refer to my dog over on the right) so it should come as no surprise that this ad campaign was a magical moment for me. But it's not just the association of two things I love, I also think this is one of the most genius commercial ideas ever! Later that year Barkley hosted SNL (Nirvana was the musical guest and it was their last appearance on SNL) and so they did a sketch 'Barkley vs. Barney', man I wish I could find that on Youtube!
Recently, to re-cash-in on an old cash cow, Nike reissued the t-shirts from this commercial and, of all things, I found one here in China. Now I probably won't wear the shirt very much, but come on, I had to buy it; I was like Mel Gibson in Conspiracy Theory!
This is the original campaign poster graphic on the T-shirt. I took this w/ my cellphone so it's not 'hi-def' by any means.
So w/o further ado, and w/ the help of Youtube, here's those two commercials:
Barkley vs. Godzilla (the trailer)
Barkley vs. Godzilla (the feature, which is shorter than the trailer...)
Here's a promo for that SNL episode I mentioned above. It's kind of a cool little moment even though I'm not one of those Nirvana crazies.
and this is the closest thing I could find to the Barkley vs. Barney clip. Some one used the video from the sketch but covered it w/ the Barney song, man I wish I could find a clip of that complete sketch.
Some of you might have realized by now that I love basketball, you also might have realized that Charles Barkley is my favorite player (refer to my dog over on the right) so it should come as no surprise that this ad campaign was a magical moment for me. But it's not just the association of two things I love, I also think this is one of the most genius commercial ideas ever! Later that year Barkley hosted SNL (Nirvana was the musical guest and it was their last appearance on SNL) and so they did a sketch 'Barkley vs. Barney', man I wish I could find that on Youtube!
Recently, to re-cash-in on an old cash cow, Nike reissued the t-shirts from this commercial and, of all things, I found one here in China. Now I probably won't wear the shirt very much, but come on, I had to buy it; I was like Mel Gibson in Conspiracy Theory!
This is the original campaign poster graphic on the T-shirt. I took this w/ my cellphone so it's not 'hi-def' by any means.
So w/o further ado, and w/ the help of Youtube, here's those two commercials:
Barkley vs. Godzilla (the trailer)
Barkley vs. Godzilla (the feature, which is shorter than the trailer...)
Here's a promo for that SNL episode I mentioned above. It's kind of a cool little moment even though I'm not one of those Nirvana crazies.
and this is the closest thing I could find to the Barkley vs. Barney clip. Some one used the video from the sketch but covered it w/ the Barney song, man I wish I could find a clip of that complete sketch.
7/28/2007
From the www, Vol. 19 (not from Youtube)
I came across this funny little video while reading my friend's blog. It's a short little clip (or you could call it a lesson) showing why some people shouldn't 'sky to the rack' b/c sometimes the 'rack' fights back.
My favorite part is the textbook ai-ya you hear when it falls, after playing ball countless times in central China, you hear this (and English cuss words) a billion times! Another laughable angle to this is when you consider that the goal was most likely already damaged. (note the excessive flimsy shaking) So they were dunking on this goal b/c it was tilting forward lower and thus more 'dunkable', but none of them thought, "this thing is broke, this might not be safe." This guy is lucky to still be alive b/c until he hopped up, I thought the thing landed on his head!
What's crazy is that I had a similar thing happen to me when I was 15, backboard and all, and it will scare the 'fecal matter' out of you! Before you call me a liar I'll note that the goal that broke and fell on me was 8'6". But in my case there was no indication the goal was gonna 'go'. I'll never forget the feeling of falling straight to my back w/ the rim still in my hands and how disorienting it was to see the backboard and rim following me to the ground.
My favorite part is the textbook ai-ya you hear when it falls, after playing ball countless times in central China, you hear this (and English cuss words) a billion times! Another laughable angle to this is when you consider that the goal was most likely already damaged. (note the excessive flimsy shaking) So they were dunking on this goal b/c it was tilting forward lower and thus more 'dunkable', but none of them thought, "this thing is broke, this might not be safe." This guy is lucky to still be alive b/c until he hopped up, I thought the thing landed on his head!
What's crazy is that I had a similar thing happen to me when I was 15, backboard and all, and it will scare the 'fecal matter' out of you! Before you call me a liar I'll note that the goal that broke and fell on me was 8'6". But in my case there was no indication the goal was gonna 'go'. I'll never forget the feeling of falling straight to my back w/ the rim still in my hands and how disorienting it was to see the backboard and rim following me to the ground.
7/10/2007
Ok, back to blogging (it's a long post)
So I've been a little derelict in my duties...
In my defense, I had a crazy busy schedule the past three weeks getting everything squared away at the end of school. I had to do a bunch of stuff for Bet on top of all the stuff I was supposed to do.
On top of all that, I had to do all this purchasing, reserving, and moving of household items for a certain couple moving here. (one half of this couple is an avid Batesdynasty reader and the only frequent commentator)
So as he frequently passes judgement, I'll just continue to take the high road and turn the other cheek... j/k
So this is going to be a brief 'all encompassing trip.' (nice Pearl Jam reference, eh?)
Ok so Bet has been in Connecticut taking grad school courses at Wesleyan for three weeks now. (ya she's smart)
It's been tough b/c:
a. We're not used to being apart this long. (not that anyone should be 'used to it')
b. School's out so no one's around. So I'm stuck eating by myself a lot.
c. The afore mentioned purchasing/reserving/moving of a certain sibling-in-law's future belongings. (cough-cough)
d. My dog has/had a chemical burn on his back end from the shampoo used by the Chinese vet, (awesome right?) so I have to take care of him by myself; I have to wash him twice a day and prepare his medicine. This wouldn't be so bad if my dog weren't so squirmy and I had a little help. I'm not whining, I'm just saying it's difficult by myself...
I'm guessing it didn't help matters that they put him in this 'oven' for 20 minutes after his bath. I don't want to sound mean, but the Chinese medical profession is highly questionable at times...
e. This hippo...
This hippo could probably make the list as well... Not really, but the last two photos lead me to a quick preview of what's to come; I'm going to start a new 'Periodical' called 'from the cellphone camera' b/c I see some crazy crap here so it's worth a little mention on the ol' blog from time to time...
I've been opening the gym for basketball workouts and there's been a decent turnout. The schedule has been sporadic so far but starting next week we have the gym reserved three nights a week 7-9pm. (and three mornings a week as well, for the girls that can't come at night) Some of the girls seem to be benefiting a lot from this extra training time. While I am super stoked about doing it, it's still 'another log on the fire,' thus helping explain why I've more busy the last few weeks than I am during the school year.
Lastly, a large portion of my days have been spent tutoring. I'm currently tutoring a Chinese business woman 2hrs/5 days a week for some extra cheddar. (pretty nice) Tutoring in English is usually bothersome but this hasn't been bad at all. The woman I tutor is really nice and she works really hard.
So that's been my daily life, now on to blog type stuff...
Music:
The White Stripes had an album come out (Icky Thump) which I might have mentioned before... It's pretty solid; it won't dethrone their last two albums anytime soon but I'm enjoying it and it's got the potential to pull of an upset. Highlights include Effect And Cause, Little Cream Soda, Bone Broke, Catch Hell Blues, and Icky Thump. But to summarize; it's very solid, there isn't a mediocre song on the album, go buy it!
Ryan Adams put out a new album 'Easy Tiger' and I haven't listened to it as much as 'Icky Thump' but it is a really solid album. It seems to be a culmination of his previous albums w/ some really great songs. After I listen to it some more I'll talk about it in further detail.
Due to a combination of my location the last 5 years, and this particular band's lack of mainstream coverage, I totally missed the release of 'Live From Paradise: The Best Of The Toadies.' I LOVE THE TOADIES, not many people would agree w/ me but I frickin' love them. My love for them mixed w/ the fact they only have two full albums, makes this an awesome discovery! To explain this album I'll just give you a summary of the media blarb that was written up about it: This album was recorded, for better or worse, as a 'warts and all' live performance. There's no edits, no overdubs, no exceptions or additions, it's just a show recorded straight through. So there's lots of horribly off key vocals, some missed chords on the guitars, some regrettable audience banter, and LOTS OF ROCK! It packs a lot of energy and a lot of what I love about the Toadies, ROCK! Did I mention it ROCKS? Hey it may sound like a hair-band cliche but I love when a band just cranks out some loud, screaming, grooving, rock that swaggers along like a drunk tiger. (did I just say drunk tiger? I might be losing my mind...)
Another little gem I found, while trying to use up all my eMusic downloads for the month, was a b-sides/remixes/live cuts album from one of my favorite bands, The Violent Femmes. I haven't had adequate time to rummage through these 22 tracks but I'm loving the stuff I've heard so far. There's some great covers on there like 'My Way' by Elvis and some great live takes on older songs I love like 'Waiting For A Bus.' If any of you out there are actually VF fans (which I doubt) drop me an email or a comment and I'll email you some songs from this album. (is that legal?)
(not album cover)
Movies:
I went and saw Pirates Of The Caribbean 3 two weeks ago; it was entertaining but admittedly lame. (how's that for a review?)
I'd give it '1 thumb up' as well
Life:
I mentioned a bunch of stuff already but two other things that happened since I did a proper post were the 'closing ceremonies' of our men's 'Ping-pong and pizza' guys' nights. We had a weekly crew of dudes that, you guessed it, got together once a week for ping-pong and pizza. It was a great year and deserves a proper post, but I don't have it in me right now so you'll have to check out what 'The Senator' wrote about it over on his blog. Here's a preview...
'The Kid' is missing from this picture but you get the idea...
Also in the last month, we went on an awesome trip to Yangshuo. Me and Bet have been to Yangshuo 4 or 5 times now but this was by far the most enjoyable of all our trips there. Numerous reasons:
a. We went w/ John and Mandy Taylor, two really great people and friends
b. We flew there (nuff said)
c. We stayed in a hotel room instead of a hostel room that could double as a POW 'box'
d. We rode electric scooters everywhere instead of bikes
e. We did a 'greatest hits' type trip, meaning we just did our favorite things
Check out John's post for a different perspective.
Here's some pics (probably from John and Mandy's collection b/c we didn't take many pictures this time)
Water cave
Moon Hill
Ladies
Gentlemen (possibly in my top 5 favorite pictures ever)
Mid air high five (children, don't try this at home)
Not a flattering picture of John, but it cracks me up! If you know John, this picture is a lot funnier. But you probably don't, so you'll just have to trust me...
Bet w/ some monkeys
Me and the Wifey
I'll post more of these pictures on Flickr when I can. (China is blocking Flickr right now and I really can't figure out why)
Well I'm going to wrap this one up for now but trust me, I'm getting back into my blog form so I'll be posting more soon, stay tuned...
In my defense, I had a crazy busy schedule the past three weeks getting everything squared away at the end of school. I had to do a bunch of stuff for Bet on top of all the stuff I was supposed to do.
On top of all that, I had to do all this purchasing, reserving, and moving of household items for a certain couple moving here. (one half of this couple is an avid Batesdynasty reader and the only frequent commentator)
So as he frequently passes judgement, I'll just continue to take the high road and turn the other cheek... j/k
So this is going to be a brief 'all encompassing trip.' (nice Pearl Jam reference, eh?)
Ok so Bet has been in Connecticut taking grad school courses at Wesleyan for three weeks now. (ya she's smart)
It's been tough b/c:
a. We're not used to being apart this long. (not that anyone should be 'used to it')
b. School's out so no one's around. So I'm stuck eating by myself a lot.
c. The afore mentioned purchasing/reserving/moving of a certain sibling-in-law's future belongings. (cough-cough)
d. My dog has/had a chemical burn on his back end from the shampoo used by the Chinese vet, (awesome right?) so I have to take care of him by myself; I have to wash him twice a day and prepare his medicine. This wouldn't be so bad if my dog weren't so squirmy and I had a little help. I'm not whining, I'm just saying it's difficult by myself...
I'm guessing it didn't help matters that they put him in this 'oven' for 20 minutes after his bath. I don't want to sound mean, but the Chinese medical profession is highly questionable at times...
e. This hippo...
This hippo could probably make the list as well... Not really, but the last two photos lead me to a quick preview of what's to come; I'm going to start a new 'Periodical' called 'from the cellphone camera' b/c I see some crazy crap here so it's worth a little mention on the ol' blog from time to time...
I've been opening the gym for basketball workouts and there's been a decent turnout. The schedule has been sporadic so far but starting next week we have the gym reserved three nights a week 7-9pm. (and three mornings a week as well, for the girls that can't come at night) Some of the girls seem to be benefiting a lot from this extra training time. While I am super stoked about doing it, it's still 'another log on the fire,' thus helping explain why I've more busy the last few weeks than I am during the school year.
Lastly, a large portion of my days have been spent tutoring. I'm currently tutoring a Chinese business woman 2hrs/5 days a week for some extra cheddar. (pretty nice) Tutoring in English is usually bothersome but this hasn't been bad at all. The woman I tutor is really nice and she works really hard.
So that's been my daily life, now on to blog type stuff...
Music:
The White Stripes had an album come out (Icky Thump) which I might have mentioned before... It's pretty solid; it won't dethrone their last two albums anytime soon but I'm enjoying it and it's got the potential to pull of an upset. Highlights include Effect And Cause, Little Cream Soda, Bone Broke, Catch Hell Blues, and Icky Thump. But to summarize; it's very solid, there isn't a mediocre song on the album, go buy it!
Ryan Adams put out a new album 'Easy Tiger' and I haven't listened to it as much as 'Icky Thump' but it is a really solid album. It seems to be a culmination of his previous albums w/ some really great songs. After I listen to it some more I'll talk about it in further detail.
Due to a combination of my location the last 5 years, and this particular band's lack of mainstream coverage, I totally missed the release of 'Live From Paradise: The Best Of The Toadies.' I LOVE THE TOADIES, not many people would agree w/ me but I frickin' love them. My love for them mixed w/ the fact they only have two full albums, makes this an awesome discovery! To explain this album I'll just give you a summary of the media blarb that was written up about it: This album was recorded, for better or worse, as a 'warts and all' live performance. There's no edits, no overdubs, no exceptions or additions, it's just a show recorded straight through. So there's lots of horribly off key vocals, some missed chords on the guitars, some regrettable audience banter, and LOTS OF ROCK! It packs a lot of energy and a lot of what I love about the Toadies, ROCK! Did I mention it ROCKS? Hey it may sound like a hair-band cliche but I love when a band just cranks out some loud, screaming, grooving, rock that swaggers along like a drunk tiger. (did I just say drunk tiger? I might be losing my mind...)
Another little gem I found, while trying to use up all my eMusic downloads for the month, was a b-sides/remixes/live cuts album from one of my favorite bands, The Violent Femmes. I haven't had adequate time to rummage through these 22 tracks but I'm loving the stuff I've heard so far. There's some great covers on there like 'My Way' by Elvis and some great live takes on older songs I love like 'Waiting For A Bus.' If any of you out there are actually VF fans (which I doubt) drop me an email or a comment and I'll email you some songs from this album. (is that legal?)
(not album cover)
Movies:
I went and saw Pirates Of The Caribbean 3 two weeks ago; it was entertaining but admittedly lame. (how's that for a review?)
I'd give it '1 thumb up' as well
Life:
I mentioned a bunch of stuff already but two other things that happened since I did a proper post were the 'closing ceremonies' of our men's 'Ping-pong and pizza' guys' nights. We had a weekly crew of dudes that, you guessed it, got together once a week for ping-pong and pizza. It was a great year and deserves a proper post, but I don't have it in me right now so you'll have to check out what 'The Senator' wrote about it over on his blog. Here's a preview...
'The Kid' is missing from this picture but you get the idea...
Also in the last month, we went on an awesome trip to Yangshuo. Me and Bet have been to Yangshuo 4 or 5 times now but this was by far the most enjoyable of all our trips there. Numerous reasons:
a. We went w/ John and Mandy Taylor, two really great people and friends
b. We flew there (nuff said)
c. We stayed in a hotel room instead of a hostel room that could double as a POW 'box'
d. We rode electric scooters everywhere instead of bikes
e. We did a 'greatest hits' type trip, meaning we just did our favorite things
Check out John's post for a different perspective.
Here's some pics (probably from John and Mandy's collection b/c we didn't take many pictures this time)
Water cave
Moon Hill
Ladies
Gentlemen (possibly in my top 5 favorite pictures ever)
Mid air high five (children, don't try this at home)
Not a flattering picture of John, but it cracks me up! If you know John, this picture is a lot funnier. But you probably don't, so you'll just have to trust me...
Bet w/ some monkeys
Me and the Wifey
I'll post more of these pictures on Flickr when I can. (China is blocking Flickr right now and I really can't figure out why)
Well I'm going to wrap this one up for now but trust me, I'm getting back into my blog form so I'll be posting more soon, stay tuned...
6/07/2007
From the www, Vol. 12
Smoke and mirrors baby.
I just came across this, it's pretty funny in a deadpan way. It's really sad that their series was stolen from them; imagine Nash and LeBron in the finals, that's what basketball should look like. That'd be more like the 130 point games of the 80's playoffs, back before cheap shots and boring basketball ruled the day.
I just came across this, it's pretty funny in a deadpan way. It's really sad that their series was stolen from them; imagine Nash and LeBron in the finals, that's what basketball should look like. That'd be more like the 130 point games of the 80's playoffs, back before cheap shots and boring basketball ruled the day.
6/06/2007
LeBron James
Before I get to the subject at hand, I wanted to let you know that I posted like 4 new posts today, very unusual after that sparse month of May. So feel free to scroll down after this.
Ok, back to LeBron:
This is amazing! This guy plays basketball like it's 1987 and he's going toe to toe w/ Bird, Magic, Jordan, and Barkley. This is one of the greatest performances I've ever seen in basketball. He scored 29 of his teams last 30 points, and scored the last 25 outright. He did all of that in about 17 minutes. (from 7 minutes left in the 4th quarter through 2 overtimes) And they were throwing 2, 3, or 4 guys at him! I personally think it wouldn't have mattered if they threw all 12 at him; he wasn't going to be stopped. Now the Cavs play the spurs in the NBA Finals and we get to look forward to Bowen throwing cheap shots at him and trying to end his career.
Now before 'ballhog' can pop into your head (Jordan) it should be said that LeBron only did this cause he had to; he had over half of his teams assists in the game and leads his team in assists in almost every game.
Game 5 on May 31, Eastern Conference Finals, Cavs vs. Pistons
enjoy...
Ok, back to LeBron:
This is amazing! This guy plays basketball like it's 1987 and he's going toe to toe w/ Bird, Magic, Jordan, and Barkley. This is one of the greatest performances I've ever seen in basketball. He scored 29 of his teams last 30 points, and scored the last 25 outright. He did all of that in about 17 minutes. (from 7 minutes left in the 4th quarter through 2 overtimes) And they were throwing 2, 3, or 4 guys at him! I personally think it wouldn't have mattered if they threw all 12 at him; he wasn't going to be stopped. Now the Cavs play the spurs in the NBA Finals and we get to look forward to Bowen throwing cheap shots at him and trying to end his career.
Now before 'ballhog' can pop into your head (Jordan) it should be said that LeBron only did this cause he had to; he had over half of his teams assists in the game and leads his team in assists in almost every game.
Game 5 on May 31, Eastern Conference Finals, Cavs vs. Pistons
enjoy...
What A Year!
I mentioned in the last post that I'm finally finished coaching for the school year but that doesn't do this year any justice.
I don't mean this to sound like anything other than reference:
(most of you already know this stuff)
It was 15 years ago that I first picked up a basketball and fell in love w/ it. Since then, I've played on undefeated teams, been a team captian twice, had tripple doubles, won 2nd place in the state of Florida, and played w/ D1 basketball players as my teammates; but this season was up there with or above all of that stuff. This year, basketball wise, was one of the best years I've ever had and I don't even get to play anymore b/c of my back.
(I mean this year was also amazing in my general non-basketball life too, it's just that I'm talking about basketball right now)
This season, all of my teams exceeded my expectations and, at times, completely surprised me. I still get goose bumps when I think back to our games in the SAS Holiday classic or the game at SCIS or the 5 threes we hit on Suzhou in the SISAC tourney or the two middle school tournaments. I couldn't be more proud of my girls this year, they worked so hard and improved so much! I've been known to ramble so I'll end this quickly. Girls, you were so awesome this year and I can't wait to coach you again next season! GO SHARKS!!
My Varsity Girls
My Middle School team
(John and Mandy coached these girls too; there were two teams)
This is 'my team' out of all the girls above
This is the 'elite team' I mentioned before which consisted of a select group of girls from the two middle school teams pictured above. We took 2nd place.
GREAT JOB SHARKS!
I don't mean this to sound like anything other than reference:
(most of you already know this stuff)
It was 15 years ago that I first picked up a basketball and fell in love w/ it. Since then, I've played on undefeated teams, been a team captian twice, had tripple doubles, won 2nd place in the state of Florida, and played w/ D1 basketball players as my teammates; but this season was up there with or above all of that stuff. This year, basketball wise, was one of the best years I've ever had and I don't even get to play anymore b/c of my back.
(I mean this year was also amazing in my general non-basketball life too, it's just that I'm talking about basketball right now)
This season, all of my teams exceeded my expectations and, at times, completely surprised me. I still get goose bumps when I think back to our games in the SAS Holiday classic or the game at SCIS or the 5 threes we hit on Suzhou in the SISAC tourney or the two middle school tournaments. I couldn't be more proud of my girls this year, they worked so hard and improved so much! I've been known to ramble so I'll end this quickly. Girls, you were so awesome this year and I can't wait to coach you again next season! GO SHARKS!!
My Varsity Girls
My Middle School team
(John and Mandy coached these girls too; there were two teams)
This is 'my team' out of all the girls above
This is the 'elite team' I mentioned before which consisted of a select group of girls from the two middle school teams pictured above. We took 2nd place.
GREAT JOB SHARKS!
5/25/2007
THE CAVS GOT ROBBED! (revised)
Rasheed pushed off and James got fouled. It doesn't get anymore obvious. The refs decided that game, what a shame. I have a feeling I'll be able to post a video about this soon; someone's cooking up a youtube video about it right now I'm sure.
ok I haven't seen any video yet but I did find this highlight from the game:
ok I haven't seen any video yet but I did find this highlight from the game:
5/24/2007
Basketblah, blah, blah
I try to avoid talking about basketball too much on this blog b/c I think most people don't care to hear about the NBA and my middle/high school teams. Yet for some reason I seem to believe that you all would care to read my ramblings about music, I'm clearly delusional.
For closure's sake, I'm going to talk about the Suns-Spurs NBA playoff series that went awry. This was a series that seemed to be going the Suns way and then it was ripped away by the NBA and their illogical rule interpretation. If you don't know anything about how dirty the Spurs played (and benefited from their dirty play) then you'll have no idea what I'm talking about and frankly, you wouldn't care. So I'm going to post this link for those of you that know a little about it so you can take joy in the knowledge that the vast majority of the world also thinks its a shallow victory to 'win at any cost' and take comfort in the reassurance that there's still a high value in doing what you do w/ some class and respect for your fellow man.
A quick summation of my views on the Spurs:
My friend says they're a classy and honorable organization w/ only one or two dirty players (one of which is known to be the dirtiest player in the league) my reply to that is
"If they're so classy why don't they bench their teammates for taking cheap shots like the ones in the video below? Is aiding and abedding a known felon classy? Is being an accessory to a crime honorable?"
That's the way I look at it; back in the day when I was the captain of a basketball team, or today now that I'm a coach, if I had a teammate or player pull a stunt like this I'd have been all over them, zero tolerance!
The evidence:
This one's a joke; Tony Parker of the Spurs is 'from France' (even though his dad's from Chicago and he spent a lot of time in the states) and he loves hip-hop. So, logically, he made a French rap album. Here's a video from one of his songs, the thumbs up at the end and the Spurs players trying to act like rappers, is HILARIOUS!!
Now for my team:
When my girls won second place two weeks ago, that team was made up of 'the best' of our two 7th and 8th grade teams and we played against the best of the other schools. Other than that weekend, our two teams haven't been having much 'fun' on the court. Yesterday was our last day of regular season games and the girls played well. We tied one team, lost by two to another team, and beat the school that never loses at girls bball, so ya, it was a fun day for them. (We missed some shots we usually make or we would have won the other two games as well. But that's no big deal b/c it's middle school basketball and winning's not the point; they played hard, played well, and played right. They did great this year!) Hopefully we can carry this over to Saturday so they can have fun at the season ending tournament.
GO SHARKS!
For closure's sake, I'm going to talk about the Suns-Spurs NBA playoff series that went awry. This was a series that seemed to be going the Suns way and then it was ripped away by the NBA and their illogical rule interpretation. If you don't know anything about how dirty the Spurs played (and benefited from their dirty play) then you'll have no idea what I'm talking about and frankly, you wouldn't care. So I'm going to post this link for those of you that know a little about it so you can take joy in the knowledge that the vast majority of the world also thinks its a shallow victory to 'win at any cost' and take comfort in the reassurance that there's still a high value in doing what you do w/ some class and respect for your fellow man.
A quick summation of my views on the Spurs:
My friend says they're a classy and honorable organization w/ only one or two dirty players (one of which is known to be the dirtiest player in the league) my reply to that is
"If they're so classy why don't they bench their teammates for taking cheap shots like the ones in the video below? Is aiding and abedding a known felon classy? Is being an accessory to a crime honorable?"
That's the way I look at it; back in the day when I was the captain of a basketball team, or today now that I'm a coach, if I had a teammate or player pull a stunt like this I'd have been all over them, zero tolerance!
The evidence:
This one's a joke; Tony Parker of the Spurs is 'from France' (even though his dad's from Chicago and he spent a lot of time in the states) and he loves hip-hop. So, logically, he made a French rap album. Here's a video from one of his songs, the thumbs up at the end and the Spurs players trying to act like rappers, is HILARIOUS!!
Now for my team:
When my girls won second place two weeks ago, that team was made up of 'the best' of our two 7th and 8th grade teams and we played against the best of the other schools. Other than that weekend, our two teams haven't been having much 'fun' on the court. Yesterday was our last day of regular season games and the girls played well. We tied one team, lost by two to another team, and beat the school that never loses at girls bball, so ya, it was a fun day for them. (We missed some shots we usually make or we would have won the other two games as well. But that's no big deal b/c it's middle school basketball and winning's not the point; they played hard, played well, and played right. They did great this year!) Hopefully we can carry this over to Saturday so they can have fun at the season ending tournament.
GO SHARKS!
5/17/2007
5 YEARS AND COUNTING!
Today 'The Bates Dynasty' celebrates its fifth year in power! I'm not refering to this blog, I'm refering to May 18, 2002. On that day Bethany Brewster decided to marry me, poor thing, and the rest is history.(or 'crap that happened', that's for Dan)
So this is my indirect way of telling you all that I won't be blogging this weekend; I'll be chilling in a 5 star hotel suite for three days!
I promise, I'll get back to my regular posts next week. I'm gonna start a new weekly too, ya it's music related. I'll post more stuff 'From the www' in the future as well. (this is my best sales pitch)
Till then, root for the Suns against those cheap shot thugs in black and silver!
GO SUNS!!!
So this is my indirect way of telling you all that I won't be blogging this weekend; I'll be chilling in a 5 star hotel suite for three days!
I promise, I'll get back to my regular posts next week. I'm gonna start a new weekly too, ya it's music related. I'll post more stuff 'From the www' in the future as well. (this is my best sales pitch)
Till then, root for the Suns against those cheap shot thugs in black and silver!
GO SUNS!!!
5/14/2007
No BOTW This Week
My middle school team had a tournament this weekend so I didn't get it together. But since I mentioned it; my girls played their butts off this weekend! We were definite underdogs going into the tournament but we came out w/ a 2nd place trophy.
Highlights of the day:
(useful info; each game was 22 minutes of running clock so it was like two quarters of a real high school game)
Game one we were down 0-4 at the half but turned it on in the second half and won the game 17-6. Late in the game one of my girls hit the only three pointer I've seen in MS bball. This game was against YCIS, the team that beat my varsity girls in the HS tournament. Their coach is kinda crazy; he's always cussing out the refs, acting like a jerk to other people, and his high school team was the only dirty team in the league, so it felt really good to beat them. (he coaches every basketball team at his school; boys and girls middle school, j.v., and varsity. kinda weird)
Game two was a tough one b/c some of the teams we play use a full court man-to-man defense but they don't know how to do it so they just foul the whole game. The thing that sucks is that the refs suck and just try to balance the calls even though my team is playing a zone and fouls less. We stayed neck and neck the whole game but came up short in the end.
Game three was a crazy little dog fight for the champion of the pool. We had the same reffing situation as the game above so I sent out my biggest, toughest bunch of players and battled to a 2 or 3 point win in double overtime.
We got a bye for winning the pool but as luck would have it we ended up playing the same team that we battled in game three. This time we had the good refs, b/c it was a semifinal game, and the game wasn't even close; they called so many fouls on the other team that we coasted past them to the championship game.
In the championship game we played the perennial powerhouse, Concordia. The game wasn't even close but we fought hard, had fun and went home w/ 2nd place. Considering how much my girls had to fight through, I couldn't be more proud of how they kept their composure and got the job done. (well, they almost lost their cool a few times but they are only in middle school and they were getting beat up pretty bad)
So I'll get back on the BOTW train this week. Last week was going to be Dinosaur Jr. b/c they reunited and released a great new album. I'll get around to that one soon but until I do, just check out their new album 'Beyond'.
Highlights of the day:
(useful info; each game was 22 minutes of running clock so it was like two quarters of a real high school game)
Game one we were down 0-4 at the half but turned it on in the second half and won the game 17-6. Late in the game one of my girls hit the only three pointer I've seen in MS bball. This game was against YCIS, the team that beat my varsity girls in the HS tournament. Their coach is kinda crazy; he's always cussing out the refs, acting like a jerk to other people, and his high school team was the only dirty team in the league, so it felt really good to beat them. (he coaches every basketball team at his school; boys and girls middle school, j.v., and varsity. kinda weird)
Game two was a tough one b/c some of the teams we play use a full court man-to-man defense but they don't know how to do it so they just foul the whole game. The thing that sucks is that the refs suck and just try to balance the calls even though my team is playing a zone and fouls less. We stayed neck and neck the whole game but came up short in the end.
Game three was a crazy little dog fight for the champion of the pool. We had the same reffing situation as the game above so I sent out my biggest, toughest bunch of players and battled to a 2 or 3 point win in double overtime.
We got a bye for winning the pool but as luck would have it we ended up playing the same team that we battled in game three. This time we had the good refs, b/c it was a semifinal game, and the game wasn't even close; they called so many fouls on the other team that we coasted past them to the championship game.
In the championship game we played the perennial powerhouse, Concordia. The game wasn't even close but we fought hard, had fun and went home w/ 2nd place. Considering how much my girls had to fight through, I couldn't be more proud of how they kept their composure and got the job done. (well, they almost lost their cool a few times but they are only in middle school and they were getting beat up pretty bad)
So I'll get back on the BOTW train this week. Last week was going to be Dinosaur Jr. b/c they reunited and released a great new album. I'll get around to that one soon but until I do, just check out their new album 'Beyond'.
5/09/2007
I know I know
I'm slacking on the 'worst album covers' post; I'll get to it Thursday.
side note:
Never have I been more angry about the incompetence of another coach or school! I went to a game at another school today and was forced into a horrible situation where I was the one controlling the whole game, gym, students, etc. Complete incompetence! I'd say more, because I'm so pissed, but my students might read this blog. I had players leaving crying and they're not wimps; we're just classier than that school.
side note:
Never have I been more angry about the incompetence of another coach or school! I went to a game at another school today and was forced into a horrible situation where I was the one controlling the whole game, gym, students, etc. Complete incompetence! I'd say more, because I'm so pissed, but my students might read this blog. I had players leaving crying and they're not wimps; we're just classier than that school.
4/17/2007
Middle School Basketball Season
so our season started today; we played pretty well considering we haven't practiced much. (due to midterm exams) we got beat pretty bad but the other team played really dirty, so i chalk that up as a moral victory.
this brings me to a side note:
a lot of the students we play against are dirty rotten spoiled little brats! (a lot, not all) they play dirty, they act cocky, they talk trash, push, shove, and act like jerks. i just wonder what their parents or coaches are teaching them.(or not teaching them) this sounds horrible to say but i can't help it; i don't know where it comes from. w/ that said, i couldn't be prouder of our kids for always playing w/ class and playing the right way. who cares if you won middle school basketball games in 7th grade when you're 30 and you treat everyone like a lesser being. i fully believe that our kids at SMIC will make great adults that bring positive things to the world.
but back to basketball.
we have a very bright future; we have lots of talent in the younger grades and our kids are really classy. i can't wait to see how my girls are playing in two or three years. i can already see a few of the girls are starting to have those moments where they realize what they're capable of and are really stretching their limits on the court. it's awesome to see kids have those 'epiphanies' where they go 'OOOH, that's how you do that..' we have one or two girls that are already a notch above all of their competition and it's fun to watch the others take their lead.
ok, i meant for this to be a short post. sorry for the whining i did in the middle...
this brings me to a side note:
a lot of the students we play against are dirty rotten spoiled little brats! (a lot, not all) they play dirty, they act cocky, they talk trash, push, shove, and act like jerks. i just wonder what their parents or coaches are teaching them.(or not teaching them) this sounds horrible to say but i can't help it; i don't know where it comes from. w/ that said, i couldn't be prouder of our kids for always playing w/ class and playing the right way. who cares if you won middle school basketball games in 7th grade when you're 30 and you treat everyone like a lesser being. i fully believe that our kids at SMIC will make great adults that bring positive things to the world.
but back to basketball.
we have a very bright future; we have lots of talent in the younger grades and our kids are really classy. i can't wait to see how my girls are playing in two or three years. i can already see a few of the girls are starting to have those moments where they realize what they're capable of and are really stretching their limits on the court. it's awesome to see kids have those 'epiphanies' where they go 'OOOH, that's how you do that..' we have one or two girls that are already a notch above all of their competition and it's fun to watch the others take their lead.
ok, i meant for this to be a short post. sorry for the whining i did in the middle...
4/07/2007
Basketball Party
well today me and Bet had my basketball players over to the house for a post-season party. pizza was had, good memories were shared, Barkley was given too much attention, and the end of the season video was watched.
i really can't say enough about how great the girls did this season; they improved beyond my expectations, and their own i think. the beginning of the season was a little rough but toward the end we were hanging w/ teams that had beaten us by 25 or more earlier in the year. at one point, we even beat a team that had beaten us by 28 this season.
man that game was amazing; we were down seven w/ 3 minutes left; which in our league is about the same as a 20pt lead, basically the game seemed over. but the girls dug in on defense and brought it to a 3pt game w/ 17 seconds left. off an inbounds play, our point-guard hit an amazing three from the wing to send it to overtime. then we finished them off w/ a freethrow at the end of OT. kind of a storybook game for our team. it's weird, when i was on varsity in high school, our team went all the way to the state championship game, in Florida no less. we won a lot of amazing games along the way to get there, but somehow this was the most exciting basketball moment i've ever had! proudest moment too. i can't explain it; it was a magical moment... (and yes, i know that i sound like an uber-nerd but i'm just being honest)
then came the tournament; my girls fought hard and hung w/ the #2 team in the league for 3 quarters before coming up short in the 4th. but all was not lost, we turned around and won the next game against a higher seeded team.
i'll stop boring you w/ details, that you can't really picture, and just give you a summary; last season we were never close enough in a game to even have a chance of winning but this season we played close games w/ teams #2 through #5 in our league, while winning 4 games. we showed that we're a force to be reckoned w/ in the future! (we did it all w/ a freshman and four sophomores as 5 of our top 6 players)
i am so insanely proud of my girls! they worked so hard this year and really came together. like i told them, i've never seen a team improve so much so fast. i think they really had a blast this year and they seemed to enjoy the party too.
here's a shortened version of the video i made for them.
not as good as the version they watched but you get the idea
also, when i shortened it and compressed it, some of the transitions became glitchy
sorry
(for those non-tech savvy readers, just click the little sideways triangle in the middle of the box)
i really can't say enough about how great the girls did this season; they improved beyond my expectations, and their own i think. the beginning of the season was a little rough but toward the end we were hanging w/ teams that had beaten us by 25 or more earlier in the year. at one point, we even beat a team that had beaten us by 28 this season.
man that game was amazing; we were down seven w/ 3 minutes left; which in our league is about the same as a 20pt lead, basically the game seemed over. but the girls dug in on defense and brought it to a 3pt game w/ 17 seconds left. off an inbounds play, our point-guard hit an amazing three from the wing to send it to overtime. then we finished them off w/ a freethrow at the end of OT. kind of a storybook game for our team. it's weird, when i was on varsity in high school, our team went all the way to the state championship game, in Florida no less. we won a lot of amazing games along the way to get there, but somehow this was the most exciting basketball moment i've ever had! proudest moment too. i can't explain it; it was a magical moment... (and yes, i know that i sound like an uber-nerd but i'm just being honest)
then came the tournament; my girls fought hard and hung w/ the #2 team in the league for 3 quarters before coming up short in the 4th. but all was not lost, we turned around and won the next game against a higher seeded team.
i'll stop boring you w/ details, that you can't really picture, and just give you a summary; last season we were never close enough in a game to even have a chance of winning but this season we played close games w/ teams #2 through #5 in our league, while winning 4 games. we showed that we're a force to be reckoned w/ in the future! (we did it all w/ a freshman and four sophomores as 5 of our top 6 players)
i am so insanely proud of my girls! they worked so hard this year and really came together. like i told them, i've never seen a team improve so much so fast. i think they really had a blast this year and they seemed to enjoy the party too.
here's a shortened version of the video i made for them.
not as good as the version they watched but you get the idea
also, when i shortened it and compressed it, some of the transitions became glitchy
sorry
(for those non-tech savvy readers, just click the little sideways triangle in the middle of the box)
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