The Mr S Show

Another blow-out victory for TT as we rolled the baseball players 110 - 82. Game was tight for around 18 minutes as Mark Tasic worked us inside and from mid-range. Then Sturge figured it was time to get paid, transformed into the Incredible Hulk, and went off for a monstrous 40-20-6. That must be a TT record. Game snapshots:

- Mr S stepping through two defenders and finishing strong at the hoop between 480lbs of bulk. Then doing it 10 minutes later going to his LEFT. To Royals credit, they did not resort to hack-a-Sturge tactics.

- Mr S holding his position as Tasic dropped his shoulder baseline (that would be a foul in CIS West), waiting waiting waiting and then sending his jumper. Wow. Then sending three more Tasic shots into the stratosphere. Quadruple wow.

- With Mr S putting on a show, it would have been easy to overlook JR's efficient work on the offensive glass. Timing and touch are coming back.

- John Anderson career shooting average is .460 but that goes up to .600 on Sundays when his blood alcohol level is .07 at tip-off. John shot .750 yesterday. Guess what he was doing the night before.

I leave you with highlights from Douglas College. Note James Anderson's Road Warrior 'do.

I love this game.

How the Mighty Fall

That was another nasty 48-point smack down we put on Blaze and that should do it for their Div 1 aspirations. I won't be shedding any tears for the former four-time KBL champs, considering all the beatings we took from them back when James Anderson was still in high school and begging John to buy him a 2-4 on Friday night. Observations from Sunday:

- I like the way our big men played facing the hoop. No chunky, big-butted, sticky-fingered, 10-seconds-in-the-key, post-up, pound-the-ball lane cloggers hoarding real estate in the half court. Those of you who have played in other leagues, you know the type. Sturge, watch your diet in the UK.

- I was Coach's Decision DNP. Official line is back spasms from hauling computer servers the night before. Unofficially, I think I tweaked it bombing around on a tricycle during Vera's play gym session two hours before the game.

- Lots of space at Sunset for us to get out and run. Great when we have full roster, not so great for those January games when we are missing Sturge (UK), Steve (Germany), and JR (Whistler).

- 6 points, 8 steals (!). Nice to see JR back from scope. Caught that big grin on his face after hitting a fadeaway jumper from right block. Didn't know you had that in your repertoire, but ACL/MCL has a way of making you a much more cerebral player. Can't wait to see the up and under.

- With two Euro pros on the TT roster, a deep bench, and a healthy sense of self, does that make me the new HK? If I start to give stream-of-consciousness commentary while bringing up the ball, talk about myself in the third person, or hang around perma-tanned guys who wear sunglasses on the bench, call Riverview immediately and save my child.

I leave you with this video of IMG Academy in Florida, Train Like a Pro. Fascinating stuff.

Over and out.

The Court That Howard (and Ron) Built

10,000 Hours

Hi Everyone,

My name is Vera Maria Clogg-Wong, and my daddy invited me to write this week's blog entry. Sunday was my first time ever walking on a basketball court, and it was great.

Apologies to Mr. Steve to whom I gave the cold shoulder. White guys with facial hair look scary to me but don't feel bad. I did the same thing to my grandfather last week when he visited for my birthday.

Mr. Andrew didn't get the same treatment because me and him go way back. He came to my house, ate a large amount of red meat, drank many cans of brown liquid, and made funny faces at me before I went to bed. Maybe my spatial recognition is better, but Mr. A, you look a lot bigger compared to the last time I saw you. Your calf appears to be the same width as my head.

Speaking of size, I weigh 21.5 lbs and stand 2'6" with no shoes. I am a bit pigeon-toed right now, but Auntie Amanda assures me that it will correct itself as my muscles and tendons strengthen. I get daily leg massages from my dad (he thinks it stimulates ligament growth), and I would appreciate any tips on how to avoid ACL problems later in life.

I was amazed by the blur of colour and energy as you adults ran up and down the floor. Once in a while I saw the orange round thing appear at my eye level, and then it would disappear for long periods of time somewhere up in the sky. My daddy tells me that it takes 10,000 hours of practice to get a three-point stroke like Uncle John, a pull-up like Auntie Carrie, and intestinal fortitude like Mr. Dunner. That seems like a lot, given that I have only been in this world for9,120 hours total.

By the way, the final numbers on the scoreboard were 117 and 78. I assume we won because my daddy was extra happy the rest of the day as we walked in the sunshine at Kits beach.

See you all soon,
VMCW

Small is Beautiful

With Sturge missing for a second week in a row, TT had another small-ball classic with Dunner guarding a center, Steve and Braveheart mucking at the 4, and me getting up-close-and-personal with a whole lot of guys with minimum 20% more poundage (if not cleavage). Thanks to the Firm for bailing me out with judicious weak-side help.

When all was said and done (and trust me, a lot was said), TT put a scorching 16-6 run on Shake and Bake with 9.30 left to play and walked away from Kits with a 97-77 victory. Extra crispy, just the way we like it. Notes:

Amanda leaving brunch at Tornado, limping onto the court, and gamely going 3-3 from three point land on one leg until Carrie arrived.

Super Steve manning up on Big Baby and taking him out of the game. Quick hands, exquisite footwork, and all those sneaky veteran tricks on defence that they don't teach you at summer camp. KBL Hoops Heaven: No Canada West refs and you can't foul out.

John barreling down the left lane, tossing a one-hander off the dribble, and watching Steve one-time off glass. It looked awesome from the sidelines and I shudder to think what Sturge would have done.

Dunner killing a three ball just as they threatened to come back with six minutes left.

I ran the perfect screen-roll with Carrie, timing it just right, getting the ball in rhythm and dreaming about how I was going to finish it. And then getting it spanked so hard against the wall that I thought a bomb had gone off. Karma got me for boasting last week about getting Graeme.

Over and out for this week.
V

TT and Obama

TT overcame a shaky first quarter to light up Hoop Dreams 107 - 89. We had a bunch of new faces, so I dedicate this blog entry to Change We Can Believe In, a nod to Obama who will be the first baller ever to move into the White House come November.

• Change is Good: Sweet shooting Jessie Evans in her TT debut is averaging 40% more touches and shots compared to her career average with Lummerland. What took you so long to join us?

• Change is Sick: We welcome TWU alumnus Steve Janzen who will be with us through to December before joining his pro team in Germany. Steve clung to Graeme McCallum like a nasty virus, and dropped five triples in a row during the last 15 mins to take control of the game for TT. Nastiest move was the right-to-left crossover fading left three that left Graeme shaking his head.

• Change is Hard: Iron Mike from Hoop Dreams let me know before the game that he had joined the Steve Nash sports club downtown and was down to a dainty 250. Yes, he abused us for 40 minutes with a variety of up-and-unders, drop steps, and mid-range jumpers but his legs turned to lead during the home stretch. More cardio, bro.

• Change Comes from Within: Though I had a nifty double-clutch layup in garbage time and a clean swat of Mr. McCallum in the lane, my legs were Lummer-esque all game. Will go stroller running and dead lift Vera three times this week.

• Change is Constant: New faces, same result. Good ball movement, fast hands on D, no post-up presence whatsoever, dominant women, and a whole lot of threes. The more things change...