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...