a tale of two hoops

it was the best of times, it was the worst of times. it's been a dickens of a year with all the games we've played, the people who have come and gone and come back again, the take down and set up, the rules of the game we still debate, trips to the waffle house, and the new shoes. (it's amazing what some people will do to win this game.) does anyone remember when the gym was built? has it been over 10 years yet since we've been doing this dance?

we are playing tomorrow morning. it's the last morning for hoops for 2010.

all week long

we are planning on playing all week long. i'll be there in the morning to open things up. only two more times this year to play.

after-christmas party

i hope you had a good christmas with your family and some fun time in the snow. now it's time to have some fun time in the gym. neal and i checked the floor today and found it clear...for us! it's the same schedule as always for some hoops action. strap on your new sneaks and come rejoin the ranks of basketball players.

tomorrow.

no hoops on friday

after consultation this morning about how we'd handle friday's hoops, we decided to just sleep in and pick things back up on monday. if you weren't there, only half the gym will be available to play.

have a merry christmas! see you all on monday.

winter

it's officially winter. that calls for a game of basketball to celebrate, yeah?

i'll see you in the morning to play. we'll discuss friday tomorrow too.

tis the season

if you haven't gotten your christmas shopping done, you still have time. but don't let the shopping impede your basketball schedule. in fact, it might help. after you play a few games, you can swing by the waffle house for some exciting gift cards to give out to family. you'll be a christmas hero.

christmas eve is friday. who is planning on playing friday?

see you in the morning.

early start

despite how bad things got last night, we are playing tomorrow morning. if you need to set the alarm a few minutes early to make sure you can navigate the roads, go for it. otherwise, dart on over to the gym and be ready to play hard. you've already missed one day this week. can you really afford to miss two?

you know you can't.

ready to get back

well, i enjoy a good snow, but i'm ready to get back into the gym tomorrow morning to play some hoops. despite what the weather icons display, we should be able to truck on over and get our games in. don't be afraid. come and play some basketball.

how i see it...

so, the way i see it play out is like this: i can make the trip from my house to the church in a couple of minutes, maybe a little bit more with the slick roads. i get to the gym, open it up, and get the place ready for some serious play time. but then oh-six-hundred rolls around and no one has shown up. i check out the front door to see if there are any parked cars waiting for more to show before they come in only to find the parking lot empty. i shoot around till oh-six-fifteen, lock the cage back up, drive back to my house where i take a hot shower, scramble up some breakfast, and work from home.

OR i could just say let's not chance anything tomorrow, and we'll try this again on wednesday, and i could sleep in with the rest of you blokes. yeah, that sounds like the best plan here. turn off the alarms for tomorrow morning. we'll call this one a snow day for hoops.

see you all on wednesday!

finally, a friday

for the last two fridays, we've not played. but the cycle is broken tomorrow morning. tomorrow, we play basketball again like we used...just three weeks ago.

just because we had fifteen show up on wednesday doesn't mean we'll have more than usual on friday. sometimes people think this and not enough show up next play day. so, keep your original plans to show up in the morning. i have a feeling we'll probably break even.

also keep in mind there might be some bad weather moving in this weekend. if things end up as bad as the models indicate, monday morning hoops might be iffy. more incentive to show up tomorrow.

until then!

tables, erik, & possession with intent

how about those games on monday, huh? i don't know about the rest of you, but i was feeling those missed friday hoops. all those tables and chairs too. i don't think we'll have to mess with those for a while.

were there only two games played? evenly matched teams, huh? and then bill was almost faced charges of possession with intent to pass. no worries. but he was cleared, and his record wiped.

oh, and erik came back. how about that?

i'll see you all for fun and games tomorrow morning!

shiny

we have newly finished floor to play on tomorrow morning. it's very shiny. come back to hoops and bring your shades (the court is so bright, you gotta wear them).

see you then.

waffle house friday

i can't believe it's already thursday. but what is even harder to believe is quantum theory...and that we are NOT playing hoops tomorrow. we're getting a shinier gym floor as you read this. it'll be so bright, you'll have to wear shades.

instead of playing hoops, you can head on over to the waffle house for an early morning scattered-smothered-and-covered breakfast experience. they might even have it decorated for christmas. waffles AND festivus!

me? no, i'll not be eating waffles. i'll be leaving my alarm set at the usual hoops wake up time and heading to the stationary bike in my company's fitness room. i gotta stay tuned for the return to the court on monday morning. no slackin' or relaxin', but i'll be maxin', bringing back the force for you who are nappin'.

last chance this week

it's that time of year again, people. no, i'm not talking about christmas shopping. i'm talking about a newly finished floor. that's happening on thursday, friday, and satruday. so, tomorrow is our last time this week to play. if you come tomorrow, make sure you pay close attention to the floor so that you can compare the finished product (heh) on monday when we play again.

also, just a side note that if you have a gmail account, you can layer the hoops schedule (found on the right sidebar of the website) on top of your google calendar.

www.westparkhoops.com

vacation is over

even though you probably packed leftover turkey in your batman lunchbox, you have a good chance to work off what you've already packed in your gut. are you ready? reset your alarms for tomorrow.

here we go.

not enough

i only had four commitments for tomorrow counted. i guess we'll try again on monday morning to work off the weekend's endeavors.

unset your alarms and enjoy the early morning shopping spree.

count for friday

i want to confirm commitments for friday. let me know for sure if you will be there on black friday. sing out.

happy thanksgiving

before the time for loading up on turkey day festivities, work off that gut so you can put it back on again the next day. we'll be playing some pre-thanksgiving day games tomorrow to help maintain your mid-life figures. this will help you feel much better about seconds on thursday.

> http://cheezburger.com/View/4193088768

back in the gym

we will resume our previously scheduled programming with hoops tomorrow morning at the usual time. i hope you had a fine friday off. and if you showed up on friday, don't forget to check your inbox or www.westparkhoops.com for updates.

i'll check tomorrow and wednesday everyone to see if we'll have enough committed participation for a friday play.

no hoops on friday

got a note from pete yesterday afternoon letting me know the gym will be set up for a woman's event this weekend and won't be available on friday morning. so, feel free to take this time to hit the waffle house in honor of pirate dave's birthday (today). happy day of your birth, pirate dave. we'll meet back on monday.

which reminds me. who is planning on being here this week? will we have enough on wednesday AND friday? sound off.

ps: how was yesterday? have enough?

so intense!

today's games were intense games. close scores, fast reflexes, pushing limits, the laughing, the crying...all the things that make you want to take a nap as soon as the final game ends. it was epic, the stuff tales made up, tales that are told around campfires while cooking hunted beasts.

and we're doing it all again on wednesday morning. set your alarms for early and your expectations for epic-ness.

short reminder

i am late getting this out so i'll be brief. we're on tomorrow morning. see ya.

hoops haikus

the gym may be cold, but it warms up very fast... or is it just us?

we've had some good games well-matched teams of ten or more some of them fast paced.

average is three games. we've been playing four or five even on wednesdays.

don't know about you, but i feel it afterwards. my knees end up sore.

keeping the numbers

it's been a good run with the numbers matching up lately. thanks for that. i know the cold weather has been tough on you guys.

and it was good to have erik out. he said he'll be back on wednesday.

i'll see you in the morning. don't forget to make sure your clocks are turned back...wait, was that last night?

warm gym

don't worry, guys. i'll get there early and warm the gym up for you. i know that's something that keeps you from coming to play on fridays, so no worries. i got this.

vote today, hoops tomorrow

it's election day. you know what to do if you haven't already done so. but keep in mind that after you cast your vote in the polls, follow up your decision with a morning of hoops tomorrow. nothing says "i'm proud to be an american" like voting and basketball.

it was great to see mitch back on the court...for a day. heal up soon and come back when you can! we'll see about moving that stuff away from the goal for next time.

turkey month

it's good to be able to kick off turkey month 2010 with some early morning basketball. turkey day will be upon us soon. and with all the christmas shopping and plans for visiting family, you'll need to be smart about planning to keep your youthful figures and play as much sports as you possibly can. basketball = sports. therefore, come play basketball tomorrow morning to stay ahead of all the food you'll eat this month...and next.

you know the drill.

mittens and trent

colder weather is coming on friday. and many this week slept in because the rain lulled them into a false sense of security...or something. so, don't be surprised by the cooler weather tomorrow. plan for it. wake up, put on your mittens, and take your place around the center circle. i guarantee you that if you are cold when you walk in, you'll be sufficiently warm when you walk out.

oh, and trent returned on wednesday. for those of you who were missing trent, you can catch him friday morning, braving the elements to play some hoops.

now, we just have to get dennis and blake to come back soon!

too much rain?

was it the rain? too much of it? were you scared of the lightening? *facepalm*

we needed just one more on monday to play the full court. tomorrow has no storms predicted, so you should be safe to come out.

we'll see you!

> http://cheezburger.com/View/4081778176

five games

we played five games on friday. the first three were quite the challenge. i'm not sure what to say about the last two. plenty of exercise was dispensed to all involved.

if you liked that set up, play tomorrow. we'll see how many games we can squeeze in then.

big numbers

thanks to all the guys who showed up wednesday to make up for last wednesday. don't think we won't be saddened by low numbers tomorrow. we like 10 and 12 even compared to 7.

ok, thanks. see you all in the morning.

thanks for the other 3 or 4

on behalf of the six and seven of us who showed up last wednesday and friday, respectively, thanks to the other 3 or 4 who came monday and let us play full court. we liked it lots. we hope to have enough to play the full court tomorrow. we'll like that lots too.

here's hoping!

> http://cheezburger.com/View/4081723392

where is everybody?

we only had 6 on wednesday. where did everybody go? come back! we didn't mean what we said.

sleep first, basketball after

i'm getting ready to go to bed right now, but when i stop sleeping (because my alarm will go off) i'll get up and play some basketball.

that's my plan. i love it when a plan comes together.

feels like summer

you'd not think we were all winter by the temps the last few days. and what does warm weather make you want to do? exactly! get up before the sun rises and play some basketball. i know that's what i'm looking forward in the morning. so, i guess i'll see you there then.

ready? break!

we are playing tomorrow morning. we had a two don morning on wednesday: don lewis and donnie dance party. and despite the name, there was no dancing.

by the way, anyone seen trent lately?

> http://cheezburger.com/View/4041060096

neal is back

if you haven't been to hoops in a while, you should know neal is back. his leg is doing well, but it's been a while so he's building it back up.

come help him build it back up to full potential. tomorrow would be a good time.

he says "hi."

gym is not available today

i didn't get any notice of the gym being set for the health fair, but tables and equipment are placed all over the gym. if you are not yet headed over, just stay in bed.

sorry. i would have sent this out earlier this week if i had known.

last second send

sorry i'm late. yes, there's hoops. see you then.

charges

someone asked why we don't call charges. maybe this is it: http://cheezburger.com/View/4012231168

come and play tomorrow morning. we won't charge for playing.

last week in september

we are already there. it's officially fall. cooler temps are on the way. and we'll play out the month as planned. it's a good plan.

intense

the past couple of days this week has been high intensity basketball. much running, many risks,...very aerobic.

to hold to the pattern, make sure you down your red bulls before you walk into the gym tomorrow. i know i will.

later!

head slaps

every so often, someone gets a head slap. the attempt is a block, but the result is a high five to the noggin. the attached picture sums that up.

come play tomorrow! we'll try to keep the slapping to a minimum.

http://cheezburger.com/View/3971548672

special treatment

sometimes it takes a little more to get the game right. an extra boost to make that long shot, a little more on that fast break, or small peck on the ball for luck. whatever you do to play a little extra, pack it in your gym bag and bring it tomorrow.

> http://cheezburger.com/View/3983781376

how do you play defense?

now that i've learned i can use my arms (not my hands...unless i don't get caught), i feel like a new man. i feel empowered. they say knowledge is power...or powder...hmm, powdered donuts. anyways, come play your best defense tomorrow. i'm ready for you all.

oh, one more question which posed in the included picture (found here: http://cheezburger.com/View/3971555840).

oops, almost forgot

gym open. nothing new. come ready. drink red bull.

who had waffles?

anyone have waffles this weekend? i had waffles. one waffle. i had waffle this weekend.

if everyone gets there before 6:00a, we can start at 6:00a and be done in time for waffles after. at the waffle house. one waffle. one waffle house.

short week, more hoops

despite being a holiday, the hoops on monday almost made up for an extra day. think about it: we played twice as much round ball on monday as we do on a monday AND a wednesday. but don't think for a minute it is okay to skip tomorrow. get your bonus exercising in tomorrow! play that fourth hour.

then go to waffle house to celebrate.

long monday, normal wednesday

we had a nice two hour monday morning of hoops. i don't want to speak for the other guys, but i was pretty worn out after. i was also stiff. tomorrow will be just one hour of play like our bodies are really used to. that and 15 point games.

i'll see you dudes in the morning.

labor day play

we will be playing at the same time tomorrow. set your alarms on the holiday.

don't fret. you always have waffle house after.

a new day has donned

that day would be wednesday when we had four dons converge on our morning of hoops. it was a sight unexpected and unparalleled in the history of our time on the court. and we had fifteen playahs. impressive for a midweek meet. but this begs the question: we will see four dons on one morning again? is this truly a moment that will become lore around the center circle? "remember the time when all four dons were here...." and it happened on the first of september. what does this mean?

and while we are asking the important questions, i have to also ask: who is planning to play on monday (labor day)? give a me a reply via email, either yea or nay. i need to know if it's worth me setting an alarm on a holiday.

see you all tomorrow morning, dons or not.

thanks

a special thanks to all ten who showed up on monday to play. it was good to have the full compliment of teams to run the court.

we'll be doing the same thing tomorrow. and we'll need ten again. if you need a wake up call, let me know. i'll be glad to ring your house at 5:30a when i get up. but i'm not swinging by to pick you up.

speaking of picking...

> http://upnextinsports.com/2010/08/30/funny-sports-pictures-nba-draft-pick/

friday numbers on monday

we got our twelve on friday.  that beats the seven we had monday and wednesday last week.  can we get at least eight tomorrow?  i know school schedules are pulling a few out of the loop on certain days.  surely, we can get eight.

right?

expendable?

despite what you might possibly imagine, playing full court as one of the magnificent seven isn't quite as fun as...what was that again, dave? the exciting eight? as those who have played as part of the magnificent seven for the past few times, no one is a member of the expendables. we welcome you back. not exactly as shown in the attached picture, but we be happy...from a safe distance.

> http://upnextinsports.com/2010/08/25/funny-sports-pictures-bromance/

better email updates

since i've been out for a week of playing, it's been a little harder to draft the email notices for upcoming game mornings. i am coming back tomorrow morning and looking forward to it. somehow, riding an stationary exercise cycle isn't the same as play full court basketball. i'm sure that you all will agree.

did you have enough players on monday? how many are coming tomorrow? i'll see you guys then.

ps: i do have a note from the doctor.

time cards

word was there only seven on friday. i thought fridays were usually larger crowd days. don't worry. you can make up your time tomorrow morning. make sure to get your time card signed by an authorized manager.

don't be late!

more basketball haikus

wake up tomorrow and leave your house quietly to come play some hoops.

reset your alarm so you can come earlier to practice your shots.

loosened arms and legs, a mind focused on the game... and red bull won't hurt.

your kung fu is strong

has this tactic been used in any of our games? didn't i hear visa (aka trent) refer to this last week?

however you play defense...or offense, come break out your skillz on the court of testing. maybe you could be the best around.

> http://upnextinsports.com/2010/08/17/funny-sports-pictures-basket-fu/

back to skool

skool is already in full swing. and if you come to the court tomorrow, you might find a few pop quizzes waiting for you. study up all you want tonight, brochachos. class is in session.

free air conditioning

it might be muggy outside, but we have free air conditioning inside the gym. all you have to do is come and play. the sooner you get there, the better you'll feel.

chill out tomorrow morning.

hiding the bodies

i don't know where some of the bodies from last week were hiding on monday,
but we did have enough to play. it was enough. i just hope we have enough
for tomorrow.

wake your body up.

orange juice

pour yourself a tall chilled glass of extra pulp and come over to the gym.  if you get there early, you can warm up.

see you.

pumping gas

whatever

lighter load

monday was the lighter load after a few weeks of subs. that's ok, though. we had some memorable moments. i felt my work out was well defined too.

taking the count tomorrow. hope to have around the ten mark.

oh, and if you suspect pirate dave might be playing, you might head on over to woot.com to pick up some gear, especially if you are planning on guarding him at any time.

> http://www.woot.com/default.aspx

3 hoop circus

some people pay good money to see clowns bumble around, but all who came wednesday for hoops saw it for free. the whole day made the blooper reel. it really was a shame no one caught it all on video. there were many lolz.

can't wait to see what happens tomorrow.

three sermons and a wedding

bill missed monday's hoops cuz he was about preaching three sermons and then a wedding that afternoon. quite the load, eh? yeah, i guess so. i mean, i've never had to do that, but then again, if it were me, i would have gone home and hit the bed early and woken up to two red bulls and shined on the court. although, thinking back on the rehearsal, he was probably already rather tired then. that would definitely make for a long weekend, right, eloise?

we're on tomorrow morning like usual.

soap

don't forget to show up for basketball tomorrow morning. we play in the mornings, remember? we'll use all of the court tomorrow. well, some of us will.

see ya!

it would be better

tomorrow would go better if we all just drank some red bull before we came out to play. what? i'm just saying.

the smell of basketball in the air...

there's nothing like waking up to that. of course, if your wif had all those glade plug in air fresheners in your house, it might smell like roses and basketball. but step outside that house and into your car with your gym shoes and then you'll get a strong whiff of sports, of action, of basketball! follow that scent to the gym, into the gym, and onto the court. we'll be waiting there for you.

oh, and if your shoes also smell like roses, we have a mesh jersey worn by pirate dave so you don't feel left out of the whole "smells like basketball" experience.

missing pieces

tomorrow morning, we'll be picking up the missing pieces left over from monday's games. and by missing pieces, i mean people who didn't show to play the wonderful sport. it seemed on monday morning that many had stayed up late the night before watching fireworks...or were unable to sleep because of them. either way, we were draggin' (like smaug).

everyone gets a chance to make it up tomorrow. you know what to do.

the holiday edition

i will be there in the morning at the usual time to open the gym for some basketball. those who wish to play, those who will stand up for the cause, those who wish to keep the discipline, join me.

afterwards, we'll go to waffle house for some...well, waffles.

friday of july

here we go, starting on the first day of hoops in july. it's a long weekend with cookouts so plan to give it your all to get your gut ready.

speaking of festivities, i assume everyone will be playing on monday? if you don't plan to make it, say so by sunday noon so i can let the rest know if getting up is going to be worth it.

you guessed it

yes, we are playing. sorry for the late confirmation, but i figure you probably knew we were when you didn't hear anything to the contrary. it's been a long day. i'll see you all in the morning.

ps: i hate microsoft.

planning ahead

as most of you know, a party weekend is in our midst. there will many burgers and chips and much bbq sauce spicing up your lives. in preperation for that event, i would invite you to come play some hoops to make room on your saggy guts for the excess load. then you can feed your facehole with no remorse.

i'll see you soldiers in the morning. 0600.

baloney

basketball is still the best with evenly matched teams. so, to whomever was sleeping in on wednesday morning and totally enjoying it, you be feeling the shame as we could have really used you. four games just wasn't enough for us. we so could have gotten five in and still made it home in time for baloney.

speaking of baloney, you should really see what don and drew lewis do with their spare time. > http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=514617921548

the worst is over

i would imagine the worst of being out of basketball for a week was over after we left on monday (with the exception of trent--get well, buddy!). and with the worst behind us, coming back on wednesday for more excitements is something you should be anticipating. my alarm is set. i'll be there at the same time with the gym open to warm up.

we play at six. see you then.

return of the exiles

hope your bodies didn't turn to jello during the week off. nevertheless, bring your bodies, sorry or fit, back onto the court for fun...or rehabilitation.

yes, we'll play full court.

a week off

i checked in with pete this morning about basketball next week (june 14 - june 18), and the word is no gym for us. so, take this time to reflect on your careers and your plays. review the footage the last several games and assess your future strategy. or just sleep in.

we'll kick this back up on monday, june 21. rest up!

draft

greetings, starfighter!

you have been chosen by star league to help defend the frontier against xur and the ko-dan armada.

ok, maybe nothing that grandiose, but we do need guys to make up the ten count tomorrow. wednesday was a real struggle playing with the count we had. of course, harrison thought it was the best thing in the world. so, man up and get up tomorrow morning.

ps: for those of you who didn't get the reference, here you go:

home court advantage

it's such a great thing to have a whole basketball court available for free games of hoops. it's not even like a bowling alley where you have to rent shoes and equipment. just have to show up and play.

with that pointed out, show up tomorrow morning to take advantage of our home court.

rise & shine

grab a jimmy dean sausage biscuit from your microwave and some orange juice from your fridge. there's plenty of free parking out front.

blame

i was walking down the stairs to go home yesterday afternoon, and my knees were hurting. (ok, my thighs, actually.) i thought to myself, "why do they continue to hurt?" then i realized it was because of the basketball i had played that morning. i came to the conclusion that i'm just going to blame all of you who were there who made me run and stuff, especially the other team. i hurt because of you guys. and it just makes sense to blame all of you for this.

i could blame old age, but that's way to abstract and intangible. i prefer faces i can look at and scowl at tomorrow morning. i might even give you an askance glance. be ready for it. tomorrow morning at 5:55a. i'm gonna bring the blame!

all the fun, none of the rest

come play like you did on monday. just make sure you don't hurt yourself or have enough coffee or red bull to keep you going for the rest of the day. i don't know about you guys, but all my muscles hurt the rest of the day. but i've been making sure i have the K-levels to handle the strenuous games tomorrow.

i'll see you all tomorrow.

memorial day play

had a few people ask/confirm that we are playing tomorrow which we are indeed doing. same time, same place. set your alarms. or don't unset them. whatever gets you there on time.

dropping eaves

[image: 129169605763307050.jpg]

http://upnextinsports.com/2010/05/12/funny-sports-pictures-eavesdropping/

so, we play tomorrow. are we playing on monday? will there be enough? what's the commitment level? i've heard from only three on this. who's coming?

the end is near

end of the month, that is. in less than a week, we'll be starting up june. month six of this two-thousand ten. can you grasp it? i guess we must be having a bunch of fun in the mornings since time is flying.

oh, and i should ask: are we planning to be there next monday morning for basketball? go ahead and commit now so i know if i should just sleep in or set an alarm.

you're the best around

"you're the best around, nothing's ever gonna keep you down..."

cary was singing this on wednesday.  not sure what brought it to his mind.

> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Qae_TUTeGo

see you all tomorrow!

don't be afraid...

...to set an alarm so that you come play basketball tomorrow morning.  it's alright.  setting an alarm doesn't make you any less of a man.  in fact, if you don't show up tomorrow, you might be less of a man.  we'll make fun of you and call you "sissy" and stuff.  then we'll play some basketball and have some fun.  your choice.  choose wisely.

mops

hopefully, we won't have another swamp on the far end of the gym.  i don't think we that much rain this time.  bring your mops just in case, though.

see you all tomorrow.

bio hazard

with the trashing of the violating shirt, will pirate dave wear white tomorrow?  mesh?  terrycloth?  will we all need towels?  will we really all be safe?

come at your own risk.

+2

i'm just hoping we get just two more than we had on monday.  cuz then we'd have eight.

please come.

ok, later.

your momma

i hope you remembered to call your mommas on momma's day.  did you tell her you'd be playing basketball tomorrow morning?  what?  why not?  you don't share all the important stuff with her?  what kind of sons are you guys?

come anyway.  (lame)

late confirmation

sorry for the late email.  yes, we are playing.  see you all then.

floodz

i am hoping that tomorrow's hoops will be back to normal.  i would think that maintenance would have eliminated the swamp on the far end of the gym.  i hope.

so, grab your towels and plan to play normal hoops in the morn.  even if we don't need the towels for the gym floor, we can still use them if we play defense on pirate dave.  he's sloshy.

btw, pirate dave, i saw this picture and thought of you:  http://failblog.org/2010/05/03/epic-fail-photos-child-safety-fail-4-2/

rainy days, mondays

rainy days + mondays = a downer

that was karen's equation, but don't let it be yours.  i propose this one:

rainy days + mondays = basketball

now, isn't that better?  cool.  see you tomorrow.

four thirty

it's the end of another month, and what do we have to show for it?  sleepless mornings?  draggy days?  injuries?  don't be so negative!

how about solid-state bodies?  enhanced speed?  cool new moves?  new pals?  improved shooting and passing skillz?  (your wives love you more 'cause girls like guys with skillz.)  if you think any of this is bogus, ask trent "visa" how much weight he lost.  or ask jeff or bill to retell their doctor story.  or ask dennis "d-assassin" what he's missing.

come back tomorrow!

bacon

ok, now that i have your attention, we are playing basketball.  there won't be any bacon...unless we head over to waffle house after hoops and throw down the delicious pig meat!  wonderful, incredible bacon...mmm...i might have to find some bacon when i get home tonight for dinner.  bacon powers your game and helps relax you after you've played hard.  it really is almost miracle meat.  *drool*

so, morning?

mad world

the wednesday games were quite the battles, eh?  crazy plays, a lot of running, some colliding, shooting, missing, hitting, more missing...all followed by sucking some oxygen when it was done.  it's a mad world sometimes.  jeff said to bogie yesterday at choir practice, "can't believe the little guys won."  the little guys.  i'd like to thank all the little people....

wanna know how tomorrow is going to play out?  come out to play and see for yourself.

oh, jeff, this is for you:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OlGIVt8BqUo

come a little early

hey, guys.  there are a few items we need to move off the court in the morning and then move back after games.  not much, but more bodies moves it faster.  so, plan on a little bit earlier than 6:01a tomorrow.  please.

kthxbai!

i smell terrorism

we'll be playing tomorrow.  but, please, no more odoriferous suicide bombers.  whoever terrorized everyone on wednesday with detonations, albeit very thorough, brought tears to everyone's eyes.  we needed a totally new air supply.

and speaking of air supply, here you go:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JWdZEumNRmI

come clean tomorrow!

where's pirate dave?

has anyone seen pirate dave lately?  is he out pillaging ships for bounty?

if you see him, let him know we'll be playing some round ball tomorrow morning.  also, remind yourselves too.

since we're up...

...at 5:47a, why don't we play some basketball?  yeah?  good?  ok.  let's go.

can't think of a good topic

i really can't think of a good topic for this email/post.  i guess it's best just to say that we are playing...in the gym...same as always...with the orange favorite game ball...on (mostly) evenly matched teams...FOR THE CHAMPIONSHIP OF THE FREE WORLD!  or just for fun.  probably just fun.

ok, see you guys later.  tomorrow.  morning.

the butler didn't do it

normally, the butler gets the bad rap for the crime, but not in last night's case.  honestly, i was hoping they would win.  i actually didn't stay up for the game.  i just heard about the score.

but the real crime would be not to show up tomorrow morning for hoops.  and if you don't make it, you can't blame it on the butler.  see you all then!

chocolate bunny rehab

if you've eaten the bunny, if you couldn't resist...or stop, tomorrow is your recovery chance.  you know who you are.  it's also a good chance for jeff scott to make up for not coming last friday.

rise and shine!

good friday playing

in case you were wondering, yes.  we are playing on good friday.  it is a good friday to play.  sorry this notice is late, but my day was a little crazy.  hope you all can make it.

and by the way, mitch, congrats!  sorry this is late too.

be a player

tell me:  when you are watching college basketball, do you ever wish you were actually playing?  sometimes, do you wish you could just get on the court and do better?  don't just wish it.  come tomorrow morning and live that life.  don't just be satisfied with watching.  be a player.

remember:  don't hate player, hate the game...or love the game and hate player--no, love the game and be the player.

galoshes

grab your galoshes and get your game on.  don't have soggy feet or let the weather dampen your plans to play.  hope your weekend gave you enough rest.

one of those days

have you had one of those days?  i have.  i was glad to leave the office and come home.  what i am looking forward to is tomorrow morning.  a good game of hoops helps take my mind off the office.

who's with me?

don't stay up late

you don't want to stay up late tonight since tomorrow is a basketball morning.  you want to get into bed earlier than the past few nights so that you can get to the gym early to warm up and stretch out.  you want to have enough energy to play four games strong.

it's really what you want to do.

spring training

it's time to being our spring training to be all fit for summer so that you'll be ready to handle all the yard work you're gonna be doing on weekends.  now isn't the time for slacking off but stepping up.  big things are coming soon.  best to be in shape for them.

here's a little something to get you in the mood:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bu00RiPjaa4

see you all in the morning.

last hoops before spring this year

that's right.  by the time we play some hoops again, it will be officially spring.  birds will be chirping, flowers blooming, and allergies flaring.  whatever you do, plan ahead and find some allergy medicine that won't cause you to sleep through your alarms over the next few months.  we'll need all the players we can gather.

and while you're out shopping, get some gopher wood...for your boat...in case we end up with many spring rains.

see you tomorrow!

alarms reset now

thanks to stupid features on my alarms, i missed the first game of hoops on monday...as well as opening the gym, stretching out, warming up.  big time clock fail.  but all that has been resolved.  i've got the proper times programmed in.  i'll probably even double check them tonight to make sure i'll be getting up at the right time tomorrow.

but it was good to know that if anything comes up last minute for me, the gym was in good hands and opened just the same.  (thanks for not using bolt cutters to get to the basketballs.)

i'll see you all bright and early tomorrow!

can i get a player?

after a post on brotherhood and comradery, everyone pretty much stayed away.  so, i don't know what to say to motivate a crew for tomorrow.  on behalf of the five who showed on friday, we hope another five will appear on monday.

continuing the madness

march is a time for madness.  and even though we aren't playing for trophies or money or prestige, we still continue our madness of getting up early and pounding the court all in the name of old age--er, exercise.  some people consider it madness.  but know better.  our bodies are used to the exercise now.  they, in fact, miss it when skip a day or two.  we spend money to buy shoes and clothes for this exercise.  we risk waking up spouses and kids early.  we occasionally brave the elements of nature to show up.

maybe it is madness.

maybe we are insane.

but it's worth it, right?  it's a brotherhood, a fraternity.  it's a band of men who long for more than a few more minutes of sleep and a day's worth of sluggishness while pumping coffee into our systems to keep us alert all the time wishing for an intangible much more.

who's with me?  can i get a "hoo-rah"?

can't wait (part 2)

man!  miss two days of basketball, and your body treats you like you've missed half a week of exercise.  ok, i'm planning on getting to bed early tonight so that i might be able to keep up with visa (aka "everywhere you want to be" trent).  anyone else feel that missing day like i did?  i missed two, but some of you only missed one.

be there!

can't wait

i am ready to get back to hoops tomorrow morning.  we have the gym back.  i'll see you fellows there for warm up.

no hoops on friday

sorry, guys.  i had thought we had a clear gym all week, but i found out this afternoon that friday is out for us.

i hope two days was enough for all.  rest up and come back monday!  and pass the word along.

don't be fooled

even though you might see snow out there right now, by tomorrow morning it will be just a bunch of rainy streets--or 21 jump street, if you remember the good old days.  unless we have a surprise snowpocalypse (we won't) between now and then, strap on your high tops and hit the court tomorrow morning.

march madnesses

welcome to the third month of 2010.  for everyone out there, it's basketball time this month more than others.  but not for us.  we're troopers year round.  basketball is our lives 365...well more like 156.  when you show up tomorrow, walk onto the court with a smirk at all those out there who think this month is special for reasons we consider common.  yeah, just be that way.

better than wednesday

it was a crazy wednesday.  four facing four, and one of those teams was firing on all cylinders.  i just wish i'd been on that team.  ugh.

ok, i'm going to do my best to play better than yesterday.  who's with me?

pancakes

i hope you enjoyed pancake day today at ihop.  if you didn't get out there yet, there is still time...if you are reading this before 10:00p today.  and it's alright to eat pancakes because you'll get to run them off tomorrow morning!  this is especially true if you are guarding alin or visa.

if you are reading this after tuesday and feel like you missed out on pancakes, don't fret.  you can always find some guy with a blank check around our circle who could be talked into ihop after we get through running the court.  live large, people!

hoops weight loss program

still having trouble keeping up those beginning of the year resolutions to lose holiday weight?  put a few more pounds back on with chocolate candy from your valentine?  want to get your beach body on now that you've tasted warmer weather?

i've got one word for you:  basketball.  if come and play hard, you can lose the thickness now surrounding you.  just like trent visa.  he lost 25 lbs on the west park hoops program.

it's not too late to start!  just come tomorrow and start running!  i'll see you there!

waffles?

we'll be playing some hoops tomorrow morning, just like we did on monday and wednesday this past week.  we'll break up into teams based on shirt colors and then go town with all the hoops-type activities.  after a few games, we'll sit down for a moment or two to let our bodies remind us how old we really are (except for kerry, who is still way young), then we'll take up trent (aka visa) on his blank check opportunity to get some breakfast.  perhaps some waffles?

come and play no matter what!

say "no" to hibernation

it's tempting to hit the snooze button on cold mornings.  it's tempting to snooze when it's the middle of the week too.  but then you'd miss out on all the fun happening in the family life gym at west park tomorrow morning!  that'd be us playing some intense basketball.  it's freestyle, baby!  you can watch the games on tv at night, but you get to play that dream in the mornings.  what a deal!

you know to see me.

play like lincoln

fore score and seven points ago, we gathered on this court for basketball...dedicated to the proposition that all teams were created equal.

i'll see you guys in the morning.  don't forget to gettysburg yourselves to the gym.

for the love of the game

valentine's day is coming soon, and i KNOW all you marrieds have planned way ahead on the flowers and chocolates and jewelry for your honeys.  and unless you are planning that romantic weekend getaway starting early friday morning, you should come play some hoops.  me?  i'll be there because of my love of the game.

get up and play ball

we are playing tomorrow.  set your alarms.  get up.  drive to gym.  play ball.  have fun.

super hoops

now that the superbowl is over, it's time to play some super hoops.  don your underpants outside your spandex and strap on your cape for a clash of titans in an epic battle for court dominance!

free hoops friday

it's time for another free hoops friday.  and who doesn't like free?  in today's economy, free is the smart choice.  no coupons required.  no approval process.  no standing in line.  just show up ready to go.

of course, free is always how we roll, as the other days we play are free.  but this is a marketing gimmick to get people to show up.

show up.  it's free!

six more weeks of hoops

punxsutawney phil saw his shadow which means six more weeks of winter.  famous legend which includes its own film, but a little known fact is that if charles barkley sees his shadow there'll be six more weeks of hoops.  chuck shadowed and hoops continue.

i also ended up recreating the hoops mailing list.  the only person who had problems was bogey, so everyone should get this.  if you have problems replying or using the list, let me know.

clear sailing

roads and parking lots are clear after today.  hoops reconvenes unhindered tomorrow morning at all the normal times and places.  no delays.  come and be there.  playing is hard if everyone is elsewhere.

snowpocalypse

it seems as if the models show that the snowpocalypse won't really begin until noon tomorrow.  odds are we will play as normal.  we shouldn't have any problems.  i'll update things if there are some changed by 9:30p tonight.  but i don't expect any problems.

play like there's a snowpocalypse coming

with the ice and snow in our forecast for friday, wednesday might be the day you want to plan to play.  word on the street is that confidence is high for the wintry stuff.  (we should have a better feel for it after tonight.)  nevertheless, roads are still clear tomorrow for the favorite game.  past few meets have been good match ups.

oh, and consider the other email i sent out about winter weather policy concerning whether or not we'll play.  give me your feedback.  thanks!

water wings

don't let the downpour of rain slow you down or damper your spirits from playing some early morning hoops.  strap your water wings on and doggie paddle over to the gym tomorrow morning!

good show

having a spot on ten guys show up for the past several days has been nice.  everyone plays all the time, and we face off in much fun.  and there's the added benefit of being able to get a little exercise in.

tomorrow is yet another opportunity to get all these elements.  gym will be open at 5:40a for those who need/want to warm up before the gamez.

incidentally, please let me know if you cannot reply to the hoop@mocktech.com email list.  still trying to get that worked out.

short week

even though we have a short week this week, we're still playing all the normal basketball days.  monday, wednesday, and friday.  come and play.

troubles with the mailing list last week have been resolved, according to my hosting company.  sorry for that inconvenience, but if you don't hear from the email channel about hoops you can always check www.westparkhoops.com for updates.  usually, the email sent as a notification of playing is posted.

see you all tomorrow!

i have a dream...

have i used this subject for this day before. i probably have. well, dream still exists that enoigh guys come to play hoops. in fact, that dream is one i have all winter.

don't be a slacker. make the numbers!

-- mock technologies - www.mocktech.com

i have a dream...

have i used this subject for this day before. i probably have. well, dream still exists that enoigh guys come to play hoops. in fact, that dream is one i have all winter.

don't be a slacker. make the numbers!

-- mock technologies - www.mocktech.com

do the math

we needed just one more on wednesday to have the balanced full court minimum teams.  we played unbalanced.  and although i wanted to run...and did run...i still find that the balance is worth it.  so, here are some questions:

1.  who will be that extra person?

2.  will i be well enough to play?

3.  will there be a need for at least two more?

4.  if two extras show up, will a third show up?

5.  will there be some balancing of the teams?

6.  and when it comes to stewed prunes, is three not enough?  four too many?

(bonus points if you can name the movie that last question comes from.)

no pain, no gain...

despite that catchy cliché, it's not true.  ask trent (aka visa).  what is gain is coming out tomorrow and playing some hoops.  and if not a gain, definitely a game.  perhaps the phrase should read:  no pain, no game.  who knows.

just show up.

clearer roads?

i assume the roads will be clear enought for, say, eight guys at least?  i'll be there.

five out of five guys agree...

...that having only five guys isn't as much fun as eight guys.

i know that there a snow threat for friday, so keep an eye on the email and/or website for any updates. which reminds me, are we always playing no matter what or are we on some school schedule? you let me know what to do.

-- mock technologies - www.mocktech.com

eight plz

yes, i would like to have at least eight guys for some hoops tomorrow.  can i get that shipped next day?  good.  i'll see you dudes in the morning.

business as usual

here we, at the beginning of a new decade. but not much has changed. we're back to all the regularly scheduled hoops and stuff.

i'll see you in the morning.

-- mock technologies - www.mocktech.com