goodbye 2011 hoops

come say goodbye to 2011 tomorrow morning.  it's been a good year for hoops, and it will be an even better year next year.  i don't know how that will happen, but it probably will, especially if everyone shows up for roundball in january.

the end is near

only the end of the year, not the end of hoops.  we are definitely playing tomorrow.  another chance to work off the leftovers.

can't wait to see you again

i have eight people i'm looking forward to seeing tomorrow morning.  (God is too!)  it's going to be so great see you guys again.  anyone else is welcome to come.

so excited!

partridge

the day before the day before christmas and all on the court, all the players were shooting to...what rhymes with "court"?

the stores won't be open until 9:00a anyway, so you might as well show up at 6:00a to play.  that is, unless you do your christmas shopping at walgreen's in which case you could get a good start now and be done just in time for hoops.  no matter what, i'll see you tomorrow.

AND i'll see a certain eight of you on monday.  maybe more.  but definitely eight.

deck the hoops

normally, we'd be sleeping in tomorrow morning, but pete surprised us with extra hoops days!  let's not squander them.  surely you have all been starting with the holiday munchies.  keep that gut in check with one our active games of hoops.  that's tomorrow, yo.

we had considered not playing on monday, december 26, but a few asked about it.  i had received quite a few nays early on, so if you CAN make it this coming monday, let me know BY tomorrow evening.  if i don't hear a solid eight say yes, we won't try.  and remember:  a yes means you are committing to that monday, not a "probably so" vote.

reply to the email thread.  if you are not signed up for the email thread, follow the instructions under the "mailing list" tab at the top first, then cast your vote.

yuletide hoops

it's the most wonderful time of the year.  and with all the extra games of hoops we get to play, it's now even better!  plan on coming out tomorrow morning to keep your gut from getting out of control with all the snacks you will be munching on this week.  maintenance is better than trying to undo.  stay ahead of the game.  play hoops tomorrow.

just a note about monday, december 26.  i had quite a few say that day was not going to work for them.  i think that might be a day we call an off day.  i think we should go ahead and pull that one off the list.  we can discuss tomorrow morning.

back on the schedule!

we have the official word from pete that the gym will indeed be available over the last two weeks in december.  that means we can eat all those sugarplums and stuff at the festive parties with an option to run it all off during some games of hoops.  put it back on your schedules.  and reset the alarms to be there.

if you know you will not be around during the next couple of weeks, send email to the hoops mailing list (or to me directly) so i know if we will have enough to play over the christmas break.  i want to plan ahead as much as i can so some of these guys (including me) won't have to get up early if no one else is going to show.  that would be your christmas gift to me!  thanks in advance!

 

turtledoves

what about them?  two.  on the second day of christmas, my true love gave those to me.  they weren't on my list, and i can't really say i had secretly longed for them.  why am i bringing the up with you guys?  because we have only two more days to play.  friday and monday.  that's it for this year.  get your games in!

 

then there were three

are you ready for a break?  i'm not sure i am.  i would like to keep playing through christmas.  alas, the gym won't be available.  we have only the time at hand to make best use of.  so, let's!

tomorrow.  and i've fixed my alarm clock issue.  i'll be there on time tomorrow.  ready to run.

 

final four

we are down to the final four days left for hoops this year.  how many of you are hoping for a new pair of basketball sneaks?  maybe something in red like jeff's?  if you do get a new pair, you'll have to wait till january 2012 to show them off.  december 19 is our last day this year.

see you monday!

five days left

we are down to five days of play left.  advantage is up for the taking.  i know you're with me because you've brought the numbers.  let's finish strong.

counting down

only six times left for us to play this year.  we gotta make the most of them.  we've been having some good numbers lately, which really surprises me.  and it makes me happy.

come get your hoops on before we have to break for christmas!  i'll see you guys in the morning.

 

don't forget

we are playing tomorrow.  to remind you all, we have seven more days this year play some hoops.  see the calendar to plan ahead.

get your game on while you can.

tis the season

it's december and definitely the season for hoops.  i know there's a lot of hype around the christmas event later this month, but right now it's all about the round ball.  eight days of basketball play time left this year.  finish strong.

ibuprofen

after one week of no running or any real aerobics, my body was very surprised about monday morning.  in fact, it remained surprised most of the day.  but now that it's over the initial shock, wednesday should go much better.

we'll play tomorrow despite any crazy weather.

ps:  bonus pic of jeff's new shoes to match the new floor paint job.

bring it in

i hope your thanksgiving was filling.  break in the new floor tomorrow morning.  i didn't step into the gym this morning, so i don't know what it looks like.  i think they added a four point line.  that'll be a game changer.

reset your alarms.  i'll see you in the morning.  (i know i'll need a full court to work off some stuffing.)

more time off

i know you know.  and i know you know i know you know.  but i wanted to let you know again so i know for sure you know.  we don't play again until monday since the gym floor is being redone.  you get to sleep in...or head to waffle house for turkey waffles tomorrow morning when your alarm goes off because it wasn't unset.  make sure you reset it for next monday to work off all the stuffing you'll be stuffing into yourself.

happy thanksgiving (and black friday)!

one day only

this week, it's tomorrow or nothing!  monday is our only day to play, so if you miss it then you'll have to wait a week before you'll see us again.  i'll see you guys in the morning.

byob (just in case)

if you have a basketball, go ahead and bring it tomorrow just in case.  i did swing by the gym on wednesday evening and moved our cage out of the storage room.  i think things will be fine, but it's good to be prepared.

ok, good.  so, we'll be back there tomorrow and be playing hoops.  oh, and it's pirate dave's birthday tomorrow.

ready?

are you guys ready for a return to the court in the updated gym?  i know i am.  i'm ready to run and stuff.  let's just hope i remember how to shoot and dribble.

remember that the days are sparse this week and next.  then we'll have about three weeks normal three-days schedule before taking off the second half of december.  (see the google calendar on the right to sync up your agenda.)

tomorrow, then.

still not ready

as you probably saw pete's email, the gym remains unusable for tomorrow morning.  we'll try again on wednesday.  come and play then.  our opportunities for this month and the next are limited.  take advantage when we do get back on the court.

last day this week

as stated in my previous email/post, this is a shorter week.  tomorrow is our last day to play.  and if we play like we did on monday, i'm sure i'll have achieved my exercise goals sufficiently.  seriously, i don't know how you old guy do it!  maybe you'll share your secrets with the rest of the group.  i'm hoping for ten more years of good play out of this body.

see you dark and early!

two-day week

reminder that this is going to be a two-day week.  monday and wednesday only.  you get a friday off.  you know what to do.

we'll try this

ok, i'll be there in the morning.  whoever shows, we'll play.

friday and future dates

i knew i shouldn't have said anything about monday.

if you haven't been seeing the email messages about the schedule, then check the google calendar for the days we'll be playing and not playing. the calendar is viewable at this link: https://www.google.com/calendar/embed?src=wphoops%40gmail.com&ctz=America/New_York

if you have a google account, you can add the calendar to your calendar list. if you don't know how to do that, follow the instructions from google on this page: http://www.google.com/support/calendar/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=37099&topic=1672445

next friday is out. then there are a few days in november and almost half of december fitting into the no-play zone.

i need to get a vote on who will be there tomorrow. i know the men's retreat will pull a few regulars. so, tell me before 9:00p tonight if you plan on being there (or not). based on the count at 9:00p tonight, i'll let you know via email/website whether we'll bother getting up tomorrow morning or not.

i'll be right here waiting for you...r replies.

 

great numbers!

i know that by even just mentioning that in the headlines that we'll probably end up wtih five tomorrow morning.  nevertheless, it was a great monday.  i felt very worked out.  five games!  that was pretty amazing.

i'll see you guys in the morning.  i look forward to five on five again!

 

why not?

i don't see any reason why we wouldn't be playing tomorrow morning.  is that a good enough excuse to set your alarm?

good.

all this space

you know, we've got this big court and high ceiling with a couple of full-size basketball goals all to ourselves tomorrow morning.  there are even lines painted on the floor in just the right spots.  seems a shame to waste the opportunity of playing some actual basketball games in it.  we only need ten guys.  whaddayasay?

feeling our ages

it seems to me that in the past few weeks of play the teams have been equally matched.  we've played some longer games recently.  and then i go to work and my body just wants to recover.  i know i'm getting older, but i am alone in this?  anyone else feeling the lengthy recovery times?

make sure you recover enough to play tomorrow.

come and get it

you should go ahead and plan to come play hoops tomorrow.  remember:  there will be some down time this month.  it's best to get as much play time in as you can.  i'll let you know those down dates when i find out about them.

bring yo balance

we had nine on wednesday.  we just needed one more to make the balanced ten.  just one more.  that could be you.  unless you were already there on wednesday.  then you should still come because you were part of the nine and could be part of the ten.  the ten.  ten!

recovery time

how many of you felt beat well into the afternoon from monday's games?  if you show up to hoops for a workout, you're welcome.

let's see what we can do tomorrow for our exercise requirements.

definitely back

we are definitely back to hoops tomorrow.  open floor tomorrow morning.  be there.

remember that one time...

it feels like it's been a long time, but we are back to full hoops status tomorrow morning.  you might have forgotten what 5:30a feels like, but your alarm clock should remind you.  plus you'll have all those waffles to work off.

bring it!

i wasn't ready

the gym still contains the chairs from the auditorium for this past weekend's festivities.  still no hoops tomorrow for us.  but we should be good to for friday.  plan for it.

so, if you haven't yet had a chance to hit the waffle house in the mornings, tomorrow could be your big chance!

late night run

i just got back from a late night run about half an hour ago.  why the run?  because i need to maintain my cardio when we don't have hoops, like the situation tomorrow morning.

oh, and stay tuned to here.  there might be some schedule adjustments for wednesday.

almost broken

on wednesday, we had our first broken nose...almost.  bill caught an elbow from a dave while playing around in the lane.  turns out, it wasn't broken yet did bleed.  good thing since it would have been just in time for those 50th anniversary pictures of the staff.

speaking of breaks, we're breaking tomorrow and monday since the aforementioned 50th anniversary will have the gym loaded with chairs both days.  it's a good time to head over to the waffle house.  don't waffles and fall go together?

like there's no...

come and play tomorrow like there's no tomorrow.  actually, play like there's no day after.  that means friday.  no friday or monday.  wednesday is our last day this week and our first day next week.  how weird is that?

you heard the man

only two days this week and two days next week.  that means two things:  you'll need to squeeze a three day play time into a two days, and you'll get another shot at a long waffle house weekend next weekend.  make it count.

after

no, waffle house AFTER hoops.  not BEFORE.  our team showed up on wednesday.  let's see if the other team decides to show up BEFORE waffle house tomorrow.

a good start

some people believe that a good breakfast is the best way to start your day.  i won't disagree, but the best way to start a good breakfast is a game of hoops.  that's right.  you know where we are.  have a good start.

and afterwards, head to waffle house for that breakfast.  what?  you knew i was going to say that.

cool

cooler mornings are becoming regular these days.  it's also cool to show up for hoops.  be cool.

life, love, and the pursuit of hoops

it's good to be in america. we can enjoy those three things, especially the last one. of course, it would help to enjoy that last one with at least four-on-four. but that's okay. we can play the three-on-three like we did on wednesday. it's no big deal. and for me, i'll be pursuing any shot that will actually fall through the hoop. thank goodness bogey was there to zip in the outside shots which we needed to...to get as close to winning as we did all four games. plus mike on the rebounds. i at least love the game.

ok, enough rambling. be there!

rested

i hope you are well rested.  bring your best tomorrow morning.  it's game back on again.  hope the waffles were good.

remember: waffles

remember to skip the gym tomorrow and head to the waffle house.  yummy waffles.

waffles, not labor! (and not hoops)

not enough interest/availability of guys for monday hoops, so you guys can finally take that morning trip to waffle house for a full-on breakfast.  in lieu of labor, waffles win.  (so does alliteration.)  see you guys on wednesday.

nine two

already september, and we are playing tomorrow.  but make sure you send your status via email as "yea" or "nay" for monday (labor day).  right now, numbers look like it might be a no-go.

tomorrow and forever

tomorrow is hoops!  it's the last time to play hoops in august.  i hope you were able to play most of it while we could.  because after tomorrow, it's all a bunch of september games until october.  see how that works?  it's important that you come tomorrow.  it just is.

and then friday.  who's planning on coming friday?  and we'll also need a count for monday.  who's in?  weigh in.  knowing if we have enough help make the decision if monday will become a sleep-in day or remain a morning of epic hoop-ness.  yea or nay, send your plans in.

who's in?

games are on tomorrow morning, yet i find myself wondering who will show?  the schedule of school should be firming up for all.  work hasn't changed much for us.  nothing should detract from morning hoops.

we shall see.

ever feel like this?

i've been feeling like this after my past several games.  anyone else?  i also think this will be all of us in a few years.  well, you know what i mean.

come play while you still can.

Stephen A. Burroughs

recent advances in biological science has revealed that michael jordan was found to have dna sampling from Stephen A. Burroughs.  in addition, Stephen A. Burroughs taught cary all the moves he has.  Stephen A. Burroughs doesn't sweat yet plays a harder game than pirate dave...and the other dave put together.  Stephen A. Burroughs is faster than trent "visa" el plumber.  if any of the basketballs are low on air, we'll just get Stephen A. Burroughs to blow them up...like he would a balloon.  unknown to most people, the silhouette used by nike air isn't michael jordan but really Stephen A. Burroughs.

he probably won't be there tomorrow, but i will.  you be there too.  for more Stephen A. Burroughs goodness, check out:  http://www.facebook.com/StephenABurroughs

another monday

it's a monday.  we've had the weekend to recover from whatever you might have suffered from last week.

lace 'em up and be there tomorrow.

finish strong

it's the end of the week, and you'll really be happy with yourself if you finish it by playing a good game of hoops.  and if you want to finish even stronger, there's the waffle house on cedar bluff.  coffee, eggs, bacon, and waffles.  it's a double win if you ask me.

i'll see the strong tomorrow morning.

come back

how about them games on monday?  yeah, i know, i wish it had been better after missing a couple of days last week.  tomorrow is your chance...well, my chance.  glad to have ten show up again.  bring that back.  we'll have big fun.

back in business

hope your break was good.  hope your surprise date with your wife on wednesday morning was good.  i hope your sleep in friday was good.  but it's time to come back to it.

tomorrow morning.  don't be slackin'.  don't forget to set your alarm.  and if you missed waffle house last week, you can always go tomorrow after hoops, but you need to play first.

friday off

remember:  no hoops tomorrow morning.  clothing drive is in effect on saturday, and they have the place filled with clothes.  it's not like this, but we'll have it back like this on monday.  come back then.

sleeping in or waffle house

remember to unset your alarm for tomorrow morning...or leave it set for an early morning at the waffle house.  find a pal to munch on some bacon with at the twenty-four-seven establishment.  or better yet, wake the wife for an early morning date over anything scattered or smothered.  i know you'll start the day out with bonus points if you rouse her for an early morning surprise breakfast.  it'd be just like breakfast in bed only no bed...and other people...and neither has to cook leaving more time for you two lovebirds to enjoy together.

have a good wednesday!

han solo week

monday is our only play day this week.  the back-to-school clothing drive will be in full effect on wednesday through friday.  we will resume a normal three day play the following week.

so, come give you best tomorrow.  enjoy it!

short week

i didn't realize that the week we have for shortness is next week, but it is. we only play on monday next week, due to some back-to-school stuff which will take over the gym. that means you have tomorrow and monday to come get your game on. then you break until the following monday. it also means you have two shots to bring a game that is really twice the game...you know, to make up for each of the days we'll be off.

again, the calendar on www.westparkhoops.com can be integrated with your own google calendar to help you remember when we play and when don't. it helps you plan for the future. it keeps you in the loop. it informs you of the facts.

ok, see you all tomorrow!

cooling down?

i thought for sure it was a bit cooler this morning when i was heading to work.  perhaps tomorrow will be the same.  even if it isn't, we still have a decently cooled gym for our purposes.  i plan on seeing you all in the morning.

a good day to run

i think tomorrow morning will be a good day to really run.  you know, to run off a weekend's worth of hot dogs, pizza, watermelon, and donuts.  good thing we have a game of hoops scheduled.  which reminds me:  note the calendar at westparkhoops.com for a few days this month when the gym will be closed.

oh, and cary, you have a challenge to your skills ready to meet you tomorrow morning.

last of july

can you believe we are at the end of the month already?  it's sure was hot today in the city.  the gym has been a great version of cool lately too.  and isn't that nice?  playing a cool gym when it's egg cooking weather on your dashboard?  it's an awesome deal since the gym access is FREE!

you know what i'm going to say next.  that's right, come and play while the offer is still good.  i'll see you in the morning.

bring your own pony

that acronym would BYOP.  why would your bring your own pony?  consider:  who would share their pony for you during a game of basketball?  right, no one.  of course, would you really trust someone else's pony?  it's always better to have your own.  but no dogs, people.  this isn't a dog AND pony show.  ponies only.

now, i know what you're thinking right about now:  "i don't have a pony.  i don't think i can find a pony before tomorrow morning.  and even if i could, i don't know if i have enough to buy one."  i just have to say that it really is all on you to find your own pony.  since i just covered that we don't share ponies, i think you might want to start looking now.  good thing we are not in new york.  it's easier to find ponies around here than it would be up there.  and cheaper too.  just imagine how much cash you would have to pony up for a...pony.  you know what i'm saying.

so, show up tomorrow.  bring your own pony.  no dogs allowed.  pretty simple if you ask me.

ps:  this is not a pony:  http://bit.ly/o4nUhT

relishing the summer

even though my house has been sweating in the past couple of weeks because of the humidity, these hot summer days are what we wanted back during the cold winter.  and the break of summer wull soon be ended and we'll be having school schedules with which to contend.

make the most if this time.  come play hoops and like it.

the humidity was palpable

you could cut it with a knife.  but don't bring knives to hoops tomorrow.  this isn't west side hoops.  it's west park hoops.  however, if you can play defense via song and dance, feel free to snap your fingers.  and if you hadn't noticed, the gym is nice and cool, totally the opposite of the soggy air we are all feeling these days.  ok, i'll see you all there in the cool gym tomorrow morning.

by the way, does anyone else see the word "palpable" and think of emperor palpatine?  or is it just me?

feeling it

after monday's games, i was pretty much feeling it the rest of the morning.  of course, my body needed a work out like that.  i think it was a little surprised it'd do that to it.  and just think:  one more person would have balanced things out.  i think my body will be ready for another round even if it's not balanced again tomorrow.  i'm ready to be on the team with fewer.

i'll see the other six of you in the morning.

waffle house

if we don't have enough to play tomorrow morning, we'll just take what we have and go to waffle house.  alright?

heat wave

i know that playing hoops gets a little discouraging when you step out into the heat of this week.  i know that when you walk outside you start sweating as much as pirate dave.  i know that your lungs start to fill up with heavy air and you feel like you need a machete to cut your way through.  but i'll tell you right now that the wp gym is one cool place to be.  it's air conditioned.  plenty of it.  and we have chilled water from the dispenser.  it's a good deal.

so, come out tomorrow and play some hoops.  because what's more discouraging than the heat is the 3-on-3-full-court we've been playing this week.  come out, come out, wherever you are!

communication restored

now that email is back to working and i know how to deal with restarts in the future, we should be back to our old email notification frenzies.  while i have your eyes, we play tomorrow morning.  yes, it's a wednesday.  yes, we've done this before.  yes, it's the same schedule as always.  just letting you know we are still here.

and by the way, i do post the same stuff to the site.  if email isn't around when you check, you can always go to www.westparkhoops.com and find out what's going on.  for the real geeks out there, add the google calendar to yours so that you can see the hoops schedule on your calendars.  i make the effort to remove the events when i know they aren't going to be available.  and pete's been good to let me know those well in advance these days.

ok, see you all in the morning.  all TEN of you.  not just the mere six we had on monday.

humidity

if pirate dave walks from his vehicle into the gym, will he be a swamp the same as if he played three games like normal?  come find out the answer to that probing question tomorrow morning.  and then stay for a few games.

see?  knowledge AND exercise.  something for the brain and the body.

how could you not...

...show up and play tomorrow?  i mean, how could you just not?  you can.  and should.  so, do.

for those of you who missed wednesday, you missed the re-emergence of the gene crabtree.  we have the basketball gene again.

leftover fireworks

i'm hoping with the barrage of ordinance that was released in my hood on monday evening that there will be no other disruptions while trying to sleep tonight.  perhaps a rainy evening would aid in preventing that.  all one can really to is hope, right?  nevertheless, my alarm will sound at the appropriate time to have me awake at the gym at the necessary time.  for best results for games, you should plan to do that same.

we'll see if you make it.  drew too.

we play at dawn

ok, i believe we have enough to make sure it'll not be slim games.  keep your alarms set.  we play at dawn.

a few good men

right now, i'm counting a total of six firm commitments for tomorrow morning.  i need at least eight total to guarantee we'll not be wasting our holiday.  if you have not voiced your answer to me in person or email by 2000 hours (8:00p for you non-mil types), i'll assume six is all we'll have and make the final call then.

half down

tomorrow marks the half point of this year.  six months down, six to go.  come you and join us for the first game of july.

i'll check tomorrow morning to see if we have enough committed for monday.  to help you decide if you want to throw your hat in, remember that you can always play hoops first, head to waffle house after for some independence day breakfast.

 

game on

we're back at it again tomorrow morning.  strap on your chuck taylors and guzzle your go juice.  gym opens at 5:40a.  c'mon!

meet the quota

according to the official rules, we gotta have at least eight on the court tomorrow morning to play.  i know a few will be out, so say "yes" to your alarm clock and plan to be there.  and i'll see you there.

hot diggity dog

if you haven't already planned your dinner, call the wife and ask her if it can be a hot dog night. break out the grill or swing by the sonic and load up on some beefy miracles. and if you decide on sonic, they have a nice selection of different dogs to make your final meal of the day one of variety.

even if you don't make it a hot dog evening, you can go to sleep tonight knowing that...dave "the dove" did.

best day of the week

i don't know about the rest of you, but i've been finding that the best day of week i feel ready to play hoops is wednesday.  i figured fridays would be my looser days.  alas, that is not the case.  we'll see if this holds true tomorrow.  of course, if there is a much humidity tomorrow as there was on monday, it won't matter how i feel.  my shoes will be stuck to the floor all morning.

i plan on seeing you gents bright and early.

gym back

we get the gym back tomorrow morning.  turn your alarms back on.  you know you need the exercise, especially after all those mornings at waffle house.

perhaps waffle house

tomorrow could be the morning you decide to go ahead and get up early and cruise on down to the waffle house for an early morning start to your friday. since it's our final day without basketball this week, it would be a great time to take advantage of the time to go.

we will resume hoops on monday. don't forget about it next week. it's usually tempting to continue the sleep in streak when we don't play for a few days. don't let this happen.

see you then!

sleeping in

as you recall, we are not playing tomorrow morning nor friday morning.  so, be sleeping in.  enjoy it while you can.

one day only

this week, we are playing only on monday.  that means you need to come tomorrow if you want to get your game on.  then you get the rest of the week off.  extra time at waffle house.

yay, friday!

thanks for stepping up to the eight on wednesday.  after five on monday, it was an awesome to feel free to run the full court again.  being friday, it's a perfect time to play some hoops, maybe even an extra game.

and we'll need an extra game since we are only playing just monday next week.  make the most of it.

remember

this is just a reminder to all that we are only playing one day next week.  so, this is the week to get your games in.  you can always check the calendar at www.westparkhoops.com.

from the five who showed up on monday, we'll see you in the morning.  i mean, bill preached three services, co-led a 101 class, and still showed up to drop some skillz down.  what's your excuse?  you can bring your girly reasons to the circle tomorrow morning.  yeah, i went there.

still here...there

we are still there playing...hoops...in the morning.  oh, here's a map to the gym, in case you didn't know where "there" is:

http://goo.gl/tZTV6

what smack talk will get you

sometimes, it doesn't pay to talk smack at the dinner table. pirate dave's harrison took it upon himself to make some big talk of own accomplishments between last friday this past monday. the result: his mom calling him out. and in another glimpse of pirate dave's life, we found that his shorter half decided to put their boy in his place by showing up to face him on the court of family justice. i have to admit i didn't expect the level of competitiveness she brought to the game. and though they started off on different teams, they ended up on the same leaving little time for the mom to bring the challenge to her son. (he did have a few moments, which pirate dave noted he would certainly bring back up for the few days to come.)

sometimes when you think you've seen it all, you realize you haven't. and harrison is young. he's got his whole life ahead of him. it's only a matter of time before his mom shows up at another event in his life to task him. in fact, it might be worth to visit some of his football practices in the fall. harrison, you certainly give new meaning to the phrase, "yo momma."

wednesday!

memorial day is on

i had at least seven people committed to show tomorrow, so i'm leaving my alarm set for the morning.  eight is enough to play some decent full court holiday hoops.  i'll see you committed ones in then.

memorial day?

right now, no one has said if they are wanting to play on memorial day.  i need at least seven commits to get me out of bed on monday morning.  anything short of that means we get to take the day off.

let me know via email or at the circle tomorrow.

bring your kids to hoops day?

even though pirate dave might have already been doing this for some time, there is a place to draw the line.  all i'm asking is that if you bring your kids to hoops, don't let them be like dave "the dove" dovenbarger's kids.  (see picture below for reference.)

no goatees either.

ps:  don't forget to weigh in for playing on memorial day.

summer break

kids might be sleeping in for the next few months, but that shouldn't be us.  if you get into that habit, we'll end up with low numbers like last friday...or like earlier this year.  set your alarms.  see you tomorrow.

speaking of breaks, decide whether you'll be playing next monday morning.

warm up

the weather is back to normal spring temps.  that means you can resume normal wake up times and play some hoops.  no more getting up at the crack of dawn to cut firewood.

i expect to see you all there tomorrow.

bacon

you want to play basketball tomorrow morning.  it will be great times.  you will exercise and lose weight.  you might have your face on espn sportscenter.  it could be life changing.  or not.  but you still might have fun.  yippee!

i titled this message bacon to get your attention.

odds are you won't be on sportscenter UNLESS they happen to show up at the gym AND deem us worth covering AND news worthy enough to put on sportscenter.  THEN we might be on it...if they use a clip of you.

great.  now, i'm hungry for bacon.

 

warm back up

you might be thinking it's christmas time again with these cool temps, but don't be fooled.  it's not really christmas.  you shouldn't also consider these cool temps a reason to stay away from hoops.  after all, you don't have any last minute shopping to do.  if you do show up for hoops, there's a good chance you'll find a way to warm back up with all that running up and down the court.

sweat

wow!  with the high humidity and a hot temperatures this week, it's a good thing to know that unless you are neal or dave "the dove" dovenbarger, you won't have to guard pirate dave.  (guarding him is like guarding a swimming pool.)

see you tomorrow, hoping the a/c is working.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H20aQ_VekOE

boost

whether it's orange juice, coca-cola, coffee, or red bull--whatever you do to get your morning boost--that's what you should get and put next to your bed.  when the alarm goes off, grab the container, open it up, and guzzle that powerhouse.  then give a hearty war cry, unless you don't live alone and your wife is light sleeper.  bound out of bed and scoot on over to the gym.  then we'll truly see how well you can play with a jolt of superpowers from a bottle or can.  (hint:  you've seen what mine can do.)

tomorrowz!

come out and play

it's okay.  your mom said you could.  i know because i called her.  and told her happy mother's day for you.

i'll see you tomorrow morning.

double don

in case it missed anyone's attention, this has been a double don week.  mr. don lewis had rejoined us a while back, and now the prodigal donnie (danceparty, as pirate dave likes to call him) is back in action.  ah, my thoughts go back to when we had three-don mornings.  if we see dennis show up, we might have to record a come back album.

*do don dippity*

sham-wow

saw this sale at woot.com today:

> http://www.woot.com/Blog/ViewEntry.aspx?Id=17391

now, this is something we can all invest in...for pirate dave. any maybe for ourselves too, especially if we are guarding him.

i remember watching cartoons on saturday morning, and when the wonder twins would transform into something the girl would always choose something cool like an eagle or grizzly bear while her brother would turn into a bucket of water. i am beginning to believe that is what pirate dave is doing: turning into a bucket of water between games.

get your sham-wow today and protect yourself!

may b8

i think if we could get at least eight guys there tomorrow morning, it'll be enough for me to run off some of the extra padding i need to get rid of.  can we do eight?  maybe?  oh, and it's may already.  eight?  yeah?

clear skies

there are no more storms to keep you away from morning basketball.  i guess you have no more excuses to keep you away from some court exercise.  it looks like it'll be a nice weekend, and it would be a shame to not kick it off with some righteous games of basketball.

jelly beans

if you've been munching on several bags of jelly beans, then you know that tomorrow would be a great time to work some of it off.  you can if you show up and run the court.  if you miss, well, then, you are on your own.  nothing i can do about that.  you might have another chance on friday, but do you want to gamble that the final day this week will be enough?  who knows if you'll really make it on friday.

yeah, i'll see you tomorrow.

plainly

i'll say this plainly:  we are playing tomorrow morning, and we could use you.  there.  see ya.

thanks, it's good friday

tgif.  thanks for a good court.  thanks for good basketballs.  thanks for a good vertical that rivals cary (or not).  thanks for good red bull.  thanks for a good body (that works, i mean).

it would be good to have ten.  like wednesday.  no, wait.  we only had seven on wednesday.  there are three of you out there that owe it to the group to make it a good friday.  it's a good friday for other reasons.  it can still be a good friday if you all show up.

tomorrow

as usual, the gym doors open at 5:40a for a time of pre-game warm up.  as usual, games start at 6:10a.  as usual, i'll be hoping we can get started around 6:00a.

extension

you've had about three months to do your taxes.  staying up late on sunday night to get them finished isn't a good excuse.  the irs might think so, but it's better just to go ahead and file an extension and show up for hoops.  if you waited this long anyway, you're probably going to have to pay.  might as well not lose a good morning of buckets too.

we can rebuild him

bill gowder.

pastornaut.

a man barely alive.

gentlemen, we can rebuild him.  we have the technology.  we have the capability to make the world's first bionic man.

bill gowder will be that man.  better than he was before.

better, stronger, faster.

 

relive >> six-mil-dollar-man

continuing epicness

epic games! close scores! fast breaks! slick moves! amazing passes! heroes on both sides! THIS is why we meet and play in the mornings. THESE are the stories we tell around a plate of waffles.

plan on continuing the epicness tomorrow morning. missing it would be a real shame. then what would you tell your co-workers? what stories could you share around the coffee machine?

(just think of how much more epicness there would be if we all downed a red bull before tip off.)

too good of a weekend?

i hope you had a good weekend, but not so good of a weekend that you spent so much time outside that getting up to play basketball is debatable.  keep your alarm set.  you'll be glad you did.

reverse

mwuhahaha!  my use of reverse psychology on all of you worked.  having a well-balanced ten on wednesday was refreshing.  i really wasn't used to all the people on the court at once.  it almost felt like those days when we had 16 total.

i will cherish wednesday morning.  with the stormy friday forecast being broadcast, i know most of the ten will end up sleeping in.  i really should have taken a photo to commemorate that epic morning...and put the photo on my desk at work as a pleasant reminder of that one good time we all had together.

we do play tomorrow.

 

same six

ha!  called it.  six on monday.  i must say, though, we still do have a good time playing 3-on-3 full court.  i'll miss it tomorrow when all the missing people decide to show back up again.  don't get me wrong, it is good playing with fours and fives, but i'm not sure how i'll cope with such a crowded court.  all those people cluttering up the lane, more hands (and feet) block passes, way more picks than i'm used to--i'm not sure how cool that would be.  maybe the same six should just show up tomorrow.  the same six we've been having.  you know who you are.  there might be something to the lower numbers.

i'll see you six in the morning?  waffle house after?

six

let's see, given the way things have been going and analyzing the recent attendance patterns, i'm betting on six guys tomorrow morning.  maybe seven.  probably six, because they are forecasting rain and storms tomorrow and that usually keeps guys away from basketball.  should i put odds down?

many

it was amazing! twelve guys! six per team! everyone was running hard and subbing out so smoothly it was like butter. we all got in some great exercise, everyone had a good time. we are so glad to finally have a large crowd. i would chalk this up as a great morning. i WOULD have, except that never happened. instead of twelve on wednesday, we had six.

six.

we were not daunted by the slackers, though. we took to the court with a fury only seen by few in epic battles and in killzone 3. the passes, the lobs, the steals, the ally-oops, the alley-whoops, and the waffles. yes, i said waffles. after we play some spectacular 3-on-3 full court mayhem, we all loaded up in the back of trent's plumber trailer and headed over to the waffle house (on cedar bluff). there we ordered a lot of scattered, smothered, and covered as we rehashed (heh) the morning's legendary tales. we even got tattoos commemorating the event. we can't let the bond shared during times like these be dismissed. these are the things we tell our sons as they make the journey to manhood.

i'd love to see ten tomorrow morning, but i know there's cooler weather still in forecast. that usually means only a few, proud appear center court. for the sake of the other five, i ask for eight. it's almost as epic as i've embellished above, but not as tiring.

seven again? really?

yes, indeed.  we had the unlucky number of seven on monday morning.  and despite having some very interesting games with that number, it's still more fun to be able to play a good four-on-four or five-on-five.  can we have a lucky eight or lucky ten tomorrow?  please?  on behalf of the other guys, it is something we really want.

maybe one extra

we had seven on friday.  what are the odds of getting an eight count (or ten) tomorrow morning?  going to bed in a few minutes to get the necessary sleep to bring my a-game in the morning.  see you guys then.

where's gene?

anyone seen gene lately? he's been MIA for a few weeks now.

gene, if you are out there, we are playing tomorrow morning. everything is still the same: same time, same place, same guys (mostly). it's still big fun. hope to see you there.

still playing

we are still playing basketball in the mornings.  just in case you were wondering.  or had forgotten.  it's still on.  ok.

free trent!

day three of our return to athleticism after over a week off.  i hope you are finding your muscles coming back to life.  it's important to stay active, especially at our ages.

and don't forget to swing over to trent's lock up page and throw some money to post his bail.  i have a feeling we'll need him back on the court tomorrow to make numbers, just in case cedar springs is open again.  here is that link:  https://www.joinmda.org/MyLockup/MyHomepage/tabid/207499/Participant/trent/Default.aspx.

(and a pic.)

come back tomorrow

hoops is still on this week. so, bandage up what was injured on monday and show up tomorrow morning at the gym. doors should be open around 5:40a, so do the math and plan your arrival.

i'll see you all then.

ps:  the mailing list is temporarily down until i can get my mail server set up for the distribution list.

reminder: no hoops this week

just a reminder to all that we are not playing hoops this week.  gym is totally occupied for other things.  that means you can

1. head over to cedar springs to play there,


2. sleep in and laze it up all week, or


3. head over to waffle house for an early morning breakfast all three days this week.

whatever you decide, it'll be good times.  i'll see you all on march 14 at 6:00a.

change of plans: no hoops friday

i got an email this morning saying there would be some set up in the gym tomorrow morning for missions conference events.  as such, there is no hoops tomorrow morning.  it looks like we'll be starting our hoops spring break a little early.

anyone up for waffles?

crowds

we definitely had a full gym on monday. i expect we'll see that the rest of this week. no matter. we had some very fast paced games, at least the ones i played. i am hoping for an equivalent workout tomorrow too.

remember: we are off next week. get your fill this week for the next two.

we play this week

just to remind everyone, we ARE playing this basketball this week. so, prep your gear for tomorrow morning. i'll see you all there.

NEXT week is the week off. put it on your calendars.

finally

it was great to have bobby and ronnie walk in on wednesday morning to bring the numbers to five-on-five. way to go, guys. we do have one more day this week, so here's hoping we can have at least ten tomorrow.

don't forget that in a couple of weeks we'll be taking the week off due to an occupied gym. march 7 through march 11 is our own personal hoops spring break week. you know how hard it is to recover after one or two days missing play. a whole week will be more than your bodies will handle. so, get your games in before your body goes dormant for ten days.

missing just one

we've succeeded in always being down just one player for the past few weeks now. achieving a full ten count seems like the hardest thing. i keep hoping we'll manage to have just one more slip in and round it all out.

here's hoping for the same thing tomorrow.

why, yes. there is hoops tomorrow. thanks for asking.

On Sun, Feb 20, 2011 at 21:42, Pirate David wrote:

> Is there ball tomorrow? >

will we see bill again?

i had some people asking of bill will be coming back. i don't know if he will. as one person put it, "he is 50 now." with that new label, who knows if there will be a future bill sighting or not. bets anyone?

dirty dozen

it was great to have the dirty dozen (minus two) show up on monday. yes, there is math on this email. i know you thought there wouldn't be, but surprise! no using calculators too, with the exception of pirate dave, who might need to use one since he currently only counting to nine.

but i digress. tomorrow morning, 5:55a, center court. be there!

roll call

i can saw for all those who made it out on friday that as much as we like the exercise, it'd be nice to play more than 3-on-3 full court for our games. so, what say you all? what will it take to get a good crew tomorrow morning? bribery? promise of waffles?

promotional video from 2006

i found this video while cleaning out the directories at my web hosting account. see how many of the people you can recognize and name from this 2006 video.

> http://mocktech.com/media/video/hoops-20061215.html

see you guys in the morning!

recovered

i hope you all have recovered from monday. i know visa might be out for a bit due to his back and/or neck. and cary should be back tomorrow. and the rest of us who survived unscathed i know will be back in full force ready to go.

enjoy the last few hours of rest before the alarm sets you in motion for some roundball.

super what?

who do you really cheer for with the steelers and the packers? i mean, with those two team, it's best just to go to bed early so you can play some righteous hoops. you'll have more fun. wouldn't you rather save your missed morning for march madness if you have to consider skipping?

besides, you can always catch the commercials on the internets monday.

ready to run?

i don't know about the rest of you, but i'm ready for another 3-on-3 full court morning. who's with me? visa, are you in?

groundhoops day

if the groundhog sees his shadow, that means six more weeks of hoops!

while we wait for the shadow watcher, we'll play some basketball tomorrow morning.

see you then.

warmer

i heard a few comments about the cold gym on friday. i didn't think it was that bad, but after this weekend it might be a better morning. you'll have to let me know. of course, if you run hard enough, it might not be that cold. come warm up tomorrow morning.

tgifh

thank goodness it's friday hoops...finally. since there is no distracting weather in the forecast for tomorrow morning, i expect we'll all be there. if you aren't make sure you have a note from someone who can give you valid excuse.

for all others, see you in the morning!

just soggy

so far, things have just been soggy. snow is not supposed to come until midday. that means we're good. probably won't be anything either.

anyway, hoops. come out. yeah.

place your bets

will there be snow tomorrow or not? who knows? but go ahead and place your bets on how much we'll get and if it be enough to close schools.

as always, if not enough show up, there's always a warm waffle house on cedar bluff. never forget the waffle house...or the alamo.

no real threat?

i happen to think there is no real threat of weather interfering with our play time tomorrow morning. with the pre-emptive efforts of the city employees, brine has be dumped on the roads to make it possible for us to play hoops tomorrow morning. (thanks, you guys!)

i know what you're thinking. "but, mark, what if there is more snow and stuff than what the weather guys said there would be and schools are closed and i have no bread or milk?" i'll tell you what: if there is craziness on the road tomorrow morning and it's all white and you can't see the roads, i'll post an update (like before) to the email list and the site so you can not gamble with your life. of course, if you've not already gotten your milk and bread by that point, you are already gambling with your life.

and for those of you real mean who show up no matter what (cary), we'll leave early if no one else shows up and head over to the waffle house for, well, waffles.

(if you want some entertainment, the comments on knoxnews stories can provide that, including this one about the aforementioned brine: http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2011/jan/20/knoxville-officials-tout-use-of-brine-in-managing/ .)

middle of the month

here we are, middle of the first month of 2011. that means this year is going to fly by like the last one. and that means you'd better get in your hoops playing time while you can. it'll come and go quickly. of course, you'll be aging during that time too. and THAT means your ability to play will diminish. so, let's all come and play on wednesday while we still can.

we're burning through our youth rather quickly. (except for cary, who is yonger than everyone except harrison.)

mlk morning

if you were not remembering or just didn't know, we are playing hoops on monday morning. if you are checking this at the last minute, then go ahead and roll on out of bed and put your high tops on. we're playing.

clear roads

i think tomorrow might be our first clear roads hoops morning this week. ten guys did make it safely to the gym on wednesday. that was a good number for playing some basketball. some really interesting games too. and of course, we'll be back in the gym tomorrow morning to play the sport we love so much. set your alarms for 5:30a, and drag your butts to the court for all the games. from there, you can drag it up and down the court all you want.

dave's bus service

tomorrow is try again wednesday, where we try again to get more than two fellows to play some basketball. i've been told by his wif that if we have weather issues tomorrow which prevent people from making the trip that uncle dave will perform a four-wheel fetch to gather enough to play. (he apparently run the snow bus service for his employees yesterday.) so if you wake up tomorrow and things are uncertain, give dave a call.

i'll see you all in the morning.

snowz but no showz

well, cary and i warmed up for a while waiting for anyone to join us. around 6:20a, we decided no one else was going to attempt to come out, and we left. (i tried to talk cary into a trip to the waffle house, he had his wif's car.)

we'll try this again on wednesday.

snowz

yes, we has about 3 to 4 inches of snowz, and it is a little slick out there. they have tried to plow one side of middlebrook it seems. if you have to head to work today, might as well come play some hoops first. roads will likely be empty for a good while this morning.

whatever you decide, use caution.

Camera 360

white monday?

the reports of a white monday might be greatly exaggerated...but then again, they might not. until you hear otherwise, we'll proceed as normal. play time is usual.

in the event that we wake up to the whiteness, i'll plan to head on over to the gym. like before, i'll post an update to the mailing list and to the site on any conditions i find in my short drive to the parking lot.

stay tuned.

the coast is clear

no snow, no ice...all clear.

holding the course

i know there are some crazy winter storm warnings out there, but despite all that we're still holding the course. i don't imagine things will be any worse tomorrow morning when i trek over to the gym. so, throw your shoes in the four-wheel drive and set your alarm for a normal tip-off time.

as a side note, keep your mobile device close, and i'll let you know how the roads are if there is a covering of any kind. i can post to both the site and the email list. i still think we'll be good for tomorrow.

the beatings will continue until morale improves

some people live a life of safety, never taking risks and gaining the rewards. those who live like that live boring lives.

not so our bill gowder. he takes the risks. he lives for the adventure. he eats pain for breakfast. not many can live where he does.

come watch bill be the man you could be if you were only willing to endure. tomorrow.

> http://cheezburger.com/View/4324557056

new year of hoops

resolve to come all this week. hoops is a go for 2011.