Triple Threat

"Gonna give everything that I’ve got
Till it’s over and victory’s won
No second chance - no giving up
Because no one remembers a loser
And I don’t intend to be one"
--Winning It All, Outfield

After getting used to a tame hoops schedule of one game a week, played on relaxing Sunday evenings, we've hit the playoffs and now we've got three games this week, which is certainly taking a bit of getting used to. We toughed out a win Sunday night (despite unnamed left-hander missing both of his free throws in the final minute) over the best team in the league (besides us, of course) and earned a first-round matchup with a squad called "Shark's Cove," from one of the other evenings (there are evidently three different leagues that run simultaneously, and they're all combined for the post-season). So round one was Tuesday, and despite another ugly effort, we got another ugly win (after a 15-14 halftime deficit--UGLY) and earned every bit of it. I reverted to my high school ways, drawing two charges (I don't recall taking even one to this point in the season), and somehow became a good rebounder down the stretch, something for which I've never been known. With the first round win, we advance to round two on Thursday night, which will (hopefully) lead to the semis next Monday and the finals Wednesday. The "Solid Dudes" (that's our team name) have indeed been quite solid in the past few weeks...
More hoops has meant less sleep, getting home at 10 or 10:30 and needing to unwind before getting to bed on both Sunday and Tuesday nights. Monday (our day off) should have been restful, but those old youth baseball stories reared their ugly head in unprecedented fashion. They took a full two hours to edit, and I wasn't even that picky about it, ignoring most of the ridiculousness from the genius coaches. I'm growing increasingly weary of those tasks, and despite the extra couple hundred a month it's netting me, I might be begging off those responsibilities sometime soon. It's just a weird dichotomy to come home from writing and cutting this high-end look at the weekend in the sports world (in a large sense) and start working on fourth and fifth grade girls playing t-ball. Tough transition...
A lot has been changing at work over the last few weeks, which has resulted in a promotion for yours truly, the release of several members of our staff and increased morning workloads, the byproduct of which has been a serious lack of blogging time. I might have to resort to the "More Cowbell" philosophy of getting in short thoughts now and then instead of full-length essays, but I definitely enjoy bringing it strong every time out. We'll see. In the meantime, the promotion has gotten me thinking about the initials "A.P." and their various meanings in the course of my lifetime...
- Anthony Peeler (1992-96): One of my favorite Lakers ever, the bald lefty from Mizzou, who has since gone on to toil in relative anonymity in Vancouver, Minnesota, Sac-town (remember the altercation with KG last year?) and now Washington. He played with Sedale and Nick the Quick, giving Chick three little bald dudes and more confusion than he's ever experienced. Even though we never won with Peeler, he'll always have a special place in my heart...
- Advanced Placement (1993-95): I possessed at one time a desire to place these kinds of classes on my college transcript, including Physics (Mrs. Waters, emmmmm) and Calculus (definitely dropped it after a terrible first semester). Got a 2 on my AP Physics test, which didn't really help much at all; in hindsight, maybe downloading Howard Stern clips with Charlie and Larame wasn't the best use of our class time and our "research" for an AP project on "the internet" (which was pretty close to brand new at the time). Thought about taking the German test, but I knew that would have similar results to its Physics counterpart, thanks to Herr Despard's penchant for not teaching ever...
- Andy Pettite (1996-2001): One of the staples of the Yankee dynasty (the one that ended on that fateful Gonzo-off-Rivera night in Arizona), and a great clutch pitcher. He's always seemed to be a great person in addition to his pitching prowess, and I like him even more after reading the Buster Olney book. It's too bad that his time in Houston so far has been so injury-riddled, but hopefully he'll be back soon to help Roger make a run at the post-season...
- Associated Press (2002-05): As I began my sportswriting career with the Outlook, I required the assistance of the Associated Press style guide, providing the guidelines for correct usage of things like "RBIs" and the difference between "All-America" and "All-American." Of course, the AP has also registered on my radar for much longer because of its sponsorship of one-half of the major polls in both college football and college basketball, so it is indeed a significant vestige in the sporting world...
- Associate Producer (this week): My new title. Kinda cool...
I can't keep asking the rhetorical question about how the Dodgers keep winning games like the one they stole from the Padres last night, so I'll just say that my frustration continues. NBA Playoffs on the horizon this weekend, but I'm infinitely more excited about the NFL Draft and the Bolts' two first-round selections. There are rumors that Mike Williams might fall all the way to the Chargers at 12, which I think would cause some serious craziness on my part. Putting him opposite Keenan, with Gatesy over the middle? Oh my goodness.
Dark day tomorrow, so I'm coming strong at work today and at our game tonight...wish us luck...