Travel Hoops Update

Almost to end of January, which means travel hoops has 6 weeks or so to go. 8th grade team has played well after a dismal start. Our main league we are sitting at 6-3 with really one hard team to play over the next 7 games to finis regular season. Told the boys I expected to finish around 13-3 so we are on track give or take.

We also play in a highly competitive tournament league on weekends. We are 1-4 there, but we've played better of late, losing one game in OT. These games are to get on the court against tougher competition. I have no illusions.

YSSS is playing better than ever. He's killing it in rec league, and he's making some great plays, etc. in travel now. Nice to see, proud I am.

The Shift

Back to baseball. Seems the new commish is talking about "doing away with defensive shifts". Wow. That is wrong-thinking.

I've got an idea. How about the hitters that get shifted on try to use the WHOLE FIELD. or bunt up the 3rd base line. Or MAKE AN ADJUSTMENT, which is what baseball is all about.

I don't understand the problem. We are so opposed to a shift because it "hurts the offense"? Well hit the ball where nobody is and the defense will play straight up (or thereabouts) pretty quick. Simple adjsutment.

False Alarm

Well when all was said and done we got a brutal 3" of snow or thereabouts. I guess the weather heads got this one wrong, at least in the North J. 

Got a day off though so that was pretty sweet. 

The End of the World As We Know It

Snow is coming! Ohhhhhhhhhhh......

On the cusp of a blizzard. We will see what we are made of.

The Wrongness of It All

Got some extra time on me hands this AM, Boyo...

Lot's of folks talking and jabbering about the length of baseball games and how it needs to be fixed, yada, yada. And lot's of these same talking heads are going on and on about a "pitch clock"; tried out in a couple of stadiums during AFL last year.

Here's what soulslam thinks: if you really need to shorten games, then shorten the minimum of two (2) COMMERCIAL BREAKS that occur every inning. If you just cut these by 60 seconds apiece, you end up saving about 15 minutes or so (my math isn't what it should be I guess). But that doesn't seem to be a concern. Instead, we're going to (in some cases) RUSH a pitcher to deliver a pitch. Or a batter to stand in a box. Unreal.

Reminds me of the age-old argument on how to reduce terrible fan behavior at NFL games. The answer is pretty simple - stop serving alcohol. Or allowing it in parking lot. But that isn't really realistic is it?

Snow

They were right.

Finally?

The forecast for the North J includes a couple to 5 inches of the white powda (not that white powda) this weekend. So we may finally see something beyond the dusting we've gotten so far. Since it's on a weekend it only disrupts sporting-type games, practices, training. Nothing to fret over.