About
Hi, I’m the Big Man Inside. You’ve come here to learn, and I’m ready to teach.
Let me tell you a story.
Long ago, there was a riot in Galveston, Texas. I’m sure you know that in Texas, they have a special kind of lawman, and they’re known as Texas Rangers.
When that riot started, everyone said, “Call the Rangers! We need the Rangers on the next train to Galveston!”
Well, one Ranger got a train, and about one day later, he arrived in Galveston.
“What!?” said the the people of Galveston. “We’ve got a big riot, and they send us only one Ranger?!”
“Only one riot,” said the lone Ranger, and he took care of the problem.
But I digress.
I know you’ve come here to learn about basketball. Study this blog carefully and I guarantee you’ll see results.
Let’s get started!
February 10, 2007 at 5:24 pm |
HOw do you feel about the plays. Do you believe that the plays make the team or the team makes the plays
February 16, 2007 at 7:10 pm |
I have known The Big Man since 1968, when we were both Freshmen at an Ivy League university known to have an abundance of basketball talent (although perpetually useless in the NCAA tournament where, having been ranked #2 in the nation in 1970 and having beaten Indiana, UNC, UCLA et al, we were down by 35 points at the end of the first half to Villanova and Howard Porter in the Eastern Regional Final game at the Astrodome).
The Big Man and I were frequent participants in 4 on 4 pick-up games at one of the two main gyms on campus, where quite often, aspiring local high school talents would show up to teach us matriculated pretenders who was Da Man!!
In one particular game of note (where the first to 11 baskets kept the court), The Big Man and I assembled a visually imposing group of four specimens (the “Gang Of Four”) to challenge the reigning champions holding the court. The shortest of the Gang Of Four was me, who measured in at a not-too-shabby 6′ 4 1/2″. If I am not mistaken, The Big Man (who was recruited at the gates to the Freshman Quad – as was I – by the coach of the men’s crew as we all checked in with our parents and suitcases on our first day of school) had a program height of 6’6″. The other two members of the Gang Of Four were equally as tall as The Big Man.
By way of athletic credentialling, I was slated to play on the university’s baseball team and had been extended an offer out of high school by a major league baseball franchise as a pitcher ($3,000 signing bonus to disappear into the bowels of the Florida Grapefruit League), so I thought I was a pretty good athlete. As I understand it, The Big Man played some ice hockey in his high school years, but I don’t remember if he was on his high school team or was just a recreational skater. I don’t know the credentials of the other two Gang Of Four members, but judging from the outcome of the contest (without giving too much away prematurely), their resumes consisted of a lot of height but apparently not much else.
Our opponents, when we marched out onto the court, immediately started groaning loudly that this was a supremely unfair contest. The tallest of their four players might charitably have been 5’10″. Over and over, they kept chanting “Hey man; dis no fair, man; yo, you guys be too big, man; yo, you guys got to break yo team up, man; anyway, you get the picture.
In a suitably self-effacing fashion, we repeatedly reassured our prospective opponents that our form most probably outstripped our substance.
Game on!!! Game over!!! Score 11 – 0. Time of contest – maybe five minutes. # of rebounds for the Gang Of Four – 0. # of made shots for the Gang Of Four – obviously 0!! Number of rebounds for our size-challenged opponents – too high to count. But hey – we were the matriculants at this august bastion of academic excellence (which none of us could get into today if we were to try applying!!!).
My hat’s off to all of you who have the unmitigated joy of playing with The Big Man. He is the epitome of the movie “White Men Can’t Jump”, as by the way, am I. Lot of weight under the basket, but where are the moves?? Lot of chatter on the court, but where’s the beef? No form, no substance, but a lot of heart. Couldn’t be more fun to mix it up with. You guys must have a ball.
Memories!!!
All I can say is, I hope The Big Man has picked up a few moves in the last 35 years. Also, hope by now that he has somehow figured out a way to be able to touch the rim at the apex of his rebounding jump!!! Back in his youth, it took about four tries, which is about what it took for me as well.
Cheers to all of you!!!