Soccer Update - A Tale Of Two Games

Time to get caught up on what's been going on with the Nomads. Let's get the less eventful stuff out of the way first, shall we?

Game 6: Nomads 8 - Old Dogs 3
Last night we squared off against one of our favorite rivals, Old Dogs. I say they're one of our favorite rivals because 1) they bring a similar attitude to the game as we do - just to have fun, and to be completely honest 2) we always beat them. But even if Point 2 wasn't the case, they're a team we always have a good time playing. So, last night's game transpired according to most expectations. In addtion, last night's game was the last game of the regular season, and with our win, coupled with the second-place team's loss, the Nomads have moved from third place to finish in second. And even though it would have been great to have a repeat first place finish like last season, given the turbulence this season brought, I'm quite happy to finish in the number two spot. Ok, on to the more interesting stuff...

Game 5: 422 Team (a.ka. Complete A-holes) 8 - Nomads 2
All I can say about the game two weeks ago is: WTF? As you can see, we lost. Ok, that's all that's worth saying about the actual game. The real story that night had very little to do with soccer. It all began when we first tried setting foot onto the field (queue wavy flashback melt)...

We were scheduled for the first game of the night which was at 7:00. We were facing off against 422 Team, a team we've played in the past and couldn't say anything bad about (how's that for obvious foreshadowing?). But our troubles would begin with one of the staff members of the complex where we play. Most of the Nomads had arrived before the game so we would have some time to warm up. There were some junior high lacrosse players on the soccer field, being instructed by one of the staff members (Casey was his name). When the clock on the wall read 7:00, we started onto the field. Immediately, Casey very emphatically told us to get off the field. So, we did. Then, a few minutes later, when the referee for our game told us it was now 7:00 and that we could go on to the field, the moment we set foot onto the turf, we were again immediately accosted by this Casey person. The basic argument went something like this:

Casey: GET OFF THE FIELD!

Us: We're scheduled to play at 7:00 and since it's now 7:00 we feel that we are entitled to come onto the field to start warming up.

Casey: I WORK HERE, AND I'LL TELL YOU WHEN YOU CAN COME ONTO THE FIELD. SO, GET OFF THE FIELD!

Referee: Well, I'm the official for this game and since my watch, which is actually synchronized to universal time, now reads 7:00, I'm letting the soccer teams, who have been waiting patiently, come onto the field and warm up.

Casey: NOT ONLY DO I IMMEDIATELY LAUNCH INTO CRAZED AND ANGERED TIRADES AT ANYONE WHO CHALLENGES MY AUTHORITY, AS INDICATED BY THE USE OF ALL CAPITAL LETTERS IN THIS ACCURATE AND WELL-ARTICULATED TRANSCRIPT, BUT APPARENTLY I HAVE DOMINION OVER TIME AND SPACE AND THEREFORE I CAN STATE WITH COMPLETE CONFIDENCE THAT IT IS NOT 7:00 UNTIL I SAY IT IS 7:00! SO, UNTIL I WILL IT THAT TIME ACTUALLY MOVES FORWARD TO 7:00, GET OFF THE FIELD!

Us: Umm...ok...

(Then another staff member calls to Casey from the other side of the field, with the apparent intent to tell him to leave the field, and supported by the fact that the lacrosse players are now leaving said field.)

Casey: I WANT TO HAVE A MEETING WITH THIS TEAM (points to us) AFTER THE GAME SO I CAN BRANDISH WHAT LITTLE AUTHORITY I ACTUALLY HAVE HERE IN A THREATENING AND EGOTISTICAL MANNER!

Then Casey leaves the field, and we can actually start our game not too long after we were scheduled to play. So, that was the first sign that things were not going to go smoothly for us that night. Oh, a quick postscript about the Casey-incident: he never did have that "meeting" with us, although he did single out one of our players, Mario, who probably is the least likely to take crap from anyone without ripping their head off. After the game, he told Mario that he would have him thrown out of the league, and if it wasn't for another staff member physically getting between the two, Casey would probably be unemployed today, not because he may have been fired, but because he would have most likely been dead.

Ok, I have to get some work done for now. I'll post more about this story soon...

The Morning After The Morning After

Oh happy day! Mother Nature, you totally delivered, and for that, I say thank you. You completely came through for us (and by "us" I mean "me") and gave us a good 4-6" of snow with plenty of cold cold air to ensure that the snow will stay around in icy, powdery conditions for days to come.

School was canceled yesterday and the skis were in a state of bliss as they've feasted on their first taste of snow in a long time. Had I checked KU's website this morning I would have seen that school had a delayed opening of 9:30, meaning that my morning class had been canceled, and I could have brought my skis into school for a quick trek through the surrounding farmlands before my afternoon classes. Fortunately, with this cold weather, there's always tomorrow.

Here's the latest photo from my office window, taken around 9:45. Pretty, isn't it?

Ending Our Broadcasting Day

It's about 4:35, school is all but deserted, and we are officially closed as of 5:30 this evening. The question now is will we have classes tomorrow. If anything, I bet we'll have a late opening, although I'd be completely fine with having a snow day.

The snow continues to fall at its steady pace, but accumulation is slow. With that said, and before too much snow coats the roads, I'll sign off for tonight. Hopefully the next post will have something about cross-country skiing in it. Stay warm!

Snow Update

3:00 and all's well! The snow's still coming down, and at times, quite vigorously. It's finally starting to stick on paved surfaces. As you can see in the photo (or rather, can't see), the sidewalks are covered. Off to the left and out of the frame, the parking lot is becoming coated in white. We just got the word that after 5:30, classes are canceled for the day. Could we possibly get a snow day tomorrow?

Showing Promise

The snow is still falling, although it's tapered back a bit. But at least it's not looking like it's going to end any time soon. Hopefully this snowfall is adhering to the principal of "slow and steady wins the race." The latest from the Weather Channel's website is that we may actually get 6-11". I'm still holding my breath, but the skis are getting a little restless. Here's the view at 1:30:

Fingers Crossed...

Photo from my window, taken five minutes ago (11:45)...

Life Imitating Art

One of the nice things about all the cold weather we've been getting is that it allows Nature to display her creative side with the frost patterns that form on many of my windows. Here's a photo of one of the windows in my kitchen: While the frost patterns are rather stunning, I'm afraid I'm going to have to deduct a few points for originality. It's pretty obvious that Nature is doing her best impression, albeit with a cooler, more art nouveau feel to it, of my etched bathroom window:

A Close One...

The Nomads have recovered from last week's loss and manage to maintain their perfect winning streak against the Rockets with a 5-4 win on Tuesday night. But Tuesday's game was far from an easy victory.

Nomads were first to get on the board, but the Rockets quickly leveled the score and then pulled ahead to a 1-3 lead. Two badly needed 2-point goals by Matt Emberger propelled the Nomads to a 5-3 lead. Pulling back to a defensive mode and slowing the game down, the Nomads kept the Rockets to one more additional goal, ending the game 5-4.

While the Nomads continue to maintain a flawless winning record against the Rockets, this week's game only reinforces the fact that with the way the Rockets are improving, the Nomads can't take their winning streak for granted.

This week's win against the Rockets have moved the Nomads into second place. But in order for the Nomads to have a repeat first place finish, the current first place and oddly named team, D's In A Box, must lose one of their two remaining games. With both those games against teams they've easily beaten in the past, the Nomads dreams for a second season title seem all but dashed.

Your Donnie Darko quote: "Sometimes I doubt your commitment to Sparkle Motion."

Runneth Over

Let's get right to it: Nomads 5 - D's In A Box 8

Yep, that's a loss. After a glorious run, Game 3 has decided to end our 4-game winning streak. And not only did we lose, but we're now in third place. The frustrating thing about this loss is that "D" was a team we could have beat. For the first half of the game, we kept the score close. We were either tied or "D" was only one point ahead. But, the Nomads seemed to relapse into their old habits and we quickly began shirking our defensive responsibilities and before you could say "Mark up on defense", D's In A Box began to pull ahead in points. And by the end, we were probably lucky to only lose by 3 points.

Next week, the pressure is still on as we face off against the Rockets. If there was an award for the most improved team last season, the Rockets would have won it, hands down. When we first played them last season, we dominated the game and won 10-2. When we played them at the end of the season, it was a hard fought 7-5 victory for us. So, I'm a little concerned as to what kind of team we'll face next week. But if we want to move into second place and ultimately have a shot for a first place finish, we're going to have maintain our winning streak against the Rockets. And with the way streaks are coming an end around here, we can't afford to make the same mistakes we made this week.

But it's not all bad news this week. I just found out today that Roger Clyne is coming out with a new album in March:

Oh, and it's snowing right now, so it's not all bad: