Believe It or Not, I Survived Another Year

Another year, another high school alumni basketball tournament. It's a bit hard to believe that it's been about 13 years since I was playing basketball as a high school student. What's even more hard to believe is that we keep coming back to play each year. As another tournament has come and went, we participated, we didn't get last place, and we all were a little more worn out afterwards. At least there were no injuries this year!

I think the main reason that our year, the class of 1999, puts so much effort into getting back together to play in the tournament is it is our way to remember one of our close friends--Mike Johnson--who passed away from cancer while we were all in college. Probably half a decade ago the annual tournament looked like it was going to fade away as the local high school coach didn't really care to organize it and no one else stepped up... until one of our players, Eaton, stepped up to get the tournament rolling again, putting the focus on fun, charity, and remembering the good ol' days. I find it interesting that as we finished yet another successful tournament, I ran across an article I wrote for the re-launch of the alumni tournament, when we branded it the Mike Johnson Memorial Alumni Tournament. I think it's just as fitting now as it was years ago, and helps to keep fresh a good friend's memory.

From the 2006 Mike Johnson Memorial Alumni Tournament launch:

It’s been well over seven years since the class of 1999 graduated and left the halls of Hayfield High School. I’m sure that for the majority of us it doesn’t feel like it was that long ago that we were still running around the school and going through the numerous senior year events we all remember so fondly. In hearing about this year’s alumni tournament and the mention that it would be in Mike Johnson’s honor, it stirred up many old memories, as well as a little bit of my competitive nature, more than I would normally let bubble up because, let’s face it, who wouldn’t want to win the tournament in Mike’s honor?

As we’ve grown up and become more immersed in our personal lives, our jobs, our families, and all of the other things that now mean so much to each of us, staying in the shape we were back in high school has, well, sometimes taken a back seat. I know it definitely has for me, so in trying to prepare for the upcoming alumni tournament, I decided I’d attempt to put in some miles on my parents’ treadmill while I was down to visit them over the Christmas weekend. However, I found I left my running shoes at home, no doubt because subconsciously I wanted to keep myself from doing any of that running nonsense. That competitive nature I mentioned before took over, though, and I found myself rifling through my closet in my old room and came across a t-shirt that was too small, some shorts that were too short, and my beat up basketball shoes from senior year. Somehow, some way, they survived and were waiting around for me to find them.

Armed with clothes and shoes that fit my body back in high school, but were a little tight around the extra pounds that the years have put on, I approached the treadmill tepidly. Before I could even get up to a full on jog, I found myself not only starting to breath heavily, but also awash in memories. These high school basketball shoes felt a little bit funny on my feet. It had been seven years since I’d worn them last, after all, but even though it was a little weird having these old shoes on, there was also a sense of familiarity and nostalgia that accompanied the sensation.

Once I got the treadmill and up to a running, the shoes felt right at home on my feet, just like I was back in high school at basketball practice. Everything seemed so fresh in my mind. It may have been five years since Mike passed on, but in the memories that have stuck with me he’s still right there poking away the ball as I try a lame crossover during practice. Instead of getting upset or angry for getting the ball stolen as I was prone to doing, when it was against Mike I couldn’t help but laugh instead because he wasn’t trying to make me look bad or show off -- he was just having fun. He didn’t need to make me look bad; I was doing a good enough job of that myself without his help.

It was that sense of fun that helped make basketball practice with Mike as enjoyable as it was. If it wasn’t the good natured playing on the court that got us all grinning, it was probably talking about the tomfoolery that went on before practice started or after it was done. I remember one time in particular when Mike and I had unscrewed the top of Mike Young’s cologne in his locker room locker and placed it just so perfectly above his practice jersey so that it would fall over from the slightest jarring. Once Young moved into position near his locker, we “accidentally” bumped him so that the cologne spilled all over his uniform. Listening to guys complain about guarding a sweaty, gross, and slimy players was pretty commonplace, but listening to everyone throughout practice ask Young why he smelt like he was going on a date while they were guarding him was priceless.

Chugging along on the treadmill, chuckling, I could still smell the overpowering stench of Aspen cologne in the air. Practice was always a fun time, but so were the games, mostly because I had prime seating for all of the games – right up next to the coach in the front row on the bench! I was never a starter and didn’t go into games unless we were either winning or losing by 20 points or more so on most nights I spent my game time cheering more than actually playing. Because of this, my high school basketball career was lived somewhat vicariously through the players on the court, and one of the many memorable moments that I now recall was watching Mike heave up a half court shot as the buzzer sounded, following it through the air as it glided by on a prayer, and then staring in amazement at the scoreboard after the ball magically fell through the cylinder for the last second win. How often does something that crazy happen? Not often, friends, not very often at all.

Much like that storied once in a lifetime shot, our memories of Mike are always with us. Our lives are busier than ever as we constantly make our way through this world, creating new memories and forging our own paths, but as we live our lives, we are often reminded of the memories we have already made. I know that I often fondly remember the time shared with Mike, not only on the basketball court, but also on the farm, in the fields, cruising through Rochester, playing back yard football, and just hanging out as friends. And those are just my memories. Combine them with the rest of the class of ’99 and you’d likely be overwhelmed with a cornucopia of stories to be told.

You are not forgotten, Mike, and you’re still an active memory in all of our lives today. Seriously, who else would manage to motivate me enough to throw on my old basketball shoes and torture myself on a treadmill for a few hours in a last ditch effort to get in shape for this tournament? Eaton? Not a chance. We’re thinking about you, remembering you, and playing for you, Mike, knowing that all the while you’re watching us from the best seat in the house and cheering us on.

Congratulations Marathoners, Your Dedication Is Crazy

Runners as they come through mile 14

Over this past weekend the Twin Cities Marathon took place in Minneapolis. Having a couple of friends running it, I went out with my wife and a friend to cheer on runners at various points throughout the race. My wife mapped out when the runners we were cheering on would get to strategic checkpoints that would allow us enough time to cheer them on, drive to the next checkpoint, cheer some more, make our way to the next checkpoint, and so on. It worked out quite well, actually, and instead of cheering on many runners from one spot we were able to cheer on our friends at multiple locations.

As the waves and waves of runners passed by, it was hard not to get caught up in the festivities of the event. I'm not a huge yeller or screamer when it comes to cheering (well, unless it's for a particular person), but seeing the support that all of the spectators were giving to all of the runners was pretty amazing. I know that it's this way for most marathons in cities across the world, but it's so much fun to see it happening in your own back yard.

The Cheer Squad

Watching all of the runners speeding by, I find myself getting caught up thinking to myself, "Self, you could totally do this. Just put in a little training and then during the race just dig deep and DO IT!"  And in years past I tried kicking up my training regiment, but as I tried to sketch out what I would need to do in order to successfully finish a marathon, it is quite daunting and I quickly give up. I've done plenty of 5K and 10K races, even tackling one half-marathon, but a full marathon is beyond scary when I really think about it.

But each one of the runners on the course had put in time, effort, and planning that leaves me in awe. Just talking with my runner friends who do marathons about their workouts, I am envious of their ability to focus on running, putting in the time needed to get in shape, and preparing themselves mentally and physically for what they need to do. I honestly don't think that even if I really, really wanted to that I could actually follow through on everything I'd need to in order to get to the point where I stride through the finish line after 26.2 long, grueling miles. So, runners, I offer up countless kudos to you. I'll always remain in awe of your accomplishments... and silently wish that I had the will to do what you do.

My Only Moment of Solitude

I am an admittedly ADHD person. I simply cannot sit still or slow down; it's always moving at 100 miles an hour and making sure I do as much as I can in every hour and minute of the day. When I run, I have to listen to music to catch up on what's new while I GPS map my route and track my pace against previous runs. When I work I have Google Reader open in a browser window so if a report or something I'm working on takes more than 30 seconds to run, I can fill that time with reading up on articles I want to scan through. When I read books, I don't just read, I have to have music going so I can multi-task. Walking the dog I listen to podcasts and audiobooks. Even now I can't just write a blog post, I have to have Turntable.fm open in another tab while I babysit application installs on a computer I'm putting together for my dad. I simply can't slow down or do only one thing at a time.

Well, that is until the last couple of months. I've been making a strong effort to bike places when I can. If something is within about 8 miles of home and I have the time, I'll opt to hop on my bike and go instead of driving. Part of this is because I feel like I've let myself get too out of shape this summer. Another part of me feels bad I haven't used my bike as much as I thought I would. And another part, which was unexpected, enjoys the quiet time it affords me.

Initially I thought biking would be simply a necessity for keeping me in shape, offsetting the lack of running I've done this summer and wanted to figure out a way to listen to music or do something while I'm biking, but on the wife's insistence, I don't wear headphones when biking. What this means is that when I'm biking, I'm not multitasking at all. It's just me, my bike, and getting to where I'm going.

This singular focus I've found gives me some time during the day to give my brain a break. It's not being forced to decipher multiple inputs, keep track of a bunch of activities, and keep me somehow entertained. I have a half hour or so of simple, relaxing, thoughtless time as soon as I hop on my bike and even though I may be physically tired after a bike ride, mentally I feel refreshed and ready to tackle my ADHD lifestyle again.

I'm not sure what I'm going to do when winter gets here, but for the time being, I'm enjoying actually having some quiet time to myself every now and again. It's not something I ever thought I needed or wanted, but turns out maybe I do (I'm still on the fence...).

NNNNOOOOOO!!!!!!

Dammit, Twins. At least it was a good game to watch, although I wish we wouldn't have even had to see the playoff game at all. Unfortunately the Twins got themselves into the predicament they were in by having such a terrible slide at the end of the season. Losing 2 of 3 games to the Royals to end the season didn't help anything.

I'm sad to see the Twins go down since they're probably our only hope for a playoff team this year in Minnesota. The Timberwolves are a lost cause. The Vikings are going to have to pull their heads out of their asses to struggle into playoff contention. And the Wild will be ok, but I don't think they'll be able to make runs like they've been able to in past years.

On a plus note in baseball, I won one of my fantasy leagues that I played with Erik (aka: Johnny Huh). It was a pretty fun league to play in, but I thought for sure I was going to give up on it by mid-season since my team was fighting for lowest of the low of basement dwellers, but with a few moves, a turn around near the All-Star break, and then a huge breakout after the break I took first and never got close to even giving it up. Huzzah!

Now, with the Twins' season over, I can focus 110% on football and my fantasy teams.

Some Days...

Spring is the worst. Seriously, I hate every minute of spring... but only between 8:00 am and 5:00 pm since I'm stuck in my cube indoors wishing I was outside. All day I long to be anywhere outdoors, away from my stuffy, life-sucking cubicle. When did we, as a species, let ourselves become so caged? Think about how much time the average person will spend couped up in an office or cubicle in his or her life time. It's astonishing. And I'm one of those people.

It's especially hard to deal with on days after ultimate games. I get to spend an evening outside, playing a sport I really enjoy, sucking in the fresh air, and living in the wide open expanses of the outdoors. Once the day is done, it's off to bed for sound sleep. Then the next day I get to get up and... take the freaking bus to freaking work inside of a cramped freaking building.

Talk about a huge buzzkill. All day I am counting away the minutes, longing to get back outside. I would give just about anything to be able to pick up laptop, take the elevator downstairs, walk outside, and set up shop somewhere in a park or, heck, my back yard. If anything I bet I'd be more at ease and able to find the motivation to tackle tasks throughout the day instead of struggling through them, feeling like they're a chore.

Unfortunately, we're all still too entrenched in our cubicle dwelling work world. It sucks, but that's the way it is right now. Maybe there will be some type of paradigm shift in the future that will allow more of us working stiffs to get outside, but I'm not holding my breath. Tell you what, though, if a company were to ever offer me the chance to do my job outside in the spring, summer, and fall I would seriously consider taking a pay cut to be able to do that. That's how much I can get to hating being stuck in a cube all day. I don't know how people do it and not go bat-shit insane. I'm sure if I'm doing the same thing when I'm 40, you can start fitting me for a straight jacket.

Windy Days

Tuesday afternoon I volunteered to help out at a local track meet taking times at the finish line. It was a beautiful day and it got me outside in the afternoon to enjoy the weather and it also gave me a chance to think back fondly on my track days which were, hard to believe it, nearly a decade ago. I'm 27 now and I ran my last competitive track meet my senior year of high school when I was 18. It doesn't seem like that long ago when I'm thinking about it, but after I get in from a hard run that I would have dominated at that age, I can definitely tell it's been a while.

Watching the kids running, I kept thinking to myself, "Man, I could totally kick these little kids' asses." Then I'd get their times and realize that I probably couldn't hit some of those times without putting in a little training first. Adulthood and the working world isn't exactly conducive to giving you time to put in daily strenuous workouts. I'm lucky if I get in 3 or 4 runs a week. If I put in some time at the gym or lifting at home on top of that, it's a huge bonus.

In thinking about it, I'm pretty sure getting out there and running a 100 or 200 wouldn't be too much of a problem because with sprints usually the people who are good at them have the natural ability to move fast or they don't. It's hard to take a slow person and get them to sprint fast, you just need to have that innate ability to start with. Luckily I was pretty decent at sprints and I still use a lot of my quick speed muscles and sprints in ultimate.

The biggest hurdle that I'd have to overcome if I was racing my same high school races today would be the 400. I can guarantee you that I would not be able to whip out a sub 55 second 400 if I tried my hardest, there just isn't enough gas in my tank for that long of a sprint and I'm probably about 10 lbs too heavy to really push that long of a sprint. Now that I'm talking about it, I'm actually curious how I'd run a 400 now. Would I blow all of my energy sprinting out the first 200 and die in the last half? Or would I be way too conservative to start thinking I'd need the extra gas at the end?

Being out at the track, beyond bringing back memories of the old "golden days", gave me some motivation to really try and put some effort into my runs and getting a few more in if I can. I don't want to be relegated to talking about the good ol' days--I want to be able to still be in shape, quick, and able to crank out a good 5K time. I know it's not a sprint, but there aren't any real competitive options outside of 5K and 10K road races, so it's time to channel some of that competitive nature to beat my ass back into shape.

Take Me Out to the Ball Game!

The Minnesota Twins season got underway yesterday as they opened up a home series against the Angels. Being the on-again, off-again baseball fan that I am (currently in the on-again phase), I managed to get out to the opener. I was up in the cheap seats, which are the only seats I ever sit in, for this sold out game which had the much loved Torii Hunter returning to take on his former team.

Truth be told, I figured the Twinkies would get smacked around considering that out of our starting 8 defensive positions there were only three guys playing who started in that position the year before. Oh, and the Angels seem to be decently stacked this year. We didn't lose, however, and pulled out a great 3-2 victory that had Torii going 0 for 4 and striking out in the 9th to Joe Nathan.

Over the course of this season and the next I need to get as much baseball enjoyment in as I can since 2010 will debut the new outdoor Twins stadium. There is no way I would have wanted to be at the game yesterday if it wasn't in the Metrodome. It was around 32 degrees out, snowing like nuts, and windy as hell. You couldn't pay me to sit and watch a game in that crappy of weather.

I know, everyone who is looking forward to the new stadium will say that baseball was meant to be played outdoors, but I heartily disagree, especially in Minnesota. We have the most manic, bi-polar weather in the country. Yesterday it was snow and freezing temps. This weekend it is supposed to be mid-50's, sunny, and gorgeous. Sure, when the weather is perfect, I'd love to watch the Twins outdoors, but when it is a 95 degree, muggy, gross day in July I want to be inside the Dome where it's a cool 68 degrees and I don't have to worry about the guy sitting next to me sliming sweat all over my arm or the smell of thousands of people perspiring in unison.

The Dome will be missed, at least by me.

Those Sad, Sad Timberwolves

Last night I managed to get to my second Minnesota Timberwolves basketball game of this season. Surprisingly, we won. It was only our 12th win all season, which next to our 43 losses so far looks pretty abysmal. But that's what happens when you trade away your franchise player and face of the team Kevin Garnett for a bunch of ok and/or unproven players. It's really sad that in one off season we went from a playoff caliber team to the second worst team in the NBA.

Earlier this season I made it to the T-Wolves final home preseason game and the Target Center was about half full, which was to be expected for a preseason game. Now, a few months later, at a regular season game against the number one team in our division, the Wolves couldn't even draw a half capacity crowd. At tip-off I'd say that the place was about a third full, and that's being generous. By the time the game was drawing to a close there was hardly a soul left in the arena. I've seen more people at high school games.

This pretty much goes to prove the point that Kevin Garnett was our team and was the draw for fans. Now we have what, Randy Foye? Al Jefferson? Rashad McCants? Come on. And of course we trade away Green at the deadline. The one guy who could maybe be a fun player in the future. It's frustrating to see how terribly managed this team is getting.

Yeah, it was fun to see us win, but it's one small positive in a season full of negatives, bone-headed moves, and a complete lack of enthusiasm by players and fans both. It's going to be a long few years until this team is anywhere close to decent again.

Everyone Celebrate!

The Yankees are done! Thank God. I can't stand that freakin' team. Nothing more than a bunch of whiney, overpaid, underperforming players. It's always a riot watching them play because they play like a group of individuals thrown together because they're paid to instead of actually playing as a team. That's how you win games. You can't simply buy championships.

What would have made this year even better for baseball is if somehow the Minnesota Twins wouldn't have self destructed in the second half of the year and made the playoffs... and Barry Bonds would have left the sport of baseball for good. Man, I can't stand that guy. The only thing I can't stand more than him is the Yankees, and their season is done!

Demo Derby Videos

For anyone who doesn't live in the midwest, been to a county fair, or attended the Mad Max-esque demolition derby events that are at said midwet county fairs, I've posted a couple of videos, below, from one of the derbies I attended this year.

These videos are of the smaller of the two derbies I attended this year, so the action isn't quite as visceral or manic, but it still gives a decent idea of what demo derbies are all about--crashing cars until they stop working.

Watching the videos after posting them, I realize how crazy it probably seems for someone who has never even heard of the concept. The way that the drivers soup up their cars, not only in reinforcing the frames and beefing up the engines, but in the paint jobs and other "extras" might seem a little crazy to some. Regardless of what anyone thinks, demo derbies are a ton of fun that I think anyone with an eye for destruction will enjoy.

So anyways, here are those clips:

See Ya Later, Vick

Let's all say it together now, "Michael Vick's career is over."

Personally, I think it would be fair to take him and everyone else convicted of running the dog fighting circle, as well as brutally killing the dogs in the underground fight circuit, throw them all into a room, and unleash about 20 stark, raving mad dogs on them. Bonus points would come from using dogs that were recovered from the fighting circuit.

I really hope that Vick never plays in the league again. I'm sure he will, however, as he's talented enough that some crappy ass team (read: The Oakland Raiders) will eventually suck it up and take him on board. Seriously, though, if you are convicted of a federal offense, there is no way you should ever get to play in sports again. What type of a precedent are you setting for young kids by letting criminals come back?

Sure, everyone should get a second chance after serving their time, but it's different for sports in my eyes. They're influencing kids and impressionable minds. Much like I could never work for an accounting firm again if I was ever convicted of fraud, embezzlement, or other crimes that impact my career.

Lock his ass up. End of story.

The Celtics Now Legit?

So long, KG, and thanks for the memories. It's sad to see Kevin Garnett go since he has pretty much been the face of the Minnesota Timberwolves for the last decade. I'm sure he wants to play on a winning team--I know I would--but it doesn't change the fact that it's going to be really hard to get behind the Wolves this season.

Most seasons I try to get to at least a few T-Wolves games since I like the team and, more importantly, have always liked watching KG. Now half of the reason I went to games is gone. None of the new guys the Wolves will be getting in the uber-trade with Boston will be able to draw fans like KG did and, frankly, I really don't see myself going to any Wolves games this year.

It's really too bad that we had to lose such a superstar, especially one that wasn't an outright douchebag like most sports stars today (Michael Vick or Barry Bonds, anyone?). I wonder who will be the next star to take up the mantle of being the go-to guy here in Minnesota. There are no real clear contenders right now.

I was in a Triathlon

You know, I totally forgot to mention that two weekends ago I participated in the Lifetime Fitness triathlon here in Minneapolis. It was quite the experience for me and my team. Since I can't swim, I recruited a couple of friends to do the swimming and biking (since I also don't have a bike). This left me with the sole responsibility of running, which was just fine by me.

We ended up doing ok. I was decently happy with my 10K time. I managed to do it in 49 minutes, which is about a 7:55 minute mile pace. It's not bad, but I would have liked to have been a tad bit quicker. Ideally a 7:30 mile would have been what I'd have liked to have been at. Maybe next year.

I sort of thought that signing up for the triathlon that it would get me motivated to get into a tough training regiment, but it seemed like the opposite happened. As the triathlon got closer, I found I had less and less time to actually get out running. Having Ultimate two nights a week knocked out two potential running days and then I'd usually have at least a day or two where I'd have activities after work so I pretty much only got like 2-3 actual distance runs in per week. I don't really count Ultimate towards my running total since it is all sprint work.

Regardless, I managed to do ok. This last weekend, however, I did really notice my lack of training come into play. I played in my first Ultimate tournament since last fall and my feet and calves aren't letting me forget that fact.

Our team was short on players for the weekend so there was little time for me to rest on the sidelines and there were no bye's scheduled for either day because of the amount of teams in the tournament so there went any other rest time I might have gotten. Since I'm also not the best frisbee handler in the work, I'm usually a cutter, which means I'm almost always supposed to be running. It was a great couple of days for pushing my legs onward, but I also hit some limits that I never used to have. The combination of less training than usual this summer and being another year older kept me from being able to do as much as I would have liked, which is frustrating, but I think it might be what I needed to happen to get me back to thinking about training hard again. It was the nice, solid kick to the ass I've needed for a while now. Let's just hope I follow through on my good intentions this time.

Non Contact My Ass

For the most part, Ultimate is supposed to be a sport where there is little to no contact. Ideally it should be that way, but in reality it is not. I've never sustained any real heavy injuries from Ultimate playing. That is, up until this year.

Last night during our game, I sustained my third frisbee related injury of the year (the first being my hyperextended knee in the winter and the second being my sprained thumb from a few weeks ago). This time it was definitely contact related whereas the other two were only sort of contact related.

As I was going up to defend a disc that was thrown to a player I was playing defense on in our end zone, my jaw made contact with the offensive player's shoulder. I jumped into the air before the offensive player did in order to attempt to knock the disc away, and as I was at the peak of my jump the other player jumped up in a direction that made some pretty direct contact.

When his shoulder jammed into my jaw I heard a sickening pop (also heard by everyone on the field) and instantaneously thoughts were running through my head that I must have broken my jaw or destroyed some teeth. As I hit the ground, my ears were ringing and my head was more than a little rattled, but I could move my jaw fine. I tasted a little bit of a gravelly texture in my mouth so I probably chipped off some enamel on my teeth, but I felt around and no major tooth destruction occurred thankfully.

So for the third time this year I've managed to sustain a decently painful injury, although this time there will be no effects to my disc game because of it. It leads me to wonder if the game is starting to get more physical or if I simply have bad luck this year or if I'm just putting myself in more dangerous positions on the field or if it's something else. I do know that I have held back on diving for discs this year to avoid injury, but I've found myself trying to jump over people more, which is how I sustained two of my injuries.

Regardless, getting knocked around a little every now and again simply keeps me on my toes and lets me know that I'm at least getting myself into good, competitive positions on the field. If anything, it makes me feel a little bit younger as opposed to old and broken. Go figure.