A Long Overdue Update: Weeks 3 & 4
Sorry, I've fallen back into bad blogging habits...again. So without further ado, here are the recaps from the past couple of weeks and look at this week's game!

Week 3
We played International and we lost 3 to 0. The game was better than the score indicated. We went into the half down 1 to 0. Midway through the second half International scored again. The third goal was sort of sad. Chris, our goalie, is playing in both the eight man and the 11 man leagues and he was a little beat up from his Saturday game. He was having back problems and had a hard time getting to the ball as it rolled into the goal for International's 3rd score. We played a pretty tough game though and I think overall we improved.

But enough about everyone else, let me talk about my play. A couple of good things happened in this game for me. One, I could run around for more than a few minutes without feeling like I was going to have a heart attack and die. Two, I actually judged a ball in the air. Let me explain that one. You see the ball frequently gets kicked high in the air (duh!) and then it is usually you and one other playing jockeying for position trying to either trap or head the ball. Well, I just plain suck at this. This game, one of International's forwards (the guy who scored 2 of their 3 goals) and I were in our back field. A long ball was played to him through the air. I have about four or five inches on this guy, so I let him get in front of me and box me out. Then, at the last second I step around him and intercept the ball, heading it back up the field. I was pretty pleased with myself. Third, just let me explain this. It was my shining moment in the game. It was late in the game and I had come in at midfield, I was standing up toward the mid-line and for some strange reason, no one was covering me (please note sarcasm). Chris made a save and looked downfield. I waved my arm frantically for the ball. Chris hesitated and then with a look of "fuck it" kicked me the ball. I judged the ball and let it bounce by me as I picked up steam. The ball was heading toward the sideline as I ran behind it. I had visions of redirecting it and running down the side, then cutting in and scoring a goal....Hey a guy has to have dreams! Anyway, the " "old man"....wait you don't know the old man from International, do you gentle readers? Okay new paragraph for a short story back from season 3 or 4.

We were playing International and Dan our manager and terrorizing Asian Halfback was up and playing. There was a throw in and the old man boxed Dan out or something. Dan claimed it was a "trick" he had never seen before. I think the old man just didn't see Dan and inadvertantly blocked him out. But of course it doesn't matter as Dan is insane. The old man looks a bit like father time, he is short and has a paunch belly, he is balding with wispy grey/white hair and he wears glasses. Dan says to the guy, "That was a good one, old man. I owe you one for that!" The old man misinterpreted Dan's show of respect as a thinly veiled threat. It may have something to do with Dan's propensity to shove people down who have the gall to stand between him and the ball or his "trick" of giving people quick, hard pushes with his balled up fist. But in any case the old man went and told the ref that Dan was going to get him. The ref watched Dan like a hawk after that and didn't let Dan get away with any of the "old classics" as Dan likes to call them. After the game, as we were shaking hands, Dan told the old man, "You taught me something today old man!" Which, I'm sure, just freaked out the old man that much more.

So, I'm running down the field after the ball with visions of glory in my head. I look up to plan my route to glory and I spy the old man charging across the field to the ball. I'm much much bigger than the old man and have a head of steam to boot, so I figure he will want to protect his fragile old body and he will yield to me. I put on a little more speed to make sure I get to the ball first and look up again to see the old man has not broken stride. I arrive at the ball a step ahead of the old man, just at the sideline, I kick the ball down the line, between the old man's legs to Paully (one of the brit players) sending the ball off of another International player and out of bounds for our team's throw in. Meanwhile, I set myself and deliver a shoulder to father time's sternum. I am incredibly pleased to have laid in my first hit since back surgery without a hitch. The old man is light, soft and squishy. It is a rather pleasant feeling as I drive into his chest with my shoulder, taking him off his feet and driving him into the ground. I am especially pleased as life goes into slow mo and I am able to enjoy the stunned look on his face before the impact takes me off my feet and I attempt to land on him, I think I was only partially successful. Silly old man, I showed him one of my old classics!

So all in all a pretty good game with a good performance by yours truly.

Week 4
We played MIIS this week. I was dreading this game I thought MIIS was going to destroy us. They have players with cool names like Ocean and Toshi and stuff. Foreigners! I didn't play much during this game and at one point took myself off the field because I was screwing up so much. I was not pleased with my game at all. I had a hard time mastering throw-ins for some reason.

My one bright spot for this game was laying a hit on Toshi. Toshi is a short little Asian guy who scores most of the goals for MIIS. While my hit on the old man was just brute force, this much more subtle but no less devastating hit on Toshi is really one of my "old classics".

One of the things that happens a lot in soccer is that a couple of guys will attack in a line. When a defender steps up to pressure the person with the ball he will pass it to the other person attacking who is now open hopefully and then that person will pass it right back as the first person streaks by. Another variation on this is that someone who is in a line behind the attackers will play the ball forward to them. In either of these cases the players will undoubtedly watch the ball so they know when they can take off. This is getting a little long winded but bear with me. The reason they have to watch the ball is that there is an offsides rule in soccer that states you cannot be behind the last defender before the ball is kicked. You can run just as soon as the ball is kicked and get behind the defender but before that you cannot be behind them. So the players are watching to see when they can run. Now for my "old classic trick"; instead of staying in good position between the attacker and the goal, I slightly change course as I run back and come around their blind side (they are usually looking to the inside of the field), sort of "sneaking" around them I then, position myself right in front of them and come to a stop, setting my shoulder. The forward loses me and doesn't see me, when they turn to run, they smack right into my shoulder and are taken out of the play (sort of like a pick in basketball). If I do this right they hit me just as they are getting up to full speed with not so good results for them.

So the ball got played forward to the middle of the field in the air (even better for my purposes) Toshi had gone right by me (I was not the last defender) but he had to hold up as the ball got to the middle of the field. As he did so, I slipped by behind him and set myself. Just I did so, Toshi accelerated from his half jog to full speed and just as his head swiveled forward he met my shoulder then he met the ground. He picked himself up, now completely out of the play and started yelling and complaining to the ref but since the play at that point had been away from him, no one saw what happened. Beautiful.

Other than that not a good game for me.

We went into the half tied 1 to 1. We had a chance early in the second half. With an open net, all Cisco had to do was kick the ball past one lone defender (the goalie had come out of the goal and had lost a shot as it ricocheted off of him...) but instead he skyed it instead.

Now a problem we have had over these past two games is Dan not doing the best job subbing people out. In week three he had people yelling at him and he did again this game. For some reason with the game tied 1 to 1 he decided it would be a good idea to sub out Adam, our best defender and one of the youngest and best in shape players we have, to "give him 10 minutes of rest" who cares if there was only about 15 minutes left to play. While I was yelling at Dan about what a terrible idea it was to take our best defender out of a tie game against one of the best teams in the league, MIIS scored their second goal. Sad times. MIIS went on to win 2 to 1.

This week we play Monterey United on Easter Sunday. I didn't think I was going to make this game but it looks like I will now as I'm not going out of town as previously expected. Monterey United is Tom's team (the league organizer, see previous posts). This should be a good game. Of course there has been no announcement yet as to whether or not we are actually going to play still. Chris can't make it so that is going to suck.

I am supposed to practice with Dan tomorrow. On Monday we talked about the game in the cubicles and bemoaned our lack of effective leadership. Some people stated I should try coaching but I declined saying I already had tried and no one would listen to me. I stated that the problem with our team is that either no one listens to the coaches or the people doing the coaching are half assed about it. This is the same story since season 1.

I think this is enough for a bit. Have a wonderful evening, gentle reader.
- posted by David @ 3/23/2005 09:09:00 PM