We Don't Walk Slow – Page 46

22 Apr, 2016

Drafting THE PLAYER

By Tom Stortz|2016-04-22T11:12:24-04:00April 22nd, 2016|Sports|2 Comments

A fun topic to discuss because there are so many angles. Sam wrote a post about top QB selections in the past few years and I outlined the #1 and #2 picks. We both came to the conclusion that no can predict the future and trading up is a complete crap shoot. I’ll also add that there is nothing black and white in sports. You can cite examples until your blue in the face backing up a point and it could be completely wrong in reality. That’s why people love sports so much.

If you follow my blog you’d know that I’m not a huge proponent of being bad to get good. I’m going to suggest that you don’t have the draft THE PLAYER. You just need to know how to get the player.

Football Examples – There is no point talking about any other position than the QB

Tom Brady. Much to Rob’s chagrin, I’m not going to go into detail about how the 199th pick of the draft became the best QB of all time.
Where were other Super Bowl QB’s drafted?
- Russel Wilson – 3rd Round, Pick 75
- Ben Roethlisberger – 1st Round, Pick 11
- Joe Flacco – 1st Round, Pick 18
- Drew Brees – 2nd Round, Pick 32
- Brett Favre – 2nd Round, Pick 33
- John Elway – 1st Round, Pick 1
- Troy Aikman – 1st Round, Pick 1
- Eli & Peyton Manning – 1st Round, Pick 1
Sometimes the player finds you. “Rodgers was widely projected to be drafted by the San Francisco 49ers, his childhood team, making him the number one overall pick in the 2005 NFL Draft. The 49ers drafted Alex Smith out of Utah instead and Rodgers slid all the way down to the 24th overall pick by the Green Bay Packers.” Let’s look at the 49ers here for a minute. They had the #1 pick of the draft and chose the wrong guy. No one can predict Rodgers is going to be most talented QB in the draft, but he slid all the way to 24 and the Packers have been a Super Bowl contender ever since. It doesn’t matter if you have the #1 pick if you can’t pick talent.
Drew Brees is synonymous with what the Eagles tried to do with Sam Bradford. A QB who proved he could play at an NFL level and suffered an injury that left people skeptical of his effectiveness. The Chargers decided to go with Philip Rivers (after Brees led the Chargers to 11-4 and 9-7 records in consecutive seasons) and have been mediocre ever since. The Saints swooped in and got the player to set the future of their franchise for the last decade.

Basketball Examples

Love or hate Lebron James, he is the best player in the NBA excluding Steph Curry (even currently). You don’t need a great team to be good if you have Lebron James on it. At the age of 20, he led the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 42-40 record and getting to the 2nd round of the playoffs with players like Zydrunas Ilgauskus, Eric Snow, and Drew Gooden. Unable to win a championship in Cleveland (he got to the finals) he took his talents to South Beach and ended up becoming part of the Heat squad to win 2 championships. This proves that you literally only need LeBron, the player, to become an elite team.
The Magic had two #1 picks in a row to get Shaq and Penny and went to the NBA Finals soon after. The Magic made a serious blunder in not giving Shaq the required money and the Lakers swooped in with an understanding that this is the player who will take us to the championship. Paired up with Kobe, the Lakers were right.
Of course this scrawny kid will re-write NBA history

Steph Curry was drafted with the 7th pick of the 2009 NBA draft and has revolutionized the way the game was played. At 6-3, 190, he’s not the overwhelming force that LeBron James is at 6-9, 275. It’s not clear that Steph is going to become the best player in the NBA and that’s obvious as he drops to 7. The Warriors gambled and got the player of the generation. It should be noted that both Steph and LeBron were born in Akron, Oh.

What’s Your Point Vanessa?

This quote by Greg Popovich is the point:

“I think he’s going to be a star. And as time goes on, he’ll be the face of the Spurs, I think. At both ends of the court, he is really a special player. And what makes me be so confident about him is that he wants it so badly. He wants to be a good player, I mean a great player. He comes early, he stays late, and he’s coachable. He’s just like a sponge. When you consider he’s only had [two years] of college and no training camp yet, you can see that he’s going to be something else.”

Gregg Popovich, in 2012, on Leonard

All the Pieces of the Puzzle

#2 pick of the ’93 draft. Sharon Wright wasn’t much better.

The San Antonio Spurs have not had a top 20 pick in the NBA draft since 1997. What I’m pointing out is the difference between “tanking” to get a pick and being THE BEST at recognizing talent and finding the player. However you slice it, the Spurs are the model of what an NBA team should be. They are better at identifying talent than any other team and this is why they’ve been top caliber for 20 years. Philadelphia has proven continuously they are not that good at this part.

To come full circle to the Eagles and trading up, my gut says it’s not going to work because you can’t predict who the player (aside from Lebron James) is when they are 21. People develop differently under different systems. I’d bet my bottom dollar that if Kawhi stayed in Indiana he wouldn’t be a top 5 player in the NBA right now. Systems and coaches make players want to be who they can become. That’s one of my main issues with the Sixers and Hinkie’s strategy. The system breeds losing. Losing gets ingrained in your mind. It’s bad for business.

There’s also a major point that I’m overlooking and it’s management and their abilities. Here’s a clue if you’ve been sucking for a long time, get new owners. Notice the Philadelphia owners quitting early on Chip and Hinkie who saw the world differently. I will say though that If I saw the way Chip utilized Demarco Murray last year, I would have wanted to kick him to the curb too. It’s bigger than high draft picks, it’s knowing how to win at all costs. Why do you think Popovich and Belichick hate talking to the press – it’s because loser’s talk to the press. Look at Cam Newton after the Super Bowl. He gets it. This point is more for humor but maybe it’s not. You need the Popovich’s and Belichick’s to rise above. Are coaches good because they win or does winning make good coaches? Was Gary Kubiak considered a good coach when he went 61-64 with the Houston Texans? Is he considered a good coach now? Technically that point contradicts my point but he was brought into a club that had won at least 12 games the past 3 seasons. Elway specifically went out and got Peyton. Does that sound like a better plan than tanking and looking to draft high?

At this point I’ve lost my way and got caught up in rambling and ranting and citing examples and at the end of the day where am I? I could have probably summed this up in one sentence. – get the best player the league has to offer and hold on to them forever.

21 Apr, 2016

Tiger’s Lunch Story and Picking Up the Bill

By Tom Stortz|2016-04-21T16:45:12-04:00April 21st, 2016|Sports|0 Comments

Tiger Woods Story on ESPN.com

A long read about Tiger and his gravitation towards wanting to be a Navy Seal. The read has virtually no golf in it but gives insight into who Tiger Woods was in 2006 and what he has become. I enjoyed the piece but didn’t come away with a much different opinion of Tiger except it sounds like he won’t be coming back to golf.

This story though was great though because it’s a known fact that if one person is a billion times richer than another guy, they should pick up the tab. On a side note, the way the ESPN website moved the story through the pictures in the background was fucking awesome. I wish rnningfool.com had that technology.

Then there’s the story of the lunch, which spread throughout the Naval Special Warfare community. Guys still tell it, almost a decade later. Tiger and a group of five or six went to a diner in La Posta. The waitress brought the check and the table went silent, according to two people there that day. Nobody said anything and neither did Tiger, and the other guys sort of looked at one another.

Finally one of the SEALs said, “Separate checks, please.”

The waitress walked away.

“We are all baffled,” says one SEAL, a veteran of numerous combat deployments. “We are sitting there with Tiger f—ing Woods, who probably makes more than all of us combined in a day. He’s shooting our ammo, taking our time. He’s a weird f—ing guy. That’s weird s—. Something’s wrong with you.”

21 Apr, 2016

History of #1 & #2 Picks in the NFL Draft

By Tom Stortz|2016-04-21T14:38:08-04:00April 21st, 2016|Sports|1 Comment

Goff and Wentz

The Eagles traded for the #2 pick from the Cleveland Browns. The Eagles sent five draft picks to the Browns: the No. 8 pick in the first round, a third-round pick (77th overall) and a fourth-round pick (100th overall) in this year’s draft, a first-round pick in 2017 and a second-round pick in 2018. Cleveland also sends a fourth-round pick in 2017 to the Eagles.

Presumably, the Eagles are going to use the 2nd round pick to draft Cal’s Jared Goff or North Dakota States Carson Wentz, whichever is not drafted by the Ram’s at 1. I’m a firm believer that you need a stellar QB to win football games. If your team has a bad QB, it doesn’t matter how good the rest of your team is because not only is it their job to score points, but it’s also their job not to give up points to the other team by means of turnovers. I understand the desire for a premier QB and why trading up seems like a good idea but it’s worth looking at how QB’s drafted 1 or 2 fare.

I’m going to set a 20 year time span and look at all the 17 QB’s drafted with the #1 and #2 picks and rank them based off performance.

Ranking of #1 & #2 Picked QB’s

Peyton Manning – Peyton Manning played 13 years with the Colts and 4 with the Bronco’s winning 2 Super Bowls. “Manning is the first and only quarterback to achieve 200 career wins (regular and postseason),his five NFL MVP awards are a league record, he was the most valuable player of Super Bowl XLI, was named to a record 14 Pro Bowls, has 14 4,000-yard passing seasons (NFL record), and is the NFL’s all-time leader in passing yards (71,940) and touchdown passes (539). His career record was 186-79 and is being mired by some strange drug scandal that most likely will go away. His ability to market Papa John’s and Budweiser is also unquestioned.
Cam Newton – Cam led the best regular season team to his first Super Bowl last year eventually losing to Peyton Manning’s Bronco’s. Known primary as a rushing QB during his first few years, he’s evolved into the most dynamic QB in the NFL. I would be shocked if he doesn’t win multiple Super Bowls considering he is only 26 years old. Known as Superman and bringing the Dab to extreme popularity, he has become America’s QB.
The Eli disappointed face

Eli Manning – I ranked Cam ahead of Eli even though Eli has 2 rings and everyone knows rings are all that matter. Eli has always thrown tons of picks and tends to whine more than the average football player should. He miraculously beat the Patriots twice but hasn’t done much other than that. Eli’s career record is 97-86 which puts him at 6 more losses than his brother and 89 less wins.
Donovan McNabb – No rings but he led the Eagles to 5 NFC championship games and one eventual defeat to the Patriots in the Super Bowl. Donny lacked some accuracy but had Philadelphia heart and gave the team a decades worth of competitive football. He’s managed to stay in the limelight with boneheaded tweets and getting a multiple DUI’s.
Me caveman

Andrew Luck – I hesitate to put Luck this high after a terrible season last year after getting hurt and only playing a total of 7 games in 2016. I would add that he played miserably during those games. However, he went 11-5 and made the playoffs for each of his first 3 seasons in the NFL which is impressive to say the least. He’s gotten spanked by the Patriots twice now in the playoffs and has yet to overcome that hurdle.
Carson Palmer – No rings but still playing at the age of 36 and leading the Cardinals to the NFC championship game against the Panthers last year show’s he still has it. Tremendous accuracy as a passer but little to know playoff success. He’s running out of time to get that Super Bowl ring but he seems to possess the proper QB skills if the team around him is built correctly.
“I don’t throw downfield.”

Alex Smith – I’ve started to respect Alex Smith. They love using the term “game manager” and although I’d never want him as my fantasy QB, I think he wins football games. In his 10 year career he’s only seen the playoffs 3 times winning 1 game twice. He needs to get riskier to start becoming an elite QB and he seems content to dink and dunk and play within his limits which doesn’t win Super Bowls.
Matthew Stafford – 0-2 in playoff games and seems to be on the decline. He threw for 5,000 yards one season which seems to be his claim to fame. His career record is 42-51. He has a smokeshow wife though and played blackjack next to Sam one time. You could certainly argue that he deserves to be much much lower on this list.
Marcus Mariota – Obivously too early to call at this stage in his career but doesn’t seem to be heading into bust territory even though he put up a measly 3 wins in 12 games. He’s got decent legs and is working with no WR’s in Tennessee currently. I’d give him a chance and see if he develops.
Jameis Winston – Jameis has pure ability. Whether that develops into QB skills is another story. His off the field antics have earned him a lousy reputation but he hasn’t been in the news in a while so maybe he’s starting to take his role seriously. He did manage to become the youngest player in NFL history to throw for 4,000 yards even though his team was only 6-10 with him at the helm so there is certainly upside.
Michael Vick – Ahh the dog fighter. Vick has been in the playoffs 3 times during his 14 year career winning 2 total games. The epitome of a running QB with no passing accuracy. Aside from a few decent years with the Falcons, and 1 career year with the Eagles where Matthew Berry said it made sense to take him with the #1 pick in fantasy drafts, he’s been a bust. How he is still playing shows how hard it is to get a decent QB in the NFL.
Wonky eye

Sam Bradford – I think Sam Bradford is horrible. At the beginning of last season when he torched the Packers in preseason, I was all over the hype. I thought the system would play perfectly into his strengths and he would produce HUGE fantasy numbers. Boy was I wrong. He sucks. He’s actually better when he’s hurt because at least he’s not sucking on the field. If you wanted to argue and put him last on this list I would say I’m fine with it. It’s like he’s just mediocre at everything and in a league where you need to be at least elite at something, he’s not.
Robert Griffin III – How he took the Redskins to the playoffs his rookie season is beyond me. For reference in how he did that game against the Seahawks, he was 10-19 for 84 yards losing 24-14. His 3-10 sophomore year opened the door for Kirk Cousins and the Redskins decided who was better fit to lead the team. I think they made the right decision. Oh yeah, he also gets injured pretty easily.
David Carr – A horrible NFL QB for the Houstan Texans. He holds a 23-56 lifetime career record. I can’t say much about him because I don’t know much other than he stinks and is the older brother of Derek Carr of the Oakland Raiders. Also this fact I dug up, “he also set the NFL record for fumble recoveries in a single season, recovering 12 of his own.”
Tim Couch – Tim Couch’s greatest feat is that he’s married to Heather Kozar. After being selected #1 by the Browns, he never developed into a stud QB. He played for 5 seasons battling injuries because of a shitty Browns offensive line and finished 22-37 overall record. This tidbit though, “Couch holds the distinction of being the only quarterback in NFL history to throw two game-winning passes of 50 yards or more with 0:00 left on the clock”
JaMarcus Russell – After a 5-10 2nd year season in which Russell started every game, he didn’t exactly take care of himself in the offseason. NBC Sports described Russell as “annually and incredibly overweight”, saying he arrived at mini-camp weighing 290 pounds, up from his initially reported weight of 271. He played 9 games that year going 2-9 and as they say, “that was that.”
Ryan Leaf – Ryan Leaf is described as the #1 bust in NFL history. In 3 seasons of play, he amassed a career record of 4-17. On February 4, 2016 in an interview with Yahoo! Sports, Leaf himself compared the problems of Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel to his own, saying it was like “looking in the mirror” and that the only difference was that Leaf’s substance abuse problems happened after he retired. Leaf went on to state that Manziel is able to get the help he needs.

What to Make of This?

These 17 examples show that you can get the greatest QB in NFL history or just another bum. There have been 4 Super Bowl rings won by these players and they all have the last name of Manning. It goes to show that it doesn’t matter if you have the #1 pick or not. Drafting up tends to bite you more than it helps your team. Remember Ricky Williams? There is so much emphasis on the draft and building a future but no one has a crystal ball and there is no guarantee that a QB pans out over the length of his career. I personally think the Eagles are making a mistake even though I agree getting rid of Bradford is essential.

21 Apr, 2016

Hi Spot Lanes Suck

By Tom Stortz|2016-04-21T12:46:18-04:00April 21st, 2016|My Life|1 Comment

The last 5 weeks at South Bowl my averages over 3 games have been 192, 193, 206, 189, and 196. This could be looked at and described as consistency based on a 15 game sample size. Lanes are freshly oiled as we arrive so the conditions are also consistent. This is what I consider to be fun bowling. Last night was our Wednesday night league which I am stating is the last time I roll at Hi-Spots unless conditions approve.

Owner John with Andrew Bynum

To start with, we were put on lanes 5 and 6, where inevitably the balls get trapped because a pin gets lodged in between the return and the balls. This slows the game down because Steve has to manually go back to fix this issue at least 3 times within 1 1/2 games. You will see this in the below video. We arrived at 7:30pm and didn’t finish until 11pm to roll 3 games with 5 players on each team.

My second gripe applies primarily with me because I throw a ball that has revolutions on it. Whereas most of the league throws a straight ball or one that has so few revs that it doesn’t matter much, I struggle to find the pocket shot after shot. Why is this? Mainly because the oil pattern is so messy that understanding where it is actually is a mystery. When I try to roll down the right portion of the lane, it shoots across because there is no oil. Then I move left and roll through the oil in the middle and the ball misses the pocket right because there is no catch. I completely understand saying that I’m whining like a baby and not adjusting but it’s not just me. Colin who is one of the best bowlers in the league is carrying a 165 average and throws a pretty reved up ball and he’s way better than a 165 bowler. Josh, the best bowler in the league, is averaging 186 and says he’s well over 200 on other lanes. It’s not like it’s unbowlable, I still rolled reasonable games last night but the misses are a freaking joke. Try picking up spares where every part of the lane produces a different result. Maybe you’ll catch some oil, maybe you won’t. Hi Spots is great if you have no other experience in other league bowling but I’ve frankly had enough when I’ve actually seen what a real league is like at South Bowl. Get it together or else the bowlers who are actually trying to improve their game won’t show. PS – The house balls are a crime to humanity.

20 Apr, 2016

My First Impressions of SnapChat

By Tom Stortz|2016-04-20T13:24:23-04:00April 20th, 2016|My Brain|2 Comments

I’m not sure if everyone understands how to use Snapchat but I most certainly don’t. There’s some weird way of adding friends by making your tips touch. Very personal if you ask me. Also it took me a few weeks before Evan showed me that you have to hold down the video button on the filter for it to take footage. I also just learned yesterday that after you take a picture you can swipe left or right to add location based text or images. With the learning curve behind me for the most part (I think), I’ll give you my thoughts on the usefulness of the app.

This was definitely not sent to me.

I know I’m late to the party and “the kids” have been snapping since 2011 but I get a kick out of utilizing video that isn’t as formal as YouTube. Each video to your story lasts 6 seconds and this gives it an impersonal feel. I posted one video of myself hammered and didn’t have to worry much about the idiot I looked like because it would be erased in 24 hours anyway. I also am aware you can send private messages to friends by video which is a funny way to deliver a message. I’m sure pics like the ones to the right are also popular.

I pretty much have no idea what people post to their stories so for me it’s completely new. Jordan was saying people use it to post a snippet of a cool location they are at. I’m generally using it for any time I’m wasted and feel like wasting 6 seconds of someone’s time. With about 15 friends on my friend list I’m not exactly getting huge exposure but I’m enjoying the short time I’ve had it.

One question I had was I took a with the filter but then is the only way to get it to myself by taking a screen shot?

19 Apr, 2016

Superb Youth Coaching

By Tom Stortz|2016-04-22T09:00:37-04:00April 19th, 2016|Childhood, My Life|8 Comments

Tell me those lines in my hair weren’t baller. This also isn’t the right year.

1995 was a good year for baseball. I was 11 years old and was on the Upper Dublin travel baseball team. Bill Schmidt was the coach along with Joe Perry. This was our first year of travel baseball and no one had any idea what the expectations should be but this season started a run unlike any other.

Our very first game was against Glenside which was saved by a Dave Krieg triple in the last inning to get us off to a 1-0 record. The next game we played Warminster and managed a paltry 1 run while giving up 10. Mr Schmidt made the comment that we would never be as good as Warminster that year. Or so he thought.

Our Fans

After 14 games the team was 7-6-1. We won the next 4 games getting us into the 4th playoff spot. We squared off directly against Lower South who had beaten us 10-7 and who we tied earlier in the season. Damien on the mound (I can’t remember if he pitched 1 or 2) was a scary fireballer but we managed to win game 1 12-6. In game 2, our ace Bud Schmidt held them scoreless through 4 innings on our way to a 12-2 romp. Southampton was next up for the championship.

Stud Pitcher

Against Southampton, we won game 1 8-4 and were down 14-1 (I’m guessing here) in game 2 before it was called for darkness or rain. We played the next day to finish the 2nd game and scored a few runs in that second game but still lost 14-9. The momentum was there though and we blanked them in game 3 13-0 for our first championship. Bud finished the season with an 11-2 record and a 2.02 ERA. Year 1 batting stats.

We were about this good.

This was the start of a team that would not know how to lose from here on out. The ’96 season brought a 20-0 record and a 2nd straight championship against the same competition as the previous year. The ’97 season started with 9 more wins and then the Chestnut Hill rivalry started . The first time we played them ended with our first loss in 29 games losing narrowly 4-3. We won 2 more games before having to play Chestnut Hill again and got beat convincingly 16-8. We had met our match. We won the next 5 games and played, you guessed it, Chestnut Hill in the first round of a single elimination tournament game at their home field. This is where the title of this post begins and my fondest childhood baseball memory.

My memory is not that pristine and I don’t have the actual stat book so maybe Bill Schmidt can comment more clearly, but I believe it was the 2nd inning and I was batting 7th. Not known as a power hitter, I crushed a ball over the left fielder’s head for a double. Ashlock hit a triple behind me which got the momentum for the team churning. In my next at bat, knowing that there was about a 0% chance I hit another ball to outfield (and knowing that Chestnut Hill might think I had some new found power), Mr Schmidt told me to lay down a bunt down the 3rd base line. Bunting was probably the only skill that I was actually very good at. I plopped down a perfect bunt down the 3rd base line and beat it out for a single. We ended up winning the game 10-9 and then winning the championship against Warminster 17-4. Another hilarious tidbit from that game was the final out. I was playing 2nd and Dave Krieg was playing shortstop. I remember praying to god that they wouldn’t hit it to me because I wasn’t the surest glove (or the surest arm). As luck had it, they hit a ball to Dave and he threw them out for the final out. Year 3 batting stats.

We played a final season the next year in a league with older kids and didn’t fare to well going 7-13. I made 12 errors total to lead the team. 10 of them came in the final 7 games. I specifically remember making my 3rd error against Wissahickon on a slow hit ball, I’m talking barely moving towards me, and it went through my legs. You could say my confidence was shot and pitchers were getting bigger and I still hadn’t hit puberty.

I look back at these times and chuckle at these stats because we were a really good baseball team for that age group. We practiced a lot. Bud went on to pitch for Susquehanna and we had another player who played college but it’s funny to think that at the time, we were the best team in Montgomery County which seems like the world when you are 11. I hope Bill Schmidt comments on my accuracy.

19 Apr, 2016

Rick Snyder Drinks Flint Water

By Tom Stortz|2016-04-19T09:10:20-04:00April 19th, 2016|My Brain|0 Comments

Rick Snyder is the governor of Michigan and he has decided to drink water from the taps of homes in Flint, Michigan, to prove how safe the water is in Flint. Here is the latest picture of him.

18 Apr, 2016

How Have I Never Seen This Before?

By Tom Stortz|2016-10-28T15:37:41-04:00April 18th, 2016|Running|2 Comments

Pres take on the video because he does it so much better than me.

I wish I had a video of the facial expression I made when that crab lady came storming down the finish line at the 40 second mark. At first I thought that’s just how she ran. Just chewing up terrain like a motherfucker. Like get out of the way tired bitch because Crab Running Lady is coming the fuck through. Turns out she was in the process of dying as well. I’ve never seen that before. Is that how it works with running? Before you totally collapse you turn into some sort of superhuman crab running machine for a couple minutes? I mean she would have finished with no problem if the other chick didn’t trip her. She had that crab running style on lockdown

18 Apr, 2016

Nick “the Brick” Anderson

By Tom Stortz|2016-04-18T15:49:29-04:00April 18th, 2016|Sports|1 Comment

30 for 30 aired “This Magic Moment” which recapped the Orlando Magic’s lead up and then run to the finals in the ’94-’95 season. It began with back to back #1 picks where the Magic were able to get Shaq and Anfernee Hardaway to set the foundation. I highly recommend watching it but I found a part of documentary even more fascinating and that was Nick Anderson and his troubles at the foul line.

The below video is game 1 of the ’94-’95 NBA finals. It starts with the Magic up 3 points, 110-107, with 10 seconds left to play. The Magic had blown a 20 point lead earlier in the game but could still salvage the game as long as Nick Anderson makes 1 foul shot. Watch what happened:

After the sharpshooting Kenny Smith 3 to tie the game the Magic lost in OT and were swept in the series thereafter. Many people think that the series would have had a completely different feel if Anderson hadn’t missed 4 straight foul shots. Perhaps. However, Nick Anderson never recovered mentally from this free throw scarring.

Nick Anderson, a career 70% foul shooter, shot 40.4% from the line the subsequent season. He shot around 95 foul shots that season which is a decent sample size. Anderson had to be removed from the closing minutes of several close games due to being undependable at the charity stripe.

His struggles worsened through the first half of the 1997-98 season. Through January 27 of that season, Anderson was averaging only 6.5 points per game, and shooting a paltry 36.3% from the free throw line. However, in the second half of the season, Anderson experienced a sudden career revival, as his scoring average abruptly jumped to 22.6 points per game, and his free throw percentage improved to a 67.6%, a figure close to his former career average. He ended the season with a scoring average of 15.3 points per game.

As someone who isn’t an NBA player and sucks at making foul shots, I know the feeling of not wanting to get fouled because you can’t make a foul shot. It’s a serious mental block. The worst part is it perpetuates because the other team starts noticing it too and you essentially become ineffective because they know all they have to do is foul you and it’s a good spot for them. I feel for you Nick.

17 Apr, 2016

I Shee You

By Tom Stortz|2016-04-17T11:40:09-04:00April 17th, 2016|Sports|2 Comments

Yesterday was the fist golf round of the year for me. I played with Jeff, Pat, and Mike and we had an all around good time. We all played a “grip it and rip it” from the 1st tee box which I would describe as 0 practice balls for the entire year. I ended up shooting an 89 from the white tee box at Indian Springs which makes it the 3rd consecutive year of firing an 89 on my very first round. I didn’t necessarily drive the ball that well but my short game was on point, which is different than usual. Evan and I are playing today with Watkins and Sam at Center Square and my thoughts before the round inspired this post.

I was thinking of handicapping the round to maybe get some action so I started with Evan at a 112, Sam L about a 103, and Watkins is maybe 1-2 strokes better than I am and I’d say I’m 92. Adam tore his ACL again and is out until the summer but I asked myself, “what would I handicap him at compared to me?” This is a question that I don’t like to answer because even though I’m pretty sure I’m better than Adam, he shot two consecutive rounds at the score of 80 last year. Golf is all about your potential and what is your low round. There’s just no other way about it. I can’t possibly say that I’m better than Adam if his 2 low rounds are better than mine (and I can’t count the 79). So if I had to handicap Adam accurately, I’d have to say that he is .25 strokes better than me.

This leads me to saying that I’m shooting a 79 this year. I’m hungry. I haven’t been this hungry in a while but this is the year. My low round was 82 last year and I’ve fired a few 81’s in the past but this is the year I break 80. While Adam sits on the sidelines (and this post is not going to help), I’m going to be honing my game. After shooting an 89 without barely swinging a club to start the year, I’m ready and rearing to go. So, even though Adam I will technically say you are better at golf than I am, it will not last long. It sucks that you are on the sidelines because you deserve the opportunity to prove your worth against my words, but that’s just the way it is.

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