Congratulations to Vipers Vice President of Administration Jennifer Stool!
Today at 3:13 a.m. Paige Lindsey Stool (1'8, 7 lbs, 5 oz) was born.
And congrats to Vipers Futurecast Director Jim Bob Sides for becoming an Uncle!
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Following My Dream
I can't believe I left this out of my last post.
Call it an addendum.
One of the biggest things Brian did for me was allow me to continue to follow my dream. It would have been very easy for Brian to tell me that I had to choose between the Vipers and the WhiteWings, but he didn't. He allowed me to continue to pursue my dream, and now, for the second-straight summer, I work for both teams at once, providing play-by-play for the WhiteWings.
It's ironic that, while it's what I want to do, it was baseball that kept me away from Brian's surprise going away dinner tonight (put on by the front office). I'm in Laredo right now. Left after the press conference this morning. Of course, we didn't even play. Rained out (well, it rained during the afternoon and the field just wasn't playable), but there was no way of knowing. The game didn't get called until a little after 9:00.
I wish I could have been there, but at least I'll be there on Friday for the final day.
Call it an addendum.
One of the biggest things Brian did for me was allow me to continue to follow my dream. It would have been very easy for Brian to tell me that I had to choose between the Vipers and the WhiteWings, but he didn't. He allowed me to continue to pursue my dream, and now, for the second-straight summer, I work for both teams at once, providing play-by-play for the WhiteWings.
It's ironic that, while it's what I want to do, it was baseball that kept me away from Brian's surprise going away dinner tonight (put on by the front office). I'm in Laredo right now. Left after the press conference this morning. Of course, we didn't even play. Rained out (well, it rained during the afternoon and the field just wasn't playable), but there was no way of knowing. The game didn't get called until a little after 9:00.
I wish I could have been there, but at least I'll be there on Friday for the final day.
Monday, July 26, 2010
Changing of the Guard
For some reason I think I have used this title once or twice before, yet it seems extremely appropriate today.
Today was P-Day (Press Conference Day).
I wrote not that long ago that BMC putting out a statement announcing his resignation was a sad moment because it made it more real. Well, now that the press conference is in the books, and we enter the final week, it becomes even more real.
I want to start by saying Bert Garcia is going to do an excellent job as Team President. Of this I have no doubt. He knows how to deal with people in all situations. He's been with the Vipers since the beginning and has been Brian's right-hand man. He's both deserving and ready to do this. I am excited to continue to work both for and with Bert. If you need something done, he'll get it done. Always does.
However, that doesn't make it any easier to lose Brian. I was okay when I introduced Vipers CEO Rene Borrego to start the Press Conference, but as he told stories about Brian, and at times sounded as if he might cry, it was tough to fight it back (although I did). It's not just about what Brian has meant to this organization. I think I've covered that pretty thoroughly. It's about what he's meant to people individually.
Brian appreciates everything you do and he makes sure you know it too. Sometimes it's as simple as "thank you" or "good job." Other times it's a couple of slices of pizza. There was one morning I stumbled into the office late. It was maybe 10 a.m. We'd had a game the previous night (and maybe the night before that too) and something cause me to not get to bed until something like 3 or 4 a.m. I don't remember what. I might have had issues uploading the post game video blog or maybe something with the website... Honestly, I have no idea what happened, but I just remember being incredibly tired. I went straight to Brian's office to apologize for being late. His response wasn't to go off on me for being late, but rather to see if I was okay. That was before I had an office key, and I was often there before anyone else, standing outside, waiting for someone to come and open up (I was early, others were not late). Then he said, let's get lunch. I was tired enough that I actually looked at my watch, saw it was 10 a.m., and said, "well, it's a little early, but okay." Needless to say he meant a little later on, but you get the idea. Yeah, Brian got tough and came down on people when it was necessary, but he was good at reading situations and what kind of response was necessary.
Brian also talks like no one I know. I mean, the conversations go on for a long time. It's not necessarily because he's long-winded, but it's because we talk out decisions. It's not always, do this, do that. I always appreciated being a part of that and having the chance to learn why things are done, rather than simply how to do them.
I can't tell you how many nights I stayed late during the season, sitting in Brian's office learning about the business side, which was certainly an area that needed improvement when I first joined the team. I got a great education from him. So of course, when I made my first major corporate sale, he was the first person I called. He was screaming on the other side of the phone. Pure elation.
Brian wasn't always the easiest person to work for. He wanted what he wanted and he wanted it done yesterday. But you know what, that taught me how to deliver the impossible in a timely manner. If anyone ever told Brian something couldn't be done, he asked "why not?" And then said, "well, find a way."
There is no doubt that he deserves lots of credit for my growth as both a professional and a human being over the last year and a half. And I thank him for that. He gave me an opportunity when I was down. I only hope I've justified his faith in me.
Today was P-Day (Press Conference Day).
I wrote not that long ago that BMC putting out a statement announcing his resignation was a sad moment because it made it more real. Well, now that the press conference is in the books, and we enter the final week, it becomes even more real.
I want to start by saying Bert Garcia is going to do an excellent job as Team President. Of this I have no doubt. He knows how to deal with people in all situations. He's been with the Vipers since the beginning and has been Brian's right-hand man. He's both deserving and ready to do this. I am excited to continue to work both for and with Bert. If you need something done, he'll get it done. Always does.
However, that doesn't make it any easier to lose Brian. I was okay when I introduced Vipers CEO Rene Borrego to start the Press Conference, but as he told stories about Brian, and at times sounded as if he might cry, it was tough to fight it back (although I did). It's not just about what Brian has meant to this organization. I think I've covered that pretty thoroughly. It's about what he's meant to people individually.
Brian appreciates everything you do and he makes sure you know it too. Sometimes it's as simple as "thank you" or "good job." Other times it's a couple of slices of pizza. There was one morning I stumbled into the office late. It was maybe 10 a.m. We'd had a game the previous night (and maybe the night before that too) and something cause me to not get to bed until something like 3 or 4 a.m. I don't remember what. I might have had issues uploading the post game video blog or maybe something with the website... Honestly, I have no idea what happened, but I just remember being incredibly tired. I went straight to Brian's office to apologize for being late. His response wasn't to go off on me for being late, but rather to see if I was okay. That was before I had an office key, and I was often there before anyone else, standing outside, waiting for someone to come and open up (I was early, others were not late). Then he said, let's get lunch. I was tired enough that I actually looked at my watch, saw it was 10 a.m., and said, "well, it's a little early, but okay." Needless to say he meant a little later on, but you get the idea. Yeah, Brian got tough and came down on people when it was necessary, but he was good at reading situations and what kind of response was necessary.
Brian also talks like no one I know. I mean, the conversations go on for a long time. It's not necessarily because he's long-winded, but it's because we talk out decisions. It's not always, do this, do that. I always appreciated being a part of that and having the chance to learn why things are done, rather than simply how to do them.
I can't tell you how many nights I stayed late during the season, sitting in Brian's office learning about the business side, which was certainly an area that needed improvement when I first joined the team. I got a great education from him. So of course, when I made my first major corporate sale, he was the first person I called. He was screaming on the other side of the phone. Pure elation.
Brian wasn't always the easiest person to work for. He wanted what he wanted and he wanted it done yesterday. But you know what, that taught me how to deliver the impossible in a timely manner. If anyone ever told Brian something couldn't be done, he asked "why not?" And then said, "well, find a way."
There is no doubt that he deserves lots of credit for my growth as both a professional and a human being over the last year and a half. And I thank him for that. He gave me an opportunity when I was down. I only hope I've justified his faith in me.
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Short Summer
The one thing that has always boggled my mind is how short NBA Summer League is and how there's more than one league. I've always thought they should consolidate it all into one league where every team plays every other team once. Sure, Summer League might last a month, but is that a bad thing? More opportunities for evaluation and development, right? How much can really be done in five games?
Especially when so many teams carry 700 players, how can everyone really be evaluated in such short minutes?
Simple answer – they can't. Some guys don't get to play much. Mickell Gladness only got to play in two games with the Heat this summer (although Kenny Hasbrouck got to start all five games).
I think the D-League Select Team does it best. Through four games, each player has started twice. They're doing their best to make sure everyone gets an equal shot to play and impress scouts. Of course, it's easier for them since it's a 10-man roster.
Speaking of the D-League Select Team, do you think Nick Nurse (head coach, also Iowa's head coach) is chomping at the bit for the summer to end so he can leave for Great Britain? He's a part of Coach Finch's staff and their first Test Game is Wednesday vs. Canada. Finch arrived on the 15th after helping out the Rockets with Summer League. Coach Mokeski is already there.
With all the attention on Great Britain's men's team, it's important not to forget their women's team is also getting ready for EuroBasket2011 Qualifiers with Boston University's own Rachael Vanderwal.
Vanderwal, or Superwoman, as I started calling her during the America East Conference portion of the schedule in 2006, is a big asset to Great Britain Basketball. Here's a woman who was thrown into a door after a hard foul, laid on the ground in a puddle of blood from her head, got stitches in her head and ear, and then was back on the court for the very next game after not practicing. She led the Terriers past Albany that night. Great point guard. She can dish it out and she can take it (driving and slashing to the basket as well as three-pointers).
I was the voice of BU women's basketball for Vanderwal's senior season (2005-06). The Terrier were my first team. I had done a little play-by-play before, but this was my first experience as a flagship voice. I got to do it for two seasons before graduating. An experience I'll never forget. I still follow BU, and now I'll follow Great Britain's women's team as well.
I'd be lying if I said I don't feel weird rooting for a team that's not the United State or Israel, but for Finch, Mokeski and Vanderwal? I can make an exception.
Friday, July 16, 2010
Garrett Temple Out For Week
Ankle Injury.
Read more here.
More playing time for Curtis Jerrells.
Competition for Spurs backup point guard spot just heated up.
Read more here.
More playing time for Curtis Jerrells.
Competition for Spurs backup point guard spot just heated up.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Only In Summer League
Rockets finish 3-2 after beating Denver 82-75.
Of Note:
There are no foul outs in Summer League. So...
Antonio Anderson committed 6 fouls
Jermaine Taylor committed 7 fouls
And not to be outdone, potential future Viper Jordan Hill committed 8 fouls
Was it Greg Oden or Joey Dorsey (or both) that committed 10 fouls two years ago?
I love it.
Of Note:
There are no foul outs in Summer League. So...
Antonio Anderson committed 6 fouls
Jermaine Taylor committed 7 fouls
And not to be outdone, potential future Viper Jordan Hill committed 8 fouls
Was it Greg Oden or Joey Dorsey (or both) that committed 10 fouls two years ago?
I love it.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Summer League Rumblings
The Vipers are well represented and doing well in the early portion of the NBA Summer League. Seven players and two coaches (Finch is with the Rockets, Steadman with the D-League Select Team). Not too shabby.
Antonio Anderson got the early start on everyone by going to Orlando to play with Charlotte, but he only saw action in the first game, and that was a whopping 1:29.
Something didn't smell right about this from the start. Anderson's not the only player playing for multiple teams this summer, and it's not completely uncommon, but there was overlap between Charlotte and Denver's schedules and the flight from Orlando to Las Vegas isn't exactly short.
I wonder how long Anderson was in Orlando, but perhaps the bigger question is did Charlotte having a problem with him playing for two teams? If they really had interest in him (and you'd think they do since he was in training camp with them last year), they would have played him more, right? But if they weren't interested, why invite him to Summer League?
At least Anderson's getting significant minutes with Denver...
Jermaine Taylor has been ridiculous. My favorite thing is that he gives a lot of credit to the Vipers for his resurgence. You know, someone said something to me about how having a guy like Taylor or a guy like Aaron Brooks wasn't a big deal because they're down for such a short period of time. That's horse manure. Here's what Taylor told dleague.com:
"Playing with the Vipers helped me out a lot in terms of my confidence," said Taylor after scoring 21 points in a win over the Mavericks on Saturday night. "With the Rockets I wasn't getting a lot of minutes or playing much. My confidence never went down, but I was questioning myself a little. When I went down there it just helped me realize that I could still play."
It doesn't have to be a long assignment to be meaningful...
I wonder if Joey Dorsey will lead the Summer League in rebounding again.
Good to see Jonathan Wallace starting at point guard for the D-League Select Team tonight. Heard he got hurt in a win over Team Korea the other night. Guess he's okay.
Kenny Hasbrouck went off in his Summer League debut. Wouldn't be surprised if he breaks camp with the Heat. I have a feeling playing with Wade, LeBron and Bosh could make him a heckuva point guard or a strong back-up shooting guard. Not a lot of pressure when you play with those three guys, that's for sure.
Antonio Anderson got the early start on everyone by going to Orlando to play with Charlotte, but he only saw action in the first game, and that was a whopping 1:29.
Something didn't smell right about this from the start. Anderson's not the only player playing for multiple teams this summer, and it's not completely uncommon, but there was overlap between Charlotte and Denver's schedules and the flight from Orlando to Las Vegas isn't exactly short.
I wonder how long Anderson was in Orlando, but perhaps the bigger question is did Charlotte having a problem with him playing for two teams? If they really had interest in him (and you'd think they do since he was in training camp with them last year), they would have played him more, right? But if they weren't interested, why invite him to Summer League?
At least Anderson's getting significant minutes with Denver...
Jermaine Taylor has been ridiculous. My favorite thing is that he gives a lot of credit to the Vipers for his resurgence. You know, someone said something to me about how having a guy like Taylor or a guy like Aaron Brooks wasn't a big deal because they're down for such a short period of time. That's horse manure. Here's what Taylor told dleague.com:
"Playing with the Vipers helped me out a lot in terms of my confidence," said Taylor after scoring 21 points in a win over the Mavericks on Saturday night. "With the Rockets I wasn't getting a lot of minutes or playing much. My confidence never went down, but I was questioning myself a little. When I went down there it just helped me realize that I could still play."
It doesn't have to be a long assignment to be meaningful...
I wonder if Joey Dorsey will lead the Summer League in rebounding again.
Good to see Jonathan Wallace starting at point guard for the D-League Select Team tonight. Heard he got hurt in a win over Team Korea the other night. Guess he's okay.
Kenny Hasbrouck went off in his Summer League debut. Wouldn't be surprised if he breaks camp with the Heat. I have a feeling playing with Wade, LeBron and Bosh could make him a heckuva point guard or a strong back-up shooting guard. Not a lot of pressure when you play with those three guys, that's for sure.
Friday, July 9, 2010
A Key Cog Is Leaving
I'm of course talking about Vipers President Brian Michael Cooper. Check out his statement.
We're all going to miss Brian. He's done a heckuva job for us, but you can't argue with family. It's the most important thing.
I've known about this for a decent amount of time, but I have to admit, when it came time to release the statement, it was a pretty weird feeling. As if it had suddenly become real. One of those, holy crap, this is actually happening, moments.
We'll get a long fine after Brian's resignation becomes official. We have a great staff. And as long as he's going to be happy, we support his decision.
It could have been worse, he and Toros president Peter Lubell (been a while since I mentioned the fellow BU grad) could have bolted to join NBADL Executive of the Year Jon Jennings in Maine (don't tell me when you saw the title of this post you didn't think I was going to talk about you know who).
Speaking of LeBron, I want to thank him personally for leaving Cleveland. He turned a friend of mine, who is a Cleveland transplant, into a full-fledged Rockets fan after being a life-long Cavs fan. Though, honestly, I don't think Cavaliers fans should let go of the team right now. Not after their owner released this statement.
With any luck, this will all lead to the Rockets landing Tyson Chandler.
There is one cool thing about the Miami Heat needing to fill out their roster with nine minimum salary players – Mickell Gladness and Kenny Hasbrouck are playing for the Heat in the Las Vegas NBA Summer League. A few months ago I didn't see Gladness as a candidate to break camp in the NBA. He's a guy who I think needs at least another half year of seasoning. Maybe a full year. But the Heat have to fill out their roster somehow...
We're all going to miss Brian. He's done a heckuva job for us, but you can't argue with family. It's the most important thing.
I've known about this for a decent amount of time, but I have to admit, when it came time to release the statement, it was a pretty weird feeling. As if it had suddenly become real. One of those, holy crap, this is actually happening, moments.
We'll get a long fine after Brian's resignation becomes official. We have a great staff. And as long as he's going to be happy, we support his decision.
It could have been worse, he and Toros president Peter Lubell (been a while since I mentioned the fellow BU grad) could have bolted to join NBADL Executive of the Year Jon Jennings in Maine (don't tell me when you saw the title of this post you didn't think I was going to talk about you know who).
Speaking of LeBron, I want to thank him personally for leaving Cleveland. He turned a friend of mine, who is a Cleveland transplant, into a full-fledged Rockets fan after being a life-long Cavs fan. Though, honestly, I don't think Cavaliers fans should let go of the team right now. Not after their owner released this statement.
With any luck, this will all lead to the Rockets landing Tyson Chandler.
There is one cool thing about the Miami Heat needing to fill out their roster with nine minimum salary players – Mickell Gladness and Kenny Hasbrouck are playing for the Heat in the Las Vegas NBA Summer League. A few months ago I didn't see Gladness as a candidate to break camp in the NBA. He's a guy who I think needs at least another half year of seasoning. Maybe a full year. But the Heat have to fill out their roster somehow...
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
No Rematch Granted
Antonio Anderson was the only Bobcat who didn't play in tonight's 85-85 win over Oklahoma City in Orlando NBA Summer League Action.
Too bad. Story line could've been about the Vipers beating the Tulsa 66ers again since the OKC summer team includes Kyle Weaver, DJ White, Byron Mullens, Mustafa Shakur, Latavious Williams and Marcus Lewis.
Too bad. Story line could've been about the Vipers beating the Tulsa 66ers again since the OKC summer team includes Kyle Weaver, DJ White, Byron Mullens, Mustafa Shakur, Latavious Williams and Marcus Lewis.
Sunday, July 4, 2010
You Know What the Fireworks Are For, Right?
It always worries me when people say "Happy Fourth of July!"
I mean, do they know what the holiday is?
I mean, nobody says "Happy Twelfth of October!" or "Happy Third Monday of January!" It's "Happy Columbus Day!" and "Happy Martin Luther King, Jr. Day!"
Well, in case you didn't know, the fireworks spectaculars around the country tonight are for one thing – a very important day in history. A day, you might say, is the only reason this blog even exists.
Happy 40th Anniversary Mom and Dad!
(Oh, right, and Happy Independence Day!)
I mean, do they know what the holiday is?
I mean, nobody says "Happy Twelfth of October!" or "Happy Third Monday of January!" It's "Happy Columbus Day!" and "Happy Martin Luther King, Jr. Day!"
Well, in case you didn't know, the fireworks spectaculars around the country tonight are for one thing – a very important day in history. A day, you might say, is the only reason this blog even exists.
Happy 40th Anniversary Mom and Dad!
(Oh, right, and Happy Independence Day!)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
