Basketball Diaries: Game 3

I missed my son's game in the morning. The laundry was threatening to overtake the house, so the girls and I just stayed home pushing it through. When he got home he said, "I got a bloody nose." Okay...what about the game, "We got killed...It was like 2 to a million." Like I said, the team needs work.

We all went to the girl's game. They lost, and was it hard fought. First of all, let me say, there is nothing wrong with losing a game. It is a part of being an athlete. Especially when you are beat by superior athletes. It is very good to admire others abilities and strive to play at their level. That is not what happened yesterday. The team we played yesterday seemed to have a theory of winning through brute force. I nearly lost it as I watched Maddy take elbow after elbow to the chest and face. She was charged by a player nearly twice her size. Her arms were whacked down when playing defense. When Lilly had the ball the other team would just reach in and try to wrench it out of her hands. On one (beautiful) drive to the basket no less than three players from the other time assaulted her. And no, I am not exaggerating. It wasn't just my girls. All the girls on the team got pounded. Dave tried to intervene, asking the refs at half time to ensure a cleaner game was played. The other coach pretty much asked our coach to tell him shut up. Maureen knows this woman and noted that she takes these games a little too seriously. (She also noted that a call would be in order to the commissioner of the league, after all, we have to face this team again in a few weeks.) As it was I thanked Maureen for always encouraging our team to play with class, letting their talents and skill shine through rather than brute force. I told her we would seek her out to coach the girls every time we could because of that. She told the team she was very proud of them at this was their best game yet.