HELP! My Team is Getting Worse

We are 70% into my rec basketball league season, and it appears my team is getting progressively worse…. and I am not sure why.

The league I play in is comprised of 6 teams, and plays 3 games each Monday. The schedule is set up so that each team plays each other twice. No tournament or anything at the end, just 10 games and the best record takes home the trophy.

With that knowledge it didn’t alarm us much when we started the season 0-5. Sure we hadn’t won a game, but 4 of those games were decided by a grand total of 12 points. TWELVE POINTS separated us from 0-5 and 4-1. Had four measly three points fallen for us (plus a free throw here and there) throughout the first half of the season and we would be sitting atop the standings and not looking up at it from the bottom of the well.

So as you can imagine, the team had lots of encouragement coming into the second half of the season. “Sure we are 0-5, but there really isn’t a team out there we should lose to.”

Well, that was what everyone was saying two games ago. Now we are tooting a different horn.

After rematches with the first two teams we lost to by a three-pointer apiece, we have fallen to 0-7, with humiliating losses by 19 and 17.

In both games we were in it or leading at half, then VOILA, we stopped scoring in the second half.

I think there are two things at play in our recent losses. First is that at the beginning of the season, when we were barely losing, we were playing relaxed and moving the ball around well. Same with the first half in our two most recent games. However now that we haven’t won and the pressure to win is mounting (if nothing else, but to save face), we are getting antsy with the ball. We go from passing the ball around the parameter in the first half of games to dribble drives or one-pass and launch. We aren’t distributing in the second halves like we are in the first, or like we were at the beginning of the season.

Secondly, we didn’t have the un-needed pressure of knowing we were trolling the bottom of the league standings.

So what now? What can we do to get that W on our league standings page?

Well, first off I think we can play more relaxed. We need to realize that, while we wish it weren’t the case, this isn’t the NBA and nobody but ourselves, our girlfriends/wives, and maybe a friend or two are seeing the scores or hearing about our mountain losses. Effectively, like every rec athlete out there, we are playing for the love of the game, to sweat a little and for the social aspect of seeing our friends regularly. So if we can remove the pressure of winning, we should play more casually, have more fun and win more games (or rather, ‘a game.’)

Secondly, we get into the habit of changing our style at half time. I count tell you how many times we have all congregated at the bench during halftime and decide to change our fundamental philosophies. We either move from zone defense to man. Or we change up how we are playing offensively from a slow, methodical style to a run and gun type of game.

None of the losses can, or should, be pinpointed on any individual. We have all had great games, but it seems like we haven’t placed two or three great individual games together on any given night. But I don’t think that is the issue. We are good enough as a team that we should be winning these games without someone having the game of their life, but for one reason or another, the ball isn’t bouncing our way.

So next week, if you are our opponent, WATCH OUT! We are going to play calm, poised and under control. We are going to go out and play the same way in the first half as we play in the second and we are not going to change our philosophies. I know for a fact, because I, for one, won’t let it happen.

Any suggestions for my squad? Leave a comment below.

Keep sporting!
- Who’s In First

Everyday Athlete: Seth on Ice Hockey

Welcome to the first edition of the "Everyday Athlete" series where we will interview rec athletes about their favorite sports. The athletes interviewed participate in a variety of sports, across a wide spectrum of skill levels and are located all over the country. None of the athletes interviewed are professionals and mainly compete in their sports or events at nights or on the weekends. It is the purpose of this series to show that anyone can get out, play sports and keep sporting, regardless of age, athletic ability, or life activities.

If you would like to be the subject of an upcoming "Everyday Athlete" segment, please feel free to Contact Us

1. NAME: Seth

2. LOCATION: Chicago, IL

3. SPORT YOU PARTICIPATE IN: Ice Hockey

4. WHAT POSITION DO YOU PLAY? Defense

5. HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN PLAYING HOCKEY? 29 Years.

6. IF YOU HAVE BEEN PLAYING SINCE YOU WERE A YOUTH, DO YOU HAVE MORE FUN NOW OR BACK THEN? WHY? It is different. Back then it was about (in a Canadian accent) learning how to skate and how to play the game. It was also more competitive, especially in High School. Now it is more about the exercise and social aspect.

7. ON A SCALE OF 1-10, RATE YOUR ABILITIES: 7

8. HOW MANY TIMES A WEEK (OR MONTH) DO YOU PLAY? About once a week.

9. WHAT GOT YOU STARTED PLAYING HOCKEY? I signed myself up in Kindergarten because I was proud that I knew my name, address and phone number.

10. WHAT KEEPS YOU PLAYING? It is the only sport I am good at and it has been such a big part of my life that I would hate to see go away.

11. WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST ACCOMPLISHMENT ON THE ICE? Winning the State Championship in High School.

12. HAVE YOU PLAYED WITH OR AGAINST ANYONE FAMOUS? WHO? AND WHO WON THE GAME? I have played against some ex-Blackhawks in my league – nobody famous. I have also played in a couple charity games with some more famous ex-Blackhawks.

13. ANY GOOD INJURY STORIES? I have broken both wrists. I have injured more people than have injured me. At the age of 13, when kids are allowed to ‘check', I was one to grow quicker than others and subsequently sent a few people to the hospital without any intent to injure. I once had the parents of kids on an opposing team threaten me as I walked off the ice. My dad quickly took care of that situation.

14. DO YOU PLAY WITH AN ORGANIZED TEAM OR GENERALLY PLAY PICK UP? I play on an organized team. From time to time I will play in rat time or pick up games.

15. IF YOU PLAY WITH AN ORGANIZED TEAM, HOW DID YOU FIND THE TEAM YOU ARE ON? DID YOU KNOW OTHERS ON THE TEAM WHEN YOU STARTED? I joined both of my teams through people I played with or against in High School.

16. APPROXIMATELY HOW MUCH DOES IT COST YOU PER YEAR TO PLAY HOCKEY? Wow. Including equipment, sticks, tape and league fees, about $1,000.

17. DO YOU PLAY YEAR ROUND OR JUST IN THE WINTER? Year-round with a one-month break in between seasons.

18. WOULD YOU LET YOUR KIDS PLAY HOCKEY WHEN THEY ARE OLD ENOUGH? Yes. Even my daughter.

19. ANY ADVICE FOR SOMEONE JUST STARTING TO PLAY? The younger you start the better you will be.

Thanks for the interview Seth! And remember, if you would like to be a feature of an "Everyday Athlete" segment, Contact Us

Keep sporting!
- Who's In First

Special Saturday Edition: Best Big 12 Coaching Jobs

Yesterday I had the unfortunate “privilege” to be listening to the senile, old men that broadcast locally on ESPN Radio midday’s during the work week. Their topic of conversation, for one reason or another, was the rank, nationally, of the Arizona Wildcats basketball coaching position. They ranked it in the 10-15 range of college coaching jobs and then proceeded to go through different big name coaches around the country and pondered whether they would leave their jobs for the UofA position.

It did get me thinking of how I would rank the different coaching vacancies around the country. My specifications are to take the program as it is now, and what it can be into account. In order to make it fair, I will take into account that all openings are vacant and use a general “coach” as the basis. This coach has no regional or University bias, and will only look at the viability of the position.

I will start in the Big 12, since I live in Big 12 country (Denver) and graduated from a Big 12 school (Mizzou). Here is how the Big 12 hoops jobs rank in order

1. Kansas – If you can win the national championship, lose your five starters and come back to win your fifth straight conference championship, you have a winning program. KU has the most wins in Big 12 history and is a perennial national powerhouse. No question about this one.

2. Oklahoma – OU is another perennial powerhouse out of the Big 12. They aren’t as prominent as KU, but they have a long history of fielding greats teams, competing for the league title and making a run deep into March.

3. Missouri – Biased selection? Maybe. But Mizzou is certainly one of the best jobs in the Big 12. When Norm Stewart retired in 1999, Mizzou had some of the top names in the country applying for their vacancy. They had quite a downturn under the next regime, but have supplanted themselves again amongst the top jobs in the conference.

4. Texas – The biggest school in the biggest state draws more than just a few eyes its way. Even if they only recruit within their borders, UT can put a formidable squad on the floor year in and year out.

5. Oklahoma State – Eddie Sutton and Henry Iba are both legendary coaches who established a good reputation in Stillwater. That continues today.

6. Iowa State – The past decade has showed that the Cyclones can both be on top of the conference and also feed on the bottom. It is so hit-or-miss in Ames that ISU barely cracks the top half of this list.

7. Texas A&M – The Aggies have the benefit of their Texas roots, but the disadvantage of having their rival in Austin take center stage in the state.

8. Kansas State – K-State’s biggest issue is in their inability to recruit anyone of substance from what should be their recruiting area. The problem? Their in-state rivals in Lawrence. During Bob Huggins’ brief tenure in the Little Apple he was able to bring some of the best athletes in the country to Manhattan, but consider that an anomaly.

9. Texas Tech – See Texas A&M.

10. Baylor – The fact that Baylor isn’t last on this list says something about what the current administration has done to re-coup their image. Like the other Texas schools, Baylor’s advantage is a deep recruiting bed but also the ability to sell parents on Baylor’s academic reputation.

11. Colorado – Since my grandfather-in-law played basketball for CU in the early 40s, CU has had one relevant team, and that was due to the signing of Denver-born, future NBA Finals MVP Chauncey Billups. There just isn’t enough talent in the Rocky Mountain region to bring kids to Boulder.

12. Nebraska – I hate the argument that you cannot field a good basketball team at a football school, because there are multiple examples of that not being true, but if you surveyed a group of 100 random Nebraskans, 99 wouldn’t know that the ‘Huskers had a basketball team.

Keep sporting!
- Who’s In First

Friday Detour: American League Predictions

Welcome again to the Friday Detour. The weekly entry that diverts away from recreational sports to discuss happenings in other areas of the sporting world. Several Fridays ago, I posted my 2009 National League predictions, and now am following up with my 2009 American League predictions. Lots has happened in the AL this off-season, and most of it has revolved around the New York Yankees. From the $500M signings, to the A-Rod circus, this off-season has been anything but dull.

With that said, below are my preseason predictions for the American League.
Disagree with any of my selections? Post a comment below!

AMERICAN LEAGUE EAST

Generally thought of as a two team division, the Tampa Bays Rays took the baseball world by surprise last year by winning this pennant. With loads of talent, and bottomless pocketbooks, I don't foresee the Rays hanging another banner from the rafters this year.

Boston Red Sox – Boston has the pitching, fielding and hitting to again be a World Series contender.



Tampa Bay Rays – The young nucleus returns in Tampa, but will lose a few more games this year and narrowly miss the Wild Card.

New York Yankees – Until a month ago, the biggest question for the Yanks was whether their half-billion dollar acquisitions could vault them above the Rays and Sox. Now the biggest question is A-Rod's hip. An injured A-Rod gives the Yanks no shot at the division.


Baltimore Orioles – Baltimore is another solid team, but you need to be more than just solid to win the AL East.


Toronto Blue Jays – See Baltimore.

AMERICAN LEAGUE CENTRAL

Cleveland was supposed to run away with the division last year, but ended up .500. This year they will make a play for the pennant.

Cleveland Indians– The Indians disappointed fans last year after a 97 win 2008. In a hard fought battle, they will bring the fans what they were hoping for last year.


Detroit Tigers – The odds on favorite to win the AL Central in 2008, the Tigers finished 14 games under .500. This year will be different.

Chicago White Sox – Obama's team narrowly won the pennant last year, but this year it is back to .500 ball.



Minnesota Twins – The Twins are always contenders, and this year will be no different, as they will be come in fourth in the division yet only be 8 games out of first.


Kansas City Royals – The Royals need help everywhere.

AMERICAN LEAGUE WEST

The Angles won the division by 21 games last year. They will have a more difficult run of it this year, but still capture the division.

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim– The Angles were and are the class of the division.


Oakland Athletics – Jason Giambi and Matt Holiday will ad more punch to the A's line-up but not quite enough to win the division.


Texas Rangers – The Rsngers need help and might get it next year.


Seattle Mariners – Ken Griffey Jr will ensure that Seattle will not match their 101 losses of 2008. They will end up with 91 losses.


AL MVP: Magglio Ordonez – Put up great numbers last year, and with Detroit competitive again, he will garner more press.

AL Cy Young: Roy Halladay – The native Coloradoan is just un-hittable.

Wild Card – Detroit Tigers

Playoffs Predictions
ALDS: BoSox over Tigers
ALDS: Indians over Angels

ALCS: Indians over BoSox

Have your own thoughts on the standings or award winners, post them below?

Keep sporting!
- Who's In First

Recreational Athletes Blog Carnival - March 5, 2009

Who's In First is proud to be a part to be hosting a Blog Carnival for recreational athletes. Every other Thursday you will find link to some of the best blog postings by and for recreational athletes.

If you want to be a part of the next carnival, please make sure to submit your blog posting in the recreational athletes category over at Blog Carnival . If approved, you will see it here in two Thursdays. All submissions must be made by Noon on Monday of that week for inclusion into that week's carnival. If you submit after the deadline, your posting will be eligible for the following carnival. So keep those submissions coming to get publicity for your blog.

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The Fairway Golf Slicer presents How to Swing a Golf Club and Other Favorite Golf Pictures posted at How to Swing a Golf Club , saying, "We wanted to start you off with a golf swing animation that is worth watching for a few moments. It shows good professional swing technique, and you do not have to buy a golf swing training video to appreciate this good technique."

Chris presents Read This Before You Invent a New Martial Arts Style posted at Martial Development , saying, "Creating your own MMA style: is it harmless creative expression, or dangerous folly?"

Pocabella presents Core Conditioning: The Enemy of the Walrus posted at Walrus to Warrior .

Cyndi presents Anxiety/Stress Relief techniques posted at Evolution Ezine?Evolution Ezine - Collect your free mind power and self growth gifts , saying, "Stress relief techniques that anyone can implement in the moment to counteract the physical response to stress and anxiety. These techniques are simple and work quickly with amazing results."

Gary R. presents RV versus Tent Camping posted at Camping Tips , saying, "Drive through any campground and you'll quickly see that camping equipment runs the gamut from $20 pup tents to $400,000 motor homes, complete with satellite TVs and Astroturf."

Jimson Lee presents NIKEPLUS - Why Nike is Winning the Shoe War posted at Speedendurance.com , saying, "A close look at Nike and their dominance."

Margaret Garcia presents MVP Franchises: 5 Informative Lists of the Most Valuable Sports Teams & Deals posted at Bankling .

Steve Faber presents Belly Fat Loser » The Ab Diet – the Lucky 13 Foods posted at Belly Fat Loser , saying, "These power packed foods will rip up your abs and boost your on-field performance."

Peter Jones presents Dinosaur Mountain Mega-Traverse: The Avs Wall Problem posted at Rocky Mountain Raider: Telemark Skiing, Bouldering, and Trail Running in Colorado .

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of Recreational Athletes using our carnival submission form . Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page .

Will Your Plaque Hang In The Rec Sports Hall Of Fame?

Wednesdays are usually devoted to Webday Lists, but as I was driving this morning an interesting topic rushed through my head as I was listening to Mike and Mike in the Morning on ESPN Radio.

Mike and Mike were rehashing a conversation they had during their first year of broadcasting together where Golic said he would rather visit the Toy Hall of Fame than read Catcher In The Rye. Greeney took the other side of the coin.

Toy Hall of Fame… interesting. If there can be a Toy Hall of Fame, why can’t there be a Rec Sports Hall of Fame. And if there were a Rec Sports Hall of Fame, would you be enshrined?

That is certainly a weighted question and makes you think about your amateur sports “career.” Did you do enough in any sport, or in a combination of sports, to warrant a plaque in the most sacred sanctuary of Rec Athletes?

In most sports acceptance into the respective Hall is a lot easier to quantify. How many home runs or wins did the player have? How many goals, touchdowns or baskets did they score? Did they steal enough bases or balls? Did they throw enough touchdowns, make enough free throws or throw enough strikes?

In rec sports, the answer isn’t so apparent. Generally in rec sports you know how many points you may have scored on a given day or how many balls you hit over the fence in that double-header, but usually those stats aren’t kept anywhere permanently, and are mostly forgotten by the time the next season rolls around.

So in order to figure out if you are Hall worthy, you must qualify your body of work. Did you manage a team of miscreants and uncoordinated buffoons to the league championship? Did you hit the game winning shot to seal the championship? (People remember those types of things.) Did you harass some of your lazier friends to get off the couch and play outdoors, prompting them to lose weight?

If you were to poll your teammates as to who the best player on your team is, or the most influential, would they unanimously say that it was you?

So while pro sports have their statistics to help the sportswriters and “experts” select their very best, rec athletes don’t have that luxury or need.

What rec athletes have is the ability to look outside the stats to pick their ultra elite.

Are you Hall worthy?

Keep sporting!
- Who’s In First

Qualifications: Softball Manager

You have probably heard that times are tough these days and a result is that people are getting laid off left and right. Most large corporations are on hiring freezes and those that are hiring are seeing increased numbers of applicants.

So if you are one of the unlucky few, what can you do to make yourself stand out form the crowd? What if you are just trying for an internal promotion from a “worker bee” to someone in management?

What on your resume demonstrates your ability to manage others? What if you are the manager of your beer-league softball team? Should you include that?

Anyone who has ever managed a group of friends knows that there is more involved than simply signing the team up and showing up for games.

General responsibilities include conveying messages from the league office, making sure you have a full squad on game days, finding subs if not, collecting money for league fees and so on.

Essentially these are the same responsibilities that a manager at an office or retail store would have. Managers at retail stores usually, at a minimum, have to make sure the corporate message is conveyed to their subordinates, making sure they are fully staffed at the appropriate times, finding replacements for those that are on vacation or sick, and negotiating salaries.

Softball managers also have to occasionally diffuse arguments that happen between players. They have to make difficult decisions on where to place people in the batting order, and also in the field. But, even more difficult than a supervisor-employee relationship, softball managers generally have to do it with their friends.

Ask any softball manager out there how they feel when they have to tell their good friend that they are batting last, or that they have been replaced in the field for the new guy. Not an easy task, and in this relationship, their friends will feel a lot more slighted and will more likely argue, than a subordinate who had their hours cut, or moved to a less desirable shift.

So is it so far out of line to list your managerial skills on the field as a qualification on your resume? Yes and no.

It is probably too much to actually put it in print on your CV; however it might not be too far out of line to mention it when on the actual interview. A recommendation is to test out the interviewer at some point during the interview in order to see what their level of knowledge on rec sports is. Maybe if they ask how your day is, you can say something like, “it is great that I have this opportunity to speak with you about this fabulous position and then later tonight play for the championship in my softball league.” If they reply in a way that you get a sense they will understand your responsibilities, then tell them about your team. If it seems like it would be a deterrent more than a benefit to mention, you might want to keep it bottled up until after you have secured the position.

If it is an internal promotion and you have a good working relationship with the interviewer, maybe they even know about your exploits on the field, you can mention it in passing (“I am excited because after this interview the team I manage plays the first place team in our league, and the sub I found is a real ringer”).

So while it is not recommended to put your rec sports managerial position on your resume, it can, in the right setting, help your cause to show that you do have the wherewithal to organize a team, be it on the field or in the office.

Have you had this experience? How did you handle it? Post any comments in the Comments section below.

Keep sporting!
- Who’s In First