From The Sports Desk – Orange Crush Week Two

Bailey Update:  Splint is off….back to normal puppy antics!

Game 3: The team, as I set it up, has ten players.  I know on Saturday, due to injuries and the start of hunting season, that I’m down to seven.  On Sunday I will be down to five!  For Sunday I grab two other kids from Matthew’s team that I’ve never coached but for both days I turn to my favorite reserve, Cpher.

Cpher, in his usual fashion, was nervous and hoped that we were playing a weak team.  Told him that if I was wrong I wouldn’t play him much at all….and it turns out on Saturday the team was worse than I expected.  Cpher gets a hat trick(!!!!) and we win 14-2.

Video by clicking on the first picture below:

(by no means is Christopher any kind of real soccer player at this point….he hung out up front and was the recipient of some great passes.  But, that being said, there are some kids on these fields who pay a lot of money for soccer that can’t convert as well as he did, especially on this first goal)

(Cpher gets credit for this goal in the facility’s book but any official scorer would call it an own goal…the pass from Jackson to Cpher is deflected by the guy in the camo pants into the goal)

(Matthew got a goal as well…..like most games, Matthew is more impressed with some of his assists than the goal.  And he had some sweet assists today..none to his brother though….and we offered cash money if he made that happen.  Had to apologize for that afterwards because he certainly passed up some opportunities trying to do that)

(Cpher’s third goal.  Again, it’s a great pass from Cole whom you can’t see off to the left, but, there are a lot of kids who can’t convert this.  And Cpher hit it with his left foot!)

(this burst of offense produced this strange looking never-will-happen-again leaderboard)

Game 4: Beat another LSC team 9-2.  Both Cpher and Matthew had a goal; Cpher scored early and, having seen the leaderboard above, taunted Matthew that he had pulled ahead of him!  Matthew drilled a few shots directly at the goalie before converting later on……

From The Sports Desk – Orange Crush Week One

Last year I pulled together an indoor team for the first session at soccer-zone.  Travel practice is minimal in November and December (no team practices until January although Matthew is doing some extra sessions on Tuesday and Thursday).  Same group of kids as last year; the goal here is to have fun and rack up some wins as well.  We, except for one kid (and Christopher, if he ends up playing as a sub like he did last year) are U13…we’ll be playing U14 to hopefully find some competition.

Game 1:  Lost 7-5 to CornFC…a team with a lot of Matthew’s teammates on it.  I told all of our kids that we would rotate everybody into every position, midfielder and defense.  That left some kids who don’t play defense having to deal with the big striker on our team.  We didn’t do well with it and let him score 6(!) goals.  The other coach just left that kid up at striker for about 80% of both halves of the game. 

So, we are supposed to play them again….and I’m not sure what to do.  Park my better defensive players back there to deal with him?  Or just keep rotating and let some of our kids get beat up and let the other team have bragging rights.  A tough question.  I think we are leaning towards playing more to win the next time.  We’ll see.

Video available by clicking on the picture below:

(Matthew gets a rebound goal)

It is always interesting for Suzanne and I to see Matthew playing inside with some of these kids that he hasn’t played with in a few years.  We (biased as we are) are happy that Matthew is one of the few (2 other kids maybe?) kids that can play defense AND play offense AND help create for others.  Just surprised in many cases how some of the other kids play (or don’t play).  Watching big Zach score 6 goals and seeing how he did it hopefully was a lesson for those kids……

Game 2:  Won 6-1 against The Freeze.

Again, click below for the highlights.  No goals in this game; this picture is from his best chance that he sends high.

 

Not much to say about this game; perhaps as a result of Saturday’s debacle I ended up with Matthew back on defense more than in the first game. 

Video notes:  The GoPro works really well inside; the goal has a cross beam that runs from the top of the goal to the back and that’s a great place to mount the camera.  It is upside down, but, the camera has a setting to ‘flip’ the video as well.   Regular video (for those who watch it) sucks at Soccer-zone; you are too close and all the video is through the plexiglass boards.  For the second game, the video is even worse….you are really low and the video sucks even more.  Viva the GoPro!

Canine Update

Bailey:  Steady as she goes?  We’ve been to the vet once and been ‘re-bandaged’; might get out of the splint earlier than the 4 or 5 weeks we were told at the beginning.  Another visit to the vet tomorrow.  We’ve been having some, uh, back-end problems as well…..that we were on meds for and the parasite went away but once we stopped we must not have eradicated it…..we are back on meds for that now again also.

Bailey has been constantly seeking the big guy for comfort, guidance, and well, he is he is the biggest chew toy in town!

 

And Wiley has been very accepting of Ms. Bailey.  More on him later….

Taken before the ‘breakage’

Holly:  She has been a little less overpowering in the dominance lessons recently; taking pity on Bailey?  Still not very fond of the intruder; only rarely does she allow Bailey to sleep anywhere near here.  Puppy biting games aren’t really allowed either.

Holly does own the funniest moment of the Bailey-days so far; when we send Bailey to her crate when we leave we shout out “Crate Time”.  Holly remembered this word from the past and the first two or three times ran straight for the crate!  A few weeks have passed and Holly doesn’t go near Bailey’s home anymore….

Wiley:  The world’s most patient dog.  When Bailey goes into full-on crazed-Cujo-puppy mode and starts trying to gnaw on anything and everything….Wiley just sits there and tries to take it.  He barks and growls (seriously at times when she really gets going) but sometimes he is very obviously barking just to make noise and play with her.

Still the master of the car ride.  Still have to lift him up into the car.

But his lack of ability allows me to roll the window all the way down…..and allows Wiley to get his head pretty far out the window.  And he has really enjoyed that change.  Winter weather is probably bringing this phase of car rides to a close though……

 

Bailey has been very good for one thing; she has provided Wiley the motivation he needs to get moving.  He’s been prancing and trotting out to the car….and just his weekend he did something we never thought he’d get back too…..jumping up onto the couch!  A major accomplishment…it is more comfy and also provides him a very defendable position to fend off Bailey attacks.

From The Sports Desk – Basketball Week One

Cpher;  More text, less pictures.  This is because the 7th and 8th grade games are at the same time; one set at home and one away.  I’ve been travelling to the away games and haven’t seen the big guy in action yet.

Obviously, he made the team.  He is on the ‘B’ team and early report are that he’s at the back end of that team…..I’m not sure that he is applying himself here and the reports from Suzanne from the game are discouraging.  Had 2 points in a season opening loss to Jackson Parkside; had zero points in a win against East Lansing and cut short any chance of getting even his equal share of playing time by picking up two quick fouls in the first quarter.  Spent a lot of time on the bench after that.  I look forward to watching him in action on Monday; hope things go better for him.

Matthew:  Matthew is also firmly established on the ‘B’ team but in his case I certainly think he is in the top half of that team not the bottom half.  The strengh of this team, to me at least, is not the guards, it is the four or five kids they can rotate in at forward.  All of them can dribble like guards and all of them are strong and fast enough to drive inside and score. 

Both games this year for the team have been running-clock blowouts; 50-19 against Parkside and 44-18 against East Lansing. 

Click on the picture below for highlights of the first game; really, if you don’t want to watch the 7 minute video just go ahead and start at about 0:45 and watch until Matthew scores his three straight baskets (we were winning 16-0 after the first quarter).  Matthew finished with 7 points and I’m going to guess about 5 rebounds.  He got a little wild in his shooting late in this game…more than a few airballs.  Talked about him driving to the basket when his shooting goes south like that….

He is #11 in the picture below…..

Not as many points against East Lansing but the three that he scored were what I hope he continues to do; grab the rebound at one end and dribble down the floor and score (or try and score and get fouled).  I think he is better off keeping the ball when the guards are the hot-turnover-mess that they tend to be at times….

I won’t see Matthew this week but imagine Suzanne will have a more….enjoyable…time at the game since Matthew is more of a threat to score at any given moment.  Hope to….motivate….Christopher to some better results this week!

Broken Bones

Wiley Update:  The addition of a puppy seems to be a positive move for the big guy; there is almost a hint of prancing and dancing when he really wants something (like food, or he knows he’s about to go on a car ride).  In the car he has jumped down off the chair onto the floor to snack on some crumbs and made his way back up to hang his head out the window; that behavior would have been impossible two months ago.  So, all is good news here.

Bailey:  Not so good news here…..fractured right tibia.  How did that happen you ask?

Holly has been religious about making sure that Bailey knows exactly who is boss.  One of the more, uh, nasty, moves is to any moment that Bailey picks up any kind of speed (running in the house, running across the yard, etc) she swoops in and ‘tackles’ her.  Bailey, for the most part, has come to a dead stop and seems to get the message.

Last Saturday night I’m taking Bailey out….she darts away from the door in pursuit of ‘something’….leaf, wind, who the heck knows…and like always, Holly is on top of her.  But this time is different, Bailey starts screaming bloody murder!  Race over, I think she must be caught up in the leash and pinched somehow.  Pick her up and she sinks her teeth into my hands and will not let up (I have quite the collection of bite marks on two hands).  Get her back inside and figure out that it isn’t the leash…she flat out refuses to put any weight on the right leg.  So, off to the MSU small animal clinic (and 24-hour emergency room) we go.

There are worse places to spend a Saturday night.  Jail.  That might be it though.  What a crappy night.   It took forever….and all that time I’m thinking of what could be the worst case.  Ligament damage that needs surgery.  Broken bones that need surgery.  Anything that needs surgery.

Finally get the news, it is a fracture; it is low, just above the ankle but everything looks to be right where it should be and the only treatment needed is a splint (and time).  Whew! 

(This boy wanted to come along.  He regretted it as we waited…and waited…and waited.  Good thing we had the internet!  Streamed the latest episode of “The Flash”.)

(sigh)

But there is nothing sadder than a puppy with a splint that can’t get around and do all those puppy things.  She is pretty good at it though! 

(it is a good thing that Wiley is here.  I don’t think Holly, without Wiley, would have found a way to be warm, or patient, or anything like that.  Wiley has been the almost perfect big brother.  He has let Bailey chew on various body parts without too much growling and snapping.  If Bailey tries to sit next to Holly at any time Holly is up and out of there after a growl or two.  Wiley lets Bailey sleep anywhere.  Near his back.  On his head.  On top of him.)

(the whole Wiley/Bailey thing has made this rash decision to enter the puppy business worth it.  But I’ll be glad to be rid of this damned cast!)

I should mention that Bailey has been great about crate-training.  Makes it through most nights (10 to 6) without a peep.  Potty training is about a 8 on a scale of 1 to 10.  Mistakes now are when we are stupid, not her….and they have all been on the hardwood floor!   The mistakes now are near the front door, so, we are almost there I think.

From The Sports Desk – Last Games of the Season

Matthew:  A trip to Grand Rapids for the final game of the year.  We play Ole, the huge giant of a team that we have never had any success against.  Making P1 in the spring most likely means we need to get a point out of this game.

We don’t.  We lose 8-3. 

This is the third season in a row that I (and others) think this team has underachieved.  As always, you can find a bunch of excuses but I think the coaches have to step up and take a hard look at what they are doing.  Because it isn’t working.

 

This picture sums up Matthew’s day pretty well…he was always battling.  The other team’s size doesn’t seem to bother him like it bothers some of our kids (who don’t seem to put up a fight and let the other team overwhelm them).  He may not win as many of the physical battles BUT he is always in there battling.  For example, there is this fifteen second video highlight below, showing Matthew doing what could have earned him his first yellow card BUT most observers think is a foul that you absolutely have to take. 

 

I’m not a fan of not playing the ball and fouling kids.  But if you are going to do it a) do it and get it done, b) don’t try and do it cheaply and hurt the kid and c) do it where it isn’t going to hurt your team.   Matthew did all three.

You can click on the picture below for the highlights.  Such that they are.

(not a lot of Matthew in this video.  We talked about this play; he shouldn’t be backing in, turning, and sticking his foot out like this.  Not a great moment BUT there are a lot of his teammates who did much worse on defense)

No Game Report.  Not thrilled that the coach isn’t doing them…seems to be a trend when he feels there is no point (hey, that might be part of the problem).  I think I’ll vent on a few soccer things in a future post.

Cpher:  Lost 18-14 to Haslett; we were in it, we could have won, but man were we a turnover machine.   I need to look at the video and see if there is anything Cpher worthy to post….he did get in on defense in the fourth quarter and it left me wondering “why in the world don’t they have him in there more?”.  Had one tackle but more importantly he just took up a lot of room on the defensive line.