4-0 with 1 to go (bring a ref)
Squash is a special sport and sportsmanship is an essential component of the competition. Playing in the league as a team intensifies the raw competiveness of the game because you are not only out on the court to win for yourself but also for your team. You have an obligation to the other 4 players on your team; they are counting on you to try your best and play as hard as you can until the last point. We keep score for a reason. However, when we play we are supposed to be fair and honest.
We all love to win and we all hate to lose. As competitors we thrive on the challenge, the workout, the comradery, the feeling of exertion and execution, the feeling of being a teammate and especially the thrill of victory. We know the difference between the feeling we get when we lose and when we win. Depending on the individual, we compete to enjoy the feeling of winning or we compete to avoid the feeling of losing. I think it was the great Greek philosopher, Aristotle or Socrates who said "The beer is always a little colder and tastes a little better after a win." Oh, how true that can be.
In our second year in the B-League we are finally getting to taste the sweet nectar of victory. We are consistently winning matches and we are enjoying ourselves much more this year. Unfortunately, despite the 4-0 beat down of Riverbend, the experience left a sour taste in our collective mouths. 2 of the 4 opponents last night showed incredibly poor sportsmanship. The details of the matches below will reveal why the beer was warm and skunked.
#2 Toph v. Martin
As Toph told anyone who was in earshot, this was the re-match of an epic battle from long, long ago. In summary:
15 yrs ago they played in the RISRA team finals (Fall River
(4th year in a row without winning) v. Newport), 4th match,
Toph losing 0-2 and 4-8, 4-8 and 4-8 -pulls off the win, ties
the match at 2-2, 5th match - FR goes up 2-0 and 5-0 -
LOSES AGAIN! Did I leave anything out?
OK. Back to present day. Toph and Martin played a nice clean game. Plenty of rails, drops and lobs. Toph did all he could to drag his ragged ass all over the court. The patented lean over with elbow on inside of knee and almost excessive talking and ball bouncing was prevelent. He also made a point to ask the for the score - again - every time it reached 8-4 or 4-8. We get it already. A nice win to start out the night.
#3 Capt. v. Otto
I had played this guy before down at Riverbend. He just hits the crap out of the ball, stands in the way, crowds you and never thinks when you ask for a let it is deserved. I was looking for a ref for my match but Toph had to go home to eat, Nina was going on the other court and Jenks hadn't arrived. We managed with Jenks' opponent watching and providing some commentary to help out in some of the rough spots. Nathan was there too but bailed out after the second game. Otto was making some suspect calls - like a let on game ball in the 1st that nicked out. Although the attempt to frustrate and obfuscate were there I didn't let it bother me. That doesn't mean I let him get away with anything; I let him know what I thought of his calls. Fortunately, game 1 was the only game I lost and my 2008 resolutions are still in tact as there was no ref to argue with.
#4 Nina v. Little Tony the wrestler
This is where the night really begins to get interesting.
Short version: A win is a win - good job Nina.
Long version: Nina was crushing the Midget Wrestler after the first 2 games. LTTMW (Little Tony The Midget Wrester - Click on the link) clearly couldn't handle losing to a girl and started cheating. Calling for Lets when clearly not entitled, arguing with Nina when she asked for a Let. As anyone who has played with Nina knows, you can count on her for absolutely failing to call Lets and Strokes for her own benefit; if she asks for a Let it's most likely a Stroke. That being said, the little bugger was having a serious problem with the rules. A clear indication of his not knowing the rules is that he slammed a shot into Nina's thigh. Nice bulls-eye! For those reading this and thinking I'm picking on the poor little fella - NOT TRUE! The guy has a seriously bad reputation. He and his ways are well known throughout the league. He hunts for Lets and Strokes by playing the body instead of the ball.
As it happens, I was watching the 5th game of the match when his antics were patently obvious. He asked for a Let, rightly or wrongly, I commented "No Let." I was then asked if I was the ref. I answered no, but was willing and it appeared that one was needed. The game went on without one and almost immediately another attempt at cheating was made by LTTMW. At this point, our mild mannered, most always friendly and polite teammate in Pink says "Just play Freekin Squash!" At this point LTTMW walks off the court forfeiting the 5th game. As he was walking away he says "I'm disappointed." To which Nina responded, "That makes both of us." Nice!
A few minutes later, in what seemed almost surreal, Nina asked LTTMW if he wanted a beer, gatorade or something to drink. Dumbfounded by the extreme civility, LTTMW mumbled "wha? uh. No. huh? No thanks." Ok, see you at TPG! NOT!
#1 Jenks v. The Man With 2 First Names
We really didn't know what to expect with this match. The man with 2 first names was new to the league and nobody really knew what to expect. He had a couple of good wins under his belt during the season but nobody knew his game.
As it turns out, Jenks picked up on his strengths and weaknesses and was able to capitalize. He realized that "2 Name" had a weaker than expected backhand. SHAZAM! Points were made and games were won.
Somewhere during the match - either game 3 or 4 - there was a ripping sound. Both players were looking at each other trying to figure out where the noise came from. A quick runway spin revealed Jenks had suffered a blow-out in the rear of his shorts. Nice look!
The noises continued in game 5. As Jenks was about to serve - and during his inquiry of the score - he belches like he just ate 3 hot weiners and a Coke. It was loud and probably smelled pretty bad. The funny thing is, Jenks had no recollection of the belch.
Clearly all the noises, clothes ripping and belching took its toll on "2 name" and Jenks grabbed the victory.
So now we're up 4-0 with only Dobby to play.
#5 Dobby v. Kaz
As a reminder to our teammate, the following are his quotes showing his attitude and confidence.
I thrive on pressure. I’m rested/ready. Second half of the season. It’s go time.
I guess we'll see.
Capt. Morgan
1 comment:
Thanks for writing this.
Post a Comment