meta name=”robots” content=”index, follow” Meschery's Musings of Sports, Literature, and Life Meschery's Musings on Sports, Literature and Life: 2015-11-29

What my musings are all about...

Blogging might well be the 21st century's form of journaling. As a writing teacher, I have always advised my students to keep a daily journal as a way of organizing their thoughts for future writing projects, a discipline I have unfortunately never consistently practiced myself. By blogging, I might finally be able to follow my own good advice.

The difference between journaling and blogging is that the blogger opens his or her writing to the public, something journal- writers are usually reluctant to do. I am not so reticent.

The trick for me will be to avoid cluttering the internet with more blather, something none of us need more of. If I stick to subjects I know: sports and literature, I believe I can avoid that pitfall. I can't promise that I'll not stray from time to time to comment on ancillary subjects, but I will make every attempt to be interesting and perhaps even insightful.

Tuesday, December 1, 2015

Kobe Goodbye and etc

Kobe Bryant will never surpass Michael Jordan on the Greatest Ever pantheon of NBA players, something I believe Kobe has been striving for since he entered the league. Why else would he try to make a comeback this season after all the injuries? Some might speculate that he wanted to make a final tour of the league cities and receive the adulation. But I don't think so. I believe he fantasized that he could replicate the past for a few more years, play until he was forty? Big egos equals big achievements, and Kobe had one of he biggest in the game. And, to be greatly admired, one of the greatest work ethics in the game. So, goodbye Kobe, and welcome to the Legends.

Once again, Steph Curry saves the day with a giant closing three pointer. But was this his victory? Not by a long shot. The night belonged to Draymond Green, snagging the rebound in the closing minutes, passing ahead to Curry, then hustling down court to save Curry's missed layup, which doesn't take into consideration Green's consistent work on D and on the boards all game long. More and more Draymond Green is becoming the Warriors long distance runner to the rest of the teams sprinters. 

Guess what? The Kings have their own Curry on the menu. Eight points in one quarter for the little bro in their win over the Mavs. Wouldn't it be fabulous if Seth truly made it into the league as a starter or at least a solid performer of the bench? Can you imagine in the future a Seth/Steph match-up? Might get some high TV ratings, wouldn't you think?

I'm not happy with the 49ers. Trying to turn Kaepernick into a pocket passer was a huge error. The kid has legs, so why not use them? Check out Cam Newton as a model for a future Kaep. It would serve the 49ers right, if they traded Kaepernick away, and he came back and bit them on the ass. One other question, can Tomsala be smart? I wonder.

Remember the first year Kobe was drafted by the Lakers. I wrote a poem about a game he played as a rookie against the Jazz.


Coaching Guilt

Three air-balls in a row
and the face of the cock-sure
Laker millionaire becomes the face 
of Billy Harris who I told
to take the last shot
for the city championship
although he was too young,
the only sophomore on the team.
When the ball left his hand
I knew right away it had no chance
and wanted to climb the air
to pull it back before
it fell two feet short, and the fans
began stomping their feet
and pointing their terrible fingers
at him as if you, you, you,
the pronoun of disgrace
didn't already understand
he'd never be the same person
he was before the game began.
Tonight, on TV against the Jazz,
I watch you, Kobe, and believe
it's my fault all over again
because Billy Harris never
got his shot back no matter
what I did or said to him 
for  the next two seasons.
And what how would I feel
if tonight's game, like Billy's,
ended your promising career?