Game 1: For Starters, We're Losers

Perhaps I should have known it was a bad sign that the first game of our new basketball season fell on a day when I also had to visit my dentist and my mechanic. But regardless of my disappointment, I've decided to entertain myself by chronicling the eight-game season through this creative outlet.

Game 1: Wednesday, June 3 vs. Cobra Kai

The Spring/Summer iteration of our recreational basketball team hit the hardwoods in lovely Overland Park, KS, last night with tempered expectations after a 3-7 winter performance in the Merriam, KS, 4-on-4 league. But after a hot start, up 13-3 after the first five minutes, we felt good. Yours truly -- one who's always willing to do a little chest thumping -- hit a couple of early threes to help lead the charge, and I felt strong throughout the night. But what plagued us in our last league also reared its head in our new league. Defensive breakdowns on the perimeter led to too many open shots, left the interior scrambling, thus opening up the opportunity for easy offensive boards and put-backs. Our early ten-point lead shrunk to four at the half, 32-28.

More of the same in the second half as the lead changed hands after a few minutes. Over the first ten minutes of the half, we mustered just four points. That was enough to seal the fate of Johnny's (that's our team name, sponsored by a local tavern chain for whom one of my teammates was a General Manager ... until this week. Shit, there's another bad omen I should have spotted heading into Game 1: Wearing shirts promoting an entity with whom we no longer had an affiliation.).

Final score: 54-44
SJI contribution (A friend told me during our winter basketball session that it was surprising that I didn't keep track of how many points I score in each game. Translation: I'm perceived as a selfish bastard. So in my weekly postgame recaps, I'm going to try to remember how much I contributed to the cause.): 14 points -- four 3s and one bucket from the paint. Not enough to start us with a W.
Record: 0-1

Next game: June 10 vs. The Fighting Artichokes