Sunday February 4

Week Wrap Up, January Review, and Guest Contribution from the 'Sports Curmudgeon'

We will start with final results from Wednesday followed by a review of January play. The results from Thursday and Friday will conclude the golf portion of today's blog. 

The 'Sports Curmudgeon' will end today's column with a rant on the current state of high school basketball.

Weds Jan 31

Our second day back from our layoff ends the month of January. Twelve Bud's Boys enjoyed the pleasant weather on a card playing Wednesday. 

Scott earns Medalist with a +3, and with teammates Glen and Doc, win the Front and Total.

Butch wins the CTP, and with teammates Raymond and Clint, also take the Back. And though Butch's team out cards Scott's team 9-7, Scott wins the hand to give his team the final event.

January Review

We played 9 times this month, the fewest days in the 4 years that I have kept track. Twenty different BB's made their 2024 debut, playing 88 rounds for an average of almost 10 per day.

The top highlight of the month was, of course, Shelly's 3rd career hole-in-one on Jan. 11. Here are some more.

Bud's Boys January Honor Roll

Rick    +7 1-3

Butch  +7 1-11

Shelly +6 1-11

Randy 36 pts  1-1

Glen    36 pts  1-4

Randy 36 pts  1-4

Raymond 36 pts 1-5

It's Better to Have Played and Failed Than to Not Play at All

Roger    -10 1-3

Randy     -9  1-31

Raymond -8 1-3

Money Leaders  (Money won/Times played)

Glen   62/9

Butch 58/6

Scott  52/8

Player of the Month

Butch accepts his prize package as top performer this month. His list of accomplishments include:

Only player with 2 CTP's

Tied Rick for best score of the month with +7

Number 2 on Money List

Medalist on Medalist Thursday 1-11

Won money every day he played (5 for 5)

Congrats to Butch for a great start to 2024.

Thursday February 1

Tom steals the show by being Medalist on Medalist Thursday with a +5 (even par 36 points). His team also takes Back and Total.

Gerald makes his 2024 debut a good one by winning CTP on his first try.

Jeff's runner-up +3 leads team to victory on Front.

Friday February 2

Friday brought out the short sleeves.

We had 19 Bud's Boys see their shadows on this Ground Hog Day, including Rodney, who made his first appearance since October shoulder surgery.

 Also re-joining the group was Stan, his first round with us in over a year. One played well (Stan +3), the other just won money (Rodney).

Rodney's team wins the Back and the Ground Hog (normally the Rabbit).

Our game of the day can be quite interesting. Just Weds a team with fewer cards wins the poker hand. Today, one team doesn't even have a birdie until #12 while another team (mine) has birdies on 3,6,9, and 10. Guess who wins? It worked out that Tom's birdie on 12 claimed the prize. So, it goes.

Bob wins the CTP on his 2nd outing of the year.

Raymond's Medalist best (+5) 35 points leads his team to 5th place (out of 5 teams).

I was going to ask for captions for the following picture, but Scott already came up with, "Gary, next time you go to a knife fight, bring a pistol."

Actually, we wish Gary well on his recovery from surgery. On the positive side he says he is getting to spend quality time with the wife as he is unable to drive yet.

You can offer a suggestion for this pic, however.

Scroll down after Monday's numbers for guest column.

Monday Numbers

The Sports Curmudgeon Speaks, So

 Until He's Done

I hope you have reached the stage in life that you are no longer required to attend high school basketball. I do understand that if you have a grandchild or someone else you know personally, it makes it a little more interesting. If, however, you are attending just for the entertainment value, good luck.

I suppose I should go back to my roots to see where my basketball foundation was formed. My first remaining memory (not my first game) came in 1964. A regional final at Illmo-Scott City High School between the Advance Hornets and the Illmo-Scott City Rams. As the newspaper reported, another person could not have fit inside the gymnasium.

Down 10 at halftime, the Rams hit 24 of 28 shots in the second half to race to a 92-87 victory over the 3-time defending regional champion Hornets.

The part I remember most was the team picture as I walked out close to the players while they gathered to pose. Still remember the absolute joy in their faces and manner.

On that team were Charlie Bertrand, my future freshman football coach and teacher. Mike Stephens, longtime Kimbeland member some of you remember. John Boyd was a 6-4 giant (at the time) who lived across the street from Delbert's back yard where I spent most days. We would stop what we were doing and stare if he came outside.

Obviously, few games are that exciting then or now, but the point is the game was more of an event then than now. There were much fewer options for entertainment in our day, so large crowds were frequent. Add in the fact that now the girls also play, it means there are multiple games every night, not just Tuesday and Friday. Students have many other options as well, lowering their attendance. I like to say we used to have twice as many people inside the gym than now with half as many cars in the parking lot as now. Remember how many you could get in one car? 

The game itself has changed. The 3-point shot did not do any favors for the quality of the game. It didn't take long for everyone to think they were an outside shooter. Would love to see an exhibition game with no 3-point line.

Every team plays the same style. Press and foul all night long whether you are ahead by 30 or not. Drive to the basket and try to draw a foul (or pass back to the 3-point line where everyone of your teammates is perched). Most times no real attempt to shoot, just draw the foul. Jump shots from10-15 feet almost extinct. Ugly. 

And the overcoaching. Why does every coach stand up and point and scream on every play. (Answer: Because everyone else does.) When did it become necessary for the coach to direct every possession? Do you remember John Wooden ever stand up? Dean Smith, Red Auerbach? As evidence I would like to point out the many, many times I have watched a team pass, pass, pass around the horn at the coach's direction as they steadily fall 20 points behind, scoring about 10 points a quarter. Yet, when they start running and gunning on their own in 4th quarter desperation, they score as many points in the fourth quarter as they did in the first three. Just last week, a coach I don't know at all, (probably a decent guy, decent coach), annoyed the crap out of me with his 'performance'. He has a 30 point lead in the 4th, has finally called off the press his players packed in a 2-3 zone, and still, he points and swings his arms though the team is on the other end of the court and can't hear him nor are they even looking at him. If his goal was "Look at me fans, watch my great coaching", I can assure him that I was watching. Idiot.

Another 'tradition' that has worked its way into every ball game that cringes me to the core is the player introductions. This started back in the 80's I believe with the Jordan Bulls. Some schools even use the same background music. The announcer then makes it all about himself as he screams "AND NOW, YOUR FILL IN THE BLANK! And he proceeds to scream each home team starter. Eye rolling material to the Nth degree.

It doesn't even matter if the gym is nearly empty like I witnessed last week.

Still, had to hear this annoying announcer keep up with all the other school's idiocy. Heck, as few people there, the players could have introduced themselves to each one of us individually.

I will finish with the inspiration to write this at all. The new fashion of today's player.

Now I will admit we had some bad looks in the day. What do you see in this pic that you don't see anymore?

Knee pads! Who was the last player to wear knee pads and I wonder what year it was?

Or wrist bands. My favorite player as a youth was Mr. Clutch, Jerry West.

Do not see the wrist bands anymore. We thought they served the purpose of limiting sweat on the hands. 

Headbands have seemed to hang around, occasionally popping up.

 Wilt wore all 3 although he always wore his knee pads on his shins. Curious.

I was recently in the Advance gym and the large picture of the 1972 state champions I'm sure has the younger generation scratching their heads about the short shorts, knee socks and high-top orange shoes. Yes, we had some bad looks.

Today's fashion is strictly (in my opinion) a look at me deal. And like many annoying things that players do for attention (How about football players letting mouth guards dangle from their face mask instead of actually using it as it was meant to be. Never happened until this year, because someone else is doing it.) Doesn't matter that it serves no purpose. But here it is.

Maybe these players just came from ballet class. Maybe they were rehearsing Shakespeare. Why do some players wear these? Likely because LeBron started wearing them so that's good enough for me. People will think I am cool. Some even cut off 1 leg to be really cool (stupid). I suspect this trend will go the route of the knee pad before very long. I just have to wait for the next trend to annoy me. These days that bar ain't real high.

P.S.  I am sure some 7-8 year olds still find high school basketball a magical experience, but not like I did. What will basketball look like to them in 60 years?

P.S.S.

If you made it all the way to here, I will have a beer for you tomorrow after play.