Who Wants to Cut Nets?

When I missed a call from my buddy Rudy at about 10:30 last night, I started to wonder a little bit about the nature of the call. I had class til late, and wasn't sure about the outcome of the Carroll game. A call from Rude might have signaled a historic 125 point game or a monumental buzzer beater upset by Heidelberg. It also could have meant that one of his mentor's Timmy Mac had made an appearance, and he might have brought his down on luck/prettiest swing in golf sidekick Tuck. It turned out to be a just business as usual win, allowing them to host the final four this upcoming weekend. And with two heavy hitter matchups and massive LA esque star power in the seats, the games this weekend are poised to be highly skilled and very well played.

Cap-ONU is a nice prelude to main event of the evening. I have never seen these two teams play against each other, and I hope to continue that streak. I have seen both teams play against JCU this season, so I hope I have a decent feel for how this game plays.

Unfortunately, it looks like Capital kinda found a groove after almost losing to the worst team in the league over the weekend. I'm guessing Damon Goodwin might have had some choice things to say about their character, and the Sunday-Wednesday period was a time of getting some things done. Having said that Mount is a bunch of pussies and probably laid down quicker than a Berkshire jersey chasing skank after a 20 point game from Kelly Blair two years ago (I'm not done with you Kelly).

ONU's victory was nothing to sneeze at. I am sure they to play decent ball to beat the feel good story of the year in the OAC in Marietta. Hats off to those guys. Hopefully they enjoyed a nice medioric rise in the social department around school, and will continue find their way into the OAC hunt the next couple of seasons. Another business like game from Kyle Meyer (unbelievable). However, I think they will have their hands full against a what looks to be focused Capital team.

Capital (-5.5) v. ONU (+5.5)

These are by far my least two favorite teams in the league. In 4 years, I have never met one cool kid from either school. These teams are comprised of some of the biggest losers to ever set foot on an OAC floor. I don't know where they find these guys.

The big question for this game is how much are you buying the 95-65 Capital win the other night? It looks like they tweaked their lineup a little bit, bringing bruiser Casey Brown off the pine, as well as Jake Fanning. They are going with DJ Frazier now, along with Quintin Mitchell in the starting 5. IF you are buying that they are kinda re-energized then I think Capital takes care of business here. Hopefully they haven't solved everything. I don't know if what they have is solve-able. The problems they have are that they're sick of playing in the OAC, they are sick of their coach, and they want to go on spring break. It really just depends on Stahl and Wood playing at a high level, and getting something from Niekamp.

I dunno how Kyle Meyer gets his points in this one. Cap pretty much held him in check in the first two meetings, and he shot a low percentage also. Stahl, Niekamp and Mitchell can all check him and they are much more athletic. That tall lefty wing player for ONU is by far the biggest dbag on the ONU team this year. He takes the reigns from Kyle Gehle a year prior, and Ryan Lee two years ago. A historic long lineage of huge losers at ONU. All in all, I just really hope Frazier v. Bradshaw lives up to the hype.

Capital 80-ONU 67

John Carroll (-8) v. Muskingum (+8)

Carroll comes in as the prohibitive favorite in the night's feature game. Winners of 17 in a row, they came out a little flat on Wednesday against Jake Hessy and company, but were able to skate to a win on the shoulders of Matt Crozier and King Zaj. Crozier continues to establish as one of the cooler guys walking around South Belvoir.

Musky knocked off Wilmington on the road on Wednesday night--a great win. My guy down at Wilmington said they just fell apart late and Trevor Scott and crew took advantage at the right times. Although Wilmington would have been a fun, entertaining matchup in the second game, Musky offers an intriguing challenge as well. They have a lot of good experienced players, and they can control the pace of the game.

I am hopeful that Carroll can get off to a good start and turn the screws on Muskingum with great defense and good shooting. I think a senior laden team like Musky is gonna have something to say about the game if Carroll doesnt bury them in the first 10 minutes. They have the ability to control the ball, which means it could be 28-27 Musky at half if the tempo isn't where Carroll wants it.

Nevertheless, Carroll, after a nice warmup game at home on Wednesday is going to be a tough out. Musky missed an off night from Rudy Kirbus and they won't miss him Friday night. Playing two straight road games is tough, especially when the second one is against the best team in the league, on a court they haven't lost on, with a nice house cheering them on. If you're a believer in the one game season, last hoorah game for a couple good Musky players that's fine. The "nobody believed in us" mantra has worked wonders lately. They just have tall order when it comes to messing with John Carroll.

JCU 82-Muskingum 66

John Carroll (PK) v. Capital (PK)

Two heavyweights ladies and gents. Two teams already in the NCAA tournament. Two teams with very good basketball players and high skill levels. Season series tied 1-1. Second OAC Tourament Championship matchup in 3 years. This will be a very good game. I expect a war, and a game that can go either way.

Keys for Carroll:

-No silly fouls on the press early--beat the shit out of them, but nothing obvious
-Get it to the rim early and often--let um know that you don't care if they block your shot 100 times--you're gonna blow by them and score every time or you're gonna shoot 2.
-Shoot good 3 pointers early and often--let um know that you're gonna stroke with confidence all day.
-No easy rhythm shots for Wood and Stahl early--contest hard without fouling--THESE GUYS AREN'T BIG GAME GUYS! Check out the box score from the championship two years ago. Check out their NCAA tourney stats. Make them earn everything. YOU GUYS ARE BIG GAME GUYS!
-Take Niekamp out of it early--he's either in it or out of it, let him know he won't be part of the game.
-Make Mitchell and Brown make tough contested layups in the post--I'm not sold that they can make pressure layups consistently, are you?
-Relentless defensive rebounding--watch the ball and go after it hard! Perhaps the biggest key of the game.
-It's a long game--IT'S A LONGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG GAME!
-Be sharp mentally in the last 4 minutes--Play every 1-2 possession game scenario in your head on both ends. Who are you fouling if you're down 2? What's their bread and butter set to get Wood a 3? Who has the arrow? How many timeouts do you have?
-Enjoy the game. Enjoy the moment--Yea, you guys are gonna host it again next year, but what if you don't? Nothing is certain, a lot can happen. Have fun with the crowd, but focus on the game and your teammates.


Easy game. Have fun.

John Carroll 78 Capital 75



JC in Cleveland

A Fat Tuesday Tragedy and Redemption

When you hate your job, or in my case, when you're just starting out at your first job, LUNCH is without a doubt something you look forward to and cherish everyday. In that fleeting hour, all your troubles seem to go away, and life makes sense again. So, I take my lunch very seriously and prepare for it accordingly. Today however, was indeed one of the worst days of my entire life.

At 12:15, I went down to the food court in the Galleria to grab something. Sadly, I am constantly reminded by my peers about how the Galleria food court has been on a exponential downward spiral, as shops are dropping like flies. It's a lost cause. Currently, you have a Bagel/Coffee/Wrap spot, McD's (closing soon), Sbarros (closing soon), Great Steak and Potato, Quiznos, A Japanese place with great chicken terriaki, and a gyro place which I haven't investigated yet. I settled on Quiznos quickly and was quite happy about my pick. I had a coupon for 2 dollars off a large sub, and was primed to get a honey mustard chicken sub--my fave.

As I received my order I was in a light jog, as I was very hungry and excited to eat. When I returned to our little kitchen area to eat with some of my co-workers, I was almost brought to tears as I unwrapped my sub and pain rushed up and down my body. It WAS NOT a honey mustard chicken with bacon and cheese. It was in fact a chicken carbonara, with lettuce and tomatoes. For those of you that know me well--there was an instant where I didn't know whether to take my own life or just break down and cry on the kitchen floor. It was a terrible situation. Part of me knew that I had to go down there and exchange it, but with the most questionable elevator system in NEO, and the crack staff at Quiznos I decided to stand pat.

Needless to say, it was barely edible. It was a horribly constructed sandwich. To make matters worse, the role player foods that I packed with me (spinach, carrots, salt and pepper chips) all had poor showings and gave me zero satisfaction. Lunch was ruined.

I sat at my desk from 1-2pm, thinking about how it all went wrong. And how my 55 minute lunch went down the tubes aside from a very funny comment from my co-worker Jim. I cried for another 20 minutes and thought about leaving for the day.

At about 3:30, a rush of relief swept over my body and mind, as I had once again came up with a great idea. My boss was over at the gym working out and I was left to run the show. And if you have caught what the market has been doing for the last 6-12 months, the show for a sell side research firm is a little quiet. I made the venture back down to the food court and bought an oreo mcflurry from McDonalds. It was a phenomenal play. I almost killed the whole thing before i got on the elevator. It was the best mcflurry I had ever eaten. HAPPY FAT TUESDAY!

GUEST SPEAKER

I had the good fortune of listening to a special guest speaker in my Global Management class the other night. His name was Dan Perella, the COO of Ideastream Consumer Products LLC. We have all been through guest lectures and presentations. Some are good, some make you really drowsy, some go unheard because you drew something in your notebook in the first ten minutes, and that single illustration takes over your mind for the next hour and you draw the same thing for the whole lecture, or continue to improve upon your initial doodle through shading and filling in. This wasn't one of those lecture. This guy had my attention the whole time. Even after a long day of work. If it was a regular class I would have mailed it in completely. But this guy had a great message and was very inspiring.

Dan graduated from John Carroll in the early 90's. He was a really smart guy, motivated to get his life going and find some success. Through some hard work and luck, he put himself in a nice position in a very good company. Some odd years later, he had the opportunity to take a position of power in which he would have been set pretty much. It was a great position and he would have had a lot of success and made a lot of money. Instead, he quit and started a company with him and his two friends. So came Ideastream Consumer Products LLC.

So what these guys do is they create simple products through all different types of brainstorming and innovation. They try to keep it as simple as possible and work their asses off. They listen to consumers, they listen to their distributors, they listen to the big heads they are trying to market their products to. They are constantly doing their homework, tying up loose ends, and continually doing everything they can to improve their business.

They have 4 main product offerings right now. You wouldn't even believe me if I told you what they were. They are incredibly stupid and incredibly simple. Yet, they are easy to make, are practical and most importantly people buy them. He stressed the importance of not falling in love with your products or your ideas, but rather just focus on the mind of the consumer and whether the consumer will buy them. It doesn't matter if you like it, it matters if your consumers will like it.

Throughout his presentation, he emphasized how strong their culture is. They have 12 employees, and they believe the chemistry and bond they have created has led to their exponential growth over the last eight years (started in 2001).

Instead of just trying to re-hash the hour presentation, I am just going to leave you with a couple of the notes/quotes I wrote down during the speech, and comment on them a little bit.

"Your pedigree only counts ONCE!" ---Yea, you have your MBA/JD/PH.d--that's great--thanks for sharing. That only gets your resume thrown into a "read" pile, and it might get you a job. On day 1 of that job, your resume doesn't mean shit. All that matters is how hard you work, how well you communicate with your peers and how you carry yourself day to day. Especially in the business culture--it's a dog eat dog world out there.

"Hunger, hustle, Humility." ---He said this 20 times.

"You don't get paid more, until you do more, than you get paid to do."

"Be PASSIONATE about what you do."---"If you have a job, and you hate your job--QUIT. Have no job rather than a job you hate going to."

"Careers are made before 8am and after 5pm"---I smiled and chuckled at this cause I am a little more than two months into a job in which I get up at 6am , and get home at about 6:30pm everyday. I said to myself, O yea, well I'm there at 7 and gone at 6--MAN'S GAME BITCH! It's a long day folks, especially for a spoiled kid like me. There's a lot of truth to the quote though. It rings true for him and his two partners, because this is their career. This is their baby. I think the challenge for all of us is finding something we are truly passionate about and making it a career. That way, it's not that much of a chore to be up before anyone else and leave after everyone else.

"Hire people who are faster, better and smarter than you." ---Humility

"RESULTS count, not EFFORT"---This is tough guys. But this is life. Ari Gold said once in an episode one time, "there are no asterisks in this life babe, only scoreboards. And my scoreboard is currently reading FUCKED" This is a reality that we are gonna face everyday. And its hard.

"You will become, WHAT YOU WILL TO BECOME."

I think if you take away anything that I have just talked about its this: hunger, hustle, humility, integrity, passion, sweat, tears. Use your imaginiation and creativity. TAKE RISKS. DO YOUR HOMEWORK. PREPARE, PREPARE, PREPARE.

A Less Than Stellar Trade Deadline

The deadline in the Association has come and gone, without any major moves transacted by the major players. The Cavaliers tried desperately to move guys, but seemed to be a fraction of a bargaining chip away every time. They almost landed the Diesel, which would have in effect ended the season for the rest of the teams in the league. Cause in my opinion, if the Cavs traded for Shaq, I think they would have won the championship. Marcus Camby was also desperately sought after by Danny Ferry, but that dickhead Mike Dunleavy just wouldn't budge, and we were left empty-handed on that one too. The sexy pick among my friends and network was Antwan Jamison from the Wiz. He's a great player-- a team first vet hungry to start playing for something that means something. But he had a shitty contract, and we would have had to take a couple more bad contracts in addition to him. RJeff was in our sights for a couple hours, along with Vinsanity, but when 3pm Thursday afternoon hit--the Cavs were standing pat.

I have been in the minority in terms of the reaction of the Shaq deal. And I don't really understand why adding one of the best centers of all time hurts a team that has never sniffed a title. Shaq has 3.5 titles by the way. I know all of the bad things he does--he crowds the key and kills driving lanes, he kills the flow of offensive possessions, he can't run the floor hard in a fast paced game, and he can't make free throws at any period of the game. People kept telling me that him and Z couldn't be on the floor together at the same time. And all that is well and good.

My response is primarily concerned with how much Shaq improves your politics, especially in the playoffs. Shaq is far and away the most well liked, well respected, biggest personality, biggest star in the NBA still after however many years. This is a player's league ladies and gentlemen. And as for Z, who the hell is Z? What title are you winning with Z as your center? We'll find out soon, but the argument that Shaq was going to kill Z's game is ridiculous. If Z stays healthy, he could have come off the bench or took Ben Wallace's burn. He's not exactly banging in the post anyway--he's a spot up shooter. He and Shaq would have played well together in my opinion. Instead of involving Z in 65% of the high ball screen pick and pops, you could have involved him in 100% of the pick and pops.

Long story short--you could have played Shaq once or twice a week throughout the rest of the season. You could have weened him into the offense. And he could have been ready for the playoffs. And in the playoffs, where the game slows down to crab like speed, and every possession counts, and politics count--Shaq is invaluable.

I dont know why the Cavs didn't break the bank for Marcus Be All You Camby. He matches up with Dwight Howard, KG, Perk, Odom, Gasol, Big Bynum and Tim Duncan. He was defensive player of the year two years ago. He is second in the league in rebounds, third in blocks, and NBA Finals experience. He also has a very attractive contract that expires in 2010 (Shaq 23 million due next year v. Camby's 10) Camby had a monster 20 game stretch in this fantasy league I am in. Yea he's mailing it a little bit because he's playing on the Clips, but its because he's bitter the Nuggets dealt him. I would have traded Hickson and whoever else the Clips wanted. He would have been an asset to us. He fits our scheme, doesn't need to score, and can defend the good players the Cavs play.

But with no moves made by the Spurs or the Celtics, and D West coming back from a broken wrist, things are looking up for the Cavs as we get into the last 30 games. KG is gonna be on the shelf for a couple weeks, which helps our chances of getting some home court. The big question still is our ability to matchup with the Lake Show. That's just a shitty matchup for the Cavs. Time will tell.

Tuesday Happenings

I am pleased with the decision of my new position and the progress we have already made in establishing an elite franchise. I believe if we can keep Bub Shuler from smoking marijuana, and get Rudy Kirbus to an acceptable level of fitness, we will be a strong contender in the most prominent league in the Great Cleveland Area. I am excited for all aspects that have to do with the position: the front office work, the court dominance, and the night life perks that come with being a player in that league. JC said it best a week ago, when you are winning a lot, you are usually drinking a lot. I think we are going to be doing a lot of both. AS WELL AS GETTING MORE GIRLS WET THAN WHEN THE TITANIC SANK.

Tyler Sekerak
VP of Basketball Operations

SEKERAK NAMED VP OF BASKETBALL OPERATIONS

QUOTE OF THE DAY: "By working faithfully eight hours a day, you may eventually get to be the boss and work twelve hours a day. -Robert Frost



Associated Press: Tyler Sekerak was named VP of Basketball Operations for Team JC, effective for the summer session of the Lakewood Y D1 Men's League. This was announced by general manager of team JC, John Curran, at 2:30am Sunday morning at Dive Bar on West 6th. Tyler's day to day activities will include scheduling spring workouts, scouting and signing potential players, organizing bar sponsorship for the team, and encouraging local Lakewood girl talent to come watch our games. Administratively, he will have the assignment of scheduling all our games at good times, making sure we are on the good court for most of our games, allowing us to have players play on our team even if they are not on the roster, and organizing our schedule so we play the good teams on good nights.

"We are very pleased to welcome Tyler into the Team JC family", Curran said at a hung over press conference this morning at a local breakfast spot. "He is an OAC journeyman, and that is something our organization COVETS. "Tyler will be a valued asset both on and off the court. I look forward to working with him in the coming months, as we prepare to make a violent and aggressive run through this gauntlet of a league."

Sekerak spoke about how joining a top flight organization was an obvious move for him. "This is my dream job." The chance to play with John Curran, one of the most dynamic and explosive scorers in the league, is something I have wanted to do ever since he used to scorch me when we were playing in college. " "IF the rumors are true about Johnny getting new basketball shoes with good grip and are 12.9 ounces, I don't see how anyone could him under 40 points per night." "He is also one of the most knowledgable GMs in the business, and continues to be ahead of the curve."

All in all, things are looking up for Team JC, as they head into the spring quiet period. Curran is in talks with several high profile free agents. He is also in talks with players currently in the league looking to sign for more money and touches. Bub Shuler, a journeyman, has been a name that has come up in GM conversation circles. Sekerak and Curran both declined comment on the potential of Shuler joining the roster. An alleged failed drug test during random testing last summer cost Shuler his Y season last year. Bigs and post were a position that really hamstrung the roster last summer, as the team could not match up with the man's game post players. With the addition of Sekerak, Team JC hopes to make a big transition from contender to pretender.

STREAKS BOOK DANCE TICKET

The Tony DeCarlo Varsity Center hosted another great scene this Saturday afternoon as the Streaks stomped out the pussies that Ohio Northern continues to find and ask to come play there. The Streaks took a commanding lead in the league standings as the Muskies helped them out and beat Capital. The last two weekends have completed a changing of the guard in the OAC for at least the next couple seasons, as John Carroll will cruise for a regular season league chip, and can look forward to playing in the NCAA tournament. The bigger topic is how far this year's team can go in the NCAA tournament. In my opinion, pending a decent draw, you can expect the Streaks to play at least two weekends.

Yesterday's game featured "one of the better players" in the OAC Kyle Meyer. I didn't see his numbers but I think he was probably 15 and 10. That's not really the point. The point is that he's one of the most unskilled and unathletic players in the league, and I am both fascinated and confused as to how he gets his numbers. From what I could tell, he's just very good at knowing what he can do, and what shots he can make, and he never deviates from his offensive game. He has great balance when he comes down with a rebounds in traffic, and can make contested layups. He is a good free throw shooter too. Nevertheless, every Wednesday and Saturday, you can find Meyer: 7-11 4-4--18, 9 rebounds 2 blocks. Look, I don't mean to get all over the guy. He's better than I'll ever be on my best day. And he's inked in as first team All-OAC. But I just thought it was funny. I remembered him being an athletic left handed stud. And I watched a slow skinny unathletic right handed kid yesterday. He could not play on John Carroll's team this year. NO WAY. I know that sounds crazy but he couldn't. Not the way they play now. He would be totally lost in the shuffle and sitting next to Kelly Blair (what's up Kel).

Back to Carroll, this team has won 12 in a row. They are gonna finish 16-2 in the league barring a total disaster. They are gonna host the conference tournament. They are a prohibitive favorite to win the tournament. And they will be an absolute absolute hand full in the NCAA tourney. This is by far the best team I have ever seen play in the league. They are 100 times better than the teams I played on, and the teams that were a couple years ahead of me. They might not beat the teams that I played on every time, or beat older teams in a one game sudden death but they would beat those teams more often than not. The only thing that gives older year teams the edge is bigger and better post players and players with more experience. That's not the point. The point is that this is a great team to watch. They play very hard, and really like each other. They work hard, have fun and play with A LOT of confidence. And that is really nice to see. They are easily one of the top 20 teams in d3 right now, and their style of play is so awkward that it probably puts them more accurately in the top 10 because they are so hard to play against and you can't simulate it in practice.

So for the guys on the team that read this, great job. Keep playing with confidence. Keep driving the ball with confidence. Keep shooting the rock with confidence. Keep defending guys with confidence. And have fun and enjoy the rest of the season.