Phew...getting a little crazy here

Such an understatement. Things were exciting earlier this week but the last 2 days have been absolutely crazy. First and foremost, I need to try and fix some things.

Wiggins, yeah we have a complicated history. In all seriousness, I should not ever come up on his radar, but I have and we have had some interesting exchanges over the last year. To be totally honest, he has been a phenomenal resource and has helped me with so much of my literature. He connected me with Saturo Ishii so that I could write my Buzz Bullet article and has given me any and all information I have asked for.

However, sometimes I don't manage this resource particularly well. This blog is a tricky thing. I can get opinionated but if I hit a nerve, I get myself into trouble. Ben may have brushed me off the other day but he also got Rehder to talk to me and I neglected to mention that. Without this last bit of information Ben appears to be an ass which he isn't and for that I apologize.

In addition, I might have hinted that Sockeye made poor calls, but when I said that Sockeye was not exhibiting poor spirit, I meant it. Teams that play well might take liberties that other teams won't allow and USA didn't allow Japan to play sloppy with their foot work. I never said any call was a poor one or even an undeserved one, I just commented that Japan got called for travels and they don't call them much themselves. I don't know how else to articulate this and I hope that no one thinks Team USA is playing a bogus game because they aren't.

If Ben is reading this and to anyone else that is out there that I have pissed off, my intentions are never to misrepresent or mame. I choose my words very carefully and I wouldn't come all the way out to Vancouver just to cause trouble. I never use blanket statements like "stupid", or "idiot" and I always try and put myself in their place as well as my own. My one weakness is that I try and please everyone all the time, which as anyone will tell you, will never work. A blog is a personal insight into my experiences but as someone commented a while back, with a larger auidence you have to be much more careful and that is something I have learned the hard way over and over.

Ok, back to the fun stuff.

Japan vs GB

This game was incredible. From the very beginning I was thinking to myself, "Japan cannot lose this game, they just can't". However, GB defintely challenged mine and anyone elses preconcieved notions. First and foremost, like their Juniors team, GB is stellar in the air. They have great reads, hands and field awareness and they use their entire skill set to succeed.

I came over to this game at half because I was watching Australia vs Sweeden until Australia took half 9-6 or something. Over at the GB/Japan game, the game was close at I believe something like 7s and it stayed that way. GB took half 8-7 and each team traded points in a devastatingly emotional game.

Hucks would go up that Japan would reel in and hucks would go up that GB would reel in. Likewise, each had phenomenal down field defense and Japan's speed and GB's vertical ability got each team respective turnovers.

As Japan had done throughout the tournament, they worked the sidelines well and ultimately ripped cross field flicks at will. Like the USA game, 10, 12, and 4 never leave the field and I wonder if their exhaustion after the Canada game had anything to do with this one. I should also say that GB is legit. They took Boston to universe point at BI and they definitely did not surprise me in giving Japan a game.

Down the stretch GB lead the whole way. Japan kept it close but GB seemed to consistenly keep the one point advantage up until around 13s. At this point, their poise really began to slip and I wonder if this has to do with a lack of team chemistry that comes with not being a "team" but more a collection of National all stars. At this point any turnover could potentially be the game and Japan's focus on D and O got them the break they needed to eek past the Brits.

In watching this game, I was really curious to know what Japan would do down the stretch. Asians are notorious for keeping emotion out of situations but this must have been a serious challenge for Japan at this point. They were facing a tough situation where they would either be in the Canada/Australian half of the bracket if they lost or the USA bracket if they won. I'm not sure which they would prefer but I think playing Australia in Quarters and probably Canada in Semis would be tougher than just having to play the US in semis. Plus I am sure they want another crack at the USA which is going be awesome to watch.

However, despite my speculation, they really were the better team. I feel bad for GB, they really are a phenomenal team and they definitely deserve a lot of credit for what they put together here in Vancouver. But in the end, Japan's speed was their saving grace and they sealed it.

USA vs Australia

So Rob and the Block Stack guys had talked about working with me on some commentary and I wasn't sure if it was going to happen, but it did and it was fucking sick. I rarely drop the F-bomb here but it was by far the most exiciting experiene of my media career. They were great for play by play because they can talk for an extended period of time with composure where as I would screw up and I was there as the fact/strategy guy to fill in the gaps when the game lulled. I think I'm in for the Finals which should be sick and I'll try and hold back my ridiculous excitement and keep it together.

I figured the first half of this game would go down like 9-7 and it did. Australia has a lot of talent and guys like Mike Nield played through the roof. He had big skies as well as D's on some of our favorites like Nord and what not.

USA's offense was spot on though and they rarely ever turned it over. Tim Gehret and Ben Wiggins work well together and MC and Sammy CK are lethal downfield. Moses is also devistaging because he always seems to sneak in for scores and Nord and Chase are Nord and Chase.

Going into half time I was curious to know what else Australia could bring. Their D-line was good but they struggled to put together a break. They might have earned a turn here or there but their D-line offense left something to be desired and they just could not convert. I figured the second half would be all Sockeye because at this point Australia had been utilizing one spectacular play after another to score and at some point, they just aren't going to be there. There is a reason why they call them low percentage throws.

Nate Castine played a great defensive game as did the 16 year old. Roger Crafts and Jeremy Cram lead a great D-line offense and once Team USA could consistently generate turns, it was all down hill for the Dingos. Before I knew it the game was 14-10 and ultimately 17-11. Australia did play a great game however and I think they'll prove to be a young and difficult challenge for an experienced Canada team in Semis.

Mexico

After the game was over I came across my mexican homies and they wanted to party down on the beach. I obliged but when I found out that "the beach" was actually 2 miles away I began to scratch my head. I didn't want the party to die so I offered up giving a few folks a lift but as George Lopez says, if you let 1-2 mexicans in, they are gonna bring 8-10 and they did. This was a hilarious experience. I pull my truck up to the dorm and a dozen of Mexico's players jump into the back and pack into the cab. I'm not trying to insinuate racism at all, this was just funny as hell to witness.

They all piled in but it wasn't enough so I drove one truck load (literally) down to the beach, came back and picked up another. I ended up making 3 trips and despite opening myself up to being arrested for breaking god knows how many laws, I got them all down to the beach and things were great. Such a good group of guys and I'm glad I know Fernando, great ultimate personality.

After the beach thing dwindled down, 12 mexicans piled into the truck and I drove them back up to the dorms. I taught them a few american drinking games and we had a great time. One guy I was with had an early flight so we tried to leave but they kept reeling us back in. We walked half way to our dorm and they brought us back to play "Mexican GUTS" which was 4 folks at either end of a hallway with the lights off and a glow disc. They hurled it at eachother in a drunken stuper and more often than not it hit the wall halfway down the hallway, the light turned off, and it would sail into the group invisible. Needless to say a few folks got some uncomfortable shots in the face.

Finally we parted ways but as we walked into the dorm, the South Africa folks were rocking out and since I had partied with them the night before, they requested mine and Alex's presence. We had a few beers and went to bed after we got yelled at for being too loud. We finally hit the hay and we slept like babies.

Closing Thoughts

Once again, I want to apologize to Ben but the more I get into this media thing I realize that the players aren't always going to like what I do. A guy from one of the media crews told me to remember Almost Famous and realize that the people you write about aren't always going to be your friend and sadly, that is the case. I'm doing my best, i'm trying to have a good time and seeing that no one else has ever done this, I'm not surprised that I screw up here and there. Thank you to all the players that are patient with me, I can't do this without you. I hope you guys are enjoying this at home. Check out the live web casts, I'll be there doing commentary again later this week.

just my thoughts

match diesel