NOTE TO ALL : It has been brought to our attention that Dingers in not happy with the weekly turnout from the league and if things do not improve they will have to re-evaluate at season’s end whether it is worth it for them to re-new the sponsorship of our league for next year. If we lose our sponsorship it will substantially increase the costs to play in the league and we will lose the “Social League” identity of this league which began over 40 years ago and which we have worked hard to build and maintain since that time and which sets us apart from almost all other leagues around. As a participant in the league there is an expectation, that each individual make a concerted effort to go up to the bar as often as you can and as a member of this league for over 30 years I can tell you that occasional attendance at the bar increases the overall enjoyment of playing in the league and also has a positive effect on team chemistry and helps reduce any on-court problems. We can not make bar attendance a mandatory condition of playing the league nor should we have to. In years past when we had long wait list to get in the league we could weed out guys who did not go to the bar on a regular basis- we no longer have that luxury so we rely on each individual to do their part. I realize that Dingers could do more with the food-I personally have had enough cold lousy pizza to last a life time although I know a few select few who come up just for the free pizza- but our options in the neighborhood for better food are almost non-existent. If we had better attendance, we could have more bargaining power with Dingers but if we do not put forth an effort they will not either. We have tossed around a number of ideas to increase attendance but we have come up with nothing that makes any real sense that would not involve extra work from the people that run the league and not destroy a lot of marriages. One idea that we are considering is to give the Number 1 seed to the best bar team but I seriously doubt that this will motivate more people to come out. I have heard all of the excuses, “I work nights”, I don’t drink”, “I live too far away”, I hate getting stuck talking to drunk Spud”, “the wife”. None of these excuses prevent you from stopping up for an hour, having a water or a coke and sitting far way from Spud as possible-it is that simple. Obviously, there are many who live close by, love to drink a lot, have flexible work schedules and a spouse/significant other who really does not want to spend any extra time with them so it makes it a little easier for those people. Please make an effort to step up your bar game in the second half -it might do more for your team than anything you do on the court.
Bye- O’Malley
6:00- Healy -5 v. McEldowney- first match-up ended with in an OT win for Team Healy but both teams will look a little different this time around with Healy adding Blough and McEldowney adding Fahey. The loss of Knapczyk hurts more than the loss of O’Malley so we will see how Team Green continues to evolve without Rob to see if Team green can collectively replace Rob’s scoring since Fahey can not do it by himself but Fahey checks all the boxes in all other phases of the game. Team Healy got the monkey off its back with a much needed win last week and it remains to be seen if that momentum carries over to this week. Team Healy’s ball movement was noticeably improved last week(not real sure why but I could guess) and they will need good ball movement against a very good defensive team. I will go with Blough being the “x” factor for Team Healy and Fahey being the “x” factor for Team McEldowney.
7:00- Manzke -4 v. Wagner- both teams are badly in need of a win but it will not easy as both teams will be missing key players. Team Wags will be missing Bendo and Greeno, who continues his annual back maintenance program which apparently involves extended stays on the couch doing crunches with the TV remote and binging episodes of “Love and Basketball”. Manzke will be missing McElligot , Griff and one or two others but Wags will be hurt more by not having both Bendo and Greeno. Both teams have underachieved in the first half but mostly do to players not showing up. Packy will be forced to guard so Wags will have no choice but to guard Sexton. These two match-ups will decide the game. Neil will be the “x’ factor for Team Wags. Stahl will be the “x’ factor for Team Manzke. With only 6 players, Mark will have no one to yell at.
8:00- Harrigan v. Spadoni- 5 – no Shimko for Team Spadoni and possibly no Golloghy, No Kevin Harrigan for team Harrigan. Since Team Spadoni has played all but two games without Shimko, the loss of Harrigan will have more of an impact on his team than the absence of Shimko. However, Golloghy is a very under-rated player and his contributions on both ends of the court will be missed. Koll, not playing under Shimko’s considerable shadow, will have to carry the offensive load for Team Spadoni. The outcome of this game could depend on the health of Brian Harrigan’s Achilles which might force him in the role of a facilitator- I know I know I am laughing too. With Kevin missing, Brian could be in line for an additional 25 shots which means that he might hit the 50 mark and blow out his Achilles while doing so- let’s hope not. Look for Goyke and Chris Hayes to be X factor 1 and 2 for Team Harrigan. Look for Terry McGuffrage to be the “x” factor for team Spadoni and reward himself with an entire Barracco’s Pizza after the game.
9:00- Statham v. Healy -10 (upset special) – Team Statham will be without Shrader and B-Mac making their small team even smaller and the timing could not be worse since they will be facing one of the bigger teams in the league who have been a on an upswing since Lyons joined them. This game will be nothing like the first time these two teams met on opening night with Team Healy playing without their number draft pick and Team Statham winning going away which even allowed the Elder Statham to see the court for extended minutes. You know it is bad when ….. Team Healy will be fully loaded and very motivated to revenge that loss. Look for Smallbone to an X factor playing against his summer league teammates and having no one who can offer on resistance on defense. Team Statham’s only chance for an upset is that Team Healy underestimates Team Statham and Team Statham can hit their 3s and turn the game into a track meet. Team Statham may even be forced to play zone to compensate for their lack of size. Look for Kyle Garmes and Brian Nichols to be X factors 1 and 2 for Team Orange and sparking the upset.
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