Chinese New Year Basketball Classic Tournament - Day 1

So the day is finally over.  After getting up at 7:45 AM for my team's 9 AM game and playing a second game at 11:30 AM, I stayed and watched the other games before returning home moments ago.

The day was tough for my team as we lost both games.  The first game we played some college kids and they jumped out to an early lead that they never relinquished.  We ended up losing 78-57.  The second game was better as our opponent was more at our level.  Alas, after taking a one point lead with 4 seconds left, our defense wasn't good enough as our opponents hit a shot at the buzzer to win 43-42.

With our record at 0-2, we will play tomorrow morning at 11 AM against First Chinese Baptist Church.  They are a pretty young and athletic team so my team will have to be at our best to have a chance.

As for myself, I actually had a pretty offensive day.  I scored 12 points in the first game and 8 points in the second game.  In fact, I hit my first four shots of the second game but struggled in the second half when the opponents went to a man defense.

All in all, while the record isn't great my team did have a good time and it was good to get my team onto the floor.  We'll do our best tomorrow!

Game Time!

In about 12 hours, a rag tag basketball team I put together will tip off in a Chinese New Year basketball tournament being held in South San Francisco.  The team comprises with 4 guys I played with in some leagues recently, 2 friends, and 3 other newcomers I have never met.

I have no idea how my team will do and the quality of the competition we will face.  It will not be easy though as we will play twice tomorrow (9 AM & 11:30 AM) and at least one game (hopefully more) on Sunday.

This particular tournament has existed for some 50 years.  From reading something online, this tournament could be the 50th Anniversary though the coordinators have not acknowledged it. The tournament started play at the Chinese Recreation Center in San Francisco's Chinatown and was played there up until last year.  Due to a remodel of the Center, the tournament has been moved to a high school in South San Francisco for this year.

Being a Chinatown kid and hanging around Chinese Recreation Center a lot, I had watched various teams play the tournament over the years.  Yet, I never actually played in the tournament.  I wasn't a huge basketball player in my youth though I always enjoyed watching it.   To me, this particular tournament represented a higher level of competition among Asian/Chinese players than I could ever be at.   Interestingly, I actually have officiated the tournament in recent years though will not be doing so this year as I am playing.

Many friends wondered why I decided to form the team and play in the tournament, especially since I am 36 years old and my knees have been aching lately.  Some thought it was because I am a basketball nut.  In a way, you could that is true.  However, I could have easily chosen NOT to form a team as I normally play basketball on Saturdays anyway. 

I decided to form a team because I felt this was one of my last few opportunities to play in the tournament.  Because of the move to another facility, there was enough space to host two tournaments.  There is the Upper Division for the more competitive teams.  Then the coordinators formed a Lower Division for the other teams who wanted to play but couldn't compete with the better teams. 

Seeing that there was a Lower Division compelled me to form the team and make perhaps my first (and probably last) appearance in a tournament that I have watched since I was a kid.   Playing this year is less about winning than about being part of a tradition that has existed for many years.  

Win or lose, I am going to enjoy this weekend with my teammates.  Wish us luck!  

The Struggles Of Work / Life Balance

I'm a season ticket holder for our local professional basketball team and split the tickets among a group of people.  So, for my friends, they take their significant others OR other friends they know from church or other social groups  

For me, since I am not married nor do I currently have a girlfriend, I knew I had to find people to take to the games.  I had several friends in mind but not all the plans come to fruition.  The main problem is that the games are sometimes on weeknights which make it difficult for people to go.  Fortunately, my mom is around.  Since she is retired and likes basketball, I ended up just taking her instead.

However, for this particular weekend, I had a Sunday game with a marquee team and player coming into town.  There was one friend (call her Friend A) who I wanted to take.  She wanted to go but the timing (Sunday evening) would be tough because she had to work the next day.  Of course, I have to work too but I can deal with it better than others since I typically have more energy than many people I know.

So I had to go to a backup plan with another friend (Friend B).  This friend had already went to a game about a month ago.   While there was going to be some logistical things I had to address with this friend about the game, I figured it would be worth the effort.

Alas, all the plans got shot down.  Just like Friend A, Friend B has work issues.  Alas, Friend B's work issues were a little more pressing.  She was put on call for this weekend out of the blue and could not commit to making the game.

I admit to being frustrated at the time we talked.  This had nothing to do with Friend B and more so with the fact that it's just been one BUSY week for me.  I have had evening activities this ENTIRE week and not much downtime to myself.  While it's enjoyable, I haven't had much a chance to recharge.   Friend B's situation just muddled matters.  With me being tired already, I wasn't too thrilled to have think about what to do for the game.

After taking a nap to recharge, I feel better and thought I need to address the issue of work / life balance because of what I went through with my friends the past couple of days.

For me, work / life balance has always been important.  In the years I've been in the workforce, I've always done my 40 (and sometimes more) hours.   But after work, I've always had activities.  It could be something simple like just going to the gym to workout or hitting a bookstore to read which take a small amount of time.  Alternatively, I officiate, play or go watch basketball.

For Friend A, work dominates her life though she doesn't seem to mind and she cuts small time for herself to take walks.  I wasn't surprised at her for not attending the game.   Her life is structured around work and you have to fit into her schedule.  It's not always easy to do that.

Friend B isn't anything like Friend A.  In fact, Friend B is probably more like me in that work/life balance is important.   The major difference with Friend B and me?  Her work schedule is currently Tuesday through Saturday PLUS she works in an environment that operates 24 hours a day.

Thus, that is why Friend B's situation came up and I believe that is a source of resentment for her.  On one hand, you have to do the job you currently have.  On the other hand, she's already losing one weekend day.  Plus this weekend, our plans got shot down just because she MIGHT have to do work on one of her days off.

Since I am calmer about the situation now, I advised Friend B to start looking for a job that is Monday to Friend and does not operate 24 hours a day.    I am not thrilled that Friend B's job is going to make her miss the game Sunday.  We talk a lot but don't see each other much so any opportunity to see her is welcome.

But beyond that, work / life balance is important.  You need time to yourself and the fact is work is not everything.   Yes, we all need to earn money to support ourselves.  But work should not override your own personal time that you need for yourself.   Considering I know Friend B very well, this personal time is much needed, maybe more so than maybe your average person.

I went through what Friend B is experiencing now early in my career and I am quite understanding of what her situation is.  I worked in call centers with odd schedules like Thursday through Monday.  Fortunately, as time went on and I got seniority, I was able to get myself out of those odd schedules.  My current job is just Monday through Friday though I have to deal with odd hours every now and then.

All in all, I don't envy what Friend B has to deal with.  It's not fun.  For everyone reading, do what you need to do at work.  But make time for yourself and also try to avoid working on your days off.  All in all, I think it will allow you to enjoy your life much more.

Live from Oracle Arena

Blogging from the Warriors - Nuggets game. :). Warrior up 111-105




- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Celebrating Chinese New Year

At a local casino, Chinese New Year is celebrated annually with a performance from a Chinatown Lion Dance Troupe. Here's a picture of their performance:

http://campl.us/yjx


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Mostly 365: One Day, One Photo and lots of beauty at a time

Camera+ had been rated highly by many users but had been removed from the App Store for several months.  The reason for the removal was that the developers had added a hidden feature that violated Apple's guidelines.

However, I was poking around the Internet one evening in late December and saw that Camera+ had been added back to the App Store.  I was thrilled to see this and immediately bought the app for 99 cents.   With the app in hand, what was I going to do with it?

I've had an interest in photography for a while.  In fact, I am armed with my Iphone, two point and shoot camera (one older, one newer) and one Digital SLR.  The Digital SLR was purchased for the express purchase of learning to take better photos manually.  Alas, learning the basics and getting out to do photography can be time consuming.

However, I lucked out.  After purchasing Camera+, I was reading a blog posting by Lisa Bettany (developer of Camera+) discussing a project she called Mostly365.  The idea behind the project was to encourage everyone to take one picture a day for 2011 and share the picture with the world via a website she created:

Mostly 365 Website

For some reason, this project resonated with me and for the past month, I have been snapping away with my Iphone.  Check out my photos here:

coach41's Mostly 365 Photos

Originally, I was doing the project as Lisa had stated.  I was looking around for interesting things to shoot and I would share the picture.  However, a co-worker made an interesting point.  He saw one of my photos  that was shot at a department store and commented:  "Are you sure you want that to be the thing you remember from that particular day?  Try shooting things that would make your day memorable".

Since then, I've tried to shoot things in the locations I have been in.  This could be murals, food or just the scenery.  But the point is I am trying to capture a moment that I will remember at the end of 2011.  I can't say I've had fantastic success with all of my photos but I feel I have some nice shots.

There has been one additional benefit to participating in this project.  With my eye constantly looking out for things to shoot, I have noticed there IS A LOT OF BEAUTIFUL THINGS out there in the world.  It could be the sunset, a mural or just a small flower that maybe you otherwise wouldn't notice.

In our day to day lives, we tend not to appreciate the little things due to stress, work or other things.  With this Mostly365 project, I think I've certainly gotten back to appreciating some of the little things.   Beyond taking pictures though, I think everyone's lives would be improved if they slowed down and appreciated some of the smaller and beautiful things in the world.

The Beginning Of The End?

The year 2010 was a great year for me basketball wise.   I played in 52 official league basketball games over the course of the year.  In addition I squeezed in a lot of time playing with various friends throughout the course of the year.  2010 was highlighted by my Fall basketball league winning the league title, my first ever in over 8 years playing in the league.

After taking some time off between Christmas and the beginning of 2011, I resumed playing in a Thursday league that finished tonight.  Since I had not play extensively to start 2011,  I was a little out of shape and didn't play too well.

However, in recent weeks, I realized that age may be creeping up on me.  After officiating a rather intense basketball last Friday, my knees were quite sore.   I played basketball on both Saturday and Sunday and officiated yet another game on Monday.   My knees were hurting pretty badly.

I didn't do any strenuous activities for a couple of days before playing tonight.  I felt fine during warm ups but toward the end of the game, my right knee starting aching.  I finish the game just fine but the knee is still rather sore at the moment.

While it could age, it also could be my basketball shoes which took a lot of pounding through my 52 game season in 2010.  In either case, I realize I need to slow down a bit.  I have enjoyed a rather healthy run since 2007 (no serious injuries).  It's been quite fun and while I'd love to keep that up, I need to realize that your body can only take so much.

It's going to be hard to take it easy the next few weeks as I am officiating and have a couple of basketball leagues starting up.  However, I am going to get plenty of rest so my body can recover and try to avoid injury.

Taking Off My Referee Hat For A Moment........

Yesterday, I blogged about a very competitive game I officiated:

Never Judge A Game By It's Cover

Tonight, I am going to take off my referee hat and offer a different perspective.  Why?  Well, for people don't officiate basketball, they don't understand that officials are fans of basketball too.  We're not robots or some evil people that want to make one team or another team lose intentionally.

So tonight, instead of my officiating hat, I will put on my player and coaches hat instead.  I've played 19 years of adult league basketball and have a good understanding of what a player thinks while on the court.  I also coached CYO basketball for 14 years and have a good feel of the strategy and tactics that are involved during a game.

A brief recap of the game last night:  home team (2-10 overall) is playing the visiting team (11-5 overall) in a rivalry game.  In checking the stats online tonight, the home team throughly outplays the visiting team for the first three quarters and holds an 11 point lead entering the fourth quarter.  The visiting team doesn't give up and outscores the home team 27-10 in the fourth to win by 6 points.

PLAYER PERSPECTIVE

As a player, I know that when you're the underdog team, you want to get in the first punch against a superior team.   The underdog team wants respect so they will come out hard and try to impose their will on the superior and more talented team early.  Think about the Warriors and some of their games against the Lakers and the Heat.  The Warriors came out like gang busters on a few occasions.

On the flip side, the superior and more talented team has likely been through these situations before.   They have confidence that no matter the situation, they always have a chance to win.  Sometimes, the superior team has to fight complacency.   They can't always let an underdog team take leads and expect to come back.   Think about the Lakers and Heat games against the Warriors.  The Warriors play well early and the Lakers / Heat played well late to win.  But the Lakers and Heat sometime falter and let a weaker team win (think Clippers games).

That was the key difference I saw between the home and visiting teams last night.  The visiting team had won a good number of games this season and had confidence that could execute down the stretch.  On the other hand, the home team faltered late as the visiting team turned up the pressure.

For both coaches, I'm sure there were some frustrations and things to be learned.  Let's jump into the coaches perspective next.

COACHES PERSPECTIVE


While I know the visiting coach from officiating his team's games during spring league, I have not seen him much during high school seasons.  For the home team, I did not know the coach at all.

The visiting team coach is fairly laid back though he rode his kids pretty hard when they fell behind.   On the other hand, the home team coach is intense and emotional.  She was thrilled when her team was winning but started to yell at the officials when the home team started to make their rally.  I think her players responded to her intensity.   One thing I won't comment is on both coaches tactical ability.  I don't remember that much of the game to judge their X's and O's.

From a coaches perspective, last night's game was lost when the visiting team made their rally.  The visitors went on a 10-0 run which I believed turned a 6 point deficit into a 4 point lead.  My partner and I were surprised that the home team coach DID NOT call a timeout during the run to try and break the momentum.

To me, that indicated some inexperience on the part of the coach.  No matter if you're a player, referee and especially if you're a coach, you should be aware of the flow of the game.   As referees, the flow of the game is important because we need to be aware of taking care of situations.  As a player, you should be aware of the flow (especially if the flow is not good for your team) and settle the team down if needed.   That's why a good point guard is very important for any team.

However,  out of all the parties, only the coach has the full power to completely stop the flow of the game by calling a timeout.  Yes, one can argue that players can call timeouts as well but it's usually when coaches tell them to call it.

For the game last night, I think the home team players did the best they could to keep the game from going out of control.   However, when the visiting team made their run, it was obvious the home team players were rattled.  Unfortunately, the coach did not call timeout until they fell behind and that hurt their chances.

Note that is is not meant to criticize the home team coach.   I used to be a screamer and yeller in my early years as a CYO coach.  Unfortunately, that only takes you so far.  The home team players seem to respect their coach and she seemed to be able to make adjustments.  Hopefully, the home team coach can learn to channel her energy but also be more aware of game situations.

All in all, it was a great game.  I hope the players and coaches enjoyed it as much as I did.   Yet, there were some lessons to be learned and I hope both teams learned their lessons well for the rest of the season.

The Other Side Of Me

If you were to ask my friends who I play basketball with the following question, you would likely get some varied responses:

"How is coach41 on the court?"

1. Focused
2. Good mid-range shooter
3. Doesn't play defense (a bit of an exaggeration!)  
4. Plays with good fundamentals
5. Pretty good team player
6. Occasional ball hog!   Yes, when I get frustrated, I sometimes put up a few shots without passing.

All of this is true.  When I play with people I know, I go out there, play the game and enjoy myself.  I know how most of my friends play and I just adapt myself to how the flow of the game is going.   The negatives associated with me is usually with how I play the game than how I act on the court.  

However, I've noticed an interesting aspect of my personality surface in the past 3 months.  It started when I joined up with some guys I know to play in Sunday Open (non-Asian) basketball league last year and has continued on to a Thursday Intermediate Open (again, non-Asian) basketball league that is finishing up in a couple of weeks. 

In these couple of leagues, there was a lot of trash talking, players on the other team playing dirty and other people just acting like jerks.   Not to say the usual leagues I play in doesn't have that.  However, there is a level of respect among the players and I typically remain above the fray if things if anything is directed to me in my regular leagues.  

However, in the two non-Asian leagues I've been playing in, I have switched gears.  I sense a lack of respect from some teams (my team hasn't won a game in the two seasons we have played).  Some of the players on the other teams also take things much too seriously to things I have done.   

What have I done?  I box out.  I get in people's faces on defense.  I'll even occasionally dish out a hard foul.  I'm also very vocal with my team.  As the oldest and probably most experience guy I my team, I am constantly talking to my guys on what to do.  

Some things that have happened:

1. Toward the end of one game we were losing, I fouled a guy to make him shoot free throws.  I hung on to him to make sure he didn't fall.  The guy basically said:  "F***ing let me go".  I told the dude he should calm down.   I also said I wasn't gay and trying to cop a free feel on him or something.    
2. In a more recent game, there was this guy who was just killing us on the perimeter.   My teammate wasn't doing a great job guarding him so I switched up on him.   I didn't let him out of my sight and I denied him the ball.  The guy did beat me back door on one play.  I tried to block the shot but the guy was like 3 inches taller than me so I think hit him in the head.  The guy cried to the referee that I punched him and swore at me.  Usually, I make sure players are ok after a hard foul.  In this case since the guy was classless, I ignored him and didn't say a word.  I noticed he didn't go to the basket anymore though.  He was probably afraid I would hit him again. 
3. In a game last year, one guy commented to me that I couldn't play defense or box out by fronting him.  I told him that I could.  He said he was a referee.  I told him I was too.  We went back and forth for a while and I kept constantly talking to him before the other guy had to tell me to SHUT UP.  
4. Tonight, there was a dude he did some crap to my teammate and swinging elbows when I tried to defend him on the post (he's 6'4" or something).   If he was going to freely swing, then so did I.  He bumped me so I bumped him back.  The guy was 100% jerk that didn't belong on the court.  

Interesting huh?   Is this the same coach41 my friends know?  I'm still the same guy but in a different arena.  When I'm with my friends, we all respect each other.   However, in these other leagues, guys don't know each other and want to earn respect and they'll do anything to get it.   It's perfectly fine if we play a clean game of basketball.  Alas, there are some hyper competitive people or people who just don't understand class and respect on the basketball court.  I have absolutely no respect for those people and will not hesitate to let them know.   A part of this may come from me officiating adult leagues.  As an official, I sometimes chirp back to players who complain about my calls.  

On a side note, my friends know I talk a lot.  Guess what?  Some teams/opponents now know that too when I engage them in an extended dialog.  I have a feeling some of them don't really like it.   Oh well.  I may seem to be your normal quiet Asian guy.  They learn that isn't the case quite quickly.  

Living A Single's Life In A Married Person's World

I've been thinking about this for a while and it took some time to put my thoughts together.   With the marriage of another friend last year and another coming in the near future, it seems like the majority of my friends are married or getting married.    In looking around online today, I saw various articles on how single people interact with their married friends and vice versa.   It was interesting to read and I thought I would share some of my thoughts on things I've learned.

PATIENCE, PATIENCE, PATIENCE


If you're the impatient type, then it will be difficult to deal with friends who are married.  I can't say I was the most patient type when I was younger but as I have aged (or matured), my patience has grown.  This also applies to the various situations involving married friends.  The simple fact is that married friends can't hang out as much as they used to.  Their significant other has a major say in things.  If there are kids, that also plays a factor in any plans you try to make.

When I was younger, I was a little impatient when friends didn't call back.  It was part immaturity and some selfishness.  However, a few years ago, this immaturity and selfishness blew up in my face.  It probably cost me a good friend when I had issues with the friend not calling me back.  

After this particular incident, my patience grew to the point where I am fairly laid back with my friends.  Instead of calling or emailing constantly and demanding attention, I reduced my volume of emails to next to nothing.  I called a few friends every now and then.  When they didn't call back right away, I just went on with life.

INDEPENDENCE


Related to patience, when I was young, I didn't do things on my own.  If there was nothing going on with friends, I tended to hang at home.  Maybe I slept in, watched TV or played some video games.  I still do all of those things if I am home.  However,  I've gone out to see movies by myself.  Obviously I like to write so I spend time blogging.  I'm doing some photography when I get the chance.  All in all, I'm spending time doing things instead of waiting for friends (especially the married ones) to initiate.

I have good friends around me but the realization is (again, especially for the married ones) they cannot be with me 24/7/365.  Since I am not attached or married, I might as well enjoy life while I can.  In not getting married sooner, I get to go out more and get everything out of my system before settling down.

The other things is I've made other friends and have other social groups to hang out with.  The unfortunate fact is that once you get married, your regular friends are less of a priority.   Not that married folks don't care about friends but with kids and other things, there is just less time.   I just use my activities as a springboard to meet and get to know other people.

I'M WATCHING YOU


There is a benefit to having so many married friends around even if I don't see them as often as I used to.  I get to observe their dealings with their significant others and kids (both good and bad) and learn from them.  No one is perfect so problems will occur and watching people handle their situations is a good learning experience.  Every marriage is unique so what happens to one couple may not happen to another.  However, it never hurts to see it up close and personal.

Hopefully, this is not taken in the wrong context but I've learned a lot about my friends prior to getting married as well.  I've seen their dealing in past relationships and even with their wives before they were married.   I'm pretty observant, more so than people realize and it fascinates me how relationships go.

THE SINGLE LIFE IS NOT BAD


I have to give credit to my friends, especially the married ones.   They are genuinely interested in my well being and there is a general wish that I find the right woman and get married.  To that extent, I appreciate their concern.   For the married folks, I believe it is because they are happy in their marriages and they want me to be happy as well.

However, because my married friends haven't been single in a LONG time, I think they forget how it is to be a single person.   I did wonder for a long time when I would get married.  Maybe I was getting too old and I couldn't find someone.  I think a lot of singles go through that.  You see people being happy together and wonder why you can't share in that.

Well, I've learned that you have to be happy, regardless if you're in a relationship or by yourself.  I'll still go through my phases of ups and downs.  Yet, I believe I am content with my life and where it is headed.  There are always things to be improved but overall, I like where I am.

However, if you are unhappy, you can't expect a woman (or anyone) to fix that.  Any person in your life should complement what you have and not fill in anything missing in your life.

Overall, single folks sometimes are looked at oddly.  I've learned to get past that and just take care of my own business.  When the right time (and woman) comes along, I will be ready to join the ranks of the married.  Until then, I roll on with whatever life throws at me and enjoy it every step of the way.

Back To The Basics / Building A Strong Foundation

Back from the land of Virginia and enjoying home!  I am so glad to be back that I officiated a basketball game 6 hours after I landed yesterday and two more today (more on officiating in my other blog).

While my trip to Virginia was fun (seeing various people I don't see often), there was a lot of information that I learned.  Most of this was work related and really not applicable to be shared in my personal blog.

However, there was one thing that I could share with people.  During my meetings with my Sales Engineering team Thursday, we were asked to share one bad and one good thing that occurred during the 2010 year and what we learned from the each of them.

While most of my co-workers shared incidents that occurred with customers, I shared the struggles I had at work that started in April.   There were complaints about my job performance and that led to some discussions with my manager.  The result was that I was put on a development plan to work on improving.

That was quite a challenging time for me.   It's never fun to be told that you aren't doing your job.  I took it pretty hard and didn't know exactly what I was going to do.  

After coming to terms with the situation, I dug in and followed the development plan the best that I could.   I studied my company's products and services to as much detail as I could.  I took online courses on communication, listening and other skills.  I listed to my fellow teammates on their calls.   Nine months later, things have quieted down.  My managed indicated there were no further complaints that he was aware of.

The point in all of this?  In everything we do in life, a strong foundation is needed.  For my work situation, going back to the basics helped me build a stronger foundation for me to do my job.  This was NOT my ideal situation but yet it was what I needed.

In the future, if you run into any struggles personally or professionally, try going back to the basics.   Somethings things aren't as complicated as they seem and focusing on the basic things will get you back on the path you are trying to go.   If you don't have a strong foundation, then going back to the basics will also be helpful as well.

Live from Virginia

Alright, it's past midnight here in Virginia and I have a flight in 8 hours to come back to the Bay Area.  However, I couldn't resist the opportunity to blog from out of town.  I've been in Virginia since Sunday for business and looking forward to getting home tomorrow.

Overall, the trip went well.  I saw the other folks on my team and met a few other people from other groups that I didn't see before.  It was a good time though there was still work to be done.

I'll leave you off with some pictures I took while in Virginia:

http://campl.us/s9Q

http://campl.us/sYj

http://campl.us/sMh

Appreciate Life And People Are You NOW!

This one will be brief!  I found out today that a local boy's varsity basketball coach had suddenly passed away yesterday at the age of 50.  While I didn't know the coach that well, I had seen him around when I officiated or spectated high school basketball games around the area.

All in all, the point is we all need to appreciate life and the people around this.   You never know when it's your time to go.  Even though I didn't know the coach that well, I feel sadness for the family, friends and players he leaves behind.

My New Kicks and it's not quite what you think.....

A few days ago, I saw a mad rush of postings on Facebook with people mentioning the various new pairs of basketball shoes (or kicks for the new generation) that they had picked up, including the Nike Air Jordan 11 Retro shoes that had been released.

Feeling left out, I might as well announce what new pair of shoes arrived at my doorstep this past week. Please take a look at the image below.

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I am now the proud owner of a pair of "Li-Ning BD Doom" Basketball shoes.   For the uninitiated, Li-Ning is a China based sportswear company started by retired and Hall of Fame Chinese gymnast Li-Ning.  The "BD Doom" is the signature shoe of former Golden State Warrior and current Los Angeles Clipper guard Baron Davis.

People may ask why I decided to get a pair of Li-Ning shoes.  There are quite a few reasons why.  First of all, the price was right.  At retail, the price was $100 and I thought that was a little too high for my taste.  The most I had ever spent on a pair of basketball shoe was $95 back around 1994 (Nike CB-34 Air Max's I believe).

However, there was a sale and with a discount code, I was able to knock down the price of the BD Doom to a more reasonable level.  It still wasn't cheap but I thought it worth it to give the shoe a shot.

With the exception of Charles Barkley's shoes in 1994, I've never been a fan of high priced sneakers.  Through the years, I've decided to stay in the $50 to $60 range for basketball shoes. I also generally buy my shoes at discount stores or outlets.  It's a balance between price and performance.  I will also freely admit that I don't care how my shoes look as long as they are comfortable.

The last reason I decided to buy the Li-Ning BD Doom shoe was that I've had a fascination with the Li-Ning brand since I heard about them back around 2006.   I believe I had heard about Li-Ning because the company had signed NBA player (not in league anymore) Damon Jones to wear their shoes.    Yes, it was the same Damon Jones who played briefly with my hometown team, the Golden State Warriors.

What was even more interesting was that Shaquille O'Neal later signed on to Li-Ning as well.  O'Neal was past his prime and with the Heat at the time but the fact that a Chinese company made headway caught my attention.   Unfortunately, none of the shoes that Jones and O'Neal wore were available in the US.  I remember reading at the time that the signings were done to allow Li-Ning to dip their toes in US waters and get a little exposure.

While none of Li-Ning's products were available in the US, they were available in Asia.  I made two trips to China for vacation (Spring 2006 / Fall 2007) and made my searches for Li-Ning products.  In 2006, I ended up with a tank top and shorts.  Alas, I was on a tour and time to shop was somewhat limited.  That was a little disappointing.

However, in 2007, I was on a tour for the first half of my vacation and was out with others self exploring in the second half.  This was the year I got my share of Li-Ning gear.  I picked up a windbreaker jacket and a pair of low top shoes.  The shoes were supposedly were for basketball but to me they looked more like causal lifestyle shoes.   The shoes were marketed toward the Spanish market and the only shoe that had more size (Size 10).  I guess Chinese feet are a little smaller than American feet though I don't think my feet are all that big.  Also, the pricing of Li-Ning shoes were like Nike and Adidas in the US.  There were high end models and lower end models.  However, due to the sizing issues,  I could not pick up a true basketball shoe.

Fast forward to 2010.  Li-Ning has now established a US headquarters, store and web presence.  Baron Davis was signed as an endorser and his shoes are available through Li-Ning, Champs and East Bay.

I might not have been the first to pick up some BD Doom's, but I do certainly count myself as an early supporter of the Li-Ning brand.  I have nothing against Nike or other big brands as I have had plenty of their shoes over the years.  However, I've always been a fan of the underdog.  So now I am a proud owner of a pair of BD Doom's.  I won't be wearing them for a while as I have a couple of pairs of shoes I am wearing that are holding up though they have taken a beating.

There may be some who question why I am getting a pair of shoes from a Chinese company due to quality and/or design issues.  To that I will say that there are more NBA players sponsoring Chinese brands that you might realize.  Baron Davis and Even Turner are with Li-Ning.  Kevin Garnett signed on with Anta and Jason Kidd (among others) are with Peak.

Just with everything in life, keep an open mind.  Try the shoes out and see if they are comfortable.  If you don't like them, that's fine.  But don't believe things people say until you see it for yourself.

What You Want Isn't Always What You Need

It's year end and many folks do a self assessment and review how things went in the current year while prepping for their resolutions for the new year.  I tend to self assess regularly anyway but this is a good time to review a lesson I learned in 2010.

The lesson was: What You Want Isn't Always What You Need

This lesson was taught to me in abundance at my job this year.  After being laid off in April of 2009, I returned to the same job in September of 2009.  Despite having worked at the job previously, there were some underlying issues I knew I had to address (won't talk too much about it here).  I wanted to just do my job and be left alone.  I went about addressing my issues in the way I personally thought best.

Alas, my attempts to address the issues did not prove to be successful and I got a major reality check about eight months ago.   I don't know about anyone else, but when someone tells you that you're not doing your job, it's not exactly an easy thing to swallow.  I went through a few weeks of self pity and wondered what I was going to do.   Fortunately, I had help and a self improvement plan was put into place.

Eight months later, as we close 2010, I can say that I definitely did not WANT to go through my situation at work.  However, it was exactly what I needed.  I learned some valuable lessons both personally and professionally.  I won't say I am perfect at my job now but things have improved dramatically.

The same could be said for many things in our lives.  As I blogged about this previously, I think that having my team winning the league championship was the right time.  All my previous times, I was somewhat selfish in wanting to win the championship.  I think I needed a lesson in humility.  This season, I wanted my team to win the championship because I thought we were one of the best "teams" on court.  I learned that being part of a team AND winning is much more enjoyable.

Keep this mind as we go into 2011!

52 Games?!?!

Thursday night, I played in my last league basketball game for the 2010 calendar year as my team lost 41-30 in a hard fought game.   Though this was my last game for 2010, this particular league isn't finished as it will restart in a few weeks in January of 2011.

After the game, I got home and decided to do a count of just how many league basketball games I had played in 2010.  My unofficial count?  I played in FIFTY-TWO (52) games in 2010!  That's at least 52 hours spent in gyms around San Francisco, South San Francisco and Oakland just participating in my team's games.  That's not including the many hours I spent watching other teams play before and after my team's games.  This is not including the weekly pick up games I usually play on Saturdays and other occasional days I played basketball.

While the 52 games is a bit of surprise, I have to say I enjoyed every moment of it.  I had a lot to be thankful this year and it's not just because my team won the championship recently.  I had a wide range of experiences.  I had the high of a championship win.  I had another team lose in the championship.  I played on several teams that were average.  I played on a team that lost every game by double digits and went winless.

While losing is never the best experience, I am thankful to be able to get onto the court and play as much as I did in 2010.  I remember back from the years of 1999 to 2001 where I had some tough injuries and didn't play at all for over a year.  I remember wondering if I would ever be able to play basketball again.  Of course I did eventually play again but it took me a while to get back to normal.

In 2010, I can firmly say I am playing like my old self.  I am not as fast or as quick as I used to be.  However, my body can still move and I can play at a reasonable level.  As 2011 rolls around, I hope to enjoy my basketball playing days as much as I did in 2010.

Reflections on a Championship Season

It's been a couple of days since my Monday night basketball team won the league championship.  I've gotten a chance to reflect on a couple of things which is noted in the two quotes below:


"The road of life twists and turns and no two directions are ever the same. Yet our lessons come from the journey, not the destination."

If you asked San Francisco Giants fans what they remembered most from the 2010 season, most fans would probably say that winning the championship was their most vivid memory.   However, there will be fans will remember each moment on the journey that got the Giants to the 2010 World Series Championship:

1. Winning the NL West on the last day of the regular season. 
2. Brooks Conrad's three errors helping the Giants to win Game 3 of the NLDS and eventually the series
3. Juan Uribe's home run in Game 6 of the NLCS that gave the Giants the win. 
4. Edgar Renteria's home run that proved to the game winner in Game 5 of the World Series. 

For my Monday night basketball team, here are some of my favorite moments from the Fall 2010 basketball season:

1. Game #1 vs. Orange (09/20/10) - Our team's captain was out sick.  I took over the reins and promptly watched our team fall behind 18-2 early to the Orange team.   We were forced to switch up defenses and rallied our way back to an impressive victory. 
2. Game #6 vs. Black (11/01/10) -  This was our second game against the Black team.  In our first meeting on 09/27/10, Black had taken advantage of the fact that our team hadn't quite jelled yet and beat us.  This time around, we were better prepared and hung tough against Black in the first half.  In the second half, our team went on a shooting spree that completely put the game out of reach.   It was a performance that had to be seen to be believed. 
3. Playoff Game #1 vs. White (11/29/10) - Our team had beaten White twice previously.  The first time White had four players.  The second time White had five players.  In the playoff game, White actually had seven players so there would be no more excuses.   Both teams played hard but White held a small lead at halftime.  Our team came out a little slow in the second half and White promptly took a 10 point lead.  However, our team responded to the challenge.  Our defense picked up and the offense followed suit as we rallied to win by 11.  

The final destination of winning the championship was great.  But for me personally, the journey was much more fun that just winning the championship.  The chemistry, relationships and memories we built during the season mean more and will last longer than the actual win in the years to come.

"There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven"

This particular quote from the Bible has been one of my favorites for many years.  One of my old high school friends had suggested the quote might fit my personality.  In many ways, I think she was right.

There are many times in our lives that we "want" certain things.  It might be a girlfriend, house, car, job or even a basketball championship.   I have admittedly wanted to win a championship in this particular basketball league for years.   I have to say that I wanted to win for the actual experience itself and not for pride or competitive reasons.  As I mentioned before, I'm the type of guy who likes to get the most out of everything I do.

In a funny way, the timing for my team to win this year was perfect.   In my previous three championship appearances for this league, I was very focused on "winning" but not enjoying the experience.  This past Monday, I played hard but also enjoyed the experience of "just being in the game".  I enjoyed being on the court, on the bench and the camaraderie our team had.

This is not to say that winning the championship wasn't enjoyable.  However, the destination of winning the championship would not have been possible with the journey my teammates and I all took for the past few months.

The final destination was good, the journey was even better and I think the timing for everything was about as perfect as it could have gotten.  For all of this, I give thanks.

Champions! / The Circle Is Complete

My team (Purple) played in our Monday Night Open Basketball League Championship game tonight and defeated Green 52-38 to clinch the title.   Green was missing two of their key offensive players and that definitely gave us an advantage during the game.

Overall, I found the win hugely satisfying on a couple of levels.  On a team level, I couldn't have asked for a better team to play with this season.  Our team is diverse is so many ways.  We range in age from 23 to 52.  We had black, white and Asian players who lived all over the Bay Area (West and East Bay).  Despite all these supposed "differences", the one thing that united us was the game of basketball.  We didn't really have a super star so we had to play as a team and I felt we did that for nearly the entire season.

On a personal level, I feel this win has completed a circle for me.   Back in late 1999 to early 2001, I had a lot of injuries that prevented me from playing basketball for a while.   When I came back from injuries, I wasn't really myself and it took me a long time to mentally get back to playing basketball like I used to.

I remember during the time I was injured and early on when I came back from injury, I was a little envious of guys who were playing and winning the various championships.   I remember wishing that I would get a chance to play for a team that won the championship.

In many ways, my wish was granted as I have now played on five different championship teams and each experience was unique and progressively better:

Spring 2001 -  I was a role player on a team that featured a former professional player from Taiwan.  I played a lot during the regular season but played minimal minutes in the playoffs and did not play at all in the championship.

Summer 2002 - I was injured the whole summer season and did not play while my team went 6-1 during the regular season.   During the playoff and championship games, I was suddenly pressed into duty because of foul trouble.

Summer 2005 - I played the entire season on a dominant team that went 10-0.  I wasn't one of the key guys though I scored 6 out of my team's first 10 points in the playoff game.

Spring 2008 Tournament - My friend and I got asked to play for a team that was formed at the last minute.  The tournament was a mash of young (high school) and adult teams.  Our team beat a couple of high school aged team and an adult team to win the championship.   This was one second ever tournament that I played in and it was an interesting experience to win the title.

Fall 2010 - All the pieces of the past came together tonight.  My team was good but not dominant (5-3 during the regular season).  We didn't have any superstars.  We weren't playing high school kids.  The competition that we played had great players.  Except for small ankle injury that slowed me for a week, I played the entire season and felt like I was contributing heavily.  In addition, this was my first ever championship for this particular league and that is special.

I believe tonight's championship win completes a circle for me in terms of playing basketball.   I'm the type of person that likes to experience different things.  Tonight's experience was one of the best that I've ever had.  If I never win another "championship" in the future, I am content that I have been blessed to have played with my team this season.

What's the future hold for me?  I'm going to keep playing basketball for the near future but with a full eye on just enjoying the game.  Winning is always fun and enjoyable but I'm looking toward what's next in my life.

Reflections on Championship Games Past

It is Saturday evening and it's about 48 hours before my team (Purple) plays in the championship game of our Monday night open basketball league at 7:15 PM.  I figured this is a perfect time to reflect on a previous experience in a basketball championship game.   This would be my first ever basketball championship game during the summer of 1994.

By my count,  Monday night's championship game appearance will be my fourth (Fall 2007, Fall 2008, Spring 2010, Fall 2010) in the particular league I am playing in.  Unfortunately, my teams have not won any of their previous appearances though I am obviously hoping that will change in two days.  In another league I play in, I have played in six championship games (Summer 1994,  Spring 2001, Summer 2002, Summer 2005, Easter 2008 Tournament, Summer 2008) and have won four of them.

In looking back at my first championship game appearance back in 1994, I almost cringe at what I remembered from the experience.  First of all, just making the championship was a surprise.  My team that year was a major underdog in our playoff game but we somehow pulled off the upset to get to the championship game.

The time leading up to the championship game was nerve wracking.  I was 20 years old and hadn't played much organized basketball except for the two seasons (Summer of 1992 and 1993) and some basketball back in 8th grade.

When the day of the championship game arrived, I was a nervous wreck.   If you asked me why, I couldn't give you an exact answer.  However, I would say that perhaps it was similar to a job interview or a first date.  This was definitely something I wanted to go well.

In short, the game did not go well.  The opposing team in the championship game was quite good and gave us a hard time throughout.   My team hung in there but ultimately lost 46-44.  I had a horrid game as I didn't score a point and went 0-5 on the free throw line.  Unlike these days where I play year round, I had to carry the experience of a miserable championship game until the following summer.

Looking back at that 1994 experience today, I see that I put too much stake into the meaning of the championship game.  Winning a championship indeed is a point of pride but not the be all and end all of things.  Unlike professional athletes, the leagues I've played in don't give our trophies or rings.

So even though I have played on 10 championship teams and won four, the only thing I've "won" from the championships is ONE t-shirt.  The rest of the things I've gained is friendships, photos and great memories.   Not to discount the other seasons where I didn't get to the championship, I have great memories of those seasons as well.

As the clock ticks down toward my Monday night championship game, I'm going to do what I regularly do the next few days.  On the day of the game, our team is going to give it their best shot.   Yet at the same time, I am going to fully enjoy the experience.  As I get older, I realize that my days of playing competitive basketball is winding down and it's a great time to appreciate what you have been blessed with.

Championship Bound!

For the better part of nearly 3 months, I've been playing in three basketball leagues.  I play in leagues on Monday, Thursday and Sunday.  The Sunday league didn't go that well as my team went winless in seven games.  The Thursday league hasn't been much better as my team currently has one win in seven games with two left to go.

The saving grace has been my Monday night team.  We finished the regular season with a 5-3 record and the #2 seed in the playoffs.  We squared off in the first round of the league playoffs tonight and rallied to win 75-64.   The win advances us to the league championship next Monday.

I've played tons of league basketball games (some 300+) in the past 18 years.  I've been in every type of game imaginable.  I've played exciting close games that my team has won.  I've also played some bad games where my team has been blown out.

Tonight's game rates as one of more satisfying wins I've ever been part of.  My team played ok in the first half but stumbled badly to start the second half.  We went from being down 4 points to down 10 very early in the second half.   We managed to cut the lead to 6 points with our bench.  The starters came back in and just torched the nets.  The other team was stunned and could not respond as we pulled away for the victory.

The reason that game was satisfying was that we did it as a team.  Our team has one guy who might be considered a star.  The rest of our guys just average players.  In addition, out of the roster of 9 guys, only two guys (27, 23) are under 30 with FOUR guys over 40 (42, 41, 46, 52).

I've learned that chemistry can't be understated which was greatly shown by the San Francisco Giants.  We all get along and pull for each other greatly and that has contributed to our team's success.  We have one more hill to climb next week in the championship game.  I'm confident that our team will continue to play together and give it our best shot next week.  Perhaps some of the San Francisco Giants magic will rub off on my team!