blogsketball

i left the confederation library a bit later than i had planned, so i showed up to the game almost right before it started. steph (a friend of mine who is visiting from edmonton) was there before i arrived and she said i missed a short ceremony honoring the players who are in their final season with the basketball teams.

it was high school day and the area behind the upei bench was pretty crowded. i felt a bit claustrophobic so we moved to the other side of the court, opposite CBU’s bench. that turned out to be a bit of a bad move because a) the most annoying fan woman *ever* was about two meters away from us and b) we really wished we could hear what the CBU coach was screaming at his team. oh well.

the annoying recording of the anthem played (my ears! why!?! why!?!) and the game started.

the quarter started out shaky. CBU got the first few points while UPEI looked sort of lost.

and then UPEI had a sudden burst of energy. except it wasn’t just a burst. . .no, this was lasting longer than a burst. although they certainly weren’t playing perfect basketball (there were a couple of missed, super-easy layups and a few bad passes) they were talking, they weren’t rushing plays too much and, most importantly, they were putting a lot of defensive pressure on CBU, even double teaming CBU possessions before half-court. CBU didn’t handle that very well.

when the score hit UPEI 13 - CBU 10, CBU called a time-out. 3:07 remaining in the quarter.

the quarter remained full of energy and the score was UPEI 19 - CBU 18 at the break.

i didn’t keep track exactly but there seemed to be an unusually large number of three point baskets made in the second quarter. my exact note was “summary of the first half using a reference to a really crappy song: it’s raining threes!”

a timeout was called with 4:17 remaining in the second quarter. the score: UPEI 33 - CBU27.

during the timeout, the DJ played the Def Leppard song “Pour Some Sugar on Me.” 80s glam heavy rock is a surefire hit with any crowd at a basketball game, right? right!?!?! i have no problem with Def Leppard; i grew up on Def Leppard! i just, i mean, Def Leppard. . .at a basketball game? really? Def Leppard? i guess it’s not as bad as when they played that hockey song last game. . .

the score at half time was UPEI 41 - CBU 32.

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HALFTIME

steph and i placed bets on how much UPEI would lose by. it’s a mean thing to do. . .but. . .we did it anyway. she bet they would lose by ten points. i bet they would lose by six.

there was free stuff thrown out to the crowd. a little group of kids sitting nearby were getting the autographs of some UPEI women’s basketball players. i didn’t hear it, but apparently one of the boys said “i’m eleven and she’s nineteen. it’s not going to work.”

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the most exciting part of the third quarter came when chad macdonald made a ridiculous circus shot. the shot clock was winding down and he tossed up a three as he was falling to the ground! he made it! his second three point basket of the game!!! pretty much everyone in the crowd lost their shit. i even said “no fucking way!” and then i followed that up with “i’d be more impressed if he could make regular shots, too.” i’m a bitch.

dear chad, i don’t know you personally. you might be a nice person off of the court. if you ever find this blog and you hate me for what i’ve written (perhaps you should care less about what people write on the internet but…), i beg you not to throw things at me in the street. if you absolutely must throw things at me in the street, could you at least make them soft objects? like, sponges? or pillows? because i’m actually a really nice person. and i bruise easily. like a peach. thanks. signed, vanessa.

otherwise UPEI played with what i’ve come to dub “the UPEI third quarter blues.” you can imagine what that means. however you imagine it, it ultimately resulted in the team being down 52 - 57 at the end of the third quarter.

the only note i took during the fourth quarter was with 5:54 remaining: “the energy is gone. lazy passing. not seeing the open man. bad fouls. it’s all over.” worth mentioning is the fact that the DJ also chose to play Eminem’s “Without Me” during one of the final timeouts. i couldn’t contain my laughter. it was just too much. i wanted to find the DJ after the game and ask him if he could play at my next hot event: town hall bingo!!! (i’m not actually hosting a town hall bingo)

across the court from us, there were some really great hecklers - middle aged men who were really supportive of CBU. i couldnt make out much of what they yelled (curse our seats!) but i found them really amusing.

the end of game score was UPEI 61 - CBU 73.

that might be the last UPEI game i ever see. who knows where i’ll be living come basketball season next year. so, UPEI, i’ve written up a final series of haiku for you. thanks for the memories.

upei ball,
today was your last home game.
that makes me quite sad.

you entertained me
when entertainment here lacked.
for that, i thank you.

the coach? so funny!
the players? dynamic group.
the DJ? AWESOME.

i wrote some mean things,
but everything was in jest.
well, not everything.

but!! i don’t *know* you,
so hopefully what i wrote
did not offend you.

if anything did,
well, i guess that’s just too bad.
you were great to watch.

thank you once again!
you were a great pastime for
weekend afternoons.

by the way, k. it’s been pretty clear since your second comment that you know some (possibly all) of the UPEI players. you also seem to know your shit about basketball. i’m not sure how those two things are connected and, quite honestly, in the grand scheme of “my life” i think it matters little exactly how those things are connected. but. i just want to say, once again, that i really appreciated your comments. it was really comforting to have someone (anyone!) agree with me about the coach and about that dreadful #13. i completely missed the 06-07 basketball season while i was living in south america. well, i saw a part of one NBA game in early April 2007 (Argentinians loooove them some Manu Ginobli), but that was it!!! so when i started observing things at UPEI games, i kind of felt like maybe i had lost my “basketball knowledge” (it sure aint what it used to be) and that i must have been imagining just how bad the coach and #13 were. it was reassuring to read that you agreed with me about them. and you posted some really insightful comments about the way the team plays. so. yea. thanks again! i really appreciate the comments. best of luck with whatever it is that you do! (ps. i totally suck at the internet. i bet this came out sounding really awkward. oh well.)