Monday Morning Report: November 17

I like and respect you all as AC D.C. players, but I would rather not get the call from Captain Whitey ever again, at 6 in the morning on a Friday, to discuss issues of bail money for one of you! Part of me felt lucky I missed the trip, but another part so wanted to be there…so that I can include this story in my groomsman’s speech at GT2’s wedding….”back when he was in JAIL!” (crickets, crickets, chirp, chirp…) I guess Carlos can still use that in this best man’s speech, but all I’ve got is “finishing a litre of Grey Goose with him at 4 in the morning”….boring, you have to say, compared to “prison!”

Anyway, on to football:

The Men’s team game on Saturday really can be dissected into three parts. I’d like to start backwards. The second half was under our control. We had the right formation and all the players in the right places. We played my favorite “Christmas Tree” formation 4-3-2-1, and we played brilliantly. We beat the third place team 1 nil in the second half.

OK. Backwards. The second part of the first half. During this period, we had all the right players, but we didn’t get a chance to put them all in the right places. We got a bit overzealous on offense and gave up a goal on their counter-attack. All-in-all, if you add this period to the second half, we drew the third place team 1-1.

OK. The beginning. This was “just a mess.” We started the game with 10 men, and mostly in unfamiliar positions. We looked like the Washington Generals playing the Harlem Globetrotters. They beat us 2-0 in this period. So, there you have it. Final score was 3-1.

The good news is that the second half, when we had all the pieces in the right place, was brilliant. It showed the character and capabilities of our team. The bad news is I have nothing further in my power, to get everyone to the game at the “meeting time” to focus ahead of the game. And lacking personnel and focus, we’ll concede goals every time.

You should all know that Matt, Jeff, and I spend an enormous amount of time and energy when we put together the evites for games, making sure we have the right players and just the right number of them, so that you all have adequate minutes. Not to be preachy or anything, but if players don’t show up at the “meeting time,” it nullifies all the work we do during the week.

Outstanding news:

Vin Rovers lost, and there is no chance for the men's squad to end the season in last place. But there is no way AC D.C. deserves to be in 8th place! In the second half of our game, we beat the third place team 1 nil. We are a solid mid-table team! If y’all have ideas how we can improve our fate, please share it. I understand, when life intervenes, footballing is relegated to second place. I just hope that with better planning, that both life and football can co-exist for all of you and that “relegation” is out of the picture.

Announcements:

The co-ed team will be in full swing the next several weeks, including Thanksgiving Sunday. Please pay close attention to the evites, as there will be several active ones out there at the same time. We will utilize all our resources and players to maximize our results in these next several games.

Final thought on this, now, Monday evening:

We all have imperfections and demons. If you’re lucky, you also have friends like the ones reading this. Be nice to them. Friends who pay bail money…friends who plan fun vacations for you, drive you from the dentist, replace your worn out football boots, get your birthday presents….those are rare in life. Celebrate them, and don’t be mean to them….cuz you never know when you’ll need their love….and bail.

Good night.