Man’s Search For Rooks
Man’s Search For Rooks.
The Cast by The Fillerbuster
01 December 2020
We have finally made it to the last month of this wretched year. Things in the world won’t change as briskly as flipping the calendar page in January, but at least we can hint about new beginnings, seeing our work colleagues, seeing our friends, vaccines, being outside our homes, and perhaps concerts and gatherings at some point in 2021. Let’s take in this month though. Let’s not rush it too much, no matter how much we want 2020 to be done.
But, let me take a step back. My inspiration for this piece coincidentally happens to come at the beginning of the month, but not necessarily BECAUSE of the beginning of the month.
Let’s take another step back. Oddly, my inspiration for this piece was the NBA Draft. Yes, I know. Rooks and drafts. What is The Fillerbuster talking about? Since my last piece was The Masters blog, and since the NBA Draft happened weeks ago, there has indeed been a delay obviously. Why? Initially, I was waiting for the NBA Draft to occur. Then, it happened, but I couldn’t quite connect the dots on what I wanted to put out there. I couldn’t put it all together. So, I waited. And then during the long weekend, a few things came together. One was the rook. With the draft. And now, here we are with what I hope is a completed, full circle concept. I never really know until I am in the midst of writing it. It will be somewhat outlined, and somewhat situational. So, let’s talk about that.
(I decided to write this with no notes or serious prep, so I will miss some big sports items, and forgive any absentees.)
Ok, so back to the NBA draft. I will talk about rooks again, but in the words of Gladiator, “not yet.”
First of all, the NBA Draft has two rounds. It has two rounds like the pandemic did this year. Although, the draft’s rounds are concrete, and the pandemic’s rounds are more blurred. Now, while most regions of the country differed here and there on the waves and lockdown levels, we can basically say that there was a first and second wave of COVID overall. And we are in that second wave. See what I did there? Two rounds of the NBA Draft, and two waves of a pandemic.
Also, in general, the weeks leading up to the NBA Draft were odd. It was at a different time of year. It was happening during football season. I became sad as I read mock drafts and realized many of these names would have now been household names by now, since they would have had a March Madness to excel during. In so many years, the tourney is the initiating event that excites NBA fans as to who goes where. This year? None of that occurred. They had a shortened season to show their skills. And that was a while ago, before the lockdown. For those odd people who ONLY watch the tournament (the majority, I get it), that is way too long to remember the names. To compound things, there were no blue blood schools getting kids in the lottery this year. No, seriously, that is crazy of year it is. In the lottery this year, there was not ONE kid from Duke, Kansas, Kentucky, or North Carolina anywhere near the top of the draft (Cole Anthony dropped at 15 to be the first. If we go OLD school blue bloods, Memphis technically had a couple up there, but they are presently in the club). FSU even had TWO lottery picks while they had none. I noticed that SONS of guys I grew up watching were being drafted now. Kids at the top part of the draft were expressing their feelings remotely with way too high of volume on their background festivities. The Sixers and new GM Daryl Morey finally drafted some shooters, which is crazy for that team. The Knicks got Obi Toppin, a “veteran” talent from Dayton, which Knicks fans loved and hated evenly (which just makes sense). He brings class, is already a Knicks fan, but leaves some holes that could have been filled. The projected #1 pick, Anthony Edwards, was probably less well known than surprise #1 Anthony Bennett back in the day, and still lesser known than Goose from Top Gun. Non-basketball fans probably just thought that Lonzo Ball was being drafted again instead of his younger brother playing overseas. We learned about the sad, sad Klay Thompson injury DURING this odd draft. And that ended up having us curse 2020 more.
Quick tangent. Let’s talk specifically about the Nuggets. I have loved the last couple of drafts by this team. They are rolling the dice a little, but that is OK. In the past three years, their draft picks (or draft acquisitions) have included Michael Porter, Bol Bol, and now this year…RJ Hampton. We have seen flashes from Michael Porter already, saw a little burst from Bol Bol pre-playoffs in the bubble, and will see some flashes from RJ Hampton. All three of these guys, at some point in the last 5-6 years, were predicted to go #1 or at least top 5 overall in the draft. All of them. By getting all three, they really only need either one to hit that ceiling to gain their third superstar, or two to be above average and fill valuable roles in the rotation. I am betting they will get one or both of these wishes. Or, maybe the Nuggets will let these kids show their flashes again and package them for a guaranteed superstar. But, this was what Paul Millsap was supposed to be before Jamal did his thing this year, so know there are no guarantees when inserting players into new teams. Chemistry is always so important. The bottom line is that Jokic and Murray are now stars, but the ceiling is just the playoffs without a go-to third guy, or another ridiculous elevation by BOTH Jokic and Murray. Throw in their other first round pick this year, piano-playing, top Arizona recruit Zeke Nnaji, and they are building quite the foundation. For those outside of the college hoops scene, ALL of Arizona’s recruits are high level, and they underachieve at the college level so they never become household names. So, just know Zeke is good.
But, I digress. The point of everything above is that a draft is totally situational. You can have guys mapped out way ahead of time, but you need multiple options for your particular position, as the options will filter our by selections out of your control. You probably have a pool of guys ready at all times. No one can guarantee that your guy will still be there when it is your pick. You need to adjust to the present situation and make the best of it for your team’s future. Some things are out of your control, and some things are IN your control.
Then, we got to the trades right after the draft. Too many to name off the top of my head with the time I have allotted for this piece. The Suns made a big splash by snagging Chris Paul, while the Bucks tried to double dip for The Freak, but Bogdan backed out to only net them Jrue. That ended up being a shallow swing and miss. And, wait, SOMEHOW, Daryl Morey turned Al Horford and his ridiculous contract into sharp-shooter Seth Curry? More shooting on the Sixers?
Then, free agency happened immediately after that. This is crazy! This offseason is so compressed. The Nets talked of super teams with James Harden, the Pistons continued to not understand positional needs nor playing styles by picking up redundant players, the Hawks might not win the title but definitely made themselves the most fun team to watch outside of Phoenix, and the Lakers got Dennis Schroeder, who self-proclaimed himself the starting point guard for the defending champions. We noticed that lower-tired players did NOT negotiate a heck of a lot. With the pandemic, odd timing of season, the lack of fans and revenue, and other unknown future financials, players snagged the first decent deal they found. Seriously, some players went to some WEIRD places. Gordon Hayward got overpaid in the process, because the market was fast and odd. Who is the below guy? You probably don’t know him. Not exactly a household name. But, he just got signed for $13 mil plus a year. I assume he is pointing up to thank above.
But, again, this is mostly situational. It was like pinball watching the cards fall very, very quickly, and I feel bad for any GM who went on vacation briefly, had his phone turned off, or watched the game unfold without reaction. You needed to react to the uncontrollable situation in front of you.
This carries over to the NFL, of course. Things with COVID are seemingly snowballing, as we have had Tuesday games, and now are about to have a midafternoon Wednesday RIVAL game that could determine a division title. No one is even sure if the playoffs will be in a bubble or not. Heck, I haven’t heard an explanation of how they plan on comparing a team that plays 15 games vs. a team that plays 16. The 49ers don’t have a home because of a government ordinance. The Broncos didn’t have any QB’s and played a horribly ugly game against the Saints because of an unmasked film session. The Washington team still has no name. The Saints are still winning, but doing it with a running QB oddly, with arguably one of the greatest passers on the bench injured. Even if the Steelers go undefeated, it becomes obvious to me that they will get assigned an asterisk. Or maybe that asterisk is because it will be tougher…who knows. The Chiefs have a loss, but look almost impossible to beat overall. They are taking a late game running situation, and THROWING the ball…because they have Mr. Mahomes and it is frustrating for everyone outside of KC. They are breaking the rules. All teams are bobbing and weaving, out of necessity with so elements that they can’t control. The NFL is situational from scheduling to playing, and it won’t get any better in the next month.
College football is not a mess yet, but we have teams that have played 10 games playing teams who have played 2 games. Yet, the Pac-12 has already figured out how to eliminate itself. Ohio State might not play enough games to qualify, while Indiana might make the Big-10 title game after losing to Ohio State. But, now that would be worse since their Heisman contending QB for Indiana is out of the year. Non-Power 5 teams aren’t playing enough to keep voters’ interest, as BYU and Cincy anxiously hover while these Power 5 conference problems are sorted out somehow. Notre Dame joining the ACC turned out to be a genius stroke for them, assuming they can topple Clemson one more time. It appears the sport will find a way to get to the playoff successfully, but we are hitting the worst time of COVID and the additional weeks planned ahead of time are being burned left and right. It is working for now, but it still might hit an uncontrollable head.
Now, college hoops has kicked off. I admit to not even KNOWING their plan, aside from some manufactured bubbles for the usual pre-exam tourneys. What then? We see a schedule, but what about bubble rules? It will be interesting. You think the bubble arguments were loud when all teams played 30 games? Wait until they only play 15. Smaller sample size. I think if we can get there, they will probably put March Madness in a bubble, but we have to get there first. Ahhh, the irony. The traditional “bubble” teams will have to survive the normal bubble to make the possible 2021 COVID bubble. If there is no tourney, UVA might be reigning champion for a third year. I don’t want that. We have reloaded now. We are ready to go. I see this sport as having three totally different obstacles/ phases. The pre-exam tourneys were one situation, conference play will be the second obstacle, and then the tourney itself will probably be the most controllable oddly. All situational, and no one has the exact solution as of yet.
And those are some sports examples. But what about us? What about us humans not stuck in bubble leagues? Let’s talk about that.
We are now into the second phase of quarantine. There are cutouts still in the stands, but don’t be a cutout at home. We are now experts of this unknown, right? We were told this second wave was coming a while back, and here it is. Most of us probably keep a little more toilet paper and paper towels than we previously did on a regular basis anyway. Some, like me, plan on building a bunker and a Go-Bag after this last part of the nonsense, but I haven’t gotten around to that yet (although I have been making a Google Doc list of what will go into each, but no action yet). Quarantine life has become a daily ritual that we are now used to. Pets and children know when to roam and when to acknowledge boundaries for the most part. Although, our pets probably yearn a little for their secret life when we are at work. Our backgrounds for work are routine now, whether we do a real one or the con the edge fake digital one. Everyone got a little taste of normalcy over the summer. Some people got pets. The vaccine is about ready to be released. How we handle this one shows what we have learned. Some people reinvented themselves during the first stay-at-home and props to those people. You were ahead of the curve or had a mission, or minimized the quarantine binge drinking. Now, you can reinvent yourself in yet another way. Now, the rest can do something they didn’t finish the first time. We all get a do-over with a resolution in mind. Take advantage of it.
When the first quarantine hit, I had just completed the book Man’s Search For Meaning by Viktor Frankl. It was moving to say the least (and a short read, my friends). It was life-changing, and well-timed into what was occurring in all of our lives at that moment. I was as mentally prepared asI could be when the pandemic rolled around. It is a book that is written by a man who was a prisoner of war in a German concentration camp during World War II. The first half documents all of the highs and lows of camp (there were no highs and I was just using a cliché in simplicity), event by event. It was very real and very scary. It was very horrible and extremely disconcerting. The second half tells the reader what he learned from that event of being imprisoned. I made extensive notes in the book, and had ten-fold plus in overall lessons, but let’s simplify. Aside from the fact that it will make you view love in a new way, let’s take only this idea from the book for the moment. Control what you can control, don’t complain about things out of your control, and everything is situational with your reaction being key. That is what we have been talking about. Most things are situational, and if someone was looking down from the sky to see how you were handling some horrible situation, make them proud. Someone has it worse. Of all of the lessons where he gives an example though, my favorite was his writing about how there is no best chess move. Everything in chess is situational. Just like the NBA Draft. Just like a pandemic quarantine. Just like a hockey hub. And what the other player does on the other side of the board is out of our control. How we react to it is the key decision and reaction. That is when we show who we are.
My dad taught me how to play chess when I was very young. I asked him to beat the heck out of me at every sitting until I overcame. I asked for no forgiveness, sympathy, or giving. I wanted to get beat down, right myself, and learn. He did Fool’s Mate to me repetitively until I figured it out, and took me down again and again, until I finally earned a draw. That took a couple of years. Many attempts after that, I finally beat him. Chess is a beautiful game that tests the mind and tests your strategy skills. But, although I have had boards, I have had no person to play with since I was a child. I tried the computer for a while, but that died out. When I play, I love trading pieces, and I am extremely aggressive, because I feel that if you give me my rooks and king, I can take down most players. Coincidentally, I also just watched the show The Queen’s Gambit. If you haven’t seen, it is a must (whether you like chess or not). It also is like watching Rocky and not wanting to go box or workout. It energized the chess lurking deep within me. Also during this, I was in process of selecting a next tattoo, this time for my chest. Just this past weekend, I have chosen to get a rook inked on my chest. It will be a symbol of situational reaction, inner strength, and staying true to not complaining about things out of my control, adjusting my reaction to those such things, and trying to change things within my control. The rook tattoo will be my Christmas present to myself once this next lockdown lets up.
So, you do whatever, and by no means is this a lecture. It is simply me writing as I love to do, but opening up about sports and life and learning, and becoming accountable to the reader in this second lockdown personally. It is letting you know how I am approaching it. Maybe you will get some ideas for your own. So, as I complete my list to advance my chess skills, complete learning the guitar, finish my Spanish lessons, advance my piano skills again, complete some unfinished housework, and regain my washboard stomach, you also enjoy your second round, the second wave of quarantine.
Go overcome a situation. Respect COVID, but don’t let it take you over. Don’t hate the second wave, but embrace it. Don’t hate the December lockdown, make it your best month of an intolerable year. We will get our Final Four, NBA Finals, NFL Playoffs, Stanley Cup, etc. again, but NOT YET. Find you own new search for meaning. Find your new idea for a tattoo that symbolizes what you have learned in your life and in this year. Find your own rook. Make your castle a new type of castle. I would love to chat more, but I got December quarantine stuff to go accomplish…
Oh, and one more thing. If you don’t know what your rook is, that is ok too, as the below books basically spell out that finding the meaning in your life is finding someone else find theirs…
Talk to you the next time I get inspired. Thanks for reading my dribble…
Here is the link to magical book #1: https://www.amazon.com/Mans-Search-Meaning-Viktor-Frankl/dp/0807014273/ref=sr_1_2?crid=30SNXFC3VQLXO&dchild=1&keywords=man%27s+search+for+meaning+by+viktor+e.+frankl&qid=1606865121&sprefix=man%27s+search%2Caps%2C189&sr=8-2
Here is the link to its follow up book that is just as moving: https://www.amazon.com/Yes-Life-Everything-Viktor-Frankl/dp/080700555X/ref=sr_1_2?crid=2WG7LB5LEJSCW&dchild=1&keywords=say+yes+to+life+viktor+frankl&qid=1606865162&sprefix=say+yes+to+life+viktor%2Caps%2C181&sr=8-2