Stiff Competition

In any elimination tournament, as play continues, the competition improves. This fact didn't seem to bother HR today, as they swept the Coughlin Crusaders in 3 straight games, earning a shot at the district title on Friday, and an early round to the State tournament next week.

I've mentioned before how little I really know about volleyball. One thing I am sure of, however, after 6 seasons of watching, is that momentum is a huge part of the game. For games 1 and 2, Coughlin got none, and fell by some lopsided scores. Game 3 was different, as HR needed to come from behind late in the game to get the victory, but again- once momentum was with us, the result was a victory.

Some random thoughts from the afternoon-

This picture, and this one, look similar. So much so, that you may assume that they were one of those rapid-fire magic camera things. They are not. They were taken several minutes apart, which you can sort of tell by looking at the fan sitting behind coach in one shot who's not there in the other. Why is that important? Maybe it isn't, but to me, it shows an organized team running consistent plays. We will need to be on top of our game on Friday, let's hope that this is a sign that we are.

We stayed for the first N Pocono/Lackawanna Trail game, and Trail was able to keep it close. Discuss this among yourselves- Is this a good thing for us on Friday? Does it mean that N Pocono is beatable? Or will it just be a wake-up call for a strong team? We'll know in less than 48 hours.

Bad socks seemed to be the norm today. Here's another point for discussion- Since these are Adidas socks, does that make them cool to wear with sandals? I say no. This is the second time we've seen this combination, so I will assume that it is intentional. (there's an old joke there- they guy with mismatched socks who says "no no, these are good- I have another pair just like them at home!) I suppose the idea is to distract your opponent so much that it takes them off their game. It wasn't working.

I have a strong dislike for rules, but there are a few that I try to live by. First off, never, ever, ever assume that a woman is pregnant, until you see the head crowning. (I believe that was a Seinfeld line, but all the best material is stolen, so give me some slack here) Second, if you are ever unsure of the male/female question, just avoid the situation all together. There is no safe choice, and no way to smooth over a mistake in either direction.

I set about a mission earlier in the season to get a picture of Erica smiling. Had our season ended tonight, I am happy to note that my work is done.

Our blog title/song title tie-in today is from Cheap Trick, track 4, side 2 of the Heaven Tonight LP. Lots of fond memories for me of Cheap Trick, back to the summer of either 1979 or 1980, live at the Allentown Fairgrounds. A few things stand out in my memory of that show- Route 22 was a traffic disaster (that hasn't changed in 30 years), a band called The Rockets opened up, (their cover of Fleetwood Mac's "Oh Well" was their only claim to fame), and when it came to the part in "Surrender" about having my Kiss records out, they actually threw Kiss albums into the stands. It's the little things.

See you Friday, for the late game at Wyoming Area. Until then-

Here are the shots from today.

Here's the whole site.

We're all alright.