Ad Nauseum: Making Up For Lost Time

I've really been slacking on the TV commercials lately, but the NCAA Tournament allowed for a couple of gems to surface (nice work, AT&T). So, without any additional comments, let's just run through a bunch of 'em really quickly here (ranging from the clever to the truly bizarre).

Achilles Continues To Kill Me

Oh, how things can change in 2 and a half weeks.

That was the last time I mentioned my achilles problems on this ol’ blog-a-roo. At that time, I was frustrated and for the 1st time actually seeking some outside help. Well, a trip to the doctor and 2 trips to a physical therapist later, and here I am. After the second visit to PT, I actually decided to nix going. I think there could have been some benefit in continuing to go, but a lot of what they did in my 2 visits there I could do on my own, and the additional time spent away from home just wasn’t worth it to me. Regardless, both of my achilles felt probably as good as they had in about 6 months…prior to Saturday that is.

Saturday was game number 2 on our co-ed touch football league schedule. Actually, it was supposed to be game number 6, but 3 rainouts and 1 forfeit altered things. As I said, thanks to a vigorous heating, icing, and stretching routine, I actually felt really good going into Saturday’s game. I actually had designs on playing a rare weekend doubleheader for me: football on Saturday and basketball on Sunday.

I felt so good that on the 1st play of the game I actually caught a short pass near our own goal line and darted just short of midfield before being tagged…a rarity for anyone who has seen me play football. Think of me in the sense of this league as a big athletic tight end with hands...Barry Sanders I am not.

Nope.

You don’t normally see a lot of YAC on my receptions as football nerds would term it, but that's just an indication of how my legs felt. That 1 catch and past experience playing this team was enough for them to essentially play a box-and-1 – 1 guy playing me man-to-man with a zone defense behind it – for the rest of the 1st half…respect.

Our offenses traded a few scores, and then on the 2nd or 3rd defensive possession of the 1st half, it happened. Playing middle linebacker, I read the opposing quarterback’s eyes and jumped underneath a seam route for an interception. The only problem was that my brain was so convinced at how good my body was feeling that it convinced my body to do something it shouldn’t have.

Normally, I would try to score in that situation, but I wouldn’t overdo it. I smelled the end zone though, and I tried to plant and cut hard enough that only the 18 year old version of me might be able to pull off. I immediately felt my left achilles stretch in a way that it definitely isn’t supposed to, and pulled up lame. I even almost dropped the ball Santonio Holmes style upon feeling that pull…thankfully, I had already been tagged, and the play had been whistled dead.

Yep.

Somehow, I gutted out the rest of the game at about 75% speed of what I started it at. It would be a stretch to call playing through an injury in a weekend adult rec sports league courageous, but I’m not exactly sure how I made it through the game. (Needless to say, the other team ditched its box-and-1 strategy when they realized I was hurt.) Oh, and we won. So there’s that.

And so continues the saga of probably the most frustrating injury I’ve ever had to deal with…not sure how many more of these setbacks I can take.

Crying Foul For LeBron

This Sunday, Krissy and I were watching the Heat-Knicks game. Consecutive plays where LeBron James appeared to get fouled without a whistle elicited this response from her: "I think LeBron gets the least amount of superstar calls out of any superstar I've ever seen."

This raised a very interesting point, especially following last night's Heat-Nets game. James is widely regarded as the most difficult player to officiate since Shaq's prime. O'Neal was so big and powerful that it required an inordinate amount of force by opposing big men in an attempt to guard him. If they leaned on and bodied-up any other player in the league as they did to Shaq, they would have been called for a foul every trip down the court. The counter argument is that Shaq dished it out maybe even more than he took it, and usually the fouls went against the other guy. Tough is it must have been, I always felt NBA refs did a poor job of calling games with regards to Shaq.

Shaq backed into the defender so hard that it broke the other guy's spleen? Shaq was fouled!

But as a perimeter player, LeBron is an entirely different animal in terms of officiating. Like Shaq, LeBron is a giant relative to the players trying to guard him. He also has explosive quickness and leaping ability though, and it seems like the refs take a Space Jam approach on James' flights to the rim...that he is so big/strong/fast/athletic that he should be able to dunk over 2 guys while another 1 is grabbing at his ankle and a 4th delivers a well-timed kidney-punch.

Basically...

Back to the end of last night's game...did Mason Plumlee foul LeBron on his last second dunk attempt or not? People are taking both sides, but to me this is 100% a foul.

From every angle I've seen, Plumlee gets what in volleyball we call a microtouch on the ball, and then basically plays pattycake with James at the apex of their respective leaps. If you wanted to make a pie chart of what Plumlee actually touched, it would 1.5% ball and 98.5% LeBron's hand.

See? Thanks, Microsoft Excel!

Those in favor of the no-call are citing the hand is part of the ball rule, but that doesn't really apply in this situation, as Plumlee 1st contacts the ball, then gives James a high-five. If James was shooting a jumper, and Plumlee hit LeBron's hand or elbow on his follow-through, it would also be considered a foul. Why is this situation any different? Some are also bringing up the fact that James is a superstar trying to make a play at the end of the game on his home floor, and that normally constitutes a superstar call in that situation.

The counter to that is that James is a superstar and he does get his fair share of whistles his way. I mean, just for starters, James went to the line 14 times last night even sans free throws at the end of regulation. He averages 7.5 attempts a game, which is good for 8th in the league. And that number is only that low because James simply doesn't shoot that much...if he attacked and chucked now as much as he did in his Cleveland days, he would lead the league in freebies by a wide margin.

Some will also be quick to point out that James has been known to, umm, embellish a little bit in order to win a call or so every once in a while. I mean, LeBron-haters don't call him LeFlop for nothing. (I'm of the opinion that flopping is so prevalent that you would be hardpressed to find an NBA player who doesn't flop.) Is it possible that James has even lost some credibility with the refs?

I mean, there's merchandise and everything.

Whatever the reason, it's kind of a fascinating aspect of Heat games to watch for as we move closer and closer to the postseason...but that was still definitely a foul.

With DeSean Jackson, The Time To Take A Chance Is Now

Allow me to pretend to be a real sports columnist here for a second...

The Washington Redskins have every reason to avoid the suddenly available DeSean Jackson like the plague. None of those reasons really have anything to do with the alleged rumors of the 6 degrees of separation Jackson has with LA area gang members. What, you think DeSean Jackson is the 1st athlete who grew up with somebody that turned into someone who runs with such crowds? You think every high profile athlete who knows someone like that is going to turn into Aaron Hernandez?

Let's be honest here...that is the fear among NFL executives. But those stories aren't even near the top of the list of reasons a giant stay away sign should be posted next to Jackson for all burgandy and gold decision-makers. Jackson is insanely talented, but he's also shown himself to be a world class knucklehead. Everyone remembers DeSean's rookie season where he was so eager to celebrate a would-be touchdown that he actually dropped the ball about 3 yards prior to the end zone. Everyone also remembers plays and entire games where Jackson appeared to dog it when things weren't going well for him and his team (especially towards the end of that Dream Team season). Attitude and work ethic problems have also followed Jackson since his college days, and his onfield antics and yapping can be a little bit too much to take at times.

Aside from all that, it would be a typical Redskins move to throw a ton of cash at a big, splashy free agent who would come with some kind of red flag...especially when the Redskins have limited salary cap space, have no 1st round draft pick this year, and have plenty of other holes to fill...and especially when they already signed a free agent speedster receiver this offseason in Andre Roberts.

And having said all that, Washington should move heaven and earth to sign Jackson. As my boy and fellow B-Court All-Star, Mac, emailed me almost as soon as news of Jackson's release from Philadelphia broke, go get em...upgrade your squad.

Jackson would come with all kinds of baggage and headache-inducing behavior, but he's the type of game-changing wide receiver that doesn't come around very often. His speed and play-making ability are world class. He would instantly upgrade the Redskins' dreadful return teams. He would scare off opposing defenses from loading up against the run game. He would bump Pierre Garcon to the #2 wideout, a position he is much more suited for. And you would think he would fit in perfectly with RG3's ability to scramble and extend plays.

Yes, it would fly in the face of everything I've been arguing for as of late in terms of how this Washington franchise needs to shift their way of acquiring people. And Jackson's talents still wouldn't solve the Skins' woeful defensive secondary or kickoff coverage teams. But the idea of Jackson lining up wide in a Redskins' jersey is just too good to pass on. Let's make this happen, Dan Snyder...time to bust open the ATM once again.

My Achilles Heels

I don't know how to say this without making it sound like a pun, but my Achilles heel is my achilles. I've made mention of it before on here in other injury updates, but I've dealt with some achilles tendonitis in both legs over the past couple of years. It seems to come and go, and usually the more active I am the more it goes.

The more epic Achilles...

Last night was the 1st time I actually decided to look outward for help though. At the recommendation of a friend I play basketball with (who also happens to be a head athletic trainer at a local high school or something - I might even be selling him short as to what his job title actually is), I went and saw a physical therapist that he sends his athletes to.

Now, I was skeptical going into my appointment, but I actually learned some stuff about my body that I wasn't aware of before. For example, I actually have a larger arch in my feet than what is considered average. This can contribute to achilles aggravation. Also, from one look at my feet and the way I walk, it was obvious to the PT that I was very stiff and had suffered some type of lower body injuries over the course of my life. Apparently, my numerous ankle sprains over the years have caused me to put almost all of my weight on the outside of the bottom of my foot when I walk (and presumably run, jump, cut, or anything else). I learned that this natural form of overcompensation is likely causing my achilles tendons to work harder than they should.

I think it's always comforting to know the why when it comes to something in your body not performing the way it should. The question now is what to do with this information. The PT thought I would benefit from scheduling some times to come in and get some work done. (Following my assessment, it also seems that I have low flexibility in my hips, which could also possibly effect my balance and, therefore, my achilles.) But do I really want to spend the time and money to do that? I could take the insights I gained, research it, and try to develop some kind of program on my own. How effective my amateur self-therapy would be is very questionable though. As I've heard from a lot of people older and wiser than me, take care of it now...it will be worse if you have these same problems later. I think the right decision is inevitable...it's just a matter of how stubborn I want to be and how long it takes me to give in.

The NCAA Tournament: Crushing Dreams One Game At A Time

No, I'm not talking about Wichita St. Although yes, that sucks for them too.

Sorry, boys.

I'm talking about the actual 1st weekend of the NCAA Tournament, where the increased parody of college basketball makes filling out your bracket nearly impossible. Who agrees? Quicken Loans for one, who only had to sweat-out there billion dollar perfect bracket challenge until about midway through the 2nd day of the Round of 64 (when the last registered perfect bracket on their site already crapped-out).

Case in point was the bracket of yours truly, who slogged away through the 1st round (yes, I refuse to call the play-in games Round 1) with a very mediocre 22-10 record. However, I was able to accomplish the secondary goal of having a successful early round bracket. 1st, you want to pick correctly (obviously). 2nd, if you do pick wrong, you want to try to pick wrong with teams you had losing fairly quickly anyway. 10 misses in the Round of 64 is bad, but only 1 incorrect pick (Duke) who I had advancing past the Round of 32 is something I could live with.

That was followed by a glorious Saturday where I went a perfect 8-for-8 on the day, and I actually found myself at or near the top of the pools I am in. Then, unfortunately, yesterday happened.

Ugghhh...

Sunday's games were a cruel reminder of how quickly your bracket can take a turn for the worse. The day begin with 1 Elite 8 team, Kansas, gagging against Stanford. Then, the wheels really fell off when Kentucky played their best game of the season and beat my national runner-up, Wichita St. The day's cherry on top of my s*** Sunday was Creighton getting its doors blown off by an athletically superior Baylor team. Add that to my Duke pick from Friday, and I ended Sunday 4-4.

That made me 12-4 overall in the Round of 32, which is actually pretty decent...but I'm down to only 4 possible Elite 8 teams before the games even tip-off this Thursday. Currently, I'm still hovering around the top spot in all of my pools, but the maximum number of potential points I can score took a huge hit as well, and I will be lucky to remain within shouting distance of the money in any of those pools: all in day's work when it comes to bracketology.

Training Update #2: Tempered Expectations

Back in June, I wrote a post detailing my training goals for the remainder of the year. I'm revisiting it and updating my progress for several reasons. 1st, the whole idea behind that post was to be accountable to myself. 2nd, my wife has admitted that her favorite posts on this blog are the ones where I talk openly about some aspect of my life. And 3rd, for some reason that post is 1 of the top 5 viewed posts in the history of B-Court All-Star...probably has something to do with the, how you say, graphical representations I used.

Like this one! Holy s***!

With that being said, let's see how I did. (Mind you, I think I was supposed to achieve these by the New Year...St. Patrick's Day is close enough though.)

1. Combined 700 lb. 1 rep max...This one is particularly hard to track because to be perfectly honest I totally forgot about this goal. That's what goals are for, right? In fact, I haven't even tried to max-out in any of these in several months. If I go by my handy-dandy workout tracking app on my phone, my estimated 1 rep max is calculated to be 225 lb. on the bench, 232 lb. for squatting, and only 217 lb. for deadlifting. That only puts me at 674 lb. by my count. I may have to attempt a 1 rep max for each in the upcoming weeks just to see what I can do...only a couple pounds for each exercise more than what the calculation is saying, and I'm there. So, not exactly a lofty goal, but this one doesn't concern me as much.

Forget using your arms, use whatever that thing is that's pushing up out of your midsection.

2. Bench 225 lb...Like I said, it's been months since I've actually tried this. I've done it once upon a time though. This week I actually did 3 sets of 5 reps at 200 lb., the most I've ever done at that weight ever. I wonder if I could actually eke out 230 or 235. Similar to the last goal, haven't actually tried it, but I'm pretty sure I got this.

Yeah, buddy.

3. Run a sub-7:30 mile...Fail! I think I've timed myself while running 3 times since the original training update post. Shame, shame, shame...

Did I say holy s*** already? Holy s***!

4. Have 8% body fat...Also a fail, but unlike the mile goal not a total wash I don't think. I still think I'm in the double digits, but in the last couple months my strength has actually increased while dropping 5-10 lb.

Ow.

5. Dunk a basketball...This also falls into the category of partial failure I think. Technically, no, I can't dunk at the moment. Ok, so maybe that should count as simply a failure. But my vertical has improved slightly. If my legs feel good that particular day, I can grab the rim with 1 hand and graze it with 2. I could probably dunk a tennis ball right now, but a volleyball might be pushing it. Hopefully, by summer I will be that much closer.