Civil War

Who do you have in the final four? Imagine living in Kentucky, basketball and horse racing are giant there. Now for real Kentucky and Louisville are playing against each other in the final four. It is brother vs. brother. Basketball is so crazy in Kentucky that when UK had its 139 game home winning streak broken, they flew the flag over the capital at half-mast. Read more here about perhaps the greatest basketball state in our Union.

Mike Ferris

Although I have the rhythm of a stone, I still love Rhythm and Blues. A friend came to me recently with a name to Google, 'Mike Ferris'. After I read about him I went to YouTube and found him,  and I could not stop listening to him. He is beyond imaginable. Click here to listen to him and Jimmy Hall sing "Will The Circle Be Unbroken".

The Trishas

If you like just pure beautiful music click here.

Final Four

I talked to to Tom Waits in his normal booth at the Chili Parlor Sunday after the Final Four was set. I asked him if he was going to recruit a team to make a run at the Final Four what kind of guys would he want? Here was his reply;


"It's like Charlemagne or one of those old guys said," he notes. "You want soldiers who, when they get to a river after a long march, don't start rooting for their canteen in their pack, but just dive right in."

Change

 

"Be the change that you wish to see in the world."

Mahatma Gandhi

"Seven Deadly Sins"

 

"Seven Deadly Sins

Wealth without work

Pleasure without conscience

Science without humanity

Knowledge without character

Politics without principle

Commerce without morality

Worship without sacrifice."

Mahatma Gandhi

The Ride

Here are ten modes of transportation I would like to take someday;

Ride an air boat on the Wapsie.

Take the night train from Moscow to St. Petersburg.

Fly a seaplane to Belize.

Ride a rickshaw through the streets of Delhi.

Ride a motercycle through Latin America.

Ride a bike down Pikes Peak in Colorado.

Ride an Amish hay Wagon.

Parasail over the Himalayans.

Take a cruise ship down the Volga.

Ride a zip line in the Amazon.

National Championship

The reason why Penn State won the 2012 National Championship in wrestling is money. Plain and simple the wealthiest sports budgets in college will win national championships year after year. Read here from this article from 2009 why Penn State won this years National Championship .

Doug Porter

Yesterday I received an email from Doug Porter, the women's basketball coach at Olivet Nazarene University. Actually it was an email to a group of coach's that Coach Porter had been a mentor too over the last number of years. Speaking for me Coach Porter helped bring my passion back to basketball after I no longer wanted to coach the traditional way.


Coach Porter allowed me and other coaches into his practices, he shared his philosophy for the beautiful game he called "Tigerball". That philosophy that he shared has influenced basketball teams across the nation at the college and high school level.

I asked him if I could post his email on my blog and as he always is; he was kind enough to let me. Here it is;


“Hi Everybody!

We finished our season at Olivet Nazarene University last week at the NAIA national tournament in a disappointing fashion. Hit 10-27 threes in the first half to go up 54-41 at intermission, then had a shooting meltdown in the second half, going 0-22 from the arc, and 10-50 from the floor overall. Lost 84-83. In 250 system games here over the past eight seasons at ONU, we’ve NEVER had a “0 for ___” half until this game. So, next year, we are shooting only layups!

Just kidding.

In other news, I wanted to announce to the runandgun and grinnellsystem groups my retirement at ONU. After 34 years of coaching and 14 at Olivet Nazarene, I need a change of scenery, and want to step back from the game for a while. Our disappointment at the national tourney had nothing whatsoever to do with my decision (these things happen, and are the price we pay for avoiding those 52-47 games!) But for the past few months I’d been feeling the circumstances were right, and although I still love many things about coaching—and could see myself getting back in at some point in the future—I’ve always wanted to go out on top and this feels like a good time to do so!

Honestly, I might have stepped down sooner, but have been passionate these past several years about wanting to prove something to myself and my NAIA colleagues, something which most of you already know: that system basketball (our term is “TigerBall”) is a sound approach to the game. We’ve had a good run at ONU with 18 NAIA records, breaking our own 3-point totals this year (522 makes), setting a school records for wins to go along with our highest ranking in school history (10th) this season. But with our league (Chicagoland Collegiate) dropping down to the NAIA D-2 level next year, there will be lots of changes in our future, and I’m hoping to turn the program over to my assistant Lauren Stamatis, who wishes to continue the “TigerBall” tradition.

I’ll continue to check in with you guys from time to time, along with my co-author and friend Gary Smith, but please allow me to thank all of you with whom I’ve crossed paths in the past 8 years: “Colleagues in Chaos!” As we’ve traded ideas, I’ve learned so much from this group—and especially from Coach Arseneault—about the true values of the game. The group has been an invaluable resource for testing ideas and sharing insights, and I can’t tell you how much you’ve meant to me. So, please don’t hesitate to call or write if I can ever do anything for you!

Thanks for the memories,

Doug Porter

Olivet Nazarene Univ. “

John Denver

I was raised by two wonderful people and they came from good stock as well. Both raised in the country with no apology, and very proud of their parents. Although I never met either grandfather, I heard many unique and wonderful stories.

There was the story about the time grandpa Benson and his brother stole horses to go for a midnight ride. This would have been very interesting to grandpa Wall Gillespie who was a horse trader. Without a question both mom and dad's eyes would light up as they would tell stories about their father.

I know both grandpa's would have enjoyed this song from John Denver "Thank God I´m A Country Boy".

Travel

"Traveling is almost like talking with men of other centuries." 

 René Descartes

"Don't Let The Devil Ride"

A little gospel from Neal Roberson to lead us into the weekend called "Don't Let The Devil Ride".

Click here to enjoy it.

"Stuff That Works"

A great song from Guy Clark called "Stuff That Works" has this verse in it.

" I got a pretty good friend
Who’s seen me at my worst
He can’t tell if I’m a blessing
Or a curse
But he always shows up
When the chips are down
That’s the kind of stuff
I like to be around" 

Guy Clark has the ability to change the world with his music.

 

Click here and listen to " Stuff That Works".

Colorado 5A Basketball Championship

A coaching friend from western Iowa sent me this video of Chaparral High School's  Josh Adams, with a put back overtime layup buzzer beater tip-in to win the 2012 CHSAA 5A Boys Basketball Championship in Colorado. March Madness is definitely upon us. Click here to watch that video.

Another "Long Monday"

From the early days of Macyn Taylor, here is her retaliation to John Prine's version of "Long Monday".

What Are People Afraid Of?

Basketball coaches what if someone came into your gym one day and said 

"If you do as I tell you …”

Your team will score 15%-50% more points than they do now.

Your team will turn the ball over 15%-33% less than they do now.

Your team will force 10%-30% more turnovers than they do now.

Your team will be more unified and loyal to each other then it has ever been.

Every player on your team will play with more passion and desire than they ever have.

Every player on your team will  play with more confidence than they ever have.

 You will have to scout less.

You will have larger crowds that will be more active at your games.

You will have players step up and play well when people are sick or injured.

 Players on the bench will be more involved in the game.

 The physicality  of your team will increase.

Why do people question, doubt, and ridicule “The System” if it offers these things?

Auditions

Someone told me recently that the Amish Air Force should have a national anthem, so I have begun my search.  I have many songs posted here and I have my first suggested anthem posted today. I am going to ask you my readers to send to me suggestions for the anthem either by email or by comment. I will post some of them, but by next Friday March 16th, I want to have the official Amish Air Force Anthem posted.


Thank you for your help. Here is the first nominee Joni Mitchell and "Big Yellow Taxi". I hope you have a great weekend.

Students Care

Starting yesterday morning (March 7th) before school, I had numerous students come to me and say " 'G' you've gotta watch this video." I have a student do that once in a while, or I have a class that tells me to do it to get me off task, but rarely do I have students I no longer have  in class email me or stop me and do that.


Yesterday it started with a freshmen I have, before school they came into my class and almost demanded I download it. At ten last night I received an email from a junior telling me I had to watch it. Numbers of students throughout the day told me about it, so I am telling you now, click above on "this video" and learn about Kony 2012. 


Spread the video to your friends and family. Show the young people of the world as well as our country that we do care.

Jack London

For some reason this caught my eye yesterday as I read some  work by Jack London;

“I would rather be ashes than dust! I would rather that my spark should burn out in a brilliant blaze than it should be stifled by dry rot.

I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me
in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet.

The proper function of man is to live, not to exist. I shall not waste my days in trying to prolong them. I shall use my time.”

- Jack London

Kyle Maynard

Click "Life Lesson"  below the picture and learn about an incredible man that defied all odds.

 

 Life Lesson

"The most frustrated I got the whole day was when I would just go and look up and see how far I have to go, instead of looking back and seeing how far we've come, I think I do that a lot in life and just in general" "Just one step at a time!"

Kyle Maynard as he was climbing Mount Kilimanjaro

"The Piano Has Been Drinking"

I spent a couple days at the Chili Parlor recently and Tom Wait's was serenading some of Kim Jong Il's unemployed secretaries with the song  "The Piano Has Been Drinking". Click here to hear him sing that song.

"It's Gonna Be A Long Monday"

Listen here  as John Prine sings "It's Gonna Be A Long Monday" 

 

 

"It's gonna be a long Monday
Sittin' all alone on a mountain
By a river that has no end
It's gonna be a long Monday
Stuck like the tick of a clock
That's come unwound - again
And again"

 

John Prine

What Is Right

Would you, let alone your team be willing to give up a chance at a state  basketball championship for what you believe? This basketball team in Houston, Texas was going to. Read more here.

Metro Tech

Coach Mario Malaby recently sent out a report on how the first season of basketball ever for boys at Metro Tech in Phoenix, Arizona went. Here is that story;

"Wrapped up a very eventful first year of Basketball and starting a program from scratch in a unknown league with players who have never played basketball at any high school level and then have them play against a Varsity schedule was wild. We journeyed into to play a game against and at a Juvenile Detention Team (anytime anywhere was our motto), had run in with the NRA in Kingman, AZ ( Now that was a Long story) and  played  teams that looked really mature when their  wives, 5 year old children and the  local tattoo artists cheered for them, but we survived. We Finished the season with a record of 1-19. We did win one game by running the  4 corners ( I only know extremes slow or fast). Played a game in which we forced 40 turnovers and scored 34 points!?! However we were Mercy Ruled most of our games…Hey onward and upward….

Here is the power of the system---Not one player missed a game due to academic ineligibility (Never heard of an inner city team ever doing that)  and not one player quit- Not even the managers (also Unheard of). I honestly believe that the those kids do not stick with it unless the system is implemented. I will admit I have run the system for about 5 years and I feel like that I am just learning it. My players relished the time that they got to play. Some  produced some did not but they all fought on…

If there is a burning sensation in your heart called empathy and you want to help the Mighty Metro Tech Knights out feel free to volunteer and call me 602-931-7444. Scott Hartman thanks for the support and info.

Phoenix in February beats any place on earth (yes this is a recruitment statement),"

Mario Malaby