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We lost both games anyway, but I actually got a goal. Now this shouldn't be to much of a deal, except for the fact that as the very shapely form of a 1950's Right Back it's only my second in over a decade of playing for the side. I don't get up the field much, gotta defend those wingers. It wasn't a classic either, just a very old trick of going up for a freekick from wide (it was the last few minutes of the first game, at five nil down there wasn't much more damage so I thought might as well), knowing our right winger is blowing out of his backside so this kick is going low and short, and the oldest movement trick in the book. Bounce one back, marker then goes and takes two in that direction, bounce forward in front, slide onto the ball and find the bottom corner. That's the good thing about old tricks. They still work. Sucks I couldn't celebrate though, game being buried and all.
So I'm sat here in my Office looking at the painting my Dad bought me for my birthday a couple of years back. It's a picture of a pair of football boots hanging my their laces from a nail. I call it 'The Hint.' Looking back at the season I did start to think to myself 'Is this the last one?' Getting up at the crack of dawn on a Sunday to mark 19 year olds sprinting at me in the freezing rain, it's not always fun. A special moment came this season when a new ref told me how old he was. He was less than half of my age. I could have legally sired this ref. A ref. So sigh. I'm one of the founding members of our team, a result of night in the pub with a group of us thinking 'Sunday League, how hard can it be?' Well I've seen someone try to use a Cornerflag as a spear, Ref's give penalties from 80 yards away and team mates throw up in the centre circle. Most of the other founders have quit the team now. It happens with all things, a few good mates called it a day last year. We got our first ever promotion and some have newborns, new wives and other things to do on those frosty Sunday mornings. It does make me chuckle a bit though, most have told me they quit to spend time with their family. I see on FB that these people are being dragged to IKEA or Westfield every other Sunday, it's not exactly the poetic father/new born son and daughter time some have pitched it to me.
So I'm sat here, looking at 'The Hint.' Team's relegated, leg sore with pain, both ankles weak a twisting at the most unexpected time, exhausted, mentally drained and with the stark possibility that there is now a chance a Ref will not only book me but ask for me to take a paternity test. So is it time to call it a day and hang my boots up next to the picture?
I did think about it. For about five seconds. I blooming hate IKEA. And I never quit.
Mind tricks...
One of the chip leaders in the Primo when the bubble bursts, go out a couple into the money. Made a bad call with AQ v AK, followed by AQ<KQ and then TT<AT to bust.
Also pure bubbled the 9pm BHer. AK<77
A couple of nights ago I had two FT bubbles. Last night I blew a huge stack in the 9pm going for a spot I didn't need to take, and missing.
I've seriously forgotten how to close out MTTs. Time to focus on MTT leaks again.
Had a lovely spot a couple of weeks ago. I'm about to take a quick throw in and the guy who's run the ball off for them instantly shoulder barges me in the back as I'm about to take the throw in. Fair enough I say, I'll play that game. Five minutes later that same player goes for a give and go near me and I make a run and do my best impression of a brick wall from his blindside. Got away with it but their skipper starts bleeting to the ref about an off the ball kick (I never kicked him) and calls me out on it. I just said to him 'That's one all sunshine.' And growled a little.
There's a bunch of tricks that refs fall for as well. The best one I can remember was marking this big lump from a throw in down the line. Big boy grabs hold of both of my wrists and pulls them around his ample gut. And I get done for holding the guy. Big boy claps the ref after as well. Cheeky.
Live poker, I always find that car crash moment. Think of getting the word 'Composure' tattooed to the inside of my eyelids. That's what I lose at those crucial moments.
GL for the weekend
"We can't have anyone freak out out there ok! We have to keep our composure! We've gone too far, there's too much to lose, we have to keep our composure!"
I can imagine Tommy giving this as a pre tournament speech to the TSP members
If you want to see my pre match speech, go to youtube, search 'robert loggia necessary roughness' and look at Wally's pep talk. Unless you are offended by rude words.
Here's it from my point of view. I don't think I am bemoaning my luck and I didn't want it to come across that way. In my opinion playing tournaments is all about winning them, or more precisely finishing as deep as you can in the ones you can. This is completely my opinion and I respect and am open-minded about other people's views that cashing may be the main thing. That's why I posted that stuff here and not criticising someone in another diary or thread for going for a cash or not.
The majority of MTTs you don't get that shot to final or win, it just doesn't work out that way. What I am talking about is lately I have been in tournaments where I have had that real shot to win and I have screwed it up. Not luck or variance or bad play by someone else, I'm squaring all of the blame on my shoulders. And when I don't take advantage of the few MTTs where you get that run and that stack, then I view that as a personal failure. Again this is no reflection on anyone else who goes out in similar situations, these are my opinions on myself and myself alone.
Yes I get a bit annoyed too when other players truly bemoan their luck or blame other players. I can't tell you how many staking threads I've read in other places that start with 'really soft field' and end with 'this idiot isn't good enough to know what I was doing.' I've always said the way to play poker was read, adjust, crush and repeat. And to always respect everyone else in the game. I never once said about respecting myself.
I'm making silly errors Alan. Or pushing too hard in spots where the upside doesn't balance out the downside in the long term. There are leaks and I see them. These were not posts a la ex-Sky Regs to be unnamed who have a hot streak and then when it goes away they blame everything and everyone else. This is me saying 'I've let things slide.' I'm going to be playing the turbos tonight, if I bubble every one of them but don't think I've made a mistake I'll be happy about it.
Very good post Alan. I'm very happy you made it and would like lots more posts like this from everyone. Ironically the only bit of your post which offended me a little was the bit where you say I can Mod Delete it if I want. Come on mate, you gotta know me by now. When have I ever ducked a question or tried to keep it all smooth for myself?
May both of our upswings come soon and stay longer mate.
Just
Shoot
me.
Bad day today, my Aunt died. Technically she was my Great Aunt, but it's pretty much redundant to run families through a framework, to me she's my Auntie Agnes.
It was expected. She was given hours to a day or two about a week ago. In a typical Little Old Irish Lady fashion she outlasted that. If you're ever doing a spread on anything Irish, always take the overs IMO. She even rallied a couple of days ago, and that gives you that slice of hope you know. The same thing happened with my Grandma when she passed a couple of years back.
Agnes was really there for both my Grandma and her own husband who died about a year ago, I mean went above and beyond what you'd think anyone half of her age would or even could do. You know those little grey haired ladies who you see carrying a half dozen shopping bags down the street for their family, passing disgruntled teenagers refusing to carry one bag because their legs hurt? Well that was her. I'll never forget one time when I was trying to visit my Grandma in hospital. There'd been some kind of assault in the place and they were only allowing one visitor per person and they had to be desegnated next of kin. My Ma was already with my Nan and I couldn't get past the huge security guard they had on the desk. Then I heard about what happened when Agnes got there to visit an hour or two later. She fronted up to the behemoth twice her height, three times her size and a third of her age. Talked him down until he had to listen to her and then talked him into checking his list again. When his back was turned she just walked on through and kept on walking. Not running or sneaking, just her own pace she would have walked had he not been there. Her reasoning after was 'Well what can he do, pick me up and throw me out?' She had more guts than most people. After my Nan and then her husband died, I think then her body caught up with her. It's one of those curious things in life, when you have something to do like that, especially for loved ones, your body somehow finds the strength to keep it going. And so as the reason is gone, then everything just well stops.
BTW I don't need people to ask if I'm ok, I'm fine. Like I said, it was expected. Still garbage when it happens but that's how it goes.
Everyone has been invited to the Thursday night meet up, and I hear on the grapevine some others might be making an appearance which will be good.
So what's the over/under of me turning up in a similar condition as most SPT day ones? Be kind with your lines people.