Dress for Success

Dressed up a little for last night's run, having already done my small part Monday night to improve the quality of both my own and my teammate's basketball wardrobes by cleaning out my basketball closet and giving away (OK, getting rid of) dozens of things that no long fit or which I no longer liked. And then last night I really went over the top: authentic Vancouver Grizzlies jersey with matching shorts and warm-ups, personalized with my own name and number....

Some years ago I aspired to a vacant pulpit in Vancouver BC -- a beautiful city in the part of the world where I grew up, but also in a foreign country (thus also giving me the opportunity to become an authentic expat close to home). Knowing that the Grizzlies were moving to Memphis, I went on-line and bought the jersey while it was still available, with the thought of lifting it up from behind the pulpit like I was a first round draft pick on the Sunday the congregation voted to call me as their minister. Of course, I didn't get that job and this never happened...so instead I bought the matching shorts, and now I sometimes wear it on the court. Not often, of course, since it really is too much. But sometimes too much is just enough...and there seems to be something about knowing I'm overdressed which makes me want to rise to the occasion.

Still not shooting all that well, but I did knock down the winning three again in the first game we played: a nice catch-and-shoot "J" from the left wing (my favorite spot!) as my defender rotated back. Don't know how often I've seen this: miss the wide-open looks by a mile, but with a hand in your face the ball swishes through the net. I'm certain it's all about shooting in rhythm, and the "muscle memory" that comes from lots of practice and learning to let your body do the thinking. Anyway, that early jump shot set a nice tone for the rest of the run -- some nice assists, fairly solid defense, but of course more than my fair share of ugly turnovers too (including a VERY embarrassing dribble of the ball off my foot after juking my defender and driving around him on the left baseline). But at the end of the day, I went home covered with sweat and with nothing hurt or broken. Which makes last night a GOOD night....