Thursday, December 23, 2010

A Loss on the Glass, A Mark in the Loss Column

Fighting Fancus did what they had been doing all year.

The Reignmakers could only muster 52 points against the taller, bigger Fancus and only had 27 rebounds as they fell for the first time 58-52.

The team struggled offensively, shooting only 25% from three and were out rebounded by a wide margin on both ends of the floor, but the offensive end was where the team suffered the most. The Reignmakers rarely got a second shot and it was mostly one-and-done on the offensive end.

They got out to a hot start. After being up 7-0, then 13-6 early in the first, the outcome looked bright. The Reignmakers let up a little and only held a one point lead, 30-29, after the first.

Both Jason Hunter and Chad Dobson arrived late, along with big man Ryan Stuver, due to weather. Neither got to start. Mike Petrilli (2 points, season high 5 rebounds) and Clinton Weigel (2 points, 4 rebounds) got the go ahead in their place.

But without an ability to get into the middle of Fancus's zone defense, the Reignmakers struggled on the offensive end late in the game. Only shooting 25% from three and not getting any easy shots inside doomed the Reignmakers. The lack of rebounds also hurt late in the game.

Brent Hunter got the nod from the Developmental League but just couldn't provide the offensive punch that he had last time he got time. He scored 6 points and could not get anything going from three (0-6).

Leading man Brandon Hunter had 23 points, but could not find a rhythm from deep. He only managed two field goals inside and was bothered most of the night.

With Brent Hunter being sent back to the DRBL this weekend, the Reignmakers will most likely fall back into their regular starting lineup of the three Hunters, Petrilli, and Weigel. Dobson may still get a nod as his starting night was not to be.

The Reignmakers will have a two weeks to get it right as they are off next week. It will be the toughest back to back of the short season as they facethe Dream Team who were 3-1 as of this writing.

Monday, December 20, 2010

Tonight's Game Preview

The Reignmakers will be looking at a new starting lineup tonight versus Fighting Fancus.

Coach Jason Hunter has told us that the lineup will look as follows:

C- Kerry Hunter
PF - Brandon Hunter
SF - Jason Hunter
SG - Brent Hunter
PG - Chad Dobson

"Brent is back up due to a couple week span of no games in the developmental league coming up, so we want to give him some time up here. Chad has been out for two weeks, so we want him to get some minutes as well. We will be full up tonight roster wise." Coach Hunter told the media today.

Ryan Stuver will be back from his one game hiatus with a sore knee. So the Reignmakers will have all 9 roster members dressed tonight for the game against the Fighting Fancus (2-1). This is a new team from the preseason as Fancus has added some new members.

The Reignmakers still lead the league with 266 points overall. Fancus, 167 points (3 games played), has one of the better defenses in the league with only allowing 145 points total.

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

A "Flu Game"; A New Season Best; Another Win

Michael Jordan had his "flu game". Jason Hunter decided to make this one his.

After battling the flu for the past week, Hunter stepped up big in the Reignmakers 80-60 victory Sunday night at the Rec Center in Brunswick.

Hunter had his best scoring performance with 20 points, hitting 4 of 6 three point shots and grabbing six rebounds.

Not to be outdone, his brother Brandon pulled down six rebounds of his own and topped it with a season best 38 points, shooting 6 of 12 from three, and 9 of 15 from everywhere else.

Combine those two great outings with the overall game the Reignmakers had and it was a recipe for a victory. The team shot 52% from three point range and just a touch better, 53%, from inside the arc. The team really stepped it up in a physical game in the second half by running and playing improved defense down the stretch. The Reignmakers outscored the Kings 46-31 in the second half after leading by only two in the first.

Sitting a top Division II is a great feat for a team slated to finish .500 by most polls and experts coming into the year. The Reignmakers were meshed together following the two Hunter pickups and most did not believe the team would gel like it has and perform as it has. The season is still in infancy, but feeling confident at 4-0 to start the year has a great feeling and sends great vibes every night.

The Reignmakers play this coming Monday against the Fighting Fancus. The previously beat Fancus in their preseason matchup 52-40.

Saturday, December 11, 2010

Get Out Your Checkbooks

Some posting's from the Reignmakers front office today...

The team has made the contracts of Andy Kempf, Ryan Stuver, and Clinton Weigel all guaranteed.

Stuver and Weigel will receive $1.75 million ensured while Kempf will receive a touch more with $1.8.

Also, veteran big man Kerry Hunter has inked another year onto his vet's minimum deal. The Reignmakers added another year and an impressive $4 million onto his contract. The center is currently making $567,000, which is the league set veteran minimum for one year.

Other news and notes: The team will not be persuing contract talks with recently waived NBA'er Joe Alexander, as some reports had the Reignmakers possibly reaching out to the 24 year old forward.

"Not at this time," Coach Jason Hunter said in a phone interview. "He is awaiting other offers from higher bidders and teams with a higher standing professionally. And right now, we are extremely happy with who we can put on the floor at any given moment. We do have cap space to spare with only nine currently on our roster, but we do not feel the need to look to add anyone at this point in time."

The team is also in talks with various commercial marketing firms to figure out "promo nights" for some of their games. They would either take place at the end of this year or beginning next year.

"The fans deserve it. They come out every night and give great support," Hunter said, "We owe it to them to try to give back a little, not just on the scoreboard."

The Reignmakers have on average 3.8 fans per night. Which ranks them in the top half of the division.

See you Sunday.

Monday, December 6, 2010

Like Mike...

...If I could be like Mike.

On a night where The Reignmakers were down a man, their big man ailing with a foot injury, their energy man battling hand and chest problems, their backup big man still growing into the team and getting his legs back, and the leading scorer shooting under 25% from the field...they needed a hero.

Mike Petrilli.

The point guard has been struggling of late making only 2 of his 12 shots from distance, but he stepped up in a game where the team needed him most.

Leading after a defensive-minded, or better yet, offensively-challenged, first half 17-14, Petrilli had nearly half (8) of the teams points connecting on two of the three attempts from the arc. Petrilli kept it up down the stretch hitting on one huge three with on 5 seconds left. The shot came with the Reignmakers down one with less than thirty seconds in regulation.

"The ball movement on the last play of the game created that shot." Coach Hunter said afterwards. "We were relaxed, didn't force anything, and Mike was open on the swing. We count on him to make more than he misses. He got off the schnide tonight if you will. We needed that tonight and it was great to see him do what he does best."

Then with a smile, "He needs to work on those free throws still."

Petrilli did miss on both his free throw attempts on the night, leaving him an "oh-for" on the year. But his last miss from the stripe was tipped out by the veteran big man in the middle Kerry Hunter and that sealed the deal.

The big Hunter should not be left off of this write up. Battling through some foot injuries and wearing specially designed insoles to give him more comfort, the vet poured in 16 points, grabbed 12 boards and had his best night of the short season. He made four of his five free throw attempts and shot 75% from the field.

Once again working against two big men inches taller and 50 plus pounds heavier, the big man did the dirty work.

"Big game. Big game by Mike and Kerry both. He (Kerry) will need to rest throughout the week, he and the trainers think it might be a good idea to let him off of practice for a few days due to the foot problems. He deserves it. Plantar fasciitis is nothing to scoff at, and could really hinder us and him if he needed to rest. We will take it day by day. But he played great, the and-one in the middle of the battle was huge. He needed a day like tonight. They both did."

Then another smile, "He needs to work on those three pointers though."

Yes the big man did miss his only three point attempt of the night, leaving him 1 of 7 on the year, but he presence is felt on the court and on the bench. They leave it to him to draw up the big plays down the stretch. It's a value to have someone on a young team such as the Reignmakers.

The game looked like it was getting away late in the second half. They found themselves down by six, the Richfield Hicks hitting three straight three pointers, and only 5 minutes to play. But great defense late in the game, bothering shooters inside and getting into the face's of their three point scorers eased the tension on the other end of the floor. The Reignmakers got layups and easy shots and Petrilli's big shot with time nearly expired.

After calling a timeout, the Hicks faltered with good defense by Jason Hunter. Bringing the ball up the court with less than 5 seconds left, two Hicks players bumped, giving Hunter the opportunity to put even more pressure on. The Hicks point gaurd dribbled it off his leg turning the ball over.

It wasn't a pretty night shooting wise, but the Reignmakers got their offense where they needed it and hit the big shots when they counted. It is the kind of game that puts confidence in your teammates and yourselves as a collective unit.

The Reignmakers are now 3-0, tied for tops in their division and play the Kings next Monday, who were 1-1 as of this writing.

With their scoring point guard back on track and their big man rolling with momentum, let's look for a collective offensive effort next week.

I wanna be, I wanna be, I wanna be....like Mike.

Monday, November 29, 2010

Some Season Highs and Another Win

If I told you the Reignmakers shot better from beyond the arc (58%) than they did from inside it (38%) in the last game, do you think they would have come away with a win?

In a word. Yes, yes of course. How could they lose a game like that?

Ok that was like 10 words or so, but that is what happened on Sunday night against the Powerstrokes.

Brandon Hunter had a season best 34 points and shot an incredible 8/10 from three point range upping his season average to 39% on the year. He also grabbed 10 rebounds (10 per) leading the Reignmakers in both categories.

Brent Hunter made his first start of the young season after being called up with Ryan Stuver being absent and with the ideathat Chad Dobson may not be able to go. Dobson was there, but the youngest Hunter showed up as well hitting 8 of 14 shots. He finished with 19 points and 4 rebounds.

"Brent was a great spark for us, it was good to see him out there," Coach Jason Hunter (7 points, 3 reb) said after the game. "It will be short lived. Stuver should be back next week and Hunter will be sent back to the RBDL. But it was good to have him get his feet wet. We will look forward to seeing him in December possibly."

Another new face in the lineup was forward Andy Kempf. He added more hustle and muscle inside as the Reignmakers were hit with some injuries during the game. His groin injury didnt seem to limit him too much, but he did seem winded as the game progressed. Kempf finished with 5 rebounds and 3 points and helped body inside with yet another taller opposing team.

Mike Petrilli (3 points, 3 rebounds) and Clintion Weigel (4 points, 1 rebound) were hit with those injuries during the game. Petrilli was hit hard underneath and slid into the wall under the hoop. His elbow and head took most of the damage with the hit and his elbow seemed to bother him all night. Weigel had some hand injuries that troubled him throughout the evening. With ice and rest both players should be back in top shape come next week.

Defense was once again the key down the stretch for the Reignmakers. With a generous gift to the opposition, an extra player was added before the game began to the Powerstrokes. After he delivered a couple three's the 2-3 defense began to shift his way and contested shots from the outside and Kerry Hunter defended the inside with force. The results were a late push and a 75-63 victory.

With Brent Hunter heading back down, the offense will need to once again go back to what they know. Rotating the ball, cutting and screening and getting easy layups. The Richfield Hicks await next week and will certainly clog the middle of the lane. Running the floor and working to get good shots will keep the Reignmakers winning ways alive.

Game on.

Monday, November 22, 2010

The Right Foot

With the regular season now officially underway, the Reignmakers had a team effort and a win, 59-51 versus Shawn Kemps Kids.

The 2-3 zone is jelling and it worked better than the previous week. Another bigger, stronger team was met with bodies and tough shots inside as the Reignmakers battled all night long.

Brandon Hunter led the team with 25 points, 11 rebounds and three straight uncovered layups as Kemps Kids had miscommunications on defense during the second half. Then after they doubled up Hunter, Mike Petrilli (3 points, 2 rebounds) took advantage of a wide open three and kept the momentum rolling.

Kemps Kids took a small four point lead in the second half, but the Reignmakers battled back on three straight buckets and a big three, one of his two on the night, from Clinton Weigel (8 points, 100% from the field).

The Reignmakers never looked back. Down the stretch, the good guys hit free throws to solidify the win. But defense was the key tonight. The Reignmakers will most likely be the short team on the floor on every given night. But with the communication on defense increasing, the team becoming knowledgable with rotations, it leaves the opposition with contested shots inside, and quick three's on the outside. Chad Dobson's length up front and Ryan Stuver playing bigger than he is inside, aids this process in every way.

Coach Jason Hunter (11 points, 6 rebounds, 3-3 from 3) was please with the win.

"The right foot, thats where we started tonight. It's good to come out of the gate with a win, especially one where we had to battle all night. Shows a lot about this team and we are getting better on defense every night."

The shots were falling as well as the Reignmakers had their best shooting night of the young season. 47% from downtown and 50% from everywhere else is always something to look for. But the shots wont be there every night and defense will always be key.

The Reignmakers play next Sunday against another big team, the Richfield Hicks, at 6 PM in the Brunswick Rec Center. The team may be without Stuver and Dobson, but injured big man Andy Kempf could make his season debut coming off of his groin injury. He will be a game time decision.

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

A Victory to Remember

With two players out and one being hurt halfway through the second half, the Reignmakers needed solid play out of everyone and anyone on the floor.

They had it this night.

A final score of 52-40 over Fighting Fancus marks the first victory in the Reignmakers season and solidifies a spot in the second Division.

The Reignmakers had three players in double digits and got to the line 11 times while holding Fighting Fancus to contested shots inside and nothing easy at the rim.

Brandon Hunter had 16 points, Jason Hunter added 14 (hitting on 4 of 9 from three), and Clinton Weigel made huge strides on the offensive end scoring 13.

The 2-3 defense worked most of the night, leaving the opposition with contested shots all night long in the key. When subsitutions were made, veryone rotated accordingly. When breakdowns happened, other stepped in to fill a void. Being outsized by nearly 4-5 inches on averaged, the smaller Reignmakers hit the glass hard and boxed out with efficiency.

All 6 players who dressed made it into the scorebook. Kerry Hunter, battled inside with the best of them adding 11 rebounds and was a vocal leader on the inside on defense. Ryan Stuver and Chad Dobson hounded the point gaurds and forced numerous turnovers which led to fastbreak points and two alley-oops on the night.

The only negative to the night was when Jason Hunter went down with an apparent left knee injury early in the second half. He remained on the sidelines but returned late in the second. After talking to the medical staff, Hunter will be reasting and icing all week and will likely wear a new brace next week with another possibly brace being added in later weeks.

In other injury news, Andy Kempf is still on a week-to-week basis. He is still resting a groin injury. Michael Petrilli, who missed the game due to personal reasons, should be back in the starting lineup next week. Finally Brent Hunter, who is still playing in the RBDL, plans to still join the team in December. He is averaging 20 points and 7 rebounds.

The Reginmakers will now begin Divisional play, with all games counting towards their spot in the playoffs in late February. Their next game in on November 22nd versus Shawn Kemp's Kids.

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Reignmakers Routed

This is not how any team wants to start off a season.

Relying heavily on the three point shot and only converted on 8% of those shots will chalk up an L anyday. But even more so, on this night.

Against Young and Reckless Monday night, the Reignmakers could only manage 32 points on 25% shooting from the field. The oppostion came out fast and hit a flurry of shots, taking a 16-8 lead quickly in the first half. It never got closer than that as Young and Reckless took the Reingmakers to the woodshed 59-32.

Yet there were positive things to take from the game and outcome. Even after a halftime score of 35-12, the Reignmakers came out with a stronger start, starting with a 5-0 run at the beginning of the second. Defensively the team played better than imagined, holding a stronger and faster team to mostly outside shots and not many easy layups while driving to the paint. The shots will begin to fall as everyone gets accustomed to the offense and finds their niche on the floor. Had the Reignmakers shot around 35% for the game, including three pointers, the defecit of the game is most likely under 20. You have to hang your hat on the positives and have a short memory, especially to a team which will not be in your division come scheduling.

Another positive will be the return of Andy Kempf. After trying to go in the middle of the first half, his groin injury sat him out only a minute or so upon him entering the game. His hustle and muscle inside will add another defensive presence and offensvie rebounder on the other end. Jason and Brandon Hunter both had off nights shooting, combining for 2-19 from three and 6-19 from anywhere else. Those night will be few and far between.

The team travels back to Brunswick for another Monday night game against Fighting Fancus at 7PM. Hoping for a rebound game, the team must maintain focus and keep their fire on the defensive end. The shots will fall and the win's will follow.

Monday, November 8, 2010

Reignmakers: A Prelude

Well ladies and gentlemen, the season opener you have all been waiting for awaits us tonight at 8:50:

Your Reignmakers will travel to Brunswick to face Young and Reckless at Brunswick High School to open up their inaugural season.

Hopefully Shawn Kemp is in attendance. It was reported after he was contacted about the team name, he gave his blessing and wanted to quote "be apart of something that I helped to found." Keep your autograph pens handy.

The starting lineup for tonight will look something like this:

C - Kerry Hunter
> After contemplating retirement following the championship game in the spring of 2010, Kerry came into a workout for the Reignmakers after calls from upper management. What the Reignmakers lacked in size they hoped Kerry could fill in the void. He joins the team after signing a one year deal just last week for the veterans minimum. Kerry averaged 2.3 points and 3.2 rebounds last year in just 8 minutes per game.. His career totals in 20+ years of basketball are 16.5 points and 8 rebounds.

PF - Brandon Hunter
> It has been a few years since the second Hunter's dominating performance in the Twinsburg Rec League where he averaged over 20 points and 5 rebounds. But Brandon looks to be an integral part of the Reignmakers this season. He will be counted on to carry a lot of the load scoring and also on the glass. There were varying reports of a contract dispute following last years dibocle on Championship night, but the Reignmakers locked him in for the next 3 years at about $8 million per. Coming off a year where he only saw the court around 12 minutes a night and averaging 6 points per game, his career averages eclipse 17 points and around 7 rebounds.

SF - Jason Hunter
> Rarely used during the Championship run of the NEO All-Stars last spring, the third of four Hunter's on the team looks for a break out season. With the triple Hunter punch in the starting lineup, it will hopefully bring great things on the offensive side of the ball. A great working relationship with his brother Brandon should helpthe team chemistry on and off the floor, jelling the team within its first few games. Jason signed a "team-friendly" deal at the beginning of the summer for 5 years around $3.67 million per season. His career averages, 12 points, 4 rebounds, while shooting 44% from three point range and 85% from the line.

SG - Chad Dobson
> A bit of an unknown. Thats a way to put it for most Reignmaker fans. Chad was signed this past month after scouting trips around the area discovered his talent. As offense goes, the Reignmakers only have so many options and they hope Dobson can turn into one of these. He averaged 13 points and 2 steals in the MRBA (Michigan Rec Basketball Association) and was placed on the All-Star team as a reserve two years in a row. The Reignmakers inked him on for one year at $1.67 million.

PG - Michael Petrilli
> Petrilli has been in and out of the league for the better of 5 years now, but has never been off the radar. He was signed to a 10-day contract last spring for the All-Stars and seemingly hadn't missed a beat. Petrilli will have his biggest role yet on this up and coming basketball squad and his three point shot will have to be executed to perfection night in and night out. He comes off a season in the RBDL (Rec Basketball Developmental League) where he finished 5th in MVP voting while averaging 18 points, 2 steals, and 2 rebounds. He shot an amazing 55% from beyond the arc and 88% from the foul line. Petrilli signed a one year deal at $2 million per, with and player option for the next two years.

Reserves:
C - Andy Kempf
> Andy brings hussle and a big, banging body inside for the Reignmakers. He's getting a chance to find his place in the RBL this season, but suffered a minor groin injury in the off-season. He will likely become the starting center once able, but may be on the IR for the opening game.

F - Ryan Stuver
> Just another piece to the puzzle. Stuver has been linked with Kempf, Brandon Hunter, and Petrilli for quite some time and the Reignmakers hope his dedication and hard work, as well as his familiarity with the offense will bring good things off the bench.

G/F - Clinton Weigel
> More hustle. More grit inside. The Reignmakers will need big years out of Kempf and Weigel if they want to compete with bigger teams. His and Kemp bring about the same to the table offensively, but the team hopes to keep them hungry on the defensive side leading to steals and a lot of easy buckets in transition.

G/F - Brent Hunter
> Currently in the RBDL, the fourth and final Hunter hopes to join the team in December during the playoff push. He will add more size and scoring once he joins the team and may also look to earn himself a starting position if all plays out accordingly.

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The first two games on the season will be "play-in" games of sort. It wil ldetermine where the Reignmakers sit this year in accordance with other teams in the league. The one thing to look for is how well this team jells throughout the year. They have been brought together from different aspects of basketball and from different areas, which may cause some speed bumps early on. But once the competitive juices flow and they notch some wins on their belts, they could be a sleeper pick in this years season.

Check back tonight as a recap of tonights game will be posted.

As Phil Collins once sang, "Yes I wish it would rain down, down on me."

Lets hope for a lot of Reign tonight.

Play ball.

Friday, October 8, 2010

NBA 2K11: An Association...Again

After accidentally deleting our last season....we have begun a new one, with some new teams.

A big trade has gone down before the 2nd game has been played...more details later...

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

NBA 2K11: An Association

As the NBA 2K11 Season kicks off...I will be covering the news around the Thunder (Me), Nuggets (Chad), and Pacers (ha)(Knapik).

Here is the first report.

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The Thunder's new season kicked off with a bad...and I mean BAD loss to the newly equipped Chicago Bulls. Led by Carlos "I'm hurt in real life but not this game" Boozer's 16 points, the Bulls downed the Thunder 63-45 in a game that was never really close.
Kevin Durant after the game, who scored 19 and grabbed 4 boards, "This is never how you want to start a season. I didn't play to my potential. As a leader, I have to play better...I have to play better."
In Durant's favor, he did not get a ton of help. The offense seemed stagnant at times and the defense was putrid and nearly every player was in the "minus" of the "+/-".
The Thunder look to rebound against the Detroit Pistons (0-1) Friday the 29.
In news off the court, the Thunder made a couple of moves before and after, the defeat. They sent raw bigman Byron Mullens and a 2012 second round pick to the Bulls for their 2011 second rounder. Then after the game, sent young point guard Eric Maynor to the Cavs and the Bulls second rounder as well as their own for the Cavaliers second round pick of a year ago, Daniel Green and their 2011 first rounder.
With the departure of Maynor, there has been a spot left open for a point guard on the roster. Veterans Damon Jones, Smush Parker, and Rafer Alston had workouts scheduled for the team today.

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The Denver Nuggets started off on the right foot, most notably, Carmelo Anthony's. Melo posted 19 points, 5 rebounds, and did everything but block a shot in the Nuggets 43-40 win over the Utah Jazz. Chauncey Billups, 10 points 8 assists, did not have a great shooting night but added, "This is what you want to do to start a season, get your stars going and have everyone else fill their roll. Its a good win."
The battle between newly aquired Al Harrington and veteran Kenyon Martin didnt leave much to be desired as Martin had 4 points and 2 boards in 15 minutes, while Harrington only managed a rebound and couldnt find the range, twice, from downtown.
In a somewhat suprise move, young point guard Ty Lawson registered a "DNP" for the first game of the season. He was prepared to come in late in the second quarter, but time expired before he could make his entry. We will keep an eye on the situation down the road.

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Josh McRoberts v. Tyler Hansbrough. Already the talk coming out of Pacers camp, who lost 57-55 to the veteran San Antonio Spurs.
McRoberts, on his demotion from starter to backup behind Hansbrough, "I don't know, its the coaches call. I came into the season believing I would be out their on opening tip off, but that's not how it turned out. Neither of us played great today, which we need to improve on, but I just had a different idea on how tonight would go."
Needless to say, McRoberts was right as both him and Hansbrough combined for 3 of 12 shooting and only 4 rebounds. Hansbrough did add 3 assists, a steal and 2 blocked shots however which was more than McRoberts could add in his minimal time on the floor.
Rumors coming from the top are that both McRoberts and young swingman Brandon Rush seem to be on the outs in Indiana. The organization has not been pleased with Rush's dedication to offseason conditioning and his recent problems with drugs seem to be wearing thin on the Pacer's brass. Stay tuned.

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In other NBA 2K11 news, experience guard Allen Iverson has found a new home, again. The Los Angelas Clippers, who missed out on the Stoudemire, James, and Bosh sweepstakes this past summer, added AI for 1 year around %5.8 million reports state. Iverson was not available for comment upon posting of this blog.

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We will see you Friday.

out.

Thursday, September 30, 2010

Thanks to Madonna, Grandpa Hunter, and Chad Dobson

The title is just to get those who deserve some recognition...theirs. So they get theirs...now here is yours.

Everyone gets depressed, some, more than others. But recent tragedies and recent memories (and recent songs (thats where Madonna comes in!)!) brings to light my newest entry.

The passing of NFL player Kenny McKinley probably does not hit at home for most people, unless you have had someone in your life that tragically took theirs. But what we should learn from him, being McKinley, is that depressing rocks everyone...even those with money and in great careers.

You would think, even after having a serious knee surgery ending his season this year, that making an NFL team roster would be enough to keep someone happy and should for no reason be depressed. Yet it happens. The struggle of his surgery seemed to get the best, or worst, of McKinley, who seemingly had no one around to talk to or vent to. Or as in a lot of cases, no one could tell that outside McKinley was upset, so upset he could take his own life and therefore never knew anything was wrong with the young man inside his own home.

It is a struggle. Those who are depressed, not "oh I dont have any money to go the movies" depressed, find it hard at times to talk to someone, anyone, about what battles they are facing in their own mind as well as in the outside world. In turn, those of us around such people need to take a closer look at our friends and co-workers at times...and be open when someone wants to talk.

Now for all of you who know you fall into the category of being depressed and feeling like you dont have anyone to talk to, you do. You absolutely do. Look around you. Say you truly, honestly dont have any friends, friends close enough to talk to. There are people around. Teachers, parents, doctors, priests, your dentist...someone...anyone.

I do not, and thank the Big Man for this, have any experience of someone close to me taking their life. I have been aquainted with some people who have had those close to them do it...and we also hear it everyday in the news. So it is tough to relate the kind of angst and sorrow those feel who have had it happen to them, but I know I can give some decent advice, which is why Im writing this now.

Just know that you are never alone in this world, as big and vast as you think it may be. You may feel backed into a corner with no help in sight, but find a way to get around that corner and there will be those people with open arms waiting to give you some comfort. A hug, an ear, or a voice to talk to. Nothing left bottled in is rarely a good thing. And as I said before, if you don't think there are any of those people around that corner...find them. I am sure there are plenty of websites out there dedicated to helping those with depression, many phone lines with people on the other end ready to listen, to help.

I am built in a way where I am extremely positive about most things (this is where Grandpa comes in). My Grandpa encountered cancer for well over the last 10 years of his life and never once could you tell that something was defeating him from the inside. He was the strongest man I will probably ever meet and I am extremely proud to have had him as part of my life. But learning from him, I can see that it is never that bad. For those of you who think it is bad now...not having money to pay bills, not having a job, clashing with family and friends...there are those who don;t have any money, any food, or any hope. The great thing about living in the United States is that there always seems to be a line out there for help, somewhere. It may not come as fast as you like and in that case, go meet up with it.

Its not easy to be positive, not even close. Being built that way and being around people who are, helps. But for the vast majority of us, it is simpler to be depressed and angry at the hard times. But never think you are alone. There is always a helping hand. Sometimes you have to speak up, dont be afraid of calling for help, there is nothing wrong with calling for help. Ever. We are here to help...and wed be glad to!

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So the final thanks goes to Chad Dobson, who has been on me for the past month or four about "you bloggin man!?". I dont really think he cares less (I guess I shouldve put Knapik in the title as well because I went back and changed that sentence from "could care less" to "care less") if I continue to write or not, he just likes to bust my chops. But busting them he did, and finally, thanks to him, Madonna and my late, great, Grandpa...I seem to be back in the game for now. Soak it up everyone. Dont know when Ill be back.

out...

Sunday, September 26, 2010

To blog...

...or not to blog?

That...is the question....

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Angry rant...

Probably the first truly emotional post I will have had on this blog...because I'm just in that mood, and the right music is playing on my iPod....

This Haiti crap is getting ridiculous.

If I hear anyone else go on about how we shouldn't be sending help, we have people here to worry about, and all that s*$!, I'm gonna flip.

You can tell this will be an emotional post, because I don't plan on grammer or proper spelling of words to get in my way. I will capitalize all of the I's however...

You know I get it. We do have people who are hungry here, who need help here...but honestly, Haiti was the poorest country and worst off in the world BEFORE the earthquake hit. So the big ole USA, the one that comes and helps everyone else out, the one who comes in and shows their brute force...can't show our softer side to help people out in need when it doesn't involve violence?

What you don't think people would come help us out if something like this happened to us? News reports all around the world were on our side when 9/11 happened. I'm not sure if anyone sent any aid to us, I mean it's not like half of our country was destroyed by some catasrophic disaster, but people everywhere mourned with us, for us...the best we could do is repay those kind thoughts and prayers.

We are still finding people in the rubble in Haiti. I'm pretty sure I just saw a report yesterday about finding more survivors...and it's been what? Close to a week? I mean that is incredible a heart-felt story.

And even loved ones find other loved ones, there sometimes isn't anything they can do for them if they are badly hurt...but lay out in the dirty, broken road and wait...mostly wait to die, as not enough help is coming.

All these old, well-off government types talking about "we don't need to help," "we shouldn't help," Haiti...are absolutely, 100% ridiculous. So you're telling me, if they had friends, relatives, loved ones, crying out for help over there...that they wouldn't feel differently? Absurd, absolutely re-f'ing-diculous. They'd be the first to point a finger and say we weren't doing enough, why aren't we doing more. Remember Katrina? As poorly managed that disaster was, it didn't kill nearly as many...but people were up in arms about how slow we were to help our own people...now we are doing too much? You can never do too much. Not when it comes to this. Ever.

No. You're right, we just pull everyone back out. Sorry Haiti, we can't help ya. You know we have like some economic crisis right now right? Yea, we understand your country is basically rubble...but we got too many problems of our own right now to send you clean water and food to eat...this is just out of our hands.

Imagine that. Imagine the national media people going balistic if thats what we did. That small majority of people would be all "bravo", idiotically...but the rest of the US? No way anyone would stand for that BS. No-freaking-way.

I've donated already. I'm poor and I've donated already. Not much, not nearly anything that will drastically help, but if I get the chance to do more, I will. I most certainly will. Those people need all the help they can get right now. The difference over there is they literally started with very little, nothing even. Now most have the latter.

So those of you who are bitter, stay bitter. But when you fall into some huge crisis and people come back and remember what you did for them in their time of need...you think they'll be willing to help you out? Lend a hand? Have a heart people, honestly. We all need each other in this crazy ass world. Stuff like this happens to good people, people who don't need stuff like this to happen, and if you can sit there with your hands in your pockets shrugging away..."oh well!"...then I won't feel bad for you when you're looking for sympathy.

I have successfully added a "widget" for the Haiti relief. Any donations made have been secured to the people of Haiti as according to this website. It'll be up for awhile. Long after this story leaves our news, the people over there will still be rebuilding, will still be suffering, and it sucks. It would suck if it were us, the most we can do is take a step back and just observe this situation.

If you want the US to lead the world, it's time for us to step up and show how true of a power we are.

Friday, January 15, 2010

Trying to find a groove...

It's been awhile...again.

It s hard to get into a groove with writing in here. It's odd because everyday at work I seem to find new things to write about and I tell myself that I am going to write about "this and that" when I get home, but never do. I also think of new ideas to put into my new story that I plan on writing...but I never actually sit down and actually start writing the damn thing.

Been reading a lot of Stephen king...A LOT. One thing that he said that I find interesting and worrisome when it comes to writing: "If you don't use it, you lose it."

I used to write ALL THE TIME. When I say ALL THE TIME, I actually mean ALL THE TIME. Back when I was a teen a more of an "emo kid" I had various stories, various journals, and various journal entries. It's crazy to go back an look on that stuff now. I laugh at myself at how emotional I was! But I think all that writing helped me a lot, it brought out feelings that I was nervous to tell anyone, or just feelings I didn't want to tell anyone...because I was young, and didn't truly know how to deal with all that jazz.

Writing was an escape perhaps. But my writing was definitely something I was looking to do as a career. Yet one Creative Writing class in college, receiving a D grade, and all those ugly red marks on every paper I wrote, turned me off faster than I realized.

I had certain people read my stuff...even my personal journal stuff every now and then (you lucky people know who you are!). It was good from time to time to have someone else go..."why were you thinking this?"

My big thing right now is trying to start to create another story. I have this general idea in my head...I've had it for the better of 3 months I'd say. Like I stated before, in the early 5AM's of my job, I have been thinking of little idea's and problems to throw into the story.

My dilemma is now getting into that mindset at home, here in my room. I have moved my laptop, started listening to some "tune-skis", and now I'm writing in my blog...interesting how that works....

The next problem I will have is actually finishing the story. If I look back on all the things I began written wise back in my mid-teens, there are probably over 5 stories that I began, wrote 2-10 pages, then stopped. Not sure what the reasons were. Just stopped and turned to something else.

But! Here is to me trying to actually start writing again. I think everyone would enjoy hearing from me every now and then. Facebook might take away some of my desire since all I need to do is write a brief paragraph of about 200 words to sum up my day and what I'm doing. Twitter would do the same, if I could access it, and I would too, if I could. But maybe if I keep Facebook status updates to generally funny things, things that come up quickly...and this blog to bigger ideals, more serious statements, and just things with generally more information and feeling behind them....maybe I can get something rolling.

So here we go, join me won't you? I'm going to try to make this at least a weekly stop...and hopefully the story I plan to start, at least outline today, will become as much of an occurrence.