If you've been doing something that is at least moderately successful for 36 straight years, you should probably be familiar with the rhythm of how things work. However, being an old white guy, rhythm sometimes eludes me. In this instance, I'm talking about the sometimes-clumsy transition from one season to the next and the inevitable turnover of teams in the League. No matter how exciting and successful the previous season was, there will always be some stresses. Add to that the fact that we had our championship games one Sunday, then started the new season the following week...on the Sunday of Labor Day Weekend, and there was going to be a bit of a bumpy road. But, there are bumpy roads and then there's Limberlost, west of Oracle, a stretch of road for which the City could probably charge admission as a carnival ride.
Last season, out of nearly 450 scheduled games, we had only 13 forfeits. That's an astonishingly low number, especially considering it was the Summer Season, when there is a lot of individual movement in and out of town. So far, this season, we've already had eight forfeits. And they are all the same situation--teams that signed up and are raring to go and then they just don't show up. And it's not like the game sneaks up on them. In the early weeks of a season, I pay one of my scorekeepers to text every single team to tell them what time their game will be on Sunday. And then they just don't show up or I get a text on Sunday morning that says, "Uh Tom, we're not going to play this season, but we'll be back next season." Yeah, you think.
As I've mentioned, forfeits are expensive. We still have to pay the refs and the scorekeepers, pay for the courts and insurance, and we give the team that showed up another game. So far this (two-week-old) season, that's already an expense of over $1,000. Not good. I know of leagues where the teams have to pay, in full, in advance and the league keeps at least half of the money (for the frustration) if the team decides not to play. That ain't me. After this Sunday, all of the teams in the League will have played at least one game and things should settle down. But it has been, for me, not fun. Maybe sometime in the next 36 years, I'll figure out a better way.
One other thing before we (finally) get to the games themselves: We are actually tightening up on the entry fee collection. As I have mentioned, the vast majority of teams pay in full quickly. And then there are the dozen or so that drag it out, week after week, excuse after excuse. That ends now. After next week (September 22nd), every team will have played at least two games. If a team hasn't paid in full after two games, we simply won't put them on the schedule until they do. We're not going to chase you or send texts reminding you of your responsibility. You just won't have any games. And, since there are a finite number of weeks in the season in which to get in those games, perhaps a sense of urgency might set in.
Guys, I remember what it was like to be young and not have a lot of money. It was exciting and sometimes painful. But, choices have to be made. Also, despite my advanced age (and weight), I'm a ridiculously busy person. I teach, I write, I coach, I work out (really!), I tutor, I take care of my granddaughter, and lately I've been spending the equivalent of two full days running the League. I'm committed to becoming more efficient. Now, having said ALL THIS, let's have another great season.
As for this past Sunday, other than the aforementioned forfeits, it was a great day. On Court 2 (Tom's Court), starting at 10:00, we had six straight games that were decided by one or two points. That included four in a row that had two-point margins, then back-to-back one-pointers. For me, that's Heaven.
On Court 1 (Rob's Court), Average Joes beat Storm, 58-56 (Storm missed a three at the buzzer that would have won the game); Flashback beat Icy Hots, 54-52; and Team Lace-Up beat APEX, 71-70.
We did have a couple blowouts as the idiot who makes the schedule placed new teams in bad situations. Adjustments will be made.
