Am I mental?

My corporate basketball league finished up last week. Tuesday, 11/18, to be exact. My team made it to the championship game (after finishing the regular season in 3rd), but lost to the #1 seed by 10. We played a good game with only 6 players. We were up by 2 at halftime. Heck, we were up by 2 with about 5 minutes left but we just couldn't hold on. The team we lost to had 3 guys over 6'5" and they just wore us down eventually.

I started shooting the ball better the last 4 or 5 games in this league (averaged 12.5 points per game). I think I finally started feeling comfortable out on the floor. But the one thing that didn't improve much through the year was free throw shooting. I shot 50% from the free throw line during the year. I used to be a 75% free throw shooter back in high school. I admit, that was 15 years ago, but still...

I'm convinced that 75% or more of my troubles were mental. Sure there were times when I had tired legs. But before the game last Tuesday I practiced free throws and hit 10 in a row without blinking. I could consistently do this at the gym as I practiced free throws all year. But come game time when I step to the line I let things get in my head. I start thinking too much about trying to make it instead of just stepping up, relaxing, and shooting the ball. You see, doubt that I would make the shot had crept into my head.

That got me thinking, is there a more mental challenge in sports than shooting a free throw? It truly is a "free" shot. There is nobody guarding you. Nobody can (legally) distract you. Sure you stand 15 feet away, but you have 10 seconds to prepare and shoot the ball. It's just you and your mind. You practice free throws enough and the mechanics of shooting become second nature. Sure, mechanics break down some with fatigue, but I'm convinced that it's the mind more than the body that lets you down. It's the hundreds of tiny muscle movements and corrections that your brain initiates as your thoughts wander.

That's my excuse, anyway! And what an excuse it is. I have a weak mind! Hmm, maybe I'll go back to my mechanics being bad...

Mascots

Ahh, those silly mascots. The last one is my favorite by far!

Beer is good and stuff!

I had a couple of the Old Scrot Porter's this weekend and they were quite tasty, if I do say so myself. And I think I may have made a dark beer that The Natureboy will drink! I'll try to send some up with Casey to the Christmas party so everybody can try it out. Of course, that requires me to not drink the rest between now and then so it will be touch and go there.

I forgot to talk about the batch of beer I brewed after the porter. It's my attempt at a spiced, holiday ale. It's got some honey, cinnamon, orange zest, and ginger added to a base of light and amber malt extract. I used 1/2 pound of crushed black patent malt in my grain mixture which should give a nice dark color without imparting too much bitterness. It's been fermenting for about a week now, and, unlike the honey amber, I'm going to make sure the honey has completely fermented before bottling. I don't want to make any more carbonation bombs!

I wanted to add some cloves to the holiday ale because I really like cloves and thought they would go well. In fact, I chewed on a whole clove while I brewed up that batch. When I talked to Liz about how many cloves I should add, she asked if the recipe called for it. I said no. She reminded me that deviating from a recipe had disastrous results in the past. So this time I followed the recipe verbatim. But, I've got enough honey for one more batch! So my next batch of beer will be Holiday Ale Part Deaux. I'll cut down on the cinnamon, add some cloves, and add some nutmeg.

After that, my next batch will be a cherry wheat for Adam. Anybody got requests for something they'd like to see after that?

Self defense?

Today is my Friday off. Hooray for not having to go to work! I had planned to work in the yard today but the rain has squashed those plans. Instead, I grouted the tile that Liz's dad has put up in the kitchen this morning. So far this afternoon I'm keeping Liz company and surfing the internet. I found this interesting little tidbit on WRAL earlier...
Man shoots best friend 45 times

There were a couple of things I found interesting here. How do they know the guy was still alive after 32 of the 45 shots? And the guy says he acted in self-defense? Really?! You used a .38 caliber revolver to shoot a guy 45 times. I've never seen a 45 shot revolver. You have to stop and reload every 6 shots. How can you possibly think you'll get away with a self-defense plea if you stop and reload 7 times?

Natural born killers

Yesterday we presented a commercial from a Channel B television station. Today we show a video of hornets attacking a honey bee colony. From B's to bees...

30 hornets against 30,000 bees and the hornets win! Watch the method of kill...the hornets bite off the honey bees heads! Now that's hard core!

Those silly British...

Adrian emailed me this video and for some reason it just tickled my funny bone.

I present "Goldfish Funeral"

I'm civic minded

Monday I went to donate blood after work. That always makes me feel good. Makes me feel like I'm helping others. This morning I did my civic duty and voted (and then STFU).


I'm feeling very civic minded after giving blood and voting. I need 4 others to join me and we'll be the new Civic Minded 5! I've got dibs on being Carpeted Man.

Let's make a difference!