Thanks for the generally positive reception everyone! Tough, I'd be lying if I said I didn't look at more recent diaries like yours and JackStevens' (Laser Limelight) and Rautins' (Orange Time). But I was also around back in the heyday of the original forum newspaper, the Panther Press, so I would probably attribute my inspiration primarily to Buckeyefan01. My posts tend to be longer and more wordy than some of the other newspapers I read on here, but hopefully also more polished. Feedback is always appreciated. I worry that readers may be deterred by the lengthiness of my posts, so especially let me know if you think that's the case.
On to the next entry:
It's Only Going to Get Worse
"It's only going to get worse before it gets better," Tweak told his players in a brief meeting after tonight's scrimmage, which the Breeze lost 95-31. This came nights after the team's first game, which they lost 125-79. Overall, the team has lost its first two games by an average of 55 points, a stunningly poor showing even from an obviously rebuilding team. "We knew we weren't quite ready. We expected to lose those games, and let's be real, we're going to lose several more before we get a chance to turn things around. But make no mistake, we WILL turn things around."
Although the losses stung, they were not altogether in vain. Stephen Roger and Christopher Satterfield each managed to log valuable minutes running the offense at the point guard position, learning to improve their court vision and passing ability. Breeze coaches had the opportunity to observe individual players' performances and adjust their future gameplans to get the most out of their team. Hopefully, the experience gained by players and coaches alike will help improve this team's performance over time. Still, one thing remains clear: to be successful at any level, this team is going to need to bring in more talent. Fast.
To address this issue, the team brought in several players for workouts, higlighted by young phenom point guard Gordon Gold. Coaches raved about him after his visit, but with very little money to offer, Gold chose instead to take his talents overseas to D.III Russia. Having failed in this effort, Tweak chose instead to invest the money in building more seats in the Beamer Center*, thereby making a public profession of confidence in his team's long-term future.
This Saturday, the Breeze return to D.C. for their home opener against the #1 team in the conference, Expected. It might get ugly, but all fans are encouraged to still buy tickets and merchandise to support their team. See you then: [match= 49360787]
*A word of explanation about my arena name: The Beamer Center is named after Todd Beamer, one of the heroes of United Airlines Flight 93 on 9/11. Todd Beamer was an alumnus of Wheaton College, where I go to school. Our student center is named after him, and I really couldn't think of a better name for my arena (call me uncreative if you want). Also, since I am a new team and have supporter for a week, Stephen Roger is temporarily wearing #93 in recognition of all those aboard Flight 93, and has the player quotation "Let's Roll!" in honor of Todd Beamer's famous last words.