Monday, December 31, 2007
The Outcome
Coach E. used her last time out. She huddled her team together and repeated what she’d said before, that is, to stay focused and to play within their offense. They didn’t need a special play because they would get good shots by running their normal sets. And they didn’t need a three-pointer, because there was time to get another possession. Everyone took a swig of water and went back on the floor.
Big State put pressure on the inbound pass, but we got the ball in to Amber, who worked it up the floor. She paused briefly when she passed center court and then passed the ball to Maribel at the foul line. At the same time, Amber broke for the basket. Maribel took one dribble to the left, setting a perfect pick on Amber’s defender. Maribel gave the ball back to Amber who went in for an uncontested layup. Now it was a one-point game.
Big State called time-out to set up their offense. There was still 59 seconds left, so Maribel’s team, barring a disaster, would get the ball back. Coach E. again repeated her call to stay focused, play solid defense, and stay within the offense. Then they went back on the floor, confident that the game was theirs. We had to wait for the other team, a move designed to make them a little more worried.
Coach E. had been right earlier when she said that Big State was tired. They struggled to get the ball inbounds, showed little movement when they had the ball, and were unable to penetrate to get close to the basket. They settled for a long three-pointer which missed badly. Both sides went after the rebound with tremendous effort, but Maribel was the one to rise above the rest and secure the ball. There were thirty seconds left, and we had the ball.
We were out of time-outs, but it didn’t matter. Maribel’s team knew what to do. Amber tossed it in to Maribel and broke again for the basket. This time her defender stayed with her and Maribel held the ball. Amber circled around and back to the front court, and Maribel gave her the ball back. Amber quickly gave it to Maribel again, and again broke for the basket. Again her defender stayed with her, so Maribel dribbled to her right and turned to face the basket. Quickly, two Big State players came to cover her. In addition, another of Maribel’s teammates had set a pick on Amber’s defender. Maribel threw a cross-court pass to Amber who put up a wide-open three pointer.
And missed.
There was another crash for the rebound, but as soon as she threw the pass, Maribel had moved to the center of the lane to establish excellent rebounding position. Maribel is a ferocious rebounder, and again she rose above the rest. She passed the ball back to Amber.
Eight seconds. Amber tossed it right back to Maribel. This was her moment. This time there was no double team. She was one-on-one against an inferior opponent. The building noise was deafening. I was on my feet, screaming. Maribel took two dribbles, faked left, turned into the lane, and fired up her famous fade-away jump shot.
And got hit on the arm.
And missed the shot.
The final buzzer and the referee’s whistle went off at the same time. Maribel look at the ref expectantly, waiting for the foul call. Another thing about Maribel. Her father always told her that truly good basketball players didn’t miss free throws. As a result, Maribel misses about once a week.
Except there was no foul call.
Maribel called to the referee, “I was fouled!” The ref signaled that the game was over. Again Maribel hollered, “I was fouled!” The ref just shook her head and said, “Games over!”
The best way to describe Maribel’s reaction is to say that she became apoplectic. Despite the din of the crowd, I could hear my daughter screaming. She started towards the ref, and I became concerned that she might assault the poor person. I was thinking that perhaps I should try to get to the floor lest she do something that she would regret later. Fortunately, she was intercepted by the coach of the Big State team. He whispered something into Maribel’s ear, and Maribel paused, looked at him, shook his hand, and turned to head for the locker room. After a few steps she stopped, turned around, and went back to congratulate victorious Big State players.
Afterwards, I followed Maribel down the tunnel and into their dressing room. It is not usual for player’s parents, especially the male parents, to be allowed into the locker room of a women’s basketball team, but all of the players know me and don’t mind. They also knew that Maribel would be mad and were probably hoping that I could calm her down before she kicked over another table.
When I reached my daughter, she was hunched over her in front of her locker, with her head in her hands, crying. I sat down next to her and let her cry for a bit.
“You were the best player out there today,” I told her at last. “You lost by 30 to this team last year, and this year you were with them all the way. You have a great team, one that is capable of playing with any Division I team in the country.”
“But, dammit, I was fouled!” shouted Maribel. “It was obvious! I never miss that shot unless I get fouled. And I never miss free throws! We would have won! We should have one!” The tears welled up again.
“Perhaps,” I responded. “But in a game like this, in their building, with referees from their conference, at the end of the game, you’re never going to get that call.”
“Yeah, you’re right,” Maribel admitted.
“Now go hear what your coach has to say and shower up. We’ve been invited to the Big City for New Years, and you can come if your coach lets you. By the way, what did the Big State coach say to you at the end of the game?”
“He said that he made a big mistake not recruiting me when I was in high school, and that I was the best player he’s seen this year.” I gained a new respect for the Big State coach that day.
Overall, Maribel had 27 points, 13 rebounds, 6 assists, and five blocked shots. She shot 10 for 15 from the field and 7 of 7 from the free throw line. She was monstrous. And she made her teammates better by passing the ball off when the defense collapsed on her, and by setting picks to get them open shots. There were even some reporters who wanted to talk to Maribel after the game, although she declined.
As Maribel came out of the dressing room a while later, Bernie, Angela, Colette, and I were there to meet her. We all offered her our congratulations on how well she played, and our condolences on the unfortunate outcome. She accepted them quietly. Maribel was clearly still upset at missing the final shot.
Then Bernie, who knows a thing or two about basketball players, said to Maribel, “You know, if you tried that last move on me instead of some freshman, it would have never gotten to the basket, and I wouldn’t have needed to foul.”
Maribel whirled on her with a grin. “Oh, yeah?” she responded. “You’re so old, you’d never be able to reach my arm because you can’t jump!”
“You think so?” replied Bernie. “Well, why don’t we go back there and see about that!”
So we turned around and headed back to the gym. The security guard at the door recognized Maribel and was more than happy to let her back in. He even got a basketball for us. We spent the next hour and a half playing one of our famous Spanko-family two-on-two games, with Colette as the referee. This time, I got to be on the team with Maribel, which, for me, is truly fantastic. After getting her aggressions out on the court, Maribel was back to her old, friendly self.
So now we’re waiting for the ball to drop on the Big City. I understand that our host will be serving a big, steak dinner, and there will be plenty of beer and wine, both of which he makes himself. It will be a unique New Years’ experience.
So here’s wishing that all of my readers have a Fantastic Spanking New Year! Leave your old ghosts in the past, and get yourself a fresh start. And, by all means, whether your preference is to give or receive, go find a spanking to participate in, and make it the best spanking of the New Year!
By the way, Maribel did make that shot over Bernie. And now Bernie will never hear the end of it.
Big State put pressure on the inbound pass, but we got the ball in to Amber, who worked it up the floor. She paused briefly when she passed center court and then passed the ball to Maribel at the foul line. At the same time, Amber broke for the basket. Maribel took one dribble to the left, setting a perfect pick on Amber’s defender. Maribel gave the ball back to Amber who went in for an uncontested layup. Now it was a one-point game.
Big State called time-out to set up their offense. There was still 59 seconds left, so Maribel’s team, barring a disaster, would get the ball back. Coach E. again repeated her call to stay focused, play solid defense, and stay within the offense. Then they went back on the floor, confident that the game was theirs. We had to wait for the other team, a move designed to make them a little more worried.
Coach E. had been right earlier when she said that Big State was tired. They struggled to get the ball inbounds, showed little movement when they had the ball, and were unable to penetrate to get close to the basket. They settled for a long three-pointer which missed badly. Both sides went after the rebound with tremendous effort, but Maribel was the one to rise above the rest and secure the ball. There were thirty seconds left, and we had the ball.
We were out of time-outs, but it didn’t matter. Maribel’s team knew what to do. Amber tossed it in to Maribel and broke again for the basket. This time her defender stayed with her and Maribel held the ball. Amber circled around and back to the front court, and Maribel gave her the ball back. Amber quickly gave it to Maribel again, and again broke for the basket. Again her defender stayed with her, so Maribel dribbled to her right and turned to face the basket. Quickly, two Big State players came to cover her. In addition, another of Maribel’s teammates had set a pick on Amber’s defender. Maribel threw a cross-court pass to Amber who put up a wide-open three pointer.
And missed.
There was another crash for the rebound, but as soon as she threw the pass, Maribel had moved to the center of the lane to establish excellent rebounding position. Maribel is a ferocious rebounder, and again she rose above the rest. She passed the ball back to Amber.
Eight seconds. Amber tossed it right back to Maribel. This was her moment. This time there was no double team. She was one-on-one against an inferior opponent. The building noise was deafening. I was on my feet, screaming. Maribel took two dribbles, faked left, turned into the lane, and fired up her famous fade-away jump shot.
And got hit on the arm.
And missed the shot.
The final buzzer and the referee’s whistle went off at the same time. Maribel look at the ref expectantly, waiting for the foul call. Another thing about Maribel. Her father always told her that truly good basketball players didn’t miss free throws. As a result, Maribel misses about once a week.
Except there was no foul call.
Maribel called to the referee, “I was fouled!” The ref signaled that the game was over. Again Maribel hollered, “I was fouled!” The ref just shook her head and said, “Games over!”
The best way to describe Maribel’s reaction is to say that she became apoplectic. Despite the din of the crowd, I could hear my daughter screaming. She started towards the ref, and I became concerned that she might assault the poor person. I was thinking that perhaps I should try to get to the floor lest she do something that she would regret later. Fortunately, she was intercepted by the coach of the Big State team. He whispered something into Maribel’s ear, and Maribel paused, looked at him, shook his hand, and turned to head for the locker room. After a few steps she stopped, turned around, and went back to congratulate victorious Big State players.
Afterwards, I followed Maribel down the tunnel and into their dressing room. It is not usual for player’s parents, especially the male parents, to be allowed into the locker room of a women’s basketball team, but all of the players know me and don’t mind. They also knew that Maribel would be mad and were probably hoping that I could calm her down before she kicked over another table.
When I reached my daughter, she was hunched over her in front of her locker, with her head in her hands, crying. I sat down next to her and let her cry for a bit.
“You were the best player out there today,” I told her at last. “You lost by 30 to this team last year, and this year you were with them all the way. You have a great team, one that is capable of playing with any Division I team in the country.”
“But, dammit, I was fouled!” shouted Maribel. “It was obvious! I never miss that shot unless I get fouled. And I never miss free throws! We would have won! We should have one!” The tears welled up again.
“Perhaps,” I responded. “But in a game like this, in their building, with referees from their conference, at the end of the game, you’re never going to get that call.”
“Yeah, you’re right,” Maribel admitted.
“Now go hear what your coach has to say and shower up. We’ve been invited to the Big City for New Years, and you can come if your coach lets you. By the way, what did the Big State coach say to you at the end of the game?”
“He said that he made a big mistake not recruiting me when I was in high school, and that I was the best player he’s seen this year.” I gained a new respect for the Big State coach that day.
Overall, Maribel had 27 points, 13 rebounds, 6 assists, and five blocked shots. She shot 10 for 15 from the field and 7 of 7 from the free throw line. She was monstrous. And she made her teammates better by passing the ball off when the defense collapsed on her, and by setting picks to get them open shots. There were even some reporters who wanted to talk to Maribel after the game, although she declined.
As Maribel came out of the dressing room a while later, Bernie, Angela, Colette, and I were there to meet her. We all offered her our congratulations on how well she played, and our condolences on the unfortunate outcome. She accepted them quietly. Maribel was clearly still upset at missing the final shot.
Then Bernie, who knows a thing or two about basketball players, said to Maribel, “You know, if you tried that last move on me instead of some freshman, it would have never gotten to the basket, and I wouldn’t have needed to foul.”
Maribel whirled on her with a grin. “Oh, yeah?” she responded. “You’re so old, you’d never be able to reach my arm because you can’t jump!”
“You think so?” replied Bernie. “Well, why don’t we go back there and see about that!”
So we turned around and headed back to the gym. The security guard at the door recognized Maribel and was more than happy to let her back in. He even got a basketball for us. We spent the next hour and a half playing one of our famous Spanko-family two-on-two games, with Colette as the referee. This time, I got to be on the team with Maribel, which, for me, is truly fantastic. After getting her aggressions out on the court, Maribel was back to her old, friendly self.
So now we’re waiting for the ball to drop on the Big City. I understand that our host will be serving a big, steak dinner, and there will be plenty of beer and wine, both of which he makes himself. It will be a unique New Years’ experience.
So here’s wishing that all of my readers have a Fantastic Spanking New Year! Leave your old ghosts in the past, and get yourself a fresh start. And, by all means, whether your preference is to give or receive, go find a spanking to participate in, and make it the best spanking of the New Year!
By the way, Maribel did make that shot over Bernie. And now Bernie will never hear the end of it.
Comments:
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I guess you've been waiting for someone to ask this question, so I'll play along:
But what happened to the wager between you and Bernie?
:)
But what happened to the wager between you and Bernie?
:)
# posted by 
: January 05, 2008 2:21 PM
: January 05, 2008 2:21 PM
My Dear Anon -
I'm so glad that you asked.
Regards,
Frank
P.S. Be patient, I shall tell of it shortly.
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I'm so glad that you asked.
Regards,
Frank
P.S. Be patient, I shall tell of it shortly.
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