Dear Navy

Dear Navy,

I'm sorry we had to beat you in your home opener. We understand that you've won seven straight non-conference home games and scheduled us because you thought we would be eight. And for that I'm also sorry.

I'm sorry that I'm not sorry.

Because winning on the road is lovely.

I will, however, compliment you on what may have been the nicest campus I've had the pleasure of visiting. We didn't go sightseeing, but got our own "tour" of your grounds when our kamikaze bus driver got lost. While getting lost is an expected occurrence on most road trips, this was a bit different. We were lost amidst hundreds of brick buildings that all looked the same on skinny streets that didn't fit our bus. And this guy thought he was Keanu Reeves in Speed.

And the fact that your campus is pretty much an island made the adventure even more thrilling as we nearly boarded a few sea-worthy vessels attempting to back out of a one-way street.

But it was cool seeing all your "midshipmen" (editor's note: that's what the students are called- this was another topic of discussion. We knew at Army they are called "cadets," but we were unsure as to the proper title for Navy students; we asked one of the players during a pause in the game.) roaming campus in uniform - and we thought about how cool it would be if all of OUR clothes had our names on them. Laundry would be so much easier.

But I greatly respect what you do. The regiment you live under is incredibly demanding, I know - and that's to be commended. I certainly couldn't do it.

Also, in the line of compliments, midshipman whoever-he-was that sang the national anthem joined the ranks of Jimi Hendrix and Whitney Houston with his performance before the game. I mean it was unreal. This little baby-faced guy in uniform walked out to midcourt looking like a teenaged Matt Damon.

Then he started singing the national anthem and the voice of God just rocked the entire arena. I mean your boy made the "Let's Get Ready to Rumble" guy sound like a little mouse. Seriously.

It was at about this time when things got real. We battled through a sloppy first half and just kept plugging away in the second on our way to a ten-point victory.

Then it was time to boogie back into the locker room - with a win.

Oh, Navy: thank you for the locker room accommodations. The individual vanities made me feel like Marilyn Monroe. It was beautiful. (see below)


Next time, though, could you please turn on the air conditioning? It was 60 degrees outside, which I understand may be chilly for you here in Maryland, but I don't understand why the gym roasted us like Hot Pockets. By the second half the towels on our bench may as well have been underwater.

But I have no problem with a little home-court advantage. It's things like these that make games and seasons fun.

So thank you for the memories, Navy.

Sincerely,

Mr. Smiley


ps. We are now in Towson to battle your neighbors, the Tigers.


Towson's Arena - sight of tomorrow afternoon's showdown

2012

I'm sitting in my hotel room in Annapolis, Maryland getting some R&R after doing a little research on the topic of discussion last night on the bus and during dinner- 2012 and the "end of the world," according to the ancient Mayans.

You see, on the flight from Buffalo I read an article about the catastrophic results that will stem from our melting ice caps. I brought this up with a few teammates who abruptly began sharing new facts from the Discovery Channel about the ancient Mayans' prediction of the beginning of the end of the world in December, 2012.

Apparently the poles will shift, slowly causing absolute havoc complete with terrible storms, tsunamis and earthquakes. This, according to the experts on the Discovery Channel, has actually happened to the Earth before. It's our planet's way of "cleansing" itself.

We've all heard the story of the "face on the moon." Theorists believe that beings before us - who lived on the moon - built it the same way we've built the pyramids in Egypt and the Great Wall of China as a way to remind and show us that they were here. We're not sure of the relevance of this random fact, but it seemed like it had a little to do with our discussion, so we let it go.

Other members of the team pitched in theories they had heard about what will happen on 2012. Someone heard (from an unknown source) that in 2012 the energy in our bodies will become truly aligned and we will become superhuman.

Maybe someday one of our discussions will spur one of us to change the world.

Until that time, I'll simply continue to enjoy and contribute to them every way I can.

But when stuff gets crazy in 2012, don't say we didn't warn you.

Game One

The close ones are the fun ones - but also the toughest to swallow.

Last night we dropped our first game at home to Vermont by one point.

It was a sloppy yet exciting game; frustrating and fun at the same time. Both teams made runs taking the crowd out of the game then bringing them back in until a final free throw put the Catamounts up by one for good.

Games like this lead to a lot of thinking and "what ifs." It's important to focus on what we did well and correct our mistakes in practice before we suit up on Thursday at the Naval Academy.

It was a disappointing start, but there's a lot of season ahead of us. Our upcoming road trip will be a test - at Navy and at Towson - but it is also a great opportunity to play the game we love and get back on track.

Lots of schoolwork to get after today - have to get ahead, we're leaving Wednesday afternoon for Annapolis.

Jump on It

We love our fans.

There's nothing like hearing the roar of the crowd when you're out on the court.

So when we're given an opportunity to interact with fans - especially students - we jump on it.

And on Friday night we did just that - literally.

It was Stay Up UB, a huge slumber party in the student union from 6pm until 2am. Food, games, music and most importantly pajamas kept students fed and entertained. As a kick-off to our season we were asked to do a little special something at about 8 o'clock.

What did we do, you ask?

We challenged our dance team, the Dazzlers, to a little competition. And we were not to be taken lightly.

Dancing to "Jump on It," we had only minutes to rehearse the performance of a lifetime...

Once we hit the dance floor all eyes were on us, and we pulled off the upset of the century.

Buffalo Basketball 1
Dazzlers 0

Rumor has it that our monumental upset was caught on tape. I'm not sure how true that is because I thought my video of our rehearsal was all the evidence that might ever be found. So keep your eyes peeled, as will I, for what may be the greatest dance performance since Michael Jackson's Smooth Criminal.



Game day tomorrow.

Time for some rest before seeking a little revenge against Vermont.

The Floating Jersey Effect

I wear my practice jersey backwards.

Somebody has to do it. Before me, someone did. Before him, someone else. After me? I'm sure someone will.

This Smiley kid is just another crazy superstitious athlete.

False.

Let me tell you how it all began...

...I came into Buffalo a skinny, 155 lb freshman who needed food like a fish needs water. For a little extra "encouragement," my coaches ordered me practice gear a size too big. I would "fill out" and "grow into it," they said.

To my defense I have gained between 15 and 20 lbs since then...but I digress.

My practice jersey sagged like those hand-me-downs from your older, bigger brother. Our jerseys are fashioned like most other jerseys in the world in that they have a V-neck. Well, my XXL-Tall V-neck slung lower than the plunging neckline of a supermodel, leaving all kinds of extra jersey flailing around my scrawny little arms while I played.

Needless to say, this became a bit bothersome.

So to counteract what I like to call the "floating jersey effect," I simply flipped it around. Now, the V-neck was in the back and what was supposed to be the back of the jersey fit snugly up to my neck. All the extra jersey found itself comfortably behind me, out of the way of my arms, the ball and my shot.

Four years later, I still wear my practice jersey backwards. Now it's not so much protection from the "floating jersey effect" - it's more of a silent tribute to those who came before me as well as to the reality that a skinny little guy with a painfully high metabolism can in fact fill out over time.

So to all you little guys out there, keep eating...and be patient, for patience is a virtue, young grasshopper.

Eight Days

I'm just sitting back relaxing on the couch in my living room after another Saturday of basketball.

Today was our first go-round suiting up and playing under the lights; an exhibition game against Daemon College brought fans into Alumni Arena for the first time this season.

We won, but similar to the scrimmage last week, tonight wasn't about the score. It's still time to learn and tonight we learned a lot about ourselves. With one week left until our rematch with Vermont, we know what we have to work on. Eight days and we rock 'n roll.

Tomorrow's staring me in the face with dirty dishes, loads of laundry and a trip to the library among other fun activities (the word "fun" here is being used very loosely) so it's time to get some rest. But not before a final snack before bed because you can never eat too much when you're a skinny little guy like me.

Refresher: darks in cold, colors in warm, whites in hot. Always hang dry to prevent shrinking but don't forget the courtesy spin through the dryer to fluff.

Enjoy your football. Happy Sunday.

A Real Opponent

Ever since our final game of the season last year, we've seen nothing but a whole lot of blue and white in the gym.

Postseason, summer and fall workouts match us up against a whole lot of ourselves. For anyone who has played pickup basketball, you know it can be fun going up against close friends - it can lead to some very competitive ball as well.

For six and a half months, the University at Buffalo Men's Basketball team has been at each other's throats. And it's not just basketball; we compete day in and day out at everything from video games to favorite sports teams' successes and failures (Steelers, Penguins and Chicago Bulls, if you were wondering. So yeah, I've had a pretty good run this year) to who can cook the best chicken.

Then we woke up this morning.

It was time, for the first time in over a half-year, to compete against somebody who doesn't wear "Buffalo" across his chest.

So at eight o'clock this morning we headed to Denny's. Our everyday breakfast spot over Christmas break (dining halls are closed, fortunately or unfortunately depending on how you look at it) would prematurely host us before our trip to St. Bonaventure...bus leaves at nine.

...you'll have to pardon me if I begin to wander or sound disjointed - I'm writing this while watching Halloween on TV. Michael Myers just seems to get to me sometimes. I don't know if it's the mask, the knife, the screaming or the fact that the guy just doesn't ever die...

We boarded the bus promptly at nine and pulled out of the parking lot even more promptly at approximately 9:30 (note sarcasm). The ride is a roller coaster of weather-beaten country roads that literally had us out of our seats on more than one occasion. In between swallowing our stomachs and clutching our seats for dear life, we spotted far more cows than people outside - as well as very limited cell phone service (by very limited, I mean zero bars).

St. Bonnie's graciously offered up their finest locker room accommodations, and 15 oversized basketball players cozily suited up in a room with ample space for no more than ten middle school cross-country runners (this much is expected on the road).

When we squeezed out of the locker room it was all business. We took the court with a gameday mindset and didn't stop working until the scheduled three 20-minute sessions had ended. Ultimately we had "won" the scrimmage, but it's about getting better at this point and I think we did some things today better than we had several days ago. That's progress, and progress over the course of our long season will put us in good situations down the road.

We were out of St. Bonnie's as quickly as we had gotten there (save a few extra minutes to shower - no soap and hand towels were readily available). Before we knew it our Subway bags were empty and we were fighting to get comfortable on the bumpy trip home.

About two hours (and a handful of early bird trick-or-treaters) later, I find myself here in bed, watching Michael Myers brutally attack anyone dumb enough to venture into a dark room without first turning on the lights. It was a long day for only 60 minutes of basketball, but it's 60 minutes I wouldn't have rather spent doing anything else.

I remember youth basketball years ago, spending Saturdays in the gym then going home to watch college basketball on TV, telling Mom and Dad I wanted that to be me when I grew up. Now here I am, on a team of great players, still having fun on Saturdays.

Oh- Michael Myers just claimed another victim.

Happy Halloween