Sand volleyball

It's almost July already, which means summer is almost halfway over, and last night was the first time I had the opportunity to play sand volleyball this year. It's sad, I know. I was a little rusty, but I did all right. I fulfilled the obligatory facets of my game: I had one amazing shot that I'll never be able to make again, one hit that somehow went out of bounds even though I thought I had it lined up just right, and one dive into the sand to elicit a "good hustle" from my teammates. That sums up a standard game for me. Perhaps the best part of playing volleyball is that with my limited height, any halfway-decent play I make at the net is applauded as a remarkable effort. This is good for remedying any insufficiency I feel about my contribution to the team as "the short guy". Hopefully I'll be able to get out there again before too long. How cool would it be to just put a sand volleyball court in your backyard? There's less mowing to do, and your house would be the coolest one on the block. . .

10K Run

Sunday morning, my brother and I took part in a 10K run to support the Siena Francis House. We ran around Zorinsky Lake at 8 in the morning. It was a beautiful day - I couldn't ask for much better. Apparently, hundreds of other people agreed. There were also a 5K run and a 5K walk. In case you were curious, I finished in 46 minutes. And then scored some free yogurt and Gatorade afterwards. Woot!

Running through the beauty of nature like that is so much better than running laps or going through my normal neighborhood route. 6.2 miles would seem really long otherwise, but it's interesting to me how with new things to look at, I don't even need my iPod to keep myself going. So many people (including myself usually) view running as a laborious chore, but on this occasion, it was really enjoyable. Probably the way it's supposed to be, huh?

Dog Days of Summer

Now that the NBA Finals are over, Tiger Woods is out for the rest of the year, and both Euro 2008 and the College World Series will be finished next week, all that will be left is major league baseball. In other words, there will be no exciting sports left on TV. Luckily, it all works out, because interestingly enough, those sports you watch on TV can also be played outside!! I could complain how there's nothing to watch on TV, but getting outside and playing soccer or basketball myself is just as good.

Reasons Why Playing Sports is Better Than Watching Them:

1. No controversy over whether referees are fixing games - Nobody calls fouls in the first place, lest they be called weak.
2. No commercials - Yes, I do love the Charles Barkley and Dwyane Wade ads, but other than that, it's pretty brutal.
   
3. Gatorade tastes better after you've worked for it - Why non-athletes drink Gatorade continues to perplex me.
4. Games don't take three hours to play - That's right - you can be in bed before midnight.
5. No obnoxious sideline reporting - The only interview you'll have to give is on Monday, when all your co-workers ask why you're limping.
   

NBA Finals

Tonight's Game 6 in Boston between the Celtics and the Lakers has already been discussed by probably 100,000 people on blogs alone, so I don't have any extra insight to provide. It's a big game . . . I don't know what to say. Boston should win it at home - that's what all those obnoxious bandwagon fans are for, right? Making a lot of noise? Anyway, no matter what the actual outcome is, there will probably be plenty of drama to jab about at the water cooler tomorrow. Do people actually still meet at a water cooler anymore? I've never experienced it myself. I don't even think we have a water cooler here at NetShops. Water fountains? Check. Coffee maker? Check. Ping-pong table? Check. But no water cooler. I think our ping-pong table is like our water cooler.

Comebacks

Yesterday was Father's Day, so I'm sure you all sat around the living room enjoying family time, opening gifts, and watching the Turkey-Czech Republic game on ESPN2. Okay, well, maybe not that last part. But it was an amazing game. I don't know too many people who would get excited about the prospect of that match. Who has loyalties to either of those nations? The thing is, when elimination and national pride are on the line, soccer gets intense.

The Czech Republic were up 2-0 with about 20 minutes left to play, but those 20 minutes were filled with attack after attack by the Turks. They scored the seemingly inevitable goal in the 75th minute, but one would figure there was NO WAY they could score another in such little time. It's soccer, after all. Goals are hard to come by. But the Turks had incredible resolve. The rain helped, too, as the second goal came about because of the Czech goalkeeper's inability to hold onto the slippery sphere. The scorer, Nihat, embodied the phrase "in the right place at the right time." With the tying goal, I figured they would just be content to win in the shootout, but only 2 minutes later (the 89th minute!) Nihat scored one of the best goals of the tournament by willing the ball into the corner, right under the crossbar. And that was it. It's amazing to just see how a team can flat-out want the victory more. Comebacks like that are what make sports interesting. It's about determination, it's about the inability to quit, and it's about overcoming all those negative expectations. If you can't get excited about a game like that, we need to find you a new hobby or something.

Wii Fit

While taking cover from the tornadoes last night at a friend's house, I experienced Nintendo's Wii Fit for the first time. Most typical dudes probably don't care much about toning their cores or learning yoga exercises. Instead, they're just wondering which way it is to the weight room. (Tommy Boy, anyone?) I don't have a Wii myself, so it was a fun diversion. My buddy and I ragged on each other as we failed at certain games. Note: Hula hooping is HARD. The games are divided into four categories: yoga, strength training, aerobics, and balance. We skipped yoga, and got a taste of the others after my buddy went through the initial body analysis. The cute Nintendo voice told him that his Wii Fit Age was four years older than his real age, so that provided some good laughs. On my part, anyway.

As for the games themselves, they're easy enough to play, but pretty difficult to master. A labyrinth-type game requires you to lean side to side and front to back to guide balls into a hole, and it's every bit as frustrating as it sounds. If you think you have good balance, this game will serve up the proper dose of humility. When I "played" the push-up "game," I scored a perfect 100, and my digital trainer told me I was really strong, so that was nice.

Even if you're more into the typical video game where you mash buttons all day, I think Wii Fit is a great change of pace. At the very least, it's amusing to make fun of each other while they do things like stick out their leg or shimmy their hips. Who would have thought that looking so foolish could be so fun?

Father's Day

I never have any clue what to get my dad for Father's Day. I can't give him another tie - I know that much. He never reads the books I give him - there's not enough time for that. As far as music and movies, he's hard to shop for, too. So there's the temptation to just give him useful handyman stuff, but really, how "thoughtful" can that be? If we had a bar setup in the basement, this would definitely be the place to go. No such luck, though. As of right now, I have a jar of jalapeno jelly that I got at Taste of Omaha last weekend, and I plan to get one of those hilarious greeting cards that plays a song when you open it, but other than that, I don't know. As the week goes on, maybe I'll get an epiphany. Those are nice.

Orange Crush

The Dutch did it! What a game. Well, that's what I read from the recap, anyway. I couldn't watch the game because it happened in the middle of the day when I was at work. But who would have thought that the Dutch would beat the defending world champions 3-0?

Euro 2008

Euro 2008, the European soccer championship, starts tomorrow in Switzerland and Austria. Are you ready? Did you even know it existed? If not, here's a great article to get you introduced to the phenomenon: Welcome to Euro 2008. As I was putting together my picks for the tournament (see below), I thought it would be pretty cool if you got a bunch of friends together and played the tournament out foosball-style. If I've learned anything from March Madness, it's that tournaments are the best. (Which is what college football could learn.) You just get 16 guys, and fill the whole weekend with trash-talking, good food, and sore wrists. While strategizing for the next match, you can relax and watch the real thing on ESPN. Tomorrow's action kicks off (sorry, I couldn't resist) with a Turkey and Swiss special at noon ET.

I'm Dutch, so I have to back the Orange in the tournament. Unfortunately, they're a lot like the San Diego Chargers of late. They have a ton of talent, and there's no reason for them not to succeed, but for one reason or another, they can't go all the way. In the 2006 World Cup against Portugal, the officials basically handed the game to Portugal on a silver platter. I hate Portugal. Anyway, enjoy the weekend.

Group A winner: Portugal
Group A runner-up: Turkey
Group B winner: Germany
Group B runner-up: Croatia
Group C winner: France
Group C runner-up: Netherlands
Group D winner: Spain
Group D runner-up: Sweden

Quarterfinals
Portugal def. Croatia
Germany def. Turkey
France def. Sweden
Netherlands def. Spain

Semifinals
Germany def. Portugal
Netherlands def. France

Finals
Germany def. Netherlands

Penguins win!

Wow. What a game. I really hope people tuned in to watch the Penguins beat the Red Wings in three overtimes. That is one LONG, intense game, and if it didn't convince some people to become more interested in hockey, then I'm really, really confused. As time went on, the Pittsburgh players understandably became more frantic, as their season could come to a close at the flash of the puck, yet they became more tired since they were pouring out everything they had. Seeing such a display of determination in the face of almost inevitable defeat reminds me of what sports is all about. The Penguins just wanted to win.

In my high school soccer experience, my team played the part of the Penguins in the district tournament - the underdog against the favored "Red Wings." Sitting on the bench, I didn't care if we lost. That meant the season would just be over, and I could have more free time to do what I wanted, instead of pining for playing time in futility. I guess I didn't have the right attitude. I couldn't ever be a Penguin.

Stanley Cup Finals

The Red Wings are up 3-1 in the Stanley Cup Finals against the Penguins, and Game 5 is tonight. It could be all over unless the Penguins figure out a way to score some more. The fact that the game is in Detroit doesn't bode well for Pittsburgh. Even if the season ends tonight, the hockey excitement can still continue for you with one of these bubble hockey tables.

The Great Debate

Ping-pong or table tennis? Just like ketchup and catsup, or soda and pop, the game goes by more than one name. Which is it? Does it matter? What causes one to decide on one nomenclature over another? Most importantly, is that the proper use of the word "nomenclature"? Anyway, I prefer "ping-pong," but if I'm offending any die-hard opinionated traditionalists, I apologize in advance.

At NetShops, I get plenty of opportunities to play said game during my breaks. Let me tell you, that's a good way to refresh your brain/eyes and get out of that office chair. No matter how comfortable those chairs are, something tells me the human body is not meant to sit in one for 8 hours a day. When I started at NetShops, I was pretty terrible at ping-pong. I never had a table growing up, so my opportunities for playing were few and far between. Surprisingly enough, consistency pays off. I've always relied on a low, speedy serve to catch my opponent off-guard, but in the past few months, I've developed a strong backhand and picked up some spin techniques. Being halfway decent definitely makes the game more fun, so if you're like me and don't have a table of your own, and you don't work at a company that lets you play ping-pong, I definitely recommend getting a table. And don't tell me you'd rather just play Pong on your cell phone. Come on!

Football and Foosball

I grew up playing football, and I was pretty adept at tackling back in the day. Playing defense was always my forte, until my high school coach told me I was too small. Then I had to scramble to find myself a new position, since my attempts to grow six inches and 30 pounds of muscle overnight failed. It wasn't such a bad thing in the end. Offense is more fun anyway. Speeding downfield with the ball . . . shaking defenders with slick moves . . . shooting the ball past the keeper into the back of the net - it gets you pumped up just daydreaming about it.

Did I lose you for a second, there, with that bit about shooting the ball into the net? That's right, I'm talking about European football. I love the NFL, but soccer has always been my game. Don't worry, I won't confuse you or patronize you with the whole "football vs. futbol" thing anymore. But while we're on the topic, can someone explain where the word "foosball" came from? That's definitely a fun game, but in what way is it at all representative of soccer?

Hockey

While I'm talking about sports, I should remind everyone that the Stanley Cup Finals begin tomorrow. Hockey is easily ignored since ESPN doesn't carry games anymore, and basically, if ESPN doesn't cover it, it doesn't count. So where can you go to catch tomorrow night's game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Detroit Red Wings? Versus. No, not NBC, which would make sense. Instead, NBC is showing a repeat of Monday's American Gladiators. No matter what you're watching, you can still show some spirit with one of these. If you can't find the Versus network, you can still get your hockey fix at justairhockeytables.com. Air hockey might be one of the greatest games ever to be found in an arcade. Just saying . . .

Basketball Jones

Yeah, that's right - I just named this post after a song from the movie Space Jam. That movie was (and is) awesome. That soundtrack was the first soundtrack my brother and I ever had, so it holds a lot of emotional significance. Anyway, it's heating up in the NBA playoffs with the Conference Finals underway. Being a Creighton grad, I was sad to see Kyle Korver and the Jazz get knocked out by the evil Lakers, but more importantly, quality NBA basketball is back. The storied franchises of the Lakers and Celtics have the possibility to match up in the Finals, which would be sure to bring a lot of viewers back to the league. Seeing such good players bang it out on the hardwood inspires me to get out on the court and launch up a few jump shots myself.

Bloggy Bloggington

I guess I'm gonna try to blog consistently this summer, to see how it goes, and to see if anyone cares. It's weird writing like this when I don't how who my audience is. As I'm writing this right now, I don't have an audience at all, so I feel a bit like a crazy person. You might stare at someone who's talking to himself in a grocery store, and I feel self-conscious for that reason.

Anyway, I'm not sure of the best way to introduce myself yet. Facebook has me list my favorite books, movies, TV shows, interests, and quotes, which is great, but I'm not going to do the same thing here. A blog just seems like it has a completely different feel - it's still obviously personal, but it's not as blatantly ego-driven. I can just reveal what I want to reveal through my writing - you won't get updated every time I change my profile.

I could run through the standard introduction spiel (name, age, hometown, favorite color), but that's boring. I'll tell you three random facts about myself instead.
1) I've never bought a pen, and I refuse to do so - I acquired most of my writing utensils from career fairs in college.
2) I hate when people stand in doorways. Nobody can get in or out!
3) I can do a dead-on impression of several celebrities/TV characters (like Buster Bluth from Arrested Development)

So I'll try to keep this up to date with stories, rants, and other features. I have some ideas, and I'm open to suggestions, so as Tobias Funke would say, "Let the great experiment begin!!"