Saturday, June 12, 2010

Sorry Mum

You know, my Mum used to say (and still does) that if you can't say anything nice about someone then you shouldn't say anything at all. The problem is that if I lived by that rule all the time I would a) have very little to write about on this blog, and b) do the BPL community a great disservice by failing to address some very important issues. Best not read any further then, Mum.

Oh okay - let's talk about the good things first. Final point of the game, Dojo and Cobras even at 14-14. Strange that I can't clearly remember how that point started, but the Dojo put together a lengthy offensive push featuring innumerable hammers over the Cobras trap zone. It seemed only a matter of time before the inevitable winning Dojo goal would come, until a cross-field hammer outside the Cobras endzone was picked off by a Cobras player who I really should know the name of, and hopefully will soon. The Cobras team then put a fast sequence of completed passes together and scored fairly easily. Game over.

(Post-edit note: Thanks Reece for reminding me about what should have been an unforgettable foul call in the last point, where Finn (I know his name now!) was running in the wrong direction for the disc and collided with Coops, neither of them being anywhere near it, and neither of them intending for there to be any contact. Ah, but a foul was called nonetheless and Cobras got another shot...).

That's it for the "saying good things" bit.

What also has to be said is that due to the actions of a few senior players the Cobras are fast developing a reputation for themselves as a cheating, aggressive, obnoxious and downright nasty team to play against. This must be something that all of their great young guys who just want to play excellent disc find very troubling.

During the game we saw a Cobra player run headlong into Coops, and complaints from the Cobra captain when "dangerous play" was called (i.e. "but he'd already dropped it!" - yeah, because if he caught it he would've ended up knocked to the ground). We had general abuse and arguments over call after call. Probably the "Bug" moment for Cobras though was when Liam called an obviously premature stall on Dave Watson (memory fails as to whether Watto's throw was a goal or had set up an easy goal pass). Even the spectators on the sideline were ridiculing this at the time, and Liam was given the opportunity to retract, but alas... A turnover followed, and what should have been a 12-9 scoreline to Dojo turned into a one-point game at 11-10.

Sure, we made our own mistakes thereafter to lose the game - no-one's denying this. But seeing our lead reduced by 2 points through pure deceit certainly didn't help. I never thought I'd see merit in having referees in Ultimate, but after last week I'm starting to understand. I'm tempted to add further to this point, in particular pointing out that often those who call loudest for referees are also those who are most in need of being scrutinised them, but I won't (any more than I already have)... There's a lightly veiled point being made there for those who care to read between the lines.

I really would have followed my Mums' advice though, even after all that, if the comments from the Cobras captain in the post-game huddle (and afterward, including his ridiculous efforts on the BUB) hadn't been so full of gloating ill-will. If winning a damn trophy is all that matters, and you're prepared to sacrifice your own reputation and friendships to get there then I for one think that's a pretty sad situation, and I'm pretty sure I'm not alone there.

Anyway, I've been searching for a suitably tone-lightening witticism to end this post with, but nothing comes to mind. Instead let me just say that it's been an honour and a pleasure to play my 20th consecutive BPL season (yes - every season there has ever been, under the various nomenclatures) with my Dojo teammates Pete Allen, Ryan Black, Matt Eastburn, Rohan Ferris, Sean Flanagan, Jon Good, Andy Lankowski, Leon McIntyre, Darren Shi, Adrian Thompson, Dan Walls, Dave Watson and, for one golden game, Andy McLean. And to all the great, great guys playing in all the other teams - thanks for making the BPL something that we all want to come back to, season after season.

See you for the next one.

17 comments:

  1. The stall count was a high release backhand that went to Pete for a goal.

    The d on the hammer was Finn Mcarthey-Adams.
    He wears vests, remember that name, for next time you may see it he will probably be streaking long for a goal.

    Very good game Sensei. I hope Passion wants the final as much as you guys did.

    Did anyone else notice that the only team Cobras have yet to beat is Slamtown?

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  2. Warning here: this is a very long diatribe. I am more than a bit bitter about the sidelines treating the end of the Cobras Dojo game like the nazi's had just invaded Poland. Read the following at your own risk.

    I'd like to express my dismay for the lumping of my dangerous play foul on Coops with the general foul-calling of Wetnose. There was no malice in my foul, nor was there any intention of colliding with Andy. Though I don't speak for him in any way, I think Andy would agree that my foul was not intentional. The disc was a high, floaty one that didn't fly particularly straight, a bit off an S-curve to it. We were both looking up in the air, and I committed to a lay-out D before I realized his curving run would wind up in the same space as my leap. Was it intentional? No. Was it a dangerous play? Absolutely. Was it avoidable? Only if I had taken my eyes off the disc. However, the rules say that you are responsible for knowing where the other players are on the field before you go throwing yourself around, so it was a foul. Andy called it, I agreed. That was the end of the story.

    I'll also have you know that some of the Cobras won't just sit by while their teammates make obviously emotionally-driven, wrongful calls. It's happened maybe three or four times in the season, and I personally have always spoken to my teammates afterward to tell them that I don't want to play on a team that wins by compromising our spirit.

    My last point here is to address the fact that our team wasn't the only one on the field who got calls obviously wrong and failed to retract them. Earlier in the game a player on your team called a pick that was so obviously fabricated that it sent Abra G. into a tirade. If you know his playing style you'll agree that he very rarely flies off the handle. And this was before any of the other shenanigans had even started. Later in the game I had a pick called on me in the endzone after my cut had left me two meters open on the open side of the force. There was no pick. I had checked over my shoulder and there was a clear lane before I made my cut. I am VERY confident that the man marking me purposefully and actively ran into the lane of another player after I made my cut so that he could have an excuse for getting burned.

    You should know that both of these blatant exploitations of the rules were by the same player. I was furious. But did I curse and scream? Did I call him names or accuse your team of resorting to cheating to win games? No. I screamed "contest," I told the player marking me that I saw his cut and knew it wasn't a pick (shouting a bit, but never resorting to vulgarity), I told him I thought his call was a heinous violation of the spirit of the game and then started playing the next point. I didn't argue for ten minutes. I didn't hang around his endzone at the end of that point repeating my comments. But that things did happen from your team after Wetnose's foul.

    To say that our victory wasn't deserved because of a questionable call from one player on our team is an insult to the rest of the players on the field. There wasn't just one questionable call on the field, and the others didn't come from only one team. I don't compromise my spirit to win games. I don't cheat to win. I don't bump the mark. I try my hardest to avoid allowing my emotions to dictate my foul-calling. And I deserve to be playing in the finals next Thursday.

    Thanks,
    Mike Nolan, Jr.

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  3. Amazing how you forget to mention how members of the Dojo team deliberately lined up players and shoulder charged them. And no, that isn't a poor of perspective, that is a fact.

    Also, when drunk sideline hecklers who are 20m away are your point of authority, then you really must be scraping the barrel.

    My comment in the end of game circle was meant as a tongue in cheek joke, but it probably was to close to the end of the game to make.

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  4. Also, I wasn't disputing the dangerous play call, I was simply involved in a discussion as to whether the disc should be with Coops or go back to Rohan who had thrown it to Coops. There was no disputing the dangerous play call from anyone.

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  5. Glad to help, I struggle a bit with the remembering part too.

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  6. Not sure why youre having a go at the sideline for a less than enthusiastic response to your win. Theyre in a much less biased position than you and can make their own judgements as to what went on.

    Standing up to your team mates when they make bad calls is admirable, but you still cant avoid being tainted with the same brush if you keep pulling on a Cobras uniform. If you really wanted to make a statement then you'd do a Timana Tahu and get up and leave.

    And yes, other teams make bad calls too - it happens. But the fact is that theres a disproportionately large amount of complaints being directed at Cobras from all parts of the competition and you rarely see smoke without fire.

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  7. @ Mike:
    Yep absolutely agree Mike, i knew there was no malice intended in the foul, and was pretty sure you simply had eyes for the disc, and when I called 'dangerous play' you happily agreed with no argument. No problems here.
    @ Julz:
    Well said mate, spot on!

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  8. All these comments that there are complaints being directed at Cobras "from all parts of the competition" seem a bit incorrect to me. I would have felt that, as the captain of the Cobras, the people who have a potential issue with the style of our play and our spirit would be man enough to talk to me in person, rather than just talk behind people's backs.

    I have spoken to Steve in a private forum and would like anyone else who would like to discuss it to email me or talk to me in person, rather than being child like and just talking behind our backs.

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  9. Fellas, fellas. Come on now. W

    hat i'm interested to know is who is going to commentate on the traditional Dojo Grand Final video.

    I'm confident there will be some spicy moments to talk about.

    Wish I was there.

    Love,

    Mike

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  10. Oh lordy I hope the Dojo are still planning to record this week's grand finale, even if they're only goosing around on the sidelines!

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  11. How many Dojo players traditionally show up to a game they aren't playing though?

    I would love to hear Sensei commenting on the video with maybe some Buzz and Coops thrown in.

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  12. I'll be there ... and when there's a video and/or mic involved you'll probably find me nearby ;)
    Of course Jack, you might have to buy me a fundraising beer or two first!

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  13. Sensei, when will we see this gf video? Im running low on excuses to procrastinate at work. I know theres no Dojo to be seen, but do it for the commentary!

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  14. I heard a rumour all the way over here in Nevada that the footage was being withheld. A response to some offensive post game anti Dojo comments during the victorious captains speech.

    Classic.

    I'm with you Steve, 3 strikes and your out Passion.
    -Tomsteve MVPgate
    -Scoresheet disaster 2008?
    -Missfired Dojo roast 2010

    Stick it to 'em Sensai

    Mike

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  15. If the rumour has spread that far, it must be true!

    Still - from what Ive heard about some of Buzz's beer-fueled commentary about Gref during the game, posting the footage might be an even better way to get even with him.

    Sensei, maybe you could consider some creative editing and post a highlight reel of this commentary. Nobody can tell me that they wouldn't be keen to see that.

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  17. Okay let's try that again.

    Oh nuts - short version is that the only thing between all the golden, Gref-bagging coverage I've got and it appearing here is lots of non-existent spare time. Hoping to get it posted at least before the next season starts... Stay tuned.

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