By Hank Strawbridge
(Editor's Note: This article was originally written on Thursday, May 16, but the computer jacked up and the whole thing was deleted)
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Monroe Street, Detroit, MI - "I want to get up to Detroit before the summer heat hits and people start acting like grumpy dogs. Plus, my stepsister's aunt Phyllis said that the best Flea Market and Swap Meet days are right now. Southwest has got those 'wanna get away' deals. Let's go!"
And that's how I ended up in Detroit during Week 3 of WLC BBALL. My wife Eleanor even changed out of her housecoat and slippers for the trip. I hadn't seen her in her dancing clothes since we were courting, so I guess I can thank Aunt Phyllis for that rare treat. After 4 days of traipsing all over the Motor City, from glass blowing factories to visiting the zoo (I don't know why. Eleanor knows I like my animals wild and free like my weekends at the nudist park) I was real glad that she gave me the day off.
Eleanor and Phyllis went to Mass at St. Joe's on Jay Street, and then they were planning on hitting up Elmer's Bingo Parlor for a glorious afternoon of dot daubing.
"Have fun," I said as they pulled away. As soon as they were out of sight, I scurried out into the Detroit street life (not much at 10:15 am on Sunday) to find a spot to savor my favorite pasttime - watching some WLC BBALL. Now, I know the NBA playoffs are going full force, and I hear rumblings of a big shot by Kawhi over Embiid, or Damian Lillard pulling off a game winner from near halfcourt. That's fine. I understand that lots of people like to cheer for Giannis or hoot and holler for Harden. Not me. I'm more into the real players. Guys like Dworske, who tumbles more violently than a junior high gymnast. Players like Humphries, who never fails to violently jerk the rim crooked, even if he doesn't have the basketball. Or superstars like McLaurin and Kory Cooper, who can play everywhere on the court and pick the ball like my boy Chopper, who made a living between '95-'98 jimmying car doors and pawning those Kenwood audio systems and subwoofers out of the parking lot at Dixie Bowl before he finally got locked up (pour some out for Chopper).
By the time I got to the National Theatre, it was lunch time. http://www.historicdetroit.org/building/national-theatre/
I had already grabbed my usual 44-oz coffee from 7-11 when I walked into the renovated lobby with its fancy organic overpriced cafe. They looked at me funny, like I didn't belong. Plus, they saw my 7-11 mug. To appease the scowling girl behind the counter (I'm not against her counter-culture vibe, per se. Her matted dreads and ear gauges were cool, but deodorant is one modern blessing she needs to hold onto) I bought two $7 chocolate chip scones and found myself a comfy corner with a strong wi-fi signal.
I got my HTC Nexus 9 situated against the mismatched salt & pepper shakers. I buttered my scones and took a sip of my coffee. I took a deep breath and thought about the great WLC BBALL games I was about to watch. I had only been at my vintage warped table for 10 minutes, when two big dudes walked in. Everyone looked at them and quickly looked away. I didn't think much about it, until they walked over to my table, pulled up two wicker chairs and sat down.
"Hey guys," I mumbled and gave them a head nod greeting. One of them was lanky and tall, with a kinda goofy grin and big, happy eyes. The other cat was surly and had a thick wristband on his left forearm. It was noticeable, because it was over the top of the sleeve of his "Bad Boys" hoodie.
"What's up boss?" the tall goofy one asked.
"Just getting ready to watch some ball," I replied, pointing at my HTC tablet. It had sparked a few times before and even set a little fire on some napkins but it still worked.
"Oh, cool," he replied. Surly forearm wristband guy still said nothing. "What game you watching? Portland at Denver? That game doesn't excite me."
"Me neither, 'Sheed," surly forearm wristband guy grumbled.
"Sheed?" I gulped. Now it made sense.
"Yeah, bro, me and Mark just making the rounds."
"Well," I replied, trying to hide my starstruck face. "I'm about to watch the WLC BBALL games. You might not have heard ab--"
Sheed cut me off. "Hold up, you watching the WLC?"
Suddenly surly forearm wristband guy sat up straight. "That's the shiz, man. Those boys can ball."
"That's for sure," Sheed interjected, sliding his chair close to me. "Can we watch it with you?"
"Of course, man," I smiled. I guess going to Detroit was a good idea after all.
We got ourselves situated around my tablet and Mark hollered out "hey Tiff, bring me the usual." Dreadlock ear gauge girl started fixing some kind of fruit and nut granola acai bowl and Sheed reached toward my plate.
"You eating that," he said, as he grabbed my scone and took a bite.
"Nah, go ahead Mr. Rasheed Wallace, enjoy."
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Team Baker v. Team Humphries
Game 1 was hyped by many as a showdown between the guard-heavy, fast-moving dynamos of Team Baker and the deep-shooting, power-boarding giants of Team Humphries. Featuring a starting line-up standing at 6'2", 6'3", 6'4", 6'5", and 6'7", Team Humphries has range from downtown and ostensibly, should have range to press out against deep shooters. Yet through 3 weeks, the WLC's tallest team by far has been out-rebounded 106-100. Perhaps more notable, Team Humphries is averaging only 7 assists per game. Ball movement is not their strength, and Team Baker exploited it on Sunday night.
Undefeated coming into the night and only challenged in Week 2 against Team Posley, Team Baker moved to a lead late in the first half, led by league latecomer Ruben Dominguez. In one sequence that brought at least 3 or 4 of the 19 fans in attendance to their feet, Ruben swiped a pass at halfcourt and sprinted to the other end for a clean flush. He was quite hyped, as were several of his teammates. Perhaps it went to his head, for in a subsequent series, he made a similar maneuver, which ended with an embarrassing fail. Here's a clip of the two dunks:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ptyA9nyKes
As for the rest of the game, Team Baker continued to pull away, led by a swarming defense, Dworske's 19 points and Baker's stealthy 10 rebounds. Team Baker moves to 3-0 with a 50-31 win and Team Humphries looks to regroup once again. Word is they've reached out to Bill Nye to see if he can help them get some chemistry.
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Team Brown v. Team Templeman
Team Brown scouting showed up big in the 8:15 game as they were determined to lock up Lipford, who had exploded for 21 in Week 2. Lock him up they did, frustrating sweet shooting Jimmy all night and holding him to zero points. Team Templeman looked elsewhere for scoring leadership and Omar Jackson did ok with 13, but it simply wasn't enough. The Green brothers combined for 18 rebounds, but Team Brown came to battle and battle they did.
Jeremy Miller continues to impress with his alternating energy and exhaustion, and Smith and Brown are steady and reliable. But, once again, Team Brown was also the "Earl McLaurin Show". McLaurin continues to astound and Sunday night was no exception. Through 3 games, he is responsible for 48% of his team's offensive output, which is greater than any other player in the league. In fact, Greg Bell, at 37% is next closest, but no one compares to Earl when it comes to carrying his squad.
Perhaps in Week 4's showdown against Team Baker, McLaurin will be challenged. But for Week 3, it was another win for the streaking Team Brown. Word is, fans have started lining up already for this game. I know Lumpy and his grandson Wilbur will be there...
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Team Posley v. Team Bell
Rasheed and Mark got excited before this game started. "I'm telling you," Aguirre said, "getting Corey Thomas back is big for Team Bell. He was the 3rd leading scorer in WLC BBALL last season." Mark had a good point. Thomas had been absent during Weeks 1 and 2, and it showed. A revitalized and reunited (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26J0uDIGErM) Team Bell took the court with fire.
Team Posley, as always, entered the court quiet and calm. A very balanced squad, Team Posley leads the league in total points and total assists, and it shows. Each week so far, Team Posley has had a different player lead in scoring. In Week 3, it was Mike Cooper. Not just for Team Posley, but for the whole league. Cooper caught fire and Team Bell caught the heat. While Greg was driving and scoring, Corey was slashing and shooting, Egerton was killing it on the boards (again), Ferguson was spinning and dishing, Cooper just kept hitting from deep. The game was tight all the way, and reached its crescendo with 1:40 left. Up by 1, Team Bell was feeling good. Then, Mike Cooper hit a 3, and Kory Cooper snagged another steal (tied for league lead with McLaurin).
Team Bell grew frustrated by the officiating, but who doesn't? Rumor is, Commissioner Holser is working to recruit college refs for Season Seven. Time will tell, but at least for this season we will push through and pray. Posley stepped up to hit clutch free throws, and Damian Butler put the icing on the cake with a monster slam just before the final buzzer. Team Posley moved to 2-1 and Team Bell goes 0-3. Promise remains for Team Bell, as they integrate their full roster and get ready for this week's showdown against Team Humphries.