Mandatory Basketball Rant - Winter 2023-24 - Part Three

And with a bit of a whimper, the regular season for Varsity is over, meaning the triple-header games of Freshman/JV/Varsity are over...

Local Rec League:  I continue to show up to support games, although it's mostly because Maja is reffing and still can't drive.  Without parental interference, the system runs itself most of the time, and I've already targeted the future problem parents for the complaints in the Biddy divisions.

We're in full swing of the playoffs, yet most teams haven't had a practice in two weeks because the elementary school is putting on their play, thus using the cafeteria/stage/basketball court.  If the remainder of the board had agreed with me, most of the Kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd grade divisions would have had three free throw shooting competition/pizza party already, and we could have opened up 15 additional hour-long slots to accommodate this schedule change.  Since I'm no longer the complaints department, I'm enjoying other folks getting the wrath.

Local Rec League Travel Team:  For the first time in four years, we sponsored a 6th grade girls team to play other local programs.  Between a tournament and the regular season, they ended up going 4-6.  It will be fun to see them, as well as the other girls, make the move up to Junior High ball next year. 

7th/8th Grade Junior High:  The teams Millie does not play for finished their seasons last weekend. Despite only having one player from the talented travel teams that dominated the last two years (the rest are playing Freshman exclusively), 7th grade held on to a winning record, going 10-9, and coming within two of an upset playoff win.  

The 8th graders, who had most of the good players move up to exclusively Freshman, fared poorly, going 3-15.  The lone good player on the 7th grade team?  She was the second-best player on the 8th grade.  

Between these two teams, I see no 8th graders making the transition to JV (they will get murdered in the summer league).  The rest will get dumped into bench positions on Freshman.   I do see the best player in 7th moving up to Freshman only, with the rest moving up to 8th, then 9th the following year.  

Good news is, with a glut of players above them, the 6th graders moving into 7th next year should all be together.  

Freshman: Why all the hub-bub above teams?  Because Millie's Freshman team has two true Freshmen, six 8th graders (2 starters), and four 7th graders (3 starters)... and they just finished the season 18-1, against 8th/9th grade competition.  They took some lumps early, but as the other teams improved, they rose to the occasion.  With Millie at point, a 6'1" center and three girls who scored at least 100 points, they were a force to be reckoned with.  Four of the six 8th graders are almost guaranteed JV as Freshman, so that leaves two 8th graders returning, who will be great next year, and the five 7th graders (4 current players, and the girl from 7/8 moving up), to form the core

Junior Varsity: Last year, mutinies and injuries in Varsity, stripped the JV down so much, they played their last 8 games with only five players.  This year, the injury bug hit JV itself, getting them down to 6 players, but a part-time Varsity bench player for two quarters a game.  JV stats are always sketchy, but I think they pulled out an 8-9 record... with Maja as the starting center!    When her friend, the actual center on the team, went down with a concussion mid-December, Maja was the only one willing to fill in the role.  It's been painful, watching her get beat up by clumsy giants on the other team, but as I watched the last two games of the season this week, I realized she was doing exactly the basic orders she was given:  box out players on rebounds and lure her defender away from the ball.   Her boxing out abilities neutralized the biggest girl on the court usually, which gave them a much better chance of rebounding.  She did have a monster game with 18 points, plus this week's games had her with 6+ blocks at crucial times, and two fouls total.  

Varsity:  Varsity team had a great run, going 15-8, but a costly loss on Monday is the season why the winning team is in the league playoffs, and they have to wait a week for Districts, then hopefully State seedings.  Not bad for a team with 2 Juniors, 1 Sophomore, and 2 Freshmen in the starting line-up! Maja ended the Varsity season with a whopping two points, and a hosts of assists, rebounds, blocks, and steals.   Her goal next year is continue to show she's indispensable, adaptable, and crazy enough to do what the coaches need from her, and crack the top 10 on Varsity.  Her job isn't to score 1,000 points (we have three right now on track for a 1,000+ each in their careers), but to do everything else to ensure for the team to win. 

ONE MILLION VIEWS!!!

I haven't been getting nearly enough finished with the blog recently, but almost 15 years and 4,700 posts later, and the Blogger Stats page is saying I've reached ONE MILLION (1,000,000) page views on the blog! 

Now we all know that's not a million separate individuals, or even on individual clicking reading a million pages.  I had that reality smack me in the face when, after five years of slow and steady growth each month, I was about to have my best month ever, when I suddenly got visited 5,000 times in a minute by a bot in Italy.   I've had some rabid "fans" over the years from China, Ukraine, and most recently, a Beetle-esque mania coming from Singapore, but looking at the analytical side, real human being are reading the blog and some even like it.  

Most of the bot traffic seems to be "front page" visits to https://gamingwiththegnomies.blogspot.com/ so my individual post data seems consistent day over day, year over year.  Sure, I've had to rewrite or even delete a half-dozen posts that triggered some sort of spamming, and I'm not exactly sure why one particular Star Wars d6 actual play post out of over a hundred still gets a dozen hits consistently every week, but I'm not striving for anything that natural web traffic, and I'm certainly not trying to monetize this thing, after all these years.  

I've said it before, and I'll say it again, I would have greatly enjoyed the concept of blogging, particularly with all the Blogger gadgets, as a kid in the 80's. A repository of ideas, wants, dreams would be even more nostalgia now.  A place for all the Dice Baseball games, the original place for my first D&D campaign ideas, that I didn't need to rewrite with a twist years later, and perhaps more motivation to paint stuff when I had actual time as a young adult.

Now, there would be the dark ages of the blog, where all I would post would be Magic: the Gathering and my years working in game stores would have to be muted or anonymous regarding retail rants, but the landscape would be completely different with a full-blown modern internet 25-30 years earlier.

As I'm a statistical hobbyist to begin with, I already break down blog traffic a few times each year, most recently in October, and my Top Ten posts with traffic have the scars of bot traffic, so let's do a Top Five posts/projects I'm most proud of:

Convention Recaps - Be it Uncle Duke's Jubilee at Historicon 2010, the most recent HMGS forays, or running My Little Pony at local cons, they might be a little formulaic, but I enjoy writing them and, most importantly, PEOPLE READ THEM!  

The COVID Year - Technically October 2020 - September 2021. Base on the year-in-review I linked,  I got painting done, I played games with the kids, and generally documented the whole experience. As I wrote, the good old days weren't always good, but I'll take them. 

The Lost Dispatches of Feraso... and Beyond -  The ability to collect 30+ years of my original D&D campaign world completes one of those "If blogs were around in the 30 years.. and not a BBS" dreams I mentioned above.  

Call of Cthulhu 1920's Campaign -   In a similar vein, I got to update my CoC game almost in real time.  It's a nice build-up from one-shots and character-specific campaign development that transfers directly into a full-blown Masks of Nylarathotep campaign... with an open door to continue things.  

The Savage Saga of Maja Millie - My God, it's been 10 years since I started the on-going "Egypt" game with the my girls   It's been on hiatus for awhile now, but they were 6 and 4 when it started, and we complete three "seasons" worth of games.

Most importantly, if you're not an Italian, Ukrainian, or Singaporean (?) bot,  thanks for visiting the blog!  I'll try to do better next time.  

Gnome-Centric Releases from Dollar Tree

It took over a month since the first reports on social media, but the 2024 gnome/fairy houses that Dollar Tree has are finally in stock in the some of the stores in my area. 

I already have a number of containers full of the previous gnome houses, and these look a little taller, but they are made out of a flimsier material.  The mushroom house on the far right didn't come like that.  That landed on a sweatshirt on my floor and shattered!   The big pieces got reglued, but the rest of it was vaporized.  Time to decorate it as a damaged building for one of the Gnome Wars games for Historicon. 

The mushrooms will need to be filed down or mounted with style to stay upright.  Tempted to grab a few more to set up a large mushroom/toadstool farm. 

And if the gaps in the Valentine's Day candy on the shelves are evident, then the Easter stuff is out.  This year there are two sizes of oddly colored "Easter Trees"  $1.25 for a big tree is a bargain in a world where fantasy minis are $6.99 and Battletech figs are $30 for four useless model 'mechs, but that's just me.  

(Kickstarter) #ZineQuest2024 - Death Enters the Saloon by Daniele Di Rubbo

Death Enters the Saloon is a weird Western role-playing zine about guilt, judgement and fear of Death.

From the Kickstarter:

A mysterious figure has entered the saloon. No one knows them, although they seem familiar to everyone. When they sit with their back to the bar and begin to scrutinise you patrons, however, none of you have any more doubts: they are Death, come to claim one of you.

You know you can’t escape them but, out of desperation, you start a devious game: asking questions to the other patrons, to bring up their murky pasts, in the hope that Death will choose someone else, anyone other than you, inside this cursed saloon.

(Kickstarter) Tabletop Gone Mad: No-Prep Fill-in-the-Blank TTRPG One-Shots by Twice Rolled Tales

 And sometimes during #ZineQuest month, normal material is also launched outside the monicker. 

Tabletop Gone Mad: No-Prep Fill-in-the-Blank TTRPG One-Shots is essentially a book of RPG Adventure "Mad Libs" where the group answers a series of prompts to flesh the setting, concept, and conflicts along the way.  

(Kickstarter) #ZineQuest2024 - Beetle Knight by Jim Hall

 In Beetle Knight,you play as arthropod Knights designated by the Iridescent Order as protectors of the realm of Litterfall. You are thus duty-bound to travel the world, helping those in need.

PDF is $8.00, Print copy is $14.

(Gamma World) This is Not a Test #18 - The Bug-Mart

Our heroes, the De Facto Explorers, after sufficient rest, are ready to explore Fair-Town!

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Sneaky Pete: A mutated weasel scout.  Pete's telepathy and night vision take a backseat when he whips out his electrical powers.  Recovering from his injuries from the Glow near Ulmin.

Sonny Helianthus: a sentient sunflower artifact examiner with Restorationist ties. 

Slitheran Wurmtail (aka Squiggles): a mutated earthworm scout, in impromptu power armor, looking for trouble, and finding it often.

Lathar Bracken: A pure-strain human from River Bend.  He's got the muscle, the face, and a mount for most encounters.  Lathar's trusty beast of burden, No Name, travels wherever he does.  Looking for trouble in all the right places.  

Ramsay Kallax:  Mutated Ram from the far-off KIA Academy with a predilection for ancient treasures... and the occasional head-butt. 

================

The explorers followed Loman Streight, militia captain and helmets of the Ancients connoisseur, to a large, open lot, brimming with people.  Tables were set up rather uniformly, with various folk peddling and displaying their own eclectic collections.  

This was certainly the bug-mart.

The group took just enough time to help Loman secure a spot and set-up, and everyone scattered the the four winds.   

Sonny was dead-set on obtain telescope parts to attach something to help aim his customized muskets with more accuracy.  He was immediately distracted by multiple tables stacked with thin books from Ancient time, many filled with pictures.  Titles like "Scout Life", "Ranger Rico"   They weren't the tech journals that Ramsay described were at KIA Academy, but they seemed to cover animals, science, and survival skills.  Some light reading might be in order.  

"Hey, excuse me, could you hand me that issue of Ranger Rico with the worms on the cover,"  a voice spoke from behind him.

"Sure, Squiggles... here ya.... Waitaminute, you're not Squiggles!"

"I am certainly NOT this Squiggles character you mention!"

Sonny was in front of a slightly effeminate version of Squiggles, a worm four-feet tall, wearing overalls and a very unkempt wig.

"Name's Ubenda, if you like that stuff. So, the flimsy book with the worms on the cover."

Sonny handed the worm the magazine, then furiously waved at Squiggles to get his attention.  Squiggles jogged over to see what the sunflower wanted, but went he saw the worm paying the seller for the magazine, he was smitten... or in worm heat. 

A few pleasantries were exchanged, and the pair walked over to a local gardener for some prime top soil and further conversation.

Meanwhile, Lathar talked the ears off of Loman, asking tons of questions about podogs, hut to hut salesmen, and just how many legs do the turkeys have outside of town.  Much to Loman's relief, Lathar finally wandered off.  After a long morning, he found a Moose craftsman, Bull, who collected signs of the Ancients and customized them to a customer's desires.  He purchased a red octagon with "Lathar" written across the center, with leather straps on the back to use as a shield.

The moose gave sage advice once payment was made, "I wouldn't use it as a frontline defense against a horde, but you're better off not antagonizing a horde. 

The two worms had found the folks selling plants. Both were gnoshing on topsoil out of large clay pots.

"So... you're a worm.  Where are you from?"

"A farm!  Not far from here. I don't know if you ever heard of the Yulius Medley farm.  Wide open spaces..  Great place to raise a family."

"You have a family?"

"Errr. ahh...if I had a family, I'd be on a farm.  You have a family."

"No, you're the first worm I've seen in years.   First time in Fair-Town?"

"Yeah, first time, it's big!"

"You'll like it more when the queen arrives."

"The Queen?"

"Yeah.  Everybody comes from all over.  I need to get a costume."

"A costume"

"Yeah, we dress up all fancy."

Squiggles raised an eyebrow, "I don't know what to do.  Can you help me."

**CUE CLOTHES SHOPPING MONTAGE**

Why are there so many bells.....

The wig is too itchy.....

And Squiggles settled on this. 

Lathar ran into the pair as Ubenda was trying on her outfit.  As she emerged, it was discovered that both her and Lathar had the same unique outfit. 

Neither were amused, and neither would budge.

Sonny arrived to the spot with Pete.  The sunflower had acquired a stack of these flimsy books, and a little red wagon, to pull them around town.  

"Hey guys, it's getting dark.  Let's find some food and shelter for you animals."  

GM Notes: Everything in Fair-Town is off the cuff, so customized road signs, worm fashion shows, and wagons full of back issues of Boys Life were all I could come up with. I will not that this was the same week of the great Intelligence leak from a Massachusetts National Guardsman.  At this point we had spent the first half hour of the session trying to analyze the random character sheet that was included with the classified docs. After that sort of effort, I'm shocked I didn't call the game off. 

Have trouble with gender identity and pronouns.   Run some mutant worms in your Gamma World game, and it will become second nature.

NEXT: #19 - The Wrong Celery