slamball

A Little Slamball

Some of the games have been played and it is time to go over what has been going on to this point, and because this is my blog we are going to the Slashers and the Ozone first. Both have had different luck but it is good to see that shakes and the slashers are at least doing well in third place. There has been a nuisance in the league that both of my teams have had to deal with and it is the only team still perfect. Ozone is closer to the bottom then to the top but there is more to be seen here.

Seeing the Mob do this to the rest of the league does not really shock me, it was going to be them or the Rumble by my guess. Both had been forces since day one currently as it stands the Mob Are causing Martial law by Slamball. It is Mob Rule and not many teams can handle them. On the other side of the standings we have the Lava and while only playing four games one would think they are getting blown out in all of them except look at the plus minus for them.

For those who do not know plus minus is the total of points they have scored in all of their games against the points scored against them in all their games. If it is positive then that means they are scoring more points then the league on average, and if it is minus then they are scoring less. Lava have played four games and have a plus minus of -12 one of the closest ones to zero. Mind you only two of eight have a positive plus minus. If my money has to go down, the lava may be waiting to erupt later down the line.

Something to back up the lava thought is that in all four games the biggest difference in scores between them and the opponent? Four points against the slashers in their first game. Which means they have lost by a total of eight points in the other three games, hopefully there are things to be tweaked and we can see some lava flow to some victories.

The Mob have caused damage to opponent after opponent and seemingly had the answer whenever a team has tried to change the questions bringing in new talent with sons of Slamball athletes ( Byrd has two sons, One a stopper for the Mob and the other a gunner for the Ozone.

George Byrd was on both the Hombres, Maulers, and the Riders of the past and was someone who could often surprise with the skill sometimes passing, sometimes shooting and sometimes trucking over those who stood in his way. He had the size to be a problem and when he was on the court one had to be careful for the big byrd was always ready to clear a path to the hoop. Here are a couple of clips of the father in action just so you understand during his years he was a defensive powerhouse but had some offensive flash.

Also, something I need to add there is also a 4 pt shot, and that is a shot made outside of the 28.5 foot arc. This was a new one to me, apologies for it, but it also brings some values to the long range game and there are players trying it. Just to put the Mob in perspective though here is the recap on the most recent match up between the Mob and the Rumble.

Mob is being disrespectful in dunk form, just outright mean. This is something that has not changed. Back in the first rounds of Slamball on TV there was one known as Sean ‘inches’ Jackson A man who looked at physics and went.

I am sure he is watching these games with a smile because that legacy is being protected. Dunkers go to the mob and the rest of the league gets some therapy. Hope this brought you a little more info on the Slamball. Watch them if you can on espn2 or at least on Youtube channel so they can see you like it.

Stay competitive.

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Competitive Edge – Slamball 101

(Future Writer Note – this was supposed to go out before it started. Unfortunately, midterms exist.)

Something that when I want to write about sports or competitions that there is a place for it anything from hockey to Excel will be here just so long as people are competing actively against each other. One of the things to put here has got to be slamball.

Back in the saddle after some twenty years here are some things to keep you in the loop when you see it for the first time. Four people in three positions fill the court for both sides and it is these people that will be bouncing back and forth trying to score on the opposing hoop. Courts are smaller and equipped with Olympic level trampolines that can send someone high enough in the air to make a slam dunk, provided nothing stops them.

Which leads us to our positions on the court you got your Gunner, Stopper and Handler. Two gunners, one stopper, and one handler. All of what the titles mean are quite simple. Handlers handle the ball and get them to the gunners who take their shot for the hoop. Stoppers, do what it says on the word and try to stop the shots often bouncing off the tramps. Simple to understand, but hard to master there has been close to two decades of athletes plying their craft. Defending and attacking as one group shoots toward the hoop with contact not so shied away as it is asked for as can be seen by the pads they wear and the glass around the smaller court mirroring that off an ice hockey rink.

Slam dunks are three points, while all other shots are two. No slam dunks where it has to be thrown down, there are cameras on the rims to see if hand to rim contact was made and they will use it ot see if it is worth 3 or 2.

It is something that tells everyone that it will be a rough sport and unlike in Soccer where someone may roll around on the ground if someone steps on their tows one can full body check the opposing players everywhere except for someone jumping into the trampolines. It is something that means it will be a hard sport for many people and one only needs to look the ages of the teams to see that it is a young man’s game. Some of the old guard of the sport have come back in the leadership of the company and some of the teams. Here are the notes on a couple that will help your slamball IQ

Stan’ Shakes’ Fletcher. Here from the start he is one of the best to play it and watching the older seasons from his time in the Steal to the Maulers he had been a guy who took the rules and made it a game adding the spark of creativity often scoring more then anyone in a game and even holding the scoring record in different categories. He wasn’t a ball hog though he and Goldman became the one two punch for the Steal. Now he has come back as a coach, but the man was one of the few that did not need training to be a slamball player, with his skill, history in the sport and imagination, if he translates those talents well his team can see themselves taking some hardware with the Slashers.

Mason Gordon. The guy who started it all he was someone who believed in doing something right meant doing something yourself. He made his way working both the leadership for the company and the teams trying to get deals and get shown to more eyes in China, Italy, and America over the years, but do not get it twisted as he was a member for the Diablos in the first run on USA airwaves. He took it serious and made sure that if anyone thought going soft was going to curry favor he would body check him themselves. Fiery and technically minded, he had to run the court himself so he knows what people may need coming on to it for the first time.

Coach Carter. The one where a movie made about his struggle to show students the value of education and sports together where Samuel Jackson famously played him is in Slamball. In fact he has been a champion with the Rumble, and every time his team is in the playoffs or gunning for some gold there is something about the crafty coach that often makes the team a step ahead of competition. Winners win and the coach who held the Olympic torch has shown he does just that. In it since day 1 he has been able to show time after time his skill for the rules and capabilities and how to get the most of people on his team has been enough to show winners win no matter the time, or what else they have on their plate, and as anyone after a small search can attest. Coach Carter wins and will show others how to, whether the other teams like it or not.

Hope you enjoy the sport coming back.

Stay competitive.

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Enjoying A Game and a Time

One of the things that would catch your attention if you were channel surfing in the late 90’s is a sport called Slamball. A mix of physical rules, trampolines and basketball hoops that made it easier to understand and harder to figure how people would push things further. When I say trampolines, I mean the big ones you go somewhere and pay money to jump on to feel like you are weightless for a moment before coming back down with your heart in your chest. It was a kick to watch and instead of taking the lumps of trying to be a smaller sports league in the us they decided to go abroad. Getting more experience in different countries they had people of other countries and athletes join them to make the teams that we should be seeing soon. I was a huge fan of it there will be a post on that later in the day but, it is coming back.

For all the downs there has to be some things that give a little spirit. Some of the moments to get by could be something as simple as hoping a team has something more to have cheering for them. One is from the arena football league and while Portland, my home city, did not get the team, the capitol in the state did do something. Salem for those who do not know about my home state, Oregon, is the capitol and now it will have something that big brother Portland no longer has, an arena team.

It may not be something that will change the state around, and the capitol has many of the same problems. Homeless people seen everywhere, campsites all over the sidewalks, and more space open for lease. Not as bad as Portland, but still bad enough that anyone with a set of eyes and four brain cells to use with them will see. While it seems that everything in this state is taking the turn round the toilet bend, but a nice team event or some sports allows a lot of people who may be having a rough time to turn off their brain for a moment and be happy. Not saying people should do that all the time. I think we all know people who turned off their brain and forgot to reboot, but for what it is there are reasons to enjoy sports. Salem could use it and for those who have never been there are some places around the capitol where you can really see some beautiful things.


For example, there are some wineries that I had a chance to go to once. Traveling with someone who had been unused to professional wrestling there had been some time watching the people in the line as we waited for the start of the show. It was Impact wrestling and outside of seeing some of the fans who had been so passionate to the show and the craft, my traveling partner was not and did not enjoy the company of people who held homemade signs and belts for no reason other then money. Hours to spend we had to burn our time and the pair of us decided to take time so my travel colleague did not spend his time trying to cut a heel promo on everyone that annoyed him. Knowing him that list was going to be long enough and he could go long enough that everyone received a tongue lashing for free.

We got the chance to look around and on the backgrounds found quite a few wineries and cheese making places nestled in the fields and farmlands. Freshly made raw cheese with chives and blue berries and all sorts of different flavors while still being about a dollar over something similar in the store by eight. It would be much more expensive because these cheeses will make you want to eat it. It was a wonderful time despite being cheaper then a full meal at McDonalds and because of it we were able to get a wrestling shirt that my travel partner agreed with.

Enjoy the games and shows, you never know where the experience may take you.

Stay Strong

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