Warriors Knocked Off By OU

Reading, MA - Origins Unknown and The Warriors, led by a fiery point guard who plays like a cross between Chauncey Billups and Chris Paul, played for what felt like the 23rd time in the league's history this week at the Burbank Coliseum.

The teams haven't changed much in the past several years. OU still has the core of James "Stretch" Hogan IV, Danger Dan Fisher, Shu-ter Patel and Cap'n Mike. The Warriors still have the feisty point gaurd, the mid-range specialist, the long-range lefty, and at least one of the big guys from the original team is still patrolling the paint.

As any faithful Bloggin' and Ballin' reader knows, OU has also added Brian Buzz Jones and Doubleteam Dan Rasanen to the mix, and the sum of the OU parts proved to be too much for the veteran Warriors bunch, as they fell 66-55.

Both teams are near the bottom of the standings this session, but each plays hard every game - as was the case this night. OU came out cold as ice - correction, Cap'n Mike came out as cold as ice - and their slow start allowed the Warriors to jump out to a quick lead. After Cap'n missed his 4th or 5th straight shot to start the game, he dragged his butt to the bench for a sub and hung (or is it 'hanged') his head in disgust. If you're following this session, you're aware that this has been a 'tough' shooting session for Cap'n - and this game was no different.

Of course, while the Cap'n struggles - everyone else picks up his slack. Patel played great defense on the perimeter and down low, while spreading the court offensively. Hogan was his usual two-way self shutting down their mid-range specialist. And, Fisher and Jones were all over the court with defensive and offensive pressure. Meanwhile, Rasanen was expertly trailing the transition offense and knocking down three-pointers where needed to build the lead.

After their early issues, OU played a strong second 10 minutes in the first half, and started to pull away a bit. The second half was similar to the first, and OU kept a 10 point cushion throughout most of the game. The Warriors kept it close, as their lefty gunner made several contested hands-in-yo-face three pointers, but it never got much closer than 6.

OU moves to a paltry 3-5 with the win, with two games remaining.

OU Misses Upset Chance

Reading, MA - You are reading a blog dedicated to the best 2-5 men's league basketball team in organized sports history. Origins Unknown and Intervale played one of the most competitive and well-played games in recent memory, but unfortunately OU came up just short of pulling off the upset and lost in the final minute, yet again.

Intervale brought a sparkling 6-0 record into the game, and with a line-up that has every spot on the floor covered, they are a difficult match-up for any team. OU showed with five out of six full-timers there, missing Danger Dan Fisher - who was sunning his backside in FL.

No one was tired at the tip (even with the 10:00 pm start time) and both teams came out aggressive. Unfortunately for OU, Cap'n Mike was nursing a sore ankle and seemed to be slightly out of sync with the rest of the team. While the Cap'n sputtered, Doubleteam Dan Rasanen and James "Stretch" Hogan IV were on their offensive games. Dan's inside/outside repertoire and Hogan's continual movement around the basket kept OU close throughout the first half, even as Intervale worked their own spread out scoring attack - led by their own power forward and center. Between them, they seemed to hit shots from all angles of the floor and challeneged OU to choose the lesser of two evils all half.

The second half was equally competitive, as OU scrapped minute to minute to keep the game close. Both teams were starting to tire, but Brian Buzz Jonesy was still all over the court, and his pressure kept OU in front. Shu-ter Patel and Cap'n Mike both hit some three pointers, and OU had a big five-point swing when Cap'n got fouled on the way to the basket, and his frustrated defender punched the ball to half court which earned him a technical foul. The three free throws tied the game with ten minutes left, and the teams then continued to punch and counter-punch all the way down to the 2:00 mark.

Down one point, Intervale made their final push and overtook OU in the closing minutes through sheer will. The loss was disappointing for the hard-luck OU bunch, but it was undoubtedly the stiffest test that Intervale had faced all year.

The loss drops OU to 2-5 with three games remaining.

**Fact that might only interest the Cap'n - The Cap'n shot three free throws, three different times - having been fouled shooting three pointers twice, and once for the and-one plus technical foul shots. This might have been a first... I am now done writing in the third person about myself.

Fighting For Respect

Reading, MA - Origins Unknown finally returned to the W column last week with a solid, and hard-fought battle over a no-name team. Seriously, they literally never gave the commissioner a name. The win, after a previous forfeit, vaults OU into SECOND TO LAST PLACE in the Reading YMCA Men's League, with a record of 2-4. OUch. OU has a lot of work to do to gain back the respect of their league peers, the refs - and even their families.

We'll focus for the moment on the most recent game, an all-around team victory against team "I'll Let You Know" or ILYN for the purpose of the write-up. ILYN is made up of former Gordon College kids and players, and included a rangy big-man who stretched the defense with his inside/outside game.

OU started out slowly out of the blocks, and after missing several shots - were down 10-2 only minutes into the game. Cap'n Mike finally let loose on a couple threes (which went in!!) to keep the game tight in the first half, and once OU got their legs under them - the score stayed close. James "Stretch" Hogan IV and "Doubleteam" Dan Rasanen were able to find gaps in the defense during their set offense, and eventually OU got the lead down to a couple after Hogan nailed a end-of half baseline jumper.

The second half saw OU start to pass their young grasshoppers, as Brian "Speedy" Jones turned on the defensive pressure and harassed the ILYN guards into a mumbling bunch of fools. Eventually, Shu-ter Patel shook off the first half cobwebs to knock down a huge trifecta which spread the lead to double-digits. As the game wound down, it was ILYN who lost their cool - generally acting like a bunch of babies. It started to get a bit heated, but no punches were thrown as the game was called.

OU takes on league champ, and current holders of first place - Intervale - Thursday night at the Y.

Cap'n, OU Stumbling Lately

Reading, MA - The blog and the team seem to be falling apart. Bloggin' and Ballin', once a highly regarded weekly stop on the blog roll, now gets updated less frequently than Jason Varitek hitting a home run. And, Origins Unknown, the team at the center of the basketball blog universe is now crawling along at a alarmingly-crappy pace.

Over the past two weeks, OU was able to get themselves into the win column after destroying an out-manned Hustlers team by 33. But, just as quickly as the good vibrations returned to Reading - they were sucked away by a dreadful performance against the Bostonville Grill, losing 67-53.

The loss was especially painful for Cap'n Mike and Big Dan Rasanen - who combined to go 5 for 353 from the field. Cap'n Mike was at a loss for words after the game. "Uhh...ahh...sucky shooting...no idea... don't understand... tough year so far," he said when asked why the shots weren't falling. For their part, BG played well with good inside outside balance, and some bruisers down low. OU played well in the first half, and even took a solid eight point lead in the first few minutes of the second half thanks to some hot shooting by Shu-ter Patel. But, BG hit some big threes to close the gap, and as Cap'n continued to misfire, the gap grew.

The loss moves OU to 1-3 in the league, and makes nearly all games must-win moving forward, if they ever plan to sneak into the playoffs. "Playoffs?!... Playoffs??!" screamed Danger Dan Fisher. "We're just trying to get a win right now! If you ask me a question like that again, I will go Bobby Knight on your ass with this chair."

And..... We're Back!

Reading, MA - After a summer that saw Origins Unknown lose one player to medical school, another to school in Maine, and others who just lost their mojo - We're back! That's right, after a quiet off-season which OU took off for the first time in the team's six-year history, we've laced them up for another run at the Reading YMCA Men's League Fall Session Title. The team has undergone a few changes, but the OU aura is still in tact (although slightly balding).

Since July, OU lost key contributors Jay "Magic" Wand-tke and Nick "The Human Frigging Wreckingball" Dutton-Swain from the low blocks. Both were important pieces in title runs in the past, but have decided to take time away from the team due to other commitments. Meanwhile, James "Stretch" Hogan IV, Danger Dan Fisher, Shu-ter Patel and Cap'n Mike have returned to keep the OU core in place. This fearless foursome has a combined 24 years of Reading YMCA league experience (I am not even making that up).

OU also used the off-season to acquire the rights to Brian "Jonesy" Jones, who became a free agent of sorts after the old Chili's team disbanded. Jonesy brings an electric energy and pace to the game, while also giving OU some additional ball handling and fast break experience. Jonesy then made a call to his friend Dan "Big Dan" Rasanen, who agreed to join OU and fill out the roster. Big Dan is an imposing hoopster, with an excellent inside-outside repertoire that gives his defenders fits (just ask Hogan).

With the team set, the season began two weeks ago. And, let's just say that things haven't gotten off on the best foot so far. OU is O and 2. There, I said it.

All is not lost though, as the team played together for the first time in week two, and is still working on getting their legs back after the long summer layoff. The first game was a loss to a young upstart team, without Big Dan... The second loss was to The Muskets, who had nearly all their full-time players - plus added a standout guard to the roster who dismantled the OU defense in the second half. The game was close, but OU struggled offensively in the second frame and ended up losing in the late minutes. There were some positives to take away from the contest, including a very well played first half that saw OU take a one-point lead into intermission.

Another positive note has been the discovery of $1.99 drafts at Chili's for the post-game recap...

OU looks to get in the win column next week, against a 1-1 Hustlers team.

Where You At?

Newburyport, MA - I know what you're thinking. You've been checking the blog, hoping for wit and wisdom (as well as stupid player nicknames and game recaps). But, there's been no updates from the Cap'n. Well, fear not - for OU is simply on a mini-hiatus in an effort to regroup and re-energize.

"We've been playing back to back sessions for almost 5 years," said Shu-ter Patel. "The summer is a good time to take a break, and we'll be back in the fall with 6-pack abs and dead-eye jumpers". Word on the street is that Danger Dan Fisher has been running courts 3 hours a day in the D (Dorchester), and James "Stretch" Hogan IV has been named mid-summer MVP of the mid-coast Maine pick-up league.

This year's summer session is a shortened 9 week season, without playoffs. OU has been promised a spot in the always-competitive fall session - and should return to near full roster at that point.

Look for an update in September... Enjoy the rest of the summer.

Intervention: Intervale Ends OU's Rough Spring

Reading, MA - Origins Unknown finished the 2009 Reading YMCA Spring 4 on 4 Basketball league Thursday night with a playoff loss to top seed Intervale at the Palace in Reading Hills. And, while the game was a blow out for the last 25 minutes, OU should keep their heads held high after battling through a tough season without a consistent line up.

Big props to the three OU battlers who were able to make the game: Cap'n, Danger Dan Fisher and Danger Derek Chicarilli. The three, along with Jeff Yeakley-bombs, took on the challenge of facing an Intervale team that had all six of their horses.

For Intervale, their guard play is top-notch, with Mark Mulvey throwing daggers from all over the court. Mulvey is a former St. Mike's standout baller and buddy of Cap'n Mike, James "Stretch" Hogan, and Jay Wandtke. He and his stellar back court mate (who I am told played at Suffolk) are a handful, and tough to contain on the perimeter. Matched with versatile big man Jim Murphy down low, and a core of other solid players, Intervale will be the favorite to win it all again this session.

OU did their best out of the gate and actually kept the game close for most of the first half. Cap'n Mike struggled to find consistency with his outside shot, but everyone else kept scrappin' to keep things tight. OU was within 4 with less than 5 minutes to play, but a quick Intervale run - spurred by torrid shooting by their guards - ballooned the lead to 14 in short order.

Things got f-ugly in the second half, as Intervale decided to make about 10 three pointers in a row, from all over the court. OU was fatigued, and it showed as their opponents picked apart their poor excuse for defense and lowered the boom. As the lead continued to grow, Yeakley attempted to keep the game from getting out of hand by hitting several late threes of his own.

In the end, the game was never in doubt, and the OU players (or at least me) are left to wonder how close it would be if we had all of our big guns available. Perhaps in a session down the road, we will find out.