Post by Henry Skrimshander on Apr 12, 2024 15:53:52 GMT -8
The best thing about being the Skrimmer is having a brilliant friend like Owen Dunne to sit down and talk things through with.
So, our take on the transfers from our fourth-floor dorm room on the shores of Lake Michigan:
1. Fans, we may love these players, but you can't take it personally. Players hold no malice or ill-will toward the fan base. It feels as if they've stabbed us in the back. The truth is, they didn't give a moment's thought you your feelings at all. They are all about themselves, and their world. Pay no attention to their farewell messages. They are meaningless word salad, as hollow as the "family" or "America's team" nonsense.
2. Youngsters often cannot see the big picture. You become a better player in hundreds of practices and off-season workouts, not in 30 or so games. The same coaching/support staff that made them better as a Pac-12 player would have made them better as a WCC player. They don't see that. But it's 100% true.
3. Playing in the WCC instead of the Pac-12 would have absolutely no impact on their ability to become better players, to play in the NCAA tournament, to be exposed to professional scouts, or to someday play pro basketball, either in the WNBA (highly unlikely for everyone) or in some overseas league. They can't see that. But it's true.
4. We wish the departees good health. We don't wish them ill, nor do we wish them good luck at their new destinations. We won't think of them at all. They just don't exist in our world anymore. Like an old girlfriend/boyfriend (Owen is gay) who dumped us, we've moved on. They just don't matter anymore, they are part of our past, not our future.
5. Wherever they go, they will not find a more dedicated, involved, passionate fan base, one that steadfastly stuck with them not just during the good, but also during the last two years when the program was down. Everyone loves a winner. We loved you and supported you and didn't bail on you when you weren't.
6. We've had tough times before, persevered, built and won big. We'll do it again. Beavers are builders, with or without you.
7. Finally, never make the mistake of getting emotionally attached to players. They come and go, always have, always will. If you're going to donate, donate to program support or facility enhancement, not NIL. NIL is subject to the whim of a player; facility enhancements aren't. A batting cage or pitching machine can't transfer. They're forever.
As the great Aparicio Rodriguez said:
"There are three stages. Thoughtless being. Thought. Return to thoughtless being.
"Do not confuse the first and third stages. Thoughtless being is attained by everyone, the return to thoughtless being by a very few."
So, our take on the transfers from our fourth-floor dorm room on the shores of Lake Michigan:
1. Fans, we may love these players, but you can't take it personally. Players hold no malice or ill-will toward the fan base. It feels as if they've stabbed us in the back. The truth is, they didn't give a moment's thought you your feelings at all. They are all about themselves, and their world. Pay no attention to their farewell messages. They are meaningless word salad, as hollow as the "family" or "America's team" nonsense.
2. Youngsters often cannot see the big picture. You become a better player in hundreds of practices and off-season workouts, not in 30 or so games. The same coaching/support staff that made them better as a Pac-12 player would have made them better as a WCC player. They don't see that. But it's 100% true.
3. Playing in the WCC instead of the Pac-12 would have absolutely no impact on their ability to become better players, to play in the NCAA tournament, to be exposed to professional scouts, or to someday play pro basketball, either in the WNBA (highly unlikely for everyone) or in some overseas league. They can't see that. But it's true.
4. We wish the departees good health. We don't wish them ill, nor do we wish them good luck at their new destinations. We won't think of them at all. They just don't exist in our world anymore. Like an old girlfriend/boyfriend (Owen is gay) who dumped us, we've moved on. They just don't matter anymore, they are part of our past, not our future.
5. Wherever they go, they will not find a more dedicated, involved, passionate fan base, one that steadfastly stuck with them not just during the good, but also during the last two years when the program was down. Everyone loves a winner. We loved you and supported you and didn't bail on you when you weren't.
6. We've had tough times before, persevered, built and won big. We'll do it again. Beavers are builders, with or without you.
7. Finally, never make the mistake of getting emotionally attached to players. They come and go, always have, always will. If you're going to donate, donate to program support or facility enhancement, not NIL. NIL is subject to the whim of a player; facility enhancements aren't. A batting cage or pitching machine can't transfer. They're forever.
As the great Aparicio Rodriguez said:
"There are three stages. Thoughtless being. Thought. Return to thoughtless being.
"Do not confuse the first and third stages. Thoughtless being is attained by everyone, the return to thoughtless being by a very few."
