3 at the buzzer

Im a little bit heartbroken right now, and no it doesn’t have anything to do with my love life. What an amazing end to rather blah day. We don’t have a lot of projects we’re working on right now, so its slow at the office. I suck at looking busy, always have so I don’t even bother. That probably isn’t the best example for a GM. When I have a lot to do, Im amazingly efficient. So tonight was a night full of activity. First of all I went to play Russ Racquetball at the base. I always enjoy that. We had a very nice chat. Afterwards I always eat Taco Bell on the base, since its not available anywhere else on the island. Then I ran off to the Basketball game. Pat’s team was playing for first place against the other team they were tied with. They were playing Manama, which are the NY Yankees of Bahrain Professional Basketball. I got there with five minutes left in the game. Muharraq, Pat’s team, was holding a one point lead. It was standing room only as the place was absolutely packed. I found a spot right down in front. Lamond Murray, my buddy, and the best player in the league had fouled out with 25 points. Pat thought the fouls were ticky-tack. You have to wonder about the officiating sometime. While this is a great place to live, justice isn’t always considered a big priority…see the kidnapping case with Adam as an example. So the game was tense down to the wire. Muharraq was up by one with 7 seconds left when one of their players got fouled. He split the free throws putting Pat’s team up by two. The other team raced down the court and with 0.3 on the clock the ball was dished out and the opposing team hit a miracle three at the buzzer. The place erupted…as my heart sank. I felt bad for Pat. They are still tied for second place, but the pressure is on. If a coach goes on a 2-3 game losing streak he’s in danger of losing his job. So there is a lot more pressure on him. That’s the standard for all the coach’s here. There is no job security. Its just a wacky way of management. Pat and I had a mutual friend here, Ozelle who was a coach. His team got off to an 0-3 start and they fired him just like that. Two weeks later he was shipped out. Fortunately for Ozelle, he landed on his feet quickly and is coaching in Palestine. I was just really let down for Pat. I guess Im a big fan of Muharraq now. The games are really competitive. Lamond is the star of the team if not the league. He played 13 years in the NBA, where usually the average is about 4 or 5 years. He’s a very good player. He can’t play in the NBA anymore because the NBA goes with the younger players with a few exceptions. There just aren’t a lot of 35+ year plus players in the league. So he’s out here playing for as long as he can. It’s a pretty good career if you think of it. Two years ago he played in China, this year the Middle East, who knows where next year will take him. But it’s a chance to continue to get paid…playing a game, and seeing the world. It’s a pretty sweet gig…and he appreciates his opportunity. Lamond really is a good guy.

After the game I was supposed to go to coffee with my friend Baraq and his friends. But there were a few things that happened that precluded me from going. So I had to take a rain check. Tonight is a good night. Im very excited. It’s the weekend for me…so that means I can stay up late and chat with Carolina Girl. Being able to see each other’s webcams makes the distance not seem so far away. Plus…by seeing each other we can already feel the chemistry between us. She really is a perfect match for me. Its seems like a fitting end to my four years of heartache and pain. Im very excited to meet her. Its nice having someone be crazy about me. That is a big change from what I am used to for the last few years. God is so faithful…and I’ll shout it from the mountain tops.