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lol looks like The Eagle got more competition!

I don't think you can look at something that is well written, punctuated and looks like something that might actually run in an actual newspaper as competition for your thread. ;)

Well played, hrudey...well played.

Wow, I can't believe I read this whole post, but the more surprising thing is that this has me intrigued about his team.

One Enthusiastic Thumb Up!

Wow, I can't believe I read this whole post, but the more surprising thing is that this has me intrigued about his team.

One Enthusiastic Thumb Up!

Lol, I actually didn't read it thoroughly, just skimmed over it. Now you have me interested

lolololol..........well, what happened to you Laser Limelight? it lost it's printer too, b/c of the printer theif?

Thanks for the generally positive reception everyone! Tough, I'd be lying if I said I didn't look at more recent diaries like yours and JackStevens' (Laser Limelight) and Rautins' (Orange Time). But I was also around back in the heyday of the original forum newspaper, the Panther Press, so I would probably attribute my inspiration primarily to Buckeyefan01. My posts tend to be longer and more wordy than some of the other newspapers I read on here, but hopefully also more polished. Feedback is always appreciated. I worry that readers may be deterred by the lengthiness of my posts, so especially let me know if you think that's the case.

On to the next entry:

It's Only Going to Get Worse
"It's only going to get worse before it gets better," Tweak told his players in a brief meeting after tonight's scrimmage, which the Breeze lost 95-31. This came nights after the team's first game, which they lost 125-79. Overall, the team has lost its first two games by an average of 55 points, a stunningly poor showing even from an obviously rebuilding team. "We knew we weren't quite ready. We expected to lose those games, and let's be real, we're going to lose several more before we get a chance to turn things around. But make no mistake, we WILL turn things around."

Although the losses stung, they were not altogether in vain. Stephen Roger and Christopher Satterfield each managed to log valuable minutes running the offense at the point guard position, learning to improve their court vision and passing ability. Breeze coaches had the opportunity to observe individual players' performances and adjust their future gameplans to get the most out of their team. Hopefully, the experience gained by players and coaches alike will help improve this team's performance over time. Still, one thing remains clear: to be successful at any level, this team is going to need to bring in more talent. Fast.

To address this issue, the team brought in several players for workouts, higlighted by young phenom point guard Gordon Gold. Coaches raved about him after his visit, but with very little money to offer, Gold chose instead to take his talents overseas to D.III Russia. Having failed in this effort, Tweak chose instead to invest the money in building more seats in the Beamer Center*, thereby making a public profession of confidence in his team's long-term future.

This Saturday, the Breeze return to D.C. for their home opener against the #1 team in the conference, Expected. It might get ugly, but all fans are encouraged to still buy tickets and merchandise to support their team. See you then: [match= 49360787]






*A word of explanation about my arena name: The Beamer Center is named after Todd Beamer, one of the heroes of United Airlines Flight 93 on 9/11. Todd Beamer was an alumnus of Wheaton College, where I go to school. Our student center is named after him, and I really couldn't think of a better name for my arena (call me uncreative if you want). Also, since I am a new team and have supporter for a week, Stephen Roger is temporarily wearing #93 in recognition of all those aboard Flight 93, and has the player quotation "Let's Roll!" in honor of Todd Beamer's famous last words.

I think longer posts are great as long as the grammatical structure makes sense, which yours of course do. I would write longer post more often, but alas my writing skills are not as infinitely eloquent as some. So I stick to the "lols", "i's" and ''hahahahahahah's" of other less than stellar writers which roam the forums.


I like your explanation about your arena name--it's a nice way to honor someone.

At the end of the regular season, the DC Breeze found themselves exactly where they thought they would be--squarely in last place, with the prospect of certain relegation and no meaningful games until next season.

Without having to worry about game planning, Tweak and his staff were free to devote their full attention to scouting, trying to decide who they would take with the #1 overall pick. Unfortunately, their late start to the season meant that they would only have time and resources to scout a select few of the many prospects available to them. So Tweak's criteria for choosing who to scout were simple:

"Height. Size. Basically someone who can complement Stephen and Chris and give us a legitimate inside presence," Tweak said bluntly. Following this logic, DC scouts went to games of several of the top center prospects, including several 7-footers. But while these players were solid, most of them failed to impress scouts enough to be brought in for an interview and a private workout.

During this entire scouting process, Tweak and the rest of the Breeze staff had kept their distance from the media, hoping to not let any important information be leaked prematurely. But one week before the draft, this media silence came to an end. A source within the Breeze organization revealed that the team had narrowed its choice down to two prospects, both 18 years old: a 6'10" SG and a 6'8" PF. After workouts, the shooting guard had been rated 5 out of 5 in terms of skills and 4 out of 5 in terms of potential, with scouts unofficially giving him an A+ grade. The power forward also scored a 5 in terms of skill and 5 potential, but was noticeably more raw with an unofficial A- grade. Nonetheless, his intriguing athleticism and abilities currently made him the favorite to be picked #1 overall, the source said.

Tweak was furious at this unauthorized revelation, but although he would not confirm the report publicly he did acknowledge that the team "had made their decision" about who they would pick next Monday and were "very close to finalizing a deal" with that player. Now it's your turn: who would you pick and why? Feel free to leave comments below.

Mystery players revealed; Breeze get their top two picks

On November 26, the BuzzerBeater drafts were taking place all around the world. In D.C., Tweak and his staff met in their war room for the IV.4 draft, in which they had the first pick. Their selection was made instantly, having been submitted in advance. The commissioner stepped to the podium and read out the name on the card: "With the first pick in the Season 22 draft, the DC Breeze select...Carlos Leñero, power forward, Buzzerbeater University." (27251011) The 6'8" gangly teenager strode to the podium, all smiles, shook the commissioner's hand, then posed for photographs holding his brand new red and blue Breeze jersey. If the draft had ended then, Tweak & Co. would have been more than satisfied, as they considered Leñero a franchise talent, more than capable of defining a draft class by himself. So they watched the rest largely out of curiosity as to who would take Patrick Turpin (27251045), the second-ranked player on their board.

The draft continued, but Turpin's name was never called. As the first round went on, the talk in the Breeze war room was "Should we trade back up?" But under the system, they didn't really have the power to do that, so they waited until finally the newly crowned champion Spotted Turtlebacks were on the clock. They too selected someone else, and DC was back with the first pick of the second round, with their guy still on the board.

"Holy s---", exclaimed one scout. Cheers and high-fives broke out throughout the room, and they wasted little time before sending in their pick. Soon after, the name was read out and the selection was official: "With the seventeenth pick in the draft, the DC Breeze select Patrick Turpin, shooting guard, Lincoln High School." Turpin hugged his parents, walked quickly up to the stage, and as the cameras flashed it was all Tweak and his staff could do not to break out the beers and start celebrating a little early.

The third round came and went, the Breeze selected Ernest Carrington (27251043), a small forward with limited athleticism but capable of contributing right away in D.V., and the draft concluded. Elated with the results, Tweak decided to indulge the media by holding a press conference.

"Well, I'm sure you're all glad to finally know the players' names," Tweak remarked, setting off a round of laughter. "You know, they don't tell us either. I'm pretty sure the first time I heard any of our guys' names was when the commissioner was reading them off the cards." [more laughter]

"What can you tell us about your first round pick, Leñero?" said a reporter seated in the front row.

"Carlos, yeah, he's going to be a good one," the GM responded. "We knew he had great upside, but I'm really excited to see what he can do. He's a great passer, as good as a lot of point guards, in fact. He's a good defender and shot-blocker, and of course he's got the talent to do anything he wants. I think what people don't realize about him is how good a shooter he is, especially from the perimeter. He's still got a lot of room to grow, but he can be as good as he wants to be."

"How about Pat Turpin?" shouted someone from the back.

"I'm telling you, we were absolutely stunned when he dropped to us in the second," Tweak answered. "We were prepared to take him #1 before finding out about Carlos. The kid has experience playing overseas, he's a good defender, and you can't teach size. With his skills and his size, he'll be a mismatch for a lot of players. He can score inside and out, rebound, pass some. We'll see, but he could be really good too."

After several more questions, Tweak cut the interview short. "Right now I've told you pretty much everything I can about these guys. You'll find out more come training camp, but Breeze fans, you all can get excited, because these guys are the real deal."

Expect an interview with the players later on.

Transcript of interview with Carlos Leñero

Q: Carlos, thank you for joining us, and congratulations on being the number one overall pick! How do you feel right now?
A: Thanks man, thank you very much. You know, I feel real good. It's a great feeling, for sure, knowing that Tweak and all them have great confidence in me, that they feel there was no one else better worth taking in the whole draft. I just wanna go out there now and prove they made the right call in picking me. But it's a great feeling, no doubt about that.

Q: When did you first know the Breeze were going to pick you?
A: Yeah, well, one of their scouts came to one of our last games of the season, and I got a call from my agent the next day saying Tweak wanted to bring me in for a private workout. So yeah, I knew they were interested then, but after the workout I really felt good about how I did, and then my agent was saying they wanted to talk about potential contract details to maybe take me with their first pick. So that's probably when I first got the idea, yeah.

Q: Playing for one year at BuzzerBeater University as a freshman, injuries forced you to play a lot of the season at power forward, but early in the year, you played several different positions. Where do you see yourself fitting in with this team in the long run?
A: Yeah, like you mentioned, at BBU I had to do a whole bunch of things to help my team. You know, basketball is basketball, you just have to go out, guard your man, do your thing, and play your hardest no matter where coach puts you. Obviously, I'll play wherever they want me to play. But yeah, if I had to pick, I'd say small forward, that point-forward kind of role, I really like that.

Q: What's one area of your game you really pride yourself on?
A: My versatility. Like you said, I can play several positions, I can defend any position, do a bunch of different stuff. Just working hard, competing hard, getting better every day, I feel like there's nothing I can't do.

Q: What's one thing you really want to try to improve at the next level?
A: My rebounding, just being aggressive on the glass, boxing out and attacking the glass offensively and defensively. Just hustling, playing good defense, and then hopefully getting the rebound and giving us a chance to go and score.

Q: Who are some players you really look up to?
A: Nemesio, you know, one of the great passing point forwards, he's a guy I really want to be like. Then guys like Ismael Grubbs, that original do-it all guy, that first great small forward. One of the all-time greats for sure, a guy who really changed the way the position is played. Gotta respect that, for sure.

Q: How do you feel about playing with guys like Patrick Turpin and Stephen Roger?
A: Yeah, Patrick's a real talented guy. Great shooter, great feel for the game. He can really help this team. I haven't got to know him real well yet but I think we can do great together. I'm excited to play with him. And Steve, yeah, he called me as soon as I was drafted, just welcoming me to the team and offering to help me out. Great guy, great player, real talented and a leader on this team.

Q: What's the first thing you're going to do with your first paycheck?
A: Yeah, um, that's a great question. I haven't really thought about that much yet. Probably do something for my parents, maybe take my girlfriend somewhere nice, get her something, something along those lines. But yeah, I'm not really sure yet [laughs].

Q: Well Carlos, it's been great having you with us. Good luck and welcome to DC!
A: Thanks man, you too. Take care.

Transcript of interview with Patrick Turpin

Q: Patrick, thank you for joining us, and congratulations on becoming a member of the DC Breeze. How do you feel right now?
A: Thanks, thank you very much. It's definitely a relief, you know, just sitting there with my family, waiting to hear my name called but never hearing it. So when Tweak finally called, I was--well, it was just like a huge weight off my shoulders.

Q: Now Patrick, take us through that process. You were projected as a top 5, top 10 talent and a sure first rounder. What was going through your mind during that time?
A. Yeah. Like you said, everyone was saying before the draft how there was no way I would slip out of the first round, how I might go as early as number 2. My agent was telling me that there way I dropped past number 7, that he had a promise from Philly that they would take me. Then of course they took someone else instead, and I ended up falling all the way out of the first to DC at number 17. But I'm just happy to be here now and looking forward to proving to everyone else that they made a mistake in not taking me.

Q: Coming out of Lincoln High School, you were one of the top recruits in the country, but instead of going to college and playing in the NCAA, you chose instead to play overseas for a year. Take us through that decision.
A: Sure. Well I knew I wanted to play pro ball, so it really came down to, I could go to school and play there, and do the stuff that comes with it, or I could go play pro somewhere else, get some valuable experience, and basically paid to do what I love to do and what I'm best at. When you put it that way, the choice was easy at least for me. So I went and played over in Israel for a season, came back and put my name in the draft, got picked, and now here we are.

Q: You're listed as a shooting guard at 6'10", but obviously with your size and athleticism you can play other positions as well and Tweak has already suggested you may eventually see more time at the 3 or 4. What do you think about that?
I mean, it's fine. I got a reputation as a shooter, but really listed position doesn't mean that much, and I know offensively I can play wherever. Defensively it'll be an adjustment, but it's nothing I can't do.

Q: What's one area of your game you really pride yourself on?
A: My offense. Shooting from outside, working down low, being able to score from anywhere on the court.

Q: What's one thing you really want to try to improve at the next level?
A: Just getting stronger to match up with some of the bigger guys inside, then working on my handle and being able to create my own shot, rebound and run the break, things like that.

Q: Who are some players you really look up to?
A: Guys like Wes Childs, Frank Tanner. Those longer bigger forwards with well-rounded games. Childs, more of an offensive threat, Tanner, a well-rounded, more defensive player. Then watching the U21 games this past season I really like the game of Herbert Jones. He's a younger guy but a guy whose game I like, who I may match up with some day.

Q: How do you feel about playing alongside of (#1 overall pick) Carlos Leñero?
A: Carlos is a great player, great defender, underrated on offense, very unselfish with the basketball. Obviously a freak athlete and he deserved to be picked where he was. It'll be fun playing with him and definitely a challenge, going up against him in practice. But it'll make both of us better.

Q: What's the first thing you're going to do with your first paycheck?
A: Well first I need to find someplace to live, then I want to take care of my parents, because you know they've taken care of me for my whole life. So now that I have the opportunity, it's only right that I should do the same for them.

Q: Well Patrick, it's been great having you with us. Good luck and welcome to DC!
A: Thanks, same to you. Good night.