Friday, March 25, 2011

End of the Season...The Parliament Endures

Parliament Fans! Parliament member 31 here with an update.

It is a bitter sweet feeling when the season ends. You wanted to go far in the tournament and enjoy the feeling of winning. However, now that the season is over you now have more time to spend with family and friends. We dedicate a lot of time to our craft and need some down time here and there. 
The worst thing that could have happened to Temple basketball is the fact that we got past the first round. What is the cause of such a negative conclusion? It is because now we have tasted victory and we want more. After losing in the first round for 3 years in a row, we got a win and now we have an addiction. So, with renewed vigor and confidence the Owls will be back in the gym working on our game ASAP. 

In other Parliament news...

We have a winner in the "Touches from Bench" department. Drum roll please!.......It's a tie! John Poulos and Dutch Gaitley both led the Temple Owls with 6 touches a piece. But, concidering this is our blog and Poulos is a trainer and not a member of the Parliament, the winner is Dutch. A little wrong? I know, but we do this because, well, we can. It is just the Parliament flexing it's muscles, who should by the way, be its own governing entity at Temple University. 

The Parliament will continue to blog throughout the summer and keep everyone updated on events pertinent to Temple Basketball. All I am hoping for is not a repeat of last summers Delco Pro Am fiasco. I wanted to play in this  league in King of Prussia really bad. So for a while leading up to the first game I was looking for a team. It was finally looking like I could play for Haverfords team. I have a connection at Haverford and it seemed as though I would be able to get on that team. It was not until my connection called me and told me the  disheartening news, "Yo Jake. I just talked to the guys and you lost your spot to Hakim Warrick." A whole summer of me or 3 games of Hakim Warrick? I would have chosen the Bentley driving, national champion, and multi-millionaire too.  

Post Scriptum

I almost wrote an entire blog without mentioning Jimmy!
 Sooooooooo,  now I must do so. 
I asked Jimmy what he thought of my new hair style and he said, "It's a good look for you. But, it is not nearly as adorable as mine. I actually stopped traffic on Broad Street with these waving, luscious locks while causing adoring Parliament fans to cry at the site of me like Justin Bieber fans at his concerts."

Go Owls!

DJJ

Friday, March 18, 2011

Fernando Fuego

Number 31 here reporting from Tucson, Arizona. The Owls have made the long trip to Arizona. The weather is perfect and we now await our next opponent, San Diego State.

 

“Fernando Fuego.” That is the nickname that I bestowed upon Juan Fernandez earlier this year. The best part about having a nickname is when the name actually takes literal form. Fuego, means “fire” in Spanish and on fuego he was. The Temple Owls bench sat with arms linked as the seconds dwindled down. I, of course was in my normal seat in the Parliament watching the proceedings next to Dutch who was literally shaking.  Since this is Dutch's first time at the dance he is trying not to step on any toes while he pirouettes, but he still gets nervous.   Juan hit the game winner to propel us into the next round. Our hearts were pounding and that ball seemed like it was in the air for hours. When the ball went in all composure was lost on the bench. The Parliament got a nice picture on ESPN showing our reaction.  Dutch is shown holding everyone back and boxing out like he never boxed out before, while Jimmy looks like he just saw Richard Simmons in the crowd. I, on the other hand, look like I have no clue what is going on. That is because at that moment when the shutter snapped I was almost unconscious. Dutch, doing his normal flailing about, managed to elbow me right in the chin. My thoughts at the time were, " Take the punch like Rocky did and not like Apollo Creed. Please don't end up on the 'Not Top Ten.' Please. Please. Please." Thankfully, I retained consciousness and was able to run out on the court with my teammates.

 

If you are a faithful Parliament Blog reader then you will know that I often “space out” and think of things like Juan’s Dos Equis commercials. So, once again I did my normal spacing out and thought of a few different endings for our game versus Penn State. I asked myself, “What if Anthony Lee made the last shot?” I then saw the following scene in my head. First, he would run over to the sideline and jump on the press table. He would then reach in his socks and pull out a microphone and let everyone hear his latest single, “All about the Ring” (you can check it out on his Facebook page, the song is hot).

 

The other scenario I thought of was about me making the game winning shot. Two words, “Brandi Chastain.”

 

So the Owls with remain in the desert for a few more days. We have quickly celebrated the victory and are no longer dwelling on it. We look ahead to the next game with coach Dunphy as our fearless leader.

Just as a side note its Brian Scalabrine’s birthday today (personal hero of the parliament). So, birthday wishes go out to an honorary Parliament member.

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

PENN STATE...I just wanna dance with somebody!!!

PSU is a great team. They were struggling in the beginning of the year, but they have really caught fire at the end of the season. If we are going to advance we have to concentrate on all the little things during the game and make sure we do our best in guarding Taylor Battle, he is a great player.

6:00 PM. March 12, 2011. The day my dream finally came true. No, we did not shave Jimmy's head at that time. No, Juan did not finally learn how to speak coherent English. It was when we were selected to play PSU in Tucson. My dream has always been to be part of a team going to "the dance," and I am finally realizing that dream with my teammates. That was my reason for transferring to Temple. Well, one of the reasons. I also wanted to be a part of a Young Polo track, and run my hands through those gorgeous yellow locks of the one, and only Mr. McDonnell, #pause. Maybe get a chance to help coin an ABeezy saying. So when it came to the time when our name was to be announced I was the most nervous of anyone on the team. The entire time I couldn't stop shaking my legs. I was as nervous as Rahlir whenever we get on a flight and the door closes and he realizes that he can not escape. When our name was finally announced it was an amazing moment, thus the reason I jumped up and looked like a complete fool since everyone else was still sitting down. So far our trip to Tucson has been great. Jimmy has been running around trying to hug the cacti (editor's note: this is a true statement, no joking here), I have been on a dedicated quest to get to an In-N-Out Burger with the help of T.J.'s handy, dandy IPhone, and Scootie's foot has been getting more interviews then our Most Improved Player himself. We are all very focused for this game, to the extent Khalif has even memorized Battle's social security number, his favorite teletubby, and what kind of deodorant he wears. Hopefully we will be lucky enough to win the game tomorrow and advance to Saturday.

Go Owls!!!

DJJ!!!

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Gingers, Wesley Snipes and Atlantic City

Parliamentiers! XXXI here with yet another update on Temple Mens Basketball. A nice win over LaSalle Saturday gave us a perfect record at home this season.  It was a great way to send out our seniors on Senior Night. Aaric Murray did his thing with two crazy dunks. 
In case you did not notice the triad was united and escorted senior center Dutch and his grandmothers down the red carpet during the Senior Night festivities. The Parliament always stands together! 

Right now we are in Atlantic City in the hotel. We await our next foe, LaSalle, which will be our third time playing them this year. We need to come out strong in order to win this game and advance to the next round.

Now for some other pertinent Parliament news...

When we are on the road the Parliament becomes subjected to many taunts by the student section. Being the red head of the Parliament it is safe to say I get most of the degrading comments. At Duke one particular student singled me out during warmups. He stood on the side of the court the entire time and tried to get my attention by screaming with his nerdy, 2200 score on the SAT voice, saying, "Jake! Jake! Jake! You are not 6 feet tall! Why would you list yourself as 6 feet? Look at me Jake! We are the same height!" Eventually that guy would pull out the secret weapon or term that most Parliament vilifiers use when all else fails. That word is "Ginger."
When I would cut hair really short no one knew I had red hair. Now that I'm growing it out a bit the "Ginger" comments have been prevalent among screaming fans. South Park had an episode on how "Gingers" have no soul. They classify a Ginger as someone who has red hair, freckles and pale skin. Since I do not have freckles and am not so pale skinned, I'm considered a "Day Walker." I heard about this term from one of our managers, Tyler Laurie. During our UMass game I was called a "Day Walker" by a student.  Laurie got my attention and said with excitement and laughter, "Jake! He called you a Day Walker!  At least he knows his stuff." I agreed with Laurie and I am proud to be made fun of with such accuracy. 
When I told Dutch about the obnoxious fan and explained the Ginger terminology he turned a comment that was meant for evil into a term that has changed my outlook on being a Ginger, thus, using it for good. Dutch said that I am the "Blade" of Gingers. Dutch was referring to Wesley Snipes awesome comic book and movie adapted character. Blade was a hybrid, human/vampire killing machine. So, due to his unique genetic makeup, he could walk in sun light. I too can walk in sunlight without getting a sunburn that would turn a real Ginger into a walking lobster. However, I will not walk around with a sword and wear a black trench coat or have Ryan Reynolds as a fellow Parliamentier (but, we would substitute Jessica Biel for Jimmy, even though he has better hair). Instead, I will walk amongst the rest of the human race unnoticed. 
So please fans, keep the Ginger comments coming. It will force me deeper into my alter ego, "Blade." I will be like Batman and embrace my fear and choose to use it against my enemies. How do I do that? One word, "win."

Go Owls!

DJJ

Friday, March 4, 2011

La Salle...One of the Best Big Men in Temple History

Hello Parliament Fans, sorry it has been so long since I, #45, has posted, but Jake has done such a great job with the past couple of entries that I wanted to get some good material together. We have our regular season finale tomorrow afternoon and it is going to be a great game. We will honor the seniors and hopefully end the season with a win against a team that is playing very well as of late. Also, they will be looking for revenge after we beat them on their home court.

Senior Night. As a school and a team we will be honoring one of the best big men in the long history of Temple Basketball. Everyone knows this players stats and how he is a great rebounder, just an overall amazing player. He has performed extraordinary when he is on the court. Sometimes he was criticized for his lack of passion on the court, but that has surely changed this year. As a team and school Temple will undoubtedly miss him next year when he takes his next step in his basketball career. Of course I am talking about....myself, Dutch Gaitley. I still remember my first day at Temple back in August. I basically knew no one on the team. Unless you classify "knowing someone" as "getting dunked on in summer league," then yes me and Lavoy know each other very well. I showed up the first day for a team meeting and introduced myself to the guys and the first comment I received, from Craig, "Damn where did we find this huge manager?" I walked in wearing a pair of sandals where the big toe is separated from the other toes, a normal piece of attire worn at Monmouth, my old school, and the guys looked at me like I was from a different planet. I think this is where Aaron Brown started one of his many sayings by looking at me, then down at my feet, saying his head and saying "say no more, so no more cudi," and walking away. It took a couple weeks to get to know the guys, learn the offense, but the hardest thing to get acclimated to was Juan's accent. Even now, after rooming with him on the road and listening to his horrible singing of Miley Cyrus, Taylor Swift, Selena Gomez, Justin Bieber, etc., it still sounds to me like he has peanut butter on the top of his mouth. Then I had to come to grips with the idea of bringing sun glasses to every team function. Why you ask? No it is not because of Anthony Lee's shinny new metallic jumpsuit and matching shoes, hat, scarf, and mittens, its because of the strict commandment handed down by 6 pound 8 ounce Baby Jesus himself, thou shalt not look directly at Jimmy's hair. It is like Medusa's hair, if you look at it directly then you will immediately turn to stone. It almost happened to Jake, but since he is a Ginger he is immune to these sorts of things. So these were the things I had to learn when I transferred to Temple. And hopefully the walk on that takes my spot next year will read the blog and learn these rules because if not he could be in trouble.


Go Owls!!!

DJJ...Do John Justice