Summertime is the best. It means freedom, pools, water ice, and roller coasters. Everyone hopes that this summer will always be better than the last. So far, summer has treated the Parliament well. We are still the best governing body at Temple and we still hang out all the time. The other thing that summer brings is the striving for goals. Some players want to work on their handles, jump shot or post moves. The Parliament however, has different goals. These goals are more like wishes.
Dutch wants to maximize his potential in the weight room and wishes only to have an upper body that will rival anyone at the beach. He calls it his,"Jersey Shore" workout. He is getting their and his wish just may come true.
Jimmy stares into the sky every night and sings,"When You Wish Upon A Star," (Jiminy Cricket's version) asking only for a fluffy unicorn. Jimmy wishes he could ride that unicorn to foreign lands all summer. We have tried relentlessly asking Jimmy to deviate from his nightly ritual by claiming that unicorns are not real. Jimmy always responds with," I saw one! It was pink and fluffy! And it told me it loves playing basketball with the Care Bears." We are making progress with Jimmy and we hope to cure him of this grand fictional animal believing sickness.
I have a much different wish. I want to have a situation like " Enemy of the State" or " Eagle Eye," happen to me. I want to be sitting on my couch one day and have men dressed in black with guns drawn and terrible aim from an agency I had no clue existed, break through my door. I would them jump out of my window on to a truck that is perfectly placed out on the road. After a few days of close encounters I discover the real reason why they are after me. They want to stop a certain underground movement that I am apart of, the Parliament. The final scene would be me, exhausted and weaponless, asking for the mercy of my pursuers. But what they do not know is that I am not alone. Two, rather large men, drop out of the ceiling. They wear clothing bearing the Parliament symbol. Stunned, the pursuers begin shooting. Suddenly, they are blinded. Jimmy's hair begins radiating blonde blinding light that is as sweet as the suns rays. Dutch places his hand out and stops the bullets in mid air. Then I am whisked away on a strange being, a pink, fluffy unicorn.
DJJ
Rock on Parliament Fans!!!
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
The Off Season: Time to Recruit
A lot of aspiring players always ask me how to become a walk-on and if it is worth it. They ask about the process and if it is hard to get a spot on the team. What is it like? What are the benefits? I answer these inqisitive questions with relative ease. However, others ask a more specific question, "How do I become a member of the Parliament?" This question is not so easy to answer. It requires a long explanation that some are not meant to hear. It requires time, love, and a little bit of the "it" factor. So please, open your mind and visualize the scene that makes a Parliament member excepted into this super, awesome, and totally gansta group.
The trainging is rigorous, painful, and not for the faint hearted. First, you will have to climb the "1,000 Steps of Truth" until you reach the guru, the master, the one true warrior; Dutch Suzuki Mozumoto. You will find him sitting on the very air you breath, Indian style. He does not speak with words. He requires his padawan learners to take a vow of silence and learn how to speak with cheering. He will teach you "Bench Jiu-Jitsu, "The Kung Fu Clap", and "The Karate Cheer." After months of training in the Himalayas, you will then meet Jake Foo Man Choo and James Hyabusa. There, and only there, can your training be complete by using all your knowledge in a " cheer off." At the very top of the Himalayas you will combat Jake Foo Man Choo and James Hyabusa while sitting on a bench made of the cheers of walk-ons in physical form. If you defeat these gigantic warriors you are officially a member of the Parliament...
The trainging is rigorous, painful, and not for the faint hearted. First, you will have to climb the "1,000 Steps of Truth" until you reach the guru, the master, the one true warrior; Dutch Suzuki Mozumoto. You will find him sitting on the very air you breath, Indian style. He does not speak with words. He requires his padawan learners to take a vow of silence and learn how to speak with cheering. He will teach you "Bench Jiu-Jitsu, "The Kung Fu Clap", and "The Karate Cheer." After months of training in the Himalayas, you will then meet Jake Foo Man Choo and James Hyabusa. There, and only there, can your training be complete by using all your knowledge in a " cheer off." At the very top of the Himalayas you will combat Jake Foo Man Choo and James Hyabusa while sitting on a bench made of the cheers of walk-ons in physical form. If you defeat these gigantic warriors you are officially a member of the Parliament...
Monday, April 4, 2011
You Reach For The Stars
Hello Parliament Fans!!! Yes we are still here and we are as hype as ever. Like you Temple fans, we too have been missing the games and practices. Jimmy has missed the end of the bench hype squad so much that he has been seen at the SAC giving chest bumps to the wraps guy, "GREAT JOB WITH THE MAYO!" If you are still watching basketball you know that the National Championship is tomorrow and its going to be a great game between Butler and UCONN. And if you are a true basketball fan you know that the best part doesn't happen until after the game: One Shining Moment. This is a video montage of all the best clips and sound bites from the tournament. Since I've been a little kid it has been my dream to be part of this segment, just like its been Jake's dream to dance with the lollipop guild from 'The Wizard of Oz.'. Considering since I did not get any time in the tournament :(, I'm betting on my running out and hugging Juan to be on the clips. If this does happen it will be one of the best moments of my life, even better than when Juan discovered he was able to download Mariah Carey's Christmas Album in Espanol on iTunes. So while you are watching the game, be on the lookout for 1.9 seconds of fame. However, if I am not on 'One Shining Moment' then something drastic will happen. Be afraid Jimmy's hair, be very afraid.
GO OWLS!!!
DJJ
GO OWLS!!!
DJJ
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
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.
“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!!!
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
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
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