1. A championship for Okie's alma mater—Casper Natrona breezed through the regular season with a 23-3 record, dropping two to Cheyenne and one to Rock Springs. After cruising through the 2-B regional at Torrington, the Mustangs relished the host role and the home cooking and won four straight to nab the championship trophy, finally solving Cheyenne in the semis and posting a two-point squeaker over Laramie (and all-stater Ken Sailors) in the finale.
Cheyenne entered the state tourney as a favorite, as the Indians didn't taste defeat until mid-February. Folks in Cheyenne were starting to grumble about Cheyenne's post-season disappointments, and the John Powell-coached team again seemed to follow a pattern of overachieving during the regular season, but collapsing at state tourney time. Laramie impressed with a fine post-season showing, taking first at the 2-A regional and second at state. Rock Springs was the best from the SW finishing 4th in Casper. Lovell carried an undefeated regular season into district play but it was Powell, however, that surprised with a 3rd place finish at state. The trio of teams from the NE underachieved at state and that district was again ignored when it came time to pick the all-state tourney team. The NE was zero for the 1930s—well, since the beginning of the one class tourney in 1932—in having a hoopster accorded the all-state tourney honors.
Okie Blanchard finished the 1930s as the decade's best coach winning it all in '32, '35, '37, and '39 and it could be strongly argued that the cancelled '36 state tourney would've been another. Walter Dowler's '38 title in Rock Springs also had Coach Blanchard's Midas touch, as Dowler served as Blanchard's assistant coach prior to Okie's exit from Rock Springs.
2. Okie for UW Coach—In January, UW head coach Willard "Dutch" Witte announced that he was stepping away from coaching and entering private business. [Witte's 72%+ win percentage still stands as UW's best.] Witte's announcement triggered much speculation as to his successor, and organizations like the Rock Springs Chamber of Commerce suggested strongly that former Tiger coach Okie Blanchard be hired as the Cowboys' next coach. The search committee went in a different direction, hiring future hoops Hall of Famer, Everett Shelton, coach of the AAU Denver Safeways at the time, quite a popular team in the Rocky Mountain area.
3. A tweak in the three second rule—Wording in the three-second rule was changed to allow positioning in the outer half of the free throw circle. Prior to this, the three second rule applied to the lane and the entire free throw circle. Proponents of the high post offense are forever grateful. A sudden death overtime was tried, the first to score a field goal being declared the winner. It became trickier if the first made shot in overtime was a free throw, as the other team was allowed a chance for the win, although the Rat is unsure if he could explain the vagaries of the rule.
4. And the ladies?—Well, there are results, but many programs were shuttered down for good and the number of games played is WAY down compared to the previous years. The NE had the most teams and even played a one day, season-ending tourney in Big Horn in mid-March, naming an all-tourney team at its conclusion. I'm missing some of the first names of that all-tourney team, but suffice to say, had an all-state tourney team been held/named, several of these ladies would've been listed. The Rat's choice for state champion would've been Ranchester, who was never pushed in any of their games. The Yellow Jackets also had the state's best offensive player in Helen Ruth Johnston. Runners-up? Probably Jackson, then maybe Upton as a darkhorse contender.
Jackson's star player, Vida Henrie, deserves mention as one of the state's best, as well.
7. A cautionary tale—taking scores from yearbooks—Yearbooks from the 30s are wonderful sources, if a researcher can find them at all. I'm fortunate to have access to nice collections at the State Archives and the Laramie County library. As for accuracy, I tend to take yearbook sources with a grain of salt. Take, for example the Cheyenne High 1939 yearbook which lists hoops scores from the 38-39 season. Cheyenne's 35-22 win over Hanna is listed as a 56-30 romp. I'm more apt to believe the Wyoming State Tribune write-up, in that case. Also games with Midwest and Ft. Collins are not listed in the yearbook, while games versus non-prep teams like an alumni game and two versus a local lodge team, the Eagles, are counted into their listing of the season record as 22-6. I've got the season as 21-6 and the disparities I write off to production mistakes by eager, youthful chroniclers.
An easy thing to forget when eyeballing various hoops seasons is applying current Wyoming athletic classifications/demographics to results from that era instead of allowing for population growth, declines, and shifts. For example, why didn't Big Piney play more games with, say, Kemmerer? By today's ADM numbers, the neighboring (by Wyoming standards) schools are about a dozen students different in enrollment. However if you look at enrollments from the late 1930s, Kemmerer had around 170 students in their high school [similar to today's count] but Big Piney High School had about 20 kids, making it a Glendo-sized school, by today's standards.
Wyoming's population in the 1940 census was 250,742, the 2010 census is listed at 563,626. We're dealing with less than half the current population when talking about school size during the late 1930s.
It's a bit harder to calculate growth/decline of schools that consolidated, in fact I won't even go there, as I'm not sure how to display the data. It's also more difficult to get the counts of schools from towns with no newspaper, for instance, Hanna. I'd sure like their count from the season the Miners finished second at state.
Rozet managed to win the B portion of the District #4 tourney, salvaging a little glory for their demotion from the State Tourney-eligible octet. In the A ranks, Buffalo managed a close win in the finals over #1 seed Midwest, while Sheridan [the state champs in football] took third from host Gillette.
At state, the District #4 hoopsters were again shut out of the All-State Tourney team, a yearly occurrence dating back to the 31-32 season, the first season of one classification hoops in Wyoming. Buffalo duplicated their 37-38 tourney play, taking the #1 seed and not winning a game in Casper, good for a second consecutive 16th place finish. Midwest lost three in a row but took 14th with a final win (over Buffalo!) while Sheridan won two games to finish in 9th place.
Rat Droppings***From the Sheridan Press 2/28/39 –The Clearmont teams have officially adopted the name Panthers. Junior High teams will answer to the name of Comets.
Rat Droppings***I know a forfeit should be recorded as 2-0 but I'm going with the original scores to give an idea of how good Rozet was, particularly among the Class B ranks. In this entire portion of the District #4/Northeast, a W+ indicates a game was lost, but changed to a win. Same with the L+ for Rozet's year, but just the opposite, a win changed into a loss.
Twelve teams met in Torrington for the District 2-B Tourney, which turned out to be an easy romp for Casper Natrona with four pressure-free wins, the final one over the host team. Their round one win was against Shawnee, a minuscule school when compared to their opponent, the state's largest high school. Folks around the state were proposing a separate Class B tourney and Natrona's easy time of it during district play added fuel to that argument. Guernsey took the number three spot and earned the trip to Casper with a busy weekend of six games, dropping the first to Sunrise then winning five straight, avenging their Sunrise loss and ousting Lingle in the third-place game.
At Casper the Natrona Mustangs took it all, handing Okie Blanchard another state championship. In the semis they finally found the proper steps to defeating Cheyenne as the Indians had won both regular season games. Against Laramie (and All-State senior Kenny Sailors) the Mustangs eked out a two-point win. Torrington won two and finished 13th while Guernsey avoided last place (15th out of 16) with one win.
Sub-districts were created in District #2-A, one for the Goshen Hole area, another for the East Laramie County Conference, and a third for the four small Albany/Carbon County teams. From those sub-districts, two teams from Goshen, two from Laramie and one from Albany/Carbon were added to the three largest teams—Cheyenne, Laramie and Wheatland— to form an 8-team bracket for district tourney play. LaGrange and Yoder (Goshen Hole), Hillsdale and Pine Bluffs (East Laramie) and Rock River (Albany/Carbon) were the qualifiers. LaGrange won the conference tourney in Huntley while Yoder (which finished 3rd at Huntley) and Veteran (2nd) squared off prior to the actual District #2-A Tourney in Wheatland which Yoder won. In Rock River's case, they made the bracket by hosting and winning a four team sub-district tourney. No tourney was held for the East Laramie representatives, their appearance was based solely on making the top two spots in conference play.
Not that the sub-districts actually helped the smaller teams as all three Class A teams, earned the trip to Casper. Laramie and Cheyenne has split their regular season games, but Laramie found the edge in tourney play, taking top honors over the Indians. Wheatland overcame a first-round loss to Cheyenne and won three easy games over the smaller schools for third place.
Laramie played Casper Natrona for the state championship losing a heart-breaker by two points. Cheyenne made the semis at state but lost to Natrona and Lovell for 6th place. Wheatland finished 11th with one win.
Rat Droppings***The Laramie High School yearbook lists the Plainsmen's regular season record at 17-5. This includes an early December victory over a team from Ft. Warren in Cheyenne, definitely non-prep competition, so make that 16-5 heading prior to adding tourney results to the record.
It was decided early in the season at the state level that District #3 would send four teams to the state tourney in Casper, ending the automatic invite that had been extended solely to a SW team since the play-in game for the 16th seed was eliminated.
District #3 was divided into two classifications, X and Y, but X was essentially the twelve largest schools, while Y was the 8 smallest. A class Y tourney was played at Greybull the weekend before the District #3 tourney, with Shoshoni, Ethete, Burlington and Ten Sleep all qualifying for the Class X tourney the second weekend of March.
Lovell breezed through the regular season in the Big Horn Basin, extending a streak of 50+ wins against District #3 opposition that dated back to the 36-37 season. The #1 seed meant little, as they met their Waterloo in the semifinals at the District #3 tourney, losing to host Thermopolis. Thermopolis took the top honors with an overtime win over runners-up Powell. Lovell took third with a win over Worland. The four-day tourney in Thermopolis was staged much like the state tourney, with 16 teams in the bracket playing eight games each day. They awarded places from 1st through 16th.
At State, Powell finished with a fine third place showing, losing in the semis to runners-up Laramie. Lovell and Thermopolis both finished with two wins, taking 8th and 10th places. Worland managed only one win to take 12th place.
Pavillion***C. A. Elkins? James Bush?
(2/4 26 B Burlington 16 W CE) at Cody?
As in the past, all roads led to Green River for the annual District #1 tourney. The top four teams from the east (Rock Springs, Green River, Superior and Rawlins) were bracketed as Class A with the best quartet from the west: Evanston, Star Valley, Mt. View, and Kemmerer. The east was definitely the stronger section as the three qualifiers all came from there. Rock Springs won in the finals against the host Wolves, while Superior was, well, superior to Evanston in the battle for third and a trip to Casper.
The eleven other SW teams were loosely bracketed in a Class B portion of the tourney, which was won by Lyman over Hanna. Tourney organizers hadn't planned for that many teams and several places were determined by coin flips as all the games couldn't be contested.
At Casper, Rock Springs finished 4th with three wins, Superior 5th with three victories and Green River 7th with two wins, certainly the best combined showing of the five districts.
Rat Droppings***As in past years, Diamondville was a junior high that played their 9th graders only at the district tourney. During the season, they did play such high school teams as Pinedale, Big Piney and Granger, but also used their 7th and 8th graders in those games.
Rat Droppings***Historically, Encampment was a District #1 school, not part of the 2-A sub-district. So why were they at the season-ending tourney at Rock River? Simple, they were taking University Prep's place to make it a 4-team tourney. Prep had been hit heavy by flu and colds, and opted out of the two-day affair at Rock River. Encampment rarely played in the District #1 tourney at Green River, and this time finished their season in Rock River. A paragraph in the Encampment Echo mentioned the team was considering playing at the District #1 tourney in Green River, but apparently they opted not to play.
Rat Droppings***It's the first year for Granger hoops, I believe, as I've run across no other results involving the Bulldogs dating back to 1932, anyway. Notice that all of their games were contested on the road. Maybe they should've chosen the Rangers as a mascot, as the rhyme scheme just begs for a moniker like that. Since Kemmerer is reasonably close, alas, it was not to be. Maybe the Granger Danger?
Rat Droppings***DB is Don Bressler and VH is Vida Henrie, 20+ points scorers for Jackson.
2/21 at Big Piney ppd?
3/22 44 Wheatland 16 W wyo-bkb.com?
Meeteetse 6-8 .429 Otto Hejkal?


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simulations......Would these parameters work for ff03 forcefield too?
> >> they were not being superimposed).
> >> parameters are differing.
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Bed wetting we all know is something uncool. People who bed wet and everyone around them are usually uncomfortable! They both live in fear of waking up to a wet bed!
Bed wetting can be found in children and ADULTS (yeah) and this can damage the child or adult's self-image and confidence. The best way to prevent demoralization is for the people around these people to be supportive. Parents and siblings should reassure the child (or adult) that bed wetting is a common problem that has a strong genetic component and that they are confident that the child (or adult) will overcome the problem.
Since no one can say what causes bedwetting, it's okay to learn what can be done!
While a lot of people still struggle to cope with this issue, its nice if they are given tips and support to help them cope with bed wetting.
Coping with the issue should be done by both the child (or adult) and the parents or family.
1. Focus on the problem not the person.
2. Avoid blaming or punishing the person. Remember, they cannot control the bed wetting, and blaming and punishing will just make the problem worse.
3. Be patient and supportive, reassure and encourage the person often.
4. Do not make an issue out of it each time it happens. Tell them they would eventually outgrow it.
5. Enforce a "no teasing" rule in the family. No one is allowed to tease the person about the bed wetting, including those outside the immediate family (if they know).
6. Most importantly, do not discuss the bed wetting in front of others.
7. Encourage responsibility by making them understand that the responsibility for being dry is his or hers and not that of others around.
8. Reassure them that you want to help him or her overcome the problem.
9. Make clean-up easy to increase comfort and reduce damage; use washable absorbent sheets, layer sheets among waterproof bed covers, and use room deodorants.
In addition, have them help in the clean-up process.
10. Instead of focusing on making it through the night dry, help them understand that it is more important to wake up few times at night to use the toilet. Make sure they have easy access to the toilet. Clear the path from his or her bed to the toilet and install night-lights. Provide a portable toilet if necessary.
11. Reward them for remaining dry if possible. Rewards works for some children and may encourage them to have more dry nights.
1. Reduce evening fluid intake by avoiding drinks in the two hours before bedtime, especially drinks such as tea or sodas that contain caffeine.
2. Go to the bathroom before getting into bed.
3. Set a goal of getting up at night to use the toilet. If you can't do that alone, get someone to help you.
4. Consider using diapers or pull-ups at night if the issue gets out of hand. But if it would interfere with the motivation to wake up and use the toilet at night then don't do it.
5. Try some home made cure by taking natural honey daily for a month (I hope it works).
Whew! I guess I have nothing more to say about this.
So how do you see or cope with bed wetting?
Bedwetting is a disease... Makes everyone uncomfortable and the victim devastated!
I learnt this lesson ma:Wow, I love this information. Keep it up in dropping cool posts herein.


text:
The bias problem in tennis
Srinivas Murty
Jun 15, 2016 · 16 min read
Sharapova at her press conference
This is going to be long post and wind it's way to the point. I hope you have the courage — patience is of course is required in abundance — to indulge me. I am not a writer nor do I have any pretensions to being a journalist. Just a lifelong tennis fan, a big Borg, Edberg, Sampras, and Federer fan. And hundreds of other players, notably Nadal and Djokovic. But some events over the decades have drawn my attention and I thought I ought to voice my opinions here. So here goes…
A few things struck me as I read and heard the details of Maria Sharapova's press conference and announcement about her failing her drug test in January. The general mood in the tennis world, for that matter all of sport, was that she was caught, more or less guilty, and it was all over bar the shouting as far as imposing a ban was concerned. Sponsors dropped her like a hot potato, barring one notable exception, Head. By now, after several months, when we heard a variety of players and officials opine about what they felt was due process, a huge error in judgement, or outright cheating, we've come to another stage in the saga. Maria Sharapova has been formally found guilty by the independent tribunal and the ITF has banned her for two years. Sharapova has been contrite in public while using her Facebook page to fight back on the ban and the process. And she has filed an appeal, results of which will be in by July 18, 2016.
Sharapova, of course, did herself no favors by being icy cool and aloof with all her fellow players in the WTA tour. That fact has come to bite her, metaphorically speaking, in the rear end. Many players (Mladenovic, Cibulkova, etc.) have chosen to vent, casting aspersions about her performance having been "enhanced" to help her win her titles and similar allegations. Others have played it coy or making politically correct statements like "if she has done wrong, she has to suffer the consequences."
What constitutes cheating?
It is evident that in the history of modern sport, there have been many instances of athletes using banned, performance enhancing drugs (PEDs) to augment their capabilities. The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and its predecessors have been pursuing athletes and slapping bans where evidence has been found. In many cases, the evidence of drug use and the related performance enhancements have been well-proven. WADA has discussed situations where they are frequently chasing after athletes and spurious drug companies and agents to try and establish the latest methods being used. Often, much is unknown as athletes have apparently found ways to train and hide the use of these PEDs. In some cases, however, athletes have shown legitimate reasons why they took certain drugs. In some cases to manage a health problem, in other cases, through sheer ignorance or "honest" mistakes, athletes have attempted to prove their innocence. Some tennis players, like Marin Cilic of Croatia and Victor Troicki of Serbia, have been found guilty and served bans of varying durations. Their cases, though, are quite different. Cilic admitted to making a mistake in taking medication that was banned. Troicki had simply asked for permission to be tested the next day when the tester arrived. For doing so, he was judged guilty and slapped with a ban. Troicki's case is particularly sad given the complete pass given to Serena Williams who went into a panic room fearing that the tester was an intruder. Professional tennis players are supposed to expect surprise tests. It is surprising to see William's reaction as well as how, in a somewhat similar situation, Victor Troicki was not accorded the same leniency that she was. Richard Gasquet of France was absolved when he provided a somewhat spurious argument. Guillermo Cañas, however, was not so lucky and served a ban before returning to the sport. Most interestingly, Uzbekistan-born US player Varvara Lepchenko has been dogged by stories that she tested positive for Meldonium. It is interesting that several of the players who have borne the ignominy of bans and suspensions are from, shall we say, non-traditional tennis nations. Players like Djokovic and Goran Ivanisevic either stood by their friends and players, or were very outspoken about how they felt. Not so with those from "traditional" countries.
http://www.tennis.com/pro-game/2014/07/back-exile-viktor-troicki-returns-tennis/52185/#.V1xJxh9yuHt
So, what is it about the use of Meldonium and Eastern Europe? By now we know that hundreds, if not thousands, of athletes from various countries, particularly Russia, have tested positive for Meldonium. At the time of writing this post, it is assumed that most of those athletes will be banned and prohibited from either a world championship, international sporting events, or even the Rio Olympics. The entire Russian anti-doping system, already reeling under a cloud of suspicion, has been hit with a double whammy in the form of Meldonium.
What about evidence of Meldonium's performance enhancing capabilities? The answer is shrouded in mystery. It's Latvian manufacturer and several East European doctors that have prescribed it describe a medication that is used to address chronic problems related to the heart, low magnesium and a few other conditions. Some well-known US experts have also questioned whether it is any more of a stimulant than caffeine. Those who claim it is a spurious drug that ought to be banned of course are convinced that it is being used for dubious purposes. WADA's own answers to questions have definitely not helped clear anything. In fact, through the process of interview and discussions, it has become clear that WADA, as an organization, has a somewhat authoritarian and non-transparent process for identifying and classifying new PEDs. There is some doubt whether Meldonium is actually a PED or a slightly modified drug. At any rate, it is on the WADA banned list.
The recent questions about WADA's process have resulted in many people wondering not only whether Meldonium should be on the banned list but on the overall process used by WADA. One other issue that has arisen is about how long after stopping use of Meldonium does the body get rid of traces of the drug. In the absence of any leeway being provided by WADA, many athletes are in a quandary, claiming they stopped use several months prior to the effective date. And still being found positive. In fact, even medical experts are not clear how long it takes to be rid of. Under the circumstances, my reading of the situation has veered to a more political angle.
It is, of course, well known that the Russian anti-doping agency has been banned by WADA for it's dubious testing processes. The Meldonium cases that are sprouting up are primarily throwing up a large number of Russian names, Sharapova being the biggest catch. As with other issues, I would like to know why this is so. Western media has, over the years, painted a picture of Russians in general, and Russian athletes in particular, of being dubious individuals. Western media is replete with articles highlighting Russians as vodka imbibing profligates. And their athletes as cheats with an addiction to PEDs. The constant Russia baiting was quite evident when the entire apparatus of NBC, that covered the Sochi Winter Olympics, took every opportunity to portray the country in general, and it's leader, Vladimir Putin, in particular, in completely unflattering terms. I may be accused of conflating my point but I would suggest that there is a pattern here that has been used to advantage to perpetuate the evident guilt of Russian athletes. Given an audience that is fed a steady dose of anti-Russia propaganda, the general belief that all athletes admitting to having used Meldonium are guilty, is very high.
Despite several very well-written articles, like Meldonium Demystified: Getting To The Heart of the Science by Nikita Taparia, the powers that be have chosen to go ahead with their verdict. Sharapova has vowed to appeal to reduce the ban term. We do not know what the outcome of the appeal will be. But having seen how authorities, including the NFL, have chosen to deal with cases that have been scientifically disproved, our expectations have been lowered. Unless, of course, we choose to follow the party line and agree unquestioningly with what we are being fed. Our ability to form our own opinions is being clouded by the constant drumbeat of media voices that provide only a one-sided, often biased, version of the story.
Based on what I perceive to be western media bias, let's discuss a different aspect of perception-related issues. From the time professional tennis became the norm in the late 1960s and early 1970s, tennis has become a very popular sport, particularly in Western Europe, the USA, and Australia. Given that these regions were the traditional tennis powers, there were general norms of good behavior that was perpetuated from the various clubs and establishments that controlled the sport. From the early 1980s onwards, several famous East European players from satellite states of the USSR started emerging. Chief among them were Martina Navratilova and Ivan Lendl. Both were from Czechoslovakia and exceptional tennis players. Navratilova defected to the US and eventually attained citizenship. She, of course, famously faced other problems owing to her being gay.
On the other hand, Ivan Lendl, a great tennis player but one who was very much part of his Czech tradition, was often disliked and only grudgingly respected by his opponents. He was at times confrontational and did not easily give in to media and peer pressure. He became highly successful and very rich. Finally, when he retired, he became a US citizen and now lives there. The reasons for people disliking Lendl were varied. From his dour facial expressions to a somewhat mechanical, yet highly effective, style, and certain tactics like not hesitating to hit the ball straight at his net-rushing opponent, Lendl became a target for being a foreigner, a non-conformist. The thought of aiming for your opponent's head as he crowded the net was considered not good form. But little could be done because it wasn't illegal. But Lendl was also emblematic of an altogether different problem, namely, being from a Soviet-bloc country. With the dissolution of the USSR, one would have thought a lot would change. But has it really?
There have been waves of new tennis players, not only from Czechoslovakia (which split into two countries) but from hitherto unknown countries like Croatia (after Yugoslavia's break-up). During the 90s, a new wave of exciting and talented American men had reached the top of the rankings and were pretty much sweeping most of the important tennis titles. Occasionally, a player like Goran Ivanisevic would do well. But, of course, the media tended to roll it's eyes and shake it's head about Goran being Goran when frequently showed some crazy emotions or when he did something not in keeping with the traditional norms of tennis. Not that the media didn't go after someone like John McEnroe in the late 70s and 80s for his own weird and obnoxious antics. Around the same time, other players like Petr Korda had come up and played a uniquely different style of tennis. In case you haven't heard of this, Korda tested positive for steroids after he won the Australian Open in 1998, was banned from the game, and, shortly thereafter, retired. I'm not saying Korda was not doping. In all likelihood he was. After all, he claimed that he got nandrolone in his system from his penchant for eating veal! Some others have suggested that he would have had to eat 40 of the animals a day to exhibit the amount in his blood test! Nevertheless, it was a fairly humiliating end to a player who showed great flair and technique in his shotmaking.
During that same decade, we also had Russian Yevgeny Kafelnikov become a top-ranked player. He was good at singles and doubles and is, currently, the last male player to win both the singles and doubles title at a tennis major when he achieved the feat in 1996 at the French Open. Kafelnikov was a fine player but, in an era that included some of the greatest male players of all time, he was not very famous except with the tennis cognoscenti. He was also, apparently, quite a surly guy and someone who didn't have a lot of friends in the western media. That was to result in several years of post-retirement frustration, slights, and finally, a travesty. More on Kafelnikov at the end of this post.
From the late 1990s to the early years of the new century, a wave of East European players from countries like Russia, Croatia, and Serbia began to make a mark in tennis. This included both men and women. Europe's balance of power was shifting from it's mainly western established powers like France, Spain, and Germany to a greater swathe of territory. Along with this change, tennis' establishment realized these players games with oodles of talent, unorthodox styles, and some weird temperament. Chief among them at the time was Marat Safin. His demolition of Pete Sampras in the 2000 US Open was supposed to usher in the future of tennis in the new century. Safin was extremely talented but also Russian, hot tempered, and an avowed Muslim. Tongues wagged, eyes rolled, and heads nodded, each time Safin went crazy in the courts or imploded and took it out on his racquets. Off the courts (and, if we are to believe the reports, sometimes on it as well!), Safin was supposed to have a bevy of beautiful ladies around him, his so-called harem. All in all, Safin was a weird one, someone to be watched not only for his tennis but also for his "foreign" behavior. As if on cue, Safin didn't quite live up to his great potential, although he did win a 2nd major in 2005 and topped the male rankings.
There was also a wave of female tennis talent from Russia and Serbia, including the likes of Sharapova, Myskina, Dementieva, Kuznetsova, Safina (Safin's sister) and several others. From Serbia came two players, Ana Ivanovic and Jelena Jankovic.
These exciting new players from Eastern Europe were welcomed by most of the tennis world. These players were very talented, photogenic, and soon mopping up a lot of WTA titles and climbing the ranks. Some of them won Grand Slam titles and laid claim to the top rankings.
The male players from these countries also emerged in the early 2000s. Chief among them, players like Novak Djokovic of Serbia and Tomas Berdych from the Czech Republic. The former, especially, had the potential to become a world champion from very early days. Berdych too had several noteworthy wins. But neither his personality, nor his results, warranted much attention from the media.
Djokovic had a personality that was far more outgoing and crowd-pleasing. He laughed, he smiled, he joked around by imitating other players as an on-court, post-match gag or in locker room videos. He was also multilingual and fairly articulate. But he was a young man, barely out of his teens. And he had some physical and emotional battles including having to withdraw from a few tournaments owing to ill health. This particular issue became a major issue with the press and media who became fairly vocal about his tendency to call for medical timeouts (MTOs) or for retiring from matches. This also led to players like American Andy Roddick famously questioning whether he was indeed unwell. Djokovic fired back during an on-court interview in Roddick's home tournament, the US Open, causing a problem between the two players. His willingness to fight back, that too at an American, seemingly had a negative effect on his popularity. For several years, thereafter, Djokovic faced adverse reactions from many parts of the pro tennis tour. His parents who were very vocal in their support while he was playing, were admonished by Roger Federer for yelling out too loudly. Apparently, the will to fight back was as strong with Novak's parents as it was with him. His mother made no bones about what she saw as the future potential of her son. The media went to town, berating these parents for their "crassness" and for his mother saying things about the great Federer. In addition, any time Djokovic questioned an umpire or a line call, any time he had genuine medical issues, some of the top pros took it upon themselves to chide him.
The unfairness of this situation becomes evident when one looks at the various ways in which the media seeks to overlook statements made by other players. Federer, notably, yelled at Rafael Nadal's uncle Toni, asking him "Everything all right Toni?" during one of their matches. During a match at the US Open, he threw several F-bombs at the chair umpire but we hardly hear about this any more. When he lost to Berdych at the 2010 Wimbledon quarter-finals, his words during his obligatory post-match press conference suggested that he lost only because he was physically unwell. Of course, these were couched in the now-famous throwaway style of comments that Federer has been known for. Strangely, instead of Federer's comments being criticized, poor Berdych had to face the brunt of criticism for daring to rant about why Federer said what was obviously a not very sportsman-like thing. Federer has had a way of saying things in press conferences, needling his opponents, belittling them at times (remember his "Nadal's game is one-dimensional, not layered like Tommy" comment?). After a particularly tough loss to Djokovic at the US Open semi-finals, he even questioned Djokovic's shot selection at match point, suggesting that he had not been taught to play that way. It was obviously frustrating for him to lose the match and perhaps he was venting his emotions. Yet, people moved on.
The issue at hand, particularly with Djokovic, is that he has now completely revamped his health issues, his notoriously prolonged pre-serve ball bouncing routine, and toned down his responses during interviews by being extremely circumspect. He appears to be the consummate diplomat, choosing his words carefully. Djokovic has, from the early days, been very appreciative and respectful towards his opponents, openly applauding them during the match, and being extremely gracious in defeat. In addition to cleaning out his perceived problems, since 2011, he has become the dominant men's player by far. His record of wins is mind-boggling, his style of play quite unlike any other player. From his service return stance, to the quality of his returns, his unmatched athletic abilities, and his stamina, all these aspects of his game have made him what many experts now consider the greatest tennis player of modern times. While the title of "greatest" is debatable for any player, it must be heartening for Djokovic's fans to hear these words from famous players and coaches like Pete Sampras, Guillermo Vilas, Andre Agassi, Brad Gilbert, and Nick Bolletieri. And yet, the public in general, and the media in particular, have only grudgingly acknowledged his greatness. While they all reveled in their ooh's and aah's about Federer's stylish shot-making, and waxed eloquent at Nadal's grit, attitude, and determination, today's commentators are seemingly flummoxed at Djokovic's winning ways and unparalleled record over the last 5 years. We frequently hear expert commentators dwell on how opponents should play a certain short or adopt a certain style to beat him. This is quite unlike how Federer or even Nadal were (and are) being treated.
As I write this, we all know that Djokovic has reached heights of success that few male players have reached in nearly 50 years. Not only has he matched the feats of his great contemporaries like Federer and Nadal by achieving the Career Slam (winning all 4 major titles at least once in his career) when he won the 2016 French Open, he is the first male tennis player since Rod Laver to hold all 4 of these titles at the same time. Granted, Laver won all 4 in a calendar year. And traditionally, that is known as the Grand Slam in tennis. But the acknowledgement of Djokovic's unbelievable feat has been somewhat muted and treated as if it were a relatively less important achievement. Djokovic has, however, transcended any biases through sheer results. A quite remarkable feat that cannot be wished away by detractors.
There is another player who has increasingly been in trouble with the media and the public. Bernard Tomic is an Australian whose parents are from Eastern Europe, father from Croatia and mother from Bosnia. Tomic has been, for many years, considered one of Australia's top prospects. But owing to his off-court antics, as well as those of his father, he has often been in trouble with the Australian public and the top brass. Infamously, he has also, seemingly, "tanked" a match or two and caused considerable uproar in the Australian media. Tomic is not without fault but one must consider that he was a youngster in a country starved for tennis stars after an incomparable legacy of stars in the 20th century. His media critics, however, seemingly do not have any more patience for him. But the amount of lecturing and hectoring he has received from former tennis and sports stars in his country has bordered on the ridiculous. Dawn Fraser, the Olympic gold medalist swimmer, has even suggested that people like Tomic should go back where they came from. All this coming from a country whose cricketers are infamous for indulging in the art of sledging in cricket!
Apart from Tomic, we also have the case of Nick Kyrgios. Born to a Greek father and a Malaysia ex-princess mother, Kyrgios is considered to be even more talented in some ways than Tomic. And Kyrgios is prone to wearing his emotions on his sleeve. Quick to chatter at umpires for bad decisions, say audibly nasty things about an opponent, tank a shot or two, while also producing incredible tennis and taking out Nadal at Wimbledon. Kyrgios is perhaps, arguably the best young talent in the world. The problem is not that he does not have issues. He does tend to lose his cool and emotions, say outrageous things both on and off-court, and general behave in a very abrasive manner. However, Kyrgios has been co-opted by his sponsor Nike and the ATP into their #NextGen marketing hype. Consequently, while he is still on watch for shooting his mouth off and fined frequently, he certainly isn't being treated the same way as Tomic.
The peculiar case of Yevgeny Kafelnikov and ITHF
Which brings me to the problem of Yevgeny Kafelnikov and the International Tennis Hall of Fame (ITHF). Kafelnikov is a Russian who won multiple Grand Slam titles including being the last male player to win both the singles and men's doubles titles in the same major. In 2015, ITHF informed him that he was being nominated to the Hall of Fame. The ITHF follows the nomination with a ballot process where nominees are up for votes to get selected for induction into the Hall of Fame. Kafelnikov, doubtless overjoyed at the news, tweeted a copy of the letter to his followers. Unfortunately, he didn't read the letter carefully. It specifically requested him to keep the information private until the ballot was announced in September at the US Open. For not keeping his mouth shut, or his fingers quiet, Kafelnikov was punished by not being voted in. This nomination had been long overdue, and players with a more inferior record had been inducted into the Hall of Fame. I wonder how Kafelnikov would have been treated if he belonged to another country.
I've stated my opinion and impressions based on various aspects of media I have followed over the last 4 decades. I have not even gone into details of some players like Ilie Nastase or Olga Morozova. It is fairly evident to me that the media likes players to be in a certain category of appearance and behavior. Players from non-traditional countries, particularly from Eastern Europe and Russia, are expected to behave a certain way. Else, they face the consequences of the media's derision, whisper campaigns, or even persecution.
Lifelong tennis fan, musician, entrepreneur, tech geek. I have opinions on various topics, generally open to change.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


We hire out the equipment, without a member of staff to accompany you, for people who have already done unsupported river trips and understand the safety and planning aspects of SUP on rivers. We charge ฿1000 per board per day (reduced to ฿700 per day for trips of 7 days or more). You can generally pick up from 7am, but you need to return the board and equipment before sunset on the same day. You will need to look after the board, including not damaging the fins or leaving it in the sun (where it might explode)!
Our equipment is modern and very reliable.
For these unaccompanied hires, we will also require that you leave with us a passport or Thai driving license / ID card. Alternatively, you can give us a copy of this document plus ฿5000 deposit, all of which we will secure on our premises and will be returned upon return of the equipment.
Note that we will require you to demonstrate an expert level of competency on the board, on the river, prior to allowing this type of rental. To be clear YOU WILL NEED TO SHOW EVIDENCE OF COMPETENCE AND EXPERIENCE WITH RIVERS IN FAST FLOW. An example of this might be a record of paddles on the Paddlelogger App. Also, we will still brief you on safety and hazards to avoid.
Board (ready to go), paddle, leash and personal flotation device.
Bring board shorts or just PE shorts and a T-shirt or long sleeved shirt. Slap on a hat and slop on some sun cream and you'll be good to go. Bring a towel as there is a chance you might get wet. Bring a water bottle so you can take a drink. A dry bag is useful for phones and wallet – if you don't have one, we have them in our shop at the base.


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text:
Writing Coaching
The Vision Project
Billy Cobham•Books
UK's Jazzwise Mag Review: "Knowledgeable and Penetrating"
August 28, 2018 by briangruber No Comments
We continue to bat 1,000 with reviews. This one from Jon Newey, editor-in-chief of Jazzwise, the UK's biggest selling monthly jazz magazine and the leading English language jazz magazine in Europe. "An interesting concept… his questions are knowledgeable and penetrating… rather than dallying in the kind of film-flam that obfuscates the detail, memories and opinions that make a biography breathe… Fast paced with anecdotes pouring from every page, it wraps with Cobham describing his dream line-up to play with. Want to know who? Then go grab a copy."
Good idea, Jon!
To order the book, or view other reviews, visit our book page on Amazon.
Click on the article below to read the rest (buy it online at jazzwisemagazine.com or on newsstands).
Jazz FM London Interview
by briangruber No Comments
Here is my interview on London's Jazz FM, the UK's "home of jazz, soul and blues" on Nigel Williams' Saturday show, August 25th, considered, I'm told, Jazz FM's highest rated weekly program. Go to their website till this Saturday to hear it (I'll get a copy to post after that) or read the interview below.
https://www.jazzfm.com/player/od/items/1016/
NIGEL WILLIAMS: So lovely, Aretha Franklin, "It Only Happens." Now for drumming fans, get ready for a conversation for a new book about Billy Cobham coming up in just a minute. First let's take a classic moment from him in, "Red Baron."
"Red Baron" by Billy Cobham at 23:40. Interview commences at 29:00.
NIGEL WILLIAMS: My first guest is the author of "Six Days at Ronnie Scott's: Billy Cobham on Jazz Fusion and the Act of Creation." His name is Brian Gruber, who is actually in Thailand at the moment. Brian, whereabouts are you?
GRUBER: I'm on a beach on the north part of Koh Phangan, Thailand and the sun is going to go down shortly and it's a beautiful day and you should be here.
WILLIAMS: Yeah, I think we should be, yes, we are all very, very jealous now. Let's come back to London Soho then, and focus on Ronnie Scott's. Your book is called "Six Days at Ronnie Scott's." The obvious question is, what's it all about?
BRIAN GRUBER: I've known Bill Cobham for a while. The longer I knew him and thought I knew all of his stories, every time we would be driving somewhere or backstage at a show, he would have more and more new stories. What do you mean you were in a play with Muhammed Ali? And, what do you mean you jammed in a dance band with Jimi Hendrix at the New York Armory? And finally, I said, you've got to get these stories down. You owe it to yourself and to your fans. When he told me he was doing this six day gig with the UK's fabulous Guy Barker arranging his best songs, with a really top-shelf 17-piece big band, I thought, what an interesting opportunity to go backstage, go to all the rehearsals, the load-in, the sound check, see the chatter between the musicians, how they set up their gear, and overlay six days backstage at this iconic club with six decades of a legend's musical life. I think that technique worked and what came out of it is a book that a lot of people are enjoying.
WILLIAMS: I think that the mark of a good read is something that conjures up pictures and just in that description, you're already putting yourself backstage and seeing these conversations happen.
GRUBER: Yeah, and to me, I don't know whether it's a fetish, I love being in a club hours before, during a sound check, seeing how these masters test how the acoustics are in different parts of the room, listening to them decide what's on the playlist, to me, that's, to use an American term, the "inside baseball." What I tried to do, in addition to telling Bill's best stories, was to give a sense of what that experience is like, especially at an extraordinary place like Ronnie Scott's.
WILLIAMS: How does he, Billy Cobham himself, see this? Because quite often, with these really great artists, you speak to them and effectively, they are not thinking about it, they are just being themselves. Or, others, it really does go to their head. Which is he?
GRUBER: I was sitting with Michael Watt, one of the owners of Ronnie's, and Bill was onstage, joking and being self-deprecating and Michael turned to me and said, "He shouldn't do that. He's a legend." Bill has fierce pride about his music but is also very humble about it.
The deal we had is, it's my book, I'll have creative control but everything that I write you will be able to see before it's published, and if there is anything too intimate or personal or wrong, then we'll change that. And there were a lot of things about his family, about race, about his relationship with John McLaughlin, that were very personal. Finally, I persuaded him, that in order to tell your story, it's your call, but we should keep these things in the book, and we did. So, I think for Bill, 74 years old now, he has never had a full-length book, a work like this, written about him, and I think there was a level of trust based on our relationship over the years. I had full access, I interviewed his wife and his brother, so many people, and ultimately I think he trusted me and I had a passion to tell his story.
WILLIAMS: It sounds like an absolutely fascinating read. Any fan is obviously going to enjoy this. Brian, we will be looking forward to seeing you when you come back to the UK, and do another one of these. Any other artists in mind that you would like to do a similar treatment to?
GRUBER: No, but I'll tell you, it was so much fun for me. I had dinner with Bill and Kenny Barron and Ron Carter in Phoenix a few weeks ago. It's a great privilege to hear and tell the story of a musical legend, or a political or business legend for that matter. Loved doing it and would love doing it again.
WILLIAMS: Brian, thanks very much indeed. Let's play some Billy Cobham now, here with the Mahavishnu Orchestra, back from 1971, the legendary "You Know, You Know."
Post-song:
WILLIAMS: Now how about that for some drumming then. With the Mahavishnu Orchestra, Billy Cobham there with "You Know, You Know," much sampled that track, the album is, The Inner Mounting Flame from 1971. If you are interested in the book, it's called, "Six Days at Ronnie Scott's: Billy Cobham on Jazz Fusion and the Act of Creation."
Koh Phangan•Writing Workshop
Weekly Writing Group at Orion
On Koh Phangan? Come to our free weekly writers group meetup at Orion's gorgeous waterfront Beach Shala. Gather by 7pm, start promptly at 7:15. Each week, we do two writing exercises, then share the results. Sprinkled in are writing tips and of course the opportunity to connect with new and old friends. Come early at 6 for a healthy vegan meal, free coaching on your writing project, an hour of sunset Yoga or some solo writing. We had 15, a perfect size group last week, intimate with a great group of characters. And this week we will get news from Noga Polansky of the next Phangan Slam spoken word event at Green Gallery. And sign up at the Writers of Koh Phangan Facebook group for ongoing news and notices about events.
Brian Gruber is an author, writing coach, and marketing consultant living on the Thai island of Koh Phangan. He has spent 40 years studying, leading, and founding new media companies and projects.
Aaron Wexler Continues to Rock His Podcast in Advance of New Book
Support Satyama's Campaign for "The Tao of Tantric Yoga"
Wendy May's "Regenerative Purpose" Now Available as Audiobook
"Surmountable" Kickstarter Campaign is Funded at $15,001 With 83 Backers
2018 JazzTimes Readers Poll Names "Six Days at Ronnie Scott's" One of Year's Top Four Jazz Books
On The Road to Mosul: Iraqi Soldiers on The Origins of ISIS
Sand Scribes
Surmountable
These Three Things Are True
War: The Afterparty
Writers of Koh Phangan
© 2019 copyright Gruber Media | All rights reserved


There are other aspects of the story like saving a party member from being digested in the belly of a huge dragon, discovering the mystery of the dungeon-world like who created it, how is it sustaining, and what is at its heart (was it a wizard-king and is there a great treasure??), and learning about the various races that make up the dungeon, including the adventurers from the world above.
For another Delicious in Dungeon recipe, check out my Golem Field Fresh Stewed Cabbage!
This post is in conjunction with an episode of Fiction Kitchen Podcast (finally, we're back!). I talk about Delicious in Dungeon, and Carrie talks about the anime adaptation of Death Note.
Pour the warm water into a large mixing bowl & sprinkle in some sugar. Add the yeast & let sit for a minute & then stir gently. Let sit for another 5-10 minutes to foam up.
In a medium pan on medium heat stir together 3 Tbsp. olive oil, the diced onion, & garlic, & cook until tender, ~3 minutes.
To the yeast in the mixing bowl stir in the milk, salt, sugar, & cooked onion/garlic mixture, + 2-3 Tbsp. of the optional rosemary. Stir in the flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until it comes together.
At this point you can use the dough hook on your mixer for a few minutes, or you can the dough out onto a lightly floured surface & knead by hand for about 10 minutes, until the dough becomes smooth & elastic.
Lightly oil a large bowl (I like to wash & dry the mixing bowl & use that) & get oil on your hands too. Ball the dough up & get oil all around it. Place it in the bowl & cover with plastic wrap or a warm, slightly damp towel. Let sit in a warm place to double in size, about 1 hr or so.
Punch the dough down & turn it out onto a lightly floured work surface. Knead it a bit just to get the air out, & then let it rest for a few minutes.
Oil a large baking pan* & lay the dough on it, pressing & stretching it out to about 1/2"-1" thickness (you don't have to be really exact). Dimple the dough all over with your fingertips or the handle of a wooden spoon (you can do it in a pattern or not, no biggie) & brush with oil. Cover again & let puff up for about 30 minutes in a warm place (a dish of hot water in an OFF oven works great).
*You can make 1 large focaccia in something like a 9"x13" pan, or you can cut the dough in half & make 2 rounds (which is what I did).
Preheat your oven to 425ºF. Cook 2 Tbsp. of olive oil with the julienned onions until just tender. Spread the cooked onions over the puffy, dimpled dough & sprinkle with cheese*, a little salt (can be sea salt) & optional chopped rosemary.
*You can put the cheese on halfway if you're worried about it getting too brown, depending on preference & the type of cheese you are using.
Bake on the middle rack for about 20 minutes or until golden brown (pay attention to your oven & turn the pan if needed to cook evenly). Remove from oven & slide the focaccia on a wire rack to cool slightly before eating. Wonderful as is, or serve with pieces of sliced (dragon!) steak on top & a red sauce drizzle (see below).
In a medium pot on medium-low heat, melt 1/2 cup sugar to amber, swirling it instead of stirring.
Remove from heat & add in 1/2 cup of well-mashed raspberries. The mixture will seize up, but don't worry!
Return the pot to low heat & add in 1 Tbsp. of balsamic vinegar, plus fresh ginger & red pepper flakes depending on how spicy you want it. Stir until the sugar is re-melted & the sauce has thickened.
Let the meat rest for several minutes on a plate or cutting board before cutting. Cut AGAINST the grain of the meat, never in the same direction as the grain! The grain is the path of the muscle fibers. When you cut perpendicular to this you get a tender, easily chewable bite.
If you'll be putting meat onto the focaccia like in the manga, make thin, bite-sized slices.
Delicious in Dungeon is published through Yen Press in the US. You can find out more here.
Check out this awesome stop-motion DinD cooking video!
Snag 2 DinD recipe cards here!