Been rereading what I along with many others consider among the best primers on the process of writing.
Anne Lamott’s “Bird by Bird.”
It’s aimed at those wanting to write fiction, novels, short stories. But, there are more than a few observers believe fiction is what appears in this space a lot of the time.
One of her bits of wisdom is to follow where the story, plot development and flushing out of characters take the writer. Don’t be stubborn, locked in to what you thought might happen when you started typing.
On occasion in advance of a Cardinal game, a GameCap lede will come to me in advance, be it peripheral or pertinent. Sometimes it works win or lose. Like that I used for the Cal game the final week of the season.
Other times, it is victory specific. Which, for superstitious reasons, I’ll never write in advance.
Such as what was swirling around in my my hippocampus and amygdala before the Creighton tilt.
The whole bird thing. Cardinals vs. Blue Jays. Which bird was tougher, meaner? If that could be researched? I had in mind throwing in some college board lingo, the French term oiseaux, along with probably the term ornithological.
Well, given the result that wasn’t going to happen.
In the car the day after, a tune by a group called Futurebirds came on Sirius XM’s Jam Band site.
* * * * *
So, here I sit 72 hours after a sublime season ended with a disappointing one and done exit.
Not too early to contemplate, What Next?
It’s what we addicts do.
Futurebirds?
If all the current Cards who can come back do so — far far far from a given these peripatetic times — there’s a solid core in place.
Among the available futurebirds is pivot James Scott. Whom I thought of when reading an article about a Wofford big named Kyler Filewich. A woeful FT marksman, the story advises. So coach Dwight Perry suggested his charge start shooting them underhanded.
Chinanu Onuaku style.
Rick Barry style.
When the kid agreed to try it, they brought in scoring savant Barry to teach him the fundamentals.
Hannibal, PK, you listenin’?
It would also help if Hannibal bulked up a bit, and developed at least a modicum of a post up/ floor game. Waiting for the dish and dunk is nice, but one dimensional.
* * * * *
Another article I digested recently described how Todd Golden fashioned his Florida Gators rebuild on the way Danny Hurley built his championship rosters at UConn. Big, strong guards. Lots of options and presence underneath.
It’s a legit formula. He says, stating the obvious.
U of L could use upgrades in both regards.
Super commit Mikel Brown Jr. is 6-3. Koren Johnson is 6-2. Not tiny. Not tall.
I’ve seen photos of the German kid, Sananda Fru. He’s a solid 6-11, 245.
We have a sense about the others who can and might stick around.
Which brings us to new faces.
Rumors have swirled for months about an adidas-connected SG from Spain. But no news so far.
Then there’s Nate Ament.
About whose recruitment, I actually watched of videocast of some recruiting “guru.”*
*Forgetting the Lamottian advice I often give myself. Which is, don’t allow the whims of some ***** prep forward dictate my personal well being.
We’ ll know on April Fool’s Day when he’s set to announce.
I’d also like to see the Cards find some slashers. Guys who can put it on the floor and jet through the paint to the glass. Chucky Hepburn and Terrence Edwards could both get it inside and finish. But it was most always with guile and maneuvering rather than a head down blast to the basket.
Then again, I’m an old fart, whose career coaching record remains stalled at 0-0.
But I cannot wait to watch how it develops.
— c d kaplan