An Email Exchange in prep for IV, Part 1

On Wed, Feb 13, 2013 at 9:30 AM, Anthony Hopkins wrote:

Jeff, as you know PCTI IV is rapidly approaching and the blog is "quiet" at best. Do you think it's because we used up all of our ideas the last couple years or is it because PCTI has not been as big of a priority for alot of us?

Since I have been struggling to write a unique article, I figured I would copy on of my favorite pieces by one of our favorite writer's, Bill Simmons. He and Malcolm Gladwell have had email exchanges on various topics in the past and I thought you and I could do it for PCTI. So let's get started.

What are you most looking forward to in PCTI?

Who are you most excited about playing with this year?

How have the games been down in Dallas? I miss not having to organize games. Just showing up and playing is much better.

On Wed, Feb 13, 2013 at 10:38 AM, Jeff Sabin wrote:

My main man Hops! You’re right, the blog is too quiet and perhaps many of us will increase our chatter as we begin to count weeks and days instead of months.

It’s possible that the blog has been quiet due to the fact that the respective Captains have been quiet. Joe has contributed on several email strings in addition to an occasional blog post. But Eskildsen has pulled a Wes and gone into hiding. I haven’t heard anything from him this offseason. Another reason the blog might be too quiet is that there hasn’t been a target or villain this offseason to either attack or defend. We have had several villains in past offseasons, including myself, and that has had the impact of generating blog posts and comments from the gallery, but we haven’t had a volunteer yet this time around. But there is still time, so 

we’ll see.

Like you and just about everybody else, I really look forward to PCTI. As a married man with children, work responsibilities, and various and sundry activities, it is great to be able to do something that belongs just to me. Since basketball is just about the only thing I’ve ever been passionate about, I love the idea of getting away with other basketball junkies to celebrate the game we love. Plus, I really enjoy training for PCTI. It gets me in great physical condition and helps me to eat better in anticipation of trying to have a great tournament. I know the social aspect drives PCTI participation, but the basketball piece is still a very large part of my enjoyment over the weekend.

If I’m being honest with you, I’m really looking forward to just playing this time around. In PCTI III in Dallas, so much time had to be dedicated to organizing, planning, and logistics that it took away from the joy of just ballin’. But in IV, I can just be a tourist and ballplayer and focus on having a great time. Plus, I want to see if I can shoot above 50% from the field again. This seems to put the player in rarified territory since the average FG% in PCTI is 37%.

There is no question I am most excited to play with Joe. He and I haven’t been teammates yet, but we usually played well together when he was part of my pick-up game in Dallas. Although he and I had a tumultuous offseason last year, all of that melted away when he drafted me. So now, all I want to do is my part to ensure that he is the only undefeated player after IV concludes. Screw you Abe! I like to think that Joe and I have complementary skill-sets and can both help each other to have good performances. Time will tell, but I feel very confident about our backcourt.

Danny and I have been training and playing together now that he is back in Dallas. We typically guard each other in my pick-up game and try to go as hard as possible at one another. He is a difficult defender for me because he is patient, strong, and interested. I think he will be one of your team’s best defenders, if not the best. He is in good condition, but so am I and it makes for good competition.

As you respond, help me understand what you like about your team and maybe what you don’t like. Also help me get an idea if your teammates are training for PCTI or if they mimic Wes in his lack of offseason preparation.

On Wed, Feb 13, 2013 at 10:57 AM, Anthony Hopkins wrote:

I am sorry I forgot to mention the Quad Pod to start this chain off. I look forward most to all being together once again.

Anyways...

I was actually going to mention the whole "villian" aspect of the blog. Considering you were the biggest villian so far in PCTI, do you have any regrets of how you went about it? I also believe last year both teams just went into attack mode and just looked at every weakness the other team had. I would like to see some more people get going on the blog.

It would be very impressive if you could clip the 50% mark again. Hopefully my team can hold you under that goal.

I am really excited as everyone for PCTI. I also like getting away with basketball junkies. I like our team this year and I think we will have good chemistry on the court. The thing I like most about my team is there are many guys who are defensive minded first. I also think we have a good balance of people who look to score and guys who want to make that extra pass. The things that concern me is, are we too confident? The sweep last year is something that will probably never happen again. That being said I hope everyone is coming in with the mindset that it is going to be a dog fight.

As for preparation for PCTI, I love the things I hear from my teammates in the amount that they play. Pitto has moved back to Nashville and as much of a bitch he is, it is good to have someone who (because of no work) can show up to hoop any time anywhere.

For your preparation, give us a breakdown of your workout and diet. Do you just go nuts with food after PCTI like a wrestler who loses weight for his match then eats 5000 calories after weigh in?

Has there been any chatter just between your team or maybe you and another teammate? I know I have talked to guys individually, but not as a group.

On Wed, Feb 13, 2013 at 12:19 PM, Jeff Sabin wrote:

You're right, I also forgot to mention the Quad Pod...screw the Quad Pod, except for Spotlight. That guy is awesome.

Good point about the villain aspect. Initially, it was unbelievably fun to be in that role because it stirred up so many great emotions amongst a wide swath of PCTI participants. Guys began to feel free to poke fun at each other's games and basketball abilities and, in a strange way, allowed everyone to be somewhat open and honest. But after a while, it took a left turn and had the feel of personal attacks instead of basketball digs. That was never a place that I had intended the role to go, but it went there and I regret that. That there were some hard feelings from both sides was my chief regret, as ultimately this weekend should be about camaraderie, enjoyment, and building each other up instead of breaking each other down. If I had it to do over again, I would've kept any jibes to a basketball-only arena and not ventured into the land of personal insults. But maybe I'll get to be villain again at a later date and can refine the role some. I really wish Eskildsen and Krow would step up already and embrace their inner villain because my team already hates both of those guys.

It's funny what you mention about your team. I think what happens immediately after the draft is that both teams initially feel very confident about their teammates and the prospect of having success with them. After Joe's draft, I looked up and down our roster and thought to myself that we had a really nice team. But as time has gone on and allowed for some perspective, I realize that your team presents us with some unique challenges and that we will have to play well in order to have success against you. I think the mistake that I made as captain was over-estimating my team's talent level and at the same time unintentionally placing us into an over-dog role. I think both captains are hesitant to do anything that would place their team in that role so that they can play the underdog card as much as possible. But then again, I think your team also realizes that we have enough edgy ballplayers on our squad to make success very difficult for you. At the end of the day, my guess is that both teams are razor close to each other in terms of talent and motivation, so it could come down to something inocuous like which team gets a better contribution from a secondary scorer, or which team has role players that shoot it better. Whatever the difference between the two teams, my perception is that it is much smaller than what the captains believe. Captains typically believe that their players will play to their maximum ability level while the other team's players will have subpar performances (see Kittens, Legs Feed the).

In terms of preparation, I try to work out and play consistently beginning 6 months from the event. But at 3 months out, I get extremely serious and will work out 5 times per week and play 2-3 times as well. I also restrict my diet to boring meals like egg white omelettes for breakfast, grilled chicken salads for lunch, and a reasonable dinner. I also only drink water, milk, and G2 in the months leading up to the event with no sodas. This may sound weird, and it is, but at my age, anything I can do to help myself is welcomed since my recovery is so bad during the weekend itself. And of course, when PCTI concludes I engorge myself, take off all restrcitions, and usually gain 10 pounds within 2 weeks of the event concluding.

Team chatter has been minimal, even though Joe and I have exchanged some strategy ideas. Needless to say, he is 100% focused on the tournament and the team, as a captain should be. However, the biggest mistake that I made in PCTI III as captain was holding the reins too tight. Some of my players were more surfer dudes than regimented soldiers, if that makes any sense. There is value in just letting go, but clearly I haven't learned how to do it yet. Not everybody is as high-strung as me, and I failed to realize it until after we had gotten swept.

I think the thing that I like about our team is that we have 5-6 guys who can give you healthy double figures in points, so not all of us have to "on" every game. It gives us some flexibility and cushion if 1 or 2 of our guys have a shooting slump or poor game. I also like that our team is chock full of edgy, not-nice guys. I like playing more with edgy guys than the more flowery variety. Just a personal preference. BC, Joe, Bruise, and myself can all be asshole competitors and that is where I belong. So I feel right at home with my group and feel like chemistry will be strong among us.

Give me a sense if you think your team has some favorable matchups and if you feel like anyone is primed for a good performance in your group. Also tell me what needs to happen to get guys like Wes to participate in PCTI offseasons.