Positive Thoughts For Dex

[pinstripers]

Enough attacking Dex. HCGM and the team are very happy to have him back and so am I.

I hope so

[Aargh]

I was concerned there might be issues with teammates if Dex came back. Their statements don't show any indication of that, and it doesn't sound like they're just being politically correct and trying to say the "right" words. I believe they are aware of the situation with Dex, are glad to see him have a chance to take some time off, and are thrilled to have him back.

A player "needing a little time off" and going home is nearly 100% that the player is not coming back. There is credible evidence that Marshall and the team are happy Dex got some time off. They probably wish he wouldn't have needed it, but are glad he got it. There are a lot of issues that don't manifest with the obvious symptoms of a disease, but are as debilitating as a disease.

Last year Dex was the third option. This year he was expected to be the first option. Maybe he was uncomfortable with that role as a second-year player. Perhaps he struggled with that responsibility and that affected his performance.

Some people are uncomfortable with the thought that everybody is looking at them. If 10,000 people are watching you and supporting you, that's a lot of pressure for someone who may have tried to avoid bringing attentoion to themselves.

[Ashockalypse]

Cold has done it again. Co-opted a perfectly positive thread and attempted to make it about his moronic, irrelevant and inapplicable bullschlitz having nothing to do with facts on the ground. We all have to tolerate it until he gets kicked out...again. Go Dex! Go Shox!!

[Aargh]

I think I have a story from my music experience that might help explain some things.

At a party with 50-70 people and a couple of live bands, the wife of a friend of mine came up to me and asked me if I knew how to play Summertime. She wanted to do the Janis Joplin version. I knew the Billy Holiday version. I taught the bass line to the guitar player from the other band and we did that version. She killed it.

She did so well that everybody there stopped what they were doing and walked up to the stage we were on to get a better look at what we were doing. That never happens at parties with bands. She was that good.

Later, I tried putting her together with me and a bass player who had played with about every blues band in town. We changed the keys of some of her songs to what we thought would be better for her (coaching), and she was absolutely incredible in practice. She was so afraid of being the front person that she refused to continue with us if she was going to be the lead singer.

I really wish she would have taken some time off and then come back.

[WSUwatcher]

What are you talking about? “conduct unbecoming of a teammate”? In one of HCGM first statements about Dexter stepping away he said: “Dex is one of the best teammates you can have.”

Here’s what a couple of the guys “forced to come back to work” had to say on DD’s return yesterday:

ES, “I’m just happy the crowd showed him the love that they did at halftime. That’s what he needs. He needs someone there with him showing him that love. And he’s got 10,000-plus doing it.”

JB, “He’s a tremendous player and he went through his ups and downs, but we’re just grateful to get him back. We’re thankful the crowd showed him the support he needed during a rough time. I’m positive he’ll come back and help this ball club.”

DW, “I hope he can come back and start rolling again. I know he’s a good player. We just want him to get rolling again, that’s the biggest thing.”

It doesn’t sound like DD’s departure/return is a detriment to them, nor impacting the team’s morale. Conversely, it sounds like his teammates are happy to have him back and concerned about their brother.

Additionally, you keep making the “AWOL” comment, you do understand what the term AWOL means: Absent Without Leave. In the military (where the term AWOL comes from), it refers to leaving your job without permission from your superiors, AKA you have not received approved leave. In no interview I’ve heard w/ HCGM has he ever implied that DD didn’t have his permission to take time off and deal w/ the issues he’s dealing with (assuming mental). In fact, here’s one of HCGM’s first statements

“He’s got a lot of things going on right now and he just felt like he needed to step away. We talked about it. What can we do? We love you. You’re a big part of what we do, you’re a big part of why we’re 9-1 and hopefully will be a big part going forward…He was struggling, but I didn’t know to what degree he was struggling. He’s got some things going. He’s got to figure it out on his own time. We’ll be patient and support him in every way. We’re thinking about him and praying for him every day.”

Trust me, as a person in a Command position w/ nearly 20 years in the military, if a troop decided to go on leave without my permission, I’m not going to “be patient”.

However, if he/she came to me to discuss some personal challenges (especially if their in the mental nature), I’m going to make sure he/she has the resources they need to support/resolve these issues. I see that as what HCGM is doing w/ Dex and Dex’s departure wasn’t without HCGM’s permission. So stop using the term AWOL, if you don’t know what it means!

As a Commander, the biggest fear is missing the warning signs of a troop struggling and they commit the final act. I’ve been fortunate not to face this, but a buddy of mine just experienced this last month. It crushes the moral of the unit, not to mention my buddy wondering what he missed (and don’t forget the family members). I commend HCGM in the handling of DD. I’m not saying DD was thinking about the final act, but there are always warning signs. Often, quick action can keep a person’s mind from escalating to a place you don’t want it to go. HCGM and his teammates are doing the right thing...showing him love. Which is something it sounds like Shocker Nation showed when DD stepped into the arena yesterday. This is not a case of DD needing some “rest and relaxation”.

Your attitude towards DD’s situation was the attitude the military used to have, “just suck it up”, “you’ll hurt your clearance” and of course the “a real man doesn’t show weakness”. All those things led to countless troops committing the final act because they didn’t have the support system to lean on to get them through the challenges they were facing. We’ve learned the hard way and are in the process of changing that stigma that you seem to want to perpetuate on this site. NOTE: PTSD challenges from combat is a serious issue, however, many of these challenges aren’t related to combat duty. Often we find it’s family, financial or work related issues that start the downward spiral.

HCGM and his teammates are doing the right thing by their brother. I know HCGM will play DD Saturday if he’s ready and he thinks he can help. If he’s not, he won’t play. It’s not going to be a earn your way out of the “dog house” or he has to “earn his spot back on the bench” type of situation.

While I know it won’t, I’d hope there we will be no more disparaging posts regarding DD’s challenges he’s going through and his return to the team. Regardless, I don’t plan on posting anymore regarding this particular situation.

Sorry for the lengthy post. I’m just tired of seeing some of these comments and couldn’t hold back anymore.

Good analysis and post, jrschh. You sound like you know what you're talking about.

Meanwhile, if people wear you out, just use the Ignore function. I've applied it to Cold and a few others, and it's a pleasure not having to see their screeds unless someone quotes them -- those I can't avoid having pop up (the Ignore fuction isn't that sophisticated), but even then I don't have to read them.

[C0|dB|00ded]

Just watching the way his teammates react to his reappearance tells me there probably wasn't resentment nor envy about the break. I have a feeling they all know *why* and don't wanna be him.

I doubt the other kids resent or feel lasting envy about Dex's extended vacation; my point is more about the nature of man when he discovers a path of easier resistance. It's normal that once precedent is set (i.e. coach will let a brutha take some time off when his "head is foggy"), you can expect other members of the group to test the persistence of rules and mores.

What are you talking about? “conduct unbecoming of a teammate”? In one of HCGM first statements about Dexter stepping away he said: “Dex is one of the best teammates you can have.”

Here’s what a couple of the guys “forced to come back to work” had to say on DD’s return yesterday:

ES, “I’m just happy the crowd showed him the love that they did at halftime. That’s what he needs. He needs someone there with him showing him that love. And he’s got 10,000-plus doing it.”

JB, “He’s a tremendous player and he went through his ups and downs, but we’re just grateful to get him back. We’re thankful the crowd showed him the support he needed during a rough time. I’m positive he’ll come back and help this ball club.”

DW, “I hope he can come back and start rolling again. I know he’s a good player. We just want him to get rolling again, that’s the biggest thing.”

It doesn’t sound like DD’s departure/return is a detriment to them, nor impacting the team’s morale. Conversely, it sounds like his teammates are happy to have him back and concerned about their brother.

Additionally, you keep making the “AWOL” comment, you do understand what the term AWOL means: Absent Without Leave. In the military (where the term AWOL comes from), it refers to leaving your job without permission from your superiors, AKA you have not received approved leave. In no interview I’ve heard w/ HCGM has he ever implied that DD didn’t have his permission to take time off and deal w/ the issues he’s dealing with (assuming mental). In fact, here’s one of HCGM’s first statements

“He’s got a lot of things going on right now and he just felt like he needed to step away. We talked about it. What can we do? We love you. You’re a big part of what we do, you’re a big part of why we’re 9-1 and hopefully will be a big part going forward…He was struggling, but I didn’t know to what degree he was struggling. He’s got some things going. He’s got to figure it out on his own time. We’ll be patient and support him in every way. We’re thinking about him and praying for him every day.”

Trust me, as a person in a Command position w/ nearly 20 years in the military, if a troop decided to go on leave without my permission, I’m not going to “be patient”.

However, if he/she came to me to discuss some personal challenges (especially if their in the mental nature), I’m going to make sure he/she has the resources they need to support/resolve these issues. I see that as what HCGM is doing w/ Dex and Dex’s departure wasn’t without HCGM’s permission. So stop using the term AWOL, if you don’t know what it means!

As a Commander, the biggest fear is missing the warning signs of a troop struggling and they commit the final act. I’ve been fortunate not to face this, but a buddy of mine just experienced this last month. It crushes the moral of the unit, not to mention my buddy wondering what he missed (and don’t forget the family members). I commend HCGM in the handling of DD. I’m not saying DD was thinking about the final act, but there are always warning signs. Often, quick action can keep a person’s mind from escalating to a place you don’t want it to go. HCGM and his teammates are doing the right thing...showing him love. Which is something it sounds like Shocker Nation showed when DD stepped into the arena yesterday. This is not a case of DD needing some “rest and relaxation”.

Your attitude towards DD’s situation was the attitude the military used to have, “just suck it up”, “you’ll hurt your clearance” and of course the “a real man doesn’t show weakness”. All those things led to countless troops committing the final act because they didn’t have the support system to lean on to get them through the challenges they were facing. We’ve learned the hard way and are in the process of changing that stigma that you seem to want to perpetuate on this site. NOTE: PTSD challenges from combat is a serious issue, however, many of these challenges aren’t related to combat duty. Often we find it’s family, financial or work related issues that start the downward spiral.

HCGM and his teammates are doing the right thing by their brother. I know HCGM will play DD Saturday if he’s ready and he thinks he can help. If he’s not, he won’t play. It’s not going to be a earn your way out of the “dog house” or he has to “earn his spot back on the bench” type of situation.

While I know it won’t, I’d hope there we will be no more disparaging posts regarding DD’s challenges he’s going through and his return to the team. Regardless, I don’t plan on posting anymore regarding this particular situation.

Sorry for the lengthy post. I’m just tired of seeing some of these comments and couldn’t hold back anymore.

And I'm very glad you didn't sir! Great, level-headed post and thanks for your service. It is for posts like yours that I take the time to "instigate discussion".

But if you'll indulge me, I'd like to address/contest a few of your heartfelt points...

What are you talking about? “conduct unbecoming of a teammate”? In one of HCGM first statements about Dexter stepping away he said: “Dex is one of the best teammates you can have.”

Here’s what a couple of the guys “forced to come back to work” had to say on DD’s return yesterday:

ES, “I’m just happy the crowd showed him the love that they did at halftime. That’s what he needs. He needs someone there with him showing him that love. And he’s got 10,000-plus doing it.”

JB, “He’s a tremendous player and he went through his ups and downs, but we’re just grateful to get him back. We’re thankful the crowd showed him the support he needed during a rough time. I’m positive he’ll come back and help this ball club.”

DW, “I hope he can come back and start rolling again. I know he’s a good player. We just want him to get rolling again, that’s the biggest thing.”

It doesn’t sound like DD’s departure/return is a detriment to them, nor impacting the team’s morale. Conversely, it sounds like his teammates are happy to have him back and concerned about their brother.

You can take public statements to the media about a player leaving with a grain of salt. Politics will be in full force as they should be a la Arseton Leaves-Gate. But as already stated, dudes aren't gonna care too much beyond what is going to affect their minutes, their wins, or their chance at scoring on Friday. They might "learn" though from this instance...

Gregg Marshall would be very unhappy at the situation (off the record), but is probably a bit more worried about scaring the kid off and/or appearing too mean in this day and age of Snowflakes... particularly after a very sticky situation just coming to a close.

Additionally, you keep making the “AWOL” comment, you do understand what the term AWOL means: Absent Without Leave. In the military (where the term AWOL comes from), it refers to leaving your job without permission from your superiors, AKA you have not received approved leave. In no interview I’ve heard w/ HCGM has he ever implied that DD didn’t have his permission to take time off and deal w/ the issues he’s dealing with (assuming mental). In fact, here’s one of HCGM’s first statements

“He’s got a lot of things going on right now and he just felt like he needed to step away. We talked about it. What can we do? We love you. You’re a big part of what we do, you’re a big part of why we’re 9-1 and hopefully will be a big part going forward…He was struggling, but I didn’t know to what degree he was struggling. He’s got some things going. He’s got to figure it out on his own time. We’ll be patient and support him in every way. We’re thinking about him and praying for him every day.”

Trust me, as a person in a Command position w/ nearly 20 years in the military, if a troop decided to go on leave without my permission, I’m not going to “be patient”.

However, if he/she came to me to discuss some personal challenges (especially if their in the mental nature), I’m going to make sure he/she has the resources they need to support/resolve these issues. I see that as what HCGM is doing w/ Dex and Dex’s departure wasn’t without HCGM’s permission. So stop using the term AWOL, if you don’t know what it means!

You'll have to pardon a civilian's informal use of the word AWOL. I don't carry a military officer's manual of terminology with me. AWOL is CB describing Dexter leaving the team and adding a touch of my signature "spice". It implies that he has left when he wasn't wanted to leave. I do believe most would have to agree that is the case. Did he have "permission"? Well... I'm sure there was some form of "permission", but it wouldn't be in the true spirit of the word. It probably went something like this: "Coach, I'm havin' some problems and I need to go home for a while." "Well Dex, we'd hate to lose you, but if you have to go, you have to go. You'll understand that if you're not back by xx/xx/xxxx we're going to have to move on. The team doesn't stop playin' the games Dex..."

I do believe that's about exactly how it went down. Permission? You say tomAto, I say tomato.

As a Commander, the biggest fear is missing the warning signs of a troop struggling and they commit the final act. I’ve been fortunate not to face this, but a buddy of mine just experienced this last month. It crushes the moral of the unit, not to mention my buddy wondering what he missed (and don’t forget the family members). I commend HCGM in the handling of DD. I’m not saying DD was thinking about the final act, but there are always warning signs. Often, quick action can keep a person’s mind from escalating to a place you don’t want it to go. HCGM and his teammates are doing the right thing...showing him love. Which is something it sounds like Shocker Nation showed when DD stepped into the arena yesterday. This is not a case of DD needing some “rest and relaxation”.

Your attitude towards DD’s situation was the attitude the military used to have, “just suck it up”, “you’ll hurt your clearance” and of course the “a real man doesn’t show weakness”. All those things led to countless troops committing the final act because they didn’t have the support system to lean on to get them through the challenges they were facing. We’ve learned the hard way and are in the process of changing that stigma that you seem to want to perpetuate on this site. NOTE: PTSD challenges from combat is a serious issue, however, many of these challenges aren’t related to combat duty. Often we find it’s family, financial or work related issues that start the downward spiral.

HCGM and his teammates are doing the right thing by their brother. I know HCGM will play DD Saturday if he’s ready and he thinks he can help. If he’s not, he won’t play. It’s not going to be a earn your way out of the “dog house” or he has to “earn his spot back on the bench” type of situation.

While I know it won’t, I’d hope there we will be no more disparaging posts regarding DD’s challenges he’s going through and his return to the team. Regardless, I don’t plan on posting anymore regarding this particular situation.

Sorry for the lengthy post. I’m just tired of seeing some of these comments and couldn’t hold back anymore.

I will in fact, save the best for last... fasten your seatbelts kids.

(**and deep breath Snowflakes, here comes the truth**)

War in 2014 is not war in 1914. In the real wars, we stacked dead American soldiers as far as the eye could see. These soldiers didn't leave mom to go "play in the sandbox" with the best war tech on the planet, they were ill-equipped and faced superior adversaries in many cases and died by the millions in some of the most gruesome conditions imaginable. The same dichotomy exists in today's mental health crisis. We have gotten MUCH softer and it is literally killing people. Just Google "suicide because of..." and you will see the most outlandish reasons people take their lives. Over a 5 year period in Utah, almost 20 kids killed themselves because their parents took away their cell phone, tablet, etc.

The choice to die in nearly all cases is exactly that, a choice to die. People even choose to die out of spite. When one decides in their own mind that they cannot handle _ _ _ _ anymore, they start looking for ways out. It's human nature to seek pain avoidance, but it is a relatively new phenomonon for people to consider suicide as an equally plausible alternative to more "sane" courses of action. There are many theories as to why life has become devalued so much, particularly in advanced societies, but I won't go into that now.

Have you ever seen a toddler fall down and then look to an adult for their reaction before bursting into tears? I believe it is like this that we teach others younger than us how to deal with the normal pain of life. If you tell Dexter that he has a condition serious enough to warrant closing the program down if necessary (there are others on the team that feel pain such as Dex - some even bolt for OU), he damn well is gonna believe it. The "just suck it up" mantra that you speak of is actually very important for a multitude of reasons. How we perceive pain is exactly that, how we PERCEIVE it. Guys like Tony Robbins make hundreds of millions a year teaching fairly potent people to learn how to alter their reality during painful times.

Which way should we be altering the reality of those that come to us crying over a lost girlfriend, a best buddy that passed, or a mom that got diagnosed with cancer (Remember Shaq's mom? Did he ever miss games?)? That's exactly what I'm talking about. I know many of the Snowflakes on this board will cringe at the idea of tough love on a young man that is hurting... but I say to those same bleeding hearts: coddling is not loving, it is literally the greatest disservice you can inflict on a young mind. Weakness is infectious and it is absolutely killing this great nation.


T


...

[C0|dB|00ded]

Is the Million Dollar Man getting soft? You actually made a whole thread last year calling him and the players he recruits soft. 13 games into this season and the coach and team proved you wrong so you may not want to go down that road again.

Indeed I did sir! And coach himself remarked this year how it was great to see Play Angry again... I'm wondering if "Play Angry" just comes and goes like the seasons? Clearly if it's back and here to stay for a while it likely has to do with a tougher crop of players. I believe I alluded to multiple possible causes for Play Angry to have left our program (for over two years). I believe I said I had hoped it wasn't due to the coach's bulging bank account and waistline. It appears now that the likely cause was due to some recruiting misses and perhaps some team chemistry issues... That should be heartening to us all.


T


...

[C0|dB|00ded]

People need to remember that I play Devil's Advocate a lot and not to take things so personal. I do have real thoughts that I want to convey but I routinely take the indefensible position because I'm literally the best in the business at defending the indefensible. I do it to stimulate discussion, for knowledge gathering, for lolz, and for mental exercise. I'm mostly retired and much less coldblooded than in the old days. I do hope ya'll can indulge an old keyboard warrior of days gone past.

I wish Dexter no harm. In fact, I want Dexter "healed". I also want Dexter strong and the team Snowflake free. But as has always been the case, I will defend the program FIRST, and everybody else just might end up under the bus after things shake out. Coach's and players come and go, but the program lives on.


T


...

[Aargh]

Frankamp and Morris missed more practices because they had "migraines" or "stomach issues" than Dex has missed. None of the players on their teams made statements supporting those missed practices.

It's my opinion that Dex's missed practices are more acceptable to his teammates than Frankamp and Morris's missed practices.

We'll know soon enough. The missed practices when Frankamp and Morris were Sr's happened in the most under-achieving teams of the Marshall era.

This year's team appears to be one of the most over-achieving teams under Marshall, with or without DD.

[wichshock65]

Frankamp and Morris missed more practices because they had "migraines" or "stomach issues" than Dex has missed. None of the players on their teams made statements supporting those missed practices

In fact, I remember Fred publicly calling out Shaq for standing him up running steps at Cessna Stadium. Loved that!

[ShockerFever]

Good analysis and post, jrschh. You sound like you know what you're talking about.

Meanwhile, if people wear you out, just use the Ignore function. I've applied it to Cold and a few others, and it's a pleasure not having to see their screeds unless someone quotes them -- those I can't avoid having pop up (the Ignore fuction isn't that sophisticated), but even then I don't have to read them.

The problem is when you keep talking about them on a consistent basis, you're not ignoring them at all and you look like an ignoramus.

[shox526]

What are you talking about? “conduct unbecoming of a teammate”? In one of HCGM first statements about Dexter stepping away he said: “Dex is one of the best teammates you can have.”

Here’s what a couple of the guys “forced to come back to work” had to say on DD’s return yesterday:

ES, “I’m just happy the crowd showed him the love that they did at halftime. That’s what he needs. He needs someone there with him showing him that love. And he’s got 10,000-plus doing it.”

JB, “He’s a tremendous player and he went through his ups and downs, but we’re just grateful to get him back. We’re thankful the crowd showed him the support he needed during a rough time. I’m positive he’ll come back and help this ball club.”

DW, “I hope he can come back and start rolling again. I know he’s a good player. We just want him to get rolling again, that’s the biggest thing.”

It doesn’t sound like DD’s departure/return is a detriment to them, nor impacting the team’s morale. Conversely, it sounds like his teammates are happy to have him back and concerned about their brother.

Additionally, you keep making the “AWOL” comment, you do understand what the term AWOL means: Absent Without Leave. In the military (where the term AWOL comes from), it refers to leaving your job without permission from your superiors, AKA you have not received approved leave. In no interview I’ve heard w/ HCGM has he ever implied that DD didn’t have his permission to take time off and deal w/ the issues he’s dealing with (assuming mental). In fact, here’s one of HCGM’s first statements

“He’s got a lot of things going on right now and he just felt like he needed to step away. We talked about it. What can we do? We love you. You’re a big part of what we do, you’re a big part of why we’re 9-1 and hopefully will be a big part going forward…He was struggling, but I didn’t know to what degree he was struggling. He’s got some things going. He’s got to figure it out on his own time. We’ll be patient and support him in every way. We’re thinking about him and praying for him every day.”

Trust me, as a person in a Command position w/ nearly 20 years in the military, if a troop decided to go on leave without my permission, I’m not going to “be patient”.

However, if he/she came to me to discuss some personal challenges (especially if their in the mental nature), I’m going to make sure he/she has the resources they need to support/resolve these issues. I see that as what HCGM is doing w/ Dex and Dex’s departure wasn’t without HCGM’s permission. So stop using the term AWOL, if you don’t know what it means!

As a Commander, the biggest fear is missing the warning signs of a troop struggling and they commit the final act. I’ve been fortunate not to face this, but a buddy of mine just experienced this last month. It crushes the moral of the unit, not to mention my buddy wondering what he missed (and don’t forget the family members). I commend HCGM in the handling of DD. I’m not saying DD was thinking about the final act, but there are always warning signs. Often, quick action can keep a person’s mind from escalating to a place you don’t want it to go. HCGM and his teammates are doing the right thing...showing him love. Which is something it sounds like Shocker Nation showed when DD stepped into the arena yesterday. This is not a case of DD needing some “rest and relaxation”.

Your attitude towards DD’s situation was the attitude the military used to have, “just suck it up”, “you’ll hurt your clearance” and of course the “a real man doesn’t show weakness”. All those things led to countless troops committing the final act because they didn’t have the support system to lean on to get them through the challenges they were facing. We’ve learned the hard way and are in the process of changing that stigma that you seem to want to perpetuate on this site. NOTE: PTSD challenges from combat is a serious issue, however, many of these challenges aren’t related to combat duty. Often we find it’s family, financial or work related issues that start the downward spiral.

HCGM and his teammates are doing the right thing by their brother. I know HCGM will play DD Saturday if he’s ready and he thinks he can help. If he’s not, he won’t play. It’s not going to be a earn your way out of the “dog house” or he has to “earn his spot back on the bench” type of situation.

While I know it won’t, I’d hope there we will be no more disparaging posts regarding DD’s challenges he’s going through and his return to the team. Regardless, I don’t plan on posting anymore regarding this particular situation.

Sorry for the lengthy post. I’m just tired of seeing some of these comments and couldn’t hold back anymore.

This 1000x. Dunno if DD reads SN, but if he does, this is the sentiment I want him hearing at this time.

I’m not an “OK Boomer” kind of guy, but the ‘suck it up’ line of thinking leads my mind that direction. I don’t dispute that there is value in that mentality... but in due course. Great leaders do need a philosophy and style that they employ consistently, but they also need to be intelligent enough to adapt their approach at times when needed with some under their watch.

Based on everything HCGM and the team have said publicly. I’m glad we have him at the reins.

On this topic, I’ll take the perspective of the true warrior (thank you for your service @jrschh) over that of the keyboard warrior. If DD is watching, I hope he does too.

[WichitaStateGuy]

People need to remember that I play Devil's Advocate a lot and not to take things so personal. I do have real thoughts that I want to convey but I routinely take the indefensible position because I'm literally the best in the business at defending the indefensible. I do it to stimulate discussion, for knowledge gathering, for lolz, and for mental exercise. I'm mostly retired and much less coldblooded than in the old days. I do hope ya'll can indulge an old keyboard warrior of days gone past.

I wish Dexter no harm. In fact, I want Dexter "healed". I also want Dexter strong and the team Snowflake free. But as has always been the case, I will defend the program FIRST, and everybody else just might end up under the bus after things shake out. Coach's and players come and go, but the program lives on.


T


...

You need not explain yourself, Cold. You provide an invaluable perspective on this board and I for one am glad to have you.

[asiseeit]

Now that he is back it will be interesting to see how GM works him in. You can't snap your fingers and think his
offense will suddenly return to form, however, there is no reason he can't really help this team defensively. I hope
that he covets the role of "defensive stopper" and can make an immediate positive impact in that role. You can
be in a shooting slump and still be that guy and help the team. Just do that DD and be patient for your shot to
return. Relax, have fun and play the most intense defense of your life and the world will get back on it's axis

[Horn28Clem30]

Now that he is back it will be interesting to see how GM works him in. You can't snap your fingers and think his
offense will suddenly return to form, however, there is no reason he can't really help this team defensively. I hope
that he covets the role of "defensive stopper" and can make an immediate positive impact in that role. You can
be in a shooting slump and still be that guy and help the team. Just do that DD and be patient for your shot to
return. Relax, have fun and play the most intense defense of your life and the world will get back on it's axis

I don't know...the time off very well may have cleared his head and his shot will come back. Not saying it will, but i know as a bowler, i've had times where i go into deep slumps where i'm just overthinking things way too much. I would take a couple weeks away, and all of a sudden things would turn around. Hopefully this is the case!