Injured and Advice...

Ciao tutti! Well another month down and 2 and half more to go. We have 5 regular season games and one Swiss Cup game left before playoffs start on April 2nd. After our victory this weekend against Nyon we are now 20-2 and secured 1st place in the regular season. Remind me next year to try and get a bonus for that Lol. Unfortunately, I suffered a slight calf strain a few minutes into the game and I'll probably miss a couple weeks for it to heal but should be back in time for the playoffs. I spent yesterday elevating and icing my calf while watching movies. I tried to get a 3-way Skype with Carp and Kenny because Skype upgraded there video software but we were unsuccessful in our planning. We'll hopefully get that accomplished this this week.

I spoke with my nephew for a while yesterday and it was great to hear from him and how is season was going. He's had a great first season on varsity as a sophomore. They're in playoffs right now and he is pumped but a little confused on the message coach is trying to get across to him at the moment. Like many young players coaches put them on what I like to refer to as the "yo-yo effect". Bouncing them in and out of the game for various reasons to convey the message across to them. A learning tool all athletes have more than likely experienced. This approach is not always welcomed with opened arms by players but in some cases is a successful teaching tool. It teaches you be disciplined, to limit your mistakes and gives you an overall understanding of the game/what coach wants to keep you in it. The challenge is to come away better then you were before. So the next game or the next season you're not in the same boat. I've always been a firm believer that coaches don't decide who plays, players do. If you don't give them a reason to take you out than they can't. I told him do what he says, stay consistent, limit your mistakes, KNOW your going to make the shot, don't think just play hard, have fun and good things will happen. Basketball Gods reward the ones that work the hardest, so put forth the effort and they will reward you.

I have an MRI today and I'll let you guys know what the Doc says. I hope all is well back home. P-Fly if you read this I already know you are pumped for St. Patty's day. I'm looking forward to seeing the celebration documented on Facebook. Until next time....................................................................... Love

"Enjoy the Journey"

Love

Bud

Shoes...

So, one thing I like to do in my free time is search for shoes. For those of you who don't know, like most ball players I like to have a nice collection of shoes. I can spend hours scrolling through links reading the description, checking out the 360 views, comparing prices, checking shipping costs, durability, reading reviews and how it ranks against others, all day. I know in one of my last posts I said I like to keep up on current events via WSJ but when I'm not doing that you can usually find me trying to find shoes to purchase for the upcoming summer by checking sites like sneakernews.com or niketalk.com both of which give great insight in the sneaker world. Right before I am getting ready to come home I order a few pairs of shoes so they arrive when I get back to the states. I like to think of it as an end of the year reward to myself for the time and effort I put into the season Lol... Here is what my shopping cart looks like on Eastbay.com. I'm not necessarily going to purchase all of these they're just the candidates so far...

Nike Air Force 1: Classic must have, this one is definitely getting purchased. Maybe even getting a party pair (Nelly said so)...

Converse Lace-less Low: Another classic and guaranteed purchase...

Nike Air Max Flex TR: Last summer I worked out in my running shoes and they took a lot of wear & tear. I think this year I'm going to have to have a training shoe to get me through the year...

Nike Air Lunarglide 2+: Great running shoe, worked out well for me last year so why change...

Nike Air Max 2010: I've always been a big fan of the air pocket and with the new 2011s coming out it will tough for me not to pull the trigger on those but for now I really like these for walking Rvca around...

Black Mamba VI: I'm going to need some new hoop shoes for the summer and right now I am rocking the Hyperfuse Lows and the Zoom BBs in games. We'll see how the hyperfuses hold up the second half of the season and if they do well then I will stick with those if not I'm going with the Kobe's.

I hope all is well back home. I love and miss you. Until next time.................................. Love

"Enjoy the Journey"

Love

Bud

Voice of an Angel...

For as long as I can remember, there has always been one voice that I could hear over anything. One voice that I always listened to. One voice I always yearned for. One voice I always admired. One voice I always and still do love to hear. That is my dad's! Yesterday I stumbled across a couple of voice mails he left my sister that she sent to me a few years ago. Just hearing his voice made me smile. After about the 10th time though my eyes began to water. The sensation I felt and I'm still feeling is remarkable. It's the feeling I got when he was still here. Every time I press play it brings him back. He's alive for the 44 seconds the voice mail plays. After not literally hearing him for a few years and then hearing his voice again, it honestly moved me. When I moved away for college he was always my first phone call of the day after class and I was his last phone call of the day on his way home from work. Every time I've listened to these voice mails a different memory pops up. I can remember before every game my family would get there early and he would come greet me with a hug. I can remember him talking me through how to drive a stick. I can remember him explaining how to tuck in my shirt. I can remember him talking to me about the birds and the bees. I can remember him yelling at me and saying he only does it because he cares. I can remember him showing me how to put the legos together. I can remember him calling my Tata boss 25 years after he worked for him. I can remember him sitting on a bucket teaching me how to throw a palm ball. I can remember going over games on the car ride home. I can remember him saying that if you put forth the effort the basketball Gods will reward you. I can remember him telling me to enjoy the journey. I could go on and on but the memories don't stop. His words have guided me all my life and are still guiding me today. His voice truly is the voice of an angel. My angel! NFA

"Enjoy the Journey"

Love

Bud

Current Events...

I try to stay up on current events all over the world but mainly back in the states while I am over here. When I open my computer I like to have a news website that will keep me up to date with everything that's going on. Over the past year I have had the same homepage (CNN.com) but for some reason I needed a change, I just wasn't as interested as I used to be and the insight wasn't as in depth as my new website. My new homepage is "The Wall Street Journal" I haven't been this interested in WSJ since college and even then that wasn't very much Lol. I guess everyone goes through stages at different times when they want to enhance their knowledge of current events and decide to pick up a paper. I'm obviously not able to read the paper but like the leading trend going on in the tech world I'm reading from a high-tech device. I don't want to mislead you in any way it's just a laptop but I hope to purchase a iPad this summer after they add a few accessories (a camera mainly). Right now I got an extreme motivation to just "do something". Whether that be workout, which I've increased, read, which I've also increased, or just walk around and people watch.

As I write this in the "OK Bar" across the street from my apartment where they serve the best chocolate croissants, I observed a little Oriental man try and sell a toy helicopter and a razor to the owner of the bar. It was quite amusing because while he was presenting his product the little old lady who was enjoying her lunch didn't even acknowledge the fact that she had a little helicopter humming around just inches from her head. If I had to guess she wasn't to thrilled about it because it had the attention of everyone else in the bar except her. I later realized that the Oriental man was not trying to sell just those products. He was trying get the "OK" so he could solicit more items to the many cabbys that stop here for a quick caffeine fix. I have a lot of respect for this guy because first off it's hard to approach someone with a product and get them to buy it. Secondly, because he was trying to solicit more items. Thirdly, he seemed personable and a little playful and got the job done. When I left, he had the rest of his collection laid out on a table for his would be customers to take a look at while he anxiously waited inside staring out the window with his fingers crossed and shooting the shit with the people inside. That was my people watching spectacle of the day.

Lastly, we won our game this weekend and improved to 19-2 on the year. I had 2pts, 1reb, 6assts and 6stls in 19min. We still have a few guys banged up but everyone should be healthy here in the next week or two just before playoffs start. We have a little over a month left in the regular season and the Swiss Cup Final is on March 19th. Wish us luck the rest of the way.

I hope everyone has a great day back home. I love and miss you more than you know. Until next time...................................................................... Love

P.S. HAPPY BIRTHDAY NICKY P! I HOPE IT WAS A GOOD ONE...

"Enjoy the Journey"

Love

Bud

Swiss Life...

We followed up our League Cup victory with another win against my old team SAM Massagno, 96-63. It is always tough playing your old team, there is always mixed feelings, motivations and plain old awkwardness. I try to get all my hellos/greetings out of the way early so can focus up. Some games it effects me more than others but for the most part I really don't have a problem with it once the whistle blows.

Today I took a leisurely stroll downtown for a cup of hot tea. I stopped at Argentino because it was in the center and had seats outside, which was a perfect spot for people watching while I was enjoying my tea. Some things that stood out to me while people watching were the following: of course the first thing I noticed was the number of dogs being walked by their owners. Made me miss Rvca even more. I saw a man walking with a friend wearing a green puffy jacket, jeans and bright pink shoes. I probably wouldn't have noticed him had it not been for the bright pink shoes. I witnessed a teenage couple walking hand in hand with the boyfriend carry the girlfriends purse. I take a lot of pride in being a good boyfriend and I would hold Lele's purse if she asked me to hold it for her for a second but I don't think I could walk downtown with her holding it. I feel my masculinity at some point would be questioned if I did that and I may be mistaken as her, for lack of a better term 'happy' friend. Another thing I noticed was the amount of greetings I saw between groups of people. For those of you who may or may not know, in Switzerland they give 3 kisses on the cheek. If you're in a group of 4 people that's 9 kisses you have to give and receive. I went downtown around noon and it was lunch for many people, as you can imagine their was a lot of kissing going on. I caught a glimpse of a man in what looked like PJs but as he got closer I couldn't tell if they were just dressy pants. Either way I thought this was great because Lugano is a fairly ritzy area and everyone dresses superior to me. I guess it was nice to see some one in sweat-like pants because typically this is what I wear on a daily bases, sweats, t-shirt and a sweatshirt. Lastly, on the way home I saw a lady walking her daughter wearing black fur boots up to her knees, black tights, and a red British Civil War-like coat. To be honest it kind of reminded me of a nutcracker.

I don't want to sound like I am making fun of anyone, because I love the European style and style in general. Originality and Spontaneousness are 2 key elements when it comes to style and Europeans know this. I actually bought a suit today from H&M, which is part of the reason I was being so analytical in my people watching. I was trying to find ideas for myself. Naturally, I went with the slim fit because I don't think they sell regular or athletic fit in Europe and according to Gentlemen's Quarterly that seems to be the trend. I have a few weddings to catch this summer and I'm trying to step my style game up. I don't want guys thinking they have a chance with Lele just because she is drop dead gorgeous and I'm a squaty-looking oompa loompa with a goofy haircut. I mean I don't mind being the guy who everyone wonders how the hell he got her because I like to think I got game. Really though, other than the reason I mentioned above, my main motive is I'm going to see a lot of people I haven't seen in a long time and I want to look like I have my act together. The photo above of my dad is the classy look I'm going for...

I hope all is well back home. I love and miss you. Until next time......................................... Love

"Enjoy the Journey"

Love

Bud

League Cup Champs...

Well after a long week of preparation we walked away from the final four of the League Cup Championship with a trophy. We departed for Montreux, on the French side of Switzerland Friday evening. We when arrived at our 5 star hotel compliments of the league officials. Everyone from Switzerland on my team was saying how this city is incredible and like, and I quote "the Hollywood of Switzerland". The hotel was right on the Lake, the weather was perfect, the views were astonishing and the service was great. Matt, Derek and I walked the streets to loosen our legs from the long bus ride and the rumors were true. This city was beautiful. I don't know if it was Hollywood 'es but it was definitely upper echelon with a French touch. Needless to say we were well taken care of this trip.

Our first game was against one of only 2 teams that have beat us in league this year, Monthey. We had a great game plan coming in and we executed very well. We won 95-81. Some highlights in this game we towards the end when the fans become irate over a call and threw trash on the floor because 2 of there players got tossed, one because he punched one of my teammates in the face and the other because he left the bench during the scuffle. Both incidents were a first for me in my European career.

In the championship match we played Fribourg, a perennial powerhouse in Swiss basketball. In our last match with them we only beat them by 2. This time around we didn't keep it as close. It was a battle from the get go and the fans most certainly got their money's worth. When the final horn sounded we were triumphant 80-69. After the game there was a small ceremony and we received our medals and trophy. In the locker room the owner of the team came in with champagne, poured it into the trophy and everyone drank from it. To end the night, Matt, Derek, Sean and myself watch Norcal's finest Aaron Rodgers win a Super Bowl with the Packers. A great ending to a great weekend. Congratulations A-Rod!

The picture above is the view from my hotel room...

The link below has some photos from the game if you want to check 'em out...

http://www.basketnet.ch/openArticle.php?val=21

This link has a video of part of the game and highlights...

http://www.tsr.ch/sport/autres-sports/2940632-les-tigers-de-lugano-enlevent-la-coupe-de-la-ligue.html

Until next time............................................................................................ Love

"Enjoy the Journey"

Love

Bud