Blog Post #3

To all my readers, I apologize for my three month hiatus.  Our season is half way done and our record is a lousy 4-8.  A lot has happened since the last time I posted, I will try to give a recap of what the team has accomplished (and not accomplished), how I have done, and my living experience in Portugal. 

Firstly, the team has struggled.  The last time I posted, we hadn't even played a real game yet.  We also still had all three Americans.  Shortly after the last post, our 3 man Brandon Bush called it quits.  Just wasn't feeling it here I guess.  He also had a baby girl on the way that was due in December, so you can't really blame the guy for wanting to be home.  However, he would have helped us out a bunch.  Also, shortly after he left, our Portuguese point guard went down with a torn calf muscle and our Portuguese shooting guard went down with an injury that took him out for the season.  So we started the season without some quality players.  Since then, our point guard came back after 6 games or so and the other shooting guard became our assistant coach.  Our old assistant coach is now our head coach and our old head coach quit.  It's been a little crazy over here to say the least.  I can't remember the last time we even had 10 guys at practice to play a game of 5 on 5.  With all that been said, we have lost to teams we should have beat and won some games with some luck.  This league is pretty decent from top to bottom, you can't take a game off.  One of the highlights of our season was sadly a 1 point loss to the top team in the league, Benfica.  Benfica's team has not lost a game dating back to last year and it's up to 40 plus games in a row.  Their budget is also probably 20 times what ours is.  We really had the game won, the refs definitely played a part in our loss.  When the team with the most money plays the team with the least money, refs won't exactly help the little guys out, they need to get paid somehow too.  It's unfortunate how that works around here, but the refs are much worse than in the states.  Ok, i've done enough complaining, on to how I have played. 

So far, my stats have been pretty good.  I would be much happier if we were winning more but I am working hard and trying my best, I don't know what else I can do.  For the first month of the season I was fortunate to receive MVP of the month.  I am averaging around 19 points and 11 rebounds.  Recently I just found out that I will be the starting center in the upcoming All Star game mid February.  I'm excited about the opportunity to play with the best players in the country.

As far as the living goes in Portugal, I continue to love it.  Right before Christmas, my girlfriend Laura came to visit.  We had such a great time.  I felt a little bad because I had to work the first few days she was here so we didn't get to do much.  After our last game of the year on Dec. 20th, we got 7 days off.  So we took a trip down to Lisbon and had a little vacation down there.  It was a lot of fun and we got to do a lot of sight seeing and drink some good wine.  Due to some flight issues, Laura had to stay until Christmas, so at least we got to be together for the holiday.  A couple weeks after Laura left, my parents came to visit.  They were here for the Benfica game and also got to see two other games.  It was great having them here.  I got a lot of good meals in me and having the people I love around makes the time go by so fast.  I know that the next few months will go by quickly and I'm looking forward to stepping foot on American ground soon.  

That is my quick little recap, I'm sure I missed a bunch of things but I will try to post again soon.  Some upcoming events include a trip to the southern tip of Portugal for a midseason Cup, the All Star game as I mentioned, and a trip to China at the end of February.  That's all I have for now, to all my friends back home, I miss you and can't wait to see you.  If anybody has the dough to take a Euro trip, you have a place to stay in Portugal.  Keep on Keeping on,  PEACE!!!   

Month One

It's been a month here in Portugal and everything is going pretty  good.  I apologize for not keeping everybody up to date, no excuses really, just a bit lazy I guess.  I WILL get better, promise.  So far, I really can't complain about too much around here.  I didn't have internet for the first couple weeks, which was very tough.  I ditched my cell phone back in the states, and without internet, I had no means of communication to anyone.  Needless to say, when we finally got it, I was relieved.  So far, we have had seven preseason games.  I am pretty sure we started these games in a preseason tournament, and if we would have won all of them, there could have been a cash bonus.  But we didn't.  We are 4-3 so far, and I haven't done the math on my stats, but I'm guessing I'm averaging around 20 points and 10 rebounds.  I think I was named MVP of four of the games so far.  You can check out the stats at http://www.fpb.pt/ and click on VagosNorbainLusavouga at the top of the list of teams.  

Our team is very under budget this year.  Apparently one of the top players on last years team failed a drug test and we lost a ton of sponsorship money.  So, the overall talent on our team has dropped significantly.  I don't like saying negative things about any of my teammates, but some of our bench players will struggle this year.  We have a solid starting five, but after that, it really goes downhill.  I hope to help some of the guys out.  Many of them are pretty young.  A couple are super old.  The top teams in our league have very good depth.  They also have a ton of money, so the top Portuguese players go where the Euros are.  I'm not used to shooting for fourth place, but this club would be happy with that.  Outside of basketball, the guys on the team are great.  They seem really nice, most speak a little English.  My roommates, the Americans, are really cool.  We seem to get along really well.  Couldn't ask for better guys to hang with everyday.  We live in a nice house and it's a good situation overall.  We only go one two hour practice a day, and we always get a day or two off a week.  Once the season starts, we'll only have one game a week.  Living is pretty damn easy.  

We get two meals a day.  For lunch, it's a Brazilian steak house where dudes in funny get ups come out and shave a bunch of different meats onto our plates, which include rice, beans, and fries.  It sounds great, but after eating it everyday, it gets a little old.  For dinner, we go to this place where there is something different every night.  The main host is this hilarious fellow named Jorge.  He speaks worse english than I do Portuguese I think but he's always making us laugh.  He has as many screws loose as teeth missing.  But the whole crew there seems to love us and we never leave hungry.  We've also eaten some fairly exotic foods.  One night, we enjoyed some rabbit.  There has also been nights of squid, pig ears, and appetizers of fried fish, in which it looks like they caught a fish, didn't fillet or prepare it, and just dipped it in the deep frier.  I tried a bite, but even I couldn't finish the thing off.  

There are plenty of stories that I'm am forgetting to add, but I will hopefully get them in here somehow.  We have another preseason game this Friday, and rumor has it, the weekend off.  I will try to get another post up soon, until then, I miss everybody back in the states, but know that I am in good hands, having fun, and learning a lot.  In the words of Jorge, and the only English words he knows, "Take it easy".    

Pre Euro Experience

Hello to all who care to read. I'm not exactly sure how to start a blog. Some of you know me too well and some may know me only through brief conversation's in passing. Either way, I feel as though I have an obligation to let whoever I've come across in life know exactly what I am up to. Obligation seems like too brash of a word. I actually enjoy sharing my experiences so feel free to exchange that word for whatever seems right for you. I'm not an English major so please no feedback on how bad my grammer may be.
After a wonderful summer in Winona I had the honor of making it to my sister Amy's wedding. Such a great event. My brother Tommy and I got to walk her down the aisle (beach) to her incredibly cool husband Eddie. So many good people there I just can't explain how much fun it was. Everyone did such a great job putting it together. It was the first time in a while that all of my cousins from my mom's side were all in the same place. I wasn't even sure if I was going to be able to make it there since most European teams start in early September, but I was lucky enough to find a team that let me stay until Sept. 14. Amy's wedding was on the 12th so I was very grateful that this team let me stay. A couple days before the wedding I was informed that I was going to get an extra week in the states. I was super excited, mixed with a bit of anxiety, not knowing why my stay was prolonged. I'm guessing it was due to financial reasons with flights. Either way, another week (with pay) to hang out with my loved ones was an added bonus. I also got to go to Amy and Eddie's reception in Steven's Point, WI and saw a lot more of my family on the Smith side. I feel so bad not being around the Johnsburg/McHenry area as much as I should. I'm waiting for the day scientists come up with a transporting device so I can get to more places in little time. That, or till the day I make millions and can jet all over the world. Too many good people in my life to only see once in a while.
After the wedding experience, I finally had to make my departure. This was a tough one. My parents and girlfriend Laura drove me to Rhinelander airport to say goodbye. They all did a great job of making me feel like I was doing the right thing. I expected my mom to cry a bit. She did great. Only a few tears. And Laura, the love of my life, (I know, I love a girl....that's soooo gay) also held strong. Some tears and a shaky hug goodbye made me feel so lucky to say that I have a perfect girlfriend who loves me so much that she is willing to let me go overseas to do the thing that I love for a living and have faith in me to do what I feel is needed for us to live a happy and worry free life. Bill was cool as usual, but hey, he's a guy. Not gonna lie, I was on the edge of tears but kept cool. The adventure I was going to embark on was one that so many people would love to have. As they left, I tuned in to some of my favorite songs on my Ipod and journeyed through the 10 hour travel day unaware of what this place called "Portugal" would have to offer.