“Sit-Rep” .. No. 44

“No when to hold ‘em…”
Kenny Rogers might have said it best. “You gotta know when to holed ‘em, and know when to fold ‘em!”

So, without wanting to come across like “the boy who cried wolf”, I feel it’s time for me to “fold ‘em”.

I had a fun trip to Dallas and coached a group of guys who put everything they had into a tournament.

The venture had all the elements that a real coach might encounter.
There were difficulties with getting players to come to practice.
There was the disappointment of not getting some of the players you wanted.
There were injuries that resulted in the loss of players.
There was competition against opponents that you knew it would be a miracle if you won.
There was also disappointment in losing when it wasn’t necessary, because someone didn’t show.

There was the fun of seeing the things you worked on … actually work!
There was the pride of hearing others say .. “What was that option you guys were running?”
That same pride when a player says “I wish I had played with your team!”
There was the joy of putting the player at the end of the roster in the game and seeing him perform successfully.

Lastly, there was the fun of hangin’ out with like-minded individuals who simply wanted to take advantage of another opportunity to suit up.
I can, with no regret, cross this one off my list as I “Remember When” every day was like that.

As I said last time, I’m having trouble with my legs. The X-Rays didn’t produce a real reason… some lesions that didn’t seem to be spreading.

In short, Dr. C… and Dr. Y… said “just DJD”. …. in other words “I’m getting old!”
My College Roommate said … “It’s because of the hours spent playing on the cement at Prospect Park!”

Nevertheless, that doesn’t lessen the difficulty and pain involved with walking. I even tried my pills, but it didn’t help.
The recent Radiation Sessions have pretty much stopped the pain in my back, but now those same types of pain seem to be starting in the ribs in the front. Maybe it’s just my imagination.

I will wait it out and see if they continue or worsen. By the time my follow-up appointment with Dr. C… comes (25.March), the full effects of the Radiation will be known, and we’ll see where that takes us.

The question that remains for me is:
Was my decision, to have the Radiation Treatments, the right one .. for me?
Since my “Independence Day” decision in 2022, when I chose to discontinue all treatment, I’ve been okay … sort of!

There have been some occasional pains and discomforts and the general slow progression of the Cancer that Dr. Y… told me to expect. Like I said… I’ve been okay.
Now, I feel like things are taking a turn for the worse, faster and more severely than prior to the radiation. Again, maybe it’s just my imagination.

Maybe it’s just the natural progression that would have happened .. with or without the Radiation. We’ll never know, and I will just have to wait and see what comes next.

Okay … (Drum Roll ….please) … I’ve said all that, to say this … I’ve always had a fairly good sense of what’s happening with my body.

That sense is telling me that what I’m going through now is the sign that it’s time to stop working.
So, last week I told the boss, that I’m going to pack it in. I said that 15.April will be my last day at Life Time.

That gives me the opportunity to help get the Spring League started and to turn the Youth Training Program over to guy who has helped me start it. We had a session yesterday and I almost didn’t make through the second hour.

What was that opening line … “You gotta know when to fold ‘em!” … It’s that time!

That leaves just one more item on my list. That trip to Germany!
I’m trying to plan for it, and will continue to do so but, the situation with the legs might be the determine factor. I will have to play that one by ear.

You may have noticed the increase in posting about my book “It’s the Coach’s Fault”.
That’s because I’ve started a campaign to sort of turn it into a “Go Fund Me”.

I still have bills to pay… three really! If I can raise enough to erase those, then when I stop work, I will be able to get by on my pension. My Goal is to sell 1,000 Copies. that would make me pretty much debt free and cover the outstanding portion of those "final expenses!"🙄.

I am using my “work in progress” A.I. Skills to make ads and videos that give readers some idea of what’s in the book. I am trying to show that there really is more to than “just” basketball in the book. That will all be laid out in the next video…. So - stay tuned!

The next “Sit-Rep” will be after my appointment with Dr. C…. Unless there is a something important to write about.

Where it all began… https://youtu.be/_Ub52GONVos?si=8ysjLSTDEQpwhZIa

About the Book:
https://youtube.com/shorts/NNzeDKQDVNY?si=S1-KljBW67MkveGa

#usarmy #basketball #cancer #lifetimefitness #Coaching


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