New WP Men's League Mandate --- January 15th deadline

With the recent retirement of JD from the Porterhouse Pub team, and recently passed regulations from the WP Men's League Board of Commissioners, We find ourselves begging for volunteers!

The Board of Commissioners has set January 15th as the deadline for all teams to have at least on player on the roster sporting a bushy mustache!

With JD's abrupt retirement this year, this leaves us in a severe bind!

Calling all hirstute Pubbers  -- you gotta help us out here!!!

Todd is too young to grow one and I believe Bill has/had one but it is too thin according to WP regs! 

We need JD bushiness!  Who will step up?  Here is the target!!! 

Pubbers fall to "Brazen" Competitors in heart breaker of a loss!!!



Crowd reacts to the "flubbed" play

 It kills me to be writing this!

After a gritty, valiant, and gut wrenching late 2nd half comeback, the Pubbers missed an opportunity to steal a win from the Brazen Fox last Thursday at the Eastview gym before a capacity crowd of 9 kids.

It may have been visions of sugar plums dancing in their heads, or perhaps the vision of Larry T in an elf outfit and a cast on his knee, but whatever it was that distracted the Pubbers they did not look like themselves right out of the gate for the third game in a row!

The addition of TOT to the floor was a big boost indeed, but the holes created by the numerous missing Pubbers were really the difference in this game.

Brazen's mountain of a center kept TOT and everyone else's hands full as we gave away not only several inches but double digit pounds at least in the paint.  Despite this disadvantage, the defense did a tremendous job containing that threat as best they could and keeping this game close!

After an ok first half, the Pubbers came out in the 2nd half and did the uncharacteristic and unspeakable  - Went "O-fer" the first 7 minutes of the half allowing the Foxes to extend a once surmountable half-time lead!!!!!

The Pubbers, warriors that they are, finally got into a bit of a groove and after they began pressing full court, found themselves in a battle for the win and three points away from tying it up with less than 10 seconds left on the clock.

A brilliant play was drawn up to free Bants for the sure TRES, but yours truly failed to implement and execute the pass and despite some questionable timekeeping/officiating on the final play, the Pubbers were handed their first (and LAST) loss of the 2010 -2011 season!!

That will not happen again!!!!

Sure, the officiating was sketchy especially with some bad block calls down the stretch that should have given us the ball back and the timekeeping was sketchy and unappealable - but those are mere excuses given that we did not play our game, failed to execute properly in key plays, missed some free throws down the stretch, and have not yet found our dominant groove that is sure to come!!

And when it comes it will be unstoppable!!

Stay tuned for the rematch of this one --- and the Quest still continues!!!

Happy New Year all!!!

Spate of Bad News continues for Pubbers!!

The devastating news hit all of us like a punch in the gut. The news we feared and dreaded came today, officially, and it has sent shivers through the White Plains Men's League - D division world!!!
British tabloid The Sun is reporting breaking news that Larry T has been told the following:
LARRY T has suffered an ACL and meniscus tear.
Dr. Jonas Salk tells us that if he wants to play bball again, he will need an operation & long recovery period ...approx 3-6 months.  He  has some time before making a decision . Apparently a doctor friend (other than his orthopedic) will advise LT on his courses of action.
This is a devastating blow to the Pubbers offense and rumor has it that several players, having not taken a shot in years, rushed out to the gym to work on that lost skill.
Calls to player/coach Henry were not returned and a report has Jimmy Bants Nangle wearing a black arm band to work today.
The news was released to the rival Mercy College assembly and the noise of jubilation was so deafening that 4 students were hospitalized with ear drum trauma!!
We will keep you posted on any developments as LT ponders his near future with the Pubbers!!
In the meantime, the quest continues!!!!

The raw footage of LT ejection...

Warning!!!  This footage is disturbing...viewer discretion advised...LOL

http://ncaabasketball.fanhouse.com/2010/12/14/high-school-basketball-player-attacks-tosses-referee-video/?ncid=txtlnkusspor00000002

Porter House makes it 2-0 with Gritty, if not pretty, Victory!

It certainly was not pretty, but it was indeed a gritty victory that the Porter House Pub team pulled out in front of a capacity crowd of 7 fans in the EastView "Sauna" Gymnasium last night!

Much to the dismay of the crew, the electric atmosphere was severely lacking coming off the 80 plus person crowd in attendance last week, but it was a bad referee call and subsequent ejection that provided the "spark" the team needed to power through to their second straight win!

From the outset the Porter House team seemingly had control but it was spotty at times as the shooting percentages were extremely low from just about all players. The team was constantly pushing the ball up and running hard and quickly tired out the younger, shorter bench of the competition, but the shots and some easy buckets just weren't falling.

It was an incident halfway through the second half that seemed to jumpstart the Pubbers and bonded them through to the final whistle. Larry T was on a breakway for an easy layup with one guy trailing and as he went up and made the basket, the trailer crashed into him, sending him sprawling dangerously into the brick wall in the gym.

The 7 fans and the whole team gasped at the violence of the take down and waited to see if LT could make it back up to shoot his free throw! 

It was eerily quiet in the gym (there were only 7 children fans afterall) as LT rose to one knee and stared in disbelief at the referee!

Incredibly, there was no whistle despite the fact that this hit took place directly under the nose of the referree!  Needless to say, LT was not too pleased with the blatant no-call and perilous action of the other player and unncharacteristically let his feelings be known to the offending ref.

And he was spot on!

So spot on that two technical fouls later and an ejection from the game, the stunned crowd of 7 fans looked terrified and worried at the prospect of LT not returning.

However, the team huddled, kept it together, clamped down on the D, and made the crucial free throws down the stretch to finally put this game to bed. 

The savvy coaching of Henry (on DL) and Bants secured the W and disaster was averted!

It was not a pretty game but it was effective, and without the presence of some of our regulars it was a pretty strong victory --- even if the video of it may make some nauseous!

Next game Thursday!!!  The Quest continues!!  Nice job Boys!!!

Here it is!!!!

After much public outcry and demand, here is the 2010 Championship T shirt, earned by Porterhouse Pub!!!  I even wore it proudly at this am's 5:30 run!!!  This year, regular season will not do!!!!

Game On~~ Opening Game Victory Bails out Flaherty Guarantee! Porter House Pubbers make it 1-0 to start 2010-11 Season!

It began with the ceremonial distribution of the 2009-2010 Championship Jerseys we have all been clamoring to receive!  As Jimmy Nangle handed them out, the jerseys did not disappoint and it was well worth the wait!  That undefinable shade of vomitous green never gets old!!  Larry Toglia made a point of wearing it during the game for the pure intimidation factor  (and his forgetting his game jersey)!!

As the layup lines began, the Eastview Gynmasium had all the excitement, noise and atmosphere of a North Carolina - Duke game at Cameron Indoor Stadium . The crowd was raucous and overflowing as the YOUNG opposing team seemingly drew 50-60 spectators to cheer them on in their opening game!  It was headache inducing noise, playoff ambience, and the veterans from the Porterhouse Pub Men's Hoop Team seemed whimsically amused as well as thoroughly confused by this unprecedented show of support at this "advanced" level of play!

The noise subsided rather quickly as the wily Porterhouse team, after a slow start, found their groove and executed a game plan of patience, solid defense, and most importantly, exceptional Free Throw shooting down to the wire to secure the first regular season victory of this Championship Quest!

It was an overall Team effort with EVERYONE contributing!!

While not the prettiest game for our team from a technical standpoint, it was effective enough to put us in the Win column as we pursue the ultimate trophy!!

1-0.... The First step to Gold!!!

Well done Boys...



PS,, if anyone sees TJ please let him know the game is at 7pm!  Eastview!  lol

Breaking News --- Tshirt update!!!

Still none.

Road to the Championship Update

So - it turns out that our Harrison Men's League team was entered in the Division "A" tier and as a result we have experienced 3 severe shellackings and beat downs!!

However, as my good friend Henry once told me (and feel free to quote him on this) "That which does not kill you makes you stronger".

The talent level in this Tier is exceptional and we have faced at least one 6' 10" player on each team.

While the 20 minute "running time" halves ease the pain of these "lessons" a bit, only good can come from it (hopefully).  Sure, a little more time at the therapist office and a few more nights waking up screaming in my sleep, but I truly believe it will be for the best in our Quest for the Ring!!!!

We continue to run at 5:30am on Wednesdays in Rye for an hour if any brave souls want to join us - feel free!!  Just shoot me an email!

Hope to see the 2010-2011 WP schedule soon --- 

Get thee to the gym boys~~~ Our time is near!!

Also - please participate in the interactive poll on the right of this blog!!

D Fresh

PS. Todd - just cut and paste this reply below- trying to save you time! 

"STFU and leave us alone, Little Blog Boy (Aka LBB)"
- Todd

A message from Jimmy Nangle

Doug,

Playing in another league is a clear conflict of interest. I hope you have filled out the proper disclosure forms and are prepared to do the right thing when you have two games on the same night.
Love, Bants

See you soon.

Please visit the site and Take the latest Interactive Poll on the Factual Nature of this site!!

Conference Finals T Shirt Update

Still do not have them.

Championship Road Update

So, against advice of counsel and my closest advisors, and after the super top secret run ended in Upper Westchester County due to CYO court times, I have stepped up the "guarantee" rhetoric by joining the Harrison Men's Basketball League in anticipation of the coming WP Men's League!  We run one game a week (Tuesday nights) and our captain/coach has cajoled us into rising at 5am twice a week and running full court at the Rye YMCA @ 5:30am - 6:45am. 

I have not heard of any other retirements, I know that some of my brethren are running weekly in the Cedar barn Argument-Dome in White Plains, and I am equally convinced that Henry and Jimmy have been actively recruiting to fill those huge shoes left behind with Goose and JD's announced retirements!!!

See you all soon enough --- The time is nearly upon us!! 

Get thee to the gym and shoot some free throws people!!!

Corrected link to TMZ Rumor below....

http://roadtowpchamp.blogspot.com/2010/09/tmz-alert-rumor-of-jimmy-nangle-bantam.html

TMZ Alert --- Rumor of Jimmy "Nangle" Bantam and Doug Flaherty "secret workout run" sets WP league gossip abuzz!

Maybe they ARE serious!!!

Credible and incredibly crafty TMZ News is out this afternoon with a rumor that Captain Jimmy "Bantam" Nangle and Forward Doug Flaherty's vehicles were spotted outside a Northern Westchester gymnasium early Saturday morning. While attempts to see inside the gym yielded no insight, and somehow the two cars were able to get away without any proof of the drivers' identity, neighborhood kids were talking, and talking a lot. 

Little Timmy Osborne, 9 yrs old, of Bedford NY claims to have walked into the gym and spotted someone who looks exactly like Nangle shooting threes and slashing to the hoop, sweating profusely and looking suspiciously "ripped" and "cut up". Gymnasium officials shooed him away before he could take it all in, but all indications are that some members of this destined Porterhouse squad are serious about their prediction to take the Championship Ring this year and pre-season runs are taking place all over the county.

Larry Toglia, caught outside NY Sports Club this morning was coy when asked about this rumored spotting and quickly dispelled the rumors as mere conjecture and fear-mongering by league officials. However, moments later Mr. Toglia was overheard on his cell phone in his team sponsored BMW screaming to an unknown party, ""Why the F$%&* wasn't I invited? I am the God$$&*#ed franchise!"... "This is absolute HorseS%$#!!!!"

The rumored photo of the two vehicles obtained by TMZ can be seen at the following link:

http://roadtowpchamp.blogspot.com/2010/09/tmz-alert-rumor-of-jimmy-nangle-bantam.html

Porterhouse in personnel Crisis!! Team thrown into turmoil...Donahoe Retires!!!

The drive to the Championship for the Porterhouse squad was dealt a second devastating blow this weekend.

First Steve "Goose" Ryan shocked the hoop world with his announced retirement last week and now TMZ has learned that John "JD" Donahoe has thrown in the towel!!! 

In a somber missive obtained by this reporter, JD apparently had one too many conversations with Goose Ryan over the weekend and announced his departure! 

Calls to Henry and Bantam went unreturned over the weekend and no statement was issued by Porterhouse Management.  This is not good for the Championship bound team and a sense of panic is quietly setting in today. 

JD did say "99% chance" so the team holds it's breath that Management can talk him out of it and exploit that 1% of wavering!!

Speculation that this is merely a ploy and attempt by JD to obtain his Divisional Champ T-Shirt immediately still hang out there on internet sites dedicated to this squad.

__NOTICE___
All Fellow Hackers.
From JD
RE: Steve Ryan "Quits"

After speaking to "Goose Ryan" at a wake last week, he made alot of sense about retiring. I thought long and hard about the idea. I am now 99% sure I will go the same route as Goose.
FACTORS: 39 year reign, started in 1971 playing for Vincents Meat Market with Jim (AKA Monsoon, Dr Death, Sweet Daddy, Russ, Big Cat, El Gato Grande,........)
5 Decades is more than enough, Too many Championships to mention 37,532 assists to legondary players: Bob Ulrich,Kenny Cain(AKA Kermit Washington) Gil Amoro, Steve Sage, Kevin Darcy, Keviin (The Rooster)?,Kevin Bass (RIP), Greg Sturdivant, Mike Hayes,...........
League Records: 25,384 fouls 789 Disqualifications Sponsor Records: 33,000 pints of Guinness 30,000 shots of Jamison.
As you can see, enough is enough
Hackingly yours,
JD

Read it and Weep!! Rumor has been confirmed!!! Steve Ryan to Retire!!!

http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=3974346112328012925&postID=2284047641255740837

AP NEWS: WHITE PLAINS,NY - Taking the basketball world by surprise, long time player,
Steve Ryan, announced his retirement from the White Plains Men's Basketball League after
a 34 year reign. Ryan made his announcement in front of a packed crowd this past Saturday evening at Porter House Pub (one of the many teams Ryan played on), while trying to make
his way to the bar for a pint of Guinness. There was little reaction from the crowd, as they were probably in too much shock to pose any questions or attempt to get Ryan to change his mind.

There was a great deal of yelling and screaming, and this reporter witnessed a lot of cash changing hands.
Ryan was recruited into the league by Jim "Monsoon" Russell in 1976 to play for the now
defunct American International Rent A Car. Over the next decades, Ryan would go on to play for teams such as Starfire, Dunn's Pub and Dooley Macs. Official statistics show that Ryan scored over 50,000 points, grabbed 375,215 rebounds and dished off a league leading 37,533 assists. Unofficial statistics suggest that he consumed over 28,000 pints, 19,500 bottles of beer and approximately 100,000 wings at the conclusion of the games.


When asked about his decision to retire, Ryan was quoted as saying "It's time to let the next generation of gamers take over. I've had the good fortune to play with some incredible guys during my time in the league and played relatively injury free over the years. The icing on the cake came this past year when we won our division. This is a great way to go out, even though I haven't received my Divisional Championship Shirt yet!" At this time, Ryan started to get very emotional and could no longer speak.

Asked about the end of this era, there was no shortage of comments from the basketball world.
Frank Magaletta, Director of the League, was disappointed, but not surprised. "Steve has been
a fixture in this league longer than I have been the Director. He has been an inspiration to me
and so many other players." Magaletta went on to say, "however, I think he may have outstayed
his welcome for the past five years, or so. He'll always be a legend in his own mind." John
Bannon, an official in the league, said "Steve was one of the great players in the league for many
years. I remember him when he played on the Stepinac High School team back in '71." When
Bannon was told that that was Steve Sage, he then quickly corrected himself. "Wait, Steve Ryan?
Wasn't he the guy with gray hair that kept missing the lay-ups? He's done? Oh well." So many
of the players that Ryan shared court time with were saddened by his departure. Many said the
league just wouldn't be the same without him. Long time teammate, Larry Toglia, summed it up when he said, "Steve did the right thing. It's time the rest of us were able to take some more shots. He always was a chucker". Ryan's wife, Mary, was concerned about all the free time he would now have. "I'm not really sure what I'm going to do with him at home. Maybe he can start caddying again, or get a paper route".


Asked about his retirement, Ryan said he'll be able to spend more time doing the things he has
been missing out on during the Winter seasons. "I can finally take up snowboarding and get 'stoked' ", Ryan said. "I can concentrate on my bottle cap collection and maybe even take up ballroom dancing, in case I get the call from "Dancing With The Stars".

So the White Plains Men's League will need to find a way to carry on without Ryan. League officials are concerned about loss of revenues and diminished attendance, but will look for other means to spark interest. One official, who chose to remain anonymous, brought up the idea of donkey basketball. After hearing about this idea, long time player, John Donahoe, could only say, "Oh great, as if this league didn't already have enough crap!"

--- Steve Ryan, author and WP League Future Hall of Famer

Horrible Rumor

Dateline 9/11/2010, Armonk NY
Unsubstantiated rumors comimg out of an undisclosed gymnasium in upper Westchester are circulating furiously this morning. Reports, albeit unconfirmed and merely conjecture, have Porterhouse power forward Steve "Goose" Ryan retiring prior to this season.  While we normally hold off on rumors such as these this one has some legs given the source. We hope it is false and merely that...a rumor. As always, we will keep you posted!!!

A Message from Holdout - Doug Flaherty

Brothers in Arms - It appears that we have won a major victory over Management and we WILL be receiving our T-Shirts as promised!!!  Thank you Jimmy and Henry for your professionalism in this heated negotiation.

I hereby renounce my holdout plans and will return to camp immediately!

Speaking of camp - anyone interested in getting together early Sat or Sunday (or any feasible time) as a group and playing some pre-season ball some weekend?

If you have not browsed the site yet, I have hung a pretty big Matzah Ball out there with a Championship Guarantee and would like to deliver on it!

Anyone have any interest or ideas as to where we might run??

Peace

DF

Breaking News - TMZ.com

Celebrity website TMZ is now reporting that Porterhouse Forward Doug Flaherty, subsequent to making a bold prediction and Guaranteeing a Championship next season, is going to miss training camp and will stay away until he receives the WP League T-Shirt he was promised as a reward for his team making the playoffs last year!

Taking a page out of Darrelle Revis' playbook, Flaherty's agent Robert O'Toole was quoted as saying:

"This can all be resolved quickly if Porterhouse Management would just deliver the beautiful and highly sought-after green t-shirts the players were promised after the playoffs last year. It is that simple - what say you, Henry and Bantam??  Do the right thing and end this madness so my client can get back to the business of the people and help deliver that long-awaited Championship to the Porterhouse Family"

TMZ also reports that JD Donahoe is waiting for a trophy he feels he was entitled to receive from the '77-'78 playoffs. No word on his availability or intentions regarding training camp attendance.

More to follow...

Stunning Press Release puts WP's Porterhouse Team in tough spot - AP Wire

In a stunning and potentially inflammatory press release hitting the wires all over the world this morning, oft-absent forward Doug Flaherty boldy exclaimed:

"I GUARANTEE a Championship in this year's White Plains Men's League - that's right, Guarantee a Championship this year!"

AP News has learned that despite being removed from the team's Summer hoops at SUNY/Manhattanville email distribution chain, Flaherty has been working out secretly with members of his teammate and star point guard Jimmy Nangle's family in an undisclosed church gym in upper Westchester County and that the apparent rift between him and team superstar Todd Brooks, as prominently reported by the National Enquirer earlier this summer, is much ado about nothing.

Brooks could not be reached for comment on their rift nor could Flaherty who was allegedly in the gym shooting yet even more free throws.

Larry Toglia, star shooting guard, was visibly stunned when told of Flaherty's bold prediction and referred all further inquiries to his publicist, Robert O'Toole before boarding his yacht in Mamaroneck Harbor.

More to follow on this story....

Jeremy Shockey

I write this to the masses following this blog to serve as an update~! 

Since the weekly sessions at the Temple were ruthlessly and callously yanked from us - and since I have apparently been ostracized from the normal summer run in Westchester given the extreme dearth of email invites, I have gone all Jeremy Shockey and taken on my own summer hoops regimen to insure my part in the WP Men's Championship Season in 2010-11.

I have been enduring a tough 2 hour Saturday morning run in an undisclosed gymnasium in upper Westchester. I have been in severe pain as a result but I know it is what I must do as I will not let my teammates down when the season rolls around.

To you naysayers and haters out there -- beware - we are still focused on the prize and will be ready to rumble when the time comes!

I just hope my teammates share my same focus and passion for those amazing t-shirts and trophies that lay ahead!

Shoutout to Timmy -

I just wanted to give a proper shout out to last night's goalie who did a nice job in between the pipes. Bear in mind, he will be much better when we raise enough money to buy him a mask.

That being said, I put 4 out of 22 shots past him.. all shot up high and for that I apologize...Quite frankly, I think the 3 early pucks to the head made him a little gun-shy and vulnerable to my slap shot.

Ankle back to 99 - 99.9%

Since our normal Tuesday night run was callously and insensitively canceled abruptly last night, I was forced to test the ankle injury on the ice in a scrimmage at the Ice Hutch last night.  I am happy to report that the ankle fared very well and I was able to go 100% most of the game (about 1 hour 45 mins) resulting in 4 goals and multiple assists.

More importantly, I was able to turn and cut without pain or discomfort and it feels great this morning!

I am bacckkkkkk.....

ps.. neither one of the pics above are of my actual ankle....but you get the point.

Here is a shot of me shooting baskets in the rain earlier today

I am obviously taking the picture... but you can clearly see how I was shooting free throws in the rain directly prior to this photo.... taken by me in my backyard,,,

Ankle Injury has sidelined the March to Championship for 2 weeks..

I took a puck to the ankle in a hockey game and this has sidelined me for the last 2 sessions.

I hope to be back in action next week!

Coach has been riding me -- he is not pleased but he will see...

Eye is still on the prize!!

Next workout --- Tues 4/20/2010

Now we wait...

The Road to the WP Championship has begun!!

Let their be Light!!!

Up at Dawn - Grueling games with a even more grueling arguments and bad calls!

It is Time Boys!!!

It all began two Tuesdays ago, April 7, 2010, in a small Temple gym in White Plains.

The cedar walls burning in one's nostrils!

"Day One" of the Road to the White Plains' Men's League Division "D" Championship has begun!

While other PorterHouse Pub players are licking their wounds from the last stinging defeat, basking in the sunshine on exotic vacations and locales, preparing for BBQs and pool parties, a small group of dedicated hoopsters began a long journey that is sure to take them to the upper echelons of the 2010-2011 White Plain's Men's Basketball League!!

Stay Tuned....