Dreams

In college, if either Burch (far right, goatee, funny hat) or I had a dream that we remembered into breakfast time the next morning, we made sure to tell each other so there was some kind of record of it. So it was with great pleasure that I read the following email from my good friend, recounting a Badger-related dream.

This will probably only be enjoyable to those of you who know the parties involved ... then again, that's like half my readership!

Hey dudes,

I had to get this dream down on paper and share it with you guys. In the dream, the 3 of us are watching the Badgers play in the NIT championship game. We're sitting in the front row, but the game is being played in a high school gym-like setting. Fast-forward to the final minute of the game: the Badgers are down by one (can't remember who they are playing) and we're seriously nervous. A Badger player is fouled and goes to the line. As the 3 of us discuss end of the game strategies, I glance over at the player on the line and it's Schwalbach. He's wearing his old Badger middle school uniform. So as we discuss strategy, the elder Schwalbach (sitting next to us) is critiquing the younger Schwalbach at the free throw line. Here's a vivid version of the exchange:

Tappa: "I'm nervous. Schwalbach has problems with his hands."
Schwalbach: "I have carpal tunnel syndrome, so free throws are not my strong suit."
[Young Schwalbach shoots free throw. Picture two clenched fists held together with a basketball balancing on them -- that's his form. He does this odd-looking push shot that makes it halfway to the basket and rolls out-of-bounds (similar to Koebel's pathetic free throw attempt captured on video during the St. John's tourney). The second shot is a line drive that hits the bottom of the rim and goes straight down, again landing out-of-bounds. Badger fans let out a collective groan.]

Burch: "Gosh I feel sorry for him".
Schwalbach: "Me too".
Tappa: (face buried in his hands, he's irate) "God! Come on Schwalbach!"

The Badgers eventually go on to win the game and we storm the court, moshing with the rest of the team as "Jump Around" blares over the PA system (strangely it's only us celebrating with the team -- no one else stormed the court).

Reflecting on the dream, in particular Schwalbach's shooting style/horrible FT attempts and Tappa's reaction to the mildly-handicapped younger Schwalbach, still have me laughing and it's almost 3 in the afternoon.

Hope all is well with you guys .... NIT champs baby!

B

Several thoughts:

-If you've never seen "Koebel's pathetic free throw attempt" referenced by Burch, please try to. We're in eighth grade playing in a tournament in a typical middle school gym, and John Koebel, aka Chez Whitey, shoots a free throw so horrible it goes about 5-6 feet right of the rim and out the door, into the hallway! Has to be seen to be believed.

-I've seen Schwalbach shoot free throws before, using a clenched-fist style might be an improvement.

-On the flag football field, Schwib's hands were his strong suit. Unfortunately, as a lineman, he was prohibited from using them aside from the sneak point-after attempt.

-Another way this dream was not grounded in reality -- the Badgers don't play in the NIT anymore.