hey fish, kudos to you man, i know you didn't intend for this thread to be all about your story and everything, but i do want to pass along that im very happy you were able to fight the way you did and come out the other side and have 2 kids (if i remember correctly.) you are a true hero, so that's awesome man. one of my best friends wasn't as lucky as you and died a few months ago from lymphoma, he was only 30. sucks. all the best care in the world, couldn't help, but i'm so glad it was able to help you, it's a disgusting disease. on the bright side, this whole thing made you and guns play nice lol.

side note though - one of my best friends dad worked at overlook for years, he was a pediatric nurse, his name is Robert Berner. you remember him by chance?

knicks1248 wrote:

mreinman wrote:

blkexec wrote:

mreinman wrote:

gunsnewing wrote:I really want to get into horse racing. Go to Belmont etc. I really like following the triple crown. I'm a crappy gambler though. Finally put some money down on a horse who was dominating Yonkers and then he loses for the first time. I really get a kick out of the atmosphere and excitement leading up to those 2mins or so

I played many years of poker. Loved it and was really good at it. Studied the odds and read many many poker books.

wife was not happy and I let it all go for her

miss it badly but at least I am not consumed anymore and can concentrate on my other hobbies like this damn board

I'm in the same boat with the wife.

I thought I had it all figured out.....Been playing for years. Then I realized it really kept me away from the family and kids and job. Life was going down hill fast, so I had to stop (slow down...lol) Used to go every other day....now is like every other month.

Yep, been to weekly GA meetings.....Even when I didn't think I had a problem.....But I did it for the wife. I love those meetings because you're around like minded people and you develop a bond. Makes you accountable.

But I turned in my poker cards for bible study....Trying to live a purpose driven life. I can't explain to you in words how different my life feel. How easy it is to deflect negativity, when you see the bigger picture....Even if I go back and play poker now....It's a different feeling. It's not as exciting....I feel out of place. It's crazy.

I know exactly what you mean ... I too study bible and now all I need to do is cut back on the bottle.

Have not had a drink in 2 weeks and it actually feels pretty good.

2 weeks ago, I actually looked up local AA meetings.

Why is it that we always need to be addicted to something? ARGH!

So for now, no alcohol and back to smoking ... great

Just imagine if every one did things moderately,like once and awhile, life would be so much different, and a lot of people would be out of work. Less cops, less doctors, less judges, less lawyers, less liquor, less crime, less drugs..the list is end less. THIS ENTIRE WORLD IS FCK UP BY ADDICTION,and survives off addiction.

The goal is to do everything moderately and live a peaceful life, but that's a pipe dream. PHIL jackson looks like he's addicted to making head scratching moves,that he doesn't even know why he does it.

But to add to the original topic, Between OK4 and Town, one of these guys will not pan out in the NBA, I cant say for sure but i have never seen 2 franchise players get drafted 1 and 2 in the same draft

Not really sure what all these " head scratching moves" you are talking about??? If you are talking about the Chandler trade that was 1 trade.
As far as 2 franchise players drafted 1, 2 the history backs you up pretty well. The most recent draft where there were 2 franchise players drafted 1-2 was '92. Shaq and Mourning. You also could argue '94 where Glen Robinson. Kidd and Grant Hill went 1,2,3. But '92 there can be no argument. Hopefully we are seeing that again this year. There have been many years where franchise players went 1, 3 and the team picking #2 messed up so maybe this year that can happen.

nyk4ever wrote:(just catching up with this thread)

hey fish, kudos to you man, i know you didn't intend for this thread to be all about your story and everything, but i do want to pass along that im very happy you were able to fight the way you did and come out the other side and have 2 kids (if i remember correctly.) you are a true hero, so that's awesome man. one of my best friends wasn't as lucky as you and died a few months ago from lymphoma, he was only 30. sucks. all the best care in the world, couldn't help, but i'm so glad it was able to help you, it's a disgusting disease. on the bright side, this whole thing made you and guns play nice lol.

side note though - one of my best friends dad worked at overlook for years, he was a pediatric nurse, his name is Robert Berner. you remember him by chance?

Yea I still can't believe Jay is gone. Gone but never forgotten. L is so cruel. That's what makes Fish's story so miraculous. It would be really cool if Fish knows Mr. Berner

Here endeth the lesson.

fishmike wrote:

mreinman wrote:

blkexec wrote:

mreinman wrote:

gunsnewing wrote:I really want to get into horse racing. Go to Belmont etc. I really like following the triple crown. I'm a crappy gambler though. Finally put some money down on a horse who was dominating Yonkers and then he loses for the first time. I really get a kick out of the atmosphere and excitement leading up to those 2mins or so

I played many years of poker. Loved it and was really good at it. Studied the odds and read many many poker books.

wife was not happy and I let it all go for her

miss it badly but at least I am not consumed anymore and can concentrate on my other hobbies like this damn board

I'm in the same boat with the wife.

I thought I had it all figured out.....Been playing for years. Then I realized it really kept me away from the family and kids and job. Life was going down hill fast, so I had to stop (slow down...lol) Used to go every other day....now is like every other month.

Yep, been to weekly GA meetings.....Even when I didn't think I had a problem.....But I did it for the wife. I love those meetings because you're around like minded people and you develop a bond. Makes you accountable.

But I turned in my poker cards for bible study....Trying to live a purpose driven life. I can't explain to you in words how different my life feel. How easy it is to deflect negativity, when you see the bigger picture....Even if I go back and play poker now....It's a different feeling. It's not as exciting....I feel out of place. It's crazy.

I know exactly what you mean ... I too study bible and now all I need to do is cut back on the bottle.

Have not had a drink in 2 weeks and it actually feels pretty good.

2 weeks ago, I actually looked up local AA meetings.

Why is it that we always need to be addicted to something? ARGH!

So for now, no alcohol and back to smoking ... great

Humans are so emotional. We are no longer driven by survival instincts. Most of us have food and shelter and while the quality of those things may vary most in our areas have those basics covered, so we are driven by our feelings, our emotions. We feel "needs" but what are they based on? And why is it those things change so often?

The guy who ran my first baseball team was in AA and sober for many years. Ironically I knew him as a drunk in the resturant I used to work in. Bumped into him sober, started chatting baseball and ended up playing together for 10+ years. When I was going through my divorce I started drinking at a pace that only leads to one place, so I went to meetings with him for about a year. I stayed sober through that whole process.

I will simply say this: Mental health is not an accident. You need to work at it. 12 step programs... not always a hotbed of mental health, but the principles are excellent. Help your fellow. Be honest. Be accountable. Take an honest inventory of yourself. Do so daily. Get a relationship with what works for you and what works against you. Those fundamentals will put you on a good path in life.

On a happy note, my little Jayhawks won the title. Most on this board would appreciate our style of play... team defense. We easily had the best defense in the league and it was the only aspect of the game I really coached. With such limited practice time I just figured teaching them an offense was a waste of time, its all broken plays anyway, so our focus was always D, D and more D and taking care of the ball.

We werent a very big team, but we had speed, and defense is the way to get all 10 kids involved and the only thing Ill take credit for is getting them to take pride in it. Well, I scouted out our competition and the team we played had the best scorer in the league. He could hit 3s and was a beast in the paint. So my message was simple.. make him beat you with jumpers, nothing in the paint, pack the middle, control the boards and sure enough.. he got frustrated when the paint wasnt open and he settled for long jumpers and you guys know the rest. Im more relieved than anything! My kids were all good kids and played their asses off so I was just so happy for them all. This is the stuff life is about

Holy shhht, sounds like you and the other fisher have the same defensive thought process, but the difference with the knicks fisher, this ain't little league, and these players can beat you easy from the perimeter, even the teams that come in with the worst 3 point FG % in the league, will light you up if you sag in to protect the paint.

gunsnewing wrote:
lol

Yea Mr. Earl right on!

The rest of the players in the draft are just window dressing. Okafor is not what we need.

Towns or bust.

knicks1248 wrote:

fishmike wrote:

mreinman wrote:

blkexec wrote:

mreinman wrote:

gunsnewing wrote:I really want to get into horse racing. Go to Belmont etc. I really like following the triple crown. I'm a crappy gambler though. Finally put some money down on a horse who was dominating Yonkers and then he loses for the first time. I really get a kick out of the atmosphere and excitement leading up to those 2mins or so

I played many years of poker. Loved it and was really good at it. Studied the odds and read many many poker books.

wife was not happy and I let it all go for her

miss it badly but at least I am not consumed anymore and can concentrate on my other hobbies like this damn board

I'm in the same boat with the wife.

I thought I had it all figured out.....Been playing for years. Then I realized it really kept me away from the family and kids and job. Life was going down hill fast, so I had to stop (slow down...lol) Used to go every other day....now is like every other month.

Yep, been to weekly GA meetings.....Even when I didn't think I had a problem.....But I did it for the wife. I love those meetings because you're around like minded people and you develop a bond. Makes you accountable.

But I turned in my poker cards for bible study....Trying to live a purpose driven life. I can't explain to you in words how different my life feel. How easy it is to deflect negativity, when you see the bigger picture....Even if I go back and play poker now....It's a different feeling. It's not as exciting....I feel out of place. It's crazy.

I know exactly what you mean ... I too study bible and now all I need to do is cut back on the bottle.

Have not had a drink in 2 weeks and it actually feels pretty good.

2 weeks ago, I actually looked up local AA meetings.

Why is it that we always need to be addicted to something? ARGH!

So for now, no alcohol and back to smoking ... great

Humans are so emotional. We are no longer driven by survival instincts. Most of us have food and shelter and while the quality of those things may vary most in our areas have those basics covered, so we are driven by our feelings, our emotions. We feel "needs" but what are they based on? And why is it those things change so often?

The guy who ran my first baseball team was in AA and sober for many years. Ironically I knew him as a drunk in the resturant I used to work in. Bumped into him sober, started chatting baseball and ended up playing together for 10+ years. When I was going through my divorce I started drinking at a pace that only leads to one place, so I went to meetings with him for about a year. I stayed sober through that whole process.

I will simply say this: Mental health is not an accident. You need to work at it. 12 step programs... not always a hotbed of mental health, but the principles are excellent. Help your fellow. Be honest. Be accountable. Take an honest inventory of yourself. Do so daily. Get a relationship with what works for you and what works against you. Those fundamentals will put you on a good path in life.

On a happy note, my little Jayhawks won the title. Most on this board would appreciate our style of play... team defense. We easily had the best defense in the league and it was the only aspect of the game I really coached. With such limited practice time I just figured teaching them an offense was a waste of time, its all broken plays anyway, so our focus was always D, D and more D and taking care of the ball.

We werent a very big team, but we had speed, and defense is the way to get all 10 kids involved and the only thing Ill take credit for is getting them to take pride in it. Well, I scouted out our competition and the team we played had the best scorer in the league. He could hit 3s and was a beast in the paint. So my message was simple.. make him beat you with jumpers, nothing in the paint, pack the middle, control the boards and sure enough.. he got frustrated when the paint wasnt open and he settled for long jumpers and you guys know the rest. Im more relieved than anything! My kids were all good kids and played their asses off so I was just so happy for them all. This is the stuff life is about

Holy shhht, sounds like you and the other fisher have the same defensive thought process, but the difference with the knicks fisher, this ain't little league, and these players can beat you easy from the perimeter, even the teams that come in with the worst 3 point FG % in the league, will light you up if you sag in to protect the paint.

This made be laugh. You hate Fisher so you you think he is coaching like he is coaching little league!

fishmike wrote:

mreinman wrote:

fishmike wrote:

mreinman wrote:

blkexec wrote:

mreinman wrote:

gunsnewing wrote:I really want to get into horse racing. Go to Belmont etc. I really like following the triple crown. I'm a crappy gambler though. Finally put some money down on a horse who was dominating Yonkers and then he loses for the first time. I really get a kick out of the atmosphere and excitement leading up to those 2mins or so

I played many years of poker. Loved it and was really good at it. Studied the odds and read many many poker books.

wife was not happy and I let it all go for her

miss it badly but at least I am not consumed anymore and can concentrate on my other hobbies like this damn board

I'm in the same boat with the wife.

I thought I had it all figured out.....Been playing for years. Then I realized it really kept me away from the family and kids and job. Life was going down hill fast, so I had to stop (slow down...lol) Used to go every other day....now is like every other month.

Yep, been to weekly GA meetings.....Even when I didn't think I had a problem.....But I did it for the wife. I love those meetings because you're around like minded people and you develop a bond. Makes you accountable.

But I turned in my poker cards for bible study....Trying to live a purpose driven life. I can't explain to you in words how different my life feel. How easy it is to deflect negativity, when you see the bigger picture....Even if I go back and play poker now....It's a different feeling. It's not as exciting....I feel out of place. It's crazy.

I know exactly what you mean ... I too study bible and now all I need to do is cut back on the bottle.

Have not had a drink in 2 weeks and it actually feels pretty good.

2 weeks ago, I actually looked up local AA meetings.

Why is it that we always need to be addicted to something? ARGH!

So for now, no alcohol and back to smoking ... great

Humans are so emotional. We are no longer driven by survival instincts. Most of us have food and shelter and while the quality of those things may vary most in our areas have those basics covered, so we are driven by our feelings, our emotions. We feel "needs" but what are they based on? And why is it those things change so often?

The guy who ran my first baseball team was in AA and sober for many years. Ironically I knew him as a drunk in the resturant I used to work in. Bumped into him sober, started chatting baseball and ended up playing together for 10+ years. When I was going through my divorce I started drinking at a pace that only leads to one place, so I went to meetings with him for about a year. I stayed sober through that whole process.

I will simply say this: Mental health is not an accident. You need to work at it. 12 step programs... not always a hotbed of mental health, but the principles are excellent. Help your fellow. Be honest. Be accountable. Take an honest inventory of yourself. Do so daily. Get a relationship with what works for you and what works against you. Those fundamentals will put you on a good path in life.

On a happy note, my little Jayhawks won the title. Most on this board would appreciate our style of play... team defense. We easily had the best defense in the league and it was the only aspect of the game I really coached. With such limited practice time I just figured teaching them an offense was a waste of time, its all broken plays anyway, so our focus was always D, D and more D and taking care of the ball.

We werent a very big team, but we had speed, and defense is the way to get all 10 kids involved and the only thing Ill take credit for is getting them to take pride in it. Well, I scouted out our competition and the team we played had the best scorer in the league. He could hit 3s and was a beast in the paint. So my message was simple.. make him beat you with jumpers, nothing in the paint, pack the middle, control the boards and sure enough.. he got frustrated when the paint wasnt open and he settled for long jumpers and you guys know the rest. Im more relieved than anything! My kids were all good kids and played their asses off so I was just so happy for them all. This is the stuff life is about

Thanks for the post Fishmike ...

Congrats on your win ... don't discount my one time blessing! and prediction.

one question if I may ... since AA, do you ever dabble a bit or are done done?

I drink all the time... well, not "drinking" but have beverages. My experience with that fellowship led me to this conclusion: There are two types of addicts that end up there. Those with the "allergy" as they say. Those are the ones who once the booze hits the bloodstream all bets are off. They simply cant stop. My grandfather was like that. Once he had the first there was no stopping until he passed out. Thats about probably about 10% of the AA population, and for those folks its a program for life.

The other 90% are folks who's drinking went from being a symptom of their issues to the main issue. Life is tough, drinking can help with alot. It can lubricate social outings. Anyone can name a 100 things that can be better or more fun over some pints with your buds. Dinner tastes better with wine, and its sure more fun to cook over a few as well... feelings.. we are talking about good feelings. The problem is when you NEED some good feelings and turn to booze (or drugs, they are the same). Maybe its cover up or not think about something. Maybe its simply habit and its slowly progressing. You get the idea. However its very easy to get sucked into it, and when that happens the downward spiral starts, and then the question is simply what is going to break that pattern?

Ive done it all. When I was a teen it was drugs and booze. That got me in rehab and my first forray into the 12 step world. I wasnt 18 yet. My big motivation for staying sober was I was aware of how much I hurt myself and my family and needed some time before I even considered dabbling. I viewed it as I lost my getting high privledges. After that I stayed totally booze and drug free until my 30s. Remember when I was 19 I went through cancer etc, so my 20s were about playing sports and building my body up. Getting high or drinking was an afterthought. Eventually I just drank because I wanted to. I overdid it a few times, but I never had the urge or felt any need to drink. I did when I wanted and that was it. Its all frame of mind and emotional state of being for me. When I was getting divorced I went full steam into women and gambling. Getting laid all the time as a recent divorcee sounds exciting but it sucked. It was just a chase, with no fufillment at the end (well, maybe a little but you get the idea). Once you have been in a loving and nurturing relationship whoring around felt cheap to me. It didnt stop me but eventually I asked myself (self honesty) how low do I want to go and feel? So I stopped. Same with gambling. I tore through offensive amounts of money in short periods only to ask myself again (self honesty) how low do I want to go? How much longer do I want to beat myself up?

Lucky for me I had some experience both personally and observed in breaking those patterns of behavior and did OK. I dont mess around outside my marriage. The opportunities are there but the reality is simple... thats a path to NOT feeling good. I know that. I love to gamble but I only enjoy it if I dont NEED to gamble. A couple trips to the track in the summer fall under the category of healthy entertainment. Drugs and booze.. I wont lie, I love the splif, but I have kids and that stuff cant be around. So I pick my spots. Jamming (guitar) with my buddies. A walk in the woods alone with my dogs, a night out with the wife.... there are appropriate times and not. When Im balanced Im fine. When Im not I know I need to seek other avenues like the gym, movies, playing music.. Ive learned to invest in a nice bag of tricks I can go to that produce positives, as opposed to the negatives that getting high under those times will produce. Obviously spiritual endevours are huge in that regard. When I feel those lows I focus on helping others, and that may simply be injecting more time into family. I coach my sons BB teams. I jam with my 14 year old daughter who is all into music. Ive gone to my both older kid's schools 5 years in a row to do an astronomy lecture for the kids and they loved it. Ive brought my acoustic into my toddler's day care and absolutly crushed a killed version of "Wheels on the Bus", as well as "There Aint no Bugs on me." The greater the body of work I build of the positive stuff the farther away from the darkness and needs I mentioned above.

Kinda long winded but work is slow

damn fishmike ... that was a great read!

The natural peaks and valleys of the brain and moods are hard to deal with. Some days you feel like you are on top of the world and everything is positive, snd some days are all gloom and doom and downright depressing. For a while I alcohol did the trick for me but after a while, it just has the opposite affect and turns everything into gloom and doom

Long cold winters don't help either ... I need warm weather so that I can go play tennis and bike with my kids - and get my endorphins pumping again.

Never was into drugs ... was always smart enough to stay away especially with my addictive personality traits.

Gambling? MMMMMMMMMMM .... love it but can't do it no more ... Track is a fantastic idea!!

Next ... I need to quit smoking (AGAIN) but if I do, then I may seek to replace it again with a more harmful addiction :-(

Since I have hit 40 I have been wishing everyday that I was 20 again ... mid life crisis? Perhaps ... if it is than I hope that its gone by 50!

misterearl wrote:You Heard It Here First

gunsnewing wrote:
lol

Yea Mr. Earl right on!

The rest of the players in the draft are just window dressing. Okafor is not what we need.

Towns or bust.

I'm on the Towns bus too. But can I have 1 leg hanging out the back door.

Moonangie wrote:

misterearl wrote:You Heard It Here First

gunsnewing wrote:
lol

Yea Mr. Earl right on!

The rest of the players in the draft are just window dressing. Okafor is not what we need.

Towns or bust.

Just posted the same thing in another thread. We're going for KAT. Mark it.

chances are that it won't be up to us. We have a 25% chance at best that we will drive this decision.