First T's this season

[BillyMac]

From Junker: It seems to me that this time of year, every season, sportsmanship goes to crap for a week or so. The teams that are playing well are trying to win conference titles and such, the teams that are losing are tired of losing.

From jdw3018: You have conference races coming to a head, some teams that are out of the running for postseason, others that are on the edge, and the good teams looking to position themselves well. Add to that the little built up frustrations throughout the year with the increased pressure and you get much shorter fuses all around.

You're both absolutely on target. I' msure that we will be reminded of this at our monthly meeting this coming Sunday. Here in Connecticut, teams must win 40% of their games, usually eight wins, to make the state tournament . You can tell right away, from some coachs' bench decorum, which teams have six, or seven ,wins.

[Back In The Saddle]

This is the time of year when we really earn our money. And frankly, it's my favorite part of the season. The intensity goes up, there's a lot on the line, and everything matters more.

To my way of thinking, this is put up or shut up time. Nothing feels better than going out there, being on top of my game, leaving it all on the floor, and coming away knowing that I put up.

You couldn't pay me to miss this time of year!