The Blade [a DDSCB3 story]

Wayne23 · February 17, 2015

January 1, 2023

A four win week! 77-67 over GA Tech there. 24, 5, 4 for Lou, 15, 12 for Mr. Double, Jay, his 12th double double in 14 games. 16, 6, 3 for Win.

65-42 over #2 in the country Indiana, here. 16, 8 for Kim and then a whole lot of balance. It was 41-15 at the half!

76-46 over #13 Duke, also here. 27, 5, 5 for Win, 18, 5, 5 for Lou. Only 7 and 8 for Jay but h3 had 2 assists, 4 steals, and 6 blocks.

And finally, 80-58 at Pitt. 23 and 20 for Jay- I guess that made up for last game! Win also had 23.

We’re not taking good care of the ball, 18, 17, 14, and 8 TOs in our last four games. We’ll work on it.

This week it’s 8-4 Wake Forest, here.

January 3

Lou was in a horrible auto accident this morning.

He and Lili are chauffeured to school. They are usually on different schedules so Lili was not in the limo. A UPS type (but not actually UPS) box truck ran a red light and slammed right into the limo, right into Lou, really. He was sitting on the side where the impact occurred. He was rushed to the university hospital, which was excellent, but his injuries are extremely severe, unquestionably fatal. He is in a deep coma.

Papa Joe, Mai, Lili and I all got there as quickly as we could. We were told he could go at any moment.

Papa Joe left the room hurriedly. When he came back he said, “I sent for our people.”

“Our people?”

“Alvin, we need to transfer Lou as soon as possible. Our people are bringing the necessary equipment. They will be here in a few moments.”

“NO, PAPA!”

“Wait, Mai. Papa Joe, he’s so badly hurt.”

“It does not matter. If he is alive he can transfer. He will be fine.”

“PAPA! I will not allow-”

“Mai.”

“No, Blade, NO!”

I took Mai by the arm and found a deserted room. I laid it on the line, didn’t mince words.

“Mai, he is going to die, maybe today, maybe in the next few minutes. This is the only hope he has. We have no choice.”

It took a while, and it took some tears, but Mai saw that this made sense- a horrible kind of sense, but sense. We went back to the room. Papa Joe’s “people” were there, waiting for us.

“Go ahead, Papa Joe. Mai and I agree that this must be done.”

Lili had been quietly crying, and holding Lou’s hand since we’d arrived. She nodded. We each took a moment to say our goodbyes and then we watched as Lou transferred.

“We must go to our home now. When we get there we will be able to talk with Lou as soon as we set everything up, just a few moments.”

Ling was on a trip to D. C. She needed to look at some things in the Library of Congress. We called her driver on the way to the hospital but it would be another hour before she got back.

Within moments we were talking with Lou. We explained what had happened. His last memory was of hearing screeching brakes, looking to his right and seeing the truck almost upon him.

He was taking this very calmly.

“Dad, it’s okay. I knew I’d be here eventually unless something truly tragic happened. I guess it almost did. Papa Joe, thanks again. As always, you’re right there. Anyway, I’ve accepted this for a long time now. Hey, everything I want is here except you guys and I’m betting I’ll see at least one of you every day.”

He asked us for some time to figure things out. Later that evening we checked back in.

“Lou, it’s Ling.”

“Hi kid, great to see you.”

“I’m coming.”

“Looks like you’re already here.”

“No, I’m coming there so we can be together, I hope today or tomorrow.”

Everyone was stunned. Lou and Ling had always been very close. All three of the children are- were- whatever, but especially those two.

“I wanted to anyway, you know that. Now they can’t say no. How could they? They can’t possibly leave you alone there, maybe for decades.”

Mai was crying again, sobbing, almost out of control sobbing. It took her a very long time to get under control.

“Mom, I know how you feel but you can’t stop me.”

That set off Mai again. Between sobs she said, “I… I don’t want to… I … I know you two should be… must be… together but… I will lose… two… of my children…” She couldn’t continue.

Lili went to her and held her. You remember how tiny Mai is, about 4’10”, maybe 85 pounds. Lili got my genes, she’s 6’3”. Thin, but strong because of all the work she does with animals.

“Don’t YOU leave me!”

“No worries, mom, no worries.”

“You mean you’re not going to try to stop me?”

It was my turn.

“Once again I agree with your mom. I can see that Papa Joe and Lili agree too, Ling.”

“Good, I’ll go get ready and I can transfer-”

“WAIT!”

“What! You just SAID-”

“Lou, you still here?”

“I wouldn’t miss this.”

“Okay. Yes Ling, you can go. But I insist on some time- not a long time, but some time for us to be together, to say kind of a long goodbye.-”

“Dad, it’s not even goodbye. I’ll be right-”

“May I finish please?”

“Sorry.”

“Okay. Let’s take a few days, maybe a couple of weeks- no more than that. Let’s go to some of the places we’ve enjoyed, do some of the things we’ve loved doing, things like that.”

“Yeah, I get that, dad, but… Lou can’t come with us.”

“Yes, in a way he can.”

“What? How Papa Joe?”

“Alvin, we haven’t announced it yet but our team has been working on something for a very long time. Lou cannot be here physically, of course. But the unit we use here to see and hear him and for him to see and hear us? We now have a portable unit. It is first generation, not perfect, heavy and bulky, but he will be with us.”

We all cheered.

We compromised. The “long goodbye” would last until 1/17.

We have three games in that stretch. The plan is that I will coach the two at home, but I will miss most practices and I will not travel to the BC game.

January 8

84-65 over Wake Forest. They gave us a battle through most of the first half. We took control late and stretched the lead out to as many as 24. 28, 7, 2, 3 for Lou, 13, 11, 4, 3, 3 for Jay.

Next week we’re at 4-10, 1-4 BC, but my #1 will be coaching. I won’t be there.

It’s been a difficult few days. We’re doing things and going places, and we’re trying to make some happy memories before Ling leaves us but it’s a heavy feeling in many ways.

Reality has set in for Lou and he’s not doing as well as he was. Frankly, I think he’s a little depressed- not a lot, but he definitely feels the separation, from us, from everything. In light of that we’re sort of rethinking Ling joining him. No doubt what Lou is feeling she will feel, in her own way, of course. I’m not sure it would be worth the price to try to stop her, but we need to discuss it, Mai and Papa Joe and I, but also the three of us with our children. We will begin those discussions soon.

Wayne23 · February 17, 2015

January 13

Our discussions continued but three days ago Lou suggested to Ling that she rethink transferring. He got her to listen, and she agreed to think about it.

Later she came to me.

“Dad, what Lou says makes sense but I still want to go.”

“Ling, if you’re just doing this for Lou-”

“No… I know that. I am doing it for Lou… partially, but I still want the solitude, the time to write and read, and be creative.”

“You understand that you’ll stay at the age you are for… well, virtually forever.”

“I know. But I won’t have the bloating and cramps and all that any more either.” She smiled.

“You’ll never have children.”

“That’s never been a goal. I will mature intellectually and emotionally, just not physically. I think that’s okay.”

“We’ve already promised that we won’t stop you, but let’s keep thinking about it and talking about it. And it doesn’t need to happen immediately.”

“I’ll keep thinking but I really don’t want this to drag on. It doesn’t have to be in four days, but soon- one way or the other.”

“That’s fine.”

January 15

72-49 over BC. I watched the game. Yet another double double for Jay, 15 and 13. 9 TOs, 38 RBs.

6-9 Virginia here, and we’re at 9-7 NC ST this week. I’m not sure whether I’ll go to the NC ST game. Then FL ST here.

I’m dropping in on practice when I can, and trying to take care of emails and messages when I can.

“I’m taking an extra week, but I’m going.”

“Okay, Ling. As I said we won’t try to stop you. But please be sure.”

“Oh, I’ve been sure all along.”

January 22

89-49 over VA. I coached, but I was distracted. It didn’t much matter since it was never a game. 23, 8, 6, 2 for Win. Jay didn’t get a double double, 21 and 9. 16, 5, 2, 2 for tad. 6 TOs.

I didn’t go to the NC ST game. 70-48. 25, 10 for tad, 15, 13 for Jay, 12, 9, 3 for Lou. 12 TOs, 54 RBs!

I was at the FL ST game here, but I sat on the bench and let my assistants coach. I just encouraged the kids. 88-42. 17, 11 for Jay, 20, 2, 2 for Win. 5 TOs, 42 RBs.

Jay strained abdominals. He’ll play limited minutes in our next game. Not sure about the one after that.

My players are being very understanding about everything that’s going on. They’re certainly playing great ball, too.

This week it’s the Fighting Icyballs of Nome, 8-10, 3-6, here, and 10-8, 6-3 VA Tech there.

Syracuse is ½ game back, Duke 2 games.

January 24

Ling transferred today. She seemed as determined as ever, and Lou does need her. It was, of course, difficult, but it was very peaceful. We all said our goodbyes, both Papa Joe’s family and ours (We’re really all one family.), hugged, and then Mai took Ling’s hand as she lay on the stretcher. She was sedated, and the transfer was completed. It took only a few moments.

The moment when she appeared next to Lou and they embraced was almost magical. We all cried, but happy tears. These two need to be together. Awful as it is in many ways it just seems right.

January 29

I didn’t feel up to even going to either game this week.

88-55 over Nome here. 20 for Win, 14 for Lou, 8, 7, 3, 7, 2 for Jay in limited time- 7 steals!

It was 78-59 at Va. Tech. 31, 3, 3, 2 for Win. Jay was not himself. He is back to 100% now though.

I will resume all of my coaching duties on Feb. 1.

2 home games this week, 7-13, 2-9 Miami, 14-6, 6-5 Louisville.

Syracuse and Duke remain right on our tail.

Jay is #4 on the Norton list and Win Dahl #5. Lou is #16, Phil Kirk #29.

All of us spent a lot of time with Ling and Lou over the past few days, sometimes together, sometimes individually. They are definitely helping each other. There have been, and no doubt will continue to be ups and downs but just the fact that they’re together is an enormous help. This will be okay; it will just take some time. Lili spends more time than any of us with her siblings.

Wayne23 · February 17, 2015

February 5

63-28 over Miami. 25, 12, 2, 1, 3 for Jay. 13, 5, 3 for Jed Tuck from the bench.

88-62 against Louisville. 28, 16, 2, 1, 2 for Jay, 16, 4, 4, 4, 2 for Win, 12, 8, 3 for Jed. But 15 TOs.

We are now 2 up on Syracuse, 3 on Duke, 4 or more over the rest. 24-0, 12-0, #1, #1. As a team we are #1 in scoring, RBs, blocks, #4 in assists.

If anyone is going to beat us in the regular season it will probably be #17, 2nd place Syracuse, 17-6, 11-2. We’re there on Tuesday. Then back home against 11-10, 5-7 Ga. Tech.

We’re… adjusting. Lou and Ling have asked that we give them some time to become accustomed to their new reality. They want us to visit between noon and 1:00 p.m., and 9:00 and 10:00 p.m.

Even with the portable unit I can really only visit when I’m home, either from my office or from home. The unit is simply too big and bulky to take with me. Papa Joe assures me the newer models will be the size of a tablet, but it may be awhile.

Lou and Ling are wonderful support systems for each other and are doing well, all in all. There are difficulties, frustrations, and they both get down now and then, but it’s not bad, really. They both feel that it won’t be long before this new reality becomes “normal.”

Mai is having the most difficult time of any of us. She was, of course, very close to Ling and Lou, and I don’t know, being a mom is being a mom. Maybe that’s the whole explanation. I don’t find it easy, but I am thankful that we didn’t really lose Lou. We would have if not for this new … “reality.”

February 12

88-78 over #17 Syracuse, there. We led by as many as 21, and after 10 minutes we were in control. 10 is the closest margin all season and this is our 3rd 10 point win. 18, 14, 6, 3, 3 for Jay, 21, 9 for Tad, 16, 6, 7 for Win. But 16 TOs.

Back home and 70-55 with Ga. Tech. 20 and 6, with 6 steals for Lou, but he fouled out. Jay also fouled out and had 8 and 11. 14, 10 for Tad, 16, 5, 4 for Win. 12 TOs.

Two on the road, 6-18, 4-10 FL ST. Then it’s 16-9, 8-6 Clemson.

We’re 3 up on Duke and Syracuse with 4 to play.

This will be the longest I’ve been away from home since Lou left us, 6 days. Post season is coming and I’ll be away quite a bit.

Jay is now #3, Win #6, Lou #17, Tad #19 on the Norton list.

February 19

69-39 over FL ST. 19 for Win, 15 for Lou, 12, 10 for Tad, 9 and 9 for Jay.

Ted Bayn strained a calf, out about 10 days to 2 weeks. Jed Tuck will get his minutes.

69-57 at Clemson. 16, 6, 7 for Win, 16, 5, 1, 2, 2 for Tad, 10, 8 for Jay. I believe this is the first time all year Jay has gone 2 games in a row without a double double.

Last week of the regular season. Va. Tech, 8-16, 4-11, here. We beat them 78-59 there.

Then we close with 9-16, 4-12 Miami. We beat them 63-28 here.

We’ve clinched. We’re 3 up on Duke, 4 on Syracuse, 6 or more on the rest with 2 to play.

Life is kind of getting to be closer to “normal,” or at least the new normal. Mai, Lili and Papa Joe visit with the kids every day. Papa Joe flies in a private jet when he needs to go anywhere so taking the portable unit is not a problem. I visit whenever I’m not on the road, usually with another family member but sometimes alone. Sing and her kids visit often.

February 26

We ran the table for the regular season, 30-0, 18-0. 4 up on Duke and Syracuse, 7 or more on the others.

90-43 over Va. Tech here. 27, 2, 4, 4 for Win, 17, 11, 2, 2, 3 for Jay, 9 TOs.

78-55 at Miami. 15, 6, 7 for Jed, 16, 8 for Tad, 16, 5, 2, 3 for Lou. 9 TOs again.

Wayne23 · February 17, 2015

March 3

“Dad, I need to talk with you privately.”

“Okay Ling.”

We set up a time for later that evening.

“Lou is really depressed. He tries to hide it when he talks to all of you.”

“I thought he was. He’s doing a good job of trying to hide it but both Papa Joe and I felt like we kept seeing signs. Any idea what it’s about?”

“Only theories… I had a choice about transferring. He didn’t. I had time to think about it, and really important time after Lou transferred. I need to thank you for that. It made a difference because when I did it I was totally sure. He didn’t have any of that, obviously.”

“But he’d be dead if-”

“He knows that, and he wouldn’t want to be dead. But still…”

“Of course. It’s not about logic it’s about emotions.”

“It’s not like he hates everything, and most of the time it’s okay. But he has trouble being alone for long periods of time. He can work on his mathy, techy stuff for a couple of hours but then he gets… not clingy… kinda needy. He needs to be near me. It’s okay. Sometimes he wants to talk but sometimes he just needs to be near someone, and I’m the only someone.”

“But he can interact with thousands of people there. The programs allow for all sorts-”

“He says it doesn’t feel ‘real.’ It does to me. I don’t do it that often but the people are completely real to me in every way.”

“I guess you need to be willing to buy in.”

“That’s prob’ly it. If your mindset is that they aren’t real they won’t be.”

“Are you able to do the writing and reading you wanted to do?’

“Almost all of the time that I want to do it. When he interrupts at a crucial point in my writing I tell him he needs to wait just a minute so I can organize my thoughts and make notes. He’s good about waiting for that.”

“I don’t know what to tell you. Ling.”

“I know. I just wanted you to know. Go ahead and tell Papa Joe. I’m not so sure about mom.”

“Papa Joe and I will discuss whether we should tell her.”

“I’m okay, really. I’m so glad I did this. I wouldn’t like it if I couldn’t speak with all of you but that makes it fine. I really feel .. I don’t know what the word is, but I like the way I feel.”

What an amazing kid! She wasn’t quite 12 when she transferred. Oh, we did have a birthday party for her a couple of weeks ago. There was a cake here and one there. Lili got to blow out the candles for her on our cake.

March 5

We lose starting SG Win Dahl and little used PF Min Will to the NBA. I’m pleasantly shocked that those were our only losses.

Jay is #3 and Win #7 on the Norton list.

March 10

#8 seed Pitt was the only favorite to advance out of the play in round. We’ll play them. They’re 15-13, 9-9. We beat them by 22 there.

79-55. Pitt was never in it. 18, 6 for Jed, 15, 11 for Jay, 14, 6, 3 for Win.

#4 seed, 19-10, 11-7 Wake Forest in the semis. We beat them by 19 at home.

March 11

84-62. Our guards lit it up. 28, 7, 2, 2 for Lou, 31, 4, 2, 2 for Win.

#18 ranked Syracuse, 22-8, 14-4, beat #8 Duke. We won by 10 there. They hit 15 threes. We’ll need to stop that, and we’ll need to get fewer than the 16 TOs we got that night.

March 12

83-66. They got 11 threes. We had 13 TOs. 20, 4, 3 for Lou, 16, 8, 5, 5 for Win, 14, 12 for Jay in 20 minutes. He fouled out.

We were selected 1st in the East, so 1st overall.

Lou seems better- not great, but better. It has to be a difficult, confusing, even frightening thing to go through what he has gone through and continues to go through. The adjustment will take time.

There are things we haven’t talked about. Do they sleep over there in transition land?

The energy supply for the microchip is essentially infinite but for whatever reason resting seems to help a person living inside the microchip. We recommend three brief rest periods per day. For many people falling asleep is a pleasant experience. This can be programmed to last for as long or as short a time as desired. The sleep periods need to be only about 10 minutes each, and they can be postponed. If a person is engaged in something and they wish to continue, they simply delay. At a certain point they will feel sleepy though, and their ability to concentrate will weaken. At that point they will give in and begin the sleep cycle.

Food is an interesting matter. Papa Joe engaged the best chefs and cooks he could get. Whatever one wishes to eat or drink is available, and it is excellent. The chefs and cooks cook a dish. If it comes out to their satisfaction it is transferred. Then it is virtual, so it can be replicated. The people wishing to eat the dish can eat it as is, or can modify it. Same with drinks. Every imaginable food and drink is in the system.

People who have transitioned do not need to eat, but they may eat, as often as they wish. Theoretically they could eat constantly, forever. They could never eat. When they do eat and drink, and Lou, Ling and the others have all verified this, it feels just as it did here. They are able to taste, they tell us, just as they did here. They swallow, and the food dissolves, since it is virtual it was never there but it feels like it dissolves- really, it feels like it digests, I suppose. A person never feels too full, never experiences indigestion… Lou has always loved VERY spicy food. He eats all he wishes to, and there are no side effects. I am certain that Ling is very happy that one particular side effect of Lou’s eating of spicy foods does not exist over there. It certainly did over here!

Every alcoholic drink is available. The taste is there, the ability to become even the tiniest bit intoxicated is not there.

I suppose that brings us to physical things. All physical things can be done, yes, including sex- alone, in pairs, in… more than pairs.

Also on the physical side, everything here is possible there- skiing, auto racing… the most dangerous to the most mundane. Lou said he jumped from the top of a tall mountain and felt the sensation of falling all the way. When he hit the ground he felt a thud upon impact but no more. He then got up and walked away.

Really, the possibilities are enormous, and eventually will likely become limitless.

Wayne23 · February 17, 2015

March 16

We’re playing #16 seed, 16-15 Hartford.

93-58. 25, 13, 3, 1, 3 for Jay, 18, 5, 7, 3 for Win. 7 TOs, 46 RBs.

Next up will be #9 seed, 18-11 Temple.

March 18

76-42. 19, 18 for Jay, 21, 7, 4, 2 for Win, 15, 4 for tad. 10 TOs, 53 RBs.

#4 seed, #18 ranked, 24-9 Syracuse in the Sweet Sixteen. We beat them by 10 and 17.

March 23

81-63. 14, 13 for Jay but all 5 in double figures. 11 TOs, 45 RBs.

Lots of upsets throughout, but probably not more than average. It’s #6 seed, #25 ranked, 26-7 Sid Bonney in the Elite Eight.

March 25

80-58 and the final four again. 5 guys in double figures again. We have yet to trail in the NCAA tournament.

We’ll play #1 seed, #2 ranked Indiana, and it’s #1 seed, #3 ranked LSU vs. #4 seed, #19 ranked Texas Tech on the other side. So 3 #1 seeds.

We beat Indiana by 23 in late December. That was a long time ago but they were #2 then as well as now. Our D simply stifled them. Let’s see if we can do it again!

April 1

90-68 and we still have never trailed. Very different game from the first one against them. 20, 6 for Jay, 20, 3, 1, 4, 4 for Win, 14, 16 for Tad, 19, 6, 2 for Lou. 8 TOs, 43 RBs.

And it’s #3 ranked LSU, 30-5 for the title. We beat them 85-68 on November 30 but that was a VERY long time ago. Their PG was the only guy who did much of anything against us that night. Win and Jay had big nights and we were +5 TOs, +15 RBs. Both sides are healthy so let’s get it on!

April 3

92-73. Well, we trailed in this one… a few times during the first 5 minutes or so. Then we went on a 21-2 run. 21, 12 for Jay, 24, 7, 2, 1, 4 for Win, in his last game with us. Phil had 11, 4, 6, 2 in HIS last game with us. Jed Tuck, also playing his last game, had 13, 7. Ted Bayn and Min Will also played their last game.

April 4

Awards: Jay was tourney MOP, 1st team All American. Win Dahl made 2nd team. I got national COY. In conf., Jay was POY, freshman OY, 1st team along with Win. Lou Best and Tad Dye made 2nd team. I was hoping Phil would since he’s a senior but…

Now it's decision time. I have 7 titles in 32 years. I can either go after John Wooden’s record of 10 in 35 years, or go somewhere else and build a program up. It’s almost too easy here. If the right team, at the right altitude, has an opening we’ll probably go. The next stop is our last coaching stop though.

April 9

Hm. Colorado is really the only school that fills the bill. Mai, Papa Joe, Lili and I flew out there. It would definitely be a challenge, their team prestige is 35 in the Pac 12, where they finished 11th in a 12 team conf. Their 2 best players are graduating. They signed three pretty awful looking recruits. I would make maybe a million less a year. In short… I won’t be tying John Wooden’s record within the 35 years he coached. We’re going to my 10th school as a head coach.

As usual I will head right out there and the family will come later. Papa Joe apparently intends to buy half the state, and set us up in some very well protecting and glorious living conditions. Being who I am I’ll spend my time in my home office, the dining room, and our bedroom. Oh, I am definitely taking one of those bulky units so I can contact my kids. Papa Joe says the new streamlined units are close to ready.

Cleaning house. There are some truly awful players here. Lost the whole staff so we’re starting over there too.

I got two really good assistants and one…

I asked for a facilities upgrade. We’re at C-. I’ve seen the facilities and that’s generous. The budget is doable, $136,000. The top clubs in the conference dwarf that but I can buy the Gold National, so it’s fine.

Denied. Oh well. Next season will be a climb!

April 23

39-0 this season. 32 seasons, 877-227, .794 (which will go down for the next couple of seasons).

The family may not get here until June. I’m not happy about that but what can you do. I’ll fly there a couple of times and some of them will fly here.

I’ve had lots of visits with Lou and Ling, together and separately. Things are going great with Ling, and better with Lou.

Ling is enjoying the solitude and the opportunity to write and read without many distractions.

Lou is getting back into his two loves, math and computers, but he is also exploring some of the programs. There are lots of adventure programs. Some are physically challenging, some mentally, some both. There is already a large number of these, and it’s growing all the time. In some ways he is field testing, and he communicates regularly with the design people to let them know what works, what doesn’t, and to suggest improvements. Occasionally he and Ling go on one of these adventures together.

Lou has gotten used to the virtual people here. He is also able to tweak personalities, and that makes them more to his liking. All in all he’s doing well.

There are already almost 200 people who have transferred and that gives the developers lots of data to work with.

Papa Joe says the space travel program is a little ahead of schedule.

“We can leave in about six months, I think. We do not need to go that soon but we can if things deteriorate that quickly. I do not think that they will but I cannot say for certain.”

Wayne23 · February 18, 2015

June 9

We’re looking at some transfers. We need help NOW. This won’t give us that. My last and only losing season was in 2000. Not to look on the dark side but…

We’re offering to 3 guards and a big.

June 12

Got three, 2 guards and a big guy.

June 19

We gambled on another big guy and got him.

June 26

We have 4 scholarships. Looking at 24 guys.

August 7

First time in a long time, no one on the Norton List.

August 21

Offered to 2 PGs and a big.

September 18

We’re going to the JAG Holiday. I am not loading the schedule this year.

September 25

Got the 2 PGs.

October 2

Got the PF.

First day of practice sort of confirmed my fears.

We’re picked to finish 11^th on our 12 team conference. My goal is 6^th or better.

“So, Papa Joe, with all the things you’re working on, why aren’t you trying to save the planet?”

“Too late. Too much irreversible damage done. We can extend the time period before disaster strikes, already have, but we can only push that day so far, maybe 7 more years, maybe 8. I don’t think 9.”

“So when the spaceship leaves I’d better be on it.”

“20 ships. They will rendezvous in lunar orbit and build the complete ship/city there.”

“All leaving at once?”

“No. The first five will go about one month apart. Number 6 at the end of the first year.The others at six month intervals. Reason is that each ship is part of ship/city. It will take time to put everything together. Some assembly required!”

I laughed.

“Can’t come back down. Once a ship is up there it is there for good. We need to be certain we have the resources for the people in the ships. Need hydroponic gardens, recycling, reclamation of waste for fresh water- many things.”

“So I could wait for ship #20 if I want to keep coaching as long as possible.”

“Yes, but last ship may be up against the edge regarding habitability of the planet. We may need to change the plan after ship 12 or so. Using the current plan would take 8 years. If we have 8 years fine. If not, change the plan.”

More and more to think about. Of course life on a microchip is the ultimate destination, but that still feels unrealistic.

Papa Joe also dropped a few hints about extending human life span.

Everything about all of this is top secret, of course. It will undoubtedly get out at some point but hopefully not soon.

November 6

We have a lineup, such as it is. I never do this but I’m so thin I’m playing 3 guys about 38 minutes a game. It will likely increase my chance of injuries, but it really is the only way. Guards Jed Reyk and Dan Mars, both freshmen, and Morr Noke, a soph Center are the guys. At SF Jr. Ray Neal, and at PF Sam Bond, another frosh. Jr. Shea Chen will come in for the bigs, and yet another freshman, Cal Key is my backup guard. After that… there is no after that.

We start at home with Delaware from the Colonial, and then Boise ST from MT West. Neither of these teams is very good, so let’s see if we can build some confidence.

Wayne23 · February 20, 2015

November 20

A 1-1 week to start the season. 51-60 against Delaware. We got homed at home, they went to the line 23 times, we went 12. Dan Mars had 20 at guard and Morr Noke had 13, 4. Our other big guys didn’t do much, and Jed Reyk, our other guard, couldn’t hit shots.

Then we beat Boise ST 63-53. 13, 10, 6, 5 for Morr, 18, 2, 3 for Dan, 14, 8 for Ray Neal at SF, 10, 4, 5 for Jed. +12 RBs.

This season will be a journey. There’s a lot to work on, we don’t have depth, and frankly, we have three guys who are at Division I skill levels.

We start with 5 at home then it’s 5 on the road, a tourney appearance and one more on the road. Ridiculous scheduling. We don’t have a game, not one, at home in December.

Winthrop and #15 Cincinnati are here this week.

November 27

We’re now 2-2. 75-62 over Winthrop. 20, 7, 3 for Morr, 20, 2, 3 for Dan, but he fouled out. 14 each for Jed and Ray. Sam Bond, at PF, had 8 RBs, but he isn’t scoring.

68-87 vs. Cincy. 29 for Jed, 10, 13 for Morr, 7, 8, 2 for Sam. Cincy shot the lights out but they did a great job of getting open. They were a step quicker.

Home vs. 1-3 Miami, then a month on the road, starting at 0-4 Ohio.

December 4

79-64 over Miami. We had an outside shooting festival, 24, 6 for Jed, 22 and 7 assists for Dan, 18, 6 for Ray. +12 RBs.

66-76 in our first road game at Ohio. Our guards did a great job again, 25, 6 for Jed, 22 for Dan. We were okay with RBs, -1, but our inside guys didn’t score. Our first big off the bench, Shea Chen, can score, and he can rebound some, but he is an awful defender. Still, I need to think over making changes.

Two on the road this week. We’re at 2-5 Portland, and then 2-4 Kansas ST.

Jed hurt his shoulder. He’s day to day but it doesn’t look serious.

We all still try to speak to Lou and Ling as frequently as we can. At least one of us does so every single day, sometimes in groups, sometimes alone. They both seem to be adjusting well. Lou is writing some programs, or at least is part of a team that is doing so. Some team members are here and some have transferred. He is busy and seems happy.

Ling is doing what she loves, writing and reading. She asked Papa Joe a very intriguing question. She wanted to know if her cat could transfer. Papa Joe was stumped. He’s checking on it.

Mai and I had a talk about the future before I left on the road trip.

“Blade, I think it will be okay on the ship/city.”

“Glad to hear it. Why?”

“Papa is doing more and more. He has people writing all kinds of programs, as you know, but he has made it a priority to have good, deep programs for all of the family members. I looked at what he did for me and it is very good, but it needed a few things to make it better. He arranged for me to sit with the programmers and to spend some time, we actually took a great deal of time, showing them how to make it better. I think it may eventually allow me to do more than I can do now. It is very exciting.”

“I’ve peeked at the college basketball coaching program. Same as you, I made a few suggestions. I think when it’s finished it will be difficult to distinguish coaching in the program from coaching in real life.”

December 11

It was a great week, 2-0. I liked our chances against Portland but Kansas ST had me worried. 69-60 at Portland. 32, 6, 2, 2 for Dan, and the big guys scored- 25 for the three starters. 10 TOs and +5 on the boards.

66-51 at KS ST. 21, 2, 3 for Jed, 19, 3, 4 for Dan, 14, 8, 3 for Ryan. 35 TOs.

We’re 5-3.

This week it’s 5-3 Colorado ST, our perennial rival. It’s a one game week.

December 18

65-70. 20 TOs did us in. That really was the difference. 24, 2, 3 for Dan Mars but 8 TOs. Our other starting guard, Jed Reyk had 13, 4, 4 but 6 TOs.

Schedule quirk this week. We play at 3-4 Florida ST on Monday, then we open the JAG against… FL ST!

December 25

We split with FL ST this week. Wish it had been the other way around but we won the first, lost the second, the opener of the JAG. 1^st game was 64-55. 25, 3, 4. We were +20 on the boards, 43-23, but we had a horrible 24 TOs.

The 2^nd game wasn’t pretty, 53-64. 13, 9, 2, 2 for Morr Noke at C, 13 for Dan at guard, 11 for Jed at the other guard, but 18 TOS and we shot 24.4%.

We’re 6-5 going to conf. play. It could be a long season.

Only one game this week. We’re at #16 Oregon, 8-5.

We’re doing okay in some areas, +6.5 RBs per game, + 1.6 PPG, but we’re -2.8 on TOs, averaging 15.2, and that is really hurting us. It probably won’t get a lot better until next year.

Papa Joe says there will be some experimentation with transferring cats. He thinks they could be great morale boosters. I asked about dogs.

“No, cats. Vermin get everywhere, they always have. If there is any way for vermin to sneak over they will find it.”

That doesn’t even sound possible to me.

Papa Joe says figuring out ways to get all the things we need into space is more complex and difficult than his people had expected.

“We may need to delay our first flight for a couple of years and then bunch flights more closely together. We will make it work in time. The difficulty is that our time is very limited.”

On the other hand he says the work on extending human life span is going very well.

“This is our most closely guarded secret. It simply cannot get out. Once we are away from this planet it will be a different story but it would be cruel to extend human life on a planet which cannot support it, and we really cannot take any more people off planet than those we are planning to take. We are deliberately leaking stories about leaving the planet though. We have come to the conclusion that we can do so in a way that will make us look foolish. If people laugh at us they will not want to join us. We are emphasizing and exaggerating the risks, and downplaying the positive aspects. So far it is working. The comedians are especially having a good time laughing at us.”

I keep saying it but the man is brilliant.

Wayne23 · February 20, 2015

January 1, 2024

58-78 at #16 Oregon. This is one of the top 2-3 teams in conf., and they showed it. We hung with them for about 27 minutes but they’re simply better than we are. Good teams are big, quick or both, and we aren’t really either. The quick got us tonight. 24 for Jed, 14, 4, 2 for Dan, 9, 7, 2 for Ray.

This week it’s 7-5 Arizona ST at home- yes, after a month away we’re finally at home! Then we’re at 9-4 Stanford. Tough week.

January 8

A 1-1 week. 68-61 at home vs. Arizona ST. Our guards scored most of the points, 24 for Dan, 16 for Jed, 6 for sub Cal Key. 7 TOs, which is way, WAY better than we’ve been doing. Home cooking I guess.

Then 52-57 at Stanford. We hung in for 38 minutes. +14 on the boards but 22 TOs, and foul trouble did us in. 20, 7 for Jed. Our bigs simply aren’t giving us much. I’ve increased Shea Chen’s minutes and I may need to do it again.

This week we’re at 4-10 Oregon ST, then home with California, 8-6, 1-2.

January 15

65-49 at Oregon ST. 25 for Jed, 20 for Dan, 9 RBs for Ray, 8 for Morr. +8 on the boards but 17 RBs.

Back home and a 59-69 loss to Cal. This time it was rebounding that did us in, -8. 3 p[oint D could have been better. Morr played 8 minutes due to fouls.

We’re 8-8, 2-3.

This week we’re at 7-10, 3-2 Wash. ST, then we host 7-9, 3-3 Wash.

Looking over the schedule I don’t see us winning more than 4-5 more games. Hope I’m wrong!

January 22

50-52 at Wash. ST. Lost opportunity. This game was there fior the taking. We didn’t take it. 25 for Jed. 18 TOs.

65-57 against Wash. at home. +11 RBs, 15 TOs (-2). 20, 10, 3 for Jed.

This week 13-6, 4-3 Utah is here and then we’re at 5-13, 2-5 USC.

January 29

76-70 over Utah here. 28 for Jed, 27 for Dan, but he had 10 TOs. 22 RBs, 21 TOs- awful. People have pretty much stopped coming to our games. We averaged 8,244 for our 1^st 4 home games, and 3,587 for our last 5.

64-66 at USC. Yet another missed opportunity. 24, 6, 4 for Jed, but he fouled out with 2 ½ left. 14 for Dan, but 6 TOs. We were -11 in TOs. We came down the court three times in the last minute with a chance to tie or win. Once we missed a shot and lost the RB, the other two times we turned it over. There really isn’t anything I can do. No one on the bench is any better than the guys I’m playing, and only 2 are even close to as good. We keep practicing, keep working, but we simply aren’t very good.

Our next 3 games are all against ranked teams. This week we host #17 UCLA, 14-6, 8-1. Then we go to #25 Arizona, 15-6, 6-3.

Papa Joe thinks he can transfer a cat. Not sure about personality change though.

“We are going to send 4. One pair, and two singles, on three separate chips. We will observe to see how they react with virtual humans. And in the case of the pair, how the two interact with each other. Before sending cats to our people who have transferred I want to try this.”

“Why? They can’t hurt our people.”

“No, but it could be traumatic. We will do it this way.”

Papa Joe says they are making progress regarding ship building, and transporting materials into space for the ship/city, but it is slow.

Lou and Ling had a major battle and didn’t speak to each other for more than a week. They finally patched it up. They need each other too much to stay angry for long. This happened fairly often here so no surprise.

Wayne23 · February 20, 2015

February 5

An incredible frustrating week. Two missed opportunities. 57-60 here vs. UCLA. We came from 21 back to take a lead late, then Jed immediately fouled out, yet again. Morr and Dan had 4 each, so we let it slip away. 16, 7, 3 for Ray. Shea played well from the bench.

55-58 at Arizona. We led by 5 at the last media time out, 3:11 left. Jed, again, picked up #5, Dan followed on the next possession with #4, and bye bye. 26 TOs.

10-12, 4-7, tied for 8^th place.

#13 Oregon, 17-7, 9-2, here; they won by 20 there. Then at 9-13, 2-9 Arizona ST. We won by only 7 at our place.

February 12

58-65 vs. #13 Oregon here. We didn’t play that badly except for (1) 17 TOs, Jed fouling out once more. They were simply the better team.

68-66 over Arizona ST there. This time Morr played all of 9 minutes before fouling out. His backup, Shea Chan played 20 before He fouled out. Troy Hayt, who never plays, played 25 minutes and had 8 and 4. Still, we won. We shot really well. Except for Jed’s 3-10 we were 19-32. Only 10 TOs.

Our #3 guard Cal Key, hurt a toe. He’s out about two weeks.

Three games left, we’re 11-13, 5-8, still tied for 8^th.

Two at home this week. First is 17-8, 9-4 Stanford. They won by 5 last time. Then it’s 7-17, 3-10 Oregon ST. We won by 16 at their place.

It would be nice to finish 2-1.

February 19

67-69 vs. Stanford. 4 of our starters ended up with 4 fouls, and no, it wasn’t poor officiating. 19 TOs. 6 games decided by 3 or less. We are 1-5 in those games.

63-43 over Oregon ST. This is the best we’ve played … well, since the last time we played Oregon ST. 20 for Dan, 14 for Jed, 8, 11, 5, 3 for Morr, 10, 8, 2, 2 for Ray. +10 on the boards, even with 15 TOs.

We close the regular season at 14-12, 7-8 California. They won by 10 last time.

February 26

65-61 over Cal. 2 good games in a row for the first time in forever. 24 for Dan, 13, 5, 4 for Jed, 10-7 for Ray. +8 on the boards. 17 TOs but it was only -1.

We end the regular season 13-14, 7-9, tied for 7^th. +1.0 PPG, +4.6 RBs per game, -3.4 TOs per game which is what has hurt all year.

We play Washington in the play in, #8 seed (us) vs. #9 seed. We won by 8 at our place.

So far so good regarding the transferred cats. Ling and Lou keep bugging Papa Joe to give them cats but he is talking his time.

“We seem to have found a formula that can extend human life for somewhere between 25-50%.”

“Interesting.”

“Yes. And of course that means, if true, that it is only the beginning. Of course the problem of overpopulation remains. The journey through space will be incredibly long, if not perpetual. The top speed we feel we can reach is about .8 light, but it does not seem that it will be safe to go more than between .5 and .55 light. It will take a very long time to find a habitable planet, if ever. It may be that transferring is truly the only option. The ship/city will be large enough to serve as a home for a few hundred un-transferred humans, but it is also feasible to simply have everyone transfer eventually, rather than reproducing or living and extended life. The ship/city could be controlled by transferred people. All evidence seems to be that life as a transfer is in many ways better than life in this realm. I think we should wait 10 or 20 years before making that determination, but it looks very good.”

Wayne23 · February 21, 2015

March 5

To no one’s surprise, none of my guys are going pro.

March 10

85-63 over Wash. This is our biggest margin of victory all year and our first 3 game winning streak. 29, 5, 4, 2 for Jed, 24, 5, 4, 2 for Dan, 11, 7, 5, 2 for Morr, 10, 3, 3 for Ray, 5, 6 for Shea. 17 TOs, but +16 on the boards.

We’re in the quarter finals but we’re up against #1 seed, #12 ranked UCLA, 20-7, 14, 2. They only beat us by 3 last time. My guys know that if they lose the season is over. Hopefully we’ll give it our best shot.

62-77 vs. #12 UCLA. We gave it all we had but they are really good. We had 11 TOs but their inside players dominated- 57 points, 26 RBs, to 26 and 22. But their guards got 14 RBs and ours got 9. No heads need to hang tonight, and we look forward to being considerably better, and deeper next season. I think it will be the following year before we can compete for the conf. title, but I expect at minimum a 20 win season. We finish this year at 14-15, 7-9. And with an RPI of 197 I’m not expecting any invitations.

March 22

The last team from the Pac 12 is out of post season play. What a colossal nose dive we took.

Ling and Lou continue to bicker but it’s sort of part of their relationship. Mai worries about it but it doesn’t seem any different from the way they interacted here.

There are now 779 people who have transferred. Papa Joe is very careful regarding who he lets in on this secret. He only wants those who have something to offer to transfer. Of course they want to take friends and family, or at least to make provision for friends and family to follow them. Everyone is sworn to secrecy, and so far so good.

Papa Joe turns 75 next month but he seems as energetic, and as full of ideas, as ever. Sing laughs and tells people she married a younger man. They seem to have a very good relationship. Their children are certainly growing. Khee will soon be 14, and Mai Li will be 11 this summer. As with all of our children they are exceedingly intelligent. Khee is sort of a junior member of Mai’s team. They study the early universe and its effect on our time, and even upon the future. Mai says Khee is extremely insightful. His “out of the blue ideas lead to new areas of research, and his analysis of data often leads to his making connections that others have not seen.

Mai Li, who calls herself “Millie,” lives for music. She already writes, and she sings, and plays violin, guitar, piano, clarinet, and several other instruments. She writes orchestral music of all kinds including new types of music of her own invention. Conductors from around the world communicate with her. It seems like the leaders in the field of serious music are very interested in her work. She also writes pop songs, just for fun. Several of the big pop stars have recorded her music.

April 3

I went to the final four. Old friends teased me about my gigantic leap backward. I repeatedly told them I would do the laughing in 4 or 5 years.

#1 North Carolina defeated #4 Providence. No regrets.

April 4

Awards: I am totally shocked. Jed Reyk was named conf. POY, freshman of the year, 1^st team. Dan Mars made 2^nd team. I thought we’d get nada. Good for them!

April 9

And again I am totally shocked. We missed both of our goals, and our Team Prestige went from 34 to 40. WTF! I’ll take it, of course.

Quite a few very high profile programs called but this is my last coaching stop.

April 23

My stats took a major hit this year but I expected it. 33 years as a head coach. 891-242, .786. I intend to have a whole lot more fun next year than I did this year!

I asked for facilities. Ours are awful. Nope. They want me to produce a winner but they certainly aren’t helping. A. D. said he doesn’t have the money. We drew the same number of people to our games as last year. I guess he has a point. People come out to see winners. Well, the plan is to give them what they want. I need this upgrade next year at the latest.

“It has all changed, Alvin.”

“Hm?”

“Transferring- what it means, how it is done, the effect it has, the inter-reaction and interrelationships between people here and people who have transferred.”

“Yes, Papa Joe. I see some of it, but of course I really only reach out to my kids and once in a while to your brother Hu. Tell me.”

“We have made it routine for information to pass back and forth, to have conferences among several sites here as well as several there. We can make any combination work. We can send any sort of data back and forth. We can send specimens- really, we can do anything except for sending living beings. That is. I am told by the leading physicists, a permanent barrier. Once a living being has transferred, theoretically there is no way to come back. All of the experts agree upon that.”

Fascinating, as always.

Papa Joe talked about the possibility of transferring himself, soon.

“Why? You have said you want to go into space, to lead the way for the rest of us.”

“I control many enterprises, as you know. But that also means that many people, many organizations, many causes are very dependent upon me. Many of the very top echelon leaders are saying that the only way to be certain that I can continue as leader is for me to transfer. If I were to die in some remote area, or even if I were to die in my sleep, my leadership would be gone forever. That is another absolute. Once a person is dead it is too late to transfer.”

“What are your thoughts?”

“It is a difficult issue. I wish to be here for my wife and my children. At the same time I fully realize the disastrous effect my death would have. In many ways I am the only person who can keep everything going. It would take a very long time to put people in all of the positions I occupy, and even longer for them to learn to coordinate their efforts. If there is one thing we have not much of, it is time.”

“And so?”

“And so I must convince Sing, and also Mai, and our children- yours and mine.”

“Well, please stay alive in the meantime.”

“That is my goal.”

Wayne23 · February 24, 2015

June 6

We need bigs. We REALLY need bigs. Let’s see what’s in the transfer pool.

June 9

Minnows. Well, one PF.

June 12

Got the PF.

June 26

4 scholarships. We want 4 bigs. Looking at 15, 9 PFs, 6 Cs.

Things are sort of moving along regarding the ship/city, transfers, life extension- all of that. Nothing dramatic that I know of. Let me emphasize those last four words. Papa Joe is full of surprises!

August 7

No one on the Norton list.

August 21

We offer to 2 PFs and 2 Cs.

September 21

Got a PF.

We’re invited to the Alaskan Classic. Schedule is a little beefier than last year.

“What if we went about it altogether differently?”

“Went about what altogether differently, Papa Joe.”

“Alvin, we’ve been thinking in one direction- space.”

“Um… that seems to be the only available direction.”

“In one sense, yes. In another, only peripherally.”

“I’m not following you.”

“We cannot save the planet. If we wish humanity to survive the only way is the space city.”

“Yes, but that’s what we’ve said all along.”

“Hear me out. Trying to save humanity is a worthwhile goal. But I do not see that it needs to be tied to preserving the lives of those of us who transfer.”

“Okay…”

“We could place 50,000 people, 50,000,000 in a space the size of a basketball- a golf ball, really.”

“Yes…”

“Perhaps this golf ball, properly shielded, and with the ability to avoid such things as flying into a sun, or colliding with an object in space, could be set free from the ship/city. In the long run, and remember we may be speaking of millions of years, this would increase the odds for its survival exponentially. A ship/city is exceedingly unlikely to find a suitable planet or moon for millennia, if ever. At some point disaster would be inevitable. Our golf ball would be a far better option.”

I can’t even conceive of a mind like Papa Joe’s. Whew!

October 2

Two bigs have now committed. First day of practice. I don’t think we’ll be great but we’ll be better than last year. We are not deep though, especially not deep inside.

We’re picked to finish 7^th in our 12 team conf. I’d love to be 5^th or even 4^th.

November 6

We got 4 big guys in the recruit period. If 2 come through for us it’s a win.

Lineup is set. Same two starting guards as last season, Dan Mars and Jed Reyk, both sophs. Eli Roy, a soph transfer from KY, looks terrific at C, and Lars Shin, a frosh will join him up front. Shea Chen is our inside backup. Ray Neal and Gid Diom will battle it out at SF. Ray is a senior, Gid a soph transfer from Marquette. Our outside subs are frosh Cole Fish and Rich Kemp.

We’ll start at Cornell and then home with Delaware.

Wayne23 · February 24, 2015

November 20

Great first week. 89-76 at Cornell. 25, 7, 3, 3 for Eli Roy. 18, 5, 8 for Dan Mars but 7 TOs. 11 each for backup guards Kemp and Fish. +7 RBs. 15 TOs.

70-43 over Delaware here. 12, 10, 3, 4, 1 for Eli while totally shutting down his man on D. He looks like the real thing. 11, 5, 11, 2 for Dan and only 3 TOs. Cole Fish looks really good at backup guard. 8 TOs, +11 RBs.

Neither opponent was world class but we played as a team; we showed some skill and some determination.

This week we’re at #20 Texas Tech, then off to the Alaskan Classic against KS ST.

November 27

Still here in Alaska. Started the week 62-72 at Texas Tech. 21, 6 for Gid Diom from the bench. Ray Neal wasn’t getting it done so we gave Gid more minutes. 15, 9 for Eli, 16 for Dan, 8 and 8 for Lars Shin at PF. 17 TOs hurt as did the fact that both Neal and Jed Reyk were scoreless.

Then we came to Alaska. 77-51 over KS ST. The best game we’ve played since I came to Colorado. 14, 8, 5, 4, 2 for Eli, 19 for Gid, 10, 9, 2 for Shea Chen, our backup big. 8 TOs, 39 RBs.

75-55 over #1 seed Gonzaga in the semis. 9, 13, 2, 4, 4 for Eli, who is hard to stop, 20, 6, 4, 2 for Jed, 17 for Dan, 11 for Gid. +12 on the boards.

Tonight we play #6 seed Va. Tech, 4-1 for the title. Then it’s off to 4-0 Texas A & M, and home vs. 0-4 Georgetown in the first of 6 straight at home.

December 4

Busy week, but a good one. 71-46 over Va. Tech for the Alaskan Classic title. 19, 9 for Eli, 13, 2, 2 for Gid who is making us think about starting him, good games from all of our guards and from Shea Chen inside. 9 TOs.

62-66 vs. Texas A & M. I think fatigue beat us here. 4 games plus a trip from Alaska to Texas in 4 days. 15 for Gid, 13 for Shea. 20 TOs really hurt. Eli had his first poor game; he was in foul trouble all night, playing only 7 minutes. We can’t win without him in the lineup and at least so far the only place we can’t win is the state of Texas!

Back home and 72-48 vs. Georgetown. Eli was back, 22 and 16. 15 for Dan, 11, 4 for Gid, 8 for Rich Kemp. Lots of different guys are contributing.

4-2 OK ST and then 4-1 Kent ST, both here, this week.

Gid Diom will start at SF over Ray Neal. If Shea Chin played any D at all he’d be in for Lars Shin, but Lars is a real stopper and Shea is a sieve. Shea is way better on O and on the boards so it will be situational as to who’s in at a given time.

We’re 6-2. It is so much more fun to coach a team that has some talent and that is competitive in just about every game.

Evidently the council or whatever it is that Papa Joe works with is having quite a debate over the “floating golf ball” idea.

Seems that about half want to stay with the ship/city, feeling that only they can provide the leadership and direction necessary for there to be any chance of survival, especially if a planet that can be colonized is reached.

The other half lean toward going it alone to increase the odds of their own survival. They feel that all sorts of safety devices can be put in place to keep the “golf ball” near enough to a sun, a solar wind, or some other source of energy to keep everything going, or at least to arrange for contact with same often enough. The “golf ball” will utilize a miniscule amount of energy but there is no perpetual motion, everything needs an outside energy source eventually so this is a consideration.

The debate will go on for some time, Papa Joe predicts.

December 11

Another great week. 79-64 over OK ST. Gid Diom had 22 in his 1^st start. 15, 8, 9, 2 for Dan, 16 for Jed, 9, 11, 3 for Eli, 11, 4 for Lars Shin, his 1^st good game on O. 9 TOs.

70-62 vs. Kent ST. 16, 2, 5 for Ray Neal from the bench. I guess he doesn’t want us to forget about him. Some real balance from the starters. Dan was in foul trouble all night, played 16 minutes, but the backup guards got it done. 9 TOs.

We’re 8-2, +14.3 PPG, +5.7 on the boards, and maybe best of all +2.4 in TOs, only 11.2 per game. I always think that’s a vital stat and I’m happy with it right now.

Instate rival Colorado ST, 1-7, then 4-3 Illinois, both here, this week.

December 18

Still rolling along, 5 straight, 8 of 9. 84-64 vs. Colorado ST. 20, 6, 4 for Gid who is really responding to getting the starting role. 20 for Eli, 12, 6 for Shea Chen. Our big guys dominated. 11, 5, 4 for Dan. 5 TOs- for the team.

84-74 over Illinois. They stayed with us for 35-36 minutes. We mostly led but they kept it close. Their C shut Eli down by doubling him for most of the night but Gid, who is soaring like a rocket, had 31, 6, 2, 3, Lars had 21. The double freed the tow of them up and they took advantage. Both starting guards were in double figures.

2-5 Clemson, here, and then a much needed rest. 10 days until the game after that one.

We are finding ways to win. The insertion of Gid into the starting lineup has made a big difference but we’re playing well, and we seem to be getting better every week.

People around here are asking about ranking but we’re only at #51 in RPI. If we play this well once we get into Pac 12 play, that will get us there. The competition is much stiffer though, 4 ranked teams in the conf. right now.

December 25

A scare, 57-54 in OT over Clemson. Again, we’re tired. The good news is that we got it done. Clemson played really well. They hit a three under pressure at the end of regulation, and scored the first 5 in OT. I called my last TO at that point and we made some changes, bore down, and took over. It was a war inside and the numbers were in their favor, 29-39 on the boards, 18-19 in points. Fortunately our guards hit big shots all night, 24 for Jed, 12, 6, 4, 3 for Dan, and a crucial +19 in TOs.

We begin conf. play with #16 Oregon, 8-3, here, to close out the 6 game home stand. They’re tough.

Papa Joe says the debate continues regarding whether to go with the ship/city or the “golf ball.” He also says it doesn’t matter since the decision can be made any time in the next million years or so. Yes, he has a sense of humor.

Then he dropped a bomb. He gathered all of us, including his brother, Lou, and Ling, and announced that he would transfer in one year, one January 1, 2026.

Wayne23 · February 24, 2015

January 1, 2025

87-79 over #16 Oregon. Big win! Biggest since coming here. We never trailed. 24, 7 for Eli, 19, 5, 3, 2 for Jed, 12 each for Gid and Dan. This is a great way to begin conf. play.

This week we’re at 5-7 Arizona ST and we host 7-5 Stanford.

January 8

Another great week. 70-54 at Arizona ST. When they double Eli, which they did, we find other ways. 14, 5, 2 for Gid, 13, 1, 9 for Dan, 8 each for Jed and Lars, 9, 3, 2, 3 for Ray Neal, oh and Eli had 7, 6, 2, 2, 2 in spite of the double team. 8 TOs for +13.

Then it was 75-61 vs. Stanford here. 20, 7, 4 for Gid who has truly been a game changer. 19, 4, 4, 2 for Jed, 15 for Eli. 9 TOs.

Ranked! #20, RPI #25. 9 straight, 12 of 13.

This week 7-8, 0-3 Oregon ST here, then at 9-5, 1-2 California.

Interestingly, since the change at SF, our TOs have been getting better and better, but we’re losing a bit on the boards. +4.8 TOs, but only +1.5 on the boards. We know we’re thin up front so this is not a huge surprise. As long as Eli stays healthy we’ll be fine.

“Blade, all of this is moving too quickly… And it is getting gigantically out of hand. I’m concerned.”

“Mai, the world is falling apart. If things don’t move quickly we’ll be trapped on a dying planet-”

“Yes, I know all of that, but still. I want… Do you realize all that has happened to us over the past few years? It is too much. We need to slow down for a bit.”

“… Unfortunately it isn’t up to us-”

“Blade, I am not ready to give up everything to go into space, and I am certainly not ready to give up my life and become a piece of data on a microchip!”

“… I understand, Mai. I have no answers but we should both find the time to be with each other… to discuss all of this, to just be together. We have always had a wonderful marriage. Let’s use that to get us through.”

She nodded and gave me a hug.

January 15

One and one this week. 78-55 with Oregon ST. 25, 5 for Gid, 15, 11 for Eli, 16, 6, 2 for Jed, 10 TOs, +10 on the boards.

We knew some tough games were coming and 53-62 at Cal. proved to be one of them. We’ve been handling the ball really, really well, but Cal. changed that- 19 TOs. They played very good D and held us to 34.6% shooting. Those were the two keys. Our D was adequate. Our starters all had between 8 and 12. We didn’t get much from the bench.

6-10, 2-3 Wash ST here, then a very good Washington team, 12-5, 4-1, there.

January 22

82-56 over Wash ST. 23, 7, 4, 5 for Eli, 15, 10 for Lars, 9, 5, 5 for Gid, so our bigs really took over. 10 TOs, +7 on the boards.

A really tough road loss, 81-83 in OT at Wash. 23 lead changes and 16 ties, most I ever remember seeing. Essentially, they got the last possession, and they scored. We were +5 on the boards, -1 TOs. The bench was the diff, 35 for theirs, 7 for ours.

We’re 16-4, 5-2, in a 4 way tie for 1^st, with 3 others one back. Ranked #21, RPI #31.

This week we’re at 7-11, 2-5 Utah, and we host 9-9, 4-3 USC. 3-4 when traveling. We

need a road win!

January 29

A 2 win week and we’re alone in 1^st! 79-58 at Utah. 6 guys in double figures, all between 10 and 13. +10 RBs, +6 TOs.

75-57 vs. USC here. 23, 3, 10 for Dan, 21, 9, 3 for Gid. +10 RBs.

The toughest part of the schedule is right here, right now. Next week we’re at #7 UCLA, 16-7, 6-3, then we host #20 Arizona, 15-7, 5-4. After that we’re at Oregon, 14-6, 6-3. 2-1 would be wonderful, but 1-2 may be a challenge.

As expected one of our recruits did not hit our SAT score. We’ve been pursuing a couple of other guys, and have offered to a very good looking PF.

Papa Joe had a fainting spell today. We were at dinner, both of our families. He got up to get something and went right down. When he woke he was fine but we called 911. He is being checked out at the best hospital in Colorado.

Wayne23 · February 24, 2015

February 5

Not in my wildest dreams- 2-0 this week. 76-50 over #7 UCLA, there! Reyk and Mars combined for 43. 17 RBs for Eli. We had an awful 20 TOs (-5), but were +9 on the boards. We played great D, holding them to 32.1% shooting, while we shot the lights out +50% overall and from behind the line.

55-44 over #18 Arizona here! A completely different kind of game from the UCLA game. The first half was a war. 11 lead changes, 5 ties, and we were up 2 at intermission. We switched a couple of thing sup inside and went on a 22-7 run, and that was that. 15, 8 for Eli, 10 each for Jed, Gid, and Dan, 8 RBs for Lars. 40 RBS (+13).

Only California is one back, but we have some tough games yet to play.

20-4, 9-2, #13, RPI #16. We’re outscoring opponents by 13.7. RBs are back up, +3.8. TOs are +3.2, but up to 12.0 per game. I like them lower than that.

At 15-7, 7-4 Oregon, and it’s a game they REALLY need to win so we’d better be sharp. And they’ll be looking to even the score since we won 87-79 at our place. Then home with 9-14, 2-9 Arizona ST. We won by 16 there.

Papa Joe is doing fine. They ran every test imaginable and everything came out negative. They think it was low blood sugar combined with fatigue. It happened just before he started eating and he mentioned that he had not had time for lunch, so it makes sense. They want him to monitor his blood sugar for a few days but there’s no indication of Type II diabetes.

“Getting old, Alvin. These things will happen. That’s why I want to transfer before it is too late. Sing is not happy but this has made her begin to see things differently. I do not wish to provide her with any more lessons!”

February 12

71-67 at Oregon. This was a battle. We went up 10, they caught us. They went up 10. We came back. At the end they had 2 out due to fouls and we finished the job. 22, 9, 3 for Eli, 13, 7, 4, 2 for Dan. +9 RBs.

73-46 over Arizona ST. We needed one of these. 14, 15 for Eli, 19, 2, 4 for Jed. +12 boards.

We’re 2 up with 3 to play. We close out with Cal at our place, and they’re the only team 2 back. But that’s next week.

This week we’re on the road. First it’s 12-12, 6-7 Stanford. We won by 14 at home. Then 10-15, 3-10 Oregon ST. We beat them by 23.

(Author’s note: This is too easy. I don’t have a player above 3.5 rating, and not that many of those. I expected to need a few years to build Colorado to this point. This is not to say that I expect a national title, but they should be middle of the pack in my 2^nd season here.)

February 19

Regular season champs after a 2-0 week. 76-64 at Stanford. 25, 11 for Eli, 12, 9, 2 for Lars, 15, 6, 4 for Jed. We are rebounding really well lately.

78-69 at Oregon ST in what was a tougher than expected game. They started very strong and stayed that way for about 30 minutes. In the end we had more talent and we wore them down. All 5 starters in double figures again. 16, 11 for Eli, with 3 blocks.

24-4, 8 in a row, 19 of 21. #9, RPI #14. +13.6 PPG, +4.7 RBs, +2.5 TOs, but up to 12.4. Working on it.

We close with second place Cal, 19-7, 11-4. They beat us by 9 there.

February 26

86-73. We wanted this win over Cal. It would not have been good to go to the post season with a loss against our chief conf. rival. They took an early lead but 5 minutes in we went on an 11-2 run and never trailed again. 5 players in double figures, 9 TOs.

Papa Joe fainted again. He had just gotten out of the car to meet with a coalition partner. He has a chauffeur so no worries about it happening while he’s driving. As happened last time, it was at a time when he hadn’t eaten in several hours, and he bounced right back up again, perfectly coherent. He did get some nasty bumps, and he has soreness in several areas.

Sing says she is not leaving his side and that she will keep track of his eating and drinking. She is a delicate flower most of the time but when caretaker mode kicks in she’s a tigress.

Papa Joe just rolled his eyes and didn’t say anything. He knows better!

Wayne23 · February 25, 2015

March 5

No one going pro. Eli considered it. I think he needs another year, at least. I do think he will do well at that level in time.

We’re #11, RPI #17.

March 10

The only play in game that produced an upset was USC’s win over Wash ST. We’ll play them in the quarter finals. They are 13-15, 7-9. Beat them by 18 at our place.

69-48 over USC. Our starting guards combined for 44. +12 TOs. It was the back court’s night.

We play another upset winner. #5 seed Oregon beat #4 UCLA. They are 19-10, 9-7. We’ve beaten them twice, but only by 8 and 4. This is a very good team and we need to be on our game.

March 11

55-67 in the semis against Oregon. Crashed and burned. I guess this was overdue. 18 TOs, and we could have played better D. We were called for 6 more fouls but we were a step slow tonight. I can’t blame the refs. We simply had an off night. It will hurt us regarding NCAA seeding, I’m sure.

March 12

Cal beat Oregon for the title.

Okay, selection time.

We’re #15, RPI #20.

Not in the East.

#3 in the Midwest. We’ll play #14 Charleston Southern, 21-9.

March 16

61-52. They were pesky. We were never in any real danger of losing but they didn’t go away, either. 19, 8, 2 for Eli, 17 for Jed.

#25 UCLA next. We’re not thrilled about playing a conf. rival in the 2^nd round. They’re 20-12. We beat them by 26 there but it won’t be that easy this time.

March 18

69-80. We never led in this one. It was definitely not our night. Still, disappointing as the post season was, it was a terrific season all in all. No regrets.

Papa Joe wants to transfer immediately.

“It makes sense, Alvin. The chance is too great that one of these spells will kill me, either directly, or from a fall. I am having a difficult time convincing Sing, even though she knows that I am right.”

“Perhaps you would speak with her?”

“Of course.”

What can I say to her that he hasn’t. I’m going to delegate this one. Mai agrees that it’s time for Papa Joe to transfer and a woman to woman talk will be more effective than anything I could say.

April 1

Final Four is #1 No. Carolina vs. #7 Memphis, and #2 UNLV vs. #4 Penn.

April 3

#1 UNC 76, #4 Penn 62 for the title. Still no regrets.

April 4

Awards: Eli Roy is Pac 12 POY, Defensive POY, 1^st team. Interestingly enough he didn’t get national honors but another conf. player made 2^nd team nationally. Hm. Dan Mars made 2^nd team and I got COY.

Sing has reluctantly allowed Papa Joe to transfer in May, on the day after his 76^th birthday.

April 20

“I just do not feel well, Alvin.”

“You don’t look well.”

“My energy is low, I have these pulsing headaches.”

“Take it easy until the transfer. Things can wait. It’s only a few weeks.”

“Yes, I am doing very little.”

April 23

I ask for a facilities upgrade and d*mn well intend to get it this year. We sold out14 of our home games and were close in the others, so revenue is way up. Our poor facilities are hurting us with recruiting and our players deserve better.

Yes! C- to B-.

April 29

We finished the season 27-6, 14-2, 1^st in the conf. Way up from last season’s 14-15, bottom half of the conf. finish. Team Prestige is up from 40 to 47. I’m at 918-248, .787. Looking forward to a great season next year. No one is leaving, we have a good looking transfer PF who will be eligible, and we have some rookies who could add some depth, at the very least.

April 30

Papa Joe fainted again last night. He didn’t get up this time.

Wayne23 · February 27, 2015

May 1

I’m not totally clear but here’s what I have. Papa Joe went to the lab where the transfers usually take place. Maybe he felt an attack coming on, maybe he just went there for whatever reason- business, social, who knows? He got there, two of the people were in the room. They looked up as he entered; he opened his mouth to speak and just dropped. They ran to him. They saw almost immediately that something enormously awful had happened. They took his pulse and it was fading fast. They didn’t ponder, they didn’t discuss; they just hooked him up to begin the final transfer. By now he was dying, and rapidly. They finished in time, barely.

They went to the microchip where Lou and Ling live. Papa Joe was not there. He still has not been located.

The techs, and the head of the department assure Sing and the rest of us that Papa Joe is somewhere. They are of no help regarding where that somewhere might be. But he is not “gone,” whatever that means. He will turn up. Let’s hope.

May 17

Still no sign of Papa Joe. We are still being told that he will turn up. Sing is frantic, unable to function, really. Lili has taken over a huge amount of what Papa Joe did, more than we like, more than she can handle, we think.

“There’s no one else, Dad. Papa Joe has been grooming me for this, just in case, for a very long time. Don’t interfere, I’m on it.”

June 6

Basketball- oh yes, basketball. We are looking at transfers. We’re weaker inside than out.

June 12

No one worth pursuing.

No change in Papa Joe’s status. He is still MIA.

June 26

Three to fill. Hoping for maybe 2 bigs and a guard.

July 19

One of the techs came rushing down to us at dinner time. We’ve been trying to have dinner together each evening, both families. It seems to help a little. Anyway, he said they thought they’d solved the problem. We all rushed to the lab.

It seems when Papa Joe went down they had to slide the equipment over to him. Naturally everything was rushed. Evidently some wire or cable or something hidden way in the back may have come loose. Now, of course they’d checked all of that multiple times but this one was in a really obscure spot and they’d somehow overlooked it.

“We’ve got it almost reconnected but we wanted all of you here when we made the final reconnection. Here goes.”

And there on the monitor was Papa Joe! Sing screamed and burst into tears. The rest of us cheered wildly. Papa Joe smiled, looking confused.

“I know I have transferred. I vaguely remember entering this room, I believe it was, but I remember nothing after that. I assume I had another attack and it was decided to make the transfer. But why the huge reactions?”

“Papa Joe… you’ve been… missing- lost, for about 3 ½ months. The people here just now solved the problem.”

“Alvin, how can this be possible? First, this has never happened in thousands of transfers, and second, I feel like I have only been out of touch for seconds.”

We explained. We reunited. We celebrated.

Then the techs explained that due to a tech breakthrough it would now be possible to meet with a person or persons who had transferred, within a chamber- you remember the virtual reality chambers, right? It would not be the actual person, but nothing about the experience would seem less than 100% real to anyone involved- transferred or not.

August 7

No on one the Norton list. I thought Eli might be.

August 21

We offer to 2 PFs and a PG. One of the PFs is a very long shot but he’s in state.

All of the reunions and celebrations have calmed down and life is getting back to whatever passes for normal around here. The chamber experience is absolutely wonderful. To be able to interact, to hug our loved ones- it is just very special.

Papa Joe has returned to all of his duties. In short he’s pretty much running the world again.

“Except now I am never exhausted, and I do not need to waste time on flights or even chauffeured trips.”

“So more time to work.”

“Actually, more time to relax, and more time to spend with Sing and the children. I work enough.”

September 18

We’re still chasing 2 bigs and a PG.

We’re in the Coaches Classic but against KY in the 1^st round. We’ve strengthened the schedule a bit, 4 ranked teams and some other really good teams.

September 25

We got the PG and the PF. Still chasing a big guy.

October 2

Got the Center- not the in state long shot though.

1^st day of practice. We’re picked to finish 5^th. I like what I see. I think we can do better than that.

Papa Joe is doing countless things, running everything, involved in planning everything. He loves the fact that in order to meet with anyone at all there is no longer a transportation component. He and they simply go to the chamber- again, it’s not that simple. He really cannot leave the microchip. But the effect is exactly as if he were in the chamber so it’s all academic. In any case, he is able to do lots more than he could before, and in less time. He is truly being mindful of spending considerably more time with the family.

“I need to rest only very, very briefly. This is wonderful.”

“And Sing?”

“Now that she has what feels exactly like my physical presence, can interact with me physically as well as intellectually and emotionally, there is no problem. She is completely accepting.”

I agree that this is great. I feel as if my two transferred kids are with me again, and that’s wonderful.

Plans continue for migrating into space. I’m told that we’re not that far away. That’s good because the beginning of the end is upon us. Low lying cities are already in jeopardy. At this point “Feed the Hungry” is still managing to take care of just about everyone, but it cannot last much longer.

November 6

We have a lineup. Jr. Dan Mars will get lots of minutes at guard. The rest will be split about evenly between juniors Jed Reyk and Gid Diom, at least until one of them emerges. We feel we are very strong inside. Junior Eli Roy and soph Lars Shin will get all the minutes they can handle. The rest will be split evenly between soph Rich Kemp and junior transfer Rod Jazz, again, until someone shows he should have more minutes.

We start at the Coaches Classic against #10 Kentucky, the #1 seed.

Chris · February 28, 2015

Congrats on the Hall of Famer status with 500 posts !

Wayne23 · February 28, 2015

November 20

We did well at the Coaches Classic. We beat #10 ranked, #1 seed Kentucky 81-64. Dan Mars took up where he left in scoring last year, getting 29.Rich Kemp had a great game from the bench, 17 and 12. 15 TOs but 40 RBs.

Then we beat #9 seed Duke, 76-40. 19 for Jed Reyk, and another big game for Rich Kemp, 14, 8, 3. 10, 8, 2 for Eli. 12 TOs, +6 RBs.

#20 ranked, #5 seed Syracuse ended our run in the semis, 65-79. The refs called 43 fouls, which is ridiculous, but that’s not why we lost. On this night the other team was better. 16 for Dan, 12 each for Jed and Lars, but -12 on the boards.

We’re making a much quicker than usual lineup change. Rich Kemp will start at SF.

This week FL ST, 1-1, is here for our home opener. Then we’re at 1-1 Long Beach ST.

November 27

89-71 over FL ST. On top all the way. 23, 9, 3 for Eli, 27, 4, 2 for Gid Diom from the bench- both of our starting guards were in foul trouble all night. Gid really got it done. 13, 4, 4 for Rich Kemp in his first start. 5 TOs, +8 RBs.

51-68 at Long Beach ST. First poor game we’ve played. We shot 30%, 5-22 on threes. We let them shoot 55.6%. Rod Jazz had 16, 5 from the bench. Only 11 TOs, but -8 on the boards.

2-2 Ohio ST comes to us this week, then 4 of the next 5 are on the road. First is 1-2 Brigham Young.

December 4

A good week. 67-64 over Ohio ST. They led most of the way, by as many as 15. We kept chipping away until finally we tied it at 3:11. It went back and forth a couple of times, we got the lead to 6 very late, they knocked down a three at the buzzer. I was really pleased with our determination. 26, 5, 5, 2 for Dan. 12, 12, 2 for Eli and the same for Gid. 20 TOs was the reason it took us so long to get the lead. +6 on the boards.

75-63 at Brigham Young. All 5 starters in double figures. 11, 13, 2, 4 for Eli. The biggest difference this year is that Dan Mars has consistent help with scoring. That has made a very big difference. +12 RBs but 18 TOs.

AT 3-3 Nebraska, then home with 4-3 Penn this week.

We’re 5-2 against good competition and I think we’re good and getting better.

December 11

80-72 at Nebraska. 22, 7, 2, 3 for Eli. +14 RBs.

57-58 to Penn here. This one hurt. We literally threw it away. TOs on our last three possessions and a 5 point lead became a one point loss. 17, 10, 2, 2 for Eli. +14 boards again but the TOs are at 14.3 and it’s hurting us. We’re going to give Reyk and Diom more time at PG and Dan more at SG.

On the road all week, first at 5-2 Colorado ST, then #19, 5-2 New Mexico.

December 18

72-51 at Colorado ST. The officials made a mockery of this game, 51 fouls called, 63 trips to the line. Gid Diom led us with 21, 4, 4, 3. We had 18 TOS but were +12 on the boards.

51-69 to #19 New Mexico. We were never in it. 15, 19 and 4 blocks for Eli, +18 RBs, but 21 TOs, 33.3% shooting, and we didn’t play D.

This week we’re home, first with 7-2 Purdue, and then 5-4 Georgetown.

December 25

A great week to end the pre-conf. season. 71-51 over Purdue. 6 players in double figures, 8 TOs, never trailed.

Then 82-44 with Georgetown. 16, 5, 8 for Diom, 14, 4,5 for Mars, 5 TOs.

9-4 at the end of pre-conf. play.

We begin conf. play with what looks like it will be a tough game at #24 Oregon, 8-4.

Greatest holiday dinner ever. The entire family gathered in a chamber. The people who had transferred had their food, we had ours. It was all of the same dishes but due to our different “natures” it had to be that way. But it felt like a big, happy family having dinner together. There was noise, laughter and joy. All of Papa Joe’s family attended- brother, nieces and nephews, his children, even his oldest son who rarely comes around, grandchildren- all of us. It was a day to remember.

Wayne23 · March 1, 2015

January 1, 2026

64-71 at Oregon. We started Gid Diom at guard over Jed Reyk, and will continue to do so, at least for now. Gid had 20, 3, 2 but he fouled out. 11, 14 for Eli. +13 RBs but 17 TOs.

TOs are the problem. We’re averaging 14.1. This has been a problem for more than 2 years and we simply haven’t been able to stop it. Still working on it. We’re +7.2 on the boards.

This week we host 4-8 Arizona ST and then it’s a tough one at #7 Stanford, 12-2.

January 8

64-40 over Arizona ST here. Eli led us with 18 and 13, Lars had 13, 6, 2, Dan 14, 3, 4, 2. Gid did not look good at PG. This experiment may not work out. We do want to give it a bit more time though. Only 10 TOS but Gid had 6 of them. +18 on the boards.

A tough one at #7 Stanford, 76-79. We were down 24 at the half and spent the 2^nd half chipping and chipping and chipping. We didn’t quite get there. We missed the tying three with less than a second to go. I loved our determination, we were simply up against a really good team.

We’re 1-2 in conf. play but I am not particularly concerned. We’ve played probably the 2 top teams in conf., both on the road. We’ll be fine.

This week it’s 4-10, 0-3 Oregon ST there, then 9-5, 1-2 Cal at our place.

“No pain.”

“None at all?”

“I’m not sure pain is even possible- well, yes, it could be programmed in, I suppose. But why would anyone… And no fatigue unless it’s programmed in as part of some sort of challenge. If you are climbing a mountain you want to overcome the obstacles, fatigue being one.”

“But you need to ask for it. Under normal circumstances you don’t feel either pain or fatigue?”

“That is correct.”

“What about other physical sensations.”

“The good ones are there. A massage here, even though it is not needed, feels wonderful. Food tastes exceptionally good.”

“And then vanishes after you swallow it.”

“Well, we are virtual, after all.”

“No bathroom trips, no menstrual cycle for women. Wait! What about sex?”

An enormous smile lit up Papa Joe’s face.

“O-KAY! (laughs). And your appearance. You’ve chosen to look as you did when you transferred?”

“No. I would choose to look as I do if the choice were mine, but at least for now the researchers are unable to do this. It is strange. Some of the changes that can be made seem far more complex. Who knows?”

“Why would you choose to look as you do?”

“I am an authority figure, as you know. I think looking “venerable” helps with that.”

“Papa Joe, believe me, you don’t need any help.”

“And despite anyone’s appearance, all who transfer have the strength, the stamina, the energy, the intelligence- everything they had at their peak?”

“That is so.”

“And your brother, whose emphysema was so bad he could barely breathe, barely move. And Lou who was all but dead from the auto accident when he transferred. And you, who were also almost dead. No effect.”

“None. Perhaps for a person who had not gone through the preliminary stages it might be different but so far all who have transferred have either done so in excellent health or have gone through those stages.

“You will excuse me, Alvin. I have a meeting.”

When the time comes I certainly won’t be hesitant.

January 15

Good week and we’re above .500 in conf. 75-58 at Oregon ST. 20 for Rod Jazz from the bench. Rich and Lars both had foul trouble and Rod filled in really well. +11 TOs and we were in charge all the way.

We crushed Cal here, 81-45. 24, 11, 2, 2 for Eli, 11 each for Rich and Lars. 11 TOs again.

Only three teams ahead of us in conf.

This week we’re at 9-7, 2-3 Wash ST, then it’s Wash, 7-9, 3-2 here.

January 22

A 1-1 week. 59-68 at Wash ST. We shot 33.3%, they shot 57.1%, which means we didn’t play D. Every time we tried we got whistled. 5 fouls for Lars, 4 for Rich, and a T for me. The other coach got one, too.

82-72 over Wash at home. 5 in double figures. 17 TOs but they had 21. Refs were whistle happy again.

We’re 4-3 in conf., in sole possession of 4^th place, but 2 back of 2^nd, 3 of third. We’re 5-5 on the road and we need to do better than that.

This week 4-14, 1-6 Utah here, then 5-14, 2-5 USC there.

January 29

After a great week we’re in the race, 1 back of three teams tied for the lead. 63-43 over Utah. 20, 14,3 for Eli, 14, 13 for Lars, 14 for Rich, +9 on the boards. We completely controlled the inside and had only 12 TOs.

Then 69-54 at USC. Excellent offensive contributions by 6 players including 13, 4 from Rod Jazz from the bench. 9 TOs.

We host 11-10, 7-2 UCLA, tied for 1^st, then go to 11-9, 4-5 Arizona.

All of our committed recruits hit the SAT score.

Wayne23 · March 1, 2015

February 5

65-54 with UCLA here. Gid had 21, Eli 9, 11, 2, 3, Jed 12, 3, 3 form the bench.

Then a disappointing loss at Arizona, 59-67. We just can’t seem to get over the hump on the road. +16 RBs led to +12 shots but we shot 34.5%. -5 TOs didn’t help the cause. 20 and 4 for Gid, 12, 11, 2, 2 for Rich.

We’re still 1 back in conf., alone in 4^th. We need to go at least 4-1, 5-0 would be better in our last 5 regular season games.

This week we host #22 Oregon, 16-7, 8-3,and then we’re at 10-12, 6-5 Arizona ST. Oregon beat us by 7 at their place, and we crushed Arizona ST.

February 12

A 2-0 week and we’re in a 4 way tie for the top. 60-42 over #22 Oregon. 18, 4, 2 for Gid, 11 each for Dan and Lars, 11 RBs for Eli, 11 TOs, 38 RBs. We dominated.

66-55 at Arizona ST. They took an early lead but it didn’t last. 51 fouls called. Eli, Lars, and Dan all fouled out, and Rich had 4. It was almost as bad on the other bench. 13, 8 for Eli. Good bench play, especially form Rod and Jed. +10 on the boards, even in TOs.

3 to play. We’d love to have them all. This week we host #10 Stanford, 20-6, 9-4. They won by only 3 there but they may be the best team in the conf.

Then it’s 5-19, 1-12 Oregon ST here. They may be the worst team in conf.

TOs are down to 13.5. That’s awful, but it’s way better than it was. We’re +1.2. We’re +6.8 in RBs, and +9.9 in PPG.

February 19

We are rolling! 72-54 in a BIG win over #10 Stanford. +14 on the boards, which was the key. +3 in TOs. Rod had 17 but 7 played and 7 did their part. They had 12 threes but it took 36 shots to get them. I’ll take that. We held them to 37.3% overall.

63-42 over Oregon ST. This was not a challenge. Again, 7 players all did their job well. +10 on the boards, 11 TOs (+8).

We are tied for first with UCLA with one to play. We have a tougher game than they do, at 17-9, 9-6 Cal., tied for 4^th in conf. We destroyed them by 36 at our place but it won’t be easy there, they’re 13-2 at home.

We broke into the rankings for the first time this season, #25.

February 26

60-73 at Cal. We blew a 10 point lead and were simply awful in the 2^nd half, 24-46. They moved the ball really well and found the open man. I tried all sorts of things to turn it around but nothing worked.

We wind up tied for 2^nd, 1 back, with the #2 seed. Our time in the top 25 lasted all of one week.

“A rock.”

“A rock?”

“Yes. Our people decided that we could not fit everything into a golf ball. A rock, approximately the size of a basketball but looking like an ordinary space rock, should have all the necessary room. Receptors and antennae, cleverly discussed would be on the mottled surface. The controls along the inside skin of the rock. Again, the system requires very little power. The receptors would pick up what was needed as the rock journeyed through space. The guidance system would avoid difficulties and would guide it away from obstacles, including things like supernovae, eventually. We are very nearly there regarding the design. Testing will probably begin before December.”

The strange new reality is almost upon us.

Wayne23 · March 1, 2015

March 5

No one goes pro.

March 10

#10 seed USC, 10-19, 6-10, upset #7 so we play them in the quarters.

66-41. Held them to 14 in the 1^st half. 25, 6, 4 for Gid, 13 for Rod, 7 TOs.

#6 seed Oregon, 20-10, 10-6, upset #3 Stanford so they’re up in the semis. They beat us by 7 then we beat them by 18.

March 11

71-78. The biggest difference on the stat sheet was -9 RBs. They took 11 more shots and they made enough of them to get the win. I’ve been happier. 21, 2, 6, 3 for Dan, 12 for Rod, 10 for Jed.

March 12

UCLA wins the conf. title.

Not in the East.

#8 in the Midwest. We play #9 seed Temple, 22-8. They have a very good back court. This will be a challenge.

March 16

64-65. Their backup PG hit a three with 7.4 left and we couldn’t convert on our last possession.

After going 10-3 late, we closed 1-3 in our last 4, just crashed and burned.

It’s frustrating to exit so early. We’re building here, but it takes time. We are losing no one this year and we have several really good looking guys coming in so we’re hopeful.

March27

Cal got hot and they’re going to the final four.

Things are definitely becoming difficult on planet earth. Fresh water is a serious problem in many parts of the world. “Feed the Hungry” is stretched to its absolute limits, not because of food as much as water. Since money will soon become completely irrelevant- what use either aboard a ship/city, or in a virtual existence- Papa Joe is pouring resources into the fight to keep people from starving and/or freezing. All profits from his other enterprises are also going into this battle. He is keeping enough funds to assure that all of his other enterprises can continue with their vital work, of course, and “FtH” is still soliciting contributions.

“It is a bit of a useless gesture given the number of people who will simply be unable to survive before many more years have passed, but I must do it. Tomorrow- well, tomorrow will come. We will leave behind all the help we can when we go.”

April 4

#2 UNC beat #23 Minnesota for the title. They haven’t lost an NCAA championship since I left.

Awards: Eli Roy made Pac 12 1^st team. Gid Diom made 2^nd team.

April 23

Asked for a facilities upgrade. B- doesn’t impress kids we’re chasing and it’s not what our players should have.

Got it. We’re B+ now. Team Prestige up a point to 48.

We finished 21-11, 11-5, 2^nd in conf., but we just fell apart in the post season. Again, I like the team we’ll have next year and the strong recruiting class we managed to attract. Look out, world!

After 35 seasons I’m 939-259, .784. It will take three seasons for me to get to 1000 wins. I hope I can stay around that long before the “rock” goes into space, aboard the ship/city. That’s a flight I certainly cannot afford to miss!

Everything related to the ship/city and the transfer/rock is going well. It’s a process and it will take time, but since time is limited and things may change quickly all possible resources are being directed toward these two efforts.

The ship/city will be able to house about 625 people due to improvements in design and such. Papa Joe and his people are deciding who those people will be. The real leaders will, for the most part, be virtual. Some need to remain, what’s the word… real? Live on board? Whatever, in charge, in the real world, in order to keep the ship/city functioning smoothly, and in order to resolve disputes, disagreements and such. The rest will all be breeders. If the point is to re-establish a human civilizations in space this is a necessity.

About 10,000 people will transfer to a virtual existence, and will be housed in the “rock.” Here again, Papa Joe and his team are making the choices.

“It is difficult and in many ways completely unfair. Who are we to decide who is given this gift? Who is anyone? Why not give everyone on earth this gift? Is it conceivable that it could be done? The answer to the latter is that it would require an enormous, almost unbelievable really, commitment of time and resources. Conceivable, yes. Actually able to be done? Probably not.

“But still, why not do as many people as we can? The answer to that is that everyone who is let in upon this secret increases the chances that the secret will become known. We have been extremely fortunate regarding that. Rumors surface. We laugh them off as “Area 51” type nonsense. Some believe the rumors; some believe it is all a hoax. We are in no danger so far. When people transfer we announce a death, hold a funeral. There is, after all, a dead body. Transfers are not put in contact with anyone outside of our very small, very tight circle- not ever, not for any reason. So far so good. No one has ever declined to be transferred. We are exceedingly careful regarding who is invited. We want the absolute best minds in every field of endeavor. Those whose work will help us achieve our goals are already on board with us, and have already gone through the preliminary steps to transfer. The others will be brought in during the final day or two before the last few ships leave. Some of those will undoubtedly refuse to go when they discover that their families cannot accompany them. How many? It is impossible to predict such a thing.”

Wayne23 · March 4, 2015

June 6

Preseason #11. I think we can compete for the national title this year. That may be overly optimistic but we’ll see.

Nobody in the transfer pool. Unfortunately that means 6 scholarships to fill.

June 20

I don’t know, something just seemed weird in transfer land regarding Lou and Ling.

“Lou, what’s going on?”

“Huh?”

“Something’s off- different- I don’t know how to say it.”

“That kinda makes it tough to answer, dad.”

“You and Ling don’t seem… natural when we talk. It’s like you’re acting or maybe trying to hide something.”

“… No idea, dad.”

I could see I was right but I could also see I wasn’t going to get anything out of Lou.

…

“Alvin, after a person transfers the reality becomes completely different.”

“I’m sure it does, Papa Joe.”

“Perhaps you should keep that in mind regarding Lou and Ling.”

“… Really?”

“Yes. I can assure you that everything is fine… just not fine by your standards… but very fine by ours.”

Now what the heck was that supposed to me?

June 26

6 to fill. We need guards. Looking at 8 PGs, 1 SF, 5 PFs.

July 19

What are they keeping from me? Maybe a better question is what does it matter? At least that’s what Papa Joe has been telling me.

“Let it go, Alvin.”

“Let WHAT go!”

“The need to know.”

“I’m their father!”

“Yes… and no.”

“What!”

“Yes, you are their father. You will always be their father. But, as you have seen with Lili, who is now nearly 24 years old, that role changes.”

“But Lou and Ling-”

“Are now 22 and 15.”

“No they’re-”

“They are 22 and 15. Their appearance does not change. Unless the technology improves in unexpected ways their appearance may never change. But they are 22 and 15.”

“15 is an age at which a child needs parents very much.”

“In many cases, not in all.”

“… I am very frustrated.”

“Your children mature early. They are, at every age, more adult than most of their peers.”

“Yes but-”

“They need parents. I do not deny that completely, but they do not need protecting. None of the things you worry about there in the virtual land of their existence are concerns here.”

“Kids can still make bad decisions that will get them in trouble.”

“Very, very few things can get them in trouble now, if any.”

“You’re not helping.”

“Step back. Gain some perspective. Take some time.”

“Tell me what’s going on.”

“No. I will not do that.”

“Why not!”

“Because you would over react, you would take the matter too seriously, you would not be reasonable-”

“Papa Joe, I don’t know how you can say that. I have always dealt with things pretty damned reasonably.”

“You have. It is true.”

“Then-”

“It is not my secret to tell. I will speak with them.”

Then he was gone. I feel like I want to bite my own forehead.

August 21

We offer to 4 PGs, 2 bigs, but one of the bigs is a very long shot. He’s in state though and that sometimes helps.

September 18

Chasing recruits. I want a couple of bigs but there aren’t many good ones out there. Oh well, long way to go.

No early season tourney this season. It was difficult to create as tough a schedule as I would have liked to have but it’s decent.

September 25

We got 2 PGs but lost a big.

September 22

Every time I visit with my transferred kids I continue to get the feeling that something is being kept from me. No idea when or if they’ll let me know or I’ll figure it out. In all of the many years I have known Papa Joe this is the first time I have been upset with him. He knows I am upset but that changes nothing.

“Let go, Alvin.”

Mai seems more relaxed with not knowing what’s going on.

“If it were troubling or dangerous Papa Joe would be taking care of it, and I’m sure he would be letting us know more about it. I agree. Let it go, Blade.”

You know, I’m neither the worrying type nor the stick my nose in type. No idea why this is getting to me.

October 2

I really liked what I saw at practice today.

We’re picked 2^nd in the Pac 12.

November 6

We have a lineup but changes are definitely expected. Mars, Diom and Reyk, all seniors, at guard. Roy and Jazz also seniors, up front. Kemp, a junior, at SF, and frosh Chaz Tomm and Shag Dann subbing in at 3, 4, and 5.

We start at George Washington, then travel to #25 UNLV.

It seems my kids are experimenting… with all sorts of things.

“Where is the harm? Nothing bad can happen to them in their virtual state. They cannot wind up with mental health issues, they cannot be involved in a traffic accident, they cannot have an unwanted pregnancy or an STD. When I feel they are going too far or taking up too much time with these… ‘experiments’ I let them know and they reduce their involvement.”

Papa Joe stunned me with this information.

“Are they doing… whatever they’re doing alone, with each other, with other virtual beings?”

“Some of each. And some with virtual beings who only have existence in the equivalent of our chambers.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Yes, yes. In our chambers ‘beings’ exist that do not really exist- opponents in physical challenges- in your case, coaches to coach against, that sort of thing.”

“Ah.” I need to process all of this. At first blush I don’t like it but as I ponder I must admit that yes, Papa Joe is probably right. He almost always is.

Wayne23 · March 5, 2015

November 20

71-51 at George Washington. The big guys did most of the scoring, 17, 9, 5 for Eli, 12, 5, 3 for Rich Kemp, 14, 3 for Rod Jazz. +13 on the boards. Our guards dished really well, only 6 TOs.

Not so great at #25 UNLV, 69-73. Eli was in foul trouble all night and only played 14 minutes. We were competitive, and the stat sheet was close in all areas except threes (5-10), but we didn’t quite have the fight to get over the hump in this one. It’s early and we’ll work on it.

This week We’re at home with Iowa ST, 0-1, and with 1-1 Brigham Young.

November 27

A good week. 68-45 over Iowa ST. 24, 15 for Eli, 6 TOs, and we led all the way.

73-55 vs. Brigham Young. 16, 7, 4 for Eli. He has told me that he wants to make his senior year really special. He is certainly working toward that goal. 12 TOs, +12 RBs.

2 on the road this week. First 2-1 Sid Bonney, then 0-3 Boise ST.

December 4

The road is tough. 1-1 this week. 56-75 at Sid Bonney. We blew a 14 point lead by shooting 7-36 in the 2^nd half. Nothing would drop. Then we started forcing shots, making extra passes, doing all of the wrong things. I called all of my time outs but we couldn’t seem to turn it around. They sat in a 2-3 all night and really packed the middle. It worked; our big guys didn’t do much. We should know how to counter that but we sure didn’t tonight.

Then we turned it around, 66-54 at Boise ST. 18, 12 for Eli, 12, 4, 2 for Rich, 9, 5 for Rod. We knew Boise ST would have seen our last game and would try the same strategy. They did, we were ready. 10 TOs, 37 RBs.

2-4 Missouri here, 3-3 Illinois there this week.

Two lineup changes. Jed Reyk is out performing Gid Diom, and he will start in his place. Same for Chaz Tomm over Rod Jazz. We’ll keep our eyes open and more changes are a definite possibility.

December 11

A two win week. 67-52 over Missouri. 16, 6, 2, 2 for Eli. New starter Jed Reyk had 10 and 5 and Chaz Tomm 9 and 7. 13, 4, 3 for Rich Kemp. 10 TOs, 32 RBs.

60-45 over Illinois. Great D. 17, 10, 2 for Chaz, 14, 5, 2 for Jed, 10, 12, 2 for Eli. My two new starters are making me look like a genius. 9 TOs, 42 RBs.

In state rival Colorado ST, 3-4 here, then at #14 LSU, 6-2.

Papa Joe says there’s one difficulty his team is having a real challenge solving regarding getting the ship/city into space. I’m sort of surprised given everything else they’ve done, and given that they have really devoted a lot of resources to this.

“We are using revolutionary new techniques. I am not surprised by this, Alvin. I hoped we would discover solutions more quickly but that has not been the case. I remain confident that solutions will be forthcoming but I will not risk lives. The technology must be as near to foolproof as we can make it. We have some time still.”

Fresh water is becoming a very serious problem in several parts of the world. “Feed the Hungry” is helping but frankly, they are losing ground. We all know that this fight is not winnable, but we want to hold off the inevitable as long as possible.

There is already a significant increase in things such as hurricanes, tornados, flooding, earthquakes- things of that nature. Many of the hurricanes have been far more powerful than what was the norm only a few years ago, and they are occurring in places where they rarely took place in the past. Although fracking was stopped worldwide several years ago the deleterious effects continue to be horrendous.

December 18

A very easy 75-49 win vs. Colorado ST. 8 guys played significant minutes and all played well. 7 TOs (+16).

A great game for the fans at LSU, 86-84 in OT. We were down 13 with 12 minutes to play. We needed to do something desperate so we started doubling the ball. It didn’t get us a lot of TOS but it did make it difficult for LSU to get good shots and over the last 12 minutes we outscored them 29-16, tying it on a three by Jed with 1.8 to go. Then in OT we continued to double the ball. We took a 13-6 lead. They came back, but didn’t quite get there. 22, 6, 4 for Dan, 12, 14 for Eli who fouled out with 1: 22 to go in OT. Jed had 12 and 5. This was a big win for a lot of reasons but to me the biggest reason was that we simply never gave up.

We’re 8-2, RPI #33.

It’s a one game week. NC ST, 6-1, here.

Jed and Jazz have been a real boost since they entered the starting lineup.

December 25

78-58 over NC ST at home in Boulder. It was close for about 25 minutes. At that point we went on a 12-3 run and we never looked back. Another game where lots of people contributed. 7 TOs, +4 RBs.

We’re +11.6 PPG, +5.5 RBs, +3.6 TOs, averaging a fantastic 9.9 per game.

We repeated last year’s holiday dinner with the entire family at the table in the chamber. It really was a wonderful time.

We start Pac 12 play at home vs. 7-4 Oregon in another one game week.

Wayne23 · March 5, 2015

January 1, 2027
77-52 over Oregon. 6 in double figures. +10 RBs. It was over at halftime- not that I’d ever tell my players that.

Rod Jazz hurt his hamstring. Out about 2 weeks. Shag Dann will get his minutes.

This week we’re at 5-7 Arizona ST, and home with #9 ranked Stanford, 11-1.

“You see, Alvin, our research is trying to lessen effect of gravity. If we can find a way to make even a very minor change it would have a tremendous impact upon the ease of launching a ship into orbit.”

“Anti-gravity? Come on, Papa Joe, that’s science fiction.”

“No, Alvin, not anti-gravity. Our researchers believe that anti-gravity is impossible. BUT, they equally believe that it is possible to find a way to lessen the effects of gravity in a given area.”

“How?”

“Ah. If we were able to answer that we would be in a lovely spot! We have made a bit of progress, or at least we believe we have, but as yet we have nothing that works except in very small scale. Still, there is reason for hope.”

It gets more interesting all the time.

January 8
Another good week. 74-57 at Arizona ST. 20 and 13 for Chaz. +12 RBs. 15 TOS but that was +6.

We crushed #9 Stanford 89-64 here. 6 players in double figures, 40 rebounds, 9 TOs. As well as we’ve played since I arrived in Boulder.

We’re ranked #24.

5-9, 2-1 Oregon ST here, and 4-10, 1-2 Cal there this week.

January 15
61-40 over Oregon ST. 17 and 10 for Eli, 16, 5, 3 for Shag Dann. 3 TOs- yes, for the team!

A real battle, 67-65, at Cal. We mixed inside and outside scoring as well as we have in any game this year. +6 RBs. 19 TOs but that was only -1. We led by as many as 15 in the first half but our D got sloppy and we seemed a step slow at times. The 2 point margin was as close as it got late, but Cal had the ball and took the last shot. Fortunately it was off the front rim.

We’re keeping Shag Dann in the rotation. He’s playing too well not to.

We’re alone in first place, 1 up on UCLA and Utah. It’s early.

5-11, 0-5 Washington ST comes to town and then we travel to 10-6, 3-2 Wash.

January 22
We are rolling along. 79-57 over Wash ST here. 20 and 7 for Eli, 15 each for Rich and Dan. 36 RBs, 8 TOs.

71-50 at Wash. We thought this might be a challenge. It was for about 23 minutes. 23 and 15 for Eli, 16 for Chaz, 15 for Jed. 44 RBs.

We have a 2 game lead over 4 teams. Everyone else is 4 or more behind.

+14.5 PPG, +7.9 RBs, +3.9 TOs, 10.6 per game. #19, RPI #11.

This week we’re at 11-7, 5-2 Utah and we host 5-13, 2-5 USC.

January 29
58-54 at Utah. We shot poorly but fortunately so did they. 14, 10, 2, 3, 3 for Eli, 19 for Jed. +11 TOs but -11 RBs. We got the win but we didn’t look good.

Then we came home and were upset, shocked really, 63-66 vs. USC. For the 2nd straight night we shot poorly. Tonight we did a lot of other things poorly as well. We had the last shot, and we wanted Jed Reyk, our only effective three point shooter to take it. We got him an open look but the shot rolled out. We took 16 more shots and made one less, and we were 5-27 on threes.

Oh well, work a little harder. We’re now only 1 up on UCLA and Stanford.

We’re at 11-9, 7-2 UCLA. They were picked #2 nationally in the preseason but they’ve really struggled. They’ve been much better in conf. Then we host #25, Arizona, 16-6, 6-3. Not an easy week.

As expected one of our committed recruits did not hit our SAT score. We’ve offered to an SF.

Wayne23 · March 5, 2015

February 5
73-55 at UCLA. The first half was theirs. They led by as many as 13. Then we came roaring back. 21., 5, 2 for Eli, 22 for Jed.

Then 63-34 over #25 Arizona here. Never expected that margin. The D was amazing. We held them to 10 FGs. 13 and 13 for Eli who is having a great year. 10 TOs, 36 RBs.

#20 in the polls, RPI #14.

Our Pac 12 lead is back to 2 with 5 to play.

This week we’re at 11-11, 4-7 Oregon. We beat them here by 25. Then we host 8-14, 3-8 Arizona ST. We won there by 17.

February 12
83-73 at Oregon. 22, 2, 4 for Eli, 19, 1, 6 for Dan. +6 TOs, +5 RBs.

68-49 over Arizona ST. It was never close. Balanced scoring, good D. 10 TOs.

We’re #17, RPI #14, up 2 over Stanford, 3 over UCLA, 4 or more over the rest, with 3 to play.

At 2nd place, #15 Stanford, 20-4, 10-3. Then at 7-17, 4-9 Oregon ST.

February 19
69-78 at #15 Stanford. We let them shoot 13-26 from behind the arc and that was the difference. 16, 8, 2, 2 for Chaz, 12, 4 for Eli. The refs called way too many fouls but it was about even.

Then we clinched first when Stanford lost while we were beating Oregon ST 87-78 there. All 5 starters in double figures, 11 TOs, +8 on the boards.

We close regular season play at home vs. 9-17, 6-9 Cal. We won by only 2 there.

February 26
74-58 over Cal. Much easier than last time. 19, 10, 2 for Chaz, 19, 2, 1, 2 for Gid Diom from the bench, 10, 11 for Eli. 10 TOs, 37 RBs.

We win the conf. by 2 over Stanford.

“We now have all 625 of our people selected for the ship/city population.”

“And is there a departure date?”

“Not yet. The gravity lessening work is actually progressing. We made a breakthrough just recently. There is much testing to be done but we feel we may well have our answer.”

“Good news then. The rockets will blast!”

“Actually a better analogy would be one of floating upward until reaching orbit. We always felt that this would be a far more efficient approach. The approach of blasting one’s way into orbit has been the only one used by the nations that sent objects into space but it has always been and still remains very dangerous and very expensive. Our way, if we can perfect it, will be ridiculously inexpensive, and may be very close to perfectly safe. Again, we are not quite there yet.”

We spoke for a while longer. Papa Joe says the “experimentation” by the children is slowing somewhat.

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The Blade [a DDSCB3 story]

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