I had my first bout of exhibition games this past weekend against Shandong. We played Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. To say the games went well would be a lie. To say they went poorly would also be a lie. I’d have to say they were hovering somewhere between average and absolutely inconsequential to our upcoming season.
Zhao Yi
Right now we are without Wout Wijsmans who is back in Italy straightening out his visa issues. Our starting setter, hilariously named Kang Kang, is battling a multitude of injuries; our starting opposite, Wang Chen, barely played in three matches because his back is bad (and, quite possibly, his first national team experience this summer kicked his ass); and our second setter, Zhao Yi (Hollywood) sprained his ankle during Friday’s game. It’s hard enough for our setters to learn how to play with Wout and I, but the fact that they are both injured makes it that much tougher. Kang Kang is the setter who brought us to the title last year with his great play in the finals. I was under the impression that he was retiring at the end of last season and that I’d never see him again. Somehow, that got lost in translation (how is that possible???) and he’s back, but suffering from a torn “thing is his knee, you know, like where the circle part is, and it comes down,” as told to me by my translator. He’s battling through, but it’s obvious to me that he needs some time to rest — time we just don’t have, as we’re starting our season in 2 weeks. Zhao Yi, our second setter, played fantastically during the regular season last year as our ‘starter’ but he hasn’t found his groove yet this year, and I’m worried that sometimes the guys on our team are too hard on him. I fully understand the dynamic of younger players versus older players, and it seems like in Chinese volleyball culture, the young players really take a beating. But given the experience Zhao Yi gained last season, it seems like he should be exempt from the verbal abuse. He truly is trying his best, but maybe there is something in his character and approach to the games that I don’t fully understand. Regardless, I know he’ll find his groove and will be a big part of our season going forward. I like playing with him — he’s a fiery guy.
Lebron XI Forging Irons have been copped! I hope they come with the great box that everyone is raving about…
Lebron XI Forging Irons
We’ll finish off with some sheep balls:
Sheep balls
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