To my wonderful Theme Leagues family,
I don't know how many of you are aware of Jon Bois' epic masterpiece, "17776." In it, he expands on the idea of American football as a finite game, where ends will be reached not just in a football game, but for humanity itself. Those ends will be seen, sought, reached, and cultivated. Humanity will stop striving, stop expanding, stop innovating, and simply "find the end zone." Perhaps one day humanity will simply "touch down" upon a finite future on this planet, forsaking the stars for inner peace.
Basketball could be a finite game, but in theory it could go on forever. Two equal teams with infinite stamina and time could play overtimes until the sun burns out. It is not as conducive to never-ending battles as baseball or tennis; were one to find one's team running out of bodies and energy against a team similarly exhausted, a basketball game could as such test the boundaries of physical stamina, focus, resolve, and existential resilience.
It is in this light that I ponder my own path to the end of this game. Thirteen years ago, I was a kid with a wide-eyed curiosity for the possibilities of history. Today, I am a man with so much invested in a game that never seems to end. The possibilities have expanded, and new formats have brought further curiosity as to the many combinations with which one could experiment. Though winning a championship was always a goal, I brought myself to this game for the love of the players, the love of watching the game as a kid, and of the great moments that brought me to love basketball. Pairing players I did see with players I never had the chance to see has been and still is intoxicating. A championship would be an obvious goal, but what would happen if Larry Bird and Amar'e Stoudemire teamed up? I haven't used that combination yet, and I'm still curious. Regardless of the SIM's interpretation of the duo, the uber-athlete with the less athletic maestro seems like a natural and extremely dynamic fit. Having watched Amar'e in depth around the time I signed up for this journey, that still makes me wonder, "what if?" They'll never win a championship together; in the world of hypotheticals, though, a kid could dream. A championship or the end of a losing season is an end of its own, but the possibilities of untold legend have superseded gauche and rote notions as what the end would look like. Our ends are ultimately how we lead ourselves from our beginnings; with senseless, random beginnings, our ends are just as unpredictable. We build on unregulated articles of faith towards the sky, as if the Tower of Babel were some radical new idea; the sky, just like the earth, is what we make it to be. Gods and men create destiny out of earth and sky, but only to the limits of our imagination. Humanity's shot clock will eventually expire; what we leave out of this vast experiment of expansion is the product of our collective delusions, manifestations, fears, hopes, and, of course, desire to matter in the inconceivable vacuum of space.
Lao Tze put it this way: "In the beginning, there were those who attained the Oneness
Heaven, by attaining the Oneness became clear
Earth, by attaining the Oneness became peaceful
Spirit, by attaining the Oneness beceame divine
True nature is like an empty valley, and by attaining the Oneness,
It became fully productive.
All things, by attaining the Oneness became alive."
Joe Darion had other ideas.
"And I know if I'll only be true
To this glorious quest
That my heart will be peaceful and calm
When I'm laid to my rest
And the world will be better for this
That one man scorned and covered with scars
Still strove with his last ounce of courage
To fight the unbeatable foe.
To reach the unreachable star."
I suppose a deeply flawed SIM is like an unbeatable foe. You may manipulate it to your ends occasionally, but if it is deeply flawed, what good is pure logic and math? The fact that it is so flawed means that logic and math have its limits on the basis of an illogical, or widely variable algorithm. I have always understood that, but I suspect the pull of closure, basketballs, and the men who love to shoot them keep us believing that everything will work itself out, that the games WIS plays with us will end.
Be that as it may, for me, the thrill is gone. I have no more ideas as to how to tame an unknowable machine. I have no more combinations to pursue. I'm sure 20-21 Bam Adebayo will be a blast to play with, but I'm not sure I need to give him a chance. In truth, I've struggled with my own fandom ever since the three warped the half court and the game I love. The battles aren't as contentious and dogged as I remember. The game is cleaner, but I can't help but think that the three ball is more of a circus trick than an element of the game, especially if launched in order to circumvent passing, rebounding, and defense. Most of us come from the outside, and few have size advantages to overcome opponents; I suppose the three has equalized the game for smaller and bigger opponents, but the tests of will are not nearly as great in five seconds as they would be in the full 24. And as the game goes, so SIM Basketball has been.
I have greatly enjoyed my battles on and off the virtual hardwood. For those of you who thought more of our debates than I did, realize that SIMLeague Basketball just a !@#%!#$^!# game. Your exploits on a flawed algorithm have never mattered less. To those with whom I've traded, talked shop, reconciled, drawn seasons, traded draft picks, evaluated, drafted divisions and exchanged strategies, thank you. You've made this an enjoyable escape for years.
This isn't to say that you'll never see me around these parts again. I suspect I'll still be in URAPP and maybe one or two other leagues as Charlatan Emeritus. But the game, the true game, starting at one end of the court and ending at the other, is over. I've reached the other side, and though I didn't take the cleanest of shots, it's good.
Even those of you who can't stand me must admit that I was entertaining. I'm a searcher, and I've come to terms with that. Eventually, though, you find what you're looking for, or you simply cease to want to look any further.
It has been my privilege to serve this beast of burden alongside my Theme League comrades.
Sincerely,
Brian
P.S. Another online muse has caught my fancy the way this once did. Perhaps I'll see you over there.
5/5/2021 12:20 PM (edited)