Post by happybadger on Aug 14, 2018 3:38:04 GMT
by Jamie Rooney
Special to the Player's Tribune
When I was drafted a long time ago, by Wolverhampton Badgers, I immediately discovered the unorthodox methods of the man that, even then, was nicknamed the "Happy Badger". When he handed everybody a different 5 centimeter thick book one Friday morning in training camp, he told us all, "Read that over the weekend, and be prepared to answer one question about it on Monday..." I looked at my book - Incredible Victory.
I'll get into the lesson I learned then later, which stood me in good stead two years later, when I was the number 7 of the Badgers in Old Trafford, hoisting the EIRL Grand Final trophy...and later on, as assistant coach of Ponte Preta Billy Goats in Telstra Stadium in Sydney, hoisting the FFBRL Grand Final Trophy...
...and yesterday, in Glasgow, when I hoisted absolutely nothing...
...but looking at what Rochdale Raptors had to do, we needed to win, and Gold Coast to lose, and make up some thirty-odd differential points, in order to get second place and a bye...
...and the strategy that Happy Badger used against Glasgow worked very well, and we won easily in the second half...
...and we had heard Darwin was leading Gold Coast at halftime...
...so, the hooter went off, and the table appeared on the big screen, and I saw Happy Badger totally frozen, like Anna was in Frozen...for the Raptors were one differential point away from tying Gold Coast in differential...
...I don't know how he got back to our dressing rooms, a zombie would have been more lively...
...I think that he would have felt better if we had lost the game, or if Gold Coast had won, but to be so close...it had to be crushing to him, I know it had to be, because, to a man, everybody in the dressing rooms was stunned as to how close we had come, only to fail to make the first round bye...and Happy Badger...just wasn't anything at all...
...then a "click", then I saw something that was totally unexpected to me, but perhaps it shouldn't have surprised me one bit, since Happy Badger is so unorthodox at times, it made perfect sense to see what happened...
...our team owner pressed her palm into the small of Happy Badger's back, and she led him in a dance, gently smiling at him...
...no doubt, you've seen "votes of confidence"...often, that's a sign that the person getting the vote is about to get his P45...
...and there are more ways than Victorian flower codes and lessons from books and music to send a message...
...although she did have a tussie-mussie of white bellflowers and blue violets at her breast, which complemented her little black dress beautifully...
...I didn't need any explanation, Zienna's wan smile as she danced was perfectly clear, she said to all of us, without words, "You've all done very well..."
...and the lesson that I had learned from a long time ago also came to mind, about the Americans' victory against all odds at the Battle of Midway...
...yes, it could have been a neater victory, yes, mistakes were made, but, against all odds, a victory was won that was the beginning of the end of the war in the Pacific...
...oh, the song that Zienna chose, also had meaning, but not for us, but for her partner: This is my manager, in whom I am well-pleased...
Special to the Player's Tribune
When I was drafted a long time ago, by Wolverhampton Badgers, I immediately discovered the unorthodox methods of the man that, even then, was nicknamed the "Happy Badger". When he handed everybody a different 5 centimeter thick book one Friday morning in training camp, he told us all, "Read that over the weekend, and be prepared to answer one question about it on Monday..." I looked at my book - Incredible Victory.
I'll get into the lesson I learned then later, which stood me in good stead two years later, when I was the number 7 of the Badgers in Old Trafford, hoisting the EIRL Grand Final trophy...and later on, as assistant coach of Ponte Preta Billy Goats in Telstra Stadium in Sydney, hoisting the FFBRL Grand Final Trophy...
...and yesterday, in Glasgow, when I hoisted absolutely nothing...
...but looking at what Rochdale Raptors had to do, we needed to win, and Gold Coast to lose, and make up some thirty-odd differential points, in order to get second place and a bye...
...and the strategy that Happy Badger used against Glasgow worked very well, and we won easily in the second half...
...and we had heard Darwin was leading Gold Coast at halftime...
...so, the hooter went off, and the table appeared on the big screen, and I saw Happy Badger totally frozen, like Anna was in Frozen...for the Raptors were one differential point away from tying Gold Coast in differential...
...I don't know how he got back to our dressing rooms, a zombie would have been more lively...
...I think that he would have felt better if we had lost the game, or if Gold Coast had won, but to be so close...it had to be crushing to him, I know it had to be, because, to a man, everybody in the dressing rooms was stunned as to how close we had come, only to fail to make the first round bye...and Happy Badger...just wasn't anything at all...
...then a "click", then I saw something that was totally unexpected to me, but perhaps it shouldn't have surprised me one bit, since Happy Badger is so unorthodox at times, it made perfect sense to see what happened...
...our team owner pressed her palm into the small of Happy Badger's back, and she led him in a dance, gently smiling at him...
...no doubt, you've seen "votes of confidence"...often, that's a sign that the person getting the vote is about to get his P45...
...and there are more ways than Victorian flower codes and lessons from books and music to send a message...
...although she did have a tussie-mussie of white bellflowers and blue violets at her breast, which complemented her little black dress beautifully...
...I didn't need any explanation, Zienna's wan smile as she danced was perfectly clear, she said to all of us, without words, "You've all done very well..."
...and the lesson that I had learned from a long time ago also came to mind, about the Americans' victory against all odds at the Battle of Midway...
...yes, it could have been a neater victory, yes, mistakes were made, but, against all odds, a victory was won that was the beginning of the end of the war in the Pacific...
...oh, the song that Zienna chose, also had meaning, but not for us, but for her partner: This is my manager, in whom I am well-pleased...
