Sabrina's Crossing -- An athlete's life on the road

Friday, April 12, 2013

Decision Day: Listening to Your Head, or Your Heart?

Using my extra free time to enjoy the beach.

The first of April was supposed to be decision day for the rest of my season. And the first of the month came and went pretty quickly.

Quick recap: I've been out of action since early-March, nursing my always-delicate back.

Officially, I was on 'work stoppage' -- which is beneficial for my club because they get an insurance return on my salary. But my work stoppage expired April 1st, and a decision had to be made: prolong the stoppage for the rest of the season, or give it another shot on the court.

As you recall, I've only played in two games since Christmas, and was in and out of practice so much in February, it made my head spin.

Views from the sideline.

While out, I was still able to workout and live my life normally, I just didn't play basketball. Ironic for a basketball player. I couldn't do the one thing that provides me a paycheck, and the one thing that puts me thousands of miles from home.

It was a long three weeks on the sideline, but I knew I couldn't continue playing with how things were. It was for the best. I still had hope to finish the season on the court. So there was that to look forward to.

After three weeks to let my back heal up (or so I hoped), I'd re-evaluate, and decide whether or not to give it a go for the last three games of the season.

My Initial Decision
Going into the weekend (before 'decision' day), I had my mind made up. I was going to give it a go. I couldn't NOT try, right? If this was going to be my last season overseas, I wanted to finish it on the court. What's the worst that could happen?

I had some friends from the US in town, and on our way to Brussels back from Amsterdam, we decided we'd go over the pros and cons of playing.

Reasons for Playing:
-This might be my last season as a pro. I wanted to finish on a 'good note'. And finish my career on the court, not on the sideline.
-It's my job to play. I had only done my job twice since Christmas.
-I wanted to play. I missed playing. Sitting out on the sideline is no fun.
-I wanted to help my teammates.

Reasons against Playing:
-We only had three games left in the season. And they were meaningless games. No playoffs. No relegation to worry about. With the exception of pride, whether we won or lost really had no bearing on anything.
-I didn't know how my back would react. Even after being out for three weeks, it might immediately tighten up, and I'd be back where I started. It felt basically the same as it had all winter, so I wasn't all that confident that it would be okay.
-I'd only played two games in three months, and hadn't touched a ball in three weeks. It was going to take time to get back into the swing of things (assuming my back held up). By the time I got back 'in form', the season would be over.
-I'd had problems with my back since my sophomore year in college. Problems that resulted in surgery. Since that surgery in 2001, I had been relatively healthy until this point. Why tempt things?
-I could further injure myself. Playing injured/careful often leads to more problems.

What would you decide?

Dunkerque.

Considering the Whole Situation
After my friends and I went over the pros and cons, I kind of thought to myself: 'I've lost sight of what's important.'

Thankfully I had friends around who were willing to point out the things I was overlooking.

All I could see was that I wanted to play, and not the things that could result from that happening. They overwhelmingly thought I shouldn't play. And honestly, that surprised me. There was nothing to gain, they said. More bad can come from it than good.

'Yeah, but I want to play,' I thought to myself.

I took their words into consideration, but still had yet to make up my mind when I left them at the airport in Brussels.

The Last Straw

At least there are pretty sights to look at.

I returned to Dunkerque Sunday night, after dropping them off, and turned on the men's NCAA tournament.

Louisville vs. Duke.

Kevin Ware.

That pretty much sealed the deal for me.

He horrifically injured himself on a normal, run-of-the-mill play. It wasn't anything out of the ordinary. In fact, it's a play that occurs 10-15 times, maybe more, every game.

And with that, my decision was made. My health was most important. And my season was over.

Handling the Cards We've Been Dealt
I'm finishing my contract, and remaining with the team through our final game. I at least want to finish that.

Future DMBC ballers: Went to a youth game too!

It's been an odd last half of the season. And slightly difficult for me to adjust to not playing.

As I've written before, the sole purpose I'm in Europe is to play basketball. That's my job. My passion. And a big part of my identity. For that to be removed from the equation threw me off balance for a while. But I've recovered, and mentally I'm okay with the hand I've been dealt.

Things never quite go as we expect them to. But like anything, life is how we react to the things that happen to us. Dwell on it, or readjust and move on.

I've used these weeks away from basketball to get my back as healthy as I can, and to re-evaluate my situation, and my career. Maybe it's been good to have basketball removed, it gives me a little taste of what's to come.

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Brittney Griner to the NBA: An Unnecessary Discussion

**Originally appeared on SLAM Online April 10th, 2013**
Several months ago we had the lower rims debate. Now we have Brittney Griner to the NBA making headlines. I guess I should be happy that women's basketball is giving people something to talk about. But outlandish stories aren't the discussions we should be having about women's hoops.

Some say, any talk is progress. I'm not willing to go there just yet.

Dallas Mavericks owner, Mark Cuban, stated last week that he'd give the 6'8" Baylor star a shot at making his team. He said, 'If she is the best on the board, I will take her.'

Griner tweeted back, 'I would hold my own! Lets do it.' I don't blame her for responding, she believes in herself. But Cuban really doesn't deserve a response.

Let's take his comments for what they really are: a PR stunt. He wants attention, and he wants the hoopla to follow Griner to the NBA summer league, where she would potentially first play.

All that's happened since Cuban's attention-seeking comments, is the disparaging of Griner and her talents. And with that, criticism of women's basketball in general.

I don't mean to doubt Griner's abilities, but this isn't the rec. The NBA is the highest level of basketball in the world. The best. The biggest, strongest, quickest, most versatile athletes in the world.

I know how tough it is just playing against guys at the rec.

In the men's game, Griner's talents don't transfer over. What makes her special in the women's game would not be a factor against men. Size, athleticism, strength, speed, length, quickness.

Against women, she's a 6'8" dominant center. In the majority of her games while at Baylor, she had an enormous size advantage. And then on top of that, she has phenomenal athleticism unseen in a 6'8" woman. Put those two things together, and you have a defensive stopper who controls the paint, and a presence in the post offensively who demands a double (triple?) team every time she touches the ball.

Against men, she's a small forward (maybe a power forward, but that'd be a stretch). I've seen Brittney Griner play, nothing about her game says small forward.

That's the obvious argument.

But now, instead of praising and celebrating a talent the women's game has never seen, this has turned into a diss -- for lack of a better term. It's me, and everyone else who is having this conversation, saying what Griner is not. Putting her down, and saying why she wouldn't succeed.

Instead, we should appreciate and celebrate her talents for what they are.

What I should be saying is this: stop comparing. Respect the women's game for what it is. It's a separate sport. Simple as that.

We don't need to say that women should/could compete with men. It's not cutting-edge. It's not an enlightened way to think. It's unnecessary.

In what other sport do they talk about women competing against men? Did anyone ever talk about Mia Hamm competing for the US Olympic Men's soccer team?

Brittney Griner is an enormously talented basketball player. And she is a dominant physical presence. She is a game changer. Let her be just that.

Is it a compliment to ask if can she play in the NBA? Yes, of course! But don't take the conversation any further than that. Because once we do, that's when the the compliments stop.

Easter Sunday in Amsterdam

I Amsterdam.

A regular Sunday in Europe is quiet. Many stores and shops are closed, even in a city the size of Amsterdam.

There will be pockets of small shopping districts open, but for the most part, every thing's closed up for the day. That's just the way Sundays are.

They're for taking Sunday strolls, Sunday drives, and relaxing.

Easter Sunday in Europe? Yeah, you can imagine.

Tera, Tracie, Rene and I were about to see what Easter Sunday had to offer in Amsterdam. I was hoping it was more than gesloten sign after gesloten sign.

Rijksmuseum and I Amsterdam sign.

SUNDAY
We 'sprung forward' Saturday night and it put us behind schedule right off the bat (Europe changes to Daylight Savings several weeks after the US. So Tracie, Tera and Rene were lucky enough to spring forward twice this year!). We had chronically been a few hours behind scheduled-plans the entire weekend, so one less hour didn't help matters.

Most of our time, the two days prior, had been spent in the western and northern parts of the city, but there were some sights south of the city center that I wanted to get to. We scrambled out the door, and headed for the southern part of Amsterdam.

House boats lining the canals.

I Amsterdam Sign
The I Amsterdam sign is one of the most-photographed spots in Amsterdam. Initially, the phrase was used as a marketing campaign, but quickly became a motto of the city.

Located just in front of the Rijksmuseum, you commonly see tourists crawling all over the giant letters to capture a fun picture for their Amsterdam photo album.

When we came upon the sign, we found exactly that. It was difficult to gain a good perspective for pictures because there were so many people, but we managed to snap a couple good shots.

The whole area surrounding the sign, known as Museumkwartier (Museum Quarter), was interesting. There's the Rijksmuseum -- the national museum, the Van Gogh Museum -- that houses the largest collection of Van Gogh's work, the Nederlands Filmmuseum -- that showcases 1000 screenings a year, and a few other museums.

The basketball court in Museumkwartier.

There is also open space, Museumplein and Vondelpark, that give the neighborhood a nice atmosphere. There was even a basketball court!

Easter Market Goose Chase
In previous years while traveling on Easter weekend, I had always found many of the cities had Easter Markets. We were hoping, since most-everything else would be closed, that maybe there would be a market for us to enjoy.

I had done my homework, but forgot to make note of where the markets were. Oops! One difficult thing about traveling in Europe, is it's hard to research on the fly. Unless you want to pay an arm and a leg for your phone to work abroad, your smart phone is merely a glorified map. And public wifi is hard to come by, so you can't count on being able to Google anything once you're out and about.

So I asked a vendor where there might be an Easter Market to stroll though. He then sent us on, what turned out to be, a wild goose chase for the Albert Cuyp Market. He said it was 'one of the most famous markets in the world'. I thought, wow, this should be great -- if we could find it.

We set out for the De Pijp neighborhood and the Albert Cuyp Market. We found where it was supposed to be, but all that was there were quiet, empty streets. Guess what, it's not open on Sunday.

It was a sunny day (but still pretty chilly), so we were happy to be out in the fresh air and sunshine. As we made our way from the closed Albert Cuyp Market, back towards the city center, we had our eyes peeled for a place to have lunch.

We walked along Utrechtsestraat until we found a spot that grapped our attention: Zuivere Koffie did just that. For the second day in a row, we felt like we found a winner. This cafe wasn't quite as good as Singel 404 from the day before, but still a good stop for sandwiches and coffee or tea.

Zuivere Koffie for lunch.

Cafe to Cafe
Almost immediately after lunch, I had planned to meet a high school classmate at yet another cafe along the Amstel river. I can never have enough coffee, and was anxious to try out another Dutch dessert, so I didn't mind.

I hadn't seen Ariel since high school graduation, so it was fun to catch up on the last decade-plus (wow!) for a couple hours at De Ysbreeker (pronounced ice breaker).

I love how Facebook and traveling can put you back in touch, and it's always fun to see a familiar face so far away from home.

Along with a few cakes and coffee, Ariel introduced us to a Dutch specialty called bitterballen -- fried gravy. I'm usually not partial to fried anything, but they were good!

The day was winding down, and there was nothing more in particular we wanted to see (that we could do in a short time frame), so we were happy to slowly make our way back through the city.

LHS grads in Amsterdam -- me and Ariel.

Right before heading back to our house via tram, we came upon Rembrandtplein, one of the largest and busiest squares in the city center. It was a lively part of the city, with an art market in the square that afternoon.

I had been wanting to get to Rembrandtplein all weekend, but hadn't managed to be in the right place at the right time til then. And since we were short on time, we didn't get a chance to explore the square and the surrounding area.

Because I had a three hour drive back to Dunkerque (by way of Brussels to drop my friends at the airport), I didn't want to get on the too road late. But as usual, we were behind schedule. So it was time to hit the road!

Summing up Amsterdam
Usually, after visiting a new city for a weekend, I have a very good feel for the layout of the city by the time I leave. I can't say I felt that way after our weekend in Amsterdam. I found it more difficult than usual to get my bearings. Even though the city isn't all that big, I never felt comfortable with my sense of direction, or exploring without a map.

Where the Amstel river turns into the canals -- I think.

With the countless canals, every corner and crossing felt the same. You'd try to remember 'that place' by the bridge, and then you come upon 12 other bridges that look nearly identical.

Also I usually feel very comfortable with public transport. In Amsterdam I explored less than I usually do, and really only rode one tram the entire weekend -- always getting on/off at the same stops.

From what I saw over the course of the weekend, the best way to explore Amsterdam is to get lost on a bike. The days we were there, were not fit for biking -- too cold! Walking does the job too, but to fit in like a true Amsterdammer, you definitely need a bike. And a bell to ring at all the wandering tourists that walk into your path!

Near Staalstraat.

After three days in Amsterdam, I came to this conclusion: it's essentially two different cities. One inside the Red Light District, and one outside the Red Light District.

The one inside was pretty overwhelming, and not exactly my cup of tea. But the one outside, was a place I loved.

It had pretty scenery, friendly people, international fare, great sights to see, and on top of it all, was health conscious. The Dutch, to me, seem to be committed to living a healthy lifestyle, and make it easy for their citizens to follow suit.

If ever there was a European city I could see myself living in long term, it would be a place like Amsterdam (outside the Red Light District, of course)!

Tree art.

Rembrandtplein.

On the move!

Art in Amsterdam.

Rembrandtplein.

Along the Amstel river.

Rene's little cream to go with her little coffee.

You see this everywhere -- it's the Amsterdam flag.

Amstel river.

Rene -- I Amsterdam.

Me -- I Amsterdam.

One last group picture!

De Pijp neighborhood.

Rembrandtplein.

Monday, April 8, 2013

Amsterdam Day Two: Anne Frank, a Boat Tour & a Little Shopping

A common sight in Amsterdam: a canal bridge, lined with bikes.

The first night in Amsterdam had given me one perspective of the city known for its Red Light District. The craziness, the circus-like atmosphere, the anything-goes feeling, had left me a little unsure of the Dutch capital.

But with two more days to explore Amsterdam, I was anxious to see the other side that I knew lay somewhere in the city.

SATURDAY
One sight that was first on all of our lists to see was the Anne Frank House. Without a doubt, being Easter weekend, and with a lot of tourists in town, it would be a busy place. The plan was to head to the museum right away, and see how long the line was to get in. We knew the house, and attached museum wasn't all that big, so surely, not very many people could be inside at once.

Sights from the boat tour. Draw bridge near the Amstel River.

Tram Adventures
Just as we had the night before, we hopped on the number 13 tram, and headed towards the city center. Our ride, roughly 12 hours prior, had been a smooth one. And since we were going to the same place, I expected this ride to be just as easy. Only this time, I wanted to buy a 24-hour pass, instead of paying a pricey 2.80 € for a single-hour pass each time we rode the tram throughout the day.

It was here that we encountered the only language issue of the weekend, and in return, got a pretty funny story. As I boarded the tram with Rene slightly behind me, I told the tram attendant I wanted a 24-hour pass. He replied, 'five ten euros'. I reached into my wallet, and thought there must have been a weekend price, because the price listing in front of me said it was over seven euros for a 24-hour pass. Nevertheless, I gave him 6.10 €, and waited for my ticket and change.

A pirate ship! A replica of the 1749 Eastindiaman Amsterdam.

The attendant then shot me the 'you dumb tourist' look and said, 'no, FIVE TEN euros' in a stern voice. Confused I said, 'yes, and I'm giving you six ten'.

This exchange repeated at least five times, with the attendant getting louder and more agitated with each passing second.

He eventually started flashing a five and a ten with his hands. I laughed cause I still had no idea what he was asking for. The tram was getting busier, and we were still no closer to an understanding.

Cruising through the canals.

Suddenly, it hit me: FIFTEEN euros! He thought I was buying two tickets, one for myself, and one for Rene. I shrugged it off, gave him more money, got our two tram tickets, and laughed to the back of the tram.

Ahhhh, adventures in a foreign land!

Westermarkt was our stop for Anne Frank, and all it took was one glance to see that we were in for a long wait.

With temperatures hoovering around freezing (Spring remains a distant wish in Northern Europe), we decided to pass on the museum that morning. I'd read the night before that lines for the Anne Frank House tended to be much shorter in the evening. So we'd return later that night, and give it another try. But to be sure, we didn't want to miss the Anne Frank experience.

Touring the Streets & Canals

Second on the the to-do list was a boat tour through the canals. Amsterdam has 165 canals surrounding the city, and is known as the 'Venice of the North'. To visit Amsterdam and not see the city from the canals would be as tragic as not taking a stroll through the Red Light District.

More sights from the canals.

There were countless tour companies to choose from, but we opted for Blue Boat Tours. Now all we had to do was get from Westermarkt to Leidseplein.

Even though it was a chilly morning, the mile walk wouldn't be all that bad. And it would give us the opportunity to see a bit more of the city.

As we strolled south towards Leidseplein, we stumbled upon a little shopping. De Negen Straatjes ('the nine streets') is a shopping district that consists of nine side streets lined with local boutiques, cafes and art galleries. We explored the shops for a bit before heading back out to find our boat tour. My friends and I would return to De Negen Straatjes a little later in the day.

Tracie & Tera outside the cafe.

The boat tour!
The Blue Boat Tour was like every other boat tour I've been on. Nothing really special, but a convenient tourist stop. It was fun to quickly see the city, and see the sights from the perspective from the canals.

The tour took us out to the IJ (the open water, that I initially mistook for a river, north of the city center), and through the various waterways surrounding the city. You could see the forward-tilting houses, the many houseboats (2,500 of them in Amsterdam), and bridges (1,281) that line the canals.

There was a lot to take in during our 90-minute tour; definitely a worthwhile experience!

Lunch Time
After some research by Rene, we had a lunch spot already in our sights. One of the harder things about traveling in a group is deciding on where and what to eat. People might have a different idea of what sounds good, especially in a foreign land.

Rene read off a rave review of a local place called Singel 404, and all four of us decided it sounded delicious. So once off the boat, Singel 404 was our destination.

Delicious -- Singel 404.

We easily found it (convenient naming your cafe after your address), and just happened to beat the lunchtime rush (even though it was well after the lunchtime hour). Almost immediately after we got in line to wait, the tiny cafe was packed.

We shared soup to warm up, each got our own delicious sandwiches, and shared a giant piece of homemade apple crumble for dessert.

The quaint cafe was also the first time we saw the popular mint tea. Instead of tea leaves served in hot water, it is common in Amsterdam (or so it seems, after we saw it at every other cafe we went to) to have fresh mint tea leaves. Something fun and different, and the smell was amazing.

Shopping along Leidseplein.

If fresh ingredients on yummy bread appeal to you, Singel 404 is highly recommended!

Organic Market
After lunch, it was back out into the streets for some more exploration and shopping. We found De Negen Straatjes again, and I made a few purchases.

I like getting things that are unique to a place, and not from the run-of-the-mill stores you can find in every city in the world. So the local boutiques were perfect.

Tera, Tracie and Rene wanted to visit a local brewery, so as we tried to locate Arendsnest (a suggestion from high school classmate, Ariel, who now lives in Amsterdam), we got the chance to see more of the city. Arendsnest proved to be a difficult find, so we actually ended up seeing a lot more than we originally had planned.

Lost in Amsterdam??? Yes, we were.

During our search for the brewery, we walked the the streets in the Jordaan neighborhood and Haarlemmerstraat. We even stumbled back into the Red Light District, which wasn't nearly as overwhelming in the daytime hours (but still a little questionable).

We ducked into a market to get the chill off our bones, at a store called called Marqt. I thought our stop actually turned out to be quite interesting. The store was entirely organic, and so 'eco-friendly' that they didn't accept payment in cash, only credit or debit cards.

No cash accepted.

Breweries aren't really my cup of tea, but I think Tera, Tracie and Rene enjoyed Arendsnest. They had some interesting brews from the sounds of it. But honestly, it's all lost on me because I'm not a beer drinker.

Anne Frank Huis
After the Arendsnest, and resting up, it was time to head back to the Anne Frank House. It was 8 pm, and thankfully the line was shorter, but not drastically shorter. We stood in line for 45 minutes, and spent most of the wait huddled together, or jumping up and down, trying to keep warm.

Once inside, the cold quickly became a distant memory.

I always find tales of the Holocaust fascinating, informative, and unfathomable. It's such recent history, and I still find it unbelievable that our race (the human race) was/is capable of such horrifying things. To see the house where Anne, along with seven others, spent over two years of their lives in hiding, was truly an interesting experience.

The front door to the Anne Frank House. On Prinsengracht 267

You were able to realize that they did not see daylight the entire time they were stowed away in the annex. They had to bathe in the dark. They had to trust strangers to keep their secret.

Anne and the others had to remain quiet and still during the day, but could move around at night. Their hideout was above an office, but they couldn't allow the workers below hear them. The workers were unaware there were Jews hiding from Nazi persecution just above them.

While waiting outside Anne Frank House.

The museum was busy, so you had to remain patient, but I liked the experience. I don't think I've ever read The Diary of Anne Frank, but I think I will now. (Pictures weren't allowed inside the Anne Frank House, that's why there are none here.)

Late Dinner
By the time we finished at the Anne Frank House, it was almost 10. We were starving, and it was way too cold to go anywhere too far away. Instead of trying to find the suggested-Indonesian place all the way across town, we decided we'd be happier with a place close by.

The first place we stumbled upon outside the museum, which was also along the tram line home, was to be our dinner spot.

Rene showing us how to sip tea at dinner.

Koh-I-Noor. Indian food it was.

They served us entirely too much food, but none of us had any problem cleaning our plate. I had a delicious Chicken Tikka Masala -- can't go wrong with that!

With full bellies, and tired bodies from a day of sight-seeing, we made our way back to our house to spend our last night in Amsterdam.

Day two in Amsterdam was vastly different from the first. It was nice to see the other side of the city, after experiencing the Red Light District the first night. I definitely appreciated the 'normalcy' our second day had to offer. We still had one last day, Easter Sunday, to spend in the Dutch capital -- coming up next blog!