The World According To Chris Brewer

Jason and I played basketball against each other tonight.

Seriously, it had been six years since we had done this. I think it was summer of 2002. I had just graduated from high school, possessed a freakish leaping and running ability, and had a limited yet passable set of skills in the game of basketball. I remember beating up on him and Branden Blumenthal in the Kelso COGOP parking lot.

But oh, how times have changed.

His shot took awhile for him to warm up, and initially I believed him when he said he hadn’t played basketball in three or four years. You could have made the backboard worth two points and he still would have been shut out for the first three or so shots. But he finally got with the program and started draining weird shots and so we played a game to 15, by 1, win by 2.

I drove the lane on him a few times, then started to play a little softer and took outside jumpers, which I still hit somehow, and opened up an 8-4 lead. Just when I thought I would coast to victory, he starts draining two-pointers (three-pointers in a real game) all over the place and in my face, and he’s up 13-9 before I could catch my breath.

A layup and two-pointer later, I caught up to him at 13-12 but allowed him to sneak in for a layup putting him one point away from victory. Improbably, I hit a two-pointer for a 14-14 tie and we each played each other tight on the perimeter.

The score went 15-14, 15-16, 17-16, 17-18, 19-18 then 19-19. Crazy because 15 was supposed to be the game, but ya gotta win by 2, so this game went forever.

He and I both clanked a few two-pointers off the rim, for we each wanted to win the game with one shot. Finally I hit a two with him running at me, to win it 21-19 and I’m sure if we played to 40 we still would have ended up tied.

Jason did pretty well, and I have to say that if he got better by not playing for three years, I’m going on hiatus starting now.

Anyone wanna go see the Springfield Cardinals play at 6 tomorrow — er, today?