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Jambolia: A League Reborn |
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Originally published on June
25, 2008
It has been said that all good things must come to an end.
When Chaucer wrote those words, I doubt he was looking
600-some years into the future to predict the demise of Jambolia. But up until just a few weeks ago, many of
you probably thought that he might as well have been. And while it is true that Jambolia will surely come to an
end someday, today is not that day.
Instead, Jambolia is a league that has been reborn.
Many of you may be thinking that you've heard this tune
before. Others may have given up hope that Jambolia
will ever return to its peak form. And for others this
may be your first Jambolia experience. But no matter
what kind of outlook you have coming into this rebirth of
Jambolia, know this: You've never seen something like
this before.
In the past, even during the Jambolia's peak over four years
ago, this was a one-man league. That is to say, I've
always done most, if not all of the work myself. For at
least half the league's history, not only I have done all
the website work (there has been little to no website help
for the eight year history of the league), but also was the
game simulator. For a stint during the league's
infancy, original GM Marc Ryan of the Minnesota Timberwolves simmed the games, and most recently, Dan Chase (better known
as Old Eagle) kept the league alive during his two year
stint simming the games. When he left Jambolia
following the 2006-07 season, the league stayed alive and
well until around the end of 2007, but by March 2008 the
league was on life support, and many had left it for dead.
During the months leading up to now, I gave very little
thought to bringing Jambolia back from the dead. To be
honest, I was enjoying a long needed vacation from the
league. I didn't expect to bring it back, and I
definitely didn't expect to bring it back so soon. But
although all good things must come to an end, Jambolia
hadn't been a good thing for years in my view, so I couldn't
let it end. But if I was going to bring it back, it
had to be just right. It had to work.
It was a sunny Saturday afternoon just over two weeks ago, I
was out relaxing in the sun by the lake when it hit me.
Basketball fever. The NBA Finals were just about to
begin, the NBA Draft talk was really heating up, and for the
first time in months I missed Jambolia. I wanted it
back, but I knew there was no way I could put the time into
it to make it the success that I wanted it to be ... that it
had to be. So I pulled out my phone and sent a text
message to Dan, letting him know what was on my mind and
that I wanted to bring Jambolia back. To my surprise,
without any convincing, he was on board. The man who
was integral in keeping Jambolia alive for almost two years,
was back to sim the games. And things just flew
together from there.
Within no time we had found an editor in Chris Brown, who
has since put together a journalist crew of over ten people. We've found not one, not two, but
three webmasters
in addition to myself (Noah Curran, GM of the Boston
Celtics, and the Rehome brothers, owners of Baseline Hoops). And most importantly, we've got a league full of GMs eager
to experience what real Jambolia basketball is all about.
If you weren't in Jambolia during it's early years, or know
very little about it, you probably don't know what it was
like during its peak. Jambolia became great, and
popular, because of three main things: the website,
the quality of its GMs, and what we've been missing for
years now - articles, in abundance. We're getting back
to those things that once made the league great, and with
the support group in place, I believe that Jambolia's glory
years are not behind us, but are yet to come. |
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Shane Veinot is the
Commissioner of the Jambolia Basketball League, and is a
regular contributor to JAMBOLIA.com. He is also the
General Manager of the Orlando Magic. To e-mail him,
click here. |
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