Rayden has seen me play poorly against average to below average players (all of the players that play at 24 Hour Fitness) and has extrapolated that play (how I play) to Gery (he thinks Gery and I are similar both physically and mentally). What Rayden fails to realize is that I'm about 20 years past my playing prime*, so the way I now play is dissimilar to how I played when I was more youthful. Secondly, if he'd seen me and Gery playing in our youth (teens and twenties) against elite players (BLACKS THAT PLAYED COLLEGE BASKETBALL) he'd change his mind. Lastly, I play down to the level of the competition. So, if I'm playing against mediocre players or worse I typically don't play as well as I can because I'm less challenged and less motivated (WHEN I PLAY AGAINST HIGHLY ATHLETIC, SKILLED BLACKS YOU GET A DIFFERENT VERSION OF ME). Anyway, after playing poorly this past Wednesday (06/17/26) a young G00K on my team (he was a decent player and led our team in scoring) said, "he doesn't play." I think my poor play and these videos https://www.youtube.com/@j.f.699 gave him that idea.
An older (in her 60s), wrinkling Nip (Japanese woman) at one of the checkout tables said to me when I got to the table, "are you going to read those books to your dog?" I responded to her sarcastically and after walking away from her she said to her fellow volunteer, "he stutters." I think she'd been watching me as a browsed through the selection talking to myself and may have thought I was going to steal the books I wound up buying.
*And I don't play pickup games everyday like I once did.
