Thursday, May 28, 2009

You Know What to Do. Do it.


So I'm watching the training scene from Rocky IV on the eve of the first kickball game of the year.  I've seen it, without exaggeration, at least 45 times.  I wouldn't be surprised if it was higher than that because I think my brothers and I watched the last half of that movie once or twice a day everyday during the summer of 1990.  It would end and we would rewind it and start it over from the middle, as we rocked out from one great Survivor song to another.  No matter how many times I see it I just get sucked in.  In case you haven't seen it, Ivan Drago is training in a gym so advanced it could only exist on the eastern side of the Iron Curtain in Communist Russia, while Rocky is training in what appears to be an insulated barn in the middle of a frozen wasteland.  The classic "advanced" Russian war machine against good old fashioned American blood, sweat, and tears.  

My favorite part is when Rocky decides that he's tired of the KGB following him everywhere and he just kicks it into another gear, then proceeds to not only run away from a car, put then run straight up a mountain as if he were wearing anti-gravity boots.  What always gets me, is that the whole time he is training Adrian is watching him with this "I disapprove, but I'm hear to support you." look, which is just total B.S..  I was so happy that they killed her off in Rocky Balboa.  How could she just flat out yell down the stairs "You Can't Win!!"?  Then 2 seconds before Rocky knocks him out she yells "You're Going to Do It!!".  Way to jump on the bandwagon you heartless witch.

But right before they start training, his trainer, Duke looks at Rocky and says "You're going to have to go through hell, worse than any nightmare you've ever dreamed.  But when it's over, I know you'll be the one standing.  You know what you have to do.  Do it."  You see Rocky was a veteran fighter.  Duke didn't have to give him the big long pep talk.  "You know what you have to do.  Do it."  We are a veteran kickball team.  As the suns morning light kisses the dew of the 2009 season tomorrow, remember that.  We've been there.  We know what to do.  Now lets go out there and do it.

Good luck tomorrow and lets not get hurt.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I'm a Solo Raider relocated to the UP and found your blog after googling "Oak Park kickball"... love the retro feel... good luck in the tournament (except against SR)... and keep blogging...