Gil Thorp by Henry Barajas and Rachel Merrill for July 13, 2022

“Play reckless! Imagine that this is baseball, and you’re a blind pitcher!”

P1 “Well, more like everyone else was stunned speechless that he was actually here and doing some real coaching, then there were his kids tied and gagged with athletic tape under the trainer’s table struggling to scream and break free.”

P2 It was so cold them fans like fist pump family and Signman didn’t come to watch the game, h*ll, even Marty Moon was a no show

P3 “Don’t worry about it, Mimi didn’t show either, she said the weekly winter pool maintenance check was scheduled at the same time as the game, whatever.”

Give the new guy a chance, he can’t possibly be as bad as Rubin

“I want you guys to play with a certain mindset, but also with the opposite mindset as well, because frankly the other team is better than you and we only have a chance to win by blundering into it. Hey kid, I see your parents don’t love you enough to show up to your games; I want you to know that the rest of us notice these things and you should feel self-conscious about that. Gosh, I am so great, I bet I’ll get an award for coaching like this someday.”

Sadly, P3 is replicated across America thousands of times a day.

How do you play “smart” AND “reckless” at the same time – isn’t that antithetical?

The peacock didn’t show?

P1- Must be 1981 as WMFD plays Rod Stewart’s “Passion”, Marty’s color man Paul is making the broadcast tolerable and Ernie Fenton & Clyde Bean are poised to lead The ‘larks through the play downs to a state championship in basketball. Tod Andrew’s was rocking the Magnum P.I. look well before Tom Selleck.

A great time before Peacocks, flash mobs, placebos, Shimura and apple juggling basketball players.

Well, now that we have a new writer, I’m expecting to see more of me prominently featured in the stories. Maybe I can even get a lead role?

P3: Gil sees his future as a child abandoning parent in front of him and immediately after the game (yet another Mudlark loss) he starts planning to ship his twins off to the Far East for a “cultural” experience.

“… let’s show ‘em how we do it in Milford…Gregg!…. Get over here!… you’re the QB now…”

“I didn’t have the best relationship with my folks at the time. I had forged some checks in their name and wrecked the family car, and they took it personally.”

Play smart or reckless. Which is it, Coach?

In all reality , Look pal wrap up your already too long saga about how Gil brought your family back together. Summer’s slipping away !

P 4: “….they even snuck a butter knife into my backpack once and then tipped off the school…”

Gil was more observant back then.

I wonder if the new writer will reinvent the Marty Moon character and Kaz and Mimi. Seems like he has started with Gil

Maybe the Thorp kids are thawed out from the cryogenic lab and and resume their lives. And Fang returns to bite the hand that banished him.

P 3: “….don’t worry about it son, …..my kids quit showin’ up to stuff years ago….”

P1: Maxwell #86 enters the game.

P1 – I guess they weren’t prepared for the solar eclipse that was going to occur. That’s why Gil called timeout yesterday. You’d think at least the Science teacher would have known it was coming and could have warned him.

P2 – Is this one of those divided team conflicts again in the stands, like we saw at the volleyball match?

P3 – “But it’s whatever.” Milford’s English department is definitely the worst in The Valley Conference.

And speaking of whatever, drop whatever you’re doing and read today’s Mopped Up Thorp. (Actually, I guess I already knew what you were doing, you were reading this paragraph.)

https://moppedupthorp.wordpress.com/

Smart /and/ reckless! Brilliant, coach.

Honestly, kudos to Rubin for taking a left turn from the usual Milford CC summer arc by opening the door into the Thorp Multiverse

When Coach Thorp spoke E F Hutton listened.