Actual competition!

Remember Gary's Old Towne Tavern? (Google it.) Well, check this out. I received the following email from Andy Pearson, correspondent and onetime SJH player relocated to St. Cloud:

I play now with a group of guys up in St. Cloud on Saturday mornings. I'm not sure that we are up to your guys' level, but it might be fun to set up a friendly game. We usually get 8-12 guys and play in a Mormon Church gym. Since the court is short we just play 4-on-4, so we may have to play down there. They are all very nice guys. Let me know what you think.

What do I think? Heck, yes! Let's see:

• Saturday morning hoops
• 8-12 guys
• Church gym
• Short court
• 4-on-4
• All very nice guys

That last item makes it sound like "The Bizarro Jerry." (You can Google that, too.) But bottom line: A like-minded squad of middle-aged hoops rubes wants to come to the big city and throw down with the East Side's finest. This may be as good as it gets before your knee finally blows. Will we welcome them to the hospitable confines of our li'l gym? Will we do it up right, with clean shirts and coffee and donuts? You betcha!

This Very Special Episode (again, you can— well, you know) of hoops at St. John's is tentatively scheduled for Easter Saturday, April 3. Stay tuned for confirmation. Meanwhile, please let me know if you will or will not be playing tomorrow, jus' reg'lar. We tip off at 8:00 a.m., as usual.