It's The New Rainmen, Baby!

Last night's game was the most rewarding I have seen as a Rainmen fan. Halifax finally beat their nemesis, the Vermont Frost Heaves, 108-97. After a slow start under new coach Les Berry, the Rainmen pulled ahead in the first quarter and never relinquished the lead. There were are few mis-steps in the very early minutes, evidence of minimal practice time under Berry, who came in mid-week to replace outgoing coach Rick Lewis. The increased load of plays and different coaching style took a bit for the Rainmen to get used to, but once they did, Berry's leadership -- and the players' talent -- showed through.

As I said last night, this is The New Rainmen! Maybe PR should latch onto that, to wipe away the stain of the past little while.

If Berry takes a technical every game, I wouldn't mind, just don't get tossed.

Berry seemed to bring an assistant coach with him. I hope the Rainmen keep a place for Shannon Hansen, he is a super nice guy and he was very diplomatic when we were chatting after the game. He has said in an interview that he wants to be in Hali for a while, I hope he has a place at the New Rainmen table.

There is a new lineup that seems to be taking place, with almost no time for Lewis favourite Glenn Dandridge, Kevin Hammack or fan favourite John Strickland. Berry has favourites, and they appear to be David Bailey, Rob Sanders, Tony Bennett, and Brian Silverhorn. In my opinion, these guys deserve the increased time they got last night. Veterans like Eric Crookshank and Jimmy Twyman also played well, but their roles are being changed to fit into the new coach's system. I hope they recognize that team comes first, I am sure they will, since they have stuck with the Rainmen since last season.

Berry was losing his mind at the showoff plays that seem to be minor league ball's trademark: length-of-court Hail Mary passes for a break, no-look cross-court passes, and other flashy stuff that is great when it works and deflating when it doesn't. Unfortunately, the Rainmen's adrenaline seemed to be running a bit high and a few of their showy plays did not go well. I think Berry probably had a stern talk with them post-game. There is no need to give up possessions on stray no-look passes, especially against Vermont, who are no slouches.

Remember, gents, we are not the Globetrotters; more importantly, our opponents are not the Washington Generals who are paid to lose every time. While I enjoy huge dunks and no-looks as much as the next fan (which is obvious, since apparently, I am sitting close to the webcast microphone!), I would much rather see a W with good play and some showy stuff than an L with too much flash.

A note to congratulate the Heaves on having the most dedicated fans ever. It was good to see them, and impressive that they drove 19 hours straight from Buffalo, New York to watch their team. They logged a total of 41 hours of driving time to watch 96 minutes of basketball. That is commitment.

The BBC (Bailey's Brew Crew) will be meeting at the Elephant & Castle before Friday's game and after Sunday's game for some team spirit time. The E & C will have food and drink specials on for both those times, so it will be an affordable chance to get together with other fans and maybe even some players after Sunday's game. Wear your Rainmen gear!

Plus, the incomparable Dunc13 will be in Hali for these games, so fasten your seatbelts and enjoy the show from Section 23!