Really hoping you guys will forgive me now for the incorrect haiku structure this morning
Of course.
You now know that 3-line haiku has 5 syllables in the first line; 7 syllables in the second line, and 5 syllables in the third line.
ALL posts in the Game Day Haiku Thread are to be written in haiku form, and this includes any corrections, comments, explanations, defenses, compliments, etc.
If a post is not written in haiku, someone will likely take note, and, at best, use haiku form to point out the error.
There is a time window (expanded this year) for Editing a post, so that it confirms to haiku form. If the window has expired, a new post with correct haiku form can be posted. Ideally, corrected haiku is completed prior to tip-off. Corrections are deeply appreciated, regarded with approval as analogous to an offensive rebound put back basket.
We all make mistakes. We are human. The haiku thread allows us the opportunity to persist and use our best efforts to correct our mistakes. This models persistence and best efforts for the players to enhance their ability to succeed in their game-performance.
Most who are new to haiku make mistakes, and many are intimidated and do not even attempt. Some regard the corrections as punishment to be avoided. They are no such thing. Their emphasis is to embrace and fulfill the wish that all haiku are written in 5-7-5 form. Here, haiku is analogous to practiced and made free throws, where repetition & muscle memory has resulted in outcomes like the close of the Michigan State game, or better yet, John Calipari defending his choice not to foul UConn in the 2014 Championship near the end of thegame because "they were just going to make them."
I don't want to 'catch' anyone for miscounting their syllables, so much as I want the syllable counts to be correct, whether initially or via editing. I hope that's true for others who notice irregularity.
I will conservatively estimate that I have counted every syllable of every haiku for more than 90% of the Game Day Haiku Threads for as long as I can remember. It's very stressful and humbling, something between a calling and a natural harnessing of obsessive compulsive tendencies in service of some thing greater than myself.
I'm surely not the guy to work up a preview of our upcoming opponent, or run things through advanced analytics, or scour the sports world for any and all mentions of UConn, our conference, all D-1 basketball, and beyond. I've never coached, and only played competitively up to Intermediate level (just beneath JV), topping out as Sports Editor for the school newspaper, where I repackaged simple box score statistics and combined them with sports cliches I'd learned dating back to 1962 when I attended my first games at the Field House with my dad. He died in December 1997, when KEA was a freshman. I've seen 6 National Championships since then; he saw zero.
I only started full-season watching of the Women's BB team during the fall of 2020, after somebody hyped Paige Bueckers on The Boneyard. For many years, I have at best been no more than a casual fan of any other sports or teams besides UConn Basketball. My decades of memories, clipped articles, and ticket stubs are otherwise sufficient.
Yesterday was a truly great day to be a UConn Basketball fan. Between games, I walked Frankfort Avenue wearing a long-sleeved t-shirt, hoodie, and baseball cap. I don't think I've ever worn 3 pieces of gear in one public outing. I got complimentary comments from a contemporary wearing a Louisville sweatshirt. He knew the women had won, and that the men's game was upcoming and would be more challenging. It felt nice to be representing & be recognized. I'll wear something every day this week. The door remains joyously open.
My invitation to you UConn Blue in Kentucky is to return to the Game Day Haiku Thread with a "start low, go slow" frame of mind. With you in Old Lou and me in Clifton, we have the east & West sides of I-65 covered, and we know there are others in at least Indianapolis and Nashville along our interstate corridor from Gary to Mobile.
Massachusetts UConn Fan has done quite well for himself and The Boneyard as "Mau" (
@mauconnfan). I first see and prefer "Blue Inky" to simply "inky" that
@Dove used, but both are offered with affection. You are one of us and this is our celebration for emerging from the two-weekend regional tournament. It's another 4-team weekend tournament, with deserving entrants.
I hope I've answered your question.
Go Huskies.