“You wanna play 21?”  In parks from South and Northeast Queens to Long Island my boys and I would throw out the challenge if there were only three of us on the court.  One on one is for one on one. Two on two is for two on two.  If there were 5, then you would play 2 against 3, usually the guy with game with a guy with an aiight game.  Or it could be two ballers versus an assortment of regulars and a decent baller.  We viewed 21 as a stopgap before a regular game went down.  21 was practice before the real scrimmage began.  You needed bodies, a ball and a rim.  Your verbal Kung Fu game had to be on point.  It was scrappy, trashy talk, “You better call an ambulance, because I just broke your ankles.”  We would walk, talk, travel, and carry.  We were merciful with calls, but loud in protest for blatant, illegal moves.  The rules were simple –  Get to 21.

·       Regular shots like a layup or jump shot, inside the three-point arch, were worth one point.

·       A three pointer was worth 2.

·       Step 1 - Decide who starts with the ball.  Shoot for it, or try the old fashioned way - odds and evens call shoot.

·       Step 2 - Starting player is offense.  Dribble and put the ball in play.  The others are now defense.

·       Step 3 - No Fouls,  No Out-of-Bounds, but don’t get crazy.

·       Step 4 - Keep control of the ball.  If you turn it over, the opposing player or whoever controls the ball is now offense.

·      Step 5 - Once you score, play stops and you get to shoot three additional free throws.  If you miss, the ball is live and it turns over to whoever gets control of the ball.  They are now the offensive player and you now become defense.

·      Step 6 - If you make all three free throws, you get the ball back and start over from the three-point line.

·      Step 7 - Once you score point 20, you have to shoot the obligatory shot from the foul line.  To win the game of twenty-one you must shoot and make the basket from the three-point line.  If you miss you return to 15 and start the misery over.

There are house rules to 21 according to court, city, and state.  At the end of the day get to 21 first.  For my bros playing at Broadway Park in Long Island where the lights shut off at 10 p.m., it was filler time before a real game. For other ballers, 21 is a score to settle, a show down of who really G.S.S.G. (got some serious game) on your crew.  Today’s blog is not filler.  I have a score to settle with 2020.  2020 called game, but missed the last shot.  I’m not afraid of… head fakes, ankle breaks, shimmy shimmy ko ko blocks, start and stops, dips and skips, cross overs, do overs, inbounds, out bounds, rebounds, double numbers, double pumps, double dribbles, double picks, or double teams.  Just check it, I’m at the line, it’s my ball, it’s point game, and I have a pen.

1.     “Facing it, always facing it, that’s the way to get through. Face it.” ~Conrad Joseph

2.      “To overcome fear, here’s all you have to do: realize the fear is there, and do the action you fear anyway.” ~Peter McWilliams

3.     “The thing you fear the most has no power. Your fear of it is what has the power. Facing the truth really will set you free.” ~ Oprah Winfrey

4.     “Knowing what must be done does away with fear.” Rosa Parks

5.     “Fear has its use but cowardice has none.” Mahatma Gandhi

6.     “Each of us must confront our own fears, must come face to face with them. How we handle our fears will determine where we go with the rest of our lives. To experience adventure or to be limited by the fear of it." ~Judy Blume

7.     "Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy." ~Dale Carnegie

8.     “The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.” ~Nelson Mandela

9.     “Don't let the fear of striking out hold you back.” ~Babe Ruth

10.   “Of all the liars in the world, sometimes the worst are our own fears.” ~Rudyard Kipling

11.  “One of the greatest discoveries a man makes, one of his great surprises, is to find he can do what he was afraid he couldn’t do.” ~Henry Ford

12.  “You can discover what your enemy fears most by observing the means he uses to frighten you.” ~Eric Hoffer

13.  “There are times when fear is good.  It must keep its watchful place at the heart's controls.” ~Aeschylus

14.  “If you’re not willing to risk, you cannot grow. If you cannot grow, you cannot be your best. If you cannot be your best, you cannot be happy. If you cannot be happy, what else is there?” ~Les Brown

15.  “The best way out is always through.” ~Robert Frost

16.  “Fear of self is the greatest of all terrors, the deepest of all dread, the commonest of all mistakes. From it grows failure. Because of it, life is a mockery. Out of it comes despair.” ~David Seasbury

17.  “Feed your faith and your fears will starve to death.” ~Unknown

18.  “Fear has a large shadow, but he himself is small.” ~Ruth Gendler

19.  “The greatest mistake we make is living in constant fear that we will make one.” ~John C. Maxwell

20.  “Try a thing you haven’t done three times. Once, to get over the fear of doing it. Twice, to learn how to do it. And a third time to figure out whether you like it or not.” ~Virgil Thomson

21.   “When you talk about the monster you bring him down to size.” ~Mistofer Christopher*

*The House of Mistofer Christopher is excited to tell you that we will release the children’s interactive app: “Talk About The Monster” Mid spring.  Click here to receive notification of when the app is live.