Early to Practice?

[der meister 2,955]

               Istanbul Red Wolves’ defenseman Ryuji Sakamoto is back to the grind. He’s been bouncing between the rink, the team gym, and a workout facility in the city. The Red Wolves have slipped into the bottom half of the league standings, despite a 14-11-1 record, and I’ve been around Sakamoto long enough to know that he’s putting a lot of the blame for that slip on his own shoulders.

 

               In the kitchen, the blender whirls to life as Sakamoto prepares his daily protein shake. He hasn’t grown taller since I met him back in Japan – still 5’7” tall, with another 2 inches of spiky blond hair atop his head – but his frame, once so skinny as to make him appear lanky, has filled out considerably. His shoulders have broadened and his biceps have easily doubled in size. Meanwhile, I’m sitting in an understuffed recliner, typing this piece, and picking the pretzels out of a large bag of snack mix. His enthusiasm for physical fitness and his strange, boyish charisma would have made him an excellent candidate for a fitness television show in the 1980’s.

 

               With 28 points in 26 games, I find it difficult to fault Sakamoto very much for the recent struggles of the Red Wolves. Those 28 points are enough to put him 8^th in the league, 11 points behind the leader, Eldon Escobar of the Geneva Rush. The 19 assists to Sakamoto’s name place him 7^th, and he’s 3^rd in defensive scoring, behind Brian Kowalski of the Rush and Zelijko Ranogajec of the Cologne Express. Sakamoto is also 2^nd in blocked shots, only two behind Kowalski for the league lead, and is 5^th in hits with 106. So what else does Sakamoto expect from himself?

 

               “Hey man,” Sakamoto says to me, entering the kitchen with a pint glass full of protein smoothie, “you almost done with your thing? I want to get to the rink early today.” I give him a quizzical look – it’s not even midday and he’s not required to be at practice until 3 this afternoon. “So hurry up, dude.”

 

               Sakamoto disappears into his bedroom and I’m left to consider his urgency. Typically, when he wants to get there early, it’s only by an hour or so. He’s made me lose my train of thought, so I spend the next few minutes looking out the window into the city. We’re in a mid-rise apartment building, so we can see quite the distance from where we live. I have no doubt that this will be Sakamoto’s only season in Istanbul, which means that next season, I’ll be in slightly more familiar territory when he’s suiting up for the VHL’s Toronto Legion. Even thought it’s still early in the season, though, I think that I will miss this city, when the time comes to move on.

 

               “You ready?” Sakamoto asks, already dressed for his planned excursion and pulling out his mobile phone. “I promised Ann Takamaki I’d give her a tour of Istanbul on the way, and then show her the arena.”

 

               I smile and type these final words. Now it all makes sense.