The "Tall Guy"?

I wish I was little bit taller,
I wish I was a baller
I wish I had a girl who looked good
I would call her
I wish I had a rabbit in a hat with a bat
and a '64 Impala

- Skee-Lo "I Wish"

When Gavin called to explain that I didn't make BigFish, he surprised me by talking about how many "tall guys" the captains had to pick from in 2008, and how I might have made the team in previous years as a "tall guy". Although he probably thinks that I was silent due to being disappointed, truth is, I was biting my tongue so that I wouldn't laugh at being called a "tall guy". As I've stated a few times before, I had no aspirations of cracking the competitive roster this year, and really only wanted to gain the tryout experience. Since a few team-mates and frisbee friends have been asking me over the past few weeks how I feel about being on the practice roster, I feel the need to re-affirm that I'm ecstatic and think it's a perfect fit. In fact, and this might not be the best thing to admit given a few BF on my FB list, I'm not sure I'd want to be on the actual roster given my current shortcomings as a player.

Back to the original topic – am I "tall guy"? What is a "tall guy"? How many "tall guys" does a team need? Is there any downside to being a "tall guy"? This post is taking me a while to draft, since I can't help but laugh every time I type "tall guy".

I believe that the average male height in North America is 5'9. This could be off by an inch or so, but let's go with it as a premise. Compared to the average, at 6'1, I'm relatively tall. But does 4 extra inches make me a "tall guy"? (must stop laughing). Granted, my dad (6'2) and "little brother" (6'4) are both taller than me, so maybe there's some funky, psychological, height complex I possess. Looking back, I also hung around with tall friends in high school (basketball players and other athletes), so that might impair my height judgment. After consideration, I'm probably the tallest guy on Urban Sprawl, and the second tallest on Poach Motel (we have a 6'4 handler). Further supporting Gavin's point, I usually make it a habit to cover the tallest guy on the opposing team (or the fastest…depending on who's more dangerous). Still, Nurple the "tall guy" just doesn't resonate with me.

The other "tall guys" on BF are noticeably (at least to me) taller. Alex must be at least 6'3, and Matt and Alstair are 6'2 or more. All three of them could sky me without much effort. I'll also readily admit that all three are more athletic than I am (i.e. faster and stronger). Out of the three of them, I'd only consider Alex a true "tall guy". Why? His height is the first thing I notice about him, and he uses it well as part of his game (extending while throwing, catching discs high, and getting up on defense). Matt's a kick-ass handler, whose skill is light years ahead of mine. Although his height helps him, it's not a big part of his well developed game. Alstair is the type of all around player that I'd like to be in a few years. He's too complete of a player to only be considered a "tall guy". I can't think of any other "tall guys" on the roster, but Peter and Ahmad on the practice roster are both about the same height as me, and much, much more skilled.

How many "tall guys" does a team need? At least one. Having a big target for inexperienced throwers, to cover the other team's "tall guy" on defense, or even for pure intimidation purposes makes sense. Having said that, if you're keeping a player purely because of their height, you might want to consider if they're ok with that. I'd much rather be thought of as a cutter or handler, as opposed to a "tall guy". Like most sports (even basketball), height isn't as important as skill. It's simply a "nice to have".

There's actually a downside to being considered a "tall guy" in league play. The reason I wear wrist bands is that I constantly get hacked when I sky for a disc and while throwing. This punishment is explained by using the little man's "Hack-a-Shaq" mentality. Since I'm a tad taller than a defender, they feel they can hit me and it's not a foul. It's a general attitude like that, coupled with a lack of rules knowledge of league players that leads to me having to wear long-sleeves to work everyday to cover my bruises (and to hide my girlish arms...but I digress).

In summary, if my height played a role in earning me a spot on the practice roster – great! However, one of my goals for the summer will be to have the captains think of me as a "tall guy with skill", as opposed to just another "tall guy" :P Until next time, happy hucking!