Letter from Max Jones

1,000 Points & Life Lessons

I’m walking my way over to Cooperstown’s annual holiday tournament as I write this. If I’m being totally honest, I couldn’t care less about the team’s result. Of course I want them to do well, but I go to the games because I’m a Team Lambert fan.

As one of my best friends, Charlie Lambert, gets closer and closer to scoring a total of 1,000 points, I’m trying my hardest to not miss any home games. He’s roughly 90 points away, and it’s close enough to call it a 1,000-point watch, the same way they put the counters on Lebron passing Kareem. He was hundreds of points off and they gave him a counter, trying to predict which game it’d be. If Lebron gets one, I’m giving Charlie one!

Although I’m not the biggest basketball fan, I learned a lot about the game by playing on the team last year. It definitely makes watching games seem so much more impressive. You know those memes that call for an average person to compete in the Olympics to show how good the athletes actually are? My basketball career was kind of like that. It was like putting a baby kitten in a cage of wild tigers. It was a dangerous scenario for someone as athletically pathetic as me.

My favorite thing I learned from playing on the basketball team came from the coach, Judge Lambert. I learned a lot from Judge Lambert, but he taught me an important lesson he probably didn’t think twice about. I mean, I stunk at basketball. I was, and am, awful. Before he put me into the few games I got to play in, the ones where our team was way up or way down, he would tell me that it doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter how bad I am because we are either going to win by 20 or lose by 20. He told me not to be embarrassed and to go out there and have fun. He was putting me in because the game was already decided.

Telling me not to care what others think about my skills is still a lesson I try to utilize every day. I try my best not to care what people think and I try to go out and do the best I can. It sounds cheesy, but it’s so important to listen to.

As Charlie nears the 1,000-point mark, I hope he listens to his own father’s advice. Go out there and play for the love of the game. The journey toward Charlie’s 1,000 points serves as a reminder that sometimes, the most significant victories aren’t always reflected on the scoreboard. The camaraderie, life lessons and the joy of supporting a friend on their journey are the true highlights, making every game ahead a memorable experience. I’m proud of Charlie, just like I know his father is.

Max Jones
Cooperstown