Summer Hiatus

For the next couple of weeks I will be in the process of moving, so I will need to take a break from this project until I get settled. I hope to return sometime in mid-July.

Thanks!

Fight, Team, Fight 5/5

Doc Baker is bandaging up Albert in the office. We can hear the game continuing outside and Albert is getting antsy about the action he is missing. Charles tells the boy to hold still while Doc Baker says the kid is lucky that he didn't suffer a punctured lung. He goes on to say that Albert should have left the game as soon as he started hurting. Albert says that he wanted to but Ellerbee used his Svengali powers to convince the boy that all he wanted was to win. Ma and Pa share a worried glance as Doc Baker bumper stickers "winning's fine, but it ain't worth much if you're not around for the victory party." The doc then advises Albert to pay attention to pain more often as it is usually a sign that trouble is a-brewing. Once Doc Baker is finished Caroline helps her son get dressed as Charles laments the situation. Albert asks if he can watch the rest of the game but Caroline says no. Albert pleads, saying that he should still support his team even though he can't play. I agree as does Doc Baker who says that there should only be a few minutes left in the game anyway.

We see another play on the field followed by Ellerbee calling timeout. He calls his son over to tell him that there's time for two plays and...yikes! Dan has a huge bruise around his eye and blood streaked around his nose and mouth. He looks like Ziggy Startdust after a cocaine overdose. His hair is perfectly in place -- nice attention to detail there, hairdressers. Also, how did Albert not get this beat up? Anyway, Coach tells the boy stuff about laterals and running wide and Willie, but it looks like Dan is focusing all his energy on remaining upright and not swallowing his tongue. He goes back on the field, holds a brief huddle and moves on to the play. They don't get much yardage but are still within scoring range. On the last play Dan tries a rushing maneuver that doesn't resemble anything that Coach said and the game ends without a score, which means Walnut Grove lost.

The crowd stands up and applauds as Albert runs over to join his teammates. There is some chatter about how it was a good game and everybody did their best and the vibe seems really positive. That is until Ellerbee calls the team over. "No game you lose is a good game," he begins. Boooooo! "You could have won that game but you didn't want it bad enough." Oh gross, Dan's now sporting some fresh blood -- how did that even happen when there was no contact? Anyway, Ellerbee threatens to work the boys so hard and blah blah blah. The boys are disappointed and Mrs. Ellerbee looks pissed.

That night Pete is in his mancave looking at that damn scrapbook again. Mrs. Ellerbee comes in to report that Dan is asleep, which causes Pete to slam his book closed. Sleep? DAMMIT! "I would have won today if I hadn't lost that Ingalls boy," he says. There's no "I" in team, Big Rock. I loathe that saying, but you of all people should know and adhere to it. "You lost Dan today, too," says Mrs. Ellerbee. Pete dismisses that claim, saying that the boy just needs to toughen up. That's going to be a challenge given how his face must be tenderized by now. "He doesn't need a coach, he needs a father!" she replies. "Well you make a sissy out of him if you want to, I'm gonna make him a man," he returns. You are this close to me using the phrase "dead to me", Mr. Ellerbee. Not even Harriet Oleson has that distinction. Mrs. Ellerbee is just as exasperated, crying out "what does it take to make you understand?" "It's you who doesn't understand," he replies. I know you are, but what am I? She starts grabbing trophies from the shelf and asks "does this make you a man?" as she throws each one to the ground. He grabs his wife, Sandra (that would have helped earlier, show), and tells her to stop. Sandra looks her husband in the eye and says "hurting people doesn't make you a man: knowing how to love them does." Did I mention I recorded this off the Hallmark Channel? Anyway it works to sober up Pete and he calmly says that Dan doesn't have to play football anymore. He goes on to say that Dan only played because Albert was hurt. "I can make something out of that boy; he's got guts." Why don't you ask Charles to sign over the adoption papers so you can have your own little gridiron Skinner box? Sandra leaves the mancave.

The next day we hear Ellerbee yelling as we watch Albert approach the town. He walks over to the coach and they chat about the prognosis. Albert says he should be okay in a couple of weeks and Pete says that means that Albert should still get to play the last game or two of the season. Albert is all "thanks, but no thanks," saying that although he appreciated the team building aspects of the sport he is more interested in being a doctor than a patient. Ellerbee gets into asshole coach mode with the pass-agg "you mean football isn't important enough to you?" Albert says "yup, that just about sums it up. Toodles, poodles." Actually, he says that games are fun, but Ellerbee-style football is too much like work. See, that's the philosophy I like to use with my students -- if you're not having fun, you're working way too hard. Ellerbee, on the other hand, just looks completely lost as if Albert just sprouted three heads and they all spoke Portuguese. Albert wishes his former coach good luck and heads off to school. Ellerbee walks over to the team as marching music plays in the background. Willie asks where Coach is going and he says he's going home to speak with Dan.

Laura voices over that practices have since been cut in half and the team's grades improved. The team ended their season 2-6, which was an improvement over last year's 1-7. Most importantly: the team had fun.

Fight, Team, Fight 4/5

The circus marching band is headlining the pregame show as they stomp across the field. The visiting team is in green and white with giant yellow R's on the front of their shirts. Hmm, I guess they never said where this team is from, so I'm just going to call them the Riverdale Leprechauns. And running onto the field, dressed in black and white with giant red W's, the Walnut Grove wildcats. We see the event has gathered a crowd of tens. Pete, who is in his third J. Crew inspired sweater this episode, is standing by his wife who is dressed for Easter, parasol and all. She's a little freaked out by the size of the Leprechauns and asks her husband how he can send their son to certain injury. He assures her that Dan will only be a kicker and won't get pummeled. Charles gives Albert a pep talk that is actually just a reminder that if the boy feels pain he should get out of the game.

Albert and the opposing QB meet for the coin toss and Walnut Grove will be receiving. Albert is all smiles until the other QB says "I can hardly wait." I can't tell if he is being sinister or flirty. I'm guessing the former, but you never know. After some huddles the gameplay begins. Um, I'm a little out of my element here and there aren't any superimposed lines showing where first down is or anything like that, so just picture a game where Walnut Grove is getting demolished. There is one play where it looks like a wildcat runs in a big half-circle, which means that he would be going in the wrong direction at the end of the play. After the play ends, Harriet starts freaking out that Willie just got tackled (meaning I might be right about the backwards thing) but Nels tries to calm her down. They argue a bit, with Mr. Oleson reminding his wife that she bought the team uniforms. Of course she did.

Shortly after this distraction, a leprechaun scores. Coach Ellerbee is not pleased with this development. Some more plays happen and Pete is looking less and less pleased. Eventually Riverdale scores again. Then Walnut Grove fumbles the next kick-off. Yikes. Caroline is watching with about as much interest and understanding as me. Ellerbee calls for a timeout and tells Willie to fetch Albert. The coach tells Albert he isn't giving 100%, but the kid replies (while clutching his side) that he's trying but is in a lot of pain. Albert suggests that he should be taken out, but Ellerbee starts blah blah blahing about how football is meant to transcend pain. This would be the point where my friend Dan (die-hard Giants fan) would chant "Career-ending in-ju-ry *clap* *clap* *clap*".

Albert just looks at the coach blankly and doesn't really consent to going back onto the field, but Ellerbee sorta guides him back out there. Charles and Caroline saw that there was a conversation but assume everything is okay since Albert is going back onto the field. When Albert returns, the opposing QB tells him that Walnut Grove is playing like a bunch of girls. You kiss your mother with that mouth? Albert doesn't say anything until he gets to his team huddle where he says that Willie will run the next play. "Career-ending in-ju-ry *clap* *clap* *clap*" The next play starts and...wow. Walnut Grove scores a touchdown. Ellerbee is ecstatic as he grabs his son and throws him onto the field for the extra point. Of course, the scoring system they're using is the modern (as in 1980) system, not what would have been used in 1880. Anyway, Dan calls out the numbers, makes the kick, and scores the point. The marching band plays its approval.

More plays and after the third quarter the score is 20-14 Riverdale. On the next play, the Riverdale center totally biffs the toss and almost throws it into the crowd. All the players go after the ball, but Albert ends up at the bottom of the dog pile. He earns the possession, much to the displeasure of the opposing QB. On the next play Albert rushes the ball (big surprise) and finds himself at the bottom of another dogpile. As the players get up, we can see that the opposing QB was really putting his weight into it as he was on top of Albert. Caroline notices that her son is really hurt, but Charles assures her that Albert will get pulled. Ellerbee urges Albert to get on his feet and once the kid finally rises the crowd applauds. Charles decides to pull Albert himself. Charles calls time-out (I don't think he has that authority) and escorts his son off the field. Doc Baker takes a look at the boy and provides an instant diagnosis of at least two broken ribs. I guess his x-ray specs arrived in the mail after Albert's last office visit. Charles asks Ellerbee "what kind of man are you?" Uh, you signed off on letting Albert play, Pa.

Once the Ingalls leave, Ellerbee walks over to Dan and tells him that he will take over as QB. What? Since when does the kicker, or anyone on special teams, suddenly become QB? I guess that I should qualify what I said earlier: I'm out of my element when it comes to play-by-play, but I have a basic understanding of how the sport works. Dan seems to also have an understanding of the game as he questions his father's judgment. Coach says that Dan is the best the team has left. That's...really poor skill development on your part, Big Rock. Mrs. Ellerbee sees that her son is now on the field and proceeds to (rightfully) flip out on her husband. Pete completely dismisses her. Jerk.

Fight, Team, Fight 3/5

That evening we see the Olesons and Ingalls departing the Ellerbee house. I guess there was a dinner party and none of us were invited. Harriet is laughing about a story involving Pete running over Nels back in their college football days. Okay, that does sound kind of funny. After the couples leave, both Pete and his wife seem pretty satisfied with their evening. Mrs. Ellerbee joshes her husband about a touchdown story he told earlier. Uh oh, he doesn't respond well to gentle teasing. She doesn't pick up on this and playfully remarks that some of the details of the story seem to have grown with age. "It's just the way it happened," Pete responds sternly as he turns to go back inside the house. Mrs. Ellerbee says she was only joking and asks where his sense of humor is. First, I don't think he ever had one. Second, that question rarely lightens up the situation whenever it is asked. Case in point: Pete now believes that his wife just called him a liar. Her defense is that the game was so long ago that the details would have to be a little fuzzy, but Pete coldly says that he remembers it like it was yesterday.

Mrs. Ellerbee decides to drop the fight as her husband retrieves his scrapbook and sits at his desk to look at it once again. "This obsession of yours with football is getting a little out of control," she says. "What's that supposed to mean?" he asks. Um, not a lot of verbal clutter in what she said, though I may now understand why your nickname was "Big Rock", Pete. Mrs. Ellerbee tells her husband that he treats football more like war instead of a game. Perhaps his successful business was in fast food? His response is akin to "I know you are, but what am I?", so she tries a different approach. Specifically, what is going to happen to Dan? Pete doesn't think there is a problem with his son since he is improving on the field everyday. Mrs. Ellerbee claims that he is only improving so that he can win his father's approval, despite his hatred of the sport. I think this might be a situation where both sides are correct and wrong simultaneously. Mrs. Ellerbee moves on to the conclusion of her argument: that Pete moved the family to Walnut Grove so that Dan could become BMOC and get into Rutgers to play football on a legacy scholarship. Pete starts to issue a warning to his wife, but she interrupts and warns her husband that if Dan gets pushed into doing something he has no desire or talent to do that he will grow up to resent his father. You see if it were one or the other, desire or talent, I could understand that argument. But if the kid is lacking both why would Mr. Ellerbee keep forcing the issue? Pete doesn't have a response, so he decides to retire for the evening. The scene ends with Mrs. Ellerbee looking at the Football-in-a-cup as if it was The Other Woman.

More football practice. Another kid is quarterbacking, but Albert is the one running the play. Man, these kids aren't even trying any more. One literally keels over as Albert saunters by with the ball. After the play Coach Ellerbee says things are looking better and they should run it again. The whole team groans. Willie steps forward and asks if they can take a break. "I don't understand you people," Ellerbee says. There's another phrase that does nothing but invite controversy: "you people". Try it sometime. Anyway, Coach doesn't understand why the team's stamina isn't improving. Willie explains that other commitments, specifically schoolwork, are wearing them out. Ellerbee decides to have a chat with Mrs. Wilder and tells the team they can rest. They all collapse to the ground in a slapstick sort of way. Really, show?

As Mr. Ellerbee enters the school a bunch of girls are leaving the building. Wait a minute, the boys are getting let out of school for football? Uh, I wouldn't press your luck there, Big Rock. Laura is working at her desk when Pete enters. He apologizes for disturbing her and she responds that she has only just started grading papers. "Meaning the teacher has as much homework as the students?" he asks. I think he thinks that he is being cordial but it's coming off really condescending. Laura replies that she actually has more work (lesson plans, school board items, pompous coaches). Mr. Ellerbee commends Laura, again in a cordial/condescending sort of way. He brings up the subject of the football team's preparation for the weekend's big game. Laura says she's aware, but has a distinctly bored tone in her voice. Pete proposes that Laura cuts down on the boys' homework so that they can get a bit more rest before the game. Laura responds by suggesting that the boys cut down on their football practice so that they have enough energy to finish their homework assignments. Coach chuckles before saying, "for what they're facing on Saturday, they couldn't get enough practice." Laura says that's fine since their grades are reaching a point of no return. Pete can't believe Laura would fail his team, but she corrects him that the team would be the ones doing the failing. Laura isn't giving in and Ellerbee starts pouting that she isn't sympathetic to his problem.

After Coach storms out of the school he stomps towards the field and tells the boys to get on their feet. Albert is reading his history text and Ellerbee yanks the book out of his hands. "Not during football practice," he orders. Albert joins his teammates as Charles walks up to check with Pete on how the team is doing. We hear more lotto numbers as Albert does yet another rushing play. The opposition has finally gotten wise to this strategy and tackle Albert -- hard. One of the players calls over to the adults saying that Albert is injured.

Doc Baker examines Albert in his office and determines that there are no broken ribs. Albert interprets this as a clean bill of health, but the Doc says that he may have a fracture. Charles doesn't want to take any chances. Albert says he is fine and Ellerbee says the team needs Albert if they want any chance of winning on Saturday. Pa still refuses, causing Ellerbee to suggest that Doc Baker tapes up the boy. The Doc is okay with this solution and Ellerbee assures Charles that he'll pull Albert out if he starts to feel pain. "It's against my better judgment," Charles says before he okays the procedure. Oh Charles, when has your better judgment ever steered you wrong?

We see Pa and Albert return to the homestead. Charles asks if Albert is still able to do his chores and the kid says he is. Albert walks over to the barn to move a sack of feed. Albert tries but is in excruciating pain. Well, he should be, though the acting is a bit understated. I was in a car accident a few years ago where my sternum was bruised by the seat belt. I tried to go to work that evening and I got a harsh lesson in human anatomy. You have no idea how much all those interconnected bones, muscles, and tissues can hurt until you try to move an object similar to a lawn chair when you have a bruised sternum. That sack of grain should have caused Albert to vomit in pain.

Fight, Team, Fight 2/5

That night at dinner, Pete reports that the first game is against last year's champions. Pete is cautiously optimistic, pointing out that the Walnut Grove team needs to boost their spirits if they want to do well. He thinks a good game against the champs will probably do the trick. Dan is so over this already. Pete tells his son to speak up about what is bothering him. Dan asks "You sure?" I think the kid was referring to the concept of being allowed to speak up, but Pete interprets it as a question of the potential spirit raise. Dan decides to follow his dad's train of thought and says that Albert is the only good player on the team and many of the players are bad, particularly Willie (HA!). Pete agrees that some individuals need to improve, but that the team is in decent shape. Dan goes on to say that many of his teammates aren't as good as he is, which Pete turns around by saying that Dan has improved and the others just aren't up to his standards. Mom perks up at this praise as does Dan. Pete tells his son that he is gaining confidence and Dan smiles.

Dan excuses himself from dinner to go to bed. Pete reminds Dan not to be late for practice and mom laughs. Once the son is gone, mom tells Pete that it was nice of him to compliment Dan. He says he hopes he didn't overdo it, but mom assures him that these moments of approval are oh so vital. "Well if he deserves it he'll get it: Simple as that," Pete says. Mom bristles at that, so she segues into a concern about how tired her son has been lately. Pete tells her that all the boys are tired and it is part of his toughening up process.

Over at the homestead, Charles is driving nails into a plank of wood. Albert is coming home from practice and looks pretty roughed up. Pa reminds him to take care of some sacks of feed on the wagon and Albert assures him that he'll get to it. Charles notices how beat up Albert is and the boy says that he is a bit overwhelmed with football, school and chores. Albert confides that he liked it better when Mr. Oleson was coaching because it was more about having fun instead of work. Charles asks why Albert is sticking with it and he replies that he can't let the team down. Charles is kind of blase about this sentiment, but is nice enough to say that he'll take care of the feed sacks so Albert won't have to.

Laura is at home grading papers and is getting pretty flustered. "Every single member of that football team is gonna fail," she calls out to her husband. Almanzo asks if she has spoken with them, and she says they all have the same excuse: too tired from football practice. She says she doesn't know what she is going to do if this keeps up.

The next day at practice we see an improved punt return. Albert is looking extremely roughed up -- even Willie is showing concern. No time for that though, as Ellerbee yells at Albert from the line of scrimmage to hustle. "No, Willie, I'm not all right," Albert grumbles as he walks over to his coach. He's so over football at this point and tells Ellerbee that he wants off the team. As the team reacts to the news, Coach Ellerbee asks for an explanation. Albert responds that he doesn't have time for anything else like school or chores and he isn't really a fan of getting pummeled daily without a really, really good reason. "If you don't know why you wanna play football, why play it?" Asks Ellerbee. So, we're in agreement? No, I guess not, because the coach turns it into a passive-aggressive guilt trip about how the other boys want to be courageous and blah, blah, blah. Once the coach is finished with his tautology, he dismisses the boy and moves on to the next drill. Albert thinks about it for a minute and runs over to Ellerbee again. After a couple of rounds of the silent treatment, Albert capitulates and is let back on the team. Sorry for the cliffs notes version of the events, but I really can't stand listening to Zen and the Art of Pass Interference crap and I'm not all that interested in writing it down. After a few more lottery numbers, we see Albert perform another rushing play that pleases Ellerbee.

Fight, Team, Fight 1/5

Generic marching band music plays in the background as we see someone looking through old newspaper clippings about football. The name Ellerbee keeps popping up, so I think it is safe to assume that he is the one who is reminiscing. One headline reads "'Big Rock' Crushes Princeton Defense" and above it is either an artist rendering of the event or a captionless "Far Side" comic. If it's the latter, it isn't very funny. The camera moves so that we see over Ellerbee's shoulder. A voice off camera says "Pete, it's getting late," so the man closes the album and rises from his seat. He walks over to a shelf and replaces the album. On top of the shelf is a trophy with a football resting in its cup. Pete grabs the football in such a way that for a second I think he is about to start making out with it. Ick, he licked his lips!

Before things get hot and heavy, Pete exits the room and joins his wife and son at the breakfast table. He mentions that he likes the study in this house better than the one in Boston. The son, Dan, finishes scribbling on a piece of paper and shows it to his mom. It's a decent drawing of a horse and Mrs. Ellerbee praises it. She hands the drawing to her husband saying, "our son has quite a talent." Pete puts down his coffee and replies, "too bad it doesn't extend to football." Alright then, guess we can check "exposition" off the to-do list. The parents have a passive-aggressive back-and-forth that pretty much boils down to "Daddy Issues". Oy, I'm recapping this through YouTube and the syndicated version was kind enough to bypass this. Anyway, Pete believes that moving back to Minnesota might help the boy "toughen up". I hope that wasn't your only reason for moving a thousand miles in the 1870's, particularly moving from bustling Boston to ho-hum Hero Township. Mrs. Ellerbee looks a bit sad as she watches this entire interaction between the males.

Meanwhile at the line of scrimmage, Albert is calling out tonight's lottery numbers as he waits for Willie to hike the ball. Albert takes the ball and runs into the resulting scrum. He then kind of rolls along the side of the commotion. It's weird to watch because there's a lot of people pushing against one another but no one trying to knock other people down. It's like one side is getting off a train while the other side is getting on. Ha, somehow Willie got trampled -- that's just sad. Albert is able to run the ball into the end zone as Nels, Pete and Dan watch from the sidelines. Pete says Albert has some potential and Nels agrees. Mr. Oleson calls Albert over to introduce him to the new people. For whatever reason Dan is wearing an ill-fitting cardigan along with ill-fitting pants -- it's really distracting. Mr. Ellerbee congratulates Albert on his last play before Nels introduces Dan. He mentions that Dan used to play football so Albert invites him to join the game. The boys run off just as Harriet starts screeching for Nels to join her at the school board meeting. Mr. Ellerbee follows Nels to the meeting.

We join in mid-meeting as Nels reports that new textbooks will be ordered soon. Wow, this is a well-attended meeting. There must be...eleven people here. Of course the only ones I recognize are Ellerbee, the Olesons and Charles. Laura's there too, but that's because school is about to resume once the meeting is over. The last item on the agenda is Mr. Oleson introducing Mr. Ellerbee. He shares a story about how "Big Rock" made Rutgers a powerhouse team while Nels quivered on Princeton's third string. Wait a minute, Nels went to Princeton? Why did he come back to Walnut Grove? I guess the writers wanted to establish some historical foundation since the first recorded football game was between Rutgers and Princeton. Ooo! Anachronism! Princeton was "The College of New Jersey" until 1896. Um, anyway, Nels finishes his anecdote and leads the crowd in a round of applause. Pete stands and tells the assembly that he decided to move back after retiring from a successful business. He thanks Nels for the kind words and then goes into a soliloquy about football. "Football is more than just a game: it's something that shapes a man's character and builds his confidence. Maybe no more than other life experiences but certainly among the very best." Eh. He then goes on to volunteer his services as a football coach. Everyone is floored by this. I'm just confused: who are they going to play? Isn't Sleepy Eye a day's journey away? Nels is more than happy to pass on the coaching duties and leads the group once again in a round of applause. "On to victory!" Ellerbee awkwardly says as you can see the air inflating his head. Oh dear.

Full disclosure time. If you can't tell by now, I'm not much of a football fan. My alma mater, Oberlin College, has an interesting football history. John Heisman, who the trophy is named after, was the coach at Oberlin in 1892 and 1894. The school is also the last Ohio school to beat Ohio State in a football game (way back in the early 1921). Then things went downhill. We had the longest losing streak in the country that spanned several years. At some point we won a game and immediately followed it with a new, longer losing streak that didn't end until my freshman year (including a game where we played against Swarthmore who also had an endless losing streak). The team has had a handful of wins each season since, but you won't be seeing us in any championships any time soon. However, I have been a coach for the last four years -- though my sport is bowling. Anyway, this isn't about me, so let's get back to the story.

Time for the first official practice under Coach Ellerbee. The boys are sitting on the ground in a line as Ellerbee walks in front of them giving a speech. "I can't promise you a championship what I can promise you is to teach you how to win and that's the hardest grueling work you'll ever know if you've got it in you you can become a winner but only if winning becomes the most important thing in your life that's right I said THE most important you have to become totally dedicated totally committed and totally fit if any of you can't handle that you can leave right now." (Willie does not stand up -- I lose that bet.) One of the challenges I have as a coach is giving speeches like this. First of all, I like punctuation so I think I lose a lot of the emphasis by insisting on using periods and commas. Also, maybe it is my own philosophy getting in the way, but I don't necessarily believe that you can teach someone how to win. I think you can teach someone how to set goals and how to frame what you consider a win, but a number of those outcomes involve factors that the athlete has no control over. Anyway, Ellerbee asks if the boys want to be winners and he keeps asking until he gets what he considers to be an appropriately enthusiastic "yes". It reminds me of what I wanted to do at our last bowling tournament this season. At the trophy presentation at this year's Super Bowl, Pittsburgh's coach shouted "STEELERS FOOTBALL IS SIXTY MINUTES!" I really wanted to crib that and say to my team "OBERLIN BOWLING IS TEN FRAMES!" but I honestly think I would have lost all the credibility I have built up these past few years.

Once Ellerbee gets an appropriate response, he starts the team on drills. Montage! Running! Propping up Albert's ego! A makeshift version of those things football players push around! Blocking! Punt returns! Woo! Ellerbee wasn't too satisfied with that last one. After he blows his whistle at the end of the play, he runs over to Dan and grabs him by the arms. I thought he was about to go all Bobby Knight on his son, but Pete just gets in Dan's face to tell him he is kicking the ball too low. Dan apologizes, but Pete isn't finished. "Do you think because you're an Ellerbee makes you special? You're wrong: it does. It means you have to work twice as hard as everybody else." Man, what a shitty proposition. Dan actually has to think about his response before he goes with the correct "Yes, sir." Ellerbee sends his son back into play. Albert, who was watching, seems really disappointed with what just transpired.