THE OCCASIONAL ORBITER Monday March 25, 2002 Vol. 66 Hi, hello and welcome fellow Cowboys to this, fabular, spectaculous, incredulous, fantabular and exhilarating ONE YEAR eadition of the one and only Space Cowboys newsletter that is your Occasional Orbiter! After recieving a congratulatory email from loyal subscribor Nikki Lenihan we thoroughly checked our records and came to the conclusion that Ms. Lenihan was correct. The first edition of the Occasional Orbiter was published on March 26, 2001. Currently it is March 25, 2002. One year and thirty-five (35) subscribors later, the O-ffical Newsletter of the Space Cowboys is still going strong. What began as a means of simple communication between the "'boys", quickly grew into a "cult" following. The "inbox" remained full for minutes on end. The staff here at the "OO" (our little shortened name for Occasional Orbiter) could hardly keep up with the demand for our newsletter. Not long after the first edition came out the subsciption numbers doubled, then tripled, to get to the number of satisfied customers we have today. The Occasional Orbiter has gone through good and bad times with the Space Cowboys. Beginning with the conclusion of a very successful Sunday Morning Leauge, hopes were high for all in the oraganization. But the play of the team in the Spring season was very disappointing. This was when the Occasional Orbiter had to flex it's perverbial muscles and get "aura" of the 'boys back to a more positive feeling. Special giveaways, such as ""Big Man" Ben Keene Bobbelhead Night", became very successful and drew big crowds. There were, however, a few minor "glitches", such as having no bobbleheads, that hurt the whole "bobble head giveaway" theme. But these minor details would not stop the Space Cowboy faithful from coming out to watch their beloved 'boys. This dedication paid off in the form of victories in the 2001 Summer Season. With the "reaquisition" of Ted Arlinghaus, the 'boys started out the season with six (6) straight wins. It wasn't until Mr. Arlinghaus returned to Lexington to continue his education that the 'boys realized how much he was needed. Nonetheless the team finished with a record tying eight (8) wins. They also recorded the highest attendance in Cowboys history. It seemed that the "epedemic" known as Space Cowboys basketball was spreading fast. Then came the Fall Season of 2001. This was the beginning of somewhat of a "rebuilding" period for the 'boys. Not only was Mr. Arlinghaus placed on waivers, but Mr. Kevin Brinkman was to be unable to participate. The team took the news of Mr. Brinkman's absence suprisingly well. There were a lot of, "He's really not that good anyways" comments heard from the locker room. Little did they know the spark that this young "prospect" provided. The 'boys went on to finish the season with a paltry three (3) wins. That brings up to the present. The first season of 2002 is coming to a close and the 'boys are less than "en fuego". They are coming off their third (3rd) consecutive defeat, and have lost six (6) of their last seven (7). They have fought through turbulent times, such as the Buddy/Fella Lee, Kevin Brinkman debacle. That whole episoded really took a lot out of these guys. But tomorrow night, on the one (1) year anniversary of the Occasional Orbiter, this team will look to put all this behind them and show what strength and movtivation are. To finish the regular season with one (1) last victory and gain some momentum going in to the Sports of All Sorts Tuesday Night League Championship Tournament. They will be doing so against the always hated "thuggy thuggs" of the Winnelson variety. These two clubs have met two (2) times already this season, with the home team coming out victorious in both. But the 'boys are realing. Michael Ash is still nursing a sprained ankle and will sit out the game to prepare for the "stretch run." "Big Man" Ben Keene has not played a game in three (3) weeks and questions continuously revolve ALL the way around Jeremy Jeffries. Does he rally ahve what it takes to be a Space Cowboy? He has shown at times he can be simply dominating, but he also can have the smallest of impact on a game. We are calling him out. Jeremy "fatty boom batty" Jeffries, you are the key to the success of this team. Your time is now. You can see all the goings on, tomorrow, Tuesday March 26, at 9 P.M. at the "big arena by the highway", Sports of All Sorts in Florence. Come on out to support the team you love. Show them what they really mean to you. Show them you care. Give them the emotional lift they need to finish the season strong. Give them some "Space Cowboy Lovin'." Doors will open at 8:25 with pregame festivities following at 8:27. We here at the Occasional Orbiter are very proud of what we have become and look forward to what we may evolve to in the future. We are very proud that our newsletter is synonamous with the Space Cowboys organization. If you ahve any special Space Cowboys monets you would like to share, please send them to us here at occcasionalorbiter@hotmail.com. That will be all for this celebratory reminder edition of your occasional reading. Question, comments and suggestions are always welcome, as well as new subscribors. Send those to the email address above. Editor-in-Chief Nick "Stud" Lubbers Tell Me Do You Like It YYEEAA YYEEAA