T2's blog.

This guy takes gaming to the next level...

Post Orlando:

As most of you probably already know there has been some crazy team changing after Orlando. I wanted to write down my feelings and I'm not sure if I'll ever actually publish this blog in its entirety.

After Orlando I planned on writing a super happy go lucky blog just like after San Diego, but that doesn't seem to be the case this time.

Orlando had its ups and downs especially with an early loss to Ambush. On Sunday we had to go through the 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th place team just to get to the finals. We got to our series versus Triggers Down and even though we didn't win, I feel we played our best, and I walked away happy with how hard everybody tried. Obviously I wasn't happy with our placing but we left everything out there and that's all that matters to me. We gave it our best and on that day it just wasn't good enough.

The week after the tournament was the first time I stayed for a couple days in the city of the event. My friends and family that I haven't seen in almost a year live there so I took that opportunity to spend some time with them. I didn't stay long because I feel guilty about not practicing for a couple days and it drives me nuts knowing other people are playing when I'm not. The break I took was well needed for what was about to come. Shortly after settling into my apartment, I found out that FB had asked Kyle to leave our team and join theirs. I assumed this would happen after we won San Diego. History repeats itself and I saw the same thing happening to our team to what happened with Team FFA. I knew Kyle is great friends with FB and an awesome player and would no doubt be their first choice-- on top of that it would break up our team, which is the biggest threat. Addition by subtraction. Mason came to me asking who we should pick up... emotions were running high but I told him not to panic and to trust him. I found out that Kyle declined and my respect for him skyrocketed, not like it was lacking before. I was just so happy to finally see someone who valued friendship as much as I do. So many times in this league I thought I had friends but in reality they were just snakes slithering behind my back. I think of my teammates as family and would do anything for them and Kyle showed me the care and respect that I've always wanted in a real friend. Plus why would we ever want to change anything? Halfway through the season we are the number 1 ranked team in the world, we have the Dr Pepper sponsorship, our 2 biggest rivals in Halo were seeded 4th and 6th, and we are all getting along better then ever.

The next day I found out that FB again has asked one of my teammates and best friends to join, Mason. Now this was getting a little ridiculous because you don't step on people's toes like this. When people are faced with adversity you see their true colors and obviously FB was hitting below the belt in my opinion. Mason ended up declining the FB offer and I was looking forward to practicing with our team shortly. I was waiting for them to ask Bryan to team but it never happened, instead they went for FearItself on Triggers Down, and eventually Snipedown, then Mackeo.

As soon as the dust was settling and it looked like it was going to be FB Mackeo instead of Walshy, I get a call from Kyle telling me Mason was leaving for FB. Why would he leave after begging Kyle not to join and even saying himself that he wasn't going to leave? I thought it was some sort of a sick joke. So I called Mason 4 times and got no answer at all. I got this gross feeling in my stomach and fell to my knees. My best friend had just stabbed me in the back. My father always told me never hate someone who is just trying to improve their situation, and if he feels like he's improving then so be it. Maybe Mason thinks we suck, maybe he think he carries, maybe we weren't as good of friends as I thought, or maybe he just flat out thinks FB is the better team. I couldn't figure out why he would ever leave the team.

In a couple of hours Mason ended up calling me. It wasn't the most constructive conversation but I said how I felt. It went something like this.
Mason: Hey
Me: Tell me the deal just get the news over with
Mason: Yea well Gilbert Arenas is offering me............
Me: *EXPLICIT BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP*
[end]

Right then I felt like my boy, my brother, had pretty been purchased from me, ripped right out of my hands by the team that I've been competing against for so long. I thought to myself. How can I ever beat FB? We beat them 3-0 with EASE and go on to take a semi-respectable 2nd. We are having the best year of any other team and it's been the most fun of my life...but yet they still win in the end? How can I ever be the best knowing that no matter what even if I win, I lose. I hope that makes sense to people. This is how seriously I take this Halo thing. That's how seriously the team changing becomes. I've been competing with these guys for 6 years and have never found the right mix of players to beat them, until I met Bryan, Mason and Kyle. Never was I on the number 1 team, never could I say that I was on the best Halo team in the world. It was always "T2 is garb why do he be gettin' all these interviews when FB da team to beat" or "Man T2 ain't even that good, why was he on MTV?" All I ever wanted people to do was respect me as a player and this was my year.

So after the whole big mess with Neighbor leaving. Bryan, Kyle, and I start thinking about who to pick up, which sucks because there are so many emotions that still haven't settled. The first person who pops into our mind is Snipedown, because of how ridiculously ill he was in Orlando. I knew that it would hurt the guys from TD, maybe not like how it hurt us, but I'm sure they grew close to him in the weeks of being his teammate. But after being screwed over so hard it was about time for us to watch our own backs. Snipedown ended up declining which wasn't surprising and we were left pondering what to do.

The next day I heard rumors of the FB and Neighbor thing running into some problems, I guess the offer that was there from FB's boys wasn't looking so solid anymore. Hey what do ya know! Mason our best bud calls back upset wanting to team again. He somehow convinced me that money wasn't a factor in wanting to join back up and felt bad about the situation. Well actually this time he seemed sincere. Talking to him for a while it seemed that he really felt he made a mistake and I forgave him for that. I felt like I was talking to the Mason I deep down inside knew. We took him back hoping that this would strengthen our team and I felt that it did. We ended up practicing against Instinct and split games with them 5-5 which was good considering all of the emotional stress we were going under.

After practice I get a call from Kyle about 30 minutes later hearing that Mason was leaving our team again to join FB. It's sort of like you and your GF splitting up...being back together for a day then her leaving again. I thought to myself What the F David Blaine. What the F! I was like alright dude lets be serious.....how could you double time your boys like that. But my good friend Mason came through with a text. "Im letting you guys know that I am going to join FB. I wish you all the best luck." Thanks for the text man, 2 years of friendship and I get 1 text. Maybe next time I'll get an AIM message or better yet a myspace message.

Kyle seemed to be more upset than anybody because I just laughed it off. I could understand though, Mason begged Kyle not to take that spot on FB and he was the one that wanted to give him another shot on our team. Kyle went through the most stressful weekend that you could ever imagine. Seeing Kyle so upset got me pissed and if I don't get revenge on FB for myself it will be for him and Bryan.

Teammates aren't just people you play on Xbox Live with. Being on a team to me is like a relationship. We all need to be there for each other no matter what and learn from one another. I've spent birthdays, highs, lows, holidays, weeks and months with these guys. I hope they know that they can come to me for anything and I will drop whatever I'm doing for them. All I ask is that they do their best and give 100% in every game we play. Mason was my best friend but I guess my best wasn't good enough for him.

To Mason: I don't know what to say to you, we've been through a lot. Maybe down the road we can become friends again but I just don't see it happening anytime soon. I know you made your decision hoping for the best outcome and whatever that outcome may be I want you to be truly happy with it. You were like family to me and it sucks things have to be the way they are but hey that's how it is. It may seem like I'm bitter in this blog and that's because I am. We shared a lot of great moments in life and I will never forget those. Good luck with your team, besides in Winners Bracket Rd 4, bad luck.

Addition of Snipedown: After Mason left for the 2nd time we went straight for Snipedown again. We knew that Mackeo was going to be an option and I would have loved to team with him if Eric (Sdown) would have declined. To my surprise Triggers Down asked Kyle to join which Snipedown didn't take to his liking. He told me that we had a new teammate and I was PUMPED to see him on our team. I see the same drive in him that I have and I hope over these next couple of tournaments we become a great team and even better friends. As you can see from the upcoming Entourage clips we already have hung out and had a blast. I can't wait for everybody to get together before the tournament and start our LAN practice.

To my teammates: I know sometimes I take Halo and Xbox Live practice to the extremes but it's because how bad I want to win. That feeling of winning a tournament, when we walk around together in the venue and have everybody congratulate us, there is nothing better than that. For those minutes, hours, or days I feel amazing. I want that feeling all the time and I want it to share it with you guys. I'm glad this team change happened because it shows me who my true friends are, who really has my back. Bryan and Kyle I know now that you guys respect me as a player and care about me as a person. I'm going to practice non stop and try as hard as I can every game and when that time we play FB comes people are going to be scared to come within 100 feet of me. I don't care if another SCREAMO band is playing again in Toronto, if I have a giant blister, or if my controller turns slow. FB used to be the dynasty, this is our year.