Let me tell you something I've learned from years of watching and analyzing football - you can have the most brilliant coach, the most sophisticated tactics, but if you don't have the right number of quality players available when it matters most, you're basically fighting with one hand tied behind your back. I remember watching the 1998 Alaska Aces season unfold, and boy, did that teach me a lesson about team composition that I've carried with me ever since. That team was absolutely stacked, cruising toward what looked like an inevitable Grand Slam after dominating both the All-Filipino and Commissioner's Cups. They had this incredible momentum that you only see once in a blue moon, the kind where every player seems to be in perfect sync and the wins just keep piling up.

Then reality hit like a ton of bricks. The national team came calling for the Asian Games in Bangkok, and suddenly Alaska found themselves without their head coach Tim Cone and three of their absolute best players - Johnny Abarrientos, Kenneth Duremdes, and Jojo Lastimosa. I still shake my head thinking about it. These weren't just any players - we're talking about the heart and soul of that championship-caliber team. Abarrientos was that magical floor general who made everyone better, Duremdes brought that explosive scoring punch, and Lastimosa had that clutch gene you simply can't teach. Losing them wasn't just about missing a few bodies - it was like removing the engine from a perfectly tuned racing car.

What happened next was almost predictable, yet still painful to watch. The team that had looked unbeatable just weeks earlier completely fell apart in the Governors' Cup, missing the playoffs entirely. And here's the thing that really struck me - this wasn't just about missing star power. It was about discovering the hard way how many players you actually need on a football team to sustain success, and why that number matters far beyond just filling positions. When Alaska lost those four key figures, they weren't just losing talent - they were losing the specific chemistry, leadership, and institutional knowledge that had made them special. I've seen teams lose one star player and survive, sometimes even two if they have decent depth, but losing your coach and three starters simultaneously? That's the kind of hit that exposes the fragile nature of team construction.

Looking back, I think Alaska's front office made a classic miscalculation that many teams make - they built a top-heavy roster that relied too heavily on their core players. When those players were available, they looked like world-beaters. But the moment they faced significant absences, the entire structure crumbled. In my experience, the magic number for a truly resilient football team isn't just the eleven starters - you need at least sixteen to eighteen quality players who can step in without causing a dramatic drop-off. Alaska probably had about twelve or thirteen reliable contributors, which works fine for normal circumstances but becomes catastrophic when you lose multiple stars simultaneously.

The solution, as I've come to believe through watching similar situations unfold over the years, involves building what I call "redundant excellence" into your roster construction. You need to have quality backups who aren't just warm bodies but can actually maintain the team's identity and system when called upon. This means sometimes making tough financial decisions - perhaps spending a bit less on your absolute stars to ensure you have capable depth across more positions. It also means developing younger players with specific roles in mind, rather than just hoping they'll figure it out when thrown into the fire.

What Alaska's 1998 season taught me, and what I've carried into my own team management philosophy since, is that understanding how many players you truly need isn't about counting bodies - it's about understanding the interconnected nature of team dynamics. You need enough quality depth to withstand the inevitable absences, whether due to national team duty, injuries, or other circumstances. The difference between good teams and championship teams often comes down to how they handle these situations. Great organizations plan for the reality that they won't always have their ideal lineup available, while good teams cross their fingers and hope for the best. In today's game, where player movement is more fluid than ever and international commitments continue to grow, the lesson from Alaska's 1998 collapse feels more relevant than ever. Building a team isn't just about collecting talent - it's about creating a sustainable ecosystem where the whole can survive even when important parts are temporarily missing.

LIGHTING, LIGHTING, AND MORE LIGHTING
People are typically drawn to bars solely based on their atmosphere. The best way to knock your next commercial bar design out of the park is using the perfect amount and type of lighting. Use standout light fixtures as their very own statement piece, track lighting for adjustable ambiance, hanging pendant lights over tables, and ambient backlighting to display the alcohol. Bartenders need to serve and customers need to order, so make sure it’s just functional as it is attractive. 

CHOOSING YOUR BARTOP
What may seem so obvious, is often so overlooked in commercial bar design- the material of your actual bartop itself. While we realize stone and marble are as classy and elegant-looking as can be, the reality is that they just aren’t your best option for a durable and long lasting bartop. They crack, have no grip, and break way too many glasses. Opt for a high-quality wood bar instead. Oaks, maples, mahoganies, and ashes are sturdy and provide your customers with a firm grip for their glasses. 

THEME 
In a sea of millions upon millions of bars, how can you make your commercial bar design stand apart from the rest? The answer is to pick a unique, centralized theme and run with it. Whether it’s your next sit-down restaurant bar design, or remodeling the small, locally-favorite gem, you have to find out what your clientele wants. Survey the neighborhood of your establishment and find out what the demographics are there. Maybe a gritty, western bar would be a hit. Or maybe a more modern, sleek design is what’s missing in the area. Whatever theme you decide upon, hit it out of the park with the perfect lighting, wall art, music, and furniture. It’s all in the details. 

THE GUIDE TO YOUR NEXT RESTOBAR 
You’ve got the food, you’ve got the restaurant, you’ve got the customers, now all you need is a beautifully designed bar to top it all off.  Small bar designs for restaurants have a tendency to be a little thrown together and incohesive with the rest of the establishment. Stay on brand- create consistency with tying in the same color scheme, furniture, art, and overall ambiance of the pre-existing restaurant. Make sure the placement of your bar makes sense as well, have it in a place where it’s visible and easy to navigate but not in the way of servers and other guests. If the bar is going to serve food, be sure to consider the location of the kitchen to not obstruct traffic flow. Consider all of these small tips as you work through your next restaurant bar design. 

SPACE CONSTRAINT 
It’s no secret that bars have the reputation of being a little cramped, and in some cases- way too cramped. Consider all of the space constraints while designing your next commercial bar design and we can change that bad rap that bars have been holding for far too long. First and foremost, be sure to measure your bar, barstool, cabinet, and equipment height. Generally, a bar is 42” in height while a stool is 30” in height. Also be sure to allow at least 3’ of space between the bar and the alcohol for the bartender’s functionality and efficiency. Consider multiple register and drink-making stations for bartenders as well. Allowing 2’ between patrons is going to give them enough space to eat and drink, and most importantly, simply be comfortable. All of these considerations are especially helpful if it is a restaurant bar design, where the space is even more valuable.