Giving Her Gifts

I suppose I was the typical guy when I first got married many decades ago. When it came to buying my wife gifts on her birthday, Christmas, and our anniversary, I was clueless. I wasn't brought up to be sensitive or knowledgeable about such things. My dad was a hard working, hard drinking man from the old school and didn't provide much of a model on gift giving to a wife. I never heard Mom complain about lack of gifts so I just figured that's how it was. Maybe Dad got her more gifts than I thought but didn't say much about it. I only remember a few. And I'm afraid I didn't provide much of a model to my own son - I could've done better.

Very early in our marriage, and I hate to admit this,  I bought her some pots and pans for Christmas. She seemed very pleased and happy with them. Good show on her part. I later learned that is NOT a good gift for a wife. Maybe Dad told me. Another year for her birthday I bought her sexy lingerie. I later learned that was really a gift for ME. It took me awhile, but I think I finally got it right. I'm not the quickest learner in the world. So men, listen up - I have some advice and you can decide for yourself.

For birthdays a card, dinner, movie and a gift of clothes or jewelry seems to be to her liking. This is not my big jewelry gift, but it's nice. For Christmas she loves clothes number one, maybe another small piece of jewelry and then after that electrical gadgets like an ipod, a book, pottery for the house, etc. Christmas is a good time for variety but do NOT get her stuff for cooking or cleaning. "This is a top of the line vacuum cleaner, hon," is not what she wants to hear. For anniversaries I go straight jewelry. And it's my big jewelry gift. Now I would love to get her a $5,000 necklace or ring but I simply don't have that kind of money. But I have given her some nice keepsakes in the $100 - $500 range when I can. Flowers fade quickly, clothes grow old or out of date in a blink but jewelry, ahh, jewelry is beautiful, beautiful on her and lasts forever. It can eventually be passed to our daughters and grandaughters. So when our most recent anniversay rolled around last week I gave her pearls. I had never given her pearls before and this necklace caught my eye as I was browsing.

So i took her to a nice restaraunt and gave her the pearl necklace after dinner. This is what I do husbands, and I feel good about what I've learned over the years. Our wives deserve to be pampered. She has now accumated a modest collection of nice jewelry (necklaces, rings, bracelets, earrings) due to my gifts. Young men today might be more sensitive and knowledgeable about such things but I'm dishing out my advice anyway. Some of you may be as clueless as I was.   Chiefpigskin.com

It's Firing Time Again

College coaches are under intense pressure to win, to fill the seats, and keep the fans happy. Everyone wants to be a big winner. Heck, so do I, but the reality is not everyone can be the big winner. Last I checked, every weekend the wins and losses are exactly the same. If 100 games are played every weekend there will be exactly 50 winners and 50 losers. If you don't believe me, start checking and counting every weekend (don't really do that). Over the course of a season if 2,000 games are played there will be EXACTLY 1,000 wins and 1,000 losses. It will never change but yet we all want our university to win big and win big every year. And if they don't, fire the coach. Some fans think they have the RIGHT to have a great team every year because it says a certain name on the uniform. Come down off of your high horse.

There are several head jobs open right now in DI football because coaches, good coaches, have been fired. It's the reality we live in now. i don't like this intense pressure to win and the millions we pay college coaches but that's how it is. Here's my proposal.

We're gonna go back to the days when you simply go to one of the professors in the Physical Education department and ask them if they would like to be the football coach. Now, this professor is already making about $100,000 so that's pretty good money in my book. We tell him we will cut his teaching load down from 4 classes a week to only 2 a week to give him more time to coach the team. Just like back in 1920. We'll save a lot of money and keep our coach because he's tenured. And every week, 50 teams will win and 50 teams will lose. nothing will change. It will look like this:

"No one will go see the games!" you cry. Sure they will. They packed the stadiums in 1920 and they'll pack 'em now. We love football and love our teams. Will this ever happen? Of course not, but I had fun talkin about it.   Chiefpigskin.com

Lincoln, Storyteller

Sometimes I go see a good movie and it leaves an impression on me. Had another one last week when my wife and I went to see "Lincoln". Now this movie may not be for everyone because it's not typical Hollywood fare. You know, cars crashing, buildings exploding, karate fights, vampires, the usual. But what you will get is a great history lesson, superb acting and directing, and a fairly realistic look at President Abraham Lincoln's last four months in office. My wife and I REALLY enjoyed this movie and would recommend it as a "must go".

Maybe it's because I'm a history buff, and a civil war buff that I liked it so much but beyond that it gave a picture of Lincoln's personal life, political life, and personal resolve. But one thing it really brought to life was Abe's ability to tell a good story. It's well documented that Lincoln was a story teller but this movie showed how effective he could be when in tense political moments. It reminded me of how effective Jesus was at story telling. Now, I'm NOT comparing Lincoln to Jesus, heaven forbid, but he copied Jesus' example of using stories to makle a point. Remember how when Jesus would tell a good story and his disciples would walk away saying, " What's he talking about? What does that mean?" Well, the same was true for Lincoln. At times he would tell a sory in the middle of a heated cabinet meeting and his cabinet members could be heard saying, "What was that?" But there was always a point. I like story telling and always thought it was an effective way to communicate. Most of his stories were humorous too, which was entertaining.

Oh, by the way, the week before we saw "Skyfall" the new Bond movie. Full of action like explosions, fights, car chases and stuff. I liked that too. In fact, maybe the best Bond movie I've seen yet and I've seen Bond movies since 1965.

On another side note, do you believe Notre Dame started the season unranked and now they're 12-0 and playing for the national Championship? Just goes to show, never rely on the polls. Anything can happen.  Chiefpigskin.com

Thanksgiving Forgotten?

It seems like anymore these days there's a big buildup for Halloween and then when Halloween is over the Christmas decorations go up. I love Christmas, don't get me wrong, but what the heck happened to Thanksgiving? And why the big deal and increased emphasis over Halloween? Nice day to let the kids have some fun dressed in a costume and go out and get some treats. But anymore it gets treated like a national holiday when it's not. I even had a woman at work tell me it was her favorite "holiday". I just smiled and nodded. OK, I got that off my chest.

Thanksgiving is probably my favorite holiday. I love the family time it always brings, the warmth of being with my family, the feast before me and yeah, a little football. It just seems to be a great atmosphere and such an appropriate time to give thanks to the Lord who supplies our every need. The crops have finally been harvested and here in America it's always bountiful.

To be truly thankful requires a humble heart. We have to put away our self sufficient pride and humble ourselves before God. Sometimes in my pride I think I am the one who needs to figure things out, I am the one who needs to provide all for my family. If that's the case, I really don't need to be thankful to anyone or anything other than myself. And believe me, if I or anyone else is counting on me for anything, they're in trouble.

So, I am taking time this week and on Thanksgiving Day to be truly thankful to the Lord for my family, my house, the bounty at my dinner table, the freedom to worship as I choose, my country, and most of all to Jesus Christ who had the courage and love in his heart to make a path for me to be with Him and the Father.

Happy Thanksgiving and good luck to all those high school football coaches around the country playing for state championships this weekend.  Chiefpigskin.com

NO CUTTING!

As can be perceived from my last post about the carreer of James Taylor from Peoria, IL, you can probably guess that I would be against "cutting". You know, that practice of keeping only a designated number of players for the roster and telling the other kids who tried out for the team that they didn't make the cut. They can find something else to do.

Now, I understand why some sports have to do it, but I still don't like it. Space is limited, uniforms are limited, and coaches are limited. Basketball may be the best example. It's not unusual for 50 kids to go out for the freshmen team but only 15 can make the squad. Therefore, tryouts must be held and 35 prospective athletes get cut. But is it possible that one or two (or more) of those kids cut could be a star in waiting? We all know the answer. Yes, that is a real possibility. Baseball is another sport that unfortuntely has to cut lower levels sometimes. The sports that I coached, football and wrestling, cutting was unheard of and I was thankful for that. I always recruited our halls for football players and I was a relentless recruiter for wrestling. Believe me, wrestling is NOT a sport where you open the doors and kids are pouring in to the wrestling room. But I have heard of a few schools around the nation who actually do cut in football. That means James Taylor, featured in my previous post, the future all stater, all american, and pro, likely would have been cut because he was a little bit of a late bloomer. I was fortunate enough when I coached wrestling to work with a heck of a basketball coach. Not only was he a winning basketball coach but we worked well together. When he made his cuts, he would gather the kids together and encourage them to give wrestling a try. I really appreciated that and actually picked up some kids who turned out to be outstanding wrestlers. So, in that instance, cutting helped my program. But I think that might be an exception.

So, what's the answer? I'm not sure. Intramurals could be promoted more, it seems they've lost their popularity. But that requires space, facilities, and personnel too. A "Taxi" squad that practices and works out but doesn't dress and then next season trys out again could be a possibility. I would love to hear some of your ideas. You can post them here or go to the forums at Chiefpigskin.com and chime in there. I'll have a thread ready just in case.

Final word; explore all possibilities before making cuts. I would hate to lose a kid that is full of potential but we just haven't seen it yet. Is there anything more rewarding than watching average or below average kids turn themselves into contributors or stars because of their desire, hard work, and our coaching? I think not.

They Called Him TUNA

They called him Tuna. I don't know why. And no, this was not Bill Parcells of the New York Giants because this was the fall of 1970. No one had heard of Parcells.

 I had just graduated from high school one year before. We lived about three blocks from my high school, Woodruff High in Peoria, IL. I always went over to the practice field on Saturday morning during the football season to watch the freshmen and sophomores play.  At 9 a.m. the freshmen team played and at 11 a.m. the sophomores played. The fans would stand along the sidelines and watch the game. I just loved watching high school football and hey, these were my guys, my alma mater.

As I walked behind the freshmen team I noticed  one of the bench warmers. The kids called him "Tuna". He was standing passively in back of his team away from the action. It was obvious he would NOT get in the game. He was big, but so big he looked like he had trouble moving. I thought he looked like Baby Huey. Baby Huey was an old comic book character from the 50's and 60's. He was a big duck with a huge rear end. He was all butt.That's what this kid looked like as he stood there chewing on his mouthpiece watching the game. I felt sorry for him knowing he couldn't play and would probably never get in a game. I was right. He rarely played his freshman season and only played the last series of a game if the result was not in doubt. Poor kid, he was terrible. 

After football season was over I heard from my brother Danny that Tuna, (his real name was James Taylor) went out for wrestling. Danny was a senior on the wrestling team and  was one of the stars. "What a sight that must be", I thought. Danny said Taylor was not a good wrestler but he was a nice kid and worked hard. I didn't give it much thought. He wrestled heavyweight, of course, and was on the JV team. I actually saw him win a match and was surprised. He usually got pinned.

The next fall when I went over to watch the sophomores play football games, I didn't see Taylor on the sidelines. "Poor kid didn't go out", I thought. Just as well, he'd probably just get hurt. Then I noticed a big kid with a huge butt on the field playing defensive tackle. It was Tuna, but his rear end looked a little smaller, slightly slimmed down. He wasn't very good, but he was playing and he was holding his own. I was impressed; the kid was actually contributing. Good for him. When football was over I went to the wrestling meets to watch my other brother Kenny  wrestle. Taylor was not the the starting varsity heavyweight and was still the back up. He was moving better and showing a hint of athleticism. "He sure is a nice kid and really works hard", my brother told me. By the end of the season he was emerging as a heavyweight to be reckoned with. In fact, I think he could've beaten the senior starter. Man, had he come a long way.

The next season I went to the Friday night varsity football game. Starting at D tackle for the varsity was Tuna, James Taylor. He was making plays, the opponents had to double team him, and his butt had slimmed down a little more. He was 6'3" and weighed 275 lbs. They couldn't handle him. James made all conference that football season and maybe even special mention all state. I can't remember all the details. But when wrestling came that winter he was dominant and placed 5th at the Illinois High School state wrestling tournament in his first year of varsity competition. By the way, Illinois is a very good wrestling state. Everyone talked about what a good student and hard worker he was. Yeah, I had heard.  His senior year he was an all state football player and got beat by a point in the semis of the state wrestling tournament and finished third. He was a stud. He was all everything.

What's the end of the story? Well, James wasn't finished. He was recruited by the University of Missouri and started at offensive tackle for the Tigers for three years. He was named to the Big Eight all conference team, played in the Blue-Gray all star game, the Senior Bowl, and was a named a third team All American. Drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the 2nd round he had an excellent pro career for four years before hurting his knee. He ended his last season with the Chicago Bears. Moral of the story? Good kids that work hard can go a long way. Even kids that weren't good enough to play their freshman year in high school. Don't ever give up on a high school kid if he's willing to work.
Chiefpigskin.com

Coldest Night Ever

Early November 1988 - almost exactly 24 years ago today. It was Saturday night and we were warming up for our second round playoff game against Clifton Central, a very good 9-1 team. We were 10-0 and had just won our first round playoff game the previous Wednesday night, 20-0 against University High School from Normal. Yep, we had just played Wednesday night and here we were on Saturday playing again. That's how we did it in the early days here in Illinois. In order to get a 32 team bracket decided by Thanksgiving, we had to play two games the first week. (It has since changed) Wednesday night had been a beautiful night for football. Forty-five degrees at game time with no wind. You could see your breath and it just hung in the air. Perfect! Now, just three days later it was completely different.

It was 35 degrees with a stiff 25 mph wind blowing out of the northwest. The precipitation was going from a freezing rain to sleet, to snow flurries, then back to sleet. It was cold and miserable. OK, you guys from North Dakota, Wisconsin, and Minnesota have better stories but believe me, it was cold. The wind and sleet was making it numbingly cold. I remember our guys jogging out of the locker room and most of them were bare armed. No under armour, it hadn't been invented yet, no sweatshirts under the jerseys, just t shirts and short sleeved jerseys. The guys obviously wanted to show how tough they were and that the weather didn't bother them. Well, I was bundled up. It was going to be my job that night to be the coach in the pressbox on the walkie talkie. But I wasn't IN the pressbox, I was going to be on the roof. After warm ups I headed up to my post.

The football field sat right next to I-57. There was nothing to block the wind. Over my coat I also put on one of those old fashioned long parkas like the Packers used to wear in Green Bay. I don't remember much of what I told the coaches down on the field that night. All I remember is that we won a hard fought game that night 10-0. And I was cold. When the game was over I took off my parka and it stood up. My back had been against the wind and there was an inch thick coating of ice on my parka. That's why it stood on it's own. I wish I remembered more of the game but mostly I rember how cold it was on that pressbox just off the interstate. Cold and sleet coming down so hard it hurt. But you know what? It actually made a great memory. Now we look back and say, "Hey remember the Clifton game of '88? Man that was a miserable night but our guys toughed it out and won a battle.They were in short sleeves". Then we laugh. "Yeah and we had carry you down," they kid me.

Memories. When you coach long enough you have a lot of them. And even the bad memories are good. Like a frozen night on the press box. Chiefpigskin.com

We Gotta Tone It Down

I didn't catch the 49ers/Cardinals game the other night on TV. In fact, I only catch bits and pieces of NFL games on TV. It's not that I don't like the NFL, I do. And if you've been reading my blogs at all you know how much I love football at any level. For the NFL I check the scores, watch ESPN for highlights and I pay attention to the standings. But I rarely sit down and watch more than a few minutes of a pro game. What I did see of the game disturbed me a little bit.

I saw a highlight on PTI (Pardon The Interruption), an ESPN news show that features sportwriters Tony Kornhiser and Michael Wilbon. I really like these guys because I think they're knowledegable, make sense, and are very entertaining. I like it when Wilbon calls me a knucklehead. Anyway, they showed a clip that disturbed THEM also. A defender on the Niners put a bone crushing hit on one of the Cardinal receivers. I mean, you almost wondered if the guy was dead the way he laid there. But the defender got up and raised his arms and did a blood curdling yell. He really played it up. Wilbon said it seemed to much like a gladiator gloating over a kill and I have to agree. It just didn't sit right. It was a legal hit, the guy DID get up and everything was OK but...

The NFL dances, shimmies, flexes muscles, gyrates, screams, and poses. I'm old fashioned, I struggle with it all. I know most fans love all the "look at me" stuff so it's not going away. But to put on a show when a guy was really laid out I say, "We gotta tone it down". Chiefpigskin.com

Autumn Mornings

*The following is a post from the archives Oct. 2010*

I absolutely love the fall, particularly October here in the Midwest. The colors of the changing leaves, the cooler air, and maybe best of all, the high school playoffs are just around the corner. Of course, www.chiefpigskin.com is all about high school football, and it’s an exciting time of year, but there was a long period in my life I enjoyed another sport in the fall besides football. Cross country. Yes, cross country. Now what’s an old football coach doing writing about cross country?

Well, it’s like this. I had three daughters, Angela, Olivia, and Natalie, who ran cross country in junior high and high school. They were spread out enough in age that they all went through high school separately. That’s at least twelve years of watching cross country meets. I couldn’t go to the meets during the week, they were right after school and I was coaching at football practice. But I could make their Saturday morning meets and that’s what I did. My daughters were really sprinters and excelled at track, earning some place medals at the state meet, but used cross country as a way to stay in shape in the off-season. It was good for their physical conditioning as well as mental. I’ve always taken pride in how tough football players are but I’ll tell you something, cross country runners have to be mentally tough. That three mile race is a grind and they run hard. My daughters were solid team members and always ran in the top five of the team. The Saturday meets were usually large invitationals and a lot of fun to watch. The atmosphere was completely different than Friday night. Friday night football was always intense, hard hitting, emotional, and draining. It was under the lights, cool, and the game lasted two hours. A cross country race lasts about twenty minutes and the atmosphere is pretty relaxed most of the time (unless you’re a runner). It gets a little intense at the finish, especially for a parent.

On a typical Saturday my wife and I would get up around 7:00 a.m. for a 9:00 a.m. cross country meet. Most of the meets would be around thirty to forty five minutes away. It was usually a bright, sunny, crisp fall morning and we would be out the door by 7:30. On the way to the meet, we would stop and get some coffee to go. Ahh, tasted so good! Arriving at the meet site around 8:30 or so I would find my daughter and talk to her briefly about how she was feeling and say good luck. Not sure why I wished her luck, I don’t believe in luck, but it’s something we say at times. As I walked around with my cup of coffee, there would always be some parents there watching their kids run who had been at the game the night before and we’d talk a little football. Of course, if we won the previous night, I enjoyed the conversations a lot more. By race time I would have a good spot picked out near the starting line to watch my daughter(s) take off. When you’ve got a hundred runners or so lining up at the start, it’s quite a sight. The beginning was fun to watch as the whole mob of runners would try to get as good of a start as possible. The frontrunners would try to get out quickly and get a lead. The rest of the pack would settle in just behind and try to stay close. We’d watch them disappear around the first bend and take a sip of that last drop of coffee. After watching the start it was jog or walk quickly to another spot on the course that we could cheer for the girls as they ran by. Courses usually wind around streets and parks so you have to select spots you can get to before the runners get there. As we waited, we just enjoyed the morning and my wife and I would talk about how we thought our daughter was running or just strain our eyes looking for the pack to appear. Soon the runners would come by our carefully marked spot and we’d yell encouragement as our team members ran by. After watching most of the runners go by us, it was a jog to the finish line to cheer them home. I didn’t usually get right at the finish, I would pick a spot about two hundred yards from the finish so I could give them some encouragement for that final push. It was cool to watch the runners finish and sprint with what they had left for the final push to the chutes.

After about twenty minutes, the race was over. There would always be kids milling around near the finish getting water, finding their warm-ups, talking to the coach or patting their teammates on the back. We’d find our daughter and let her know we watched the finish, tell her she ran well and give her a high five or a hug.

Now it was time to head home. By this time the sun was warming things up a little more and it was turning into another beautiful autumn day. I always found this a good way to unwind from the night before. Home by eleven, time for chores around the house and watch some game film. Time to start getting ready for next Friday nights opponent. No wonder I love the fall.  Chiefpigskin.com

Running Up The Middle

"I don't get it. All our coach does is run up the middle. We never get anywhere. I don't get it." That may be one of the most commonly heard complaints about us high school football coaches from our fans and parents. Let's face it, we do run up the middle a lot, but it's not always the way it seems plus I don't think that's what we do all the time. Not to mention, yeah we do gain a lot of yardage from these plays. So, for the benefit of you fans and parents, let's take a look at what's really going on.

First of all, there are three or four type of plays that may look like we're running up the middle from the stands but we're actually hitting three different areas. The play that generally does hit the very center of the line is the Inside Trap. Now I'm not going to explain what that is but yes, it generally runs right over the center or very close to it. It's an excellent play that has the potential to pop for a big gain. Another play that hits near the center but usually over the guard is the Dive. It's a quick handoff to a back going straight ahead to pick up short yardage when needed or to set up another play. When a dive is faked, it freezes the defense for a count or two and can open up the rest of the plays to the outside. If we never run a dive, the fake won't be effective. A third area that hits inside is the Off Tackle play. It is generally run a little wider than a dive and probably just looks like another play up the middle from the stands. This play is sometimes called a Belly Play and attacks the defense a little wider. The coach has to probe the front line of the defense to find out what will work and what the opponent's weaknesses are. Finally, the Power Play, sometimes called Lead or Iso, is usually run over the guard or tackle and again looks like running up the middle. But on this play the ball carrier follows a lead blocker into the hole and attempts to pound the defense like a battering ram. It's meant to wear the defense down and grind out first downs thereby establishing ball control.

By running these inside run plays the defense must commit a good portion of their defense to stop these plays. This in turn leaves the defense more vulnerable to outside running plays and pass plays. Simple concept, right? Yes, and it works. Now add to that when the offense fakes one of these plays but instead passes it or runs the ball outside, the inside running game becomes very important. Oh yeah, the counter play becomes much more effective also.

Are there times a coach might run up the middle too much? Heck yeah, we're human and don't always call a perfect game. They are safe plays that don't usually lose yardage and I guess we can call them more often than needed but the fact remains we must have a strong inside running game. That's it. I hope that helps all of you moms, dads, aunts, uncles, grandparents and Joe sports fans. Feel free to give me your thoughts anytime. By the way, it's time for the playoffs here in Illinois and I can't wait. It's the most exciting time of the high school football season. Chiefpigskin.com

Back to the Stress

I'm a big baseball fan and always have been. When I grew up in the late 50's and early 60's you rode your bike around with your baseball glove hanging on your handlebars in case you ran acrss a sandlot game going on. I also grew up a St. Louis Cardinal baseball fan because my Dad was a Cardinal fan. He was a Cards fan because his Dad was and so on. So it comes as no surprise that I am closely following the playoffs in Major League Baseball once again. But it's stressful.

It's stressful watching the ebb and flow of every game and watching your team get in and out of jams. No matter who you root for in baseball it seems your team is always in a jam. Full counts, opposing runners all over the bases, blown saves, hitting into double plays, etc.  When your team is in the the playoffs everything is magnified, it gets really tense, and it seems the Cardinals are always in the playoffs. They've been in the NLCS 7 times in the last 12 years, playoffs something like 9 of the last 12. I've watched them play in 9 World Series (really stressful) winning 5. Now they're back at it again.

I don't think they will repeat as champions. Oh, I think they're good enough, but these days you have to keep winning playoff series against other good teams. They won 3 playoff series last year, won a one game playoff against the Braves this year and beat the Nationals in a best of 5 this year. They can't keep winning these series like this, can they? Eventually you get whipped, no matter how good you are.

But I'm going to watch and enjoy this while I can. Heck, some teams rarely make the playoffs and haven't won the World Series for over one hundred years. So I'm going to enjoy the baseball playoffs, the high school football playoffs and not get stressed. Yeah, right.  Chiefpigskin.com

LOMBARDI

I like the theatre and no, I'm not talking about the movies, although I like them too. I'm talking about the theatre, Broadway type play on the stage. And yes, I like musicals too, but that's another story. Anyway, about a year and half ago I first read about a play coming to Broadway called "Lombardi". Sports Illustrated wrote an article about it and included a small conversation between Vince Lombardi, Paul Hornung, and Jim Taylor when Lombardi was first hired for the head coaching job of the Green Bay Packers. The conversation was classic Lombardi and I knew right then I just had to see the play. Heck, I was tempted to drive out to New York City when it opened just to see it. Well, not really, but I thought about it. Once it opened I read nothing but great reviews. I figured eventually it would be in Chicago and I would go see it there.

Now it just so happened that my wife and I were headed up to Door County, Wisconsin to close up our daughter and son-in-law's cabin for the winter. Door County is an old fashioned tourist attraction area that covers the entire Wisconsin peninsula. We've always enjoyed spending some time there. There is an outstanding summer theatre there called Peninsula Players Theatre with very high quality stage. Guess what was playing? Yep, Lombardi. I told my wife, "We're going." When we got to Door County on Friday I bought tickets for Saturday night. Saturday night was cold and windy but we were dressed for it. The theatre is enclosed but it's still described as open air. It was very comfortable inside. The place was full by opening curtain (about 800) and you could sure tell we were in Packer country. Packer ball caps, stocking caps, jackets, sweatshirts - Packer apparel all over the place. These cheese heads love their Packers.

The play focuses on a week of Lombardi's life as he is being interviewed by a cub reporter from New York. There are flashbacks as well and we learn how Lombardi got the Green Bay job. I really enjoyed the play and would recommend it to any football coach and his wife. But you don't have to be a football guy to enjoy this play. My wife liked it and she's not exactly crazy about football. (She was a football widow for thirty years) It really shows how things have changed. Lombardi couldn't coach the pros today. He wasn't just old school, he was old, old school. I can just hear him now, shouting, "What the hell's goin' on out there?" when he sees all the dancing going on out there in the NFL today. But that's another story too.

If you get a chance, see it. Chiefpigskin.com

Goal Line Stand

A while back I posted a blog about "Lucky or Good" in which I related a story about my sophomore year in football. I was put in at linebacker, a position I'd never played nor practiced and made a couple of good plays. Was I lucky or good? Well, the following year, against the same team, I had another lucky or good episode. But this one is even better. Yes, it's a true story too, although you may have your doubts. But I guarantee, it's the truth.

The year was 1967, I was a junior on the varsity football team and once again we just happened to be playing the Spalding Irish at Peoria Public Schools Stadium. I had been having a pretty good game at halfback in passing situations because I was a good pass protector. I had a great cut block. (illegal today in high school ball) I had only carried the ball a couple of times for short yardage. Anyway, Spalding was whipping us pretty good as always and the game was winding down to the last minute with Spalding on our three yard line ready to score again. Spalding went 10-0 that year and was coached by the great Merv Haycock. Coach Traficano, our head coach, was pretty frustrated and turned around looking at all of us guys on the sideline yelling, "Does ANYONE want to play?" He looked square at me and yelled, "Grant - you do! Get in there at left tackle!" Without a word I obeyed my coach and headed toward the huddle.

I've said before, I was small. How small? Well, by my junior year I had "grown" to about 5'5" and weighed 128 pounds. That's not exactly defensive tackle prototype. I was in fact, THE smallest player in the conference. As I ran out onto the field I was thinking, "D tackle - where do I line up?" I got to the huddle and announced I was in at left D tackle. A player left the huddle, I don't even remember who it was. I knew I was on the line, but beyond that I wasn't sure where to go. "Where do I line up?" I yelled. As Spalding broke the huddle my teammates helped me with my alignment. I was in a three point stance directly in front of a 190 pound guard. He looked 265 but I know he wasn't. The quarterback started his cadence and as I looked at him to my right I couldn't help but notice Spalding had very wide splits and there was nothing separating the QB from me but about four feet of open space. I couldn't believe I was so close to him. In a split second I decided I was going to shoot the inside gap and crush that QB! The ball was snapped; I shot the A gap so quick the guard missed me and I was in free. The QB reversed out and booted to his right. Now he was to my left. I had shot the gap so quickly that I overran him. "Oh no, I missed him", was my thought. I planted my right foot quickly and rerouted to my left and reached desperately with my left hand. As I was diving I got my left arm around his thighs, wrapped my other arm around his legs and brought him down for a two yard loss. Whew! I barely recovered. My teammates were pattin' me on the back congratulating me. But I had learned my lesson. I was NOT going to shoot the gap again. On the second play they came right at me, probably expecting me to shoot the A gap again. They didn't even block me as the right guard veered to my left. They ran a dive play right at me and I made the tackle on the line of scrimmage. All the guys were slapping me on the back as they pulled me to my feet. I had practically single handed made a goal line stand but they NEVER blocked me. Heck, I should have made those plays.

The game was over and I was headed toward the locker room when I heard a voice behind me. "Grant!" I turned and looked. It was Coach Traficano. He had a little smile and put his hand on my shoulder. "Nice job", he said as we continued toward the locker room, "Thanks Coach".

Now I ask you, was I lucky or good? Let me know. Chiefpigskin.com

The Words

Well, what a coincedence. Just two weeks after writing in my blog that I wished I could REALLY write, my wife and I saw a movie about a guy who wished he could REALLY write. I didn't expect that. The difference was, though, he was a full time writer who couldn't get anything published. He thought he was writing good material but was having trouble getting someone to give him a break. To make ends meet he was borrowing money from his father while he continued to pursue his dreams. Obviously, when you're a full time writer and making zero dollars the stress, doubt, and strain become severe. That's where the movie became really interesting.

Film critic Chuck Koplinski writes, " Bradley Cooper is a struggling writer who stumbles upon an old manuscript and, out of desperation, pawns it off as his own. Fame and fortune come his way as does the original author, a bitter old man whose motives are mysterious. The film...maintains a serious tone as it deals with its theme of sin, regret, and the price paid when pride gets the best of us. Compelling and unexpected, this one will stick with you long after the credits roll."

And that's exactly how I felt after watching this movie. I sat there a couple of minutes just pondering the surprising ending and watching the credits roll. I really enjoyed this film much more than I thought I would and highly recommend it. But then again it's the kind of movie I like, no special effects, no aliens, no magic. Just a movie about people and life. Chiefpigskin.com 

Yes, It's Still Time For A Rule Change

Last year at this time I wrote an article/blog stating that it was time for a rule change in football. I'm going to repost parts of that blog because I feel just as strongly about the subject. To lead into this post let me explain. The University of Illinois will be hosting Louisiana Tech, coached by Sonny Dykes, this Saturday at Memorial Stadium in Champaign. Coach Dykes has done a fabulous job at Tech and has a fast moving high octane offense that is hard to stop. They will be running a no huddle and pass oriented offense that might throw the ball 50+ times. The play clock will be stopped a lot on incomplete passes and players going out of bounds. The average L. Tech game lasts 4 hours and 10 minutes! That's too long. I love football but that is too long. What can be done to speed thigs up a bit? Here are excerpts from a Sept. 5, 2011 blog that I wrote. (Get ready, it's radical)

You’re going to think I’m nuts. You’re going to think I’m advocating football blasphemy but it’s time to keep the clock running on incomplete passes. Oh, not completely keep the clock running, but start the clock once the ball has been spotted in place for the next down. Exactly the way we do the clock for setting the chains. Hear me out, my friend.

We have to think logically. Think back to the games origins (imagine) and try to figure out WHY the clock was stopped on an incomplete pass. They had to have a reason. The only logical answer is they stopped the clock to chase down the ball. The thinking must have been, “Let’s not run the clock while we’re retrieving the ball”. They probably didn’t have as many refs as we do now nor as many footballs and ball boys. It may have been time consuming to chase the ball down. Now, why the rules makers didn’t restart the clock when the ball was ready for play from the very beginning, I don’t know. Help me on that if you can.  At any rate, there is no reason why the clock can’t be started when the ball is ready for play.

Why do we need this rule change? Because with passing attempts going up at all levels it’s starting to take too doggone long to play a game. Particularly at the pro and college level once you add in TV timeouts and the like. A team that throws three incomplete passes in a row might burn ten seconds and that in turn extends the game too much. I propose stopping the clock on an incomplete pass and then restarting it once it’s ready. Will that change some strategy? Sure, but so what? A good coach can still manage the clock with timeouts and utilizing the sideline. Remember, the clock can be stopped by going out of bounds although I can’t think of the reason for that. Another story some day. And what about spiking the ball? That will make that strategy useless you say.  Good. I think it’s dumb anyway. Spiking the ball looks like a fumble to me. My proposal would speed up the game and still allow for strategy in stopping the clock.  

Well, there you have it. What do you think? Give me your comments or go to the Chiefpigskin forums and start a thread. I'd love to hear if you think I'm crazy or if I might be on to something.  Have a great weekend coaching, playing, and watching football.

We Can't be Intimidated

Shiekh Hassan Nasrallah, making a rare public appearance before hundreds of thousands of supporters, says the U.S. must ban the YouTube video "Innocence of Muslims" and have it removed from the internet. Said Nasrallah, " As long as there's blood in us we will not remain silent over insults against our prophet. " Really? The U.S. must ban and remove? When they say the U.S. who do they mean? The government, president, secretary of state, football coaches, me, you? Do they realize that our government has no power to ban so much of the offensive, sinful media? If they did, they should start with pornography. But it doesn't work that way here.

The radical, extremists of the Muslim religion are trying to bully and intimidate us into banning material they don't like. The message is, "If you do things that anger us we will kill your ambassadors (they did) burn your flags and murder innocent Americans." We simply cannot let one group of radicals intimidate us. If a video that insulted Christianity, Taoism, Mormonism, Hinduism, Buddhism, or any other 'ism were made there would be no fear of violent retribution. Oh yeah, some grumbling, but that's about it. A few years back there was a movie made called "The Last Temptation of Christ" that many catholics and protestants found insulting to Jesus Christ. There was some grumbling and complaining but at no time did the U.S. consider banning the movie. Nor should they have.

I did not see that movie nor have I seen the YouTube video. I don't care to see either. I do not endorse insulting other peoples or religions and I do not participate in those activities. But if some goofball wants to make an offensive video I guess that's his right in America. There are plenty of insulting movies out there.

OK, enough of that. It makes me angry and I had to blow off some steam. I'm getting back to football and enjoy the rest of the season. There's plenty of action to go and I know we're all looking forward to it. Coaches and fans, have fun! www.chiefpigskin.com

How Do They Do It?

Did any of you catch the Michigan vs. Air Force game? Air Force had Michigan on the ropes late in the fourth quarter at The Big House! A pro Michigan crowd of over 105, 000 cheered a vastly more talented Wolverine team on to a win over feisty Air Force 31-25. How do the service academies do it? Yes, Notre Dame put a whippin' on Navy two weeks ago but the Midshipmen and Falcons have been very competitive for the last several years against superior talent. Army has been down but I think they're getting better. So, I ask again, how do they do it?

The answer to that might be several different factors but the main one, in my opinion, is disciplined football. Air Force and Navy both run an extremely effecient triple option offense. And they run it flawlessly. Every football guy knows that option football is an equalizer on the field and can allow the team with less talent to go with a bigger, stronger, faster team. The deception and "trickery" if you will, is said to be the equalizer. Now, personally, I don't find the option trickery, just smart football. Never the less, it IS deceptive, but all offenses feature fakes and deception. It's considered though a high risk offense because of the pitch from the QB to the pitch back and that scares off a lot of coaches. But it's not high risk the way these guys run it to perfection.

Another factor is the tremendous personal discipline that the athletes of the academies possess. I mean, these guys are dedicated and committed to excellence in ALL areas, not just football. It carries over to the football field in a way that all football coaches admire. These guys are athletic, smart, classy and real all-americans. It demonstrates how much of a team game football is when lesser talent can band together and play fundamentally sound football to the extent these guys do.

As you can tell I'm a big fan of the service academies football teams and I really enjoy watching them. Course, I love option football too and that's what they run. There are probably other factors that contribute to the success of Navy and Air Force but those are my top two factors on how they do it. Your thoughts? Chiefpigskin.com

Wish I Could REALLY Write

Have you ever read old letters or journals from regular people that lived before telephones, email, Internet, etc.? People with little education had beautiful handwriting and writing skills. Why? I guess because other than face to face that was the only way to communicate. And they were good at it. My grandmother didn't get out of 5th grade but was a good writer. I used to get letters from her from time to time. But if we go back a bit further into the 18th and 19th centuries there are many good examples of excellent writing skills.

One of my boyhood heroes was American frontiersman Davy Crockett. Even though he had very little formal education the guy could write. Here's an excerpt of what he wrote in a journal while out on one of his exploring trips. Davy encounters a beautiful sight that causes him to launch into praise to the Creator. The writer describes it this way: "Just beyond the grove there was another expanse of treeless prairie, so rich, so beautiful, so brilliant with flowers that even Colonel Crockett, all unaccustomed to the devotional mood, reined in his horse, and gazing entranced upon the landscape, exclaimed, 'O God, what a world of beauty hast Thou made for man! And yet how poorly does he requite Thee for it! He does not even repay Thee with gratitude.' " Crockett recognized that the Creator's handiwork demands a response of gratefulness. We can also gain a lot of other insight on Crockett. He took pride in his military rank, he was familiar with the bible, (King James Version) he believed in God but he was not usually a religious man, and he could write with great detail and emotion.

I wish I could write like that. I think I do OK with my blog and my book on football ( see Chiefpigskin.com for my book) but I envy real writers. I love reading and it sometimes causes me to yearn for the ability to write a short story or novel. I simply don't possess that ability but I enjoy writing down my stories and thoughts on this site. I guess that will have to do.

Toiling In Obscurity

By now some of you parents may have noticed that the atmosphere at the lower levels of the high school football team is pretty laid back. Whatever your school calls it - Junior Varsity, Freshman, Sophomore, or Frosh/Soph, the lower levels simply don't get the same treatment as the varsity. In fact, they got more attention in Youth Football! I don't think it's that tough on the kids, but tough on the parents. There are no cheerleaders, fanfare, announcers, band, or crowd. Just the game. Some parents may feel their sons are getting the short end of the stick, that they deserve more attention. After all, aren't they part of the team? Didn't they put in work over the summer and weight train just as hard? Well, I would submit that this low profile approach might actually serve as motivation and could have other benefits as well.

Looking back to my high school days I remember we played our freshmen and sophomore games on our practice field at Woodruff High School in Peoria, IL. This field was about fifty percent grass, forty percent hard dirt, and ten percent cinders. An old cinder track that the track team used for practice encircled the field. The more cinders we threw off the field the more showed up by the next practice or game. There were no bleachers, no P.A. announcer, no scoreboard, and no band or cheerleaders. I can still see my Dad walking the sidelines right next to the team. That's what the fans did, just stood along the sidelines next to the team. But you know what? We didn't care. Heck, we'd have played on bricks if we had to. We just wanted to play football and I knew that when I played varsity I would get to play at Peoria Public Schools Stadium. "The Stadium" as we called it had the lushest grass, brightest scoreboard, prettiest cheerleaders, biggest crowds, and best doggone P.A. system in the country. (At least that's how I remember it). It had two large bleacher sections, one on each side, and one had a roof. The end of the stadium that had the scoreboard was lined with pine trees. It was and still is a pretty stadium. It motivated me to work hard so I could play varsity someday. But if I'd had to I still would have played varsity ball on the old practice field.

There was no pressure in those JV games, we just had fun. We were playing football and that's all that mattered. It kept us humble and made us realize we had to pay our dues like the juniors and seniors had. A lot more due paying than one summer of work. Did we desrve to have our names called out like the varsity on the loudspeaker? Maybe. But heck, with all the noise out there and the wind whistling through the ear holes of my helmet I never heard a P.A. announcer while I was playing in my life. I was into the game. And admit it parents, when your son's name is called out on the loudspeaker for a great play, it's not for his ears, it's for yours. YOU want to hear his name.

Many years later I attended a JV college game that my son was playing in. The scoreboard was on but that was it. Colleges don't play many JV games and I was just thankful he was getting a chance to play. He played well that night, caught several balls from his wide receiver position and had a lot of fun. It never occured to me to be upset that this game wasn't getting the same treatment as a varsity college game.

So, my advice is don't worry about the extras, his day is coming. The coaches don't worry about it and neither do the players. Just relax and enjoy those freshmen and sophomore games. They're learning how to be varsity players, and that's what counts.

Chiefpigskin.com

College Season Begins

I've always loved the college football season, more so than the pros. So it is with great anticipation that I dive in to the college season. One thing I liked about college is that you got a chance to watch different offenses and defenses. Everyone had their own style. But I'm a little disappointed when I see just about everyone running the spread. Every game seems the same, just like the NFL, but I guess there's enough difference to enjoy the college landscape. Don't get me wrong, the spread can be exciting but the game has slowed down in a way. Although the spread is designed to "play fast" and it does, I get tired of motion penalties, holding calls, delay of game. And the players get to the line of scrimmage and stop, look at the sideline, shift, look at the sideline, motion, audible, point, then finally run the play for an incomplete pass that runs two seconds off the clock. I liked it when they broke the huddle, ran the play, and kept things rolling. There's too much choppiness in games.

After all that complaining I still really do love college football. I'm looking forward to Navy and Notre Dame playing in Ireland and Alabama playing Michigan in Texas I think. Texas? Why Texas? Anyway, Alabama will have too much speed and dominate the Wolverines by the middle of the third quarter. But I'm a Big Ten fan so I hope Michigan does well. Navy runs that double wing offense to precision and I'll be pulling for them.

High school football is getting into full swing and their are some fun match ups there as well. I'm going to enjoy this Labor Day weekend and try to relax. You do the same. Chiefpigskin.com

Showtime!

*NOTE* The following is a post from the archives.

Load up the equipment, put on full battle gear, buckle up your chinstraps, it’s Showtime! We’re finally at game week here in Illinois. I’m not sure what part of the season the rest of you are in, but I have a hunch that most of you are just about where we are. This is a most exciting time. Optimism abounds as everyone gets a fresh start and hopes of that special season run high. I always found it difficult to concentrate on anything other than football during this week. Do we have the kids ready? Have we covered all the essentials? Are we as well prepared as we can be? How good can our team be? We will find out Friday night. (I know, many of you will find out Saturday) But, oh, those Friday nights!

The atmosphere will be electric. Old men will lean over the fence on the sidelines looking wistfully at the young men on the field, all the while wishing they could play just one more time. Proud fathers will be gazing at their sons as they file out of the locker room to warm up. Little boys will stand near the end zone to get a close look at their heroes. Their eyes will be big as silver dollars as they wonder if they’ll ever be that big and longing for the day they get to play high school ball. Moms are decked out in school colors with their cowbells, shakers, and other assorted noisemakers. Many of them aren’t quite sure of all the rules and wonder why their men are so in love with this game, (Moms-buy my book “Understanding Football and Why Boys Love It”)but they’re supportive none the less. The lights are on and the band is playing nearby as they prepare to go to the field when the players go to the locker room for a final time before the game. The smell of hotdogs and popcorn linger in the cooler air of the evening as the sun goes down. The cheerleaders are laying their pom poms in front of the bleachers and practicing their cheers one last time. The bleachers are filling and the anticipation builds as the time for the opening kickoff nears. As a coach, this was always a nervous time as I went over my defensive game plan and imagined all the different scenarios that might occur during the game. The last 30 minutes go so slow, we just want to play.

Finally, it’s time for the players to come out of the locker room for the opening kickoff. The home team bursts through the banner made especially for that purpose. The players crack pads and give handshakes as the coaches bark out final instructions and exhort their players to be ready and alert at all times. As the players take the field the crowd begins to cheer and the noisemakers are loudly brought out in full force. The teams line up for the kickoff and the noise of the crowd comes to a crescendo as the ball is kicked high and deep…yep; Friday night football is here with all the great atmosphere that goes with it. Where else would anyone want to be?

Position Changes?

During the last two weeks high school coaches around the country have been preparing their teams for the first game and I hope all is going well for all of you. I know from experience that many of you have been moving guys around a little bit trying to find that right combination. Good coaches seem to have a knack for getting their personnel in the right spot. It has to be a place that benefits the team as well as the player. Maximize talent, ability, giving your athletes the best chance to be successful.

I remember a time many years ago when we really needed another inside linebacker and as a staff discussed at length on a solution. We decided in preseason to move an outstanding D tackle to inside backer. For two weeks we worked with him confident that we he could handle it. He was about 6-1 200 pounds and moved well. Our first game came against a very good opponent and we had him ready as we could. It was a disaster, he was lost. When I watched the film it was even worse. I talked to him and we both decided it would be in the team's and HIS best interests if we moved him back to tackle. We lost that opener but went on to a fine 8-3 season.

Many of you may be in the same position right now. Perhaps you need to move a player from the backfield to the line. That's the toughest move of all. To a high school kid that's like being banished to Siberia. Communication is key in all position changes. First, talk to the young man and let him know what you're thinking. Explain why this will help the team and talk up his strengths to let him know why you think he can handle it. Tell him that "we'd like you to give it a try and see how it goes." Give him plenty of encouragement but monitor the new change closely. Keep communicating with the athlete and get a feel for what he's thinking and feeling. We might think this is an easy move but remember, he's still a kid.

Football is the ultimate team sport and requires an unselfish attitude from all. It's our job as coaches to keep hammering away at that theme to get everyone on board. We still need to keep the game fun but yet give everyone the best chance to be successful. It can be a tough line to walk sometimes. Chiefpigskin.com

Final Thoughts on The Games

The 2012 Olympics are over and it's time for me to step back, take a look, and give my thoughts. I did enjoy them as always and saw some historical performances. That's what's cool about the Olympics, it's history. Some sports I don't get, but I try to appreciate them all. So, let's go down the list of standouts (and disappointments) for me.

Swimming - The men and women were both exceptional. Missy Franklin is tough and Michael Phelps demonstrated his greatness again. He is truly a historical Olympian and maybe the best ever. Certainly one of the best and absolutely THE most decorated. I can't say he's the greatest ever because swimming has so many events it lends itself to winning a lot of medals. Some sports no matter how great you are you can only win one medal per Olympics.

Women's gymnastics - Wow! Those young ladies of the USA were on. And talk about performing under pressure, that's the epitomy of pressure. Gabby and company were sensational. I was impressed and that balance beam - it makes me nervous.

Men and Womens Track - This was a lot of fun and once again the USA performed well. The stars? Probably the women because of their talent and bubbly personalities. The big star though was a Jamaican named Usain Bolt. I'm telling you, fifty years from now you younger folks will still be telling stories about this guy. We saw a legend run - period!

Basketball - I expected two gold medals and we got 'em. I didn't see anything that amazed me, just business as usual.

Volleyball - We did well, as expected but no Gold. Oh, beach volleyball our women were dominant but I can't quite get excited about it, sorry. I do try to appreciate their talent.

Soccer - The Gold was expected and delivered by the women. Do we have a men's team? I try to appreciate soccer.

Wrestling - We did OK but this is a sport that we have dominated at times. I don't like the new format of winning periods. How long has this been going on? More than ten years? I don't like it, but I do love wrestling, these guys are STUDS.

Boxing - Oh my gosh! Huge disappointment. The USA used to dominate and the men didn't win a single medal, not one. Of course, boxing's not as popular as it used to be, I used to love it. I remember the '76 Olympics with Ray Leonard, Howard Davis, the Spinks brothers and others. Dad, my brothers and me were jumping out of our seats cheering the American boxers. It was thrilling. Those days are gone. Look at the medals these guys hauled:

106:Louis Curtis ,112:Leo Randolph (GOLD) 119: Charles Mooney (SILVER) 125: Davey Lee Armstrong 132: Howard Davis Jr. (GOLD) 139: Ray Leonard (GOLD) 147: Clinton Jackson 156: Charles Walker Jr. 165: Michael Spinks (GOLD) 178: Leon Spinks (GOLD) +178: Johnny Tate, (BRONZE)

Well, there was a lot more, but that's what stands out to me. Now it's wait four more years but isn't that one of the things that make the Olympics special? Chiefpigskin.com

And They're Off!

All across the country high school football is getting underway. It's an exciting time, isn't it? Optimism flows everywhere and all teams are still undefeated. I talked to a coach today who coaches at a small high school (290) and he said, " For the first time ever we have no real holes in our defense. Usually we're hiding at least one linebacker or corner but not this year. We're thin, but solid." Yep, optimism is the order of the day.

Now if you're like me you're probably saying, "We've got two weeks to get ready, how am I going to cover everything we need to get ready?" You look at your list and get overwhelmed. Alignment, responsibilities, technique, coverages, blitzes, fronts, stunts...and that's just defense. Offensively it's the same kind of content except multiple formations, motions, the run game, pass game...you get the idea. Then of course, blocking drills, tackling drills, agility drills, and weight training. Oh, and don't forget special teams, they win and lose ballgames. Punt, punt return, kickoff, kickoff return, PAT, field goal, onside kick and hands team. All this needs to be ready for game one. How does a coach get to all of this? Remember, you don't need all of your offense and defense installed for the first game. Just the base. You can always put more in as the season goes along every week. Just know your base, believe in it and do it well that first game. Maybe one trick play? Yeah, maybe.

On a side note, have you seen the new $49 million high school football stadium in Allen, Texas? It's got to be the most impressive new high school stadium I've ever seen. Take a look on Maxpreps.com. They are taking some criticism over their priorities. But I've found that schools that have great athletic facilities usually have great academics too. It shows a community cares about their education all around. Also the first week of the season will have some great match ups that I'm looking forward to. Notre Dame and Navy play in Ireland as well as several high school games as preliminaries. Loyola (IL) goes against Jesuit (TX) on Friday night in a match up of high school powers.

Well, it's going to be another exciting season and I know we're all looking forward to it. Good luck to all of you coaches and to your teams. http://www.chiefpigskin.com/

Influence

You think youngsters aren't influenced by what they see on television or in other forms of media? They sure are and it's obvious at our house the Olympics are having a positive influence. I have 3 daughters who always liked gymnastics and participated a little bit. A couple of my daughters can do the round off flip-flops and all that other flipping stuff. So of course, when my daughter Olivia and 4 year old granddaughter Lyla were at our house the other night they were glued to the TV watching the USA women's team winning the Gold.

A little later my wife went into our bedroom and Lyla was playing on our bed. And what grandma (my wife) saw was pretty cool. At the foot of our bed is a foot board that has a about a 3 inch wide board at the top that resembles a small balance beam in gymnastics. There was Lyla on the foot board walking and balancing doing her beam routine. She was definitely influenced by what she saw on TV. Well, it just so happens that we had Olivia's old balance beam in our garage. It's only 6 feet long and stands about 6 inches off the ground so it's kind of a mini beam. A good friend of mine built it for Olivia about 25 years ago. Lyla's eyes lit up when she saw a "real" balance beam that was her mom's when she was a little girl. Olivia loaded it up in her van and took it home. Lyla was so excited and couldn't wait to use it.

A little kid can use their imagination and have fun with anything. Who would have thought the foot board of our bed would be turned into a balance beam by a 4 year old? That's the influence of sports and shows the power of sport. Let's always use that power wisely. www.chiefpigskin.com

Yep, I'm Watching the Olympics

Yeah, I'm watching the Olympics. They have lost their luster a little bit over the last 20 years or so; we have so many new competitions that have cropped up and much more international competition that makes the Olympics seem not so special. But I am one of those who will continue to tune in. You see, I don't just like sports or even love sports. For better or worse, sports are a part of me. They are interwoven in my fabric, they run through my body, in my DNA. I have been this way as long as I can remember and it will never change.

I watch sports that I would not ordinarily watch. I never watch swimming, but I really get into Olympic swimming. I've noticed Michael Phelps has lost his fire. He's still great but after living in the pool training like a madman for at least 15 years it's wearing on him. Who can blame him? And how about Missy Franklin? She swims a semi in one event and turns around 10 minutes later and swims in the backstroke finals. And wins the Gold! Do you know how tough that is? It was one of the most impressive things I've ever seen in sport. I rarely watch gymnastics but I watch the Olympics. The men had a tough time but the women really turned it on. The pressure on those young ladies is unbelievable and it was great to watch them win the Gold. And what about the parents in the stands? They are so stressed they can't think. I've been there, I know how that is. I will also be watching track and field although I rarely watch track otherwise. The sprinters are sensational as well as many of the other events. If Lolo Jones doesn't win a medal she'll still be a star because of her personality and stunning looks. I haven't watched any basketball and very little boxing, which used to be one of my favorites. I love wrestling but they won't give it much coverage.

Yep, I'm watching for all those reasons and because it's history. It's tradition. It reminds me of when I was a young boy and our whole family would gather around the TV and cheer for the USA. I think it's still fun. Chiefpigskin.com

Controversial Comments

“Johnson Puts Foot In Mouth” was the headline. “Says slavery has benefited athletes” was the byline. Gee whiz, this makes it sounds like Michael Johnson says slavery had a good side? No, no, NO! Of course that’s not what he meant. Slavery is wrong, period. Any right minded person knows that. But is Johnson saying anything out of line? You be the judge.

Four time Olympic gold-medalist sprinter Michael Johnson was quoted as saying he believes slave descendents make superior athletes – and that such a controversial topic shouldn’t be avoided but discussed openly as the world begins to turn its attention to the London Olympics. “All my life I believed I became an athlete through my own determination, but it’s impossible to think that being descended from slaves hasn’t left an imprint through the generations,” he was quoted as saying in an article in the British newspaper the Dailey Mail. Now how could being descended from slaves have anything to do with superior athletes? Simple. Survival of the fittest, selective breeding. “Difficult as it was to hear, slavery has benefited descendants like me – I believe there is a superior gene in us.” Maybe it’s that word “superior” that makes people uncomfortable. At any rate, Johnson caused quite a stir.

I have two thoughts that come to my mind. First of all, isn’t this what we teach in our classrooms of our public schools, Darwin’s theory of evolution? Heck, here in Illinois science teachers MUST teach evolution and survival of the fittest. Creationism can’t even be mentioned. So Johnson brings up a point that we teach to our youngsters and he gets ripped. Well then, don’t we believe what we teach? Secondly, when I was in high school way back in the 60’s we used to throw around this idea. We were a multi cultural community and we were comfortable discussing this idea with all races. None of us, white, black, or Hispanic thought it was a big deal to speculate why the black athletes were so fast and athletic. We never came up with a definitive answer, we just discussed it.

That’s all Johnson is asking. Can we discuss it? Or is this too touchy of a subject? Maybe it is. I’ll be watching the Olympic track and field games because Johnson will be an analyst. I’m curious to see if anyone brings it up to Michael or will they just ignore it? I do enjoy the Olympics and good luck to all the athletes as the games begin this weekend. Chiefpigskin.com