Whenever I get a chance to sit down and post something I usually do...sit down...and...post something. Well, I really haven't  had much time to actually post anything, although, I have dropped comments now and then. So when I went into my archives I was stunned to see how much time it has been since my last post. And, while this is by no means a religious calling for me the first thing that came to my mind was...Bless me someone for I have...well...it's been 2 months since my last...scribble. Anyway...a few things are on my mind tonight and since my wife looks at me and rolls her eyes when I question things that go on in the sports world...and she did just that and went to bed...I figured I can get some of it off of my chest right here. Lucky me...maybe not so lucky you.

Is anyone else as sick and tired of the Green Bay Packers and Brett Favre as I am? Brett...you quit...hung 'em up! Retired! Ride off into the football sunset. Let the Packers and Aaron Rodgers move on...without you to screw things up. But, noooooooooo! You didn't really want to retire. You were forced into it. Held down...beat about the head and shoulders...kicked and mutilated to get you to say... you were going to retire. You said things like you had family issues that needed your attention and you didn't think it would be fair to show up a couple of days a week to play on Sunday. Hell, I admired that. No way would the great Brett Favre "Clemens" his time with the Packers. You turned in your paperwork...took your football...and went home. And the Pack was ready to move on. You know...thanks for everything Brett...we are sure going to miss you...You've meant so very, very much to the organization...Aaron, put your helmet on! But now Brett wants to play again. Only this time he wants to play with someone else's football. Supposedly he talked with the Vikings and got the NFL investigating them. He has told the Packers he will be in camp this weekend. They have told him if he comes back he won't be the starter and he will definately find himself in another role. He ain't sitting behind anyone. So...he'll show up and force the Packers to trade him. And they will. And can you guess what they want for a "retired" QB who can't make a decision and stick to it. They want a first round pick for a guy who had a great career...the key word there being...had! They want a first round pick for a guy who may eventually...retire and stick to it. Maybe even next year. So shop him around for a first round pick when nobody...even Brett...is sure when he'll retire. Actually...it doesn't matter when Favre says he'll hang 'em up again...you can't trust him to stick to it. Are you freakin' kidding me! I wish this show was over...for good!

Tony Stewart...good for you!Tony has his sponsors and his car for next year. Stewart will drive #14. This serves as a sign of respect to his hero, AJ Foyt. Seems Foyt swayed the young Stewart with his "tough-guy bravado and swashbuckling style." Hopefully Tony isn't confused and has actually been swayed by Danica Patrick who thinks she's a "tough guy" and who has been accused of being a bit reckless...kind of another way of saying "swashbuckling" don't you know! I wish she would go away just like I wish Michelle Wie would quit screwing up on the women's tour...and then jump right into a men's tournament. Another form of reckless, swashbuckling behavior. But, like I said on some other posts...Michelle didn't sign her card...but the LPGA "let her play the next day before DQing her." Maybe we could get the LPGA to go away as well. And...then again...maybe not!

I was watching a bench clearing brawl on television the other night when one of the players comes flying across the screen throwing a baseball at someone. Are you freakin' kidding me? Apparently a baseball game broke out during a bench clearing brawl between the Peoria Chiefs and the Dayton Dragons. In the course of the brawl a player runs in front of the camera throwing a baseball at someone. The someone has not been identified but we do know wher the ball landed. It hit a fan in the stands. This is akin to assaulting a high ranking public official in the strange world of baseball. Baseball rule 9000, subsection 74...in regard to fan base. "A fan is not allowed to be on the playing field for any reasons that would alter the regular course of the game being played. In light of that rule a player shall not knowingly, or unwittingly, throw a baseball during a bench clearing brawl which occurs in the regular course of the game being played that night that intentionally, or inadvertently hits a fan who has not leapt onto the field in violation of previously mentioned rule regarding fan base. Any player in violation of this rule will be subject to severe civil rulings as well as league discipline." The fan in the stands went to the emergency room where they were treated and released. The player in question is Peoria's own Julio Castillo, the guy pitching when the brawl broke out. Julio has been in the USA from the Dominican Republic for...oh, about a month...and has been living with some of the guys. Guess what? The injured fan was treated and released...Julio...not so much! He was arrested and charged with Felonious Assault, held on $50,000.00 bail and ordered to surrender his passpor. Hey, Julio...welcome to the good old USA. An opportunity for an eager prosecuting attorney or another opp for a defense attorney to argue his clients moral character and the fact that he "didn't mean to injure anyone."  He could go to prison for 8 years and face $15,000.00 in fines. You know what is messed up? Barry Bonds sits at home and this kid will be pitching by next week. Are you freakin' kidding me?

Mark Kriegel, a writer for Fox says the most important player for the "Dream Team 2008" is Jason Kidd. Aside from the fact that he is 35 years old and a tad slow, Kriegel mentions several reasons why that make a lot of sense. He is older and wiser than his counterparts. He has the respect of his teammates. He has more international experience than anyone on the team. He will make the right decision on who gets the ball and when because of that experience. Hell, it all sounds good to me. Only problem I see with it...the Kobe lovers will have a fit. This is a group that could hang out with Brett Favre. They aren't happy if Kobe is the man because they think the world hates him and if things don't go well the world will blame Kobe. And they aren't happy if Kobe isn't the man because...he should be the man and if he ain't then people just don't know what the hell they are talking about. Much like Favre this group wants to "have their cake and eat it too." I suppose that is fine but it seems like an awful lot of work just to support one guy. I suppose that I should mention that I couldn't care less about that as I don't get all worked up over Kobe Bryant. I don't even have a problem with Kobe fans but as the late, great George Carlin once said..."I call 'em as I see 'em..." I'm not too worked up about Dream Team 2008 either. But it has nothing to do with my patriotic feelings. I simply don't feel as strong a patriotic push over a basketball team as I do about...most anything else American. And I'm not a big fan of the Olympic Games anymore, either. Too many professionals in an event designed to be about amateur competition. But I been all through that on a post by Dudski, who I consider the primo blogger around here.

And finally...the next tennis phenom...as far as Playboy goes, anyway. Apparently Ashley Harkleroad can be seen in this months Playboy magazine sans clothing. I saw that and the first thing that came to mind for me was..."Who the hell is Ashley Harkleroad?" So I viewed the 5 pictures FoxSports put up of the "scandalous" pictures and thought to myself..."Oh, great...the next Anna Kournikova." I don't know a lot about this girl...obviously...but she doesn't look much older than Anna and I'm not sure she has won anything of consequence. Now...I may be wrong about that but having never heard of her makes me think...another angle to get to the top for a player who may or not be able to get there on their abilitry alone. Much like...well...Anna Kournikova! But I also found myself asking which is worse, if either. Playing in men's golf tournaments when you can't win, or sign your scorecard, on the women's tour in order to get ahead...or...take your clothes off and get photographed and put into an issue of Playboy so that you can insure that the next time your name comes up in the first round of some tennis tournament...the world will tune in just to see who you are. I'm kind of tired of Michelle Wie so if I absolutely had to choose....well...what would you do?

And that's the bottom line...

BOOMER SOONER!!!

How bored am I right now. I'm so freakin' bored I'm watching OU vs. Boise State and I'm gettin' mad. Last year when this game was played and Boise State pulled out the trick plays I just sat and smiled. It was a great game...but now it sucks. Why am I so bored you may ask? Well, it's basically because the pre-season pronostications for College Football and the NFL are so much more interesting than what is passing for sports at this current time. I need a new season.

I'm so absolutely sick and tired of the Barry Bonds saga that baseball isn't fun for me at all. I watched the Cardinals-Padres game earlier tonight and aside from the 8 million comparisons between Tom Glavine and Greg Maddox the constant rambling about why Hank Aaron is not supporting Bonds or how Bud Selig's statement was appropriate but that history will not look kindly on Selig for not being there when Bonds hits the 756th homerun of his career it wasn't a bad game. The Cardinals scored 10 runs in the 5th inning and cruised to victory. I was bored. Then I watched the Giants-Nationals game. I should have just gotten a poke in the eye with a sharp stick...it would have been more fun...and it probably would have felt better. The kid pitching for the Nationals tonight actually did a good job. He is one of the few who actually went after Bonds instead of ridiculously walking him on 4 pitches and guess what...Bonds was hitless and struckout a couple of times. I actually heve more respect for the kid that pitched tonight than I do for all of MLB in regard to the Bond's thing. And from the world of most pathetic advertising on television...how about the "How bad steroids are for you" that you never see except when the Giants are playing.  It's  pathetic and falls into the same boring schtick that has become a part of this episode in MLB history. It's freakin' boring. Hit one more out Barry so that the game of baseball might become fun again. Oh, and for those who are worried about how Selig will be represented by history...who cares if he is in the building when Bonds hits number 756...his legacy is already more soiled than a 3 month olds diaper that one more thing won't help him...or hurt him...historically speaking. And he looks more bored than I am. That's pathetic. I need a new season.

Let's see hear...Tour de France...more steroids. They are even finding that over inflated tires may be the result of steroid usage in rubber companies. Talk about boring. Tennis anyone? No thanks...even Sharapova seems to have lost the ability to appear interested anymore. Pro wrestling...nope. John Cena just can't carry the program like his predecessors. Comparing this guy to Stone Cold, the Rock, HHH, Hulk Hogan or Vern Gagne is like comparing Michael Vick to the war against terrorism or PETA. It's lame, pathetic and BORING!!! How about soccer. Freddy Adu was so bored he took his act to another country for a measly 2 million and if I hear about Beckham's ankle injury one more time...well...I'm not sure what I'll do but it may not be pretty. I'm not a big NASCAR fan but the off the track news is getting boring as well. Paris Hilton thinks one of the drivers is cute and none of the drivers seem to get along...bored. Kobe still has no one in LA and Garnett is being called the Celtic's ticket to another dynasty....after my laughter subsides I realize this bores me as well. I need a new season.

I need the new College Football season. How bad do I need it? I'm starting to think about doing things I never do...like analyzing OU's opponents and figuring out how much OU should win by.  I'm looking at their schedule and thinking they should do pretty damn well regardless of who their QB ends up being. And to that end, while not being an "expert" by any means I have broken down the first 3 games of the Sooners season. And, aside from their penchant for not playing well early, the Sooners should realistically be 3-0 after these games.

First up is the North Texas Mean Green. I'm thinking not. They finished 3-9 in the Sun Belt Conference last year. They return 4 starters on offense and 10 on defense. They have their own QB controversy going on with no less than 4 players looking for playing time. Daniel Meager appears to be the main man but he only started 6 games last year, throwing 4 TD's and passing for 517 yards. Junior Matt Phillips, sophomore Nathan Tune and true freshman Giovanni Vizza will all push Meager for snaps. The running game looked great in 2004 when Jamarco Thomas rushed for 1,802 yards including six 200 yard games. That was in 2004. He has rushed for 1,029 yards in the two years since then. Senior Brandon Jackson leads the receiving group that is loaded with converted TE's, inexperienced WR's and a lot of new faces. On defense the "Mean Green" return 10 starters and 8 of their leading tacklers. They move from a 3-4 to a 4-3 this year and the linebacking group should be their strength. They have 7 linebackers returning who have started at least one game. Senior Derek Mendoza in the middle and All Sun Belt Maurice Holman on the outside are supported by senior Brandon Monroe, juniors Colt Mahan and Germaine Dawson and sophomore Tobe Nwigwe make this a strong and experienced unit. The defensive line returns both starting DE's including All Sun Belt Jeremiah Jackson and the secondary returns all 4 starters from a year ago. A lot of experience even if they only intercepted 3 passes last year as a group. The punting is in the capable hands (or leg) of All Sun Belt punter Truman Spencer who averaged 41.2 yards a punt last year. And this could be a very good thing for the "Mean Green." With the questions on offense Spencer will play a crucial role in the battle for field position. The defense should be enough of a test for whoever lines up under center for OU but probably not enough to cause great problems and therefor allow whoever it is, Sam Bradford, Joey Hazle or Keith Nicol to get some much needed game snaps before the game against the Miami Hurricanes in week two. The Sooners should cruise by a few TD's here...even with an inexperienced QB.

The Miami Hurricanes come to Norman on Sept. 8 for the second game of the year. New Hurricanes coach Randy Shannon has his hands full but he has some talent...much more talent than the "Mean Green." That said, the Canes have their own QB question marks coming into the season. Kyle Wright and Kirby Freeman will wage a battle for the starting spot which Shannon will not name until the week before Miami opens thier season against Marshall. Wright had been projected for stardom but is only 14-7 as a starter and is 2-6 against Top 25 teams. Freeman is more athletic and mobile and played well in starting the last 4 games of the year for Miami last year. Tailback Javarris James handles the running game and reminds people of his cousin, Edgerrin james, because of his moves not his speed. The receivers, once a strong part of the Hurrican football team, resemble nothing of the great receiving corps of past Hurricane teams. Lance Leggett has yet to live up to the hype, Sam Shields was their best receiver as a freshman and Darnell Jenkins adds experience but after those three it is slim pickens. On top of that the Canes will be working under their 3rd Offensive Coordinator in 3 years. The defense is another story. These guy's can play. Defensive lineman Calais Campbell is a monster at 6'8" and 282 pounds. Campbell stayed in school instead of turning pro where he would most surely have been a first round pick (good for him!). He led the Canes in tackles, tackles for loss with 20.5 and sacks with 10.5. An extremely disruptive force on the defensive line for the Hurricanes. A first team All ACC player. Another group that has historically been strong for the Canes are their linebackers. They won't be this year. Glenn Cook returns in the middle and strong side linebacker Tavares Goodon returns but they may be pushed out of starting jobs by the season opener. In 2005 the defense was 1st in the nation in pass defense but dropped to 40th last year. The secondary returns all 4 starters and others with experience including 2nd team All ACC free safety Kenny Phillips who picked off 4 passes last year while missing three games with a broken thumb. Matt Bosher has the strongest leg in Miami apparently as he is the leading candidate for the punting, place kicking and kick off duties for Miami this year. The Hurricanes will expect their defense to carry them a long way until the offense figures it out and gets something going. OU's defense is very good and the offense, even with the question at QB has a multitude of weapons at every skill position and a dominant offensive line. If OU's line can neutralize Campbell and they utilize their backs and receivers to spread the field against Miami they should be fine. 34-17...maybe!

Next up is the Utah State Aggies. They were shut out 4 times last year, scored more than 14 points in only 3 games and were outscored by 20 or more points in nine games last year. So what the hell do they have to look forward to. EXPERIENCE. They return nine starters on offense and all eleven starters on defense. Their kicking game will be improved from last year. The offensive line will be a positive for ther Aggies and is actually decent in pass protection. They have had lots of experience because they have generally fallen behind early and had to play catch up. They expect more out of their running game this year than in the past. Their best player is WR Kevin Robinson who hauled in 36 passes for 582 yards and 5 TD's last year. He has decent size and game breaking speed. The mand who will be reponsible for finding Robinson on the fly is QB Leon Jackson who has been around forever and knows what is happening. Or so they say. On defense the bright  spot is DE Ben Calderwood who is a second team ALL WAC player who is a disruptive force in the opponents backfield. Were I Bob Stoops I would remind my team about what happens when you play inferior teams, especially after playing a decent opponent, and you don't respect them. They beat you. I really don't forsee that happening here buut the point should be made.

The Sooners should be 3-0 after these games and the closest one they should have played would be the Miami game and I have them winning that one by 17 points. Whether anyone agrees with me is irrelevent in the grand scheme of things. But if I were Stoops my strongest message would be to respect your opponent regardless of who they are, play hard on every snap and play with intensity on every play, and I would open it up and run up the score whenever possible. For what purpose? To instill a killer instinct in my football team that isn't always there. To set the tone for the following weeks and to send a message. The message the Sooners have sent the past few years after the first few games is not conducive to coming out strong and finishing strong. They finish well (regular season) after struggling early. They need to break that habit and this schedule is perfect for that. I'm not intending to disrespect the "Mean Green" or their fans, the Hurricanes or their fans or the Utah State Aggies or their fans. The message the Sooners have sent the past few years after the first few games is...boring. I need a change. I need a new season. I need less boring. LET"S PLAY SOME FREAKIN' FOOTBALL!!!

And that's the bottom line...

Go Sooners

One of the things that I like to do, and try to do, on a daily basis is visit this blogosphere and see who is posting and what they are posting on. Drives my wife crazy but I enjoy it so...I do it anyway. There is the cast of "Usual Suspects" roaming around with Lisa, Rev and BGL, SoCal, Dudski, Flying Pig, Hogfan and...well...you know who they are if you have been around for any period of time. And I am not here to sing their praises although I enjoy what they post for the most part. And I am not here to blast them in any way because neither has done anything to deserve a good blasting andI wouldn't be the guy for that job anyway, despite what the avatar represents. But lately I've come on here and read some very weird posts. I also am not here to deny the authors their right to blog here but with a large portion of them I have to say...ARE YOU FREAKIN' KIDDING ME?

It seems like every day that Barry Bonds sits at 754 homeruns there are at least 2 or 3 posts by new bloggers about Barry Bonds. ARE YOU FREAKIN' KIDDING ME? And I'm not asking that of the bashers only. I ask it of the Bonds supporters as well. Where the hell have all of you been for the past year or so? It's like now that he is on the verge of becoming the all time homerun leader in MLB people can't jump on either bandwagon fast enough. Give it a freakin' rest. He will do it eventually. Personally I wish he would do it tomorrow night so we could move on to the next phase of this is why he shouldn't be the all time home run leader. Start throwing him strikes and let's get it done. People p and moan about why he hasn't done it yet. I think it is obvious. Pretty hard to get into any kind of a rythmn when you see 3 strikes and 16 balls a night. I've laughed the past two nights when the Dodgers walked him and it ended up costing them. Tonight in the 8th inning they go 2-0 on him and then walk him intentionally. Whatever. Pitch to him...end it...move on...resume the bashing all over again. And then we don't have to watch Bonds highlights every Sportscenter. It's like the TIGER watch. Then all you last minute bandwagon humpers can scream your disdain or your pleasure all you desire. Until then...ARE YOU FREAKIN' KIDDING ME?

Michael Vick (only accused at this point in time)...PETA...dog fighting and inhumane treatment of animals (dogs in this case)...humane treatment of animals...blah, blah, blah...ARE YOU FREAKIN' KIDDING ME? "Good night and remember to spay and neuter your pets...help control the pet population?" OK, Bob Barker used to end The Price is Right with this plug. I always wondered how I would feel about that if I were an animal? Not popular. Options...PETA...Michael Vick and buddies...hmmmm...neither popular...however, do I want to be abused and mistreated, electrocuted, left laying around with gaping wounds all over my body as I bleed to death, starved to death...or, because my human owner is a human turd who doesn't care for me and lets me run amok and become a stray I fall into the hands of an organization like PETA...or the local Humane Society who, after a certain period of time will euthanize me if I can't be placed with people who will care for me (long sentence...run ons...so what). Neither is popular but given an option...Vick scares the hell out of me. I couldn't care less if he is black...that is not the issue...I couldn't care less if he is a celebrity...that is not the issue...I couldn't care less if the media is making a mountain out of a mole hill because  Vick is black and a celebrity...that is not the issue... I couldn't care less if someone argues that PETA is as bad or worse or better than Michael Vick if they had a legitimate argument. I couldn't care less if Jesse Jackson or Al Sharpton spoke out supporting Vick or opposing Vick or just stayed the hell out of it and let it run its course. What bothers me is when someone tries to say that what PETA does is as bad or worse than what Vick and his buddies are accused of and rattles off some kind of statistical rambling that has nothing to do, contextually, with the issue at hand. PETA does some strange things...so does Greenpeace...but they do them in a somewhat controlled situation with some kind of regulation to them. They don't operate a business that is ILLEGAL. They don't mistreat animals before putting them in pits to fight and die for the monetary rewards of people. Well...people hunt and kill animals...where is the sport in that? Personally...there isn't any. Arguments can be made that some areas are hunted for population control. Happens in Minnesota all the time during deer hunting season. ARE YOU FREAKIN' KIDDING ME? The argument about PETA vs. Vick is lost in context. PETA isn't perfect but you can't compare them to an ILLEGAL operation. Or justify it by saying, "well I think Michael Vick is guilty of some of the stuff he is accused of" and let that be your justification for a lame argument. What Vick is accused of is morally, ethically and legally...WRONG! Don't even bother trying to make his actions seem more acceptable by saying PETA is as bad or worse. YOU LOSE!

And while I am on this rant about Bonds and Vick...ARE YOU FREAKIN' KIDDING ME? Michael Vick's bestest lifelong friend is getting ready to sing like the birds in the sky (how is that for poetic) against his lifelong bestest buddy to make things easier on him. Plea bargaining at its finest. Grand Jury jumped all over that. So if this is how Grand Jury's are supposed to work ( and I'm obviously no attorney)...what the hell is wrong with the one working on Bonds. Its been a couple of years at least and they still haven't done anything on anything. We've had ex-lovers testify against him (and apparently getting ready to do it again...naked)...we've had books citing him as the all evil one...we've had one guy go to jail, still in jail, instead of testifying against Bonds. Chemists from BALCO are giving him up while the owner of BALCO says the chemist doesn't know what he is talking about. Vicks bestest buddy is giving him up, more than that have tried to give up Bonds and yet...NOTHING has happened after all this time. ARE YOU FREAKIN' KIDDING ME? Charge him with something or let it go...this farce is costing people money.

The Minnesota Timberwolves traded Kevin Garnett to the Boston Celtics. Or did the Boston Celtics trade a bunch of kids and a problem child to the Wolves for Kevin Garnett. Boston becomes immediate contenders and the Wolves...will have to wait a while to see how this plays out. There are those who don't like it here in Minnesota.  ARE YOU FREAKIN' KIDDING ME? All you had to do to be convinced this was a good move was listen to Garnett at the press conference announcing his arrival in Boston. It's hard to go the arena every night knowing there is a greater than 50% chance you were going to lose. That was the gist of KG's comments. IT IS TIME FOR HIM TO MOVE ON. The Wolves get youth (Al Jefferson and Gerald Green) and draft picks and a better salary cap situation. So they suck for a couple of years...big deal...they do that now with no direction as a franchise. The down side...they also get Sebastian Telfair...Stephon Marbury's cousin who has been arrested twice since on gun charges since 2005. ARE YOU FREAKIN' KIDDING ME? He averages 6 points a game and roughly (benefit of a few % points) 3 assists a year. Good enough reason to pay him 2.56 million this year! Can you say...MAYDAY!

Duante Culpepper signed with the Oakland Raiders today after a couple of weeks without a team. Tampa Bay, Jacksonville and a couple others were mentioned in the past couple of weeks since Miami released him but nothing came up. Until now. ARE YOU FREAKIN' KIDDING ME? All this does is show you that Al Davis is still in need of analysis. He sees no problem. Why not...look at what he has seen for years now. Culpepper can't wait to silence his critics. Duante that means you'll have to play. As soon as Russell signs the only playing time Culpepper will see is as the other team's QB in practice...if his knee holds up. Culpepper is a season late. Randy Moss is a Patriot now (how scary does that sound) so his meal ticket left before he got there!!! It's good to see his timing hasn't changed.

In all reality I probably shouldn't have written this tonight but I'm struggling with something. And that something makes all of this fairly meaningless. But I had to do something.  ARE YOU FREAKIN' KIDDING ME? Nope! A bridge going over the Mississippi River collapsed tonight in Minneapolis. As I write this 7 are confirmed dead and 38 are injured...some critically. Some were children. It happened at about 6:05 in the evening...during rush hour. An estimated 50 cars fell when the bridge collapsed as the bridge is also a section of 35W. I'm struggling because of the catastrophe and the effect it will have on so many families. Frantic phone calls to siblings and from siblings and parents confirmed that I wouldn't be sharing in the grief of a loved one lost or injured in this horrible situation. And I will pray for those who will be feeling those things tonight. And I'm feeling weird about this. Like I dodged something. One of my kids had a soccer game roughly 30 minutes north of this accident. Her game was at 5:00 pm. We drove through there about 4:30. A few days ago this game was changed from a 7:00 pm start to a 5:00 pm start. If the game had been at 7:00 there is a pretty good chance that some of my family and I would have been in that area at the time the bridge collapsed. So...do I feel lucky tonight? Nope...just kind of weird and sad.

And that's the bottom line...

 

 

 

This is not going to be another "are you freakin' kidding me?" post. That will follow at another time. No, on this day I do not wish to ramble on about the negativity in the sports world. Actually, this post may even make some of you think I am bragging. And to a certain extent I may be. I will not apologize for it if that is how this post is taken. Believe me, or not, that is not what is the intent of this post.

As you will know if you have read my bio I coach high school hockey on the varsity level and soccer in a competitive summer season coaching 17 year old girls. In the capacity of a coach I have had many situations where the times and the people I have dealt with were , well...let's say difficult. I have been sued by my sister (until a judge threw it out and chastized my sister's attorney for wasting the courts time) for "endangering her son's potential" among other things for having him back up an all-conference senior goaltender when he was only a sophomore. I have received letters from angry parents who think I have had a personal agenda against their children. I have had divorced mothers tell me that I have to explain the facts of life to their child because their dad is worthless, when, in all actuality the dad had more on the ball than the mom. As a coach, as in being a teacher, one should resign oneself to the understanding that every child you work with will not be affected in a positive way and that you should not be naive enough to think that you can reach them all positively, NO MATTER HOW HARD YOU TRY. I'm not saying that you shouldn't try because I try like hell everyday with every student or student athlete. But sadly, it is the squeeky wheel that gets the grease and it is the group that you do not reach positively that sounds off and is most often heard. That is why you can almost rejoice when the other group is heard from. It is what keeps me in coaching.

My wife and I are selling our house but to do that we have to get it ready. That means going through stuff and cleaning house first. I have pictures of teams I have coached and action photos of some of the players I have coached on my walls. I have plaques and team celebration pictures on my walls from when we have qualified for the state tournament. I also have pictures of the teams that haven't done so well that I have coached hanging on my walls. I get one room in my house to decorate and 1/2 of it is dedicated to the teams I have coached and the other 1/2 is dedicated to the Oklahoma Sooners (imagine that). Other than that the dolphins motif in the bathroom upstairs, the tropical motif in the sunroom and the absolutely awful gold, blue and red color scheme in the living room (don't tell her I said that I don't need the added grief) are her choice. To that end I was reatly surprised when she showed me an envelope that had my name on it. She told me it didn't belong in the office and I should put it downstairs with my hockey stuff. I was pleasurably surprised when I looked inside.

Inside the envelope were pictures and cards that I had forgotten I had. The envelope was full of things that made me proud and happy. The comments by players were cool.

"Coach - we've been through a lot together over these great years andI can't thank you enough for everything. I'm really gonna miss you. Again, thanks for everything these 3 years."

"Coach - Thanks for the great job you have done.You were always so helpful with giving me advice in practice and in games. I realy appreciate it."

"Thanks Guy - You helped make this the most fun season of hockey I've had."

"Thank you for everything all year. You've helped my game a lot. Thanks."

"Thank you for helping me become a better hockey player and even more a better person. I appreciate all the help and time you have given me. See you soon!"

"I respect you for the unrelenting effort over the past 3 years. This team grew so much because of you. However, I do look forward to coming back for alumni games."

As awesome as these are one of my favorites is from a parent. In a small envelope inside the envelope I found note and a clipping from a magazine. The clipping was a poem from a young person from Oregon.

As I leave the floor
I will look up
The thing I see next
Means everything, god or bad
I will still look up
Into his eyes
He is my coach
But that is not all he is
He is my role model
The best hockey player I know
He feels like a father
He may not know it
But that look
That one look
Means the world to me.

The note from the parent reads as follows (however, I will substitute my blogging name for my real name, just as I have not used any names of the commentors here.):

Gcoach,

Read this and thought of you. As we say alot - thank God for Gcoach - you mean the world to us!

These are the the good things that sports can, and should, bring out. Our time is valuable and the monetary reward for a high school coach is fairly insignificant. When I read these things I couldn't have cared less about Barry Bonds or the bashers. I couldn't have cared less about Curt Schilling's big mouth, Roger Clemens, Tank Johnson or Pacman Jones or Michael Vick or steroids or Bud Selig or who is the NBA MVP this year and who really cares. No, I read these and re-charged my batteries for another hockey season and more memories, good or bad, and was thankful for the opportunity to coach and work with young people. What a rush!

And that's the bottom line...

I have been extremely busy this summer getting my house ready for the always exciting adventure of selling it! Painting, remodeling, rebuilding, landscaping and all of the fun stuff that go into the prize presentation house to get top dollar for my property. That is why I have not been heard from much here this summer. Some of you may wish I had stayed in the yard. But, alas, something has happened that pulled me by the hairs of my goatee to the keyboard. A college athlete in a high profile program has been suspended for the year!

As my short biography states I am a Oklahoma Sooners fan. I am not your "jump on the bandwagon" type of fan. I live OU and breath OU. I am a "Sooner born and a Sooner bred and when I die I will be a Sooner dead." I live in Minnesota, fly an OU flag on the flag pole directly below the U.S. Flag and I own a ton of OU football stuff. A couple of years ago my wife had an artist come in and copy a picture of one of my high school hockey players on a wall in our basement and then put him in an OU uniform. This was perfect because it took my sport and my team and combined them.  On a road trip last year a couple of the other coaches took my OU shower shoes and OU t-shirts and placed them in the garbage, in the ceiling tiles of our hotel, etc., etc. Later, the two coaches in question found their beds short sheeted with crushed pretzels in their sheets and pillow cases watered down. Do you see my point?

Today I go to FoxSports and I am greeted by the news that Rhett Bomar, OU's starting QB, has been suspended this year by the team for violating NCAA rules about accepting excess payments for a summer job. And I look at myself, a man whose competitive playing days are over for any sport. A man who is still extremely competitive and fills the passion by coaching. A man who would do almost anything to play again and be as successful as I once was between the lines. The huff and puff men's league fuels some competitive spirit but not like back in the day. As a football player I would have given my left nut to play for OU, and, maybe even my right nut! I'm sure there are those of you out there who feel my pain, if even for another team!

And along come players who spit in the face of that and are so incredibly selfish that the pride they should have for competing and playing for one of the most highly touted programs of all times is crushed by their selfish interests elsewhere. This latest incident from a player who has already been confronted by his head coach for behaviors that were questionable for an athlete in his position.

Oklahoma confirmed that two players had been dismissed by the team but did not identify them. The school said in a statement that the players violated NCAA rules by working at a private business and taking "payment over an extended period of time in excess of time actually worked."

"We spend a considerable amount of time addressing our players regarding their personal conduct and the NCAA rules," head coach Bob Stoops said in a statement. "They know exactly what we expect from them. Ultimately, they have to make right decisions. The same holds true for our boosters. When they do not, the consequences are serious, and we will not tolerate this behavior.

"Our team and university actions are necessary because of the intentional participation and knowledge of the student athletes in these violations," Stoops said.

"I firmly believe that our program is stronger than any individual player and that a championship program cannot compromise its values," Stoops said in the statement.

The comments italicized above are from the article on FoxSports.com. Bomar was identified by an Oklahoma City television station and that was confrimed by a call to the biggest OU fan I know, my dad. Apparently, Bomar was well aware of what the NCAA allowed. Apparently, Bomar was well aware of what the University expects of him. And yet he intentionally broke the rules to make a little extra dough-ray-me in the off-season. How selfish is that?

OU is poised to return to National Championship picture this season after falling from that picture last year. Bomar had moved into the position of experienced leader at QB that is so critical to returning to that status. With Adrian Peterson and a revamped offensive line, experience on defense and a learned Bomar at QB things were looking up for the Sooners. Now, because of his selfish actions, OU must face another year with an inexperienced player at QB and with a month to go before the season opener that appears to be a big hit to OU. His off season actions became more important to him than the success of the program. SELFISH! 

Bomar is obviously not the first college player whose selfish actions have hampered his teams goals. He most likely will not be the last. But I am lost in the big picture and the actions of players like this and boosters who know the rules and break them anyway. Rhett apparently is not aware of how letting unacceptable behaviors go can destroy a program (see OU late 80's and 1990's). He apparently doesn't understand that Bob Stoops is trying to run a program that can win a National Championship and still tow the line on NCAA rules. Ask Dusty Dvoracek what Stoops will do to preserve said values. My hat is off to Stoops! My only advice to him would be to let Bomar keep on walking. Take the selfish act on the road.

September 2nd OU opens the season. I will be there sitting next to my dad cheering the Sooners on just as I was last year when TCU upset us at home. I can only hope that Bomar's selfish actions don't open the door for another home opener upset. I know Texas fans are happy about this development.

***And sadly this and actions even worse are becoming common place in todays athletic world. Players cheating, lying, getting shot, getting stabbed, letting someone pay for an apartment or home for their parents, blah, blah, blah! I'm afraid it ain't ever going to end.***

Ya'll have a good day!

 

His mother knew that I had been a goaltender when I played. But after several knee injuries and retiring from the game I love I walked away clean. No skating. I didn't watch much on television (except for the old North Stars vs. Blackhawks playoff series) and pretty much stayed away from it. For almost 10 years my involvment in hockey was minimal, at best, until her son told her he wanted to be a goalie. She asked me if I would be willing to help him out a little. After a lot of thought I agreed on the stipulation that it was alright with his Squirt coach.

I actually worked with his Squirt coach so one day at lunch I walked over and explained the situation to him. He was all for it as long as I would work with his other goaltender as well. I agreed and that is basically the story of how I was re-introduced to the game of hockey and to coaching it. We had a lot of fun that year, my two goaltenders and myself, and the game began to mean more to me than just as a former player. I could impart knowledge and experience and kids listened. Well at least this one did.

We practiced stance (nothing happens for a goaltender without the proper stance) and we practiced skating drills. We worked on save moves and recoveries. We worked on rebound control and covering pucks. Over the next few years we worked on all aspects of goaltending. As I instructed and explained the why or why nots or maybe so's of goaltending to him he worked his butt off and he was becomming quite a good little goalie. He was having a lot of success at his age level and his mom and step-dad asked me what was next. I told them he should consider a camp where he might get some exposure and learn a little bit more about the position from someone other than me. Get a different perspective.

They found a camp and it was being run by Vladislav Tretiak. For those of you not familiar with hockey, Tretiak was the goaltender on the Russina Red Army team that waltzed through International competition and hammered NHL All-Star teams more than a few times. He is the goalie who was benched in the 1980 United States game after giving up a goal in the last second of the first period to enable the U.S. to go into the intermission tied. The U.S. eventually won that game. The movie "Miracle" with Kurt Russell is based on ths story. Tretiak ran a great camp. The mom and step-dad asked if I would go with the young boy to this camp and I did. And after on ice sessions and video sessions we would talk about what he was learning. For me, I got to meet the great Tretiak which was an immense honor to me.

The following summer this young man returned to that camp with a goal in mind. He wanted to try out for a team that went to Norway to compete in a series of hockey games there. At the end of the camp, which also served as a tryout for this team, this youngster had made the team. He competed 30 other goaltenders in his age group and was selected in the top two. Quite an accomplishment. His parents, and I were very proud of him. My wife and I. always wanting to make a trip to Norway as her mom was from there, accepted an invitation to accompany this young man, his mom, and his sister to Norway. Of course, we paid our own way but we got to do what each of us wanted to do. I got to watch a lot of hockey and she got to see where her mom was from. The hockey team and the young goalie had a successful trip and we enjoyed Oslo, Furuset and a couple of other Norwegian towns. The following summer the young goalie made a return trip to Norway and a series of events happened that altered this relationship.

His mom and step-dad kept asking what he should do to keep getting better. I told them that at some point in time he should get out of his comfort zone, where he was incredibly successful, and play against tougher competition. Try out for teams in the summer where he was going to be challenged. Quit playing on teams where he is alweays the number one goalie going in. Get him somewhere that he would be challenged and forced to increase his skills by competition. Their first move was to send him back to Tretiak's camp where he went to Norway for a third time. They then bought a conversion van and fitted the back of it with a bed. Not for any hanky panky but so thae young goalie had somewhere to lay his head when they went to Tretiak's Elite Goalie Camp in Toronto (invite only don't you know!) But he wasn't getting better.

About this time I was called at home one evening by the new head coach at the high school. He wanted to buy me dinner and talk to me about a position on his staff. We had talked a couple of times before but at dinner we really got into talking hockey, philosphies, goaltending and families and had a great dinner. He offered me a position on his staff wherein my main responsibilities would be the goalies. I told him I need to speak to my wife because if I couldn't commit fully to it he should find someone else as that would be fairest to the kids. But after a lengthy conversation with her I called him up and accepted (we go into our 10th season this year) his offer. My next task was to speak with this young goalie and his family because he would be entering the high school program at the same time I did. I explained to them that my role in the relationship would change because I now had youth goalies to work with still and now had the high school goalies, ALL OF THEM, to be responsible for. They were just glad I was going to be around.

He played J.V. that year and that is when the issues started. He started pouting about playing J.V. and telling people he was good enough to be the varsity starter. We took a team that had a senior goaltender with one period of varsity of experience as our starter on varsity, a sophomore with incredible athleticism as our varsity back-up, and went to the state tournament for the first time in years at ths school. The mom, step-dad and young man were angry that we did not include him on our tournament roster. Even after talking and explaining to them that he was young and was not, contrary to their beliefs, ready to step in and face varsity competiton. We explained to them again that during the summer he should tryout for a team that will sharpen his skills and prepare him for that kind of competiton.  That summer he played in a Bantam elite program. Bantams come before J.V. hockey. It is not somoething you play in if you are going to get ready to compete for a starting job as a varsity hockey player.

However, after tryouts for the high school team in his sophomore year he made the varsity squad as the back-up. Backing up varsity hockey as a sophomore is no small feat in itself so I felt he was right where he neede to be. As the back-up to varsity and to stay sharp in case he needs to play I have my varsity backup play a lot of J.V. games. This did not sit well with the parents who started rumbling that their child was getting screwed. The mom went to the Athletic Director, clearly against the policy we have where we want the kid to talk to us about things if they have issues. He never did. We had to have a meeting with the A.D. and the parents to explain our situation and where we saw him at that time. All appropriate and above board. We again explained that he neede to play J.V. and control those games. We were informed that he couldn't play J.V. games because there was no one in the stands. We told her that people in the stands should be the last concern for her and her son. He needed to show the coaching staff he could be called on to do the job if need be. We left the meeting just as we went in and told mom that he was starting the J.V. game the next night.

The following night the J.V. game started and was about 1/2 over when this player came into the building. I didn't speak to him as I was watching the other goalie play. He dressed and went out for varsity warm-ups but I also dressed the young goalie that did play the J.V. game. As luck would have it, our opponent that night hammered us. A couple of minutes into the third period we changed goalies. My head coach told me to make a decision. I looked down the bench and there were 18 sets of eyes looking at me. I put in the kid who played the J.V. game. Immediately you could hear a scream from the stands, some swearing and yelling, and I knew it was going to get worse after the game. After the game I told this young man that I was disappointed but that I would speak to him about it before practice the next day. The 24 hour rule.

When I walked into the locker room the kids asked me where his equipment was. I obviously had no idea and went about getting ready for practice. As I was wlking out to the rink this player and his brother in-law were walking up to me. He told me he quit and walked out of the building as I was asking him to talk about it. I couldn't pursue him as I was on skates and he was on concrete floor and I had a practice to get to. They timed it well. That evening I called his home several times only to get the answering machine. I left message after message with no reply. A few days later I was informed that we were being sued by the parents for discriminating against their son. This was eventually tossed out before it gathered much speed by a local judge who chastized their attorney for wasting court time.

He transferred to another school, sat out the rst of his sophomore year and played varsity for the other school the next two years. He backed up his entire junior season at the new school and was their starter when he was a senior. A little sick humor here. We never won a game against him. He beat us twice in his senior season. His step-dad would sit up in the stands and everytime he made a big save he would scream at our bench and call us a lot of names. Were I related to them I would have been extremely embarrassed. What a wacked twist that would be.

Wait a minute! I am related to them. The mom here is my sister. The young man is my nephew. A lot of his freinds stayed with our program and played for us. Through them I learned what I had long suspected. Whenever my nephew had a less than stellar performance his step-dad ripped him.  When ever he didn't want to go to this camp or that camp he was told that all of the oney they put into his hockey wasn't going to go to waste. For a long time I thought I had done something really wrong here and I struggled with it. Eventually I accepted the fact that it wasn't so much me but them. His new coach confirmed ths to me when he said he didn't feel right about putting my nephew up for all conference because he really didn't deserve it but if he didn't my sister would be all over him. I told him that I felt for him but it wasn't my problem anymore.

The sad thing about all of this is that it has gone way beyond hockey. My sister, nephew and niece talk to me only when someone is very ill or has died in my family. Then they act like everything is great between us for the benefit of toher family members. It has gotten to the point that I just tell them to quit it. It is hypocritical and almost all of the family knows there are issues. I tried for a long time to reconcile this situation but have met with resistence by them and now I just go about my business. He quit playing hockey right after high school. His buddies tell me he hates the game and that saddens me. Hopefully one day he will find it and return to it as I did. His parents lost perspective and the pressure they put on the son was horrible. I have searched my conscience, weighed my responsibilites to family and program and feel I approached things in a calm, civil and professional manner. Maybe one day all will see that and maybe they will not. Maybe we will all reconcile one day and maybe we won't. What a sad twist!

Coaching is what I love to do. With kids who are success stories or with kids who are not, bottom line, end of the day, I try my best. Sometimes the rewards are sweet and at other times it leaves a bitter pill to ####. But I love it and I want to keep doing it as long as I can.

A FEEL GOOD MOMENT.

The last time we played they beat us 4-2. It was considered some kind of an upset. We had been unbeaten up to that point. They out-hit us, out-shot us, out-hustled us and generally out-played us. Our goaltender, me, had what would be considered an "off night." After getting beat this way, we lost one more game in the next 4 and were now considered beatable and not as good as people thought we were. Maybe not as good as we thought we were.

As the playoffs approached we read the doubting comments in the local papers. We were over rated. Our coach was too old to be competing with younger coaches. He didn't instill any sense of urgency in his players. We were going through the motions.  Gcoach was not as good as he had been the past two years. This was fine in the regular season, not so fine in regional play of the playoffs. We finished the year 23-2 but those two losses at the end of the year spelled doom for us. Certainly we would never get out of our region.

We were almost guilty of looking past our first regional opponent. Down 2-1 going into the third period our captain gave us a pep talk duing the second intermission. He finished his talk by quoting from the hot song of the day, "Let's go out there and, take it, to the limit, one more time." After throwing tape and water bottles at him we settled down and dismantled our opponent and skated away with a 6-2 victory. We could always score like that.

Our second round opponent had the league leading scorer on their roster. He was quick and speedy and as sly a player as we had seen. He put up huge numbers during the regular season and had 7 points in the first game of their playoffs this year. He was looking to take us out. He ended up with 4 shots, two on breakaways, and left the building that night with 0 points. We beat them 4-1 and they were actually never really in the game.

The semi-final game was against a team we had never lost to.  When the night was over, we still hadn't lost to them. We cruised to a 4-0 victory. We were playing like our old selves again. Methodically picking teams apart with a goaltender who didn't need to be spectacular, just solid, and he was doing that. Our forwards were working well together and our defensemen were moving the puck up and keeping the front of the net clear. Our confidence was back and we were getting primed. And we were getting primed for good reason. Our next opponent, for a regional championship, was the team that started our "downfall."

I arrived at the arena early and put my equipment in our assigned locker room. Goalies are said to be strange individuals. I left the locker room and walked for what seemed like an eternity around the arena. Imagery! I used imagery for the first time that I could recall to get up for this game. Since we had both qualified for this game my thoughts had been on nothing else. School. No way! My girlfriend! Definately, no way! Her brother played for our opponents! As a matter of fact, her dad told me my neck would be bright red at the end of the night from all the goals they were going to score on me. I don't even remember what my dad said to me on the way out of the house. I envisioned every part of this game. Upon my return to the locker room I began to dress.

Some goalies have weird habits. We call these habits superstitions. One professional goalie used to throw up before every game. One would completely undress and then get dressed again during the intermissions. Tonight I just wanted to make sure I got my cup on first. That done I took my time getting dressed. Garter belt. Socks. Breezers (hockey pants). Left skate then right skate. To this day I put my left shoe on before I put my right shoe on. Left pad then right pad. Leather pads. Shoulder and arm protectors. Then chest protector. Jersey with the bold #1 on the back of it. Sticks were ready. I walked around a little bit but said nothing to my teammates. The butterflies were churning. The nerves were high and my breathing was slow and shallow. Coach came in and told us to get up and at that time the buzzer sounded us to come out for warm-ups. I put on my mask, the Bernie Parent style mask that my dad got me to start the season. Looked just like Bernie's and I kept it white with a small school logo on it. His was white with a Flyers logo on his. As the starting goaltender I led the team out for the warm up. Before you knew it we were back in the locker room.

After the pre-game talks by coaches and captains I just wanted to play. The buzzer sounded and it was time to lead the guys out for the first period. As I bolted out of the locker room door I realized that the cheerleaders (and this began my questioning of the need for cheerleders at a hockey game) had put up some paper thing with our names and numbers on it right in front of the door to the ice. I went rambling full speed through this thing and the toe of my right skate hit the bottom part of the door opening and I became airborne. Head first and flat on my chest through the entrance to the ice. I slid to the middle of the faceoff circles and as I got up I noticed my teammates laughing as they began their skate around before the start of the first period. I don't know exactly what happened after that. I think that kind of put me in a zone.

I only remember one save from that night. It was a pad save, left pad, on a point blank shot. The rebound went off into a soft zone (corner) as we call it. I was in a zone. The kind of zone when you can't hear anyone in the crowd. The kind of zone where the puck looks like a huge saucer. The kind of zone where the other team takes pot shots at you but you don't realize it. You don't retaliate to them. The kind of zone where no matter how many people the other team gets in front of you, you can still find the puck. When it was over I had made 26 saves and we had absolutely throttled our nemesis scoring in double digits. And we didn't allow them on the board.

I never went out with my girlfriend again after that. I think her dad and her brother might have had something to do with that. Perhaps it was my remark to her dad after the game to go and check their goalie's neck for redness. My teammates and I were BMOC for a few days after that and, although we had been before, this was special. It was special for several reasons.

 It was special because for the first time I realized that our, and my abilities, had been called into question. We were in high school for crying out loud. People were writing things in the local papers about us, and they weren't good things. Writing that we were over rated and not very good. It was special because for at least one night, as no other team I have ever been a part of, as player or coach, worked together like we did on that night. Collectively we had something to prove. Third and fourth liners, when given their opportunity, played like first liners. My defensemen hit and moved people all night. One of them scored two goals. We scored in double digits and got goals from 6 different players. We were motivated.

I learned a few things that night about me and about people. I learned that people with a common goal working together are harder to beat than a minimal few working alone. I learned that humor can help us to overcome adversity if we let it. I learned that proper preparation can do wonders for success. I learned that you can take the negative and make it a positive. I learned that you can take what people say about you and enjoy it if positive and work hard to change it to a positive. And if you worked hard and they still didn't think much of you, move on. I also learned that it may not get any better than a certain moment.

We didn't win a state championship that year. Didn't come close, other than getting there. And even though there was disappointment with that, I will always fondly remember that team from 1976. I will always remember the guys who made up that team. I will always remember what we accomplished on one night together. They are part of the reason I went into coaching. They are a part of the stories I tell my hockey players today. This is why I am a hockey guy. I played junior hockey. I've won local championships playing ball, finished high at state tournaments playing ball and been on some extremely poor teams. But never, ever, did I enjoy one team as much as I enjoyed this one from my senior year in high school. I have been to the Minnesota State Tournament as a coach and have had great teams and great kids but nothing compares to that team and the lessons I learned in one night so many years ago.

DOES ANYONE ELSE REMEMBER ANYTHING LIKE THIS? I'M SURE THERE ARE MANY. IF YOU WANT TO SHARE THEM FEEL FREE. I AM IN FEEL GOOD MODE TODAY.