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JUNE 2004

(UPDATED WHENEVER I FEEL LIKE IT - BUT USUALLY ON TUESDAYS AND FRIDAYS)  June 29, 2004 -   "There is no progress without change, but not all change is progress." John Wooden NEXT 2004 CLINICS SCHEDULED - SAT JUN 5, PORTLAND/VANCOUVER 2004 CLINIC PHOTOS :ATLANTA CHICAGO TWIN CITIES DURHAM PHILADELPHIA PROVIDENCE DETROIT DENVER NORTHERN CAL Click Here ----------->> <<----------- Click Here    A LIST OF SOME TOP DOUBLE-WING HS TEAMS     *********** CHENEY FOR PRESIDENT! President Bush, whose strongest point more and more appears to be the fact that at least he's not Bill Clinton, seems to think that if he just keeps compromising with his political enemies, just gives them enough of the social programs and big spending they crave, they will eventually stop claiming that he lied about Iraq - after he stole the election. Instead, of course, rather than be his good buddies, what they do is knee him in the groin. Figuratively, of course. I hate what they do to him, and I pray for the guy. I would give almost anything for one chance to pop a couple of his attackers in the nose, and it bothers the crap out of me that he just seems to keep smiling and coming back for more. At times it almost seems as if he enjoys the pain they inflict on him - Thank you, sir. May I please have another, sir? Courtly behavior toward those who attack us is a concept quite foreign to those of us who will never become sufficiently feminized to the point where we roll over and take it like that, but until last week, we were without a voice in Washington - there was no one who thought like us and talked like us. And then, up stepped Dick Cheney, the Vice-President. Finally - a man with stones! He told Vermont Senator Patrick Leahy to go f--k himself! Yes! A man after our own hearts, willing to stand in for us and do what lots of us would like to do ourselves, if we could just get the time off to go to Washington. Talk about representative government! And the best thing is, he's unrepentant! He's not going to apologize! He said it, he meant it, and it felt good! Asked if it was true that he'd said that, he told Fox News, "Probably." Asked whether he regretted it, he said, "No." In fact, he went on, "I expressed myself rather forcefully, felt better after I had done it." I know, I know. He should be more professional. And, yes, profanity is a poor substitute for eloquence. Blah, blah, blah. But damn, it's nice to see a real man with a real temper! In a time when the feminization of our culture has made it "inappropriate" (a favorite femmie word) even to raise our voices, it's heartening to see a politician take off the gloves. Now, I know the Vice-President is a very busy man, but if he just could find the time in the next few days to pay similar respects to several other senators - to say "f--k you" for me to Tom Daschle, Ted Kennedy, John Kerry, Barbara Boxer, Tom Harkins and, of course, Hillary Rodham Clinton - I will be very, very grateful. *********** When a Candygram just won't do... Vice-President Cheney's telling Fathead Leahy of Vermont to go f--k himself is not without precedent in American politics. In the 1800's, a southern senator beat a northern senator half to death with a cane. On the floor of the senate. Chicago's famed Mayor Daley (the First), once responded to a guy in a crowd who had called out, "Up yours!" by calling back, "Up yours, too!" And then there was another Vice-President of the United States, Nelson Rockfeller. Son of one of the wealthiest men in America, Ivy-League educated and experienced at all levels of government, Nelson Rockfeller was a man who knew kings and queens and presidents. Surely, by anyone's standards, he knew how to conduct himself. But there comes a time when you simply have to speak their language. To illustrate that point - also to try to get across to my high school students, in a lesson in anthropology, that a gesture can mean one thing in one culture and quite another thing in another culture - I used to show classes a transparency made from a newspaper photo. It shows the same courtly, well-brought-up Nelson Rockfeller, Vice-President of the United States, giving a guy the finger. The caption reads, "Vice President Nelson Rockefeller gestures to crowd of young hecklers at Broome County Airport, Binghamton, New York during brief stop with vice-presidential candidate Robert Dole (in background). Rockefeller's gesture was response to similar one from hecklers." There are times when a Candygram just won't do. *********** That poor Korean guy who was beheaded? Listening to him begging for his life was especially gruesome. Anybody else wonder why he was doing it in English? *********** This exchange took place between me and a youth coach... With 46 kids, somebody recommended me to split my team,but since it was my first year in the league and I was the only coach I decided no to do that. Perhaps you should have done so, but you can't go back and change it. Because of the large number of kids, I decided that nobody was going to play both ways, so we can give more chances to more kids to play. Good decision. That means that at least half of your players are starters. Because of the lack of experience of the other coaches, I decided to take the offense, because I think is more complicated to put together and put all our best athletes on the defense so it was going to be easier for the other coaches to deal with that. You should coach both offense and defense and put the "other coaches" in charge of scout teams - "servicing" your offense and defense. You can give them cards with the plays (or defenses) on them. The other coaches (parents) didn't have time to get together after practice so that was a killer! I put together a playbook for offense and defense and gave each one a copy, even when I did it as simple as possible, I find out later they didn't understood much of the play book, the defense was using the basic formation and blitzing and stunting every play, I couldn't spend much time with the defense because I was having a really hard time starting the offense. See the above answer. After losing our first four games, none by more than14 points and improving dramatically on the offense from game to game and after finding somebody else to help with the offense I was able to move to the defense and start from zero. We did good things like teaching  fundamentals. I thought the defense coaches were working on that but I found out they weren't. It was sad to do this in the middle of the season but I thought it was necessary. Unfortunately, bad habits were in place already and it was really hard to change that. We teach fundamentals to everybody - offense and defense alike - as an entire team, while we are still in our rows. That way I am sure that everybody - even the coaches - knows the way I want things done. My video "Practice Without Pads" shows how I handle much of practice, while the entire team is together. Sounds to me as if you are on the right track. I know a very good high school coach in Georgia who at the present time is coaching the team all by himself, until he can find good assistants. Naturally, he would like to have as many good assistants as possible, but he is not in such a hurry to find them that he will take just anybody who comes along. At least this way, he knows no one is going to pick up any bad habits. *********** Coach Wyatt - I always suspected the reason the Bears' colors were Navy Blue and Orange had something to do with the Illinois Program. (George Halas gave his Bears the colors of his alma mater. HW) Did not know Maryland's Southern Roots were that strong, many old-timers (My father's crowd) who saw Agganis vs. Maryland at Fenway in 50 or 52, remember the Terp Fans carrying the Confederate Flag. I always thought that it was an Exaggeration, but after what you have stated, Now I am a believer. Coach - for a good read you should read Carm Cozza's book "True Blue" he also does a number on the Modern Ivies. and who is this Ted Blair "Mr. Yale Football " some old New England Yankee that played for TAD Jones or in that Era ? John Muckian, Lynn, Massachusetts (Ted Blair was an old-timer who went on to start a big ad agency in NY. He was starter on the great Yale team of 1923, which beat North Carolina, Georgia, Army and Maryland, in addition to the usual Ivies. He spent a lot of time and money in support of Yale football over the years. I have read Coach Cozza's book. I happen to be a great admirer of his, and I feel he got shafted. His successor, Jack Siedlecki, may or may not be a good coach, but he sure comes across as a cold fish. HW) *********** My parents and I went to the Red Sox-Phillies game tonight - in the Philly section. This one guy said they love T.O., to which I responded 'maybe TO was a plot by Andy Reid to get himself fired and out of town quietly.' He also suggested that Larry Bowa, Terry Francona and the Phillies pitching staff should all be let go. Another man, at the condiment stand, wasn't so tactful. I told him I guessed Philly wished they'd kept Larry Brown instead of Allen Iverson. He put his arm around me, Lyndon Johnson-style, and said "I don't want to sound racist...but get rid of the n-----. He's a selfish, arrogant.." blah blah blah. My dad and I were quite frankly shocked. I'm not stereotyping Philadelphians - they were great at Army-Navy - just saying I've never heard that word used in general context. A real 'blast from the past,' if you will, and not in a good way. Christopher Anderson- Cambridge, Massachusetts I grew up in that atmosphere. I have many fond memories of growing up in Philadelphia, but I have to admit that despite having lived in a segregated South, and worked for a southern company that had whites-only locker rooms, wash rooms, drinking fountains and even pay windows, Philadlephia takes a back seat to no place when we are talking poisonous racial attitudes, especially on the part of whites. Part of the reason may be that historically, Philadelphia's blacks were not as inclined as those just a short distance to the south to "stay in their place," as the expression once went. After all, as the first destination of the Underground Railroad, Philadelphia was the first taste of freedom for many former slaves. Philadelphia also was home to a fairly large number of Quakers and other abolitionists who assisted the blacks. Their efforts were not exactly appreciated by a white underclass, which saw itself as the loser in any effort that benefitted blacks. When the city was majority-white, shrewd politicians knew there were votes to be gained by pandering to whites' resentment - fear, sometimes - of black advancement. Throw in the fact that working-class Philadelphians - whites and blacks alike - are a don't-take-no-crap-off-nobody bunch, brought up in the us-against-them climate of what essentially was a big factory town, and you've got the makings of some real hostility. And one more thing - Philadelphia has long been a city of home-owners, perhaps because so many of its homes were affordable. Now, they're called "townhouses" by slick marketers, but when I was growing up, they were simply called "rowhouses". They were actually one block-long building, carved up into several individual "houses" all in a row, each of them, except for the houses at the ends of the block, sharing common walls with neighbors on both sides. In front, in the old neighborhoods, they weren't even set back from the sidewalks; in the newer neighborhoods, such as the one I grew up in, there were postage-stamp-size "lawns" in front. Such economical use of land made home ownership affordable, and crammed together though they were, Philadelphians enjoyed the highest percentage of home ownership of any large city. Philadelphians' homes may not have been pretentious, but at least they owned them, and they took great pride in them. Many Philadelphians harbored dreams of one day moving to a "single home" (one with grass - and windows - on all four sides) in the suburbs, but few felt any real urgency to do so, while life remained good, and housing was inexpensive. Did I say that in talking about home ownership, I was talking mainly about white Philadelphians? That's essential to understanding where this is headed. We've all heard the expression - now used mostly jokingly - "there goes the neighborhood." I'm sure it originated in Philly. There, as a kid in the 50's, I saw a city come unglued. Philadelphia was rigidly segregated, if not by law then by accepted real estate practice. The idea of whites and blacks living side-by-side was unthinkable, at least to whites. In my own neighborhood, Germantown, there was a white secton and a black section and, except for rare encounters at the city playground that sat on the border, their residents rarely had any doings with each other. And then suddenly, in the 1950s block after block of our neighborhood began to "turn black", one street at a time. The same phenomenon was repeated in other formerly all-white neighborhoods around the city. The tactic that made it all happen involved finding a courageous black family interested in owning a home of their own, willing to be pioneers in an all-white neighborhood, and a white person interested in selling his house. It often took work finding such a seller - few people were willing to incur the anger of their neighbors by selling to a black family. It also took money. The black family, sometimes subsidized by a church or charitable organization, often carefully selected for the role in the manner that Jackie Robinson had been chosen, would offer a premium price to buy the house, which came to be called the "blockbuster." The seller was being offered considerably more than market value for his home. He could rationalize selling to the black family by telling himself that if he didn't, sooner or later one of his neighbors would, and then, when the rest of the people on the block panicked and put their houses up for sale, he'd have trouble getting his money out of his house. The use of the word "blockbuster" - a term originally applied to a powerful World War II bomb - was typical of the Philadelphia sense of humor that has spawned do many comedians: once word of the sale got out, the once solid-white block was broken, and "For Sale" signs would pop up like mushrooms on "lawns" up and down the block, as panicky whites scrambled to get out, afraid that if they waited their houses would decline even further in value. Not being students of economics, they didn't understand that by creating a classic buyer's market, they were contributing to their own economic loss. Tens of thousands of whites "escaped" in this fashion, either to suburbs or to outlying stretches of the city where blacks, it was thought then, would never follow. Interestingly, the most heavily ethnic parts of the city - Polish, Irish and Italian sections, centered around the Roman Catholic church and parish schools - seemed least susceptible to the breakup of their neighborhoods. I think it is fair to say that it had a lot to do with the solidarity and togetherness of those places - carryovers from why those people and their parents settled there as immigrants in the first place. (I don't recall specific occasions of residents attempting to "discourage" the new black home owners, but Philly being Philly, I can't imagine that there weren't any. That's where the courage part came in.) Also interestingly, there were at that time "black" sections in some of the really wealthy suburban areas. They were the equivalent then of what we now euphemistically call "affordable housing," places where the people who do the lesser-paying jobs can afford to live. In those cases, they were home to the people who worked as the maids and chauffeurs of the well-to-do. Unenlightened as those times may have been, at least then a poor working person could find a place to live near where he worked, which is scarcely the case nowadays in such places as Aspen, Colorado, Sun Valley, Idaho or Mercer Island, Washington (to name a few). LaMott was one such place. A black enclave in a Cheltenham Township, a wealthy, heavily-Jewish suburb of Philadelphia, LaMott was named in honor of Lucretia Mott, a Philadelphia abolitionist whose home was a station on the Underground Railroad. An unintended consequence of having blacks in their midst was that a son of LaMott was an all-state football and baseball player at Cheltenham High School, and went on to become a perennial baseball all-star. Fellow named Reggie Jackson. (Trivia: Only high school to produce a President and a World Series MVP? Cheltenham. It's a trick - the President was Binyamin Netenyahu, President of Israel, who attended Cheltenham while his father taught at a local college.) In my lifetime, I have seen marveloud things happen in the area of racial understanding. I have seen racial acceptance, if not harmony, come to the once-segregated South. But alas, I fear, some of the old racial intolerance of Philadelphia still lurks just below the surface. Not so much in the city, though - the complexion of Philadelphia has changed quite a bit since I lived there. The city is now majority-black, and a white politician might enjoy limited success trying race-baiting in a small area, but that's as far as he'll get. Now, it's found more in the suburbs, many of which were populated by whites who chose to flee the city rather than live with blacks. Your experience with a Philadelphian's unself-conscious use of the "N-word" around a perfect stranger would seem to bear this out. (Last summer, I paid a visit to my old neighborhood. I got out of my car and as I was taking a picture of the house I'd grown up in, I noticed a black gentleman about my age standing not far away. I introduced myself to him and told him I'd lived at "232" until my parents moved to New Jersey back in 1956, after I got out of high school. He said his name was Rudy, and he'd lived here, on this block and in the same house, since 1958 - since "the transition," as he put it. Here we were, nearly 50 years later, closer to being neighbors now than we could ever have been in the Philadelphia of my youth. HW) *********** Coach Wyatt - Just letting you know about your Native City, In all of My years of going to Fenway Park ,I Have NEVER ,NEVER seen so many fans from the opposing team ( Including Yankees and Orioles) at Fenway than I did yesterday at the Phils Vs. Sox, God Damn' Philly Fans were everywhere!! , I sat in the Bleachers and I will estimate 40% of the Bleachers were from Philly and In the Rt Fld. Grandstand maybe 25-30 % were Philly fans. The usual B.S. went on, a couple of small skirmishes broke out, but at the end of the day I was just glad I got out of the Bleachers Alive and in One piece.it was dangerous with Two screwball Fan bases going at it, all day When Thome hit his HR the Bleachers erupted, I didn't know if I was in Philly or Boston?, but the Two Highlight were, When we went underneath in the Concourse to get some Beers and sausages, a group of Philly fans started the Chant 1918 !! 1918!! and BUCKNER !! BUCKNER !! I gotta give the Beantown Fans credit without missing a beat the LARRY BROWN !! LARRY BROWN !! chant started, and some funny bastard from Philly had a Phillies shirt with Smarty Jones on the back and he put a Horse Head on, and galloped up and down the aisles. Everyone was laughing like an SOB at that one !! Some of the Phils fans I were talking to say they like there New Park,but they were telling me it's in a middle of a parking Lot and does not have the outside atmosphere of Fenway (surrounded by Bars,and Vendors and Sox shut down Yawkey Way and Extend the Concourse outside) - John Muckian Lynn,Massachusetts (I am not muich of a baseball fan any more, but stuff like that could bring me back. Sounds like the old days - the real old days - when fans really followed their teams. Giants and Dodgers - New York and Brooklyn - fans were noted for their incivility toward one another. Seems to me at least one killing resulted from fights between fans of the Giants and "The Bums." HW) *********** Coach, Could I make a suggestion? The coach could tell his AD that the work portions of his practices are actually 2 hours long, but that for safety reasons he has added the 3 water breaks. Those water breaks allow for rehydration and cooling down. They give the coaches a chance to visually inspect the participants for signs of overheating, soreness and etc. The time spent in making sure his players are safe have added the additional time to the practices. But, the coach is willing to spend that time to make sure his players are properly conditioned, hydrated and instructed. AD'S love to hear things like that. Thanks, Marlowe Aldrich, Billings, Montana *********** Hi Coach! I hope all is well.  I just returned from taking my son to summer camp in Greensboro, Georgia.  We stayed over in Madison, Georgia, and while there visited the antique stores.  At one store, they had a collection of books.  There, I found the following books: "Bill Stern's Favorite Football Stories", 1948 "Scoring Power with the Winged T Offense" by Forest Evashevski and David Nelson, 1957 "Run and Shoot Football: Offense of the Future" by Tiger Ellison, 1965, still with the paper sleeve over the hardback cover. The most interesting part is that the Run and Shoot book is personally inscribed thus: "To Lou McCullough, the ball-of-fire of the coaching staff, From Tiger" As you know, Lou McCullough was an assistant coach (later defensive coordinator) at Ohio State under Woody Hayes. My wife was with me, and she actually found the book on the Wing-T.  She was excited about finding something at an antique store that I would choose to buy -- she has no trouble choosing stuff to buy ;-> Also, we stopped by Barnes and Noble to pick up some books for my daughters to read over the summer.  Sitting right in the front of the store was a huge display of the "Clinton books."  What I would have given for a match... Jody Hagins, Summerville, South Carolina ("Scoring Power" is a good one - it was the book that first spread the word about the Wing-T. Although Evashevski and Nelson, former Michigan teammates, are listed as co-authors, I have it on reliable authority that it was written entirely by Dave Nelson. What Evashevski did was give it nationwide credibility by taking the offense as is from Nelson and achieving a Rose Bowl victory for Iowa. Be sure to thank your wife again, especially if you paid less than $35 for it. To a real football guy, a copy of Tiger Ellison's book, incribed to Lou McCullough, is a collector's gem. Just one of those football books was worth all the Clinton books in the world. With Clinton thrown in (or out). HW) *********** One thing I tried last year and it worked well was to eliminate doubles (sort of).   I went to one 3 hr session - even though it is a bit long it goes rather quickly and the kids seem to like it better.  After that we eat bag lunches as a team for   about 35 min. and then we work out for 45 minutes.  They come from 8-12:30 and then are totally done, with a whole day left to themselves.   It seems to work -- what do you think on that one? NAME WITHHELD I haven't had two-a-days since 1981. (Interestingly, they are called "Double Days" in California and "Daily Doubles" in the Nothwest. I thought back to my college days, and how I would start football practice at about 175 pounds, and in decent shape, and after a week of two-a-days, being so damned thirsty that I'd drink and drink, and then didn't have any appetite, I'd be under 160. I just figured I wasn't the only person affected like that, and I thought that there had to be a better way. That's when we made a deal with our kids - if they would give us nine hard "circuit" workouts some time during the three weeks prior to the official start of practice, we would have just one three-hour session instead of "doubles." We kept the weight room open mornings and evenings as well as Saturday AM - a potential 33 opportunities to get those nine workouts in. No one could practice until he got those nine in. (And if a guy missed a practice, he wouldn't have enough practices to be able to play in the first game (state requirement). We later revised the requirement so that a guy could practice but he wouldn't get pads until he'd completed nine circuits. (We would hold make-up circuits after every practice) Administration at first objected because they thought that (1) we were doing this to run kids off and (2) we were holding illegal workouts. My answer was (1) our belief was that if kids were going to make a decision not to play football, that was the time, not once football started. As a result, we never had a kid go through circuits and then quit football; (2) we complied with all requirements that the workouts be open to the public, and in accordance with state regulations, we did nothing sport-specific. And we did allowed kids who hadn't made the regularly scheduled circuit workouts to make them up after regular practices. Anyhow, that is the trick - to make sure that you have conditioned the kids during the summer so that they are in a proper frame of mind to learn and to run all drills hard. We did have two-a-day sessions - for coaches. We brought the young kids in for the AM session - including older guys who had never played before. That way, the entire staff got to work with the kids who really needed bringing up to speed. All older rookies (because they weren't going to play JV) and any youngsters who showed varsity potential were invited back to the PM session, because they had so much ground to cover. After a morning of coaching green kids, it was a revelation for the coaches when the older guys showed up in the afternoon, because they all knew exactly what to do and how to act. It was like coaching a college team! HW      A LIST OF SOME TOP DOUBLE-WING HS TEAMS  "The Beast Was out There," by General James M. Shelton, subtitled "The 28th Infantry Black Lions and the Battle of Ong Thanh Vietnam October 1967" is available through the publisher, Cantigny Press, Wheaton, Illinois. to order a copy, go to http://www.rrmtf.org/firstdivision/ and click on "Publications and Products") Or contact me if you'd like to obtain a personally-autographed copy, and I'll give you General Shelton's address. (Great gift!) General Shelton is a former wing-T guard from Delaware who now serves as Honorary Colonel of the Black Lions. All profits from the sale of his books go to the Black Lions and the 1st Infantry Division Foundation, , sponsors of the Black Lion Award).   I have my copy. It is well worth the price just for the "playbooks" it contains in the back - "Fundamentals of Infantry" and "Fundamentals of Artillery," as well as a glossary of all those military terms, so that guys like you and me can understand what they're talking about.      --- GIVE THE BLACK LION AWARD --- HONOR BRAVE MEN AND RECOGNIZE GREAT KIDS SIGN UP YOUR TEAM OR ORGANIZATION FOR 2003 "NO MISSION TOO DIFFICULT - NO SACRIFICE TOO GREAT - DUTY FIRST" inscribed on the wall of the 1st Division Museum, at Cantigny, Wheaton, Ilinois Coaches - Black Lions teams for 2003 are now listed, by state. Please check to make sure your team in on the list. If it is not, it means that your team is no enrolled, and you need to e-mail me to get on the list. HW BECOME A BLACK LION TEAM (FOR MORE INFO ABOUT) THE BLACK LION AWARD

(UPDATED WHENEVER I FEEL LIKE IT - BUT USUALLY ON TUESDAYS AND FRIDAYS)  June 25, 2004 -    "Coaching isn't a great mystery. It's just hard work, determination, and inspiration at the right moment." Bob Zuppke NEXT 2004 CLINICS SCHEDULED - SAT JUN 5, PORTLAND/VANCOUVER 2004 CLINIC PHOTOS :ATLANTA CHICAGO TWIN CITIES DURHAM PHILADELPHIA PROVIDENCE DETROIT DENVER NORTHERN CAL Click Here ----------->> <<----------- Click Here    A LIST OF SOME TOP DOUBLE-WING HS TEAMS     Bob Zuppke was short, smart and witty. The late Grantland Rice, once America's best-known sportswriter, said "He had more color than two rainbows." Born in Germany, he came to the United States with his parents when he was only one year old, but all his life he spoke with a German accent. He was raised in Milwaukee, and after spending two years as a grade school teacher in order to come up with the money to go to college, he enrolled in the University of Wisconsin. There, although he was too small to play varsity football, he lettered in basketball. Following graduation, he worked in New York City as a commercial artist for a year, before accepting a job as history teacher and coach at Hackley Manual Training School in Muskegon, Michigan. In four years there, his football team won a state championship, and he was offered a job at much larger Oak Park, Illinois High School. In three years there, travelling coast to coast to play the best opposition available, his teams were unbeaten, and in 1913, he was offered the head coaching position at the University of Illinois. (It was considered just as radical a move then as it would be now to hire a high school coach to fill such a job.) He earned a reputation in his high school days as a master of innovation and deception, and he continued to bedevil college opponents with surprise plays and trickery. His 1914 team was unbeaten, and from that point on, there was no question that he was well qualified to coach the college game. He had more great teams, but none better than his 1924 team, which featured his best player - perhaps the greatest player of all time, Red Grange. Grange's accomplishments are legendary, but one will suffice to give an idea of how big he was in what has come to be called the Golden Age of Sport. It was 1924, and Illinois' gigantic new stadium, one of the largest yet to be built on a college campus, was dedicated. 67,000 people were on hand, and Michigan was the opponent. Michigan's strategy was to defy the odds - to kick the ball to Grange and punish him. "Nail him now," was the order given the Wolverines by coach Fielding Yost. Nice try. Grange fielded the opening kickoff and returned it 95 yards for a touchdown. In the next 12 minutes, Grange scored three more touchdowns, and his coach took him out. Inserted again in the third quarter, Grange threw for another score and ran for a fifth touchdown himself. Final score: Illinois 39, Michigan 14. Some of the innovations which he can lay claim to having invented or, at the least, popularized, are: (1) The spiral pass from center. He claimed to have introduced it in Muskegon, in 1906, after one of his players told him his father had figured out a way to pass the fat football of those days through his legs with a spiral. (2) The screen pass. (3) The "guards back" formation, for better protection of the forward passer. (4) The "flea flicker," described as "a forward pass over center followed by a lateral heave toward the sideline." In Grange's eastern debut, in front of 70,000-plus at Penn's Franklin Field, he scored a crucial touchdown on such a play, but long before coming to Illinois, at Muskegon and Oak Park, Zuppke was famous for his tricks plays, including another called the Flying Trapeze. (5) The huddle. He is believed to have introduced it in 1921, but said that at first it was very unpopular, and didn't gain acceptance until the Illini's big win over Michigan in 1924. He said he invented it because when quarterbacks would call signals at the line, as was then the practice, it was often impossible for players to hear them, between the noise of the crowd and the then-legal shouting of the defensive team. (6) The onside kick. Zuppke was certainly one of the very first to make use of this now-illegal carryover from rugby. The punter - plus any player who was behind the punter at the time the ball was kicked - was "on side," and therefore able to run downfield and recover the kick for his team. The scheme then was to short-snap the ball to the quarterback, positioned only a yard or so back of the line, who would then kick the ball short, while the other three backs, who were deeper than he was and therefore "onside", would hustle downfield and recover. Or, in some cases, advance the ball: Illinois beat Iowa in 1917 when the Illini punter kicked the ball over the receiver's head, then raced downfield, scooped up the ball and ran it in for the winning score. (7) The linebacker. He was one of the first to move his defensive guards back out of the line to help bat down forward passes. One of his best-known former players was a lineman who would go on to play professionally and eventually own his own professional team - George Halas, long-time owner and coach of the Chicago Bears. Halas wrote of his coach, "Zuppke is undoubtedly one of the greatest coaches of all time, in view of the fact that he was a creative genius and an originator of plays, differentiating him from other coaches who were copyists but who had the ability to take plays and formations and improve upon them. In addition to this ability, Zuppke was a great strategic defensive expert, as well as a great applicator (I may be coining a word) of football psychology." Halas' offense with the Bears was originally based on plays he learned from Zuppke, and in his autobiography, "Halas by Halas," he gave his coach credit for inspiration to become a pro football pioneer. It was at the team banquet his senior year, Halas remembered., and the coach's words stuck with him. Wrote Halas: His message was short: "Just when I teach you fellows how to play football, you graduate and I lose you." His words were to govern the rest of my life. Correctly identifying Bob Zuppke: Joe Daniels- Sacramento... Adam Wesoloski- Pulaski, Wisconsin... John Grimsley- Gaithersburg, Maryland... Keith Babb- Northbrook, Illinois... Mark Kaczmarek- Davenport, Iowa... John Muckian- Lynn, Massachusetts... Mike Foristiere- Boise, Idaho... John Bothe- Oregon, Illinois... *********** Writes Keith Babb, of Northbrook, Illinois, about famous Illini coach Bob Zuppke: Not only was he creative on the football field -- he had some great quotes. Among these are: "Guts wins more games than ability." "Coaching isn't a great mystery. It's just hard work, determination, and inspiration at the right moment." "Never let hope elude you. That is life's biggest fumble." "All quitters are good losers." (Sort of reminds one of Vince Lombardi, doesn't it?) "We don't care how big and strong opponents are as long as they are human."  Regarding my comments about "Rocky Top," coach Babb, a native Tennessean, wrote, "....Only the greatest of state songs. You did succeed in quoting the best line of the song. The line goes great with Jack Daniels and 108,000 of your dearest friends on a gorgeous autumn afternoon. (Just so you don't get the wrong impression... when I was a student the legal drinking age was 18.)" *********** I mentioned that Red Grange was famous. How famous? So famous that the great sports writer Grantland Rice - the man who hung the nickname "Four Horsemen" on the Notre Dame backfield - wrote a poem about him: A streak of fire, a breath of flame, Eluding all who reach and clutch; A gray ghost thrown into the game That rival hands may never touch; A rubber bounding, blasting soul Whose destination is the goal - Red Grange of Illinois! *********** Coach Wyatt - The Great Bob Zuppke - did not realize how much of an innovator he was and the finger prints he has had on the modern game, ( I learned more from reading your News, than any other GD sources SI,ESPN,etc) Coach only though Illinois has an All-time winning percentage of 530% which is Good, but Not great, with just the names that have been connected to the Illini program alone,and some of the classic moments they have had in the Programs History,they have to be considered one of the all-time legendary programs when it comes to tradition, I think they would make any Historians Top 20- or 25 of all-time, some GIANT names in the football world have been connected to the Illini programs that most other schools would drool over,and only dream of having. Also about Zuppke,during that Grange game Vs. Michigan it was a warm October day and After warm-ups he had the Illini take off their wool socks, before the Kick-off Fielding Yost went Wild and Protested (thought Zuppke may have greased up their legs) and as they say the rest is History. Coach - Slick Willie's proudest moments is that he was impeached, George H.W. Bush Greatest and Proudest moment ( He usually rarely talks about it and is humble) is he was the Youngest Navy fighter Pilot to be shot down by Japanese Gunners and was Highly decorated for his bravery. What the Christ!! was this country thinking in 92' ? Coach Two Questions I need to ask,one that I keep forgetting to ask that I have had for a long time and one that popped in my my mind reading the News. 1. Coach even though you are a Native P.A'er, your Maryland experience qualifies you to answer this. Does your Average Marylander consider Maryland a Rebel Good Ole Boy state Or a traditional Yankee State ? as you point out they were reluctantly a part of the Union, yet I have always considered MD part of the Northeast corridor. Thanks to the great influx of people to suburban Washington and to some extent Baltimore, it has lost a lot of its old-time character. But in the eyes of old-timers, especially in the backwaters of the state that the newcomers haven't affected so much, such as western Maryland and the Eastern Shore ("the Sho'") it is still southern. (I should point out that retired rich folks have refined much of the Eastern Shore, too.) My grandfather came from a place called Pocomoke City, Maryland (on the Sho') and he drawled so bad that as a little kid I never could understand him. When I lived in Maryland in the 1960's, there were few "white" restaurants that would serve blacks. There was a huge fuss kicked up when a diner along US Route 1, once the main drag between New York and Washington, refused to serve a black African UN diplomat. In the 1960's you could still drive through the Maryland countryside on Memorial Day and see American flags and Confederate flags flying side by side. When I worked in Baltimore and wanted to go out to eat with a black customer or co-worker, I always had to first make sure that a place would serve us without incident. This was 1968 or so. When I was coaching the Hagerstown Bears, a minor-league football team in Western Maryland, we were interracial pioneers of a sort, and my own landlord, who owned a tavern, told me he would rather we not have our post-game parties at his joint. That was 1970. So, yes - not so long ago, Maryland was a southern state. By now, though, most of Maryland is just a part of the Bos-Wash megalopolis. HW 2. Coach you are a Yale man and Former Eli player, and Know the Yale culture and Ivy League culture far better than I , I do not travel in social circles that consist of many former Ivy Leaguers ( I still hang around with many kids I grew up with in W.Lynn ,Not many members of The Mensa Society coming out of that crew). You had that piece on the Yale alum's that made millions and millions in a mutual fund and Gave back to Yale as a Class Gift, and it is been my understanding and 3rd hand knowledge that Yale and the other Ivies are LOADED ,they have Money that they have not even counted yet ,with that being said. Why the Hell has it taken so Long for Yale to renovate the Yale Bowl ?a statement on the de-emphasis on Football ?OR they used Athletic funds on more pressing issues? They could of renovated that place 10 times by Now. Went to the Yale Bowl for the first time in 1989 ,when I attended St.Thomas More in Colchester CT. and Played on the PG Football team,the P.G. team took a drive down to New haven for the Game vs. Uconn , It was Love at first sight !! great stadium !! but it was obvious the Grand old lady needed some work then. I think they had 29,000 that day Vs. Uconn Not a bad Crowd !! but the place was still 55% empty. - see ya friday Coach, John Muckian Lynn,Massachusetts I think the problem is that a lot of Yale's physical plant was very old and in serious need of updating, and dormitories and classrooms came way ahead of the Bowl. I guess the thinking was, why spend much money on a place that seats 70,000 when you'll be lucky to get 20,000 to an Ivy League game? For a long time, the Yale Bowl was the largest stadium in the US. It's still a great place to watch a football game. One problem - anybody know if they're still playing football in New Haven these days? HW) *********** First of all, a disclaimer: I live in a relatively small city (Camas, Washington - population 15,000) that has little of the crime to be found in abundance in the large city just across the river (Portland, Oregon). We have a good police department. When we need them, they are there. But one of the reasons why ours is the fastest growing county in the state of Washington is the number of people who want to get away from Portland's crime - and Portland's relatively tolerant attitude toward it. Yet Portland, which doesn't do a very good job of protecting its people or their property, is decidedly against its law-abiding citizens arming themselves. For a long time I have been of the belief that one of the biggest emasculators of our culture, one of the biggest reasons for our unsafe cities, is our own justice system. It handcuffs our police, and routinely returns bad guys to the street shortly after they've been apprehended. The police, perhaps in the way a person who has a bad day at work comes home and kicks the dog, then turn on the law-abiding citizens and, if not able to disarm them, at least tell them to stay out of it. Not doubt you've heard them: "DON'T TAKE THE LAW INTO YOUR OWN HANDS." They seem to suspect that we are all vigilantes at heart, just waiting for the word to hit the streets. But meanwhile, they do nothing to reasuure us, essentially sitting back and doing nothing about what they call "low-level" crime. "Property crime." Nobody got hurt? No crime then. Somebody stole your car? Tough luck. Somebody broke into your house? Give us a phone report. What good does it do if they do make an arrest? The so-called "justice" system, which seems to see its main role as "rehabilitating" people the newspapers now call "offenders," rather than keeping our society safe and civil. Shoot a guy who breaks into your home or business, and you will wish that instead you'd just shown him where your wife keeps her jewelry - and then helped him out the back door. With directions home. At the very least, you will spend a long time dealing with the guy's brothers, in court and out. Don't take the law into your own hands, huh? I really do believe that I am safer in a community with an armed, law-abiding citizenry than in one whose law-abiding citizens are disarmed by their police. Remember back before 9-11, when they used to tell us that in the event of a hijacking we should just sit back and let things play out? Our nation's capital would be rubble if a group of passengers over Western Pennsylvania had done just that. Instead, they took the law into their own hands. And never, never allow anyone on a plane with firearms. Not even anyone with a permit to carry. Not even pilots. (See how our protectors protect us?) That's what they told us for years. Think the hijackers didn't know that? What are the chances that the other hijackers would have gone ahead with their plot if they'd had reason to believe several of the passengers were armed? Terrorists and criminals alike: Beware the armed American citizen. *********** Marion Jones indignantly says she hasn't used drugs. So why shouldn't we believe her? Oh - what's that? You say that's what they all say? Never mind. *********** I started coaching back in 1978 to 1990 back in Mexico, during that time I had the chance to coach kids from 6 to 18 years old in a very successful club. Last year I had the chance to coach again, this time in the CYO league for the Detroit area, our school were my kid attend lost their head coach for the 5th and 6th grade team and under the risk of not having a team and even when my kid was in second grade I took the challenge with no staff, hoping for some parents with some experience to step in and help. A couple of parents did, no experience what so ever, so it was a long and painful season, don't take me wrong, I'm very thankful with them, at least they step in to help. Now, one of my questions is, I notice some of the other teams had two or three coaches and they were doing OK, they looked organized and everything. From my previous experience, we had staffs of 6 coaches per team, offensive and defensive coordinators, offensive line, offensive backs, defensive line/line backers and defensive backs, how do you manage to put something together with only two or three coaches? specially when your first game is less than four weeks after you start practice? It was really disappointing and frustrating when I realize those guys were there just because their kids were there and they didn't have any interest in coaching this year since their kids move to the next team (7th and 8th grade) so it was back to square one, I couldn't find anybody else to help for this year. I love the game but the apathy around here is terrible!!!! My other question is about the game, I notice everybody and I mean "everybody" was running double wings or wish bones with double tight ends or stuff like that, the bottom line is the whole offense was within 12 yards from the ball, so the whole defense was there too, isn't this a little too tight? By the last couple of games I was able to make my T-veer work with a split formation with two running backs or a spread formation with double twins and one running back, this way I was forcing the defense to get balanced and spread on the field, this way we have some space to work. Quick, flat and slant patterns were open most of the time and my triple option happen, forget about all the shifts and motions I had and had the defense struggle to adjust. Since everybody was playing so tight I was wondering if I missed something during those years I wasn't coaching? First of all, congratulations on coaching our great sport. A man who comes here and wants to become a part of us and our sport is a welcome addition. As for the size of the staff... I always tell people that I have several practice plans ready: one for a nine man staff, one for an eight-man staff, one for a seven-man staff, etc. All the way down to a one-man staff. It all depends on how many good assistants I can find. If I can't find any, I'll do it myself. I have coached overseas, all by myself, so I know it can be done with one guy. I also know it can be done with two guys, because another guy and I did it (high school). The old-timers all remember the days when their high school head coach and one assistant - a line coach, usually - did it all. I have a photo of the Penn football staff in the early 1950s. Penn was one of the best teams in the country then, and the staff consisted of just four men - the head coach and three assistants (line coach, backfield coach, end coach). My head coach at Yale, Jordan Olivar, had four assistants (line, ends, offensive backs, defensive backs). The more good coaches you can have, the better, but they have to be men of good character and work habits, who if they don't know football are eager to learn, who work well with kids and with other coaches and support the head coach at all times. If they fall short in any of those areas, they will do you far more harm than good. As for spreading it out at the youth level, I believe that having a wide receiver position is a waste of a good opportunity to teach a kid how to play football. I think that most youth coaches would agree that on a 9-year-old team, a wide receiver is pretty much an ornament. Before those kids get stereotyped into a specific position, they need to learn how to play the game, which a kid split out at wide receiver definitely will not. There is plenty of time when they get to high school to split them out and let them start to specialize. *********** After 30 years of teaching - one in Hagerstown, Maryland and 29 in Vancouver, Washington - my wife is retiring. Wednesday was her last day. I am very proud of her. She has made an incredible difference in the lives of countless kids, and I'm always pleased to see the affection they show her, no matter how long it's been since she was their teacher. The confidence that parents have had in her has been awesome. I won't deny that I am sad that she is going to be giving up something she loves and has a great passion and talent for. I wish there were some way that others could continue to benefit from being around her. But I also am happy that she seems ready to let go. I have noticed growing disgust with No Child Left Behind, and with the increasing intrusion of centralized bureaucracy into the teacher's life. Oh, yes - and every year, having to devote more and more attention to more and more out-of-control kids who do not belong in a regular classroom, taking up inordinate amounts of the teacher's time. And I almost forgot about the increasing number of parents who pull their kids out of school and take them on vacation at any time during the school year, with no advance notice. Hmmm. I'd be ready to get out, too. The most amazing thing about her is that in 30 years she never missed a day to illness. *********** Hugh, I just came across a great piece of equipment for teaching our (Pancake) tackling and blocking techniques, that I want to pass on to our DW Brothers. I have priced the large Pit bags (6' x 6' x 1') and found them very expensive- $500.00 +. I was looking for a better idea, rather than laying the 12 " x 12" x 48" bags side by side As you know using the individual bags is a pain as they keep moving, and coming apart, etc. I rented a house for the family vacation near Disney, and we needed an extra bed, so my son just bought a Coleman Comfort Smart Airbed, Queen Size - Firm", 77" x 61" and 18" inflated thickness. When we blew it up I was very impressed with the strength and durability of it. It will be perfect for pan-caking safety. Price around $70.00. I'm getting two of them. I feel they are plenty tough enough for our level (Jr High) and think they would also work for high school. Check them out. Oh yeah, please get me one of the autographed Clinton books. I need a good sh-- house door stop. On second thought forget it. It wouldn't even make good toilet paper. Frank Simonsen, Cape May, New Jersey (Sounds like an idea that's worth a good look. There is the safety and liability issue, of course, but I would think that even if it were to burst on impact, it wouldn't deflate so quickly that it wouldn't still provide a cushion. HW) *********** Coach - had some constructive criticism from my AD. He said my practices are too long and should be closer to 2 hrs.  I have them at 2 1/2.  How does my schedule look to you and what can I do?? My typical Tues/Wed 3:15-3:20  CAL LINES/ROLE 3:20-3:35  FORM RUN & STRETCH 3:35-3:45 LIVE FG OR PUNT 3:45-3:55 OFFENSIVE INDIVIDUALS  (usually OL-sled, RB- passing) 3:55-4:00 WATER 4:00-4:30 OFFENSIVE TEAM - sometimes we combine ind. and team 4:30-4:35 WATER 4:35-4:50 TACKLING STATIONS 4:50-5:05 DEFENSIVE Read drills 5:05-5:10 WATER 5:10-5:30 DEFENSIVE TEAM  (we may combine tackling reads and team later in the season) 5:30-5:40  CONDITIONING 5:40-5:45 Cal Lines (announcements) Coach- With all due respect, without knowing your AD's credentials, I say he is out of line. My schedule is a bit like yours, and I need 2-1/2 hours. Or more. So does the man I work for now. So do most coaches I know. Maybe he has been reading some of the stuff put out by the NCAA lately, but college coaches can get it done in less time because (1) they have long meetings before and after practice, obviating a lot of on-field teaching; (2) they have separate offensive and defensive staffs; (3) they have separate offensive and defensive squads. (In other words, while the offense is practicing, so is the defense. If you could do that, it would cut 50 minutes or so off your practice schedule.) Your AD has too much time on his hands. We are only talking about an extra half-hour, two days a week, for God's sake. *********** Dear Coach Wyatt: I was away in Cleveland on business for the last three days, away from my computer and away from your Tuesday column. I logged on as soon as I got home because I figured with all that happened over the weekend you woul be loaded for bear. I read with great interest your thoughts on the assault rifle ban. Your perspective on the issue is quite common, and you obviously feel strongly enough about it to allocate room in your column. However, I disagree with your basic premise. A very common misconception is that true "assualt rifles" were covered by the ban, which is sunsetting in September as you state. The misconception occurs because the general public equates the guns banned with machine guns, and that is not the case at all. Assault rifles, such as the type you got to fire in Finland, are selective fire weapons, with both semi and fully-automatic capabilities. It has been illegal to privately own a machine gun in this country without a license since 1934. The assault rifle ban actually banned the importation of certain semi-automatic rifles that merely looked like the full auto military version. The guns covered were actually selected by Diane Feinstein looking through gun books and picking out the sinister looking ones. Therefore, the semi-automatic version of the AK-47 was "banned", but the equally rapid firing , better made and more accurate Ruger Mini-14 was not. Various characteristics not related to the shooting operation were used to select the banned weapons, such as having pistol grips and bayonet lugs. ( The California bank robbers had fully auto AK-47's obtained through illegal channels, not the semi-auto ones available to the public). At first, importers got around the law by restocking the banned rifles with thumbhole type stocks (A strip of wood spans the end of the pistol grip to the buttstock) and removing the bayonet lug. The functionality of the gun was identical. In recent years, importers took advantage of loopholes which allowed the guns to be imported if they had so many American made parts. Therefore, the AK-47 Semi-auto versions started re-appearing looking just like the originals (minus the full auto feature, of course), with American made forearms, mainsprings, triggers, etc. The law was pointless, and did not promote public safety. "Ugly", military looking guns were banned, but identically functioning semi automatic sporting arms were not. It was putely cosmetic in nature, and designed to prey on people's fears of what they do not understand. The media did not do a lot to educate people, either, but then I would not expect them to. I do not recall Reagan being a big proponent of the ban. I do recall John and Sarah Brady being involved, and Reagan may have been drawn in out of some sense of obligation to Mr. Brady, who was crippled in the assasination attempt on Reagan. Remember, though, that Hinkley used a .22 pistol, not an "assault rifle". Sarah Brady became active in a group misnamed "Handgun Control Incorporated" which later expanded its scope to include the so called "assault rifles". Bill Clinton was the greatest gun salesman in history. When he announced the ban, a lot of people, myself included, ran out an bought one at escalated prices. I did not like mine: they are loud and expensive to shoot, and not really useful for the type of recreational shooting and hunting that I do. It is also greatly overpowered for home defense. I sold mine for a profit a few weeks after I bought it. I would not have much use for a machine gun, either. They fire at the rate of 450 rounds or more per minute, and I could not afford the ammunition. However, there are those that can and if they get the required license and have more money than they know what to do with and want one, then I have no problem. There has NEVER been a crime committed in this country by a licensed machine gun owner. I believe that the whole episode was just an attempt by the gun grabbers to get their foot in the door. So I guess I have to stand by the NRA on this one. (I also like to see which side of an issue Ted Kennedy stands on. That puts me on the opposite side just about 100% of the time!) Thank you for letting me share my views with you. We may differ in opinion on this one, but that's OK. We have enough other things in common that we were due for a disagreement! Respectfully yours, Mark Rice, Beaver, Pennsylvania (I have no objection to a civil, well-reasoned disagreement, particularly one as informative as yours. I'm not just after full-automatic fire; I'm concerned about firepower - about guns that can penetrate engine blocks, not to mention police vehicles. I see what some gun enthusiasts do to trees in our national forests (they literally cut them down) and I say, "these people don't need guns like this, if this is the only place they can shoot them." HW)  A LIST OF SOME TOP DOUBLE-WING HS TEAMS  "The Beast Was out There," by General James M. Shelton, subtitled "The 28th Infantry Black Lions and the Battle of Ong Thanh Vietnam October 1967" is available through the publisher, Cantigny Press, Wheaton, Illinois. to order a copy, go to http://www.rrmtf.org/firstdivision/ and click on "Publications and Products") Or contact me if you'd like to obtain a personally-autographed copy, and I'll give you General Shelton's address. (Great gift!) General Shelton is a former wing-T guard from Delaware who now serves as Honorary Colonel of the Black Lions. All profits from the sale of his books go to the Black Lions and the 1st Infantry Division Foundation, , sponsors of the Black Lion Award).   I have my copy. It is well worth the price just for the "playbooks" it contains in the back - "Fundamentals of Infantry" and "Fundamentals of Artillery," as well as a glossary of all those military terms, so that guys like you and me can understand what they're talking about.      --- GIVE THE BLACK LION AWARD --- HONOR BRAVE MEN AND RECOGNIZE GREAT KIDS SIGN UP YOUR TEAM OR ORGANIZATION FOR 2003 "NO MISSION TOO DIFFICULT - NO SACRIFICE TOO GREAT - DUTY FIRST" inscribed on the wall of the 1st Division Museum, at Cantigny, Wheaton, Ilinois Coaches - Black Lions teams for 2003 are now listed, by state. Please check to make sure your team in on the list. If it is not, it means that your team is no enrolled, and you need to e-mail me to get on the list. HW BECOME A BLACK LION TEAM (FOR MORE INFO ABOUT) THE BLACK LION AWARD

(UPDATED WHENEVER I FEEL LIKE IT - BUT USUALLY ON TUESDAYS AND FRIDAYS)  June 22, 2004 -    "The smallest good deed is better than the best intention." John Wooden NEXT 2004 CLINICS SCHEDULED - SAT JUN 5, PORTLAND/VANCOUVER 2004 CLINIC PHOTOS :ATLANTA CHICAGO TWIN CITIES DURHAM PHILADELPHIA PROVIDENCE DETROIT DENVER NORTHERN CAL Click Here ----------->> <<----------- Click Here    A LIST OF SOME TOP DOUBLE-WING HS TEAMS   A LOOK AT OUR LEGACY: He was short, smart and witty. The late Grantland Rice, once America's best-known sportswriter, said "He had more color than two rainbows." Born in Germany, he came to the United States with his parents when he was only one year old, but all his life he spoke with a German accent. He was raised in Milwaukee, and after spending two years as a grade school teacher in order to come up with the money to go to college, he enrolled in the University of Wisconsin. There, although he was too small to play varsity football, he lettered in basketball. Following graduation, he worked in New York City as a commercial artist for a year, before accepting a job as history teacher and coach at Hackley Manual Training School in Muskegon, Michigan. In four years there, his football team won a state championship, and he was offered a job at much larger Oak Park, Illinois High School. In three years there, travelling coast to coast to play the best opposition available, his teams were unbeaten, and in 1913, he was offered the head coaching position at the University of Illinois. (It was considered just as radical a move then as it would be now to hire a high school coach to fill such a job.) He earned a reputation in his high school days as a master of innovation and deception, and he continued to bedevil college opponents with surprise plays and trickery. His 1914 team was unbeaten, and from that point on, there was no question that he was well qualified to coach the college game. He had more great teams, but none better than his 1924 team, which featured his best player - perhaps the greatest player of all time, Red Grange. Grange's accomplishments are legendary, but one will suffice to give an idea of how big he was in what has come to be called the Golden Age of Sport. It was 1924, and Illinois' gigantic new stadium, one of the largest yet to be built on a college campus, was dedicated. 67,000 people were on hand, and Michigan was the opponent. Michigan's strategy was to defy the odds - to kick the ball to Grange and punish him. "Nail him now," was the order given the Wolverines by coach Fielding Yost. Nice try. Grange fielded the opening kickoff and returned it 95 yards for a touchdown. In the next 12 minutes, Grange scored three more touchdowns, and his coach took him out. Inserted again in the third quarter, Grange threw for another score and ran for a fifth touchdown himself. Final score: Illinois 39, Michigan 14. Some of the innovations which he can lay claim to having invented or, at the least, popularized, are: (1) The spiral pass from center. He claimed to have done so in Muskegon, in 1906, when one of his players told him his father had figured our a way to pass the fat football of those days through his legs with a spiral. (2) The screen pass. (3) The "guards back" formation, for better protection of the forward passer. (4) The "flea flicker," described as "a forward pass over center followed by a lateral heave toward the sideline." Long before coming to Illinois, he was famous for tricks plays, including another called the Flying Trapeze, at Muskegon and Oak Park. (5) The huddle. He invented it in 1921, but said that at first it was very unpopular, and didn;t gain acceptance until the big win over Michigan in 1924. He said he invented it because when quarterbacks would call signals at the line, as was then the practice, it was often impossible for players to hear them, between the noise of the crowd and the shouting of the defensive team. (6) The onside kick. He was certainly of the very first to make use of this now-illegal carryover from rugby. The punter - plus any player who was behind the kicker at the time the ball was kicked - was "on side," and therefore able to run downfield and recover the kick for his team. The scheme then was to short-snap the ball to the quarterback, who was only a yard or so back of the line. He would then kick the ball short, and the other three backs, who were deeper than he was, would hustle downfield and receiver. Or, in some cases, advance the ball - Illinois beat Iowa in 1917 when the Illini kicker kicked the ball over the receiver's head, then raced downfield and scooped up the ball and ran for the winning score. (7) The linebacker. He was one of the first to move his defensive guards back out of the line to help bat down forward passes. Another of his former players was a lineman who would go on to play professionally and eventually own his own professional team - George Halas, long-time owner and coach of the Chicago Bears. Halas wrote of him, "(He) is undoubtedly one of the greatest coaches of all time, in view of the fact that he was a creative genius and an originator of plays, differentiating him from other coaches who were copyists but who had the ability to take plays and formations and improve upon them. In addition to this ability, (he) was a great strategic defensive expert, as well as a great applicator (I may be coining a word) of football psychology." Halas' offense was originally based on plays he learned from his coach, and in his autobiography, "Halas by Halas," he gave his coach credit for the inspiration that led him to become a pro football pioneer. It was at the team banquet his senior year, Halas remembered., and the coach's words stuck with him. Wrote Halas: His message was short: "Just when I teach you fellows how to play football, you graduate and I lose you." His words were to govern the rest of my life. Final clue: In most listings of all-time great coaches, his name is usually dead last. *********** You'll have to excuse me if I make some mistakes putting this page together. I'm in a big hurry to get to downtown Portland later tonight and pitch my tent on the sidewalk outside Powell's World of Books, so I can be first in line when Bill Clinton's book goes on sale Tuesday. *********** Most days, the New York Times could pass as official Democratic National Committee's official newsletter. So when the Times tells you that Bill Clinton's book is bad, you can be sure it is a "Turkey" with a capital "T". You are free to buy it and find out for yourself, of course (bearing in mind that in doing so you are helping to subsidize that lowlife), but before you do you might be interested in reading a few excerpts from the Times review, written by Michiko Kakutani: As his celebrated 1993 speech in Memphis to the Church of God in Christ demonstrated, former President Bill Clinton is capable of soaring eloquence and visionary thinking. But as those who heard his deadening speech nominating Michael Dukakis at the 1988 Democratic National Convention in Atlanta well know, he is also capable of numbing, self-conscious garrulity. Unfortunately for the reader, Mr. Clinton's much awaited new autobiography "My Life" more closely resembles the Atlanta speech, which was so long-winded and tedious that the crowd cheered when he finally reached the words "In closing . . ." The book, which weighs in at more than 950 pages, is sloppy, self-indulgent and often eye-crossingly dull &emdash; the sound of one man prattling away, not for the reader, but for himself and some distant recording angel of history. In many ways, the book is a mirror of Mr. Clinton's presidency: lack of discipline leading to squandered opportunities; high expectations, undermined by self-indulgence and scattered concentration. *********** "I have found that the best way to get a rousing response from a crowd is to say that whatever disagreements you may have with President Bush on one issue or another, nobody can argue that he hasn't restored honor to the White house. I think there is a reason that the Kerry people were not all that excited about this (Clinton) book coming out now." Gary L. Bauer, chairman, American Values *********** A whole generation of TV watchers, saw Joe DiMaggio and never knew he was one of baseball's all-time greats. To them, he was simply "Mister Coffee," the guy who pitched the coffeemaker by the same name. Now here's Mike Ditka, a Hall of Fame player and coach. He's on TV, selling, uh, "hardener pills," just one tiny step above those creeps who bombard us with e-mails promising us male members the size of Little League bats. He tells people to "get in the game." See, it's a joke. Nyuk, nyuk. He doesn't mean football. (Wink, nudge.) And now he's surprised, and not a little disappointed, to learn that more people know him as the mustachioed guy on the Levitra ads than as the coach of the Super Bowl Bears. He's quoted as saying something like, "They don't know whether I'm a tight end or a rear end." He supplied the setup line. You supply your own punch line. *********** The weather's been in the 90s the last few days, unseasonably warm for the Pacific Northwest, where we've managed to live for almost 30 years without owning an air conditioner. It was so hot, according to the local newspaper, that firefighters trying to put out a house fire ran out of bottled water. Just goes to show what bad writing can do. Before you get the idea that we are bunch of rich bitches out here, I should tell you that most of the time our firefighters fight fires with water straight from the hydrant. *********** The local library people in Vancouver, Washington have to be about the most arrogant a**holes ever placed here on earth. For the longest while, they simply refused to take any responsibility for keeping little kids away from computers with unfiltered access to porn sites. ("That's their parents' responsibility.") On top of that, just in case the kids really did want to stay away from pornography, the computers were positioned so that the general public could readily see what the derelicts who hang around the library are looking at. Now, I have a problem as it is with public libraries using our tax dollars to enable people to walk in off the street and browse. I, like most people I know, pay for my computer and my Internet access; I don't consider it to be something I am entitled to. Shows what a chump I am. Now I read that Internet and other telecommunications providers are required to "contribute" funds to something called the Federal Universal Service Fund - in other words, to pay the government a monthly fee per subscriber. Notice it's not a tax. It's a "contribution." Figures. It all started in 1997, back in the dark days of Clintonism (anybody remember when Slick Willie once tried calling taxes "contributions?") It's government sneakiness at its worst. Not even an American Congressman in his wildest dreams could imagine trying to put a tax directly on Internet users and getting away with it. But such is the economic ignorance of the American public that those same Internet users - if they even follow what's going on in Washington - cheer at the thought that big companies like Comcast and Verizon are getting it stuck to them. It never occurs to them that, faced with an additional cost, a business either has to eat it, or pass it along to its customers. And needless to say, this one is being passed along. Sometimes the fee is hidden in your bill and sometimes it's broken out, but rest assured that you're paying it. All your Internet provider is doing is collecting and passing along your "contribution." But the best part is the way your government is "investing" your contribution. The purpose of the Federal Universal Service Fund is to "defray costs of increasing Internet access at libraries and other public places," and "provide affordable telecommunications services for low-income customers and customers in rural areas. " In our area, at least, that means a library that thumbs its nose at taxpayers who don't think we should be paying to provide Internet access so bums off the street can get their jollies. And "poor" kids who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch - and breakfast - but somehow can afford $100 athletic shoes. And satellite dishes. (Probably furnished by a government program.) Grr. *********** I am not a gun nut, but I like guns. I own a couple, and I enjoy shooting them. At targets. Occsionally at a picture of Osama bin Laden. I enjoy showing my grandsons how to handle firearms responsibly and safely. But I'm a son of a gun if I can come up with a really compelling reason why anybody but a soldier (that includes members of all miltary branches) or a law enforcement officer should be permitted to own an assault rifle. I have fired one, and I have seen what one is capable of, and I can't imagine police having to deal with criminals who are armed with the damned things. The late President Reagan was no foe of guns, but one of his most important legacies may have been the 10-year-old federal law banning assault rifles, whose passage he lobbied hard for as an ex-president. The law will expire in September. The NRA, which would see even a ban on civilian ownership of nuclear bombs as the start down a slippery slope which can only end in confiscating everyone's guns, is sure to oppose its renewal. It will not be easy for President Bush to buck the NRA. But he should. *********** They should give a free pass to every tournament on the PGA Tour to anyone who will strangle one of those cretins who insist on yelling, "GET IN THE HOLE!" *********** Hi Coach, I received Coach Murphy's highlight tape based on your recommendation. WOW! As always you didn't steer me wrong. Coach Murphy and I have conversed via email and I have ordered three other tapes from him. Clovis players do what we coach and a picture is worth a thousand words. Things are looking great for us as we enter our summer program. We will not start a lineman including TE that is not currently benching over 300 pounds led by 4 year starter Jason Gagnon at 440. Our agility work in the off season is also paying off big. Take care and I hope all is well with you and yours. John Trisciani, Manchester, New Hampshire *********** Boy, talk about a win-win situation! The University of Washington's new AD is the former AD at Vanderbilt. It's a great deal for him, because he was essentially neutered by Vandy's decision to have the athletic department report directly to the President, and now he can be a real AD again. And it's a pretty good deal for the Huskies, too, because with the NCAA about to drop its hammer on the UW, their new AD's experience at running a chronic loser will come in very handy. *********** Hugh, Just finished your news and what you said about the corporate whores and selling the names of stadiums or Arenas. Well I don't know if you heard but the Boise State Pavillion/ where they have the Home games at BSU in Basketball and Gymnastics has now been renamed for 4 million dollars for over 15 years in now called Taco Bell Arena. Anything for the dollar. Take care, Mike Foristiere, Boise, Idaho (We are a brief step away from the Viagra Bowl, played in the Big H (sponsored by the makers of Preparation H. Of course, Boise is not too far from Caldwell, Idaho, where super market magnate Joe Albertson bought the naming rights to an entire college. HW). *********** My wife and I were trying to settle a bet as to which one of the state songs we sang when we were kids was the Official State Song of Pennsylvania. Was it the one that started, "Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania, Strong and True...?" Or was it the one set to the music of the 1812 Overture that went, "Hail Pennsylvania - Noble and Strong..." We looked it up on the Internet, and turned out we were both wrong. Damned if it wasn't some stupid song adopted in 1990, when Pennsylvania's best days were far behind. Probably the song writer was the son (or daughter) of some state senator. That's the way things were usually done in the Keystone State of my youth. But as long as we were on the site, we did some checking around. One of Louisiana's state songs is "You Are My Sunshine," composed and sung by Jimmie Davis, a singing star who would go on to become the state's governor. Wisconsin's is "On Wisconsin!" the only state song whose tune also doubles as the state university's fight song. (Hold on, Tennesseans - I'll get around to "Rocky Top.") Indiana's is the classic "On the Banks of the Wabash." Kentucky's ("My Old Kentucky Home") and Virginia's ("Carry Me Back to Old Virginny") are beautiful melodies that would be the envy of any state, but they date to slave days, and some of their original lyrics are highly objectionable. It would be a sin to trash the songs themselves, but references to "darkies", reminders though they may be of a bygone time, simply have to go. Georgia native son Ray Charles left us last week, but he left behind his haunting, melancholy rendition of that state's song, "Georgia on My Mind". As befitting a state whose capital is Nashville. the Music City, Tennessee has seven - I ain't kiddin' - state songs. One of them is "Tennessee Waltz," which spent weeks at the top of the Hit Parade (back in the early days of TV, when that was a popular show. Sponsored by Lucky Strike. ) You would have to say that the temperance folks in Tennesee have their work cut out for them when one of the other seven songs, "Rocky Top," glorifies makin' moonshine: " That's why all the folks on Rocky Top/get their corn from a jar." "Rocky Top" seems also to be a University of Tennessee fight song (I can still see Peyton Manning leading the UT band in a post-game rendition). I always thought that "Down the Field" was the official UT fight song, but it was "borrowed" from Yale (as, I might add, was "Boomer Sooner"), back in the days before Nashville began cranking out music. Maryland's state song is "Maryland, My Maryland," set to the tune of O Tannenbaum; after having lived in Maryland for 15 years, I still get emotional when I hear it. But in its lyrics, it is a call to arms - to rebellion. Against the United States government. Maryland, you may or may not know, was a so-called "border state", one of those states that did not secede from the Union, but remained slave states, decidedly anti-Union in their sentiments. The song's opening line is, "the despot's heel is on thy shore." Uh, that "despot" would have been Abraham Lincoln. It urges Marylanders to "avenge the patriotic gore/that flecked the streets of Baltimore." That would have been the blood shed by the Baltimore street rabble who attacked Union troops as they marched across town from the train that had brought them from the north to the train that would take them to the South - and combat. Maryland, we are told in the song, will respond to the call to battle: "She is not dead, nor deaf, nor dumb/Huzza! she spurns the Northern scum!" Northern scum, eh? The Maryland Department of Tourism might want to take another look at that line. The title of New Jersey's state song really caught my attention: "I'm From New Jersey." I haven't seen the sheet music, but I'm guessing the second line is, "You got a problem with that?" *********** Hello Coach, I hope you are doing well. I have been busy organizing for the upcoming season and generally enjoying a bit of the calm before the storm. We start workouts June 28th (weightlifting etc.) and I am looking forward to it. I also read the article today on your website where someone mentioned that the kids raised in the 80's will push for a Hard America. Well, I was for the most part raised in the 80's (only 4 years of the 70's and 4 in the 90's). I believe this statement to be true. People my age were born late enough to be removed from the touchy feely hippie era. My first memories of a president were of Ronald Reagan (or as they used to say Ronnie Ray-Gun). I remember being brought up as a proud American who rooted for the US to beat the Soviets and communism etc. I also believe that a lot of people my age look backward for the answer to what is going on in our country. I look to my grandfather - a WWII Vet. He was in the Navy on a ship that was divebombed by the Japanese. They sustained a huge blow by a bomb, but were able to save the ship by shooting down the kamikazee. After the war he married my grandmother and they raised 5 kids. He started out working for (I believe) the electric company and eventually saved money to start a heating business. He worked his A$$ off and was very successful. I always try to think of him whenever I feel lazy or like the world owes me something. Here is a man who as a child during the depression used to fix/resole (spelling?) his own shoes when they wore out. I think that by looking back to such people we will be able to find our country again. John Dowd, Oakfield, New York *********** Coach, I was just sitting here watching the ABC evening news about the beheading of Paul Johnson in Saudi Arabi. I certainly don't condone the way some of the prisoners were treated by Americans, but I am at the point now that anything short of getting rid of all these a--h---- is not enough. The first American beheaded was from our town here and his family lived about a quarter of a mile from me. We have a lot of people in Florida working for defense related industries, and Johnson had family living by Cape Canaveral. No one likes to see people die during wars, but if there was ever justification to fight a group to the end it is these terrorists. We need to step it up and not think about scaling anything back. On a more pleasant side, I received a wedding invitation from one of my former football players in Nebraska and it made me reflect on just how great football is for some kids. This young man was an only child, Mom a music teacher and Dad a social studies teacher. They were a very spiritual family and Mark Sukraw, the son was very active in church, music, drama, and youth organizations. I remember Mark when he came out for football as a freshman, and he had that Choir boy look to him, and was just about the nicest, most polite young man I had every met. He certainly wasn't the most athletic, but a very hard worker in the weight room. I remember talking to him one day in the summer before his junior year and I asked him why he had become such a dedicated worker in the weight room. He told me that swhen he was in junior high kids use to bully him and harass him on the way home from school. Well, he made up his mind that he was going to become as strong as he could and that he would never let that happen to him again. By the time Mark graduated in May of 99 he looked like a body builder. He was certainly respected by just about all segments of the community and no one would have thought of picking a fight with him. He still looked like a Choir boy, only one with a great body. He was a starting guard and linebacker for me his junior and senior years. When you saw him off the field he was one of the nicest people in the world, but when he strapped that helmet on it was a Jeckle and Hyde routine. I used to have to tone him down in practice, because his motor never stopped and he never hit anyone at three quarters speed. He use to come out to practice early and catch punts and during his senior year. He also ran track (the 200 and threw the shot) I don't think he ever scored many points in track meets but he made himself quite a different football player with his increased speed. During his senior year I was having trouble with guys coming up and catching punts, as they wanted to let them hit the ground and we were losing a lot of yardage. I finally gave him a chance and he fielded every one flawlesly and made some very nice returns for us. I have him on that year's highlight film returning some of them. It was odd to see a #59 returning punts, but he did a great job. Besides being an honor student, he played the trumpet, was always the lead singer in the musicals, and was an excellent actor. His crowning accomplishment came when he was selected "Eagle Scout" of the year for the whole United States. His Eagle project had involved painting our weight room. He graduated and went to play at Dana College, Div III, and they loved him because he was a great player and was involved in all kinds of activities on campus. I remember him telling me that football meant so much to him, because it gave him an outlet to be violent and take risks in a controlled ennvironment. He was probably one of the most well rounded players I have ever had, and would have been very successful if he had never played football. But football filled that one void that he seemed to have and he was able to blend it into the rest of his life. I won't be able to attend his wedding on 3 July, and I have never met his bride. But I know they will be an asset to any community they choose to live in, and he is the kind of person that most young people would follow anywhere. I would not at all be surprised to see him in politics someday, but he told me he wanted to be a history teacher and a coach. I know that football made a great impact on his life, but I doubt he really understands how great an impact he had on others by playing football. Just a tremendous success story and I am very happy to have been just a small part of it. Enough rambling. I hope your summer is going well and you are looking forward to the upcoming season. Take care and stay in touch. Ron Timson, Umatilla, Florida (In addition to being a heck of a coach, Ron Timson is retired Air Force. HW)    A LIST OF SOME TOP DOUBLE-WING HS TEAMS  "The Beast Was out There," by General James M. Shelton, subtitled "The 28th Infantry Black Lions and the Battle of Ong Thanh Vietnam October 1967" is available through the publisher, Cantigny Press, Wheaton, Illinois. to order a copy, go to http://www.rrmtf.org/firstdivision/ and click on "Publications and Products") Or contact me if you'd like to obtain a personally-autographed copy, and I'll give you General Shelton's address. (Great gift!) General Shelton is a former wing-T guard from Delaware who now serves as Honorary Colonel of the Black Lions. All profits from the sale of his books go to the Black Lions and the 1st Infantry Division Foundation, , sponsors of the Black Lion Award).   I have my copy. It is well worth the price just for the "playbooks" it contains in the back - "Fundamentals of Infantry" and "Fundamentals of Artillery," as well as a glossary of all those military terms, so that guys like you and me can understand what they're talking about.      --- GIVE THE BLACK LION AWARD --- HONOR BRAVE MEN AND RECOGNIZE GREAT KIDS SIGN UP YOUR TEAM OR ORGANIZATION FOR 2003 "NO MISSION TOO DIFFICULT - NO SACRIFICE TOO GREAT - DUTY FIRST" inscribed on the wall of the 1st Division Museum, at Cantigny, Wheaton, Ilinois Coaches - Black Lions teams for 2003 are now listed, by state. Please check to make sure your team in on the list. If it is not, it means that your team is no enrolled, and you need to e-mail me to get on the list. HW BECOME A BLACK LION TEAM (FOR MORE INFO ABOUT) THE BLACK LION AWARD

(UPDATED WHENEVER I FEEL LIKE IT - BUT USUALLY ON TUESDAYS AND FRIDAYS)  June 18, 2004 -    "Consensus is the absence of leadership." Margaret Thatcher NEXT 2004 CLINICS SCHEDULED - SAT JUN 5, PORTLAND/VANCOUVER 2004 CLINIC PHOTOS :ATLANTA CHICAGO TWIN CITIES DURHAM PHILADELPHIA PROVIDENCE DETROIT DENVER NORTHERN CAL Click Here ----------->> <<----------- Click Here    A LIST OF SOME TOP DOUBLE-WING HS TEAMS    *********** James Taranto, in opinionjournal.com, writes that elite types think it is impressive that John Kerry uses "multisyllabic" words. Taranto points out that there are things to be said for one-syllable (monosyllabic) words, and uses as one example "Tear down this wall!" "What would John Kerry have said"" he asks. "'Mr. Gorbachev, kindly disassemble aforementioned barricade'"? *********** Coach Wyatt: I enjoyed reading Coach Barnes' note about his incident at Ground Zero. When my family and I attended my HS reunion in July, 2002, we included on our itinerary a short 120 mile detour to NYC to visit Ground Zero. Looking at the sight 10 months after the event conjured up the emotions that Coach Barnes wrote of. However, there were no street vendors -- none. There were no signs posted, either. It wasn't necessary. It's unfortunate that time dulls people's sense of decorum. Thanks, Coach Barnes for providing a little reminder to them. Forgive my acting the proud Dad. Here is the web site for the newspaper, "The Barstow Log", that my Marine Corps son writes for. (https://www.bam.usmc.mil/log_04.htm) His first article appears in the May 20th addition. He had the feature article and pictures in the June 3rd paper. I can't believe this kid just graduated HS last year. Regards, Keith Babb, Northbrook, Illinois *********** Hugh, Thanks for posting my letter to you. We were able to pull together a formal petition with over 2000 signatures in just 3 days. We hounded the mayor and flooded the Board of Education meeting with over 200 parents (they all acted calmly and responsibly and intelligently) Several of us presented the case to the Board and the Mayor. Bottom line, 6th grade through Freshman sports programs, arts, late busses and the school newspaper were restored by going out to bid competitively on the school insurance. The school budget was not increased one cent! Thanks again, Rich Golden, Montville, Connecticut (I'm pleased to hear that things turned out well. As you probably have figured out, this is likely to be a constant battle from here on out, and the ironic thing is that the way things are headed, the day will come when you will not have the support of many parents of athletes, because their kids will playing club sports and they will say to hell with school sports. HW) *********** Hugh, I was just tooling around on my map program and noticed Camas and Washougal, and how close to Portland Oregon you were. WOW. I bet it is beautiful there. I also noticed a familiar face on the Clovis East film, that Jim Hartigan is at Clovis West now, and not Santa Margarita. Wonder what was up… He had a terrific record there. (Didn't know I was so West Coast smart, did you?) I have literally toured the country mentally, as a result of this double wing stuff. Things are going quite well here in the Atlanta area and Siloam, GA. Our kids at Nat-Greene have a great attitude towards this season and have really taken to my program and way of thinking. It is a very focused situation being I still have no assistant coaches yet. I'm kind of getting used to coaching them alone. One thing for sure, We are of one mind and philosophy and that is half the battle. You said in one of your clinic films that you can coach a team alone if you have to and its true. With an 18 member squad as of now, I find it really easy to do. I know fully what I want to do on both sides of the ball and I can get it taught quickly and soundly with repetition of the execution and terminology. My past experiences with youth teams in the very competitive leagues I coached in, is now paying off for I had to coach allot of them near single handedly. Imagine that… Learning something valuable at the youth level. From my eyes, as I look at high schools and the way the game is being coached, I think it would be a tremendous advantage to a lot of coaches to spend several years in the youth leagues. I feel like you can really learn football there, and not this stuff we see on Sundays. So many high school coaches are getting their tutelage from the college coaches, and them, from the pros, so that they simply forget where they are. My opinion is… I as a high school coach, am not responsible for getting kids ready to play at the next level, My job is to get a team ready to play, represent their school, and win on Friday night. I'm rambling and getting opinionated so I'll shut up! Hope to get you some pictures that I mentioned last time. That might be a neat feature. Thanks for everything! Coach Larry Harrison, Head Football Coach, Nathanael Greene Academy, Siloam, Georgia (I got on Coach Harrison for evidently thinking that Camas, Washington is a semi-abandoned logging town back in the sticks. I told him, of course it's beautiful here - that, and the warm, dry summers are the main things keeping us out here. Then he asked me where we;'d move to, if/when we ever did. I told him that if we were to move, my wife and I know exactly what we want: It has to be near a (relatively) major airport... It should be closer to where I do most of my business (Midwest, East, South) It has to have bearable summers... We would like snow in winter, but not five feet of it all winter long... It has to have at least one college with real sports (football, obviously)... It has to have most of the amenities of a big city without being strangled by congestion... It has to have some attractive, accessible natural feature: river, lake, ocean, mountains, forest. Preferably all of them... Even though I haven't played golf in some six years, it would be nice if it had several well-kept, easy, uncrowded, inexpensive courses - just in case... It would be nice if it were conservative in outlook, but that is not a deal-breaker (I mean, hell, we live just outside Portland, Oregon - capital of America's "insurgents.")... It would be nice if it had some real history (In the Northwest, once you're past the native inhabitants, Lewis and Clark and the Oregon Trail, that's about it.) It would be best if football were still bigger than soccer... Real estate prices should be no higher than they are in the Portland area... It should be close to all our kids, who live in Colorado, North Carolina, Texas and... Australia. You get the idea. We are still looking. *********** Good morning coach: Well, we start summer workouts tonight at Lamphere. I am so looking forward to my new coaching opportunity as well as working with Coach Rick Desotell at the high school level, one of my original DW mentors. We are in charge of installing the DW in grades 6 through 12! They finished 0-9 last year so we only have one way to go. The head coach, and principal seem very supportive thus far, and nice by the way. Full house always beats a pair! Five game sweep! However you want to phrase it, what an ass whoooooopin' we put on the Lakers!!!!!! As I said at the beginning of the series on your site, "Pistons in five, maybe six." We beat the best team in the NBA in six, why would the Lakers pose a big problem? It's like Grant Hill said, "people just don't get it." He was referring to the idiotic national media, like Stephen A. Smith of ESPN (The A stands for -------), who broke down laughing when asked if the Pistons had a chance shortly after the Indiana series. The Wallace's, Tayshuan, Rip, the bench, and Chauncey (MVP) Billips. A cast of rejects picked up from the scrap heap of the NBA pile to, not only show they can play, but at a very high level. They not only showed the vaunted D, but something the national peeps don't see a lot of, big time scoring/fast breaking ability. It was like watching Gazelles play Hippos. When was the last time a guy, I'm referring to Big Ben Wallace, abused SHAQ like that? Man, whatta team hey coach. During the series it was always about what the Lakers were doing wrong, not about what the Pistons were doing right. Is it great to be owner (Shock, Lighting, Pistons) William Davidson or what? In one year he has a WNBA trophie, Stanley Cup, and his true baby, the Pistons winning the title once again. Since the late 80's, only us and the Bulls have won titles in the east. Last week all three trophies were at the Palace. Never happened. Lastly, Bill Parcels. My wife is Japanese. She's been in this country roughly ten years. The term "Orientals" is a kin to the N word for them, but not as bad. If he wanted to phrase it right, he should have said "no offense to the Japanese." "Orientals" encompasses dozens of countries, who are not even close to the same. And hopefully, someone also told him don't say "Jap," that again is a derogatory term. Like she said how about kamikaze, or Samurai. Seriously though coach, I am not trying to be too heavy here, she got a big laugh out of it and understood it is a generational thing, and he's not a racist. She also quipped to me that "he's right about us you know, we are smart, sneaky, and deadly, AND DON'T YOU EVER FORGET IT!" I think every husband knows what she meant by that. Bye for now. David Livingstone, Troy, Michigan (Glad to hear that things are going well. The Pistons were a Godsend to the NBA, which seemed to be getting closer and closer to Street Ball, except with real thugs. And then along comes a TEAM, to demonstrate that even in professional basketball, a TEAM can beat a collection of all-star players. I go back to the 1976-77 Trail Blazers when I think of the perfect collection of players to carry out a coach's (in that case, Jack Ramsay's) scheme. I hope they can hold these guys together. The record indicates they can't. I wonder whether 'Sheed can continue to be a part of things. Don't buy the story that he was "misunderstood" in Portland. You don't misunderstand multiple drug offenses, refusal to deal civilly with fans and the media, angrily confronting a referee after the game in the underground parking facility, throwing a towel at a teammate (Arvidas Sabonis) and throwing a ball at the head of another teammate (Ruben Boumtje Boumtje). The list goes on. But 'Sheed did a great job for the Pistons, where nobody expected him the be Da Man, and for Detroit's sake, I hope they can sign him. For my money, Ben Wallace is the MVP. He is the reincarnation of Bill Russell, a total-effort guy who plays selflessly and through his efforts makes everyone around him better. As for Parcells - I'm from the same generation as he is. I remember World War II. I was seven when the "J" words surrendered. I said the word then - everybody did - but I haven't said it in years. So what's wrong with Parcells? (He may even, like many white men in our generation, have said the "N" word way back when he was a kid. Bet he hasn't said that in years.HW) *********** Coach Wyatt: I just finished Mr. Barone's book (essay?) - "Hard America, Soft America." He really got me fired up with his conclusions. I forgot who he quoted in the end who wrote that the new terrorist tactic revealed on 9/11/2001 was rendered obsolete just 109 minutes after it was revealed by the passengers on UA flight 93. This is the incredible reality created by the information age. I also liked what he said about the kids raised in the 80's and 90's. How they appreciate the value of Hard America and will insist on changes to those soft niches that exist now. And I like his analogy that we behave as a pack and not a herd. It's truly amazing to see how far we've come in such a short time. I think of my parents who have seen incredible changes in their life times. Heck, my Dad didn't have indoor plumbing or electricity at his home until after WWII. With Hard America leading the way, it's hard to imagine where we'll be in 20 years. I've always been confident that my kids will have it better than me. Now I'm more confident than ever in the future. There will be struggles and it won't be a straight line, but the hardening of many of America's institutions will produce spectacular results for many years to come -- if only we continue to choose that path. Regards, Keith Babb, Northbrook, Illinois (I used to be able to prove to 9th-graders that they were capitalists when I would announce, just before I gave out the grades, that I was asking for volunteers. I would tell them that I was only able to give out a certain number of grade points, and as a result, while some of them got very good grades, some others got very poor grades. This could mean, in some cases, that they might face discipline at home or ineligibility at school. Unless... I said that if those who got A's and B's would be willing to take just a one-letter reduction - A's down to B's, and B's down to C's - that would free up enough points for me to give passing grades to the "less fortunate" among them. They would look at me incredulously as I was explaining this, and when I would ask for volunteers, not a hand would go up. Then I would ask a kid why he (or she) wasn't willing to give up a little in order to help someone else and the answer, without exception, was always an idignant, "I earned that grade." HW) *********** I ran into Randy Martinez at a spring scrimmage the other day. Randy is assisting at La Center High where his son, Zach, played for me. Randy tells me that Zach is now in Iraq, and I told him I'd like his e-mail address in case anyone would like to write him. Here it is - Zachary.Martinez@bdab.aorcentaf.af.mil Again, if any of you has a former player who could use a good word from home, send me his (or her) e-mail address. *********** Hello Coach, How are you and your family doing? I am writing from Hannover Germany right now. I have come back over here with the school on another exchange program for three weeks. I have brought the book that you gave me along ("They Marched Into Sunlight" by David Maraniss) and I started reading it again. I was reading Holleder's Run and it made me think of you and all the things that you tried to pass on to me during the season last year. So I thought I would write you an e-mail to see how you were. I have graduated high school now and last night I was thinking about what lessons and principles I have learned and how the lessons will hopefully help me throughout my life. Among the most memorable ones are the ones that you and coach Jackson have passed on and about how selfless acts are among the greatest things you can do and in the book when I read about how Holleder charged the enemy without a second thought because his boys were in trouble, it inspires me to try and be more like that. Sorry to talk your ear off I am sure you are busy but I have been thinking a lot lately and just wanted to thank you again for not only coaching us to the best of your ability every game but also for taking the extra time to invest in teaching me and the other teammates about more important things than winning and losing. I hope all is well with you and your family and I hope that your clinics continue to go well. Talk to you soon. Trevor Buffington #44 (Trevor was our B-Back and Middle Linebacker and our Black Lion Award winner last year at Madison High in Portland, Oregon. HW) *********** I would like to see the Big Ten-Pac 10 Rose Bowl return . . . but that's probably because I'm a Michigan grad . . . although it may just be that as I age I crave tradition. Veronica Anderson, Verona, Wisconsin There is a move afoot everywhere, as you have probably noticed, to stage conference championship games. This was a major factor in the ACC's decision to steal three teams from the Big East, since current NCAA rules permit a conference to play such a game only when it has 12 or more members. My thought - given that the Rose Bowl tradition is hanging by a thread - the Pac 10 and the Big Ten should amalgamate for the purpose of putting on their own "conference" championship. The winner of the game would be given a top seed in the BCS playoffs, and, since the new "conference" would consist of 21 teams - one-third of all the BCS member-conference teams - it would receive two other automatic BCS berths (three of the eight). In addition to the top seed, another berth would go to the loser of the "conference" championship game, and a third to the highest-ranked team in the winning team's "division." To pay tribute to a great tradition, the game would be played in the Rose Bowl. In fact, it would be called The Rose Bowl (no sponsors' name added), because it would be the Rose Bowl - as most football traditionalists know it. It would guarantee carrying on the great tradition of Big Ten-Pac 10 matchups going back to 1949. No more Miamis or Oklahomas, good as they might be. The only thing that would change would be the date - it would have to be played somewhere around December 1. But big deal - the whores who run the BCS have shown no dedication to playing the Rose Bowl on New Year's Day, anyhow. The BCS game actually played in the Rose Bowl (the stadium) on or around New Year's Day would have to come up with a new name, but that prospect shouldn't displease the BCS people, who would be free to hold a giant auction among corporate sponsors. As educators like to say, it's "a win-win." And if the BCS doesn't go for the idea? Simple. Forget the BCS, and play the "Conference championship" game - the real Rose Bowl - on New Year's Day. Lotsa money to be made, and divided 21 ways. Let the BCS go ahead and have their party. Let them try selling the American public - and sponsors - on the notion that they are conducting a "national championship" without the champions of the Big Ten and Pac-10. I can already hear the people at Frito-Lay choking on their Tostitos. HW *********** Asked an Ohio State fan, "Do you think the largest obstacle stopping [Knight from going to Ohio State] from happening … is that Ohio State would never want to bring in a basketball coach to overshadow the football program?" Answered Yahoo's Dan Wetzel: Absolutely. Which is why Ohio State hoops has underperformed since Fred Taylor retired. I am not optimistic this time either, since the school has put together one of those dreaded "search committees" that all but guarantee a drawn-out process and safe choice. What the heck do schools pay athletic directors hundreds of thousands a year for if they can't hire someone themselves? Search committees are part of the "collegial process," the bane of modern-day academics, which values process over product. They disperse the reponsibility for a bad hire, while at the same time giving representatives of assorted wacko constituencies the mistaken impression that they actually had a say in the hiring. Not that anybody at Ohio State would be crazy enough to hire Bobby Knight, but I don't buy the idea that Ohio State doesn't want to win because it might overshadow the football program. "Overshadow" Ohio State football? We will never live to see the day that a basketball team will bring 100,000 people to the campus for a weekly reunion. Michigan is a good example of what I mean: Michigan won an NCAA basketball title, but the following fall, it was back to football as usual, with 100,000+ in the Big House every Saturday. I don't think that strong football schools are afraid of having strong basketball programs, but I sometimes suspect that the converse might be true - there are many "basketball schools" that don't play football at all, and others (Indiana, Duke and Kentucky come to mind) that often appear half-hearted about building winning football programs. That's one reason why I root for UConn to keep getting stronger in football. HW *********** Coach Wyatt, We won our spring football game 28-13, defeating Bay St. Louis. The field was very sloppy and wet. It did not rain during the game, but had rained for two straight days. We had two long drives for scores and scored on a 42 yard drive and a 72 yard punt return. Steve Jones, Ocean Springs, Mississippi *********** Hi coach, we purchased your video series and have installed your offense last year. It proved to be very successful as we averaged 33 points a game and 370 yrds of offense. Unfortunately, I switched from D to O to install this system and we suffered on defense and lost in our league semifinal. Myself and my AD are driving down to visit De La Salle this summer to watch their opening fall camp on Aug 16th, and we were wondering if we would be able to visit you on the way back. Can you tell me when your camp starts and if we are able to observe some of your practises and meet with you. Thanks, Rob Blais, Notre Dame High School, Red Deer, Alberta, Canada We can't start until August 23 so although you wouldn't see any hitting for the first few days, I know I can say for our head coach, Tracy Jackson, that you would be welcome at our practices. Tracy is a good man and he is willing to share. Bear in mind that Madison High School is not DeLaSalle. We will more closely resemble an average American high school program, which might actually be more useful to an observer. We are a public school in a largely lower middle-class section of a big city. Madison has won only 3 games in the last 3 years, but 2 of those came last year, and although we have our work cut out for us, I believe that we are going to be significantly better this season. Let me know what your plans are as they develop. HW  A LIST OF SOME TOP DOUBLE-WING HS TEAMS  "The Beast Was out There," by General James M. Shelton, subtitled "The 28th Infantry Black Lions and the Battle of Ong Thanh Vietnam October 1967" is available through the publisher, Cantigny Press, Wheaton, Illinois. to order a copy, go to http://www.rrmtf.org/firstdivision/ and click on "Publications and Products") Or contact me if you'd like to obtain a personally-autographed copy, and I'll give you General Shelton's address. (Great gift!) General Shelton is a former wing-T guard from Delaware who now serves as Honorary Colonel of the Black Lions. All profits from the sale of his books go to the Black Lions and the 1st Infantry Division Foundation, , sponsors of the Black Lion Award).   I have my copy. It is well worth the price just for the "playbooks" it contains in the back - "Fundamentals of Infantry" and "Fundamentals of Artillery," as well as a glossary of all those military terms, so that guys like you and me can understand what they're talking about.      --- GIVE THE BLACK LION AWARD --- HONOR BRAVE MEN AND RECOGNIZE GREAT KIDS SIGN UP YOUR TEAM OR ORGANIZATION FOR 2003 "NO MISSION TOO DIFFICULT - NO SACRIFICE TOO GREAT - DUTY FIRST" inscribed on the wall of the 1st Division Museum, at Cantigny, Wheaton, Ilinois Coaches - Black Lions teams for 2003 are now listed, by state. Please check to make sure your team in on the list. If it is not, it means that your team is no enrolled, and you need to e-mail me to get on the list. HW BECOME A BLACK LION TEAM (FOR MORE INFO ABOUT) THE BLACK LION AWARD

(UPDATED WHENEVER I FEEL LIKE IT - BUT USUALLY ON TUESDAYS AND FRIDAYS)  June 15, 2004 -    "People who are smart get into Mensa. People who are really smart look around and leave." James ("The Amazing Randi) Randi NEXT 2004 CLINICS SCHEDULED - SAT JUN 5, PORTLAND/VANCOUVER 2004 CLINIC PHOTOS :ATLANTA CHICAGO TWIN CITIES DURHAM PHILADELPHIA PROVIDENCE DETROIT DENVER NORTHERN CAL Click Here ----------->> <<----------- Click Here    A LIST OF SOME TOP DOUBLE-WING HS TEAMS    *********** Hey Coach -- I'm here in NYC on our family vacation. We arrived Saturday evening, and our first stop Sunday morning was Ground Zero. I was not prepared for the emotions that took over when I stood there. Coach, I couldn't even speak -- I was angry, mournful, sad -- just a complete wreck of emotions. I know is sounds corny, but I couldn't hold back my tears. Then I had some little pr--k come up to me trying to sell me photographs of the attack -- and I lost it. There are plenty of signs at the site stating that you can't sell stuff there, so I felt within my rights to run him and his 3 cronies completely out of the area. It wasn't a pretty sight! One of them started to get lippy, but he saw I was not kiddin around and was ready to rip his head off right there -- so he tucked his tail and ran with the rest of them. Joan and the kids didn't say a word about the incident (and it WAS an incident) all day -- until we were eating dinner at ESPN zone late that evening -- then Joan just said "I haven't seen you like that in a long, long time...you scared the sh-- out of ME, so I'm sure those guys selling pictures wet themselves!" The kids just looked up, and I laughed..then we all had a little laugh about it..but I can't explain the anger I felt toward those people trying to make money from that tragic day. They have no right. And I'm sure they are back at it today, but at least I stopped them for a little while. I had SEVERAL people come up to me and thank me -- but that really irritated me also..why didn't THEY stand up and do something about it? oh well..enough of the negative -- Hey -- did I ever tell you that I was once augmented to HMX-1 (the President's squadron) when I was a CH-53 Crew Chief? Yep..stood at the bottom of Air Force 1 in my dress blue's while good ol' President Reagan was in office. It's something I'll always treasure. I was PROUD to have been in a position to protect that President, and always pitied the guys who had that job during Clinton's administration. They would have done what was necessary because they are Marines -- but they wouldn't have liked it -- I guarantee it!! I wrote Chris Young a quick letter tell him "thanks" for taking up the challenge. I told him we visited Ground Zero yesterday and he should be proud of the job he's doing -- the cause is just, and he should be proud. Ya done good with that kid, Coach. I can tell you had an impact on his life. Gonna run -- and tell Connie to quit using language like that! By the way -- I was in a shoe store in Times Square today with the boys, buying some sneaks -- I had a big "dark green" guy walk up to me and say "New Corps -- nice to meet ya -- Semper Fi"..He just shook my hand and walked away. I forgot I was wearing my cap that just says "Old Corps"... I love it when my boys get to see things like that -- it doesn't matter how long it's been or how far you travel -- once you've worn the Eagle, Globe and Anchor you are ALWAYS part of the greatest fraternity ever established. OOOOH RAHHH. See ya Amigo -- SEMPER FI!! (By the way, if that prick Rasheed actually get's that tattoo, he should have his ass whipped by every Marine he encounters!) Scott Barnes, Rockwall, Texas (If there is anybody in the world you shouldn't screw around with, it's a football coach from Texas who's been in the Marines. That's the Trifecta. There is one word for why those who people admired what you did, yet hadn't done a damn thing themselves - LEADERSHIP. The mass of people are waiting to be led. And while they're standing around with their fingers up their asses debating what to do or whether to do anything at all, the leader gets out front and shows them how. HW) *********** Ze French, zey are a funny race...Jacques Chirac, President of France, was seen on TV playing kissy-kissy with President Bush after their meeting in Georgia last week, but he couldn't make it to President Reagan's funeral. Mexican President Vincente Fox couldn't make it, either, but I heard a comedian say that at least he was nice enough to send 1,000,000 illegal aliens in his place. *********** Speaking of kissy-kissy... Ronald Reagan wasn't buried three days when George W. Bush stood in the White House and welcomed back Bill Clinton, the man who defiled our Presidential residence. So fulsome (disgustingly excessive) was his praise of The Man From Hope that at first I thought Mr. Bush was the toastmaster at a Bill and Hillary fundraiser. He even gave Clinton a plug for his book. Incredible. The final rehab of Bill Clinton, thanks to a "convervative Republican" President who, unlike Ronald Reagan, will give his adversaries anything they want rather than have them not like him. Politically, maybe it's a clever move, since Al Gore kept his distance from Clinton and Kerry seems to be afraid that Clinton and his upcoming book with steal the Democratic spotlight from him. But I rather doubt it. My belief is that President Bush was elected by people grateful for the fact that he had nothing to do - at the time - with Bill Clinton. There are those of us who, faced with a choice between Bill Clinton and Osama bin Laden, would have to flip a coin. *********** Man - wish they could say that about me... said former President Bush of President Reagan, "He never made an adversary into an enemy." *********** Hugh, I just finished reading Friday's news and a couple of things caught my attention. The first is what John Torres had to endure in an interview. Who in the hell does that guy think he is???? Mind blower!!! The second was about your wife and her coming to the close of her teaching career/ and finally saying f....k him! I got a kick out of that. Maybe someday I will be able to say what I really need to say - Of course in my own politically correct way. Yeah right!!! Hope all is well Mike Foristiere, Boise, Idaho *********** Prediction: the makeover isn't going to work. Maybe it's because Terrell Owens' promised image change a couple of years ago (remember Steve Mariucci actually flying down to spend time with his prima donna at his home?) never extended beyond trying to get people to call him "T-O", but I suggest you take all this lovey-dovey stuff you've been reading about him and Donovan McNabb, how cool things are in Philly, with a grain of salt. Guaranteed - the chaos he created in San Francisco will resurface in Philadelphia soon enough. Because he's a chaos carrier. All you had to do was read about the recent "man in tights" incident to know that, San Francisco or Philly, it's just a matter of time. Seems that Eagles' coach Andy Reid has this thing about proper workout attire. He insists that players wear black shorts. (Most of us refer to such a thing as a "rule.") We're still in mini-camp, and T-O has already run into his first problem. See, he likes to practice in tights. No shorts over them. Says it makes him "feel smooth, Fluid, Spideman-like." Poor guy. After all he's gone through, he told the Sporting News, it wouldn't be asking too much of the head coach to let him run around out there in tights: "I have given up a lot," he said. "For me to wear tights wouldn't be much. At least give me a little leash. I understand having structure, and I guess that is him making a statement. I don't have any problem with that, but it's a big adjustment." *********** "Colorado's law protecting rape victims is constitutionally valid and will be applied in deciding what evidence is admissible in the sexual assault trial of the basketball star Kobe Bryant, the judge in the case ruled Thursday," writes the New York Times. The law, says the Times, "is intended to protect rape victims from having their pasts used against them." Beg pardon? Anybody see something wrong here? I mean, aren't we being a little presumptuous in referring to women as rape "victims" before trials have even taken place? Isn't that supposed to be the purpose of Kobe Bryant's trial - to determine whether in fact he is guilty of the charge? If, indeed, he is, then his accuser is most certainly a victim. But isn't it logical that if a woman accuses a man of rape and then he is found not guilty, the woman can't then be a "rape victim?" And since the accused is entitled to the presumption of innocence, shouldn't that mean that his accuser cannot yet be a victim? I don't hold any brief for Kobe Bryant. If he's found guilty, send him away. But come on, fellas - is any man safe in a place where a woman can accuse him of "rape", then hide behind a legal shield that protects her because she's already presumed to be a victim? *********** An elementary school teacher at an inner-city school in Rochester, New York was placed on indefinite probation and could lose her job, for washing a boy's mouth out with soap after he shouted what the teacher called "a vile, very nasty sexual reference" at a third-grade girl. The teacher said she took the action because the boy had already been sent home numerous times for unruly behavior, and she feared that this time the "punishment" would be just another suspension. Taking him to the nurse's office, she said she then "put a drop of soap of his lower lip, washed it out immediately and told him I never wanted to hear filth like that coming out of his mouth again." The kid evidently behaved himself for the rest of the day and didn't complain to his foster mother when he got home. And that would have been that, except that the boy's brother told school district officials what had happened. More than 40 relatives of children in the teacher's class have asked for her to be reinstated. For her part, the teacher remains unapologetic. "Old-fashioned ways work," she said. *********** For some time, the distillers of spirits (whiskey, vodka, gin, rum, etc.) have fought against the idea that beer is not as highly taxed as the hard stuff, as well as the fact that while beer advertising is everywhere, there is considerable resistance to the notion of commercials for distilled spirits on TV. The distillers argue that alcohol is alcohol - they once ran a TV campaign claiming that "a drink is a drink," in which they showed a one-and-a half-ounce shot of whiskey (it didn't specifically mention any brand) alongside similar "standard servings" of beer and wine, claiming that there was the same amount of alcohol in each. The brewing industry, led by giant Anheuser-Busch, maker of Budweiser and Bud Light, among other brands, is not standing idly by while distillers try to crash their party. Responding to "a drink is a drink," A-B CEO Patrick Stokes told the Wall Street Journal, "Consumers are not buying alcohol; they are buying beer or wine or spirits, which are very different products." The Journal told a story, apparently legendary among A-B executives, about the time August A. Busch III, then CEO of the company, was having dinner in Washington with a congressman. The lawmaker questioned the justification for taxing liquor at a higher rate than beer. Mr. Busch, the story goes, asked the waitress to bring them three martinis and three Bud Lights. He suggested that the congressman drink the three martinis while he drank the three Bud Lights - and then they'd resume their discussion. *********** Gary Roberts, director of the Sports Law Program at Tulane, says that one of these days, there will be a college sports scandal so big that it will force major changes. Among those he suggests: a salary cap for coaches, limits on spending for recruiting, stadiums and other facilities, and a "fairer" distribution of TV money. Such changes aren't going to happen, however, unless Congress passes a law granting the NCAA antitrust protection. The NCAA lost a lot of its power after a 1984 Supreme Court decision on TV rights. "I don't think Congress or the public are ready to embrace what I'm suggesting," Roberts said, "but I think the day is coming. Every day there are more and more scandals, and every day there and more people ashamed" of the current system of college sports. *********** Our local paper did a feature story on stupid calls to our local 9-1-1. Our jails are already full, so there is no sense trying to outlaw stupidity, but something has got to be done. I suggest some sort of device allowing 9-1-1 operators to deliver electric shocks to selected callers. In order to free up the real 9-1-1 operators to handle true emergency calls, I'll be happy to volunteer as the zapper. Those who call to ask what time it is are slam dunks. ZZZZZZZT! What time does the Camas-Washougal football game start? ZZZZZZZT! Somebody borrowed a porno video and won't return it. ZZZZZZZT! Landlady told him to turn his TV down. ZZZZZZZT! Paid a hooker $30 and she refuses to provide "service." ZZZZZZZT! There was one guy who called to complain that he was receiving threatening phone calls. From an 11-year-old kid. An 11-year-old kid who was pissed because he wasn't selected to some damn all-star team. That guy would get zapped, of course. But not before I first got the address and phone number of the little 11-year-old bastard who's been calling him. *********** I have an experience to relate to you about "Hard America vs. Soft America". I teach in a small Catholic elementary school. Like all schools, we have our good kids and our bad kids, hard workers and shirkers. I coached basketball this past season (our boys 7th and 8th graders won the county CYO championship for the 1st time in 35 years, and we advanced to the diocese championship game) and I had a problem with what I call a "pliant administrator"- namely my principal. She means well, but she is an enabler. In october, we re-clarified our eligibilty requirements for extarcurricular activities. We reiterated that anybody with an F on the 1st report card would be ineligible till sufficient progress was made - i.e. they had pulled their failing grades up - and students with a D would be on probation. Reports came out and several players on all of the teams were ineligible. I lost one boy who had 3 F's, 2 D's, and a C. When the midterms came out 6 weeks later, he had 3 F's and 3 D's. His grandmother called the school to see what could be done to get him back on the basketball team, and the teachers who have him in class replied "start doing his work, study for his tests, and stop sleeping in class". But this wasn't good enough for my principal who went ahead and scheduled a meeting between his grandmother and several teachers. At that meeting it was decided that if he could complete all of his outstanding work, then he would be eligible (the kid is classified as special ed, but this arrangement was not extended to any of the other students who were ineligible). The weeks passed and, while he improved in my class, he sank further in his other classes, and he went so far as to show up for extracurricular activities that he was told that he couldn't attend. We send letters home to parents reminding them of this, but when he showed up for a dance and we called his grandmother, she informed us that she had received no such letter, at which point he confessed that it was in his book bag. To make a long story short, his grandmother made more phone calls, and he was reinstated to the team with 2 weeks left in the season, with work still outstanding. And he wasn't even grateful to be back on the team! He complained about his playing time and loafed during drills The whole episode made me ill. Here is an 8th grader, who does very little work, who just learned that if his grandmother makes enough noise, he can get what he wants. He is in for a rude awakening in high school. The morale among our teachers is very low, as we know that, in order to avoid conflict and confrontation, our principal will give in to the parents' demands every time. NAME WITHHELD *********** Ralph Riden was my AD at Hudsons' Bay High in Vancouver, Washington back in the early 80's. Heck of a guy. Ralph had been a good athlete himself, and he'd been a successful high school baseball and football coach, so he understood my job. He also loved my misdirection offense, which although back then was being run out of a double-slot formation, employed the same terminology I still use today. (His favorite play was 47-C.) Ralph went on to be a great principal at two different Vancouver, Washington high schools, and now he's principal at Aloha High, in suburban Portland, Oregon. I had the privilege of attending Aloha Youth Football's annual coaches' banquet a while back, and I really liked what Ralph said to the gathering. I knew it would be good, so I was careful to take good notes. Ralph told about the first game he'd ever coached, at a junior high in Vancouver. (In fairness, I should point out that in those days, in the early 70's, junior high football in Vancouver was played at a very high level. It was very well coached, and many of those junior high coaches would go on to be successful high school coaches in the district.) Ralph said that he went out there all full of confidence - and got killed. That's when he said he learned one of football's - maybe life's - most valuable lessons: "There's a lot of guys out there who know a lot more than you do." Said Ralph, "I love the game of football. I love it with a passion. I love what it teaches kids. I love the strategy. I love the excitement. I love what it does for a community." And he ran down his list of reasons why kids should play football. Bear in mind it comes from a man who has had the perspective of a participant, a coach, a teacher, and a father; you might find it useful in persuading reluctant parents to let their kids play: 1. It builds character that you can't measure. 2. It teaches perseverance - "One thing about kids who don't succeed," Ralph said, drawing on many years of experience in dealing with kids, "is that they give up." 3. It teaches responsibility. 4. It teaches them how to deal with highs and lows. 5. It teaches them how to deal with stress. Ralph mentioned the experience of his own son, Ryan, a very good high school player and a three-year defensive starter at Western Washington University. In the spring of his senior year, Ryan was asked in a job interview whether he thought he could perform under stress. His answer? "I performed under stress every Saturday afternoon." Concluded Ralph, with pride in his voice, "I still consider myself a coach." *********** It's never easy to throw a hero overboard. It's always a relief when he does you a favor and puts one foot over the side. That had to be the case when Notre Dame dropped football hero Paul Hornung from the Irish broadcast crew. Hornung's comment about ND needing to lower the academic requirements in order to be able to recruit more black athletes was not vicious; it was said in the spirit of wanting to improve Notre Dame football. If he were truly racist, he'd have said that the trouble with Notre Dame is they have a black coach and too many black players. Now, that, I would have had a problem with. That guy would have to go. But here's Paul Hornung saying, in effect, that Notre Dame could use more black players - and he's dumped. I have a hard enough time liking Notre Dame as it is, what with their own TV contract, their insistence on being given a special place at the BCS table ahead of entire conferences, and their ability to bank all their bowl money because they have no felow conference members to share it with. But please, please, please Big East - please let us in your conference. Please, please. For basketball only - since there is no way for an independent to get into the NCAA tournament. But here's Paul Hornung, as big a football hero as there ever was and a Notre Dame guy to the core - a man who has been a success in football and in business, to the point where he has made significant financial contributions to his alma mater, and he says something without thinking it all the way through - who among us hasn't done that? - and he's obviously a racist, so adios, Paul. Notre Dame could easily have handled this whole deal. Hell, they kept Bob Davie around as head coach when one of his first acts was to get them in hot water by firing offensive line coach Joe Moore - a guy who had helped him get the ND job - because he wanted someone younger. Moore sued on the grounds of age discrimination - and won. Yet Notre Dame kept Davie around long enough to lead the Irish into the Valley of Death - the disgraceful Fiesta Bowl slaughter at the hands of Oregon State. Yes, they thought Bob Davie was worth saving. But not Paul Hornung. I am really conflicted. If it wouldn't cost Tyrone Willingham his job, I'd want them to lose every game. (Of course, if they did fire Tyrone, he might wind up back at Stanford. That'd be okay, too.) *********** A group calling itself "Swift Boat Veterans for Truth" recently released the following letter that it sent to John Kerry in early May. It was signed by 189 fellow veterans of the Navy "swift boats" that have been featured so prominently in Kerry campaign ads. The group's organizers say that the veterans who have aready signed represent the large majority of those who served with Lt. Kerry in Vietnam, and many more are expected to join them. May 4, 2004 Senator Kerry, We write from our common heritage as veterans of duty aboard Swift Boats in the Vietnam War. Indeed, you should note that a substantial number of those men who served directly with you during your four month tour in Vietnam have signed this letter. It is our collective judgment that, upon your return from Vietnam, you grossly and knowingly distorted the conduct of the American soldiers, marines, sailors and airmen of that war (including a betrayal of many of us, without regard for the danger your actions caused us). Further, we believe that you have withheld and/or distorted material facts as to your own conduct in this war. We believe you continue this conduct today, albeit by changing from an anti-war to a "war hero" status. You now seek to clad yourself in the very medals that you disdainfully threw away in the early years of your political career. In the process, we believe you continue a deception as to your own conduct through such tactics as the disclosure of only carefully screened portions of your military records. Both then and now, we have concluded that you have deceived the public, and in the process have betrayed honorable men, to further your personal political goals. Your conduct is such as to raise substantive concerns as to your honesty and your ability to serve, as you currently seek, as Commander-in-Chief of the military services. It is vital that the American public have as much information as possible about candidates for President of the United States. In various ways, you have rightly called upon President Bush to be fully accountable and to provide full disclosure. In the same spirit, now that you are the presumptive nominee of your Party, we believe it is incumbent upon you to make your total military record open to the American people. Specifically, we the undersigned formally request that you authorize the Department of the Navy to independently release your military records (through your execution of Standard Form 180), complete and unaltered, including your military medical records. Further, we call upon you to correct the misconceptions your campaign seeks to create as to your conduct while in Vietnam. Permit the American public the opportunity to assess your military performance upon the record, and not upon campaign rhetoric. Senator Kerry, we were there. We know the truth. We have been silent long enough. The stakes are too great, not only for America in general but, most importantly, for those who have followed us into service in Iraq and Afghanistan. We call upon you to provide a full, accurate accounting of your conduct in Vietnam. Respectfully, Rear Admiral Roy Hoffmann, USN Captain Charley Plumly, USN (ret) (and others too numerous to list. HW) *********** Coach Wyatt, I am a new head coach, with a few years of assistant coaching under my belt. I am coaching a team of eight year olds. We have a required 6-2-2-1 defense. No nose guard is allowed. The linebackers must be 3 yards beyond the line of scrimmage. The corners must be 4 yards behind the linebackers. Our offense is more flexible, however our backs must remain within the two tackles. So my question to you is, do I need to try to run a double wing with these limitations? Obviously, it would require some modifications. My team is typically slow and undersized, therefore, small but slow. Not a great combination. I definitely feel like I need to double team and angle block to make up for the size and speed loss. There is no doubt that your kids can run my system. Although it helps to have two wingbacks, you do not have to have them. The fact that you can't have wingbacks is more than offset by the fact that you know what defense you will face. Since you can't have any backs outside the "tackle box," that would mean not being able to run from a number of our formations. However, you can run quite a bit from what I call "full" formation (a full house T). But it would also be legal for you to run our "Tight Ram"/"Tight Lion" (Power-I formation), as well as "Tight Stack," which is a four-back I formation. And you could still use our blocking. *********** Many thanks to the guys who e-mailed US Marine Chris Young, a former player of mine. Anybody got a former player (or former student, or relative, or friend, or neighbor) in the service who might like to hear from a coach or two? Send us his/her name or e-mail and a little background (just so we'll know who we're writing to). *********** Sunday's paper carried the story of the death of Mr. Richard E. Bush, in Waukegan, Illinois. Mr. Bush was 79 when he died, but he almost died when he was 19 years old. It was on the island of Okinawa, and he was a young Marine caught up in some of the roughest combat the Pacific had seen. The Japanese were dug in and fighting to defend their homeland. Mr. Bush was seriously wounded, and was evacuated to safety. Relative safety. Behind some rocks. While he lay down and his wounds were tended to, a Japanese hand grenade landed nearby. And then, according to his Medal of Honor citation, Mr. Bush "unhesitatingly pulled the deadly missile to himself and absorbed the shattering violence of the exploding charge in his body." He lost several fingers, and he lost the sight in one eye. But he lived. He married and raised a son who gave him two grandsons. In 1990, at a convention of Medal of Honor Winners, he spoke of his moment of glory in the self-effacing way of all true heroes: "I wasn't out there alone that day on Okinawa. I had Marines to my right, Marines to my left, Marines behind me and Marines overhead. I didn't earn this alone. It belongs to them, too."    A LIST OF SOME TOP DOUBLE-WING HS TEAMS  "The Beast Was out There," by General James M. Shelton, subtitled "The 28th Infantry Black Lions and the Battle of Ong Thanh Vietnam October 1967" is available through the publisher, Cantigny Press, Wheaton, Illinois. to order a copy, go to http://www.rrmtf.org/firstdivision/ and click on "Publications and Products") Or contact me if you'd like to obtain a personally-autographed copy, and I'll give you General Shelton's address. (Great gift!) General Shelton is a former wing-T guard from Delaware who now serves as Honorary Colonel of the Black Lions. All profits from the sale of his books go to the Black Lions and the 1st Infantry Division Foundation, , sponsors of the Black Lion Award).   I have my copy. It is well worth the price just for the "playbooks" it contains in the back - "Fundamentals of Infantry" and "Fundamentals of Artillery," as well as a glossary of all those military terms, so that guys like you and me can understand what they're talking about.      --- GIVE THE BLACK LION AWARD --- HONOR BRAVE MEN AND RECOGNIZE GREAT KIDS SIGN UP YOUR TEAM OR ORGANIZATION FOR 2003 "NO MISSION TOO DIFFICULT - NO SACRIFICE TOO GREAT - DUTY FIRST" inscribed on the wall of the 1st Division Museum, at Cantigny, Wheaton, Ilinois Coaches - Black Lions teams for 2003 are now listed, by state. Please check to make sure your team in on the list. If it is not, it means that your team is no enrolled, and you need to e-mail me to get on the list. HW BECOME A BLACK LION TEAM (FOR MORE INFO ABOUT) THE BLACK LION AWARD

(UPDATED WHENEVER I FEEL LIKE IT - BUT USUALLY ON TUESDAYS AND FRIDAYS)  June 11, 2004 -    "America was founded by people who believed that God was their rock of safety." Ronald Reagan, in his first inaugural address NEXT 2004 CLINICS SCHEDULED - SAT JUN 5, PORTLAND/VANCOUVER 2004 CLINIC PHOTOS :ATLANTA CHICAGO TWIN CITIES DURHAM PHILADELPHIA PROVIDENCE DETROIT DENVER NORTHERN CAL Click Here ----------->> <<----------- Click Here    A LIST OF SOME TOP DOUBLE-WING HS TEAMS    A LOOK AT OUR LEGACY: Sonny Jurgensen is a Hall of Famer, one of the greatest passers in NFL history. But he never played in an NFL championship game, and he could very well be the best passer never to quarterback an NFL champion. HIs given name was Christian. Christian Adolph, III. But he was known to one and all as Sonny. He was the All-Pro quarterback in 1961 and 1969, and played in five Pro Bowls. He threw for 32,224 yards and 255 touchdowns in an 18-year career, but he never had a shot at the Big One. Still a backup to Norm Van Brocklin when the Eagles won the title in 1960, but he didn't play in the championship game, and he never again played on a team that made it that far. In fact, he was stuck on so many bad teams that in his entire 18-year career, he played in only one NFL post-season game - and that was his final game ever. A native of Wilmington, North Carolina, he played his college ball at Duke, and was drafted in 1957 in the fourth round by the Eagles. After paying his dues as Van Brocklin's backup, he took over as starter when Van Brocklin left to coach Minnesota, and had a breakout year in 1961, leading the league in completions (235) yards passing (3723) and touchdowns (32 - tieing the league record). After seven seasons in Philadelphia, he had thrown for over 10,000 yards, but new coach Eagles' coach Joe Kuharich decided to go in "another direction," and he was traded, along with defensive back Jimmy Carr, for quarterback Norm Snead and defensive back Claude Crabb. At 5-11 and 200+, he always looked a bit paunchy and he wasn't very mobile, but he was utterly fearless in the pocket, and despite playing for some sorry Reddkins' teams, he piled up some incredible passing stats. In 1967, he was the NFL's leading passer, throwing for 3,747 yards and setting NFL records for attempts (508) and completions (288). Although missing most of the 1968 season because of broken ribs and elbow surgery, he came back and won the passing championship in 1969. Injuries again bothered him in 1971 and 1972, and for his last two seasons in Washington he served as Bill Kilmer's backup. The 1974 Redskins made the playoffs, and when he relieved Kilmer in the Redkins' 19-10 first-round loss to the Los Angeles Rams, it turned out to be not only his last game but also the first playoff game in which he'd ever appeared. He entered the Pro Football Hall of Fame with the Class of 1983. Vince Lombardi was his coach for one year, in 1969. Lombardi, of course, was a stern taskmaster, and Jurgensen had quite a reputation as a playboy, but the two had a good relationship, and the Redskins improved from 5-9 in 1968 to 7-5-2 in 1969. Lombardi, who would never coach again after that season, said of his quarterback, "He may be the best the league has ever seen. He is the best I have seen." Correctly identifying Sonny Jurgensen: Mike Foristiere- Boise, Idaho ("I remember a comment he made when a sports writer refered to his big belly late in his career. He said something to the effect that 'I don't throw with my Belly!'")... Mike Talentino- Shaker Heights, Ohio ("Growing up in DC I remember the Billy vs. Sonny days. The city was divided. People on the street were talking about the quarterback controversy. Neighbors would argue over their Billy or Sonny bumper stickers.")... Don Capaldo- Albia, Iowa ("I knew who that was without reading any information on your site, Hugh!")... Greg Koenig- Colby, Kansas... Jack Tourtillotte- Boothbay Harbor, Maine... Joe Gutilla- Minneapolis ("He got the job done despite the fact he was a quarterback coach's nightmare. He contradicted everything a young QB is taught regarding fundamentals, mechanics, and skills. However, he was one of those guys who had that uncanny ability to find a way to win, and have longevity in a sport where seven years for most players is considered a career.")... John Zeller, Tustin, Michigan... Dave Livingstone- Troy, Michigan... John Muckian- Lynn Massachusetts (One Tough Rolly-Polly SOB !!! Coach Wyatt, the Skins must have had some kind of record in the early 70's TWO Q.B.'s that were over the 200 lbs mark - Kilmer had to be over the 230 mark! )... John Grimsley- Gaithersburg, Maryland... Adam Wesoloski- Pulaski, Wisconsin... Keith Babb- Northbrook, Illinois ("I remember reading in Sports Illustrated that he was out and about when a reporter told him the news that Vince Lombardi was going to be his new head coach. Upon hearing the news, Mr. Jurgeson immediately dropped to the ground and started doing push-ups. I don't remember how many he did, though.)... Sam Knopik- Kansas City, Missouri... Pete Porcelli- Lansingburgh, New York... John Reardon- Peru, Illinois... Kevin McCullough- Culver, Indiana ("I remember the time NFL films showed him at practice throwing passes to his left behind his back.....being a qb I could not wait to get out and see if I could put any through the tire the same way.....I think he had Charley Taylor to throw to.....what a combo.....")... Lee Griesemer- Chulutoa, Florida... Scott Russell - Potomac Falls, Virginia ("Since I am a 'transplanted' (New) Virginian, I must disqualify myself from this week's contest. I would risk loss of life limb, family and property were I unable to answer correctly.")... *********** I am overwhelmed by the outpouring of respect and admiration being shown to President Reagan. Imagine people waiting nine hours, in order to spend brief moments paying their last respect. It is as if we are saying good-bye to a time when Americans unabashedly waved the flag, when we had the guts to drown out the twerps who like to tell one and all what a horrible nation we are - as if his death brought into focus for us what we've allowed to happen to the great nation he left us. He may be the last American leader to have said what needed to be said, without relying on focus groups to tell him what he should say. It breaks my heart to look at the worms - in both parties - who now "serve us" in Congress and remember what a difference a great leader made in our lives. *********** Especially after all the abuse heaped on Nancy Reagan as something of a manipulating first lady, I must pay tribute to her as a woman steadfast in her devotion to her husband during his toughest times. *********** I've heard some in the media questioning whether the death of Ronald Reagan justified continued news all week long. These are, of course, the same jackals who saw no problem whatsover in weeks of coverage of the so-called Iraqi Prison Scandal. *********** Coach, I told you about how we nominate our favorite American each day in the summer. Ronald Reagan has a clean sweep this week. You know our kids don't know anything about him but they respect the fact that a president has passed. That's enough to keep voting him in to our prestigious Favorite American of the Day office! Sam Knopik, Head Football Coach, Pembroke Hill School, Kansas City, Missouri *********** "I do find it the height of irony that federal employees will be given the day off on Friday, in honor of the late President Reagan." Coach - I was told today by one of my "underperforming" employees that Friday was a "holiday" and we had the day off. I corrected the young lad and told him it was a day of mourning and that I would be at the office that day regardless. I told him that I wanted him there also, with me, on "fire watch", or standby should something horrific happen to the office on that day. Maybe I am a pr--k, maybe not, but I bet you he does not confuse a "holiday" with a "day of mourning" (for a great President) again. Name withheld *********** Coach - President Reagan was one of my all-time America Icons and Heroes, The Two Greatest speeches in American Political History The "rendezvous with destiny" speech he gave for Goldwater in 64 and the Greatest speech of All-time, the one you had in your News last week, the 40th Anniversary D-Day speech. Jesus if you don't choke-up and have a tear in your eye for that one You must be an F'N Robot. Coach, my liberal friends have the Balls to compare him to Clinton and Teddy Boy !! They gotta be Sh---in Me. I don't mind them pi--ing down my back but don't tell me I'm sweatin !! Reagan was a TRUE American Icon ,an American Original, as GENUINE as they made them. He had a real pulse and and interest in the Average American. and he also had Some BALLS and a Backbone. Slick-Willy can say all he wants that "He was the man of the people " BULL SH--!! slick -willy and his lovely bride wouldn't have a Dinner or a Beer with your Average American Joe if you put a Gun to their heads. They would rather be at their Liberal Elite, Cheese ,Cracker and Wine Party with Barbara Striesand and Richard Gere and the rest of those Liberal elite phony A-Holes !! see ya Friday Coach - John Muckian, Lynn, Massachusetts *********** I happened to look up at the TV and see former Congressman J. C. Watts filing past President Reagan's casket. The man looks as if he could still go out and run the wishbone. *********** Shows you where you stand... ABC preempted its regular programming Saturday to report on the death of President Reagan. The regular programming was a WNBA game, which ABC moved to (ABC-owned) ESPN2. In order to do so, it had to bump the program regularly scheduled on The Deuce - a Major League Soccer game featuring teenager Freddy Adu, the guy was going to put soccer on center stage in the US. *********** A lot's been written about President Reagan's days as a high school and college football player (guard at Eureka College) and as a broadcaster for the Cubs; many people know he played the legendary George Gipp, in "Knute Rockne, All-American" But one of the many stories written about him reminded me of my favorite Reagan sports moment. The Orioles had just won the World Series, and President Reagan, continuing a tradition started by Richard Nixon (who was so involved that he once actually sent a play to the Redskins' George Allen), made a call to the winners' locker room. Trouble is, the Birds (as we called them when I lived in Baltimore) had been celebrating for a while before the call, and not all the champagne had been poured on players' heads. When it came catcher Rick Dempsey's turn to talk, he got on the phone and to this day I remember his words almost exactly. (I also remember thinking he looked a little glassy-eyed.) With the Head of the Free World on the other end of the line, he said, "Hey Mister President - tell the Russians we're havin' a great time over here playin' baseball!" *********** Anyone who has travelled overseas knows that English is the bridge language that enables an Italian to talk to a German, or a Swede to talk to a Spaniard. It's not what you would call excellent English, but it functions. It is said that one day, all the world will speak the same language, and it will be Bad English. American TV is prepared to lead the way. I heard a news bimbo on MSNBC tells us about a couple who are somehow involved in the Scott Peterson trial: "Her and her husband returned to find their home had been broken into." *********** We have had a change in coaching and it has been very difficult to step away from the Double Wing. What I have found out is that returning to a wide open spread the field offense is boring and so generic. It is so difficult to execute properly. So many athletes are needed to make it work. It is flat stinky. There are not too many things more enjoyable than hammering a team to submission by constant pounding mixed with a little misdirection. Watching a confused defense wear down and lose their will to play was very exciting and easy to do. All of this by running a few simple plays. I guess I am in a state of mourning. Thanks for the eye opener for me over the last three years. I think it is the best High School Offense I have seen in my 18 years of coaching. It also made our teams tougher on defense by having to practice against it during the week. There is no place to hide!!! I am going to support the new, but hey, give the generic pro offense a year or two to flounder around then I am going to work on bringing it back - in a tactful way of course. NAME WITHHELD *********** Just wanted you to know I picked up a copy of the Clovis East highlight video. Not only is the video a testament to the success of the double wing, but it also shows what an outstanding coach Tim Murphy is. Yes, he has some talent, but the work ethic he has instilled in those kids is just plain overwhelming. The strength program is phenomenal, the commitment level of his players is first-rate, and the school support is incredible! Of course, that's the only way the Clovis Unified School District will have it in ANY of their schools from the grammar school level on up! Mediocrity is not an option. Joe Gutilla, Minneapolis *********** On March 25, 2003, I featured New York Giants' all-time great Roosevelt Brown as my "Legacy" question of the week. Sadly, Mr. Brown passed away Thursday. He was 71. *********** You want a good laugh, wait until you see the Nike commercial which features, for some reason known only to God and Phil Knight, Rasheed Wallace. Loveable Ole 'Sheed explains the meanings - really deep, you understand - of all the graffiti that a tattoo artist has drawn on his arms. The punch line - if you're still watching - comes when he says that he's got some ideas about the next one he's going to get- "Maybe 'Semper Fi' - it means 'always faithful.'" Yeah, Rasheed. And it's short for "Semper Fidelis," the motto of the United States Marine Corps, which sits on the complete opposite end of the human spectrum from you. Marines get paid as much in a year for risking their asses in the heat and sun and sand of Iraq as you do for one shootaround (which you may or may not attend anyhow). As I've always understood it, you have to earn the right to have "Semper Fi" tattooed on you. (I swear to God, he said that. That I can understand, because he is stupid. Really stupid. I just can't believe the people at Nike are so stupid that they'd let him say that in a commercial.) *********** Can Bill Parcells really be that f--king out of touch? He was talking about his QB coach, Sean Payton, when he told reporters, "Sean's going to have a few ... no disrespect to the Orientals, but what we call 'Jap plays.' OK? Surprise things." I think he felt that he was going to be able to say the J-word by prefacing it with the "no disrespect to the Orientals" bit. Just one problem - as I understand it, Asians find the term "Oriental" offensive. (Wonder when kids stopped sneaking up on other guys and giving them a surprise backhand slap in the balls while yelling, "Pearl Harbor! Sneak attack!") *********** Bill Parcells' momentary brainlock brought to mind all the ethnic jokes people once used, to target one group or another. (My favorite - told by Jerry DiPaolo, our sales manager at National Brewing Company in Baltimore - JERRY: "What's black and blue and lies face down in the harbor?" ME: "I don't know - what?" JERRY: "Next son of a bitch that tells me an Italian joke!" There was one about why they put horse manure on the altar at a (you fill in the group you choose to insult) wedding. Answer: to keep the flies off the bride. Thinking about that got me to thinking about Michael Moore: just as horse manure has its uses, so does Michael Moore have his. I saw all the "fly-over country" people filing past President Reagan's casket, and noticed how dignified everything about the proceedings seemed, and I couldn't help thinking of how nice it was of Michael Moore to play the role of the horse manure on the altar, keeping all those left-wing Hollywood flies out there on the West Coast, attending a showing of his movie. *********** Hi Coach, So you saw that letter from Ron Roberts, too? It's been my experience that many parents of varsity athletes have coached at one point or another. I'm not sure how true that is in football, but it is definitely the case in baseball, basketball, hockey and soccer. They do know the game, but sometimes it's a case where a little knowledge can be a dangerous thing. A few years ago, I covered a girls high school basketball team. One of the parents coached an AAU team his daughter played on and seemed to be of the opinion that she should be used the same way on the high school team as she was on the AAU team, never mind that the two teams were two entirely groups of kids. The man knew his basketball. He knew a lot more about the game than I ever will (as a former wrestler, I was sometimes a little out of my element talking about the game), but there was one thing that I seemed to get that he didn't. How a kid fits in with one team may be completely different than how the kid fits in with another. As much as this guy knew basketball, he never seemed to get that. I never really argued with him. Some things are better left unsaid, I guess. I don't think there are any truly incompetent high school varsity coaches. Some are definitely better than others, of course, but I don't think anyone can get a varsity head coach's job without knowing one end of a baseball bat from the other, for example. If a kid is on the bench, there's usually a good reason. I don't think any coach at the varsity level would keep a kid on the bench in spite of the kid's obvious talents. A lot of these parents would tell the coach they're "only trying to help." Well, usually the best way to help is to stay out of the way and let the guy do the job he's paid to do. Have a good week, Steve Tobey, Malden, Massachusetts (By the way, doesn't Craig Bishop sound like the guy in Joe Sullivan's column "The Worst Coach Ever"?) Fortunately, football coaches are somewhat protected from the sort of parental criticism baseball coaches, and to some degree basketball coaches, have to suffer through. Having played baseball or basketball is often - in the eyes of a parent - enough to qualify him as a critic, if not as a coach. But it simply isn't enough merely to have played the game of football, because a football player is a cog in a machine, and rarely has a good understanding of how the machine itself works. A player could make it all the way to the NFL and never understand anything except how to play his own position. That leaves 21 more positions still to learn. When a parent says he could do a better job of coaching than the high school baseball coach, he probably believes it. Truth is, he could probably do a passable job of conducting a practice - infield, batting practice, practice game. He could probably even "coach" a game - hand the starting lineup to the ump and go sit in the dugout. And if the pitchers pitch and the hitters hit and the fielders field - he'll be a successful coach. But I defy the guy who's never done it before to put together - and get through - just one football practice. HW *********** I think I've figured out what happened here at my school over the last couple of years.  We've gone from Ronald Reagan to Bill Clinton only on a much smaller scale!  Speaking of Ronald Reagan, he will go down in history as truly one of the best American presidents, and an even greater American. NAME WITHHELD (I think you may have nailed it for a lot of guys in your position. In fact, I think our country has gone from Reagan to Clinton, and that's what the huge fight between the Democrats and Republicans is all about - and sometimes I think the Republicans have lost the will to fight. HW) *********** Interesting night, tonight was. Let me explain: I had the opportunity to interview a coach tonight for an assistant position on our squad. I had been told his credentials were impeccable (which they were) and he coached HS previously (I checked and he had). He now wanted to coach youth ball for some reason but I never did get to find out why. This is how the conversation went: Me - "We run the Double Wing Offense. We line up double tight and shoe to shoe in our base set." Him - "I can make my own changes to the offense. Surely not shoe to shoe." Me - "No you dont understand. We ALL run the DW and you will too if you want to coach with us" Him - "How can you get a kid ready for HS ball running an offense that NO ONE ELSE runs around here". Me - "That is not my job to get players ready for HS. That is the HS coach's job, not mine. My job is to get them ready to play NOW." (I continued.) "You said you have had several HS coaching jobs already. How do I know you are still going to be coaching there in a couple of years all the while I am getting them ready FOR YOU?" (Does not make sense to me...) Him - "I don't agree with your philosophy...(I cut him off abruptly)" Me - "That is your prerogative to not agree but you are the one looking to coach with me. I am not looking to coach with you. This interview is over....and I must tell you this is probably the shortest interview I have ever been involved in...!!!!!! Thank you. Good bye! " (Coach - If I left anything out it was only a word or two, maybe a snort. Very short interview and righteously so.) John Torres, Manteca, California *********** My wife is experiencing the thrill that comes with having what business people call "f--k you money" - being in a position where you can pretty much say and do what you always wanted to. In her case, it's not money that emboldens her - it's the fact that she's a short-timer, due to retire soon after 30 years of teaching. For the last several years, in addition to being a regular third-grade classroom teacher, sh'es handled all third-grade PE as well. This past year has been enough to convince her that she's ready to hang it up. She's had a couple of kids who, despite her patience, have been, uh, "trying." One of them is a constant whiner and bitcher, a know-it-all who just can't keep his mouth shut. And he hates kickball. I saw a new Mrs. Wyatt the other day when she told me, with a sly grin on her face, "He doesn't like kickball! F--k him! We played kickball three times this week! You should have seen the look on his face when I said, 'It's nice out - we're going to go outside and play kickball!'" (Whoa! I thought. Who is this woman?) *********** Coach Wyatt: My family and I are headed to Katy, Texas this weekend to attend my nephew's wedding. To prepare for the trip, I called up the local newspaper on-line and found the following announcement: "Katy High School graduates will have their yearly celebration 4 p.m. Saturday, June 12 at the high school. Activities include tours of the campus, dinner, and recognition of every football player who ever wore the uniform at KHS. All graduates are urged to attend." I just love the fact that they recognize only football players. No other extra-curricular activities need apply. Regards, Keith Babb, Northbrook, Illinois (I live in a part of the country where we preach - and practice - "fairness" to the point of nausea. No parades for the football state champs unless we have one for the girls' soccer team. I once had a principal who thought it was cool to recognize the hnor roll students at pep assemblies. The student body didn't think so. Hey - it was Friday, there was a football game that night, and they wanted to get started early. I'll never forget the first time we had a pep assembly and they didn't introduce the football team. I asked the AD when we needed to get the football players together in the locker room so they could come out for the intro's, and he said, "We're not introducing the football team." HUH? I asked him, incredulously. What the f--k's going on? "Hugh," he told me, "there's more sports around here than football." "Well, if that's the case," I asked him, "then how come we're having this pep assembly on the day of a football game?" Needless to say, it was a snoozer of a pep assembly. HW) *********** Coach Wyatt, Last week we opened our youth baseball season (10 - 12 year olds) with an impressive 9-3 win. It was the least fun I'd ever had winning. It is my fourth year of coaching in the league. The league rule is that each player on the team plays a minimum of three innings. It is a rule that I like. Also, everyone bats. Pitchers can't throw more than three innings in a game. All good rules to get the kids into the game. For the first time ever, I had a parent complain about playing time. Her son, a 10 year old with low skill level, played his three innings. It wasn't enough for the mom. I explained that my own son played only three innings. Didn't matter. She payed all that money ($15.00) and he should get more. I explained that I had 14 players on my team, and that I felt the older players had earned the right to play more than the younger ones. She said that I (I assumed she meant the league) should divide up the kids into more teams. I walked away from saying, "I didn't see you volunteer to coach this year." Finally, she hit me with the following comment: "He's been playing since kindergarten, and he's better than almost anybody on the team." His brother is our best player, the best pitcher on the team. We have a game tonight, and I'm being careful to continue to coach the team the way I always have. I have him, and all of the other 10 year olds down for three innings in the field. If she continues to be difficult, I'm going to suggest that she put her sons on another team. John Zeller, Tustin, Michigan (Good move. People like that need to learn that their poor behavior has consequences that can affect their kids. HW) *********** Remember last year I told you you would like the Pistons and Big Ben Wallace.  Very blue collar, but hardly unflashy as most of the pundits, or national nitwits thought.  If ya don't have a superstar or are the Lakers you don't make the national news or ESPN.  Never ceases to amaze me what whores they (MTV, ESPN, ETC...) are.    Well, enjoy this team because they are goooood!!!!   They compared them to the old bad boys by saying they were all defense.  The "old bad boys" averaged over 100 points per game, and could score as well as defend.  The Lakers are and going to find that out the hard way, AGAIN! Pistons in five or six.  Dave Livingstone, Troy, Michigan *********** Hey Coach, I was just writing you to let you know that I'm in Iraq right now. It's been real quiet in the area that I'm in. We haven't been mortared or anything since I got here. I arrived here on 17th of May. It's been really hot. I have a great job here that I enjoy doing. I'm doing really well, I can't complain too much because I have it a whole lot better over here than others. I'm sorry I have to cut this short but I have to get back to work but I just wanted to let you know I was here. You can email anytime. Well take care Coach and I will talk to you soon. Chris Young #16, La Center High Football --- (If anybody wants to write to Chris, here's his e-mail address: YoungCB@1fssgdm.usmc.mil --- and if any of you coaches has a former player who'd like to hear from perfect strangers, send me his e-mail address! HW)  A LIST OF SOME TOP DOUBLE-WING HS TEAMS  "The Beast Was out There," by General James M. Shelton, subtitled "The 28th Infantry Black Lions and the Battle of Ong Thanh Vietnam October 1967" is available through the publisher, Cantigny Press, Wheaton, Illinois. to order a copy, go to http://www.rrmtf.org/firstdivision/ and click on "Publications and Products") Or contact me if you'd like to obtain a personally-autographed copy, and I'll give you General Shelton's address. (Great gift!) General Shelton is a former wing-T guard from Delaware who now serves as Honorary Colonel of the Black Lions. All profits from the sale of his books go to the Black Lions and the 1st Infantry Division Foundation, , sponsors of the Black Lion Award).   I have my copy. It is well worth the price just for the "playbooks" it contains in the back - "Fundamentals of Infantry" and "Fundamentals of Artillery," as well as a glossary of all those military terms, so that guys like you and me can understand what they're talking about.      --- GIVE THE BLACK LION AWARD --- HONOR BRAVE MEN AND RECOGNIZE GREAT KIDS SIGN UP YOUR TEAM OR ORGANIZATION FOR 2003 "NO MISSION TOO DIFFICULT - NO SACRIFICE TOO GREAT - DUTY FIRST" inscribed on the wall of the 1st Division Museum, at Cantigny, Wheaton, Ilinois Coaches - Black Lions teams for 2003 are now listed, by state. Please check to make sure your team in on the list. If it is not, it means that your team is no enrolled, and you need to e-mail me to get on the list. HW BECOME A BLACK LION TEAM (FOR MORE INFO ABOUT) THE BLACK LION AWARD  BE INFORMED! HOT WEATHER FOOTBALL TIPS (THERE IS PLENTY MORE INFORMATION AVAILABLE ON THE WEB IF YOU DO A SEARCH ON "HEAT STROKE")

(UPDATED WHENEVER I FEEL LIKE IT - BUT USUALLY ON TUESDAYS AND FRIDAYS)  June 8, 2004 -    "Half of being smart is knowing what you are dumb about." Solomon Short NEXT 2004 CLINICS SCHEDULED - SAT JUN 5, PORTLAND/VANCOUVER 2004 CLINIC PHOTOS :ATLANTA CHICAGO TWIN CITIES DURHAM PHILADELPHIA PROVIDENCE DETROIT DENVER NORTHERN CAL Click Here ----------->> <<----------- Click Here    A LIST OF SOME TOP DOUBLE-WING HS TEAMS    A LOOK AT OUR LEGACY: He is a Hall of Famer, one of the greatest passers in NFL history. But he never played in an NFL championship game, and he could very well be the best passer never to quarterback an NFL champion. HIs given name was Christian. Christian Adolph, III. But he was known to one and all by his nickname. He was the All-Pro quarterback in 1961 and 1969, and played in five Pro Bowls. He threw for 32,224 yards and 255 touchdowns in an 18-year career, but he never had a shot at the Big One. Still a backup to Norm Van Brocklin when the Eagles won the title in 1960, but he didn't play in the championship game, and he never again played on a team that made it that far. In fact, he was stuck on so many bad teams that in his entire 18-year career, he played in only one NFL post-season game - and that was his final game ever. A native of Wilmington, North Carolina, he played his college ball at Duke, and was drafted in 1957 in the fourth round by the Eagles. After paying his dues as Van Brocklin's backup, he took over as starter when Van Brocklin left to coach Minnesota, and had a breakout year in 1961, leading the league in completions (235) yards passing (3723) and touchdowns (32 - tieing the league record). After seven seasons in Philadelphia, he had thrown for over 10,000 yards, but new coach Eagles' coach Joe Kuharich decided to go in "another direction," and he was traded, along with defensive back Jimmy Carr, for quarterback Norm Snead and defensive back Claude Crabb. At 5-11 and 200+, he always looked a bit paunchy and he wasn't very mobile, but he was utterly fearless in the pocket, and despite playing for some sorry Reddkins' teams, he piled up some incredible passing stats. In 1967, he was the NFL's leading passer, throwing for 3,747 yards and setting NFL records for attempts (508) and completions (288). Although missing most of the 1968 season because of broken ribs and elbow surgery, he came back and won the passing championship in 1969. Injuries again bothered him in 1971 and 1972, and for his last two seasons in Washington he served as Bill Kilmer's backup. The 1974 Redskins made the playoffs, and when he relieved Kilmer in the Redkins' 19-10 first-round loss to the Los Angeles Rams, it turned out to be not only his last game but also the first playoff game in which he'd ever appeared. He entered the Pro Football Hall of Fame with the Class of 1983. Vince Lombardi was his coach for one year, in 1969. Lombardi was a stern taskmaster, and his quarterback had quite a reputation as a playboy, but the two had a good relationship, and the Redskins improved from 5-9 in 1968 to 7-5-2 in 1969. Lombardi, who would never coach again after that season, said of his quarterback, "He may be the best the league has ever seen. He is the best I have seen." *********** Ronald Reagan truly was a great American, a son of the heartland whose life should serve as an example of the way a young person from humble beginnings can rise to the top through hard work, straightforwardness and courage, and a no-excuses approach. Only in America. In thought, word and deed, he was the anti-intellectual, and the elitists hated him for that. Ronald Reagan was anathema to them because his brilliance lay not in philosophizing and pontificating, but in cutting through the hype and the cant and calling a spade a spade. And while he didn't take any crap off anybody, he dealt with enemies so coolly and so expertly that it was obvious to all that they just weren't getting to him. They weren't in the same league. People who tried nailing Ronald Reagan - who thought they could match wits with him - were so outclassed they weren't even playing the same game as he was. Above all, as an unapologetic American, he was the quintessential un-European. America's elitists, who crave the approval of Europeans, never forgave him for that. Even now, the tributes they pay him are backhanded. What a man. May he rest in peace. *********** I can't watch tennis without hitting the "mute" button. Anybody watch any pro tennis lately? (Anybody ever watch tennis? ) With players being taught nowadays to grunt when they hit the ball, it can get pretty sick listening to them. When the women hit, they shriek, as if a rapist has just jumped out of the bushes and grabbed them. When the men hit, they sound like constipated elephants. Sometimes, vice-versa. *********** Coach Wyatt: I've always wondered how you manage to anticipate current events in your "News You Can Use". But this time I find it remarkable that you post the incredible D-Day commemoration speech of Ronald Reagan, and today I turn on ABC and see a portion of that same speech being replayed. I'm deeply saddened by today's news and very grateful that Ronald Reagan's difficult twilight years are now over. God speed, Gipper. Regards, Keith Babb, Northbrook, Illinois I do wish that my reprinting President Reagan's D-Day speech had not so closely anticipated his death. *********** I know a little something about the Cold War since I used to serve on board a Trident Submarine, America's most powerful strategic weapon. Armed with 24 ballistic missiles, we were America's first and last line of defense. The little-known work we did beneath the waves helped to break the back of the Soviet empire. It was because of Ronald Reagan that I first became interested in govenment and politics, back when I was in high school. It was because of Ronald Reagan that I recognized the difference between just being an American citizen and being a Patriot. Rob Tiffany, Houston, Texas (Rob Tiffany is my son-in-law. HW) *********** I was listening to an interview with Edmund Morris, the author of "Dutch," considered by most people to be the definitive biography of Ronald Reagan. Asked if there were any similarities between Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton, Mr. Morris said that other than the fact that they were both charming people who wanted to win over any audience, he couldn't think of any. He called them polar opposites in terms of character, and said for him the difference between them was best illustrated by the "boxers and briefs" incident. Perhaps you remember it - it was at some sort of high school journalism conference, and a high school girl with no conception of propriety had the effrontery to ask Bill Clinton - the President of the United States, for God's sake - whether he wore boxers or briefs. And instead of delivering a well-deserved lecture to the little witch (and to kids like her everywhere) on the importance of civility and decorum, Clinton laughed - and answered her. Morris said that if President Reagan had been in that same spot, he would have been absolutely befuddled at the "sheer vulgarity" of the question - at the impertinence of the questioner. But on further reflection, Morris said, the question would never have been asked of Ronald Reagan. *********** Baseball players can be such such f--king bums. Before the game at Yankee Stadium Saturday, the crowd was asked to honor the late President Reagan by joining in as the immortal Kate Smith sang "God Bless America." And then, as the song began, the director made the mistake of showing closeups of the players. (Hint to Director: never show baseball players doing anything other than playing baseball, which they will do, on occasions) There they stood, bored as hell, chewing their gum, waiting to get all that patriotic sh-- over with, so they could get back to lounging in the dugout. Granted, not all of them were Americans, so I'll cut them some slack. As for the rest, though - ship their asses over to Iraq and let them get down on their knees and shine the boots of real men. *********** I was on the Army football forum when I came across this post by an anonymous writer (I'd love to give him credit)... The story on CBS news website about the death of President Reagan began:"Ronald Wilson Reagan, the 40th U.S. president known for his good cheer and efforts to win the Cold War and scale back big government, died of pneumonia..." (italics mine. HW) Had CBS news been writing the story for the deaths of other U.S. presidents, they may have gone something like this: "George Washington, the 1st U.S. president known for his wooden teeth and efforts to win the Revolutionary War, died..." "Abraham Lincoln, the 16th U.S. president known for his stovepipe hat and efforts to win the Civil War, died..." "Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the 32nd U.S. president known for his cigarette holder and efforts to win the Second World War, died..." Even Ted Kennedy acknowledged that Reagan would be remembered for winning the Cold War. It seems that the whole world realizes this fact except for CBS News *********** Rush Limbaugh brought up an interesting point - wonder what all those half-educated left-wing lamebrains "teaching" high school "history" are telling their students, most of whom know absolutely nothing about Ronald Reagan, when they ask why everybody is making such a big deal about him. *********** I do find it the height of irony that federal employees will be given the day off on Friday, in honor of the late President Reagan. *********** Boy - if there is anything more boring that the average NFL telecast, with its interchangeable same old/same old announcers providing non-stop BS with the drone of a bored crowd in the background, it is an average NFL Europe telecast. Wouldn't you think, considering the cost of satellite time, they might try cutting down on the length of the games - and the amount of announcer B-S - by reducing the amount of dead time between plays? *********** You never know what you're going to learn when you watch pro football on TV: Said Brian Baldinger, on Fox's Berlin-Frankfurt telecast, "You want your quarterback to be a leader." Damn. Inside stuff. *********** The Stanley Cup Final celebration was ruined for me when they kept going to the two - TWO! - bimbos down on the ice who kept snuggling up to the players and pretending to ask them intelligent questions. One of them, whose name I swear was Sam Ryan, kept insisting on putting her arm around each interviewee's shoulders, the better to shout questions into their ears. Really professional. (Knowing what I know about hockey players, Sam had better keep her knees together.) *********** As a golfer, Australian Jan Stevenson has seen better days. She was always a better looker than a golfer, and at 51 she still looks good, but she isn't a top golfer any longer. Nonetheless, she cares deeply about the game and about the Women's Tour, and she's worried. As she told Golf Magazine, "The Asians are killing our tour. Absolutely killing it. Their lack of emotion, their refusal to speak English when they can speak English. They rarely speak. We have two-day pro-ams, where people are paying a lot of money to play with us, and they say hello and good-bye." *********** Enough with all this business about how unexciting it is to watch the Pistons play basketball. To me, there are few things more exciting than watching a team of professional athletes playing hard, and that's what the Pistons do. They put five guys on the floor who all go hard, a rare sight in the NBA. They are taking advantage of the fact that more and more, the NBA game is a travesty - a slam-dunk contest among guys who can't or won't play defense. Actually, a lot of them can't do much offensively, either, when they are agressively defended, so the game becomes a league-wide conspiracy to step aside and not play defense against each other. *********** "People used to always talk about how Shula's teams didn't get penalized because he was on the rules committee, and that's nonsense. His teams didn't get penalized because he knew the rules and he made sure we taught them the right way." New York Jets' special teams coach Mike Westhoff. *********** The May 24 issue of Sports Illustrated contained a great article, entitled "Test of the Best," by Austin Murphy. It told about the Best Ranger Competition, held annually at Fort Benning, Georgia. In Best Ranger, two-man teams of US Army Rangers compete over 60 hours without rest, performing such feats as running eight miles, parachuting 1500 feet from a helicopter, carrying a 150-pound stretcher over a hilly, three-mile course, paddling a canoe with all their gears inside for 7-1/2 miles, marching 18 miles at night in combat boots, while carrying 70-pound rucksacks. (They call the rusksacks "ticks" - "because they suck the life out of you.") There is a "water confidence test," in which competitors walk 40 feet across an eight-inch wide beam - 45 feet above water. There is the "Helocast," in which they jump from a helicopter into a lake, then swim - packs and all - to shore. There is more. (Did I mention that it gets hot and humid in that part of the world?) Interestingly, it is not the younger guys who win Best Ranger. It is always the older, more experienced Rangers. The reason is clear to anyone who remembers his playing days, and those early-season hot-weather workouts; as a freshman you weren't sure whether you were even going to live, and you marvelled at the seniors, who didn't even seem to be fazed. By the time you were a senior yourself, you were still uncomfortable, but you knew you would make it through. Explains the major who designed this year's course, the Best Ranger competition "makes huge physical demands, but it's also very mentally demanding, which is why you rarely see young guys finish. You have to push through so many levels of pain." The teams compete for an award named for the late Russ Rippetoe, a fellow Ranger killed in Iraq. In case you still wonder why I can't get excited about the stories about "abuse" and "torture" of Iraqi prisoners, I'll let author Murphy tell you about the circumstances of Russ Rippetoe's death... "A pregnant woman ran out of a car screaming for help, luring Russ to his death as the woman's companion blew up the vehicle." *********** Dear Coach Wyatt, Sorry I haven't E-mailed you in a while but as you can imagine, we have been busy. As you may know in Florida we have Spring Football during the month of May. Last Thursday May 27th we had our Spring Game vs. Coral Park HS. We won 20-7 and had 299yds total offense, 16 first downs, ran 56 plays and were 2 for 3 passing for a touchdown!! What a great start. The kids were overjoyed and there is a complete buy in from all involved. I would like to say thank you very much for all the help that you have given myself, my staff and players. Your videos have been a tremendous teaching tool and the clinic that we attended in Durham really got us going. Needless to say the DW at Goleman High is there to stay. I will be sending you a copy of our game film shortly. When you get a few extra minutes please take a look and E-mail me with your thoughts good or bad. I am entering my 5th year as head coach at Goleman with a record of 7-33. We have a great group of kids returning, but we as a team and staff really want to turn this thing around!!! Luckily, my Principal is super supportive and realizes we are outmanned much of the time. That of course is where the DW comes into play. Leveling the field - eating up the clock etc. Coach again thank you, I will be in touch and I hope you have a great summer. Sincerely, Leonard Patrick, Barbara Goleman Senior High School, Miami, Florida *********** Not that I've ever heard a homosexual having an orgasm, but I have my suspicions about the noises made by that "guy" who was "singing" the "national anthem" before the Pistons-Lakers game Tuesday night. *********** You may recall last week's NEWS, in which I was able to print a column by Seattle sports writer Jim Moore. Jim decried the firing, under pressure from parents, of a Seattle-area baseball coach, and telling sports parents to SHUT UP. Evidently, the column prompted a lot of e-mails, including this one from a parent named Ron Roberts: "The fact is that these players didn't become baseball players through the efforts of Coach Bishop. They are players because many of these 'problem' parents coached them through T-ball, coach-pitch, Little League, Pony League and other levels, and know them as well or better than Coach Bishop. "We know the strengths and weaknesses of these players and, more importantly, we know what's fair and what's not, and we know whether or not a coach is getting the job done. "The vast majority of these parents stay away from playing time and coaching decisions. However, these same parents have every right and are fully competent to evaluate the performance of the coach and to demand changes when changes are necessary." Man, am I glad I never coached baseball, because I have seen the "Ron Roberts" types in action. I think of Curt Daniels, a great baseball man and an old coaching friend who unfortunately passed on a year ago, well before he should have. Curt is probably the greatest baseball coach ever to step on a field in our part of the state. His dad, Al, was a long-time high school coach who became a big league scout after he retired, and Curt himself, in addition to being a great high school coach, established an American Legion team, the Vancouver Cardinals, that made it to the World Series in 1987. Sometime in the mid-80's, when Curt won a state title coaching Vancouver's Columbia River High, a parent/coach on the order of "Ron Roberts" came up to him after the championship game and said, "With all the players we've been sending you, it's about time." I'm also glad I'm not newspaper columnist, because if I were Jim Moore, my next column would have started out, "Hey a**hole - the more you go on, the more you make people realize why I told you to SHUT UP." "Ron Roberts" doesn't realize it, of course, but rather than justifying himself, his e-mail exposes him for the sort of parent he is, and reveals why parents like him continue to drive good coaches out of the profession. Notice that according to Roberts, the now-fired high school coach had nothing to do with his players' success. Roberts would have you believe it was all because of the efforts of the kids' youth coaches (most of whom undoubtedly were their parents). What it is all about, of course, is the latter-day phenomenon of the overly-doting parent who just can't let go - who after years and years of coaching his kid (while at the same time shielding him from other coaches and shepherding his climb to the major leagues by seeing to it that he made assorted all-star teams) just can't deal with the reality that now someone else is doing the coaching - and doesn't want his advice. *********** Hi coach. About a month ago I bought your "A Fine Line Tape" Excellent job ! I was looking at the Dynamics III intro but I am not really going to run direct snap. I noticed the 6G play with "Over Sprint". I also have bought the play book and 3 other tapes of yours. I do not see the over sprint formation in the play book. Could you please tell me a little about how you changed the 6G play with Over sprint. ? Dynamics III came out in 1997 when I was still using the term "Sprint" for what some people call "Fly" or "Jet" motion. At the request of my kids, "Sprint" was changed in the summer of 1998, to "Rocket" (to the right) and "Lazer" (to the left). They wanted to have specific instructions on which way to go in motion. The change is reflected in the second edition of the playbook, which came out in 1999. Other than the change in motion, though, it is simply Over Rip 6-G ( on Page 39 of the playbook), substituting "Rocket" motion for "Rip" Motion. Hope that helps clear things up. *********** If you want the ultimate lip-buttoner... if you want something to stick in the face (or elsewhere) of the loudmouth know-nothing who looks at your Double-Wing and starts telling everyone who'll listen that it won't work, it won't work in high school, it won't work at the big school level, blah, blah, blah... I can't think of anything you could do that would be more effective than to (1) sit him in a chair; (2) duct-tape him to it; (3) pop in the Clovis East highlights tape; (4) laugh in his face as he's forced to look at a Double-Wing team that can play with any high school team in the United States. It's also not a bad thing to show to your kids - your parents, even, but omit the duct tape - as an example of how far the Double-Wing can take a team. Would a spot in USA Today's Top 25 be far enough? Clovis East High, just outside Fresno, California, won the 2004 Central Section Championship (California does not have a state championship) playing in the largest class, and wound up ranked #23 in the nation by USA Today. Yes, those rankings are highly subjective, and I know there are a lot of good teams in the US that are worthy of ranking, but I really do believe that only a mid-season loss to rival Clovis West - later avenged in the Section Championship game - kept the Clovis East Timberwolves from being ranked much, much higher. I would have put money on them against any team in the country. The proof is in the tape, and what a tape it is. Coach Tim Murphy was kind enough to send me a copy, and after one look at it, I was excited. The tape is really well done - very professionally shot and edited. From the off-season weight competitions, to pre-season camps, to post-season celebrations, it tells the story of a great high school football team. There is a homecoming assembly/pep rally that will knock your socks off. But the real story, of course, is the season itself, including the huge win over national power Long Beach Poly - in Long Beach - that brought Clovis East to national attention. The tape offers a look at the Double-Wing at its best - the game action is well-shot, from good vantage points. Coach Murphy's guys can really execute the offense, and he has some very interesting wrinkles of his own that other Double-Wingers might find useful. My boss, Tracy Jackson, stopped over to the house the other day and I just had to play the tape for him. He sat there, transfixed. Finally, he looked at me and said, "I'd like our kids to see this." Coach Murphy is selling the tape. Here's how to get yours: send $29.95 to Coach Tim Murphy - 2373 Trenton Ave - Clovis CA 93611 *********** I've had some people ask about Dr, Ken Keuffel's new book, "Winning Single Wing" football. There is no man alive with more knowledge of the single wing - with special emphasis on the unbalanced line Penn/Princeton version - than Ken Keuffel. (His first book, "Simplified Single Wing Football," written 40 years ago, is still the best I've seen on the single wing.) You can purchase "Winning Single Wing Football" directly from Ken by going to www.singlewingfootball.com or you can send $24.95 (+ $4.95 shipping and handling) to Swift Press 2711 Main Street, Lawrenceville, NJ 08648-1014 YES, I KNOW THIS IS OLD NEWS. SORRY. I AM OUT OF TOWN AND UNABLE TO PUBLISH ON TUESDAY. LOOK FOR THE NEWS AGAIN BY THE WEEKEND  A LIST OF SOME TOP DOUBLE-WING HS TEAMS  "The Beast Was out There," by General James M. Shelton, subtitled "The 28th Infantry Black Lions and the Battle of Ong Thanh Vietnam October 1967" is available through the publisher, Cantigny Press, Wheaton, Illinois. to order a copy, go to http://www.rrmtf.org/firstdivision/ and click on "Publications and Products") Or contact me if you'd like to obtain a personally-autographed copy, and I'll give you General Shelton's address. (Great gift!) General Shelton is a former wing-T guard from Delaware who now serves as Honorary Colonel of the Black Lions. All profits from the sale of his books go to the Black Lions and the 1st Infantry Division Foundation, , sponsors of the Black Lion Award).   I have my copy. It is well worth the price just for the "playbooks" it contains in the back - "Fundamentals of Infantry" and "Fundamentals of Artillery," as well as a glossary of all those military terms, so that guys like you and me can understand what they're talking about.      --- GIVE THE BLACK LION AWARD --- HONOR BRAVE MEN AND RECOGNIZE GREAT KIDS SIGN UP YOUR TEAM OR ORGANIZATION FOR 2003 "NO MISSION TOO DIFFICULT - NO SACRIFICE TOO GREAT - DUTY FIRST" inscribed on the wall of the 1st Division Museum, at Cantigny, Wheaton, Ilinois Coaches - Black Lions teams for 2003 are now listed, by state. Please check to make sure your team in on the list. If it is not, it means that your team is no enrolled, and you need to e-mail me to get on the list. HW BECOME A BLACK LION TEAM (FOR MORE INFO ABOUT) THE BLACK LION AWARD

(UPDATED WHENEVER I FEEL LIKE IT - BUT USUALLY ON TUESDAYS AND FRIDAYS)  June 4, 2004 -    "If I have a choice between being popular and dead or unpopular and alive, I choose being alive and unpopular." Israel's Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, in 1981, unapologetically arguing in favor of bombing Iraq's nuclear reactor NEXT 2004 CLINICS SCHEDULED - SAT JUN 5, PORTLAND/VANCOUVER 2004 CLINIC PHOTOS :ATLANTA CHICAGO TWIN CITIES DURHAM PHILADELPHIA PROVIDENCE DETROIT DENVER NORTHERN CAL Click Here ----------->> <<----------- Click Here    A LIST OF SOME TOP DOUBLE-WING HS TEAMS  THE JUNE 5 PORTLAND-VANCOUVER CLINIC WILL BE HELD AT MADISON HS IN PORTLAND A LOOK AT OUR LEGACY: This photo was taken when Bobby Moore was a flanker-tailback at the University of Oregon. He played his high school football in Tacoma, Washington, where he played football and basketball and ran track and earned nine varsity letters. In college, he played for Jerry Frei on what he himself has termed "the most talented coaching staff ever in college football," a staff that included Bruce Snyder, John Robinson and Bruce Seifert. The Ducks weren't too bad then - their quarterback was a guy named Dan Fouts. He was chosen to the 1971 Sporting News All-American team, and was the fourth person chosen in the 1972 NFL draft, taken by the St. Louis Cardinals. Converted to wide receiver, he played in 1972 and 1973 for the Cardinals, and in 1974 was traded to the Buffalo Bills for quarterback Dennis Shaw. He played out his option in Buffalo, then after signing as a free agent with the Seahawks, missed the entire 1975 season. Before the 1976 season he was traded to Minnesota, and there his career blossomed. In his six years with the Vikings, from 1976 through 1981, he caught 372 passes for 5256 yards and 34 touchdowns. His best year was 1979, when he caught 80 passes for 1156 yards and nine TDs. He holds an NFL record that will never be broken - in 1972, he was one the receiving end of a 98-yard non-scoring touchdown pass, from Jim Hart. In 1973, he converted to Islam and changed his name to Ahmad Rashad, the name he has gone by since. Despite his outstanding football career, Ahmad Rashad has become even better known after retirement as a TV personality, and a friend of such sports celebrities as Michael Jordan and his old teammate from the Bills, O.J. Simpson. Correctly identifying Ahmad Rashad - Joe Daniels- Sacramento... John Bothe- Oregon, Illinois... Mike Foristiere- Boise, Idaho ("he married the gal on Bill Cosby's old show.")... Mark Kaczmarek - Davenport, Iowa... John Muckian- Lynn, Massachusetts... Greg Koenig - Colby, Kansas ("Ahmad Rashad was one of my favorites as I followed the Vikings religiously growing up in North Dakota. He was a great receiver and seemed to be a class act. However, I think he has lowered himself by "sucking up" (as the kids say!) to the celebrities that he interviews on TV. Anyway, I knew the answer as soon as I read the name Bobby Moore.")... Scott Russell- Potomac Falls, Virginia... Adam Wesoloski- Pulaski, Wisconsin... Keith Babb- Northbrook, Illinois ("We in Chicago know him well as a 'friend of Michael'")... John Zeller- Sears, Michigan... *********** This speech was delivered 20 years ago this Sunday by President Reagan, at Pointe de Hoc, Normandy. It was June 6, 1984, the 40th anniversary of D-Day. I think it is one of the greatest speeches an American President has ever given. The last paragraph should be required reading in all schools. We're here to mark that day in history when the Allied peoples joined in battle to reclaim this continent to liberty. For four long years, much of Europe had been under a terrible shadow. Free nations had fallen, Jews cried out in the camps, millions cried out for liberation. Europe was enslaved, and the world prayed for its rescue. Here in Normandy the rescue began. Here the Allies stood and fought against tyranny in a giant undertaking unparalleled in human history. We stand on a lonely, windswept point on the northern shore of France. The air is soft, but forty years ago at this moment, the air was dense with smoke and the cries of men, and the air was filled with the crack of rifle fire and the roar of cannon. At dawn, on the morning of the 6th of June 1944, 225 Rangers jumped off the British landing craft and ran to the bottom of these cliffs. Their mission was one of the most difficult and daring of the invasion: to climb these sheer and desolate cliffs and take out the enemy guns. The Allies had been told that some of the mightiest of these guns were here and they would be trained on the beaches to stop the Allied advance. The Rangers looked up and saw the enemy soldiers -- at the edge of the cliffs shooting down at them with machine-guns and throwing grenades. And the American Rangers began to climb. They shot rope ladders over the face of these cliffs and began to pull themselves up. When one Ranger fell, another would take his place. When one rope was cut, a Ranger would grab another and begin his climb again. They climbed, shot back, and held their footing. Soon, one by one, the Rangers pulled themselves over the top, and in seizing the firm land at the top of these cliffs, they began to seize back the continent of Europe. Two hundred and twenty-five came here. After two days of fighting only ninety could still bear arms. Behind me is a memorial that symbolizes the Ranger daggers that were thrust into the top of these cliffs. And before me are the men who put them there. These are the boys of Pointe du Hoc. These are the men who took the cliffs. These are the champions who helped free a continent. These are the heroes who helped end a war. Gentlemen, I look at you and I think of the words of Stephen Spender's poem. You are men who in your 'lives fought for life...and left the vivid air signed with your honor'... Forty summers have passed since the battle that you fought here. You were young the day you took these cliffs; some of you were hardly more than boys, with the deepest joys of life before you. Yet you risked everything here. Why? Why did you do it? What impelled you to put aside the instinct for self-preservation and risk your lives to take these cliffs? What inspired all the men of the armies that met here? We look at you, and somehow we know the answer. It was faith, and belief; it was loyalty and love. The men of Normandy had faith that what they were doing was right, faith that they fought for all humanity, faith that a just God would grant them mercy on this beachhead or on the next. It was the deep knowledge -- and pray God we have not lost it -- that there is a profound moral difference between the use of force for liberation and the use of force for conquest. You were here to liberate, not to conquer, and so you and those others did not doubt your cause. And you were right not to doubt. You all knew that some things are worth dying for. One's country is worth dying for, and democracy is worth dying for, because it's the most deeply honorable form of government ever devised by man. All of you loved liberty. All of you were willing to fight tyranny, and you knew the people of your countries were behind you. *********** Coach - This was one of the more attentive and observant Memorial Day weekends I have seen in a long,long time,most likely due to the War on Terror and W.W.II memorial, even in the Peoples Republic of Massachusetts,we got our heads out of our Ass,and paid the proper respects ( I seemed to notice the same thing! HW) Also coach My father an Army Infantry Veteran himself and NEVER a big Ivy league football fan (especially post George Munger) laughed like a bastard, when I showed him your reply that you sent me back when discussing Red Blaik's opinion on Ivy league football(You Have to Pay the Price),especially being a former Ivy Player, and My Father is in complete agreement with You,Coach Blaik and Joe Pa,The Ivy League Didn't do a G-D thing to Help Eastern Football,When they could have - see ya friday, John Muckian, Lynn, Massachusetts (I said that I think that Ivy League football sucks - that I never thought I'd see the day that Ivy League teams would play some of the teams they do now - and lose to them! HW) *********** Good morning coach: I wish you wouldn't use words like "prolate spheroid" for those of us who are thesaurically challenged. My spell-check doesn't even pick up prolate. Your takes are just too funny sometimes. Youngfellow my Lad was brilliant! Images this weekend of Gold Star Mothers, the seemingly endless sea of white crosses at the American Cemetery near Manila, Philippines, which has the largest number of graves of Americans who died in WWII, and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, make me more appreciative as I get older of how lucky we are in this country. I gave that poem to mom, whom I'm sure thought of my brother while reading it, as did I. It makes me most proud this past Memorial Day that we have two triangular folded American flags in our house representing Bill Sr. and Jr. It does them justice. I told you I would keep you apprised of our cricket situation. I am glad to report that cricket and it's proposed field are dead in Troy, MI. Being active at your monthly city counsel meeting does work, and oh by the way, our Mayor was soundly defeated for re-election. Apparently, ramming a cricket field down our throats, didn't sit well with the voters. We still have 40 soccer fields to just six football, but at least it won't be 40-6-1. I'm not kidding, we have forty! We were not out to be anti cricket, if you will, just pro football. We got our new field! Saved the "shut up" article, and Clovis East take too. Good stuff. Lastly, MLK had stones. Can you imagine the courage that guy had to go the places he did fighting ignorance? You have to admire that. Eventually it cost him, but man what stones. I have a plaque posted above my desk, centering all others. It has my favorite saying on it, and to me, a good mantra to live by. "THE ULTIMATE MEASURE OF A MAN IS NOT WHERE HE STANDS IN MOMENTS OF COMFORT, BUT WHERE HE STANDS AT TIMES OF CHALLENGE AND CONTROVERSY." MLK Take care and God bless coach. David Livingstone Troy, Michigan *********** In 1979, Richard Gilder and a group of his classmates from the Yale Class of 1954 were attending their 25th reunion and complaining about the poor job Yale did managing its huge endowment. "Yale does a great job of managing the endowment now," he says, "but back then its investment performance was pretty lousy." So Mr. Gilder proposed a novel idea: What if, instead of giving the money directly to Yale, the classmates pooled the money they would ordinarily have given and entrusted them to a professional money manager? And then turned over the money - the principal and the interest earned - to Yale at their 50th reunion? Since Mr. Gilder was one of Wall Street's best-known money managers, most of his classmates went along with his suggestion.   They started out, 25 years ago, with $75,000. This past week, they wound up donating $100,000,000 to their alma mater. One member of the class, who had kicked in $5,000 to the fund, received a note from Yale thanking him for his contribution of $2,562,000. *********** Lou Orlando, a fellow Yalie (but about 20 years younger than me) told about going back to his 25th class reunion recently, and listening to a discussion by some classmates who have, shall we say, attained high positions in government. "One of the interesting bits of info that came out of it," Lou said, "was that a recent poll finds a larger percentage of Bush votes are FOR Bush rather than anti-Kerry, and that the larger percentage of Kerry votes are Anti-Bush rather than Pro-Kerry." *********** John Stollenwerk, the president of Allen-Edmonds Shoe Company, of Port Washington, Wisconsin, struggles to keep his company competitive. He knows he could do what most other US shoe companies have done, and move manaufacturing to China. But he chooses to try to keep going with American workers. "It's costly to stay here because of the wages we're paying, the benefits, the rules and regulations of the government for having a safe workplace, for having a clean workplace, the emissions permit, taxes, health care," Mr. Stollenwerk told the New York Times. "They're all good things, don't get me wrong." But American buyers really couldn't care less about the people who make their shoes. They want a quality product, and they want it cheap. He told the Times it was "sadly amusing" to look at college students marching against low wages, factory closings and other social problems caused by globalization. "Those very people are walking around with shoes made in China with 64-cent-an-hour labor and no benefits," he said. "The very thing they're marching against, they're supporting." *********** Coach, Just a few thoughts this Memorial Day. As you know I'm a vet and I take great pride in the fact that I served this nation in the regular Navy, and then again in the Army Reserves. I was not a hero - just a guy like millions of others that was young, dumb and doing his job. I am the father of two sons that have served in the Army, and I'm proud of them. One served in the Middle East, the other just mopped floors. I stand in awe of both of them, for taking on this job. My family has fought in every war in this nation's history. During the Civil War we fought on both sides. The only war that I know we missed was Gulf War I. This year our nation saluted the men who saved the world during WW II. It is about time, and I'm happy to see it. You see, during WW II I had 5 uncles fight. My Uncle Jack never came home. He was a Marine Raider and they got torn to pieces. My big Uncle Bud had two ships blown out from under him, and was listed as MIA for 9 months, before he and the rest of the survivors were found. I just remember he hated the "Japs" to his last day. My Uncle Dick was a P-51 jock that almost died in a crash. My Uncle Don turned celebrated his 18th birthday fighting off a Kamikazi attack that sank the Randolph in 18 min. My little Uncle Bud wound up on Midway. My dad served in Korea and the only thing he ever told me was how they once dammed up a stream with North Korean and Chinese dead. It was only later I found out he was with the 7th as they fought thier way to sea. Vietnam caught both my youngest uncle and me. He saw some bad sh-- during TET, and got hit. I was lucky - I saw little. And now my youngest son is heading to Iraq. I write this to remind all of us that while we are sweating the upcoming season, it's just a GAME, and we get to worry about X's and O's because young men are willing to man the walls and keep us safe. To all you men that have served this great nation - Job Well Done and God Bless You. Bert Ford, Los Angeles   *********** Dad, You'd love this - I'm watching an "All Black Trial" match...the "Possibles" against the "Probables"...one team in All Black the other in All White, with the adidas Steinlager jerseys! Might be on Fox Sports World, but it's probably too late now! Love, Ed (That's from my son, Ed, who lives in Australia, and he's writing about the legendary All Blacks, the New Zealand national rugby team. Essentially, the All Blacks are an all-star team, selected from the New Zealanders who play on one of the "Super 12" rugby teams in Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. That would be a very interesting match. Also - a very interesting way to select an all-star team. Years ago, they did something similar to choose the US Olympic basketball team - they held a tournament between the NCAA winner, the NIT winner (when the NIT was at least as prestigious as the NCAA), the AAU champion (when a guy could make as much money playing for the Phillips Oilers as for most NBA clubs) and the Armed Forces champion (when we still had a draft) - then selected an all-star team from the players on those teams. HW) *********** (Because Keith Babb's son is a Marine, I sent him the article found at http://www.denverpost.com/Stories/0,1413,36%257E27059%257E2178727,00.html) Coach Wyatt: Thanks for passing this along. I forwarded it to my son. This article capped off a weekend of reading about and thanking God for those who have served our country so honorably and so well. Of course, there was your Memorial Day 'News'; something I always look forward to reading. And, I finished Mr. Maraniss' book, "They Marched into Sunlight". I have a few random thoughts about his book. First, as I read, I kept remembering Chicago's Welcome Home - Vietnam veterans parade I attended in June, 1986. It was incredible. A beautiful sunlit day and the demonstrative gratitude of hundreds of thousands of people, lining the busy streets of the Loop. It was a very moving experience to watch those who fought marching by in uniform. And, it was an incredibly long procession. As poignant as it was, the occasion was joyous -- and long overdue. There were no politicians and no anti-war protesters. I can't believe it's been 18 years. I still remember it as if it were yesterday. Second, I was one of the few at my high school who sported an 'America - Love It or Leave It' bumper sticker. I always thought every anti-war protester was a communist. I didn't realize that there were a number of different motivations that fueled the anti-war movement. I didn't connect the freedom fighters of the civil rights marches to student protests. And I'd forgotten the argument of the 'good German' - which argues that if good Germans had protested the Nazi government, then the horrors Hitler released on the world would not have happened. All of these were explained effectively in the book. Finally, I have argued since the mid 70's that the price paid in American lives in Vietnam was worth it. Our actions prevented communist aggression that allowed the fledgling economies of Thailand, S. Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Indonesia to develop and flourish. Thus containing the brutality that horrified the world in Cambodia. I agree with you that US involvement in Vietnam was a bold statement against Russian style communism and contributed greatly to the break up of the Soviet Union. Yes, I think objective historians in the next couple of centuries will recognize the value of our Vietnam experience. I'm off to read today's issue of the "News". Regards, Keith Babb, Northbrook, Illinois *********** That's me and Kevin Latham on the left. Several years ago, when I first met Kevin, he was a Georgia middle school coach who came to my Atlanta clinic to try to learn a little something about the Double-Wing. I was impressed by him, and got to like him, and we stayed in touch over the years. I'd like to think we developed something of a bond. I have seen him go through the tough times, when some of his assistants (who have since become former assistants) fought him tooth-and-nail over his decision to run the Double-Wing, and I have taken vicarious satisfaction in his going on to win the DeKalb County middle school championship - no small feat in a football-mad county of almost 700,000 people. I hurt when I learned, in March 2002, that he'd suffered a near-fatal heart attack - he was just 37 - and I was thrilled when he was pronounced fit to return to coaching. His return has been a successful one (including two trips to the County championship game), and when he told me that he'd applied for the vacant head-coaching position at Columbia High School in his home town of Decatur, just east of Atlanta, I pulled for him as hard as anyone. He got the job this past spring. Immediately, there were detractors, who said that he was in over his head. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, which you would think would have bigger fish to fry, devoted the better part of a sports column to questioning the judgment of Columbia's principal in hiring a middle-school coach. I told Kevin to expect that. But so what? The only thing that mattered was the job was his, and he had his principal's confidence. That, and a good staff, will get a guy over a lot of speed bumps in the early going. Kevin had always said that if/when he got his first high school job, he was going to have me down to help get things started. Sure enough, right after his hiring, we made plans for me to get to Columbia and put on a camp, and that's where I spent most of last week. By the time I got there, Kevin had already assembled a staff, and the team had already been through Spring Practice, which in Georgia means full pads, concluding with an intra-squad game. Kevin spent a lot of time choosing that staff, placing his primary emphasis on the quality of the man. Several of the men he hired had worked with him in the past (yes, middle-school coaches) and others came highly-recommended. None of them, by the way, were holdovers from the previous staff. The staff he has assembled - Clarence Anderson, Charles Bethune, Tyrone Beverly, Lance Brown, Calvin Furlough, Kevin Gray, Kenny Hillman, Jeff Latham (his brother) and Thomas Williams - are good football men who love the game and love kids, men with good work habits and good personal habits, men with the stones to hold kids to high standards. And men without egoes who can work together - who can disagree with each other and with Coach Latham, but always in the interest of making the team better. It was a privilege to sit in on their meetings like one of the staff, and my presence didn't seem to have an inhibiting effect on them. It was obvious to me when I first stood in front of the kids in the school library to go over a few basics of the offense that they'd already been well-taught. They had the answers to all the questions I threw at them. It was also obvious from their conduct in our meetings and on the field that the coaches had been spending a fair amount of time on coachability - those kids were plugged in. It was hot, it was humid, it got dusty, and we worked the kids pretty hard - yet I can honestly say I didn't catch an ounce of attitude the entire time I was there. If I - or any other coach - told a kid to do something a different way from the way he had done it, or was used to doing it, it was always "Yes sir!" - and done. Not once did I hear an excuse. The coaches were very professional. I didn't hear a word of profanity the entire time - from coaches or players. As to be expected, a coach would raise his voice from time to time to get a point across, but I never heard a kid berated. I did hear a coach tell a player who appeared to be dogging it on a pushup "that was sorry," and I saw Kevin, who had only heard the "sorry," jump a couple of feet in the air. But the coach assured him that he had called the effort sorry - not the the kid - and that was straightened out so that everyone understood what the coach had said. Not everything is perfect, obviously. There is a reason why the Columbia job was open in the first place. The Eagles were 2-8 last year, and certainly they have a way to go. Teams don't finish 2-8 without needing a lot of work on the ways that teams beat themselves. But there is a solid staff and a great group of kids eager to get better and willing to do what the coaches ask them to do. And there is all-important administrative support. Twice during my stay, the principal, Dr. Thomas Glanton, made it a point to pay us a visit. Based on some of the things that Kevin has told me about him, I sense that he is the kind of guy I'd like to work for. At 33, he is the youngest high school principal in DeKalb County, and I have suggested to Kevin that he might want to stay with Dr. Glanton a long time. There is other support as well - Moms from the school booster club were kind enough to provide lunch for the players and coaches every day. And the Eagles are not without weapons. There is some talent. There is some speed. There are at least two quarterbacks who can throw, and are really eager to learn. They could play for me any time, anywhere. There are kids who can catch, too. There is some size up front, but the linemen face the transition to a whole new system of blocking. Teaching them that will be Coach Furlough's assignment. I do think from what I saw that someone could airlift that team and its coaches to more than half the states in the Union and they could be playing for a state title. But Georgia, of course, is the South, where football is, uh, BIG, to say the least, and in that highly-charged atmosphere, even 2-8 teams have decent talent by the standards of most places. The 8-2 teams have SUPER talent. I was struck by a few regional differences. Being southern black kids, all exercizes went, "One, Two, Three, FO'!" Naturally, being a white Yankee, I gave them some crap about that. There was singing! I loved it! Coach Brown can sing - "I've been workin' hard for my football... I've been workin' way out on the line" - and he stood out there in the middle of those kids and had those kids singing and clapping until it reminded me of a scene from "Glory." And there was - gasp! - praying! When the kids gathered after their pre-practice stretching and put their hands together, as one, I expected a "one-two-three LET'S GO!" Instead I heard a player say "WHOSE FATHER?" followed by "Our Father... who art in heaven..." all the way through. Those kids said the Lord's Prayer before and after every practice! IT WAS NOT COACH-DIRECTED! IT WAS STUDENT-INSPIRED! (Just in case some a**hole from the ACLU should ever stumble onto my site.) Columbia's season opens August 20, against Southwest DeKalb. Tough test. Southwest is a consistent power, and its coach, Buck Godfrey, is a Georgia legend. And he also happens to have been Kevin Latham's high school coach. Photos from the camp *********** From another Georgia Double-Winger ---Coach Wyatt, You are THE BOMB as they say!! It was great seeing you again, breaking bread, and doing what we do best, in my native Decatur, Georgia. Also, enjoying you being at my alma matter Columbia High School, Eagles, with the new staff there, headed by our friend Kevin Latham. I really appreciate Kevin and yourself allowing me to sit in on team meetings and being a part of what looks to be a very promising situation for Kevin in AAAA in DeKalb County. I regret not being able to see you off in some capacity on Thursday but my work schedule was just not going to let me do it, but my mind was with you and Kevin all day Thursday. I did however get Kevin on the phone right after you took flight, and he gave me a thorough rundown of the great job you did and the big time response his team and coaching staff had from your visit and clinic work. Good luck on your final Clinic, and I'll be keeping you posted on the progress of our cornbread lovin', biscuit eatin' country boys from Nathanael Greene Academy. Good luck at Madison this fall, and thanks for everything! Coach Larry Harrison, Head Football Coach, Nathanael Greene Academy, Siloam, Georgia *********** "When I was reading about the baseball coach who was told that he needed to be more "approachable," I almost fell out of my chair! Is "unapproachable" a word that future administrators are taught in Administration 101? It all came back to me, 13 years later! I was told that I was, "unapproachable," when we were struggling to turn around a moribund program. "Unapproachable? I lived, worked, shopped, and worshipped in the community. I had a listed phone number. I made it known that I would hang around after practice to talk to parents with questions. But yet, because there was nothing upon which to base my dismissal except not winning (though we improved our record in each of the three seasons), and the administration always made a point to say that we are not about winning, I was gone. "The superintendent who labled me unapproachable (parroted by others after he got the ball rolling), also said I should take a Dale Carnegie course. He should have said that into a mirror. The morning after we won our first game, after losing our first 15, he saw me in the post office. Now I had a habit of wearing shorts, even in cold weather. I felt it gave the kids one last thing to gripe about. It can't be that cold, after all, coach is wearing shorts! The Supt. made it known widely that he didn't like it. "Said that it (not I presumably) was stupid. Well, the morning after the first win, I walk into the post office, and their he was. It just so happens that I had worn pants the night before. I said hello. Did he congratulate me on our first victory? No. He says,"I see you wore pants last night!" "Who needs Dale Carnegie?" John Zeller, Tustin, Michigan *********** If there's one thing I can't stand, it's people who don't know their history trying to define it for others. I was two-thirds of the way through an article when I sat back, made a "T" with my hands, and said, "Whoa! Not so f--king fast, Junior." The article, by a guy named Tim Wendel, was about the potential evils of gambling in sports. It was entitled, "Can Cheating Kill a Sport? You bet," and it mentioned, naturally, the Black Sox Scandal of 1919. It also mentioned the college basketball point-shaving scandal that tarnished college basketball around 1950, which, the writer told us, "nearly derailed college basketball forever." In both cases, the writer said, "it required super athletes - Babe Ruth in baseball and Kareem Abdul Jabber, aka Lew Alcindor, in basketball - to return those sports to prominence. Say wha-a-a-a-at? This guy was passing along a bit of popular lore that in reality is sheer crap. First of all, let's give Babe Ruth his due. One of the game's best pitchers, he made the switch to the outfield and set the baseball world on fire. In1920, the year after the scandal, he set the baseball world on fire. It was his first season as a Yankee, and he led the American League with 54 home runs. The guy in second place hit 15. The National League's leader hit 23. Only one other entire team in major league baseball hit more home runs than Babe Ruth did by himself. (Imagine an NBA in which only one guy could be counted on to dunk.) Yes, you can certainly say that Babe Ruth gave baseball a needed shot in the arm. But Lew Alcindor/Kareem Abdul Jabbar playing the same role in basketball? Sorry, Tim, but I was there, and it just didn't happen. Now, unless this guy is my age, he doesn't remember the things that I do. I was 12 or 13 at the time the news of the scandal broke - an age at which the average American kid back then (back in those pre-video-game days) was really into sports, and I can tell you that while it seemed a damn shame that good basketball players and their coaches were being dragged through the courts of New York (undoubtedly, now that I have an adult's perspective, in the hopes that various people's political ambitions might be furthered), life went on. In sports, it always does. Granted, Big Lew (Lewis, as Coach Wooden called him) was a dominant player, but fifteen years elapsed between the point-shaving scandals and his sophomore year at UCLA, and college basketball wasn't exactly in limbo that entire time. As a kid in Philly, I remember the early 1950s as the Tom Gola era at LaSalle. Trust me - basketball didn't need to return to prominence in Philadelphia, as the Explorers won the NIT and then the NCAA tournament, and lost a try for a second straight NCAA title only because they ran into a bunch from San Francisco led by two guys named Bill Russell and K.C. Jones. I doubt that the folks in San Francisco were sitting back waiting for Lew Alcindor to save the game, either. Trust me - the college game was plenty popular. The NBA? Scarcely a threat to the college game. It was just an eight-team league, and not exactly big-time - as recently as 1957, it still had teams in Fort Wayne, Rochester and Syracuse. The Lakers were still in Minneapolis. The Hawks played in St. Louis. Philadelphia's team was the Warriors. Forget places like Utah and Portland - there wasn't even a team in Los Angeles, Chicago or Detroit. It was customary then for the NBA champion to go on a post-season barnstorming tour against a team of college all-stars. The pros didn't always win. The more I thought about this guy's phony claim, the angrier I got - I found myself doing some serious digging. Between the time of the scandal and the coming of Kareem, basketball was graced by such as Clyde Lovellette (Kansas), Bob Pettit (LSU), Tom Gola (LaSalle), Cliff Hagan (Kentucky), Dick Groat (Duke - he would go on to captain the Pirates' 1960 World Series winners), Frank Selvy (Furman), Bill Russell and K. C. Jones (San Francisco), Maurice Stokes (St. Francis), Walt Dukes (Seton Hall), Tom Heinsohn (Holy Cross), Si Green (Duquesne), Willie Naulls (UCLA), Hot Rod Hundley (West Virginia), Wilt Chamberlain (Kansas), Guy Rodgers and Hal Lear (Temple), Hal Greer (Marshall), Bailey Howell (Mississippi State), Lenny Wilkins (Providence), Oscar "Big O" Robertson (Cincinnati), Elgin Baylor (Seattle), Jerry West (West Virginia), Dave DeBusschere (Detroit), Jerry Lucas and John Havlicek (Ohio State - and a lesser-known teammate named Bobby Knight), Terry Dischinger (Purdue), Chet Walker (Bradley), Tom Stith (St. Bonaventure), Paul Silas (Creighton), Billy Cunningham (North Carolina), Len Chappell (Wake Forest), Bill Bradley (Princeton), Walt Hazzard (UCLA), Dave Bing (Syracuse - his backcourt mate was a guy named Jim Boeheim), Wally Jones (Villanova), Cazzie Russell (Michigan), Rick Barry (Miami), Gail Goodrich (UCLA), Lou Hudson (Minnesota), Westley Unseld (Louisville), Jimmy Walker (Providence). There are more, of course. but I simply couldn't allow someone to dismiss people like that as though they had been laboring in obscurity, waiting for the savior to come along and rescue their game. Don't let anybody tell you that basketball needed Lew Alcindor - or anybody else - to save it. I could argue that that time we're talking about was actually the strat of a golden era in college basketball. Apart from the names, there were numerous other significant things that happened during this time in which basketball supposedly lurked in the shadows of a scandal: The rise to prominence of great black players - Russell, Chamberlain, Robertson and Baylor prominent among them. Fabulous Frank Selvy of Furman scored 100 points in one game, and averaged 41.9 points for the season. All-black Texas Western defeated all-white Kentucky to win the national title. The San Francisco Dons of Russell and Jones won back-to-back titles. The great Ohio State teams of 1960-1962 made three straight final-game appearances - and lost two of them to Cincinnati. The great Cincinnati teams twice beat Ohio State to win the NCAA championship, then failed in a try for a third straight when they were upset by unknown Loyola of Chicago. North Carolina did the seeming impossible, defeating Kansas and the great Wilt Chamberlain in the NCAA final, 54-53 in triple overtime. Finally there was the rise of the Wooden dynasty at UCLA, the team which Alcindor/Jabbar would grace with his presence. The Bruins had already won the first two of their many titles before he arrived. By that time, there was a whole generation of basketball fans that didn't know a thing or care a fig about a long-forgotten point-shaving scandal. *********** Okay- who's the wiseass? It was bad enough when they guys from Manchester Memorial High School in New Hampshire gave me a piggy bank painted like a soccer ball, but Wednesday I got an e-mail from Coastal Carolina Soccer Camp. Next to that, I welcome offers to enlarge my "member", or invitations to set up US bank accounts for my late, departed Nigerian relative Douglas Wyatt, who was killed in an automotible accident and left a fortune that's still waiting to be claimed. *********** If you want the ultimate lip-buttoner... if you want something to stick in the face (or elsewhere) of the loudmouth know-nothing who looks at your Double-Wing and starts telling everyone who'll listen that it won't work, it won't work in high school, it won't work at the big school level, blah, blah, blah... I can't think of anything you could do that would be more effective than to (1) sit him in a chair; (2) duct-tape him to it; (3) pop in the Clovis East highlights tape; (4) laugh in his face as he's forced to look at a Double-Wing team that can play with any high school team in the United States. It's also not a bad thing to show to your kids - your parents, even, but omit the duct tape - as an example of how far the Double-Wing can take a team. Would a spot in USA Today's Top 25 be far enough? Clovis East High, just outside Fresno, California, won the 2004 Central Section Championship (California does not have a state championship) playing in the largest class, and wound up ranked #23 in the nation by USA Today. Yes, those rankings are highly subjective, and I know there are a lot of good teams in the US that are worthy of ranking, but I really do believe that only a mid-season loss to rival Clovis West - later avenged in the Section Championship game - kept the Clovis East Timberwolves from being ranked much, much higher. I would have put money on them against any team in the country. The proof is in the tape, and what a tape it is. Coach Tim Murphy was kind enough to send me a copy, and after one look at it, I was excited. The tape is really well done - very professionally shot and edited. From the off-season weight competitions, to pre-season camps, to post-season celebrations, it tells the story of a great high school football team. There is a homecoming assembly/pep rally that will knock your socks off. But the real story, of course, is the season itself, including the huge win over national power Long Beach Poly - in Long Beach - that brought Clovis East to national attention. The tape offers a look at the Double-Wing at its best - the game action is well-shot, from good vantage points. Coach Murphy's guys can really execute the offense, and he has some very interesting wrinkles of his own that other Double-Wingers might find useful. My boss, Tracy Jackson, stopped over to the house the other day and I just had to play the tape for him. He sat there, transfixed. Finally, he looked at me and said, "I'd like our kids to see this." Coach Murphy is selling the tape. Here's how to get yours: send $29.95 to Coach Tim Murphy - 2373 Trenton Ave - Clovis CA 93611 *********** I've had some people ask about Dr, Ken Keuffel's new book, "Winning Single Wing" football. There is no man alive with more knowledge of the single wing - with special emphasis on the unbalanced line Penn/Princeton version - than Ken Keuffel. (His first book, "Simplified Single Wing Football," written 40 years ago, is still the best I've seen on the single wing.) You can purchase "Winning Single Wing Football" directly from Ken by going to www.singlewingfootball.com or you can send $24.95 (+ $4.95 shipping and handling) to Swift Press 2711 Main Street, Lawrenceville, NJ 08648-1014 YES, I KNOW THIS IS OLD NEWS. SORRY. I AM OUT OF TOWN AND UNABLE TO PUBLISH ON TUESDAY. LOOK FOR THE NEWS AGAIN BY THE WEEKEND  A LIST OF SOME TOP DOUBLE-WING HS TEAMS  "The Beast Was out There," by General James M. Shelton, subtitled "The 28th Infantry Black Lions and the Battle of Ong Thanh Vietnam October 1967" is available through the publisher, Cantigny Press, Wheaton, Illinois. to order a copy, go to http://www.rrmtf.org/firstdivision/ and click on "Publications and Products") Or contact me if you'd like to obtain a personally-autographed copy, and I'll give you General Shelton's address. (Great gift!) General Shelton is a former wing-T guard from Delaware who now serves as Honorary Colonel of the Black Lions. All profits from the sale of his books go to the Black Lions and the 1st Infantry Division Foundation, , sponsors of the Black Lion Award).   I have my copy. It is well worth the price just for the "playbooks" it contains in the back - "Fundamentals of Infantry" and "Fundamentals of Artillery," as well as a glossary of all those military terms, so that guys like you and me can understand what they're talking about.      --- GIVE THE BLACK LION AWARD --- HONOR BRAVE MEN AND RECOGNIZE GREAT KIDS SIGN UP YOUR TEAM OR ORGANIZATION FOR 2003 "NO MISSION TOO DIFFICULT - NO SACRIFICE TOO GREAT - DUTY FIRST" inscribed on the wall of the 1st Division Museum, at Cantigny, Wheaton, Ilinois Coaches - Black Lions teams for 2003 are now listed, by state. Please check to make sure your team in on the list. If it is not, it means that your team is no enrolled, and you need to e-mail me to get on the list. HW BECOME A BLACK LION TEAM (FOR MORE INFO ABOUT) THE BLACK LION AWARD

(UPDATED WHENEVER I FEEL LIKE IT - BUT USUALLY ON TUESDAYS AND FRIDAYS)  June 1, 2004 -    "I'm addicted to placebos. I could quit, but it wouldn't matter." Steven Wright. NEXT 2004 CLINICS SCHEDULED - SAT JUN 5, PORTLAND/VANCOUVER 2004 CLINIC PHOTOS :ATLANTA CHICAGO TWIN CITIES DURHAM PHILADELPHIA PROVIDENCE DETROIT DENVER NORTHERN CAL Click Here ----------->> <<----------- Click Here    A LIST OF SOME TOP DOUBLE-WING HS TEAMS  THE JUNE 5 PORTLAND-VANCOUVER CLINIC WILL BE HELD AT MADISON HS IN PORTLAND MADISON HIGH PLAYERS WILL BE ON HAND IN THE PM TO DEMONSTRATE IF YOU ARE COMING IN FROM OUT OF TOWN AND YOU HAVE NO OTHER PLANS FOR DINNER FRIDAY NIGHT, PLEASE CONTACT ME - coachwyatt@aol.com A LOOK AT OUR LEGACY: This photo was taken when Bobby Moore was a flanker-tailback at the University of Oregon. He played his high school football in Tacoma, Washington, where he played football and basketball and ran track and earned nine varsity letters. In college, he played for Jerry Frei on what he himself has termed "the most talented coaching staff ever in college football," a staff that included Bruce Snyder, John Robinson and Bruce Seifert. The Ducks weren't too bad then - their quarterback was a guy named Dan Fouts. He was chosen to the 1971 Sporting News All-American team, and was the fourth person chosen in the 1972 NFL draft, taken by the St. Louis Cardinals. Converted to wide receiver, he played in 1972 and 1973 for the Cardinals, and in 1974 was traded to the Buffalo Bills for quarterback Dennis Shaw. He played out his option in Buffalo, then after signing as a free agent with the Seahawks, missed the entire 1975 season. Before the 1976 season he was traded to Minnesota, and there his career blossomed. In his six years with the Vikings, from 1976 through 1981, he caught 372 passes for 5256 yards and 34 touchdowns. His best year was 1979, when he caught 80 passes for 1156 yards and nine TDs. He holds an NFL record that will never be broken - in 1972, he was one the receiving end of a 98-yard non-scoring touchdown pass, from Jim Hart. In 1973, he converted to Islam and changed his name, and played most of his career under than name. Despite his outstanding football career, he became even better known after retirement as a TV personality, and a friend of such sports celebrities as Michael Jordan and his old teammate from the Bills, O.J. Simpson. *********** Jimmer Kuhn, of Greeley, Colorado, put me onto an amazing story in the Denver Post, written by a Marine whose assignment had been to escort the body of another Marine, killed in action in Iraq, from Dover, Delaware to his home in Wyoming. The story of the dignity that the two Marines, one no longer living, were accorded at every stop along the way is a masterpiece. Forget the a**holes in Congress. Americans do care. The story is way too long for me to reprint, even if I were to obtain permission to do so, but you can read it at http://www.denverpost.com/Stories/0,1413,36%257E27059%257E2178727,00.html  *********** The Indy Racing League (IRL) may have outlasted its big rival, CART, but based on the pre-race TV production of the the Indianapolis 500, the race itself continues its slide, from its place as the ultimate celebration of the values of the Heartland to what appears to be its desired role as one more crossover between sports and other, unrelated forms of popular entertainment. And, as I predicted, the national anthem that preceded it provided another opportunity for a "singer" to debase our country. Jessica Simpson, whose singing ability may one day manifest itself - but not on this day - managed to give us little more than an imitation of a Hooters' waitress about to perform an, uh, "erotic act" on the wireless microform she held unnaturally close to her open mouth. Get her outta here. To paraphrase King Henry VIII, "Will no one rid me of this talentless trollop?" *********** Which prompts me to ask - how come the Canadian woman at the Calgary-Tampa Bay hockey game knew how to sing our national anthem properly? *********** Anybody catch that 82nd Airborne General who was Grand Marshal of the Coca-Cola 600? Made me confident just seeing a guy like that in uniform. And it was super cool when the camera switched to seven US soldiers in Iraq, and - live - they gave the command, "Gentlemen, start your engines!" ************ Coach - That (Memorial Day Tribute) moved me to tears. Absolutely outstanding. Oh, what I wouldn't give to be in Washington tomorrow at the WWII dedication to meet some of these men. My grandfather was in WWI and we just came across his diaries in the attic. We had a 1917 Mauser and German helmets and fragments from the Argonne Woods and St. Miehl he brought home. His job was to run telephone wire to outposts in no man's land and then come back in the morning. The German helmet was so small that even as a kid it was too big for me. I have no earthly idea how they endured that war. The poem "Young Fellow My Lad" -- and the others - were writings I could only read once, for now at least. Thanks for putting these together. Have a great Memorial Day [Decoration Day] weekend. See you next Friday night for dinner at the clinic. Take care, Coach. Regards, Mark Bergen, Keller, Texas *********** The good news is that Rice has decided to remain at the Division I-A level in all sports. The bad news is that Rice still is going to have to find a way to win at the Division I-A level. The even worse news is that Rice could have a Colorado-type sex-and-booze recruiting scandal of its own. Houston TV station KHOU reported on Monday night that six former Rice football players claimed that as recruits they were taken to Houston strip clubs and offered alcohol, and as players they hosted recruits and spent university money in strip clubs. As always, it's wise to consider the major source - in this case, a former Rice football player who left school after being suspended for allegedly cheating on a test. If the accusations prove to be true, though, Rice may want to reconsider that decision to stay in Division I-A. I mean, hell, if they've been forced to do that kind of stuff just to land the kind of players they've been getting, they might as well shut 'er down. *********** Navy beat Princeton and Syracuse beat Johns Hopkins to reach the lacrosse championship game. They had over 45,000 people in Baltimore to watch the double-header, and another 40,000+ on Sunday to watch Syracuse edge Navy. I couldn't help noticing something, though - if that was the new Syracuse logo on the helmets of the Orange (or is it Oranges?), it sure wasn't anything to get excited about - just a simple interlocking "SU", the sort of thing that your decal supplier does for free all the time. If that's it, Syracuse undoubtedly had to pay some ad agency thousands of dollars to produce a logo that any 12-year-old kid of one of the people in the SU athletic department could have designed. *********** Joe Paterno told USA Today that he tells recruits it's nothing new for opponents to use his age against him in recruiting. Says they've been doing it for years. But, as he likes to tell recruits, "About 700 of those coaches are gone. I just happen to mention that." *********** If you like to watch people running the ball - really running the ball - you ain't gonna do better than this at the college level: Thursday, September 30 - Navy at Air Force - on ESPN. *********** A very successful youth Double-Wing coach I know told me that he had high hopes of being able to convince the not-so-successful, non-Double-Wing head coach at his local high school to try the Double-Wing - at the very least to let his freshmen, who had won their league title last year as 8th graders, continue to run the Double-Wing at the high school. I told him to go for it, but not to expect much in the way of results. Here was his report back to me... (Our) HS isn't going to consider that "butt sniffer offense". It is going to be hard to sit in the stands and be a good boy.... The worst of it is they might go winless. They have very little talent, size and it appears, brains. Coach- I'm sorry that you discovered what I knew you would. It is very rare that a high school coach will listen to a youth coach. It would be like my wife offering to show my (late) mother how to cook. (I think most married guys can relate to that.) The initiative would have to come from my mother. Only if she were to actually ask my wife for her recipe for something would there be any chance of anything like that happening. Keep punchin' *********** Hugh, I'm really pissed off and I need some advice. I just received a very depressing telephone call from one of my assistant coaches who applied for a vacant PE teaching position at my school. He told me that he had just received a rejection letter from the principal (27 year old female!). He didn't even get an interview! I wrote him a letter of recommendation AND personally spoke to the principal on his behalf. I got the impression he would at LEAST get an interview, even if as a courtesy. Not a chance. I guess I carry about a mouse's ass worth of weight around here. I've been in education for a long time and this takes the cake. I learned a long time ago when a colleague recommends an applicant for a position it is wise to exhibit common courtesy to the colleague by at least interviewing the candidate he/she supports. It shows the colleague that you respect his/her opinions, and whether the candidate you support is hired or not it at least leaves the colleague with the perception that his/her opinions and insights are considered valuable. Also, if an employee of the school (which the assistant coach is because he receives a stipend) applies for a vacant position it should be a priority for the hiring committee to interview the employee. That action in itself shows the employee that the school values his/her contributions, and gives the employee the perception that the school is loyal to him/her. Again, even if the employee does not get hired for that position at least the chances of the employee remaining in his/her current position are good, and it ends up a win-win situation for all involved. But wait, there's more!! My coach applied for the vacant BOYS' PE position. Not only is he a good coach, but he is an outstanding young MALE role model. Not to mention that the boys he's coached think the world of him. So, what burns me even more is that I found out that THREE of the five candidates they interviewed for the BOYS' PE position were WOMEN!!! Not ONE, but THREE!!!!!! And the coup de gras? The hiring committee knew all along they were going to give the job to the head baseball coach at our school, (which is fine because at least he's a GUY!) but they didn't interview him until AFTER they interviewed the others. So why not give my assistant one of the interviews instead of one of those women who turned out to be courtesy interviews anyway?? Am I missing something here??? I'm so steamed I can't see straight. I want to go into her office and give her a piece of my mind, however, I'm afraid it might turn out like a lecture I would give MY 27 year old daughter when she screws up! I DON'T want to go over her head to the president, and I DON'T want to be a pussy and write a letter, but somehow she needs to know. Any advice on how to approach this other than to start looking for a new job? (I've already started doing that). I don't mind if you share this as an anonymous news item and not use my name or the school's name, but I can't wait to hear your response to this fiasco. My response - essentially, you have been disrespected, and made to look ineffective in the eyes of that assistant. Unfortunately, I have no constructive solution. There is little recourse, because if you tried to go head-to-head with the principal, the board would almost certainly support her. (Nice hiring choice, by the way.) Sadly, it appears to be time to move on. Right now. There are still some good jobs open in my state, if you want to come to Washington. HW *********** It dismays me to think that Camas, Washington, the very town I live in, is turning into Soccer City. Kinda sly the way the Futbol Folks did it - back when the school board was contemplating spending upwards of $300,000 to install a FieldTurf surface in the high school football (real, American football) stadium, the local community soccer people kicked in $30,000. For their 10 per cent contribution, they have essentially acquired the stadium, except for those four or five Friday nights in the fall when they're nice enough to let the high school football team use it. The rest of the time, it is soccer, non-stop, until 9 or 10 o'clock every night, including weekends. Year-round. The local soccer people are so proud of what they've accomplished that they have managed to get the state high school association, the WIAA, to hold all of its soccer championships - semifinals and finals - here for the last two years. Oh, if you love soccer, it is a two-day extravaganza. If you don't love soccer, it is a good time to take a drive over to the Coast. Perhaps you remember my writing last year about the high school soccer team, in town for the state championships, that was doing jumping jacks, counting off in Spanish. Yes, it bugged me. I did feel that the very least we can do for those kids is provide opportunities for them to use English, but it was pretty much their business - perhaps a team-unity sort of thing. But this year, it got worse. Saturday morning, as my wife and I walked the dog up by the stadium, we heard the player introductions for the Class 2A third-place game, and I'll be damned if they weren't introducing the players for one of the teams in f--king Spanish! Are you sh---ting me? The game was being played in an English-speaking country, the team was representing a school built and paid for by English-speaking taxpayers, and the team's transportation, lodging and meals were paid for by an English-speaking state association, most of whose revenues - the revenues that are used to subsidize a soccer championship - came from football and basketball playoffs featuring English-speaking players. Oh, yes - and they were playing their game in a stadium - and using a PA system - paid for with my tax dollars. Yet they had the insolence to introduce an American high school team in Spanish. Welcome to America, guys. Your schools refuse to ask whether you're here legally, so I'm not going to deal with that issue, either. But w speak English here, and if you plan on sticking around, you should, too. At least try. Yes, we're a nation of immigrants - and they all managed to learn our language. Many of them speak it with accents, but so what? They care enough to speak the language that unites us all. Of course you're free to speak whatever language you wish among friends and family, but I'm tired of this "For English, Press 'ONE'" crap when I'm doing business, and I sure as hell don't care to have a foreign language stuck in my ear at a high school sports event. *********** If there is anything worse than having to watch a high school soccer game, it's having to watch a high school soccer game that goes into overtime. Talk about Chinese water torture! And at the Washington state high school soccer championships (held in MY TOWN, for God's sake!), four of the six semifinal games (they held championships at three levels) ended up tied after regulation play and an overtime period, and wound up being decided by shootouts. My suggestion: if a game is tied at the end of regulation, the officials should change balls from the round soccer ball to something more pointed, a prolate spheroid with a long axis about inches long and a short circumference about 21 inches around. It should weigh between 14 and 15 ounces, with one set of eight to twelve evenly-spaced laces along one of its seams, and it should have two 1-inch white or yellow stripes about 3 inches from each end of the ball to the nearer edge of the stripe. It should be inflated to a pressure of 12-1/2 to 13-1/2 pounds. This prolate spheroid will be placed on the ground exactly 10 yards away from one or the other goal lines, and each team will be given four opportunities, or "downs," to try to "score" by advancing the ball in any manner possible past the goal line. A coin toss will be used to determine which team will try to advance the ball ("Be on offense") first. The other team (the "defensive" team) meanwhile, may attempt to prevent the "offense" from "scoring" by grabbing anyone with the ball and forcefully throwing him to the ground, bringing the "down" to an end. I would pay good money to watch some of those weenies play that overtime. *********** What an ass. Literally. Russian tennis player Marat Safin, playing in the French Open, made a great play. And then he celebrated. By dropping his drawers. And mooning the crowd. "I felt like pulling my pants down," Safin said. "What's bad about that?" Why, nothing Marat. Nothing at all. Whenever an American football player makes a great play, it's customary to moon the crowd. *********** We can't get the Iraqi prison "atrocities" off our front pages to find room for the story about an Oregon guy, the late Army Sgt. Daniel Walters, who was caught in the same ambush that earned Jessica Walters the chance to become famous. In the fighting, Sgt. Walters was seriously wounded, bayoneted several times, before he was captured. And then, while a prisoner, he was shot twice. In the back. Now what was that you were saying about sleep deprivation? About pulling panties over a guy's head? *********** Leave it to an old Italian guy to have the wisdom to look behind the so-called recruiting "scandals." One of the reasons why we have a lot of out-of-control parties at college in the first place, says Joe Paterno, is "they don't know how to drink." He's got a point there. It used to be an integral part of the culture that a real man could hold his liquor. And, of course, a smart woman could, too. My suspicion? Much of our current out-of-control drinking is the result of our naive "drug and alcohol" programs, in which we allowed do-gooders to equate consumption of a legal product - alcohol - which has been with us for thousands of years without great disruption to society, with the recreational use of all sorts of crap whose long-term effects, if not downright dangerous, are still to be determined. The kids aren't fooled. They know they're being lied to. For the most part, they stay away from the nasty stuff. But they still drink alcohol. They see every day that most people can drink alcohol and not kill themselves. The problem is that they never learn to use it properly - to drink a glass of wine with a meal, or a bottle of beer while watching a football game. They never learn to pace themselves and so for them, drinking all too often is drinking to excess. *********** I think that people are starting to get a little, uh, strange about death. The latest trend, say Northwest funeral directors, relates to cremation. Nothing wrong with that, of course, but more and more loved ones, they say, want to take things a little further. They want to be able to look on when Uncle Charlie (he's now dead and inside a wooden box, you understand) goes sliding into the furnace (the "retort," they call it). Some, in fact, ask to push the button that starts the whole process. I suspect that we are not many years away from Viking funerals, in which the deceased is placed on the deck of a wooden ship, which is then set afire and cast adrift. The main thing holding up the great Viking tradition is going to be finding enough virgins willing to sail with the corpse. *********** The following appears by permission. It originally appeared last week in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, and was written by P-I sports columnist Jim Moore. Message to some parents of high school athletes: Shut up! Let the coach coach. Quit thinking your kid is the next A-Rod, because he's not. Get a grip, get a life and get out of the coach's face. If your kid's not playing, the kid ahead of him is better, simple as that. The coach has nothing against your kid, so stop thinking that he does. Somehow, you got your way last week at Inglemoor, where it was reported that Craig Bishop resigned as Vikings baseball coach because of pressure from parents. The real story? He was forced to resign because school officials caved in to pressure from parents. This was an unjustified dismissal on many levels. Bishop, 32, compiled a 74-56 record in six years, leading the Vikings to the state tournament in 2001 and the KingCo regular-season title in 1999. He also coaches Taylor Baseball Club, a select team of 16- to 18-year-olds that in the past five summers has finished second in the nation twice and third once. People pay him for his knowledge -- he teaches hitting fundamentals at Bishop Baseball in Woodinville. Bishop strives to get the most from his players. A former catcher at Issaquah High, he loves the game so much that he named his son and daughter after Hall of Famer Ted Williams and Pete Rose -- Teddy, 4, and Charley (Hustle), 2. Most parents had no problems with Bishop, but one kid's did, leading to the loss last week of a good coach. "Even though a majority of people are wonderful, the small group of people who make it difficult make it real difficult," Bishop said. "When the day's over, the average high school coach says to himself, 'Is it worth it?' The last two years have put a tremendous amount of strain on me and my family." Bishop's ordeal began last season on the team bus when a senior player confronted him. Bishop admits he said things he shouldn't have and later apologized to the player and his family. He thought the incident was over, but the parents wrote a five-page letter to principal Vicki Sherwood, slamming Bishop, resulting in the coach receiving a year of probation. Asked about his coaching style, Bishop said: "For the most part, I'm really positive. But if the kids aren't playing hard, I'm sure I've gotten on them before. I focus on being positive. Being negative doesn't bring out the best in people." In the terms of his probation, Bishop was told to stop swearing and to be more approachable, although he always felt that his door was open. Bishop said he had to defend himself against crazy stuff, such as where a kid stood in line to get his uniform, how often he said "hi" to a kid, and that he looked cross-eyed at a kid after practice, "and that's why the kid is hitting .200." "People read that far into it," he said. This past season, Bishop said he went overboard to open the lines of communication. Parental concerns affected his coaching. If Bishop had a hard time choosing which player to start at a certain position, he would go with the player whose parents gave him the most grief. That way, if their kid played, he wouldn't have to hear from them. "I made decisions on how much crap I'd get from parents," Bishop said. Or he would just go with the player with the better stats. No one could argue then. But some did, anyway. "I had parents accuse me of changing stats," Bishop said. It was too late. A few parents smelled blood and continued sending e-mails to Sherwood, complaining about Bishop. When the 7-13 season ended, Bishop thought he followed terms of the probation and expected to remain as coach. He was told otherwise, the main reason being a supposed gap in communication with his players. "The kids felt I was unapproachable," Bishop said. "That's not reality. It's a great buzzword for parents to throw out there." In Bishop's reality, kids are not as accountable as they used to be. It's never their problem; it's always yours. "Kids and parents look for someone to blame -- that's the high school coach," he said. "At minimum, half of the coaches you hear about resigning are actually forced out." Like Bishop, most coaches are just trying to field a lineup that gives their team the best chance to win. But parents see it differently, thinking the coach is preventing their kid from getting a Division I scholarship or pro contract. Truth is, Bishop has had only two high school players out of 90 who have secured either one. Consequently, such hopes are unrealistic. Yet Bishop said all of the B.S. is worth it, worth making $3,600, or $6 an hour. It's because of all the great parents he's met and cool kids he's coached, ones like the players on the undersized '99 team who overachieved. "There's nothing like it when you get a handful of kids who buy into what you're teaching and have a desire to work hard and win a championship," Bishop said. "You do it for that one moment of piling on the mound when you win." Tonight will be an emotional night for Bishop, who hosts his final baseball awards banquet at Inglemoor. He decided to tell his story because he wants parents to understand that coaches "are good people who have the right intentions." They're trying to help your kid, not hurt him. (I assume that you noticed that the principal's name is Vicki. As Jim Moore told me, "this kind of stuff just drives me nuts." He can be reached at 206-448-8013 or jimmoore@seattlepi.com) ************ The last time I was in Atlanta was April, when I did my clinic. I wanted to make it to Ebenezer Baptist Church and Dr. Martin Luther King Junior's tomb then, but things just didn't work out.. Last week, I was back in Atlanta to do a camp (more about that on Friday), and this time, I was determined to get there. Fortunately, my friend, Coach Kevin Latham, was kind enough to take me. It is awe-inspiring. It reminded me of when I was a kid and my mother would take me "in town" (Philadelphians seemed to say that, rather than "downtown") when she went shopping. I guess to bribe me for not being too big a pain in the ass, she would take me to one of the historic places - Independence Hall, Old Christ Church, Carpenter's Hall, Betsy Ross' House. Even as a little kid, I was awed by the idea that I could see the very pew that George Washington had worshiped in. I was no less awed to stand outside the very church where Daddy King preached and young Martin grew up - Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta (above, left). I think it is fair to say that Ebenezer Baptist Church has been blessed in the men it has chosen to be its pastor - since 1894, there have been just three of them! A.D. Williams served from 1894 to 1931. The current pastor, Joseph L. Roberts, Jr.,has served since 1975. In between, for 44 years from 1931 to 1975, The pastor was Martin Luther King, Sr., affectionately known by many in his congregation as Daddy King. I thought of young Martin as a little boy, and of the hopes that the elder Kings must have had for him; of the pride they took in his Christian leadership; and of the incredible heartache they must have felt when he was cut down by a coward's bullet. I thought of Daddy King, fighting through his pain to serve his flock for another seven years after his beloved son's death. Most of all, I thought of the courage of his son, and of the inspiration and hope he provided - still does - to countless others in need of inspiration and hope. Dr. Martin Luther King, Junior's white marble tomb (above, middle and right), resting on an island in the middle of a beautiful blue reflecting pool, is an imposing resting place. What struck me most, besides the elegance, the beauty of it all, was the quiet , the solitude, the peace that he'd finally found, after an adult life that often found him smack in the middle of storms of hatred and, ultimately, in the sights of an assassin's rifle. The inscription on his tomb sums up his life - and its reward: "Free at last, free at last. Thank God Almighty, I'm free at last." *********** Hugh, I have corresponded with you a few times over the last 8 years or so and purchased your system. I was introduced to you through Mike Emery and have been involved in coaching youth football, baseball, etc., and helping out at the high school level for a number of years. I have looked forward to my son entering High School next year and continuing his education and athletic endeavors (especially football). Yesterday, the board of Education announced that it had cut Freshman sports, Middle school interscholastic sports and elementary intramural sports in order to cut the budget. BACKGROUND: The net projected savings $72K... 50K~freshman sports and 22K~middle and elementary school. The board was faced with a $1.2M cut from their projected budget. The other cuts were 5 teachers (all to be met through attrition or retirement), the late bus one day a week, 3rd grade Spanish, and an increase of thirty cents in school lunch prices. I am the chair of the School Building committee in town, was the President of Youth Football for 7 years, and am active in Babe Ruth Baseball, so I am not an unknown entity when I talk to these people, in fact I assisted the Mayor in his election, and recently helped organize and push through a 42M school renovation referendum for both the Mayor and the Superintendent. Actions taken so far: I called the Mayor and his response was:" I have no control over those people" I called the Superintendent of schools: " It's only going to get worse if they keep on giving us 3.2% increases every year". I have already begun the process of pulling together a cadre of activists to combat this issue. Help I am requesting from you: Hugh, you have coast to coast resources of vital information, others that have successfully defended athletic programs and probably some with lessons learned on what to and not to do. Statistics that might be used to argue the case, etc., etc. Due to the impending time crunch in that in another month school lets out and it will become increasingly difficult to overturn this decision the more time that passes, I am hoping you can help me pull in the information I need to get this thing off of top dead center. I am asking your help in soliciting inputs from other sports and football minded people that have experience in fixing problems like this one... Can you help me??? Thanks, Rich Rich Golden, Montville, Connecticut (Can anybody offer any helpful suggestions? HW) *********** If you want the ultimate lip-buttoner... if you want something to stick in the face (or elsewhere) of the loudmouth know-nothing who looks at your Double-Wing and starts telling everyone who'll listen that it won't work, it won't work in high school, it won't work at the big school level, blah, blah, blah... I can't think of anything you could do that would be more effective than to (1) sit him in a chair; (2) duct-tape him to it; (3) pop in the Clovis East highlights tape; (4) laugh in his face as he's forced to look at a Double-Wing team that can play with any high school team in the United States. It's also not a bad thing to show to your kids - your parents, even, but omit the duct tape - as an example of how far the Double-Wing can take a team. Would a spot in USA Today's Top 25 be far enough? Clovis East High, just outside Fresno, California, won the 2004 Central Section Championship (California does not have a state championship) playing in the largest class, and wound up ranked #23 in the nation by USA Today. Yes, those rankings are highly subjective, and I know there are a lot of good teams in the US that are worthy of ranking, but I really do believe that only a mid-season loss to rival Clovis West - later avenged in the Section Championship game - kept the Clovis East Timberwolves from being ranked much, much higher. I would have put money on them against any team in the country. The proof is in the tape, and what a tape it is. Coach Tim Murphy was kind enough to send me a copy, and after one look at it, I was excited. The tape is really well done - very professionally shot and edited. From the off-season weight competitions, to pre-season camps, to post-season celebrations, it tells the story of a great high school football team. There is a homecoming assembly/pep rally that will knock your socks off. But the real story, of course, is the season itself, including the huge win over national power Long Beach Poly - in Long Beach - that brought Clovis East to national attention. The tape offers a look at the Double-Wing at its best - the game action is well-shot, from good vantage points. Coach Murphy's guys can really execute the offense, and he has some very interesting wrinkles of his own that other Double-Wingers might find useful. My boss, Tracy Jackson, stopped over to the house the other day and I just had to play the tape for him. He sat there, transfixed. Finally, he looked at me and said, "I'd like our kids to see this." Coach Murphy is selling the tape. Here's how to get yours: send $29.95 to Coach Tim Murphy - 2373 Trenton Ave - Clovis CA 93611 *********** I've had some people ask about Dr, Ken Keuffel's new book, "Winning Single Wing" football. There is no man alive with more knowledge of the single wing - with special emphasis on the unbalanced line Penn/Princeton version - than Ken Keuffel. (His first book, "Simplified Single Wing Football," written 40 years ago, is still the best I've seen on the single wing.) You can purchase "Winning Single Wing Football" directly from Ken by going to www.singlewingfootball.com or you can send $24.95 (+ $4.95 shipping and handling) to Swift Press 2711 Main Street, Lawrenceville, NJ 08648-1014 YES, I KNOW THIS IS OLD NEWS. SORRY. I AM OUT OF TOWN AND UNABLE TO PUBLISH ON TUESDAY. LOOK FOR THE NEWS AGAIN BY THE WEEKEND  A LIST OF SOME TOP DOUBLE-WING HS TEAMS  "The Beast Was out There," by General James M. Shelton, subtitled "The 28th Infantry Black Lions and the Battle of Ong Thanh Vietnam October 1967" is available through the publisher, Cantigny Press, Wheaton, Illinois. to order a copy, go to http://www.rrmtf.org/firstdivision/ and click on "Publications and Products") Or contact me if you'd like to obtain a personally-autographed copy, and I'll give you General Shelton's address. (Great gift!) General Shelton is a former wing-T guard from Delaware who now serves as Honorary Colonel of the Black Lions. All profits from the sale of his books go to the Black Lions and the 1st Infantry Division Foundation, , sponsors of the Black Lion Award).   I have my copy. It is well worth the price just for the "playbooks" it contains in the back - "Fundamentals of Infantry" and "Fundamentals of Artillery," as well as a glossary of all those military terms, so that guys like you and me can understand what they're talking about.      --- GIVE THE BLACK LION AWARD --- HONOR BRAVE MEN AND RECOGNIZE GREAT KIDS SIGN UP YOUR TEAM OR ORGANIZATION FOR 2003 "NO MISSION TOO DIFFICULT - NO SACRIFICE TOO GREAT - DUTY FIRST" inscribed on the wall of the 1st Division Museum, at Cantigny, Wheaton, Ilinois Coaches - Black Lions teams for 2003 are now listed, by state. Please check to make sure your team in on the list. If it is not, it means that your team is no enrolled, and you need to e-mail me to get on the list. HW BECOME A BLACK LION TEAM (FOR MORE INFO ABOUT) THE BLACK LION AWARD