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The
REAL Duke Lacrosse Story!
(See"NEWS")
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Whoopee-Doo!
Another High School All-Star Game!
(See"NEWS")
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"Receive my instruction, and not silver; and
knowledge rather than choice gold. For wisdom is better
than rubies; and all the things that may be desired are
not to be compared to it." (Proverbs, Chapter 8, Verses
10-11)-
 June
1, 2007 -
"The true measure of a man is how he treats
someone who can do him absolutely no good." Samuel
Johnson-
- ALL
NEW!
CSTV's
Feature Story on the Black Lion
Award
-
A couple of weeks ago, following the Chicago clinic, I
took part in a "Ride-along" with a team of plainclothes
Chicago policemen. Click on the "Chicago Police" seal to
read more about it and see some exclusive photos, shown
only on "New You Can Use"-
-
-
- WONDERING WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP THE PEOPLE OF
GREENSBURG, KANSAS?
-
- http://www.kshsaa.org/NEWS-special.html
-
*********** Duke played Johns Hopkins for the NCAA
lacrosse championship Monday, and understandably, the big
story was Duke's coming back from the bogus rape charge
that shut down the Blue Devils' program last season.
-
- Damn shame. The real story, since it was, after all,
Memorial Day, should have been Jimmy Regan.
-
- BY REID J. EPSTEIN - Newsday Staff Writer
-
- With an undergraduate degree from Duke, a top LSAT
score and a laser-like focus, Jimmy Regan would have
succeeded in whatever he wanted to do in life.
-
- Instead of taking a scholarship to law school or a
financial services job, Regan followed a calling to
the military, where he became an Army Ranger and
served two tours of duty in Afghanistan and two in
Iraq, family members said.
-
- Regan, 26, was killed in Iraq last week, though no
other details of his death have been released, said
Jayne Evans, a family spokeswoman. With mourners
filling the Regan home in Manhasset yesterday, friends
and family fought back tears in describing the young
man &emdash; known to family and friends as "Jimmy" or
"Reges" &emdash; each of them called their best
friend.
-
- After graduating from Duke, Regan turned down a
job offer from UBS, a financial services company, and
a scholarship to Southern Methodist University's law
school to enlist in the Army, where he passed on
Officer Candidate School to focus on becoming a
Ranger.
-
- "He said, 'If I don't do it, then who will do
it?'" said Regan's fiancee, Mary McHugh, a medical
student at Emory University who, like scores of others
at the Park Avenue house yesterday, wore Regan's high
school graduation photo clipped to her shirt. "He
recognized it as an option and he couldn't not do
it."
-
- Army Sgt. James John Regan was born June 27, 1980,
in Rockville Centre. He graduated from Chaminade High
School in Mineola, where his lacrosse skills earned
him a scholarship to Duke. There, while earning a
bachelor's degree in economics, he played midfield on
two teams that won conference championships and one
that reached the NCAA semifinals.
-
- Regan enlisted in February 2004 and spent three
years in the Army, earning a Bronze Star, Purple Heart
and several medals marking his service in Iraq and
Afghanistan. He went to the Army's language training
school and read about the countries he patrolled, but
remained humble enough to make his three sisters laugh
with a Borat film-character impression or explain the
region's centuries-old conflict to his mother, Mary
Regan, when he was home for Christmas.
-
- He was "a best friend to everyone he knew," said
his youngest sister, Michaela, 16.
-
- Regan's stint in the Army was to end in February
2008, and he and McHugh planned to marry the next
month. They were to move to the Chicago area, where
her family lives, and he was going to become a social
studies teacher and coach lacrosse.
-
- Though Regan died in combat,, his family's support
for the Iraq war remains strong. Criticism of it,
either in the media or by politicians, serves to
undermine the effort, said Regan's father, who is also
named James Regan.
-
- "What is written in the papers and what is being
politicized out there by our candidates is undermining
our service," said James Regan, a senior vice
president at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods, a Manhattan
financial services investment bank.
-
- "These gentlemen that are out there are
mission-focused," he said of the troops. "They're
trying to do the best job they possibly can. There
have been mistakes made, why even list them? ... You
cannot put men in the field of battle and then change
your mind and go out as a whip-dog. Let the men do
their job."
-
- In addition to his parents and sister, Jimmy Regan
is survived by two other sisters, Maribeth, 25, of
Manhattan and Colleen, 20, of Manhasset. Funeral
arrangements were pending. Burial will be in Arlington
National Cemetery with full military honors.
-
- The family has established a scholarship fund in
his name. Donations should be sent to the Jim Regan
Scholarship, c/o Chaminade Development Office, 340
Jackson Ave., Mineola, N.Y. 11501.
-
- More...
-
- http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/jjregan.htm
-
- http://www.antonnews.com/manhassetpress/2007/02/16/news/
- It's terribly sad to lose fine young Americans,
people like Jimmy Regan, in Iraq, but to me it's even
sadder to hear people say that they died for nothing. No
person who dies in the service of our country "dies for
nothing." Like soldiers in our other wars, those in Iraq
have died in a great cause - they have demonstrated to
the rest of us that there are still people like them,
like Jimmy Regan, who want to be the best, who are
willing to lay their lives on the line in the service of
their country. They serve as proof to all but those
unwilling to admit it that as long as we do have such
people willing to make such sacrifices, we will still be
a great nation.
-
- *********** In the spirit of Jimmy Regan and the
young people like him who serve us, I print this
magnificent speech, sent to me by John Bolger, President
of the Army Football Club. It was given at Gettysburg, on
Memorial Day, by Major General Robert H. Scales, US Army
(Retired).
-
- In talking about the lifelong ties that bind men who
have fought together, General Scales unwittingly touches
on the unique role football can play in a young man's
life.
-
- Mr. Kuhn, friends of Gettysburg and most
importantly fellow veterans. What a great thrill it is
to return to Gettysburg. I've come to this place
hundreds of times. I've walked this ground when it was
covered with snow, in the heat of summer, in a pouring
rain storm while leading a staff ride with the
leadership of the Chinese Army a few years ago.
-
- Coming here never gets old. It never becomes
tiresome. It never fails to excite a passion or raise
my spirit. To those who have never seen war surely
emotions like these seem strange indeed. Some of our
citizens who hear old soldiers like me talk about a
love for a battlefield conclude that we love war.
Nothing could be farther from the truth.
-
- Part of my love for this place is personal. A
distant relative, Colonel Alfred M. Scales, was
seriously wounded leading Scales North Carolina
Brigade up Seminary Ridge on the first day of the
battle.
-
- Another reason I venerate this place is because it
is a soldier's laboratory and a place to learn the art
of war. We soldiers practice our profession only
infrequently so we rely on past battles to teach us
about the future. Even though Gettysburg was fought
using weapons that seem primitive to young soldiers
the lessons it teaches about leadership and courage
and intellect are immutable. We are learning again in
Iraq and Afghanistan that war is not a test of
technology it is a test of the collective will and
talents of soldiers and the nature and character of
that test will never change.
-
- Another reason why this place attracts me is
because all of what you see around you is so close to
home. This was America's war from both sides, fought
on ground that is so familiar and recognizable. It was
the first war fought in which most soldiers were
literate and, thanks to the recent invention of
photography, so recognizable. When you go to the
visitors center look into the eyes of the young
soldiers staring at you from across the century and
you'll see a reflection of yourselves.
-
- But I'm drawn here mainly to relive and revive in
my own soul the unique influences that brought young
soldiers here to fight and die a century and a half
ago. Again and again, it's the same old question from
politicians and media who have the rare privilege of
watching soldiers in action in Iraq and Afghanistan:
why is their morale so high? Don't they know the
American people are fed up with this war? Don't they
know it's going badly? Often they come to me
incredulous about what they perceive as a misspent
sense of patriotism and loyalty.
-
- I tell them time and again what every one of you
sitting here today, those of you who have seen the
face of death in war, understand: it's not really
about loyalty. It's not about a belief in some
abstract notion concerning war aims or national
strategy. It's not even about winning or losing. On
that fateful evening on the last day of June 1863
soldiers weren't sitting around campfires in Cashtown
or Emmittsburg roasting coffee and frying bacon to
discuss the latest pronouncements from Lincoln or
Jefferson Davis. They might have trusted their leaders
or maybe they didn't. They might have been well
informed and passionate about their cause or maybe
not. They might have joined the colors to end slavery
or restore the Union or maybe they just were
shanghaied on the docks in Brooklyn or Manhattan.
-
- Before battle young soldiers then and now think
about their buddies. They talk about families, wives
and girlfriends and relate to each other through very
personal confessions. The armies that met at
Gettysburg were not from the social elite. They didn't
have Harvard degrees or the pedigree of political
bluebloods. They were in large measure immigrant Irish
or German kids from northern farms and factories or
poor scratch farmers from the piedmont of Virginia,
Georgia, Texas and North Carolina. Just as in Iraq
today soldiers then came from every corner of our
country to meet in harsh an forbidding places in far
corners of the world, places that I've seen and
visited but can never explain adequately to those who
have never been there.
-
- Soldiers suffer, fight and occasionally die for
each other. It's as simple as that. What brought
Longstreet's or Hancock's men to face the canister on
Little Round Top or rifled musket fire on Cemetery
Ridge was no different than the motive force that
compels young soldiers today to kick open a door in
Ramadi with the expectation that what lies on the
other side is either an innocent huddling with a child
in her arms or a fanatic insurgent yearning to buy his
ticket to eternity by killing the infidel. No
difference.
-
- A civil war soldier was often lured from the slums
of New York or Philadelphia and coerced into the Army
by promise of a 300 dollar bonus and 25 dollars a
month. Patriotism and a paycheck may get a soldier
into the Army but fear of letting his buddies down
gets a soldier to do something that might just as well
get him killed.
-
- What makes a person successful in America today is
a far cry from what would have made him a success in
the minds of those who we honor here today. Big bucks
gained in law or real estate, or big deals closed in
the stock market make some of our countrymen rich. But
as they grow older they realize that they have no
buddies. There is no one who they are willing to die
for or who is willing to die for them.
-
- A last point of history before I close today. The
Anglo Saxon heritage of buddy loyalty has been long
and frightfully won. Almost six hundred years ago the
English king, Henry V, waited on a cold and muddy
battlefield to face a French army many times his size.
Shakespeare captured the ethos of that moment in his
play Henry V. To be sure Shakespeare wasn't there but
he was there in spirit because he understood the
emotions that gripped and the bonds that brought
together both king and soldier. Henry didn't talk
about national strategy. He didn't try to justify
faulty intelligence or ill formed command decisions
that put his soldiers at such a terrible disadvantage.
Instead, he talked about what made English soldiers
fight and what in all probably would allow them to
prevail the next day against terrible odds. Remember,
this is a monarch talking to his men:
-
- This story shall the good man teach his son;
-
- From this day ending to the ending of the
world,
-
- But we in it shall be remembered;
-
- We few, we happy few, we band of brothers; For he
today that sheds his blood with me shall be my
brother;
-
- And gentlemen in England (or America) now
a-bed
-
- Shall think themselves accursed they were not
here,
-
- And hold their manhood's cheap whiles any
speaks
-
- That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's day.
-
- You all here assembled inherit the spirit of St
Crispin's day. You know and understand the strength of
comfort that those whom you protect, those in America
now abed, will never know. You will live a life of
self awareness and personal satisfaction that those
who watched you from afar in this country who "hold
their manhood cheap" can only envy.
-
- I don't care that virtually all of America is at
the Mall rather than at this memorial today. It
doesn't bother me that war is an image that America
would rather ignore. It's enough for me to have the
privilege to be among you. It's sufficient to talk to
each of you about things we have seen and kinships we
have shared in the tough and heartless crucible of
war.
-
- Some day we will all join those who are resting
here. Over a campfire of boiling coffee and frying
bacon you will join with your Civil War band of
brothers to recount the experience of serving
something greater than yourselves. I believe in my
very soul that the almightily reserves a corner of
heaven, probably around an inextinguishable campfire
where some day we can meet and embrace all of the band
of brothers throughout the ages to tell our stories
while envious standers-by watch and wonder how
horrific and incendiary the crucible of violence must
have been to bring such a disparate assemblage so
close to the hand of God.
-
- Until we meet there thank you for your service,
thank you for your sacrifice, God bless you all and
God bless this great nation.
-
- *********** New Jersey and Pennsylvania lawmakers are
considering following New York City in banning the use of
aluminum baseball bats in youth and/or high school
games.
-
- I suspect it hasn't yet occured to the Sierra Club
amd other Defenders of Our Planet that the alternative is
wooden bats, and wooden bats, uh, come from
trees.
-
- *********** The good news is that evidently a new pro
football league is in the works. Its intention is to go
after players selected below the first round in the NFL
draft. The bad news is that it plans to play on Friday
nights.
-
- Also that Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks,
is behind it.
-
- Also that I can tell you from personal experience
(it's how I wound up on the West Coast, 3,000 miles from
home) that its chances of succeeding are next to nil.
When you take on the NFL, you are taking on the world's
most formidable marketing machine.
-
- *********** Some man in skirts posing as a
sportswriter wrote a column bemoaning the fact that once
they leave college and the protection of Title IX, female
athletes find that things are no longer "fair", and cites
as an example that fact that while NBA players make
millions, the highest-paid WNBA player makes $93,000 a
year.
-
- To be honest, considering the interest in the WNBA
and the TV ratings, I'm surprised it's that much.
-
- *********** Will a college soccer championship
ever draw 48,000 people?
-
- That's how many watched the men's lacrosse finals on
Sunday. Granted, the game was in Baltimore, and Johns
Hopkins, the pride of Baltimore, was one of the teams
playing, but that is still one hell of a crowd,
especially when the game didn't rate any more than page
five coverage in USA Today.
-
- So tell me - in view of the fact that there is no
Division I-A football championship - has any other NCAA
championship, in any other sport, ever drawn that well?
*********** The topic was Michael Vick, noted dog
fancier, and my friend Doc Hinger brought up something
that hadn't even occured to me - where, since Mr. Vick is
accused of having bet rather large sums on dog fights,
did he get all that money?
-
- This was all supposed to have happened before
he signed with the Falcons, right? Now, maybe it did, and
maybe it was during the time between the end of his
college eligibility and when he actually signed a pro
contract.
-
- But you would think, wouldn't you, that the NCAA
might be interested in reports of a college athlete
betting upwards of $20,000 on a dog fight?
- *********** The law of unintended consequences...
Soccer fields in the Portland area - and, I presume, in
many places around the country - are being invaded by..
Rogue Soccer Teams.
-
- Actually, they are Hispanic soccer teams, playing in
assorted Hispanic Soccer Leagues (can you imagine having
an "English-Speaking Caucasian Slow-Pitch Softball
Association?"), who for various reasons, not the least of
which is an inability or unwillingness to learn English,
do not go about the normal process of reserving
fields.
-
- Instead, they cruise neighborhoods until they find a
field that's not in use, and voila! play begins,
sometimes accompanied by ethnic food and ethnic
music.
-
- Unfortunately, many of them have done this on fields
that have been set aside to give them a break during the
wet-soggy months of late winter and early spring in the
Northwest. There is a reason why they try to keep teams
off fields during this time - when a soccer team is done
with one of those fields, it looks as if wild boars have
just finished rooting around. Result - it's no longer
much use to anyone, even a Roguie Soccer Team.
-
- More often, though, the field they have chosen has
been reserved for use by another group, which has gone
through the normal formalities of reserving the field,
and now has to go through the unpleasantness of having to
evict the intruders.
-
- Not to overstate the obvious parallel between
invading our country and then invading our playing
fields, but from the sound of the people interviewed (in
Spanish, no doubt), they are unapologetic about
disregarding the rules.
-
- It's not their fault, you see - it's the fault of the
local parks people, who insist on their filling out forms
(in English) to reserve fields. Plus, complained one
Hispanic woman, "They're giving more fields to the
Americans."
-
- Well, duh. I think that that's who paid for
those fields.
-
- With an Hispanic population in Oregon that grew by
2/3 between 2000 and 2006 and increases daily, the
problem is not going away.
-
- See, they simply have to have their soccer.
"It's the culture we grew up with," said one guy.
-
- Quipped Portland radio talk show host Lars Larsen,
"Gee- a culture that doesn't follow the rules!"
-
- *********** I like to watch Fox's Hannity and Colmes
show, because I like Sean Hannity a lot, and Alan Colmes,
his liberal counterpart, is unique among TV liberals in
that he can actually be likeable much of the time.
-
- The other night, they had Larry the Cable Guy on, and
they set him up with some sort of line about Sheryl
Crowe's inane suggestion that we all limit ourselves to
one square of toilet paper per use.
-
- Wouldn't work for him, said Larry - "Sheryl Crowe's
not eatin' what I'm eatin.'"
-
- *********** Hugh - Another thing to ponder.
-
- The so-called "professional" football players and
their image.
-
- Tank Johnson, needs a new image, so he cuts off the
braids.
-
- Michael Vick, needs a new image, so he cuts off the
braids.
-
- I now fully understand - the braids are the problem,
not the dog fighting or fighting with the police. Maybe
Nike can do a whole new campaign- instead of "Is it the
shoes?" we can go with "Is it the braids?".
-
- I mean with the braids they looked so professional
already. Hard to think that with their new hair cuts that
these guys will look anything but even more professional.
Although it will not happen, I would LOVE to see the NFL
come down hard on Vick and even harder on Johnson too, he
of the "I want to be the poster boy of the second chance
gone right in the NFL" statements. Sixty days in Cook
County Jail and this guy has found God (funny, I never
knew He was missing) and now has stated that one day he
wants to win the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award.
Yeah, Walter would be so proud of this POS.
-
- Still my best,
-
- Bill Murphy, Chicago
-
- *********** Some stats you probably already know: Of
the 32 NFL head coaches, there are only 5 that have high
school coaching experience:
-
- Wade Phillips has 2 years... Mike Holmgren has 2
years... Lovie Smith has 2 years... Rod Marinelli has 2
years... Brian Billick has 1 year.
None of which was head coaching
experience.
-
- Also George Teague is now getting his degree so that
he can "coach at the next level". I guess an 8-16 record
at Harvest Christian Academy, without one winning season,
was too much to persuade him to stay in high school
coaching. If the University of Alabama hears this, they
will be all over him to be the head coach, or not. I
guess it confirms that the best coaching happens at the
high school level. -Ben Rushing, Camp Rusta Mya (formerly
known as rocket mya for all of the rocket attacks on
it.), Iraq
-
- *********** Be still my beating heart. Another high
school all-star game.
-
- The very first ESPN All-American Game will be played
January 5, 2008 at Disney World in Orlando (you do know
that Disney also happens to own ESPN and ABC, don't
you?).
-
- It will showcase "80 of the best players in the
country," and will work us into a lather of anticipation
the whole week prior to the game by showing us, on
various ESPN-branded channels of course, practices and a
"skills competition."
-
- "It's something we're really excited about," said
ESPN recruiting coordinator Craig Haubert. "We're going
to have coverage of the game on ABC and we're also going
to have coverage of the practices on ESPN U and coverage
of the skills challenge on ESPN 2. There will be a lot of
opportunities for not just the kids and coaches to get
involved, but for the fans to follow these kids
throughout the week on TV much like fans have done with
the Senior Bowl."
-
- Oh- one small matter. The game will be played on the
same day as the now-established Army All-American Bowl,
which has been
-
- Presumably there will be no cheating or illegal
incentives to play in one game or the other. Right. And
if you believe that, you believe that Michael Vick was
hoping to enter an American Stafffordshire Terrier in
next year's Westminster Kennel Club show.
-
- On the other hand, maybe they can get caught up in a
bidding war and knock each other out. It won't happen to
Disney, of course, but I can dream.
-
- Just another example of the way the worst elements of
the pro game are making their way down to the high school
level. To me, it just proves once again what we all know
- that sh-- flows downhill.
-
- I think that the Army is wasting its money on that
game anyhow. I mean, who is the Army trying to reach?
Certainly not the kids who are playing. They all think -
make that know - they're going to play in the NFL
some day. The kids who are supposedly watching? Not a
chance. There is zero interest in the game among teenage
males.
-
- Actually, I am not for all-star games. At any level.
In any sport. The Senior Bowl? Yawn. The Pro Bowl.
Snore.
-
- I can't stand the way the draft is becoming bigger
than the pro game itself, and the way recruiting is
becoming bigger than the college game itself. I'd have to
say that the Fantasy-League element is at work here.
-
- It's all so whorish. It's such a meat market.
-
- We take high school kids and blow smoke (and maybe
even something else) up their butts, and then we wonder
why so many of big-time college and pro players turn out
to be criminals at worst, self-obsessed jerks at
best.
-
- Most of them can't speak an intelligible sentence,
much less write one.
-
- But who's kidding whom? There will be bidding by the
two teams, competing for these kids. There will be bribes
for their coaches - maybe make them a Nike school. (Or an
"ESPY School?"). Check the USA Today Top 25, in football
or basketball, and you'll find that many of them are Nike
schools, getting free or reduced-price gear in return for
being Nike mannequins.
-
- And of course there will be agents hanging around the
practices and the kids' hotel rooms.
-
- This is as sleazy as it gets.
-
- Until, that is, they throw enough money at state high
school associations to promote a National High School
Football Championship. And then, the irony of ironies,
the state associations will use the proceeds to fund
women's sports.
-
- *********** I get so sick of hearing this football
player or that basketball player talking about "all the
adversity we had to deal with."
-
- Yeah, adversity - like they had to play some games
without a couple of our starters who were suspended for
"unspecified rules violations."
-
- And then, there is real adversity...
-
- You may remember my mentioning former Army
football captain Greg Gadson, now Lieutenant Colonel Greg
Gadson, United States Army, who was seriously wounded in
Iraq, and flown back to the States for medical
care.
-
- I thought you might find it instructive to read
these updates on his condition, circulated among his
friends and forwarded to me by David Leek, a fellow West
Pointer, Class of 1988.
-
- Taken together, the updates present an
inspirational look at how a real man deals with
real adversity.
-
- Status Report #1
-
- Men, (As of 12 May
2300hrs)
-
- Today was a very long day for Greg
in the operating room - over 8 hours. The vascular,
orthopedic and plastic surgeon all had a look at
Greg's wounds.
-
- He is still under
sedation/intubated and has not been able to speak with
Kim (his wife). The doctors will bring him off
sedation tomorrow sometime in the morning. Kim will be
right by his side when he wakes up! She is so strong
and wants to say thanks to everyone for their
support.
-
- Greg's parents arrived today and
were able to sit and pray with Greg. They were so
positive and could only talk about how important
Greg's Army family is to him. Additionally, Coach
Simar and Bob Wagner stopped to see him. Coach Simar
gave Kim an Army Football Club pin that she is wearing
right next to Greg's BN (Battalion) crest.
-
- The doctors have been magnificent
over the last 48 hrs and he is in very capable
hands.
-
- I know many of you would like to
visit him; and after tomorrow I think we will know a
little more. When the time is right Greg will need to
see his Army Football brothers. Thanks for your
patience.
-
- Greg's dad asked for everyone to
keep praying.
-
- LTC Chuck Schretzman '89
-
- Status as of 2100, 13 May
2007
-
- Gentlemen,
-
- Greg was taken off intubation at
about 11AM. He spent a majority of the day with Kim
and his Mom and Dad. Greg was able to start speaking
coherently at approx 1900. As I read some of your
emails to him and brought up stories about Army
Football Greg's expressions became animated. I told
him that (his Army coach) Jim Young sent a message. He
plainly said out loud, "The Golden Rule! BE ON TIME!"
Kim and I almost fell on the floor. We talked about
Swarming the football etc and after several moments of
Army Football talk...he replied, "One thing about our
guys...our team...WE NEVER QUIT!"
-
- I will read more emails tomorrow
as I know it will continue to help him
fight.
-
- As a true warrior, he has already
expressed a need to be back with his
battalion.
-
- Tomorrow he is scheduled for
follow-on surgery. He is excited to see the kids on
Thursday.
-
- Kim feels he may be ready to see
visitors in about a week or so.
-
- We will keep you updated on
this.
-
- Everybody keep praying... Your
emails are helping...
-
- LTC Chuck Schretzman '89
-
- Status -- 14 May
2007
-
- Gentlemen,
-
- Today Greg went in to surgery at
approx. 1400 and was out at around 1900. This was a
procedure to have his wounds checked and cleaned. He
has follow on surgery scheduled for Wednesday and
Friday.
-
- Everything is going as well as can
be expected.
-
- Greg is still in ICU and will
remain there until probably the end of this week. He
may be ready for visitors as early as the middle of
next week. We will keep you posted on
this.
-
- Thank you for your continued
support!
-
- RLTW! Chuck
-
- Status -- 16 May
2007
-
- Gentlemen,
-
- Kim reports Greg had a better day.
He continues to have surgeries to keep his wounds
clean.
-
- Greg is still in ICU and will stay
there until at least mid next week. He has follow on
surgeries scheduled for Friday and Monday. Infection
is a key concern at this point.
-
- Gabby and Jaelin are coming in
tomorrow morning escorted by Greg's CSM.
-
- It will at least be another 10-14
days before Greg can see visitors.
-
- Keep up the prayers and thank you
for all of the emails of support.
-
- RLTW, Schretz
-
- Status -- 17 May
2007
-
- I spoke with Kim Gadson this
morning. Greg is still in ICU and will be undergoing a
series of operations in the next week. Kim recommended
we wait for several weeks before visiting to give Greg
a chance to recover. She said he shows improvement
every day but it is slow. His legs are in very serious
condition and the doctors are doing all they can to
repair the damage. Greg's children are coming today
and after visiting they will go to stay with Greg's
parents in Norfolk. Kim's address is: 6900 Georgia
Ave, Malogne House Room 406, Washington, DC 20307.
Keep Greg and his family in your prayers.
-
- COL(R) Reamer Argo Class
1976
-
- Status 17 May
2007
-
- Teammates, Coaches, Friends and
Family,
-
- Chuck was unable to send out the
update tonight, but asked me to pass this information
on to you.
-
- Greg had a very good day today!
Gabby, Jaelin and his CSM arrived today and Greg
recognized them all.
-
- He's having another surgery
tomorrow and is scheduled for Monday, as
well.
-
- Kim very much appreciates your
prayers and knows that everyone is very concerned. She
looks forward to your visits and phone calls, but only
after Greg is ready for them. Again, this is probably
going to be another 10-14 days. Keep in mind that he
is in ICU and after Monday, will have had four
surgical procedures in a week.
-
- In the meantime, please continue
your prayers and emails of support. Chuck intends to
issue a SITREP on Monday.
-
- God bless and BEAT
NAVY!
-
- Troy Lingley '89
-
- Status 18 May
2007
-
- Not good news on Greg's left leg.
It started bleeding more than they could control and
they had to amputate it earlier this morning. Just
above the left knee from what I
understand.
-
- Hopefully his right leg will be
able to recover better......
-
- Dave Seigel '89
-
- Status 20 May
2007
-
- Gentlemen,
-
- Greg had an awesome day. He spent
time with his mom, sister, kids and of course Kim. He
is drinking water from a cup and was alert. It was
great to see his smile. He was making jokes and
engaged us all with his wit and charm. He already
picked up on the fact that the night nursing staff is
not as good as the day shift. He knows that Kim is in
charge, loves having the kids around.
-
- Greg's surgery on Saturday was
critical in determining if Greg will keep his right
leg. He is very vulnerable to infection and if the
artery bursts the only recourse the doctors have is
amputation. The doctors have done everything possible
and Kim and Greg have been thoroughly briefed on the
situation. We should know more in the next 72 hours.
He goes into surgery tomorrow to keep his wounds
clean. This is the 6th surgery in 11 days. Please keep
the prayers coming.
-
- Greg spoke about how Will Huff
escorted him to Germany and how grateful he was to
have Will by his side through it all. Will, he spoke
about the days you spent together in Baghdad and how
awesome it was to have his Army Football Ranger buddy
by his side.
-
- Greg is still unable to see
visitors at this time. Again we are looking at least
another week. I will have an update tomorrow evening.
Kim has a strong family support group around her and
has everything she needs.
-
- RLTW,
-
- Schretz
-
- Status 21 May 2007
2100
-
- Greg went into surgery today and
did very well. The doctors reported that his right leg
is doing as well as can be expected at this point. Kim
reports that Greg came out of surgery and recovered
very quickly from the anesthesia. Greg and Kim will be
meeting with doctors tomorrow on the way ahead. I will
be seeing him on Thursday night.
-
- Again Greg still remains in ICU
and will need another week at the least before taking
visitors. Kim will let us know once he is ready -
thanks for your patience.
-
- Chuck
-
- Status 22 May 2007
2200
-
- Gentlemen,
-
- Greg and Kim have made a very
difficult decision today. After consulting the lead
doctors, Greg has decided to have his right leg
amputated above the knee. He is scheduled for surgery
tomorrow - Wednesday.
-
- I spoke with Greg on the phone and
he was excited about moving ahead and getting healthy.
He told me he could still run faster than me on his
hands ....I have no doubt about that. Greg has always
faced adversity with a smile and let's get it
done.
-
- I will keep you
posted.
-
- RLTW!
-
- Chuck Schretzman
-
- Status 24 May
2007
-
- I just talked with Greg and he
sounds GREAT. I really couldn't believe how good he
sounded. Yesterday's surgery to amputate his right leg
went very well. He joked that he was 24 inches
shorter. They think that the infection has pretty much
cleared so they're taking him off of some of the
antibiotics and they think his kidneys will be o.k. He
still has some operations over the next week for his
legs, general clean-up / "Washout", and to work on his
arm. I didn't know it but apparently, he has one or
more fractures in one of his arms. He said that he
should be able to take visitors a week from Saturday.
He was in really good spirits and completely with it
&endash; sounded like the Greg we've always known. Kim
is doing extremely well. To talk with the two of them,
you'd think he was in to have his tonsils out. I
really was amazed.
-
- He wanted everyone to know how
much he appreciates the prayers and the help that has
been offered. They will certainly reach out when
needed.
-
- What a great gift from God on the
18th anniversary of our graduation to have Greg being
doing so well in such a tough situation.
-
- Dennis Kirby '89
-
- If you could find the time to
write or send something, here is his
address:
-
- LTC Greg Gadson
-
- 6900 Georgia Ave, NW
-
- BLDG 20 Room 406 (Malogne
House)
-
- Washington, DC
20307-5001
-
-
- *********** To those media whiners on the East Coast
(big mouth Stephen A Smith comes immediately to mind) who
see the demise of the NBA after the departure of its two
top draft choices to franchises out in Terra Incognita
(okay, okay - the Pacific Northwest), the Portland
Oregonian's Ryan White says,
-
- "Get over it. Deal with it. Stop whining. If you want
to see Greg Oden and Kevin Durant, you'll be able to see
Greg Oden and Kevin Durant. The NBA doesn't exactly hide
its marketable commodities."
-
- Yes, he concedes, there is that three-hour time
difference. So?
-
- "Portland and Seattle do indeed set their clocks to
Pacific time. You're right about that. Los Angeles, it's
worth noting, is in this time zone, too. This is why the
folks back east know not of Kobe Bryant. It's too bad.
He's really good."
-
- Tongue still in cheek, he draws on Nicolaus
Copernicus who, in 1543 said "De revolutionibus orbium
coelestium." That, White claims,, roughly translated, is
"You on the East Coast - the solar system does not
revolve around you."
-
- As an example, he cites the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry,
which causes Northeasters to go berserk, but leaves many
of us in more benighted corners of America looking at
each other with bemusement.
-
- "Not to rock your world," he tells the eastern
writers, "but not everyone's left breathless when the
Yankees and Red Sox meet. Some of us couldn't care less
about it. Roger Clemens throwing a few innings of minor
league ball? Let us write that headline: "Old man
pitches."
-
- Bottom line: "Just because it happens in or to New
York, Boston or Philadelphia doesn't mean it's
interesting. It just means it's well-covered."
-
- Besides, he points out, the inconvenience of the
three-hour time difference cuts both ways - what about
when we out here in the West want to watch a game that
starts at 7:30 in the East?
-
- Playing the Easterners' own game, he writes, "We do
wish they'd do something about those insanely early
tipoffs, however. How's a guy supposed to catch Gilbert
Arenas when the game starts at 4:30 p.m.?"
-
- *********** Coach, I had the misfortune of buying a
Tom Bass book on football fundamentals. The title eludes
me bacause it's at the office, but two skills all players
must acquire were tackling (fine) and catching the
ball.
-
- Today, I opened my NFLHS email bulletin and found
Tom's position index.
-
- The section for Offensive Linemen is definitely
skewed toward pass pro.
-
- Come to think of it, I have seen it here. When I
played in the '90's, our conference was mostly a running
one. Quebec teams started to win national championships
after 2001 using a CFL-style offense (5 (3x2, 4x1) or 6
(3x3, 4x2, 5x1) receivers, bang routes, inside zone/
stretch running games, match coverage on D), so now all
of the other univsersities have followed suit. A recent
2-day clinic in Toronto was one day too long for my
purposes. I'm coaching kids who start playing when
they're fourteen, not seven!
-
- Duncan Luciak, Haliburton Highlands Secondary School,
Haliburton, Ontario (The problem is everywhere. The
amazing thing to me is how many coaches of younger kids
are too stupid to figure out that their kids do not yet
have the skills required to run pro-style
offenses.
-
- They see the pros do something, and hear a pro
coach tell about what he does, and - monkey see, monkey
do - immediately they have to do it, too, without
thinking it through.
-
- And as for starting when they are 14 as opposed to
when they are seven - while kids are certainly learning
something useful in those early years, I'm not sure how
many of them are acquiring the sorts of skills that would
justify their coaches' running a pro-style
offense.
-
- Come to think of it... based on their anemic
offensive production, there are a lot of NFL teams that
don't seem to have the people to justify their trying to
run a pro-style offense, either. HW)
-
- *********** Bill Parcells, quoted by Jerry Izenberg
in "No Medals for Trying: A Week in the Life of a Pro
Football Team" (1991), reinforces what I have been saying
for a long time - that there really are coaches who are
more interested in showing everybody how bright they are
than they are in winning...
-
- "This game is just like playing baseball. If your
fastball is getting them out, you just keep on throwing
it until there's twenty-seven of 'em gone and that's it
because there's no innings left.
-
- "It's that kind of thing. If you get away from
that in a game like this, it's only because you want to
show everybody how smart you are as a coach. That's like
carnival football: jugglers to the left, seals to the
right, high-wire act in the center, and then everybody
says, 'Look how smart the coach is. This is really
exciting.'
-
- "But you're not a coach at all, then. You're a
carnival barker. And don't think we don't have coaches in
the league like this."
-
- *********** To reinforce my thesis that too many
coaches are willing to copycat the pros, even if it means
having their kids run something they can't be successful
at, there is this:
-
- "When I was at SMU, I tried a lot of things
that the Dallas Cowboys did and I found out that our
players just couldn't do it. A lot of times, the reason
was because I couldn't or my coaches just couldn't teach
it. You must be very, very honest in your personal
assessment of what you can teach and what your players
can execute." Hayden Fry
-
- *********** Coach Wyatt,
-
- I am sorry I was unable to attend any of the clinics
this year. I have been extremely busy hiring staff and
getting things going here in Biloxi. We had a great
spring practice. Had about 105 kids come out. We ended up
with about 90. The kids picked up the basics of the DW
pretty quick. we were able to install power, G, wedge,
trap, and counter. (The basics)
-
- I have a very experienced staff and all have bought
in to the program. I was able to hire Jerry Fremin as
offensive line coach. He has been out of coaching about 3
years. He was the former Oline coach at Mississippi
State, Nichols State, and Gulf Coast Community College.
He loves the offense. Jerry was also a former High school
Head Coach at 2 schools. Receiver coach is Zep Powell,
our "YOUNG GUY". (he is 29) He is a former receiver at
Southern Miss and is a very energetic coach. I am
coaching the backs.
-
- On Defense I have my former DC from Ocean Springs,
Charles Sabbatini. He has 30 years experience, 18 at the
college level. DE coach is Glenn Ellis, with 30 years
experience, a former teammate of mine and a former Head
Coach. DL is Joey St. Amant with 15 years experince. DB
coach is Sonny Pisarich with 32 years experience and the
former very successful 9th grade head coach at Biloxi. I
have hired 3 new Junior High Staff members as well. Good
young coaches that will be ready to move to the varsity
in a year or two.
-
- We have a lot of skill talent here at Biloxi. Our
lineman are averaged size high school lineman. (Great DW
guys!)
-
- We have a very difficult schedule this fall, but I
think our guys will rise to the challenge.
-
- Biloxi is slowly recovering from Katrina. Rebuilding
is taking place along the beach. (Primarily Condos and
High Rise Hotels and Casino rebuilding) The area along
the beach for about 3 blocks in was completely wiped out
by Katrina. Very few houses remain. Some areas are still
being cleaned up two years after the storm. The new Hwy
90 bridge between Biloxi and Ocean Springs is slated to
re-open with two lanes in November. The entire 6 lane
bridge will open in Summer of 2008.
-
- Have a great summer! I will be in touch.
-
- Steve Jones, Biloxi, Mississippi (Since Coach
Jones first ran the Double Wing at Florence, Mississippi
in 1997, Biloxi High is the fifth Mississippi school
where he has introduced the offense. In 2004, at Ocean
Springs, he made it to the state 4A (largest class)
finals before finally falling to nationally-ranked South
Panola. HW)
-
- *********** Just got an email from my friend who left
Melbourne (his Visa ran out) and is back working for ESPN
1050 radio in NYC. He covered the Preakness (in
Baltimore) and walked back to his car after the race. A
police car pulled up, told him he was in the wrong
neighborhood to be walking and should get a cab. He tried
to flag a cab, had no luck, then the police car came back
and gave him a ride to the station. He had some radio
equipment with him and one of the cops said "I'd have
given you another 100 yards or so before you lost that
gear." Ed Wyatt, Melbourne, Australia
-
- *********** On 58 Black O. I ran into some questions
I can't answer because I am so new to football coaching
and understanding. My coaches are concerned with rolling
left with a right hander. I think if he can throw he can
throw.
-
- Any right hander can throw a pass to the left. It
isn't too different from the concept of a shortstop's
going to his left to field a ground ball and then having
to throw to first.
-
- In this case, we tell our QB to take five steps
(L-R-L-R-L) along the 7 o-clock line, then a small
carioca half-step with the right foot to get the
shoulders aimed at his receivers. Again to use a baseball
analogy (if he plays baseball) we tell him to get his
shoulders around as if he were going to hit a baseball to
the receivers.
-
- But do you have the same play to the right?
-
- All of our plays can be run right and left. To the
right it would be 49 Brown-O
-
- The throwback on the Thunder. How many steps does the
qb take before he throws back and what is the pattern of
the receiver. Is this in the book?
-
- The right-handed QB takes 3 steps and throws an
arching ball to a spot 20-25 yards deep outside the
numbers. The receiver runs a fade (or a wheel) aiming for
that same point and catching the ball over his inside
shoulder.
-
- *********** I have been a head coach for 7 seasons
now and have always used your system 100% . I
had 6th and 7th grades prior to me starting a new team at
2nd grade level. My question to you is about the
snapping of the ball "point forward". Could you
please tell me where that started and some documentation
supporting the technique, I have had no less
than 10 other coach's tell me that they have never
heard of such a technique and that when the kids get into
the high school level they won' be able to handle the
twist of the ball technique and that I am ruining the
QB's chance for a future spot because of that point
forward technique?? Like I said I have run your
system to the T for over 7 yrs and the exchange has been
a big problem this year. We went 5-1 losing 12-0
after 10+ fumbled exchanges and then we played in our
league's Superbowl and lost 8-0 also because of numerous
fumbled exchanges! If you could help me with some
history on the snapping of the football I would greatly
appreciate it.
-
- Tell those experts who can't seem to imagine that
there might be some aspect of the game that they have
never heard of that that center snap started when the
modern T-formation itself (with the ball handed directly
from the center to the quarterback) started back in the
late 1930s, and which accelerated during World War
II.
-
- If they're willing to listen - (1) it worked
pretty well for Bud Wilkinson among others - seems to me
he did okay with it; (2) If you have ever read my NEWS
page, you know my position on youth coaches being asked
to "prepare kids for the next level." Your job is to do
what works best for your kids right now. You are not
running a finishing school for the "next level,"
(whatever that means); and (3) I don't have much respect
for any high school coach who in five minutes or less
can't teach, or a kid who in five minutes or less can't
learn, a slightly different method of taking the
snap.
-
- PS- You didn't say what method of exchange you
use, but there are numerous reasons for fumbled center-QB
exchanges besides the method that's used.
-
-
|
 All
football programs are invited to participate in
the Black Lion Award program. The Black Lion
Award is intended to go to the player on your
team "Who best exemplifies the character of Don
Holleder (see below): leadership, courage,
devotion to duty, self sacrifice, and - above
all - an unselfish concern for the team ahead of
himself." The Black Lion Award provides your
winner with a personalized certificate and a
Black Lions patch, like the one worn at left by
Army's 2005 Black Lion, Scott Wesley, and at
right by Army's 2006 Black Lion, Mike Viti.
There is no cost to you to participate as a
Black Lion Award team. FOR
MORE INFORMATION
|
|
ALL
NEW!
CSTV's
Feature Story on the Black Lion
Award
|
|
BECOME A BLACK
LION TEAM
GIVE THE BLACK LION
AWARD TO ONE OF YOUR
PLAYERS!
|
|
|
Will Sullivan, Army's 2004
Black Lion wore his patch (awarded to all
winners) in the Army-Navy game
|
(FOR
MORE INFO)
|
The Black Lion
certificate is awarded to all
winners
|
 -
- Take a look at this,
beautifully done by Derek Wade, of Sumner,
Washington --- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Yy6iA_6skQ
|
***********
Air Force Brigadier General Robin Olds, a football hero
and a war hero, died on June 14th at his home in
Steamboat Springs, Colorado. He was 84.
***********
Former Army linebacker and real American hero Greg
Gadson, (shown at left with his therapy dog) is now
undergoing the long recuperation from serious battle
wounds at Walter Reed Army Hospital.
***********
Coach, My very very good friend Greg Gadson - Commander
of 2-32 Field Artillery (from 4IBCT - our Brigade) was
injured here in Baghdad - lost both legs - please provide
your support to him, you would be a special person to him
based on your love of football - Greg was a great
linebacker at West Point, last of the good years -
incredible athlete - he inspired us to get on board with
your program and establish our relationship with K-State
(by the way Coach Prince had all the Black Lion children
at the Stadium on Saturday) - thanks Coach