Day Off. Still Working.

                                               New Home Uniform Fresh out of Dryer

It's Sunday, and I spent the day cutting grass and washing the stinky uniforms.  That OXI-Clean stuff is amazing.  The uniforms really came out nice and clean.  Instead of stuffing them back into the garbage can, I laid out the jerseys and pants and took then directly down to the football facility to avoid wrinkling.  I know it does not look like it, but there are a least 40 sets of uniforms resting on the back of my truck. 

 

This washing machine is AWESOME  This machine will wash about as much as you can stuff into it.  Notice the buckets laying on the floor?  These containers are 5 gallon pails filled with detergent, softener, and a bleach product on an automatic feed system....and none of this stuff is worth a damn.  I went down and purchased the Tide Detergent, and the OXI Clean to wash our game stuff.  Works like a charm.  The big dryer on the left runs off of gas.  And it gets HOT if you don't adjust the temperature.  This machine will dry an entire load of Jerseys in 30 minutes on medium heat. 

Want to know how stupid I am?  When I was a newly single man, I needed a new washing machine.  I went down to Sears and purchased a new top-loader machine which had "Heavy Duty" written on the front of the machine.  I thought:  Well hell, we can stuff as much stuff as we want into our "Heavy Duty" machine at school, so I will stuff my new home washing machine FULL with towels. This was not a good move on my part.  I burned up the new machine the day after I purchased it.  I took it back to Sears and they gave me a new one.  Oh well, "Lesson in Life"  I guess. 

MRSA Machine

 

A few years ago, we had quite a MRSA scare in the public school system.  This flesh eating bacteria (very resistant to antibiotics) was found on the body of one of our players,  so the school district was forced to buy each HS one of these machines at $20K a piece.  EVERY single piece of equipment we had on inventory (helmets, shoulder pads, knee pads, thigh pads etc..) was disinfected with this machine......twice.  The bacteria was found on two separate players within weeks of one another.  All player's lockers were emptied of all contents, and each locker (and walls) were sprayed with a special disinfectant to kill the bacteria.  As you can imagine, this extra work in the middle of the season was a lot of fun.  This is why we coaches get the BIG BUCKS......27 cents per hour. 

 

Locker Room STINKS 

 

I am not going to lie.  The locker room really stinks.  I guess some of the players left their wet and sweaty clothing in their lockers.  Naturally, the smell is really ripe right now.  Look at all the trash laying on the floor. This is sort of what my son's room looked like when he lived at home.  The players will be cleaning tomorrow I am sure. 

 

 

I will check in tomorrow.

 

GZ

 

DAY OFF.....Doing Laundry!

Heading To The OK Corral

 

"I Believe We Started A Game We Never Finished. Play For Blood, Remember? "

 

Johnny Ringo 

 

Tombstone is probably my favorite movie of all time.  I will bet I have seen this western AT LEAST 25 times.  This movie has so many quotable lines that it has become part of my normal vocabulary.  My son Mike and I will often exchange these lines via Email or text message for no reason whatsoever.  Look at the excitement in the eyes of Johnny Ringo when he agrees to a gunfight with Doc Holiday (pictured above) 

Hey, I feel much better tonight...but I am still exhausted.  I got up around 8:30am this morning and went down to my office for a couple of hours.  I was happy to have some time away from football to recharge my batteries.  But guess what I did?  That's right, I went down to the school to put in some laundry.  In fact, I made three different trips down to school to make sure it all got done today.  But, guess what else I did?  You guessed it!  I WATCHED football all day on TV.  I also washed our wrist bands from the game on Friday night.  They were really starting to smell.......or STINK!

After the game, we load all the dirty game uniforms into these huge garbage cans.  The jerseys go into one can, the pants go into another, the socks into another and so on.   Then, the cans are loaded into a truck (generally mine) and I take them up to the school laundry.  For the next couple of days, we will eventually get to all of it.  But, last night was different.  The uniforms were SOAKED with sweat and rain.  I mean you could actually wring out the clothing with your hands.   I arrived to the laundry this morning and opened the entrance door.  I thought the smell would knock me down. 

The uniforms were completely soaked with sweat from the first half of play, and they were completely soaked with rain the second half of the game.  As the uniforms sat in the garbage cans, the sweat and water started seeping out of the clothing and gathered at the bottom of each can....sort of making a 'sweat soup'   Mix in the the mud and dirt, along with some blood, spit, and athletic tape, and it resulted in a mixture that looked like some sort of CHOWDER.    I grabbed the jerseys on top of the can and started throwing them in the washer (along with a healthy dose of Oxi-Clean)  That process was not too bad until I hit the bottom of the can.  Then I about gagged.  I sucked it up and grabbed a handful of clothing and immediately flung some of the "Sweat Soup Chowder' into my mouth and all over my clean clothes I was wearing.  Then, I did gag and about vomited.  I could not wait to get home and change my shirt.  My dog Raleigh greeted me at the house and started sneezing....then I knew I smelled bad.  So, I fought that stuff all day long, and I just about got it all done.  Tomorrow, I will take all the clean clothes back down to our equipment room to get ready for the next game. 

We have a bye week coming up.  This week's practice sessions will be less game specific, but I will imagine that Bethel will keep the team focused even on our off week.  This will be a good time to rest our legs and heal those minor aches and pains which is normal for this time of year.  I welcome the break.  Tomorrow I will be breaking down and grading our game video.  I will let you know what I saw. 

GZ

Soggy VICTORY 19-10

Obviously, this is not a photograph of our huddle on Friday night; however, I am sure it did not look much different.  It was WET, WET, WET at Shark's Stadium. 

Tonight, we defeated Okeechobee 19-10 on a rain-soaked and muddy field.  The rain started a little after 5PM but it was very light at first.  Miller and I led the specialist out onto the field promptly at 5:50 pm.  At the time, it was just spitting rain, and I actually thought that the storm may pass over us.  The short specialty period was really crisp and organized.  I felt good when the rest of the team joined us a short time later.  After a nice stretch period we again went to an Indy and looked especially sharp on all the pass routes between the QB's and WR's.  I was ready for the game to begin. 

The game itself started badly.  Okeechobee drove the opening series down the field and scored, going up 7-0.  We answered immediately when my boy Hakeem  threw a 60 yard backside post to tie the score.  We drove the ball down the field again to go up 14-7 at the half.  After halftime, Chobbee added a field goal to close within  4 points at 14-10.  Then came the rain.  I mean it poured!! However, there was no lightning so the game went on.  We added a field goal and a safety to close out the victory 19-10.  It was a hard fought victory against an emotionally charged Okeechobee football team. 

Coach Washington's brother passed away earlier this week.  His brother was a coach at Okeechobee, and his nephew plays ball for the school as well.  The team was obviously distraught over the loss of their coach, and the nephew played his heart out for his Daddy.  I sort of teared up when I spoke to the boy.   I told him before the game to play hard in his daddy's honor.  I was proud that the boy played the game for his teammates. I am absolutely positive that Coach Washington would have wanted it that way. 

It is hard to predict how things like this will play out.  I have seen it go both ways over the years.  Sometimes the teams will come out so fired up that they almost seem unbeatable.  Or, I have seen teams literally collapse with emotion. 

Hey, I am going to end this tonight.  I am very tired, and I am having trouble writing complete sentences.  My thoughts are everywhere right now, and I am having trouble focusing on writing something interesting to read.  I will write something tomorrow after I sleep. 

OH, we are OFF tomorrow.  We have a bye week coming up, so Bethel gave us the weekend off to rest .  I really need it.

GZ

Best Day Yet

Ric Flair and Bobby "The Brain" Heenan 

Here are two pretty cool photographs of the WCW Championship Belt being held by Flair (top) and Heenan (bottom)  The championship belts did not actually belong to the wrestler.  The belt actually belonged to the wrestling organization.  The "Champion" had to put down a $25k deposit on the belt as long as he held the title.  Some of the championship belts were worth up to $100K a piece.   I remember when Flair showed up on a WWF telecast with the WCW championship belt in hand.  I think Ted Turner had to sue Vince McMahon to get it back. 

We had a great practice today....probably the best day we had in weeks.  Bethel and I were on the field at 2:30 for some early work with the skill group.  We worked hard for about 25 minutes before the rest of the team came out to join us.  We got in a lot of reps.  I like this focused INDY time with our players.  Coach Perry and Coach Miller came out to give us a hand too.  I like to hear what the defensive guys think about what we are doing offensively.  Perry will show us how a defensive guy will react to a certain pass route or formation which helps us design our play.  In return, we will help them with the same thing.  I love to ask defensive guys one question:  "What gives you problems defensively?"  I always get interesting answers.  Nothing is perfect, so something gives a coach problems.  If a coach tells you "nothing gives us problems" is probably lying.  LOL.  Imagine that. 

You want to know what drives a coach crazy?  Certain parents drive a coach crazy.  They can't understand why their kid may not be getting much playing time; however, very few parents are on the sideline watching us practice either.   We do not promise playing time.  Yet, somehow some parents believe the coach is playing favorites because their son may not be playing much.  Were the parents at every practice this week?  Did the parents watch every drill the coaches were running this week?  Did the parents attend the film session of this weeks scrimmage?  Did the parents watch as their son played on the 'scout' team?  Probably not.  Nevertheless, we are questioned on our decision of who plays.  Unreal.  We are fighting for our life out there.  We have to put the team in the best position to secure the win for SRHS.   I have a horror story to tell about an overbearing parent on the sideline.  I have to give this a lot of thought before I start telling this nightmare.  It's not pretty. 

GZ

MORE RAIN

Paul Hornung  "The Golden Boy" 

 

 

Donnie Anderson: "Old Yeller" 

 

Football players sometimes have cruel sense of humors.  Paul Hornung was a Heisman Trophy winner from Notre Dame. He was one of the first superstar players in the NFL and was considered a "pretty boy" by his teammates who absolutely loved him.  Vince Lombardi loved this colorful running back.  Everything Hornung did seemed to turn into gold.  Therefore, the players started calling Paul: "The Golden Boy"   When Hornung left the Packers (after being suspended for gambling allegations) the Packers drafted Donnie Anderson from Texas the following year.  Anderson played very well for the Packers, but he was never as colorful as Hornung was.  Playing in "The Golden Boy's" shadow, Anderson was nicknamed: Old Yeller" by his teammates.  Now THAT is funny!  

 

The RAIN returned today.  I could see the storm cell coming on my Blackberry, but it arrived before we ever got started.  We were delayed about an hour and a half before we went under the stadium to get some work done.  Bethel has a way of getting player's attention during times like this.  Today, he made sure that the players were in control of the things THEY could control:  Things like having their chin straps buckled, breaking the huddle correctly, hustling to the line of scrimmage etc..  He made it a point to emphasize that life sometimes throws you a curve ball, and you must learn to adjust.  We can't control the weather, nor can we control if the gym is being painted, but there are things we can improve on.  These "Lessons in Life" are things we teach everyday.  I get aggravated with Randy sometimes, but I admire the lessons he teaches these kids too.  Even at my age, I am constantly learning from other coaches. 

 

The JV team had a nice win tonight against Port St. Lucie High School. The game was delayed for about an hour because of the rain.  The team started out slowly, but they eventually went ahead 18-14 with 30 seconds to go.  I like to watch the younger kids play ball.  We always send down some 10th graders to get some playing time which helps the team out quite a bit.  We only have a single JV team consisting of mostly 9th graders; however, they often play much more mature JV teams consisting of 10th graders and a few 11th graders.  In reality, our kids should really be playing a freshman schedule.  I was happy for the young players and the coaching staff.  It was a nice win for them. 

 

Later,

GZ

Back To Work

Vince Lombardi Riding the Sled 

 

Here is something you don't see much of today.  In this old photograph taken in 1963, Vince Lombardi is barking commands to his Offensive Lineman while riding the blocking sled.  I have a theory on this.  Since Lombardi played on the Offensive line himself, he must have been harder on the Offensive Linemen. You can see the intensity in the old coaches eyes and body language in this picture. 

 

This week we begin playing our district rivals.  On Friday night, we play Okeechobee  AT HOME thank god.  I am so tired of traveling.  Chobee is another team (like us) who is struggling right now.  They have a new coach this year (well, a new coach who used to be their head coach) and they are in a transition period. We have been playing Chobee for years, and the series has always been friendly.  In year's past, Chobee always had a HUGE offensive and defensive line, with good skill kids. On video, it does not look like much has changed; naturally, their kids always fight hard until the last whistle blows, so we will have our hands full......again.  A few years ago, they beat us 63-0  (or something like that)  Chobee had this running back named Lonnie Pryor who just tore us up.  We could not stop him.  Pryor is now the starting running back for Florida State.  This year's game should be a little more competitive.  I enjoy playing the country boys from around the lake. 

 

Finally, we had a good rain-free practice today.  We got a lot of work done.  Our practice fields are relatively dry, but the mosquitoes are hatching again.  I got pretty chewed up today.  My legs look like I have measles with all the red bumps from the little (or not so little) biting bugs.  It was nice to see Coach Jefferson and Coach Matthews at practice today even though they can't officially help out on the field.  Jefferson says the knee is feeling much better, and he is getting around pretty good with the big knee brace and crutches.  I think Chris may be back on the field in the next couple of weeks.  Coach Keith Matthews says the kidney transplant is working good too with no issues.  Matthews said the minute they hooked up the kidney to a blood vessel, it started to produce urine....which is outstanding!   Keith sure looks better than when he was doing dialysis several times a week.  I am very happy for him and his family. 

 

 

This is Coach Miller's daughter Delaney. (I hope I spelled her name correctly, or she will be pissed at me)  She is a Cheerleader for the Sebastian River Middle School Cowboys.  Ahhh, I remember these days well.  (My daughter Kristin was also a cheerleader for SRMS.)  I have literally watched this little girl grow up, and I can't believe she is already in junior high school.  She used to follow Coach Miller around the practice field like a little puppy.  She was so shy and unsure of herself , and she would not talk with anyone it seems.  She is maturing into a beautiful young lady, and freely admits she is a Daddy's Girl.  Miller is going to have his hands full with this one....and I am going to laugh at him! 

 

Here is a little history on SRMS.  Back in the day, Indian River County only had one high school....Vero Beach High School (VBHS)  However, there were two different junior high schools feeding the school, Vero Beach Junior High (VBJHS)  Red Raiders, and the SRMS Cowboys.  Each school had their own football team at one time.  Both teams played at the Citrus Bowl in Vero Beach.  It was always quite a rivalry game when the two teams played each other.  VBJHS was always much larger than SRMS, and VBJHS always had a lot more players; however, SRMS managed to knock off the Red Raiders a time or two.  Once all the kids (from both schools) became 10th graders, everyone went to Vero Beach High School.  VBHS had some powerful teams during that period.  The ENTIRE COUNTY went to VBHS.  Can you imagine that?  Once SRHS was built, it changed everything. 

 

See you tomorrow.

 

GZ

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

LOST 28-6

Preparing to Feed

 

I am sorry I have not posted anything for a couple of days.   Truthfully, I just have not had any time to do so.  I had the extra work of redesigning the wrist bands twice in one week, not to mention the flip board problems etc..  I will try to stay on top of everything from here on end.  Now , I will get you guys caught up. 

 

We played a very good Ft. Pierce Central (FPC) Cobras team on Friday night.  FPC is nationally ranked, and they are ranked in the top ten in Florida as well.  We knew that they were going to be a tough challenge going in.  We arrived in Lawnwood stadium at about 5:15 pm.  The Cobras were already on the field with their special teams.  Our guys quickly got dressed and came onto the field at 5:40 for special teams.  The whole period was very sloppy as far as I was concerned.  We were missing passes, making bad throws, and we had footballs flying all over the place.  The whole period just pissed me off to no end; so I cut the period off a little short to water down while awaiting the rest of the team to come onto the field.  Finally, the rest of our team came onto the field and we all stretched together.  When we went to INDY, I re-grouped our guys and started the whole day over again.  The players were much better this time, and things looked a little more organized and sharp.  I guess experience counts for something.  I had a chance to watch FPC a little during their warm-ups too. 

 

What an amazing group of athletes they have.  Almost every player looked like they could play.  Athlete  after athlete at every position.  FPC has not always been this way.  A couple of years ago, they had an influx of athletes from Ft. Pierce Westwood, and that really got them rolling.  Naturally, Westwood has struggled since then.  Anyway, the game started, and our DEFENSE played like mad men. Our kids played their hearts out against a much bigger opponent, and it kept us in the game.  Again, we just could not get thing rolling on offense; consequently, we kept the defense on the field much too long at times.  I think the score was 7-0 going into the half.  We came onto the field for the second half, and things started to go south for us.  Our defense played extremely hard and tough, but FPC kept throwing fresh athletes (at our two way players) and they just wore us down, plain and simple.  BOOKIE TAYLOR and JAVONTE KING are WARRIORS.  These kids can play for any college at any level.  (If by chance there are college coaches looking at this blog, send me a message to get info about these kids)  Our entire defense needs some accolades for their performance.  Offensively, we keep putting them in bad situations, but they keep coming to our rescue. 

 

Offensively, we are just not clicking right now.  We keep making these bad mistakes and making stupid penalties to put us behind the chains.  We have some great athletes on our side, but we can't get it together it seems.  We know it is going to happen, but we keep waiting for the explosion. 

(Have you ever seen one of those old western movies when the bad guys are trying to blow up a bridge to derail the old train loaded with treasures?  They always prewire the dynamite to this old wooden box with a "T" handle on the top.  When the T handle is depressed, the dynamite receives a voltage jolt and sets off the explosion.  Remember the waiting period before the explosion?  This is how I feel while waiting for our Offense to come to life)  -We have this new transfer athlete name Nate Pryor. This kid is an amazing athlete, and he is so explosive. (I used to coach his Daddy) Nate had a 74 yd TD Romp which put us on the board in the  3rd qtr.  My QB Hakeem is really struggling right now...he has no confidence at all.  I feel bad for the kid....  The failure of the entire offense is blamed on the QB.  I try to help him out all I can, but a QB must 'Accept the Risk of Leadership' if he wants to play the position.  Besides, I don't have much say in what we do anymore.  I only coach a single position.... Yet, I keep grinding it out. 

 

OLD Flair and OLD Hogan giving a show! 

 

I love watching the old wrestlers put on a show like this.  These old guys paved the way for the younger generation, but our society throws them away like yesterday's trash.  Do the older guys still have something to offer?  ABSOLUTELY!  The older guys offer years and years of experience that just can't be replaced.  This "Lesson in Life" is sometimes learned too late. 

 

Will check in tomorrow. 

 

GZ