Today was a good day. For some reason, I woke up with some negative feelings after a restless night. I laid awake and worried about everything from water to wristbands. I knew that our practice plans were pretty basic (for this time of year) and I knew what drills I was going to run at my "station." I knew I was prepared (and organized) for the start of football practice, but I still worried all night long. What am I forgetting? Is my QB ready to go? Where will I end up today? Receivers? QB's? Running Backs? Coach Miller never asked me about special teams, does he need help with the Punt Team? Will Randy throw something new in at the last minute? (this answer is always YES!) I have been doing this a long time, and I know what I am doing. But, I still worry myself sick until the first whistle blows. Speaking of whistles, the go-to whistle for football coaches is generally a Fox-40. This plastic whistle gives a sharp blast when you hit it hard. Bethel had this sissy sounding whistle going yesterday. It sounded like something the bowling team coach would blow before a match. I said: "Hey man, whats up with the whistle?" Randy said it was a track whistle. LOL. I don't know about that, but I noticed he had a different whistle today.
Like I have stated several times in my blog, our staff is very tight, and we all are very good friends. We often say that a coach better have some thick skin to work on this staff. If a coach shows any kind of weakness, the other coaches attack the coach unmercifully. Most times it is better not to even MENTION you have a problem or ailment. Broken teeth, kidney problems, diabetes, woman problems, wife problems, bathroom attacks and dentures are fair game. In fact, EVERYTHING is fair game with our staff. We have very few (if any) boundaries. Race issues are a favorite subject with our staff. Black, White, Spanish. It makes no difference, we all get beat up some time or the other. If someone would put his/her ear up to our coaches portable door and just listen for awhile, that person would swear that this staff hates each other. On the contrary, our staff is like a big family. Do we fight? Sure. Brothers fight with each other, but it never leaves the portable. Marty says we are like a bunch of kids with all the teasing and mouthing we do at times; She also knows these guys mean the world to me.
Coach Miller reminds me of myself several years ago. I say to him: "Hey, if I pinch off your insulin pump, and you fall out, can I have your jacket or locker?" Billy might say say: "Hey, if this kidney thing makes you fall out, can I have your whistle or hat?" LOL. Brutal. Bill has coached about everything on the offensive side of the ball, but he is primarily a defensive coach for us. Normally, we are mouthing back and forth during practice (offense vs defense thing) and we like to bounce things back and forth while texting in the evenings. The relationship Bill has with his daughter is heart warming for me. Miller generally runs our team stretch, and his little girl used to follow him (step for step) up and down the field. She did not want to leave her daddy's side. This pretty young girl is maturing before our eyes, and I really enjoy talking with her. I asked her the other day: "Are you a daddy's girl?" She did not hesitate , she quickly said: "YES." That kind of choked me up. I said: "Good for you. I had a Daddy's girl too!" Raising a daughter is not easy, and I admire the relationship Billy is able to keep with her. For a University of Florida fan, Miller is really a good guy, a good teacher, and a good coach. Just for fun, I may pinch off one of the insulin hoses tomorrow.!
Once I get permission, I will tell you all about the other coaches on our staff as well.
GZ
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