Mondays: Big WORK DAY

 

The NATURE BOY  Ric Flair 

 

 

Stylin and Profilin!

 

 

17 Time WORLDS HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION! 

 

This is my weekly Ric Flair Tribute.  I remember when the NWA came to the Ft. Pierce Civic Center, and I took my four year old daughter Kristin down there to see the wrestlers.  We saw Ric Flair, Harley Race, Black Jack Mulligan,  Lex Luger, Terry Funk among several others.  The Civic Center had chairs set up along the floor surrounding the ring.  We were lucky enough to get some floor tickets, and we got up-close to the action several times.  Kristin would stand up on her chair and yell: "WE WANT BLOOD" much to the delight of everyone around us.  Here was this little girls...all dressed up in little girl's clothes...... yelling for BLOOD!  Sure enough, Flair gigs himself and starts gushing blood out of his forehead, which was flowing down his face and running down his chest.  Kristin never missed a beat.  I remember her saying:  "EWWWWW, huh Daddy?"

 

Not much football stuff to report for today.  We had a spirited practice which had a offensive focus, and we are inserting the game plan we worked on yesterday. Randy wants to open it up a little more, so we are working on different ways to do that.  We ran a little scout team for the defense today,  and it was NOT a good period for the offense.  Coach Miller was getting a little upset, and I don't blame him at all.  We could not even get a decent snap off between the center and QB.  In fact, as I was watching the presidential debates and viewing some video tonight, I got a call from Miller. He asked me to give them a much better look tomorrow during scout team.  I promised I would take the bull by the horns and get it done for him from the start.  Trust me.  I will get it done.  I may have to revert back to the "Intense Coach George" like I was a few weeks ago. 

 

Do you want to know what else (besides Girls and Car Payments) that drives a coach crazy?   Never mind.  I just wrote an entire paragraph on this subject, and it was not too nice.  So, I backspaced and got rid of the whole thing.  After thinking about it a little, I realized that this is a battle we will never win.  So, I will just leave it alone and take the beating.  No sense in ruffling the feathers until after we win the district championship. 

 

GZ  

 

Walking it Off!

 

Kelsey Giving Me A Concert

 

 

Kelsey & Kirby on "Stage" at PawPaws Work

 

I love these kids....plain and simple.  In the top photograph, Kelsey is attempting to give me a private concert on the very same day she received her guitar for her birthday.  Marty and I purchased her this "Kona" Pink guitar for her birthday.  She is wearing my Cavalry Hat that Michael sent me from Germany.  I guess she thought it looked like a cowgirl hat.  The guitar is not a toy, and I think PawPaw just may arrange some guitar lessons for her in the near future.  Its funny.  I NEVER allow anyone to handle (or wear) my cavalry hat for any reason; for it is among my prized possessions.  Now it does not seem to be so important anymore.  Truthfully, Kelsey could RUIN the hat and it would not be the end of the world.  I have tried to teach Kelsey to "Be Nice" to my stuff, and she has never disappointed me....so she can borrow (or take) anything of mine she wishes.  LOL.  Kristin just looks at me and shakes her head. She knows Kelsey has me wrapped around her little finger. 

 

I love the bottom photograph too.  Kelsey and Kirby came by my office to visit while they were in town.  Naturally, Kelsey had to stand on her work table "stage" while she was there, and Kirby had to mimic her too.  Kirby is a little pistol, and very strong willed.  She does everything on "Kirby Time" and she is not too quick to warm up to anyone.  PawPaw worked hard to get on her good side, and she came around to my side before she left.  She will learn.  Getting on PawPaws good side can be very beneficial.  I just wanted to hold and love on her a little, and when that happened, my heart melted just like it did from Kelsey.  I just love these babies.  I admit it. 

 

Not much going on with football today, just my normal Sunday routine.  In the last two days, I have done a ton of laundry for the team.  Marty and I completed the last of it today and took it down to the stadium equipment room.  The room is packed with clean laundry, and it all has to be folded and put up on the shelves.  We had our normal weekly meeting at Randy's house today.  It turned out to be a three hour film session and planning period.  We are preparing for our game with Forest Hill on Friday, so we are not taking anything for granted.  Forest Hill has not won a game; however, they have some talent and could give us some issues if we do not bring our "A" game.  South Fork (SF) is playing Olympic Heights on Friday night too; thus, providing they win, we will be playing (SF) for the district championship in two weeks.  The tension is starting to build....with me anyway. 

 

I was walking around my truck today, and I smacked the shit out of my knee by running into my trailer hitch.  I really smacked it good.  After I rolled on the ground a little, I got up and walked it off....like a man....unlike Honey Boo Boo.  Then, I looked down at my throbbing knee, and the damn thing was swelled like a grapefruit from the knee cap down.  I sure as hell ruptured something for it to swell like this, but I have no idea what could have happened.  I don't think I will bother Mason too much this week about his sore knee.  I know I am hurting as I write this blog tonight.  Maybe I will get Hilary to look at it tomorrow....out of Mason's sight.   I can't give him more ammunition against me. 

 

More Tomorrow. 

 

GZ 

 

We Are ROLLING 35-0

 

Hakeem Rainey QB

 

 

Austin Hatch- QB

 

 

OJ Jefferson- RB/DB/Athlete 

 

Here are three of our athletes dressed in our road uniforms....and pink socks for Breast Cancer Awareness Month.  I work closely with Hakeem and Austin everyday, and they both are great kids.  They are as different as night and day (athletically) but they can both get the job done.  Hakeem is the starter for our team, but Austin is always ready to go and give us quality snaps without a drop off.  The bottom athlete is OJ Jefferson.  Again, he is a fantastic athlete, very well mannered, and a true physical specimen. He is just a good-looking young man.  OJ starts and plays on both sides of the ball for us, and he is probably our best athlete. 

 

VICTORY!   We won Friday night 35-0 in a must-win district game for us.  This victory keeps us on a collision course with South Fork for the District Championship in two weeks.  First, we must beat Forest Hill next week to put us in the championship game.  The whole day was a little screwed up to be honest with you.  First of all, the game was all the way down in West Palm Beach which is an hour and a half south of us.  Just the logistics of moving all the equipment needed is a daunting task to say the least.  Tony Brown, Coach Wilson and myself all come in early to make sure everything is loaded in the trailer and ready to go.  We check, then double-check to make sure we have everything.  I am really anal about the wristbands, flip boards, color cards, head-phones, and the FOOTBALLS for the game.  I personally have to load all of these items to put my mind at rest.  This stuff is our life-blood for the offense, and if I forgot anything I could never forgive myself.  I have nightmares about forgetting something.  I told you before.....I am a sick man. 

 

I am a weird dude.  I have several reoccurring dreams which still haunt me.  In one dream, I cannot remember my damn locker combination in school.  All my books and personal items are in that damn locker, and I can't get it open in time for class.  In another dream, I am flying in Piper Cherokee (I am really a Private Pilot or those of you who do not know) and I have flown the plane into the power lines by my house.  I wake up in a panic and I do not know what to do.  I also have the newest dream about forgetting the footballs for the game.  This is not a dream, this is a NIGHTMARE scenario for me. 

 

Back to Friday night.  We load all player's equipment bags into our trucks and head South.  We arrived at the school at 5 PM.  This was our first trip to this school, so we did not know where to go.  Unfortunately, no one at their school knew where we were supposed to go either.  We were given the run around for about 30 minutes before being directed to a private entrance located between two retail tile stores off 45th street.  One we parked, we had about ten minutes before special teams came out at 5:50 pm.  We had a normal special period, a normal stretch period, and a normal INDY period before going inside.  Then, the game started......and so did the weather.  We jumped all over them from the start, and quickly took a 14-0 lead in the first quarter.  Then, lightning stuck nearby, and the stadium was vacated for 90 minutes.  A severe weather storm cell was passing through, and we all got soaked.  The game resumed at 9 pm.  We pretty much beat them up until the score reached 35-0.  Then we got on the buses and returned home at 1AM.  We bagged up the clothes and took them up to the laundry room.  I got home at 2:15 am. 

 

My boy Mason left the game on Friday night.  His knee is giving him fits again, so Hilary took him out, or he took himself out....I don't know which; however, I know he was on crutches after the game.  I feel bad for him.  Coach Miller and I gave him a hard time after the game...all in fun.  I have stopped using a certain term when speaking with Mason....I found the term to be a little degrading.  Instead, I have started calling Mason Honey Boo Boo.  LOL.  He hates this, which makes me love it even more.  I call him Honey Boo Boo, and he calls me Kentucky Inbred or Turtleman.  LOL.  It's all good!  I love this kid. 

 

 

Laundry Bags Full of WET Uniforms. 

 

I had the day off on Saturday.  But, I made about six trips to school taking care of the team's laundry from Friday night.  The four bags you see above are about one half of what was actually there I thought about leaving this stuff for Sunday, but when I opened the door to the laundry room, the smell told me to get started on it immediately.  I was completely out of the Oxi-Kleen which I have been using for our WHITE uniforms.  So, I quickly went up to Publix and purchased a small box to get through the weekend.  Marty will pick us up a large industrial sized box this week from SAMS.  We dressed 45 kids for the game, so I washed 45 pairs of pants in one load with some extra TIDE detergent and Oxi-Kleen.  Same thing with the jerseys.  All the filthy uniforms came out beautiful and bright white.  I am wondering if I should wash the pink socks all by themselves?  Will they fade?  Will the colors run?  I don't know, so I guess I will ask Marty.  My shit says: Football Coach not Laundry Man!  

 

I am DONE!  Check with me tomorrow!

 

GZ

Walk Thru Today. Going to Puke.

"It’s so hard for me to sit back here in this studio, looking at a guy out here, hollering my name!—When last year I spent more money, on spilled liquor, in bars from one side of this world to the other, than you made! You’re talking to the Rolex wearing, diamond ring wearing, kiss stealing, whoa! wheelin dealin’, limosuine riding, jet flying son of a gun and im having a hard time holding these alligators down!”
- Ric Flair

Do I really need to say more?  Did you really think i was getting away from Ric Flair?  The young people today think that "The Rock" or "Stone Cold Steve Austin" really started the popularity of professional wrestling.  Truth is, guys like Bruno Sammartino, Pedro Morales, The Assassins, Dory and Terry Funk, The Brisco Brothers, Ernie "The Cat" Ladd, and Harley Race layed the groundwork for the sport as we know it.  But NO ONE worked the camera like Ric Flair.  People hated Flair's cocky attitude which made him even more popular with me!  Whoooooooo! 

This is Thursday, and we will have a quick practice and run-thru for our game tomorrow night.  We have a lot of work to do today to get ready for the long travel game tomorrow night.  We are giving out Thursday practice stuff first, then we are giving out game tote bags, jerseys, pants, socks, and Friday shirts for travel.  We have to get the trailer loaded and ready to roll, and make sure we have everything we will need.  We still have JV uniforms up in the laundry which needs to come down, and we will have tons of laundry to do over the next few days. 

We will fly through our practice today.  We will hit on every aspect of our game plan in this very short time.  We will clean up any issues we have with special teams, and make sure we are clean with our play cards etc..  I am not sure if Peabody will be cleared, so if he is not, we will make sure we are covered in the spots where he played. 

I am getting ready to leave work right now.  I have to stop by Winn Dixie to pick up a box of Bananas for practice today.  This Caribbean Fruit is supposed to supply Potassium which helps prevent cramping during the game.  I don't know if it works or not; however, it sure beats drinking pickle juice.  A few years ago, there was a rumor that drinking pickle juice actually helped with cramping issues, so we encouraged the kids to try it.  I  tried it as well, and I visited the toilet several times that day. It tore my stomach up.  Maybe I drank too much, I don't know.  Coaches are willing to try anything to get an advantage. 

When I played, we only had a water hose on the sideline.  However, Gatorade (the sports drink) was first coming on the scene.  Our coaches thought they could help the drink out a little more by adding pure salt to the mix. We were forced to drink it whether we liked it or not.  It was NASTY stuff to drink, and I hated it.  To this day, I will not drink Gatorade, Power Aid, or any other type of sports drink at all.  Just the sight of that stuff sitting in the coolers makes me want to puke....and I already have enough issues with that. 

I have already begun breaking down the Forest Hill video from LAST YEAR when we played them.  There have been no coaching changes, so the breakdown will still be pertinent.  Coaches are creatures of habit, so they will not make wholesale changes to their system from year to year.  So, I can get a good look at their defensive alignments against our offensive alignments, and get a pretty good idea of what we need to be working on.  Now, if there is a new coaching staff in place, then there will obviously be major changes made. 

That's it for today.  Lots of work to do.  Will check in after game tomorrow. 

GZ

Good Day and Gross Stories

 

NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL 

 

People love to hate Notre Dame.  When I was a kid in Kentucky, my Dad used to tell me stories about the old Notre Dame Football teams, and I grew up watching Ara Parsegian coach the beloved Catholic team to victory after victory.  It was a dream of mine to attend Notre Dame, but obviously I was not ND material.  I loved the simple uniforms (without names on the back of the Jerseys) and the shiny gold helmets which were pained before every game by the students themselves.  The golden helmet represents the "Golden Dome" which is the centerpiece of the Notre Dame campus.  I have been to the ND campus several times, and I used to say that you don't walk around the campus, you FLOAT around the campus. 

 



 Touchdown Jesus

 

 The stadium is absolutely beautiful and historical.  You can feel the history of the stadium  as you look at "Touchdown Jesus" overlooking the home end zone.   The smell of cooking bratwurst, BBQ, or other fine tailgating foods permeate the air from the thousands of hardcore faithful fans who often brave the miserable weather during the fall.  When the school's band come marching on the field (in perfect unison) it sends chill bumps down your arms and back.  Then, both teams form up at the end zone to come running on the field.  As tradition has it, the visiting team enters the field first.  Then, the stands erupt and the band plays loudly as the Fighting Irish Football team come running through the tunnel out onto the field.  This is an experience I will never forget. 

 

Like I said before, people LOVE to hate Notre Dame down here in Florida.  This is exactly why I love the team so much.  I guess it must be the holier-than-thou attitude the school has toward any other school in the country.....or the NBC television contract they have every year.  Virtually every game they play is on national television.  The old ND vs Miami series in the 80's and 90s were classics, and Coach Bethel was right in the middle of it.  I used to talk a lot of smack about ND when I first started at SRHS, but Miami has come back to bite me so often that I stopped saying anything to Bethel about it.  This year, ND destroyed Miami, but I did not say much about it to Randy.  I just sort of smirked and started preparing for our game with Port St. Lucie. 

 

 

We had a good week preparing for our game with Palm Beach Lakes...but man, we are beat up pretty good.  One can certainly tell that we are in the meat of our season, and those aches and pains are starting to show.  Today we got an infusion of fresh blood from our JV team (who completed their season last night) so we are hoping they will help us out some next week.  At least we will be able to use fresh legs on our scout teams to keep our starters fresh for the games.  I actually feel bad for Coach Miller, it seems like he has to adjust constantly for missing players on his defense.  Hopefully, we will be at full strength before game time.....or Miller will have a stroke. 

 

On offense, we just can't throw anyone into the mix.  Our system is just too complicated for anyone brand new to our side of the ball, so it takes some time for them to adjust.  We have some special packages where we can spot somebody up for a few plays, but rarely can we add somebody brand new to our no-huddle mix.  Our offense is a work in progress for sure, and we are constantly experimenting with different formations and plays to adjust to different teams and their tendencies.  This why I am constantly working on our wristbands to add and subtract different plays and formations.  It is almost a full time job. 

 

We were running scout team today, and Justin Peabody came out of the scrimmage toward the sideline.  I yelled: "PEABODY, I need you!"  He held up his hand and showed me his little finger which was pointed at a 90 degree bend..... in the wrong direction!  Apparently, during the previous play, he either dislocated (or broke) his little finger.  Pretty gross.  (Luckily, Hilary was quickly on top of the situation.)    Justin is a tough kid, and he did not say much about it.  This injury had the kids buzzing, so I said that this was part of football, and we need to get back to work.  

 

I remember when I was playing for my Dad.  One of our players came running up to my Dad and showed him his hand.  Apparently, another player had stepped on his hand and dislocated four of his five fingers....fingers were pointed in all directions.  I remember my Dad grabbing each finger and popping them back into position one by one.  It was brutal to watch, but the kid held tough.  When it was all over, my teammate flexed his fingers and went back into the game.  I also remember another teammate (Kevin Nichols) dislocated his right knee cap during a practice.  I watched as my Dad grabbed the knee cap and pushed it around the knee into position.  Now, THAT was gross!   I remember Kevin going to the doctor who told him the knee cap was in perfect position.  Man, I can't even imagine stuff like this happening today. 

 

One final injury story.  When I was playing for the Georgia  travelling team I told you about in an earlier blog entry,  I was having severe knee pain for some reason.  Back then, there was no such thing as Torn Meniscus, ACLs. MCL's and all that stuff.  Apparently, I had torn some cartilage and my knee swelled up after I banged it on the frozen turf one too many times.  I had quite a bit of water on my knee, and it had to come out.  The trainer stuck me with a needle and drained the knee, then he proceeded to freeze the knee so I could play in the game.  I was only 12 years old!  LOL.  That is so funny to me today.  Can you imagine something like this happening in today's world? 

 

Later,

 

GZ

 

Getting Ready for PBL.

 

 

Batgirl (Julie Newmar) Robin (Burt Ward) and BATMAN (Adam West)

 

 

Batmobile (1967 Ford Fairlane) in the Bat Cave. 

 

The original BATMAN series on television was so cool....but it was so bad at the same time.  When I was a kid,  BATMAN was actually shown on network television in prime time.....twice a week!  I remember watching the series and actually being scared for The Dynamic Duo on a weekly basis.  Would Batman and Robin survive the elaborate schemes of death that The Joker, The Riddler, Mr. Freeze, The Penguin, or CatWoman would have for them every Tuesday night?   The announcer would whip us kids into a frenzy by saying: "Tune in tomorrow.  Same BAT TIME, same BAT CHANNEL!  I remember talking with my friends about how Batman and Robin  would break loose (just in the nick of time) every week.  Gotham City would be safe once again!  Looking back on it now, the series was so bad; however, to a six year old kid, the series was about the best thing on television.....all three channels! 

 

We started our practice week today preparing for Palm Beach Lakes.  It seems like the day just flew by.  Today was a defensive emphasis day, so we were short-handed on the offense.  It was a good day however, because we get to work some of our younger kids on the scout team.  Hakeem and Hatch were both having a pretty good practice session, so I rotated them both freely all day long.  Without a doubt, Hakeem is the starter; however,  Hatch needs to be ready to go at any time.  Coach Wilson always says: "You are only as good as your #2"   We are lucky to have a quality backup QB like Hatch.  I actually met Austin Hatch fours years ago down at the little Shark's field.  He was playing senior football as a lineman (and backup QB) for them.  Then, he disappears from football all together until this year....his senior year!  The only thing Hatch is missing is experience.  He has a great arm, and he is a smart kid too.  I wish we would have got him as a freshman.  I think Hatch and Rainey would have a great battle as the starting QB spot.   I think Austin regrets not playing all four seasons.....and I regret him not playing as well.  I tell the kids all the time:  "You only have 4 years playing high school football, but you will spend the rest of your life remembering it!"  This is a Lesson in Life that many kids will find out too late.  Team sports are so important to the development of a young man.....period. 

 

Later 

 

GZ

 

Palm Beach Lakes Prep.

Boyd Dowler - Green Bay Packer Tight End - 1967 

 

Max McGee- Wide Receiver-Green Bay Packers- Super Bowl 1

 

It's amazing how much football has changed over the years.  Look at the top photograph.  Notice anything different?  Here is a hint.  Look at the goal post.   Back in the early days, the goal post actually marked the FRONT of the endzone...not the back.  This meant that the goal post was actually in the field of play which caused many violent collisions with the lightly-padded post.  The referee is actually standing in the BACK of the endzone where the goal post placement is today. 

 

Look at the bottom photograph taken during Super Bowl 1 (Packers vs Chiefs) in Jan.1968.  This is a 38 year old Max McGee hauling in a touchdown pass from Bart Starr.   McGee never expected to play in the game at all; in fact, he was out drinking and partying during the wee hours of the morning the night before.  McGee was known for his hard-living ways, but Lombardi still loved him.  McGee was called into action after the starter was injured, but despite the partying, he had a magnificent game for Green Bay. 

 

Not much going on today.  I went up to school to finish some team laundry earlier today, and I managed to find the time to run the track a little.  I put my I-Pod and headphones on, and I listened to military cadence (and George Strait) as I circled the track six times.  I really need to do that more often than I do, but coaching so many hours makes it difficult to achieve.  No excuses.  I really need the stress relief or I may have a stroke. I will get it done. 

 

The offensive staff met at Randy's house at 4 PM today for a three hour meeting.  We put together our game plan for Palm Beach Lakes (PBL), and planned out our practice week.  This once again a MUST WIN game for us.  PBL is in our district, so we must beat them to stay alive for the playoffs.  Right now we are 4-2 and starting to roll pretty good.  Our next three games will all be district opponents, so it is going to be pretty intense.  I am feeling the pressure already.  I must be hell to live with right now. 

 

There must be something wrong with me.  Why can't I leave well enough alone?  Why can't I just overlook a simple mistake on the wristbands without re-building them perfectly?  Why does a simple leak on the water cows drive me crazy?  Why do I obsess with drawing football plays when I am doodling on a note pad?  Why do I always wear blue and black?  Why do I hate the color red?  Or green?  Or purple, or just about any color not associated with SRHS?  Why can't I buy a simple pair of running shoes out of those color ranges?  Why do I continue to coach when I know full well it is costing me thousands of dollars (of lost revenue) at my business?  For that matter, why do I have  "COACH" George Zaleuke written on my business cards?  Who the hell am I coaching at work?  I can't even talk with my son in Germany unless I spin the conversation to football in some way!  Why do I consider my life "COMPLETE' now that Kelsey has shared to football field with me?   Why am I already thinking about where my grandson (Grice) is going to school, and what position he may play?  Why am I ready and willing to relocate to coach him?  Hell, he is only 5 months old. 

 

I am a sick man. 

 

GZ