Thursday, October 16, 2003

I am sitting here "watching" the seventh game of the American League Championship series between the Red Sox and the Yankees. The Yankees just won it in the 11th on a home run by Aaron Boone. I loved Aaron's 3-word summation of the moment, "This is stupid." A personal irony is that the Phillies won the World Series once, ever. It was in 1980, and amongst the Mike Schmidts and the Pete Roses on that team there was a catcher named Bob Boone who I always have thought was the key to that championship. Bob is Aaron's father, and I guarantee that he never uttered the words, "This is stupid" when in a similar situation 24 years ago.

I lament the Cubs loss in yesterday's seventh game with the Marlins, but am grateful for yet another game seven today. Ultimately and clearly, the best team won yesterday (Marlins). Sorry Mama.

CSU is leading AFA 23-14 at the half just down the road. Many of the boys are at the ever-popular Thursday night at the Fort ESPN football game. They/we won, 30-20 (Friday update). I'm sure party was a verb last night for some CSU lax players.

EX-SCROOGE-US

This week the whole team had the chance to go through the same mental exercise that the famous Mr. Scrooge had after having a vision (nightmare) on a Christmas Eve once upon a time a long time ago. He got to first see what might be, and to then do something about it before it became true. On Tuesday, we, as a team, got to see a vivid snapshot, one fit for a fat photo album that might have documented this team’s possible ugly future. The team dysfunctionality potential was coming into the light, and seeing what life might look like if we were to travel on a particular path was an unobstructed vision. Yet another storm of change was a-brewing. What would I ever do with peace?

SHE CAN TELL YOU ABOUT A PLANE CRASH WITH A GLEEM IN HER EYE
The Eagles

I missed practice Monday. I couldn’t answer the bell. I was still too "ill" to go. Tuesday I was starting to feel better, finally. I came back out, and it might have seemed better at the time if I hadn’t. I was a bear coming out of hibernation, and basically not a happy camper after a bad night’s (week’s) sleep.

Some dirty laundry got some serious "air" time at practice as I played some minor problems I had been having with one (or more) of the players into major spectacles for all to see. "Stuff" clearly needed to happen, but it was an ugly day, and hardly within the "Leave it to Beaver" model for family problem solving .

There was already plenty of bad blood circulating and percolating within the team for a variety of good and not-so-good reasons, but as usual with these things, it all came down to the issues that arise in a "conformists vs. non-conformists" struggle. These moments usually do not scare me. In fact I consider them to be my specialty, but I must admit that when I was talking to two of the captains as it got dark and cold after practice Tuesday, the major feeling inside me was a chilly one, too. The gnawing in my mind was the not knowing where to go next.

YOU CAN GO HOME AGAIN – I DO IT EVERY NIGHT

I also knew deep down that this could be a big and useful "coaching moment" if I just went home and asked myself the right questions. I did. I obsessed all night. My "real" family couldn’t reach me for the simplest of answers, let alone comment, and I was sitting right next to them eating dinner.

THE IDES OF OCTOBER

Wednesday was a much better day at practice. The fun was back. The love wouldn’t be far behind. It was going to be "all good" again, I knew it, and maybe sooner rather than later. Why? Many things happened in a short time, but I had totally "changed" the place where I was coming from. I hadn’t been looking in the mirror to get answers. I finally did.

IS LOVE IN THE FALL the same as falling in love? -
OR DO I JUST FEEL BETTER AFTER THE BLOOD LETTING?

At any rate all this swirling and twirling has already changed us, and hopefully somewhat as dramatically as the fairy tale changed Ebenezer Scrooge

We had a very fun and spirited dress rehearsal today as we played a "simulated" full game, the length that the three we play on Saturday will be. Green played Gold. It’s been two teams all week. We bartered with "The Building" for an extra practice day and it was granted. We had a Thursday on the field. Dr. Ron would be with us again. All was getting right again. Some decent lax was being played right along with the rest of the opera.

There was a little test within the "game" today, as Green (Formerly known as Underdogs) coached by Alex, scored first, and it was a good goal by the self-proclaimed Mandawg. Gold couldn’t answer quickly, and became somewhat seemingly befuddled by their all-of-a-sudden ineptness. Where had that come from? After all, we had all just witnessed a phenomenal run in extra man practice as I think they scored 9 straight goals with a man advantage before they were stopped once by the MDD. This was certainly the best EMO moment thing I had ever seen here. I just hope it weren’t no fluke, but rather a brass ring, a thing to work for. They (Gold) settled down and played a fairly solid game after the initial moments of "Suckdom". Our overall team defense needs a lot more work, but you just have to do what you can, and you can only do it as fast as you can do it.

Today I declared after practice that I was starting to fall in love with this team. I took a deep breath to let it all in. Then my trusty Assistant Alex did his best to spoil my "moment" as he pointed out to me that love is, in fact, not always that pretty and or pain-free. True that, eh?

I know that the winter is a long lay-over time, but right now I am simply hell-bent on bringing the autumn to a rousing crescendo, starting with this weekend. The three teams we play this Saturday will all be capable of beating us. Each game will be its own exam. Even though we have a long way to go in many different areas on and off the field, I finally feel like we are in a good place right now…again. We shall see if all this and that makes us ready for Saturday.

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