Coach Flip Naumburg's Journal

Sunday, September 5, 2004

BEING A FAN IS HARD WORK

I went over to the CSU Lax house (Station #1) to watch on television the CSU vs. CU football game played last evening in Boulder. This was a nice little party. I would say that close to half of our team was there. Most of the other half was apparently stationed at CSU Lax House #2, which is Snively’s (#43) house. I know this sounds like nothing, the fact that they are all together somewhere or wheres (fiesta in one or another form), and partying is not a skill (is it?), but it is only early September. My hopes soar for the "closely knit family" possibilities.

The CU Buffs got off to a 17-0 start. It was a less than encouraging sequence of events that led us to that score. There was more chatting going on than there was watching as the second quarter began. We all needed some distraction from the painful-to-witness-up-to-that-point football game. The football Rams finally got tough and began to tap into the momentum and then the game started to shift. We all (those who were not wearing makeup) quickly riveted ourselves back into the proceedings on the screen as CSU closed the gap to 17-7 with a couple of big plays just before halftime.

MURPHY’S OLD CHICAGO

This particular house I was at has a powerful lacrosse tradition. Lax players have lived there for quite a few years now. They have really made the place into something. You walk in to a lounge type area with three TV’s hung near the ceiling around the room, sports bar style. A Stand up refrigerator specialized to hold a particular type of refreshment sits next to a very slick looking granite-topped bar that they built. Another big screener (TV) is downstairs in like a big family room that accomodates 15 or so viewers in horseshoe-shaped luxury (sort of). Then in the garage they have built an actual locker room (benches and all) and a "game room", too. The boys recently added a hot tub spa to the back yard landscape. The next time I go I will likely have to take out a membership to get in the place.

HOW DID I GET HERE?

As a fan, things haven’t been going well this year for me. The Philadelphia Phillies ( I haven’t lived in Pennsylvania since 1967) have been a pitiful life long addiction for me. Most of the last fifteen years of that have been spent looking up at the Atlanta Braves (and others). The Phillies started this year with high hopes and the promise of good pitching. Well, they went to hell in a hand basket in a hurry and it was wait until next year when they started to give up 9 runs a game in June.

Then we have the Denver Broncos. Life after Elway has pretty much sucked. I look at this team they got here in 2004 and I see no potential. They don’t got IT, whatever IT is, and they don’t got no stars. Every team needs a couple of them, says I. We shall see.

SECOND HALF STRESS

Back to Boulder where the Rams got back into it in the second half. It was a great football game. We were on the edge of our seats as the fourth quarter wound down. We can win this thing! We (CSU) had first and goal with less than a minute to go. A touchdown would win it while a field goal the size of an extra point would send the game into overtime. Unfortunately, we swallowed and choked on that last minute of the clock. The Rams had still one more down and but one yard to go as time expired and the final gun went off. Bang, bang, we’re dead. Somebody screwed the pooch. CU 27 CSU 24. Ouch!!!

SENILITY IS IN THE EYE OF THE BEHOLDER

After eight years here I know that my greatest enemy is family dysfunction. When it comes to that (poor team communication) you can take all your X’s and O’s for the season and chuck them in the big old dumpster, because they become pretty much useless. My second greatest challenge is to never be Old and in the Way. I have been asked a lot recently about how much longer I will coach (does that mean, "Here’s your hat, what’s your hurry?"). My answer is that I don’t have too many seasons like last year’s left in me, and that’s for sure. As much as I pretended that 2004 wasn’t 2002, de ja vu all over again (we had too much cliques, I heard too much bitching, we lost in the finals), it clearly read 2002 on the dysfunctionometer when all was said and done.

After that my thought on how long I can do this (coach and lead testosterone toting college kids) is I don’t know. I would just like to go year to year if that’s okay. As long as I can’t wait to get to the practice field or to my desk to plan practice, I want to continue. As long as I feel good physically (warm up goalies, teach without being in a wheel chair pointing at illustrations, etc.) and they (players) buy some or most of what I am selling, I’m here. As long as they don’t make me recruit, I’m pretty much a happy camper.

With the alumni and parental support that we are starting to gather, I still think this program has a lot of room for more building blocks. I personally feel like my work here is not yet done. I think I will know when it is, but then there is also always that chance that I could have a hissy fit one day, and move back to Santa Barbara the next.

I don’t look at older coaches and aspire to be that or them. I don’t want to be like Dick Vermeil (KC Chiefs coach), who at 67 or so can’t even talk about one of his players without bursting into tears or whatever. I’m sure he’s still a great coach and all, and I'm all about family love, too, but I don’t want to be the "crying coach". Sonny Lubick (sixty-something CSU football coach) might have had a bit of a "senior moment" last night that might have cost his team the single chance they had to win the game at the end. I do not ever want to do that either.

"WHAT A WORLD" Wicked Witch

Meanwhile terrorists are blowing up schools in Russia. How did Russia get to be the bad guy? How did WE get here?

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