Coach Flip Naumburg's Journal

Saturday, September 11, 2004

PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE

We will play the mighty Alumni a week from right now. I asked them all (players present) yesterday if we had any Superstars on the team. I know that sounds like the original coach’s rhetorical question, but they seemed somewhat stunned by the inquest anyway. Consensus was and is that we just might be a whole bunch of solid players, but we have no need to put Superstar Expectations on anyone or ones. To my way of thinking this type of thinking allows for a process to happen where a group of players get the chance to eventually become One Mission, under Dog, with Alotta Hustle, and No-Fear, for all.

ELEVEN DAYS

We have had eleven days of practice. This team has potential on many levels. It is not impressed with itself (no reason to ever be, but sometimes in the past we have been just the same), and they have a lot of fun playing together already. They understand the importance of every day improvement, or so I would like to think. We have in fact looked and gotten a little better every single session so far, save for maybe one day the first week when I tried to do too much in practice and I totally missed the get better every day boat.

I have already seen some early inter-player chemistry that I like, as in these three guys or those two seem to be working together really well.

DEE - FENCE

I think we have the basics in place for our offensive game plan already. I can see a style developing. We will use many players. We will always attack with a certainty of purpose if I have things my way. There are no plays just yet in the playbook per say, but we are working a lot on the many offensive dos and don’ts. The off ball movement is getting better every day. Truthfully, the defense is having a little trouble keeping up right now.

Defensively we are slowly putting the pieces together. We have not gotten past the fundamental parts of teaching team defense just yet. When we do actually get a little farther along we will be able to see what kind of team or individual defensive capabilities that we might have, and we will go exploring from there. Either way, we are trying to invent some of it (our defense) right now, and not sometime in early ’05.

STEAL YOUR FACE OFF

Dear Santa:
I hope you are having a great season. I'll get to the point. Please bring me one accomplished face-off guy. We have several guys contributing to the cause right now, but we could use some more help. I can wait until January. Size does matter, so I would prefer a larger one if you have any. I would happily trade a competent goalie, or even two of them for the one decent Fogo..

I know it is early and Christmas is over three months to the future, but I wanted to get my request in early. I have almost been a pretty good boy this year, and I promise to leave you a sandwich and a glass of milk on the table near the tree…….

NINE ELEVEN

It is 9/11 today. I guess it is a date that will always make everyone pause and remember what happened on this date in 2001, because so many were closely touched by the Twin Towers imploding on television tragedy, knowing of or loving someone who is forever entombed within the rubble of the fallen Towers.

Everyone in America remembers exactly where he or she was that morning. I am no exception. It is a day to "pause and reflect", perhaps more than any other that has been a part of the 21st century. They should make it a holiday. It would surely be unanimous as a hallowed anniversary, whereas modern society can’t even all get along on days like Columbus Day anymore because the metaphor is no longer the important part of what we remember.

YOUR FIFTEEN MINUTES OF FAME ARE UP, or, Where have you gone Andy Warhol? Andy Warwho?

Political correctness, it seems to me, is all too often valued like a religion in modern society. They had to dig up the dirt on old Chris’ (Columbus) behavior, which may have not been exactly politically correct by modern standards, and I suspect that the days of him being King-for-a-day once every October 12 are numbered. He has had well over 500 years of fame, though, and that’s a pretty good run for a regular Joe like C.C.

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