Coach Flip Naumburg's Journal

Friday, August 25, 2006

TWO DOWN, FIVE THOUSAND TO GO

We have had two scrimmages already. I am sort of ‘just doing it’ as far as fields go. Field preservation has become my current hobby. I am working out my very own Environmental Protection Project for CREASES, a currently endangered species of land form. The solution to this problem which could lead to a global warming for us has to do with rotation of field place and space. That is all I can say about it all right now.

Some might say that having had two scrimmages with still a week left in August (early) gives us an unfair advantage. We have started playing a month before others at other universities are even going to class. My response is that I can only hope that the earlier beginning does indeed give us a leg up or at least a little tiny head start.

It is my opinion that the whole regulating thing 'they' do at certain, and actually most DIII schools, but perhaps even what they do at DI in terms of Fall ball limits, etc. seems so archaic, and almost silly. In logic as well as fairness and practicality the NCAA and other college out of season type rules and restrictions seem out of touch with the present; but whatever. Personally, I am becoming Mr. Fall Ball in my old age.

We get plenty of UNusable weather days later on. I make no apologies for anything we get going in August.

IT'S BEEN A HARD DAY'S NIGHT

There are parts about the way that I do things that make me wonder about me. I really do believe in the axiom "You never get a second chance to make a first impression", yet I invariable go into that annual first practice with no real pre-conceived coaching intentions. This would seem to be a somewhat oximoronic approach to day one, I know. Still, I guess I need to 'read and react', so we line up and play that first day so that I have a frame of reference.

Fall ball is no joke for me, make no mistake. I do want to witness more and do less Lording. It is laid back in certain ways, but if we aren’t improving our groove at all times I am a cranky Magellan.

I AM THE WALRUS, I AM THE EGGMAN, I AM THE JANITOR

Anyway, during the course of that yearly first day I somehow become progressively happier. This is in spite of, as well as along side my growing anguish. You see, my brain automatically begins to spin, and even though I have been recently and rudely awakened to how much we currently suck, I go into that whole ‘fix it’ mode. And, I don’t even know who’s going to be on the team yet, not really. That doesn’t matter because with one ugly practice session I already begin to know what to do next. Without the first mess in place I don’t know where to begin the clean up. I think it is something like that.

We have made plenty of U-turns around here by-the-way, however much I might portray all this as the eternal onward and upward experience and process.

HOT AND STEAMY, or HAPPINESS IS A WARM GUN, YES IT IS

We (family) just got back from Florida. We did the Gator circle tour, first to South Miami Beach (North end), then on to Grandma’s house (Central Coast), and finally up to Orlando and Mecca-Diz.

Orlando with its Disneyworld is proclaimed locally by multiple-signage that it has "The happiest Celebration on Earth" going on constantly. I believe this has evolved from the earlier global Disney moniker of "Happiest Place on Earth". Somehow that one has become politically unfit.

Personally speaking, and not to be a scrooge, but it is hardly the happiest place or celebration on my particular orbit, though it really is a ‘small world after all', and I'll give you that.

For me the whole DISNEY trip is a paranoid picture in my brain of sheer and ongoing economic terror.

HELTER SKELTER, or SKREWING, I MEAN SKEWING FACTS

It turns out that Orlando, Florida is also the "Angriest Place on Earth", or atleast in the USA, as it was placed #1 for a nationwide survey done on this based on data compiled (I heard this on a local Fla. morning radio show). What they used was crime rates, road rage incident numbers, and other such categories. Very interesting. I do not think they did any research for "The Happiest Celebration" thing. I think they can just think it up and then put it up as truth. Since they (Disney) own all the land for 100 miles around placement is not an issue.

The happiest celebration thing is really about how much Michael Eisner goes to the bank, isn’t it?

FIXING A HOLE WHERE THE RAIN GETS IN

My current assessment of myself these days is the following: If I remain calm and think, I am still capable of dealing with pretty much anything. If I do not stay calm and collected I pretty much can’t deal with anything, as in NOTHING. So, for me, I guess that makes my personal focus quite clear.

KOO, KOO, KACHEW

I want us, as a team, to each year reinvent our destination and to find new places to go together. I have some idears about future defense. There is plenty of time for that stuff to find its place, at least that is my present perspective.

ALL TOGETHER NOW, all-together-now?

Right now I am pretty much sold on many of our team basics and the way we have used and taught them for a while. We will not change the place where we start from. We will have a gang of crazies. The mission really does begin now. I hope we do better than Tom Cruise's last sequel did.

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Flip Started Blogging Before it was Cool, Read Over 400 of His Entries Since January 2001
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