You Play To Win The Game

If you are a football fan, you might recall the very words that serve as the title for this posting. This phrase was popularized by ex Kansas City Chiefs and New York Jets head coach Herm Edwards a number of years ago. The phrase is often replayed on sports shows and even used as fodder in commercials. The phrase stands out there like Allen Iverson's famous "Practice... Practice... we're talking about Practice"... or even better Coach Jim Mora's best known sound byte from the distant past "Playoffs!.... Playoffs!"... In any case, these infamous words uttered by Coach Edwards are my battle cry as we enter the stretch run of the NFL regular season. You see, I am not a big fan of coaches who decide to rest players in preparation for the post season. I have seen several teams, most notably, the Indianapolis Colts and Philadelphia Eagles practice this approach in recent years. For the record, these teams have a combined 1 Super Bowl victory in the Peyton Manning/Donovan McNabb era. In my opinion, this approach is the first cousin of the prevent defense, and we all know what the prevent defense is famous for. In case you don't, the saying goes that the prevent defense is great at PREVENTING a team from winning! Before I go any further, let me explain the reasons for my opinion. First of all, great offenses run like high performance cars. They are more effective out on the track than sitting in the garage. Next reason, great players love to compete. It is often said that November is for pretenders and December is for contenders. Players love to compete and they should be allowed to go out and earn the big money they are being payed to play the game. Reason # 3, losing a game puts a bad taste in your mouth, no matter what the situation. Positive feelings, emotions, and energy is associated with winning and for good reason. When you lose, the feelings turn into self-doubt, less confidence, and all the other negative baggage that comes with getting a big L in the loss column. The feelings associated with losing are contagious and once the trend starts, it can be hard to break the cycle. Finally, the idea of worrying that your best players will get hurt is way overblown and short-sighted. Players get hurt. It is part of the game. By playing guys for only a series or two or even a half, coaches are sending the wrong message. In my opinion, this very practice puts more focus on injuries and tends to have the effect of "putting the brakes on" your best players. Players who approach the game with worries about getting hurt often get hurt. In fact, I believe taking a handful of talented starters off a starting unit actually increases the chances of other starters having a greater exposure to injury. There are no guarantees when it comes to injuries anyway. I have seen players hurt themselves during pre-game warm-ups, jogging across a parking lot, or slipping in the shower. I have a great respect for coaches like Tony Dungy and Jim Caldwell, but I believe their ultra conservative approach has hurt their football teams in the past. I liken it to running a marathon and having a great lead through the first 23 miles. Then all of a sudden, you decide to walk the next two miles so you don't get hurt. Then, towards the end you try and sprint the last 1.2 miles and hope nobody catches you in the process. I don't think this is a very sound strategy. My personal opinion is that the Colts are going all the way this year whether they sit Peyton and his mates or not. The decision to just let them play would surely take a lot of pressure off this team. Many people are talking about this idea of a perfect season. Is it or is it not important? That is not the focus for me. Playing your very best players, and preparing them to play their best and give maximum effort are the key factors for me. Perhaps Coach Edwards said it best and I couldn't agree more, "You play to WIN the game."

Lights out.

One more till 40 !

My postings have been rather limited over the past few weeks. The buzz and activity of the holiday season has left me a bit sidetracked. I meant to post on my experience of attending my first Army/Navy football game last week, but the family cat got sick and "life happened." We dished out nearly $2700 to get our feline friend back to health. He isn't out of the woods yet, but is making steady progress after last weeks surgery. The other big event of the week was the big storm to hit the east coast. Our location put us in the eye of the storm, so we received about 20 inches of snow in a 24 hour period. That was child's play in our former home of North Dakota. Storms of this magnitude were just a normal part of life in the plains, but they tend to shut things down here. To put things in perspective, in North Dakota our kids had to stay outside for school recess unless the temps. hit somewhere around 20 below zero. There were probably more than 40 days per winter in ND with temps. falling between 0 and -40. Here in Maryland, they have been off school for the last two days because of some snow on Saturday. Either way, I am happy to see the white stuff and look forward to the real possibility of a white Christmas.

The other big event for me was celebrating my 39th birthday yesterday. I am closing in on the big 40! I'm not sure where the time has gone since I graduated from high school back in 1989. The last ten years have really flown by. In fact, I feel like the last decade has been a blur for me. I have been a parent for ten years as well now, so I am convinced some sort of correlation is going on here.

I will close out today with a few comments/predictions about the college bowl season and NFL playoff picture.

First of all, let me say that I am still in favor of some type of college football playoff to determine a true champion. There is too much controversy and ambiguity with the current BCS system and too many teams are left out in the cold after playing perfect football during the regular season. I would be in favor of shortening the college schedule by a few games and then letting the top 12 teams settle all the arguments with a playoff. In my playoff, the top four teams would get a first round bye and teams ranked 5-12 would all play in the first round.

The NFL playoff picture is still very muddled, especially in the AFC. This should set the stage for some high drama in the final two weeks as a plethora of 7-7 teams in the AFC are still alive in the playoff hunt. That is in stark contrast to last season when the 11-5 New England Patriots failed to win enough games to make the playoffs. Either way, it looks to be a fantastic finish. Here is my prediction on the final two wild card spots in each conference. I believe the Dallas Cowboys and Green Bay Packers will snag the two wild card spots in the NFC and the New York Giants will miss out on the postseason. In the AFC, I believe the Denver Broncos will choke. In an earlier post way back in October, I said the Broncos were the most over hyped of the undefeated teams at that time. I also predicted they would falter and not make the playoffs. I am sticking to my guns on this one. I believe the two wild cards in the AFC will be the Baltimore Ravens and the Miami Dolphins. It would be too easy and probably too logical to assume the two best teams from the regular season will reach the big game. However, I posted early on this season that the Colts were my pick to win it all. I will stick with that prediction as well. Here is where I will deviate a bit. I'm predicting the Saints will stumble, probably in the NFC championship game, to a more experienced team. I think that team will be the Philadelphia Eagles. Anybody who follows this blog knows I am a lifelong Steelers fan, but that other team in Pennsylvania is quietly playing some great football and gaining momentum at the right time. So there it is. My Super Bowl prediction is now official. The Indianapolis Colts will defeat the Philadelphia Eagles 34-26 in the Super Bowl as Peyton Manning caps off another record setting year. The only thing I see changing this outcome is the creativity and brilliance of Bill Belichick. He may still have some time to implement his well documented "video strategies" and gain an upper hand on his competition.

Lights out.

A Great Time in Las Vegas

Estalita and I returned from our trip to Las Vegas earlier this week. Our 4 days in the city seemed to fly by as we stayed busy from the time our feet hit the ground until we departed on our red eye flight Sunday evening. The trip was a nice chance for the two of us to get away on our own. We also enjoyed our time with my aunt and uncle from California as well as the opportunity to reconnect with our friends Brandon and Samantha.

The one thing that always strikes me when I visit this city is the WOW factor. This WOW factor struck again on this visit. I was mesmerized by the amount of changes that have taken place on the strip just since my last visit two years ago. An enormous amount of building has taken place, including the massive City Center project, which is reportedly somewhere up in the 10 billion dollar range. This is amazing considering the present state of the economy and the fact that Vegas is usually mentioned as the epicenter of the bursting U.S. housing bubble. Some stats indicate that home values in Vegas have lost 55% in valuations over the past 3-4 years. Ouch!
We did visit some of the newer casinos such as the Wynn and Palazzo, and they certainly don't disappoint. The amount of hotel rooms and extravagant restaurants, shops, and boutiques always seem to be on the rise in Vegas and I honestly don't understand how they all survive. One clue to their survival might be the rising costs for doing anything in this city. It used to be that you could get a good dinner buffet on the strip for 10-12 dollars. Now, that cost is in the 25-40 dollar range, and there are no more 99 cent shrimp cocktails or 2.99 steak and egg breakfasts. Even the tram, which used to be free, is now 5 dollars for a single ride ticket and 30 dollars to obtain a 3 day pass. Hotel rates and show prices have especially skyrocketed. It seems that Vegas has followed the lead of most pro sports teams and aimed their marketing at big business and corporate dollars. I guess that approach is fine when people are making money hand over fist as was the case in the 90's, but I question that marketing strategy when times are tight. The other WOW factor for me continues to be the shows and the amazing amount of talent that exists in this city. Estalita and I found some half-price tickets for Phantom of the Opera, so we went to the show on Thursday night. The show was absolutely fabulous. It didn't hurt that we had 4th row seats either. The stage sets, costumes, orchestra, and singers were all first rate. We both left the show just shaking our heads and all we could say was WOW!

Other highlights of the trip for us was the Brooks and Dunn concert on Saturday night. The concert lacked the same energy as the same one we saw two years ago. Both performers seemed a little off their game, but they still provided some great entertainment. My other personal favorites of the trip were the fountains at the Bellagio and the Paris buffet. These are mainstays for me on any trip to Vegas and as usual, neither experience was a disappointment.
Here are some pics from the trip.

Ronnie Dunn belting out some tunes

Time for some fiddle

Record setting country duo Brooks and Dunn

The curtain has finally fallen on this country act of nearly 20 years

Uncle David and Aunt Meg made the trip from Fresno

Reuniting with Brandon and Samantha was a lot of fun

The whole crew at the Venetian

More Christmas decorations

The beautiful St. Mark's square in the Venetian

Brandon and I discuss buffet strategy for the day

The gondola rides are something to see in the Venetian

The amazing fountains of Bellagio

At night, the Excalibur offers that magical feel

The Lion enclosure at the MGM Grand

Here kitty, kitty

Very unique cake at a chocolate shop in the Bellagio

These treats remind me of the cafes/dessert shops in Europe

An incredible chocolate fountain we stumbled upon in the Bellagio

Vegas shines at night

Night view from our hotel room at Bally's

Another great view looking out towards the Strip from our hotel room at Bally's

Lights out.

Army/Navy Football

Just got back in from Vegas yesterday and we had a great time. I will post some info. and pictures from the trip sometime tomorrow. We headed out to Philadelphia this morning to take my in-laws to the airport and then stopped at Christiana mall in Delaware to do some Christmas shopping. The nice thing about shopping in Delaware is the lack of a sales tax, so that definitely makes a difference.

The exciting news I have to report is that I have accepted a position to be the offensive coordinator at a local high school here in Maryland. I am supposed to sign a contract sometime this week and begin implementing the playbook over the Christmas break. I was really surprised to get the opportunity due to the fact that we are going back overseas next summer to coach again. I informed the head coach that I won't be available until early September, but he agreed to work around my schedule. I am really excited about getting the chance to be involved with a local high school program.

Speaking of football, Kodie and I are driving out to Lincoln Financial Field this upcoming weekend to attend the Army/Navy football game in Philadelphia. I have always wanted to experience one of the service academy games in person. I nearly went to Army to play football and my best friend from elementary school ended up having a very successful career at Navy in the early 1990's. Both of these institutions play the game the way it should be played. They have great discipline, exhibit superb sportsmanship, display integrity and honor for the game with their actions on the field, and always seem to play hard to the last whistle; no matter what the score or outcome of the game may be. I wish they would show more Army/Navy highlights on ESPN and the other large networks, so the younger generations could see the examples that these young men set. Kodie is probably too young to understand the full significance of what this game really means, but I think he can still learn something about how to compete from this sort of experience. Watch for my summary and pictures from the big game next week on the blog.

Lights out.

Rain, Rain, Go Away

The rains came again today and we endured another intense bout of heavy showers. It seems to rain about 4-5 days a week here, so that has been an adjustment for us since moving here from the west. I must admit that I would gladly trade all this rain and gloom for some fresh snow. This probably sounds crazy to most people, but I am fine with snow as long as there is some sun to go with it. Of all the places we've lived, I still say Park City, Utah had the best weather. There are more than 300 days of sunshine a year. The summers are warm and dry with little humidity. The evenings are cool due to the high elevation, so summer evenings are very comfortable too.

We should encounter some clear skies tomorrow as we are off to Vegas. Estalita and I will be flying out of Philly early in the morning with a direct flight. We are meeting up with some friends and my aunt and uncle from California. We plan on catching a few shows including a concert by the country music duo Brooks and Dunn. I saw them in concert in Vegas about two years ago and it was one of the best shows ever. The show is held in a very small venue with less than a thousand seats, so there isn't a bad show in the house. This will also be our first time away from the kids for such a long time (4 days). We are a little apprehensive about this, but we know they are in good hands with my in-laws.

As far as trips to Vegas are concerned, I have lost count of how many times I have been there. Between weekend visits when we lived in Utah, stopovers on the way to Phoenix to visit Essy's parents, and driving up several times a year for supplies when we had the Aqua massage business-- I would put the count around 30-35 times. Yikes! that's a lot. You never know who you are going to run into when in Vegas. In previous trips, we have run into Donald Trump, Mike Tyson, and the rock'n'roll band KISS. Rumor has it that Tiger Woods met his latest girlfriend there. Sometimes what happens in Vegas doesn't always stay in Vegas!

Lights out.

Thanksgiving Highlights

Peace to all from Kamryn the ice skater

Family photo in front of the Reston Town Center Christmas Tree

The Big Tree Lighting Ceremony

Time for some skating

Kaylin getting the hang of it

Another graceful Steelers Fan

Kodie letting it fly

Deep contemplative thought

My brother-in-law Nick and I surveying the scene at the Punt, Pass, and Kick competition

Pumpkin the Cat and Jake the Dog watching traffic

Ricky and I in the nation's capital

Another misty day on the east coast

Heading out for a Sunday walk

Coming out of retirement for the Punt, Pass, and Kick Competition-- Somehow we won the corporate competition and took home the trophy for Rite-Aid Corp.

We had a nice holiday weekend hosting one of my former players from Trinity, attending Thanksgiving dinner at my in-laws, and visiting our friends Darryl and Alex in Virginia. Ricky Robinson arrived for his visit on Monday evening. I picked him up at Reagan Int'l Airport in Washington D.C. and we then spent the night with our friends in Reston, Virginia. Ricky played football for me for 3 straight seasons and during that time we developed a very special bond. I have always rooted for the underdog in life and Ricky certainly fits that description. Those who know Ricky are familiar with the various struggles he endured while growing up in the inner cities of Detroit and Chicago. We are very proud of all that he has accomplished, and the caring person that he has become.
Ricky enjoyed our time in Washington last year during our Trinity football trip, so I decided to take him into the city on Tuesday to spend some time at the Smithsonian. We ended up spending about 2 hours at the Museuem of Natural History. The highlight was getting to see the original Stars and Stripes flag that Francis Scott Key viewed at Fort McHenry during the War of 1812. This flag would serve as the inspiration for Key to write the "Star Spangled Banner."
After returning to Havre de Grace, we visited some of the local sites around our place including the Chesapeake Bay and boardwalk area. On Thanksgiving Day, we watched the annual Detroit Lions loss and then sat down for a wonderful dinner with Estalita's family. Ricky then left early Friday morning for the long bus ride back to North Dakota.
On Friday, we drove back down to the Washington D.C. area and spent the day with Darryl and Alex. Darryl and I have been friends for more than 25 years, although we have rarely lived in the same state or country during much of that time. I have known Darryl's wife Alex for about 20 years and they are very special friends to us. They are probably the most giving and kind hearted people I know. While visiting them, we walked over to the Reston Town Center and browsed around the quaint shops. We took the kids ice skating and watched the lighting of the Town Christsmas Tree. Santa and Mrs. Claus made an appearance on a horse drawn carriage as Christmas carols and excitement filled the air. Our first holiday back in Maryland proved to be a very special time for the whole family.

Lights out.

Monday Night Sleeper

Monday nights game between the Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Ravens certainly didn't turn out to be one for the ages. The play of both teams was lackluster in the 1st half, as evidenced by the 0-0 score at intermission. Baltimore appeared to be sleepwalking through this game early on and somebody forgot to tell the Browns offense that this was an actual game and not a scrimmage. Cleveland did show some intensity on the defensive side of the ball, but their fans probably showed the greatest passion of all on this rainy Monday night in the Rock'N'Roll city. Browns fans booed repeatedly throughout the contest, and after watching this team perform, I can feel their pain. The Browns look like a ship that is lost in the night and without a rudder. They are spending millions of dollars compensating staff and coaches who don't even work there anymore and their recent fiasco with the ousting of their GM clearly illustrates why this team is going nowhere soon. This just goes to show you that money can't buy everything. Even their future hopeful franchise QB looks like a deer in the headlights. On the final drive last night, two of his 'Hail Mary' passes were thrown at least 15-20 yards out of bounds where the receiver has no chance of doing anything. To add insult to injury, the Brownies decided to try a gadget play at the very end and their star player Joshua Cribbs was hurt while trying to make something happen. All in all, this game was a debacle for this once proud organization. Would somebody please call Cowher, Holmgren, or Shanahan, and see what they are doing next year before this team sinks any lower! Okay, now that I got that off my chest, here are some pics from our trip to Pennsylvania this past weekend.

Shot of St. Vincent College in my hometown of Latrobe, PA (Latrobe is the site for the Pittsburgh Steelers summer training camp)

Celebrating John David's birthday

Here is Jake just chillin out

Everybody under the parachute

Kodie waving that Terrible Towel

A quick stop at our favorite Steelers souvenir store in Breezewood, PA

Bobblehead Wall of Fame

"Home Sweet Home"

This store has just about everything under the sun for a "Steelers Nation" fan

Lights out.

Not the year of any given Sunday

We are halfway through the NFL season now and it has been an interesting season to say the least. There is the normal pattern of a handful of teams who are underachieving such as the Arizona Cardinals, Tennessee Titans, Washington Redskins, and San Diego Chargers. Some teams who are playing better than many thought possible are the New Orleans Saints, Cincinnati Bengals, and Denver Broncos. The one difference I have observed in the league this year is the lack of competitiveness by a rather large number of teams. Bottom line, there are a lot of bottom feeders in the NFL this season. I don't remember watching so many teams struggle to even score one touchdown during a game. Just two weeks ago, I can recall 4 teams who lost by combined scores of 148-16. I should also mention that these 4 teams (Browns, Chiefs, Raiders, and Rams) were all playing at home! It used to be that even the weaker sisters in the league still found a way to step it up and be competitive on their home field. Some of these front offices need to start thinking about giving back to the fans. I mean this quite literally. Here is my suggestion: Fans attending an NFL contest should receive a 25% refund on the price of their ticket if their home team fails to score a touchdown in the game. And, if your team is shutout at home, then you are entitled to a 50% refund. Does anybody out there think this is unreasonable? Clearly, the cost of attending a sporting event has spiraled out of control in recent years and fans are entitled to some return compensation when the product on the field is substandard. I am still struggling to get a grasp on things like the NY Yankees payroll, NFL rookie signing bonuses, and 125 million dollar NBA contracts. Maybe the quality of the games will pick up before the season draws to an end. If not, fans can only hope for better results next season.
Lights out.

Halloween Hodgepodge

This is the best title for a posting that I could think of for today. Well, it is Halloween and I am posting a variety of pictures taken over the last few weeks. My son Kodie wrapped up his football season today with a 14-0 victory. Kodie scored one of the touchdowns on about a 10 yard bubble screen pass. The weather for this mornings game was a bit miserable with cool temps. and a steady drizzle of rain. This marks four Saturdays in a row now where conditions have been rather dreary here in northeast Maryland. We have now traded in our windbreakers and snow shovels from North Dakota for some umbrellas to deal with our new surroundings. I am most likely in a minority when I say this, but I really do prefer snow over rain. I have lived in places in this country where we received more than 500 inches of snow in a year. It took some getting used to, but I still prefer that as long as there is a lot of sunshine to go along with it.
We are home this weekend after traveling the last two. We were in Pennsylvania two weekends ago to visit some family and then spent last weekend at my uncle's place in northern Virginia. I hope to get to some college football games over the last month of the season including the Army Navy game in about a month or so. I am also planning on doing some scouting to look for some guys who have the potential to play in Finland for us next summer. Hope you enjoy the pics and check out the link if you want a good laugh.


http://sendables.jibjab.com/view/B6SlQnryuxr1X3dC

Some people in life just get it! Okay, maybe I am a little biased in thinking that this is a great shirt. This guy was at Kodie's game this morning and his jersey represents the Old Steel Curtain Defensive Line of the Pittsburgh Steelers. #75 Mean Joe Greene, # 78 Dwight White, # 68 L.C. Greenwood, and #63 Ernie Holmes

This guy was definitely enthusiastic to say the least.

I thought my buddy Dusty Hess was an Eagles fan, but I am starting to wonder.

Thought this was a great costume.

The Slivoskey's are ready

Uncle Nick at his candy post

Our crazy cat Pumpkin sitting in his favorite chair--" Could somebody please pass me the remote?"

Cobblestoned streets of Old Town in Alexandria, Virginia

Uncle Richard's place in Virginia-- It is a very charming home.

The Slivoskey Trio

Kamryn and Kodie's jack'o lanterns

Uncle Richard is the master carver

The fall colors are brilliant near the clubhouse in our housing development

View at the entrance of our housing development

Lights out.