Heading to the shore

Kodie had his 5th game of the season this afternoon in Elkton, Maryland which is near the Delaware border. We played the Jaguars. The Steelers played tough, but we came up a little short. The kids are giving a solid effort and it is evident that they are making some steady improvements. Kodie played the whole game on both sides of the ball. He mostly played tailback on offense and finished as the leading tackler on defense while playing defensive end. He played much better than last week, so it was nice to see him out there competing and having fun.
We are going to spend some time at the coast this weekend, since the kids don't have school on Monday. We are heading out to Rehoboth Beach which is located in Delaware. It is a nice beach with a boardwalk, so that should be fun for the kids. It is about a 2 hour drive from our place out to Rehoboth. There are several beaches to choose from in this area including Dewey Beach, Fenwick Island, and also Ocean City, Maryland. I am hoping that the water will be a little warmer than the Baltic Sea waters of southern Finland. Before I set off, thought I would post a few football pics.

A group of young Steelers in action ( one age group younger than my son Kodie's team)

Another young gridiron star

Kodie #88 playing some tailback

What time is it? Game time!

Kodie along with a few of his athletic supporters

Our home field scoreboard

Two of my former players at Trinity (Matt Fellers and Nathan Foster) after the Morris game

Two of the biggest Georgia Bulldog fans I know (Jimbo and Chris Hale)

Joel Sandoz-- Great guy and a talented safety

Lights out.

Monday night madness

Thought I would do a short post and offer some thoughts pertaining to the Monday night football game between the Miami Dolphins and the Indianapolis Colts. I don't focus entirely on football for most of my postings, but this was an incredible game that was very intriguing and entertaining to watch. Plus, I am a football coach and breaking down games is pure joy for me. Here are my observations:

1. The Wildcat offensive package is gaining in popularity and the NFL is a league of copycats, so we will continue to see more of this scheme as time goes on. NFL defenses don't know how to defend the option and this offense creates problems and mismatches for defenses trying to defend all the nuances of this particular scheme. The only thing that will slow its emergence is the fact that many head coaches and offensive coordinators are quick to label it as a "gimmick "or" fad" offense. Aside from this, most people in general subscribe to their own formula for success and are slow to adopt ideas that they don't fully understand or didn't have the knowledge to come up with themselves. Despite this fact, nobody wants to look stupid or out of touch with recognizable results. Therefore, more converts will come out of the closet and adopt the Wildcat as it produces more on the field results and gains more steam and appeal as a "legitimate" offensive package.

2. This just in--- The Manning brothers are really good. Both QB's directed 4th quarter comebacks for their respective teams this past weekend and they demonstrated how good they can be under pressure. Peyton is so intelligent and looks like he could run the no huddle offense in his sleep. He still has his reliable targets like Dallas Clark and Reggie Wayne, but there are also several new rookies and young players in the mix for the Colts. You can't let him have the ball last in a one possession game with time on the clock. If you do, you are going to lose most of the time.

3. This just in--- Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis are really good too. They may not get as many headlines as the guys scoring points, but these defensive ends are real difference makers too. Freeney gave the big tackle for the Dolphins major fits even as he drew double teams most of the night. Mathis got to Pennington late in the game and forced a fumble. Freeney is so explosive and has an amazing ability to get great leverage vs. pass blockers.

4. The Dolphins had a great game plan, but they still lost the game. They possessed the ball for basically 3 out of 4 quarters, converted most of their 3rd down attempts, controlled the line of scrimmage, but still came up short. In my opinion, they settled for field goal attempts on too many occasions and they couldn't stop the Colts passing attack when it mattered most. This game perfectly illustrates the fact that statistics don't always tell the whole story of a football game.

5. Dan Henning called a good game and mixed things up well, but what was he thinking during the last 3 minutes of the game. The Dolphins offensive coordinator called plays as if the Dolphins had 7 minutes left on the clock, 2 or 3 timeouts remaining and good field position. The reality was that the Dolphins had 3 minutes remaining in the game, 1 timeout left, and 83 yards to go for a touchdown. The Dolphins showed no sense of urgency but rather a complete lack of preparation down the stretch. This is understandable at certain levels of football, but certainly not the NFL. The Dolphins need to practice their 4 minute offense because their play calling and game management was atrocious.

Just a few more thoughts and then I will shut up.

--- Somebody should get Lane Kiffin a muzzle. The head coach of the Tennessee Volunteers is still directing negative comments towards Urban Meyer. Five years from now, Urban Meyer will probably have at least another 2 National Championships to his credit and Lane Kiffin probably won't even be coaching at Tennessee anymore. Monte Kiffin is a great coach, but I'm not sure why ol' Lane is speaking out so much. I probably will never reach the level of coaching that Lane Kiffin has, but I think he should produce more results on the field before he verbally attacks any other programs. Shame on Tennessee too for going after an unproven coach. Why not pursue a guy like Terry Bowden or Turner Gill?


---I predict that Bill Cowher and Mike Shanahan will be back in the league coaching again next year. Cowher is too competitive to stay away much longer and his stock will start to drop if he stays on the sidelines too long. Shanahan is an innovative offensive mind and I wouldn't be surprised if Redskins owner Daniel Snyder comes a calling at seasons end. The Redskins offense is very unimaginative, listless, and I believe they are looking at 7-9 this season.

---Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints may be the dark horse of the NFC this season. They have a high octane offense led by one of the top 5 or 6 QB's in the league.

---Best 0-2 team in the league is the Titans
---Worst 2-0 team in the league is the Broncos
---It looks as if the Lions and Rams will be battling again next year to see who has the number 1 pick in the draft
---The Vikings will win their division this year, but falter in the playoffs.
---Jacksonville's window has closed and I believe Del Rio will be out as coach of the Jags.
---My upset special of the upcoming week: The Jets will have a letdown after upsetting the Patriots and they will lose at home to a desperate Tennessee Titans squad.

Lights out.

Where has sportsmanship gone?-- Some images from Poland

The last few days have been fairly uneventful. I am gradually settling back into the pace of life here in Maryland. The pace is certainly faster here than it was in both North Dakota and Finland. Traffic is more intense here and people drive a lot more aggressively. In fact, I forgot just how competitive and aggressive people from the "big city" can be. I have been at two of my son's football practices and one game and it has been a real education for me. I have heard some parents telling their 6 and 7 year old kids to push their opponents faces in the dirt and step on them. I witnessed one guy openly slapping his kid in the face for making a "bad play" Apparently, some coaches in the league have been in some trouble in the past for scouting and filming their opponents. Can you imagine filming and scouting kids this young just so you can get an edge? I have to admit I have been literally speechless a few times based on what I have observed. I was a bit worried that last weekends game could get out of hand. Our team played against a squad that ended up beating a team by forfeit the previous week. Apparently, the team that decided to forfeit did so because the parents of the opposing team were out of control and things were escalating. Fortunately, the game went off without any major problems, but the recipe for mayhem was certainly in the air. As a parent, this does give me some cause for concern. However, I realize that it is my responsibility to explain to my son that there is a right and a wrong way to compete in sports. Kodie made a tackle early in the game and as he was getting up, a kid wrapped his arm around Kodie's neck and gave it a little twist. Kodie just ignored the incident and jogged back to the huddle. I must say that I was proud of Kodie for not retaliating and just playing the game. In effect, my son showed more restraint than most professional athletes show on the nightly ESPN highlights. I may be a bit old school, but I firmly believe that any player who participates in violence or cheap shots is simply disgracing the very sport that he or she competes in. Simply put, I am not a proponent of the mentality of the current "age", which subscribes to the ideas of "showboating" and uttering senseless phrases like " I got your back." I hear this kind of talk all the time in sports these days and I think it is a bunch of Bull****. Unfortunatley, young kids see this kind of behavior and begin to emulate and model exactly what they observe. It is up to us to teach them that it takes more strength and courage to go against the current. Winning is certainly important, but it has to spring forth from a well of integrity. This may rub some people the wrong way, but I would rather lose with my integrity intact than trade it off for winning without class. I wonder if Bill Bellichick feels this way. I respect his knowledge as a coach and his ability to outwit his opponents. However, I lost respect for him as a coach when it came out that he was allowing someone from his organization to videotape the defensive signals of his opponents. That tarnishes what the Patriots accomplished over the last several years and I wonder why such a good coach would engage in this kind of activity. It is cheating and there is no way to justify it as ethical or appropriate behavior. I wonder if he would encourage these types of tactics if he was speaking to a room full of youth coaches. Okay, I feel better now that I got some of these things off my chest. Here are some pics from my time in Poland a few weeks ago.

The Tatras mountain range in Zakopane, Poland near the border of Slovakia

It looks like bread, but it is actually smoked cheese.

More Polish cheese-- this time resembling spaghetti

These cheese stands were popular along the streets of Krakow and Zakopane

I devoured this at a little ice cream shop next to the hostel where I was staying

One of my favorite Polish meals (pierogi ruski) pasta like shell filled with potato and cheddar cheese

pierogies on the big cookers at one of the Krakow markets

potato pancakes topped with a goulash and cheese

Never know who you might run into in Krakow

Some halupki-- which is cooked cabbage stuffed with ground beef and topped with a gravy and a side of mashed potatoes

A dish of Bigos-- sauerkraut with a mixture of meats including sausage and beef in a spicy broth-- very similar to a Stew

View of main square in Krakow taken from where I was staying

Another shot of the central market area in city center

Sun setting as I look back towards the harbor in Helsinki en route to Gdansk, Poland

View looking towards the stern of the cargo ship on my voyage from Finland to Poland

Down Memory Lane

It has been a busy few days since I arrived back in Maryland. We are working on getting things moved and organized here at our new home in Havre De Grace. All of the mundane, yet necessary tasks have to be completed like changing over all our insurance, getting new drivers licenses, changing vehicle registrations, etc... I should be an expert at all of these kinds of things by now, but I definitely don't look forward to spending my free time at the Dept. of Motor Vehicles!
It was an exciting week of football as the NFL kicked off its season and the college teams are now in full swing. I attended my son Kodie's first game on Saturday morning and that was a good time. He is really enjoying it so far. Now that I have relocated back to the east coast, I am within 4 hours driving distance of about 6-7 NFL teams and probably some 100 + college teams, not to mention all the high school programs in the area. I am planning on catching quite a few games this season. I am going to try and take Kodie and Kamryn to the Army/Navy game this year as well. I have always had admiration and respect for the way these programs approach the game and I wish more teams would take a similar approach to the way our service academies do things. They play with such passion, self discipline, and probably most importantly, a respect for their opponent and the game itself. It is so key to honor the game with the way that you play and compete and the service academies demonstrate what little is left of sportsmanship today. I plan on doing a post specifically related to this topic sometime later this week.
As for todays pictures, I came across some old photos and decided to take a short stroll down memory lane. I included a few photos of the family and some of the athletes that I had a chance to get to know and coach at Trinity. Finally, there are a few pics of our family cat "Pumpkin." Pumpkin is a cat who thinks he is a person and I would say that his personality and habits could best be described as very "Garfield like."

Family photo before Kaylin was born at Conwy Castle in Wales

Family and friends gather on the cobblestone streets of Chester, England

(The Bishop and Slivoskey Family and a friend holding Kamryn are pictured)

Kodie in Phoenix, Arizona (Christmas 2005)


Kamryn and Kodie playing in a meadow in the Bavarian Alps (Farchant, Germany spring 2006)

At Dome Day 2005-- Minneapolis, Minnesota

Kamryn and I swimming in the crystal clear glacier fed Lake Eibsee in southern Germany ( I actually had the chance to swim the whole way across this lake, but not sure I could repeat that feat.)

Former TBC QB- Dusty Hess (The best Hoosier I know and a real good friend too.)

Mikey Moss in the long hair days-- Mikey is a fellow world traveler who I share many interests with and a close friend too. Go Razorbacks!

Not sure what got into me here. ( Kind of look like Spongebob)

Brandon Strong- Close friend of mine who loyally stood with me during all the tough times at TBC-- I don't hold it against him that baseball is his favorite sport.

Scott Rasmussen- A real warrior and a great football player with amazing versatility

Scott probably played every position for us except corner during his career at TBC.

I miss our late talks in the office till 2am and the bacon chicken ranch pizzas that Scott created.

Kodie in Innsbruck, Austria-- summer of 2006

Pumpkin is a diehard Steelers fan like me.

Here he is again in his favorite sitting position. --He will sometimes sit like this for an hour or so without moving.

This is him in the skinny days. He is a bit more round now.

Lights out.

Half Way Round The World

Kodie getting some work at center

Just before team warm-ups

Are you ready for some football?

Are you ready for some moving?

I titled this post as such because I just realized that I have traveled more than 12000 miles over the past two weeks. That equates to nearly 1000 miles per day of travel over the last 14 days, so I am a bit travel weary to say the least. It is nice to be home in Maryland and sleeping in my own bed once again. Estalita and I unloaded the Uhaul this morning, so the garage is full of "stuff" again. I had the chance to attend Kodie's first football practice this evening. He played mostly at center during the offensive practice and had some nice tackles during their defensive drill work. Practice finished up around 7:30 pm as darkness set in. We picked up some pizzas from Little Caesars and then set off for home to watch the Steelers game. Pittsburgh looked out of sync in the first half, and Troy Polamalu is out with an injured knee. Hopefully, they will put it together enough in the 2nd half to beat the Titans. The Titans are a scrappy and talented football team who have one of the best coaches in the league. I am sure they will be in the playoff mix once again this year.

Lights out.

Back In the U.S.

I am back in the states now after a long few days of travel. I got back into North Dakota on Wednesday evening and my first stop was indeed the Texas Roadhouse restaurant in Fargo, North Dakota. I had a superb steak dinner and some sweet tea to go along with the meal. I have been busy over the past couple of days loading up the Uhaul from our storage unit in Ellendale and working to get my classes sorted out at the college. I will be a part-time adjunct instructor for Trinity this fall, so this will allow me to teach a few classes in the Physical Education Dept. and stay connected to the teaching profession. My time here in North Dakota has also given me an opportunity to catch up with some friends, former players, and colleagues that I use to work with here at the college. Trinity football takes on UM Morris today, so it will be a special treat to watch the Lions play some ball. I have many fond memories of my 6 years here at TBC, but I am excited to get home to start our new lives in Maryland.
My son Kodie takes the field again today for his 2nd game of the year. Kodie started at running back and middle linebacker during his first game and he has been moving around to a few different positions. He has even played some center. He seems to be enjoying his first season of football. I can't wait to watch him play next weekend. I miss my girls too and it will be nice to see them and spend some time together.
My long drive home starts tomorrow, but I will try and check in a few times during the journey.
Lights out.

Almost Homeward Bound

I figured I would post more about my adventures in Poland when I return home and then I will post the pictures from the journey as well. I have been back in Finland for about 24 hours now, and my focus has been cleaning, laundry, finishing my packing and saying goodbye to all the players and management. It is sort of bittersweet to leave. I miss home and my family tremendously right now, but I know I am going to miss the people I have met and the lifestyle we lived here in Finland. It really has been a life changing summer. The season ended with such disappointment, but I have let go of it for the most part. I am now looking towards the things that await me at home as well as the real possibility of coming back here again next season. I won't make any decisions quickly, but I would like to finish what we started here. It has been fun doing the blog and I plan on continuing it once I get back to the states. Thanks to all of you who listen to my ramblings and share in my experiences with me. I will be getting on the train to head back to Helsinki in a few hours and the long trip home will begin. It is amazing some of the familiar things you crave when you go so far away from home. I was listening to our English players talk last night about eating a proper Sunday dinner back in Britain, which is generally roast beef, potatoes, Yorkshire pudding, carrots, and something green. I have decided that my first stop will be to head to Texas Roadhouse for a sirloin steak, sweet potatoes with butter and brown sugar, some of their warm rolls with honey butter and (last but not least), about a gallon of sweet tea to drink. Well, maybe not quite that much! Next time I check in should be from the good ol U.S.A.

Lights out.