A Contagious Spirit

As I mentioned in my last posting, extreme poverty and challenging living conditions are largely a way of life for hundreds of thousands of people here in Mumbai, India. However, the people of this country are so resilient and pleasant, despite the squalor that many of them live in. I cannot get over how happy and outgoing the average person is here. I have not heard one person complain or utter a negative word. These attributes are also evident in the young men we are coaching in the new EFLI league. Many of these athletes travel 150 kilometers each way every day to attend our two day practices. Some of them leave their homes at 4 am to travel to practice. They then spend the day working with the team and our coaching staff. They leave for home after our late practice ends at 6:30, only to arrive home at 11pm, and then get up and do it all over again. These young men have great passion, exceptional attitudes, and they sincerely appreciate everything you do for them. I am impressed with their work ethic, their unbelievable ability to focus, and the intense effort that accompanies everything they seem to do. So far, I have enjoyed the people of this country more than anything else.

Hope you enjoy the pics. Just click on a picture if you want to see a larger version of it.

The view inside an Indian Rickshaw

Family dinner on the go in a rickshaw

Me and a group of students from Holy Family School

Everybody was into "highfiving" today

We pass this street corner everyday while walking to practice

QB coach Stan Bedwell hanging out with the students

Stan and the rest of us coaches had a great time with the kids today

Our regular walk into oncoming traffic--- There really are no sidewalks to speak of, so vehicles commonly pass you within inches as you make your way along the roadways

Good friends are priceless

The group of linebackers I have been coaching over the past few days

The head coach of the Mumbai Gladiators is in the center of this picture

Coming together at the end of practice

This picture best sums up our day in Mumbai--- There were plenty of smiles to go around


Lights out.

Off to India

It has been quite a while since I last posted on this blog. In fact, it has been nearly a year, so I figured it was time to jump back in. Over the next five weeks or so, I will be writing about my experiences here in India with the Elite Football League of India. I have been brought over here to help develop and train both Indian players and coaches in this new venture of professional American football. The EFLI is organized and supported by a group of international investors, the Indian government, and some notable American footballers like Ron Jaworski, Mike Ditka, Michael Irvin, and Green Bay Packers linebacker Brandon Chillar. There are currently 5 teams being set up in places like Pune, Mumbai, Calcutta, Bangalore, and Chennai.

I am currently staying in Mumbai, the largest city in India. You may recognize this city in the news now because Oprah Winfrey is here doing some work and filming some documentaries in this area. Mumbai is also the city where the movie Slumdog Millionaire was filmed. The setting for much of this film is Dharavi, one of the city's largest slums, with over a million people living in an area equal to the size of about 535 acres. Mumbai is massive, with about 20 million residents. It is a vibrant place with some tough issues to face, like rampant pollution, overcrowding, extreme poverty, and a series of terrorist attacks in recent years, including the large scale attacks in 2008 that left hundreds dead.

It is a challenge teaching football in a country where the main sport is cricket, and the average person has had little or no exposure to America's most beloved sport. The market for American football could be huge, but it will take a lot of work to influence even a fraction of the 1.2 billion people that live in this country. I decided that I wanted to be a part of this challenge, so that is why I am here. This experience combines two things that I love doing, traveling/experiencing other cultures, and coaching the game of football. I feel blessed to be here and given such a wonderful opportunity. My family, including Estalita and the kids have been very supportive of me coming over here as well. Separation from family and friends is never easy, and I'm not always sure that it is even worth it. However, the struggle inherent in doing something like this ultimately always seems to bring our family closer together. Another big motivator for me to come to India is for me to be moved out of my comfort zone. Visiting a place like this can't help but give one a new perspective on life. I need to be reminded daily that I am blessed beyond all measure, and that I need to find new ways to give back to those who are struggling to survive.

Here are some pics from my first few days in India.

Mumbai Gladiators begin their stretching routine

Mumbai Practice Field-- a.k.a. "The Dust Bowl"

American & Indian Coaches in our group

The practice facility is very spartan, but we have plenty of footballs!

Gathering the group together after a hot practice

I met "Sarej" on my first day in Mumbai

This family was pleased to sell me some small handcrafted items

This little girl was so excited to have her photo taken



The Three Musketeers

One of the thousands of stray dogs that roam the streets of Mumbai

Domino's Pizza delivery vehicles

The "Taj" Hotel-- Site of a violent 2008 terrorist attack in the city

Monument at the Gateway to India

Mother and her little girl searching for something to eat

Boats on the Arabian Sea

Lots of Laundry for 1.2 billion people

Common dwellings in the city

More city homes

Mumbai is located on the Arabian Sea

Common storefronts in the city... Notice the cow in front of the one business


Lights out.

Great Sports Names

Last week while checking one of my favorite football websites, I came across this bit of information mentioning that one of the coaches for the Indianapolis Colts had been promoted to a new position on the coaching staff. Once I read the name of the coach, I thought that I must do a blog posting on the best names in sports. By the way, the name of this particular coach is Jim Bob Cooter. I am thinking that maybe his parents were inspired one day while watching Boss Hog, Cleetus, Uncle Jessie, and the Dukes of Hazzard, and hence the name Jim Bob Cooter. In any case, here are some other classic names that come to mind in the wide world of sports.

For those of you who watched World Championship Wrestling back in the day, there was a wrestler named Dusty Rhodes.

One of my favorite football names of all time has to be Alge Crumpler. The Steelers had a running back a number of years ago named Chris Fuamatu'Malafa. Now that is a real mouthful.

Some others include former Texas QB Major Applewhite, NBA basketball player World B. Free, and college football coaches Bronco Mendenhall, Joker Phillips, and the legendary Spyke Dykes.

Let me know if you have any good ones to add to the list.


Lights out.

The Insanity Of Winning

I have long been aware of our society's love affair with winners, especially as it relates to sports. Legendary Packers Coach Vince Lombardi was known for sayings like "Winning isn't everything, it's the only thing" and "There is no room for second place. There is only one place in my game and that is first place. The late Dale Earnhardt commented, "Second place is just the first place loser.

While some admittedly cherish a good underdog, the majority of people seem to prefer being associated with a winner. As a coach, I like competing and winning as much as the next person, but I've come to the conclusion that things are getting way out of hand. I don't know when it all started, but a paradigm shift certainly seemed to take effect sometime in the mid to late 1990's and the new way of doing business is advancing like an avalanche down Mt. Everest.

I think the shift started around the time that the stock market was making double digit gains every year, tech stocks were only going up, up, up, and housing values seemed to jump every year. The sentiment embraced by many, and popularized by Michael Douglas while playing the fictional character Gordon Gekko, holds that "Greed for a lack of a better word, is good." The movers and shakers of the collective sports world must have felt the same way, as the economics of the games began to spiral out of control.

Around the same time, corporate luxury suites began to spring up and the average "Joe Fan" was literally priced right out of his seat. Along came "seat licenses" in the mid 1990's and fans soon found themselves not only paying for rising ticket prices, but also this new privilege to actually purchase the lifetime rights to buy season tickets. More than a billion dollars later, NFL teams are literally rolling in the money from this clever marketing idea. As I remember, it was also around this time that salaries in sports like basketball basically skyrocketed overnight. Who can forget a guy like Juwan Howard (an average NBA player at best) getting a 7 year deal for 105 million in the mid 1990's!! That deal literally came out of the blue and it set the stage for ridiculous practices that are still going on today. Then, there was the A-Rod deal in baseball for 10 years and something like 250 million plus. This one was from the (See also bankruptcy court) Texas Rangers.

In any case, the money trail changed the game at several different levels. Many players learned to be "entitled" and selfish on the playing fields, so they could individually cash in on these megadeals. Player behavior off the field also reached new lows as all that money, adulation, and power seemed to cloud better judgment and impair the ability of many athletes to make good decisions. Fans grudgingly accepted the fact of paying more to see their teams, and with it came a sense of bitterness and entitlement to often behave badly in the stands. Fans demanded that players always finish first, and if they don't, it is time to fire the coach and get some new players. Rich teams like the Yankees went out and bought championship after championship and people learned to become okay with calling that sports. Players juiced to break records, hit more home runs, run and bike faster, build more muscle mass, recover quicker, etc..... Some coaches got in the act too by encouraging unfair play and cheating. Why, you ask??? Once again, I would have to point to the money.

Now, the sickness has made its way into high school and college sports. I have witnessed signs of this madness and crazy behavior at youth sporting events as well. More recently, I have witnessed this "warped" way of doing business catching fire in the world of major college football. In my local area, I've watched as three head coaches of major college football programs have literally been shown the door at the schools where they coached. All three programs had winning records this past season, all three made it to a post-season bowl game, and two of the three were victorious in their bowl game. The programs I'm speaking about are West Virginia, the University of Pittsburgh, and the University of Maryland. Maryland finished 9-4 this season, beat East Carolina 51-20 in their bowl game, and had several winning seasons and bowl game appearances under Ralph Friedgen. He was rewarded by being fired. Dave Wannstedt led Pitt to an 8-5 record, a victory in their bowl game vs. Kentucky, and a 10 win season in 2009. Apparently, the Compass Bowl isn't good enough at Pitt, so Wannstedt was shown the door. Maybe, it was the 35-10 late season home loss vs. West Virginia that sealed his fate. Last but not least, I have to mention Bill Stewart at WVU. The Mountaineers have had winning seasons in each of Stewart's seasons since he took over for Rich Rodriguez (see also- fired and collecting millions). WVU did lose their bowl game this year, but they finished a respectable 9-4. His New Year's gift was the opportunity to stay on one more year as he was told to kindly step aside after next season for new offensive coordinator and head coach in waiting Dana Holgersen.

Have these people gone completely mad!!! Where is the logic in all of this? Maybe it's me who is way of base here. Maybe, I am just slow to adjust to these new times. As I sat to ponder to my own thoughts on all of this one day last week, I happened to pick up the sports section of the Pittsburgh paper. On the front page, an article mentioned that Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Ross Ohlendorf had won his arbitration case. The Pirates, coming off a Major League worst 57-105 record, would be forced to give Mr. Ohlendorf a raise. Well, it wasn't just any raise. The raise is equal to 361%. That is none too shabby considering the economic times most of us try and live in. Here is the best part. Ross Ohlendorf went 1-11 last season, and now he will get a raise from $439,000 to $2,020,000. Yes, that's right. 2 MILLION DOLLARS for ONE win. Besides the insanity of this scenario, I decided to apply the principle to people who have jobs outside of the sports world.

Let's take a real estate agent. The agent is presented with the quota of selling 1 property per month for each month of the year. At the end of the year, the agent meets the goal for one month out of the 12 and ends up with a 361% raise---- Not gonna happen

A construction worker is charged with the task of building 12 decks in a year, or one for each month that he works for his company. At the end of the year, 1 deck is still standing, but the other 11 have collapsed to the ground due to faulty construction.----I don't see a 361% raise on his horizon!!

In the end, it appears that we need to redefine what it means to WIN in our society. Winning on the scoreboard is a great goal to have, but not at the expense of everything else that we hold dear as a society. If we fail to change our ways, we will continue to contaminate the ideas of winning. Future generations will never realize that a lot of winning takes place on the journey itself, not just in the order we finish in at our final destination.


Lights Out.

Super Bowl Sunday Preview

It is hard to believe that it's that time of year again. Yes, I am speaking about Super Bowl Sunday. It is an American classic. It is also a good reason to eat buckets of unhealthy food and watch a series of expensive commercials aimed to tickle our funny bone. In my case, it is also a great day for my family and I to root for our favorite team, the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Black 'N' Gold are in the big game for the third time in six years, their eighth overall, as they seek their seventh Super Bowl title. People who know me well, know that I'm fond of gloating a bit when it comes to the topic of the Steelers' success over the years. In fact, I am actually befuddled and at a loss for why so many other teams fail to take notice and follow their simple formula for success. Perhaps, it has to do with the huge egos in the NFL (see also Jerry Jones, Al Davis, Daniel Snyder and many others) who figure they will get it right if they keep changing the face of the organization, re-inventing the wheel, changing schemes, and continually hiring different coaches and general managers to run the show.

Meanwhile, the Rooneys and the Steelers just keep plugging away. They are not flashy. They don't chase the troublemakers, self-centered, me-first guys like Chad Johnson, Terrell Owens, Pac-Man Jones of the football world. When they suspect trouble on their team, they usually jettison the player out of town very quickly. Okay, the exception in this case may be Ben Roethlisberger. However, after Ben's last episode, the team did actually try to deal him for a first round draft pick. They were reported to have had serious talks with teams like the Rams for the chance to draft Sam Bradford. In the end, Roethlisberger admitted his childishness, immature behavior, and bad decision making. His attitude and commitment to change may have led to the Team giving him one final chance. In any case, the Steelers have recently shown the road to high caliber players like Santonio Holmes and even Plaxico Burress. Burress is currently in jail, and Holmes continually flirts with trouble.

The team has a great front office that understands how to draft players that fit their system. They have exceptional coaches like Dick LeBeau who are exceptional at developing the talent they have on the roster. They have solid schemes and their coaches are skilled at putting the players in positions to be successful and use their talents in the most beneficial way for the team.

The organization also rarely makes changes just for the sake of change. In fact, they have only had three head coaches in my entire 40 years of life. All three of them have won Super Bowls, and getting to the playoffs is just about an annual event. Surprisingly, the Steelers aren't cyclical like many of the other great franchises that have had a nice run at some point, but then seemingly run out of gas and fail to maintain the ability to win on a consistent basic. Teams like the 49ers, Cowboys, Redskins, and Bills have had nice runs over the last 20 years or so, but each of these teams are cyclical. In other words, they win for awhile and then tank for awhile. They are simply unable to maintain any consistency as a franchise. Consistency, loyalty, and a belief in their system are Steelers trademarks. While the rest of the teams in the league surely work hard at being successful, the Steelers have found a formula for working smart.

Another key for this team is the support they get, from literally around the world. Dallas may call themselves America's team, but nobody travels like Steelers' fans, also known as the Steelers Nation. Just about every announcer I have ever listened to including John Madden, Matt Millen, Mike Tirico, Rich Eisen, etc.... acknowledges that Steelers fans travel more than any other in the NFL. I have been to several Pittsburgh games on the road, including their last Super Bowl appearance two years ago. I can attest that Steelers fans often outnumber the home fans when playing on the road. There is a great tradition in the state, and a lot of passion for football, especially in western PA. The number of well-known QB's from this area includes Joe Namath, Johnny Unitas, Jim Kelly, Joe Montana, and Dan Marino. The list of head coaches from the keystone state is also staggering including Jason Garrett, Bill Cowher, Marvin Lewis, Marty Schottenheimer, Jim Haslett, Dave Wannstedt, and even current Packers head coach Mike McCarthy.

Okay, I will now step off my soapbox and analyze the game. In my opinion, the defensive line of the Packers has the potential to really give the patchwork O-line of the Steelers some real problems. The Steelers ran the ball effectively against the Jets defense, but I don't think it will as easy vs. the Pack. Green Bay will almost surely face a stiff challenge with running the ball against a stingy Steelers defense, but Aaron Rodgers and the Packers receiving corps could potentially feast on a Steelers secondary that is the weak spot of their defense. Mike McCarthy is also a very capable play-caller who does a nice job keeping teams off balance. As for the Steelers strengths, Big Ben just seems to find a way to extend plays and keep drives alive. There is also the Polamalu factor and the Steelers linebackers are so active and disruptive, probably the best overall unit in the league. I see a close game that comes down to the fourth quarter. I think the Packers possess a few more weapons and they are peaking at the right time, but Big Ben and the Steelers have the experience on their side. They play well when everything is on the line, so I think they will do it one last time this season. Steelers 27 Packers 23
Enjoy the pics!




Lights out.

Week 7 NFL Update

It is hard to believe that we are nearly half way through the NFL season already. There have been several surprises thus far including some teams who have overachieved and another handful of teams that have fallen short of expectations. The K.C. Chiefs and St. Louis Rams have played better than most experts predicted. The Chiefs are doing it with a dynamic running game and a solid team defense. The Rams appear to be defying the odds with their talented rookie quarterback and a cast of lesser known players. The Seahawks and Titans are playing well too, but there is still a lot of football left to be played.

On the other side of the coin, the New Orleans Saints are certainly not playing like a championship level team. The loss of Reggie Bush has hurt them, and Drew Brees is playing mediocre football. The Norv Turner led Chargers are a huge disappointment in San Diego. The Bolts haven't played well early in the season in recent years, but the hole they've dug for themselves thus far may be too deep for them to climb out of. I would also have to put Minnesota and Dallas on the list of underachievers. Brett Favre has struggled with his health, off the field problems, and his on the field decision making. The Vikings are loaded with talent, but winning in the NFL on a consistent basis has very little to do with potential or talent. Just ask the Dallas Cowboys. The Cowboys have solid playmakers on both sides of the ball, but they beat themselves with penalties at crucial points during the game, and a coach who seems to struggle to get the most out of his players. The Cowboys also have their problems on the offensive line. The team will be watching the playoffs and Super Bowl on tv like the rest of us this winter.

Finally, I was impressed to say the least that Bill Belichick had the courage to trade Randy Moss, a decision that is sure to make his TEAM stronger. I capitalized TEAM because that is the name of the game and Randy Moss has never really proven himself to be a team player. New England won all of their Super Bowls without him and their offense already looks more in sync and disciplined since Mr. Moss packed his bags for Minnesota. I do believe that Moss is a great one on one player, but he wears out his welcome wherever he goes. He is a malcontent who only competes when the ball is sure to come to him. He takes plays off and the great ones just don't do that. I never saw Jerry Rice take a play off. Moss was getting into confrontations with coaches in New England and his unhappiness with his contract had become a distraction. I can never give Belichick my full respect because of his involvement in the video cheating scandal, but he is a very savvy coach with a great technical mind for the game, and a wonderful ability to sell his formula for winning to his players.

It is refreshing to see two new teams in the World Series. My favorite team is the one with the lowest payroll. I'm not sure who that is in this case, but I will try and find out before the series is over. As I've blogged before, the Rangers had to file for bankruptcy due to losing so much money because of paying huge contracts like the quarter of a billion dollar deal they gave to A-Rod several years ago. Now that I think of it, I will root for the Giants. It would be nice to see them win without the all time leader in steroid home runs. If my memory serves me right, I think he was a guy named Bonds.

Lights out.

Blog Hiatus is Over/ Memories from France summer 2010

My hiatus from the blog has come to a close and I will be posting 3-4 times a week now that things have begun to settle down here at home. Some of you might be wondering what I have been doing over the past 6 weeks since I returned home from coaching in Finland during the summer of 2010. The main issue that has garnered my attention during this time is dealing with a stomach ailment that has been wreaking some havoc in my life over the past 3 months or so. I have had many tests done including gall bladder scans, abdominal ultrasounds, and a colonoscopy. Overall, the tests seem to have cleared me of any major problems and I have started to improve over the past few weeks.

I have spent the rest of my time catching up on things around the house, reconnecting with family and friends, and even helping coach Kodie's youth football team. I am registered to begin substitute teaching again, so I will be resuming that as well. I have been applying for some teaching and government positions over the last month, but I have yet to hear anything. My main job at this time is serving as a part-time instructor for Trinity, the college in North Dakota where I taught and coached for six years. Basically, I teach an online/distance education course in Sports Psychology. It doesn't pay much, but it keeps me in the loop until I figure out the next step in life. As far as the future is concerned, I would love to return to Europe. However, the only way I see that happening is if a team is willing to bring me on full-time to coach or help me get set up with a job in the community to supplement my earnings. The situation would have to be right and my family's contentment is the most important factor in that type of scenario. Besides teaching, I may look to see what college coaching opportunities might be there once the season ends in a few months.

In the meantime, I will continue to enjoy this "time out" in life that allows me the opportunity to hang out with my family, and continue to pursue my freelance writing aspirations. I feel blessed to have this chance to do some serious reflection and really "smell the roses" in everyday life. Yesterday, while out at a local farm and Pumpkin Patch with my youngest daughter and her classmates, I caught myself staring at an old maple tree for what must have been close to five minutes. The old maple was bursting with color as fall has descended upon her. The venerable tree reminded me of my youth and the many tree house cabins that I used to build high above the ground. It was nice to have a few moments to just marvel at God's creation and recognize all the detail within the structure of the large tree. The experience also made me think back to the time I spent in Finland over the past two years and all the beautiful trees that dominate the landscape.

Before I close for today, I wanted to post a few more pics from the time we spent in France this past summer. Maybe, it was my desire to write about some of my moments of reflection that triggered me to think of France during my discussion. The country is currently coping with unrest and massive work stoppages and worker strikes because 70% of the population is upset with the government. What is the reason you might ask? France is coming apart at the seams because it looks as if the country might be raising the retirement age from 60 to 62 years of age. I remember the outrage there a few years ago over the "mind boggling" 35 hour work week. Kind of ironic, isn't it? Seventy percent of our citizens are angry at the government and ready to vote the democrats out because we want more work and the French are rioting because they want to work less. It probably isn't hard to guess what side of the coin I would argue for. I have a theory that much of the "mess" that we see in America today like corporate greed, rampant violence, poor school performance, and a crumbling family unit characterized by high divorce rates and single parent homes, is largely rooted in our love affair with this high production/high consumption mentality. The love affair with working our knuckles to the bone places way more emphasis on the external and leaves little in the form of time to focus and reflect on the internal. Simply put, we are a shallow nation with a very thin veil of understanding regarding the world around us. Ask the average 15 year old in America about the latest P. Diddy song, the newest release of Grand Theft Auto, or who Paris Hilton is dating, and they are likely to score fairly well. If you ask that same young person to find England on a map or name the Vice President of the United States, the scores are likely to be less impressive. The truth is we must find a way to give more quality time and direction to ourselves and our future generations. This theory and 90 cents will probably only buy me a cup of coffee, but I do believe in the importance of taking more time for personal reflection. It may not be great for the pocketbook, but it does wonders for the soul. With that being said, it is time for some pics.

A la Ferme--- Also known as a working farm and one of our lodging destinations during our stay in France. This 17th century stone house is located near Pontorson, a quaint village that is worth a visit.

Our hosts made quick friends with our kids

Our bedroom in the old farmhouse

Another building on the grounds used for summer gatherings/meals

The inside of the 300+ year old structure

Area above the fireplace in the farmhouse-- Year is 1788

The lounge area at our "holiday inn" France

Ready for some dinner

Time for some reflection "French style"


Lights out.