Four to Four

The Davidson Lady Cats had a road match against Georgia Southern on Saturday, January 17th. The team departed from Davidson around 4PM on Friday afternoon headed south for their overnight stay and afternoon tussle with the Eagles.

This left the men's team on campus with me staying with them to run the weekend's practices. While I was a little down about not getting to watch the ladies defeat Georgia Southern (and stay for the basketball team's victory at Georgia Southern,) it was a nice opportunity to work with the entire men's team.

We started at 4PM on Friday with Ninja Room activities (write if you'd like this workout) and worked our way to the pool for 80 minutes of fairly intense training (again, you may see me for details.) There were only two swimmers to a lane and, when asked to swim with a teammate that you don't normally train with, the guys assembled smoothly and worked accordingly.

After practice concluded, I brought the team together and stated we would be having our next practice at MIDNIGHT followed by a trip to our neighborhood Waffle House. And while the mix of reactions was worth recording, team trudged through the single-degree temperatures six hours later, returning to the pool for our Midnight Madness practice. It was a terrific scene; the guys all plugging away at the routine without complaint or general signs of sleepiness. We concluded the escapade with a talk about what it means to race anytime and anywhere and promptly hopped on the blocks for some relay races around 1:30AM.

Terrific all-around! Once finished swimming, showered, dressed, and on deck, the team and myself assembled for our trip to Waffle House.

And that's when we really became a team. There is not one outlying story to our trip to Waffle House. There's just something about that place that is unforgettable. I can clearly recall the now three times I've visited the fine establishment. The first was as a sophomore in high school when our baseball team traveled to Cocoa Beach, Florida. We didn't have any breakfast so we ate at the Waffle House adjacent to the hotel. I really didn't think much of it other than I was not too sure about the people I was eating with at 10AM; looked a little rough around the edges and probably bothered by a couple of teenagers ruining their morning.

The second was as a sophomore in college. I had visited my good friend Robby at Duke on a Thursday night (April 5) and after an evening of solid collegiate fun and antics, we dined at the Durham, NC Waffle House around 3AM. I had never been so scared about where I was eating in my life. Not only was I not too sure about the people I was eating with, but I wasn't too keen about the people waiting on us. As the driver, I implored the three guys with me, including Robby, to eat quickly. Of course they stayed as long as they could.

And now, the third encounter with this fine southern eatery. We arrived around 2:30AM. Since I had not been to a Waffle House in eight years, I never realized that there were not many tables for 8 or 10. There were hardly any tables for four, mostly just tables for two and seats at the counter. But with the fifteen of us, we dominated the left side of the restaurant. Not too bad.

Unfortunately for us, we didn't all get served at the same time or sometimes not at all. After five minutes, the Waffle House became more and more crowded and customers a little less "focused." People start to pace around our tables, glaring in hopes that we would leave. After all, there wasn't any food on our table so we must have finished eating. Oh to the contrary...

I sat with one of our talented freshmen. We ordered the same thing, "The All Star," which came with a waffle. We never got that waffle, only the bill from the half-awake waitress that included the waffle. The freshman seemed pretty agitated and I just wanted to leave. As I approached the register, another freshman was in front of me waiting to pay. His main obstacle was not footing the bill but the very touchy-feely 50-something lady sitting next to the cashier looking for someone to put the moves on. Awesome. She proceeded to maneuver herself on most of the team, which prompted me to be the last one out of the Waffle House to make sure no late-might molestation took place.

After sprinting out of the store, I drove my table company home to his dorm and settled into my niche on Lake Park. It was now 4AM.

Those twelve hours were unforgettable on so many fronts. To go from a scene in "Remember the Titans" to "Groundhog Day" to "Dumb and Dumber" in such a short time is a lot for the brain to handle. And as the boys got the opportunity to sleep through the Saturday morning, I awoke a few hours later, headed to John's house to feed his puppy while he was still in Georgia.

Perhaps I should have taken her to Waffle House. My waffle might have been ready by then...

It'll Never Happen

For people that follow college football and the NCAA, we've had about a week to digest Florida defeating Oklahoma for the BCS National championship. Like the other 100% of the country (sans Miles Brand and not-financially-strapped university presidents) I am in favor of a playoff and much like 90% of us, I would/can/have designed a playoff that would work for Division-I football.

Through all of this pondering about how to save the day in college football, I've concluded that I don't want to save the day anymore. It's not really fun following college football, at least through the months of September through January. I know there are millions of Boise State, TCU, and Utah fans that feel their teams are legitimate national champion contenders and should be in the discussion with the Oklahomas and the Texases and the USCs of the world - and I fully agree with them.

But even as these mid-major teams struggle for supremacy, I watch SportsCenter today and read columns about college football for next season, and they've ALREADY ranked the top five-10-15 teams in the country. How is this possible? And guess who's in the discussion for the national title next season: Florida (loss to Mississippi,) USC (loss to Oregon State,) Texas (loss to Texas Tech, who we found only plays offense,) and Oklahoma (2 losses.) Why wouldn't Utah be ranked #2 in the land going into next season? Now, going into next fall, the mid-majors have been penalized because they haven't won any meaningful games in June? This is like your parents forcing you to rake all of the leaves in the neighborhood with a fork...and they you actually rake those leaves with that fork...and then they ground you for getting the silverware so dirty.

This is why I've decided to stop worrying about college football and the polls and nonsense of mid-December through January. It's a battle I can't win as long as the current system is in place. I'll continue to cheer for Pitt, but no longer will I hope the BCS has the worst possible scenario happen to them. We have discovered that no matter how unfair the current system is, it's not going to change and actually thrives on being unfair. And as frustrated as Utah must be this season, they have to take pride in knowing they are better than the current system. They have won the support of many other fans who team will never have a chance to win a national title or even be ranking in the top 25. As long as reputation, speculation, and unknowledgeable voters control this part of athletics, we will be destined for the doghouse for doing exactly what we've been told.

--- If you have an analogy you'd like to use for college football, let us know about it...

The Pittsburgh Report - January 10th

I have quite a bit on my mind about our hometown heroes. Most of this rant is attributed to nerves and anxiety, but I march on...

* The Steelers will put a bow on Divisional Weekend with a tussle against the Super Chargers on Sunday. This game screams of turnovers and if we can just stay on the plus side, I think we'll be OK. I'm hoping we score more than 11 points because I think San Diego's going to score more than ten.

* The Penguins are depressing me something fierce. They don't remember how to win and, what's worse, they can't stop terrible teams from DESTROYING them or mounting three-goal comebacks. If the playoffs were today, we'd be out...that's just not acceptable. I'm giving them ten more games...

* I was genuinely excited about the Pirates being INTERESTED in Rocco Baldelli joining their 2009 roster. Never mind that he has life-threatening illnesses; he was on the Cinderella Rays team that just made it to the World Series. This enthusiasm was quickly deflated today with the news that the mighty Red Sox signed him. I know he'll be the quality fifth outfielder Boston was looking for. Pirate fans count to date: at least 40 - PirateFest is just around the corner.

* Pitt football - So I was totally distraught coaching practice on December 31st during Pitt's Sun Bowl appearance against the Beavers of Oregon State. Practice concluded at 4PM and we had to make our 2nd grocery store trip in three days for those kids on the team that don't know how to shop. By the time we returned to our hotel, it was 5PM and I figured I had missed a ton of action. Not only did a miss NOTHING, but with 10 minutes left in the game, I proceeded to watch more NOTHING. A 3-0 loss later, I was really glad Christa didn't make the trip to El Paso for a missed 58-yard field goal. At least we made a bowl...

* Pitt basketball - I quickly called my dad this past Tuesday to remind him to save the front page of the Post-Gazette declaring PITT THE NUMBER ONE TEAM in the USA. I can still remember my buddy Joe and I going to games in Fitzgerald Field House, blowing 20-point leads with 5 minutes to play against Rutgers as the two team battled for eighth place supremacy in the Big East. We've come so far. St. John's is on Sunday and they've just beaten Notre Dame...it should be a fun ride.

Family Notes:
Christa is working that St. John's game on Sunday, as well as helping with the Lady Panthers on Saturday. She's really enjoying being involved in the Pitt athletic department. I'm just hoping she gets some awesome french benefits...

Dad is contemplating attending the SuperCharger/Steeler game in on Sunday in the dark in the cold with 65,000 of his closest friends. The cold weather keeps him away from the golf course, and since he put the Christmas tree away last weekend, I'm betting he goes.

Mom has read "Marley and Me" and is now seeing the movie with my dad, Dr. John, and Mrs. Dr. John. I'm so happy that my mother gets to not only go out in public AND be with other human life, but can also view a movie about a retriever. Good for you Ma!

* Side note - Christa and I renewed Mom and Dad's 8-game plan for the Pirates' 2009 season. Unfortunately, I had selected seats in right field, but they preferred passes on the third base side. This past week, I phoned the Pirate office and asked if I could make the switch. Andrew, the gentleman on the other end, stated: "That's not a problem...just tell your dad that when he PICKS ANY OF THE EIGHT GAMES HE WANTS as well as TWO ADDITIONAL GAMES FOR FREE, to just TELL US WHERE HE WANTS TO SIT and we'll make it happen."

I guess we have room for more season ticket holders. If only everything were as easy as ordering Pirate tickets. Have a great start to your year!

The Sunshine State of Mind

It’s been a while since checking in and for that, I apologize. This will be my fourth attempt at entering an update. Florida has been terrific on many fronts. Since the first practice on Monday the 29th, the weather has cooperated with plentiful sunshine and heat. We’ve been able to follow through our schedule without any problems, which has set the bar fairly high for the future.

Trips like these are special, especially for someone who is domesticated. Here have been some of the daily highlights:

Tuesday - Beautiful weather leads to lots of jogging. For the first time, I used something called sunscreen. It's SPF 30 and called Pirates of the Caribbean Continuous Sun Care. Since it's Jack Sparrow's official sunblock, I've decided it's the only kind I will wear for the rest of my life.

Wednesday - Great game of night football. The guys allowed me to play quarterback, which I relished. I also WENT INTO THE OCEAN and explored underwater, something I had not done since swimming through a storm while training at William and Mary - I was in much less danger this time around.

Thursday - Happy New Year...but you would not be able to tell because every day seems the same when you are swimming and sleeping and eating and repeating. Nevertheless, I WENT INTO THE OCEAN AGAIN and swam probably too far into sea. One of the team members that will remain anonymous came along for the adventurous swim - apparently we drew a crowd from the life guarding staff.

Friday - Very special day because I got to see Patty. Her roommate in Los Angeles was getting married in Fort Myers (which is 2.5 hours away) and we spent lunch through dinner either driving on Alligator Alley or enjoying the Gulf Coast. We return to our hotel in Deerfield Beach around 11PM.

Saturday - More jogging and football and volleyball and digging of holes. My boss, John, informs us that digging holes in beaches causes more deaths in the world than sharks. We immediately fill the hole.

Sunday - Our best football game of the trip - lots of offense and the recruitment of a french lad. We went to an Italian restaurant and I ate more than I had in the previous three days combined (not necessarily one of my better ideas.)

Monday - Very warm day spent inside resting the legs and getting work done.

These highlights are the minute compared to the training that's taking place in Deerfield Beach. I could speak at great length about the training, and it's made relive my teaching days grading my group with every practice and noting the positives and "non-positives" of that particular two-hour practice.

You may notice a new photo greeting you at the top of the blog. These are the distance swimmers of Davidson College, a.k.a my primary responsibility. I do get to coach every Wildcat throughout the course of the season, but these ten see me the most. Each of them has been nothing short of outstanding since arriving in Florida. Their frame of mind has allowed them to be so productive, to challenge one another, and to maximize their fitness and racing prowess.

This is what Florida is meant to be...an oasis from the Davidson rigors, the Great White North, the responsibility that comes with staying out of trouble during winter break. Tuesday, January 6th marks that final day of practice and while I wish we didn't have to leave, it's time to put our practice to good use. The experience has been tremendous and if you need a more detailed account, don't hesitate to ask!