Wow, it has been a long hiatus from the blog.

Here we go...

First off, lets talk about football. Last year we finished 3-7. This year we finished 7-3, with a win in week 11 over top nationally ranked Wheaton College to win the College Conference of Wisconsin and Illinois championship. We finished 6-1 in the conference and it is a great feeling to return to glory! Wesleyan has a strong tradition of being a DIII powerhouse and as I prepare to leave here in the coming months, I feel good about where we are and the direction we are heading.

http://www.d3football.com/releases.php?release=q6o778gmi5igl24u

Whats next, or perhaps the better question is where will I go, right now it is very much on my mind, but time will tell. I will begin that process on Monday as I am enjoying the weekend!

School will be over, and I will graduate on December 15th. I am taking my last class, and need to hit it hard to finish well, because I have been putting it off a bit.

This week I am helping run the NCAA Division III Volleyball Championships hosted at Illinois Wesleyan. That will keep me busy.

Also, Recruiting has also started, and I am eager to help bring in another great class! Back to work!

Mom and Dad were here this weekend, it was good to see them. I am looking forward to Thanksgiving Vacation, and going home for a few days.

I thought I might post some stories or links

DIII stats - Not Updated with this weekends games yet, but we were a top 10 defense in the country.

http://web1.ncaa.org/stats/StatsSrv/rankings?sportCode=MFB

We led the CCIW in Sacks!

http://www.cciw.org/fall_football/Conf_Only07/CONFLDRS.HTM

CCIW

www.cciw.org

Well, August has flown by. I have been busy, and have neglected my few readers. It is now September. Lots of things going on here. We returned home from Cedar Rapids Iowa after a tough loss to open the season. We opened with Coe College and played very well defensively. We had a ton of hurries and good pressure. We had three sacks. Our Offense moved the ball well, but failed to score in the red zone. We have to get it together. We go to Olivet Michigan on Friday for week two.

I got to spend last weekend with Amie, who made it home for the weekend from work. It is storm season so she is busy and on the road a lot. We made the most of our weekend together. We ate pizza with some friends on Friday night, and then went out to Duffy McCaws on Saturday.

Javan will be in Bloomington on Saturday, but we will be getting back late. Hopefully I'll get a chance to catch up and say hello.

Labor Day, will be our big work day, getting ready for Olivet.

Enjoy the Holiday!

Happy Birthday Amie!

So far it has been a blast. I am so glad to have met you. You have been the hilight of my summer. Looking forward to Football and Huricane Season. Respectively, a first for both of us.

I could write a bunch of sappy stuff next, but the couple of readers that I have...well I would like to keep you. So think of it on your own.

Football has started. We have players report on Friday. We have been busy getting ready with meetings over the past few days. We will meet up until Thursday evening. Then the Senior report, and we have a grilling out at Coach Eash's.

I'm excited to get going. We are picked to do pretty bad in the conference. Thats, good if people get cocky or over confident. We have a lot to prove and a mission to Return to Glory.

Thats it.

Do you love football? Well, Do you?

I have completed the final camp of the summer. We had seven High School Football Teams on campus this past week. Camp was a success. I think we got a lot of fundementals and technique taught. We couldnt avoid the rain however, we spent two days practicing indoors. Practicing indoors is tough because of space. We had 400 kids in a tight space. Usually, just our team, 100 or so is super tight. But we did it.

I have a little work to do before we get started. My first priority is to finish up my independent study with Dr. Amorose at Illinois State. I need to get that written up here in the next few days.

I also need to get drawing, I have my progression and philosophy almost completely typed up, but most word processors dont have football drawing tools. Counter that with, most football programs with tools have no good word processors. Someone needs to write some software with both, and include templates. That would be to easy write. Yeah, I've been messing around with Visio, as an alternative for Playmaker. Has anyone ever used visio? I'm teaching myself.

Things with Amie are going well. We have gone out or hung out a lot this month. We seem to be on the same page. We have a lot of fun together.

Bachman has named his blog the Money Shot. Yeah, for those of you who dont know, Graig use to be a professional wrestler. His stage name was Val Venis. The money shot was his signature move. Somehow I didnt think the mustache ride was going to win.

I have a recruit to host on Friday. I'll be around and everyone else will be on vacation. This will keep me here until that is over, its only a half hour, but its on friday morning which keeps me here or from going somewhere. Not that I have anything planned...

I'm not going to go to Fargo, to Jared and Kelsey's Wedding, its to far and I cant really afford it. I got Jared and Kelsey a gift card from SEARS. They were registered there, but this way they can get what they want.


I gave in and bought NCAA 2008. I can probably count the number of times I played 2007, but its a tradition really. I think I've been getting NCAA for 11 years now. I think the first copy was on the playstation, NCAA 97 with Mr. Ohio, Charles Woodson on the Cover. Yeah, I tackled that guy once. Have you tackled a Heisman Trophy Winner?

Practice is getting close. I love football! I love it.

Amazing Amie

On Saturday I went out on date with Amie. I met Amie at Schooners toward the end of June. So we talked it up and planned a night out on the town. I picked Amie up and we chatted a bit at her house before heading to Biaggi's for dinner. It was so hot hot outside, kind of fitting because Amie is very attractive. We had really good conversation over the course of dinner. We talked a little about everything. I was feeling pretty good about things. One of Amie's lifelong friends happened to be dining at the same restaurant and we planned on meeting up for drinks later at a CD release party for a friend of theirs. I got to meet Amie's brother and a few of her friends. It was a good mix of just the two of us and her friends for a first date. I ran into some people I knew from school, so it was good to introduce Amie as well. We eventually moved on to another place where it was just Amie and I. Amie asked me to go on a second date before ours even ended. I'm pretty interested so that was good. We eventually called it a night. It was a good first date. On any first date, I think its pretty normal to feel nervous, but I felt comfortable with Amie pretty quick. Good things to come, I'm pretty excited about our next date.

Celebrity Look a Likes...You decide

Camps in 2007

Well the Illinois Camp came and went. It was a good camp, but it was less a learning camp for the campers and more of a recruiting tool for the University of Illinois.

I met and worked with a lot of coaches. Tom Simms, Defensive Line Coach at the University of Illinois, defensive coordinator Vince Okruch of the University of Illinois. I also met and worked with Joe Cullen, Defensive Line Coach for the Detroit Lions, I actully thought he was someone else until we started talking.

I worked with Mike Yurcich, Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks at Edinboro College in Pennsylvania. He was working the Offensive Line segments. He was very sharp, and I'm sure he will be moving up fast.

Others That I met were Curt Malory, University of Illinois, Kenny Augustus of Indianapolis. There were many others too.


I actually worked stations with the DC, Vince Okruch. I'm in this picture but you cant really see me. I'm running the drill behind him.

While there I did a little recruiting. But one of the guys I know I will not get at Illinois Wesleyan is Michael Young. Mike is a major recruit. As soon as he saw me he left the Illinois Coach he was talking with to say hi. He said he has it narrowed down to Illinois, Wisconsin, and Nebraska. We chatted a bit, I told him I'd see him in July and wished him luck. I got to coach Mike last summer at our Team Camp, and He will be back along with the rest of his Edwardsville team this year.

Our most recent camp, the Midwest Lineman Camp was a lot of fun. We had pretty good campers this year. Coach Alexander brought with him four Bengal's players. Dan Santucci, Elliot Seifert, Harrison Nikolao, and Dane Uperesa. All of them were a lot of fun and genuinely nice guys. They were pretty accessible and down to earth for NFL guys. I think the Camp Staff liked them just as much as the kids. Good Luck Guys as you head to Training Camp.

One of the best parts of camp is the food. The dinning was again awesome. Especially when your on my budget.

Well, It is Saturday....I'm currently doing laundry getting ready for camp #3 of the summer. We head to Grand Valley State in Michigan on Sunday. This camp is fun too. Its a little easier since it is not on our university, and we wont have to deal with those sort of things.

Alright, no Comments....Hmmm. Thanks for stopping by.

I've taken a little break from writing, lots to say. Here we Go

First off, I have been here in Illinois now for over a year. I'm having a great time overall and trying to learn and meet as many in this world of coaching. I think I've done well so far, but I'm not ready to bask just yet, I've got goals...

Here are my top Goals for the season

1.) Win! Enough said. Wesleyan has the people in place to win and get back to it's strong tradition

2.) We will be the best Defensive Line in the CCIW. To do so will take great amounts of effort, and study, and a lot of hard work...but we are capable

3.) To allow no 100 yard rushers. To allow no team over 150 yards rushing.

4.) Last year we had 2 all conference D lineman, I want two or better this year too!

So I went home for a week in early June. It was nice to relax. I saw some friends and family, including a new born cousin that I had not seen before. Things seem to be good at home.

Home will always be home. A couple of things I didn't get to do were meet up with Snoader and Humms, like I had planned....I also didn't get to shoot a fricken gun. It has been to long, I want to go shooting!

My trip home was broken up with a trip to Cincinnati. I went to the Bengal's training camp. I met up with Coach Eash and Coach Murray, and we went and visited Paul, the Bengals Offensive Line and Assistant head coach. I work for Norm and Paul in the summer doing lineman camps. The experience was awesome to say the least. I had total access to everything. I started off in meetings and watched film with the Defensive line and Coach Hayes. I think the Bengals have a good core group of Defensive Lineman and I look forward to following their progress this season. I'll be rooting for them, except for when they play my Cleveland Browns. Hey, you have to be loyal to the team you grew up watching...I was a Bernie fan...not a Boomer.

I'm predicting a big year for Domata Peko, and Justin Smith. Robert Geathers will play big too.

Practice, Meetings, Video. Amazing. An NFL job would kick ass some day.

I got to meat a lot of coaches on the Bengal's staff. I also met a couple coaches from Fresno State, and from Miami Ohio as well. We stayed two days. It was pretty cool that Andrew Whitworth and Nate Livings are still with the team, they were happy to see us.

We ate dinner at Paul's house, it was a pretty cool pad, located just off a golf course. He bought New York style Pizza, it was pretty good.

After my adventures at the Bengals facilities, I found Sicky and his cool ass apartment. We ate ribs at a place on the river. Would have been nice to stay longer, but it was good to see him and Jen.

Back in Napoleon...I only made it to Rick's once. That will be enough until the night before Thanksgiving. There was this extremely hot girl there, Erica. We talked briefly, but it became apparent that she had a boyfriend in Iraq. Still Damn cute girl.

I also managed to visit the Dentist, and the Barber while home. Good stuff. Nothing quite like a good haircut from Mr. Larry Adams. I enjoyed the new hygienist at Dr. Burns office too. To bad she was married also.

Married women...the young and attractive that seem like good catches...yeah for some other person. SHIT.

Back in Bloomington I worked baseball camp for Coach Martel. He keeps some money in my pocket. He has been very good to me since moving here. Camp was fun. It was incredibly hot, I now look like lobster man. Speaking of hott, more good looking women bringing kids to camp. Some of them were obvious college babysitters and some where young married moms, but there were some definite lookers.

More on hot girls and my bonehead stupidity. So I need some bread and Little shit, so Thursday I take off to Meijer. I stop and pick up some Whisky, in the liquor isle is a cute college or maybe just out of college girl. We share a few glances I smile. I think, she is cute. But I say nothing. Then as I'm making my way to check out, I see her again...so I get in line behind her. I wanted to be behind her to talk, but it wa also the shortest line. So I asked her to pass me a divider and we start chatting. She had mix drink shit and a blender. I asked her if she was having a party. She asked me if Gaterade was on sale, after I put ten of them on the belt. I laughed, and said I wish it was. I was fricken nervous, like school boy nervous...it was ridiculous. So we chat a bit more. And she leaves. Then As I'm walking to my Truck, she is returning her Cart. I should have asked her name or better yet for her number, I could have given my card to her....but I don't. I'm such a fool. She was nice. I dropped that one.

Today, I spent all day getting ready for camp. I got some helmets and shoulder pads out in case someone needs some for camp, hopefully no one needs them, cause I'm sure it will be a pain in the ass.

I then went to the store and bought of all things Gatorade. We bought 360 of them at Sams. Norm got candy and other stuff too. Norm did buy lunch, and even gave some cash fro doing the driving and helping him all day. So I'm ready for Camp on Sunday.

Have to remember to call dad, and wish him a nice Fathers Day on Sunday. You should do the same.

Well, University of Illinois Camp tomorrow, so I need to get to bed. I'm sure that will probably be my next entry.

So Here is my comment for all of you....I want to know who my readers are, so please leave a comment and tell me what you think, and how you stumbled onto this blog. I'd also take some suggestions as to what you guys like me to talk about.

laters,

Ever wonder what a dead pacman may look like?

Me neither until I saw one. I think its pretty neat. Art, yeah there is some cool stuff out there. I've always liked art. Though, I havent really much cared for some of the new age art, this PAC MAN is cool.

This week is off to a slower start. I think i'm going to turn on the TV, and try to do a little reading. I want to get my reading done for class, so that is not a learking thing this summer, sooner it is done the better.

This weekend I finished working for Coach Martel doing a variety of different things at the NCAA regional baseball tournament. By far, the best job was announcing, I had fun doing that.

I havent really watched a tone of tv lately, but i did mange to view entourage and the soprano's. Entourage is great, make you wonder how superficial some celebs really are. Soprano's, well all this shit going on in "T's" life is going to cause him to start a war. Uncle Phil is going to be swimming with the fishes.....see.

I need a solution to expensive cable. Because I've been such a valuable customer for an entire year now, my rates will only go up 10 dollars. Now isnt that bullshit.

Ranting.

Well today I helped Dennis Martel as Illinois Wesleyan hosted the NCAA College World Series Regional. Games were at noon, 3ish and then around 6. I got there around 11:00 A.M. I found Coach Martel, and immediately he put me to work.

Let me tell you a little bit about coach Martel. Most of the time he is a pretty good guy. He sees me at Shirk all the time, because I'm there all the time. Dennis knows than any young coach needs opportunities to make money, so he hired me last summer to work his baseball camp. So when he asked me to help out with the tournament, mentioning getting paid...I agreed. When I asked him what I was going to be doing, he said....I'll have you do a little of everything, nothing hard, it will be easy. Ok, I had no clue what I was going to be doing.

Back to today. My first task was to break in 2 dozen specially marked baseballs. What you may say? Break in a baseball? Well yeah. When baseballs are brand new there is a gloss on them that is slippery. So you spit on them and rub dirt on them making sure you cover the seems. Not to dirty, but so they have some texture. MLB actually has a company supply them with MUD. Yes there is an official mud. I beleive it comes from Jersey. Its probably coming from some lake that wiseguys use for body disposal or some shit like that.

Ok, that wasnt hard. Bring on the tough stuff. So then Dennis tells me I will be doing the announcing for Game One. WHAT. I instantly think of Mr. Mika Burke-a, and his "Good evening basketball fans....and WELCOME to the GRAND CANYON!"

So When you announce, you do lots of stuff. Its not hard, but I was kind of nervous and overwhelmed in the beginning, but I soon began to like it a lot! I had to remember how to keep score, like an official score book, I hadnt done that since John Benedict hired me to umpire and score for the Napoleon Little League when I was in High School, and home for the summer in college. Then, you have to learn pronunciations, watch for substitutions, make public sevice announcement, and play music. I had it down by the bottom of the 1st. It was fun....I said that already.

I'm thinking to myself, thats quite a first, at a NCAA regional tournament none the less. Anyway, I got several complements, and Dennis asked me back to do more the rest of the week. I probably wont do a Wesleyan Game, becasue the normal guy will want to do them, but...I thats probably good, cause I wouldnt want to butcher names of the home team....I know no baseball player except for the three guys that play football, and Ricky Angel who is big league hitting material as a sophomre.

After announcing I helped Wags sells some Shirts, I snagged a foul ball or two, nothing hard. I enjoyed being at the ball park. Oh, and there going to pay me for that. What would it be like to be a pro baller? WOW.

Pretty sure Jenn Sterger looked at my blog today... I just know. She had a good post the otherday which I commented on.

Not to many comments on my lists...disapointed really. Bachman brings up a good point, Teen Wolfe. Well After thinking I should have made them all top 10 lists becasue inevitably you think of things you missed. Like Back to the Future, That movie is amazing. There is som much thought into some of the stuff, everytime i see it you catch something new. There are Countless other examples.

Yes, and Lincoln Parks new stuff should be in my top 10 ipod stuff...except its not on my ipod yet.

I'm bored now, I want football season to be here already...I'm ready to get going.

Until Tomorrow,

Two posts tonight, I'm feeling it.

Top 5 lists.

Ready...

Top Five Movies you should see to remind you of your childhood

5.) Adventures in Babysitting
4.) Weird Science
3.) The Goonies
2.) Stand By Me
1.) Red Dawn

Also getting consideration: The Monster Squad, The Boy Who Could Fly

Top 10 new songs on my ipod

10.)Paolo Nutini - New Shoes
9.) Rob Thomas - Little Wonders
8.) Fall Out Boys - This Aint a Scene, It's an Arms Race
7.) Daughtry - It's Not Over
6.) Mat Kearney - Nothing Left To Lose
5.) Red Jumpsuit Apparatus - Face Down
4.) Augustana - Boston
3.) Dashboard Confessional - Stolen
2.) Maroon 5 - Makes Me Wonder
1.) Rocco DeLuca - Colorfull

Top 5 people you want to know where the hell there at

5.) Chris Shepard - loser of ever HS Napoleon/Defiance Football Game
4.) Carolina ? - Amber Gerkens Exchange Student
3.) Rick - From Rick's Sports Bar - What happened to your establishment
2.) James James III - Every ones favorite Jim Jim
1.) Mike Dougherty -aka ACE - Nintendo Wizard

Top 5 Modern Movies that if you haven't seen you should

5.) A Few Good Men
4.) Boiler Room
3.) Good Will Hunting
2.) Rounders
1.) Band of Brothers

Top 5 Books that are tough to put down

5.) The Catcher in the Rye
4.) ESPN's College Football Encyclopedia
3.) Harry Potter
2.) Angels and Daemons
1.) Bleachers

Eb's top 5 TV shows

5.) Grey's Anatomy
4.) Soprano's
3.) Entourage
2.) LOST
1.) Traveler - This is going to be great! It is our generation of the Fugitive.


Ok, I'm done

What do you call it? You know...that stuff that you can get in cans or bottles.

Here is what America calls it geographically. I think the "Soda" group near St. Louis is interesting.



Bachman had an interesting report on his blog today. Speith and Huddle reported this in March or so, but I wasnt going to broadcast it. Dude made a lot of coin to show his stuff. Whatever, he has pulled a lot of wool...quality too.

My favorite cordless quote, and there are many...

"Brad, How many pennies in a dollar?"
Brad: "aghhh ninety nine"

Lets get away from Dirk Digler.

It is a good time to be from Ohio sports wise. Although the Buckeyes came up short in both Football and Basketball, The Browns just had what could be the draft that gets them going, The Cleveland Indians are playing pretty well, The Wings are playing for another chance at the cup, and though I'm not really an NBA basketball fan, both the Cavs and the Pistons are doing well. Now, if your from Napoleon....most of you are Piston and Tiger Fans, so I think its amazing to see all the Cleveland fans come out of the woodwork. I'm sure Labron has a lot to do with it.

Tell your friends, lets drive up the ratings.

I just looked at two of my three class final grades for the semester. I am two for two with two A's. I managed to get an A on the final for Statistics. That assured me of a an A for the Semester. Somehow, I got an A on the final in Advanced Sports Psychology. I'm stunned really. I only needed and 83.6 or 104.5 points of the possible 125. I got 114.5 points. I ended with 370/400 points for a 93%. Happy I am. Glad this semester is over. My thrid class, was Sociology in Sport. I'm pretty sure I'll get a B there, but you never know.

Dear Straight Dope:

In light of the now-withdrawn book on how O.J. would have killed his ex-wife and friend if he were the killer, an interesting question came to mind. What happens if a person confesses to the crime after they have been found not guilty? —Michael

SDSTAFF Bricker replies:

In the United States, an acquittal serves as an absolute bar to subsequent reprosecution for the same offense. This known as the double jeopardy rule, and derives from the Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which reads in part: "… nor shall any person be subject, for the same offence, to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb …" So leaping to your feet as soon as you're pronounced not guilty and shouting, “You fools! I did it after all!” is reasonably safe. Still, you should be aware of some nuances to this general rule.

An acquittal bars reprosecution not only for the offense but for related subsidiary crimes. That is, if you’re acquitted of murder in the shotgun death of your unfaithful spouse, you can't be hauled in for a new trial for assault with a deadly weapon, or even for discharging a firearm inside city limits. If, however, you chose to testify in your murder trial and lied, your subsequent confession of guilt may open you up to perjury charges.

The double jeopardy rule applies to multiple prosecutions by the same sovereign, which is to say, the same public authority. The United States operates under a system of dual sovereignty, with the federal government representing the supreme law of the land but nonetheless having limited, enumerated powers, while the states retain independent sovereignty and plenary police powers. This means that an act considered criminal under both state and federal law may be independently prosecuted by both state and federal authorities without invoking the double jeopardy rule. The four police officers charged with assaulting Rodney King learned this lesson – all were acquitted of criminal charges brought by the state of California but prosecuted again in federal court for the same acts, reframed as the federal offense of depriving King of his civil rights.

Since federal law arises from the enumerated, limited powers of the federal government, it may not always offer a second chance to convict. There is no general federal law against murder, for example; murder is a state crime. But if the murder had some link to the federal government, prosecution may be possible. Timothy McVeigh’s bombing of an office building in Oklahoma City earned him a death sentence following a federal trial because the site was a federal office building and federal employees, including law enforcement officers, were killed. Had the federal court acquitted him, the state of Oklahoma could have prosecuted him for the deaths without violating the double jeopardy rule.

Apart from potential criminal liability, collateral civil consequences can arise from confessions after an acquittal – in other words, you open yourself up to a lawsuit. O.J. Simpson is an excellent example of this. Simpson was acquitted of criminal charges brought by the state of California, which failed to prove to a jury beyond a reasonable doubt that he killed his wife and Ron Goldman. But Goldman’s family filed a civil suit against Simpson, in which the standard of proof is the easier-to-reach “preponderance of the evidence.” Civil suits are generally for monetary damages and that was true in this case; Simpson was ordered to pay $33.5 million. He doesn't face prison, but exposure to millions of dollars in civil liability certainly should count as a consequence.

Other collateral consequences may include parole or probation violations. Admitting that you committed a new crime while you’re on parole or probation is a good way to ensure a revocation of that parole or probation; the double jeopardy rule does not apply there either. If you’re not a citizen, such an admission may also be grounds for deportation, another area unaffected by double jeopardy. Your employer may fire you, even if your employer is the city or state; the mere fact that it’s the government imposing a consequence doesn't trigger the double jeopardy rule.

Finally, it’s worth observing that in order for double jeopardy to apply, you must have first genuinely been in jeopardy. Cook County, Illinois resident Harry Aleman learned this lesson after successfully bribing Judge Frank Wilson to acquit him on murder charges in 1977. After the bribery came to light, Aleman was re-tried on the original murder charges. He raised a double jeopardy defense to this second trial, but the courts ruled that his first trial was essentially a sham, and jeopardy never actually attached. (Normally jeopardy “attaches” – comes into play – the moment the jury is sworn in, or at a bench trial the moment the judge begins hearing evidence).

Double jeopardy does not, by the way, give you a free pass to commit a subsequent crime if it should turn out that you were unjustly convicted, Hollywood scriptwriter fantasies notwithstanding. In the eponymous movie, Ashley Judd plays a woman wrongly convicted for her husband's murder; the man had faked his death and let his wife take the rap.
Judd's character discovers the truth and tracks down the husband intending to kill him for his betrayal, reasoning that since she's been convicted once for his murder, double jeopardy would protect her from prosecution. Not so in real life: a crime, for double jeopardy purposes, consists of a specific set of facts. Change the facts and you've got a new crime – the murder of Richard Roe on Wednesday, December 8th, in New York City is not the same crime in double jeopardy analysis as the murder of Richard Roe in New York City on Friday, February 5th, even though it's the same victim. This seems to confuse people greatly, perhaps because it's unusual to discuss murdering the same person twice. But a moment's thought will make it clear: if the charge were, say, aggravated assault, no one would believe that a person convicted of beating Richard Roe to a pulp on December 8th could avoid another conviction for tracking down poor Rich again in February and whaling on him again.

So, confession after a criminal acquittal can carry with it collateral consequences ranging from minor to severe, but the original criminal charge is forever beyond the reach of prosecution.
Sources

Arizona v. Washington, 434 U.S. 497 (1978)
Ball v. United States, 163 U.S. 662 (1896)
Fong Foo v. United States, 369 U.S. 141 (1962)
Aleman v. Judges et al., 138 F.3d 302 (1998)

—SDSTAFF BrickerStraight Dope Science Advisory Board
http://www.straightdope.com

Once upon a time there was a girl I knew, who lived across the street. Brown hair, brown eyes. When she smiled, I smiled. When she cried, I cried. Every single thing that ever happened to me that mattered, in some way had to do with her. That day Winnie and I promised each other that no matter what, that we'd always be together. It was a promise full of passion and truth and wisdom. It was the kind of promise that can only come from the hearts of the very young. The next day Winnie and I came home. Back to where we'd started. It was the 4th of July in that little suburban town. Somehow though, things were different. Our past was here, but our future was somewhere else. And we both knew, sooner or later, we had to go. It was the last July I ever spent in that town. The next year, after graduation, I was on my way. So was Paul. He went to Harvard, of course. Studied law. He's still allergic to everything. As for my father...well...we patched things up. Hey, we were family. For better or worse. One for all...and all for one. Karen's son was born in that September. I gotta say, I think he looks like me. Poor kid. Mom, she did well: business woman, board chairman, grandmother...cooker of mashed potatoes. The Wayner stayed on in furniture. Wood seemed to suit him. In fact he took over the factory two years later....when dad passed away. Winnie left the next summer to study art history in Paris. Still we never forgot our promise. We wrote to each other once a week for the next eight years. I was there to meet her, when she came home, with my wife and my first son, eight months old. Like I said, things never turn out exactly the way you planned. Growing up happens in a heartbeat. One day you're in diapers; next day you're gone. But the memories of childhood stay with you for the long haul. I remember a place...a town...a house like a lot of other houses... A yard like a lot of other yards...on a street like a lot of other streets. And the thing is...after all these years, I still look back...with wonder.

It was time for a change. The blog is now hosted here on blogspot; hopefully there may be a few more readers as well. Let me know what you think.

Tomorrow is Sturday, and I will be working on SPSS Stats and saying One Way ANOVA with a thick British acent. Champaigne Super ANOVA in the sky.

When Wednesday hits...I'll be done with classes and in a much better mode. My goal, is to have SPSS done tomorrow and then tackle my paper for Advance Sports Psychology on Sunday.

In the meantime, I'll be missing a goodtime when my good friend Scott Baker gets married back in Ohio. Wish I could be there.

laters,

Welcome to 2007.

It has been a while since I have written anything. I was heartbroken after the buckeyes lost, and am only now getting over it. Actually I have been overly busy and have ignored this, which is inexcusable since it is so simple and easy, but it will likely happen again so don't take that to seriously.

Lots going on in my World.

First, with a few exceptions it looks like Recruiting is over. It has been a long process, one that I am glad to have learned. All said, I think we will bring in a really good class to Wesleyan this fall. Still a few guys out there in limbo....pushing for one particular.

We just finished Spring Ball. Spring ball was a pain in the ass without pads. I only hope that the NCAA will allow us to move to at least pro pads. Defensive and Offensive Lineman need them to be productive. That being said, we did make the most out of our spring practice. I am excited to see our guys this fall, and for the upcoming season.

Lifting and Testing. I think that we are on the right track, we needed more accountability in the weight room and I think we have set a new standard to work from. I think we are far from being where we need to be, but we have stepped up and made strides to get there. Keep up the hard work this summer, cant lose what we have worked so hard to gain.

Bachman is a blogger. Who would have thought that I would have been directly responsible for such madness. I don't see Craig that often, but when i do there is usually music...good music like Ratt and other 80's hair bands playing in the background, not to mention the enough beer to make a bum salivate. Bachman is off and doing well with his blog, there is a link in my link section. It is worth the read. Brutal honesty, and a little off the cuff. But humorous and honest.

Burkeman is going to Vegas for the WSOP. I truly thought that would be me of all people going there at least first, but this is his second time if memory serves right. Shit, I bet I don't even know how to play cards anymore. No one plays around here. I've played once, it was profitable. I cant even play on the Internet because party poke is now illegal or something. I'm to lazy to search for another alternative.

Speaking of Poker, my annual poker tournament got the K-bash. No one emailed me either. Hmmm... I missed putting it on. It is a lot of work, but I really enjoyed it. Perhaps if I ever get closer to Napoleon in my coaching career, it could happen again.

Browns. Paul Brown is smiling. No, not because of the Bengals. But because the Browns, a team named after him traded up and acquired two top 5 players in Joe Thomas and Brady Quinn. Quinn is a product of Dublin Coffman. He will be the 3rd best QB in the NFL in a matter of 3 years....Period. He is really Good. Thomas should be a career left tackle in Cleveland if they do it right. He should anchor the line for years to come. I went to Wisconsin to talk to their coaches recently, I have a bunch of film and he stands out on almost every play. He gets up field and blocks the second level with ease. Great Pick....Although, Levi Brown may be just as good.

School is almost over. I have just completed studying fro one of my finals that is tomorrow. When that is done, i will have two left then summer. I have one class this summer, and then one final class this fall and I will graduate with a Masters in December. I'm thrilled. If I get through this week, it should be all down hill.

Speaking of Graduation. Those members of my first class of coaching will be graduating college this year. I'm excited for each and everyone of them. Also graduating will be the bulk of the students that I student taught at Ayersville HS. That would be people like Allison Short. If your reading this....I'm due an email. Congratulations to all of you.

Also Graduating this year is Janelle, who has become a really good friend. I wish her the best, and hope she stays in touch. I'll really miss you. Mike Stephens and Brandin Heidbreder will also graduate, and will be missed on and off the football field this next season. Best of Luck to all three of you as you move on to your careers.

Ok, lets see....Buckeyes look to reload. The spring game had nearly 80,000 people there. I think that they will be super competitive once again. That team up north looks to be loaded, lets see what we have to say about it. Dan Dye, last year buddy...Best of Luck!

Well, this turned out to be quite long.

Until the next time.