Glory Days

Two years ago, I wrote about our annual participation in the Knox County Tournament. It was exciting for players, and a joy for us coaches, to compete in that event.

I was thinking, recently, that it was about time for this year’s version of the county tournament and, sure enough, when I logged on to the Parks and Recreation website, I found the brackets for the 8U and 10U tourneys with the 12U TBA. Bower Field, off Chapman Highway, plays host to this year’s 8U while the 10U will be played at Halls Community Park.

When I looked at the brackets, though, I was really disappointed to see how small the field has become with just seven teams competing in the 8U and only five in 10U. No teams from Farragut Baseball, Inc. are registered for either competition.

I know the game has changed a lot since I got out of it and that may translate into the lower numbers.

The advent of the more competitive academy teams has attracted many of the better players from the leagues and the popularity of the middle school teams has reduced participation in the older age groups.  And, with the recent run of the high school baseball teams from west Knox County in the TSSAA state tournament (Farragut and CAK won in their respective divisions, Knoxville Catholic was a very determined finalist, falling just short against the Warriors), you really can’t argue with the philosophy.

Still, I hate to log on and see how the county tournament has shrunk (there were 16 teams when our 10U team competed in 2006) and I also regret that there isn’t a local team to cheer for. I know the great staff of Knox County and I’m sure they are doing the best job they can to put on the same high class tournaments as they did when our teams were playing in them.

Over the years, my teams participated in the Knox County Tournament four times. Once, we went to Bower; twice we played at Powell-Levi and the final time, when the Choppers won the 14U bracket, we played at the Knox County Sportspark.

It was fun to rally your team and your fans, load up the cars and head to that year’s destination. It was also interesting to see teams from other parts of the county coming together with the same sort of competitive spirit and community pride.

Our first foree’ in the competition was quick. We played (and lost) two games. But, it was an eye-opening experience for us. We learned about how the process works and how best to compete.

The next two years, we made deeper runs. During our second year of 10U - the first time we played at Powell - we competed well. We beat a couple of the home-standing teams and got on quite a roll.

We were actually eliminated by another Farragut team and we finished fifth out of 16 (three Farragut teams actually placed in the Top 5).

A year later, we made a similar deep run at Powell. And, as you know, our fourth and final trip to the county tournament resulted in our ultimate celebration on the dirt and grass of the Sportspark.

But the game has changed in youth baseball, at least for now. Things do come in cycles so maybe there will be another surge of popularity. For whatever reason, it seems and the Knox County Tournament isn’t the draw it once was. I am out of touch; I really don’t know the answer. I hope it comes back around.

As I said earlier, I’m a big fan of the county staff. They do a great job.

Still, for a former coach who has a passion for reminiscing, loves to talk about the Choppers and enjoy writing about the Glory Days, this is definitely a pleasant way to start a new week. 

JG

Originally posted 6/9/2014

National Doughnut Day

Today is the observance of National Doughnut Day in America. My focus on this Friday blog will be the round confections.

Obviously, on a much more somber and serious note, this is also the 70th anniversary of the D-Day invasion. There are plenty of news outlets that will have coverage of the D-Day commemoration. If you have an interest in reading that coverage, I’d invite you to tune into the news outlet of your choice.

I don’t want to take away from those observances – both in Normandy and around the world – but I had a specific reason for talking about doughnuts this morning.

First, if you are a devotee of this breakfast treat, I hope you were able to get to a location to receive a free doughnut. I did not do this but I hope many of you were able to do so.

I actually observed National Doughnut Day, quite by accident, last night.

When I was a kid, one of the real treats we’d enjoy when I was in fourth or fifth grade, was the Friday afternoons when we’d be able to enjoy movie day. In that era, movie day did NOT entail a large tv, a DVD player and enjoying a showing of “Beauty and the Beast” or “Wall Street.”

Rather, our version of the laid back afternoon included a dark room and the whirring of a 16mm projector showing a 20-30 minute short film. If we were really lucky, we might be treated to a double feature. Or a triple!

No matter how many films were on the docket, one of the highlights was always  “The Doughnuts.” It was a short film based on the children’s book Homer Price, which was so popular when we were kids. One of the vignettes in the Homer Price book was about an out-of-control automatic doughnut making machine.

That story was the focus of the short movie.

At any rate, it was an annual staple from about third through sixth grades. Once a year, you could count on seeing the doughnut movie.

Recently, I found a VHS copy on eBay – you can find almost anything on eBay – and I purchased it. Last night, we enjoyed a trip back in the time machine to my childhood. I loved it; Lisa loved it; I think Holly and Paul were mildly amused (and somewhat curious).

So, there you have it: a pre-doughnut day doughnut celebration. I didn’t pick up a complimentary ‘Old Fashion’ or ‘Lemon Filled’ this morning. But, I was able to mark the day in more unique and personal fashion.

JG 

Originally posted 6/6/2014

No L-osers in This Deal

The NFL announced, yesterday, that it will be abandoning its practice of referring to Super Bowl numbers with Roman Numerals for Super Bowl 50. 

No one, it seems, has a stomach for referring to the big game – which will be played in San Francisco in February 2016 - Super Bowl L.  It seems the graphic image of an ‘L’ reminds folks of the teen practice of affixing a thumb and finger to the forehead to symbolize ‘Loser.’

No one wants to label the two teams making it to the game game as ‘Losers.’

As an aside, my friend Ed often reminds me of the time the Dallas Cowboys took the field for a playoff game against Minnesota in the early 70s. As the tv camera showed the team running out onto the field, it also picked up someone holding a sign that said “Losers.”

Indeed, the team who came up short in that game did not make it to the Super Bowl. So, I think he may be on to something.

No L-osers in the Super Bowl. Shoot, I’d just be happy to celebrate the return of the Tennessee Titans to the big game…for XLIX…L…LI or any of ‘em! 

On a personal note, I have always liked the use of roman numerals by the NFL.  I think its unique; it sets the game aside.

A factoid I did not know is that the current numbering system only started with Super Bowl V (which, coincidentally, is the first one I remember watching). I guess the league back-dated I, II, III and IV. 

I did NOT know this. 

The Super Bowl, itself, is special. This unique way of labeling it, I think, adds to the mystique. In addition to the use of the roman numerals, the NFL has always counted from its first Super Bowl rather than making note of the calendar year. That’s different from the other sports as well.

The only time you see letters associated with the World Series, MLB’s penultimate series, is when someone starts hanging K’s (or backward K’s) in conjunction with an excellent pitching performance. No X’s, V’s or I’s involved.

As we are now head into the finals for both of the ‘winter sports,’ it’s worth noting the numbers associated with each would be 2014. I guess, technical, the NBA calls is the 2014 Playoffs but refers to The Finals as simply The Finals. I do believe the Stanley Cup is the coolest of the four major sport trophies and, in fact, hockey refers to the championship series as the ‘Stanley Cup Final.’

 Still, the point is, only the NFL does it this way

And isn’t that really true for everything done by the NFL. No matter the topic – marketing, merchandising, the draft, the schedule – everything the NFL does, it does it right.

With regard to Super Bowl 50, will anyone notice a missing L?

JG

http://www.hlntv.com/slideshow/2014/06/04/super-bowl-50-roman-numerals?hpt=hp_bn17

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/11031941/nfl-take-one-year-hiatus-roman-numerals-super-bowl-50

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap2000000355943/article/nfl-wont-use-roman-numerals-for-super-bowl-50

http://abcnews.go.com/Sports/nfl-super-bowl-50/story?id=23992947

Originally posted 6/5/2014

06/04

Last year, I started a tradition on Coach Jeff’s Blog to take to the blogosphere every year on June 4 to wish my sister a happy birthday.

For 2013’s big day, I wrote a sappy poem and really misunderestimated (ahem) how well the birthday sonnet would be received. I can’t stop now, right?

A week ago, we celebrated her birthday in a family gathering that actually commemorated four birthdays.

But this is the actual day. So, once again, on 06/04, I dedicate Coach Jeff’s Blog to my sister, Lisa, on her birthday.

A few interesting factoids about Lisa:

Foods
There are some interesting items of food and drink that we both love ranging from very old school (Chipos) to the somewhat old school but still available in a supermarket near you (Archway Lemon Cookies) to chic and upscale (Orangina).

Like me, she enjoys some good white chocolate. She also prefers the same dish as I do when I order at El Mezcal (Tacos Carne Azada…with some shredded cheese on the side).

As I say, she’s got good taste!

Childhood Memories
So often in life, our childhood memories tend to focus on who started the fight or who tattle-taled on whom.  I’m taking a break from all that. 

We had some really fun times growing up.

For one thing, I put my vocal abilities to the test and often voiced some of her toys in elaborate games of “Let’s Pretend.” I also set up Olympic games for some of her dolls and toys. We even had a radio station spinning some great tunes (and, yes, voiced by your’s truly as the deejay…providing vocalization for many of her Barbie dudes and even my guys Big Jim and Big Jack who’d drop in on the proceedings).

Incidentally, my deejay voice sounded a LOT like an imitation of someone doing a vintage version of the American Top 40 Countdown. My ‘deejay’ name was Pete Williams. You can hear that, can’t you.

“It’s 6:53 here on WJDG radio. I’m Pete Williams. I’ll be with you until 10 o’clock tonight. Here’s another great hit from…"

We had lots of fun.

Grown-ups
Now that we’re grown, it has been fun to watch my little sister grow up, too, serving as a professional staffer at Roane State’s Center for Health Sciences. Also, she is a devoted wife, loving mother, and consistent cat lover.

As if those accolades aren’t enough, she’s very talented. In fact, she writes a tumblr blog herself.

U2 follower; fan of Batman (the 60s version) and all around good girl. 

So, here’s to her…a Happy Birthday toast from brother to sister. Happy Birthday Lisa! Hope you have a special day!

JG

Originally posted 6/4/2014

Reading Material

Lisa frequently gives me things to read. I know it’s just another way she shows me she loves me!

Often, she’ll hand me a piece of the newspaper with an article prominently displayed. Just last week, there was a feature about Nolan Ryan in Parade magazine. There was another celebrating the anniversary of the Little League.

She sends me things by email, too. Recently, I noticed three pieces in my in box pertained to the umbrella term, baseball.

Lisa knows the underpinnings of Coach Jeff’s Blog come from America’s Pastime. Here are summaries of these three articles, with very different subtexts, about my favorite sport. 

The Most Popular Baseball Team by County
One of the articles she sent my way is a piece from Mental Floss. It chronicles America’s Pastime fandoms under a heading titled the Most Popular Baseball Team by County.

At the start of this year’s baseball season, Facebook released data – and produced a map in conjunction with the Wall Street Journal – compiled based on the number of likes of team pages on FB.

The map is interesting. There aren’t a lot of revelations. For example, it’s no surprise that the South is Braves Country. Solid South. All of Georgia and Alabama; most of Tennessee, Mississippi and South Carolina; parts of Virginia, North Carolina and Florida. Knox County, TN is definitely firmly ensconced in Braves Country.

In a similar fashion, the Mississippi River area of the Midwest is St. Louis Cardinals Country. It encompasses a huge chunk of the Midwest – county by county. Shelby County in TN, for example, belongs to Cardinal Nation.

Other, similar, regional ties exist. Central and Northern Cali belong to the Giants (Sorry A’s); Southern California (except an Angels sliver and a Padres sliver) go with the Dodgers. And just as New England is Dunkin’ Donuts country is is equally Boston Red Sox territory. Most of Texas belongs to the Rangers; a bit goes with the Astros.

And so on and so on. 

The New York Yankees, of course, are the 400 pound gorilla. There are chunks of Yankee turf in the oddest places – Hawaii, New Mexico, Louisianne. Almost anywhere you can imagine. And, of course, in Gotham, itself. 

Poor Mets.

Poor Blue Jays, too. No Canadian voting baseball blocks exist on U.S. soil.

11 Fantastic French Phrases for Baseball Terms
Perhaps because of our recent trip to France, Lisa forwarded an email from Mental Floss titled 11 Fantastic French Phrases for Baseball Terms.

I smiled when I read this piece. It was charming. Also, speaking of baseball in Canada, it reminded me a bit of the time we saw a game in Montreal (Dodgers at Expos).

Many of these terms came into play that day:

I loved “Changement de vitesse” (Change-up) and  Arret-court (shortstop). A couple of my other favorites didn’t make the Mental Floss countdown: le lanceur (pitcher), le recevoir (the catcher) and, of course, le frappeur (the batter).

You can visit the article to see all the great phrases.

30 Parks in 30 Days
Lisa knows me really well. She knows that one of my goals is to see an MLB game in each of the parks.

In fact, I had three goals.

1. One goal was to see 100 games by age 50. I checked that off last summer when we saw Padres play at the Nats in D.C. in July.
2. A second goal is to see all of the teams. For some reason, I have never been able to catch the White Sox. But, I’ve seen all the others (including the aforementioned Expos).
3. So, the third goal – and I’m a little over halfway to it – is to see a game in each ballpark.

The authors of the Slate article she sent – How to Visit all 30 Major League Stadiums in 30 Days – are more ambitious than I am. I might have tried this half a life ago…but I couldn’t do it now.

Their plan includes a trip calculator and a map to show you the best way to max our your roadtrip. The app includes an imbedded MLB schedule.

Like I said, I couldn’t do that. And by the time my schedule is more flexible sometime down the road, I would hope to be closing in on my goal of seeing a game in each park.

Cities yet to check off the list: L.A. (both parks), San Diego, Seattle, Denver, Phoenix, Dallas, Houston, Minneapolis, Miami, Pittsburgh. I have been to a game in St. Louis, but not the new park. I saw a game at the old park. Same with Old Yankee Stadium/New Yankee Stadium. Also, there is that conundrum with the White Sox, so I need to get back there.

Otherwise, I’m well on the road to checking off this box, too.

I’m not as ambitious as the guys who penned this piece but they have my undying admiration. Oh, to be young, have a flexible schedule (but still have a full bank account).

Ah…. 

JG

Originally posted 6/3/2014

Service on the NPC

For the past 16 months, I have served on our church’s Pastor Nominating Committee. Yesterday, the work of the PNC culminated with the nomination of our future pastor and a successful congregational vote to call Matthew R. Nieman as the next pastor of Farragut Presbyterian Church.

I haven’t written much about this topic for a few reasons:

• There wasn’t much to report
• We did much of our work was behind the scenes
• Our work was marked by a necessary aire of confidentiality

Also, the process is deliberate. We have been working as a committee for 16 months. In fact, it will be two years this fall since I got a call from a representative of our nominating committee asking me to consider service on the PNC.

For the most part, since Feb. 2013, we have met every Monday evening as a committee to do the work necessary to advance this process forward. Also, we have seen each other through many milestones in our personal lives: graduations, family visits, vacations, births of grandchildren. For myself, alone, this PNC prayed for me during two kidney stones as well as last year’s job search.

It was nice to have this group together from that standpoint alone. It was a support group. Also, it was nice to lean on each other as we surveyed the congregation, wrote our church’s mission study and sifted through a large pile of pastor applications.

In other words, our work was crucial but it didn’t produce a lot of writing material! We Presbyterians do thing ‘decently and in good order.’ That doesn’t mean we produce juicy blog topics.

But, this past weekend is a weekend worth writing about.

Matt, his wife Jenni, and their two boys arrived on Friday and our committee hosted a dinner for them at the home of one of our committee members. Then, on Saturday evening, our church hosted a picnic. This was an opportunity for congregants to meet the Niemans and to officially welcome them to Farragut.

On Sunday, the apex of the weekend, our church hosted the Nieman family for worship. Then, we had the congregational vote to call him as our next pastor. It was a slam dunk. After the vote, many members of our church congregation came up to me – and my fellow PNC members – to express their thanks for our service and to tell us how strongly they support our nomination of Matt.

I’ll confess: the work on this committee was tough service. It was a long commitment and the task was arduous.

But, I’ll say this, too: It was a labor of love. I know my fellow PNC members feel the same way. And seeing all the smiles and feeling the energy yesterday at FPC made all the late nights and weekly meetings well worth it.

The place was packed on Saturday night and, again, on Sunday and the members of the congregation were filled with excitement. 

I don’t know that I will ever serve on a PNC again but I am happy to have done so at this important time in our church’s history.  The feelings we experienced this weekend validate the importance of our service.

Now, the Niemans will be doing the things necessary to relocate. Later this summer, they will arrive in back in East Tennessee. Then, in not much time at all, our new pastor will be in the pulpit.

It’s an exciting time for Farragut Presbyterian Church. What a wonderful place to be!

JG

Originally posted 6/2/2014

31 Days of May

Today is the last edition of Coach Jeff’s Blog for May 2014. I know I have told you on many occasions that May is my favorite month.

Sometimes I clarify and say ‘my favorite NON holidays month.’ In either case, May is special to me.

So, as we turn the page on May to June, I wanted to take a moment to look back at some special Mays of the past. A few years ago, I found a treasure trove of past journals of mine from the 1980s. The journals are full of fun and interesting references to days of old; lots of notations about friends and family who are (and were then) very special to me.

I always enjoy re-reading through these books.

For the purposes of today’s posting, I went through the 80s journals again. I paid particular attention to the month of May in each edition.

Here is a look back at 31 days of May - 80s style, featuring me with the Peter Brady hairstyle. Below are 31 special references to life from a much simpler time. Here goes:

 

May 1 (1986) – After graduating in December and concluding a three-month job hunt, I started my first professional job. I was named editor of the Appalachian Observer News newspaper in Clinton.

May 2 (1989) – My first day on my new job as publications director for East Tennessee Children’s Hospital. 

May 3 (1983) – I celebrated with my (then) girlfriend, Amy, as we had our 50th date. For some reason – maybe funds – we went to Pizza Hut.

May 4 (1981) – I received an official ‘yes’ from my date to the FHS prom, Terri, when I asked if she would go with me.

May 5 (1987) – Wouldn’t be a Coach Jeff’s Blog without a baseball reference. While covering sports for the Union County Neighbor, I enjoyed covering the Horace Maynard vs. Seymour high school baseball game. HMHS shut out Seymour 4-0 that day.

May 6 (1984) – Memphis relatives came to town for a visit and my folks played host for a few enjoyable days,

May 7 (1988) – Lisa and I spent a full day outside tending to our vegetable garden.

May 8 (1986) – Less than a week after I signed on, Lisa was also hired to work for the Appalachian Observer in Clinton.

May 9 (1989) – A week into my new job at ETCH, I had my second round of orientation and an official tour of the department.

May 10 (1986) – A friends’ (couples) night out, including dinner at Fuddrucker’s.

May 11 (1982) – Preparing for registration for the Fall 1982 quarter at UT, I attended an advising session with my advisor, Dr. Paul Ashdown.

May 12 (1981) – Plans for a post-graduation beach roadtrip were officially nixed as too many of the participants bailed out because of funding issues.

May 13 (1984) – I enjoyed a long distance phone call from my Memphis friend, Susan.

May 14 (1985) – Lisa and I met my dad, downtown, for lunch. Meeting him for lunch meant EITHER a visit to Arby’s OR a near-by Mexican place called Sancho’s. My notes didn’t indicate which eatery we visited.

May 15 (1981) – In a bit of foreshadowing to my, later, theatre parent status, I attended an Admiral’s Performing Arts Company (APAC) performance of “Oklahoma” in the Wells Auditorium on the FHS campus.

May 16 (1982) – I went on an overnight camping trip with friends.

May 17 (1987) – It was not yet Paul’s birthday, but still I celebrated. A bunch of my friends got together for a Sunday afternoon softball game. This was also foreshadowing for my Phud’s days a few years later.

May 18 (1985) – Lisa and I went shopping…for a ring. (And we bought it).

May 19 (1989) – Lisa and I (and friends) attended the annual Greek Fest (at St. George Orthodox Church).

May 20 (1982) – One of my favorite early morning activities with my friend, Bobby Brooks…we made a ‘biscuit run’ (which usually involved a trip to Hardee’s for a steak biscuit).

May 21 (1983) – It was the senior prom for my girlfriend, Amy. I served as her date.

May 22 (1982) – I attended a fraternity party at Phi Kappa Psi.

May 23 (1981) – I attended the FHS senior prom. My friend, Wayne, and I double-dated.  His date was Deedra and as noted earlier, I went with Terri. There, we also ran into my best friend, Ed.

May 24 (1984) - My friends Bill, Steve and Larry took me out to dinner to celebrate my 21st birthday.

May 25 (1986) – A bunch of friends took me out for a birthday celebration lunch. 

May 26 (1983) – A bunch of friends, including Bob, Bobby and Rob, got together for evening basketball as we often did in those days.

May 27 (1989) – A bunch of friends went to Opryland as our friend and neighbor, Billy, left town to move to Dallas. After our day in Nashville, we returned to East TN while he headed on for TX.

May 28 (1988) – My sister, Lisa’s, high school graduation.

May 29  (1988) – A group get-together, to celebrate birthdays. The highlight of the evening, apparently, was a spirited game of croquet.

May 30 (1987) – Lisa and I had an outing with my best man, Steve Martin, and his wife Robin.

May 31 (1985) – Lisa and I spent six hours in her dad’s darkroom as we were printing B/W photos for our final project in photography class.

So there you have it…31 references to the month of May from the 1980s. I hope you enjoyed this little glimpse into my time capsule. Who knows? Maybe I’ll pick another month and some point in the future and do this again.

One of the biggest goals, for me, in writing Coach Jeff’s Blog is to have fun. Today, I had a lot of fun!

JG

Originally posted 5/29/2014