Another Soccer Boo-Boo

840003-01.jpgWhen two soccer players go up to head the ball at the same time, usually somebody wins the ball and somebody loses. Sometimes they both miss the ball and instead hit each other. As long as both players get up and play on, the standard sideline parent joke goes something like this: “Well, somebody just lost a few SAT points,” followed by peals of riotous laughter. It’s an old joke which for some reason never seems to lose it’s punch.

Having been thoroughly traumatized by the last soccer boo-boo in Atlanta, I gladly allowed Eyegal to handle the most recent tournament in Nashville.… Read the rest

The Church of Football

churchsign.jpgThe South is a curious amalgam of fried food and sweet tea, trashy trailer park tragedy, dark gothic tales, hell, fire and brimstone and, of course, the ever-present, all-consuming, life-giving Church of Football.

Oh sure, there’s football in other parts of the country, but does anyone else come close to matching the faithful fanaticism of a Deep South Game Day? The Church of Football has it’s own liturgy–the parking lot fellowship meal, the processional to the house of worship, the gathering of the congregation, colorful vestments and the common chants and cheers. Touchdowns, of course, are the holiest sacrament, and in the ecstasy of celebrating another six points, congregants, if only for a few transcendent moments, forget their troubles and woes and are transported into high, heavenly places.… Read the rest

A Hoover High Reprise

As most regular readers know, Ocular Fusion 2.0 tends to be a non-controversial blog. Eyegal tells me that I need more “edge,” and that she would like to see me post on more “hot topics.” Well, she of all people should know that when you get down to my core, “I’m a lover, not a fighter.”

Still, I’m up for a good scrap now and then, especially if one comes knocking at my door. My recent post on the MTV reality show “Two-a-Days” featuring Hoover High School’s football team didn’t stir up much trouble when I originally posted it, aside from the interesting discussion that Jon and I had on the pros and cons of allowing cuss words to be heard in one’s house.… Read the rest

Smart Is As Smart Does

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This morning, the National Merit Scholarship Corporation is releasing the names of the 2007 National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists. If you were to dig deeply enough into the Alabama list, you would find the name of Number Three One Son, one of 28 National Merit Semifinalists from Virgil I. Grissom High School in Huntsville. He’s the one smack dab in the middle, with the large, no-orthodontia-thank-you-very-much grin.

Sixteen thousand out of the more than 1.4 million students who took the PSAT last year were named Semifinalists. Grissom usually produces more National Merit Scholars than any other high school in Alabama, and that’s the case again this year.… Read the rest

Tank Update

tank2.jpgA while back, I posted on Torrance “Tank” Daniels, a Harding University grad who was attempting to make the final roster with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Despite having played well in preseason games and practices, Tank didn’t quite make the final cut, but he was signed to the Eagles practice squad. This means he practices with the team each week and doesn’t dress out for games, but he still retains his free agent status and could be signed by the Eagles or some other team at a later date. He’ll receive a salary of $64,000 per season (pretty decent money for a guy straight out of undergrad), and the miminum NFL rookie salary of $225,000 per season if he’s picked up and signed to a regular roster.… Read the rest

8:46 AM 9/11/02

Three thousand voices cry out in shock and awe at the mournful moment
A crisp, clear morning is shattered by fire and fury.
Frantic chatter from little wireless boxes fills the air,
And only the essentials matter now:
“I don’t want to die.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Take care of the kids.”
“I’ll be with you always.”
“I just want you to know I love you.”

I hear them even now, phantoms flitting about my head as the daily grind Halts on yet another Black Tuesday.
Each gently asks, “Remember me?”
They gather round and tell their stories of life and love:
John, who loved soccer and coached his kids,
Suzanne, who loved her little sister with Downs,
Mario, who considered fine wine with a good meal and the company of Friends a sacrament,
Max*, who loved tinkering with old Mustangs and playing the trombone.… Read the rest

A Music Manifesto

apple_ipod-v30g_0.jpgI wish I had thought of this. But I’m glad that my friend Mike the PharmD (that stands for “Pharmacy Dude”) did.

The ubiquitous iPod is a necessary accessory for today’s tech-savvy, music-loving teenagers. Our boys each have one. In all three cases they worked and saved and payed for part of theirs with a little help from Eyegal and me. They have enjoyed them greatly, but there have been a few “issues” which have needed to be addressed from time to time.

Mike the PharmD, possessing a more sound and sober mind than I, anticipated many of these “issues” prior to purchase.… Read the rest

Red and Below-the-Knee, Thank Goodness

img_0102.JPGSo what kind of cast is this fall’s best-dressed 13-year-old young man wearing?

Red and below-the-knee, thank goodness.

Number Three paid a visit to the orthopedist yesterday to have his newly-aquired tibial fracture checked out. The bad news is that he’s out of soccer for three months. We had figured something like that, but it was still hard hearing it firsthand. The good news is that he received a below-the-knee cast which allows for greater mobility and less discomfort than his previous above-the-knee temporary splint. Even better, if healing is sufficient at his 2-week visit, he may be able to ditch the cast for a removable fracture boot which would make showering and other tasks considerably easier.… Read the rest

The Anatomy of a Broken Bone

lgg3.jpgSince 1993, our three sons have played in just over a thousand soccer matches. Throughout that time, we’ve suffered our share of bruises, abrasions, sprains and pains, but never a broken bone. But unfortunately, that streak has come to an end.

This past Saturday, Number Three’s U14 team was nursing a 1-0 lead in the closing moments of their first round match in the Atlanta Cup, one of the most competitive (and roughest) soccer tournaments in the Southeast. The ball was rolling loose about 25 yards from our goal and their center midfielder, a rugged and skilled Hispanic youth weighing about 150 lbs, began to run onto the ball to take a shot that would have undoubtedly tested our keeper in the extreme.… Read the rest

Sometimes Other Teams Are Good Too

060901_sn_worldbasketballtn.jpgAs disappointing as Team USA’s loss to Greece was in the semifinals of the World Basketball Championships, it should be noted that in the bronze medal game, the Red, White and Blue thrashed pre-tournament favorite Argentina 96-81.

Slate‘s Robert Weintraub offers up this and other perspective-lending points in his article “How Soccer Explains the World Basketball Championships.” His views are a breath of fresh air amid all the recriminations resulting from this most recent international sports loss and the USA’s subpar performance in the most recent soccer World Cup.

Having been an athlete, coach and spectator, I concur with his sentiments.… Read the rest

Beyond the Bling

p1_wadehinrich.jpgIn one of the quieter sports stories of the summer, the U.S. Mens basketball team has been marching steadily forward in the FIBA World Championships in Sapporo, Japan. There was a time when U.S. teams took World Championship and Olympic gold medals for granted. But in recent years, a new generation of international basketball players has humbled American hoopsters, resulting in an embarrassing 6th place finish in the last World Championships and a disappointing bronze in the 2004 Olympics in Athens.

So what’s different this time around? Two words: Coach K. Duke Head Coach and master motivator Mike Krzyzewski took over the reigns of the National Team last year and immediately went to what USA Today appropriately called Plan B–a true team.… Read the rest