I Am An Addict

I have no other way to say it then to tell you the truth, I am an addict, I have multiple addictions, and I cannot stop it. You can say all you want, that it is all mind over matter, that it is not a disease ,but at the end of the day I have multiple Jones and I can’t beat them.

The most recent addiction I have started with just a few hits, but for me a few is not enough. I need to spend all of my time with my supplier. Last year I hit over 190 days, I find myself buzzing all over for the next hit. To make matters worse there are families that get their fix where I get mine.

Where I get my fix is on grass. No, not the one you are thinking about, I am addicted to golf. I will die a bogey golfer, but I have times when I play close to par. I cannot help it, I have to play every day. I play from April 1st to November 1st almost every day. It is one of my passions and yes one of my addictions.

I love the feeling of hitting a good shot, I love the competition that comes from within myself and others, I love the smell of the fresh mowed grass, watching a friend play the game of their life. Heck, I love the golf course so much that I want part of my ashes spread just west of nine tee box at the Jesup Golf Course, so I can watch over almost the entire course when I pass away.

The only bad part about putting my ashes there, is it is on hole nine, and sometimes guys urinate there because they cannot make it to the club house. I have an answer to this problem though, after they spread my ashes, I want them to put up a sign that reads “Don’t P on G!” That will at least make them think about it before they do it.

Yes I am an addict, I love the look of a drive when it is drawn, I love the angle a sixty degree wedge takes to the pin, I love the sound a cup makes when the ball goes in, and I love trying to make a shot I have never made before.

Do not feel pity for me, or feel sorry for me, I am an addict of golf, and I am Jonesing as I type this.

Captain Berra

"I love opening day, it doesn't matter if it's at home or on the road." Yogi Berra

General Martin

As baseball opens another season on Thursday, I think of my Yankee’s and the incredible Billy Martin. He brought it every day to the ball park. I remember when he managed the Texas Rangers, and we went up to watch them play the Twins at the old Met Stadium.


Billy had started the spitballer Gaylord Perry, and he threw one to Rod Carew that fell off of the table. Home plate Umpire Ron Luciano called two balls, and Billy came unglued. I still remember the 150 pound Martin toe to toe against the 275 pound umpire. It was shortly after that incident, that this quote appeared in Sports Illustrated.



"I'm getting smarter, I finally punched something that couldn't sue me." Billy Martin

Unconditional Surrender

"Unconditional Surrender" Grant

There is talk of putting a mercy rule in to Iowa Girls’ Basketball next year. I see it as wrong no matter how you look at it.

The following is the National Federation Mercy Rule that would be used;

“Control, a 35-point differential rule is in effect for all games played in Iowa, grades 7-12. If there is a 35-point differential at the end of the first half or anytime after, the game will be continued with a running clock. Beginning with the ensuing possession when the 35-point differential becomes effective, the following changes, and only these changes, will be made regarding rules determining when the clock will and will not be stopped.


The clock will run continuously except for the following situations when it will be stopped:


(1) Anytime a time-out is charged to a team;


(2) Intermission between third and fourth quarter;


(3) Extended injury time-out;


(4) Anytime officials determine it is necessary for safety reasons.


Please keep in mind we play the first half to completion with regular timing. If the differential is 35 points or more at half-time or anytime there is a 35-point differential during the second half, the running clock procedures will be used.


If the score margin drops below 25 points, then normal timing will resume for the remainder of the game, or until the 35 point plateau is again reached.”

First, the quarter lengths respectfully are six, seven, and eight minutes long at the respective levels. The running clock takes time away from athletes that practices so much longer then they play in a game. Middle school kids practice about 300 minutes to every 30 minutes they play. If you have a running clock you are taking away an already limited oppurtunity to play, especially for the players that are limited in skills.

Second, the rule is disrespecting the team that is being beaten by protecting them with a mercy rule. Teams should want and expect the best from their opponents. To back away or not give your best is not respecting the game.

Third, if a team feels guilty for beating a team handily they can always play their weakest players, but if they play their weakest players, then play them like you practice them. For example, if a pressing team does not press, then a team is punishing their own players by sitting them in a sagging two-three. Do not disrespect your own players.

Fourth, if you are not good enough, do not pout because someone is better. Work to improve, which is what the off season is for. I know you are not suppose to punch someone when they are down, but in the same way, you are punching them when they are down by giving less than your best effort.

I know people will disagree, but remember an earlier post I had, I talked about where a team I coached was defeated 119-19. I do see both sides to this issue as I share with you my opinion.

Private Delaney





My mom was a big Tom T. Hall fan, and she had the album with the song “The Year That Clayton Delaney Died”. It was from my mom and dad that I developed my goat roping tendencies. Anyhow when I was in the later part of my elementary years, I went to school singing “Clayton Delaney” and telling my friends how great of song it was.

They all made fun of it, and said they hated it. It was the late sixty’s, and they were all listening to their older brothers and sisters hippy music.

When I went home, something like the following conversation took place;

Me I’m going to kill my friends.

Mom You can’t kill your friends.

Me But mom, they hate the Clayton song.

Mom I’ll get the gun, meet me at the car.


Thank god dad stopped us at the back door. I hope you like Clayton as much as mom did.

Click below to listen to "The Year That Clayton Delaney Died"



The Man in Black



I remember back in the 1970’s, my mom and I would come down to Waterloo from Cresco to see my Great Aunt Nettie. Everybody called her Aunt Nettie, sort of like Aunt Bea on the “Andy Griffith Show”. Although, she was mine and my mom’s real aunt, and I found great pride in that. Anyhow, in the late sixty’s or early seventy’s mom went to Aunt Nettie’s one weekend without me to go see Johnny Cash in concert at McElroy Auditorium.


Johnny was struggling through some chemical abuse problems, and never went on that night. I remember how angry mom was when she got home that weekend, but Aunt Nettie yelled about that until her death in 1980. She could never forgive the man in black for letting her down.

That’s why I am posting one of Johnny’s best “The Ring of Fire”. Perhaps Aunt Nettie has forgiven him by now.



General Powell

"All values are important, everyone who has ever touched my life in some way was a mentor for good or bad. Life is a blend, and a person is a blend of all the influences that have touched their lives."

- General Colin Powell

Jesus Had an Army



I was baptized and confirmed in the Methodist Church, yet I am drawn to the Catholic Church for reasons that I will now try and explain. As I told you in an earlier post, I was raised by a bunch of Catholics. Good Catholic mothers the likes of Clair Sill, Joany Murray, and Jean McCarville.  Good Catholic fathers like Larry Voves and Bud McCarville.


I would go to Midnight Mass with my Aunt on Christmas Eve, I had the biggest crush you could imagine on a red haired cheerleader from Cresco Notre Dame, and I went out of my way to see two sisters that worked at the local A&W Root-beer Stand. I loved to go to the Catholic weddings because everyone was invited and the dance was always full of joy and happiness.

My friends would always tell me things that they would confess to their priest. Speaking of priest, I was the only protestant kid in town that Father Harper would give the key to the Notre Dame Gym. When he wasn’t home, we always knew what windows our Catholic friends at Notre Dame would leave unlocked before they left school that day.

I learned about the Catholic religion from my friends, and I developed my values through not only my mom and dad, but their parents as well. Guilt was thrown upon us very often as we grew up, and rarely would we do much to hurt anyone.

I was introduced to the Saints by my Catholic friends; St Cecilia, St. Frances, St. Christopher, St. Patrick, St. Joseph, and the always important St. Nicholas. They taught me that I could send a message through the Virgin Mary to God. So, as I traveled the world, I would try to stick my head in the cathedrals and Catholic churches, remembering my friend Ger Terrant from Irelands advice, “It never hurts to have a priest as a fan.”

Why do I ramble about my Catholic history today? I heard the song by Reckless Kelly called “I Never Liked St. Valentine”, and here it is.



Life, Liberty and Happiness

There is a little book from Running Press written by Monica Sheehan. It is called Be Happy; A Little Book To Help You Live a Happy Life. It is one sentence chapters, that tells you what to do to be happy. The first chapter is called “Show up.” That is the only sentence in the chapter but it means so much more. It means:

SHOW UP TO

… your parents house.

…your grandparents.

…family reunions.

…the dentist.

…practice on time

….meetings on time.

…work on time.

…your friends weddings.

…dr. appointments.

…see your friends in the hospital.

…funerals for the families of the perished.

…volunteer.

…fight for your country.

…your children’s events.

…school.

… court.

… jury duty.

…pay your taxes.

…meetings.

…vote.

…church.

…the gym

…the library.

Our Allies From Dixie

North Carolina basketball is taking an attack from the talking heads from CBS and the rest of the NCAA Tournament Network, as they ask how they can give up so many points to people the likes of Long Beach. One talking head understands though, Charles Barkley understands that “Carolina is comfortable giving up 80-85 points a game.” Some detractors of Carolina want to say they do not play good defense, but I would argue them wrong. Roy Williams wants 90-110 possessions a game. They are going to shoot more than anyone else and so their opponents are going to have the ball and shoot more as well. This isn’t bad defense this is good ball control offense.

Most people think ball control is to take time off of the clock, but ball control is to not turn it over. This all goes back to when Roy Williams was taking Iowa’s best players when he was at Kansas, charming young men from small towns like Iowa Falls and Monona. Now he has Iowa’s most recent greatest Harrison Barnes playing for him in Carolina.

Maybe what is most remarkable is North Carolina does not have a first team ACC player on his team. How often do you think Williams uses that as cannon fire in his practice or pregame conversation? Yes Barnes was named newcomer of the year in the conference, but Roy has delivered them again to the Sweet Sixteen. Now I understand Carolina is probably one of the five easiest places in the country to recruit to, but he still has to recruit and he is getting it done.

I think the early round cast off Pitino, is jealous of my boy Roy.



Here is the wonderful Charlie Daniels Song "Carlolina"

Military Movements

About twenty-five years ago this month I applied for a teaching job, at a Catholic School in New Mexico on the Checkerboard Reservation. It is part of the Navajo Nation, and excited me to go down and at least look into it.

It was a four day journey; I left Waterloo on Thursday and returned on Sunday. We flew into Oklahoma City where we picked up more passengers before we flew into Albuquerque.

One of the other passengers on that unremarkable flight was the Oklahoma Men’s Basketball Coach Billy Tubbs. I can remember a line written about him at the time. “If Billy does not stop running it up on people, no one will go fishing with him when he retires.” a writer mused. Billy responded in his arrogant, comedic way, “If they fish like they coach I do not want to be around them.”

Anyhow, I arrived about 7:30 and they took me to the reservation, where there were hundreds of cars. In a giant pole building they called the community hall, was a bingo game going on. They told me that the profits from the two days a week they had bingo was what funded the school.

I stayed in a little hotel in the small town where the res school was, and the next morning I went to the school for my interview. It was an all day affair, nothing like I would ever be involved with again.

After I talked to the priest and the principal that ran the school for about an hour they took me out into the classroom. They had four double wide trailers that they had turned into classrooms with four rooms in each one. When we came to the second building, two young high school boys’ came crashing through the door in a terrible fight. The priest I was with said “Oh, don’t worry they are just brothers.” At that point he picked them up and turned them over to their teacher.

I was then taken to a parking lot where there were five or six suburban’s. It was here I met the maintenance man. I guy that was about my age at the time (25), It was his week to do meals on wheels and I was to ride along and help. We went to about twenty places, most of them elderly people that lived in adobe huts. I doubt if I have ever been around friendlier people then those folks were. All of them were happy to see us and all of them smiled.

When we returned, it was about time that school was being dismissed, and one of the reading teachers was gassing up one of the Suburban’s. She had to take eight of the students home so I went along with her and talked to the students as they returned home. Wrecked cars and broken windows told stories that the students wouldn’t and couldn’t tell. When we had delivered the students to their home, she talked about how many of the students parents would spend their government check the first week they had it, then have to pawn things the rest of the month to survive.

That night I hung out with the young staff in the dormitories they had for them.

On Saturday one of the young teachers took me hiking on the mesas in the area. Talk about fun and great exercise. That night the priest and the principal took me into Gallup for supper and they offered me the job. It included; K-12 Physical Education Teacher, 7-12 History Teacher, Head Boys’ and Girls’ Cross Country Coach, Head Girls’ and Boys’ Basketball Coach, Head Girls’ and Boys’ Track Coach, Coordinator of Summer Camp, and last but not least Athletic Director.

They were going to pay me the grand total of room and board, and $59.00 a month for expenses. Up to that point I probably had a little socialist blood in my body. Money had never been important to me. All of a sudden it was, I do not know why I changed at that point, but I did. I worried about bills I owed, I worried about moving, and I became selfish with my time. Here were a group of people that needed me and I could not pull the trigger. It was a changing point in my life.

Accept for one year I was at Don Bosco, I have been here at Jesup ever sense.

The Howitzers

Two Ukraine brothers are the best two heavy weight boxers in the world, bar none right now, and no one knows it. Boxing is a dying sport in the United States right now, but they are known worldwide. Their names Vitali and Wladimir Klitschko, Vitali is five years older than his brother. Both are doctors, both can speak four different languages, and both have iron fists. They are the best kept secret in the world. Read about them here. The Klitschko Brothers

War Hero Tom Waits

I love Tom Waits music and his humor. Earlier this week he was inducted into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Everyone in the world knew his acceptance speech would be one for the archives. I know he didn't disappoint me. Here is the 'verbage' that came out of his mouth on that special night.


“I just want to know if there's a key-chain version that I can keep with me just in case I hear someone say, "Pete, take the cuffs off. I think he's a Hall of Famer." Thank you for the kind words, Neil. I'm honored to be honored. And, gee, I don't know where to begin. Songs, uh, are really just interesting things to be doing with the air. I love working with tunes. I love music, but we really want music to love us. Neil was saying the other night, he said, "When there's a song approaching it's kind of like there's an animal in the room, and you don't want it to run off." You know, how did it get in?


I was, uh, fifteen and I snuck in to see Lightnin' Hopkins. I put white-out in my hair and I drew on a mustache and I put on an overcoat and I stood there and I said, "Ticket for one." Amazing show. Every time he opened his mouth, that orchestra of gold teeth was just devastating. And then I saw him leave the show and he walked through a door and slammed the door behind him. And on the door, it said, I swear to God, "KEEP OUT. THIS ROOM IS FOR ENTERTAINERS ONLY." And I knew at that moment that I had to get into show business as soon as possible. So, uh, that was a real big one for me. And I've had the pleasure and the privilege of playing with a lot of great musicians over the years. Some of you are here and some of you are not here. Some of us are on the wrong side of the dirt, as they say. But any day on this side of the dirt is a good day, for me and for all of us.

Let's see, what else? They told me I should talk for quite a while, but I don't intend to. I fully do not intend to. I'd like to thank my family. They know me and they love me anyway. My wife and her incandescent light that has guided me and kept me alive and breathing and sparkling. And my kids who, well, they taught me everything I know. Or maybe they taught me everything they know. I don't know. They taught me a lot.

Okay, I did the bit about the door and the club. Um, the first time I went onstage, my face felt like it was made of plaster and if I smiled, it would crack off, and I thought, "This is such an interesting [Christian?] experience" and somehow wanted more of it. They say I have no hits and I'm difficult to work with, and they say that like it's a bad thing. [crowd cheers] The only thing I really can compare this to is I was given the key to the city of El Paso several months ago. It was a really kind offer. They told me there's only one key to the city, but I found out later there were a whole lot of them, and they fit nothing. So, I'm just hoping there are some fringe benefits that go along with this baby. Thank you very much. This has been very encouraging.”

The Empire

On this St. Patrick’s Day, and on the start of the NCAA tournament, I must talk about a true champion, what the folks call the Gaelic Athletic Association sponsored Gaelic Football team from County Kerry, “The Empire”. On my last visit to County Kerry, a good friend of mine, Ger Terrant gave me one of their jersey’s and I have it on this March 17th.


County Kerry is the most successful team in the history of Gaelic football. It has won the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship on 36 occasions and the National Football League 19 times, both of which are far more than any other county. The county holds a number of distinctive records in football championship history. As of 2009, Kerry has contested 55 All-Ireland finals, the next highest number of championships, being Dublin with 35 appearances. Heck, they have also won eleven All-Ireland Senior Women Championships.

As you watch the NCAA tournament today, give a little Irish luck to the underdogs, and think of “The Empire”.

Sláinte (Gaelic for health, cheers, or good luck)

The Cost of War

I went and watched UNI and Rider play last night in the first round of the CIT post season tournament. Slightly bizarre the way it works; UNI had to pay a little more then $30,000 dollars to host a home game. If you haven't heard by now they won easily and now get a buy in the next round. They will host again next Monday, and I believe they will have to pay to host that game as well. I know what Coach J. is doing, he wants to get his guys battle experience. Judging from the crowd I would guess they made enough money to take care of the expenses.

UNI was actually fun to watch, they shot a lot of three's, pushed a little more then they did in the regular season, and pressed some. I sat four rows up behind the Rider bench. They were shell shocked the way UNI shot. They brought no where near the passion UNI brought, and as far as fans from Rider; I did not see one, and I was right behind their bench.

On a side note, at half-time they introduced the UNI women's basketball team. The were the MVC regular season and Valley Tournament Champions this year. They play Michigan State in the first round of the NCAA Women's tournament.

Female Soldiers

The pairing for the 2011 Women's NCAA Tournament came out last night, with Connecticut, Baylor, Stanford and Tennessee all earning the top seeds. Iowa, Iowa State and UNI all recieved invitations as well. Here is the story from Canada.com.

NCAA Women's Tournament

The nations best player, 6'8" Brit Griner of Baylor

The United Nations

The North Iowa Cedar League Girl's and Boy's All Star Basketball games are this Friday, March 18th at the Reinbeck High School. The girl's game starts at six with the boy's game to follow. The format has the East playing the West.

Representing the Jesup Girl's is Brit Bunger, and representing the Boy's team are Max Faulkner, Noah Brown, Brady Larson, and Brady Mattson. Nick Donlea is coaching the East boy's.

There will be a three point contest at half time of both of the games, with a slam dunk competition to follow the boy's game. Profits go to the Mercer Scholarship named for a young man that was killed in a senseless act of violence.

Lose The Battle Win The War

One of my role models all of my life has been Abe Lincoln. He was not afraid to
fail. I am sure my students get tired of me telling them to not be afraid to fail, but if
you do not try you can not succeed.

He failed in business in 1831.

He was defeated for Legislature in 1832.

His second failure in business was in 1833.

He suffered a nervous breakdown in 1836.

He was defeated for Speaker in 1838.

He was defeated for Elector in 1840.

He was defeated for Congress in 1843.

Again, he was defeated for Congress in 1848.

He was defeated for Senate in 1855.

He was defeated for Vice President in 1856.

He was defeated for Senate in 1858.

He was elected as President in 1860.

SOURCE: The Inner Life of Abraham Lincoln: Six Months at the White House by Francis B. Carpenter (Lincoln, University of Nebraska Press, 1995), pp. 258-259.

Sudden Death

Belmont learns they play the Badgers.

I love this time of year, tournament games and a lot of passion. The Iowa Boys’ and Girls’ basketball state tournament in back to back weeks, the NCAA Men’s and Women’s Tournaments, this includes D-1 to D-3 and Junior College Basketball. True Competitors come out during this time, and I doubt other then the World Cup, in nothing else are more people taken in by the competitive spirit and what is known as “Bracketology’.

I am pretty good at picking winners in the Iowa Girls’ tournament; I know programs, coaches, and players. The Boys tournament I am alright, but I do not pay close enough attention to be real good. The Women’s NCAA Tournament does not get the press and I do not follow close enough to pick the bracket very well either. The Men’s tournament I am bad. I pick with my heart and not my head. And rarely any more do I watch an entire college game on TV.

I have talked to friends about why I do not, and they claim the same thing. The weird thing is on an average night there are at least five college games on cable TV, and if you have dish you can get 10-50 games on a given day. I would rather watch a high school game in person. You are surrounded by the passion of the players, coaches, fans, cheerleaders, and the band.

But I think what spoiled me from college basketball was when I was in high school, I would change my schedule so I could watch Lute Olson’s Iowa men’s Basketball Team. There were only three networks and Iowa would stop for those two hours. It was a state passion, it was a war to get a ticket, sell-outs were the norm, and they had a guy ‘Magic’ Johnson called the greatest player he ever saw, Ronnie Lester. He was incredible, shoot it, pass, drive the lane and defend, and he had a passion that you rarely see.

Needless to say no longer do I want to watch a game on TV all the way through any more until it gets to this time of year. I love the sudden death of it, you are playing to play again, but I can’t pick’em. Yet, this year I am jumping on board the band wagon of a mid-major, the Belmont Bruins. They are located in Nashville, Tennessee and for a goat-roaper like me that is the first draw. Yet, it just isn’t that, they are 30-4 and won both the Atlantic Sun regular season championship and the conference tournament. Their only four losses came to Tennessee twice, Vanderbilt once, and Lipscomb.

Belmont is the 13 seed in the Southeast region, and they face the four seed Wisconsin coached by a man I consider one of the better coaches in the country Bo Ryan. Belmont is 30 and 4, and Wisconsin is 23-8. I know the Big Ten and the Atlantic Sun are two completely different conferences, and the records mean nothing in this case, but the thing that draws me is that Belmont plays 11 guys, ten minutes or more every night. They are my system team in the NCAA tournament. They press and they run and they sub in lines, it should be a different style for Wisconsin who likes to play ball control. Do not confuse them with a Grinnell, they do not shoot that many times a game, or that many three’s a game, but I like their style and I am adopting the Bruins now before everyone else jumps on board.

“Warning the Surgeon General has found that Jim Gillespie is bad at Bracketology.” Before you jump aboard my ship, I am choosing them for their style of play. Good luck to all of you in your own choices and enjoy the next three weeks.

A Pilots Education



The first year I worked for Virgil at Dunkerton, when I walked into his office I knew he had the secret. The first thing I read on his bulletin board was a short insert from the book Marley and Me by John Grogan. It was a short story about how a dog can teach us how to live our life. Here it is I hope it moves you as much as it does me.


“No one ever called him a great dog-or even a good dog. He was as wild as a banshee and strong as a bull. He crashed joyously through life with a gusto most often associated with natural disasters. He was a chewer of couches, a slasher of screens, a slinger of drool, a tipper of trash cans. As for brains, let me say he chased his tail till the day he died, apparently convinced he was on the verge of major canine breakthrough. There was more to him though. His intuition and empathy, his gentleness with children, his pure heart.

What I really wanted to say was how this animal had touched our souls and taught us some of the most important lessons of our lives. A person can learn a lot from a dog even a loopy one like ours. He taught me about living each day with unbridled exuberance and joy, about seizing the moment and following your heart. He taught me to appreciate simple things- a walk in the woods, a fresh snowfall, a nap on a shaft of winter sunlight. And as he grew old and achy, he taught me about optimism in the face of adversity. Mostly he taught me about friendship and selfishness and, and above all else, unwavering loyalty.

It was an amazing concept that I only now in the wake of his death, fully absorbing: Dog as mentor. As teacher and role model. Was it possible for a dog- any dog, but especially a nutty wildly uncontrollable one like ours- to point humans to the things that really mattered in life? I believe it is. Loyalty. Courage. Devotion. Simplicity. Joy and the things that did not matter too. A dog has no use for fancy cars or big homes or designer clothes. Status symbols mean nothing to him. A water logged stick will do just fine. A dog judges others not by their color or creed or class but by who they are inside. A dog doesn’t care if you’re rich or poor, educated or illiterate, clever or dull. Give him your heart and he will give his.

It was really quite simple, and yet we humans so much wiser and more sophisticated, have always had trouble figuring out what really counts and what does not. It is all right there in front of us, if only we opened our eyes. Sometimes it took a dog with bad breath, worse manners, and pure intentions to help us see."

A Four Star General

"The Social Studies Award is named in honor of Freddie Richards.


Freddie Richard’s years as a student at Jesup High School were years of accomplishment. Freddie served as Senior Class President, Vice-President of the National Honor Society; he was a Hugh O’Brien Youth Leadership Ambassador, he lettered in football, wrestling and track, was active in speech, drama and choir, he was Homecoming King, Prom King, and captain of the wrestling team. But even with all the hard work, Freddie had time for fun: like during half-times of varsity home basketball games when he and classmate, Paul Yeager, would dress up in their swing choir tuxedos, don sunglasses, and sweep the gym floor while the band played the Dragnet theme—which probably explained their nickname, the “Broom Brothers.” He also learned some great life lessons in high school, such as the year the play director, frustrated at a number of cast members failing to memorize their lines, walked out two weeks before the fall play was due to open. Although Ms. Sigurdson stepped in to help, she stressed that it was up to the cast to make the show sink or swim. For fourteen days, the cast pulled together and worked their tails off and had a lot of fun in the process. While the production wasn’t spectacular, it wasn’t a failure either and the experience turned out to be empowering for the students as they learned just how much they could accomplish on their own.

After high school, Freddie continued his education at Hawkeye Community College and graduated Phi Theta Kappa with an Associate of Arts Degree. He entered Iowa State University and earned his Bachelor of Arts Degree in Advertising; and then continued his education at the New York Film Academy, Universal Studios campus, graduating from there in 2002.

Freddie began his career as an advertising account representative at the Iowa State Daily, where he was a finalist for the College Newspaper Business and Advertising manager’s Sales Rep of the Year. He later was employed as a production coordinator at MTV Networks, NYC, working on collateral print

for MTV, VH1, Nickelodeon and Comedy Central. As a Broadcast Producer at Leo Burnett in Detroit from 2000 to 2007 and since 2007 to the present at Carmichael Lynch in Minneapolis, Freddie has produced TV commercials for Pontiac, Cadillac, GM Goodwrench, Subaru, Harley-Davidson and Jack Link’s Beef Jerky and has earned various advertising awards for his ad campaigns.

Freddie’s interests are many but one is certainly politics. While a student at HCC, he was elected Student Senator and while at ISU in 2000, he was a member of Iowa State University Cyclones for Gore and introduced Vice-President Al Gore to Iowa State University on national television the night before the Iowa Caucus elections. From 2004 to 2006 he was elected Macomb County Democratic Delegate and he has volunteered and worked on the following presidential campaigns: Vice-President Al Gore (2000 in Iowa and Michigan), Gov. Howard Dean (2004 in Iowa, Wisconsin and Michigan) and Senator Barack Obama (2008 in Iowa, Minnesota, Michigan and Ohio). In addition, Freddie has been a volunteer for Special Olympics, Habitat for Humanity, Real Aloud America, and Sharing and Caring Hands. When time allows, he enjoys camping, fishing, mushroom hunting, attending advertising functions and creating short films.

Freddie’s has this great advice for our Jesup High School students and I quote: “Embrace attending a small town school and take advantage of opportunities to participate in extracurricular activities. You might find a talent or take interest in a subject that you would least expect. Bigger schools can’t always offer these types of experiences. Also, don’t let high school stress you out. High school should be fun. Do your best and be responsible. You’ll have plenty of time to stress later. Finally, you can do anything you want to do. I know it sounds cliché, but you don’t have to settle for the norm, unless you want to. It may take a little more work and some courage, but you’ll be surprised at what you can accomplish.”

I was honored to present the Freddie Richards Social Studies award along with Jason Sullivan the other Social Studies teacher, last night at an academic awards program at Jesup. The award went to the present Valedictorian of the senior class, Kayla Mangrich. She was very deserving and has a lot of the same qualities as Freddie. The following is a brief biography that high school secretary Darlene Phillips wrote about Freddie. He has had much success in his young life.

Debriefing

I recieved this from Evan Massey a high school girls' coach out in Galesburg, Illinois. He is a system coach and they went about 24-5 this year.

"At the end of the year I give all players a survey to fill out- some specific System questions and other general questions. Some observations---




1- I always ask them if the coaches have over rated or under rated any players (including themselves). When we played traditional basketball, I would say that about 20% of players indicated they were under rated by the coaches (usually resverves). And usually about 30% of players would identify one other player as being over rated. Granted our results this year may be skewed by the happiness of winning, but this year only one of 17 players indicated another player had been over rated. And one player indicated they thought they had been under rated.

My conclusion- Because everyone gets a shift or two to show there stuff, players are less likely to feel they are being under rated-- they have a chance to prove themselves. In traditional ball I think players and parents don't fully realize playing time is earned in practice, if they don't get into a game then "they are not being given a chance."



2- The players are asked to assess their weaknesses and strengthes. I am amazed with kids in System, they are much more realistic about their abilities. I think this is a result of getting more game feedback. In past when we were traditional, I would look at their written evals and then in individual meetings have to convince them of weaknesses.



3- When asked what impact did System have on winning/losing--

- Significantly better record because of System

- A little better because of system

- Probably about the same

- A little worse

- A lot worse

17 of 17 varsity players indicated we were "significantly better record because of the System". Obvously that is a good situation-- the kids believe. over and over the kids mentioned how they liked hearing opponents yelling at each other because they had panicked.



4- From feedback of weaknesses and strength of the System, it is clear that I must keep working and keep educating. Some "negatives' about the system are simply kids not completely understanding the basic philosophy of the System completely. Things players said like--

"I felt like I came out too soon." -- Education- play harder so you need to come out.

"Some players don't work as hard and still get to play." - Education- They don't play as many shifts so they realize they are not getting rewards.

"I think we should take more open 2 point shots." - Education- Show the percentages of layups, threes, and long twos.

** I take from it that the reminder that no matter how many years we have run the System, every year as a coach you must take the time to educate the players on not just what we are trying to do- but why we are doing those things. So when a Dad or a fan says,"They sub too often." The kid knows why we sub, and also knows the critic probably really doesn't understand the System."

The Squadron

In the Spring of the year flocks of Canadian Long Neck Geese fly over my house, and I always think about how they work together to get to their destination. In Mind Retreat they tell that story of how  God’s creatures work together, cheer for each other, and even care for each other.

 Click here: Canadian Bombers

The Elements

The floods have hammered our country over the last five years. From Louisiana to Iowa, from the Mississippi to the Wapsipinicon, I have watched people be flooded out of New Orleans to Cedar Rapids. Still, people are drawn back to the river. It takes a special breed to live near the river. It takes a special love for the river. Randy Newman laments about the flood of 1927 in the song "Louisiana 1927". This was sort of the national anthem when Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans. Enjoy it.

Panic

"If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs and blaming it on you; If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you, but make allowance for their doubting too; If you can wait and not be tired by waiting, or, being lied about, don't deal in lies, or, being hated, don't give way to hating, and yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;

If you can dream - and not make dreams your master; If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim; If you can meet with triumph and disaster and treat those two imposters just the same."

Rudyard Kipling

The Infantryman

“Gillespie, Gillespie, Gillespie,” I was walking off of the basketball court at Clarksville one night back in 2008, when I was an assistant at Dunkerton, when I heard my name being yelled from our opponents side. I didn’t want to make eye contact with the person because I figured some grandfather thought we had run the score up on them.

Finally, because of the man’s diligent yelling, I turned to look at him and there was Pete Sinram. He had on his old crooked grin and he reached out and shook my hand. What a pleasure it was to see him again. Pete was the father of my friend Mike Sinram. Pete passed away Sunday at the age of 89 and what a life he lived. If anything, what an adventure he lived.

Pete was born in Clarksville, excluding several adventures along the way he spent his life there. Pete was employed as a Bridgeman for the Northwest Railroad until he joined the U.S. Army. Four days before he joined he married his wife Norma.

While in WWII was in the Infantry where he saw action in Italy and North Africa, he was bound for Japan just before President Truman dropped the Atom Bombs. Pete then returned home and returned to the Railroad before joining his dad and brother in running the family bar. That family bar, Pete and Shorty’s would become a chain with places in Texas, Florida, and Nevada. At the funeral home I saw a plant from one of the restaurants in Florida.

Pete loved to fish and hunt. He would always come to one of our cross country meets in Oelwein, and before or after the meet he would go trout fishing at Backbone State Park. I can remember Mike and I talking about how we would like to go with him. He loved to duck hunt and play golf and it was rare that he did not have a cigar. I thought of my dad often when I would see Pete with one.

In 2009 Pete went on the Honor Flight to Washington DC, receiving the tribute that he and countless other men from his generation deserved.

To live my life with the passion that Pete Sinram lived his life is my dream.

The Bombers



I have a friend Mario, that teaches and coaches in Phoenix. He is married with a wonderful wife. He was a boxer when he was younger, and studies the training methods to this day. Mario is a loyal friend, devote in his faith, diligent in his work, and a loving husband.


Still he returns to his boxing roots from time to time and he sent me this video with the voice over from the 1970’s movie Network. It will give you goose bumps.

Rest and Relaxation

The beautiful Cliffs of Moher in Ireland

With the movie Bucket List becoming a big hit, people have sort of come up with their own list. It is a fun way of saying life goals. I have sort of a bucket list, although I am not going to write the entire one here now.

A couple of my goals have been to go to Africa, and also go see the Cliffs of Moher in Ireland, and I am happy to say I made it.

I would love to go to a men’s and women’s basketball Final Four, live in a house on a golf course, and coach a reservation basketball team. These are just four of many.

In the last two years I have covered three things on my list that I never thought I would do; See the Yankee’s in a playoff game, see the Packers play in Green Bay, and Sunday night I watched the Celtics play in Milwaukee.

One of my major things on that list is to take the train from Moscow to Beijing. I will attack that when I retire, for now the small ones need to be attacked.

Gods speed to your dreams.

The K-9 Unit

It is not uncommon to see my neighbors go up and down my road on their dog sleds. It is a wonder to be hold. You can see their enjoyment in what they do and you can see the passion the dogs have. Those neighbors volunteered at the Iditerod one year. You can hear the respect and awe they have for it when they talk about it.

This years annual Iditarod race started yesterday and the man that has won it the last four years Lance Mackey has a great start again. If my memory serves me right he is a cancer survivor. Sort of the Lance Armstrong of the sleds. If you are interested in the race click on the link. It has up to the minute standings for you. Iditarod

Advancement

If you have anything to do with basketball in your life, you always dream to be a part of the NCAA tournament. First as a player in high school you dream to someday play in the tournament. Then, as a coach, you dream to coach a team in the NCAA tournament.


I told you earlier in a blog that the Waskow sisters from Dunkerton, Sarah and Kayla, had qualified for the NCAA Division 3 tournament at Coe College. First on Friday, they won their first round game by defeating Minnesota-Morris 78-53. This advanced them to the round of 32; they played Howard Payne from Texas, a team they had defeated earlier in the year in a tournament in Austin.

Coe advanced to the sweet 16 in game that was closer then the score indicated 79-56. Read more about this in an article from the Coe website. Coe Advances

Tragedy

Last night, shortly after making a game winning shot for his team in overtime to cap an undefeated season, a high school player died on the floor as his team and fans rushed to congratulate him. Read about it in the Huffington Post. Death of Wes Leonard

Strategists

I have posted about Evan Massey before,  he writes a great blog. He has many more followers than I, and about 41,000 more hits on his blog then this sight does. On his latest blog he has taken excerpts from comments from his local paper written by "experts" from outside the program. Some of you may enjoy reading his blog about those experts, I did.

Evan Massey's Blog

Attack

“Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not; un-rewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan 'press on' has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.”


Calvin Coolidge

Gun Runners

A wonderful song by the Drive By Truckers, it's called "Checkout Time in Vegas". It is more of that smooth southern rock. Click on the link.

Checkout Time in Vegas

The Cavalry



I am sure that the people that listen to the music I post on this blog all think I am a goat roper. I do like country, but here is a little southern rock for you folks that may enjoy Lynnard Skyner and the like. This is "Midnight Rider" by Greg Allman.



Orphans

In this blog I have talked about some of the more unique and wonderful parts of my travels. One thing I have not told you about was the orphanage I visited on the edge of Moscow. It hit me as hard as a board that Tuesday morning in August of 1995.

The second year we went to Moscow a friend involved in a church in Waterloo gave me money and candy, to help an orphanage if I could, while I was in Moscow. The translator took about a week to find the closest one to where we stayed at the Trinta School. So on Tuesday morning the interpreter led me on an hour and fifteen minute subway ride to the outer ring of the city. When we got off of the subway and walked out doors, it was a beautiful summer day. We walked about a city block and a half to what looked like a 1950 elementary school in rural America. What I walked into was the darkest place I have ever been since.

I was met by a nurse in her fifty’s who started to take me to the different places of the orphanage. The first place she took me was into a room of newborns to about eighteen month olds. The size of that room was that of a classroom. In it were babies in cribs and small beds. Those baby’s were all severely and profoundly mentally handicapped. There was one nurse in there; she was probably twenty years old. The older nurse told my translator that the young nurse made thirty dollars a month at the time. That young lady had tremendous patience and treated those children like they were her own. It was here the tears started falling for me. I could not control myself.

The next room we went into had about ten 10-15 year old children in wheel chairs. Those children had things ranging from cerebral palsy to muscular dystrophy. There was an older woman somewhere between fifty and seventy in charge of this room. I was always bad at guessing Russian women’s ages because they either looked young or old there was no middle age.

It was in the second room that the lady in charge started explaining who brought their children to this orphanage. It about broke me down when she told me the mothers and families that did. They included, drug attics, alcoholics, prostitutes, mothers with AIDS, widowed fathers and mothers, divorced mothers, and families that could not physically, emotionally, or economically take care of them.

By now we were out in a courtyard in the back with a playground and I had become the tree that all of the little kids wanted to climb. I had about an hour to play and that seemed like the quickest ten minutes of my life. For the place that these children were at they seemed like the happiest kids in the world.

I was broken when I left, crying like a baby. My translator and I could not talk to each other on the tube ride back because we were crying so hard. The other people looked at us with sadness and disbelief because they had no idea what was the matter. I have never been as challenged emotionally ever again.

I do not know what ever happened to those children or how to get back there, I do know this, that those people that worked there, and the children in there, were tremendously special.

Military K P

"Chop wood, and carry water."

I heard this line on Sports Center this morning at about 4:00 AM, I looked it up as soon as I got to school. This is what beliefnet.com had about it. It covers an average day for all of us.

"Chop wood, carry water. According to an old Zen parable, this is what we do before enlightenment. And it's what we do afterward. In other words: Enlightenment is no big deal. The small rituals that sustain life are as important as our bigger dreams. This is especially true at the waning moon. It's time to slow down, move wisely, paring down effort to the essentials. I like to think the old Zen masters knew this, too, practicing enlightenment of the lunar kind."



Read more: http://www.beliefnet.com/Faiths/Pagan-and-Earth-Based/2000/08/Waning-Moon-Chop-Wood-Carry-Water.aspx#ixzz1FLrjbI40