My Thirty-Year Educational Crusade
Please join me in my celebration. Stories will be posted for every student contact day this school year. The first will be elementary stories and will cover my time as an elementary teacher at Montview. The remainder will be stories from my 21 years at Rangeview High School.
Every director that is worth their salt, does a Shakespeare play. It was my turn and I picked Romeo & Juliet for my run at Shakespeare. I want to say this with a little pride. A few of the kids that were in the production Read more
This is the second Billy Joel song. I heard him describe this song and he was adamant that it was not a political song but just a history of what has happened in his lifetime up until then. I also am amazed at the history Read more
I want to take some time and do some stories from my years in theatre and performing arts. I mentioned very early in this blog that I got into the Theatre Department because the principal in my interview talked about the activities I did in Read more
The graphic for today should say everything. Mothers have always hated white baseball pants. I have told my players to have a practice pair of pants and then game pants. It just made it easier. We played on a field that was rough on uniforms. Read more
Field conditions in high school run the gambit from perfect to perfectly horrible. One game where I was able to make the umpire laugh so hard that he forgot to yell at me. We were playing a game against Bruce Randolph in Denver. The school Read more
Working with umpires is a delicate balance between diplomacy and losing your mind. I need to say that the overwhelming majority of the umpires we have had were outstanding and did their job well. There were times that I didn't agree with them but that Read more
One of the challenging parts of coaching a high school sport is working with umpires or other officials. Before I get too deep into a couple of stories I need to preface my comments with the fact that I was only tossed from a game Read more
Successful coaches often have things that are non-negotiable in their program. Mine was the direction of the hat. I am a believer that the athlete represents his team, his program, his school, his family, his community, and himself. Respect for all of those folks is Read more
A sad look at nostalgia from Bruce Springsteen. I don't visit Lakewood much but it has changed so much that I wouldn't recognize it. It does remind me of something I said as we were planning the 30-year high school reunion. We were thinking about Read more
A snack bar is a favorite place for spectators during a game. We made some good money for our program when selling snacks and soda. Players can even indulge between the first and second games of a doubleheader. I have had many hotdogs and Snickers Read more
The goal of every coach is to have a kid who throws with good velocity, and movement, and can disguise his pitches. We all make them pitchers and if they are left-handed we are in heaven. One year I had a kid named Devon. He Read more
The game of baseball is a love affair and not just a sport. I am one of those that hold the game sacred. I am an old-school guy and am still grumbling about the designated hitter. "If the pitcher ain't hitting, it ain't baseball." I Read more