NFL PLAYOFFS 2013

Some phenomenal games have unfolded over the first two weeks of the playoff. Based on the quality of play, the best teams really made it into the post season. Some incredible story lines from teams include, Payton Manning's return to elite status guiding the Mile High boys on an 11 game win streak... Ray Lewis playing like he always does, as if it was the last game he will ever play before retiring from Baltimore... How about the young gun slingers that got into post season like DC's RG3, Colts #1 overall draft pick Andy Luck,49ers mid-season replacement Colin Kappernick, and Seattle's sensational Russell Wilson.

There could be an all-Coach Harbaugh Super bowl this year as San Francisco & Baltimore could easily meet in the championship. I won't be disappointed if the Falcons make it and in fact that's who I'm rooting for and I have a sound reason for wishing them success, they have awesome uniforms. Sorry no in depth analysis this year. I guess the post season for me is summed up in one word- ENTERTAINMENT!

Goals Scored Through September 22, 2007

Shoals High School Jug Rox
14- Tommy Hilderbrand
13- Caleb Otero
3- Emil Paulsen
3- Derek Holt
2- Kendrick Fuhrman
1- Kevin Hert

SHOALS JUG ROX SOCCER 2007 SEASON

Here's a running recap of the season, game to game:

8/19/2007 TIE 2-2
-Tied Vincennes Rivet 2-2. First time the Jug Rox have ever come away without a loss to them. Last game (Edgewood) was a JV game so the Rox are 0-0-1. And tonight Caleb got his first ever varsity goal on a penalty kick:) Next game at home against North Harrison.

8/21/2007 WIN 4-0
-The Rox hosted 3A-North Harrison and served them a 4-0 shut out. Defense was solid, especially in the second half. Alan D was strong in goal. Tommy H racked up a hat trick. Caleb scored his 2nd goal of the season on another penalty kick. Since the first game of the season was considered a JV match, Shoals varsity squad is now 1-0-1. North Knox comes to town on Wednesday.

8/22/2007 WIN 4-2
-Shoals continued their winning ways as they handed North Knox their first loss of the season by a 4-2 score. While NK controlled the ball the first 20 minutes of the match, Shoals began the scoring with Caleb's 3rd penalty kick goal of the season and took control from that point. Tommy H and Kendrick F added goals with the final goal being Caleb's second of the night. The 2-0-1 Jug Rox travel to Owen Valley on Saturday.

8/26/2007 LOSS 3-5
-Owen Valley handed Shoals their first loss on Saturday at Spencer by a 5-3 score. The Rox are now 2-1-1 in the young season and will host Blue Chip foe Wood Memorial on Tuesday at Shoals.

8/28/2007 WIN 3-2
-WIN! Shoals 3 - Wood Memorial 2. The Rox are now 3-1-1. Next up, a home contest against NE Dubois, Thursday. A victory would mean 1st place in the Blue Chip Conference. Goals by Tommy H, Derek H & Caleb O.

8/30/2007 LOSS 1-2
-Loss to Northeast Dubois 1-2. By far the best team we have faced. Had opportunities get away. 3-2-1 record still better than this point last year. Next game is Tuesday at home against Pike Central.

9/5/2007 LOSS 0-1
-The slump continues with a 1-0 loss to Pike Central. Came out very flat & played that way until 6 minutes on the clock. Next game is against Blue Chip foe at South Knox on Thursday. Record is now 3-3-1.

9/7/2007 LOSS 1-2
-Another loss at the hands of South Knox (2-1) now puts the Rox soccer squad a game under .500 at 3-4-1. The young inexperienced needs to rediscover their confidence. Saturday's game is at New Harmony. Goal was made by Denmark exchange student Emile P.

9/8/2007 WIN 6-0
-Back to the winning ways, a 6-0 victory over New Harmony. Goals were by Tommy H (2) Caleb O (2) Derek H & Kevin H. Next game will be home against Christian Academy of IN on Saturday. Record stands at 4-4-1.

9/17/2007 TIE 1-1
-Tied Christian Academy on Saturday 1-1. Caleb got the goal, his 8th of the season. Alan D. was solid in the net. Physical game and intensity were matched. Next game is at home Tuesday vs. Vincennes Rivet. Record is at 4-4-2.

9/19/2007 WIN 2-0
-A 2-0 victory over Vincennes Rivet. Took a lot of shots on goal. Goals by Tommy H and Caleb O. Next game is Friday at Restoration Christian. A JV match is slated Thur. at NE DuBois. Look forward to coaching that one as the guys who get few minutes will play the whole game. Record is now 5-4-2. Season update 28 goals scored 17 goals against us.

9/21/2007 WIN 7-0
-Rox win big at Restoration Christian. Shoals scored a school record 7 goals and preserved another shut out with Alan D as keeper and a solid defensive performance by Brad, Tyler, Ethan & Kevin. Goals were scored by Emil, Derek, Tommy & Caleb (4 goals). Next game is tomorrow at home against Trinity Lutheran. 6-4-2 is where the team stands going into the final 10 days of the regular season.

9/22/2007 TIE 1-1
-Trinity Lutheran and the Jug Rox battled to a 1-a piece draw today at home. TL was probably one of the 3 best teams we have played this season. After a scoreless first half, the struck first but the Shoals squad countered with a 25 yard direct kick off Caleb's foot. Alan D was again solid as keeper. John H and JJ played solid in the midfield. It was a busy week of play and the 6-4-3 Rox will have a week to prepare for their second contest against Owen Valley. They will host OV and hope to exact revenge for an earlier loss to them.

9/29/2007 WIN by Forefeit
Owen Valley called off the match because they wouldn't have 2 of their players who double up on the football team, that was slated to play in Indy that day. I win is a win, I guess. Final regular season match is against Blue Chip foe Washington Catholic on their turf this Monday. Record now stands at 7-4-3.

A Trip To Cooperstown

I made it to the Hall of Fame! Well, I bought a ticket for my sister Kristi and I and we got into the museum. Located in Cooperstwon NY, it was just slightly less than a two hour drive from home. I spent the time hunting up stuff about the Reds while my sister was more interested in Phillies exhibits. I wasn't too disappointed that she was a Philadelphia fan since it had some of the former Big Red Machine teamates who just decided to grab another world series ring in a new city. That trip was hopefully payback for all the agony I put my kid-sister through, as she would put it. When I was a senior in high school, she was a blond-headed, pig-tailed kid playing her last season of Little League at D'Angelo Field in Vestal. Girls in the league were far and few back then but she was good and started at 1st base. The high light of that summer's play was a triple play that the opposing team hit into to end the game. It took awhile for the umps to figure it out but in the end, Krisit's Brown & Fitsimons team handed their opponent the first loss of their season. My sister says that I was pretty hard nosed getting her ready to play. We'd spend hours out side playing catch, pop flies and grounders. Recently she admitted that she diliberately hid the baseballs so she wouldn't have to go outside. That didn't stop us though as we'd just find a good rock to throw. How old school was that! I was shaping her character or was just being a jerk? Well based on how she turned out, I sure would like to think just, maybe, those days when the sun was all but gone and you could hardly see the ball or rock weren't all in vain. She's faced some pretty tough times since then but I'm proud of the woman she became. The pig-tails are long gone but the heart of a winner is still there. Maybe the next time I drive up to Cooperstown I'll find a good spot to tap up her photo. Probably somewhere near Cincy and Philly.

Nostalgic Cravings

Don't know why it happens, but just like the usual hunger pangs I feel, every now and then I start thinking about life in the past. I know you shouldn't set up a forwarding address to yesterday but I think sometimes it's good to reminisce of the world as I use to know it. But why the sudden urge to travel back?

Not really sure what triggers the desire to remember.

This week I thought about our gathering, some 25 years ago as college students called in to ministry. We often met at a restaurant in Circleville Ohio to dream of the future. Funny, now, how how I look back at our look forward!

Yesterday I found myself engrossed in a table top book that featured all the Cooperstown Baseball Hall of Fame players. Each page had a story, stats, photos and collectible items featuring that star from long ago. It was a pleasant feeling that made me wish I was in the stands to experience other eras of America's great past time.

Last night I started surfing the net to find old stories about my hometown, Binghamton New York, circa 1970s. I came across an article about the now defunct Mohawk Airlines, remembering I was a passenger aboard just before they were sold to Allegheny Airlines. And then I typed in local tv station, WBNG, to see what I might find. I actually had the unique opportunity to serve as reporter on their Saturday morning program called "Action News For Kids," around 1975. How awesome it felt to walk into their newsroom amid whom I thought were legends back then such as Bernard Fionte who was anchor and Bob Buchanan who provided nightly weather in the Susquehanna Valley.

So I decided to next do a Google search on Bob Buchanan. The results were as cold water thrown on my face. Last week Bob dies after a short illness. I learned that he retired as meteorologist in 1998, after some 30 years at the station. That's when I was once again reminded that another piece of my past has faded. I never got to meet Bob, although his daughter-in-law and children attended the church I pastored on occasions. I had hoped to meet him and would have loved to get his perspectives on the "good old days." Unfortunately, we never met as I moved away twelve years ago.

Sometimes those cravings for the past lead us to things we weren't expecting. It happened last night. Though, not always pleasant, there are lot of good memories of life in the Triple Cities. Strangely, many of those I think on did not seem that big a deal as I was growing up.

Quest For Friends

Last night Kelly and I went out for dinner. It was a rare treat since most Fridays in the winter land us in the bleachers to watch Caleb's high school basketball games. We had a relaxing dinner at the Golden Corral in Bedford, stopped to get some sports gear and topped off with a visit to Starbucks before calling it a night.

While it was very enjoyable, when we got back home we ended up talking about running into some friends who attend our church at two of those stops. What we realized is that whenever we get together we feel very relaxed and enjoy laughing a lot. That's the kind of friends we really treasure.

Our kids are about the same ages, we have similar interests and just click personality-wise. We come away feeling happier after just a few moments with them. We believe God has brought our paths together again after about a two-year period of silence. We really don't know what happened over that time but it's sure good to be past that now.

As we get older, it seems we don't want to take friendships for granted. We know how important they are in making it through this life. Some friendships don't last. Other friendships never seem to become what you hope. Lifelong friends aren't easily found. We're realizing, when we find them, we need to make sure we do what we can to build these relationships for the long haul.

Hi Tony ~ Bye Bobby?

Moments before Hoosiers took the streets to rejoice the Colts first Super Bowl victory since 1971, sports announcers were commenting on the NFL’s first black head coach to ever raise the Vincent Lombardi trophy, Tony Dungy. Yet somehow, it really wasn’t about the color of his skin but the color of his character that got everyone’s attention: true blue!

By his own admission he stated that he tried to guide the team to the summit applying Christian principles to his leadership style. It was reported that when his squad of veterans and rookies huddle together for the first time last summer, some of his first words were spoken in a normal conversant manner, saying something to the effect that this was as loud as he would raise his voice all year, so they better pay attention. There would be tone of love and respect and absolutely no profanity from his lips.

He was true to his word and last night, Coach Dungy would have his moment to send a message not only across the Hoosier state but across the land that there’s more than one way to mold a team for success. Yet somehow it seems that God planted Tony Dungy just an hour away from Bloomington Indiana.

Winning in Indiana, to this point, has been achieved just one way, the Bobby Knight way. Did last night’s victory mark the start of a new model for coaching in this state. Did all aspiring coaches from the heartland’s t-ball diamonds to the hardwood courts of Hoosier-hysteria sit up to take note? By his actions, Coach Dungy said a lot. You do not need to sacrifice the worth and dignity of young athletes to hoist a championship banner or raise a trophy. You do not need to be rude, throw chairs, intimidate kids or scream obscenities to get victories.

Hopefully this morning, a lot of coaches, athletes, parents and fans woke up all across Indiana saying, finally, “Goodbye Bobby; Hello Tony.” Only time will tell if Hoosiers are just temporarily giddy with the likes of a Coach Dungy or if we’re really ready to say goodbye to The General’s ways of getting W’s.