Taking the time to look up

I'm coaching soccer for Sam's age group this year. It is a fun time where the kids can be set free to be as creative as possible while limited coaching occurs (basically tell them to go in the right direction and get the ball). Sam is an interesting player. To date in 3 games he has two goals, but this last game he did things that most 12 year old players don't do.

The concept is called looking up. In the game Sam would get the ball and stop to look around and see where the other kids were and which way he needed to go. He is the only player on the team to do this. His goal this week came after he dribbled the ball down the field and stopped to look where the goalie was and shoot the ball where the goalie wasn't. Of course having played soccer for so many years I am well familiar with looking up and finding the right course. It's a concept all of us should take note of.

What if we took a moment in our day to look up? What if when we looked up we were able to see what direction we should go. I know in my personal life I do NOT look up enough. I don't take the time to ensure that the course I'm on is correct. This is a critical time for all of us and I believe that we need to look up more and take notice of what is happening around us. It is also critical for us to chart a course that will lead us to safety and happiness.

I'm glad that Sam looked up in his soccer game this last week as it has inspired me to do so in my life.

The Fall Season

It's fall (everywhere but Phoenix anyways) and for me that means one thing. . . Soccer! For most people in the USA it's time for American Football, but for me it's the World's football game that excites me. Ever since I was seven the smells of fall meant that it was time to get the cleats and shin guards out and try to outdo opponents on the pitch. I played throughout my youth and got my High School Letter (one of three by the way) in Soccer. In fact my fondest High School memory came my Junior year when I scored against the team we hated most.

At this stage in my life Soccer consists of following MLS, the English Premier League and the UEFA Champions League. Also I get to coach my children in Soccer. This year it is my 4 year olds first year. I have 9 four and five year old boys and no girls which means we can be dominant (even though it is a recreational and not a competitive league). It's great to take the time to get these boys excited about a game I love. So far I've been able to teach them to chase the ball, turn the ball towards the right goal, score (we have 12 goals in two games) and throw-ins.

My favorite part of these practices is when I play "keep away". Basically I challenge the kids to get the ball away from me while I dribble around them. It's fun to see them smile and try to gang up on me. Of course I don't keep the ball all the time. I do let them get involved to ensure that everyone gets a chance to be it.

The game itself is rather simple in it's concept - move the ball downfield with your feet and kick it in the goal. However, there is a lot to be learned from it. The concepts of sharing are inherent in the game. If you don't learn to pass the ball you will never succeed. Another aspect is keeping your head up. This allows you to see what is happening and make good choices when you have the ball. This teaches players to slow down in life, evaluate the situation and make informed decisions (something our leaders could learn to do).

Now of course all sports have some applicability in life, but for me Soccer is the perfect game (sorry Jeff). It teaches you to share, to lead, to take care of one another. There are many lessons that can be learned (especially when and when not to tackle the ball). Soccer has provided me with many joys as well as many sorrows and I have to admit that I am a better person for it.

For Whom the Foul Pole Tolls

The last run of yesterday's DBacks - Reds game came on a home run that hit the right field foul pole. The resulting sound was heard not only by the crowd at Chase Field but also by those watching on TV. It was a sound that probably signifies the end of the DBacks chances to make the playoffs.

This one run was not the ultimate cause of this feeling. For weeks now it seems that the DBacks have been snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. Yesterday was a microcosm of the season. Here's why:

1. The starting pitching for the DBacks was on giving up only one run and striking out 9
2. The hitting could not get the big hit when it was needed. 17 runners left on base with the only run coming on a Justin Upton home run
3. The bullpen giving up big runs when it could ill afford to do so

As a Diamondbacks fan I have had the hope that they would somehow get out of the funk that started in May and be able to return to the form they had in April. After this series with the Reds it appears that the DBacks of April will not be coming back and that we will have to ride out the season and begin hope again next year. The DBacks are currently 4 1/2 games behind the Dodgers and the way the Dodgers are playing I don't see anything short of a miracle helping the DBacks to win the NL West.

For whom does the foul pole toll? It tolls for thee Arizona Diamondbacks, it tolls for thee.

Of Tadpoles and Children

So about a week ago it rained enough to have a small pool of water in the play area near our house. The kids found that there were tadpoles in this pool and of course had to catch some. This began a process of feeding and caring for said tadpoles until they become toads. Yesterday was the first time that the little toads made an actual appearance and that got me to thinking about how the process of moving from tadpoles to toads reflects the way that children grow into adults.

The toad begins as a tadpole. Really it looks like a miniature lollipop, basically a circle and a stick. From there it grows and features become more distinctive. The eyes and mouth become more pronounced and then legs begin to sprout. After the legs come the arms and the head matures until finally a little toad has developed. All that was needed was a good environment so that the toad had enough nutrition and support to emerge.

Children are the same way. They begin as tiny, fragile babies with really no hint as to the mature shape they will take. They begin to grow and soon learn to sit up, crawl, walk and talk. If children are given a good environment they will also thrive and feed not only on good food but also on the teaching that occurs in the home. Herein lies a big difference between growing toads and raising children. There is no teaching that can be given to the toads that I'm aware of. Children on the other hand learn a great deal from their parents which will mold them into the persons they become.

Eventually our toads will be big enough that we will have to set them free on the world. There is no training we can give them other than to let them go their merry way. Children also grow big enough and have to be set free at some point in time. I'm not even close to that day coming and believe me there are lots of things left to teach them so they will be ready. I know it will be a difficult day when setting the children free, I just hope to have them prepared well enough in order to live prosperously in this world.

The Story Retold

If all the tales are told, retell them, Brother.
If few attend, let those who listen feel.

- Catherine Drinker Bowen

I have started to read Miracle at Philadelphia the story of the constitutional convention that formed the constitution of the USA.The quote above is from the Author's Preface. It got me thinking about how when I hear the story of the constitution and how I feel about it. Personally I think the constitution was divinely inspired.

The Preamble to the Constitution states:

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

Now if you're like me you first heard this from Schoolhouse Rock. The tune is catchy and I'm singing along with it as I write this. These first words of what some consider the greatest document ever written start a feeling of pride, joy, . . . it's not quite explainable in me. The story retold makes me feel and herein lies the power of the document.

I'm looking forward to reading this book. I am only a few pages into it, but can tell that it will be both fascinating and enlightening. Part of the fascination is to understand how this country went from the Articles of Confederation and 13 "sovereign" states acting independently to a national government meant to meet the goals of the Preamble. One of the states (Rhode Island) didn't even send a delegation to the convention. The states were of the opinion that a federal government would gain too much control. The convention had to be couched as an update to the Articles of Confederation just to get permission to convene. It's fascinating to see how some of the greatest minds our country had at the time had such differing opinions on things.

Now the question comes up as to why I am reading this book. Well truthfully this year is a pivotal year in our country's history. This is an historic election. I want to understand how the constitution came to be and the thought processes and arguments behind it. Then I want to compare that to the campaigns of the candidates and see which one (if any) holds to the ideals that this country was founded on. I'm taking the election seriously this year and hope that when the tale of the election of 2008 is retold, those that attend and listen will feel.

Very Superstitious

So yesterday I woke up and knew that the Arizona Diamondbacks were starting a 6 game home stand. I also knew that the DBacks were 8-11 in their last 19 home games and 13-7 in their last 20 road games. I knew that I had to do something to help the team start this home stand on the right foot. But what could I do?

I couldn't go to the game because of other commitments (yes Jeff there is life outside of Baseball sometimes). That meant watching the game on the TV at home. I don't have Bob Melvin's email or phone number so there was no way I could get a message to him to include in the pre-game team meeting. Trying to get a message across on local talk radio when something so important as pre-season football (another topic for another day) was going on would be impossible as well. So what's a fan to do?

Well as I was getting dressed it hit me. I could wear the official road hat for the Arizona Diamondbacks all day to bring them the much needed luck. I put the hat on and instantly felt like I was doing something positive that would result in a win. Little did I know that all the luck I had would be necessary.

The game started well for the DBacks and pitcher Doug Davis. After not giving up a run in the top of the first the DBacks scored 4 in the bottom of the inning. Davis and crew gave up two in the top of the second. The score remained that way until the bottom of the 4th when Adam Dunn hit his first homerun as a DBack to increase the lead to 6-2.

The score stayed that way until the 8th when John Rauch gave up a run to make the score 6-3. In the bottom of the 8th the Diamondbacks got that run back when Connor Jackson singled in Augie Ojeda after a tremendous defensive play by the Padres shortstop that got Chris Burke out at third.

So with a 7-3 lead going into the 9th and closer Brandon Lyon coming in the deal was sealed right? Well maybe not, the Padres loaded the bases with one out and got a two-run single, followed by another single that made the score 7-6. With runners on 1st and 3rd Bob Melvin pulled Lyon for Tony Pena.

Pena got Hundley to hit a grounder just to the left of the mound. Pena fielded the ball and made a great play to get the runner from 3rd into a run-down. Pena threw to Chris Snyder who chased the runner back towards third and threw to Reynolds who tagged the runner out. Reynolds then did the smart thing by holding on to the baseball instead of trying to make another play on the other runners.

Pena then got Luis Rodriguez to fly out to center for the last out of the game. It was Pena's second save of the year and also validated my good luck charm.

I'm not wearing the hat today as it needs to recharge. I guess I will have to find another good luck charm for tonight's game. Hopefully the luck won't be needed.

Bug Spraying and Life

This morning I got up early to spray the house for bugs. As I was spraying I began to think about the other barriers our family has created to prevent certain things from entering our home.

The idea of bug spraying is to create a defensive barrier around your house so that when bugs come in contact with the barrier they die before they can get in. In a way there are several barriers that we need to put up around our homes to prevent our children and even ourselves from being annoyed and bitten.

So what are the barriers that need to be set up in the home? Well I think for each of us the list differs. For me one of the largest pests has to be pornography. The definition of pornography is different for so many, but for this post I'm using the definition from Dictionary.com.

Books, photographs, magazines, art, or music designed to excite sexual impulses and considered by public authorities or public opinion as in violation of accepted standards of sexual morality. American courts have not yet settled on a satisfactory definition of what constitutes pornographic material.

So what do we do to prevent this from coming into the home? Well our current list involves the following:

1. Monitoring what the children watch on TV
2. Monitoring what the children do on the computer especially the internet
3. Ensure that the books and movies we entertain ourselves with are not necessarily accessible to the children (as a side note we do not watch R or above rated films)
4. Discuss things with our children they learn outside our home

This is how we have created a preventive barrier to pornography in our home. We have also done similar things for other areas such as:

• Violence on TV
• Violence in Video Games
• Being Disrespectful

I'm sure the list will change as the children get older. Just like you have to spray for bugs on a regular basis, working on other barriers is a never ending process for parents.

However a protective barrier is not enough. Parents also need to teach their children about the good and evil that is out in the world. Parents also need to teach their children about making the right choice even if it is not the popular one.

A good defensive barrier along with good teaching will protect children and help them to be productive members of society.