Just when you thought you knew everyone...

This is going to be pretty general and short (hopefully) because I still have to take out the trash and head over to the school (7:15) to get started on the preparations on our tournament (we lost by 12 last night but played great defense).

Anyway, one of the things that I really enjoy on the first day of the tournament is handing out coaches packets and meeting them. I met 2 coaches who are about 6'10" but are very soft-spoken, yet respected coaches in the boys game. But the best story came from someone that just made my entire LIFE!

Coach Kenny Blair... a football coach at Northeast Highschool is filling in for their girls' coach who had an unexpected death in the family and is attending to the family. I had the opportunity to speak to coach Bailey for about 30 minutes. From 1980-84 he played in the NFL with the Philadelphia Eagles... was a rookie the year they played the Raiders in the Super Bowl (Back when the roman numerals were still rather low). I was telling him that during those years, I was the BIGGEST Eagles fan. WHen I played outside football, I was either Ron Jaworski (now a commentator) or Warren (?) Carmichael. He was smiling ear to ear and just listened to me tell him how big those 2 were to me when I was little. "Just spoke to Carmichael 2 weeks ago." HOW BIG IS THAT?!?!!? Still keeps in contact with those guys. He went on to play for the Cardinals (when they were still in St. Louis) and has been a trainer for celebrities in Florida before coming here. His story is amazing! He spoke at the NFL Hall of Fame the last few years... He's trained players like : Shaq (but admits that he did NOT work with him on Free-throws), Allen Iverson, Tiger Woods, and others that I didn't make past those 3.

Most of all, what really caught my eye, was his passion for kids and his mission for them. He is such an encourager. Northeast isn't your Edmond-type school at all. There's a lot that goes on there... but here is a guy who teaches life-lessons in sports and has the experience the celebrity resume to go with it.

That was just so cool to talk about sports with a man who was on the field when I was experiencing them. I told him that I was so bummed when the Raiders won... and I gave them one more year before moving down the conference ladder to become what I am today... a Redskins fan! He got a chuckle out of that. :-)

Ok... gotta take out the trash and get to school!