Monday, December 25, 2006

Some thoughts on Life from Roy Williams

From time to time I find some thoughts from friends and email, here's one of those emails. This one from Roy Williams, he's the author of the "Wizard of Ads" and other advertising strategies. He's also the founder of the Wizard Academy. Check it out at www.wizardacademy.com

It's Always Okay To Begin Again

"The object of a New Year is not that we should have a new year. It is that we should have a new soul." – G.K. Chesterton

Pay Attention to the Little Things

"It is often said that before you die your life passes before your eyes. It is in fact true. It's called living." – Terry Pratchett

"No trumpets sound when the important decisions of our life are made. Destiny is made known silently." – Agnes De Mille

Know What You Want

"I can teach anybody how to get what they want out of life. The problem is that I can't find anybody who can tell me what they want." – Mark Twain

Don't Think You Know It All

"The more we live by our intellect, the less we understand the meaning of life." – Leo Tolstoy

"And he goes through life, his mouth open, and his mind closed." – Oscar Wilde

Don't Be A Couch Potato

"Literacy is a very hard skill to acquire, and once acquired it brings endless heartache – for the more you read, the more you learn of life's intimidating complexity of confusion. But anyone who can learn to grunt is bright enough to watch TV… which teaches that life is simple, and happy endings come to those whose hearts are in the right place." – Spider Robinson

"If I show up at your house 10 years from now, and find nothing in your living room but Reader's Digests, nothing in your bedroom but the latest Dan Brown novel… I will chase you down to the end of your driveway and back shouting 'Where are the damn books?… Why are you living the mental equivalent of a Kraft Macaroni & Cheese life?'" - Stephen King, to the 2005 graduating class of the University of Maine

You're Going To Have Some Bad Days

"Life does not have to be perfect to be wonderful." – Annette Funicello

"Life is like a train. It's bearing down on you and guess what? It's going to hit you. So you can either start running when it's far off in the distance, or you can pull up a chair, crack open a beer, and just watch it come." – Eric Forman, on That 70s Show

"My life has been filled with terrible misfortune; most of which never happened." – Montaigne

Have Courage

"Life is either a daring adventure or nothing. Security does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than exposure." – Helen Keller

"Those of us who refuse to risk and grow get swallowed up by life." – Patty Hansen

Love Your Job

"Work is about a search for daily meaning as well as daily bread, for recognition as well as cash, for astonishment rather than torpor; in short, for a sort of life rather than a Monday through Friday sort of dying." – Studs Terkel

Don't Forget to Have Fun"Do not take life too seriously – you will never get out of it alive." – Elbert Hubbard

"Life is truly a ride. We're all strapped in and no one can stop it…. I think that the most you can hope for at the end of life is that your hair's messed, you're out of breath, and you didn't throw up." – Jerry Seinfeld

"Humanity has advanced, when it has advanced, not because it has been sober, responsible, and cautious, but because it has been playful, rebellious, and immature." – Tom Robbins, Still Life With Woodpecker

"Don't be afraid your life will end; be afraid that it will never begin." – Grace Hansen

Remember the People Who Are Important to You

"There is only one happiness in this life, to love and be loved." – George Sand

"When you grow up, you have to give yourself away. Sometimes you give your life all in a moment, but mostly you have to give yourself away laboring one minute at a time." – Gaborn Val Orden"I was fourteen years old the night my daddy died. He had holes in his shoes and a vision that he was able to convey to me even lying in an ambulance, dying, that I as a black girl could do and be anything, that race and gender are shadows, and that character, determination, attitude are the substances of life." – Marian Wright Edelman

Today Is The First Day of The Rest of Your Life"Life is a journey, and with every step we reach a point of no return." – Gaborn Val Orden

"Many adventures await you upon the road of life. Enter these doors, and take your first step…" – from a placard above The Horn and Hound Pub

Roy H. Williams

"What is life? It is the flash of a firefly in the night. It is the breath of a buffalo in the wintertime. It is the little shadow which runs across the grass and loses itself in the sunset." - Crowfoot, (1811-1890) a Native American warrior of the Blackfoot tribe.

Sunday, September 17, 2006

A NIGHT FOR NOSTALGIA





The Home stands at Lawrence Central's Bruce Field




With Mark Herrmann in the pre-game.

Click to listen to audio

LAWRENCE – Maybe its me, probably is, but Lawrence Central’s Bruce Field doesn’t seem as big as it did some 25 years ago.

Friday night I went back to where all began - My sojourn into sports media. An event so much bigger than life, that it caused me to alter it. The 1981 IHSAA Class 1A state Championships.

I was an old man 13 years that frigid November night in 1981. Over there on the western sidelines, just to the right, no just about there, I sat huddled under plastic against the negative wind-chills, layered in winter clothing.


That night, my high school, Woodlan battled Hamilton Southeastern for the Class 1A title. The Warriors and Royals, an up and coming
Indianapolis suburb against rural eastern Allen County that John Mellencamp may have been thinking of when he wrote his ballad“Small Town


You see Woodlan was the type school that might have inspired John Mellencamp’s ballad “
Small Town”. And to the Warriors they didn’t know they weren’t supposed to be good enough to be there. Mixing it all together a coach, Leland Etzler, who was a one-part common sense philosopher and one part football genius who just mixed the ingredients together to as Woodlan weaved together improbable wins over Tippecanoe Valley, Adams Central and North Judson.


It continued for a while, Barry Ehle, who’s now coaching at Woodlan, returned a punt for a touchdown.

There was the questionable placement of a intercepted pass in the endzone. Something about bringing the ball out of the endzone. The old timers still talk about it sometimes.

After battling for more than 44 minutes, normally accurate kicker, Matt Hirsch lined up and then in a moment frozen in time, the kick faded to the right. The kick would have gave Woodlan a 9-7 lead. It never happened. Woodlan lost 7-6 to Hamilton Southeastern.

NO, The game didn’t turn out like we thought it was going to be.

What did turn out, a young man, that was me come face to face with how sports can change your attitude, can give you a passion and give you a mission.

There was something magical. A special something that grabbed the attention of a community and a young man… Two weeks in November that exposed me and others like me to something bigger than I could ever dream.

An interesting note, during the broadcast I was teamed up with Mark Herrmann, the Carmel, Purdue and NFL quarterback. Then later Mark and I visited with Don Fisher, the now legendary voice of Indiana University sports. Both childhood heros of mine.

What a night, what a dream and what a great thing that sports can do to a man and his life.

Sunday, September 10, 2006

Brotherly Love

Family Feud - Manning brothers do battle in Sunday night football



Manning vs. Manning Peyton faces Eli at Giants Stadium. I know exactly what they are feeling. Well, at least I think I do. There is nothing like playing -- and beating your brothers. Dale and Duane are six and seven years older than me. Great at about every sport they try. At least able to make their presence known. I made it known too, but in a bad way. I couldn't stop a ball from rolling up hill. Nonetheless I'd still battle against them in everything from cards to football, baseball, basketball or whatever. And I'd always lose. ALWAYS. Even with the handicaps they'd attach. I couldn't touch them. I was big enough in grade school to big able to play with my brothers and their high school friends. They'd pass the ball my way. But I wasn't an impact player. I knew it. That was until about 1997 or 1998, I was all of 28 or 29 and I was bound and determined to make this my finest hour. It was church softball, Northpoint vs. North Scipio. Dean vs. Dale and Duane. I wasn't gonna let ANYTHING, and i mean ANYTHING stop me from years and years of frustration. I just had this discussion with my friend Joe, he was an outfield on those Northpoint teams. (Like anything I do a queer mix of competition and sillyness. We were like the Globetrotters of softball.) Joe said I turned it up a notch. I'd push for the extra base. I'd hustle just a little more and my eyes burnt with more fury then before. Well, i dont remember much about the game. I remember winning. I remember drilling a grounder past Duane, a pretty sure handed shortstop for a single maybe even a double. I dont remember the score. I do remember the relief of finally doing it. Not bad for little brother

Football Night in America- my thoughts




Here you go NBC. Here's your chance to get back in the frey. After losing the NFL a few seasons ago, NBC has a lot to prove, It looks like that are well on their way. Here's what i liked about the first broadcast of Football Night in American and Monday Night Football.
The website is one of the most impressive I've seen. A perfect melding of audio, video, graphics and information complimenting a very aggressive production. Check it out for yourself at www.snfonnbc.com. You really need to get on and check it out, check back frequently.
Be sure you check out www.nbcsports.com too, a great source for NFL information including video pods.

What I like
Bob Costas - simply one of the best ever. He's always on his game and even a bad day is amazing.
Sterling Sharp - very good, understated. Very knowledgable and comes off well.
Al Michaels - like Bob Costas one of the best. There isn't much to say that hasn't already been said.
John Madden - some like him some don't. I think he's great. He loves the game, he's into the game, he's real and he's not bigger than the game. But could easily be.

Great graphics, the overall production was very impressive.

What I don't
Cris Collinsworth - I grew up a Cincinnati Bengals fan. I thought Collinsworth was pretty affable. Now I think he's trying to be clown of the group. His insights are limited, his quips sophomoric and as a former player with a lot so say he fails. Its as if he is trying to be the Terry Bradshaw of this group.

Pink - what a weak intro. Great voice. The song is crap

The name: Football Night in America. C'mon. Clearly a rip of from Hockey Night in Canada. Which its not. It's Sunday night, and its not even close to Monday Night Football and the hype that surrounded it. At least yet.
Not sure:
Jerome Bettis - didn't see enough to make a comment

Thursday, August 31, 2006

DEAN JACKSON, TV SPORTSCASTER - Coming to a TV near you

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 2 - BROADCAST UPDATE - Well! I survived my first television broadcast. I gotta admit it was a lot of fun and lot more fun then I ever dreamed. After more than a dozen years in radio, it finally happened. Hidden earpieces, directors talking in ear, instant replays, last second production audibles, lots of filling, lots of thinking on my fee, my mug on camera, a couple re-takes, lots of hurry up and wait. I can't wait for my next assignment. Friends who watched were impressed, the crew seemed surprised I'd never done tv.
THURSDAY, AUGUST 31 - FRANKFORT, Ind-
Frankfort vs. Crawfordsville, Indiana High School football.
About this time tomorrow night I'll be wrapping up my first true television sports broadcast. Not bad for a guy just about three weeks ago had shaved his head on a whim. We'll its grown back and it should look okay. Give me a couple days and I could be challenging Sampson. It's really funny. I had no tape, and I never sent them a resume. I think I simply emailed. Well, should be fun. Have checked in with everyone from the executive produce to the director, to my color commentator, well both of them, one backed out Tuesday. Right now - one eye is on the tv, one eye is on the game notes and research that i've been studying all week.


Saturday, August 26, 2006

The Mouse


Here's a sappy story about our inter-connectedness with our friends and the network of people around us. I got this from an email, hopefully it will mean something to you.

Mouse Story
Mouse Story
A mouse looked through the crack in the wall to see the farmer and his wife open a package.

"What food might this contain?" The mouse wondered - he was devastated to discover it was a mousetrap.


Retreating to the farmyard, the mouse proclaimed the warning. "There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!"

The chicken clucked and scratched, raised her head and said, "Mr. Mouse, I can tell this is a grave concern to you but it is of no consequence to me. I cannot be bothered by it."

The mouse turned to the pig and told him, "There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!"

The pig sympathized, but said, "I am so very sorry, Mr. Mouse, but there is nothing I can do about it but pray. Be assured you are in my prayers."

The mouse turned to the cow and said, "There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!"
The cow said, "Wow, Mr. Mouse. I'm sorry for you, but it's no skin off my nose."
So, the mouse returned to the house, head down and dejected, to face the farmer's mousetrap-- alone.
That very night a sound was heard throughout the house -- like the sound of a mousetrap catching its prey.
The farmer's wife rushed to see what was caught. In the darkness, she did not see it was a venomous snake whose tail the trap had caught.
The snake bit the farmer's wife.
The farmer rushed her to the hospital and she returned home with a fever.
Everyone knows you treat a fever with fresh chicken soup, so the farmer took his hatchet to the farmyard for the soup's main ingredient.
But his wife's sickness continued, so friends and neighbors came to sit with her around the clock.
To feed them, the farmer butchered the pig.
The farmer's wife did not get well; she died.
So many people came for her funeral, the farmer had the cow slaughtered to provide enough meat for all of them.
The mouse looked upon it all from his crack in the wall with great sadness.
So, the next time you hear someone is facing a problem and think it doesn't concern you, remember -- when one of us is threatened, we are all at risk.

We are all involved in this journey called life.
We must keep an eye out for one another and make an extra effort to encourage one another.
REMEMBER: EACH OF US IS A VITAL THREAD IN ANOTHER PERSON'S TAPESTRY; OUR LIVES ARE WOVEN TOGETHER FOR A REASON. One of the best things to hold onto in this world is a friend.

Tuesday, August 15, 2006

GOODBYE SUMMER - repost

I originally posted this in 2006, just as true now as ever.

I am so not ready for high school football. I love the game. Football truly is the greatest thing to happen to the fall since the hayride. I just hate the first week of the season. It’s the mad dash to get everything finished. The commercials, the audio, everything. It’s like tax season for the tax evader. Okay maybe.

I think I know why it just bugs me. Every August 13, I am hit with a sobering fact. I am not 22 and this cocky, brash, goofy college student matriculating in Huntington County.. I am a brash, goofy, flippant, sometimes ingenious sportscaster. It’s the idea that my misspent youth is slipping further into the cobwebs of my mind. It is pretty dusty there.

August is the last gasp of summer defending its turf. Pack up the shorts and the lemonade, soon it will be hot chocolate and long johns. Can Geritol and Metamucil be that far behind. Speaking of behind, there’s that visit to the doctor in a few years for that one check up… Oh boy. Don’t remind me.


But, there is something great about football in the fall. It’s reminder that you can not only endure the cold and bitter, you can thrive on it. You can dig deep and wrap your arms around it and you can let it define you. It does define you it grabs you. It says with the help of my friends I can get through. It says I am not in it alone… with a little bit of work even the high-tech game of football is simple and understandable in the context of all its parts.

And those parts are like life. You have to have every one of them, you have to have each one in combination together or you’ll get crushed. You’ll lose out. My friend, look at your life, look at its component parts. Are you neglecting anything? Think about it and really answer what am I missing. What can I do to really re-tool and reinvest myself for the rest of my life?

There was a motto from the football coach at my high school, we’ll actually too. The opportunistic Woodlan Warriors operated under the rallying cry of “Make it Happen.” You had to take responsibility. You had to define the moment. You had to make life your own. And there was another saying that coach would say. “Don’t count the days, make the days count. Pretty simple. Fill your moments with hard work and effort and get after it.

So, bring on football. Bring on the fall. I don’t have to love it, but I can enjoy it.

Monday, August 14, 2006

...just did it



I did it. After a few days of pretty serious consideration, I trimmed it ALL off. I just wanted to do something different. I wanted to just do something for me. Something crazy, but not really out of line… I shaved my head. Yes, I literally did. Within minutes the clippers did the trick and move over Vin Diesel. I don’t know why so much, but other than I had to. I was compelled to. No, not to impress anyone, not some personal statement to voice, I just had to. I can’t explain it. So I did, I love it. Might never have hair again. Risky, nah, there’s always a ball cap. It will always grow back

By the way, I just want everyone to know that with Jim Shovlin, Bobby Petras and myself, we'll be the first all shaven head broadcast team in Fort Wayne sports history. Funny thing is, wasn't planned.

Sunday, August 13, 2006

The Day Football died


HAMILTON, Ind., — Friday was a big day in the history of Hamilton High School. You wouldn’t know it.

August 11, 1986. The day football died in Hamilton. Two decades have passed since the Friday night lights of the football stadium ripped through the Steuben County sky.

One man still remembers.

John Dutton was a thirty-something young man when he got the news. It still feels like a punch to the gut every August. A program he was committed to didn’t have the same dedication from the people who we entrust our children’s education to.

Just days before the season was to start, a group of so-and-sos pulled the plug.

John didn’t put me up to this story. Those of you who know John know that’s not his style. He’s not one to desire controversy or ruffle feathers.

This is all my opinion. Be upset at me.

Though I can’t confirm it, I have been told that the program always paid for itself. Critics say there weren’t enough kids in the school who really wanted to play. But there were enough to field a team.

Funny, you know, that the lessons we teach aren’t really followed. We teach young people that sports build character. That it’s not how you win or lose, but how you play the game. That in the process of playing, something happens to you that makes you bigger and better.

But 20 years ago, a school board told about two dozen kids it wasn’t even worth trying anymore. Football wasn’t important enough to fight for. That there was a price tag connected to the high school experience and the school wasn’t going to pay it. It simply didn’t make sense.

Maybe they were lulled into the great insurance liability thinking. Whatever it was, Hamilton will never be the same.

When practically every other public school within 50 miles of Hamilton are playing pigskin, Hamilton kids went to movies, parties, shopping or just stayed home. Lots of educational opportunities in that, don’t you think?

John’s moved on. He’s not bitter. He’s got his football fix, either as a coach or broadcasting at any number of outlets around northeast Indiana. Or if he’s lucky, he’ll take a trip to see his Buckeyes in Columbus, Ohio.

But he still misses it. Like an old love, you never forget those memories, the anniversaries, the songs. The way you were.

I wonder if Hamilton misses it. I wonder if anyone just stops and dares to ask, or if the soldiers of September and October just don’t share their hurt and their memories.

Tuesday, August 01, 2006

Making friends with a rock



Sioux Falls, SD - I was just going out for a walk. A little distraction while waiting for a ride to the airport. If you do any type of exercise you need to go 30 or 40 minutes to get any benefit. I didn't really have a course, I just set out on foot and went to it. After about 20 minutes of treking across the parking lot and over to the mall I found them. Two rocks.

I kicked the black one away, (kinda symbolic of a situation I was dealing with. I wantetd to just get right of it for a while. It hurt. It wasn't something I was prepared to deal with.) I kept marching kicking the rock a little more, then finally i just let the stone fly. It felt good. It was like saying so long problems because I was walking away. About 10 minutes later I backtracked on the same route. I went over and looked at the rock, picked it up. Of course as you remember it had a white color to it and the gold on the sides. I put it in my pocket. Then I walked over to the other rock, you remember the black one. What happened next stunned me. The black rock was situated next to a little pebble, very close to the pebble. The pebble had its own unique texture and look, but it was the black stone that made me stop. I picked it up. I saw little specks of white on the black rock. Like they were woven into it.

Still curious, I pulled the white rock out of my pocket. I rubbed the black and white stone together. Wouldn't you know. Those same whitish marks came from the rubbing of the white and golden stone on the black rock. I kept rubbing more and more of the dark scuffed away. But something also happened to the lighter rock. It became smoother. The parts that rubbed off on the black rock were smoothed off. The Black rock also had its smooth parts.

I almost cried. I realized this was an object lesson about a friendship with a person who was struggling. A person who needed a friend, a confidant and I needed to be involved with them. That I couldn't check out or quit.

Here's the moral of the story. Our friends need us in their trials and struggles and when we get involved we leave a mark on them and we make their paths smoother. But, the other point, we need them. We need to help and be invested in helping in the lives of our friends. Its in the tough times, the rubbing of adversity that you connect in the lifes of others...and in the the connecting you are molded and your life is smoothed out as well.

Know your limits. Know what is safe for you. But, don't run from your friends in times of need. Stand your ground on what you know is right, but don't withhold yourself from your friends.

I can't wait to tell this story.

Football time

For those of us who’s world revolves around football, this is the greatest time of the year. It’s just like those days that build up to Christmas or a birthday or a vacation.

The term “two-day” conjures up all type of mystical things. When young men are honed over coals of the August sun and shaped into one team. It’s an object lesson where the sweat and tears of pain and exhaustion symbolize the weakness that is escaping the body.

It’s a man and whistle screaming out orders, as if he were building soliders, not just student-athletes who are playing for fun.

It’s this type of environment that has many a young men comparing military service to playing football. It’s this type of thinking that had General Douglas MacArthur,saying “On the field of friendly strife are sown the seeds that on other days and other fields will bear the fruits of victory.”

No other sport is so connected to the entire the team. No other sport is connected to hard work and being physical. No other sport its about the mental game. No other sport can you have finesse and power and strategy all wrapped up in one.

That’s why we love football so much. That’s why we have guys living the dream in semi-pro football leagues into their forties. That’s why we watch indoor and Arena football. There are now nearly 100 teams across that play inside of arena. Its why we have about two dozen bowl games, its why the NFL draft weekend is a party. We love football.

And that’s why, I am ready for some football.

Wednesday, July 26, 2006

TOUR DE FARCE

We did it again. Well, I mean an American did it, again. Floyd Landis made it happen and for the eighth straight year, an American is the toast of Paris. Not bad for a guy who everyone counted out just a few days before. Media said he lacked heart, lacked style. He doesn’t lack the Yellow shirt now.

My only point is this. Once Lance won it and stepped away, by and large, American’s stopped caring. I know I did.

In fact, I am not sure I even cared when Armstrong was building his dynasty. I know one thing; he put the sport on the front pages. This year I really didn’t know until it was over.

Congrats on the win, but know one really cares. Now where can I find those America’s Cup results? (When’s the last time you heard anything about Yachting greatest event. ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ same here.)

Tuesday, July 25, 2006

Back to the grind stone.

Sorry for the delay in any new information. It's been a very busy month of July with major projects for Playmaker Productions every weekend. I promise I'll have some new things posted this week. Thanks for the e-mails and the notes of encouragement. Unfortunately none have included donations. (Just kidding.) From Terre Haute, Indiana to Port Huron, Michigan to
Sioux Falls, South Dakota and back, its been a crazy time of travel for high school all-star games to indoor football and more.

Friday, June 30, 2006

Remembering Randy Walker

For seven seasons Randy Walker had been quietly establishing Northwestern University football into a solid and consistent program in the Big Ten.
(photo courtesy Northwestern University Sports Information)

An apparent heart-attack ripped his life and season number eight away Thursday night.

At 52-years old, he leaves behind his wife, two children, three bowl appearances at Northwestern and thousands of lives touched as a coach and friend.

As I reflect on the sad and sudden news, I can't help but be reminded by the simple truth. We all will have the same destiny. We all will lose our lives. Some of us choose to live life, some choose to endure it, some don't even have a clue.

I don't know if Randy was prepared for his death, I suspect he was. Coaches are the types who prepare for everything. I stop and wonder about my own immortality. I wonder about the goals I've reached, the lives I've impacted. It's pretty scary. I am not sure I like the few answers I find.

I do know this. We have a choice to give or keep. We have a choice to be couragous or frightened. To protect ourselves, or to pour ourselves into things that make others better, that change lives and change the world.

Some say Randy Walker lost his life. I say no, he gave his life. So he never lost it, he invested it in something bigger then himself.

Recently a unheralded movie hit the big screen - End of the Spear. It's the story of Christian missionaries who literally gave their life to invest in men, women and children of a brutal native tribe in the jungles of the Amazon in Ecuador. One of the men who was killed, Jim Elliott penned a quote years before:

"He is no fool that gives up what he can not keep,
to gain what he can never lose."

Randy Walker literally gave up his heart and life for the game of football and for the men who played it.
Read more about Randy Walker

Thursday, June 22, 2006

Off the Ice

Here's a story of my friends Guy and Nicole Dupuis and their miracle baby from the Fort Wayne News-Sentinel.


Cherishing the gift
Prayer sustained Komets defenseman and his wife in an off-ice challenge
By Blake Sebring
bsebring@news-sentinel.com
Guy and Nicole Dupuis believe sometimes God reaches down to tap them on the shoulder. Sometimes it’s to remind them of something. Other times it’s to get their attention, and once in a while it’s just to let them know God is there.
They’ve had quite a few taps lately, and luckily, they’ve known exactly what each one meant. The Komets defenseman and his wife used their faith to provide stability and strength during a very trying challenge late in the season.
When Nicole was six months pregnant with their third child, she started carrying extra amniotic fluid and having pre-term labor problems. On Feb. 7 the doctor reported several troubling areas in the ultra-sound test and wanted the couple to see another doctor.
The second doctor agreed the child had several abnormalities and was 70 percent sure the baby had Trisomy 18 which affects 1 of every 3,000 births; or Trisomy 13, which occurs in 1 of every 5,000 births. In either case, life-sustaining measures are not recommended before birth. They were told the baby likely would not live to be born, or would not live for very long thereafter.
“The baby was in a breech position and the doctor explained that a normal delivery would result in his death,” Nicole said. “The doctor said he wouldn’t recommend a cesarean section because the baby would likely die at or shortly after birth.”
Further tests were ordered.
“He tells us there’s a 70 percent chance that the baby is not going to survive a few days, a week or two months and a 30 percent chance he might make it two or three years,” Guy said. “He did not think this was a child with Down syndrome.”
Devastated, Guy and Nicole went home to begin mourning the death of their son, to pray and prepare their children Brooke, 9, and Mitchell, 7. The four decided to name the baby Matthew, meaning “Gift of the Lord.” Their priest, Father John Kuzmich at St. Vincent’s Catholic Church, met with them to pray.
After Guy and Nicole told a few family members and friends, a prayer chain started that grew to include hundreds and then thousands of people. A call from a friend in Bakersfield, Calif., where Guy had played in 2002-03, said there were more than 600 people praying for them.
“What was comforting for us and helped us through was taking the attitude that life is a gift and if God gives us an opportunity to have Matthew for a few hours, weeks or months, we were going to cherish that gift,” Guy said. “That helped us to be positive and more optimistic. It was out of our control and in his, and that helped us.We’re his parents and if something happens and we don’t get to meet him here, then we’ll get to be his parents one day in heaven.”
When Nicole experienced signs of preterm labor, she called her doctor and told him she wanted something to stop the labor at least until further tests came back.
“I just couldn’t live with thinking that delivering this child was going to kill him since he was breech,” she said.
Four days later, the report came back saying the original diagnosis was wrong. The problem was Trisomy 21, or Down syndrome. The doctor was baffled and asked how aggressively Nicole wanted to be treated.
“Whatever I have to do, I’ll do to keep the baby in there,” she said.
Meanwhile the family continued to pray, as did thousands in expanding prayer chains. Nicole would lie in bed each morning praying over the baby. Some people congratulated them on having a Down syndrome baby.
“People we would talk to were like, ‘I’m sorry and I hope this doesn’t offend you, congratulations,’” Nicole said.
“Whoever gets congratulated that their kid has Down syndrome? For me that was great. I wonder if it happened that way so that we’d be excited for Matthew to come into our family.”
There were other moments when they felt God’s tapping. Guy had left Fort Wayne and the Komets in 1999, but came back this year when his family needed to be at home with Nicole’s parents, friends and their church. Nicole’s parents live next to family friends Jenny and Joe Bockerstette — who have a daughter Amy with Down syndrome and co-founded the Down Syndrome Association of Northeast Indiana.
“We already had a group of people in place to both educate and support us,” Nicole said.
When Nicole was 28 weeks into her pregnancy, because of the extra amniotic fluid she measured as if she was 38 weeks along. The doctor checked her weekly to see if she needed some fluid drained. The procedure carries a chance of infection or miscarriage so she dealt with the discomfort.
“We kept asking people for prayers and they kept asking other people,” Nicole said. “I got a card from a lady I don’t know who had a child with Trisomy 18 that died a couple of months after birth. She just wanted to let me know that she and her husband were praying for Matthew. I was so touched that they knew his name let alone were praying for us every night.”
“Honestly, the way that our friends and family prayed for us and asked others for prayers was amazing. We certainly didn’t feel alone going through this.”
During this entire time, Guy continued to go to practice and play defense for the Komets. He missed one practice and one road game. His teammates supported him and a couple said they were praying for him.
When he was at the games, he gave his cell phone to Komets trainer Shawn Dundon in case Nicole called in an emergency, because she was still experiencing signs of preterm labor. A couple times he was within a few seconds of going onto the ice when he’d call Nicole to see if he should play or not.
“It affected me emotionally somewhat,” Guy said. “…You have your normal mind-set before you go to the game, but I’d be home being wrapped up in all of this. It was difficult, but it also gave me a little time to focus just on hockey and have a release. I wasn’t able to do that every game. It takes a toll on you.”
After playing exceptionally well in February, his statistics slipped down the stretch, but he was still named the Komets’ best defenseman. The Komets ended their regular season April 15.
The next day — on Easter —Matthew was born.
“We both burst into tears because he was six weeks early,” Nicole said. “We knew that with Down syndrome he could have a lot of complications anyway, but coming this early we knew he could be in a lot of trouble.”
It was determined an emergency cesarean section was necessary, and Matthew was born 18 inches long and weighing 5 pounds, 14 ounces.
While Matthew stayed in intensive care for 12 days, his father would go to practice and then sleep at the hospital. He left with the Komets on Thursday for the playoff series against Rockford. The Komets were defeated in five games.
Finally, Matthew got to go home, where Guy’s mother had arrived from Canada to pitch in along with Nicole’s parents. The family kept asking for more prayers.
“I honestly believe it’s the prayers that have made him as healthy as he is,” she said. “He’s real strong. He has already rolled over at six weeks. From here we just love him and take care of him like we do our other kids.”
Several weeks later, as Nicole holds Matthew in her lap to feed him, a heart monitor’s lights flash from the floor. Everywhere Matthew goes the monitor gets picked up and goes with him. He’s been quarantined for a few weeks to protect him from infections, but has consistently gained weight.
As a friend of the Dupuis’ said, if ever there was a perfect family for such a baby to be born into, this is it. God has given him to a family that can handle the problems.
“Let’s see what the future holds for him,” Guy said. “Right now we are focusing on the blessing that he is in our lives. He really is a gift from God.”
As he sleeps in his mother’s lap, Matthew has no idea he has already affected thousands of people.
“He’s been pretty blessed and he doesn’t even know it,” Nicole said. “We don’t feel like God is done working miracles with him.”

Tuesday, June 20, 2006

Getting Caught

Current Indiana University coach Terry Hoeppner (photo) had just finished the main part of his talk, when a member of the audience asked how he was able to grow Miami University into the national spotlight, while keeping a good name for the program. Implying that success requires a compromise of integrity or character.

Hoep as he's called, was gracious and smiled. He talked about Ben Roethlisberger and others who were part of program. He talked about looking for good people and good athletes. Finally he understood that excellence was a continual process. That process ultimately had to come down to the players and it had to be intentional.

He didn't wring has hands and give the "boys will be boys" rationale, he didn't stop at good intentions. He and his staff made it daily priority to keep character at the core of his program.

Then looking over the crowd of high school coaches, players, media and parents he stepped away from the podium... and said.. "we have a motto.
Get caught doing the right thing at the right time, for the right reasons."

Coach took it further and posted it in the Red Hawk lockerroom.


His logic is simple. You are gonna get caught. You are gonna have moments when you can't be prepared for, so get in the habit of just doing the right thing. Don't just have publicity moments of signing autographs or interviews, but instead understand that EVERY moment is a moment were you can make a stand.

What Hoep is saying, live a life of integrity. That is, be who you say you are. Even in those private moments be true to who you are and what you say you are, and what you belief. You can't take a moment off.
And if you don't do right, take responsibility and make changes.


  • What are you compromising on? Something that you aren't proud of but, justify it? Remember this unless you are consistent, you aren't "it."

Now remember the quote:

GET CAUGHT DOING THE RIGHT THING,

AT THE RIGHT TIME,

FOR THE RIGHT REASONS

Sunday, June 18, 2006

New York, New York


Not taking a risk, is risky.

I am breaking way from the sports theme for a bit. In light of news from New York. But, I hope you receive it just like it touches me.

Gotham - the Big Apple -New York, New York - big, bossy, bombastic and an All-American city.

The Empire State Building, Grand Central Station (see photo) and Central Park.

The Yankees, The Mets, The Jets, The Giants (if you count New Jersey), The Knicks, The Nets, The Rangers, The Islanders and then all the tradition of those great teams gone by... and the college teams, and even now a number of minor league teams dotting around the great city.

I love it. No, I adore it and dream of my next visit back. Maybe its like in the movie Hoosiers when the boys from Hickory looking up the seemingly cavernous Butler Fieldhouse and say, "Boy this barn holds a lot of hay!." The idea that there ain't much like this back on the farm.

I don't know if I ever want to reside in the Big Apple, but its a special place to me.

Today, I've been hearing the reports, apparently pretty believable, of a terrorist strike on the New York Subways. The strike was planned for February or March in 2003. If it happened, I would have been right there in the thick of it.

Crazy how life is a walk on a tight rope of danger. Then I thought, I would still enjoyed my time, I still would have visited. I'd done the same, had a strike happened.

New York has changed a lot since those first attacks on 911. People are more accommodating, they are more gracious and much much warmer.

But, New Yorkers are still a proud people. Their chip is still there, and they aren' t going to be intimidated or shaken by a momentary act of so-called bravery dictated by a mysterious figure who is in hiding. (That's some courage, right there.)

Bravery isn't mustering strength for a one-time action. Bravery is standing your ground because you are right and taking a change to live for it. Bravery is also knowing when you are wrong and admitting it. Bravery is having principles even if no one around shares them.

Saturday, June 17, 2006

Sounds of Silence

Today's post features an article from the Indianapolis Star The story speaks for itself.

Center fielder excels in silence

The crack of the bat. The ball popping a mitt. The umpire bellowing a third-strike call.
Baseball has many unmistakable sounds.
Norwell High School center fielder Scott Woodward wouldn't know. He is almost completely deaf.
Norwell will play Jasper Saturday in the Class 3A state high school baseball finals.
Woodward, a junior honor student, leads the Knights in many offensive categories.
He tracked down several fly balls and hit a two-RBI double that gave Norwell the lead in the Knights' state semifinal 7-1 victory over West Lafayette.
"Scott does a lot of things for us," coach Kelby Weybright said. "He has the tools to play at the next level."
A severe case of meningitis nearly killed Woodward when he was 14 months old. The disease left him deaf in one ear, and he has just 20 percent hearing in the other when he wears a hearing aid.
"With his impairment, you would think that he would stay secluded," pitching coach Kurt Gray said. "That is the opposite with Scott. The kids absolutely love him."
Woodward's condition affects him little on the baseball field, his coaches said. On defense, the speedy outfielder calls for any ball within his range. Left and right fielders know to back off.
"Scotty takes everything," Gray said. "He takes anything he can get, and the two guys beside him know it. His peripheral vision is so good, he knows what is coming at him."
In special circumstances, the coaching staff uses signals to help Woodward. When Woodward leads off second base, for example, a coach will use an arm signal if the shortstop is creeping up behind him for a pickoff play.
The signals are more important on the football field, where Woodward plays cornerback, receiver and place-kicker. Players make eye contact to relay a signal at the proper time, said Tom Neuenschwander, Norwell's director of football operations.
"They just know to look at each other," Neuenschwander said. "It's hard to describe, but they grew up with him. They know where he is going to be."
Baseball is Woodward's passion, his father, Kevin Woodward, said. Several Division I teams are interested in him.
"We are very fortunate to have Scott because, for all purposes, he died when he was 14 months old," Kevin Woodward said. "He has been a blessing.

By Mike Rasor, Indianapolis Star mike.rasor@indystar.com, June 16, 2006

The point is simple. Despite the depth of your handicap, and we all have something, don't we, you are still responsible to get back up and go. Don't make excuses, get after it.

Wednesday, June 14, 2006

Moving on...




Early this week I interviewed Kevin Mackey, the former Cleveland State and minor league basketball coach. He's now a scout with the NBA's Indiana Pacers.

I asked him about his now famous fall from grace and how he got back.

If you remember, in 1990 he was busted for drugs and fired as the coach at C-State. Its pretty hard to keep a job working with young adults after you were nabbed out side a crack house drunk and with cocaine in your system.

Some people would live in shame, would go into hiding and just refuse to move ahead.

He talked about living a double life. Talked about playing the game as a father and coach. Talked about being addicted and finally realizing he hit rock bottom. His life was a living hell.

In the interview he said, "it wasn't worth it. It wasn't worth losing everything because of his addictive behavior. No fancy jibber jabber. No buzz words. Just realization that he was out of control.

"If you are lucky you will be arrested, if you aren't lucky you'll be dead," he said. "I had to find something to replace it with. I had to find something better."

You see we all have an addictive behavior. Some its just like Mackey, its drugs or alcohol, some of us its work, some of its bad relationships or casual sex. But we all have a behavior that could destroy us. A crutch that we lean on to keep from walking on our own two feet.

I asked Mackey if he deals with the shame. He said he did, but had to remember, that when he dealt with the problem, it was in the past. He keeps that problem in the past.

What do you have in your past that you keep digging up?

What do you have that when the going gets tough you go to?

Is it making you better, or just keeping you from accepting responsiblity and helping you escape reality?

What have you filled your life with that's better than your addiction?

You can't move on until you find it.



If you want to hear part of the interview with Kevin Mackey click here -

click here for the interview

Sunday, June 11, 2006

Paying your dues





His name is Matt D'Orazio. He's a pro football quarterback. Today he won a championship, and unless you are a super sports fan his name probably doesn't mean much to you.

He's an Arena Football Football quarterback for the Chicago Rush. The Rush held off the Orlando Predators to win Arena Bowl XX.

I've had a chance to interview him a couple times for one of my radio shows.

Matt and Chicago are the portrait of persistence. Matt is an unassuming, simple midwestern boy from Ohio. From what I've been told. He's the type of guy you'd want to marry your daughter, or as your child's teacher. He doesn't have an impressive resume. He started out a small NCAA Division I-AA school, then transfered to a tiny Division III school. He had a great career, but make no mistake he wasn't gonna be first-round pick in the NFL draft.

That didn't stop him, for the better part of four seasons, he played bounced between AFL teams and the minor league af2 system before finally earning a starter's job with Columbus in 2005.

This season, veteran AFL coach Mike Hohensee signed the underated D'Orazio. Now, they are celebrating the ArenaBowl XX title.

I asked Matt earlier this week, "Did you ever feel like giving up and getting a real job?"

D'Orazio, a devout Christian modestly answered, "No, not at all this is what i am supposed to do. Besides, my family and friends would never let me give it up. This is about them as much as it is for me."

Its not a Super Bowl, but it is a title and D'Orazio has a lot of people to visit and a piece of "bling on his finger so show off to his friends.

Think about this...

Who are you living for? Your friends? Yourself? Your family?
What is your definition of success and who's keeping you on task?
Have you given up too much on something you love?

Another friend give me some advice last week about something very important to me that I was ready to move away from. Her advice...

"Fight, Fight, Fight... you'll not get it without the effort and risking it."

for more on Matt click here

Friday, June 09, 2006

Being comfortable

A friend of mine turned me on to one of those online DVD rental services as a result i'm taking in the myriad of movies I should have watched on the screen. The latest is "Million Dollar Baby" starring Hilary Swank, Clint Eastwood and Morgan Freeman.

Swank's character Maggie Fitzgerald leaves Missouri ahd becomes a boxer. Eventually she returns home to give her mother the deed to a brand new home. Her mother was incensed. Maggie wanted to make life better and give her an amazing gift. Instead, the mother was finding fault with the house, saying it didn't have applicances. Maggie said, "they are coming." The mom says, i can't afford this i'm on welfare. Maggie said, "I'll send you money." Every time the mom was looking for excuses, and all of them were pretty weak.

You see, the family was happy being poor and being on welfare. They didn't want to work. Day-after day they became comfortable in their run-down shack.

Toward the end of the movie, we find out the family never bothered to sign the deed. If they did, they'd have to get off welfare.

We do the same thing, start to enjoy the status quo. We are content to just get by. Maybe its lazy, maybe its fear, maybe its understanding. Maybe its indifference..no matter what it is.. its wrong.

I believe that we as people are meant to soar, to excell and to make difference... not just take resources and time from others. If you are comfortable, not challenged and content make the changes. Don't put it off.. Make a decision today to get it right.

Thursday, June 08, 2006

Watching from afar

A friend of mine coaches soccer in Chicago. I mean IN CHICAGO. The campus and athletic facilities are literally carved out between buildings. If you’ve ever ridden “the L” to Wrigley Field, you’ve probably seen it for yourself.

A few years ago my friend was approached by a stranger after practice. The man lived in a nearby apartment had been watching the team daily for quite some time. He confessed that he watched through a telescope. He saw the good, the bad… everything.

The man was a member of a prominent soccer team in the Soviet Union years and years ago. Largely confined to his apartment, all he could do was watch through a telescope and remember his own glory days.

A strange thing happened over time, the elderly man was confronted with a team that wasn’t like any he ever played for. The team appeared to have a different motivation then winning alone.

He saw players and coaches laughing and hugging. He saw anger, but it wasn’t the same kind of fiery passion. He was confused. He watched more and more and became more and more confused. That’s what finally pushed him to visit a practice in person and learn more about a team that cared about each other.

The lesson is simple. We are being watched and scouted everyday. For some it might be a job opportunity or a promotion. Others it’s just a natural curiousity. The bottomline is this, you’ll be remembered for being an influence in a life, either good or bad. If you aren’t making an intentional decision, you probably aren’t making much impact.

Monday, June 05, 2006

Steroids

One of my friends coaches baseball. He loves the game more than life, and in many respects its been one of the few constants in his life. Sometimes in balance sometimes way out of whack.

Today he told me of being face to face with steroids. Almost every program that he was involved with in his adult years had someone offer to connect him with performance-enhancers.

“As easy as drinking this water,” he said. “I had them in front of me. The guy offering them to me was living proof they did work.”

He told me about all the things that steroids promised, he told me a compelling medical case for disciplined use of steroids.

Then he looked at me, saying I didn’t use them because I knew using them was wrong. That he knew that he’d disappoint his parents. He knew that he’d be doing wrong. It wasn’t a moral issue, it as just black or white, he couldn’t justify it in his mind.

It’s because he had someone counting on him


That’s just it, if you don’t have someone investing in your life, challenging you to do right, you don’t have a reason to do better… I don’t care what age you are get someone who’s wiser than you and spend some time learning from… and while you are at it, find someone you can invest into.

Sunday, June 04, 2006

WALK THE LINE



I am gonna break away from the sports theme this time. Well, its kinda sports related. I am typing this on the way to a indoor football game. I just finished watching the movie, “Walk the Line” the truth-life love story of Johnny and June Carter Cash. Hollywood dolls up any story, but the jist of the story is that when Johnny Cash was in his worst moments June Carter stood by him as a friend. From what I saw, even though he was married, she tried to do right and avoid ruining Johnny’s already troubled marriage. That’s not to say Johnny wasn’t pushing every step of the. It’s a story of a woman who was committed to a person and the right thing… or trying to do the right thing. That commitment carried on to June’s parents. About an hour and fifty minutes into the movie, it dawn on me just how committed the Carter’s were to the seemingly nare-do-well Cash. A drug dealer came to Johnny’s house. The Carters were there watching and trying to get him help. Just as the pusher came to the door, he was greeted by June’s parents brandishing double-barrel shot guns. Naturally the dealer high-tailed it away.

But what you don’t see, these seemingly good-natured, loving, moral people were willing to do whatever it took, whatever it took to keep their friend John ny Cash from plunging deeper, even if it took a little shotgun-diplomacy. That wasn’t their nature, but they did it.

We all need friends like that, friends who don’t put up with our destructive life-styles, that will lay it on the line. That’s more than just good feelings, that’s love. That’s an intentional discussion.

Thursday, June 01, 2006

The Babe



Babe Ruth. His name like no other name says what is great about baseball. Even though most of us never even saw him play, more than a half century since his death he’s still bigger than life.

The sepia toned movies of the big man lumbering around the bases. Even if you don’t like baseball, you know Babe Ruth. In my minds eye, I see, the Bambino with a crown on his head and winking.

In a few days, a local auction will sell an autograph from the games greatest legend. It could fetch more than $1,000 dollars. I won’t be surprised. I wondered what could make a symbol of a man so valuable.

Let’s consider. He was a man that was perfect for the times he was living in. It’s a classic example of the right man, right place, right time. Baseball was fighting to recover from the Black Sox gambling scandal.

How did he become one of the greatest names in sports. Here’s what I think.

1. He was consistent - He did what he was supposed to do as a ball player. His success wasn’t short-lived he was able to come up big when needed.

2. He was real - Babe Ruth, I am sure was a lot of things, but he was excited about life
and the opportunities it presented. Not all of them good choices, but he was enthusiastic. He wasn't ordinary.

3. He cared - He understood that success was to be shared. As much as I think of the home runs, I think of his love for kids. He cared for baseball.

4. He had a great team around him - The New York Yankee dynasty is still considered one of greatest of all time. Everyone still measures their success against the Bronx Bombers. Those team mates played to his strengths and covered his weaknesses. There are some that say Babe Ruth wouldn’t have been as great, without Lou Gehrig batting right behind him.

5. He understood his limits - The late 1920s, Ruth was making more than the President of the US. The Babe laughed and said, “I had a better year.” His role was to play baseball and help the Yankees win. His job wasn’t fight Nazi tyranny in Europe.

6. He took risks. At one point, he struck out more than any player in the game. You can’t hit the long ball, generally, if you are watching balls go by.

7. He was good when he had to be. He didn’t hit a home run, or even get on base every time that he came to the plate. He just was good enough, enough of the time to make a difference.

And really aren’t those same things true for us. Want to make a difference in the lives of others, build a legacy in your family, your friends, your co-workers. Remember these concepts. You probably won’t be remembered by the rest of the world, but your memory will mean the world to those who knew you.

note: The baseball sold for more than $22,000.


Wednesday, May 31, 2006

Laps


Years ago I worked as an evening announcer at a radio station. It happened to be on the campus of a small college. The station was tucked away in the far corner of the property right next to the building was a track. Yah, a running track and it was quite popular.

Sometimes I’d just go outside and watch the runners. I’d think wow, that’s what I call commitment. Running isn’t fun. Running is what you do to get you where you want to go faster than walking. That’s what I thought until one of my friends started to stop by the track.

Every afternoon, like clock work he was there. Running sprints, doing laps. Just working, it wasn’t fun work, but he gutted it out. You see my friend was a hockey player and he knew the game would eat him alive if he didn’t get in condition. He was at the top of his game, and he was still working hard.

That was eight years ago, he’s still playing past 35 and he’s still in all-star shape. For my friend training has kept him strong and kept him around.

Do you want to stick around, do you want to thrive? Commit to positive behaviors that make you a better person. Invest in activities that make your character stronger and get away from things that you know are unhealthy. What’s unhealthy, anything that doesn't make you better.

That could be bad relationships. Behaviors and habits that are know you shouldn't be doing. The bottomline, everything comes with a price.

For my friend, the reward is being able to make a living off a sport. Compared to that goal, no price is to high to pay.

Is there a price that you aren't willing to pay?

Monday, May 29, 2006

Barry Bonds

So let the questions and doubt begin. Sunday afternoon Barry Bonds knocked number 715 out of the passed Babe Ruth and he’s seemingly locked into a collision course with 755 and Hank Aaron. One of baseball’s must hallowed milestones.
It’s a great moment sure, a secondary record, of course. Did you realize how little has been made of it. Even baseball doesn’t know what to make of it.
That’s because there’s a cloud that hangs over Bonds. A stigma that asks, “Did he or didn’t he?” I am not going to criticize Bonds or make him an example. I don’t know.
What I do know is this – the fact there are so many rumblings and questions make for a lot of doubt. Doubt that keeps you from being secure, that’s doubt that keeps you from being sold on the guy.
If you are leader who wants to make an influence on others, you can’t dabble in any behavior that creates doubt. If you are a pastor, that’s called avoiding the appearance of evil. It’s called integrity. Its that statement about you that keeps questions from forming around you.
Wise men count their steps and their words and understand what they want their life to stand for and then they conform to a standard.
That’s integrity.

Welcome


Hello to those of you who may be reading this. These thoughts aren't necessarily new or fresh or even my own. I write them as I try to understand everyday life and the lessons it teaches, especially through the world of sports and athletics. Some may be about professional sports, others may simply be about something i discovered some where along the way. I would love to hear your thoughts as well.