10/30/08
By Clint Cox
Last week the kids had their fall break from school. This has become the time of the year when I make sure to load up and head to the woods for a camping trip. October is one of my favorite months of the year for camping. The days are warm, but not too hot. The nights are cool, but not too cold. And of course there are the oysters that are now "in season." Note that in my book, camping means sleeping in tents. I hate to break it to you folks, but staying in a cabin or RV is not camping.
This year’s fall break camping trip took on a couple of new twists. My darling bride decided she would join us for this camping adventure. Every few years or so she tries her hand at camping, thinking somehow it will magically be better than the last time.
My two oldest sons have grown out of the camping stage, or at least camping with mom and dad. The only thing that interest them about our camping trip is how long we are going to be gone and what time we are coming home. So that meant my youngest son, age 13, gets to invite a buddy. And this year he actually talked me into inviting two buddies, a friend from school and our Yellow Lab named Jack.
So off we went, my bride, 2 boys, Jack and me. We headed to the woods down on the Chipola River, south of Marianna. The weather was perfect. The Carolina Blue Sky didn’t sprout a single cloud for two days. The day was warm enough that a dip in the ole Chipola was in order to wash off a little sweat from setting up camp. The night was cool enough to have a toasty fire to warm us up. And of course there were the oysters. Raw oysters were enjoyed on the banks of the Chipola River and in the shadow of a camp fire. I call that the culinary equivalent of heaven on earth.
By morning though, after a night in a sleeping bag and tent, my darling bride had enjoyed enough of the great outdoor life and headed home. The boys and I, along with Jack as our canine guide, canoed up the Chipola for a little river travel and spelunking. We explored several caves along the way and spent the day soaking up the October sunshine and that Carolina Blue Skyline.
This is the third year in a row that I’ve written about our October camping excursions. I’ve used this term before but, Simply Put, it just doesn’t get any better than spending a few days camping with the family (which now includes the dog) on the Chipola River during the month of October. And of course with a sack full of oysters. I am truly blessed.
From the front porch: Coach said that he’s noticed the turtle only makes any progress when it sticks out its neck.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Simply Put- "Suspend or Terminate"
10/24/08
By Clint Cox
A local middle school teacher/coach had a hearing with the school board last week to determine if he should be suspended or terminated for writing the "N" word on the board of his classroom. Apparently he was demonstrating what the acronym "CHANGE" stood for and did this several times during the day. The Superintendent of Schools recommended suspension and the school board voted 3-2 not to oppose that recommendation.
You know they say "opinions are like rear ends…everybody has got one." I have an opinion on the matter. Simply Put, I feel that the teacher/ coach should have been terminated. I realize that there are many folks that I know and respect that will have a very different opinion. They feel the suspension was adequate or may even feel suspension is too strong of an action.
I’ve written often about my views on the role of teachers and coaches in dealing with our young people. I’ll defend the ones that do it the right way loud and proud. But I’m just as quick to voice my displeasure with those who, in my opinion, dishonor this most honorable profession. This teacher/coach’s use of this very inappropriate word was not part of a conversation with other adults that might have been accidently overheard. It was used in the presence of the very children he had been entrusted to teach and was used more than once during the day.
For the life of me, I can’t figure out why a teacher/coach would use that inappropriate word in his classroom in front of his students. It is more than just an error in judgment. To me it demonstrates a total lack of understanding and comprehension of how offensive this word is to African Americans.
And for the record I don’t condone when black folks use this word when talking to each other. But if one of my buddies calls me a redneck, I don’t mind. But if someone from up north or a big city calls me a redneck, I take offense.
As I said earlier though the Superintendent recommended suspension and the school board chose not to oppose that recommendation. That did not surprise me one bit. This is the same Superintendent that has recommended the hiring of teachers / coaches in the past few years with significant prior criminal arrest records (wrestling coach at Marianna/ teacher at Sneads). And guess what, both turned out to be "bad apples" so to speak. Surprise Surprise.
Simply Put, CHANGE is coming. The current Superintendent is now the "outgoing Superintendent." Let’s hope the new Superintendent establishes a better track record when it comes to dealing with "bad apples."
From the front porch: Uncle Bob gave his son-in-law some golfing advice. Lay off for few weeks and then quit for good.
By Clint Cox
A local middle school teacher/coach had a hearing with the school board last week to determine if he should be suspended or terminated for writing the "N" word on the board of his classroom. Apparently he was demonstrating what the acronym "CHANGE" stood for and did this several times during the day. The Superintendent of Schools recommended suspension and the school board voted 3-2 not to oppose that recommendation.
You know they say "opinions are like rear ends…everybody has got one." I have an opinion on the matter. Simply Put, I feel that the teacher/ coach should have been terminated. I realize that there are many folks that I know and respect that will have a very different opinion. They feel the suspension was adequate or may even feel suspension is too strong of an action.
I’ve written often about my views on the role of teachers and coaches in dealing with our young people. I’ll defend the ones that do it the right way loud and proud. But I’m just as quick to voice my displeasure with those who, in my opinion, dishonor this most honorable profession. This teacher/coach’s use of this very inappropriate word was not part of a conversation with other adults that might have been accidently overheard. It was used in the presence of the very children he had been entrusted to teach and was used more than once during the day.
For the life of me, I can’t figure out why a teacher/coach would use that inappropriate word in his classroom in front of his students. It is more than just an error in judgment. To me it demonstrates a total lack of understanding and comprehension of how offensive this word is to African Americans.
And for the record I don’t condone when black folks use this word when talking to each other. But if one of my buddies calls me a redneck, I don’t mind. But if someone from up north or a big city calls me a redneck, I take offense.
As I said earlier though the Superintendent recommended suspension and the school board chose not to oppose that recommendation. That did not surprise me one bit. This is the same Superintendent that has recommended the hiring of teachers / coaches in the past few years with significant prior criminal arrest records (wrestling coach at Marianna/ teacher at Sneads). And guess what, both turned out to be "bad apples" so to speak. Surprise Surprise.
Simply Put, CHANGE is coming. The current Superintendent is now the "outgoing Superintendent." Let’s hope the new Superintendent establishes a better track record when it comes to dealing with "bad apples."
From the front porch: Uncle Bob gave his son-in-law some golfing advice. Lay off for few weeks and then quit for good.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Simply Put- “Too Short to Play”
By Clint Cox
10/16/08
I admit that I am "vertically challenged." And growing up I used to have folks tell me that I was "too short to play" football. That, in part, drove me to prove them wrong and I did, starting and playing as a wide receiver in all 20 football games during my junior and senior seasons.
So when I see young men who are likewise "vertically challenged" playing football these days, I have great admiration and respect for them. They have also probably been told they are "too short to play." There are two young "vertically challenged" men that are playing varsity football in our county that have especially caught my eye.
At Marianna, Laramie Dryden has stood out for several years now as an outstanding athlete in both football and baseball. Most folks ‘round here know the Dryden name and would be right in saying that he is carrying on the family tradition of being "vertically challenged." The football program list Laramie at 5’9’’ but I not sure he is quite that tall. Regardless, he is usually one of the smallest guys on the field. But I guarantee you he has one of the biggest hearts of anybody suited up for the game.
Almost every time I look up to see who is in on the tackle, there is Laramie. In football, we say he has a "nose for the ball." There is no quit in him. He plays every play just like the play before, wide open and huntin’ for the ball carrier. That has helped him be the current leader in tackles for the Bulldogs with 57. And even though a Rob Armstrong team doesn’t throw the ball much, I’ve seen Laramie’s receiving skills. He is the classic possession type receiver. If he can get his hands on the ball, take it to the bank that the ball will be caught.
Over in Sneads, Jerry Bamburg caught my eye a year or two ago. I was at a JV football practice and saw this scrappy little kid making a lot of tackles. I asked who he was and was told "That’s Bam Bam." Since that time I’ve watched him move on up to the varsity. "Bam Bam" is about 5’7" and plays with that same intensity as Dryden. Bam Bam’s Head Coach Don Dowling says of Bamburg "He is one of our defensive leaders and knows our game plan. He’ll go from on side of the field to the other to make the tackle. He just doesn’t quit." He currently has 22 tackles for the Pirates defensive squad.
So to all the folks who’ve uttered to some kid, "you’re too short to play football" Dryden and Bamburg are the latest in a long line of "vertically challenged" players, that have proven y’all wrong. So to Laramie and Bam Bam (pictured on this page) Simply Put, keep it up. Y’all make old short guys like me mighty proud.
From the front porch: Coach said luck is the residue of design.
10/16/08
I admit that I am "vertically challenged." And growing up I used to have folks tell me that I was "too short to play" football. That, in part, drove me to prove them wrong and I did, starting and playing as a wide receiver in all 20 football games during my junior and senior seasons.
So when I see young men who are likewise "vertically challenged" playing football these days, I have great admiration and respect for them. They have also probably been told they are "too short to play." There are two young "vertically challenged" men that are playing varsity football in our county that have especially caught my eye.
At Marianna, Laramie Dryden has stood out for several years now as an outstanding athlete in both football and baseball. Most folks ‘round here know the Dryden name and would be right in saying that he is carrying on the family tradition of being "vertically challenged." The football program list Laramie at 5’9’’ but I not sure he is quite that tall. Regardless, he is usually one of the smallest guys on the field. But I guarantee you he has one of the biggest hearts of anybody suited up for the game.
Almost every time I look up to see who is in on the tackle, there is Laramie. In football, we say he has a "nose for the ball." There is no quit in him. He plays every play just like the play before, wide open and huntin’ for the ball carrier. That has helped him be the current leader in tackles for the Bulldogs with 57. And even though a Rob Armstrong team doesn’t throw the ball much, I’ve seen Laramie’s receiving skills. He is the classic possession type receiver. If he can get his hands on the ball, take it to the bank that the ball will be caught.
Over in Sneads, Jerry Bamburg caught my eye a year or two ago. I was at a JV football practice and saw this scrappy little kid making a lot of tackles. I asked who he was and was told "That’s Bam Bam." Since that time I’ve watched him move on up to the varsity. "Bam Bam" is about 5’7" and plays with that same intensity as Dryden. Bam Bam’s Head Coach Don Dowling says of Bamburg "He is one of our defensive leaders and knows our game plan. He’ll go from on side of the field to the other to make the tackle. He just doesn’t quit." He currently has 22 tackles for the Pirates defensive squad.
So to all the folks who’ve uttered to some kid, "you’re too short to play football" Dryden and Bamburg are the latest in a long line of "vertically challenged" players, that have proven y’all wrong. So to Laramie and Bam Bam (pictured on this page) Simply Put, keep it up. Y’all make old short guys like me mighty proud.
From the front porch: Coach said luck is the residue of design.
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Simply Put- "Punt Formations "
10/9/08
By Clint Cox
There are many aspects of the modern high school football game that I like over better than "back when" I played 30 years ago. I like the fact that players now get all the fluids (water / Gatorade, etc.) they want during practice and in the games. Back when I played we usually got one water break at each practice. The coaches said something about making us tough by not giving us too much water. I always though it was odd that our fluids were limited in practice, but we got all we wanted on game night.
I like that many coaches now allow their kickers to specialize and that is all that player does in practice. "Back when" I played the kickers were just one of the better athletes on the team that doubled as the kicker. We usually spent the last 10-15 minutes of practice working on special teams with these kickers. I like the idea of a kicker spending the entire practice working on kicking. It is such a key part of the game and I don’t see much need for them to spend time blocking and tackling.
But there is one aspect of the modern game that I don’t care for and that is the current punt formations used by the high schools, colleges and pros. Punt formations used to be simple. Everybody lined up on the line of scrimmage except the punter and one up back. But not anymore. They’ve got players spread out from one side of the field to the other with huge gaps in between them. Then they have 3 up backs in front of the punter. The middle up back stands behind one of the other up backs until the ball is snapped. The middle up back then fills the hole and awaits the oncoming defenders.
As hard as I try I just can’t get used to these new punt formations. I personally don’t think they work any better than the old ones. In fact it seems to me that we have more punts blocked and more bad snaps than we used to. Think about the difficulty for the long snapper to snap the ball between his legs 15 yards behind him, all the while having to "thread the needle" so to speak between the two up backs. In FSU’s win over Miami on Saturday the snapper hit one of the up backs. I had been waiting for that to occur.
But last time I checked my e-mail and answering machine, no coaches had contacted me to inquire about my thoughts on these new punt formations. So I thought I would save them the trouble and just offer up my opinion, free of charge. Simply Put, I don’t like them and wish they would go back to the old way.
From the front porch: Uncle Bob says his daughter was complaining that nobody loved her, that the whole world hates her. Her brother responded "That’s not true. Some people don’t even know you."
By Clint Cox
There are many aspects of the modern high school football game that I like over better than "back when" I played 30 years ago. I like the fact that players now get all the fluids (water / Gatorade, etc.) they want during practice and in the games. Back when I played we usually got one water break at each practice. The coaches said something about making us tough by not giving us too much water. I always though it was odd that our fluids were limited in practice, but we got all we wanted on game night.
I like that many coaches now allow their kickers to specialize and that is all that player does in practice. "Back when" I played the kickers were just one of the better athletes on the team that doubled as the kicker. We usually spent the last 10-15 minutes of practice working on special teams with these kickers. I like the idea of a kicker spending the entire practice working on kicking. It is such a key part of the game and I don’t see much need for them to spend time blocking and tackling.
But there is one aspect of the modern game that I don’t care for and that is the current punt formations used by the high schools, colleges and pros. Punt formations used to be simple. Everybody lined up on the line of scrimmage except the punter and one up back. But not anymore. They’ve got players spread out from one side of the field to the other with huge gaps in between them. Then they have 3 up backs in front of the punter. The middle up back stands behind one of the other up backs until the ball is snapped. The middle up back then fills the hole and awaits the oncoming defenders.
As hard as I try I just can’t get used to these new punt formations. I personally don’t think they work any better than the old ones. In fact it seems to me that we have more punts blocked and more bad snaps than we used to. Think about the difficulty for the long snapper to snap the ball between his legs 15 yards behind him, all the while having to "thread the needle" so to speak between the two up backs. In FSU’s win over Miami on Saturday the snapper hit one of the up backs. I had been waiting for that to occur.
But last time I checked my e-mail and answering machine, no coaches had contacted me to inquire about my thoughts on these new punt formations. So I thought I would save them the trouble and just offer up my opinion, free of charge. Simply Put, I don’t like them and wish they would go back to the old way.
From the front porch: Uncle Bob says his daughter was complaining that nobody loved her, that the whole world hates her. Her brother responded "That’s not true. Some people don’t even know you."
Thursday, October 2, 2008
"You Can’t Coach Scared”
10/2/08
By: Clint Cox
By: Clint Cox
With a minute to play last Friday night in Jacksonville, Marianna scored a touchdown and trailed 21-20 to Episcopal. As my buddy Russell Register and I speculated on the radio about what Coach Armstrong might do, Register asked me what I would do if I were the coach. I instantly replied "Kick the extra point" and send the game into overtime. I knew this went against the tradition of ‘go for the win on the road and go for the tie at home’ that some folks advocate. Fortunately, Coach Armstrong wasn’t thinking like me. Marianna went for and converted the two point conversion to take a 22-21 lead. Then they held on that final minute for the one point victory. It was without question a great comeback and finish for the Bulldogs. In Coach Armstrong’s post game interview on the radio he said it was never a question of whether or not to go for two, it was simply a matter of what play to call. When we got off the air I told him of my comments to Russell about kicking the extra point. Armstrong responded to me "Clint you can’t coach scared." I thought about that comment all weekend long. He was absolutely right. Over the past 30 years since high school I’ve coached my fair share in various youth leagues for football and baseball. I had some years where we fielded some really good teams and some years where wins were hard to come by. After thinking about Armstrong’s comment I recalled that in my younger days of coaching I didn’t hesitate to take a chance or roll the dice so to speak. I can remember chastising my Auburn friends when former Auburn Coach Pat Dye went for a tie in a game. I called him Pat Tie Dye. But somewhere over the later years of my life I seemed to lose that daringness, that willingness to roll the dice. My play calling late in the game became very conservative. This from a guy who used to love the razzle dazzle plays, the trick plays, the high flying offensive show of the early Bobby Bowden teams. So what happened? I really hadn’t thought about the change until Armstrong’s comment of "Clint you can’t coached scared." Armstrong’s comment reminded me that sports is a game and is meant to be fun. Having fun means taking some calculated risks, and not being scared of "what if it doesn’t work." It’s like the old saying of "Never let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game." I realized I’ve gone soft in my older age and have let the fear of losing keep me from playing the game. Simply Put, I’m turning over a new leaf. The old me is back. Let’s go for the win and if it doesn’t work out that way, so be it. But it won’t be because we didn’t try. From the front porch: Coach said luck is a lazy person’s estimate of a worker’s success.
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