For nearly two years now I have worked everyday with over twenty coaches. 

Before I took this job the stereotype I had of coaches was that they were ultra-competitive, tended to be a little slow on administrative things and didn't tolerate much being told what to do, when to do it or how to do anything.

I was right about the first and dead wrong on the other two.  They are indeed ultra-competitive.  For example they are required to pass an annual exam to be able to recruit off-campus and the competition for who had the top score on that exam was fierce.  Bragging rights are still being tossed around and the exam was given in June.  Coaches simply don't like to lose at anything.  On the mornings after a loss it's not unusual for a coach to beat me to the office.  They're usually watching video before 8 am.  I think they just naturally gravitate back to work after a loss.

As for the administrative side the godfather of college athletics doesn't tolerate coaches who aren't good at administrative things.  Screwing that side up or neglecting it for other things will bite them in the end.  That means they have to prepare to avoid that happening.  And that is one thing they truly know--how to prepare.

As for being told what to do, etc I can see that it sometimes chafes them but I have never had them challenge it.  The fact is I think they like the structure I force on them.  Sort of like the rules of the games they play.

The men and women coaches that I work with are by and large as good managers as I have ever worked with.  Sure I have one or two that I have to keep my eye on and even do a little coaching myself.  I also have one or two who I could never look at and they would be doing exactly as they should.  The word professional is a good word to describe the coaches I work with.

It's a strange thing.  The older I get the more I find my stereotypes to be wrong.   

The Titans have won three in a row and I picked their win last week over the Bills.  Last week I went 4-1 including the upset of the Cowboys by the Packers.  That makes me 27-13 for the year. There aren't a lot of good games this week, at least not on paper.

Titans 24, Texans 21--Like last week the experts think this game is a toss-up.  It's all about whose defense plays the best.  Vince Young is playing in his home town.  I'm hoping that's worth at least three points.

Giants 30, Falcons 23--Both teams are on a slide, the Giants on a bigger one.  But they're at home and I think that's just what they need.

Eagles 30, Bears 28--Another couple of teams on a slide.  I think the Bears is the bigger one.

Chargers 27, Broncos 23--Game of the week.  I think Phillip Rivers and the Charger's running game is too much, even for the home standing Broncos.

Bengals 30, Raiders 17--Bengals just keep on rolling.  Whose going to beat them?  No one until the playoffs.

I went 4-1 last week, correctly picking Ole Miss over the Vols but I missed Stanford beating USC.  I'm now 32-18 for the year.  Here I go again.

Tennessee 30, Vanderbilt 20--This one is a rare night game between the Volunteer State teams.  The Vols looked bad on defense against Ole Miss for the first time this year.  If they get their defense back then this one won't be close but if they don't, well, I'd rather not think about it.

Ohio State 33, Michigan 31--If I'm right about this one, it will be Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez last game.  He gains a few points with home field advantage but I don't think it will be enough to win this game or save his job.

Stanford 37, California 28--Will the Cardinals have a let down after last week's huge win over the Trojans?  I don't think so.  They're a good team.

Mississippi 24, LSU 21--This is my upset special of the week.  I think the win last week gave the Rebels a lot of confidence that will carry over into this week.  It won't be easy but I think they will do it.

Oregon 33, Arizona 27--I really haven't seen Arizona this year but I have Oregon.  So I'm going with them on this one.

1.  I'm not really a fan of Sarah Palin as a politician.  It is simply because I don't think she has enough qualifications or experience to run for high office.  But the more the media tries to crucify her the more I find myself liking her.  Not because she becomes qualified or experienced.  It's because the media, especially television, is like a shark seeing or smelling blood.  They attack people when they perceive weakness.  Anybody who fights back, like Sarah Palin does, drives them crazy.  That's why I like her. 

2.  I don't mind Obama bowing to others if it's the custom in the country he's visiting.  But I think he's overdoing it a bit.  When I was in Okinawa I got used to the Japanese custom of bowing.  For the Japanese it's just a slight motion.  That's what he should do.  Admittedly there's a fine line to walk for any President but one would think he would have some adviser around him that could tell him to back off just a little to prevent the wrong idea.  Apparently not.  But this whole bowing thing doesn't amount to much for me one way or the other.

3.  I was in my fifties before I realized that one person in management could ruin an entire company.  Most of the time it's simply due to arrogance.  It's still hard for me to believe that to this day but I know it's true.

4.  I might be wrong about this but isn't it likely that the same people who would be administering our government health care are the same ones who were administering the swine flu vaccine.  Isn't that the one that is late and in not enough supply?  I'm just saying.

5. The US Postal Service lost $3.8 billion last year.  According to this report, eliminating Saturday deliveries would save $3.5 billion.  This is a no-brainer.  Just do it.  I'm willing to accept whatever inconvenience that may cause me as a consumer, either as a sender or receiver.  

The Titans have won two in a row and this week they're up against the Bills.  I had tickets to this game but sold them because I wanted to see the Titans play the Cardinals in a couple of weeks.  I thought that would be a better game but given the Titans struggles maybe this one is.  Who knows?

Titans 24, Bills 21--The experts think this game is a toss-up.  So do I.  It's going to come down to how the Titans defense plays.  Plus they have home field and I think that's a slight edge.

Colts 30, Patriots 27--Another toss-up game and another home field edge but this time to the Colts.

Steelers 30, Bengals 28--The Bengals have played well all season including beating the Steelers previously.  But I think the Steelers are playing better now and they're at home.  That's right--home edge again.

Chargers 37, Eagles 20--Eagles had a terrible game last week and you never know which McNabb is going to show up.  Chargers sometimes have the same problem but I think they are clearly a better team than the Eagles.

Packers 30, Cowboys 24--This is my upset special.  Cowboys have been rolling along fine but it's time for one of their second half of the season swoons.  This looks like the game to me.

I had a great week last week since I didn't make any picks.  But I'm back in the saddle this week. 

Mississippi 24, Tennessee 21--I would have picked the Vols over the Rebels had it not been for the three arrests yesterday.  I think that distraction will affect the Orange just enough to lose this game on the Rebel's home field.  Not to speak of losing our starting safety.  Clearly someone got stuck on stupid yesterday.

Ohio State 33, Iowa 20--The Hawkeyes quarterback is out with an injury.  The game is in Columbus.  The Hawkeyes season is coming apart at the seams.

Pittsburgh 30, Notre Dame 24--A loss in this game could seal Charlie Weitz's fate.  I can't see him winning on Pittsburgh's field.

Southern Cal 37, Stanford 20--Stanford is a good team but not as good as the Trojans.

Florida 27, South Carolina 17--I think the Gamecocks may surprise some people at how well they play the Gators in this game.  I don't think it will be well enough to win it though.

In the early seventies I was recently out of the Army and had started my first real job.  I moved into an apartment that was within walking distance of a newly built municipal arena that hosted everything from rodeos to rock and roll concerts.

The seventies were probably the golden age for music tours, especially rock.  And I made the most of it from my location.  Through the magic of the internet I recently discovered a listing of the groups and the musicians that played at that arena during the seventies, including the dates and the prices they charged.  I think the list is missing a few names though because I distinctly remember seeing Ike and Tina Turner there in the seventies (and if you never saw the Ikettes, you missed something).  Anyway--from that list I was able to make a list of the ones that I attended in the seventies. 

Aug. 10, 1974 - Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons - $6

Dec. 7, 1974 – Doobie Brothers $6

May 10, 1975 – America w/Captain - $6

Aug. 4, 1975 – Eagles w/Poco

Nov. 9, 1975 – Lettermen - $6.50, $5,50

April 2, 1976 – Neil Sedaka - $6.50

Aug. 16, 1976 – Doobie Brothers w/Heart - $6

Oct. 21, 1977 – Kenny Rogers w/Stella Parton and T.G. Sheppard - $7, $6

Nov. 19, 1977 – England Dan and John Ford Coley - $7, $6

Oct. 21, 1978 – Ferrante & Teicher - $8, $7

May 12, 1979 – Willie Nelson w/Leon Russell - $8, $6

Even after I moved from the apartment I attended other concerts in the eighties that I don't know the dates or prices.  Some of those included the Judds, Elvis and others that I can't recall.  I don't think I ever paid more than $10 for a ticket.

It seems to me that there has been a lot more attention given to this Veterans Day than in years past.  For example this past Sunday NFL football had a number of tributes, including one of the pre-game shows that originated in Afghanistan.  I think that the added attention is a good thing.

I was in the service in a period of time when the military was looked down upon.  That was during and after the Vietnam War.  Unfortunately the military took the fall for some bad decisions by the civilians in charge of the Pentagon.  It was a very dark time for anything military related and I don't think I have seen anything since that has approximated the anti-military feeling that existed at that time.

More recently I think it has been hard for the country to rally around the military as was done in the World Wars.  Our conflicts for the last fifty years have been more localized and limited in nature and that alone has been one reason they haven't been as widely supported as World Wars.  The first Gulf War was an exception to that, mainly because Saddam Hussien was stupid enough to put himself in a position that united everyone against him.

I am very glad that we seem to have come full circle in our treatment of the military.  Unlike my time we have an all volunteer army now and I think that is a good thing.  At the very least it means it's a more professional army and that makes all the branches professional.

Take the time to say thanks today to a veteran or a current military professional.  They have earned the right to be appreciated on this day.  We do not owe our freedom to a single President, congressman, senator or justice.  We owe it to our soldiers.  God bless you all, past and present.

I haven't posted for a week. 

Except for vacations I don't think that has happened since I started this blog.  I even posted once when I was in Moscow.  Anyway I had Big Brother on campus last week for a scheduled visit and as such my time was taken both day and night.  Things seemed to go well so I'm not expecting any major issues.

My busy period carried over into the weekend as I took in a basketball game and managed to get some things done around the house.  I cleaned out my clothes closet, over seeded the lawn and got some badly needed computer work done.  As a result my checking account is now balanced.  Then I celebrated the seventy degree weather by washing and waxing my car.  I have to admit it felt a little strange waxing a car in November.

I finished the weekend by catching Frost/Nixon on HBO and was pleasantly surprised by it.  It wasn't at all like the documentary that I expected but instead an excellent drama.  Frank Langella was terrific as Nixon.  The facial expressions, the mannerisms and even the way he talked was dead-on.  It was easy to see why he was nominated for an Oscar.

Finally I watched the terrific last show of the season of Mad Men.  At times this season I struggled maintaining my interest in the show as the plot seemed to meander.  But last night's episode was the proverbial home run.  The episode seemed to strike the perfect balance between what was and what will be.  It brought me back to the reasons I started watching the show in the first place.  Now I can't wait for next season. 

And now I'm back as well.  Life is good.

I am a late arrival to understanding the importance of ceremony in our lives. 

But I've often been late to understanding the more cerebral things in life.  I suppose I'm a slow learner but I also think it's due to my tendency to overlook the obvious.  The forest for the trees and such.  I recently posted about completely missing Anton Chirguh as the symbol of fate/death in No Country for Old Men.  You get the idea...

Fortunately some things are hard to miss.  One of those things occurred last night.  The church my late aunt attended holds a yearly service for those who have passed in the last twelve months.  My father and I attended in her honor.

It's the major Methodist church in my hometown and as such is the beneficiary of well-to-do members.  The outside of the building is pedestrian but the sanctuary is impressive with its simplicity and beauty.  I had been in the sanctuary before but had forgotten how it's construction and furnishings lends itself to its purpose.

The service of remembrance was primarily musical.  It was beautiful to hear and see.  A fifty something member choir was backed by two cellos, two violas, a violin, a bass and a harp player.  It sounded like the words that were sung were in Latin or some other foreign language and when I looked at the program that was the case as translations were listed for each segment.  A baritone and a soprano took their turns as well.  The massive stained glass rendering of Jesus overlooked us all and provided a stunning visual of why we were there.  My father whispered to me at one point that this was the same sanctuary that my maternal grandfather's funeral was held in.  He died when I was very young and I barely knew him but it made me feel good to know that.

There were thirty-two passings in the last year at the church, my father's sister being one of them.  As each of those names were called a representative of the family came forward to receive one single white rose in remembrance.  I recognized some names.  The former CEO of the Fortune 500 company headquartered in town.  The father of a judge was another.  A couple of names I had heard my parents talk about in the past. 

My father and I made the trip up the main aisle together and we were greeted and handed the white rose by the minister who presided over my aunt's graveside service.  When we returned to our seats my father whispered to me that she would have reveled in this ceremony and that our presence would have been important to her.  And he said, as we southerners sometimes say, she rose above her upbringing to deserve this type of service.  He was right.

My father had asked me earlier if I thought it would be OK for him to leave before the service was over.  At age eighty-nine he had put in twelve hours of work already for the day and I told him that it was fine to do so.  He left with the single white rose in his hand. 

My thoughts went to my childhood and the Mother's Day services at our small church.  Each year children of living mothers were honored by wearing a red rose on their clothes.  I did it many times. 

White roses were worn by those children whose mothers had passed.  My father, who lost his mother before he was ten years old, always wore a white rose.

We humans are sometimes capable of extraordinary things.  Ceremonies of remembrance are one of those things.