Carson Wentz

So tonight, a new era could be starting with the selection of Carson Wentz at the #2 overall pick by the Philadelphia Eagles in this year's NFL Draft.

I've always been afraid to buy the boys any jerseys of Philadelphia players, just because over the past few years, it doesn't seem like any of them are going to stick around.  That might change now.  We'll see.

RIP - Alan Rickman

I was upset to hear about the passing of one of my favorite actors, Alan Rickman.   My boys know him as the ever serious Professor Severus Snape from the Harry Potter movies.   Rickman played Snape as the no nonsense, no charisma, no emotion, straight-faced, monotone character that he was written to be by J.K. Rowling.  I hate knowing that this is how my boys know Alan Rickman.  Alan was filled with so much charisma in all his other roles, and I just want the boys to see that.  Of course most of the movies he is in that I really like are rated “R,” so it will be awhile, but I will now certainly make it a point for the boys to see them, so that they can appreciate the actor that I have appreciated for the last 25 years.

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On an unrelated note, another news item popped up today.  Lets see how this one pans out.

Eagles expected to hire Doug Pederson

Chip Kelly......FIRED!!!

Well after 3 seasons, 2 steps forward, an about 7 steps backwards, Chip Kelly has been fired as the coach of the Philadelphia Eagles

This was the first Eagle’s coach who the boys knew.  He came in just under 3 years ago from the University of Oregon.  It was an exciting hire at the time.  He went 10-6 in both of his first two seasons, making the playoffs the first season.  But things started to unravel as he got rid of players who didn’t buy into his system.  However this team imploded half way through this last season, with no signs of improvement.  Management had no choice but to give him the boot (even with one game left).  

ESPN release
Deadspin release
Philly.com
bleacherreport.com
Csnphilly.com

Dutch Wonderland

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End of soccer and football season (fall of 2015)

Final day of the season

Two stories to tell about this fall season of sports.

The first is about Christopher, and his first season of tackle football.  One night at practice, Chris’s team  was scrimmaging another team, and Chris was lined up in the defensive backfield as a safety.   This division is for 2^nd and 3^rd graders.  Chris is in 2^nd grade, and is probably the 3^rd smallest kid in the division.  

When the other team snapped the ball, they handed it off to a really big kid who came straight up through the middle.  He broke through the line and linebackers.  Chris took an angle to tackle him from the side.  Had Chris missed, the running back was gone for a touchdown.  Chris got his arms around the kid, but the kid was so big, Chris could not bring him down.  That didn’t stop Chris however, as he reached up with my hand to get a hold of the kids jersey.  He used that hand to leverage himself up the kids back with his other hand to get the back of the kid’s jersey around the back of his neck.  He got his hand inside the jersey, and brought the kid down by a horse collar tackle (which is completely illegal).  The running back’s knees buckled and he went down hard.  He did not get up.  He was in a lot of pain and they had to stop the scrimmage.  All the parents went “ooooh” when it happened.  It looked ugly.  As two of the coaches tended to the injured kid, another coach had taken Christopher to the side.  The coach got on his knee and it looked like (I could only see the hand gestures he was using) was educating Chris on what a horse-collar tackle was.   After a few minutes, the injured running back got up.  After the claps from the other players and parents, all the coaches got together and demonstrated what a horse-collar tackle was, and explained that it was an illegal tackle.  Christopher was not in any trouble, because nobody had ever coached the kids that this was an illegal tackle.  Its not something that normally ever happens at this age level, but because of Christopher, it is now something they have to educate 2^nd and 3^rd graders about.  Well done, Chris.