The Ashimmy Blog

My Worst Day As A Youth Sports Coach

Those of you who know me probably know that I coach my kids in sports. I have probably coached over 30 teams between my two sons in everything from soccer to baseball, flag football to basketball and most of all, tackle football.  I have coached literally hundreds of kids and get a lot of satisfaction seeing kids grow and knowing I may have helped them along the way.

There are some kids who I really admire for their character and spirit, in addition to their talent. I always make sure to tell parents that they have done a great job with the children when I see kids like that.  Some of these kids I coach over and over again in football and basketball.  I am good friends with their parents and having a team of kids I am familiar with and who are familiar with me makes coaching even more fun.

Over the years I have been really lucky I guess. None of the kids I coach have gotten really hurt. A sprain or bruise here or there, but nothing too serious. Most of the kids who have been hurt on my teams actually didn’t get hurt playing ball. They got hurt off the field. I guess I took it for granted.

Today though I had a taste of the other side. One of the boys who I have coached in football and basketball for 4 years now (that is a lot for a 10 year old boy), fell down with his arm under him.  He cried out in pain immediately.  I followed all my first aid training and did everything I was taught. Ice, immobilize the arm, calm him down and his dad (one of my assistant coaches) and I took him to the car to take over to the ER.

I ended practice shortly after and headed over to the ER myself. My player had fractured and dislocated his elbow. They were waiting for the pediatric orthopedist to perform surgery. I was sick to my stomach.

The fact is the boy is the best player on my team and it is going to be hard for my team to overcome this and be successful. But really, who cares? This little boy who have I have seen grow so much over the years, who embodies everything that youth sports is about was in so much pain. I couldn’t do anything to help him. I called in some favors and had them roust the pediatric orthopedist out of bed, but that was nothing. This boy got hurt on my watch. He was one of my boys. He and his family have become like my family over the years. He is like one of my own kids.

Yes, I know it was not my fault and there was nothing I can do about it. I have spent hours learning and studying the latest techniques in promoting safety. Am certified in first aid, CPR, concussion and heat exhaustion. But in sports this stuff happens. A kid falls wrong and they break a bone. All of a sudden for the first time I am not liking coaching.

I don’t know if I will feel differently tomorrow or next week. I have 23 other kids on the team I have to be there for. But right now I am just not feeling it. I think tonight I learned what it is like to really be a coach. The toughest lesson a coach has to learn.  I hope I am as strong at the little boy on my team who got hurt and will come back better than ever and be a better coach for it. But right now that seems a long way off.

The Boys of Fall

I have spent the last three days running football camp for the West Boca Dragons Tackle Football league.  Working with kids 8 and 9 years old.  It has reminded me how great a game football is. Yes there are concussions and it can be violent.  But kids love football.

This video says it all. Be sure to listen all the way to the end. Enjoy!

Now I know how baseball fans feel about the Yankees

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

Well I am not about to go write some hate-filled, vindictive, classless open letter to fans, but I can appreciate how baseball fans feel about the Yankees. LeBron James coming to Miami did not make my day either. You see, though I live in South Florida, I am and always will be a NY Knicks fans (Knickerbockers for those who don’t know).

Since the end of the Patrick Ewing era we Knick fans have been a miserable bunch. But lets face it, the Ewing era was just a tease as well. Though we came close, Michael Jordan was always there to put a dagger in our hearts. The one year he was off playing  baseball, the Houston Rockets and Hakeem the Dream thwarted our championship plans. 

The plain sad truth is that we have not won a championship since 1973. Before that we won one in 1969 and that is it. We ain’t talking the Celtics or the Lakers here.

I am also a NY Rangers fan. Though Messier bought a cup to the Garden in my lifetime, it was the only one in my lifetime. So between the Knicks and Rangers the sad, sad truth is they usually suck.

But I have my Yankees. Year in and year out they are always capable of winning it all.  Sure, they spend more than anyone. But hey they don’t make the rules, they just play by them. I never quite understood the vitriol that other baseball fans have for the Yankees.

This LeBron thing though has showed me that side.  WTF. The Knicks have purged their entire team. Knick fans have sucked it up for years so we could “free up cap room”.  For what Amar-e No-D Stoudemire? I don’t think so.

This is just not fair. It is un-American. Who ever heard of turning down more money? I think David Stern should step in and do what is in the best interest of the NBA. Give NY a viable franchise for the good of the league. Order that LeBron come play for the Knicks! :-)

If not I will probably wind up buying tickets to take my kids down to the AA Arena to watch the Heat play.

Did Ben Roethlisberger’s team spread enough money around?

The town of Milledgeville seems like a nice, sleepy little town in the middle of Georgia. They are not used to the kind of media spotlight that this whole affair brought down on them. But everyone from the DA on down seemed to handle it well. It sounds like Ben Roethlisberger's people did too.

I have to admit, when I first heard about this story, I thought we were going to be in for a circus right out of My Cousin Vinny.  But it appears the only one that will really pay the price here is Ben Roethlisberger. For the second year in a row, he took his birthday to be an excuse for a Caligula-like orgy of booze and woman. At least he left the gambling off this time!

From a criminal point of view this case is closed for Ben, but the incident's repercussions are from from over. The Rooney's are itching to show that the Steelers will not tolerate this type of thing, regardless of how good the player is. They may not get the chance though, as the NFL may beat them to it. 

As big a fan I am of the Steelers and Ben, I say it is well deserved.  Ben needs grow up and get with the program. I hope he takes this for the lesson it is and the rest of his career is marked by him being a model citizen.

I wonder though if I am the only one who finds some of the details in the investigation here just a little suspicious.  First the case of the "taped over" video of Ben in the club. Then the refusal to give police interviews by the woman, as well as the the now published letter where she does not want to prosecute any criminal charges.  There has been no civil suit filed, not even talk of one.

Could it be that Ben's team of lawyers and investigators spread enough money around Milledgeville to make all of this go away quietly? I am not saying the DA or Police were bribed. But could the young 20 year old co-ed already have received a "settlement" for her trouble?  The club owner?  Who knows. If they did, more power to them.  

Ben has plenty of money. It is shame that he had to spend it on this kind of nonsense though. He is going to lose more money in lost endorsements though too.  If money means anything to Ben this whole thing should serve as a really expensive lesson.

But if he learns his lesson from it and we never hear about any off the field incidents again involving Ben Roethlisberger, it will be money well spent! Let his on the field exploits be the measure of the man.

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Where is TJX hacker ring member going to get 171.5m?

One of Albert Gonzalez, the TJX hacker’s cohorts was sentenced last week in court in Boston for his part in the big hack according to this article in Wired and Dan Kaplan’s report in SC Magazine.

Stephan Watt, 25 years old, was allegedly a close personal friend and confidant of ring leader Albert Gonzalez who is awaiting sentencing while undergoing psychiatric evaluation to determine if he is competent.  Poor Watt was supposedly just a bit player in the scheme, though he did write the sniffer program that was used to get the credit card information.  He supposedly did not receive any money directly from the crime. I don’t really believe that BTW.

Watt was sentenced to two years in prison and 3 years of supervised release. Plus he was ordered by the court to pay back $171.5 million dollars in restitution for his part in the hacking scheme of the decade, if not the century.

Watt’s lawyer had asked for a no-jail time sentence, claiming there client was just a minor accomplice in the grand scheme (pun intended) of things. He was motivated by friendship and intellectual curiosity, not greed according to his attorney. He had a bright future working at Morgan Stanley, Qualys and some other companies.

In the meantime he was living in an apartment that his Mom paid for. Isn’t that just grand. The big time member of the most notorious hacker ring ever living in a place his mommy bought him. 

So I was thinking if Watt has to stay in the place his mom bought him and he did not make real money out of this scheme, where is he coming up with $171.5m?  That ain’t exactly chicken scratch. 

In reading more about Watt it seems he is in great physical shape and is 7 feet tall. There is the answer! Who else besides hackers have access to that kind of money?  Professional ballplayers. A 7 foot white guy. He should be able to get a gig as a basketball player pretty easily.  He probably can’t jump, but hey he is 7ft. With what they pay pro basketball players, he actually has a shot at paying that court ordered restitution off.

His Mom should pack him off with some basketball sneakers when he goes to serve his sentence. He should practice everyday for the next two years. When he comes out he can join some of the other delinquents who currently play in the NBA. He might even teach them how to hack into each others twitter accounts and stuff.

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Raising Humans

Ask anyone who has done it and they will tell you. Raising children to become decent humans is probably the biggest job you are ever going to have. It is a constant struggle, especially with boys. Explaining why you do have to take a shower every night, brush your teeth and comb your hair gets tired after a while. The fascination with bodily functions and why it is not polite to speak about them in front of others is another fun topic. Being respectful and sensitive to others doesn't come natural either. Oh, by the way add doing well in school and developing emotionally and socially as something else parents have to watch and help with.  I have so much more appreciation now for anyone who has accomplished this and the utmost respect for those whose children have turned out well.  For me it is a constant struggle. I want my kids to grow up and be good humans.

Every once in a while though they do or show me something that makes me think my wife and I are doing something right. It could be just dumb luck, but now and then you see a shimmer of what a diamond in the rough may be lurking underneath it all. I had one of those moments tonight. 

In spite of my best efforts, both of my boys are big Peyton Manning fans. The Colts were playing the Jacksonville Jaguars tonight and my oldest son Landon, 10 years old and I watched the beginning of the game together on the NFL Network (they need better announcers on that network by the way).  Prior to the beginning of the game they made an announcement that out of respect regarding the tragic death of wide receiver Chris Henry of the Cincinnati Bengals today, they were going to observe a moment of silence. My son sitting at home watching TV turned, looked at me and said, “Dad come on we have to stand up”.  I stood up with him and watched as he put his hand over his heart and closed his eyes. I could see him really thinking to himself about what a terrible thing this was to happen. He really looked very sad. At the end of the moment he looked at me and said “Dad he was only 26 years old. What a tragedy.” Landon doesn’t know Chris Henry. We are not Bengals fans. We really had no connection to Chris Henry before today. But the loss of a young life. The loss of an athlete was felt by my young son. He was dealing with it in an adult and human way.

I grabbed Landon and gave him a big hug. I told him yes it was a tragedy. I also told him how proud I was of him and what a great young man he was growing up to be.  Moments like those make me think in spite of everything, we are doing something right in raising these kids. They will be great humans!

RIP Chris Henry.

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I always wanted to be a sportswriter

I grew up in the age of the newspaper. In our house we were lucky in that there were so many papers available to us. The NY Daily News, the NY Post and Long Island Newsday all had great sports sections. Even the NY Times had an occasional great sports story to read. I grew up reading some of the all time greats like Mike Lupica and Dick Young. I guess Ray Romano did too, because “Everyone loves Raymond” was him living his fantasy about writing sports, living in Long Island. I try to sneak in some sports here on the blog now and then, but lets face it, you don’t want me writing too many sports articles here (or do you?)

For a long time I read a lot of sports stories on the Bleacher Report.  The Bleacher Report is “the worlds largest sports network powered by fan-generated content”. After so long reading and occasionally commenting on articles, I have begun to write some of my own on BR.  It is pretty cool. I feel like Lupica or Young. It definitely is kind of living a dream for me.

I don’t have a lot of time to write sports stories. I try to do it at night before bed. So far I have 4 stories up. Two on the Steelers and 2 on the Yankees. You can read them at my profile page on BR here. I will keep doing it as long as I find it cool. Stop by and have a read. Of course would welcome your comments and ideas on stories.

2009 Pittsburgh Steelers - RIP

One of my favorite things about football season is when the boys don’t have any sports games to play and we go watch the Steelers at one of the local sports bars here in town.  I dress both of them up in their Steeler jerseys, I put mine on, and we go for a boys day out. This year has been a difficult season. The defending Super Bowl champions have generally been a huge disappointment.  This past week against the lowly Oakland Raiders the Steelers were once again in the lead late in the game, only to give up  a big end of game touchdown and lose.

Yes injuries have hurt them, but it is no excuse. Their once vaunted defense is like Swiss cheese.  Now with this latest loss their chances of making the playoffs are pretty much done.  My family and I are still going to see them Jan 3 when they come to town to play the Dolphins, but what a disappointment  .

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27 – Same as it ever was

No matter what happens the NY Yankees are . .  The Yankees. New ballpark - new pitchers, recession-depression, boom or bust, the Yankees just keep winning. Congrats especially to the core 4 of Jeter, Pettite, Posada and of course the incomparable Mariano Rivera.

For me this is the first time since 1978/79 (I know many of you weren’t born then) that my Steelers and Yankees were world champs at the same time. Thinking back to those years (I was in college) brought back many sweet memories. I hope it is a good omen for good things to come!

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Making little men

When I am not flying around the world on StillSecure business. one of my favorite things to do is be involved with sports with my boys.  Not just my sons either. Since my oldest son Landon was 4 (he is now 10) I have been coaching him and my younger son Bradley in baseball, soccer and flag football. One of the things I like most about bringing people into my personal office at our Ft Lauderdale office is my wall full of plaques from each team I have coached. Watching people take in all of the plaques is always a proud moment for me. I truly do love coaching the kids. If I could I would do it full time.  I love watching these children grow over the course of a  short sports season into better players and more important into better people. When I see these kids even after I am not their coach they still come over and say hi and tell me what they are up to in their life. It is a great feeling. It is both a great privilege and a great responsibility teaching these youngsters about sports, sportsmanship and life lessons.

Tonight was one of those lesson times. My younger son Bradley’s flag football team the Mighty Giants (6 and 7 year olds), is really a special team.  From their first practice this team has just been a great mix of special kids who are eager to learn and play. We have spent many hours practicing and in all of our scrimmages and games we have won every encounter handedly, not even giving up any scores. There is nothing like building confidence, false or otherwise when your team blows out the other team every time you play.  This team really took on a swagger and it was fun to watch and see.  Tonight we played the other undefeated team in our league, the Jets.  I knew it was going to be a tough game. The coaches on the Jets besides being on the board of directors of our league, have also won the championship last year. The Jets play a tough brand of flag football and they beat our kids up pretty bad. Almost every boy on the team was crying at one time or another this game, having been hit, called names, kicked, etc.  The refs really missed some obvious calls, but that is no excuse, the other team was tougher than us. We won’t play the Jets again until the playoffs and then hopefully in the league Super Bowl. We have time to train the kids and hopefully have them better prepared.

After the game I gathered the kids together and told them all the right things a coach tells the kids.  Win or lose I was proud of them. We learn more from our losses than our wins and it makes us stronger. That the wheel turns and our turn will come.  Watching their bright little faces, wiping away their tears, telling them that the Sun is going to come up tomorrow and we will move on and get better, I could see their confidence returning. These kids learned a tough lesson today. You can’t win every game. There are people out there who can beat you. What I saw though that really got me excited was that rather than just resigning themselves to losing, they want to know what do we do to make sure we win next time. They are ready to practice and get better to make sure the next time we play that team the outcome is different. They aren’t going to quit and will do what they have to do to succeed.  That is exactly what I expect of these little men and their coach couldn’t be more proud of them!