My good friend Steve Rudeflores, who has been an assistant football coach at Marshall for several years, was at practice with former Trojan and co-coach Marv Williams, who both now coach at Hueneme HS and had their team in tow today wearing Viking Pride T-shirts. Any coach who can help take Marshall to the heights that they have earned in recent years will do just fine moving up the food chain to a good quality school like Heuneme---they vow to bring the Vikes program back top respectability in a very tough league. While they were there, and I was showing them around the lower level of Heritage Hall, I got a call from current Marshall coach Andy Moran who wants me to co-host the JMHS banquet next Thursday. My honor all the way.
Three of the “gang of 4” were there today, Lawrence, Frank the Tank and senor McKim, but EdEd is still pretending to work.
The running backs are interesting in their depth. Even with several not in camp yet who figure to compete hard for playing time if not the starting position. CJ continues to lead the way with no doubt. Bradford and Coleman are in the mix but clearly trail. My favorite Moody is out for spring, but today, Herschel Dennis, the immortal one, ran with much aplomb. If he continues to impress like that, he, as a 6th year senior will get a serious look.
Brandon Hancock was dressed to the nines today in suit and tie, nice pants, for the FOX pre season spring Pac 10 football preview show being taped as part of the Gauntlet show in the corner of HO-JO with JJ, et al. Then Hancock changed and had dinner with me for a bit in Galen Café.
Ran into former Trojan lineman, later prexy of the Trojan coaches club, Mike Scarpace, who was with Glendale College but now will work with the aforementioned Rudeflores in Ventura County.
Scarpace and I know a lot of the same people, as Marshall feeds Glendale College fairly directly. We both coached Andy Reid in his lifetime.
Long snapper Will Collins has been promised a spot on one of our Trojan broadcasts post game shows. He’s a fifth year senior and has earned it. Not sure what we will talk about, but he is an interesting cat, so it ought to be interesting. If JJ blows for Fox someday, Hancock would be next in line, but if he doesn’t want it, and Collins does not fly as a long snapper in the bigs, he’s a natural on the sideline. Petros, but different, but you could say that about just about everyone.
RB coach Todd McNair is riding a custom scooter to allow his foot injury to heal….he appears to be rather anxious to get out of it…he loves to ride around and laugh and do NASCAR doughnuts…but today he was standing up while watching practice, so you know he can’t wait to start running around again.
Finally, my father, Bob, turned 80 on Sunday (yeah, April Fools Day!) Other than being a Bruins supporter he’s a really cool guy. He’s one of, if not THE main reason I do what I do in terms of broadcasting and in general in my life. 80’s getting up there, but he may well be in better shape that at most times of his life, and certainly close to being in better shape than me, and most of us. Besides 80 is the new 60 or something like that.
Not wanting to risk his ire, I will not pass along his email address to you, so a bunch of Trojans could send notes to him willy-nilly.
He took exception to my Aaron Affallo comments in the previous blog. He is a big Arron Affalo fan. If you’d like to wish him happy birthday here as a comment, he reads this stuff sometimes, and might be okay with that. Maybe. I think so.
But from me:
Happy Birthday Dad!!!!