Last time I bragged about my grandson Dat, he had just bumped into three-time Cy Young winner Pedro Martinez. This hurler not only posed for a picture with Dat, but had lots of very good baseball advice. Unfortunately, it was all in Spanish.That seems like ages ago. It's now football season, baby, and I goofed off a few hours tonight to watch The Bethlehem Steelers in action. Insects swarmed around my legs and locusts bellowed in nearby trees, answering the football whistles blowing everywhere. Parents in lawn chairs expectantly watched their pups. I watched, too, as the offensive squad continually screwed up a punting play. Every time they messed up, they all had to drop and do ten push ups.
They did a lot of push ups. In fact, the offense was so bad that even the defense had to do pushups. Even the kids on the sidelines had to drop. I bolted right before those goofy coaches ordered the parents to drop. This team may lose every game, but they'll all be experts at push ups.
I've included a picture of Dat during a water break, after about 80 push ups. Notice that this hot dog sports different color wrist bands. Already stylin' and profilin'. That should be worth another twenty or thirty push ups.
Get this. They actually have a preseason game this Saturday, the first annual John Fenstermacher Bowl, named after a legendary Bethlehem football and wrestling coach who was unfortunately stricken with ALS.
When I played, I had two different wrist bands. They were for educational purposes. One had a big "L" written on it. The other had a big "R" written on it.
ReplyDeleteFrom midgets all the way until my last game in college, I still screwed up a few drop steps. There are still a few quarterbacks and running backs that want to put a hurting on me.
Tell Dat that I wish him best of luck this year.
Peace, ~~Alex
There IS a dual purpose reason for all the push-ups
ReplyDeletea) physical conditioning - which every athlete, every team needs all the time (simple fundamental law of sport)
b) do things right, no push-ups - part of teaching process
In my day, stylin' and profilin' would have cost at least fifty, if not one hundred.
Things were different back then, I suppose.
Vince Lombardi would be fired and then sued for every penny he has in two seconds by a smarty-pants player with a good lawyer.
But then again, maybe Jerry Kramer would have had nothing to write about in his autobiography, either...
So, where have you gone, Billy "White Shoes" Johnson (Widener College)?
Is Dat working on a touchdown dance to honor the Boothwyn native?
The Bethlehem Steelers do no football dances. Besides, first he has to score. He was dying to score last year and did in his third game. He was caught in the end zone for a safety. "You finally scored, congratulations," I told him.
ReplyDelete:) --- Nice annecdote
ReplyDeleteWhat position does Dat play?
and
I thought Beth Steelers were a perennial powerhouse ???
The kid's too handsome. Nice story.
ReplyDeleteIronPig,
ReplyDeleteDon't know about Beth Steelers being a perennial powerhouse. Lasty year, the 80s did not win a game, but the 90s were undefeated. Dat plays running back and cornerback.
80s and 90s.
ReplyDeleteNow you're talking pounds and making me feel old!
I think the Beth Steelers have been around an awful long time. The guys I know involved with youth football in Allentown respect them.
State champion Liberty gets their players from somewhere!
"I think the Beth Steelers have been around an awful long time. The guys I know involved with youth football in Allentown respect them."
ReplyDeleteIt's a good program and has been around for some time. You'd be surprised by the number of A-town kids playing there.