Sports Illustrated publishes an issue every year with information on what former athletes are currently doing. I have always enjoyed reading what these folks are now up to and reminiscing on what I was doing when they became a star. To bring the thoughts a little closer to home I decided to do research on some individuals who once were a part of my daily life but I have lost track of over the years. The result was my very own "Where Are They Now?" article. I hope you enjoy catching up with these guys who probably were some part of your life in some way in the 1990's.
Jay Watts
The former JV basketball coach at Walsingham Academy who led the Junior Trojans to a 5-26 record during his two years on the sidelines moved to Atlanta shortly after graduating from William & Mary in 1994. Jay immediately took a job at Westminster Academy and taught Middle School Math and assisted with both the football and basketball programs. Jay has now been at Westminster for 15 years and has moved into the role of Assistant Athletic Director, Head Varsity Girls Lacrosse Coach, and Assistant Varsity Girls Basketball Coach. Jay was responsible for beginning the Girls Lacrosse program at Westminster 10 years ago and has won 5 State Championships during his tenure. He is very involved with US Lacrosse, still claims to be a rabid Alabama fan, and actually has one son named Campbell.
Thomas Roberts
This versatile All-CAA big man who was seen making many a big shot at William & Mary Hall in the early 1990's has now become a very successful business man. After leading the Tribe in the most exciting game at The Hall I have ever seen, an improbable overtime loss to 19th ranked Virginia, Roberts played professionally in Gmunden, Austria, Dubai, and United Arab Emirates. After his career was over he became a very successful high school basketball coach and made his way up to a Wall Street VP through time at Wachovia, JP Morgan, and Citigroup along with an MBA at UNC. Roberts has since left Wall Street and and founded Roberts Education Corp, an unconventional education group that provides innovative, action, skill, and behavior-based content, curriculum, and training. REC specializes in on-site workshops, programs, and training sessions.
Shane Eddy
After resigning his position as Coach Computer at Walsingham Academy in 1997, Shane Eddy moved to Northern Virginia to pursue a career in Information Technology. Since leaving The Sister's of Mercy, Eddy has finished his MBA at George Washington and held positions at Northup Grumman a Software Technician and Security Engineer. Shane also still has a deeps passion for Gymnastics and is often seen performing back handsprings at company functions.
John Grant
The former WA school President, known to many as Johnny Jingles, has made a name for himself in politics in a much bigger way than just lobbying to get a Fruitopia machine in the Lunch Room in 1996. After graduating from Duke in 2000 and spending a year in New York doing improve, John moved to DC and started working in the Senate. He worked for Illinois's Peter Fitzgerald and Tennessee's Lamar Alexander before graduating from Georgetown Law School. After earning his JD, Jingles began working for Senator Collins of Maine as her counsel, advising her on intelligence, privacy, and civil liberty issues. John is not married and from information in a current email conversation does not plan on being so anytime in the near future.
Heath Burris
After torching the Trojan Basketball Team on various occasions, this 3-point guru from Greenbrier Christian took a scholarship at Chowan College in North Carolina. After a year at Chowan, Burris packed up and headed home to chase his dream of playing Division I basketball at Old Dominion Universty. Burris lettered twice for the Monarchs and averaged 8 minutes and 3.6 points per game during his Senior campaign. After graduating from ODU Burris got his degree in ministry from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. He got his first ministry position at Debaun Baptist Church in Chesapeake on an interim basis and also served as Associate Pastor of Youth and Education at Bethel Baptist. Heath can now be seen in the pulpit every Sunday in the role as Pastor at River Oak Church on Great Bridge Boulevard in Chesapeake.
John Cacetta
Still living the dream.
Friday, February 20, 2009
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Facebook's 25 Things
I think Facebook is a joke. I refuse to sign up for an account no matter how many people tell me how great a tool it is to keep up with friends from college and high school. I keep up with everyone I want to pretty well and have no desire to have Rose Ann Bermisa friend me and look at pictures of my child. Sorry Dave.
I do however have a bad habit of sneaking on to my wife's Facebook account and looking at her friends and seeing what they write on each other's walls and seeing what their status is. This is entertaining for a couple reasons. First of all a lot of her friends are actually my friends and I can see how much time they are wasting on this online popularity contest and second of all I like to laugh at how corny a lot of things that occur on this site are. The latest example of pure corniness is a game called 25 things. This game works when one of your "friends" tags you. Once you have been tagged you are required to list 25 random things about yourself that many people may not know.
Well I didn't think it was fair that just because I don't subscribe to the Facebook way of life that I can't be tagged. So I tag myself and here we go:
1. I sing out loud to Jewel.
2. My favorite car that I have ever driven is a convertible PT Cruiser.
3. I hate animals.
4. I have 2 love children with Anne Marie Urso. One of them was born last year.
5. I have a nickname for both of my nipples.
6. I have absolutely no interest in learning a foreign language.
7. Mary Beahm changed my life.
8. I cheer for #2 seeds over #15 seeds in the NCAA Tournament because I want my picks to be right.
9. Shaving my chest is one of the five best decisions I have ever made in my life.
10. I have Googled your name before.
11. I pee sitting down.
12. In 9th grade I got a hand job from my best friend Dave's girlfriend, Sarah Ann Goodwin.
13. I have a passion for marine life.
14. I think I am a better person because I do not know how to play an instrument.
15. I am scared to death of the man who narrates Unsolved Mysteries.
16. I gave Craig Harris his first beer.
17. I eat at Captain D's once a week.
18. I really don't think it is that cool to be a gym teacher and high school tennis coach. There I said it.
19. I killed my sister's cat.
20. I once touched Joe McKnew in secret place while he was sleeping just to see how it felt.
21. I still feel guilty for making fun of the heritage of my high school librarian, Mrs. Mangeri.
22. I compare life situations to scenes from 90210 and Saved By The Bell.
23. If Neal Pratt had not been holding me back in 7th Grade I probably would have kicked the shit out of Warren Cobb.
24. I made up my own nickname. You gotta fuckin problem with that?
25. Even though Chop Culture (http://chopculture.blogspot.com/) inspired me to begin writing my blog, I think BZ Nation has taken over as the #1 Blog of Walsingham Academy Grads.
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Steelers 6-Pack? It Should Still Be 4!
Roughing the Passer? Roughing the Holder? Holding? Fumble?
After watching the biggest football game in America this year, all of these calls had to leave you scratching your head.
I do not think that the NFL would ever tell its' referees to fix a game, let alone make sure a certain team won the Super Bowl. That being said I can't help but wonder why after the last two times the Pittsburgh Steelers played in the NFL's biggest game there have been such a question as to how the game was officiated.
First of all, lets take a trip back to 2006 when the Steelers played the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XL. This was a game the Steelers won 21-10 but it was a contest that without controversial flags thrown the result would have gone the other way.To start things off, a 16 yard touchdown pass in the 1st Quarter was nullified after an offensive pass interference penalty was called. Offensive Pass Interference eon this? Really? ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vURI_Cz-p6s ) That drive resulted in a field goal, ultimately costing Seattle 4 points. Then later in the game, the 4th Quarter to be exact, a holding penalty brought back a Matt Hasselbeck completion to Jeremy Stevens that put the ball on the Steeler 1 yard line. Holding is a call that could be called on every play, but as you can see at the 5:15 mark of the following link this hold should not have changed the outcome of a Super Bowl. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzdqIpArpJ4&feature=related ) A touchdown on that drive would have given the Seahawks the lead. Three plays after the penalty the Steelers intercepted a pass that ended the threat and ultimately put the game away on the next drive. Penalties happen but when looking closer into the statistics after the game Pittsburgh was penalized 3 times for 20 yards while the Seahawks were flagged 7 times for 70 yards. A discrepancy that should not happen in as big of game as a Super Bowl.
Now this year. The early parts of Super Bowl XLIII belonged to the Steelers and after a late first half interception return for a touchdown it looked like Pittsburgh was going to run away with the game. Then the second half started and the Cardinals showed up and felt they still had a chance. They made big plays and looked like the better team but penalty after penalty kept them from getting any closer than the 10 point hole they had been in at half time. The most blatant mistake occurred early in the 4th Quarter when a roughing the passer call extended a drive for Pittsburgh. Not only was the roughing the passer questionable at best but a much more obvious intentional grounding call was ignored. Ultimately this mistake resulted in 3 points for Pittsburgh. Then in the fourth quarter plays were made by both sides and scores were exchanged in the last 5 minutes that led the Steelers to a 4 point lead with seconds remaining. The Cards were unlikely to make a game changing play in the final seconds but the game ended on a controversial fumble that neglected a final chance for Arizona to win the game. Once again looking at the stats one sees Pittsburgh 7 penalties for 56 yards and Arizona flagged 11 times for 106 yards. Should this big of game be decided by the official throwing flags?
There is no denying that the Pittsburgh Steelers made plays to win both games. Nevertheless, you can not deny that the average NFL game has 6 penalties against each team for an average of 45 yards. In 2008 Pittsburgh was flagged an average of 6.1 times for 52 yards each game. The Cardinals were penalized 6.3 times for 48 yards. Do you think in the biggest game of the year the difference should be 4 penalties and 50 yards? How do you explain in the past two Super Bowls that the Steelers participated in that they average 5 flags for 45 yards (right at NFL average) and their opponent averages 9 penalties for 93 yards?
The talking heads will have no problem over the next few days calling the Steelers the best franchise in NFL history but there is a problem with that. Pittsburgh is no doubt a legendary team but they should be 4-3 in the big game and not 6-1. The Seahawks and Cardinals were both robbed of Super Bowl titles because the officials in their game were flag happy. No doubt it sounds bitter but I do not have a dog in this fight. I am not a fan of Pittsburgh, Seattle, or Arizona. I am however a fan of The League and I do feel like it looks a little suspicious when one of The League's flagship franchises gets obvious preferential treatment in The Super Bowl.
After watching the biggest football game in America this year, all of these calls had to leave you scratching your head.
I do not think that the NFL would ever tell its' referees to fix a game, let alone make sure a certain team won the Super Bowl. That being said I can't help but wonder why after the last two times the Pittsburgh Steelers played in the NFL's biggest game there have been such a question as to how the game was officiated.
First of all, lets take a trip back to 2006 when the Steelers played the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XL. This was a game the Steelers won 21-10 but it was a contest that without controversial flags thrown the result would have gone the other way.To start things off, a 16 yard touchdown pass in the 1st Quarter was nullified after an offensive pass interference penalty was called. Offensive Pass Interference eon this? Really? ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vURI_Cz-p6s ) That drive resulted in a field goal, ultimately costing Seattle 4 points. Then later in the game, the 4th Quarter to be exact, a holding penalty brought back a Matt Hasselbeck completion to Jeremy Stevens that put the ball on the Steeler 1 yard line. Holding is a call that could be called on every play, but as you can see at the 5:15 mark of the following link this hold should not have changed the outcome of a Super Bowl. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzdqIpArpJ4&feature=related ) A touchdown on that drive would have given the Seahawks the lead. Three plays after the penalty the Steelers intercepted a pass that ended the threat and ultimately put the game away on the next drive. Penalties happen but when looking closer into the statistics after the game Pittsburgh was penalized 3 times for 20 yards while the Seahawks were flagged 7 times for 70 yards. A discrepancy that should not happen in as big of game as a Super Bowl.
Now this year. The early parts of Super Bowl XLIII belonged to the Steelers and after a late first half interception return for a touchdown it looked like Pittsburgh was going to run away with the game. Then the second half started and the Cardinals showed up and felt they still had a chance. They made big plays and looked like the better team but penalty after penalty kept them from getting any closer than the 10 point hole they had been in at half time. The most blatant mistake occurred early in the 4th Quarter when a roughing the passer call extended a drive for Pittsburgh. Not only was the roughing the passer questionable at best but a much more obvious intentional grounding call was ignored. Ultimately this mistake resulted in 3 points for Pittsburgh. Then in the fourth quarter plays were made by both sides and scores were exchanged in the last 5 minutes that led the Steelers to a 4 point lead with seconds remaining. The Cards were unlikely to make a game changing play in the final seconds but the game ended on a controversial fumble that neglected a final chance for Arizona to win the game. Once again looking at the stats one sees Pittsburgh 7 penalties for 56 yards and Arizona flagged 11 times for 106 yards. Should this big of game be decided by the official throwing flags?
There is no denying that the Pittsburgh Steelers made plays to win both games. Nevertheless, you can not deny that the average NFL game has 6 penalties against each team for an average of 45 yards. In 2008 Pittsburgh was flagged an average of 6.1 times for 52 yards each game. The Cardinals were penalized 6.3 times for 48 yards. Do you think in the biggest game of the year the difference should be 4 penalties and 50 yards? How do you explain in the past two Super Bowls that the Steelers participated in that they average 5 flags for 45 yards (right at NFL average) and their opponent averages 9 penalties for 93 yards?
The talking heads will have no problem over the next few days calling the Steelers the best franchise in NFL history but there is a problem with that. Pittsburgh is no doubt a legendary team but they should be 4-3 in the big game and not 6-1. The Seahawks and Cardinals were both robbed of Super Bowl titles because the officials in their game were flag happy. No doubt it sounds bitter but I do not have a dog in this fight. I am not a fan of Pittsburgh, Seattle, or Arizona. I am however a fan of The League and I do feel like it looks a little suspicious when one of The League's flagship franchises gets obvious preferential treatment in The Super Bowl.
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