Winning like Charlie Sheen

WINNING makes the sky seems bluer, the grass greener, the air fresher, the beer colder, the women more beautiful. Simply put, Life is better when you are winning. I should know, because we finally won a match. We didn’t just win; it was a one-sided free-for-all scoreapalooza. I have seen these before just not from the side that walks away with the “W”. Actually, this was the most one-sided affair I have been apart of.



During our painful drought from victory I always had fun playing rugby. Despite losing on the scoreboard I always felt I was progressing as a player and making a mark on the team with my hustle and example. Though loses did bother me; I felt we had the talent to compete but not the experience, and you sometimes have to lose to gain that experience. On Saturday all the work and experience fell into place as the team excelled in all aspects of play. Even when we made a mistake the ball bounced our way. I was as though Karma finally paid her back dues with interest.



Granted we played the only other winless team in our league, but the 107-0 differential showed what we were capable of as a team. It justified my faith in the team and the belief that we could compete at this level. It also served to energize the zeal for the team and stoke the fire to play in the Spring. This victory will be a source of inspiration for my off-season training program.



Statistically speaking this was my most unproductive games since moving from the backs to the forwards. I came into the game at about the 50-minute mark replacing on of my co-workers. He had had an outstanding game recording three consecutive tackles in one series. One of the tackles was, in my opinion, the hit of the game. The fury and speed of his play elicited a new emotion that I was not expecting from playing rugby. I felt a sense of fatherly pride in his play. Since I introduced him to the sport at work and encouraged him to play I feel like I have some ownership of his successful performance. The fact that he has played so well of late that I have become his back up is not a disappointment but rather a sense of pride as well.



Yes, rugby has introduced me to myself in ways I have not expected. This is one of the reasons why I love this game. In a sense it is a microcosm of life- everyone has a role to play, you have to keep running to be successful, you have to be prepared to make a stand when needed, you have to be there for your team and they have to be there for you. Like rugby life is non-stop action where you are may find yourself pushing the scrum or scoring the try. Both can challenge you in ways you never expected; and both are sweeter than wine when you win.

The Chicago Dragons

Tomorrow is our last game of the season. I am feeling strong and am ready to go. It is a bit bittersweet. The season has not been a great success in terms of tries and victories but I think we are a more cohesive team than we were in the spring and the progression the team has made collectively over the season has been impressive and a source of pride.




The Dragons share the bottom rung of the league with us and all of our competition says we should be able to beat them. This makes this game an important psychological game. If we win we close out the season on a strong note, filled with pride in developing into winners and looking forward to the spring. However, a loss will be crushing, knowing that we are the worst of the pack and our collective growth still is not good enough.



Individually, I am looking forward to this game because my season has been lackluster despite the fact my play has been much improved over the past seasons. I have a sense of nervousness sitting in my lower stomach. This match is more than just a game but a validation of my individual effort as well as the collective growth of the team.





Tomorrow is GAME DAY!

The Chicago Blaze

We played the Chicago Blaze this week. Unfortunately I was unable to play because of work. It was an away game about an hour and a half away from our home pitch so there was no possibility of leaving work for a few hours to make the game. The team fielded just 16 players and that is what made the difference. At the half it was 24-10 I think the match ended 34-10. Once again inexperience was an issue, but by the midway point of the second half the bench was an issue. The report I got was a majority of the players where hurt and worn out. With no replacements or fresh legs to insert into the backfield we could not produce any offense.



Another issue is that we keep changing player’s positions in the middle of the game. I am of the opinion that unless you have vast experience on your team, moving players around from how they practiced the week before is bad business. I am ok with fine-tuning a side, such as: moving a Fly-half to Center or a Center to Wing. However, we were moving Forwards to the Backfield. These movements took place not because of injury but because the powers that be wanted to leverage experience in the Front 8. At 24-10 I think you lose more than you gain because you have upset the continuity of the offense. Experience makes the game slow down unless you are playing rotating chairs with the players. When that happens a match digresses to become a pick-up game.



We have one more game and I am looking forward to playing in it. This season thus far has been a “ying-yang” flavor for me. I am enjoying the matches immensely but I have yet to complete a test. While my play has been more consistent and more productive I have played less than in the spring campaign because of a nagging injury and because of my work/home schedule. The schedule issue is like a self-inflicted drop kick to the throat.



At age 41 I should be able to control my schedule but life has a funny way of happening between matches. Work, kids events, the wife’s events, and prior commitments all combined to make me one of the most inconsistent participants for the team. This is very difficult for me since I have introduced about a third of the squad to the sport and to the team. I turn 42 a few days after the last match this week.



I dread that my playing time is running short. I don’t know why I feel this way. I have accounted well for myself thus far and there is no rule that says I have to cease playing at 42 or 43. I guess it is just I understand the laws of nature and I want to squeeze as much “Carpe Diem” out of playing as I can. If you have read this blog before you know this is a recurring theme. It is like an itch between the shoulder blades because I cannot seem to scratch it and just focus on the “now” and let the future settle itself. Maybe this week I can lay my burdens down and focus on the match not the fact that time marches on. The Rugby World Cup has kept me focused and motivated. I am seeking to have an inspirational game this week one that will carry me through the off-season and beyond. It starts with the right mindset, and that starts right now.

The Riot

We played the Chicago Riot this weekend. I did not get the start for the first time in two seasons. It is nobody’s fault but mine. I missed practice the last two weeks, the last game, and was late to the field prior to the game. I know, not very good team leadership I was whining about a few blogs ago. Actually, I was excited to see one of my junior co-workers get the call. I was the one who got him interested in Rugby and have been impressed with the drive and heart he has shown. He started at Flanker for the first time last week when I could not be at the game because of a previously scheduled event.



It is my understanding that he played a hell of a game last week displaying a lot of aggression and talent. I think he is finally starting to feel comfortable enough with the position and the game to play in a proactive manner instead of being reactionary. The impressive part is he has started that natural transition after only a few games. It has taken my a few seasons. I guess you CAN teach an old dog new tricks; it just takes longer.



Although we lost again we keep showing improvement as a team. Unfortunately, the season is not 16 weeks long. For example, this Saturday was the first time this season we had a lead. Jeff, playing scrumhalf instead of back, made a spectacular run up the middle and set up an easy conversion kick for Andy. The Riot struggled to move against our defense but got an easy tying score when we miss-handled the ball. We held tight from there until about the 32nd minute. Around the 32:00 minute mark they scored their second try. From that point on their skill and speed took advantage of our inexperience and lack of conditioning.



I got into the game at about the 55-minute mark. I felt healthy and was on an adrenaline high from playing spectator, cheerleader, and sideline coach for the better part of the afternoon. I felt I had a good game, making half a dozen tackles and agressively attacking into the rucks. In fact, the game was one of my more consistent games. I only missed one tackle that I can remember. Unfortunately, the runner took it downfield for 5 points. I played penalty free, which is a rare occasion.



Probably, the biggest thing was the epiphany that for the first time the it seemed game slowed down a bit and I felt I began to anticipate the action of the field. I was able to position myself for the play without having to sprint all over the pitch. The game is still at a speed where I am myopic as to only what’s in front of me, especially on offense, but I Saturday I felt more comfortable defensively than I ever have. It is a good- no GREAT feeling dropping a guy 20 pounds heavier than you when he trys to run you over or give you the slip. I felt like Paul Emerick (USA Eagles Wing and former Chicago Lion) after he dropped that Italian dude in the World Cup.



We gave up three tries while I was on the field and our guys were exhausted and flustered. However, several of the rookie players took it as a challenge and began to stoke the team’s fires late in the game. I think this was one of the reasons I left the field feeling a bit euphoric despite the defeat. The new guys are stepping-up and becoming the key factor to our success. They continue to improve individually and as a team we are starting to congeal. If we can keep the team focused, motivated, and together we will be a contender by next season.

Proud to be an American- U.S. Rugby in the RWC 2011

I have to start this blog by saying I am proud and impressed by how the U.S. rugby team accounted for themselves at the 2011 Rugby World Cup. While the competition for the Earl Ellis Cup continues in New Zealand, the team from the United States has finished their run and I have mixed emotions concerning the outcome.



To start, I was a bit disappointed in the overall U.S. media coverage of the World Cup. For a sport that should have natural appeal to the average American ,who has a unquenchable need for action and violence, the lack of marketing and media coverage was an egregious missed opportunity. That said, I found Universal Sports Networks coverage entertaining and enjoyable. Yet it seemed apologetic at times and did not take the opportunity to fully describe the grassroots movement that is rugby in America, the pssion of the sport, or even the fundamentals of the game. They treated it as they would have the America’s Cup competition or Pro-Am Bowling.



In that same note I think they missed an opportunity to create heroes for the next American Rugby team to strive to emulate. I started this RWC knowing almost the entire English line-up but only one American. How sad is that when I can’t even name my own countrymen in my favorite sport. In fact, I knew more names on the Irish team than on the U.S. team. This is partly due to the fact that I passionately watched every English 6-Nations match including the dramatic England v Ireland last match. In contrast the 6-Nations coverage was filled with players stories, rivalry drama, and even a bit of instruction.



Despite the media failure I came away from watching the U.S. in World Cup with a new group of heroes. I found myself rooting and cheering for guys named Ngwenya, Gagiano, Sifa, Malifa, And Smith. As a Flanker I watched the matches with myopic focus on the 6 and 7’s on the pitch. I have now become a unaoplogetic fan of the American flankers. Stanfill and Cleaver, despite their horrendous haircuts, were inspiring to watch. Their tireless and aggressive play was like watching a cross between Brian Urlacher and Peyton Hillis. They attacked every play with power and single-minded purpose and seemed to generate a mystical sense of possibility through selfless dynamic hardwork.



Additionally, the U.S. defense played the world’s top tier teams with inspirational gusto. The try-line stands against Ireland were more dramatic than what you will ever see on a Sunday in the NFL. The intensity and speed of the game created a tension that kept percolating to a higher level and every cycle that was stopped short by the U.S. line made me want cheer. Needless to say, I was proud of the effort of that game as well as the one against the Russians.



However, I was a bit disappointed in how Coach Eddie O’Sullivan approached the game against the Wallabies. I cannot argue with his logic; which was to rest the A team so that the team would have a better chance in the final game against Italy. A win versus Italy would have ensured the U.S. a spot in the 2015 RWC. I also recognize that the rest between games was unfairly slighted against the U.S. Only three days of rest between matches versus top tier teams is ridiculous and borderline unfair; especially, when teams like the All-Blacks had six and seven days rest between matches.



What I didn’t like was the fact that the Australian game was THE STAGE. It was the opportunity to show the world and particularly the U.S. media the gritty determination that is the essence of America. Coach O’Sullivan is complicit in the media’s ignoring the Eagle’s historic effort in the RWC by sitting his lead warriors at heir moment of glory. What would the world be like if Leonidas had sat the 300 when the Perisan "Immortals" took to the field? What if IKE sat the 101st during the Battle of the Bulge? He missed the social identity of America and in doing so lost an opportunity to expand the American support for the game.



Instead, of patronizing to the stubbornly aggressive and often reckless American nature that gave us the Boston Tea Party, Manifest Destiny, and Apollo 11, he chose to play it smart and safe. America does not want smart and safe. They want action and drama. We will take our Alamo's over smart and safe any day. We always have and we always will. They want heroes and epics. To me, that surrender was our biggest loss of the Rugby World Cup.