Hey look! Willis just dropped…

One of my favorite stories to tell (and one of my friends’ favorites to hear) is an old high school football tale.

Coach Reuben Berry (former CFA coach, turned high school mentor/coach, turned cancer victim) was a bit of phrase-smith. My favorite (in referring to the Willard High School Tigers offense): “We’re like high water running over low land and all they have to hold us back with is a squeegee.”

He also had a phrase for when a young player stepped up and became a man on the field. For those of you who don’t know what happens to young male bovines when they become big stud bulls…think of it this way…you’ve got two big oranges and a grocery sack. When it’s time to leave the store, you’ve got to carry those oranges in something. So do the bulls.

So…Danny Enos would throw a fantastic pass. or my buddy Gary would pancake some unsuspecting linebacker…and coach Berry would let out a whoop in line with his native american heritage and yell, “Look at that! So-and-so just dropped his balls!” And then he would let out a thunderous “BOOM! BOOOOOOOM!” Each boom, you understand, represented the…uh…oranges.

It was a point of pride for any player on the team.

One hot afternoon in practice, I was doing my usual duty (read: I was doing a lot of running around for no particular reason, because the chances of me actually getting into a varsity game for any length of time were close to nil). Enos threw a long pass down the sideline…I laid out…the ball touched my fingertips (I can hear skinny Coach French screaming “Make the triangle! If you can touch it, you can catch it!”) and the ball sunk into my dirty hands. I landed like a sack of ice, more surprised than anybody that I caught it. I didn’t catch many passes. And then I heard that whoop. Coach Berry was about to bestow on me the greatest honor he could.

“Look at that! Willis Just dropped his balls!”

I waited a moment for the BOOMS to come, knocking the dirt of my pants. The BOOMS were the best part.

He winked at somebody. I saw it from 50 yards away. And then he said…”tink…tink.”

And still, I admire that man…may he rest in peace.

I only bring it up, because I needed some way to introduce two new blogs. And an old football story is always a way to introduce someone.

First up…my brother (another disciple of Coach Berry…I don’t know if he got the BOOMS or not). I’ve told you about him before and I will let you introduce yourselves. He’s still working out the kinks on his site but you kind find him at Code Orange.

Second…a new buddy of mine. He’s still learning the HTML and all, so be nice to him. He’s a lot like me…or maybe I’m a lot like him. Regardless, I admire the hell out of his talents. You’ll find him at One Step Left.

Both of them are a lot busier than I am, so I doubt they’ll write as much as I do. But maybe with a little encouragement…they can become another daily read.

Tink, tink, indeed.