Central Coast athletes should be an example for sports figures worldwide.
Friday night was the second time in a couple weeks that a local football player uttered something akin to the phrase, "I have to admit..." followed by an embarrassing actuality that somewhat took the gloss off a pretty big accomplishment.
First it was Atascadero running back Michael Reynoso, who had to admit he threw up after making a 95-yard touchdown run against King City. For the record, I didn't even ask.
Friday it was Arroyo Grande's Reade Lobdill, who rushed for 247 yards, a rarity for the Eagles considering the way they share the ball in coach Jon Huss' fly offense.
Admitted Lobdill, also a preseason All-County linebacker: "I have to say that I didn't make a tackle in the first half. I was focused so much on offense."
That was also unprovoked.
I'm preparing to interview Coast Union running back T.J. Nelson, who ran for 451 yards at Fresno Christian this week, sometime soon, and I wouldn't be the least bit surprised to hear that he chopped down the cherry tree or shot the sheriff or didn't eat his Wheaties.
If only professional athletes could be as open. Who wouldn't want to hear a certain high-profile baseball player admit he juiced — or another world-famous cyclist for that matter? Anyone who heard Detroit Tigers pitcher Kenny Rogers bumbling this week about the pine tar incident knows how honest he is.
But here in San Luis Obispo County, our athletes spit it right out. Here's to telling the truth, no matter how unflattering it may seem.
Saturday, October 28, 2006
Guilty conscience
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3 comments:
10-4
You are right on the money!
You need not look all that far for cherry trees on this one. Just look at the quotes in your staff article on the game: "they didn't have an answer for it all night long" and "was outrunning them all night long". Certainly any team in the PAC7 or LPL would have pulled their first string players right after the half, especially when playing an away game. Not to diminish the fact that running 451 yards in football gear requires a lot of stamina, the real story here would seem to be a complete lapse of etiquette on the part of the coaching staff.
I see your point. Any PAC 7 or LPL team would have sat its starters. But Coast Union isn't in either league. And why? They don't have the enrollment to compete.
Broncos coach Dave Clements said the team is down to just 17 healthy players. It started the season with just 21. If he pulls both his offensive and defensive starters, who is he putting in?
I watched the second half of the game film, and it didn't look like Coast Union was running up the score. The only thing they were running up was "the middle" on every single play.
No passes. No pitches or sweeps. Straight up the gut.
Clements took out his defensive starters, but left in his offensive guys. He had to. You can't bench more than six players on a 17-man team. It's mathematically impossible.
Maybe an argument can be made that Nelson should have gotten fewer carries. He had 31 by the way. But even then, I wouldn't say it was a lapse of etiquette.
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