Never too late!

The thought of doing something outside of my mid-fifties comfort zone is slightly nerve wracking. Lies! Extremely anxiety ridden, would anyone be interested in what I had to say about anything… sports, entertainment, parenthood; all items that I feel I can speak passionately about. All of my “takes” are opinions hopefully based in facts but certainly, lacking actual facts or data, based in experience and logic. You will most likely not agree with everything I say, especially about sports where everyone has an opinion, but I love thoughtful, respectful debate.

For this to work, sharing the quick version of my life is important. It’s also a way to look back on the things I’ve done with amazement, regret in some cases, and fondness.

I grew up in Vallejo, CA in what I would consider a middle class area. I had lots of friends and most of my childhood revolved around sports. I played baseball and soccer growing up, but my passion was baseball, still is! I played 3 years of high school baseball (I was cut my Freshman year). I was told that I should probably hang up the spikes and attend San Jose State University where I was accepted into their journalism program. Being stubborn, I wanted my baseball career to continue and enrolled at Napa Valley College where I pitched for two years and was fortunate to be recruited by a number of schools but settled on Cal State Hayward (now CSU East Bay). I battled injuries the rest of my career and ultimately stopped playing but eventually received my BS in Kinesiology. After college, with no real idea on where I should go with life, I enlisted in the US Air Force where I became a Security Police Officer stationed at Vandenberg AFB. During this time, I deployed twice to Kuwait and, more importantly, met my wife Alli. After my 4 years in the USAF, I was hired as a police officer in the Bay Area but ultimately my path was in education as a teacher and coach. I am in my 25th year as a teacher, spending 20 years of that as a baseball coach, with the last 3 as a high school Athletic Director.

My wife and I have 4 kids….we will never stop raising them!

Shannon, 26, is currently a first year special education teacher on the Central Coast.

Kacie, 25, is living in Los Angeles with her fiancé, waiting for her next thing after graduating with a musical theater degree from Cal Poly SLO.

Aimee, 21, is a junior at San Diego State. She seems to be following in the same path as both Shannon and me and going into education.

Tyler, 17, is in his senior year at the same high school where I work. He has been fortunate enough to work on both a Broadway tour and as the original Young Harry in the San Francisco version of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. His plan right now is to pursue acting after high school.

Alli, younger than me, has been an executive at multiple tech firms and is redefining what she plans to moving forward.

Fandom!

Football- 49ers season ticket holder- 1st game at Candlestick vs Cowboys. Monday Night Football around 1974.

Baseball- San Francisco Giants fan- 1st game at Candlestick vs Reds. 1973ish.

College Football/Baseball/Basketball- I would love for Stanford to be good every year in each. The move to the ACC will be interesting.

My First “Takes”

• Brock Purdy is an excellent QB. I remember all of the 49ers QBs from DeBerg to Purdy. I am glad there was not social media around when Montana played. He would have been destroyed!

• The Giants will not be as bad as people think…86 wins this year. They will compete for a wild card spot. I hate the evil empire (la dodgers) It will be really interesting to see if they can keep all the talent they are accumulating both healthy and happy. Not a great track record in keeping power arms healthy over time.

• The College Football Championship game is tonight between Notre Dame and Ohio State. This has been a huge upgrade over previous years, including the blowouts. All games until the Championship Game should be played on campus with the final game played at the Rose Bowl- every year!

• This year’s March Madness will be the most unpredictable championship ever. More on this in future posts.

My whole goal with this blog is to do something consistently and have fun doing it. The Athletic Director job is both wildly predictable and unpredictable at the same time. From simple paperwork compliance to parent complaints to full investigations, the position requires calmness and perspective. This is my escape, talking about things that I am passionate about. I hope you enjoy!