Tribute to Coach Jim Erkenbeck

JIM ERKENBECK, IRV EATMAN, CHUCK COMMISKEY

He was direct from central casting in Hollywood.


A gravel voiced, scotch drinking , chain smoking ex-marine, he could have gotten studio credentials and passed for Lee Marvin's kid brother.


Jim Erkenbeck, a football lifer who was the offensive line coach and offensive coordinator for the 2 time USFL Champion Philadelphia Stars, died Tuesday night at the age of 81.


As an "o" line coach, he was prototypical. Cut out of material that was more sandpaper than chamois, he had a outwardly gruff exterior as one might expect from a cancer surviving, Korean War veteran who chose to make his post war bones coaxing men the size of semi tractor trailers to flatten their opposition. "Wrong answer!" he would shout from his perch in the film room in a tone any DI would be proud of as he answered a players response as to why they missed an assignment, or dare let an opponent touch our QB Chuck Fusina, who he referred to as his "bread and butter".


But those who got to know him knew of the love he had for his players, and the respect he had for what the were trying to accomplish. Jim Erkenbeck was leading his troops to war on the football field, and he knew all too well what that entailed.


Erk's battalion with the Stars included Bart Oates, Irv Eatman, Chuck Commiskey, George Gilbert, Joe Conwell, Joe Happe, Bill Duggan, Mike McClearn, Ron Coder, Brad Oates, Rich Garza, and Scott Burris among others. As protective of them as a mother to her cubs, he could ream them out unmercifully, but it was his domain and responsibility to do so, no one else's. And everybody affiliated with the team knew it.


His coaching tour of duty had NFL stops in New Orleans, Dallas, Los Angeles, Kansas City and Oakland. But when I asked him several years ago whom his favorite team was, his response was as pointed and direct as if he was obeying a direct order. "The Stars, Dunes" (my nickname with the team) he said, "and it isn't even close"


So I salute my fallen commander one last time, and thank him for helping me become a champion. If I had twenty-one guns I'd fire them all in a final successive show of respect. And blow taps on a mournful bugle at sunset.


I'm sure Lee Marvin would have expected a similar send off.

Odds and Ends

Ok, enough of Charlie Sheen. It's human nature to take a peek at a train wreck, but when you actually see the carnage, it's time to look away. We've reached that point here.

Villanova hoops is going through a rough stretch, but I've been to their practices and Jay Wright is a top-notch coach and a tireless worker. More importantly, he has an excellent graduation rate and teaches his players far more than basketball. He will eventually turn things around.

Call me crazy, but I have a feeling new Cubs manager Mike Quade is the guy that will turn 102 years of frustration on it's ear and end the drought. Maybe not this year, but soon. Go Cubs Go....

And goodbye to actor Carl Betz, who played hubby Alex in the old Donna Reed show.

HOLY FAMILY

THE REAL CRIME IS SILENCE

In 1978, I decided against all odds to try and play major college football. My only football experience to that point had been some Pop Warner league. No high school, no semi-pro, just the belief that I could do it.

The football coach at Memphis State (now the University of Memphis) at that time was Richard Williamson, a tough buzzard and former disciple of Alabama’s legendary coach Paul “Bear” Bryant. I was involved in a spring scrimmage when I caught a pass over the middle, and our hard hitting free safety Tony Graves gave me an all star shot to my exposed ribs. The pain was immediate and intense. I knew something was terribly wrong.

Back on the sideline, Williamson decided to “toughen” up this sissy basketball player and demanded that I go back in the game. When I declined saying that I couldn’t breathe, he became irate and actually took a swing at me. I didn’t sue….I ducked. When the report came in the next day that I had a fractured rib, there was no apology forthcoming from Williamson. Back then, that was the lay of the athletic land.

We can fast forward to the Holy Family basketball situation and see that it is an entirely new day. Practices are on video, and much like the Watergate tapes, they can expose any acts of overzealousness. First year Coach John O’Connor was guilty of doing something coaches have been doing for years, using physical tactics to make their squad more competitive. What he did was wrong, but this was not the real crime.

Born and raised a catholic, it pains me to see what has happened in my religion. Scores of Priests have been accused and found guilty of what I believe is the ultimate betrayal, using their collar as an EZ-Pass to sexually molest our young people. The crime itself is bad enough, but the silence and the cover-ups by the leaders of the church are unconscionable.

Athletic Director Sandy Michael, and school President Francesca Onley chose to sit on this volatile situation, with the hope that it would go away. When the parents of the player involved (Matt Kravcuk) came to the school and demanded answers, the only one forthcoming was that it as “being handled”. It took a leaked tape to suspend John O’Connor, which ultimately led to his resignation on Thursday after an embarrassing segment between player, coach, and legal counsel on “Good Morning America”.

I would hope that the local media would hold Michael and Onley’s feet to the fire and demand answers to their inactions and silence. By now, the Roman Catholics should have learned….. pretending a situation doesn’t exist is never the right answer.

THE FACE OF EVIL

Wave goodbye to Momar...and good riddance!

Wasn't it just summer a couple of days ago...what the heck?

Jimmy Rollins guarantees 100 wins? Uh oh....

And a somber farewell to Uncle Leo...actor Len Lesser.

Until next time.

Thoughts

The recent sexual allegations against several of the clergy in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia are an abomination. These deviants masquerading as moral leaders to the pathway of heaven, if found guilty, should receive the maximum penalties the law allows. And the hierarchy who cover up these atrocities should share the cell.

In 1984 the Philadelphia Stars of the USFL had a locker room adjacent to the visiting teams facility for Phillies opponants. Former Penn State All American and Stars QB Chuck Fusina was from Pittsburgh, and was familiar with then Bucs manager Chuck Tanner. Knowing the frustration of being a Cubs fan (at that point the streak was ONLY a paltry 74 years without a World Series victory), Fusina got Tanner to sign a baseball for me that read: Dear Ken, You are sure to have your 1st winner. The STARS, not the Cubs. Yours truly, Chuck Tanner. Boy was he right. Chuck Tanner died this week at his home near Pittsburgh at the age of 82, and the baseball remains proudly on my mantle to this day. Thanks, Chuck.

Kudos to the Philadelphia 76'rs and Coach Doug Collins for making a complete turnaround this season. Collins wears his passion on his sleeve, and has proven once again that a basketball team can compete with anyone as long as they play relentless defense and rebound.

As the people of Egypt celebrate the ouster of President Hosni Mubarek, I wonder if there is any truth to the rumor he is being replaced by Michael Vick?

Keep repeating after me....pitchers and catchers...pitchers and catchers.

A Not So Super Monday

Let's be frank.....the Jerry Jones tribute to Jerry Jones that masqueraded as Super Bowl 45 was an unmitigated disaster. Let me count the ways:

• The weather outside ws frightful. As late as Friday people were still having trouble getting into snow swept Dallas. Ice was falling from the stadium injuring workers. A real mess.

• Prior to the game, many of the patrons who had braved the next to impossible travel obstacles got to the game only to be turned away from their seats by the fire marshal who deemed them unsafe. I gues having only two years doesn't give you enough time to inspect these things.

• Christina Aguilera fumbled the words to the national anthem, and then tried to make up for it by showing off her riffs and range. It's the national anthem...not a record demo. She was badly outshined by Lea Michelle of Glee who performed America, The Beautiful flawlessly.

• The game itself was a sloppy but competitive affair that at least held the viewers interest. But dropped passes, untimely penalties, and injuries to key players on both sides took a toll on the game.

• The Black Eyed Peas were ok at best...but the super hyped commercials were awful. If'm I spent $100,000 per second on an ad, I'm having my lawyer draw up papers against the ad agencies this morning.

Highlight of the day.....watching Cameron Diaz hand feed Alex Rodriguez some pre-game popcorn. I'm not one prone to jealosy....but.

Hope you got your fill. Don't be surprised if a work stoppage interferes with the start of the 2012 season.

Gritty

I saw the remake of True Grit this weekend by the Coen brothers with a helping hand by Executive Producer Steven Spielberg.

Jeff Bridges gives a remarkable rendition of Rooster Cogburn...he was born to play the part. My only criticism is that he could have been mistaken for "Bad" Blake in Crazy Heart. Different eras, but similar characters. John Wayne? not quite...but not too shabby.

Matt Damon accounted for Glen Campbell as Texas Ranger Laboeuf, but it was an odd assignment. Hardly on screen, he did little to distinguish himself in this film.

And speaking of scant face time, big name actor Josh Brolin took over as villain Tom Chaney but doesn't appear at all in the film until the last several scenes. Must be nice to have a budget to afford an actor like Brolin for so few minutes.

Barry Pepper (61, Saving Private Ryan), is one of my favorite actors and replaced for Robert Duvall as Lucky Ned Pepper. Again, such a waste for an actor so talented to play such a small role. However, his lines always pack a powerful hail of buckshot.

The star of the show is Hailee Steinfeld who plays Mattie Ross, and showed such incredible presence on camera it was hard to believe she was only 14. A far, far better performance than Kim Darby, who wasn't all that bad in the old version.

Some scene changes and twists kept it interesting, but some of the dialogue was repeated word for word from the original. Still in all, I'd recommend it and give it a solid 3 out of 4 stars.

Beats sitting at home and eating a corn dodger.