Time Out with Jim Weiler (NASCAR driver)

Vince D’Adamo: What type of cars do you currently race and which kind have you raced in the past?

Jim Weiler: Currently I race part-time in the NASCAR K&N West Series, NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and Inex Legends cars. I also make the occasional appearance to the local indoor Kart track. In the past, I’ve raced street stocks, modifieds,  sprints, midgets, Mazda Miatas, stock cars and Karts both on asphalt and dirt.

D’Adamo: When did you first take an interest in racing?

Weiler: I first took an interest in racing when I was 10 yrs old. My parents took me to Petaluma Speedway the local dirt track to watch the races and I’ve been hooked ever since. I was and still am fascinated by the looks of the race cars, the colors, the smells, the noise the excitement.  It really grabbed all of the senses.

D’Adamo: What do you do professionally?

Weiler: I consider myself a professional race car driver because I have made it to the highest levels in NASCAR. Unfortunately it hasn’t been consistent enough to pay the bills so to pay the bills I work for Comcast Cable Company.

D’Adamo: Between your personal and professional life, how much time do you have to devote to racing?

Weiler: As passionate as I am about racing it has really become both my personal and professional life.

The only way I am able to make this possible is to have a great support system in my family and friends. If you are a true racer, racing is your life. Long hours are spent working on the cars, looking for sponsors and most importantly spending time with the fans. To make it all work you have to surround yourself with people that share the passion of racing.

D’Adamo: In most any sport, you hear the term "relationship." How vital is that relationship between yourself and your pit crew?

Weiler: It’s extremely vital. There are some people that feel racing is not a sport. Its very much a team sport as it takes an entire team to create success out on the race track. It’s similar to football where there are 11 players on the field and each player has a job. There is an important relationship between coach and quarterback to lead the team to victory. Racing is no different. Each member of the pit crew has a job to help the team reach success. There is an important relationship between driver and crew chief that will lead the team to victory. In both cases if one part of the team underperforms, it can affect the entire team’s performance.

D’Adamo: While those with shallow knowledge of racing only think of speed, how much is involved in terms of strategy?

Weiler: I think there are three parts to success in auto racing, speed as you have mentioned, luck and strategy.

In professional racing, teams have a strategist that is responsible to compose a strategy that will give the best possible result. Teams have race day strategy meetings to ensure the entire team is on the same page with what strategy will be used to acquire the best possible outcome. There are factors such as luck, driver skill, and championship points implications that can help form a strategy for the team. Long and short term goals are another factor. Some teams will have a more aggressive strategy focusing entirely on the win while other teams take a more conservative approach and focus more on points or preservation of equipment. All the best strategy plans can be thrown out the window and changed when weather, human error and other factors come into play.

D’Adamo: Within your family, who have been the most influential people?

Weiler: The most influential person within my family has been my daughter Victoria. Her love,

encouragement and support has really helped me keep going when I was at my lowest points and wasn’t sure if I wanted to continue racing. She is my biggest cheerleader and no matter how I finished in a particular race, she is always proud of me. It makes everything OK and helps me move forward with not only my racing goals but life goals.

D’Adamo: Name a historical figure, dead or alive, in or out of sports you would most like to meet. What would intrigue you about meeting him or her?

Weiler: Alan Kulwicki former NASCAR champion who lost his life in a plane crash in April of 1993. I have always rooted for the underdog and Alan was just that. He was an underdog that rose up and beat the odds winning a NASCAR championship with a underfunded small team. The intrigue is how he was able to pull off such an amazing feat when nobody ever thought he could do it. I would want to know what makes a man like that tick. How he was able to overcome insurmountable odds to be a champion and how he was able to focus on his dream being one of the largest underdogs in the field. I would want to know all this to apply them to my own racing career and life.

Remembering Lori Nuss

Sometimes you get news that for the life of you does not make sense, nor is it fair. We are often told that life is not fair.

Though we tell ourselves to overcome any obstacle we encounter, well, it’s true, sometimes life is not fair.

I was scrolling through my Facebook page last Sunday morning and I see a picture of Lori Nuss shared by her sister-in-law, Holly Nuss. I never met Holly but got to know Lori well. Since I am Facebook friends with Lori, any picture that has her tagged will show up on my news feed. The picture contained information that Lori died on Sunday. I felt heartbroken the rest of the day and remain so today. Her obituary was released in the Napa Valley Register on Friday. Causes of death were not revealed but that’s immaterial. I get that we have no choice when our time comes but 59 is way too soon to be gone. In fact, I remember posting a Happy Birthday message on her Facebook page no more than a few days earlier.

In my ten years as a sports reporter in the Northern part of Napa Valley, CA, for the St. Helena Star and Weekly Calistogan, I had a chance to get to know many families. I miss that part of the job more so than covering games. Being a sports reporter in a small town lends itself to developing relationships. That dynamic can be a plus or a minus. The plus side is that those relationships can often result in friendships. Though I am no longer in the newspaper industry, I have kept in touch with many people from that time in my life.

The relationships in small towns can also be claustrophobic, so much so that while it is necessary to establish good relationships with parents, sometimes you have to keep them at arm’s length. However, when you meet one you have a great relationship with, you treat them like gold. In my world, Lori was gold.

I arrived on the Upvalley beat to cover St. Helena and Calistoga in January 2004. The Nuss family was one of the first ones I met as both of their sons wrestled for St. Helena High. Tim graduated in 2004 followed by Tyler in 2007. Tim qualified for the CIF State Meet during his senior year. Both of her sons were part of the glory years of Saints wrestling, during which time the team won 10 league titles in 11 years and a CIF North Coast Section Class A title in 2006 under former head coach Herschel Sandler.

High school wrestling tournaments are often all day affairs, mostly on Saturday, with a lot of down-time between matches. During that down-time were many conversations with kids, coaches, fellow media members and parents. Lori and Brian Nuss along with John and Lisa Montelli, whose son Tony graduated with Tyler in 2007 and was also a Saints wrestler, were regulars who showed up to meets near and far to support their sons. I had so many conversations with all four that I consider them friends. It did not qualify as a friendship as far as getting together socially because after all, we have our family lives. It was the type of friendship that when you see each other, there is an instant bond.

The Nuss family owned and operated a small family-owned winery, Vinoce Vineyards. After their sons graduated, I only saw them sporadically but when I did, the conversations were just like old times.

What I remember most about Lori’s personality was that she a perfect mix of New Jersey spit fire and sassiness along with a loving heart. Translation, she could cuss like a sailor and love like a saint.

Lori, though I’m in no hurry to get where you are going, I know we’ll meet again someday.

Garagiola was a true one of a kind

Do you ever have those days where you feel part of your childhood has left you?

I know I speak for many in my age group (do the math, I’m 43) or much older but that feeling reared its head when I got home from work on Wednesday to log online. I check my Facebook page and in the “trending” category is the death of legendary Major League Baseball broadcaster Joe Garagiola, who died at 90 years old.

At first glance, we should all be so blessed to live until 90. Look up the term “baseball lifer” in the dictionary and you may as well plant a picture of Garagiola right next to the words. You would have to look long and hard to find one that defined the term more than Garagiola. Heck, anyone that grows up down the street from Yogi Berra. The ironic backdrop to that story was that Garagiola was rated as the better prospect than Berra even though Berra wound up having a Hall of Fame career. To that, Garagiola quipped: “Not only was I not the best catcher in the Major Leagues, I wasn’t even the best catcher on my street.”

The St. Louis native played nine mostly nondescript seasons as a Major Leaguer for four different teams (St. Louis, Pittsburgh, Chicago Cubs and New York Giants). He was also well known outside of baseball for having been one of the regular panelists on The Today Show for many years and for his numerous appearances on game shows both as a host and panelist.

Though he was a ham and egger as a player, Garagiola’s impact as a broadcaster was undeniable.

After his career as a player ended, Garagiola turned to broadcasting in 1962. Most people associate him with his time as an NBC color commentator, most notably with Tony Kubek and Vin Scully. Garagiola later spent 22 years as a color commentator for the California Angels and later the Arizona Diamondbacks before retiring in 2013.

In my opinion, several others probably share it as well, Scully and Garagiola are the best baseball broadcasting tandem ever. That tandem was to network baseball broadcasts what Pat Summerall and John Madden were to the NFL. I know they did not have staying power like Madden and Summerall but their chemistry was similar.

I don’t remember the first game I watched that Garagiola broadcast but the first thing that appealed to me was that he had an Italian last name and his name was “Joe.” It reminded me of my dad, the one and only Joe D’Adamo.

Garagiola defined what a baseball broadcaster was. With sports like basketball or football, you expect broadcasters to carry themselves with some emotion. Baseball, however, is slower paced with more down time between pitches. In that format, you need to be a story-teller.

Having received my college degree in broadcasting before going into writing, I discovered that you can’t broadcast baseball the same way as you do football. Garagiola fit the baseball broadcasting mold like a hand in a glove. He had the perfect story-telling mentality for baseball broadcasts. Even if you had no connection as a fan with the ones that were subject to his stories, his folksy demeanor lured you into the story. If you were looking for someone to rattle off stats, Garagiola was not your guy but his story-telling approach was second-to-none.

Scully recently commented about how Garagiola’s preparation for broadcasts were second-to-none. I find that to be a very telling trait because sometimes you get a former player that becomes a broadcaster and they think they know it all but Garagiola took the opposite approach.

Garagiola came up as a broadcaster in a different culture, when broadcasters were the reporter of the story rather than the creator. Today’s broadcast climate has its share of shrill voices that think louder is better.

Garagiola was more than just a legendary broadcaster. He made his mark in other forms of media as well. He also wrote three different books: “Baseball is a Funny Game,” “It’s Anybody’s Ballgame” and “Just Play Ball.”

He also made his mark by supporting the presidential candidacy of Gerald Ford. As much of a lightning rod as politics is today, that would get people up in arms today. In addition, Garagiola was an advocate against chewing smokeless tobacco. He picked up that habit as a player but quit cold turkey in the mid-1950s.

Whether as a broadcaster or human being, I can honestly say there will never be another Joe Garagiola.

He’s probably enjoying a game right now at a ballpark in the sky.

Vintage-American Canyon football matchup a win-win

March might not be a month that moves the needle in terms of high school football but in a certain segment within the Napa Valley, that needle pegged into the alert zone with the revelation that Vintage and American Canyon High would meet on the football field.

The two teams meet at Memorial Stadium on Sept. 2, for what it likely the start of a home-and-home series.

Throughout the calendar year, teams gradually release their 2016 schedules on maxpreps.com and other outlets. While this matchup was common knowledge for a couple months prior, it became maxpreps.com official in March.

In order to understand the football significance, you must understand the community importance. Vintage opened its doors in 1972, giving Napa two public high schools. Napa High has been in existence since 1897. Despite skyrocketing population through the 1990s and especially the 2000s that eventually reached 19,000, American Canyon did not open its own high school until the 2010-2011 school year thanks to Measure G, which was passed in 2006 thanks to Napa County voters.

American Canyon had two elementary schools and a middle school but youngsters had to go to high school somewhere else. They would scatter to places like St. Patrick’s (Vallejo) or Justin-Siena (Napa) if they went the private school route. If they stuck with public schools, they would go to Napa or Vintage but mostly the latter.

Without getting too editorial, American Canyon kids were often looked at as outsiders on these various campuses. Though the community markets itself as “Gateway to the Napa Valley,” it is not looked upon favorably in some circles. In fact, American Canyon is looked at as a halfway house between Napa and Vallejo in that you either live there because you can’t afford the former or want to escape the latter.

The vibe of the American Canyon community began to change when the school opened its doors in August 2010 because it gave the kids of that town their own identity. There is a big emotional difference for a local kid wearing a shirt that says, “American Canyon” draped across the front as opposed to the name of another school.

On the football side of the equation, both schools have established tradition. Crosstown rival Napa gets much attention, and rightfully so, for its recent success that has netted 14 consecutive postseason appearances, 13 postseason wins and one CIF Sac Joaquin Section Div. I title since 2002. Vintage, however, has its own history of success, most notably two SJS titles (1980 and 1986) but the Crushers have not won a postseason game since 1986 despite several appearances under Dave Shipp, Jim Costan, Les Franco, Billy Smith and Kyle Hofmann.

The Crushers hope to continue that trend and then some under first-year head coach Dylan Leach.

Vintage went 8-2 in 2000, Franco’s first season and had consecutive 1-9 seasons in ‘09 and ‘10, but the Crushers have been mostly a ‘tweener in the Monticello Empire League -- not good enough to be Napa or Vacaville but not bad enough to be Armijo or Rodriguez. Most of their seasons have teetered between 4-6 and 6-4. The hiring of Leach has generated much excitement -- and for good reason. Leach spent the previous five years as Napa’s defensive coordinator but has Burgundy and Gold coursing through his veins. He is a 1992 Vintage High graduate and was a Crusher varsity assistant from 2003-2009.

American Canyon has had five varsity football seasons, four SJS playoff appearances, three postseason wins and has won at least a share of the Solano County Athletic Conference four times. In that span, the Wolves have compiled an overall mark of 37-20 under three different head coaches (Ian MacMillan, Ernie Lawson and Larry Singer). The only year the Wolves did not qualify for the postseason was in 2011, when they went 4-6, but to add further perspective, American Canyon did not have seniors that season and even with a bevy of injuries were in postseason contention until the last week of the season. I would argue that the Wolves would be competitive in the MEL right now but that’s another story for another day.

American Canyon and Vintage have met in most every sport with football being one of the few exceptions. The two programs actually did compete against each other in a scrimmage in 2011 at Memorial Stadium. From a football standpoint, you can’t give any credence to what happens in that format because a) You are only playing on 50 yards worth of field, b) Special teams is not in the equation and c) No one keeps score.

That scrimmage got particularly heated between the two clubs with both sides getting chippy. For that reason, perhaps it is best that the much anticipated matchup is not coming until five years later. Football is an emotion driven sport. At that time, the Wolves were loaded with players that had suited up for Vintage two years earlier. Therefore, it is understandable why emotions were going to run higher than normal.

That is not to say they cannot run high five years later but at least with this passage of time, there are no kids at American Canyon that set foot on Vintage High’s campus as a student. Translation, American Canyon is all those kids know.

While American Canyon will never replace Napa as Vintage’s main rival, the advent of this matchup comes at a good time. Napa has won 12 of the last 13 head-to-head meetings with Vintage, mostly in decisive fashion. While The Big Game will always be a monster draw at the gate, the matchup on the field has lost its luster. If anything, Vacaville has become a rival to Napa more so than Vintage. This is a good time for Vintage and American Canyon matchups to create their own identity.

This matchup is also a “win-win” at the gate. If there is one thing Wolves and Crushers fans are willing to do, it is travel.

Let a new chapter of Napa Valley high school football begin.

Time machine: 2005 NCS Class A boys soccer playoffs: Drew at Calistoga

In a 16-team playoff bracket, the No. 2 seed beating the No. 15 seed is seldom, if ever, cause for celebration. In the 2005 CIF North Coast Section Class A boys soccer playoffs, however, the Calistoga Wildcats had a giant weight lifted off their collective shoulders in defeating the Drew (San Francisco) Dragons 4-3 on penalty kicks.

The game was tied 2-2 at the end of regulation but neither team scored the go-ahead goal in two 10-minute sudden death periods — forcing a shootout.

Setting the stage: Since beating Athenian (Danville) 2-1 in 2002, Calistoga had experienced postseason failure the next two seasons despite gaudy regular seasons. The Wildcats suffered first-round postseason defeats to Mendocino (2-1 in overtime) and Justin-Siena (2-0) in 2003 and 2004 respectively.

Calistoga entered the playoffs with an 18-game winning streak led by scoring machine Beto Mendoza. The North Central League II MVP scored a then school record 36 goals. In 2008, Edwin Meza annihilated that record with 56 goals.

Thumbnail sketch of the game: The game started out auspiciously for the Wildcats when McMahon crossed a pass to Omar Espinoza, who found the back of the net with 24 minutes gone by in the first half to give Calistoga a 1-0 lead. The Wildcats appeared poised to put another goal on the board but Beto Mendoza, who broke the school record in 2005 with 32 goals in a season, fired a penalty kick that sailed high above the crossbar.

Drew then regained the momentum as Liam Whelan scored the tying goal on a penalty kick with six minutes left in the first half to square the game at 1-1.

Whelan put the Dragons ahead 2-1 with 24 minutes left in regulation with a goal from 10-yards out — tightening the pressure on the Wildcats.

Calistoga, however, tied the game with four minutes left in regulation when McMahon scored after a Calistoga shot was dropped by the Dragons goalkeeper, which McMahon blasted into the back of the net.

After neither team could score in the two 10-minute extra periods, the penalty kick format ensued.

In the penalty kick series, Calistoga's Juan Avila scored first and Tejeda blocked Drew's Shea Whelan's penalty kick. Beto Mendoza put the Wildcats up 2-0 in penalty kicks before Drew's Jiles Pope closed the gap to 2-1.

McMahon's penalty kick then sailed above the crossbar and Liam Whelan squared the penalty kick series at 2-2. Jose Cervantes of Calistoga followed with the next one before Yannick Cusin drew the Dragons even at 3-3.

Then came Tejeda's decisive penalty kick.

Tejeda, Calistoga's goalkeeper, scored the decisive penalty kick and the resident Calistoga fans stormed the damp field like a herd of bulls.

"All I can say is 'Finally!'" Calistoga coach Arturo Mendoza rejoiced. "We're waiting for Saturday."

What it meant: For Wildcats’ fans, the thrill was short-lived. Three days later, the team would lose at home to No. 7 seeded Head Royce (Oakland) 3-2. However, this night was good for exorcising first-round demons.

Mendoza would resign as head coach after the season before Carlos Garcia Sr. took the reigns of the program. Calistoga would have two more years of first-round exits before reaching the NCS Div. III title game in 2009, losing 2-1 in overtime to Branson.

Time Out with Chloe Melka (2016 St. Helena High senior)

Vince D’Adamo: What have you enjoyed most about competing in athletics throughout your life?

Chloe Melka: What I enjoy most about competing in athletics is the friendships I build with my teammates and my coaches. I’ve learned the value of teamwork and will carry these experiences with me throughout my life.

D’Adamo: What are your plans after high school?

Melka: After high school I will be attending a 4-year college, most likely Eckerd College in Florida but I’m still looking at my choices.

D’Adamo: What might you choose as a major? What intrigues you about going that direction?

Melka: I’m going in undeclared but I intend to take a variety of classes to find where my passion lies. However, as of now my interests are in criminal psychology, but things may change. What intrigued me most about this was the underlying question of why “bad” people act the way they do. I read many novels like this and my favorite writer is James Patterson who writes about many crazy killers. I’m interested in what drives them to this type of violence, specifically what goes on in their brains.

D’Adamo: What has been your favorite class here at St. Helena High?

Melka: Obviously my favorite class is AP Psychology, but I also enjoy Science & Media and Chamber Singers.

D’Adamo: Within your family who have been the most influential people?

Melka: Within my family there are many influential people. The one that comes to mind first is my aunt, Paula; she’s a social worker and helps troubled orphans better themselves and find a home. She makes little money and works long hours, which only adds to her dedication to helping kids. She is someone I truly admire and someone I aspire to be like.

D’Adamo: Name a historical figure, dead or alive, in or out of sports, that you would most like to meet. What would intrigue you about meeting him or her?

Melka: I would love to meet Abraham Lincoln. I’m a major advocate for civil rights, one of my favorite books is The Help. The change he started in our country is inspiring and it would be an honor to have a conversation with him.

Excessive reliance on free agency is Fool's Gold

Patience. Some say it’s a virtue. Many people, however, point to the idea of how we live in an instant gratification world.

As it pertains to sports, one of my long-time favorite debates with people is how to build a team. With free agency being en vogue the past quarter century, an increasing number of fans go gaga about the free agency period activity. They conveniently forget that no Vince Lombardi Trophy is won in March.

With the NFL free agency period underway, here in Northern California, the reaction and activity could not be different for fans of both the Oakland Raiders and San Francisco 49ers. The former has been very active in signing offensive lineman Kelechi Osemeli (Baltimore), linebacker Bruce Irvin (Seattle) and cornerback Sean Smith (Kansas City). After mostly horrific seasons since 2002, Oakland showed promise in head coach Jack Del Rio’s debut in going 7-9. In a sense, the free agent activity signals that this team is ready to be a playoff participant.

The 49ers, however, have been quiet. The team signed backup quarterback Thad Lewis (Philadelphia). As of this writing, the team is still seeking to trade Colin Kaepernick to either Denver or Cleveland. The team lost offensive lineman Alex Boone, who signed with Minnesota. Fresh off a 5-11 season under since deposed head coach Jim Tomsula, 49er fans were hoping their team would be active players in the free agent market entering the Chip Kelly era.

Let’s remember one thing, the two franchises are in vastly different situations. The Raiders have spent the past couple of years building the core of their team through the draft: quarterback Derek Carr, linebacker Khalil Mack, wide receiver Amari Cooper, offensive lineman Gabe Jackson. Oakland signed wide receiver Michael Crabtree entering last season. With the Raiders appearing to trend up and the rest of the division facing uncertainty, it makes sense to sign free agents to complement the aforementioned draft picks.

San Francisco, however, has 12 draft picks, which comes in handy considering the core of the team that went 44-19-1 under former head coach Jim Harbaugh from 2011-2014 was stripped by a series of retirements. That run included a Super Bowl appearance and three NFC Title Games.

The start of the Kelly era is not likely to yield immediate success. The NFC West still houses Super Bowl contenders Seattle and Arizona. In addition, the Los Angeles Rams (7-9 last season) are not an easy out. Translation, no amount of free agent spending sprees are suddenly going to make San Francisco surpass Seattle or Arizona. Granted, if the team successfully trades Kaepernick, it would behoove them to bring in another quarterback whether it is signing Robert Griffin III or drafting California’s Jared Goff. While Blaine Gabbert was serviceable after stepping in for Kaepernick, his performance was hardly Canton, Ohio material.

Professional sports are such that a bad team can get good overnight with a few free agent moves but that can also be fool’s gold. For every Reggie White or Drew Brees there are five Albert Haynesworths.

Professional sports are littered with examples of consistent contenders that build the foundation of their team through the draft and use free agency and trades as a supplement. In the NFL, the best examples are New England, Pittsburgh, Green Bay, Seattle, Baltimore. The Patriots built with guys like Tom Brady, Julian Edelman, Rob Gronkowski and Willie McGinest through the draft. Then they acquire guys like Corey Dillon, Rodney Harrison, Mike Vrbal, and Randy Moss either via trade or free agency.

In the NBA, look no further than the Golden State Warriors recent success and the San Antonio Spurs, who last missed the postseason in 1996. The Warriors built their Big Three (Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green) through the draft. Then they acquired Andrew Bogut via trade and Andre Iguodala as a free agent to complement them. The Spurs built core throughout the years via the draft (David Robinson, Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobli, Tony Parker, Kawhi Leonard), then acquired pieces like Bruce Bowen, Danny Green and Patty Mills as free agents.

In Major League Baseball, look no further than teams like the Kansas City Royals, St. Louis Cardinals and San Francisco Giants. In San Francisco’s case, it has won three World series titles since 2010. The Giants signed starting pitchers Johnny Cueto and Jeff Samardzija to free agent contracts. If the Giants win the World Series this year, I can just hear the grovels of “They bought a World Series!” Uh, no. The core of the team is home grown. Sure, they traded for right-fielder Hunter Pence in 2012 and signed him but the entire infield (Buster Posey, Matt Duffy, Brandon Crawford, Joe Panik and Brandon Belt) are homegrown. Starting pitchers Madison Bumgarner, Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain are also homegrown. Granted, Lincecum and Cain have experienced sharp declines due to injuries which is why they signed the aforementioned Samardzija and Cueto.

The point behind this story is that nary a team wins a championship in free agency. Translation, relying on free agency to build a team is like pouring a house over bad foundation. Translation Part II, to build a consistent winner, it’s better to take the bus instead of the jet.

Time Out with Bryan Metcalf (2004 Justin-Siena High graduate and current hockey coach)

Vince D’Adamo: What are you studying at Canisius College in Buffalo, NY and when are you on track to graduate? Bryan Metcalf: I’ll graduate in December with a Master’s in Sports Administration. Our program also has some overlap with the Canisius one-year MBA program, so I’m considering that program for next spring. D’Adamo: When did you first take an interest in hockey? Metcalf: I’ve always loved hockey even when I was living in Georgia. My best friend and I used to play in his basement or in the street all the time. I became really interested while living in Michigan, but my mom was afraid I’d get hurt if she let me play ice hockey. It wasn’t until I was going to school in Minnesota that I started playing ice hockey full-time instead of roller. There was an outdoor rink a few blocks from campus, and I was there every week. D’Adamo: What is the class/practice/games balance like as a coach? Metcalf: Because I’m a graduate student, the balance is very easy. There aren’t many conflicts to begin with, and my professors are very accommodating because my job as a coach is also my required internship. During a normal week, we have two practices in the afternoons, I’ll have two or three classes in the evenings, with one game on either Friday or Saturday night. It’s easier to balance in fall than spring, because there are more “normal” weeks. In spring we’re dealing with final push for playoffs, and last weekend was our state tournament. Special events like that can make things more challenging, especially when the fall right before midterms. D’Adamo: How much overlap is there between hockey and other sports as far as strategy and object of the game? Metcalf: In my days as a stringer for the Napa Valley Register I was asked to cover a soccer match. My first call was to fellow JSHS (Justin-Siena High School) alum and former teacher Pat Cook to ask what I should look for. He’s a big hockey fan, as well as the former coach for the Braves’ JV Girls squad. He explained some of the basics to look for using our common love of hockey. Because we play 5-on-5, there are a lot of similarities with basketball on both offense and defense. On offense, you’re trying to create favorable 1-on-1 or 2-on-1 match-ups, and trying to create them as close to the goal as you can. On defense, most systems are a hybrid of man-to-man and 2-1-2 zone coverage. The way you attack or defend those match-ups is similar to the 1-on-1 and 2-on-1 plays you’d find in any basketball, soccer, or lacrosse match. D’Adamo: You grew up in California, where hockey is not woven into the culture, what has it been like in upstate NY where it is a central part of the culture? Metcalf: It’s very similar and yet very different. Some similarities are parents/players still shop around for which travel or high school team is going to help them reach the NHL. The politics of the youth and high school hockey scene are the same here as they are in any other region. The big difference is everyone knows the game. In California, people would ask with surprise that hockey existed. In Western NY, they ask where you play and then follow up with 20 questions about the coach, who they probably already know by name. D’Adamo: You had a chance to play for coaches like Rich Cotruvo, Ian MacMillan and Allen Rossi while at Justin-Siena. What are the common denominators you learned from them that you apply to your coaching? Metcalf: The biggest common denominator with those three, and I’d include (former Justin-Siena boys basketball head coach) Tom Bonfigli in this group as well, is the idea that winning games and championships isn’t the end, but rather the means to a greater end. In interviewing Cotruvo for pre-season features for the Register, he told me repeatedly that his program uses football and the pursuit of MCAL and NCS championships as a tool to develop the boys into outstanding young men who know how to overcome adversity, know the value of hard work, teamwork, and sacrificing self for the greater good. Those same values were evident when I was on the sidelines covering MacMillan’s teams at American Canyon, and they’re the same values Rossi preached to us in baseball. D’Adamo: Name a historical figure, dead or alive, in or out of sports you would most like to meet. What would intrigue you about meeting him or her? Metcalf: This was probably the hardest question to answer. As a devout Catholic, I draw great inspiration from so many of the recognized Saints in our Church’s history. And then there are so many great coaches who inspire me every day as well. I would definitely love to meet Herb Brooks, head coach of the 1980 "Miracle on ice” team. As well as being a great innovator in the game, he was one of the first to apply psychological principles to coaching and motivating players. I would also love to meet St. Catherine of Siena. At a time when women were supposedly “seen and not heard” in society and the Church, St. Catherine was not only granted several audiences with the Pope - whom she successfully pleaded to return to Rome from Avignon, France - but she was also sent by him as an envoy and ambassador to negotiate with the various Papal States in Italy. She was one of the most humble and unassuming people imaginable, with tremendous faith in God which she demonstrated in her care for the poor and marginalized of society.

Time Out with Sam Farmer (LA Times sports reporter)

Vince D’Adamo: What have you enjoyed most about being connected with athletics throughout your life either as an athlete or journalist?

Sam Farmer: Without question, the aspect of sports I’ve enjoyed most is the relationships and friendships I’ve built. It’s what I enjoyed most when I played sports as a kid, and when I’ve covered them as an adult.

D’Adamo: Which sports did you play competitively in high school?

Farmer: Basketball and football.

D’Adamo: Even with the declining state of the newspaper industry, what keeps you coming back every year?

Farmer: I love the creative challenge of the job, finding new stories and new ways to tell them. Also, the paycheck doesn’t hurt.

D’Adamo: You cover a heavy dose of the NFL, what have you enjoyed most about covering it?

Farmer: The NFL is a great beat for someone who has a family. The travel is relatively light – I used to cover the NBA and was gone all the time – and virtually every game is meaningful in some way.

D’Adamo: Kind of a related question, as one working for the LA Times, what does it mean to you having the NFL back in LA with the Rams returning?

Farmer: Although I won’t be the Rams beat writer, having an NFL team back in Los Angeles only heightens the interest in the league. That’s a good thing for me.

D’Adamo: Within your family who have been the most influential people?

Farmer: My wife, Paige, has long provided a sense of order and structure for our family. When we met, she had a classic type-A personality, and I was clearly type B. Now, she’s A-minus and I’m B-plus. We’ve affected each other that way.

D’Adamo: Name a historical figure, dead or alive, in or out of sports, that you would most like to meet. What would intrigue you about meeting him or her?

Farmer: Mark Twain. Maybe he’d help me with some ledes.

Not everyone should get a trophy

Sometimes you have those column ideas that have been on your mind for eons but never get around to writing.

For me, this is one of those times. When I was a sports reporter for community daily and weekly newspapers, I liked to accentuate the positive in the youngsters we cover because after all, high school will be the pinnacle of their athletic careers. Most of them, anyhow.

However, when a certain topic was broached to me in casual conversation with an acquaintance recently, I could not help but have my cynical side rear its ugly head.

What was the topic, might you ask?

Drumroll please ... the “everyone gets a trophy” mentality that has seeped into our culture, particularly in sports. Can’t you help but notice when you go to any random eight-team tournament, be it in high school or youth sports and, gasp, see the eighth-place team get a trophy for participating?

I played on good and bad sports teams throughout my youth and into high school. Let me tell you, I played on some lousy football teams in Justin-Siena High School. My sophomore year, we did not win a game. The best season we had as a team was 3-6.

Yet my teams received nary a trophy. However, neither my teammates nor I thought anything of it. We didn’t deserve it. We knew it.

I grew up being conditioned that we live in a competitive world. If you want to succeed at something, you have to work at it by devoting time, effort and energy to make people take notice. Some people may be more talented than you, but that is beyond your control.

However, the effort you exude can be controlled.

Like most people my age (43), or older, I have noticed a change in expectations over the years. It’s as if people want a high standard of achievement with the least amount of effort. Parents that have an inflated idea of how good their kid is fuel that attitude.

I understand that parents want their kids to feel good about themselves, but to award them with lavish ceremonies, plaques, trophies and awards for simply participating does them a huge disservice later in life.

It sets in the young child’s mind an unrealistic expectation — if I show up and participate, I get an award. They see everyone getting the same award regardless of the level of actual achievement attained.

No wonder a growing number of people have a sense of entitlement. Believe me, I liked winning far more than losing when I played sports. Though it’s hard to look at my high school football experience as positive considering we lost several games, the older I get, the more I realize that failure has been a good teacher.

You have to fall off the bicycle a few times in order to learn how to stay upright. Failing at a single attempt is not failing at life. In the grand scheme of things, failure is as vital to high levels of achievement as is the hard work and the effort required to excel.

Why is the Lombardi Trophy so special? Why is the World Cup Trophy so great? Because not everyone gets to hold those trophies over their heads and call themselves great.

Now, don’t be too quick to judge or assume that I think we should all be losers. It’s more about understanding how to accept a loss and turning a negative into a positive — something we all must learn and if we are always assuming that, no matter what, we will be rewarded, then where is the drive and motivation to perform beyond expectations?

It’s like your boss giving you a medal because you show up for work.

At some point, we all lose. No one wins 100 percent of the time — and that’s a good thing.

Without losing, we don’t know what it’s like to win. Without failing, we can’t find the equation to win.

So we shouldn’t always get a trophy. We should get a trophy when we deserve it.

If we give all kids a trophy, it has no meaning to the actual winner. If all of your co-workers were terrible at their job, but you were doing great, and you all got a raise/promotion, it has no meaning to you. I’m just saying that we need to prepare kids for life.

Therefore, I believe that not everyone should get a trophy.