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Heads Must Roll!

Ladies and Gentlemen, The San Diego Chargers:

It turns out I was wrong.  The Chargers are not an elite team that has had a bad run.  They are a bunch of Lonesome Losers that have been masquerading as an elite team for a season and a haf.

And there is plenty of blame to go around:

The offensive line, the defensive line, the secondary and, sadly the quarterback are all to blame.

So too are those who coach them, the general manager who micro manages them and the idiot who owns them.

I have been a fan since Air Coryel days and it took me thirty two years to figure out that we didn't win a Super Bowl then and we won't win a Super Bowl now. We are Lonesome Losers, beaten by the Queen of Hearts every time.

It is time for the San Diego Chargers to trade Dean Spanos who knows less about football than any owner in the history of professional sports.  Someone must break the spell thad A. J. Smith has cast on the Spoanos Family -- a spell that has them thinking that Smith can pick talent.

No. The only thing A. J. Smith can do is trade away talent. Junior Seau got his ring elsewhere, ditto Rodney Harrison, Drew Brees and I'd go on but I have already cried enough tears over this team.

I have cried gold and blue until year thirty two.  Today I quit giving a flying facisimile of funk about the San Diego Chargers, the mistakes, the lack of depth, the egos and the departures. 

I GIVE UP!

San Diego Chargers, I break with thee, I break with thee, I break with thee.  The dog poop for your shoes will arrive shortly.

I hate you and every thing you stand for.  I wasted the best years of my life.  I will never get any of it back.  Next year, I will follow whomever wins the Super Bowl this year.

Except the Patriots. I hate the Patriots.  And the Packers.  And..

Oh, hell!

Sword Fighting

Yeah, I did that and it was cool!

There are a lot of things I didn't know about fighting with swords before I went to train with Scott Farrell of Chivalry Today.  Yes, there is an organization that teaches chivalry, swordsmanship and all the rest. But back to the things I didn't know...

The foil is a French weapon and so the language is French.  But we were using long swords and that language is German.  Very confusing... But fun!

So I learned three stanses and their opposites.  Also three attacks from each side so I can basically liik good while getting run through but where else can you do this?  You should definitely do it!

My nephew, Justin Waney!

Senior Athlete of the Month: Justin Waney

Senior runningback Justin Waney ran for 241 yards and 3 touchdowns, including a 81 yard score in Clairemont's New Stadium Home Opener against Orange Glenn.

October 24, 2011 • David Pradel, Sports Editor  
Filed under Sports, Top Stories

]Senior running back and line-backer Justin Waney is one of the top football players at CHS. His power, tenacity on the gridiron and his cool, relaxed personality have made him a role model. He a top student too. Standing 6 feet tall and weighing 210 pounds, number forty-two Justin Waney is capable of playing on both sides of the field. Justin Waney has been chosen for The Arrow’s first Senior Athlete of the Month.

The Arrow decided to interview Justin about his plans for the future. According to college scouts Waney is a top player to watch for this season in San Diego.  He also looks to continue his success in college.

Not only does Waney play varsity football, he also plays varsity baseball. From freshman year he has maintained a 4.2 cumulative GPA. If he isn’t on the playing field, you can probably catch him on the San Diego beaches surfing and hanging out with his friends.

 

ARROW: How long have you been playing football? When did you figure out that you could be successful in playing this sport?

JW: I have been playing football for about nine years, and I first realized that I could succeed when I was attracting the interest from high school coaches at a junior player development camp when I was in eighth grade.

ARROW: In the four years playing HS football, what has been your favorite memory?

JW: My favorite memory was definitely our overnight weekend camp at SDSU my sophomore year.  We were very mischievous.

ARROW: Do you favor football more than baseball? Any other sports you tried out for?

JW: I love both baseball and football the same. Freshman year I played soccer, and it was a ton of fun. I was too used to running through people from football, so that got me into a little bit of trouble.

ARROW: Why do you play both runningback and linebacker? What do you like about playing both offense and defense?

JW: I like playing both sides of the ball because I grew up playing defense, and I fell in love with it. And then since coming to this school I’ve  played offense too.  I’ve fallen in love with that.  I couldn’t pick which one I like more, so I’ve  kept playing both.

ARROW: You’re a top football prospect  in San Diego. From freshman year to senior year, how have you changed to the player you are now?

JW: I’ve gotten a lot more experienced in the past  four years of school, because I’ve had great coaching.  I used to try and juke and dance when I ran, but I have finally accepted what coaches have always told me to do; get vertical and take a straight path to the end zone.

ARROW: What’s the best thing about playing high school football?

JW: The bond that you make with your teammates.  After spending a lot of time together, we turn into a family and we look out for each other.   Everyone on the team would go out of their way to help me out.

ARROW: What goes through your head when you are about to receive the handoff? Do you get nervous?

JW: Nothing really, instincts just take over.  When you start to think too much, that is when you start to make mistakes.

ARROW: From seeing you play multiple times, you are a power running back and hitter. Where does that come from? The aggression? The power? What’s pushing you to give 100% on the field?

JW: Hahah I don’t know, I just like hitting people.

ARROW: When you are running with the ball and a defender is coming right at you. Do you think about how you are going to break away from him, or is it reaction? What’s the feeling?

JW: It’s just reaction.  Of course it hurts a little bit running people over, but the feeling you get after makes it worth it.

ARROW: What has been your most memorable touchdown? Why?

JW: Probably the 82 yard run I had at our stadium in the opener against Orange Glen.  It was my first one ever on the new field, and it was the longest one I have ever had.

ARROW: What has been the hardest hit you have ever received?

JW: Probably against Coronado my freshman year.  They had this really good safety, and I had grown a little cocky from running over a lot of freshman kids. I came in kind of high thinking that I would easily run over him.  He speared me and stuck his helmet right into my stomach and took the air right out of me.  I thought I would never breathe again.  Ever since then, I’ve stopped underestimating people.

ARROW: What are your plans after high school? What do you want to major in?

JW: I want play football at a prestigious four- year university and probably major in business.

ARROW: We’re heard that you have been recruited by Stanford. Anything you can say about that?

JW: Yes, I’m talking to a few colleges right now, like Harvard, Dartmouth, Princeton, West Point, Air Force and Stanford. But  I’m not really sure where I am going to go yet, just trying to keep all my options open.

ARROW: If you were to choose one word to describe your four years at CHS. What would it be?

JW: Unforgettable…I will never forget the time I have spent at Clairemont.

ARROW: Any moments you will cherish?

JW: I’ll miss those summer two-a-days when we practically lived at Clairemont, all the ice baths, pranks, food and music made it an amazing time.

ARROW: Tell us about your family:

JW: My family has always been there for me, taking me to all the college camps, buying me whatever equipment I’ve needed. They are great and I would be lost without them!

ARROW: Your family is from is of Indian descent, and it’s not everyday we see good American football players from India extraction?

JW: I think it’s pretty cool, I don’t think there are many Indian professionals or college players.

ARROW: Any shout outs for teammates/friends?

JW: A shout out to all my lineman for blocking for me! I Love you guys! I just want to say thank you to all my family and friends for everything they have done for me.

ARROW: What’s the best advice you have ever received?

JW: Don’t Think, Just Run!!! -Fritz

Tags: Athlete, chs, David, Justin, month, of, Pradel, Senior, sports, the, Waney

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Shakespeare and Anonymous

Another film about Shakespeare is here and this one (gasp) puts forth the authorship question.  The film Anonymous, which carries the tag line "was Shakespeare a Fraud?", was summed up by the San Diego Reader's David Elliott thusly, "Here is a film for people who hated Shakespeare in school, who think that iambic pentameter was taught in geometry, and guess that the first Hamlet was, uh... Simon Cowell? The movie, to its shame, enshrines ignorance about Shakespeare."

 I'm going to see it.  I love Shakespeare and watching scenes of his, in the period setting, is what gets me going -- regardless of who wrote them.  Then there is the virtual cavalcade of Shakespearean actors to be seen: OK only Vanessa Redgrave and Derek Jacobi but they're worth the price of admission alone.

So there are the period settings, the costumes, two great actors and three or four really good ones.  Done.  Now, for the arguments... Many Oxfordians believe that Shakespeare could not have written the plays, sonnets and poems attributed to him because he only had a grade school education, was a simple tradesman and was an actor.  Oddly, these are about the only facts extant about perhaps the greatest writer in the English language -- and the same Stratfordian arguments for his authorship as well. 

I will take them in order...

Grade School -- In Elizabethan England, grade school was 10-hours, six days a week of Latin and Greek and has been likened to a modern Masters degree.

Tradesman --Shakespeare's father John was a Glover and an alderman who tried most of his life to become a gentleman.  William ran off to be an actor and returned to Stratford a sharer in the best theatre troupe in London, purchased the largest house in town and got his family a coat of arms.

Actor -- Actors in Shakespeare's time had to have an immense amount of words in their heads.  They performed a different play every night and many parts in each play.  Imagine TV but live, with a limited number of actors.  Oh, and they all danced and sang too.  So an actor would have an immense vocabulary, understand plots and characters, and know how to put them together.

But only a genius could create the characters who said these lines and Shakespeare, whether he was a Glover from Stratford, the Earl of Oxford or the Queen herself (oh, yes that's a theory too). 

I offer  three nice sources on the authorship question:

How Shakespeare Changed Everything by Stephen Marche. This brief and witty book shares all the things Shakespeare brought into the world and some of the funny outcomes of actions by Shakespeare fans.  States that no one has ever been granted permission to write a masters' thesis on the Oxfordian argument.

My Name is Will by Jess Winfield You might recognize the name of one of the founders of the Reduced Shakespeare Company and  authors of The Complete Works of William Shakespeare Abridged.  His story is simply the best look into the life and times of William Shakespeare even thought the journey is taken by a dude on mushrooms at a Renaissance fair in northern California.

The Beard of Avon by Amy Freed Tough going as a playwright to write a play that has Shakespeare, the Earl of Oxford, the Queen and possibly a few others as authors of the Bards work.  Tough because most theatres are Stratfordian and too few have produced it.  But read this play, even if you can't see it.  It brings Shakespeare to life as well as his theatrical partners and his witty wife. If you want to have the argument, see the film, read the above and get ready.  It will be hard to change any one's mind.  After all the huffing and puffing, though, take your opponent to see a play!

Kevin Six is an actor, playwright and a self-described actorian who believes Shakespeare wrote his plays but had help from the actors in his troupe. He can be found at www.KevinSix.com.