Six months after accident, Conrad Murphy focuses on the positive

Conrad Murphy finds a way to keep smiling in tough times

Click here to see more recent photos of Conrad

By Dan Kidder

Six months ago, Conrad Murphy was clinging to life after he survived a terrible head-on car crash while on his way to baseball practice.

And until just over a month ago, the 2010 Valley Center High School graduate says that he didn’t completely believe that what was happening to him was real.

Murphy says that his memories of the early days of his recovery are like a dream—flashes of clarity mixed with confusing, muddled images that don’t fit together. What brought him back to a mostly-conscious state was the pain of a terrible side effect from all the necessary antibiotics pumped into his system.

“I remember what we were doing two days before the accident, and then I thought I remembered waking up, but it was just a hallucination or a dream or something,” he says. “But the first thing I remember after the accident is waking up in horrible pain. The C-DIF bacteria that I got from the antibiotics was horrible, it was the most pain I’ve ever been in. I honestly thought about suicide, it hurt that bad.”

But even as his physical health improved, he says that he kept expecting to wake up and be back to normal.

“Something happened when I saw my truck,” he says, describing the first time he saw the mangled remains of the vehicle that bore the brunt of the head-on collision. “I don’t know if it was a side effect of my injuries, but for a while, I thought it was all fake, like a hallucination or like The Truman Show or something. But when I saw what was left of my truck, I knew it was all real.”

“Anybody who sees that truck, it just leaves you in awe,” says Murphy’s dad, Jim. “Behind the driver’s seat, you can see where there was a pool of blood, and the effect that has on you, it makes you think twice. I haven’t seen them, but I was told that one of the paramedics took some photos at the scene, and the way the column behind the driver’s door was smashed into Conrad’s head, they were amazed that he was still alive. Once we saw that truck, we realized all over again just how lucky we are that he’s alive.”

That was in September, and now, with six months of recovery behind him since the accident, Murphy says that it’s been a difficult journey, but he’s able to see just how well he’s doing.

“When I first got out of the hospital, I was very discouraged,” he admits. “What keeps me going now is a mixture of hope and rage. I have hope that I’m getting better, but I’m angry that this happened to me just because some guy weaved into my lane. I am getting better though, and that hope keeps me positive. And the rage helps me work harder in therapy. I look at where I was three months ago, and I’m really hopeful about where I’ll be three months from now.”

Murphy acknowledges that his athletic training helped him prepare for the occupational therapy he goes through now, but he also says that there were dark days when he didn’t know how he would make it through.

“God helped me get through it, and it helped that I was too lethargic to follow through on committing suicide,” he says. “But it was really tough.”

Murphy has three sessions a week in occupational therapy and one session in psychology, helping him exercise his brain as it recovers. He says that the injuries to his brain have been the hardest to deal with, both in how his mental processes have changed and in how other people relate to him.

“Most people can understand a disability, but this has been hard because you don’t know how much other people can affect you,” he says. “So many people have been so encouraging, and the whole Valley Center community did so much. But one guy told me not to get my hopes up, and I know that he was trying to be helpful, but it came at a bad time and I took it horribly, and it really discouraged me.

“But that’s part of what a brain injury does,” he continues. “I don’t have any short-term memory issues, but I still deal with a lot of anxiety and fear. It’s really scary sometimes, like you know how you get that feeling like somebody’s right behind you? I’ll get that sometimes. I’m still scared that I’ll get hurt again, so I don’t like going in vehicles.”

But Murphy’s progress has been remarkable—his family was told that he had less than a two percent chance of surviving his injuries, and when it became clear that he would survive, he was told that he would most likely not be able to walk again. And even though his vision has been affected—Murphy went from 20/10 vision before the accident to needing to wear glasses for his 20/30 vision—he was told that his injuries should have left him blind. He still doesn’t have the full use of the left side of his body—a sensation he describes as a feeling “like my arm is asleep, times ten.”—but he is able to walk, talk and see, and still regularly beats his brother at chess.

“I don’t want to brag or anything, but I shouldn’t be doing as well as I am right now,” Murphy says. “I’m setting my own goals, and right now, I want to be able to jog again. I used to jog up the hill behind our house every day, and I loved it. I’ve been approved to lift weights again, so I’ve been able to lift ninety-five pounds in therapy, which is better than lifting PVC pipe like I was a few months ago.”

As he walks around the house, cracks jokes with his family, hangs out with his friends, practices the piano and the guitar, and continues to improve, Murphy says that he’s able to keep a positive outlook through everything.

“I’m blessed, because things could be a lot worse,” he says. “I’ve been through a lot, and in a lot of ways, it’s still miserable. But I can focus on the positive now. I try to look at the good things, like how I have a really cool story and a lot of great sympathy scars. I don’t want to sound dumb or clichéd or whatever, but I really try to stay positive and stay hopeful, because no matter how bad things are, it could always get worse.”

Murphy and his family are also incredibly grateful to the Valley Center community for all the support they’ve received, from the hugs and handshakes to the love and prayers to the tireless efforts of those who organized the fundraiser concert in July.

A fund-raiser golf tournament for Murphy will be held on Jan. 24 at the Fallbrook Country Club.

To pass on your words of encouragement to Conrad, search Facebook for the page “Get Well Soon, Conrad Murphy.”

Benefit concert marks another chapter in Conrad Murphy’s story--Event raises more than $30,000 for Murphy’s ongoing recovery

To see more photos from the Conrad Murphy Benefit Concert on our Facebook page, click here for a gallery of photos by Dan Kidder and click here for a gallery of photos by Gabriel Santana.

By: Dan Kidder
When you live in a community like Valley Center, it doesn’t take long to see how powerfully and passionately people come together to help others in their time of need.

I met Conrad Murphy when baseball season started this spring, and I could easily see why his coaches and teammates spoke so highly of him. His hard work and dedication to the game were obvious, but this quiet, contemplative young man impressed me with his thoughtful observations and the specific encouragements he gave his teammates.

Like the rest of you in our community and beyond, I followed the next chapter of Conrad’s story from day one with a mixture of sadness and hope. It broke my heart to see the Facebook posts from his friends as the news spread about the car accident that Saturday morning in April. When I stopped by the hospital to say hello to the Murphy family that Monday night, I was encouraged to see so many people there supporting, encouraging and loving them in such a difficult time.

And when I asked Conrad’s friends to write in with their stories about him, I was amazed at the consistent threads of kindness, generosity, humor and perseverance woven into their words. As the days and weeks rolled by, we all celebrated the small victories—from Conrad opening his eyes for the first time to waking up fully to wiggling his toes to remembering sign language—all the way up to the day he got to go home again, nearly nine weeks after the accident.

Saturday’s benefit concert at Bates Nut Farm was so much more than just a group of well-wishers paying lip service to a kid they’d never met. No, our community joined with those in Conrad’s hometown of Fallbrook, as well as communities from all across the county, the country and the world—Conrad has been receiving little messages of encouragement in the Facebook group “Get Well Soon, Conrad Murphy,” some of which have come from places such as Australia and the United Kingdom—to do what we all know our community would do for us in a situation like this.

We got together and made a difference.

Signs for the Conrad Murphy Benefit Concert started popping up around town—and around the interwebs—before the official lineup of entertainers had been finalized. Hardly a conversation could be ended without a half-question, half-admonition—“See you at Conrad’s concert?” And when the day arrived, there was a general sense of excitement in the air—different than what you feel at the annual Western Days celebrations or a home football game for the Jaguars, which are always fun—as though we all knew that we were a part of what was happening, not just spectators sitting on the sidelines. We all helped Conrad write this chapter of his story, and we couldn’t wait to celebrate with him because we’ve been celebrating with him all along the way.

I have to say, our community knows how to celebrate. The music was fantastic, with a little bit of something for everybody—from the show tunes of A Little Bit Of Broadway to the pop/country mix of Morgan Leigh to the praise music of the Ridgeview Church Worship Band to the toe-tapping country of Heidi & The Hurricane. I arrived right at 4 p.m., and it wasn’t long before the wonderful aroma of the barbecue started plucking at the strings of my appetite. It was a tough choice between tri-tip, chicken or hot dogs, but I noticed that a lot of folks simply opted for one of each, which is never a bad choice with cooking like this.

The silent auction items were numerous and incredible, with an entire row of tables dedicated to autographed memorabilia from Major League Baseball, including a baseball signed by the entire 2011 National League All-Star team, a Barry Bonds autographed bat, an Adrian Gonzalez autographed jersey and a host of items from the Padres and Rangers.

And that was just the beginning. There were items that ranged from quilts and beautifully-crafted wooden bowls all the way up to a stove and two washing machines and a week’s free lodging in Costa Rica. There were even lots of activities for the kids, from an inflatable bouncy castle to pony rides to a cake walk to a football toss game.

Halfway through the event, one of the helicopter crews from Mercy Air landed in the field and invited the crowd to see the craft that carried Conrad to the hospital after the crash. But even with a helicopter landing nearby, it was still easy to see that Conrad was the real star of the show. Being back at home has had a very evident positive effect on him—even since his graduation ceremony in the hospital a month ago, his speech is vastly improved, his general demeanor seems much more at ease, and he is able to walk around with the help of a cane, something that seemed unimaginable just a few months ago. There was a pretty steady stream of people who found Conrad in his seat in the shade and stopped by to say hello, to wish him well, and to give him a few words of encouragement.

One particularly poignant moment came when the firefighters who were first on the scene at Conrad’s accident came to say hi. There wasn’t much to say between them, but they both expressed how amazing it was to see Conrad doing so well after coming so far from where they found him that day.

And after all the handshakes, hugs, silent auction bids and swinging tunes, the exhausted but happy concert organizers took one last moment to look around and appreciate what the night meant. When all the numbers were added up, the benefit concert raised more than $30,000 for Conrad and his family as he continues to work through physical therapy and the many challenges of full recovery yet to be faced. But more than the numbers, the Conrad Murphy Benefit Concert was another reminder that this young man’s story is far from being written.

And we are privileged to have been a small part of it.

2011 Roadrunner Athlete of the Year: Kevin Murphy

To see more photos of Kevin Murphy, click here to visit the gallery on Facebook.

By: Dan Kidder

They say that a jack of all trades is the master of none.
But Kevin Murphy is the rare kind of athlete who defies simple sayings.
Murphy, like the Jim Thorpes and Bo Jacksons before him, was never content with the challenge of just one athletic endeavor.
He grew up playing Little League baseball, Boys & Girls Club basketball, Pop Warner football and youth soccer. He tried his hand at motocross for a while (“Just for fun,” he says).
His older sister, Erin, ran cross country in high school and earned a scholarship to UNLV. Since the middle school didn’t offer very many sports at the time, Murphy decided to follow in his sister’s footsteps and joined the cross-country team. He continued playing flag football and basketball while waiting for his chance to show his stuff at the next level—high school.
His freshman season, Murphy played football, basketball and golf, a sport he picked up on a whim and ended up playing at the varsity levels all four years of high school.
“We became members of the country club,” he says. “And I totally fell in love with golf.”
In his sophomore season, he once again played football and golf, but switched to wrestling in the winter season.
“I loved playing basketball,” he says. “I grew up playing with Beau [Reilly], Stehly [Reden] and AJ [Broomell] on a lot of travel teams. But I wanted to try something a little different. One of my favorite sports to watch is MMA [Mixed Martial Arts], and I’ve always wanted to try to get into that. But in wrestling, you work so hard, especially with the guys around you, it’s like a brotherhood of wrestlers.”
Murphy’s sports schedule remained unchanged for his junior year, but things really picked up for him this year.
In his senior year, he played football and water polo in the fall season, wrestling in the winter season and both swimming and golf in the spring.
“My buddy Ian Macfarlane said I should come swim with him because it’s a great workout,” Murphy says. “It totally changes your body. I used to lift weights to bulk up for football, but swimming really leaned me out while keeping me really strong.”
Not only does Murphy play so many different sports, he plays such unique positions that usually require specific skills beyond the pick-it-up-as-I-go-along mentality.
Growing up, he played middle infield and pitcher on the baseball diamond, as well as point guard in basketball.
Although he grew up playing different positions in football, by the time he got to the varsity level, Murphy was so good as a long snapper that he was able to work out his own practice schedule that allowed him to play both water polo and football this season. He worked out with the special teams unit on Thursdays and found time with kicker David Last to keep his game at the highest level.
On the water polo team, Murphy quickly carved out a spot at two-meter defense, despite his relative inexperience.
“I’ve played so many sports, and water polo is a combination of so many sports, it just came to me,” Murphy says. “I played against the other team’s best offender. I like playing defense, and if the team needs something, I’m willing to do whatever.”
He wrestled somewhere in the 140-pound range, posted a golf index of four (which basically calculates how many strokes above par a player is, on average), and swam the 100 freestyle, the 200 freestyle and the 100 backstroke for the swim team this year.
“I love the camaraderie with my teammates,” Murphy says. “I love winning, and for me, there’s nothing like trying to be the best you can. I was never the quarterback, never scored the most goals, never was the biggest guy on the field, but I always want to work hard and try as many different things as I can.”
To try so many different sports takes a unique approach, and Murphy says that each sport he has played carries its own mentality.
“It’s different for each person,” he says. “For example, a football player isn’t as methodical as a golfer. Before he gets to the first tee, a golfer knows where he wants to put the ball and he has a plan for that hole. A football player walks on the field and he has all his coaches worrying about the bigger picture. He just has to go out and make a play.
“In wrestling, it’s just you against one other guy,” he adds. “You don’t really need the whole team to do your job—it’s a team sport, but so much is placed on the individual. It’s all about self-motivation. In water polo, it’s a lot of work and a lot of swimming, but that sense of brotherhood is big. You work so hard with these other guys that you really appreciate each other. And in swimming, it’s a pretty small group but it’s really tight-knit. It takes a lot of work to do swimming, but it pays off when you start to see your times drop. The coaches were great—they know they work us hard, but we know it’s for our benefit.”
Murphy didn’t earn any scholarships for his play on the field, and even though he will always enjoy playing sports for fun, he doesn’t have any plans to pursue college athletics.
“My sister’s boyfriend is a division one football player—he’s six-two, runs a four-six forty and he plays free safety,” Murphy says. “I love playing sports, but I know I can’t reach that kind of level. To play college sports, you have to be so naturally gifted. I look at Stehly [Reden] and that’s the kind of natural athlete you have to be. But even if I’m not playing, I still love working my body to the point where it feels like it’s breaking down and exceeding my goals. We’ll see where life takes me, and what God’s plan is for me.”
Murphy’s father, Sean, was a Navy pilot, his grandfather was a Blue Angel, and his uncle is an F-4 pilot, and Murphy says that he would love to join the ranks of his fellow naval aviators. But he also says his faith plays a central role in his life, and that he’s willing to pursue other directions as well. As a core team member at St. Stephen’s church, Murphy says he wants to honor God’s plan for his life.
“I definitely have an interest in the military, but I want to go where God leads,” he says. “You don’t know where God’s going to take you, but if you love Him and serve Him, wherever He takes you will be wherever you’re supposed to be. For me, if that’s the Navy, then that’s great. But I’m open to whatever.”
Wherever he goes next, Murphy says that he will never forget the years he spent playing sports with his friends here in Valley Center.
“There are so many great memories,” he says. “Like rushing back from a water polo game at Poway to make it to our home football game—I walked in with no shirt on, my pads in my hands and my eyes still watering from the pool, but I made it in time. And I’ll always remember winning league with the golf team this year—we came through a lot. All the practices, working hard and messing around with the guys, those are the things I’ll remember.”
Kevin Patrick Murphy grew up in Valley Center with his family—his father, Sean, a retired Navy pilot who works for Computer Protection Technology; his mother, Colleen, an aide for the Valley Center/Pauma Unified School District; and his siblings, Erin, John and Bridget.
Befitting his Irish heritage—his grandmother is from Ireland—Murphy is a fan of the Boston Red Sox, the Boston Celtics, and Notre Dame football. He and his father are planning a trip to Dublin, Ireland, to see Notre Dame play against Navy next year. He also likes Duke basketball and has been following the emerging career of PGA golfer Rory McElroy, lamenting that “I was a Tiger Woods fan, but…you can’t really do that anymore.”
When he’s not playing sports, Murphy says he’s working, working out, participating in church activities or sleeping.
After his high school athletics experience, Murphy has some encouragement for young athletes.
“To all the little guys out there, don’t ever stop working hard,” he says. “You may not be a stud, but you mean just as much. A team is a well-oiled machine, and it needs every part to work. So never give up, and don’t be afraid to go out and try a new sport. You never know if you’ll like it, so even if it’s hard, keep pushing through.”

Conrad Murphy goes home Friday

Conrad Murhpy, the seriously injured Valley Center high school athlete who has been hospitalized since his April head-on collision, is scheduled to be sent home tomorrow (7/8/ 2011) where he will begin a lifetime of rehabilitative therapies.

This follows a three month stay at Palomar Medical Center that began when he was hit by a car on his way to baseball practice early in the morning of April 23. Murphy remained in a coma for several days thereafter and then in critical condition for weeks as he clung to April.

His diploma was presented to him in his hospital room by school Supt. Lou Obermeyer and VCHS principal, Ron McCowan. Murphy's return home marks a triumph for both he and his family and the communities of Valley Center and Fallbrook-one where he attended school and one where he lives.

A benefit concert to raise money for Conrad Murphy's future is being held at Bates Nut Farm on Saturday July 16, 4-9 p.m.

Conrad Murphy's graduation

Valley Center High School celebrated its graduating seniors on Tuesday night, June 14, and one senior couldn't be there in person.
But he sure was there in spirit.
Conrad Murphy survived a horrific car crash on April 23 while driving to baseball practice. His life-threatening injuries included a broken pelvis, two fractured vertebrae and massive head trauma. But just short of eight weeks later, Conrad is awake, speaking, and working through rehabilitation every day.
Because he's still in the hospital, Conrad couldn't make it to his high school graduation ceremony. His older brother, Clark, received his diploma on his behalf to a standing ovation from the Valley Center crowd.
And the following day, VCHS administrators and faculty brought graduation to Conrad with a small diploma presentation ceremony at the hospital.
Here are some videos from the ceremony:
(To see more photos from this ceremony on the Valley Roadrunner's Facebook page, click here.)

Clark Murphy accepts Conrad's diploma at VCHS graduation:


Conrad answers some news reporters' questions before his diploma presentation:


Conrad shows off his diploma:


Conrad plays a little tune on the piano:


Conrad gets wheeled down the hall to say hi to the VCHS administrators and teachers:


Conrad receives his diploma from VCHS Principal Ron McCowan and VCPUSD Superintendent Dr. Lou Obermeyer:


Conrad was given a baseball bat signed by the class of 2011:


Conrad spends a few minutes talking with the teachers and students who came to visit him:


VCPUSD Superintendent Dr. Lou Obermeyer gets interviewed by the San Diego TV stations:


Clark Murphy gets interviewed by the TV reporters:

photos and videos by Dan Kidder

Friends of Conrad Murphy share their thoughts

Valley Center High School senior baseball player Conrad Murphy remains in critical condition after a head-on collision on Hwy 76 on Saturday morning (click here for the full story).

To contribute your own story about Conrad, as well as any comments, encouragements or anything, click here to visit the Get Well Soon, Conrad Murphy page on Facebook.

Here are some stories shared by some of Conrad's friends at VCHS:

David Last
My favorite memory of conroid (some of us in 2nd period Mr.Chews last year called him conROID because we all knew he could jack the baseball so we just liked messing around with him and mixing the word steroid in with his name) was in 2nd period Chew when he would always finish Mr. Chews sentences because he already knew mostly everything about history.
Conrad is a great guy and i cant wait for you to teach me some sign language so i can sign back to you know who haha

Eric Brothers
Conrad correcting Mr. Chew in US history last year and signing spider always made me laugh. He knows how baseball needs to be played and how a team needs to act together. If I could talk to Conrad I would tell him we know he is a fighter and that he is going to pull through this.

Taylor Oshinski
Last year in Mr. Chew's class Spider attempted to play Conrad in chess and in (no exaggeration) two minutes she had given up. Conrad is very intelligent and stumps the teachers more than anyone I know. Conrad is never in a bad mood and always has something comical to say. He is eager to help in class and will not hesitate to correct the teachers if they have dates in history wrong. My favorite story about Conrad is when the life skills class put bird feeders up, Conrad saw the opportunity to get a quick snack and took a bite out of the pine comb filled with seeds. Conrad we miss you buddy. Can't wait for you to get back to strength and we have your seat on the bench cleared off waiting for u.

Martin Cunningham
Conrad is definately that guy you dont find every day. He is definately a down to earth kind of guy and will eat anything healthy and edible haa.The first year here got here me and him were just buds and had the most respect for eachother. He had to play jv baseball as a junior even tho he was way good enough to play varsity, but since he transfer thats what happened. The funniest thing that would always make me laugh a tad bit was when he would make fun of drama or put him in the most awkward situations. Conrad is really good at keeping a straight face and you can never tell when he was serious. The other thing that we always do when we see eachother is just compliment eachother until one of us stops, and it all started when he came up to me one day and said with the straightest face, " Martin how come your so cool?" and i laughed a little bit and said " na conrad you got it all wrong man your the cool one" haa just stuff like that. We always ask eachother for advice but the most times it is for odd reasons like the day he shaved his chest hair into an arrow and the words that said hi, i was the first person he said he would listen to when he asked me and i told him go for it. The next day he shows up to school with his chest/stomach hairs in the shape of an arrow and the word hi hahaa Conrad is my boy and i hope he never forgets that... The rest of this season I am playing for him and i will pray for him every night until he is back and healthy. I have been praying every night since saturday and dont plan on stopping and i ask all my other brothers out there to pray every night too and dont forget because he needs it... I know Conrad will pull through this because some people know how to battle but we know how to war!!! haa inside joke with my boy kidder... get well conrad

Ryan Gerlach
my favorite story with conrad by far was when us baseball guys put a dead rat in his cleat and he didnt notice so he came out of the clubhouse with half his foot out of the shoe. He said "i think my right foots bigger than my left because my shoe doesnt fit anymore." Qualites that make conrad a great friend and teammate is the fact that he is super smart and is really down to earth. If i could talk to conrad right now itd be that there r too many people out there praying for anything else to happy to him and conrad is my main man and i got his back on everything. Get well conrad im praying night and day

Garrett Fiehler
ya i know conrad from working out with him and he is one of the most hard working guys in the weight room and hes always down to do anything you need. hes a great guy and iknow he can get though this and i will be praying for him as long as it takes. we all will

Tom Aguilar
My favorite story from Conrad would have to be, him always bagging on kyle or the time he shaved "HI" and an arrow on his stomach. The random things he would say to all make us laugh was hysterical. it seemed like he always had a HUGE smile on his face and just all around a happy kid.
what makes Conrad a good friend is that no matter what he always has your back. if someone was picking on me he would always be the first one to step in and ask me if i wanted him to beat them up hahaah . . . . and what makes him a good Team mate, he would always cheer me up when i was down. that's what i good team mate does... and of course he always wanted to win!
if i could tell Conrad something, i would tell him to always stay strong and fight thru this struggle. i would also say , God has a plan for you so trust in him.....

John Jensen
My favorite Thing about Conrad is that he always has something funny to say. For example: when I accidentally broke his cheek while hitting him grounders, the only thing he had to say was, "Does it look cool?". Conrad is a very positive person, and he always has a smile on his face. When Conrad wakes up, I know he's going to have that same smile and funny personality. I know Conrad can do this, and I can't wait until he's back to health. Get Well Conrad.....

Cole Howard
conrad is the warmest and nicest person i have ever met.. he is like a big teddy bear.. he knew what to say to make me laugh after a bad at bat or things to say to help my swing.. any question i ever came to him with he always had an answer to.. ever since i have been one the team with conrad i have thrown with him. every practice and every game for almost a year. he has made such a huge impact on so many people and it shows through this tragedy. his smile was contageous just like his laugh. one of the last things he said to me before the accident was when i told austin that he was my brother and conrad turned to me and said if hes ur brother who am i? andi replied that he was my cave bear. i look up to conrad as a person and as an athelete. the first day i met him. i asked him how high up i was on his friendship scale.. he told me i was the number i.. which is the square root of negative one. hahahhah since then i have made it up to a 99.7 was my last check point. there is so many things id like to say to conrad if i could.. but one thing especially is id like to hug him, and thank him for being such a great person on and off the baseball field.. i miss him so much and baseball doesnt feel the same. i pray every time i have a new thing to say and i know my cave bear will pull thru this tragic accident. miss you conrad come back to us soon

Zach Dewey
Conrad is the mos unique person I know. He has many hidden talents, such as an incredible piano player and he is brilliant at chess. He is very humble and suprises us all sometimes at things we didnt know he could do. At the end of the year party last year Conrad off the top of his head made up a song for me called Silly Dewey. For making it up in a couple of minutes it was really good and i hope i get to hear it again someday. I know my cave bear will get through this he strong and has a lot of will. Get well Conrad you are in our prayers.

Ricky Eldridge
Conrad is a very funny, talented, and loyal person. Conrad and I were always able to talk candidly about baseball from hitting techniques to different teams we played on. I talked to Conrad everyday and if always tell him that he's "looking like a stud" and he'd say "thanks but I think you are." me him and Brett would have long conversations about everything from physics to the apartheid to how to pronounce words. Conrad was always funny and always wanted to play baseball. Conrad was a great friend and I hope he gets well soon

Morgan Boberg
Hey Dan! I got your message about Conrad and I wanted to write you some stuff about him.
Conrad always has a smile on his face. If you didn't know Conrad, you would be able to find him on the bench eating his lunch people watching! He's quiet and funny like that! He's such a sweet guy with the best smart ass (smart aleck) comments. He always put a smile on your face on the worst of days with his comments.
I want his family to know that Conrad is missed at school. It just wasn't the same today not seeing him in his usual spot and talking as we pass each other in between classes. All we can do is pray and be optimistic! We all need him back at school and to graduate with us. We miss you Conrad.

Nikki Paredes
Conrad, always had a smile or a smirk on his face, as if he had something clever to say back to any comment or whatever. He has a MASSIVE appetite- about 5 peanut butter and honey sandwiches on rye, and a few 7 handfuls of pecans and apricots(or brazilian fruit by his standard) make up his lunch! It was also really quite comical when we had about a half an hour Lon convo about where the Vikings came about( Conrad is a history genius). Another memorable moment is when he confessed that he was scared to go night fishing because he was afraid he was gonna fall in (he claimed he'd fallen in previous times). Anyone who missed out on a convo with this clever fellow surely does not know what's in store. You have a lot of support and many people who are rooting for you to recover as quickly as YOU can. Stay Strong!

VCHS spring sports photos

Be sure to check out our Facebook page for new galleries of photos from VCHS spring sports. We've got plenty of baseball and softball photos up now, and will have lacrosse, volleyball and golf coming shortly.

Click here to see the photo galleries.

And be sure to send us your sports photos, either by e-mail to sports@valleycenter.com or by uploading them on our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/valleycenter/

Pitch, Hit & Run competition comes to VC Little League

Valley Center Little League will lead off the local level of the Aquafina Major League Baseball Pitch, Hit & Run Competition on Friday April 8, 2011.
Pitch, Hit & Run is the official skills competition of Major League Baseball. It is designed to provide young people with an opportunity to compete, free of charge, in a competition that recognizes individual excellence in core baseball and softball skills.
The Valley Center competition will take place at Valley Center Little League Majors Field on Friday, April 8 beginning at 5:30 p.m.
Competitors will be divided into four age groups: 7-8 years, 9-10, 11-12 and 13-14. Both boys and girls are encouraged to participate and will compete separately in baseball and softball, respectively.
Participants will have the chance to advance through four levels of competition, including Team Championships at Major League ballparks and the national finals at the 2011 MLB All-Star Game.
The participants in each age group with the highest score in the following categories will receive awards and will advance to the sectional competition: all-around champion, pitching champion, hitting champion and running champion. Sectional competitions will be held in the San Diego area at a later date.
“The Pitch, Hit and Run Competition gives kids a chance to shine all the way up to the national level as part of this Major League Baseball event,” said Bill Layne, president, VCLL board. “Valley Center sent several kids to Petco Park who came away winners last year, so we would love to see our local stars come out and give their best shot at this great, free competition.”
All participants must bring a copy of their birth certificate and fill out a registration and waiver form before the start of competition. For more information, contact Pitch, Hit, and Run Coordinator, Anita Baranowski at 619-987-0709.

Jaguars come close, but can't find elusive first win

Austin Bernard makes the tag on a Mustang runner at second base.


Valley Center’s varsity baseball team continues to search for its first win of the season, as the Jaguars came up just short in another close game, falling 3–2 to Otay Ranch on Thursday.
The Jags played outstanding defense and got stellar pitching performances out of starter Conrad Murphy and reliever Dan Henderson in the tight game, but couldn’t overcome mental errors on the base paths late in the game.
Otay Ranch scored all three of its runs in the top of the third inning, when a leadoff walk was followed by a base hit, another walk and another base hit off of Murphy, who left the game in the middle of the inning and received attention from the trainer on his right arm.
Henderson came on in relief and retired the next two hitters, then went on to strand eight runners in the final three innings of the game, thanks in part to great location on his pitches and excellent defense behind him.
On offense, the Jaguars took a few innings to figure out the hard-throwing Mustang pitcher and couldn’t string together any scoring chances until the third inning. In the third, Zach Dewey got on first after an error by the third baseman, but even with a total of four base runners in the inning, a pair of fielder’s choice outs prevented any runs from crossing the plate.
The Jaguars stranded two more runners in the fourth before scoring their first run in the fifth, when Austin Bernard doubled with one out and came in to score on a two-out RBI double by Steven Coe. The second run came across in the sixth, when Valley Center loaded the bases with two outs and got a run in on an RBI single by Bernard. The inning could have turned out to be even bigger, but on the run-scoring hit, John Watkins was caught between second and third base and tagged out to end the inning.
The Jags got one runner on base in the bottom of the seventh, when Ryan Bracken was hit by a pitch for the second time in the game, but they couldn’t bring him home.
“It’s a tough one, but it’s good to see these guys battle, and to see that they’ve got a pulse,” manager Cliff Bernard said after the game. “They believe that they can win every game, and that’s a good team, ranked number seven in the county, and we can play with them. But it was good to see that, even though we got down, we came back. We’ve got guys who want to compete, who don’t go out easy, who respect the game and end up with a dirty uniform. As a coach, those are the guys you want on your team.”
Bernard led the Jaguars with a double, a single, an RBI and a run scored, while Coe had a double and a single with an RBI, Watkins, Ricky Eldridge and Tommy Aguilar each had a hit, and Eric Brothers scored a run.
Murphy was saddled with the loss after giving up three earned runs on three hits, with four walks and two strikeouts, in two and a third innings pitched. Henderson finished the final four and two thirds with out allowing a run, while giving up four hits and three walks.
The loss drops Valley Center to 0–5 on the season so far, with the next game coming on Saturday at Mira Mesa at 11 a.m.

VC Little League celebrates opening day with American traditions

Click here to check out a gallery of photos from VCLL Opening Night 2011!

BY: DAN KIDDER

Nothing stirs the blood of a young athlete quite like an umpire calling, “Play ball!”
For more than 400 Valley Center ballplayers, Friday night marked the beginning of what is sure to be an exciting baseball season, as the Valley Center Little League (VCLL) celebrated Opening Night 2011.
And it should come as no surprise that the community helped the young players celebrate the night with an impressive turnout.
“We have more than four hundred kids playing this year, so with parents, other family members and friends, I’d say that there are easily over a thousand people here tonight,” VCLL president Bill Layne said with more than a hint of pride.
The enthusiastic crowd got to start the night off with a mouth-watering selection of culinary delights, courtesy of Gina Puentes and her Delish crew. Along with ballpark standards such as hot dogs and popcorn, the menu also offered a barbecue beef sandwich, complete with potato salad, baked beans and a soda to take care of any dietary distractions before the game got underway.
The rock band Not For Hire provided live music, including favorites such as “All Star” by Smash Mouth and a rocking version of “Take Me Out To The Ballgame.” Players for the Rattlers in the Caps Division recognized their coach, Chaz Rhinehart, on guitar and lead vocals.
Many of the parents no doubt felt a little bit like kids again when they saw some of the classic cars on hand, courtesy of some of Valley Center’s many collectors. The classic Chevrolets included a pair of yellow Stingray Corvettes, a souped-up Camaro, some old hot rods and even a tricked-out motorcycle.
The kids even got to play in an inflatable jump house before the opening ceremonies got started.
With a field full of players in uniform, the night began with a traditional blessing by seven “bird singers” from the Rincon tribe in Pauma Valley.
To honor our country, Jodi Villarreal sang the national anthem, then Pastor Bill Trok of Ridgeview Church said a prayer for the season. After some thanks to the volunteers and sponsors, team manager Terry Ryan threw out the first pitch to open the season. Layne told a brief story about receiving a box full of VCLL plaques from Wallace Hardware when it closed. One plaque, from 1994, showed Ryan as the coach of his son’s team. In recognition of his years of dedication to the league, Ryan was honored with the first pitch of the 2011 season.
The players and their families had some more time to enjoy the festivities of the night before the first game of the new season began.
That game, from the Minor A Division, featured the Jaxx and the Hot Rods to kick off the year.
Both teams played well in the first game, showing good positioning and solid fundamentals. The fans got into the game as well, cheering on their team with each good play. Of course, there were a few moments that highlight the joys of youth sports, including a brief timeout for a player to run to the bathroom, and the occasional good-natured reminder from a coach to an outfielder to “stop spinning around and pay attention to the game!” But the fans were also treated to a game of real baseball, with traditional rules and strategy, that showcased the league’s commitment to teaching kids the fundamentals of the game in a safe, positive environment.
The Jaxx scored a pair of runs early in the game, but the Hot Rods came back with a run in the bottom of the third to pull back within one.
The Jaxx pulled ahead with two more runs in the fourth, then added one in the fifth and one more in the sixth to build a big lead. But the Hot Rods made a big play on defense in the top of the sixth, throwing out a runner at home on an attempted double steal, then added a run a beautifully-hit double to right field before the game was over. The Jaxx picked up a 6–2 win in a great game to start of the year.
Layne and the board of directors also took a moment to thank the many volunteers who help make Little League baseball run smoothly every single year. That list included vice president Lance Klem, player agent Roy Stevenson, secretary Christina Marenholz, chief umpire John Tompkins, treasurer Dean Gittleson, information officer and assistant treasurer Tony Katzdorn, safety officer Chad Gustine, snack bar coordinator Gina Puentes, sponsorship and fund-raising coordinator Nancy Layne, team/parent coordinator Jenny Mihoky, assistant chief umpire Mike Marenholz, assistant fund-raising coordinator Angie Saunders, Majors/Minors coaches coordinator Ken Boone, Tee Ball/Caps coordinator Brian Podratz, head scorekeeper Jenny Hakes, sign board coordinator Ron Burke, equipment manager Rob Lieschman, event coordinator Joe Edwards, background check coordinator Newell Cumming, Juniors coordinator Rick Blucher, Web site director Amy Podratz, Little League Baseball district administrator Larry Burch, Valley Center Parks & Recreation general manager Doug Johnsen and Valley Center Parks & Recreation president Tom Litchfield.
VCLL also took time to say a special thanks to the sponsors who helped make the 2011 season possible, including the I-15 Sustainable Community by the Accretive Group, the San Pasqual Band of Mission Indians, Pauma Valley Insurance and the Lake Elsinore Storm, as well as snack bar sponsor A-1 Irrigation, Bates Nut Farm, California Bank & Trust, Community Pharmacy of VC, Economy Restaurant Supply, Farmers Daughter, Fat Ivors, Ghosh Consulting, Henry Avocado, Hidden Valley Pump, Jeremy Klem - Farmers Insurance, Jersey Mikes Subs, Left Coast Engineering, the Leishman Family, Medina Eades DDS, North County Spring, Pacific Tax and Financial, Papa Bears/ Sorrentinos, Pinamonti Rentals, ProSource Group, Rincon Band of Luiseño Indians, SportAbout, Sports Closet, St. Stephen Catholic Church, Tri City Carpet, Valley Center Barbershop, Valley Center Dental, Valley Center Propane and Western CNC, Inc.

Valley Center High School 2011 spring sports tryout schedule

Valley Center High School – Jaguar Athletics
Spring Tryout Schedules 2011

You must turn in a sports clearance form to the office before participating in tryouts. Also note that tryouts fall on our Presidents Break week off. Clearance packets must be turned in by Friday, February 18th. The next date that packets can be turned in is Monday, February 28th. Please plan ahead.


Baseball
Tuesday through Friday 2/22 to 2/25
2:30–5 p.m. on the varsity baseball fields

Boys Golf
Starting Monday 2/21
3–5:30 p.m. at Pauma Valley Country Club

Boys Lacrosse
Tuesday through Thursday 2/22 to 2/24
3:30–5:30 p.m. at the Primary School

Girls Lacrosse
Monday through Friday 2/21 to 2/25
3–5:30 p.m. at the Elementary School

Softball
Friday 2/25 from 2–5 p.m.
Saturday 2/26 from 9 a.m.–noon

Swimming
Monday through Friday 2/21 to 2/25
3–5:30 p.m. at Adams Park

Boys Tennis
Wednesday to Friday 2/23 to 2/25
3:15–5:15 at Adams Park

Track & Field
Monday/Wednesday/Friday 2/21, 2/23, 2/25
8–10:30 a.m. at the track

Boys Volleyball
Saturday 2/19, Friday 2/25 and Saturday 2/26
8–10 a.m. in the gym

Note: Once practice begins, practices will be daily.
Each coach will distribute additional time schedules for the remainder of the season.

VC Little League seeks information about the history of the league

Valley Center Little League (VCLL) is approaching opening night in March, and to help celebrate a new season, the league would like to commemorate some of the history of VCLL through the years.
VCLL president Bill Layne is looking to collect stories, photos, documents and any other memorabilia to be put together as the introduction to the 2011 VCLL yearbook.
“We've not done a yearbook in the eight years I've been associated with the league,” Layne says. “But as a kid, that was one of the highlights of playing little league for me and I really enjoyed revisiting those books as I got older. I'm sure most parents will love to have a collection of their children’s little league years to look back on when the kids are beyond little league age.”
The information the league is looking for is about how VCLL came to be, the evolution from playing at Matics field behind the post office and the development of the current facility behind the community center.
Anyone with information can contact Layne by e-mail at teamlayne@vcweb.org or by phone at 760-638-0659.

VC Little League looking for classic cars

To help celebrate opening day this March, Valley Center Little League (VCLL) would like to invite anyone in the community with any restored classic Chevrolet cars or trucks to be a part of the start of the new season.
The car show is part of this year’s opening day theme, “Baseball, Hot Dogs, Apple Pie & Chevrolet.” Opening night is March 4, and anyone who is willing to bring their restored Chevy to the field is asked to be at the field at 4:30 p.m. that evening. The fields will open to the public at 5 p.m. for food and car viewing, then team introductions will take place at 6 p.m. and the first game starts at 7:30 p.m.
Anyone who is interested should contact VCLL president Bill Layne by e-mail at teamlayne@vcweb.org or by phone at 760-638-0659.

VC Little League introduces new president

Valley Center Little League (VCLL) is proud to announce Bill Layne as its new president.
Bill Layne was voted in as president this past summer. Shortly after filling the position, Layne and the members of the board for 2011 got right down to business and started planning for the upcoming baseball season. Layne served as president of the league from 2005-2006 and brings with him a wealth of experience. Last season, he served on the board as an adviser and helped keep the league running smoothly.
Please visit www.valleycenterll.com (please note new website address) for more information about player registration. The league will be using this site as well as its Facebook page to update the community of upcoming league events.
To make the registration process as smooth as possible, please bring the following items when you come to register: Checkbook to pay the registration fee, player’s original birth certificate, and a document to show proof of residency in Valley Center.
The league would also like to invite business owners to contact Nancy Layne at nlayne@juno.com, about advertising opportunities that they have to get your name in front of residents of our community. Sponsorship with the league is one of the most cost effective ways to get your name out in the public and your donation can potentially be a tax deduction.
Bill Layne and the 2011 board of directors are looking forward to a wonderful season of baseball! They encourage anyone who is interested in our program to come to one of our registration events to learn more about the league and the remarkable experience they provide for the families that make up the program.

VC Grad Taylor Benjamin Dead

Sad news this weekend -- 2009 Valley Center graduate Taylor Benjamin died at a party on Friday night.

Taylor played varsity baseball the past two seasons, and just graduated in June. There's still no official word on why he died, but the VC grapevine is saying that it could have been alcohol poisoning, or possibly a seizure. Apparently, another person at the party tried to administer CPR before the paramedics arrived, but later said that they thought it was already too late.

I didn't know him personally, but in the few interactions I had with him through baseball, he seemed like a really nice young man, and he always played hard on the field, no matter what the situation. I can't imagine how difficult this is for his family and friends. I hope they're able to find some comfort and understanding in the midst of such a terrible tragedy.

Clean Your Plate

I just had some random things to write tonight, so...here we go.

1. Settlers Of Catan (seen above) is easily my favorite board game ever. It's a great strategy game and each game takes long enough to get you involved, but it doesn't take three days. But my favorite aspect is that it's very much confrontational, hopefully in a good-spirited way. It's kind of like a cross between Risk and Monopoly, with the added mental/psychological twist of being able to trade resources and generally getting inside the heads of your opponents by jamming them in their attempts to build. If you're playing this game and you don't have people glaring at you by the time you get to five or six points, then you're probably not playing it right.

2. I don't remember where I saw this last -- actually, yes I do, but I don't want to admit that it was in a Hardy Boys book I was reading last night, and therefore feel the need to explain why I read books intended for 7-14 year olds -- but I find it interesting how food can often be used as a gift.

In the book, the Hardy brothers run the risk of seriously offending their mother by leaving to investigate a potential lead just when she had finished preparing dinner. She is quickly mollified when the boys come to their senses and stay for dinner before rushing off to tackle the next angle of their current mystery. I've seen this firsthand in not only our own culture, but especially in other cultures. My time living in Mexico included many a dinner offered to us on staff as a way of showing how much we were welcomed and appreciated there.

I always felt a little bad because I really don't like food as much as most people do. I mean, good food is good food, and when I'm hungry, pretty much anything is good food. But, contrary to the old proverb about the way to a man's heart, feeding me isn't necesarily the primary way to achieve my overall happiness.

And again, I feel bad about this because food is such a common gift, as it should be. It's a great way to spend time with other people, celebrate a momentous occasion, or to get people together who may not ordinarily have a reason to get together. Plus, food is typically cheaper than an actual gift, and it can be easily prepared in large quantities so as to involve as many people as possible.

But when food isn't in the top three things that make you happy, it's hard to get excited about another dinner invitation. I suppose this is part of the reason why places like bars and coffee shops exist; they allow for the consumption of something to go along with our interpersonal interactions. And both places offer some kind of mind-altering beverages, which, as I've heard so eloquently said about alcohol, can act as a "social lubricant" that help us shed some of our pesky inhibitions.

And I guess that's what it's all about: doing something that helps us take the focus off of the fact that we're all pretty bad at interacting with other human beings. If we all just gathered in a room and tried to have a party, things would be boring and awkward pretty fast. Throw in a bowl of chips and some salsa, and suddenly you're a karaoke machine away from a swinging shindig.

3. Speaking of board games, Milton Bradley (the baseball player, not the board game company -- had you going there for a second!) added another episode to his semi-annual segment on Sportscenter that profiles his meltdowns on the field. Apparently all he did this time was get ejected for vehemently arguing balls and strikes. But I especially appreciated that the folks at ESPN seemed to already have the edited video clips of his previous outburst ready to go at a moment's notice. It reminds me of the old SNL sketch featuring Dana Carvey as Tom Brokaw reading a series of news openers dealing with the death of Gerald Ford (as seen below).

Find more videos like this on www.truveo.com.

I bet the Sportscenter anchors have a few stories they do this with:

"Brett Favre came out of retirement today and signed on to play midfielder for Eintracht Braunschweig in the German Futball Bundesliga."

"Tiger Woods won the Buick Invitational today by sinking a putt from the parking lot with a snow shovel on the 18th hole."

"San Diego Padres second baseman David Eckstein shocked fans today by openly admitting that he has used performance-enhancing drugs. Eckstein admitted that, although he never used steroids, he has been known to snort pixy stix in the dugout between innings to meet keep his blood sugar levels on par with those of a hummingbird."

"LeBron James has been traded to the New York Knicks for Nate Robinson, the Statue of Liberty, the female half of the cast of Friends and a sympathy card signed by every New Yorker apologizing for destroying the one and final hope that the city of Cleveland has for winning a major sports championship."

...and so on.

4. If you didn't watch the U.S. men's soccer team beat Spain in the semifinals of the FIFA Confederations Cup this week, you should definitely tune in on Sunday to see the final against Brazil. The Americans played really well against the top-ranked team in the world, scoring twice and shutting out the vastly superior talent on the Spanish side. The U.S. has a tough task against Brazil, which beat South Africa 1-0 in the other semifinal to make it to the title game, but if the Americans can hold down the back line like they did against the surging Spaniards, then they have a shot. Even if you don't like soccer, it's huge because this is the first time the U.S. has advanced to the final of a FIFA international competition...and if everybody else in the world thinks soccer is important, we should at least support our boys in their efforts to make us better than everyone else at one more thing.

That's it for now...I'll be back soon with more movie thoughts and we're going to have Steph's review of the David Cook show at the fair last week...stay tuned...

Why Don't Americans Love Soccer?

When Fernando Torres out-hustled German defender Philip Lahm and flicked the ball over goal keeper Jens Lehmann, it would have been easy to mistake my Valley Center apartment for a villa in the heart of Spain.
I admitted it last week; I’ve become a soccer fan, thanks in large part to the thrilling action in the European Championships. The tournament featured fantastic goals, stellar goal keeping, upsets galore and heroes in abundance.
But after the thrill of watching Spain win their first international championship in 44 years (and the writing thrill of getting to use “Spain” as a plural noun for the last time in a while), a collective yawn seemed to issue from the general public here in the U.S.
Now, don’t get me wrong; there are soccer fans in this country. This is probably more true here in San Diego County than it is in a lot of other places.
But given the magnitude of the championship game, the Hollywood-script-like unfolding of the tournament itself, and even the charisma of stars like Torres, I can’t imagine a better opportunity for casual fans to become hooked on the sport than Euro 2008.
All of this got me thinking about why professional soccer is so popular internationally, but has never really caught on here in the States.
I think it all begins with how different American culture is from that of the rest of the world.
It’s no secret that we in America enjoy, on average, a fairly affluent lifestyle. That plays a part, I’m sure, especially when it comes to the choice between buying hundreds of dollars worth of hockey gear versus some shin guards and socks, but more of what I’m talking about is the traditions and pastimes of our people.
The United States of America, as an independent nation, are only 228 years old, which is still infancy compared with so many other nations, especially those in Europe. History here is tri-cornered hats and muskets; history in Europe is knights and castles, or even gladiators and chariots.
Part of the independence process, as any teenager will tell you, is finding a set of unique interests. Nobody listens to the music their parents listened to, unless you really enjoy not having any friends.
In the case of a nation asserting its independence, a lot of the traditions of the old regime are cast aside as the citizens seek to create a unique culture. It doesn’t happen overnight, but after a while, people stop drinking tea with crumpets and start downing half-caf lattes with their luxury almond croissants. We have to look cool in front of all the other recently liberated countries, after all.
It carries over into the sports world, as we shift from following the games of our forebears to watching the competitions we see as fresh and challenging. Why watch a bunch of sissies in shorts kick a ball around and flail on the ground at the slightest hint of contact when we could have muscle-bound behemoths strap on a set of pads and wallop each other in the mouth over and over again? For the record, I’m referencing the NFL, not American Gladiators. Although there really isn’t much difference anymore, is there?
Americans are notorious around the globe for being, stereotypically, loud, obnoxious, blood-thirsty buffoons, especially when it comes to sports. I hate to admit it, but look at the image differences between our NASCAR with their IndyCar series; as much as he’d like to try, I don’t think that Dale Earnhardt Jr. has quite the same sophistication of Helio Castroneves.
But in reality, we’re just trying to be innovative. Baseball started out as an updated, more challenging version of cricket. Basketball took the intricacies of soccer and added the challenge of using your hands to score a goal. Hockey took goal-based sports to another level, adding ice, skates, sticks and little slabs of vulcanized rubber, as well as giving a nice little boost to the orthodontic field. The NFL… Well, the NFL just figured that rugby needed a little less chaos. Or, at least, some time between plays to figure out how best to maim the other team’s star player.
And so as the new, challenging sports become more and more popular, the younger generations gravitate towards athletes that personify the attributes they themselves wish they had. No longer are skills like endurance, patience, grace and quick feet in such high demand; today’s American athletes are praised for toughness, improvisation, and the ability to silence the critics at every opportunity.
In short, we like athletes who stick it to the competition, even if we catch ourselves and say that winning isn’t everything and there’s no “I” in team. I admit it; I enjoyed watching Eli Manning beat the Patriots in the Super Bowl, even though the Giants had no business winning that game. The Patriots are old school, the old regime, and they got taken down by some hot shot quarterback with a chip on his shoulder. Who doesn’t love that?
One of the negative aspects of this sports independence is that the players seem to have a hard time generating national pride within their respective sports. Soccer players in Europe, and even in South America and other parts of the world, play for their club teams as a job. But when international competition comes around, the players seem to get a little more fire in their bellies. They realize that they’re not just playing for a coach, or for a logo; they’re playing for their country. Michael Ballack may play for Chelsea during the season, but European soccer fans know that he plays for Germany when the important trophies are on the line.
By contrast, it’s hard to find that level of national pride here. Look at the difficulties in selecting a U.S. Olympic men’s basketball team; it always seems like a series of minor injuries keep some of the big names from competing. A European soccer player would probably get attacked by a crazed hooligan if he missed the World Cup because of a strained calf, but if Tracy McGrady’s back is a little stiff, he’d rather not risk any further injury in the off-season.
Because of this national apathy, sports that have a more international appeal tend to go all but unnoticed here in the States. And because they don’t get as much coverage on ESPN (much less the endless debates on Sportscenter, Pardon The Interruption, Around The Horn, Mike & Mike In The Morning, or any of the other innumerable sports talk shows), fans don’t have the ready access to the ins and outs of the game.
For example, if a casual sports fan in America decides that he or she wants to follow the NFL more closely, there are a number of outlets available to learn the intricacies of the game. Want to know how to look off the safety to find the open receiver? Ron Jaworski breaks down offensive strategy every week on Sportscenter. Want to figure out the best blitz package to run against a west-coast offense? Tom Jackson will show you how it’s done on NFL Primetime. Want to find out how Michael Vick is doing in his prison football league? There’s a better-than-average chance that Trey Wingo will have that update on the next episode of NFL Live.
But if a casual fan wants to become a serious soccer fan, it’s a considerably more difficult proposition. I watched at least six international soccer games in the past two weeks, and I can barely explain what necessitates an offside call. I do know that soccer is actually called “football” in Europe, and that the field is actually called the “pitch,” but I don’t know what plays work best on a corner versus what plays work best on a free kick from outside the penalty area. I’m still not even sure why a play for the ball can be called a foul in one instance, then a seemingly identical play can be ignored by the referee. It seems kind of arbitrary.
That’s another thing that is likely keeping Americans from becoming die-hard soccer fans: the weird rules of the game.
For one thing, the clock doesn’t count down to zero from a pre-determined time; it starts at zero and the viewer is expected to know when it’s going to stop, if at all. Then, the clock doesn’t stop when the ball goes out of play, it just keeps going.
At the end of the half (which I managed to figure out is at the 45-minute mark), somebody (I’m still not sure who) decides how much “stoppage time” to add on. It’s usually between one and four minutes, although I don’t know if they’re keeping track or if they just ballpark it. When this stoppage time is over, the referee blows his whistle twice and the players walk off the field. Sometimes he blows the whistle with one minute gone, sometimes with 2:47, sometimes with 3:09. You never really know when it’s coming.
This happens again at the end of the game (the 90-minute mark), and possibly again at the end of both overtime periods (which are apparently 15 minutes each). The crowd doesn’t get to chant “five…four…three…two…one…” or anything like that. They just wait until the ref blows the whistle. It’s kind of anti-climatic.
It also brings up some controversy, as in the Euro 2008 quarterfinal game between Turkey and Croatia. The Croatians had scored late in the second extra period to take a one-goal lead, but Turkish forward Semih Senturk scored with just over a minute gone in stoppage time to tie the game. Croatia’s coach, Slaven Bilic, argued that the game should have been over, since the stoppage time was only to be one minute. According to the clock, one minute had expired before Senturk’s goal went in. But since the game ends on the referee’s whistle, and not on the expiration of time on the clock, the game went to penalty kicks and Turkey advanced to the semifinals.
Americans are generally not in favor of totalitarian rule, especially not in sports, so it’s easy to see how this could be a problem for the average fan. We like the rules to be objective and the outcome to be clear; we don’t like a guy in knee-high socks, shorts, and a shirt with a chest pocket to arbitrarily decide who wins and who goes home.
So given these things, will soccer ever have a true following here in the United States? I think it will.
At some point, the NFL will become the old standard and younger fans will have a hard time relating to it in the same way their parents did. It’s happening with baseball, and it most certainly can happen in football.
But until then, soccer will need to keep proving to American fans that it’s just as exciting and relevant as the “popular” sports that dominate the headlines.
And this year’s European Championship was a great start.
-- -- --
In the meantime, I’m going to miss the excitement of Euro 2008, and I’m looking to keep this soccer buzz going.
If you’re a soccer fan, drop me a line or two about why you love the sport, and I’ll put it in next week’s issue of The Roadrunner.
Write me at sports@valleycenter.com and tell me what makes soccer fun to play, fun to watch, or even just fun to talk about, and why you’re a fan.
And while you’re at it, see if you can explain that whole offside thing to me again.
I’m still not sure exactly how that works.