Chargers: Fix Your Special Teams

Rule # 1) for the kickoff team: STAY IN YOUR LANE. Do not get behind a player who has the same color jersey as yours. Rule # 2) When a kickoff returner returns a kickoff for a 101 yards and a touchdown; do not kick it to him again so that he can return it 98 yards for a touchdown. Squib kicks are usually successful. They are not handled by the best runners. They usually leave the defense with pretty good field position. Special teams execution is divided into two general parts: 1) Inspiration, motivation, intensity, and focus. 2) Strategy, skill, preparation, and execution. With these two parts working together at their highest level: success is imminent. Also, when the opposing team runs back a touchdown for 100 yards, It is a cheap touchdown. It is also a nightmare. When your team runs it back for 100 yards; it is a masterpiece, a thing of beauty, a dream come true.

Let it go!

Please do not submit, subject, or saddle yourself with an obsession that will prevent you from arriving at a peaceful relationship or a purposeful solution or successful and meaningful communication. If someone has wronged you, let it go. If someone has insulted you, let it go. If someone owes you money that you will never collect, let it go. If you have been humiliated or offended, the event that occurred can never be reversed. It is history. Move on. Let it go. Do not hold on to a grudge because you feel comfortable with it. Do not refuse to forgive. Do not refuse to forget. Obviously there are some people who cannot be your best friends. Obviously you will not be wise by continuing to submit yourself to abuse or mistreatment. Nevertheless, what has happened, has happened. Now you have a responsibility. You have a responsibility to yourself. You have a responsibility to not build barriers that will prevent you from moving on and doing great things. If those unpleasant memories can serve to help you make better decisions then so be it. If those unpleasant memories can be like ladders and stairs of advancement, then make it happen. Let it go. Don't stop, move on. You have no idea what the levels of achievements that await you are. You have no idea of the possibilities. Use your experiences to help you succeed. Never ever wallow in self pity. Let it go. There is a life to live and there are beautiful experiences waiting to happen. Therefore, let it go.

Assimilation Is Not The Problem

I have known people who have lived in this country over 40 years and they do not speak English. They only speak Spanish. That does not mean they cannot speak it, or understand it. They were too busy raising children and grandchildren. THEY WERE NOT MOTIVATED BY POLITICAL ACTIVISM regarding this situation. They were motivated by priorities and time constraints. I think the first thing we need to do regarding this matter is define our terms. The dictionary has 6 definitions. In this discourse, I will deal only with one: "Assimilation: To absorb into the cultural population or group." (Webster) Most of the men that I know who shout: "No assimilation for Mexicans." Have not obeyed their rallying cry. They just offer the rhetoric. They have married White women. They do not speak much Spanish. Most of their kids don't speak Spanish. They can contact government officials who speak only English. They didn't need bilingual education.....far from it. Do I fault them for that? No way! I worked at San Diego High School almost 4 years. At that time, it was like a "war zone." I was working in the ESL department. I was not a teacher; I was an aid. Their teacher could not deal with them so he left me in charge. My safety was compromised many times. Some of the loud-mouthed enrollees (sorry, I can't call them students) Would say in Spanish: "Im a Mexican, I don't eat sandwiches, I eat tacos and burritos! He was lying. He took full advantage of the free lunch program. We know: "boys will be boys." It took two students; both females and both 16 years of age to influence my thinking regarding these things. One of them told me: "Mr. Dominguez, I cannot stay in this school. It is not preparing me for my future, my mom really wants me to learn to speak excellent English, and I hardly ever even hear it." That particular student spoke to me in very broken English. I responded to her in English. She liked that. She transferred to a school that had very few Mexicans. I never saw her again. The other student spoke no English. She complained to me in Spanish: "They put all the Mexicans together in all of our classes, and we are not learning anything." She sounded like she didn't care, but I think she did. I concluded that ESL was designed to keep Mexican young people from assimilating. I thought the anti-assimilation plan was a racist plan. If they assimilated; they might succeed. It may be a far-fetched idea, but it is something to think about.

Tomorrow; Angie Gets Married.

I love you Angie. In approximately 19 hours you will be a married woman. I wish you the best. I pray that you will be very happy. It will not be the same around here without you. Your Mom and I will definitely miss you. Please be positive that we love you very much. Congratulations to you and Jerry. You make a great couple. Tonight at the rehearsal, it was a beautiful time. Great food, friends and family. Tomorrow will be even better. Congratulations Angie. Have a great future. I love you so much. Love, Dad

ps........I remember when you were around 3 years old, you used to like to ride with me to church in my old blue Ford Ranger. You really enjoyed sitting on the bed of the truck because it had a camper shell. You are/were so special. ILY, Dad

Thank you Welles, You Are A Hero

He could have easily exited the building after United Airlines Flight 175; hijacked by Islamic terrorists; hit one of the twin towers. If he had just gotten himself to a safe place, to escape death, who would have faulted him? He could have easily done it. No, this courageous young man chose a different route. He chose to save lives. He exited and entered the building at least 3 times.....to help evacuate trapped victims. He died when he entered the building one last time before it collapsed taking the lives of firefighters....and Welles. Welles Crowther was not a firefighter or a police officer. He was an investment banker. Nine years ago today; he helped save 18 lives. Somehow; at this moment; I am not very interested in hearing the political rhetoric surrounding this tragic event. I prefer to just take a few moments and think about the unselfishness of this young man. Does he not deserve our thoughts and rememberances?

The Bureaucrat (Part 2)

His first rule is "I must keep my job." Actually, how can I blame him for that? Nevertheless, his motivation is not service, necessarily, it is what I just mentioned, and his actions allude to that. "I must please my supervisor" is his motto. Honesty is not something that plays an essential role. It is only important if it can make him look good or possibly get him a promotion. Transparency is not a concept that he embraces. He loves his privacy. He loves his job. He is a bureaucrat. What do the guidelines say? What is the standard operational procedure?
What do the regulations say? He knows what they say. He is aware that some are being violated. But he says nothing. Why? The violations are advantageous to several of his supervisors. He "knows nothing about it." He is a "by the book guy," with some exceptions. He may be aware that some of the regulations do not apply for certain circumstances, therefore some of the violations will not be noticed or discussed. Nevertheless, he will do everything to keep himself in the clear, in case something "comes down." Certain things must just be ignored. They must not be presented. They must not be discussed. To him; honesty is just sometimes the best policy. He can defend his position. He is a bureaucrat.

Bato Loco

He was a true "Bato Loco" therefore he didn't live very long. Sometimes they call him an O G. Sure, he may look the part, dress the part, and even talk the part; but image is not that important to him. He is a world apart. He is not afraid of the police. He is crazy. He is angry. He is bitter. Since self-preservation is not necessarily a high priority, he is at times considered a man of courage. He is armed. He is dangerous. He has killed men before. He is willing to do it again. He is an ex-convict. He quit school when he was in junior high. He has never set foot on a college campus. To him it would represent a betrayal to his "commitment." Commitment to what? To embrace something that has nearly killed him, but that he feels comfortable with. Yes, it is a life of confusion. It is a life of solitude. But it is the life he has chosen. He could not even be in a gang, in or out of prison, "I do my own time," he said. "He is weird, but don't mess with him," some convicts would say. He does not like authority, and that includes gang authority. As a convict He had spent months in the "hole." Life in society did not agree with him. He had been released from prison for about two weeks, when one night he robbed a 7-11, he shot and killed a clerk. The police saw him in the parking lot. He hid behind a car and started shooting at them. He had two pistols but he soon ran out of ammo. The police told him to surrender. He actually threw his guns at them. All the shots fired at him had missed him. He selected one police officer and charged him with a knife. There were 3 squad cars and 6 officers at the scene. This is odd. Although he was shot multiple times, He managed to throw his knife at one of the officers. It penetrated the officer's bullet proof vest, but it did not harm the officer. The bato loco obviously died at the scene. A great teacher once said: "He who lives by the sword, dies by the sword."

Gangsters Are Not Tough

Most gangsters are self-centered, ignorant, confused and pathetic individuals. If they were tough, they would not seek out other losers like them. The gang image gives them a form of security. It does not work too well when they are alone. They are not tough when they are by themselves. If they are so tough, why do they carry guns? Are they tough without their guns? Sometimes they are not even tough when they are with their gang. They are cowards by themselves and they are cowards with the gang. They hide. They run away. Too many of them are confused. They think disrespect is valor. They do things in secret because they are cowards. "I'll die for my homies," is a lie. Afraid to look for a job. Afraid to talk to people. Sometimes it is just a youthful indiscretion. They change. They must change. The gangster life is not the life to live. It is for losers and the fearful. Who wants that? Gangsters are not tough. Most just don't have any people skills and/or moral parameters. They can change........if they want to.