The Pix is sure that this fierce group of yong men, all of whom have been predicted by the local sports media to trounce the Headers, are fine young atheletes. The Pix just thinks they look more ready to smuggle a few wine coolers onto Preston beach to be ignored by the 01945 co-eds than to take on these animals:
Who look like they want to join Ben Afleck in Chuck town and hold up a few financial establishements. A little joking aside, and with all due respect to Swampscott and their legitimately bona fide coach Steve Dembowski, last years game was about to get out of hand before #20, Quigley, left the game in the first quarter after having his meniscus torn beneath the pile while the referees did nothing. What the Pix is saying is that there is unfinished business this year. And the football gods have ways of sorting these things out.
If there is a theme unique to the Marblehead side this year it is that of fathers and sons. Beginnining with the most obvious....Chris Piper:
and Chris Piper:
The Marblehead Reporter wrote an article this past week detailing the fact that young Pipes lost his mother the day of the Beverly game and still led his team on to Piper field. The Pix has no intention of putting any of this into a football context, but plenty of Pipes' teamates have done just that....and eloquently so; simply stating that they will be feeling the presence of Chris's parents and their spirit this Thurdsay. Pipes will lead them onto the field again and they will be playing with 13 on their side.
More father/son connections on this squad abound. Gus Percy, Bing Bial, Jake Morris and Pipes all have dads who played in this game (if I missed a few, I apologize). Coltyn Dana, Phil Coughlin, John Perry and Kyle McCormack's dads have been watching these kids all play together since the 4th grade. As coach Bial pointed out recently, these kids have had a lot of success playing together. And these dads have logged a lot of practice time, game time, and "coaching" time up in the stands or at the unoficial coaches booth, the Three Cod Tavern. Most of the time a father's interest is a blessing, but for games like the Thanksgiving day game, expectations can be unreasonably high. Teddy Roosevelt wrote this for these occasions:
not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles,
or where the doer of deeds could have done them better.
The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena,
whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood;
who strives valiantly;
who errs,
comes up short again and again,
because there is no effort without error and shortcoming;
but who does actually strive to do the deeds;
who knows the great enthusiasms,
the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause;
who at the best knows in the end
the triumph of high achievement,
and who at the worst, if he fails,
at least fails while daring greatly,
so that his place shall never be with those
cold and timid souls
who neither know victory nor defeat.
Piper field will be the arena this Thursday. Marblehead will be without defensive stalwart and captain Joel Katz. And he will be sorely missed. But they will not be without Jeff Peras. They will not be without Tyler Bates or Tom Koopman. They will not be without Rajive, or Bing, or Coltyn, or that complete maniac Tuna. They will not be without #40 John Perry who hits everything not nailed down. They will not be without Schmitt or Zac or Ian. And, unlike last year, they will not be without Quigley:
Speaking of fathers...the Pix was watching "A Few Good Men" the other night for the 71st time and there was a line that reminded the Pix of Will, who's dad was a pretty good athlete in his own time. It was when Lt. Kaffee was about to give up knowing that he really had no case and could theoritically get court marshalled if he went too hard after Col. Jessep (Jack Nicholson for those without cable).
Sam Weinberg: "You know I wrote a paper on your dad in college? Best trial attorney ever".
Kaffee: (resigned) "Yes, he was".
Sam Weinberg: "But if I were Dawswon and Downey and I had to choose you or him.........I'd choose you any day".
Kaffee: "Would you put Jessep on the stand?"
Sam: "NO".
Kaffee: "Do you think my father would have?"
Sam: "With the evidence we have? Never. But here's the thing, and there's no way of getting around this: Neither Lionel Kaffee nor Sam Weinberg is the lead counsel here. So there's really one question: what would you do?"
And although the analogy is highly imperfect, the message is for Gus, Jake, Phil, Coltyn, Bing, Oliver, Jeff....Will.....all of you. You are the ones who have earned the right to be in the arena. You will strive, and err, and shed blood, and know that your place will never be with those timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat. This is a special Marblehead squad. For Pipes, for Katz, for Quigs....for all the moms and dads. For coach Chern.....let's go kick some ass.
Marblehead 31, Swampscott 24.
Happy Thanksgiving.
Go Marblehead.
Beat Swampscott.
