Grasshopper No.4 is commited to coaching Grandson Tommy in the Youth Football Program this year. Grandson Dominic plays his first freshman high school football game at the end of August (I’m sure Grasshopper No.4 will be at all games). And then, No.4 has agreed to be “an unpaid Assistant Quarterback Coach” on the high school team. When does he work?
It seems that No.4 has a great deal in common with Brett Favre. Brett has become “an unpaid Assistant Football Coach” for Oak Grove Mississippi High School. He receives no money but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t feel the stress. Favre wakes up in the middle of the night dreaming of plays. That sounds vaguely familiar. Favre is quoted as saying that “his whole job is to keep things simple”. That also sounds vaguely familiar.
Of course the other thing that Favre and Grasshopper No.4 have in common is that they are both independently wealthy meaning they can afford to volunteer for coaching duties.
The great people of the world have developed ways to take complex situations and make them simple. John Wooden, the best basketball coach who ever lived, kept things very simple and emphasized executing the simple game plan. Vince Lombardi kept things simple. Lombardi could talk all day about one play and how to execute it.
You get the idea. Simplicity (especially with kids) wins. It is either by divine coincidence that Grasshopper No.4 and Brett Favre (who is not exactly a mental giant) discovered the “simplicity formula” or dumb luck. Whatever the reason, both are on the right track.
Just a note. I saw Grandson Tommy’s last baseball game. He was catching. An opponent was trying to steal home base. The baseball diamond was very dry and the light wind kept stirring up the dust. The player stealing home came crashing into Tommy (who had been thrown the baseball) stood his ground. There was a tremendous collision and a huge cloud of dust. The dust cleared. The crowd cheered. Mighty Tommy had hung on to the baseball and tagged the runner. Out! The runner was out! Yes sir, Tommy had prevailed. The mighty Tommy had tagged him out.
Simplify your life. Deal only with the important things. Get rid of all the extraneous sh–!
Love,
Dad