Well deserved for Coach Cal

Normally I wait until the middle of the week to post my thoughts but sitting here now late on a Saturday night or early on a Sunday morning I couldn't hold those thoughts any longer. After broadcasting the Monmouth-Bryant football game this afternoon I reflected back on the school's football history. Today was an incredible milestone both for MU and Coach Callahan as win #100 didn't easy with a 10-6 victory over the Bulldogs. It seems like just yesterday the announcement was made that Monmouth College was starting a football program and Kevin Callahan was going to take over the Hawks in his first ever college head coaching position. Now in his 17th year, Coach Cal has been the foundation for a school that really needed this experiment to work.

I have often wondered why Coach Callahan has never left Monmouth for greener pastures; a bigger school, more money, more scholarships, and a better atmosphere would all seem to make sense. His credentials would certainly indicate he could have left many times over with five conference championships, a mid-major national championship, and a recipient of the NEC Coach of the Year award three times. He has turned out dozens all-conference players but even more important he has shown every player who paid attention the right way to act toward others and there are things more important than football. I'm not even sure I have ever asked Coach the question about leaving MU because in a way I along with many others wouldn't even want to think about him not being on the sidelines for the blue and white.

Being part of the first ever team in 1993, I remember a lot about that first season. The wintertime workouts before the incoming freshman had ever stepped foot on campus, the first summer, the first game (Stonehill College), the first win (St. Peters), and for me the disappointment of being hurt most of the year. My football career stopped before the 1994 season as a variety of injuries had made my body breakdown and I still remember going into Coach Callahan's office right before camp started in August and telling him I was unable to keep playing.

Classy as ever, he told me to take care of myself, thanked me for my time and effort in the program, and let me know the door was always open to come back. I never was able to return to the playing field but I have entered the side door to get back in the program on three different occasions; once as a student broadcaster on WMCX and twice as a professional. The constant has always been the way I have been treated by Coach, the way he runs the football program, and the care he shows for other people.

I was reminded of this caring over the last two weeks as I dealt and continue to deal with the sudden passing of my own father. Our regular weekly meeting turned into a counseling session where Coach Cal knew just when to talk and just when to listen. He didn't pull any punches or say everything was going to be alright because he knew it wasn't going to be having lost his own father at a young age as well. He promised tough days ahead, more tears, and a grieving process that never really ends. So far, he has been right on the money. The hour I spent in his office was an hour that I needed to cry, be angry, and express my disbelief that this had all happened. He didn't hesitate to push the pause button on his busy day, close the door and give me all the time I needed. It was an hour I can never repay him for but one I will never forget anytime I do anything Monmouth football related.

In typical fashion, when asked about the game against Bryant and his 100th win, Coach Callahan said this win was about the program and its players. I wouldn't expect anything less because in a way it is a tribute to anyone who has donned a Monmouth helmet but from someone who has been a MU supporter since we started in 1993 I am here to say this milestone has more to do with Coach Cal than anyone else associated with MU football. If you ask me, back in 1992, Monmouth found the perfect balance of a coach who can win but who also knows the importance of life off the field.

That coach and man is Kevin Callahan. Congratulations Coach Cal on win #100.

Midpoint swing games ..

We are at the midpoint of the regular season for both high school football and the Monmouth University season and each of our games this week have striking similiarties. They are what we would call a swing game as a win and your season either takes a major upturn or at the very least you keep alive chances for something positive to happen later on during the fall. A loss can be dooming on so many levels for any of these three teams which we will see this weekend.

Let's start first with our Friday night game between Toms River North and Southern Regional. This has developed into a pretty solid rivalry over the last few years and was very one sided until the state playoffs last season when the Rams finally won a game. The 2009 game features several sidebars that will dictate how far either of these teams can go.

A win for TRN and the Mariners keep alive their chances for a share of an American division championship and bolster their state playoff chances with a win over a fellow group 4 school. A loss and it will be anchors away at the division title and a second loss will mean no more slip-ups before the state playoff cutoff or it will be very tough to qualify. On the flip side, the Rams already have two losses, only one of which is the division, and still have to play the #1 team in the Shore (Howell). The way things shake out right now for both Southern & TRN is that they each need to keep winning and the Rebels to lose at some point in the division to have a shot at a co/tri championship. So this becomes a divisional elimination game coupled with the fact that a third loss for Southern will likely doom their chances of getting back into the state playoffs.

For Monmouth, there are some of the same aspects that follow the Hawks into their game with Sacred Heart this Saturday. A disappointing effort last weekend against Wagner has MU with their backs against wall in what now is a must win game before Albany comes to West Long Branch on October 24th. Monmouth can ill afford a second conference loss if they have any chance of a NEC title or a postseason birth. With a win, there will be a lot of juice for the Albany game as going into the season most would have figured that the Hawks were one of the only teams that could challenge the Great Danes. A win also gets MU back to .500 at 3-3 overall. A loss this weekend against Sacred Heart and the season could take a downward swing that would tough to change.



Broadcast Information ..

THURSDAY: The High School Football Show 6PM - 8PM .. Live from Boston's (Toms River)
FRIDAY Game Of The WeekSouthern @ Toms River North6:45PM pre-game on 1160 WOBM AM, FoxSports1310 & 105.7 The Hawk
SATURDAY Monmouth University FootballMonmouth @ Sacred Heart12:50PM pre-game on 1160 WOBM AM and FoxSports1310

Not sold on it yet ..

There has been a good deal of attention placed on the games this high school football season that involve teams from the Shore Conference and teams from Middlesex county. I am well aware that there are both positives and negatives to be taken from this arrangement but one of the things I am not sure the powers that be really took into account was the impact on the fans.

First, there is increased travel in a lot of cases and that goes for both teams. A bus ride down to Monmouth or Ocean county wouldn't be anything as a fan or parent I would be looking forward to coming from Middlesex Cuonty and vice versa. I realize making a trip to Pinelands or Matawan wouldn't be a whole lot of fun either depending on where you are coming from but at least those are still Shore Conference teams so it has some logic to it.

Second, it does not do a whole lot to booster fan support. Take this weekend as an example, how much interest could there possibly be in the school or community for these games; Freehold Township at Sayreville, Carteret at Red Bank Catholic, Long Branch at South Plainfield, Colonia at Ocean, Monmouth at Highland Park, or Holmdel at JFK-Iselin. I would be shocked if anyone outside of the coaches and maybe a few players knew the nicknames of any of the teams they were playing this week. Is that a big deal? Probably not in the grand scheme of things but wouldn't be nice when talking about game with a fellow fan to say, "Those (fill in the blank with a team name) have a great defense and tough running game." Let's be honest, most schools have a hard time getting big crowds out to watch games anyway and to me these games do not help at all.

Third and finally, I am not sure how to make the system better and the people that in charge of the process will never make everyone happy and certainly know more about it than I do. That being said, I would much rather go back to the days when teams scheduled who they wanted as non-conference games as you are talking about three games anyway and they usually work as a home and home series. So at worst you stuck playing a team twice before you can find another matchup that might work better. It really didn't work when the computer did it for the past several years as we got major mismatches each and every year but at least they were Shore Conference mismatches and not teams with no connection at all.

Not sure how many of you heard the discussion we have been having on the Thursday night show about the new football divisions for next year and while I think this a step in the right direction, I see some big flaws in this plan too. Why was there 7th division created with the same number of teams playing football (43)? I like the idea of going back to a more local division schedule but why label one division a "C" division when there are three "A" and three "B" divisions? It doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me especially when you look at the teams in it. I like the divisions having the names that they do now and finally when everyone has gotten used to them it goes back the other way. I am sure in two more years there will be another plan but I would love coming up with something that could stick around for awhile.

Have a great football weekend!!!



Broadcast info this week/weekend .. 10/8 .. High School Football Show .. Live @ Boston's in Toms River .. 6pm to 8pm .. 1160 WOBM AM & FOX Sports 1310 .. 10/9 .. TRN @ Brick Memorial .. 7pm kickoff .. 1160 WOBM AM & FOX Sports 1310 & 105.7 FM The Hawk .. 10/10 .. Monmouth vs Wagner .. 1pm kickoff .. 1160 WOBM AM & FOX Sports 1310 .. listen to all three broadcasts on the web at shoresportsnetwork.com