Seriously...Who does this...?

Every beginning to Football Season, I can't help but think of my little mans Nick Gavin.  Seriously, I can't.  I mean, I'm a football dude, I am.  But this little guy (he's not little anymore, but to me he will always be my little dude) is the epitome of the "football spirit".  Let me take you on a trip to memory lane...

 

I first met Nick when he was 4, maybe 5.  And if you ever met him, you know he isn't the biggest kid in the world (neither am I though...).  So I go to Tim Gavin's house when I first move to Maryland, because he invited me over and I had NO friends in the area.  I had no idea what was in store.  Made no reservations, I just went to see what was what.

 

So I get to Timmy's crib, his Mom's and Pop's where mad cool (to this day, I feel like they're MY Mom's and Pop's) and his little brother (Nick) was CRAZY cool.

 

We kick it for a minute, and Nick tells me that one day he wants to play football.  Well, anybody who knows me, knows that football is the way in with me (or just about any sport).  So I tell him that I play and that we can run through some drills, so he can see what it feels like to be a REAL football player.

 

I teach Nick the basics of "tackling".  So before we know it, we're basically running two man Oklahoma drills with the two of us.  I don't know where my head is at (this is LITERALLY the FIRST time I'm at Timmy's house) but when when Nick comes to tackle me (I'm on my knees 'running' at him in the drill) I "juked him". This, being a Tail Back, was a natural reaction.

 

What I want you to do is look at the picture below.  This is an estimate of the fireplace that the Gavin's have at their home.  This is the fireplace that will be the focal point of this story....

 

So, Nick Gavin comes to "tackle" me.  I "juke" him.  As a 4 year old kid, he' coming FULL STEAM...He misses (if you see the fireplace above, you can imagine the rest of the story...).  His nugget hits into one of the fireplace bricks...'Till this DAY, I still feel bad...Nick rams his nugget into the fireplace (I STILL can't believe it!).  Seriously, after 2 maybe 3 minutes, he has a nugget the size of a basketball chillen on his forehead.

Me being the "new kid" in the neighborhood and it's my first time in Timmy's house, I'm thinking....,"fuuuuuuuuuccccccckkkkkkkkk".  Seriously, I am.  But, there is something in this kid's eyes that tell me something else.  Don't get me wrong, he's crying because he just took a header into a fricken fireplace. But he has this look like, "I'm gonna tackle your black ass before you go home"...Seriously...that's what I saw.

After about 3-5 minutes of "babying", Nick Gavin put on his "big boy Lancer Pants" and wanted to go again!  This 4 year old had a Watermelon chillen on his forehead and he STILL wanted to tackle ME!

At this point, I KNEW this kid was special.  I knew NOTHING would stop him, even though life would through him many, many curve balls because of his height and size.  Although he may have paused, this kid had NEVER stopped.  His heart and determination are what set him apart from his classmates.

The only 2 dudes I love younger than me, more than anything else are Booshi Bear and Nick Gavin.  I want nothing but the best for BOTH of them.  Nothing....

#HEART Contract

 

Before you start reading this blog post, I would like you to actually READ the picture of the contract my awesome sidder Kashia Marshall made for her youngest son, Shawn "Punchie" Marshall...

 

Dope isn't it?  How many times have YOU had to have someone else motivate you to get going?  How many times did YOU want to quit, but someone else didn't let you?  Who's MOM does something like this?

Apparently MY sister (aka sidder) does!  How cool is this?!?!  How awesome is it to have #HEART instilled in you before you even know the concept of it?  How many kids grow into adults (this term can be used lightly, and we ALL know THIS is true) and have absolutely no testicular fortitude?

My kick ass sidder has set the ground rules for the upcoming season and hopefully the rest of my nephew's life.  It may seem "hard" that he can only cry if he's bleeding or has a broken bone, but what happens to his #Toughness if he crys over something trivial?

I'll tell you what happens...he becomes a whiner, a complainer and everything is somebody else's fault.  Period.  And this is something he'll carry with him for the rest of his life.  I don't want this, his Moms doesn't want this...and I KNOW his Pops doesn't want this (even though he's a Giant's fan...I won't take that any further).

This contract will most definitely set my nephew Shauny on the right track to realize the true definition of #HEART for himself when he gets older.  He may not appreciate it now, and he may not realize the ramifications of this contract.  But WE do.  And when he gets older, he will too.

Thank you Sidder for making so important look so simple and understandable.  This is easily one of the illest things I have EVER seen...

Me and Shauny

 

Me and Shauny (after his game)

 

 Future All-South Jersey

Guess what CAN'T be measured....

For every "Combine", every "Pro Day", every "Weight Limit", there are sections of the particular player which can be quantified.  I think it's funny, because, we measure what we can see, feel and touch, instead of actually measuring what actually COUNTS...

The one thing that completely implodes the concept of "scouting" and "COMBINES" is Mike Mamula.

I hate to throw the guy (continuously) under the bus...but hey, he went from a No-Name to a 1st Round Pick.  Did the Eagles actually do their homework before making this pick, or did they fall in love with the #'s...?

The funny thing is, is that Mike had ALL the #'s to make you fall in LOVE with him.  The only thing is that these numbers came in shorts...with no opponent...and no game tape.

To accurately measure a player, you have to see tape, talk to teammates/coaches/opponents, talk to them in person AND see them play in PERSON.

The one thing you CAN NOT measure is someones #HEART.  An individuals #HEART is something that makes them want to get up off the ground and keep going.  Get up early in the "Off-Season" and grind or watch tape when most of the team is watching cartoons.

#HEART can not, will not and most likely will NEVER be able to be quantified...I'm good with that.  Because it's a "feeling", a "way of thinking"....If you never experienced it, you'll never know.  If you have, then you KNOW that there is NO # that will ever encompass it.

A Marine once told me this...(The Six P's)

Proper
Planning
Prevents
Piss
Poor
Performance

Do you want to be successful?  Do you want your plan to work?  Want to win?  Want to start?  Do you want to get out of bed and be able to do the best you can?

If you do, following the Six P's can't do anything but increase your chances.  What do you have to lose?

Off-Season

Every shirt that is created by H.E.A.R.T Athletics LLC is either rooted in our beliefs, or tailored to a specific athletes liking.  Other companies (no name, no blame) just tend to make cookie cutter crap because of their logo.  *Blogger Note*  I think my business logo trumps theirs...but that's me...

When we created the "Off-Season" shirt (available in Men's, Women's and Youth...), the purpose was to inform those who "believe" in this time of year, that this time of year actually does not exist.  If it actually did exist, Saint Nick would be enjoying it from December 26 to December 24...Exactly.

Any competitive athlete knows (or SHOULD) know that training should be year 'round.  Where the problem lies is that most athletes want to get by on mere talent alone...yeah, that doesn't really work past the High School level.  But the fact remains that it shouldn't exist on that level at all.

The Off-Season is a myth.  It does not exist.  If you want to get better, be better, play better...you have to put in work.  There is no time for days off.  If you want to take days off, don't play.  Don't waste yours or your teammates' time.  Some people actually WANT to win.

So the next time you think the "Off-Season" actually exists.  Go to NIKE's website and order one of the atrocities...

Lazy but Talented...

If you look at this shirt...I mean REALLY look at this shirt, it should piss you off.  It does for me.  I look at this shirt and it makes me sick to my stomach.

There are several reasons why this shirt bothers me, and I'm going to try and explain...

1. "Lazy but Talented"...what is the moral behind this phrase?  What/where is the motivation?  You're talented, ok, there are a ton of people with talent.  But you have the audacity to tell me that you're lazy as well?  Stupid...plain stupid.

2. I WAS the lazy but talented kid.  I look back at the talent that I wasted not working as hard as I should have been.  My college career was cut short because I was too lazy to go to class.  I look at this shirt and NIKE wants kids to think that it's cool to half-ass things...?  Stupid...

3. While you think it's cool to coast and not work hard, there is some kid out there (with probably less talent than you and a much bigger H.E.A.R.T) working his/her ass off to make you look like the lazy bastard you were all off-season.

4. This shirt was made for a professional football player.  What a great item to make for the youth to want to wear and emulate.  Do you really want your kid looking up to a Pro who endorses this type of sentiment?  Is this what you want your kid to strive for?

5. This shirt should now piss you off.

The most thankless job in sports...

Every sport has it's guy/gal who puts in "dirty" work.  Whether it's Baseball/Softball (catcher), Basketball (rebounder, defender, hustle player, charge taker) or Soccer (Goalie...the proverbial goat).  These players are normally NEVER recognized unless something bad happens to the team.  Unfortunately, we all know this is true.

This brings me to football.  In football, when it comes to Kick-offs, the player who gets the most love is normally the kick-off returner.  But for some reason, when kick-offs aren't returned for touchdowns, we never have any appreciation for the kick-off team...strange...

The kick-off wedge buster is ALWAYS a dude who plays his #HEART out.  They never get any love, usually accumulate minimal stats, but continue to play their asses off.  I found a clip of a High School player who exudes the amount of #HEART it takes to do his job, game in and game out.  Check out the clip HERE.

Regardless of making the tackle or not, most wedge busters don't receive the love they should.  They put it all on the line to ensure someone behind them can get the stat.  They normally aren't celebrated at all, but they usually don't give a sh!t.  It's all about going hard and playing the with #HEART. 

Let's face it, without wedge busters...a great kick-off returner is going to be one-on-one with a kicker.  And nobody EVER wants to see this.  Hahaha.