Thursday, June 05, 2008

NAAAG to Appeal!

USNA-At-Large, breaking news from our NAAAG friends --

 
NAAAG Log
 
June 5, 2008
 
Status of Legal Action (12)
 
As you know, on April 7 Judge Caroom dismissed our suit, basing his decision on acceptance of the claim by the Board's lawyer that the tenure limits imposed on the Chair, Vice Chair and Immediate Predecessor of the Chair by the Bylaws in effect during the 2006 election are ambiguous.   Convinced that he is mistaken and that an appropriate reading of the Bylaws could not possibly support such a conclusion, on April 12 we filed a motion asking him to reconsider.  In the motion we pointed out to the court that, among other things, he had justified his action by referring to language in the Bylaws dealing with the President and Board-appointed trustees, about whom no questions whatsoever had ever been raised.
 
As you also know, on May 15 the judge denied without comment our request.  While this was not unexpected, motions to reconsider are rejected some 95 percent of the time, it was handed down more quickly than anticipated and came without reference to the arguments made in our motion.  Further, it came without his having waited to receive our rebuttal to the Association's opposition to the motion and without the hearing on it he had earlier indicated he would hold.
 
Copies of these documents, the order dismissing our suit, our motion to reconsider, and the Judge's denial of that motion are posted on the NAAAG website, http://www.naaag.org , as documents NG46, NG47, and NG50 respectively. 
 
On that same date, May 15, the Judge denied a "Motion to Sever, Certify as Final, and Stay the Request for Declaratory Judgment" we had filed at his invitation.  He did so in an effort to resolve a legal question that had arisen out of an uncertainty regarding the court's authority to dispose of a declaratory judgment action without the entry of a declaration of the rights of the parties.  After asking for a briefing on this technical procedural issue by way of a motion to sever and response, the court concluded it was authorized to dismiss the declaratory judgment action without entering a judgment declaring the rights of the parties, in effect clearing the way for an expeditious appeal of his original dismissal of our suit.
 
The actions by the court subsequent to the original – and in our view erroneous -- decision to dismiss our suit follow from that action.  It is this decision that is at issue.  We have said from the outset that our goal was to make our case in open court and have it decided on its merits; we have been denied that opportunity, principally on procedural grounds, grounds we are convinced are entirely at odds with the facts of the case and legal precedents applicable to it.  What, then, are we going to do?   On May 29 we filed a Notice of Appeal with the Circuit Court for Anne Arundel County indicated our intention to appeal to the Maryland Court of Special Appeals.  A copy of the notice is posted on the website as document NG51.
 
The Court of Special Appeals is made up of 27 jurists from across the state who sit in three judge panels to hear cases.  A second level to which appeal can be made is to the state's "supreme" court, the Maryland Court of Appeals.  It is made up of seven judges, all of whom sit for each case.  Usually cases move from the former to the latter, but the high court may take up a case directly if the legal issues it raises are deemed important enough.  
 
The filing of the Appeal Notice has set in motion a process involving the preparation of reports, records and transcripts related to the case, the filing of briefs by both parties, and concludes with the hearing of oral arguments by the 3-judge Court of Special Appeals panel.   Given that the court does not sit in August, it could take as long as eight months or more for a decision to be announced.
 
While they will be generally apparent from the documents referred to above and others posted on the NAAAG website, our grounds for appealing as well as why doing so is necessary and important will be the subject of more detailed treatment in future log entries.   At this point we want simply to let you know of our intent to stay the course and to ask that you continue to support this effort.
 
Now more than ever we need your financial support to pay our legal bills and we need your help in getting the word out to other alumni regarding what has happened to our Association and what is riding on the final outcome of this lawsuit.  Please contribute, either through the website or by sending a check made out to NAAAG, Inc., to NAAAG, Inc., P.O. Box 2709, Alexandria, VA  22301.
 
Stay tuned,
 
Bill Tate, '64
Jim Kenney, '58
Mike Tackney, '64

posted by John Howland @ 1:26 PM   0 comments

Sunday, March 18, 2007

Newest Supe: Admiral Jeff Fowler

USNA-At-Large, --
 
 
 
From the Baltimore Sun

Academy leader nominated

Veteran submarine commander known for advocating diversity

By Bradley Olson
sun reporter

March 18, 2007

Bush nominates an advocate of diversity to lead academy
President Bush has nominated a career submarine commander with a reputation for valuing diversity to be the next Naval Academy superintendent.
Rear Adm. Jeffrey L. Fowler, whose appointment must be confirmed by the Senate, would replace Vice Adm. Rodney P. Rempt, who rankled alumni as he sought aggressively to make the school more accepting of women.
Rempt is expected to complete his four-year term as superintendent in the coming months.
Friends and classmates said Fowler, an avid hunter from North Dakota, would be well-suited to follow Rempt, praising his commitment to diversity in the Navy and his handling of difficult sexual assault problems while leading the Navy's recruiting command in Millington, Tenn.
"As things go wrong, as they sometimes do in the Navy family, the human side of him comes right out," said Master Chief Petty Officer Evelyn Banks, a senior enlisted adviser to Fowler in Tennessee. "He never failed to put the sailor first and would never make decisions about people's lives without considering the multiple consequences they could have."
Fowler, reached last night in Italy, where he is stationed, said he could not comment before his nomination was approved by the Senate.
An academy spokesman declined to comment about the nomination, which was announced with little fanfare Friday afternoon by the Defense Department.
A lifetime member of the Council on Foreign Relations, Fowler has the sort of international background that the Naval Academy values in the training of its students. He has deployed to the Atlantic, Pacific, Indian and Arctic oceans, as well as the Arabian Gulf, and commanded a squadron of fast-attack, nuclear-powered subs.
Fowler has been in Naples, Italy, since July, working as the deputy director of the U.S. 6th Fleet in Europe and commander of allied submarine forces on the Mediterranean.
As superintendent, he will face a community of outspoken alumni, some of whom have harshly criticized Rempt, accusing him of being overzealous in the charges he brought against former Navy football quarterback Lamar S. Owens.
"A lot of alumni would like to see an effort to get back to the basics," said John Howland, a 1964 academy graduate who distributes news and manages a blog for a network of more than 500 alumni. "A lot of us see this past few years as being a pretty rough time for a whole bunch of reasons. I think a lot of alumni are really anxious to see a pretty sharp change in direction."
The discontent of graduates highlights the complex nature of the superintendent's job, one that deals with sometimes competing constituencies: an active and vocal alumni, a body of bright and sometimes mischievous midshipmen; parents; civilian faculty who don't always tow the line; the Pentagon; and Congress.
Banks said Fowler would have no problem handling the job. When she arrived at the Navy Recruiting Command in 2003, sailors were concerned about a number of sexual misconduct incidents. She said she could not elaborate on those, but she praised Fowler's handling of the situation.
"He created an environment where everybody felt respected," she said. "He made them know that every woman in the Navy is someone's mother, sister or daughter, and he stood up in training and openly talked about the things that were on people's mind, things that people didn't want to talk about."
Fowler, whose wife, Katie, and three children accompanied him to Italy, loves to cook, Banks said. His skill with the grill rivals that of the "White House chef," Banks said.
Fowler is said to care deeply about diversity in the Navy.
Richard Butler, a senior manager at Career Communications Group Inc., which helps corporations and government agencies forge diversity strategies, said Fowler's leadership at the recruiting command, and his commitment to seeking out and valuing women and minorities, exceeded what he had seen in the corporate world.
"What he was doing and helping the Navy to do was head and shoulders above what other organizations are doing," Butler said. "He created awareness of opportunities amongst minorities and demonstrated the value of women and minorities in the Navy, above what my corporate clients are doing. He's a great man that I truly respect."
bradley.olson@baltsun.com
 

posted by John Howland @ 9:29 AM   0 comments

Friday, November 10, 2006

Dong Ha Bridge

 
Re: [USNA-At-Large] Dong Ha Bridge - Sunday Night on Fox

USNA-At-Large, Emil DiMotta provides more detail on the show --
 
One of my classmates built this bridge and another, John Ripley blew it up. It is an honor to have them both as Classmates.

Emil

 
Subject: War Stories - The Furious Fight for Dong Ha.


I am sorry to announce the air date for the 'War Stories with Oliver North' episode THE FURIOUS FIGHT FOR DONG HA has been moved to November 12th to allow for pre-election coverage on November 5th.
This episode is now scheduled to air on that date - November 12th  - on the 24-hour cable channel Fox News Channel (not local Fox stations) at 8PM Eastern Standard Time and will repeat at 11PM EST.
Until then, please visit www.foxfan.com, in the 'War Stories' section you can watch a 'behind the scenes' video and see a photo essay of the making of this episode. Also, program information for this episode, and all War Stories episodes, can always be found at www.foxnews.com/warstories
Apologies again for the pre-emption.

****************************************
Gregory Johnson
Producer
Fox News Channel
1211 Avenue of the Americas, 18th Floor
New York, NY 10036
Tel: 212-301-3069
 

posted by John Howland @ 8:08 AM   0 comments

Monday, October 16, 2006

Memorial Hall Rededication Ceremony Report

USNA At Large, this is a firsthand report re the Alumni Homecoming Weekend Memorial Hall Rededication Ceremony (originally posted to the CA chat list) --
 
PS At the link below, you will find a Visit Report that served as one of the catalysts to get this project underway some years ago. JH
 
 
Or go to http://groups.yahoo.com/group/USNA-At-Large/ and follow the links to "Files" then to "USNA". JH
 
Sent: Friday, October 13, 2006 9:21 PM
Subject: Memorial Hall Rededication Ceremony Report

Today I attended the noontime Rededication Ceremony for the completely renovated Memorial Hall and the Vietnam Memorial located on the Dorsey Creek side of Alumni Hall. I thought you might be interested in some of my impressions.

First of all, I was mightily surprised that only a couple dozen of us old timers put in an appearance. My instict tells me that the Word was not sufficiently communicated in advance. At least half that number consisted of the special planning committee members who were appointed by RAdm Ron Marryott several years ago. The committee was chaired by Col John Ripley. The only other committee members whom I recognized were VAdm Al Burkhalter, LtGen Jack Klimp, RAdm Bob McNitt, Captain Bob Hofford and Captain George Zeberlein.

While we were gathered in the Rotunda awaiting arrival of the Superintendent, Ross Perot entered unobtrusively (perhaps "mysteriously" is a more apt adjective), circled the Rotunda once without speaking to anyone, and disappeared inside the Commandant's office. I did not see him again and for some inexplicable reason, the Commandant did not appear at the ceremony.

Upon arrival of the Supe, we moved outside to the front steps of Bancroft Hall where Adm Rempt addressed the informally assembled members of the Brigade. He did a masterful job of explaining the historical significance of Memorial Hall, characterizing it as the spiritual heart of the Naval Academy--the institution's "Hallowed Ground". He explained that this is the first major renovation to Memorial Hall, it should last for another hundred years, and was financed by a combination of Congressional appropriated funds, the Alumni Association, The Naval Academy Foundation and supporting grants from the classes of  1939, 1954, 1968 and 1995. He concluded his remarks by dedicating Memorial Hall to the Brigade of Midshipmen, inviting them to spend some private moments there from time to time to reflect on our sacred heritage that was bequeathed to the Naval Service and the nation through the valor and human sacrifice of all Naval Academy graduates who died in the line of duty.

He then introduced Adm Carl Trost who spoke of our swearing-in ceremony for the Class of 1953 in Memorial Hall that unforgettable day in June 1949 when we all looked up at that flag proclaiming "Don't Give Up The Ship" and were made instinctively aware of the lifelong course on which we were embarking from that moment forward.

Adm Rempt then announced that the secondary purpose of the gathering today is to celebrate the birthday of the Navy and invited the oldest and youngest midshipmen (a male and female respectively) to do the honors of cutting the symbolic cake and eating the first  piece. We sang together the first and last stanzas of Navy Blue and Gold, after which Adm Pempt invited as many midshipmen as space would allow to attend the Rededication Ceremony in Memorial Hall.

After we were assembled in Memorial Hall, George Watt extended a hearty welcome to all in attendance and introduced John Ripley who made the formal presentation to the Brigade.

Col Ripley explained the purpose of the renovation that was presented to the Committee in the form of a "charge" by then-Superintendent, Ron Marryott. The "charge", in essence, was to redesign Memorial Hall in a manner that focuses primarily on the valor and ultimate personal sacrifice of all graduates who have lost their lives while serving on active duty. The form in which the redesign would be drawn was left to the discretion of the Committee. They decided that Memorial Hall should constitute a permanent record of the names of all graduates who met the established criteria to be displayed prominently for all who should enter. The only question was the form in which to record and display the names.

The centerpiece is Captain Lawrence's immortal flag preserved in its glass case in its historic location at the center of the wall directly opposite the main entrance. Immediately beneath is the bronze plaque that declares that the names listed on the Memorial Honor Roll encased immediately below are those graduates who were "Killed in Action". I can't recall the exact number; but it is several hundred.

The issue remaining to be resolved by the Committee was how to record the names of all the other graduates who have died on active duty who were not officially certified by the Navy Department as being "KIA". Their decision was to record all of those names (I believe the total number is approaching 3,000) on separate stone plaques according to each successive graduating class. For whatever it's worth for you to know and perhaps consider, these graduates were deemed by the Committee to have died under circumstances declared as "Operational Loss". These plaques adorn the walls on both sides of Memorial Hall.

There is a profoundly distinctive oversize Bronze Plaque on the right side of the front wall that lists the names of all grads who were awarded the Medal of Honor.

The Vietnam Memorial is a bronze tablet that lists all known grads who died in theatre during the Vietnam War regardless of circumstances. Accordingly, some grads' names are recorded on both the "Operational Loss" plaques and the Vietnam Memorial plaque.

Altogether, my detailed examination of all the displays at the conclusion of the formal ceremony was profoundly moving. My emotions peaked when I read the names of my classmates listed in alphabetical order on the "Operational Loss" plaque. I knew most of them from our four years by the bay and their faces and memories leapt to mind as though it were only yesterday. I ran my hand over their names and said a silent prayer ending in "We love you guys".

In a word, Memorial Hall now has a new and profoundly personal place in my heart and spiritual being. Every time I have ever entered, I stop at the entrance for a moment, to catch my breath and attempt to gain control of my emotions. Henceforth from this day, I know it will become an even greater test of will power to enter this "Hallowed Ground". It is destined to serve all those future classes of Midshipmen perfectly for its intended purpose. And it serves all of us survivors and next of kin as an eternal reminder of what  defending liberty and freedom for our great nation is all about. The dead pay the ultimate price.

The Renovation Committee deserves our gratitude for a task "Well Done".

Semper Fidelis,
Bruce Ogden

posted by John Howland @ 7:33 AM   0 comments

Wednesday, September 20, 2006

A Stanford Grad's Perspective

 
 
Subject: Bad fans, bad band, good stadium (Stanford Daily)

Bad fans, bad band, good stadium

September 19, 2006

By Glenn Truitt

It¹s been over a year since I was last on campus, since I wrote for the

Daily and since I publicly proclaimed my hatred for the Band. Saturday, I

had the opportunity to see my two Alma Maters meet on the football field, an

occurrence rare enough to justify the six hour drive to see the game, and an

occasion which also coincided with the opening of Stanford¹s new stadium.

And while you have an AMAZING new stadium ‹ certainly, the class of the

Pac-10 ‹ you still have the worst football fans at any major university and

a band that remains an embarrassment to your school. At least you¹ve finally

gotten the cheerleaders right.

What kind of band is so screwed up that it misses an event like Saturday¹s?

And don¹t tell me that it¹s not the Band¹s fault. You mean, you couldn¹t see

this coming? It¹s an isolated incident? The fact is, the Band has been an

increasingly annoying eyesore for years, and now it¹s the subject of

national ridicule (See the Cleveland Plain Dealer, the Indianapolis Star,

the San Francisco Chronicle, etc.) Looks like I may have been the rule and

not the exception after all, (see my column 3/1/05) to which I¹m certain the

band will respond that we¹re ALL now fascists. Listen, that response is even

more tired than the Band¹s act. Just stop, you¹re only making it worse.

What fills me with joy is the fact that the world¹s worst fans and

corresponding band, got a chance to see what real fans and a real band look

like, right in the middle of their own brand new house. Because, amidst

Navy¹s sound beating of a stronger, faster and more experienced football

team, they also came with louder, more excited fans, a rowdier student

section, and a band that doesn¹t suck. There it is Stanford, that¹s the best

look you¹re ever going to get.

I overheard one Stanford fan lamenting ³We¹re stronger and faster than all

these guys, how can we possibly be losing?² I¹ll tell you something that I

learned while still a freshman at Navy: it¹s all about ³heart.² None of the

Navy players will play in the NFL, and none of them were likely recruited by

the major conference schools. They go through the same grind as all the

midshipmen at Navy, they get no special favors ‹ they stand

shoulder-to-shoulder with the rest of the Brigade. After graduation, many of

them will go to war ‹ a place where their touchdowns and tackles mean

nothing. So why do they play? Perhaps for love of the game, for pride in

their school, perhaps for the crowd who they know will stay to the end of

the game and cheer them, win or lose. For whatever reason they play, they

play; and they play hard. They play with HEART. And that¹s why I cheer for

them. There are very few pure things left in college football, and Navy is

one of them.

The Stanford football team has little reason to dig down deep. I¹ve seen

more excitement at a knitting convention. And at the first sign of

adversity, the so-called ³fans² filed for the exits like rats on a sinking

ship. That¹s right, in the THIRD QUARTER of the home opener in a BRAND NEW

stadium many cardinal-wearing spectators were already headed home. Better

things to do I guess. What¹s worse, when it came time to sing Stanford¹s

alma mater (after Navy sang theirs to a packed house), there wasn¹t even an

identifiable section of fans for the Stanford team to stand in front of to

sing ‹ the student section had long since gone off to their own parties.

Embarrassing.

For the men of the Stanford football team, here¹s something you might not

hear enough from your own crowd: Great game; you played hard; and better

luck next week. You guys deserve that great stadium.

As for the ³fans² and the Band, you don¹t even deserve to be let inside.

Glenn Truitt, Stanford Law School Class of 2005, USNA Class of Œ97 is now a

practicing attorney in Los Angeles, and still, even from a distance, hates

the Band. He welcomes comments at glennt97@gmail.com.

posted by John Howland @ 9:49 AM   0 comments

Sunday, September 03, 2006

Paul Johnson for Superintendent

USNA At Large,
  OK, OK, I know the subject line above is a little overwrought.
  But, I wanted to resend this post put out a few days ago by Dave Leather.
  Yes, it's about football, but its also a bit about what the Naval Academy is supposed to be about.
  For years and years, many of us were looking for a coach that could match up with our strengths and weaknesses. Paul Johnson is obviously the man.
  Briefly, what are those strengths and weaknesses? (BTW, most Boat School grads know that strengths and weaknesses are two sides of the same coin.) We'll begin with "weaknesses."
  We are not going to be able to match up pound for pound with most of the teams we play.
  We are not going to be able to recruit many players that have aspirations for the NFL.
  We are not going to be able to allow our players to spend all day, every day with football.
  I'm sure you can come up with lots more comparative weaknesses.
  When you add them up, could there possibly be any strengths?
  You bet!
  OK, so we are lighter -- that means that we ought to be just a little quicker and faster and tricky.
  OK, so we are not a farm team for the NFL. That means we can get players who love to play football AND aspire to be core combat leaders. I'll take those traits any day of the week when you are in a tight game and the clock is winding down, e.g., last night against East Carolina.
  OK, so our players can't spend 24/7 with the playbook. No problem. First, our players are probably going to be a little smarter than the average CIVWORLD player on the other side of the line. Second, keep the play book a little simpler and put more emphasis on our guys thinking on their feet. How many more advantages could we possibly want?
  Enter Paul Johnson and Bingo! we have a match!!
  The Triple Option turns our weaknesses into strengths.
  On second thought, I hereby withdraw the nomination of Paul Johnson for Superintendent. He's far too valuable just where he is.
 
  One other area where we can turn a strength into a weakness -- our kicking game. We may not be able to recruit wannabe NFL kickers, but we annually bring aboard bunches of superb athletes, including a LOT of former soccer players. We have lots of plebes every year that we ought to be going through with a fine tooth kicking comb and begin to groom some of them from the git-go for football kicking chores.
  I'm reminded of a bad example and a good example: The bad -- in the pre-Johnson years a Poor Plebe is put into the Army-Navy game to kick the all-or-nothing field goal. He misses. There were so many aspects of that one play that were unsat, we don't have enough space to delineate them all. Suffice to say, that if the coach at the time had been grooming kickers from Plebe Year HE WOULD HAVE HAD PLENTY OF SENIORS TO CHOOSE FROM (or Segundos or Youngsters). (Final BTW, that Plebe showed tremendous class subsequent to that dark moment and, last I heard, is doing just fine. God speed to him.)
  The good example -- Admiral John Stufflebeem.
 
  In any event ...
    ... Lots of BZs to Coach Paul Johnson, John Howland
 
 
 
Mids march in formation
Navy's version of the triple option puts a successful spin on an outdated offense
By Gary Lambrecht
Baltimore Sun Reporter
Originally published August 30, 2006

The Navy players do not hide confidence in their ability to move the ball.
They have seen what kind of damage this offense, with its unfamiliarity,
deception and numbing repetition, can do. And they have seen their share of
defenses give in to impatience and frustration while trying to solve the
Midshipmen.

"When [the offense] is clicking, a team comes out in one defense, and we run
them out of it. Then, they switch to another defense, and we run them out of
that," senior left tackle Matt Pritchett said. "Then, they just sit in one
defense and take [abuse]."

"Depending on what the defense does, we like to get 4 or 5 yards and march
down the field, but if you give us more, we'll take it," senior quarterback
Brian Hampton added. "In this offense, nobody can be selfish, but anybody
can have a breakout day."

Under fifth-year coach Paul Johnson, Navy has erased years of futility with
a 26-11 record over the past three seasons, including back-to-back bowl game
victories. Better players all over the field explain much of that.

But more than anything else, Navy's resurgent path is strewn with opposing
defenses that were bigger and quicker than the Mids, yet still unable to
counter Navy's trump card, which is basically a variation on a college
football relic.

When trying to understand Navy's spread offense, picture the triple-option
attacks that used to be staples at schools such as Nebraska, Oklahoma and
Ohio State. But subtract the power quotient that marked such run-heavy
formations as the wishbone and go with a one-back set without a tight end.
Add finesse, spacing, one or two receivers and the element of surprise, on
the ground and through the air.

Navy's success is wrapped in an offense Johnson has studied and refined
since he became offensive coordinator at Georgia Southern more than 20 years
ago.

The triple option remains the foundation from which everything else flows.
It is based on defensive keys the quarterback reads before either handing
the ball to the fullback, running it himself between the tackles, or moving
along the line of scrimmage before turning up the field to gain yardage or
pitching the ball to a trailing slotback.

How the defensive end reacts on the side where the play is called dictates
much about the decision by the quarterback, who also watches his own,
play-side guard before committing to an option. If the guard opens a hole,
the fullback probably will get the call. If the guard-tackle gap is closed,
the quarterback will keep the ball and move laterally while reading the
pitch key, before either keeping it or tossing it to his slotback, depending
on who is covered.

"We don't know on most plays who the fake guy is or who's the guy that gets
the ball. It depends on how the defense reacts," said Johnson, who as
offensive coordinator at Navy in 1996 used the spread to drive the Mids to
their first winning record (9-3) in 14 years. "The neat thing about the
option is even if [the defense] puts eight or nine guys in the box, it
doesn't keep you from running the ball. We don't have to block them all,
anyway."

The Navy option is based on simplicity, repetition and deception. The
playbook consists of merely seven or eight plays. Each play has at least
half a dozen variations, such as sweeps or counters, and each calls for a
different blocking scheme. Every running play has a play-action pass option.

Besides Air Force, Navy is the only school that still bases its offense on
the triple option, which began to fade out of vogue in the early 1980s, as
more programs incorporated passing into their systems and turned to the
pro-style set prevalent in the college game today. The option came to be
seen as an unattractive recruiting tool for quarterbacks and receivers
looking to hone NFL skills, and it was typically ineffective at overcoming
large deficits to win games.

Johnson, whose offense averaged 34.2 points last season, insists the option
is not dying, but is hiding in disguise. "You look at schools like Florida,
Utah, West Virginia. They're doing what we do, but they're doing it out of
the [shot]gun [formation]," Johnson said. "Most everybody has a little bit
of option in their stuff, but none of them want to be called option teams.
They're afraid of that taboo. You could take this offense and gear it toward
throwing the ball very easily. We choose to gear it toward the run. You play
to the personnel and the talent you have."

For Navy, the option is an equalizer. The Mids' defense usually is too
undersized to dominate its opponents. The offense faces the same problem,
and would not thrive with one-on-one blocking schemes. The option allows
Navy to control the clock, stay in close games and protect leads.

"There are some unique challenges that make it extremely difficult to
prepare for. We donate specific time periods going back to spring practice
to defending the option," said Massachusetts coach Don Brown, who will face
Navy on Sept. 9.

"You have to get your scout team to run it for you as fast as they can,
which is hard to do, because we don't see it much," Brown said. "You have to
get your defense to stay hard on their keys and let those take them to the
ball. And you have to limit their big plays, like the play-action pass."

The Mids will kill a defense softly with long drives - the 14-minute,
26-second epic that finished off New Mexico with a field goal in the 2004
Emerald Bowl stands out. Or, they will take the quick strike, should a
defense over-commit to the run and expose itself deep. Think of slotback
Reggie Campbell's 55-yard touchdown reception that set the tone for the
51-30 rout of Colorado State in last year's Poinsettia Bowl.

Navy has led the nation in rushing in two of the past three seasons, and
averaged barely 12 pass attempts in 2005. But Navy also averaged 20.3 yards
per catch and scored seven times through the air.

"What we start off with on Day One in camp will be the same things we'll be
practicing in Week 14 against Army. We keep it simple, and we keep doing it
over and over," said Ken Niumatalolo, Navy's assistant head coach, who
played quarterback at Hawaii in the late 1980s under Johnson, then the
offensive coordinator.

"We've added wrinkles to it, like the toss [or sweep], but we've never
revamped it or disregarded the core. It doesn't hurt our feelings that
nobody else is running it."

posted by John Howland @ 12:44 PM   0 comments

Monday, August 21, 2006

I want to be a Naval Aviator

 
 
From the perspective of a 5th Grade Student living at Pensacola, Florida.
Featured in a WW2 Cruise Book.

***********************************

A Naval Aviator

I want to be a Naval Aviator when I grow up because it's fun and easy to do.
 
Naval Aviators don't need much school. They just have to learn
numbers so they can read instruments.
 
I guess they should be able to read maps so they can find their way if they are lost.
 
Naval Aviators should be brave so they won't be scared if it's foggy and they can't
see or if a wing or motor falls off they should stay calm so they'll
know what to do.
 
Naval Aviators have to have good eyes so they can see through clouds and they can't be afraid of lightning or thunder
because they are closer to them than we are.
 
The salary Naval Aviators make is another thing I like. They make more money than they can spend.
This is because most people think airplane flying is dangerous, except Naval Aviators don't
because they know how easy it is.
 
There isn't much I don't like, except girls like Naval Aviators and all they all want to marry them so they always have to chase them
away so they won't bother them.
 
I hope I don't get airsick because if I do I couldn't be a Naval Aviator and would have to go to work.
 
Check out AOL.com today. Breaking news, video search, pictures, email and IM. All on demand. Always Free.

posted by John Howland @ 9:22 AM   0 comments