Sunday, June 27, 2010

Game #1: Hanau Hornets vs. Kaiserslautern Pikes

So just to give a little bit of background on the Hanau Hornets before I delve into the details of the first game…. The Hornets are currently in the GFL2 (German Football League: 2nd Division). Last year, they were in the GFL3 (3rd division) and came in 1st place, thus advancing to the 2nd division, with the last place team from the GFL2 being forced to drop to the GFL3. The transition to the GFL2 has not been a smooth one to say the least, as the Hornets are currently in last place and are in great danger of being relegated back to the GFL3. To put things in even greater perspective, the Hornets’ record (as of June 18th) is 0-7, and they have been outscored 35 to 229 by their GFL2 opponents. Needless to say, my expectations were not great considering I stepped off of the plane 2 days earlier, had 1 practice with the team, had not played QB in about a year and a half, and the Hornets’ dismal performance thus far in their season.

Now to the game… My teammate, Andy MacMillan, picked me up in the morning and drove to the stadium where we met the rest of the Hornets and filed onto the Coach bus which would be taking us to Kaiserslautern (about 2 hours away). This provided a great opportunity to take in the German countryside from the autobahn, which was chock full of picturesque, charming little towns as well as a great number of giant windmills used to produce electricity. The bus ride was a little bit different than your typical bus ride in college as there was lots of talking, joking, and storytelling with both the players and the coaches. Particularly from Coach Coleman who is another U.S. army vet living and coaching in Germany. He gave a number of great history lessons (in English) about the various areas, regions, and cities in Germany, and one could easily tell that he has done his fare share of reading about and exploring the country of Germany.

We arrived in Kaiserslautern and went through the typical changing, warm-up, and pre-game routines. One semi unusual thing was the fireworks which were shot off as the opponents took the field, as well as the crowd of about 500 people in attendance for the game. The game started with the Pikes (not too sure what a Pike is…) putting together a nice drive but stalling out and putting our starting position at about the 17 yard line. The Hornets then promptly marched down the field on an 11 play drive, ending with a 3 yard QB sneak for a TD, which sent the Hornets sideline into a frenzy, as they have apparently never scored on their opening possession.

The Pikes then came back with an impressive drive of their own, and scored a TD. The Hornets then put together a few nice drives which ultimately ended because of penalties and a snap over the head of yours truly, putting our offense in an unfortunate 3rd and 28 position. But our offense, for the football junkies, is much like the offense I ran at Calvert Hall my senior year, and is mostly a Spread Shotgun, 4 WR, with a lot of passing and some QB draw plays and inside runs by the running back. But contrary to my private expectations, our offense was moving the ball very well, but because of penalties and mental mistakes we did not put another score up in the first half.

In the second half our offense played quite well with a couple of very long drives, and a TD pass to American RB/WR Torrance Brown in the back corner of the end zone. But because I am writing this blog post a week after the game was played, I don’t have any other specific memories of the game until the final 2 minutes. We ended up being down by 2 points (15 to 17) and gained possession of the ball at about the 20 yard line with about 2:10 left on the clock. Of course we have never practiced a “2 minute drill”, and I found out quite quickly that I would be calling the majority of the plays on the drive. We put together a number of very good pass and run plays and advanced the ball to about the 20 yard line with 8 seconds left, putting the team in great position for the 1st win of the season. I ended up being the holder, another job I have not done in years, and saw the snapped football basically rolling back to me from the long snapper, so I picked it up as fast as I could, put it on the tee, then: The kick is up, it’s on target,…….and it falls a foot short!!!

There was devastation on the sidelines of the Hornets who were so close to achieving their first win of the season, only to have it snatched from their grasps after a long hard fought battle! But that’s football! We committed way to many penalties and made too many avoidable mistakes, but there is always a silver lining in any football game. The silver lining is that the offense played much better then it had all season, the players were playing with passion, and the team put itself in position to win the game in the end. We have much to work on, but there is definitely hope for the Hanau Hornets, and I have a feeling that victory will be ours much sooner than later.

On a personal playing note, I had an absolute blast playing QB again! And playing with guys who only play because they love the game of football was awesome, the skill level is probably comparable to high school, but the guys really give it everything they have. Even after the loss, there was much optimism among the team regarding future games with our new, dangerous offense. The offensive line provided me with great protection, and I was only sacked 1 time all game (I can’t even begin to remember the last time that happened…), and the receivers also played very well, particularly Torrance Brown. Once I am able to work with the receivers for more than one practice, we should be a very dangerous offense. (On a sad note, Andy Macmillan broke his ankle and will be out for the season after turning in a 7 catch performance).

The Stat Line looked something like: 12 rushes 108 yards 1 TD, 58% Comp Rate 286 yards 1 TD 0 INT. I saw the official stats about a week ago, and that is what I can best remember.
(click the link at the top right of the page for more Photos)

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Day 2: The Garden Concept

After my first day in Germany, I felt like I had been there for a week with all of the things I had done, people I had met, and places I had seen. Luckily, my house mother, Gaby, had just the thing I needed: A hearty breakfast. She made me scrambled eggs, bacon, coffee, orange juice, and the German Bread Rolls (Borscht: I think) topped with butter and, of all things, Nutella. It was all excellent and just the thing to help get me started for another of many busy days in Aschaffenburg, Germany.

Rudy picked me up in his car and took me to the building for his business which happens to be a company called “Amerikan Eiskrem” (translation: American Ice Cream). From what I can gather, he has the eiskrem made in Belgium, then distributes it to stores and sells it at the numerous Fests (festivals) throughout Germany. Rudy also seems to take the majority of his holidays (vacations) to the U.S., and has traveled over 25 times everywhere from NYC to Las Vegas to California, though California seems to be the inspiration for his business, as the majority of the signs for “Amerikan Eiskrem” also read: “Real California Ice Cream.”


Another member of the Hornets fraternity and old(er) guard, Bernard, picked me up from Rudy’s office and said he was taking me to a garden to watch the Germany vs. Serbia World Cup Soccer Match. First off, I am ecstatic that I am lucky enough to be in a country in Europe, who has a passion for soccer, during the World Cup! Everywhere you drive, people are flying German flags out of their windows, their cars, wearing the German National Team Jerseys, and generally going nuts whenever there is a German game approaching. Second, when Bernard said he was taking me to a “garden”, I assumed “biergarten”, which to my understanding means a place where everyone is sitting on benches swigging those HUGE mugs of beer. But he meant garden, in the literal sense of the word.

After some research and asking around for clarification I have found out that because the cost of living is so high and space is so limited in Germany, more than one family often lives in one house and may have their own floor, but not often their own house. Because of this, and because Germans love their gardens, and growing their own fruits and vegetables, they are able to lease a plot of land to garden themselves. This plot of land generally seems to be about 15-30 yards long and about 5-10 yards wide, and can also be outfitted with a bbq, tables, benches, and a flat screen TV for World Cup viewing. Now it was not the raucous atmosphere I expected when I heard we were going to what I thought was a biergarten, but it was very pleasant, homey, and relaxing. Bernard, his wife, and about 4 other couples get together regularly on the weekends, and also get together for every game during the World Cup (as long as Germany is still in it, of course). They had numerous kinds of wurst grilling, as well as potato salad, pasta salad, borscht (German bread rolls), and of course, GREAT GERMAN BEER. Now they obviously are used to drinking this stuff regularly, but coming off a steady diet of Keystone Light and Natty for the past four years, I can’t help but enjoy their spectacular Weizens from Bavaria. Unfortunately, Germany came up short in the match, but all hope was not lost, as they still have a chance to advance to the next round with a good showing in the next match. But win or lose, it was surely good food, good drink, good company, and a great time!














Rudy then swung by after he was done work, and gave me his automatic car until Sunday. I headed back to Aschaffenburg on the Autobahn driving at the standard U.S. speed limit of 65mph (wink, wink). I headed to bed relatively early so I could get some rest for my first football game the next day (Saturday). Oh yes, I forgot to mention that I would be the starting QB and playing the whole game 48 hours after landing in Germany, after just 1 practice with the team, after not having played QB in a real football game in over a year and a half, and after receiving the playbook on the way to the game 2 hrs. before kickoff, and oh yea, Who the hell are we playing?!?!…..this should be interesting….

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Day #1

I touched down in Frankfurt, Germany at 8:00am (2:00am EST) and officially started my German Football Adventure. Luckily, my experience in NYC was not a foreshadower for my future travels to Germany, as customs and baggage claim were both uneventful. I was met at the airport by Scott (The Hanau Hornets youth coach, lives in Germany, US Army Vet, German wife) and Rudy (Hanau Hornets “General Manager”, I think). Scott obviously speaks English and does the translating between Rudy and I, who speaks only a little bit of English. Rudy and I would spend quite some time together over the next few days.

As we are walking to the cars, the inevitable subject comes up that I do not know how to operate a manual transmission. Scott translates this and Rudy stops dead in his tracks with a wide eyed look on his face and says something in German to Scott, and I do my best to hold in my laughter, so as not to upset/worry him even more than he already is (this problem would be somewhat rectified later on). We then hop into Scott’s car and head to the field in Hanau, but first, a pit stop at McDonalds for some Sausage Egg McMuffins, because understandably, I did not eat all the airplane curry served on Air India.

The stadium has a very nice grass field and seating for a few thousand. Certainly not the Carrier Dome, but a football stadium none the less. I also get to check out my new ride for the summer (Hyundai, manual transmission, diesel (much cheaper than regular gas), very fuel efficient, decked out in team sponsor decals).

Rudy and I then headed to the house in the town of Aschaffenburg where I will be living for the next 3 months. On the way to the house, I was introduced to the legendary German Autobahn. Rudy was speeding down the speed-limit-less highway at about 170 kilometers per hour which translates to 111 miles per hour in his black Opal Station Wagon. Porsches, BMW’s, and Mercedes were whizzing by us, even when we were going well over 100mph. Very cool experience, even for such a speed conscious driver like myself.

When we arrive, I am greeted by my house mother, Gaby, who is very cordial, inviting, and friendly. She speaks only a little bit of English, but is so nice that the language gap should not be a problem at all. We sit down for coffee and chat together with Rudy, with Scott doing much of the translating. I also met Gaby’s sister Susanna, and other members of the house and everyone is very kind, polite, and pleasant. I am also informed, much to my delight that Gaby will be cooking both breakfast and dinner almost everyday for me, in addition to doing my laundry every few days or so!

After I dropped off the luggage in my room, which consists of a double bed, TV, my own bathroom, desk, and closet (basically the size of a very large dorm room with my own bathroom and shower), myself and Rudy headed off to run some errands. These errands included: picking up an internet card, a “handy” (cell phone) to use for local calls, and lunch. While at lunch, I had my first German Beer (Bier) in Deutschland at a very nice Italian/German Restaurant in what appeared to be the middle of nowhere. I also had my first German meal, since the Egg McMuffins don’t really count. I ordered a classic German dish called Jagerschnizel (Pronounced like the liquor) which is best described as a kind of breaded and fried piece of pork covered in Marsala wine sauce gravy, served with French fries (just the thing to cure any jet lag). We then headed to the “equipment manager”’s house where he had a fully stocked basement of quality football gear. There I picked up my helmet, shoulder pads, thigh and knee pads, practice and game pants, warm-up sweats, and mouthpiece. Again, not up to the standards of Kyle Fetterly (‘Cuse Legendary Equipment Manager), in terms of organization and amount of gear, but impressive none the less.

Rudy and I then headed back to the house so I could unpack. After about 1 hour, Rudy and I headed back to the stadium in Hanau (about 20 mins away from Aschaffenburg and the house) for my first practice, fresh off of the plane and an already very busy day. When we arrived, I was greeted by other members of the Hanau Hornets football community, including Volker Roos, who had contacted me on Facebook before I even arrived, and Bernard. Both are former members of the Hanau Hornets, as was the equipment manager. Players started to trickle in and all were extremely excited that I had arrived to help them out, and greeted me as such. Most excited by far was Torrance Brown, who is in the US Army and married to a German woman. He is a very talented running back, but because of the lack of talent at the QB position, was forced into the role of QB for the past few games. He ran up and gave me a big hug when he saw that I was there, and ready to relieve him of his Quarterbacking duties. (More to come on the state of the Hanau Hornets)

Practice was short and sweet, about 1.5 hours total, with not much running or yelling. Playing QB again on a football field was very fun, refreshing, and exciting. This was a nice change of pace from a typical ‘Cuse Football Practice, which always consisted of numerous lung busting sprints, longggg practices, and at least one player receiving a profanity-laced ass ripping from the hot-headed, but lovable Italian: Bob Casullo. Rarely directed at me, I really will miss the daily Casullo tirades.

After practice was over, I rode back home with another Aschaffenburg resident: Andy MacMillan. Andy is a fairly large TE by German Standards (about 6’2 235 lbs), and probably knows more about the NFL and its players than I do. Andy is Bavarian and claims that Bavaria is the “real Germany” and might as well be its “own country.” I have heard from others, including one American coach that Bavaria is to Germany, as Texas is to the U.S.A. Andy speaks very good English and seems like an all around good guy.

When I arrived home at around 10:30pm, Gaby (my house mother), heated me up a post practice snack. I then Skyped with Mom, Dad, Molly, and Chrissy for a bit, and they can all testify that I looked pretty tired after a long 48 hour stretch.

NYC Trip from Heaven and Hell


Getting to Germany was an adventure all by itself. I took the $16 Bolt Bus up to NYC to visit the beautiful Chrissy Anderson for what I though was going to be a total of 24 hours. We had a great dinner at a French Restaurant called DB Bistro Moderne on Monday night. On the menu was quite possibly, the best burger I have ever eaten, although, I’m not sure it should be in the same category as a Big Mac or Whopper. It is described on the menu as: "Sirloin Burger Filled with Braised Short Ribs Served on a Parmesan Bun, Pommes Frites or Pommes SoufflĂ©es. Needless to say, it was DAMN good!

My flight left at 6:30pm the next day from Newark, NJ, so I woke up on Tuesday morning, packed up my carry on suitcase, ate breakfast, and said my goodbyes to Chrissy, then took the $15 bus to Newark Airport around 3:30pm and arrived about an hour later.

I then found myself standing in line for the Air India Counter in Newark, after hauling about 300 lbs. of luggage from Manhattan to Jersey, looking down at my itinerary and noticing a discrepancy between my scheduled departure date and the date on my watch. I then double and triple checked the date on my watch, my phone, and my itinerary, and came to the very annoying conclusion that I had arrived 24 hours early for my flight. That’s even stretching it a bit for my father, who is the king of arriving at the airport EXTRA early!

I then schlep my 300 lbs of luggage back to Manhattan, to the Upper East Side, where Chrissy’s Aunt Gerri, graciously offered me a place to stay for the night in their family’s apartment. After arriving, I open my very large suitcase to get more clothes because I did not pack my carry-on suitcase for 2 days in NYC. I open it up and find that 90% of my clothes are damp and smell like mildew! My best guess is that something spilled in the storage compartment of the Bolt Bus from Baltimore to New York, and since I never opened my large suitcase, I never even noticed (I guess you get what you pay for). So not only am I staying in Chrissy’s Aunt Gerri’s home on 30 mins notice, I also have to trouble her with my smelly, mildew laundry. But she, of course, was great and told an (almost) equally embarrassing travel story from the past, which made me feel a little better.

The next day was not nearly as eventful. I woke up, ate a great NYC diner breakfast (again), relaxed, and then said goodbyes (again). Then hoped on the Newark Airport Bus at Grand Central Station (again), and arrived at Newark Airport around 4:30….(again). When I made it past security and into the terminal, I took an Ambien, drank a few pints of beer, got on the plane, and fell asleep. Next Stop: Frankfurt, Germany!!