Welcome to the 91st Minute

Ladies and Gentlemen, children of all ages…it has returned….what is it you ask? Well, it’s not the New Coke…or the Newer Old Coke…or the Newer New Coke, which I think is Coke Zero…or Prince, or the Artist Formerly Known as Prince, or the symbol that is in the form of Prince….it’s the 91st Minute with yours truly, Drexel Men's Soccer Head Coach Doug Hess… a.k.a. The Red Dragon…(or just Doug…probably will stick with Doug, a lot of paperwork to go through to get your name “officially” changed an all so I guess I will be “unofficially” The Red Dragon—second sentence and already I am spitting drivel, I love it!).

For those first time readers, let me explain. The 91st Minute is my way of connecting with fans, enthusiasts—connoisseurs if I may, alums, parents, peeps interested in holding it down at 43rd and Powelton (the home of Vidas Athletic Complex). It’s my thoughts, ideas, insight, ramblings, chafe, whimsical non-sense…sometimes into the huddle of Drexel Soccer, sometimes into the cockles of my heart, and most times it is a writing that has zero literary worth (other than I get to see something I did on the web and I can say I am published). Sometimes it’s weekly, sometimes bi-weekly, sometimes there are long breaks between notes (because my mom always told me if I don’t have anything nice to say…), but it’s always entertaining!

So without further adieu, I bid you my next installment of the 91st…the only difference, a new pallet (or website) to paint on and I’ve got some new surroundings…and those aren’t too different… (cricket, cricket…). Buies Creek to Philadelphia, as one friend put it I am trading B-B-Q for cheese steaks. So I have been slowly getting settled into the area, as settled as you can when you don’t have a house to live but that is a just a minor detail…(for the record, I’d live at Vidas if I could, don’t think that would go over well with the wife or the folks that like to watch Springer in the lounge out there, but I would).

So I started up several months ago and hit the ground running…have stumbled a few times…but have kept going. It’s funny, I haven’t spent much time thinking about the transition. A couple weeks ago our resident wealth of knowledge and sports information director, Mike “I run marathons ‘cause that’s what I do” Tuberosa, asked me that very question. “How is the transition going? Have you thought much about it? Do you miss Carolina?” (That’s how it goes, he likes to ask questions in 3’s…he’s the Triple Threat of Inquisitiveness). My answer, well I never really thought about it. I don’t think as coaches we can spend much time dwelling on the past or getting caught up one thing, if so we get left behind. I did think about the people I missed, but it pretty much ended there. There are always people to be missed when you spend that much time somewhere and then depart, but that also means there are many new ones to meet upon my arrival in a new place.

That being said, I have met some great folks already here in the “City of Brotherly Love.” The obvious ones within my department that make working here a pleasure, as well as the folks outside the department (Paul, who drives the shuttle out to Vidas; Dottie, who makes the absolute most perfect omelet I have ever known…and adds the triple threat for me now without me even asking—pepper, onion, tomato…a medley of deliciousness; Lamont, who buzzes me in when I don’t have my ID with me because I went for a run out in the City; and last but not least, Sandy from Pete & Sue’s Lunch Truck who always asks me “Salt, Pepper, Ketchup?” when I order…S.P.K. every time!).

Notice two of my references are to breakfast foods, when you train at 6 am everyday this is what you look forward to (yeah I ended that in a preposition…these are things I know…for you new readers of the new edition of the 91st, don’t get so caught up in grammar or ‘good’ English so to speak…because I violate both!). I figured since I was joining the Soccer 6 then we must train at 6 am… actually, it is what fits our schedule and I love watching the sun rise while being out on a soccer field (Jamie Lindsay, Compliance officer extraordinaire, and side-kick Jesse Potter; don’t get caught up in the “everyday” comment, we give the NCAA mandated day-off).

The guys have embraced the struggle of training so early in the morning and done well to this point with it. I just saw How To Train Your Dragon this past weekend (not in 3D, because if I saw it in 3D I probably would have started sweating and hurled…36 years old and I still get a little motion sick)…what a great movie and appropriate for me as well!

Just like the lead character, Hiccup, I too must befriend the Dragons and not look to slay them. He takes the time to learn about the Dragons, as well as appreciate what Dragons are all about. So thus far, this spring season has been just about that…learning what they are all about, as well as what I am all about, gaining an appreciation for one another and then hopefully meeting somewhere in the middle. More to come…

Hope you will come out and support us in our last two weekends of play. This Friday night, 8:15 pm kick-off against city-rival Temple and then next weekend on Sunday May 2nd at 2:00 pm. Drop me a line if you wish to chat, dfh25@drexel.edu , or I will talk back at you in a week or so.

Have a great week and officially, I Am A Dragon!

Regards,
Doug