First day on the job

I drove my dad to the airport this afternoon; he's off to Brazil for the next two and a half weeks for business.  It may not be such a bad time to leave town for a spell, what with the S&P 500 at a five year low, and the Dow below 10,000.   People are stressed, businesses are shrinking, and the markets, both national and international, are falling.  There will be many opportunities in these lows and how markets and individuals ride them out will show much of their character.  Though today, on the 7th anniversary of my first club regionals tournament, there is one business that has set its strong foundation, that continues to grow - that, of course, is PHUL.

Today marks my first day as a full time employee of PHUL.  It starts without a bang or a grand event, as truly, working for PHUL has been a near full time preoccupation for me and many others for some time now.  There are many loose ends from the last few years that we tie up in the off season, and that's where I'll be starting.

For now, I've just finished a college letter of recommendation for Dave Berg (PHUL Board '08).  The response letter from the University of Pittsburgh for a similar letter I wrote for Colin Conner (PHUL Board '07-'08) last year hangs on my wall.  It's a poem (the response, not my endorsement), called "The Bridge Builder", speaking to setting a path for others.  I wonder as we start planning for the 2009 season, how many more lives will we shape this season, as a league, as coaches, as captains, as players.  How many more foundations will we set?  What friendships made and memories etched?  I don't today have an answer for "What's Next?" (though if you do have an opinion please post a comment), but I do know it'll be a great journey, one in which I hope as many as possible share.

Let's get started.