Fanview Lite: June 7, 2010

Former San Gabriel 'Cornerblack' Marques Dixon loving life in Hawaii

T-Minus-94 Days until “The Mid Valley Classic”

Good Morning!

The Blackhawks are much better at home than on the road, a completely different team when they wear their red.

Yeah, I watched the Stanley Cup because last night they were allowed to play hockey. In the NBA Finals they weren’t even allowed to breathe.

The Lakers-Celtics last night was the equivalent of being 25 on a date and having a chaperone blowing a whistle every time you tried to make move…or worse, every time you thought about making a move.

The bad calls went both ways, there were just too many calls.

Had a great conversation with WestCo HC Mike Maggiore.

The Mid: How did you feel about team during spring workouts…

They hitting it hard?

Maggiore: It went well, we are putting in some new schemes and I thought it was pretty positive.

The Mid: Any player standout or surprise you?

Maggiore: Maurice Dupleasis is going to have a great year. He was All Valley last year but has really stepped up his leadership and could be the best linebacker we have had since I’ve been here. Our running backs are deep and George Johnson looked very good throwing the ball. We will expect much more from him this year.

The Mid: The Hacienda League doesn’t look like its going to give you much of a breather, is that going to be any more difficult than the San Antonio?

Maggiore: It will probably be a little more balanced than the San Antonio. There wont be an easy game and that should produce competitive games. The league is really wide open. We weren’t complaining about the old league and we are fine with the new one. I figure we need to work hard, be the best team we can be regardless of the league we are in.

The Mid: The realignment created any new excitement with you and your staff?

Maggiore: We are excited every year. The kids coming up from JV and a few from the freshmen league championship team along with the returners give us all the excitement we need.

The Mid: I’m sure the Hall of Fame game really takes a chunk out of your routine?

Maggiore: We start Hall of Fame practice this week Monday and Thursday from six to eight, the following week we throw June 15th at home. It just adds to the workload a little, we’re gonna try and have fun with it.

Oh, I’ve always been an A.J. Ellis fan.

Another Last Add Wooden: Instead of incessantly referring to him as “passed away”, perhaps it would be better to consider his faith and say he has ‘graduated’. For Wooden, Friday was Graduation Day.

Another Add Lakers-Celtics: I agree, by the time Ray Allen hit his seventh three-pointer in the first half it was time for us all to start singing; “Come let us worship and bow down…” but then again players get hot all the time. You saw the graphic last night on players hitting seven threes in an NBA Finals. Kenny Smith and Scottie Pippen aren’t going to make anyone forget Reggie Miller or Allen from long distance.

(Did you see the highlight of the overrated Pippen banking one of his in from straight out?)

What made Allen’s moment great was the way he got open by working picks and running the baseline. In fact whether it was the Lakers or the Clippers he was blasting away at, it reminded me basketball can still be beautiful.

Observation: I’m hardly Brad Pitt, but Boston’s Kendrick Perkins abuses the privilege of being ugly… Maybe if the dude smiled once in a while, maybe if for a moment he can remember he is in the NBA and making serious coin he’d feel better…It’s not like he’s shrimp boat captain in the gulf.

A lot of former football players are talking about their playing days and how much they miss the field. Caught up with former San Gabriel cornerback Marques Dixon and he gave me his thoughts. Dixon, along with Charles Hallinan, in 2005 formed the Matadors self-ascribed “Cornerblacks” tandem. Dixon is currently finishing up degree work at the University of Hawaii and pursuing a career as a writer.

“Well I miss the sense of community that I once had while I was in high school. When I played I felt a strong sense of family; I helped my brothers on and off the field. It is reminiscent of the Hellenic culture of Sparta. Those men would go to war with the men that they became close with on much deeper levels than just the surface. The bonds that were forged on the San Gabriel high football team are invaluable.

“I also miss the smell of the fresh cut grass grazing my nose while the band played in the background. There is nothing like the sound of the tuba and the bang of the drums while we guarded our end zone. I loved the adrenaline rush that I got whenever I tackled a player on the opposing team. My hands laced around an opponents body and grasped his muscular frame as I brought him down. Both of us breathing hard as I tried to strip him of my pride and joy– football. I lived for the joy of the sport and I lived because I had football to keep me balanced and off of the streets. I stayed out of trouble because I maintained focus on my academics and sports.

“It may all be nostalgic but it is these very memories, and others, that allow me to know that I lived a good life and will continue to do so. I can only hope that other men that go through team sports take away a similar positive experience.”

Tomorrow on “The Mid Valley Sports Show” in studio will be; Arcadia HC Jon Dimalante and new Temple City HC Mike McFarland.

Josh Ouellette and Juan “Wolfman” Salas will also be talking (Get all excited and go to a yawning festival) World Cup…

Last Add Ray Allen: Did you notice how Allen did all of his gunslinging with a small smile last night? Nothing demonstrative, no chest thumping…no shrug of disbelief ala Michael Jordan in the 1992 NBA Finals when he surprisingly lit up Portland from beyond the arc.

Stay thirsty my friends…

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