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World-renown pianist and conductor Leon Fleisher will perform with the Annapolis Symphony Orchestra at their season-opener concert, Monumental Music. Photo by Eli Turner. |
World Famous Pianist Leon Fleisher Returns to Perform with ASO
After nearly a decade, one of the world's greatest pianists returns to play with the Annapolis Symphony Orchestra (ASO). Leon Fleisher will help kick off the eight-concert season by playing Beethoven's Concerto No. 5, in which the piano is pitted against the orchestra and eventually wins. Directly following will be Shostakovich's Symphony No. 10, which reflects on freedom from Stalin's oppression-a fitting theme in light of the guest's lifelong struggle.
Fleisher served as the ASO's music director from 1970 to 1982, bringing to the group notoriety and experience from an extensive career as a piano soloist. A child prodigy, he began playing piano at age 4 and by age 16 he was performing with the New York Philharmonic. At the time he was recognized as one of the best pianists in the world.
"We were totally surprised and pleased that someone of his caliber was coming to our small town orchestra," says Philip Richebourg, president of the ASO from 1965 to 1974. "He was extremely capable [from the beginning]. It all fit together very well. . . . He raised the caliber in his 11 years there."
The ASO was a candle in a dark time for Fleisher. His career was abruptly halted during the 1964-65 season, when his right hand began to constrict uncontrollably.
"I had come down with something called 'focal dystonia,' which prevented me from playing with my right hand," says Fleisher. The disease, which was first incorrectly diagnosed as an extreme repetitive stress disorder, eventually rendered his right hand nearly immobile.
Fleisher was introduced to the ASO and conducting purely by chance. "One of my students at that time, Michael Campbell, was a cellist in the Annapolis Symphony Orchestra," he says. "They had just lost their conductor. My student had been engaged as piano soloist and asked me to conduct the concert. I had always been fascinated with that activity so I said 'Sure!' And that was the beginning. They offered me the job after that and I spent 12 years there as music director."
The Annapolis Symphony Orchestra will perform eight concerts this season. |
"[The ASO] was really a disparate group," says Fleisher, "local Annapolitans who had jobs during the day but who knew an instrument, loved music, and wanted to play together. It was a combination group and we wound up playing better than we knew how somehow. It was wonderful."
After leaving the ASO, Fleisher traveled the world teaching music and conducting orchestras from China to South America. He always remembered Annapolis, however, as the place where he learned to conduct. "Annapolis holds a very special place not only in the direction and development of my music career, but in my heart as well," he says.
It wasn't until 1995 that his condition was properly diagnosed and treated. Fleisher says "they found various ways of relieving the symptoms" which have enabled him to play a limited two-handed repertoire and release a number of albums. It has been almost a decade since he played with the ASO and he looks forward to returning.
Monumental Music takes place on September 15 and 16 at 8 p.m. in Maryland Hall. For more information and tickets, visit www.annapolissymphony.org.
--Conal Darcy
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Historic Hippodrome Theater Now Features Broadway Shows in Baltimore
Steeped in history, the France-Merrick Performing Arts Center in Baltimore resides in three historic landmark buildings-the Western National Bank, the Eutaw Savings Bank, and the original Hippodrome Theatre.
"In 2006-2007 we have the hottest shows currently on Broadway, including Wicked and Spamalot," brags Executive Director Marks Chowning. "We have two plays coming direct from Broadway, including the Pulitzer Prize- and Tony Award-winning play Doubt and Richard Thomas and George Wendt in Twelve Angry Men."
The France-Merrick Performing Arts Center provides you with an opportunity to see plays going on tour direct from Broadway. Just a 30- to 45-minute drive from the Annapolis area, the complex typically runs a play 1, 2, or 3 weeks, Tuesday through Saturday evenings with a Sunday matinee. The national tour for Spelling Bee will be launched from Baltimore this fall.
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Visiting the theater itself is a historic experience. Built on the site of the old Eutaw House, a luxury hotel built in 1835, it was built in 1914 to seat 3000. An average of 30,000 people visited the theater each week to watch both movies and vaudeville acts. An orchestra, a piano, and a specially built Moller organ commissioned for the theater provided sound for the films. Although the theater went through a series of managers, they maintained a house orchestra well into the 1950s. Frank Sinatra and the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra, the Andrews Sisters, Jack Benny, and Milton Berle were just a few of the great celebrities who performed on the Hippodrome stage.
The performing and seating space is palatial. Elegant gilt carvings grace the walls. Classic murals are painted on the high, domed ceilings. The nonprofit Hippodrome Foundation offers tours of the entire complex, Monday mornings at 10:30 a.m. To confirm tour times and availability, call the Hippodrome Foundation at (410) 727-7787.
Slated to run from August 29 through September 10 is Mamma Mia, a lighthearted musical adventure set on a warm sunny Greek Island and featuring the disco music of Abba, with book by Catherine Johnson. The story focuses on the quest of a bride to be to identify her real father from among three of her mother's former beaus; the 70s and 80s music tends to make the audience want to dance in the aisles.
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Opening Sept 19 as the launch of a 50-city national tour is the Tony Award- winning musical comedy The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, directed by James Lapine. Written by Rachel Sheinkin, the musical features music and lyrics by William Finn. The story follows the escapades of six adolescents competing in a spelling bee that forces them and their grownup guardians to recognize that winning isn't the be-all and end-all and losing a contest doesn't make you a loser. The show will remain in Baltimore for 2 weeks. It will be followed by Twelve Angry Men, opening October 24. For an entire listing of this season's plays, visit the theater's Web site at www.BroadwayAcrossAmerica.com or call (800) 343-3103.
--Nadja Maril
Wiley H. Bates Heritage Park Opens
Outside the senior activity site is a large enclosed courtyard with beautiful landscaping, as well as a large space for parking in the rear. |
On Friday, September 8, 2006, in a ceremonious day of grand openings and tributes, the former Bates High School will be unveiled as the state-of-the-art Wiley H. Bates Heritage Park. The remodeled center will be the new home for five major organizations and projects: the Annapolis Senior Center, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Annapolis & Anne Arundel County, the Bates Legacy Center, seventy-one single-bedroom senior housing units, and recreational ball parks.
The culmination of dedication, hard work, and planning by many players on three levels of government-state, county, and city-the Wiley H. Bates High School Redevelopment Plan mirrors the integrity of the man after whom it is named.
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Opening Ceremonies County Executive, Janet Owens, will officially dedicate the new facility at 10 a.m. on September 8. All three organizations will hold grand opening festivities throughout the day. The Grand Community Celebration, honoring Bates and the entire complex, will take place from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Bates Heritage Park is on the Annapolis Transit bus route. The address of the Bates Heritage Park is 119 Southvilla Avenue, Annapolis. For more information please call ACDS at (410) 222-7600. |
Left vacant, the school became dilapidated and remained something of a ghost building for 20 years before serious planning was approved to bring it back to life. Efforts in the early 1980s to convert the high school into a community center failed to win city council approval. Then in the early 1990s county executive Robert Neall appointed a Bates Advisory Committee (BAC) to investigate the property's potential.
According to Kathleen Koch, executive director of Arundel Community Development Services (ACDS), "Jerry Klasmeier was in charge of the BAC and always stuck to a minimum of five intended uses for the Bates building: affordable housing, a senior center, community center, memorial to Bates, and ball fields or recreation. In 1995 a planning agreement was made and ACDS was 'hired' to facilitate the redevelopment. We first tried to coordinate the feasibility of the five uses, but by 1999 our report stated that a new roof was needed. In 2000, a $2.2 million roofing project was completed, including the removal of all asbestos and lead paint. Finally, a $27 million project with multiple financiers was approved and construction began in 2005."
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"Dreams do come true," says Virginia A. Thomas, director of Anne Arundel County Department of Aging & Disabilities, "The Wiley H. Bates Heritage Park fulfills the dream of a man who had a deep passion for children, education, and older adults. We are extremely grateful to County Executive Janet Owens, the county council, all of the legislators, and members of the community who played a role in bringing a building back to life."
The new 22,000 square foot Annapolis Senior Center will be the largest senior center in the county and will feature a large multipurpose café with a stage. Rooms designed for exercise, computers, arts and crafts, ceramics, and billiards are included, as well as a medical suite for wellness programs and health screenings.
Reginald Broddie, director of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Annapolis & Anne Arundel County, is equally excited. Their facility, which includes a 12,000 square foot gymnasium, is expected to serve more than 5,000 area youth through membership programs and special summer camps. A teen center for leadership and guidance training plus a library, computer room, and kitchen are all part of the club's new location."Bates Heritage Park will change the way we serve children and seniors for generations to come," says Broddie.
The nonprofit Bates Legacy Center in the former high school's library incorporates an original piece of the 1930 structure in its space. The center was established to honor the students', school's, and teachers' contributions to the community. A memorial courtyard will feature a statue of Wiley H. Bates.
"It's taken 26 years to get here!" beams ACDS Executive Director Koch when asked about the opening.
"We are excited," says Thomas, "The halls and classrooms will once again be filled with laughter and learning!"
--j.s. houck
Wiley H. Bates from The Other Annapolis, by Philip L. Brown, local historical author. This and his other books on Annapolis's black history are available at Barnes and Noble, Borders, and directly from the author. |
Wiley H. Bates
The story of Wiley H. Bates is a fascinating tale of "rags to riches" and goodwill. Born in 1859 in North Carolina, Bates eventually migrated to the Cape St. Claire area in 1865. He did not attend school, but was self taught, believing strongly in hard work and honest living. He sold oysters, which eventually led to his opening a grocery market on the corner of South and Cathedral Streets. He was elected Alderman in 1897 for the then-third ward and was instrumental in establishing an elementary school on Washington Street for African Americans.
Bates was one of the most well respected black businessmen and politicians in Annapolis. He eventually sold his business and turned to philanthropy, donating regularly to what is now the Anne Arundel Medical Center and to the Mount Moriah A.M.E Church on Franklin Street, which now houses the Banneker-Douglass museum.
In the late 1920s, Bates was the catalyst in raising funds to purchase land for a black high school in Annapolis, donating $500 of his own money to encourage other investors. The land, located just off what is now West Street, became the site of the Wiley H. Bates High School, named in his honor. Bates died in 1935, just two years after the school's opening. Bates High School flourished for 50 years before closing its doors in 1980.
Pooch Pals Unite for a Good Cause
On September 23, at the Annapolis Harbour Center Pavilion, a fun, educational, and fundraising event will take place for all area pet owners to enjoy-The 2nd Annual Chip & Dip Day will feature a bevy of veterinarians and vendors offering pet-related services, for which proceeds will benefit the Tails of Hope Animal Rescue Shelter.
What exactly does "chip" and "dip" refer to? "Chip" refers to micro-chipping your pet, in which participating vets will be onsite to perform the quick and painless procedure of inserting an identification micro-chip into the nape (skin on the back the neck) of your dog. "Dip" refers to doggy baths, which will also be offered onsite. Both will cost pet owners a nominal fee, which will be donated to the shelter.
Additionally, the event will feature a Giving Grill cooking up good eats, gift bags, a silent auction and/or raffle, pet sitting while you shop, and other opportunities for you to donate to this great cause. Co-sponsored by Whole Foods Market of Annapolis and What's Up? Annapolis magazine, the day promises to be fun for pet owners and pooch pals alike!
Enjoy the Event:
What: 2nd Annual Chip & Dip Day
When: Saturday, September 23, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
Where: Annapolis Harbour Center Pavilion,
2504 Solomons Island Rd., Annapolis
Why: To benefit Tails of Hops Animal Rescue Shelter
Veterinarians and local vendors will be onsite to offer
pet-related services, giveaways, auction/raffle, food, and
much more. For more information call (410) 573-1800 or
(410) 267-9390.
Hot Buttered Rum String Band |
The Who, Where, and What You'll Dig
by j.s. houck
9/3 John Mayer & Sheryl Crow at Nissan Pavilion, Bristow
(410) 547-SEAT
A double dose of contemporary blues-inflected pop rock makes for a great bill this evening. The smooth delivery of singer-songwriter-guitarist Mayer should juxtapose nicely with Crow's sultry 'n' sexy, lilting delivery. Both have recent releases climbing the charts and should command an excited audience.
9/7 Mariah Carey at Verizon Center, D.C.
(410) 547-SEAT
Is she or isn't she considered a pop diva? That is the question. With an angelic voice, strong dance moves, and looks that could kill, she very well might be. This tour, dubbed The Adventures of Mimi, will showcase Carey's hits and fresh material from her Grammy-winning album of 2005.
9/5 Teddy Geiger at the Recher Theatre, Towson
(410) 547-SEAT
Remember the television show Love Monkey, which featured a young aspiring singer-songwriter with boyish looks who wrote emotionally driven songs, guitar in hand? Maybe you just remember a singer-songwriter with boyish looks, as seen everywhere today. Geiger is the one-from the now defunct television show to Billboard success, who has built a grassroots fan base and is poised for a promising career.
9/8 Nickel Creek at Rams Head Live!, Baltimore
(410) 244-1131
This highly instrumental, high-energy, newgrass trio (joined by local basshound Mark Shatz) is a blast to see live. From crazy string-driven meltdowns to earthy, almost dreamy and subtle, beautiful tunes, Nickel Creek knows how to play its instruments (mandolin, guitar, violin) and its audience too.
9/9 Rascal Flatts at Nissan Pavilion, Bristow
(410) 547-SEAT
For the Flatts, the past few years have been anything but flat. They are country music's hottest ticket right now. In '05 Rascal Flatts earned three Grammy nominations and took home Country Song of the Year-the band spent 10 weeks at the #1 slot on the country radio singles charts. If Bristow wasn't country enough already, it will be now.
Branford Marsalis |
9/10 Ben Harper & The Innocent Criminals at Merriweather Post Pavilion, Columbia
(410) 547-SEAT
Simply put, Harper is the man. No matter what style of music you have an affinity for-rock, country, blues, hip-hop, reggae-Harper will satisfy with his Tuff Gong approach to performing guitar-driven tunes. Having Damian Marley (son of Bob) open the show helps to provide a platform for politically motivated music.
9/12 Hot Buttered Rum String Band at Rams Head OnStage, Annapolis
(410) 268-4545
Hot Buttered is a five-member acoustic string sensation performing original bluegrass with rock and reggae influences. It embraces the Roots, Rock, Reggae modus operandi and has evolved into an intoxicating, lush, and fun act to enjoy live.
9/13 Branford Marsalis at Rams Head OnStage, Annapolis
(410) 268-4545
Grammy-winning sax man Marsalis is the cool cat of smooth jazz, but he also knows a thing or two about improvising insane lines that will blow you away. You may remember his stint as the leader of Jay Leno's band on the Tonight Show in the early '90s or maybe you simply know that he is to the sax what Mozart was to the piano.
9/23 Virgin Festival at Pimlico Race Course, Baltimore
(410) 547-SEAT
Headlined by the Red Hot Chili Peppers and the Who, this festival, the first Virgin Festival Stateside, features an incredible lineup sure to satisfy all fans with an appetite for rock. Artists slated to perform include the Killers, Gnarles Barkley, the Flaming Lips, the Raconteurs, Scissor Sisters, Thievery Corporations, Keane, Drive-By Truckers, and many more. Pssst-Pink Floyd founding member-bassist, Roger Waters, is at Nissan Pavilion in Bristow to perform the legendary Dark Side of the Moon in its entirety. Decisions, decisions.
Red Hot Chili Peppers |
9/26 Santana at Nissan Pavilion, Bristow
(410) 547-SEAT
Pioneering, graceful, searing, soaring: these are but a few of the many superlatives used to describe Santana's guitar playing over the years of his illustrious career. He visits Nissan Pavilion for his annual trip into town-a great concert no matter when or where it takes place.
9/30 Aerosmith & Mötley Crüe at Nissan Pavilion, Bristow
(410) 547-SEAT
What do you get when you pair two of rock's biggest, baddest edgy bands? One indulgent show to satisfy your inner rockstar. Aerosmith has dominated rock 'n' roll for the better part of 3 decades, while the Crüe defined rowdy; righteous; party-hard, rock even harder glam-metal in the '80s. If it's not a party on stage, it's definitely one backstage.
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Museums and Galleries
Can't Miss Exhibits
Paul Klee's (Youth) Actor's Mask, 1924, on exhibit at the Phillips Collection. © 2006 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York/VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn. Photo © The Museum of Modern Art/Licensed by SCALA/Art Resource, NY. |
Klee and America
Through September 10
The Phillips Collection, D.C.
(202) 387-2151
Swiss artist Paul Klee (1879-1940) was greatly admired by the abstract expressionists for his inventiveness and genius for composition. Early in his career, he influenced Germany's Bauhaus, and his work was a victim of Nazi art purges. Approximately 80 works of extraordinary quality will be on view at the Phillips, among them works collected by Ernest Hemingway, Clifford Odets, and Mies van der Rohe. The Phillips Collection's 13 works by Klee are one of the cornerstones of the collection and have served as inspiration for American artists including Richard Diebenkorn, Gene Davis, and Kenneth Noland.
William Wegman's Man Ray Contemplating the Bust of Man Ray, 1978, Gelatin silver print. Private Collection, © William Wegman. |
William Wegman-Funney/Strange
Through September 24
Smithsonian American Art Museum, D.C.
(202) 275-1500
William Wegman (b. 1943) has been held in critical esteem by the international art world for his smart, gently subversive humor that parodies all things familiar. This is the first in-depth look at the artist in 15 years; it examines his work in all media, from the 1960s to the present. The exhibition features approximately 200 photographs, works on paper, paintings, conceptual works, videos, writings, and rare archival materials. Several surprising new bodies of work will be seen in relation to classics, such as the photographs of his Weimaraners.
The Price Tower, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, at night. © Christian M. Korab/Korab Photo, 2003. |
Prairie Skyscraper: Frank Lloyd Wright's Price Tower
Through September 17
National Building Museum, D.C.
(202) 272-2448
Completed in 1956, the Price Tower is the only true skyscraper Frank Lloyd Wright (1867-1959) designed that was ever constructed. The 221-foot high-rise is a jewel on the prairie, the culmination of the architect's long-held vision to build a uniquely modern skyscraper in the American landscape. The Price Tower is located in Bartlesville, Oklahoma. It stands 19 stories high and has more than 57,000 square feet for offices, shops, and apartments. This exhibition celebrates the 50th anniversary of the tower's construction and features more than 100 drawings, models, photographs, documents, building components, and furnishings that illuminate how Wright's dream materialized.
Thierry Feuz's Odeon III, 2006, enamel and lacquer on canvas. |
Supernatural
Through November 3
National Academy of Sciences, D.C.
(202) 334-2436
Supernatural is the fourth major exhibit of work created by Geneva-based painter Thierry Feuz. His work features vividly colored botanical abstractions influenced by his immediate environment. Feuz explains, "The organic paintings are close-ups, as though you have entered into a landscape and the details of a strange, humid, wet, and dangerous life have become visible." The paintings explore the genesis, life, and gradual decay of natural and abstract flowers and other organic material through varying levels of magnification.
Paint Annapolis 2006 Exhibition
September 24 through October 20
Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts, Annapolis
(410) 263-5544This juried exhibition features the work of local and national artists who participated in Paint Annapolis 2006, a plein air competition that will have taken place from sunrise September 21 to sundown on the 24th. Only 25 artists will have their work hung in the exhibition. Plein air is a term used for paintings or drawings inspired directly from nature and infused with a feeling of the open air and for painting outdoors.
On Stage In September
A Prayer for Owen Meany is a story of a spiritual journey at Round House Theatre in Bethesda, September 13-October 8. |
A Prayer for Owen Meany follows John Wheelwright and his relationship with Owen Meany, a man of diminutive stature who claims to be a messenger of God. A childhood little league baseball incident forever links the pair, thus begins a spiritual journey for Wheelwright's faith which reveals that Meany just may be God's instrument. At Round House Theatre, Bethesda. September 13 through October 8. Call for tickets. (240) 644-1100.
An Enemy of the People. When Dr. Stockmann discovers that his city's baths are contaminated, he sets out to warn his fellow citizens. Terrified of losing the baths' tourist dollars, the citizens refuse to accept Dr. Stockmann's claims. At Shakespeare Theatre, Washington, D.C. September 1 through October 22. $51-58. Call for tickets and times. (202) 547-1122.
Broadway Under the Stars features songs and performers from the theatre's first 40 years. At Annapolis Summer Garden Theatre, 143 Compromise St., Annapolis. 8:30 p.m. $25. September 8-23. Call for tickets. (410) 268-9212.
Cabaret, a Broadway classic, tells the story of the turmoil in the lives of the people of Berlin in the era leading up to the Third Reich and World War II. At Annapolis Summer Garden Theatre, 143 Compromise St., Annapolis. September 1-2. $12-15. Call for tickets. (410) 268-9212.
Copenhagen follows a mentor and his protégé who take a walk one evening in 1941 to talk without being monitored by the Gestapo. The talk results in the end of a friendship. The play speculates the contents of that fateful conversation and what might have been said. At Colonial Players, 108 E. St., Annapolis. September 1-30. $10-15. Call for tickets. (410) 268-7373.
Deathtrap is a modern-day thriller full of tension, shocks, surprises, and bursts of laughter. At the Bay Theatre, 275 West St., Annapolis. September 29 through November 4. Call for tickets. (410) 268-1333.
Fiddler on the Roof follows the journey of a family that has its traditional life turned upside down as the modern world starts to impact on life in their idyllic village. At the Kerr Performing Arts Center at Annapolis Area Christian School, Severn. September 8-24. $10-12. Call for tickets. (410) 975-0200.
Opus. With only a few days to rehearse Beethoven's Opus 131, a renowned string quartet struggles to prepare for their highest profile performance ever. At Everyman Theatre, Baltimore. September 8 through October 15. Call for tickets. (410) 752-2208.
Shear Madness is Washington's hilarious whodunit that lets the audience solve the crime. At the Kennedy Center Theater Lab, Washington, D.C. $34-45. Continues indefinitely. Call for tickets. (800) 444-1324.
State of the Union is a story of a charismatic and idealistic businessman who is being groomed for the presidency. Like candidates of our own time, he must answer the age-old question: does he trust the people or trust his handlers? At Fords Theatre, Washington, D.C. September 22 through October 22. Call for tickets. (410) 547-SEAT.
Stones In His Pockets. Jake and Charlie are hired by an American movie company as "extras" for an Irish epic being filmed in their County Kerry town. The duo experience glamour and moments of heartbreak while a whole village of characters are brought to life in this two-man panorama. At Rep Stage, Columbia. September 22 through October 8. $16-24. Call for tickets. (410) 772-4900.
The Three Sisters is a moving study of a family caught between a vanishing past and an impossible future. At Centerstage, Baltimore. September 15 through October 29. Call for tickets and times. (410) 332-0033.
Quick Six: Navy Head Football Coach Paul Johnson
Navy's Head Football Coach Paul Johnson fired up on the sidelines. Photo by Phil Hoffman. |
In 2003, after posting their first winning record since 1997 and earning a postseason trip to their first bowl game since the 1996 Aloha Bowl, Navy Football lost the last game of the season, the Houston Bowl, to Texas Tech, 38-14. But for Navy Head Coach Paul Johnson, the season was a huge success. In what was only his second season as Navy's head coach, he was able to turn a dire football program into a contender. In the 2004 campaign, Navy earned another postseason bowl trip and successfully defeated New Mexico, 34-19, in the Emerald Bowl, capping the program's best season in 99 years! One day later, Johnson was named the National Coach of the Year. Success continued in 2005, as Navy cruised in their third straight bowl appearance, beating Colorado State 51-30 in the Poinsettia Bowl. Will 2006 see the mids in another bowl game? The academy is betting on it, having signed a contract to play in the 2006 Meineke Car Care Bowl should they win enough games to earn their right. One week before Navy was set to begin summer training in August, Johnson weighed in on what it takes to win ball games and the season ahead.
What's Up? Annapolis: How is the summer coming along for you?
Coach Paul Johnson: Well, it's going fast! We get cranked up here big time next week.
WUA: In the last game Navy played, this past December, you handily beat Colorado State in the Poinsettia Bowl in front of a national audience. When you came to the academy in December of 2001, did you envision coaching the midshipmen into the national spotlight as the premier military academy team or was it more of a game-by-game, day-by-day approach?
PJ: Well, I don't know that I even thought that far ahead. Certainly, my goals and aspirations were to do the best job I could as a coach and try to get the program, at the least, respectable on a national level. And had I thought we couldn't do that, I wouldn't have come here. So, there was never a timetable or a set date where I said I want to do this or that. I just felt like if we work really hard and try to do things the right way then we'd have a chance to be successful.
WUA: What are some of the differences between coaching a military academy team versus coaching a civilian college or university?
PJ: Actually, the football part of it is not all that different-we might be a tad undersized. I think the restrictions regarding who we can recruit, the time allotment we have, the different areas where, at a civilian school, there are training tables and academic advisors-that's certainly different than the academy.
WUA: One recent poll has you entering the 2006 campaign as the 30th ranked team in the nation. Additionally, the academy recently signed a contract with the 2006 Meineke Car Care Bowl guaranteeing a Navy selection should you become bowl eligible. Does that add extra pressure for you as a coach, having to manage the week-to-week play on the field versus those high expectations entering the season?
Photo by Phil Hoffman. |
PJ: Well there's no question the expectations have risen here. But I don't know that the expectations will ever exceed my own expectations. Certainly I've been successful but nobody is gonna put more pressure on me than myself.
WUA: How do you feel this year's squad compares with teams of the past?
PJ: It remains to be seen. You know, this team hasn't done anything yet-we haven't won a game.
WUA: Is it worth comparing one year's team to another?
PJ: I don't think you can do that. I think that each team takes on a different identity and once we get started in fall practice, we'll see how they respond. We have more guys coming back this year than a year ago, so you would hope that would be a positive.
WUA: How is the freshman class looking? Are there any freshmen that excite you?
PJ: Oh man, they're tired right now. It's Plebe Summer. You know, we'll see when we get out there in August. It's a little hard to tell until we get out there and start playing.
WUA: In your opinion, what makes a great football player and how do you, as the coach, get the most out of them?
PJ: Well I think that there are a lot of different attributes [that make a great player]. And a player doesn't necessarily have to have every one of them to be a great football player. I think that, certainly, some are blessed with more physical ability than others. Some guys have more heart, determination, and desire than others. Some have more football intelligence. There are many factors. I don't think there's one set thing-maybe being able to run. If you can't run, it's hard to play!
WUA: Game day arrives. Are you nervous and what is your preparation prior to kickoff?
PJ: I don't know that nervous would be the right word. I'm always excited, I get the butterflies. And I think if that ever stops, that I probably ought not to compete or coach. But that's the fun part of it.
We have a routine that we go through pregame and we don't vary much from it. I think that there's a big farce about all these "fire-'em-up" pregame locker-room talks. If you have to do that to get ready, then you're probably in trouble. You prepare to play the game during the week, not the morning of. And if you've had good preparation and a good plan, then you should be confident that you have a chance to go out and execute.
WUA: Flash forward to midway this coming season. If you've been highly successful up to that point, how would you try to maintain that momentum? Conversely, if a team is struggling, what can you, as a coach, do to help overcome adversity?
PJ: Well, you take it one game at a time. It sounds like a cliché, but that's really the way it is. And that's all you can worry about. If you start worrying about December in August, you're not going to be very successful. Right now all our focus needs to be on is East Carolina [Navy's first game]. That's it. That's the next game and that's when we have a chance to measure ourselves against them. Until that one is over, we had better not be thinking about anybody else.
WUA: In general, do you have any thoughts on the state of college football entering this season?
PJ: I think college football is exciting right now. When we're not playing I love to just watch the game. The atmosphere, the competition, everything about it is just great. It's really a great sport I think.
WUA: How about the Bowl Championship Series (BCS)? Any thoughts about that?
PJ: The BCS probably could be done a little differently. But that's a different topic altogether.
WUA: What about players declaring NFL draft eligibility prematurely?
PJ: Well we don't fight that as much in football as other sports do. So it's a bit different for us. And one thing about the academy is that our players won't be declaring any draft eligibility-at least not for the NFL.
-j.s. houck
Street Talk
by Kimi Raspa
They taught you ABCs, algebra, and how to diagram sentences and challenged the way you thought. There were times when you hated them, loved them, disagreed with them, and wondered what kinds of lives they lived outside the classroom. Despite our opinions, if it weren't for teachers, many of us would not be who we are today. This month students return to school, so we asked you: Who was your favorite teacher?
 John Norton, 46, of Annapolis, Illustrator-"My high school biology teacher, Louis Mihalyi. He was my science, biology, and neuroscience teacher and he gave me an opportunity to have a reason to start doing illustration because he retired and started writing a nature column in the local paper. Every week I had to do a drawing for him, so that got me on the road to doing what I'm doing today." |
 Mary Koenigshoff, 57, of Annapolis, Nurse Practitioner, & Neighbor, Miss Dixie "It's a draw between Mrs. Bratsatter, who was my second and fifth grade teacher, and Sister Margaret Rose, who was my sixth grade teacher, because I relaxed and worked hard and felt a lot was expected of me but got a beautiful smile when I did well." |
 Jacqueline Ploof, 30-something, of Annapolis, Conference Planner-"Mr. Bowen, he was my third grade teacher. He was so interested in his students and he used to take me fishing and hunting and to the airport. I was afraid to fly and he took me to watch the planes take off." |
 Amy Luken, 31, of Fort Washington, Web Developer-"Mrs. Davis, my first grade teacher, because even though I was the youngest of four and she knew that I was already going to be a troublemaker, she was always very sweet to me and actually remembered my name and that was a big thing for me." |
 Christine Dow, 28, of Annapolis, Women's Ministry Intern-"Susan Dryden Whitson, because she poured herself into an insecure high schooler-known as me-and she was my ninth grade English teacher and loved me, prayed for me, and showed me the right path." |
 Liz Clarke, 30-something, of Annapolis, Engineer-"Mr. Coonse because he loved to blow things up in chemistry class. I always used his name when I forged my advisor's signature in college-L.C. Coonse." |
Questions about Street Talk? Contact Kimi Raspa at kraspa@whatsupmag.com or (410) 267-9390 x117.