Heartbreaker

Well, the ending of the game did not turn out in our favor, and it was a tough defeat. It was a very close game throughout and it looked like we had pulled off another victory. The Beavers are a very good team and they pulled out a close victory over us, 19-17. They kicked a field goal on the last play of the game. Now our attention will be focused on the Sun Devils for the next two weeks.

Once again, Tim, Benny and the Managers did a GREAT job getting the team ready. These guys work incredibly hard, and when the team loses, they lose too. Just like the players and the coaches, these guys work hard too. Below are some pictures of the preparation on game day against the Beavers. Using a checklist of duties that have to be done before the team leaves the hotel, the managers do things like clean shoes, double and triple check helmets, chinstraps for maypops, pull jerseys on to taped shoulder pads, and much more. Here are some pictures:


Adam Knapp double checking one of his players helmet over in the overflow locker room.

Willie Salzman cleaning a pair of shoes before the game.

Mike Harlow getting out a pair of shoes that he will clean with Super All.

Jordan Bates working hard to get a pair of shoes looking as good as possible. Jordan is a first year manager from Florida.

One of my favorite guys, Josh Reitzenstein, from Beverly Hills, CA. Josh is in his last season as a manager. Those who know me very well know that I like to joke around and pick on people that I like alot. Well, Josh gets alot from me, but it is because I like him so much.

Two of my favorites! Two great guys, who I hope gets to experience something only a few of us have ever been able to do, go to the ROSE BOWL. Couldn't happen to two better guys. Hard working Steve McCoy (left), and Arnold Alcantar. Congratulations on the win, and a GREAT season.

Adam helping out with Coach Mark Stoops and the DB's during pregame.

Ronnie doing his best Joe Montana with the O Line during pregame.

Managers, Jeff Gallego, Robert Lloyd and Willie Salzman catching up and shagging for the QB's and WR's during pregame.

Mike Harlow helping out during pregame.

Willie catching up for Bryson during pregame.

Coach Stoops catching up with Coach Riley before the game.

GameDay

Well, I just got done watching ESPN Game Day and that show always gets me excited about what I get to do on Saturdays in the fall. I do not need a TV show to get me excited, but that show always adds to the excitement.

We have been very fortunate this year to win six games up to now and that always helps too. We will have our hands full this afternoon against a GREAT Beaver football team. They are very well coached, and we have had a tough time with them in the 11 years I have been here.

One of the things I do like about playing the Beavers is that I get to see two of my favorite Equipment Managers in Steve McCoy and Arnold Alcantar. Not only are they great equipment managers, but they are fun guys to be around.

We found out yesterday that today's game program has a feature on the equipment staff. They interviewed Tim and Ronnie Platt and they did a nice job of describing what we do on a day to day basis. The article even mentioned our blog and gave the address to the readers. Maybe now we will have more than Tuffy and Paul looking at it from time to time. Actually I have been pleasantly surprised at how many are peaking at my poor writing skills.

Well, I had better get going. We are showing up at the stadium at 11am this morning for a 5pm kickoff. We have to make sure we have time to get the red jerseys and red pants put in each players locker. The players really seem to like the all red!

I look forward to watching the Apple Cup while setting up the coaches locker room. I only wish JT was here to help and watch the game with. I would have thought he would spend his off day with bigwen and watch the Apple Cup. We could talk politics too!

Hopefully I will have some fun things to write tomorrow about our seventh win along with some pictures.

Friday Home Games

Beginning this year, we started taking all of our gear over to the stadium for home games on Thursday evenings. It has made a real difference in our time efficiency. Ever since Head Coach Mike Stoops arrived here, we started dressing over at the stadium as opposed to walking over from McKale. Since we started doing that, we had managers managing the equipment room and locker room all day Friday. Starting at 8am we have a manger over there all day Friday. In the past they would just be there when facility maintenance people came through there. It was simply a way to know what was going on over there. Now with the equipment over there, they spend their hour over there setting up their players bags that are dressing for the game. This has made Friday nights much better. We are out of there very early now on Friday nights.

With security outside of the equipment room all night, and the fact that we have an alarm system, we feel very good about having equipment over there. We still get to the stadium early regular time on game day, just in case, plus we just like being at the stadium on game days.


Trunks are left in the middle of the locker room from Thursday night.

Another shot of the trunks. The only trunks we bring over are the sideline trunks.

This is part of the equipment room over at the stadium. It is very small, but does the job.



This is the front portion of the stadium equipment room. Has a window that opens up to players locker room. Again, very small but it serves its purpose.

The managers are responsible for setting up their drafted players during the day on Friday when they are not in class. The pads with blue on them have two way tape on them.

Another shot of the lockers before they are set up by mgrs

We wear Riddell CPX pads only for shoulder pads.


Our home locker room at the stadium has 64 lockers in the main locker room, then we have an overflow for the few extra they we may suit up.

The managers will polish up the helmets as part of their locker set up.

Ryan Ewalt, of El Paso Texas is polishing up his players helmet.

This is Ryan again setting up one of his players locker.

This is Ryan looking for something in the equipment room.

Ryan is one of our managers that goes on every trip. He is an excellent worker and is our lead student manager for Coach Comm/Telex system.

Ryan is a Psychology major that wants to work for a federal law enforcement agency after graduation.

This is yesterdays Spotlight Manager, Adam Knapp, enjoying a little lunch before his duty over at the stadium.

Adam Knapp, Student Manager Spotlight

Today I am featuring one of my all time favorite managers, Adam Knapp, from right here in Tucson Arizona out of Canyon Del Oro High School. Adam is one of those guys you just like being around. He is a lot of fun.


He is a History major that still is not sure what he wants to do when he gets out of college. This is his last year and will be going through Senior day presentation at the ASU game. I sure will miss having him around. He is a very sharp guy that I love talking to. I really respect his opinions.

Last couple of years he has accompanied me to the Pac 10 equipment managers meeting in Las Vegas where he has been a van driver for us. He sure made me proud the way he handled his responsibilities while at the meetings. He is a very responsible young man. The other equipment managers from the other Pac 10 schools thinks very high of him too.


Adam has worked with Coach Mark Stoops and the DB's while out at practice. He also coordinates all the special team sessions out at practice. Our former Special Teams Coach, Joe Robinson still thinks he is the best manager he has ever had for coordinating special teams practice for him.


His favorite food is Chicken Fettuchini Alfredo and he loves Country music. His favorite artist is Garth Brooks. His favorite movie of all time is Boondock Saints. He is an avid Miami Dolphins, Houston Astros and Phoenix Suns fan. His hobbies include Video games and other sports.

I will really miss having Adam around and I will follow him in whatever he decides to do after graduation.

Our Trip to Eugene to Play the Ducks

Willie Salzman of Palo Alto, CA making his third trip of the year. Here he is busy setting up the locker room before the team arrives.

Here is Willie making sure the balls have enough air in them after the flight up to Eugene.

Here is Tim working with Ronnie Platt of Southlake, Texas and Jeff Gallego of Tucson making sure everything is done on checklist and double checking every ones duties for during and after the game.

Here is Ronnie making sure Tim is doing everything correctly.

Ronnie is getting ready to write the pregame schedule.

Here is how the managers set up each locker in Autzen's visiting locker room. Note some players have two jerseys. That is for the players that have to go out in jersey only during pre game warm up. Because we tape the players jerseys to the pads, we just give them their back up jersey to wear during that short time out in pregame.

Ben Hulka of Chicago Illinois is setting up the Coaches Telex system for the game.

Ben is putting new batteries in each beltpack for the coaches headsets.

We had three of these heaters on our sideline to help keep the players warm. They worked well.

Jeff Gallego working hard as usual. This was Jeff's third trip of the year and he is pushing trunks from the locker room to the sideline.

The coaches locker room there is very small. We only put 10 coaches in the actual coaches locker room and put the other 8 out in the main locker room. Very tight space!!!!

Benny helping Ryan move a table. Ryan is one of the student trainers and he is one of the best I have ever been around, not to mention a GREAT guy!!!!!

Benny is looking at the heater. Probably trying to figure away to see if he could use it to help build a rocket.

More locker set up. The lockers are very spacious and nice. The set up though is not conducive for moving around. Once the team arrives it gets very crowded because the locker room itself is long and skinny.

This is the shower area in the very small and tight coaches locker room. As you can see, I set up in the shower area with their extra gear. Because the weather is colder than we are use to, I have all kinds of extra stuff packed for them so they are comfortable.

This it the entrance into the visiting teams locker room. It is very nice to have it so close to the field. The entrance is directly behind the endzone which is very nice.

This is the pressbox at Autzen Stadium

This is the large video screen at Autzen

This is the Field Turf field at Autzen. This is the view from our entrance doors into the locker room.

These are the luxury boxes at Autzen.

Travel Day

Traditionally this is one of the quietest and slowest days during the fall in the equipment room. Tim and his guys have done all the work preparing the team and now we sit and wait.

Last week and this week are a little different in that we still have to get the 64 player bags to the airport and make sure they get on our charter flight this afternoon. Typically they go on the truck when the truck leaves on Thursdays.

Speaking of Tim and the guys, they have done a remarkable job this year with the transition of Tim coming over to football. We have very good managers and they know what it takes to get the job done. Tim has done a great job of utilizing their strengths, and I think he has done a remarkable job of maximizing their time. In my opinion, they have been much more efficient with the time they are at work.

As usual, the managers hate down time and sitting around feeling that they are wasting their time sitting around the equipment room. Most of them understand that it is something that has to be done. We, the equipment staff, does not dictate time changes, site changes, etc...

I have often referred to us as being like a fire station. We have to be available when something goes down and needs attention. Just like firemen, we have to be ready and available.

Tim will have the crew of 5 that travel come in and have lunch together. He will give them their itinerary for the trip. Everything from times to what to wear. Some of the other managers will come in to watch the window before the walk thru, then a couple of others will make sure walk thru goes smooth. Early this morning, a couple of non travel managers will man the luggage truck which will be situated out front of the football office. Anyone and everyone on the charter flight will be able to drop their luggage off at the truck. We will then drive it to the airport and make sure everything on the truck gets on to the plane. Some managers are lucky enough to not have any duties on Fridays when we travel.

The non travel managers will then be back to McKale on Monday morning at 6am to unload the equipment truck and put everything back in the players lockers and the trunks back down to storage.

This has been a tough week for me personally, but I would not have been able to make it without Tim running the show. Not only did Tim make sure everything was properly done, when I was away from the equipment room, every time I called or checked to see where we were at, he made sure I knew that everything was okay and for me not to worry.

He makes a huge difference, because I never did worry about the equipment room during the tough week. I am very thankful that I have Tim running the show with me. He gets it!!!!

Now, it is almost GAME TIME!!!!!