Back in 2000, then Miller football coach John Tyree (second, from right) was the cantankerous coach of the Rebels who sometimes gave sportswriters an earful, too.
Photo courtesy of @IESportsNet
By John Murphy
Now that the winter prep sports season has ended the lists are coming out. All-area basketball, wrestling, soccer and more. It’s an exciting time for athletes being honored.
My first experience with an honor squad was the 2000 All-San Bernardino County football team. That was my baby … sort of.
First off, it being my first year, I didn’t know the team was to be published a week after the season ended.
So I was sitting at my work station on a Monday at the old Sun building on 3rd and D Street when sports editor Paul Oberjuergue told me by phone of my impending deadline. I’m sure my face turned white.
I got so freaked out that I just went home. It seemed like a good idea at the time.
By Tuesday morning I had recovered enough to assess the challenge – four days left and 24 players to select, mug shots to attain, capsules to write and a player of the year story to produce. Hmmmm.
“I don’t think this is logistically possible,” I told Paul O over the phone.
“Well, it sounds like you didn’t get much done yesterday,” he said.
Good point. Duly chastened, I went to work. Paul O had played high school football and knew the sport, so he gave me a skeleton list of players and asked me to flesh it out.
I called some go-to coaches and got some opinions and added those players to my boss’s list.
Rich Imbriani’s team at Cajon had won the San Andreas League title and he said he could deliver four players.
“Bring ‘em,” I said.
The deal was a pain, though. There was no MaxPreps back then, no Smart phone cameras and no emails. Schools couldn’t send us photos, so I had the players all come in.
I set out a bowl of dollar-store cookies and some punch and players posed for mug shots and filled out forms while their parents and siblings waited.
But not everyone showed. So a quick trip to Barstow netted me two players, then it was off to Upland to corral two more.
Along about Thursday, Paul O called from his satellite office (home) and asked how things were going. I said, “Not bad, but instead of the Miller linebacker you gave me, I picked the other Miller guy; and I switched the Aquinas linebacker to tight end AND … ”
Crickets. Apparently, I wasn’t supposed to do that! My temerity earned me a few stern ATEX messages from our leader over the next few days.
No matter. By Sunday, the deal was done. The Sun All-County team – all 24 shining faces and the top player – appeared in the paper. A feeling of pride and relief washed over me … but it didn’t last.
The next week I was chatting on the phone with cantankerous former Miller coach John Tyree and, predictably, he didn’t cut me any slack.
“Well, you screwed up the all-county football team pretty good,” Tyree said. “But it’s only your first year and you’ll probably get better at it.”
I could only laugh nervously — and wonder what other horrors awaited.
Main Street Dog 