Jon Crispin's Notebook

When I was in high school, I played soccer.  I spent alot of time practicing on fields very much like the ones near the UMASS football stadium.  We were coached by Mr Shuster, who was from eastern Massachusetts and had a very heavy New England accent. His favorite expression was “Can of corn!” which was his catch-all phrase for something that was supposed to be really easy.  At the end of the season he told me that I was the only player that he ever coached that started the early games on the first team and ended up the season not even traveling to the final away game.  I never fully understood what I had done wrong to be demoted so far, and he didn’t seem interested in explaining his logic.  It was an early example for me of having someone in a position of authority assuming I knew what was going on when I hadn’t a clue.  Anyway, I had  fun playing.   When Pearl and I were walking across the rugby pitch yesterday I looked down and saw these spike marks in the muddy grass and it brought back a flood of memories.  /  Today is St. Crispin’s Day.  I like the Olivier version best.  Check it out.  It still gives me chills.