Live to Love, Love to Live

Well, I am now officially a DC United Player. I spent the weekend with the team and I am very excited about the upcoming opportunity. I will miss Columbus, the fans, and so many friends. I love you all. I know I am going to love being in DC now also.

This past weekend we felt Filleo needed to move in a different direction concerning our Columbus Project:Avondale and have decided not to do the project.

We had many things ready for a fun-filled time with kids. We had two volunteer caricature artists, a fire engine (for exploration and hopefully shooting water from the hoses!), soccer clinic, tons of pizza, dental kits, first aid kits, sports equipment, and school supplies all ready for the event.

We had volunteers and things were shaping up for the event to take place.
So far, into our second year we have raised over $4000. We are so happy that money will go to support children in need. However, I was convicted that this Filleo project and the idea of a big event was selfish. I do not want to put on an event for cool pictures and videos. Especially when my mind could not get off of those families that were not able to make it to the event. The logistics of getting kids out to the event are tricky, especially when most of them live in single parent homes.

There are so many non profits already doing great things in our community, so we want to come alongside them and assist with what they are already doing. Helping kids in need is not about advertising for Filleo. We want to be a small part of a bigger movement here in our city, and our world, that is reaching out to children.

We want to build a community of unity. We want to support those already on the streets helping those in need.
So, we have cancelled this project and have decided to go in another direction.

Here are a couple things we are hoping to do in the upcoming next weeks:
-Going house to house and delivering school supplies to families in a low income neighborhood. We have found that the average family, no matter their income, has to spend up to $600/year per child for school supplies, books, and clothes for school.
-Volunteer at a local church (Vineyard Columbus) that has a HUGE single parents fair. We will be bringing school supplies, first aid kits, dental kits and sports equipment for those families.
-Either go to a local YMCA or boys and girls club and bring supplies to those children also.

We are so excited about what we are able to do. We want to do it one house at a time and spread that Filleo (phileo) love to each and every one of those kids. We hope to do these grassroot projects a lot through the year so I will keep you posted.

Thank you so much for your support through everything. We have had some amazing people come alongside us to help children in need. I tell you what, the two coolest things about doing what I am doing is not only helping children in need, but meeting some of the most compassionate and gracious people a guy could ever meet.

Just as we say here in our community, our goal is to "Live beyond ourselves, give beyond ourselves, and love beyond ourselves."
One Cause. One Love. One Community that is Unified.

What up ya'll? I hope all is well. There are some big things happening with Filleo in the next month and I am updating everyone. We are doing a Car Wash Fundraiser to raise funds for children in Ohio, New Orleans and In Monterrey, Mexico. If you do not know already New Orleans is being ravaged economically by this oil leak and we really want to help those children out down there in some way.

Also, in Monterrey they have had one of the largest rainfalls ever to have happened in their city, due to Hurricane Alex. They had 39" in 8 hours and counting. Most people live in homes that are not built for such stress and there have been hundreds of deaths. We are headed down to Monterrey in January for some relief efforts.

I am emailing everyone with a hope that you all will spread the word about our car wash and where it is. Below is a sweet flyer that you want to print off just shoot us an email. But, most importantly we would love to have you come out and volunteer. It is going to be so much fun. If you want to volunteer just reply back to this at jedi@filleo.com. We will reply back with more details. This car wash is free, but we greatly accept donations towards the children we have a desire to help. All donations are tax deductible. Also, there will be COLUMBUS CREW soccer player's at our events, come on out and have fun with some pro's.

Lastly, we are having our first annual Columbus Project August 11th. It is our biggest of the year and definitely the most fun. It will be from 4-7pm at Avondale Elementary. Again we would love to have you volunteer. We are giving away school supplies, sports equipment, clothes, food, caricatures, putting on a soccer clinic, and many other fun things.

We would love for you all to join our cause in the front lines against poverty, injustice, and fighting for education in children's lives.

Here are the dates, times, and the addresses for the next two car washes in the next 12 days:

July 22, 2010 thursday, 3-7pm
Sunoco Gas station (Near Uptown Westerville)
150 South State Street
Westerville, OH

July 27th, tuesday, 3-7pm
Cosi Restaurant
6390 Sawmill Road
Columbus, OH 43235

Well well well I am still alive. Things have been crazy these past few weeks. We have traveled so much and I am finally done catching up for the most part with Filleo stuff, house work, and just life.
Check this out though. Filleo is holding a 4v4 tournament in conjunction with Pride SC in Columbus. Check out the registration form and I hope everyone can come. All proceeds go to children in need. Here is a message from the Pride SC Director.

Coaches, Players and Parents:

Pride Soccer Club is hosting the second annual Filleo 4v4 Soccer Tournament on July 24th. I have attached the information/registration form. The deadline to register is July 9th. There will be youth, high school and adult divisions. Every registered player will receive a T-shirt and proceeds from T-shirt sales go to Filleo Co., which is a non-profit headed-up by Jed Zayner of the Columbus Crew that helps children in need.

If you want the registration form just email us at jedi@filleo.com and we will shoot you over a registration form.

We are looking forward to a great turnout!

Surrey's Cafe and Juice Bar was my second stop. When we were in Louisiana for our Filleo Project I found it necessary to go to down town New Orleans and locate a triple D Guy place. I wanted to go to this amazing smoke house with smoked ribs, pork, and they make their own smoked salad dressing. But, they were closed on Sundays. So, we went to Surrey's. I am a huge breakfast guy. It is my favorite meal. So, Surrey's stood out to me with it being mainly a breakfast joint.

They are known for their home made bagels. Bagels are a must have for breakfast I think. I literally almost eat them every single day for breakfast. I especially love them with eggs and cream cheese. I always have to order what a triple D restaurant is known for.

But, Surrey's is known for especially their locks and bagels. They rub their salmon the morning before they serve it. They let it soak in a brown sugar rub that smells amazing. I have never had locks before but I figured it was salmon and should be good. I received my food and honestly was kind of bummed because the slice of salmon they put on the bagel was very thin and not too much. Well, you know me the amount is half the battle. So, my experience was a 6 out of 10. Just the 6 alone was because the home made bagel was extremely good. Ohhh I loved that bagel. The locks tasted good, but not amazing, maybe because I did not have enough.

All in all, it was another good adventure and I look forward to the next. I have a picture of us inside, but not outside, bummer.

Alright alright just to start off saying I had a great idea. Save $55 for grooming and make Maddie "pretty" with Katie.

Well, I wish I could end there and say cutting Maddie's hair was all good and something everyone should do. Fail Fail Fail Fail... Yes, I completely failed at this one.

For one, it kept raining for two weeks and I could not get the right weather and time down to get it done. Two, well it ended up being a travesty. I used people hair clippers from Meijer that kept on sticking in her poodle-like hair. Just to, somewhat, buzz one side of her took 45 minutes. So, I took some scissors and started grabbing chunks of hair and cutting it off. That was going well until I realized on some parts of her body I was going too short. She was a champ through this whole process. She never cried or whimpered and stayed in one spot for mommy and daddy. Hair was going everywhere outside and the sun was giving me a sunburn. We used a shop vac to get the hair off the deck.

I stopped cutting her hair about one hour and a half in when I accidentally was using the scissors and cut Maddie's skin. You would not realize how sad and hurt I was that. I was so sad that I did that. After all that hard work we still did not trim her stomach and her feet. Right now she looks like she has big furry slippers on. I decided that I could spend $55 every 4 months for grooming. It was sooooo hard. I advise no one to ever try it at home. A good groomer is the way to go. Katie and I at least learned that there are things that we should just pay for and not try to be frugal on. As of right now Maddie looks like I took a lawn mower to her and she came out with furry slippers, s short haired face, a very hairy neck, and all kinds of uneveness. We are taking her to the groomers on Wednesday to get fixed up. We waited to take her because her daddy was so clumsy as to cut her and it needs to heal first. I check her 10 times a day to clean it out and make sure she is alright. Gosh it was a bad idea...Here are some pics of her long hair, then her bad hairdo, and then what it should look like from a groomers hands, with a bow.

On planes I see a great opportunity to get to know some one next to me. Now, I feel out the situation to see if the person wants to sleep, read a book, listen to music, or just not want to be bothered. I do not like to be a nuisance, but more of a friend.

Well, since we do take so many flights I like to utilize this time to come to know others. My first story of Living to Love was our trip last year to San Francisco to play San Jose before Barcelona. Walking onto the plane I realized I was going to sit next to a blind man. Well, this was quite the experience should I say.

His name was Robert Powers and lived in an assisted living house hold. He did some things on the side in order to make the little money that he had. Robert was a very alert man. I was curious to ask him questions about being blind as I have never had a conversation with a blind man before. With the first question I said, after opening introductions, "Is one of your senses heightened?"

Robert said yes he can hear and feel movement even at the slightest. He could tell me when the wheels were coming off the runway for take-off, when the rudders were moving, and when we were turning even the smallest degree. It was actually pretty amazing. I then asked him, "How about with people, can he see what people are really like on the inside?"

He said oh yes that is the biggest one. He can tell if someone is timid, genuine, scared, nervous, etc... just by either a hand shake or the tone of their voice. He can tell who someone really is beneath all those clothes, flesh, and fake-ness. I asked him if it discouraged him to see others for who they really are.

He said No. At first it makes you very mad because of how people treat others just because the color of their skin, they talk different, or from another country. He said I found myself often with those that were mistreated or looked down upon. Not only because I was one of them, but because I could not "see" what others saw. He grew up in Minnesota and joined a black church singing in the choir. Robert is a white man by the way. He told me of how sad he grew from being mad at others to being sad for them. He was sad that they looked and saw others through their physical eyes so much. He wished for others to not look so much with their eyes, but with their heart. He said, " Most people are good Jed, they just see too much"...I started laughing because that had to have been the greatest quote I have ever heard.

The last question I had for him was if he wished he could see again?

Robert replied, "No I do not wish, it would be fun to see God's creation of nature and humans with my physical eyes, but I see so much already I do not know what I would do with eyes" Talk about a wise man, right?

Robert and I had so much fun for 4 hours. I let him listen to my ipod and he especially loved a song by T-pain called "Buy you a drank". I laughed so hard because he asked me to turn it on, I counted, at least 9 times. He started singing it by the end of the flight. He probably had 3 beers the whole flight and got a little tipsy. He had all one's in his wallet, because obviously he could not get scammed. Adam Moffat sat in front of us and myself and Adam helped Robert walk down to baggage claim to meet his brother with whom he was staying with for a week. I laughed so much and learned so much from a man sitting next to me on a plane.

I absolutely love Guy Fieri's show "Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives. "I love those unknown restaurants that have amazing food. I have a few hobbies that I adore. The first is disc golf/ frisbee golf/ or frolf. I love going out in the woods and throwing a disc around. It is way shorter to play only being an hour and a half most of the time compared to real golf being at least a few hours. The second is my non profit which I love to do so much. I am blessed to be able to do many things I love: be a husband, play disc golf, spend my time working on my non profit Filleo, play with my dog Maddie, etc...

But, this one is up there and that is traveling around visiting the same restaurants Guy visited on his show. The first one I ever did was In early December of last year and it was to O'Rourke's Diner. This place actually burnt to the ground a few years ago and it was so good that the city helped raise funds to rebuild it. Brian O'rourke was taught to cook by his father and it is an on going legacy. It is in Middletown, Connecticut and is quite amazing. Check out the website http://www.orourkesdiner.com/

We visited last December and walked in and were seated pretty quickly, thank God because it is freezing in December in CT. We sat at the counter and Brian walked over to me and introduces himself and I ask him how he knows me. He says, "I know everything that goes on in my house." I then heard my step dad telling another waiter who I was.

I ordered this amazing eggs florentine with corn beef hash. They are known for their corn beef hash which they make everyday and let soak in the amazing juices for the next day. This corn beef hash, which I have never had before, was sooo good. I thoroughly enjoyed this food so much. A lot of my experiences at restaurants has to do with food quantity since I burn so many calories. Well, the plate was a great size-more than enough to fill me up.

The best part was how Brian would just sneak by unannounced and place a homemade scone in front of us. He not only did it to us, but for a lot of others. The service was amazing, the hospitality was exquisite, and the food just as expected, awesome. I give this experience a 9 out of 10. Here are a couple pics.

"Material possessions, winning scores, and great reputations are meaningless in the eyes of the Lord, because He knows what we really are and that is all that matters."
-John Wooden

This quote struck me very much, not because I am a follower of Jesus so much, but that John Wooden is not necessarily an out spoken believer in Jesus. For a man that probably achieved more of his goals than most of the people out there he says something amazing.

My friend keeps a secret list of people. These people are not his heroes, idols, or even people he looks up to. He keeps a list of men who have achieved great success, but have made huge character mistakes. His list is compiled of preachers, athletes, presidents, etc... Anyone who has accomplished so much, been such a huge role model for so many kids, a leader for so many, and looked up to by just about everyone. But, also that they made a huge error in judgement and destroyed their reputation almost forever. He looks at this list every so often to remind himself what it costs people that make huge character mistakes and how they are remembered. So he does not become one of them.

My coach once said growing up that the best player's in the world are not the one's that do not make mistakes. No, the best player's in the world are the one's that make "good" mistakes. Now, we are all human and WILL make mistakes in our respective sports and lives. Knowing that tidbit of information helped me be the player I am today. But, I like to use what my coach said for life more. Because, as we have seen with Tiger Woods is that no matter what he has done on the golf course he will always be remembered by the countless acts of adultery. Is this forgivable? Oh yes it is very forgivable, but is it forgettable? No, and that is the power of a huge error that so many like Tiger have made. The things these men and women have done are not forgettable. Their errors will live on in their storybooks as a title to their lives.

My friend and I keep a close watch on each other so that we do not come near any sort of "bad" mistake. Now, remember we will make mistakes, but choose not to make that "bad" mistake. Your reputation, your legacy, and all that you are will be written down with a big asterisk for what you have done. If you have already done something then spend the rest of your life making up for it and maybe it will be forgotten by your ongoing good deeds.

As coaches, we have kids, adults, and player's constantly looking to us for advice and leadership. Focus on the training's, the games, and growing those kids. But, focus more on your life, your family, and how you will be remembered and thought of as to the Lord. Because even those things unseen will come to light. Be that man or woman that held true their morals, values, and integrity. There is not much more I would give then to be known for a man that loves Jesus, but also that lived out his words and did not make that list of people that made a "bad" mistake.

So, my boy Jared Montz who helped sponsor a trip to his city asked me to do some training videos for his online soccer academy, www.jmsoccer10.com.

Now, we first did this training video, but after a long day's work of community service with Filleo I was in an extra goofy mood. If you know me at all and I say I am in an extra goofy mood that means it is sooooo goofy. We also did a skillzzzz and tricks video underneath his back porch roof. It was very fun. Props to my boy Jared who was the videographer the whole time, he is sick wit it. Here are the links to the videos on his blog. www.jmsoccer10.com/blog

I posted the Online Soccer Academy bloopers clip with Jed. Check it out here Bloopers

Also if you haven't seen it yet the Skillz video is here Skillzzzz

You guys are so great. Thank you to everyone for all the help in posting the auction on message boards and telling others about it. We were able to raise over $1700 for our first annual Filleo auction. Yes, we will do it again next year. But, now that I know how great it can be to raise funds for children in need I am already getting some amazing things for the auction. Some things I am almost sure I can get:

-Schelotto signed jersey
-Jim Tressel signed football
-Other OSU player signatures on an OSU jersey
-other notable MLS player's jersey's and signatures

Those are just a few and I know there will be many more. This August we are doing a "Filleo Project" in Columbus and I so look forward to being able to use these funds on some great kids. Know that if you contributed in anyway with money or time that your efforts are helping to create not only a culture of giving but cultivating a better life for at least one child. Filleo has a board meeting coming up and after that I will be able to reveal many other things we are planning for anyone interested.

Right now I am resting and preparing for our game against Seattle. It is a little chilly with it being 50 degrees, but it will feel great when we are playing. I hope we have at least a few of you out there supporting us tonight even though it will be pretty late. It is good to be back with the team hanging out, catching up with good friends, and most importantly playing Settler's of Catan. Adam and I are doing pretty well online. Seattle is a great city that is yuppy, european esque, and pretty "Green" oriented. Better city than Columbus? No, come on...haha...

Well, off to rest a little bit and then to the game. Cheer us on.

"It's the little details that are vital. Little things make big things happen."
-John Wooden

John Wooden would start out each and every pre-season with teaching his player's how to tie their shoes. He said this quote concerning such things as tying shoes. He knew that if his player's did not tie their shoes right they not only would have to retie them, but their focus would be deterred from playing.

During my pre-season at Indiana University Coach Jerry Yeagley would say to us all the time to stop walking barefoot. He said, "Your feet are like surgeons hands, you cannot afford to mess them up with a little piece of glass on the ground". It was so true, but as young adults we thought it was silly. He was right and he taught us many other things along those lines.

Good coaches teach their kids the things they can control. They teach them how to tie their shoes, to not walk around without shoes/sandals, to eat breakfast in the morning, to eat all three meals, to address pain when it arises, to stretch properly, to train hard and then leave everything out on the field, and to be a good team mate.

John Wooden focused on the little details and in doing that his player's controlled the things they could control and the things they could not control they left out on the court everyday. Be a teacher of the game and through your lessons your player's will use those fundamentals of success for not only on the court/pitch/field but in their life after sports.

A coach is a lot like a Father and for some, like in my case, more of a Father than some have ever known.

Oh Maddie girl. When we have a child one day you are going to be so much fun with them. This past April 17th Maddies had her first birthday. We bough her a big rope ball that she found a way to tear up in a day and this big rubber ball that has holes in it. We love the rubber ball because it is easy to grab with our toes or fingers and play with her. But, this is our most favorite thing to watch Maddie do. She loves to get two different toys in her mouth at a time. Specifically a bone and a ball. Watch as she tries to pick up her ball while having the bone in her mouth. She absolutely loves doing this. While she tries to get the ball though she kicks it around like a soccer player. Yes, she is Daddy's girl.

"Trials become a university where we learn early on where to best place our physical, intellectual and spiritual resources."
-Barry C. Black, Chaplain of the United States Senate and former Rear Admiral Chaplain for the Navy, Marines, and Coast.

I love this quote. It is simple, but there is so much to it. Imagine being a chaplain for men who had the potential of dying. What do you tell them that would be encouraging but still relevant to their lives?

I feel the same goes for coaches in a way. You have to balance what to say to your player's that not only motivates and encourages them, but is relevant to what they are going through.

There are things we Must learn through experience. If we constantly tell our player's the answer, then there are certain things that will not stick with them. Also, they will rely on people and coaches to give them the answers all the time. Good coaches know the right coaching moments.

Use trials to encourage growth in your players. They must realize that each trial/problem they come in contact with is a chance to learn. The great part about being a coach, is that a lesson like this will help that player for the rest of their lives. Do not see yourself as just a coach that needs results in a game. Realize that as a coach you are able to and obligated to help teach and grow a person. You can be a catalyst to not only make them a better player, but to build up their character. See yourself as the professor in the university of trials. Not only will your player's be tested on the field, but they will be tested in real life. Take pride when your player's pass tests in games, but take more pride when they make the right decisions off the field and pass those tests.

I encourage coaches to right things down during a game. Then at halftime to go over the points with the assistant coaches. The players not only get a chance to get a breath but you also can take a breath. You can gather your words and the important topics that need to be said and then present them. Another reason this idea works is that it helps to filter out the things that do not need to be said. Sometimes there can be too much information and the player's will not remember it or they will start to zone out.

Encourage growth, but do not let them focus on mistakes too long. Where battles are lost in the mind is when a player thinks about mistakes too long. Help train your player's to learn that lesson and move on and think about what is next.

QOTW: Would you be a dog or cat and why?
I would be a dog. The things that hold me back from being a dog is: rolling in poop or dead things for fun, licking their butts and their man/woman businesses, licking feet (unless it really does taste that good), and well that is all I have for right now.

We just put up more merch on the auction. We put up personally signed jersey's of: Steve Lenhart, Adam Moffat, Eddie Gaven, and Will Hesmer. Now, how many of you out there have a personally signed Will Hesmer jersey? I know I do not. Also, remember those guys have matching shorts out there on the auction that are signed.

We also put up a team signed scarf and a old school Columbus Crew roster poster, from 2004. It has Brian Mcbride's, Brian Maisonneave, Edson buddle, and our coach and then player Robert Warzycha's signatures.

Thank you all so much for your support. I am so excited with how well this is going. Next year I already have the works in to get a Jim Tressel signed ball and other OSU players merch. Also, other guys in the league's jerseys that will be signed.

Check out the auction here: Mission Fish

So, my niece was with me and my wife on Easter. I love asking children questions. So, I started asking her about life and she replied with the cutest answers. Oh, how genuine, innocent, and amazing is a child's mind and love.

The auction is up and running. Check it out here http://bit.ly/9qZ0Sf . Hopefully everyone enjoys the merch on there. This is our first annual auction. We will definitely do it again. The shorts that are up for auction were worn in our championship season 2008 and signed personally by guys. Same as the ball and the book were signed by the championship team. Enjoy and all proceeds are tax deductible and go to a good cause. Check out our new website at www.filleo.org . Also, become a fan of what we are about on facebook http://bit.ly/b3s3P1 . Also, if you want to join our community on http://www.change .org/filleo .

"Confidence comes from not always being right-but not fearing to be wrong."
-Anonymous

I love this quote so much. I always tell kids that,"practice does not make perfect, practice makes you better". We have this false sense of identity placed in our kids that they can achieve perfection. No one can ever achieve that in anything. We will never be perfect in anything we do. But, we can always get better at things. When the kids don't achieve perfection, their self-esteem is hit because they feel either less of a man or less of a woman. Which they are not, they are just human.

I grew up with a very strict coach that encouraged us to be perfect. Many coaches you come into contact with get on every little mistake that is made by their player's. It took a long time before a coach helped me realize that I was only human and that I would make mistakes. He picked me up when I was down and spurned my drive and passion. The more I remember that I will make mistakes and I am only human, helps me to be more focused and alert. Because since I know I can make a mistake at any time, I need to pay close attention to detail and repetition. (Confusing, understand? It truly works and is logical though)

Again, as the Butler men's head basketball coach and I would say; player's must not be afraid to make mistakes. If they are not afraid they will be confident. If they are confident they will keep on trying and trying and trying. Player's will learn and yes you should get on them here and there if the mistake is done over and over. But, cultivating an arena for player's to love playing and going to practice is priceless. I have been with many coaches that make player's feel uneasy when playing, because they are afraid to mess up. You want them to be comfortable and relaxed, but focused at all times.

A good coach understands the balance of when to speak up and when not to. When the coach speaks up it should also help gain confidence in some one. If you spurn their creativity and work ethic they should come out on the right side.

I recently watched the movie, "Glory Road". In this movie the coach is adamant at playing his style with the african american player's. Through the season the player's help him realize that what is holding them back is his fundamental game plan. The one player says to the coach, "Cut us loose coach, cut us loose". The coach says. "Alright you play your game, but play mine also". The player's go out there and play comfortable basketball. They dominate team's all through the year and go on to win their first NCAA Division 1 National title. Why? Those player's went from being scared to play the coaches game, to playing a game plan they were not afraid of making a mistake with.

Remember, everyone comes from different backgrounds. Different game plans meld well with different player's. A good coach finds the talent who can compliment each other. A great coach teaches his game plan to those player's, but creates an environment of not fearing to be wrong...just disliking it...haha.

So, as usual I am writing again about Maddie. I love my dog and think animals are so interesting. I think so much about what they are thinking and why they do the things they do. That is why I love those animation movies like "Up", "How to Train Your Dragon", and many others that portray dogs and what they think and do.

On that note, Maddie recently decided her paw was aggravating her and wanted to put it in it's place. She decided to fight her paws and teach them who the boss is, check it out...

And thank you for those consoling words that my dog is not the only one who rolls in crazy stuff, especially dead snakes (now that is funky and nasty). All of us dog owners now can commiserate with each other. Also, thank you for who ever said that it may be a hunting instinct thing. Makes it that much more funny actually. haha

Question of the Week: What one food would you eat for an entire year on an island if you could choose?
Mine: Avocado, great fatty ingredients and nutrients and it tastes awesome.

Dude, this dog will make me go crazy one day. One question and please someone help me. Why do dogs do that sniff the ground thing and then roll all around in that smell?

So, I was outside enjoying the nice day playing fetch with Maddie today. I was talking to one of my good buddies that I played college ball with. I was giving Maddie the sweet privilege to enjoy nature and run around as freely as she wanted. She is a great dog in listening and not needing a leash. But, I turned my back one sec and there she was sniffing a little dead grass pile. I told Maddie to get her butt over to me, but she was not listening. I knew that she wanted to rub her whole body in something. She sniffs one more time and hits the deck rolling all around in the dead grass pile. I yelled at her stop and after two rolls the damage was done. She had brown all over here. I looked and she was rolling in poop. The smell almost made me throw up.

Now, here is the question, what the flip is going on in a dog's mind when they decide to roll in poop, I mean come on? I will give it a try.

Maddie: oh my gosh, what is that amazing smell? oh my gosh is that another dog's poop. Ohhhhhh that dog's poop smells so good. It must be Brad Pitt bull. I mean I have to have this smell, I adore Brad Pitt bull. I am gonna roll all in it so I can smell like his poop all day and everyday.

Ha, I seriously wonder what the dog's are thinking. I actually wonder this a lot. Whenever Maddie turns her head to the side and stares at you or she slaps her paws on the ground ready to play I wonder what she is saying in her head. It makes me laugh.

Getting back to the story. So, I do not touch Maddie. Thankfully she did not get it on her paws. I coerce her upstairs and next to the bath tub very smoothly. She realizes what is going to happen so I grab her and put her in the tub. I tell her to stay and she does; great dog. For the next 20 minutes I am rubbing the poo out of her curly poodle coat. The best part is when she got all wet, so she had wet poo coat and shook it all over the shower and me. Ugggggghhhhhh.

I am done drying her off and now she is running around the house as if the dogs won some amazing victory over all the cats in the world...I can breathe now. Those with dogs you know what I mean. Those without go and see the movie "How to train your dragon" awesome movie by the way.

So, we are starting the auction next week. We will be holding it on Ebay's non profit auction site called "Mission Fish". This is so fun, haha. I am getting so excited because more and more things are happening with Filleo. This online auction will be held each year and hopefully we will have bigger and better items. For this year we will be having a jersey of mine signed by the whole team, a personally signed jersey of mine, training kit signed by whole team, player's game worn shorts and signed by them, and many more.

We hope to see you all there. All money will go to children in need. Yes, that is 100% will go to children in need. The cool part about it also is that we are holding a Filleo Project in August in Columbus, Ohio and the money from this will partly go towards those kids.

On another note I am chilling here in Columbus. The team flew out to Dallas today and they play tomorrow. Looking forward to our first 2-0 start ever. I just finished season 8 of one of my favorite shows "Smallville". If you think about how much I love talking about super powers and super humans you could get a clue at how much I love Smallville. I mean some people say I look like Clark Kent. Well, to be honest I think I just may say it; hoping that I do.

Maddie is sleeping next to me. This week I am going to endeavour in buzzing Maddie's fur. I picked up a hair clipper yesterday and I am going to try it. I think paying $50 on a haircut for an animal is way too much money. I may not do it that well, but I will do it good enough. If any of you want a cheap haircut for your pups, let me know. We will see how I do with Maddie in a week. Yes, I will put up pics. It may just be one big travesty. Talk to ya soon.

My girl Maddie loves to play so much. When we go to Cinncy to visit family she loves to hang out with our my brother-in-law's dog, Tank. This Yorkie is a character of a dog. Not only does he have huge separation anxiety problems, but when he plays with other dogs he growls like a car engine. I finally videotaped these two playing. The best part is that they are tug-o-warring. Maddie has a big booty so she usually sits back and Tank has to pull her body weight. We call Maddie "Big Booty Judy"...haha. But, it is so funny to see Maddies give up the toy and then not know what to do. She looks at me if it is okay to get after it again and she boxes her way in. She does this left hook when she plays with other dogs that is so fun. So, not only is Maddie a loving, sweet, and loves to play dog, but she is a boxer. Check it out...turn your volume up a little, it is great.

"It’s mostly the comportment of the coach on the sideline that caught Wooden’s eye. Brad Stevens is a calm, collected presence on the bench, a guy who strives for positive interaction with his players and projecting an image of confidence amid the storm."
-In a yahoo article

What an amazing NCAA tournament this has been. I do not think we have seen so many number one teams fall to such lower seeded teams. There have been so many games that I was just in awe with the intensity and how they came down to the wire. Sorry to everyone and how there have been so many bracket busters. But, it has been a pleasure to see Butler beat so many teams and do so well. It has also been very cool to hear and see Brad Stevens coach his Butler Bulldogs. The night before his final four debut against Michigan State he held a fundraiser for coaches against cancer. Brad is just a good guy to put it plainly.

I think it is so cool to see John Wooden come out and say that Brad is someone he reminds himself of. A man that demonstrates positive thinking and encouragement amongst his player's. The coolest part of all is how the player's love him and play so passionately. Those kids buy into his whole system and they do whatever it takes to get the job done. He has had his team out play, out work, and he has out coached all the other teams.

It is cool to see all this happen while he breaks the mold of most basketball coaches in college. Brad sits back says some things here and there, but ultimately just let's his player's play. When stuff happens he positively reinforces the kids and brings back their confidence.

“If you’ve done your job as a coach, you shouldn’t have to jump up and down and work for all that attention,” Wooden said Friday. “If you’re the teacher, the game is the test and you never see teachers running around the classroom during the test. They shouldn’t have to.”

His assistant coach says that he does get into player's , but in a different way, "He’s not above getting after a player on occasion, but even then, “it’s positive reinforcement, just at a little louder decibel,” joked Butler assistant coach Matthew Graves.

Now, as I have said the past two weeks. These are the coaches that player's love playing for and will do anything for. Be this type of coach and not only will you be remembered as a good coach, a success, but a person that is well loved by his team mates for a lifetime.

Question of the Week: If you could have one of your senses magnified ten times then what it already is, what would it be and Why?

Thank you to everyone for the help with Filleo. Very soon, like a week or so, we are doing an online fundraiser. We will be signed jerseys from a bunch of the guys on the Columbus Crew up on e-bay. We will have signed posters also. I need your help to spread the word when I post next week when they are up. The more money we raise, the more money for children in need. Again through us 98% of ALL money coming in will go to children in need. No one on our staff gets paid and we do not have any monthly bills. The other 2% will go towards posters, packaging, postards, etc...

Secondly, I want to thank our newest member of the Filleo team, Greg. We appreciate your support with Filleo. Greg took his shirt to Belize on a recent trip. Greg has been working very hard to help Filleo in his free time. When we either have interns or volunteers we send welcome packages to them. Greg thank you so much for your effort and help.

If you have purchased Filleo shirts in the past send us a picture of you in it. Take the picture in a cool place and we will put it up on the blog no matter if you are an intern/volunteer or not.

We are moving along. I have some great things to announce for Filleo., thanks to www.foxoverdog.com. We are coming out with a whole new and redesigned website for the summer. We should have a homepage up around a week or two. On our website we will have stories of our past projects, a live news feed to stay up to date with Filleo, also what we do.

We have a couple trips coming up. We are having one big project in downtown Columbus the second or third week of August. Then January 7-13, 2011 we are traveling to Monterrey, Mexico for a week long project. We are so excited for both. We are extra excited for Mexico as it will be our first trip out of country. We are filling up spots quick, but if you want to come just email us at jedi@filleo.com. Each person coming will be given all information and send out support letters to raise the money to go. Also, you will receive a fan page of your own on www.change.org where you can raise support very easily.

Change.org is a non profit website for social networking. Join us at the link on the top of the blog and help build our community. As a partner in our community you are able to create your own fan page and raise money for Filleo and help raise awareness. Also, as I said you can raise money for the trips we go on.

We are still accepting a couple more volunteers/interns for this summer of 2010. If you are willing to join the fun email us and we will get the final approval.

Lastly, we will be holding a car washathon this summer to raise awareness and raise money for kiddies. We will have fellow Crew player's helping out and many other volunteers. I will keep everyone up to date for when we will do this. Again email us if you want to help out.

Well, we love you guys and look forward to seeing more of the Filleo community. One Cause. One Love.

"A coach is someone who can give correction without causing resentment."
-John Wooden

To play on last weeks topic of inspiring player's, I wanted to talk about motivation and teaching.

I have coached hundreds of times and with all ages. The one good quality I have seen with good coaches is that they find a way to say something so the player they are saying it to will not resent them for that whole practice or week. As I was saying last week in choosing your words wisely, it is something that I want to talk about this week also. Now, when a person is in practice, the midst of coaching, it is tough to control their words or how they react to situations. Let me give you an example through my own life.

Growing up I used to swear on the field a lot. I swore at my players and other players. Let's just say I was not the most encouraging team mate. I realized that had to change. I slowly trained my mind and mouth to stop swearing. I made myself be conscious of the words that came out of my mouth. So, I would catch myself a lot and slowly but surely I stopped swearing on the field. My demeanor changed to be more kind and encouraging towards my players. I had to find a way to criticize/teach other player's without destroying them.

There are two types of coaches I believe. Those that player's resent after training and those that do not. You can get a winning coach even if he is someone who creates fear in his player's through his word domination. I like to call it word domination, because the coach creates a dominating force over player's in belittling them. The player's then come to focus very hard, but only because they know the coach will lambaste them if they do not get it right. These player's may think the coach is great, but they do not like him and will not really talk to their coach much after they play for them. I encourage coaches everywhere to be the coach that motivates through positive criticism and finds ways their player's will not resent them at the end of the day.

Our minds are powerful in that we can control the way we think and say things. If we create an environment that cultivates creativity and being comfortable at training, then we will be on the right track. I do not know about you, but I want my player's to love talking to me. I want them to remember me and want to stay in touch with me. I not only want to be a successful coach on the field, but a coach that is successful off of it. Create that environment that not only teaches player's about soccer, but about growing as a human being. Use the way you talk to them and interact with them as an example. They will look up to you, but make it because they want to be like you and not fear you.

QOTW (Question of the Week) for tomorrow: post your answers on the comment board and I will put the best one's up for tomorrow...
---If you could be any animal, what would it be and why?---

So, I get to Crew Stadium and start my rehab yesterday. It was fun to see all the familiar faces in the stands that were already ready for our game. Then after rehab it was fun to go out to some of the tailgates and say hi to some people. Man, who says Crew fans do not know how to have a good time? Shoot, I know they do. Congrats Crew fans in helping to grow a larger community of people in supporting our cause to win trophies.

The game was enjoyable in the sense that we won 2-0 and started the season off with three points. A couple things I am loving about our team thus far; for one, you gotta love the D.O special. The one time a game where Danny O'rourke runs 90 yards down the field and somehow finds a way to make an opportunity for our team to score. Danny, you get my award for being opportunistic brutha. Another thing was seeing the Nordecke come out in full swing. You guys packed it over there and made your voices heard.I loved the new banners and signs everyone made by the way. It was a beautiful day and I loved having the season start up again. Looking forward to seeing everyone again soon. Short blog post, because I want to watch basketball...no more number ones...with me now...no more number ones.

So, I had the great honor of flipping from the MLS first kick game thursday night and Xavier versus Kansas State. What a game. I mean the basketball game by the way. Right when Philly received the red card it was pretty much over and the second half Seattle dominated. So, I watched Xavier sink trifecta after trifecta to keep the game going. It was an amazing game to watch as both teams were laying everything they had on the court. My wife went to Xavier and we were cheering for them, bummer they lost.

But, the first game was great. Great in that we brought another team into the league. Great that Seattle, as usual, packed their house to the brim. Great that Alejandro Moreno got some face time. Katie and I loved having Alejandro on the Crew. His wife is awesome, his kids are fun, and Alejandro is a great guy. It stinks he is not with us anymore, but it was cool to see him playing again. I look forward to going up against him one of these days. Man oh man was Philly young though. That is what happens when you have an expansion team. I am sure they will do well seeing that they have a good coach in Peter Nowak. Good teams take time to build sometimes. The more games you have with a core group of guys the better. You could just tell Seattle knew each other on the field. They are looking very good and it will be nice to visit them again in a few weeks.

Game day today though and that is exciting. Our boys are ready to play and I am sure so is Toronto. It is always a great game to open the league with. I am sure the Nordecke will be hopping. Any new signs? Any new chants? Looking forward to the game. Let's just hope there is not some random rain storm that turns into a downfall of snow. I mean what was that, seriously...blew me away. But, looking forward to seeing everyone there. Come on out everyone, with your Hooligan bandanas, your Turbina drums flaring, and the Nordecke singing us onto a great start to the season. Be there, have no fear, and bring on the cheer.

Man, what the stupid, darn, gosh, jeeewillikers are you doing? Why are you stopping 100 yards from the red light? You do know you do not have to still get an "A" in driver's education, right?

I think this is a lot of people in Columbus, Ohio. If you think Columbus has some of the worst drivers please raise your hand up. If you are not raising your hand right now...you are one of them, haha. Seriously, I grew up in Chicago, Illinois. Now remember it is pronounced "El-eh-noy" not "Ill-eh-noise"...just had to clear that up. But, we are proactive drivers. The meaning of proactive-serving to prepare for, intervene in, or control an expected occurrence or situation, anticipatory. Yes, preparing and watching other drivers and knowing that you are in control of your car in the rain and all other times. Every city has awful driver's. Shoot I am probably one of them in a number of them.

Now, not only is it bad when it rains, but even if it drizzles a tad you know you're in for a long ride home. Raise your hand yet? Well, it is you then we are waiting for when it rains, haha. If there is a light snowfall, like less than 1 inch, oh man you are in for a dismal drive home.

I am not only talking about weather changes, but just straight awful driving. Like what is up with the slow turns? You do not even signal that you're turning and when you turn you act like your foot is stuck to the brake. Now, I have repented many times for my mockery of others. I am not a typical road rager. I mock people, and yes, I do feel bad when I do it. For instance, if someone decides to honk at me because I take the initiative to drive past them because they are a slow merger- I simply honk back, but as a song- i.e. they honk "honk-honk"...I honk "honk-honk-it-di-honk-honk-honk" (those are half honks in there). Or if someone raises their hands at me like, "What the flip are you doing turning in front of me so fast?" I wave back at them with both hands raised and smile so big. Oh man it is hilarious, because they are trying to get you mad by honking, but when you mock them back they get so mad.

I do mock and I do not think it is right anymore. Actually to be honest it comes out sometimes and I have to catch myself. I figure it is better than swearing and throwing a fit, right? So, I stopped doing it. I also realized my license plate has "JC" in it(Jesus Christ" to be exact). What I really do not want is someone making a generalization of others based on my plate.

So, if you are the person honking it may mean you are the bad driver or if you are gettin honked at it may mean...no...no...no...ohhh...crap...that means...I think this means I may be the bad driver ahhhhhhhhhhhh...please...help...I am...turning...into one of them.

The other day I posed my weekly question of the week, that started this week. The question was, "If you could be a superhero what would your power be and your name?" Well, this is one of my favorite questions to ponder as I would love to have a super power. You can see this with my in depth answer on that post. But, my wife made my wildest dream imaginable come true this past birthday. My birthday was in December and she surprised me with our friends coming over dressed up as a made- up superhero of their own. She gave me a present before everyone came over and the present was a very low budget (because I gave her a $15 limit), made by her, and made- up super hero outfit that fit me perfectly. She made armbands to be able to use some fun gadgets, and a sweet mask that held my true identity, and a skin tight suit so I would not be held back from running so fast. Oh yeah and she made this super aerodynamic cape that would flap in the wind as I ran fast and would make me look cool. (Embellishment placed on everything, haha)

Well, all my life I missed out on super fun parties because I was always playing soccer. Those parties would have fed my inner child that wanted a superhero party or a pirate party. I missed out on this stuff not only due to soccer, but due to a childhood of poverty. My mom was amazing in doing what she could do for us being a single mom raising 4 boys. But, we just did not have much and my mom tried with what she had.

Katie, my wife, being so amazing as she is, threw me a superhero party. It was one of my favorite birthday's ever. During the party we stood up and explained our name, what our powers were, and our outfits. Ha, makes me smile thinking about it. I know it is silly, but I am honest with who I am and I have always wanted a superhero party. Sweetie, you are the most amazing wifey, thank you for making my dreams come true for my birthday, haha. Also, for making my favorite birthday cake ever. It was a dark chocolate, 2 tiered, with peanut butter and chocolate glaze and peanut butter cream throughout the middle and top...I know just made your mind explode, ooh so good.

Below is my outfit with Maddie wearing a "Zayner, 24" jersey that was hand made. Also, my wife as my super fan, gotta love the Crew stuff, haha...We are the ZAYNERS and we fight crime everywhere and anywhere.

So, I was looking back at some pictures and found some when Maddie was just a little tyke. She is part West Highland Terrier (Her mom is in this picture) and part poodle. Interesting mix, but we love her so much. I love her family portrait with all her different colored family members. We love diversity, we cannot wait to have that more in our family with our children.

We found her on www.petfinder.com with a non profit animal adoption agency call ARF. We highly encourage rescuing dogs or should I say adopting them. Not only are there hundreds of thousands of dogs out there wanting a home, but it will cost you tops $200. Maddie is so sweet and we love her so much.

But, today Maddie tore up her newest toy. We bought a toy that had a guarantee that the dog would not tear it up and if they did you could get another one. Well, Maddie tore our first one apart in two days. We sent the picture over email to the company and they sent us a new one.

Soon we received the other in the mail and she decided it was her mission to destroy that one also. By the way, the first toy she had was a cool little monkey. We pulled this toy out of the package and they sent us this big furry possum. Yes, a possum, super weird, but i will go with it. Right from the start she started pulling the hair out, so I cut the toy's hair off. That worked until she found the ears. She bit those mostly off so instead of letting her tear apart the ears and leave it all around the house, I cut them off. Yes I cut off the ears also. I ghettoed this toy up, because Maddie was leaving pieces everywhere. Come on, those who have dogs know what I am talking about, a little sympathy please. Well, she made a hole in the toy and it was cool runnings from then on.

I was thinking about this, but what is with dogs and stuffing? Every dog loves to pull stuffing out of toys. It is not like they eat it, because they do not. If you know why, please let me know.

Well, it was her favorite toy and still is even though all the stuffing is out of it, it has no hair, and no ears. Sorry, Paulie the possum, that I had to cut off all your hair, ears, and all your stuffing is out. You are still well loved by the Zayner's. If you want to see what I did to the possum and what Maddie did also, check it out below.

Every week I will pose a question that either makes you think, laugh, or straight up think I am weird. I love hearing people's answers to different things and subjects. Here you go:
----If you could be a superhero, what would be your power and name?----

1)Jed, I've given this some thought...I would have multiple arms/hands, each with equally great dexterity. And each would have its own region of the brain controlling it, and all of these brain regions could perform different calculations simultaneously. And my name would be....The Great Handini?***Winner for best answer***

2)I would be able to read minds. And with that I would be able to speak and understand all languages. And my super hero name would be... Mentalist Matt. Or I always think it would be cool to be able to recall anything you ever read. So I could read a book once and then remember EVERYTHING in the book.

3)I wanna be morph so I can change into anyone and use their powers!!

4)I will do a mulligan... My name would be BestMan and I would wear a suit that was black and I would stand for hours at weddings...

5)Mine is super speed and my name would be BigZayn. I would not wear a cape, but my suit skin tight. With super speed not only would I be super smart because I have to notice things quick, my body would be super strong as to withstand super speed.

"The greatest gift you can give someone is the gift of inspiration."
-The advice Professor and scholar Cornel West gives to his students.

With Soccer 101 topics I am going to dissect what I think a good coach is every week from my perspective. I am doing this for myself and anyone else that wants to join me. I want to be a coach one of these days and hopefully a successful one on and off the field.

Inspiration is a tough task for a coach. But, it is the one thing that he can give to his players that will drive them to do the extra things that is needed in a game. I know from a player's perspective that it helps a ton if a coach delivers a pre-game speech that inspires us to play and to win every single moment of the game. When I was at Indiana University they used a guy by the name of Rob Kehoe who gave us "motivational" speeches throughout the season. He gave a couple in pre-season, preparing for the season, and one or two during the season. We definitely took in what he said, but not as much as we should have.

During the season he would send us these letters called "missiles." These missiles would give us a reminder of what to keep focused on and to help us during tough times in the season. I encourage coaches to write missiles to their players during their seasons. Not only does it give the coach time to think through his thoughts and words, but to deal with his emotions on different subjects. Because if you say something that destroys someone's/team's confidence you may lose that player/team mentally for awhile. Do a few of these a season, but not all the time as the players may get tired of it.

I have been with coaches who bring out famous quotes and try to instill them into us so we play like what it says. For example Rudyard Kipling said, "...The strength of the pack is the wolf, and the strength of the wolf is the pack." The more ways kids and people are able to understand teamwork said from different people and in different ways, the better.

Give them the reasons by inspiring them and they will not need to find reasons to succeed. Players love playing for coaches that do the inspiring; it is easy to do battle for them.
One love. One Cause.

Hallelujah, there is no more chance of a lockout or a strike. We players and I know the league office never wanted a strike or a lockout. As a player I am so excited to know that we have a new agreement. I am looking forward to our first game now against TFC. I am sure all the fans can be excited about their season tickets and now they can look forward to our games.

We never wanted a strike, but we knew some things needed to change. Thank you fans for sticking by us and awaiting a decision. We knew this decision would not only affect our fans, but also our front office. We knew jobs could have been lost, lots probably. That is why the league and our player's reps worked tirelessly to come to an agreement. Again, thank you fans for sticking with us and being there for us.

For everyone out there who bashed Will Hesmer and just destroyed him on discussion boards and in private, that is just straight wrong. Will was never speaking for himself. We, as a team, stuck by Will's call on things and had his back. He represented the Columbus Crew player's in no way short of amazing. Thank you Will and everyone should thank Will for being such an amazing player's rep. He stood up for our rights and the interest's of our team and league. Thank you for spending countless hours trying to figure out a deal so there would not be a lockout or a strike.

Now, onto soccer ball and some more trophies, hhhoooorrrraaaahhhhhh...

Oswald Chambers says in "My Utmost for His Highest", "Many of the cruel things in life spring from the fact that we suffer from illusions. We are not true to one another as facts; we are true only to our ideas of one another."

I have been thinking about this quote a lot lately. I was hanging out with some friends of mine and this quote came up and we talked for awhile about it. Think about it, we immediately place a stereotype on people based on news coverage or what we have heard. Centuries we have created pain in others lives through an illusion of who they are. Grant it sometimes it is good to have an illusion of who someone is and what they may do to protect ourselves in certain instances. But, we are so quick to criticize people without factual evidence of who that person is. It is something I have noticed I can do a pretty good amount. I am working on killing those illusions and despairing of no one.

I know this is something that I had to work on before I got married and now while I am married. We have this illusion of how our wife/husband will be and these expectations. These expectations will never be met. We humans have a higher standard for things that involve us than to place it on a mere human being. The divorce rate is higher and higher because we selfishly feel like we deserve a better spouse and this is not so. No spouse will ever meet our true expectations. No person will ever live up to the high standard we create. But, we continually try and find it in so many others and other things. The more we realize human beings screw up, we will always make mistakes, and we are not perfect the closer we are to making things right.

I look at Jesus' life and He trusted no man, yet he was never suspicious or bitter to anyone. His confidence in God's grace and what it could do for any man was so perfect that he despaired of no one. I am not trying to impose Jesus onto people's lives, but we constantly can see, factually, that we humans will not be quenched by a human being. The more we release this standard from everyone and especially our spouses and turn it towards God is when we are moving towards a true quenching of our heart's.

Oswald says lastly, "There is only one Being Who can satisfy the last aching abyss of the human heart, and that is the Lord Jesus Christ."

Well, I recently found out people think my blog or the way I write may sound vulgar. Sorry to hear that. I do not use any swear words, never any crude jokes, and I thought I was clean. But, I can see talking about the bathroom stuff a couple times and watching people throw up is well not necessary and gross to some, probably gross to a lot of people. I will watch everything that I write so it is safe and sound form now on. I will picture my grandma and grandpa reading it or watching it and listening to what they think about it and slapping me over the head if something is not necessary. Again, sorry to hear that and sorry that I was not conscious of it. Give me a little break here, being the youngest of 4 bro's things are pretty open.

But, looking forward to training and working out with the team next week to prepare for our first game. The boys did well in Mexico. For being 9,000 feet above sea level and one goal away from moving on, that is awesome. Especially coming out of pre-season. I am excited to see more goals as I am sure Crew fans are also. Four goals in two games is a great number thus far. As a defender I feel like a fan on the field sometimes, because most of the time I am not apart of the goal that we score. So, sometimes I find myself saying, "That was sick, sweet shot, or whoooaaaa..". I comment on the goals to myself as a fan would. It is pretty funny.

I am looking forward to our game against TFC and what we will do against them. I look forward to seeing our fans go crazy and support us also. Every year something happens with the TFC fans that is a crazy story. Just hope no one gets hurt. Well, as long as nobody tears out the bleachers to our stadium and throws them on the field (this is what TFC fans did last year to some of our bleachers)...haha...just kidding.

Maddie, my dog, is trying to put her stuffed armadillo toy on my feet and looking up at me to play. Well, I guess that means it is time for me to go. Until next time...

So, yesterday Maddie found a clever way to chew on her bone. She was sitting under my feet getting after it. Oh yeah, well she was not getting after the bone, she was getting after my feet. If I have not told you yet, then I will let you know on a seriously disgusting and soothing thing Maddie does. She loves to lick my feet and Katie's especially. I do not know why she chooses to adore my wife's feet more than mine, but I will go along with it. Maddie, at times, will just make a bee line to Katie's feet. Sometimes we just stick our feet out to draw Maddie in for a good foot lick, haha. This probably sounds so gross to you guys, but yes we do that. Sometimes when our feet are getting licked the other person will come in with their feet and steal Maddie's talent from the other. Ohhh yes you do that, Sweetie, ha...
But, maybe my feet do not stink or do stink more than my wife's. I am trying to figure it out. Or maybe because I have an inch of calluses from playing ball on the bottom of my feet and they are just all janked up. I am now realizing that is probably the reason. Sweetie, the win goes to you for the smoother and better feet to lick. I will give you that one.
But, Maddie you're a smart girl even if you do lick our feet all the time, well done in using Mama's shoe for leverage chewing your bone, clever dog...well sometimes. Remember, this can be risky because she can mistake the shoe for the bone. Do not try this at home.

I think I saw this video on yahoo, but it is one of the cutest videos I have ever seen. I hope my kids do some super funny and sweet things like this, because if they do i will love being a daddy that much more. Enjoy the little girl perfecting the "whatever" phrase.

So, I talked to a few guys and asked them, "If anything ever happened to our league or you were retiring what would you want to do?" I asked them to give me one serious and one joke or funny one that they may want to do. You can let me know which one's you think are a joke or for real.

Adam Moffat
-Play bagpipes at weddings and funerals (wish I could).
-I have no idea, probably coaching.

Jed Zayner
-Dancer, no not exotic, even though I think I have some good moves for that career choice, but professional breakdancer. I will let Emilio do the more exotic stuff.
-Probably coaching, motivational speaking, living in a van down by the river.

Steve Lenhart
-I would go to Zambia, to work with my buddies and their non profit.
-I would play soccer.

Robbie Rogers
-Go play overseas.
-Work at Jennie's ice cream in downtown Columbus.

Jason Garey
-Professional bass fisherman, I do not know if that is funny or serious.
-But, probably do some coaching or get into some real estate flipping.

Andy Iro
-Clothing Apparel, sportswear, I mean like the production and making of it, how it fits and all. (Project Runway here I come)
-I would do my own version of Punk'd. I would go around Columbus and try and punk different restaurant owners.

Danny O'rourke
-I want to play in the NFL.
-An unemployed hobo with a long beard.

Chad Marshall
-Professional couch layer-oner/facebook creeper.
-Seriously, I would probably just start taking classes.

Eric Bruener
-I would be a veterinarian, I like animals.
-Be a teacher or help out with OSU men's soccer, because I want to coach college maybe someday.

Emilio Renteria
-I would go home and play ball in Venezuela.
-I would be a night club dancer (wink wink).

Cory Elenio
-Astronaut.
-I would do some coaching back in Ann Arbor.

So, my boy Nick just got done spending 10 months in Iraq and one of the first things he wants to do is help out with Filleo. He is in the Marine Corps. Nick thank you so much for being so free for Filleo and volunteering not only time, but financially. Through your hard work we will be able to help more children in need, thank you bro. Not only are you helping to keep our freedom, but you are helping children in need. You will always be apart of our family.
Nick is below with his welcome package of Filleo stuff from his new family. Sport it right, and sporting it well.

Ahhhhhh I feel like I can breathe a little now. Well, I am typing this the night before we have to leave. We played DC today and beat them 1-0, that is right. No more soccer though for a couple days. It will be nice to get home with my wife and dog. We have had some good memories together these past two weeks and I hope you have enjoyed them.

Oh yeah and yes I did type all the blog posts. I had the guys talk about whatever they wanted and if they needed I would ask them questions to encourage their creative thinking. I would pinpoint certain juicy subjects I know I liked and you all would like. But, if you do not like my grammar and punctuation then...well...then...well fine you will have to deal with it and I will just pout for a second. Haha you guys are great and I have loved spending time with the guys doing this and reading your comments.

The comments about giving Eric hugs and goldfish were quality. Also, the latest about Gino aka "The Pirate" and his ritz cracker earring; thanks guys it has been funny. But, we leave tomorrow morning at 8 am. I will leave you with one last pros and cons list. Sorry, but I am gonna take a couple day break, but may have some special stuff for you while we are in Arizona for two weeks. If you want to chip in with any ideas, comment below. I will take all into account.

Pro 1: We are done.
Con 1: We are done and have to look forward to only 4 days home.

Pro 2: Adam did not snog me in my sleep.
Con 2: I have recently learned to not give Adam cookie dough. Pheeeeewwwwwweeeee it makes him smell.

Pro 3: I realized to never play the odd man out game for taking gear back to the equipment room. I lost 90% of the time, gosh.
Con 3: I was the odd man out 90% of the time to take the gear back. Man I thought they were planning that. (On three we either hold out one finger or two)

Pro 4: I do not have to smell the stench of being around Steve and Adam's unbearable gas, well mostly Steve's.
Con 4: I learned that Adam likes to leave the door open while he goes poop. Well, my bed looks right at the toilet in the bathroom. I also learned that after 7 poops by Adam in one day our apartment smelled like someone gave me a stink palm and all I smelled was booty all day. Wait did someone, no they couldn't have, wait what, crap. Haha no kidding no one did, or maybe....Seriously, smelled like booty all day in our apartment.

Pro 5: I just fit on my bed.
Con 5: Even though I can fit on the bed I feel like I should put superman sheets on my bed and wear jammies, because I feel like a little kid again. Yipppeeee!

Last, but not least
Pro 6: I kicked some butt in Settlers and Sequence these past 2 weeks. Also, learned a lot when I got my butt kicked.
Con 6: Steve tried to get in the shower with me today and my response was "No...No...No...uuummm no". Steve is a very free man. He likes to joke around like that.

Keep in touch, because I will not be too far off. Love one, Love all.

Jed: Do you really watch Spanish Soap Operas?
Gino: I watch soap operas and I watch a lot of movies. They are comedies and suspense films. And I play Playstation 3 and the only game is Pro Evolution. It is a long pre-season.
Jed: Why do you like Spanish soap operas?
Gino: It is like a serious show about soccer players that is not really real. It is not very good, but it is alright. It is good to spend the time watching. I also spend to a lot of time seeing my wife and daughter on the internet so I can see them everyday.

Jed: Why does Guille and Steve call you fat?
Gino: I do not know why, I am not fat. They are fat. You have to ask them first why they are fat. I look great right now. I don't care what people think, I care what my wife think. And the big problem for me and Guille in America is because we have dinner at 6:30 pm and we are so hungry by 11pm. In Argentina we eat at 9pm. In Argentina people wake up at 12 or 1pm, they have breakfast then. Then you spend all day with your family and eat at 9pm. On Sundays I would go to my grandma's house and she would make pasta for 30 people. She is from Italy. But, 6:30 is too early for me, I get hungry at night.

Jed: What do you like to eat at night time?
Gino: Nothing special. Chicken, pasta, or beef, whatever. For me it is perfect to have a nap and have my Mate (herbal tea from Argentina) and then eat at 9pm.
Jed: How long are your naps?
Gino: Two or three hours, depends on how tired I am. I never put alarm. I switch off my phone and I sleep.

Jed: Tell us about Guille?
Gino: He is too old. He listens old music. It is awful music. Guille is a good guy though. Before I came here I hate him. Because my whole family are River Plate fans and we hate him. But now, I like him, he is a good guy. He is very humble. He have some problem: he have to change his music, and his hair, my grandfather wear his hair in 1945. He is a good room mate. He cleans the room and the kitchen.
(Guille immediately turns on his Braveheart anthem)
(Guille starts chantting)
Gino: No put on your awful music, this music puts me to sleep. Show him.
(Guille puts on Bruce Springsteen-If I should fall behind)
hahaha, this is awesome.
Guille: He likes music from Puerto Rico. No think him, only blah blah blah blah. So, I listen to what she (the woman in the song) is talking about. She say if he can wait for her if he die.

Jed: Gino tell us about any sleeping habits Guille has.
Gino: The only problem we have is that it is too cold and he does not want to put the heat on. So, if I get sick it is his fault.
Guille: It is okay, no need heat.
Gino: He does not like play playstation with me.
Guille: I don't like, it is for children, not for me. Gino is a children.

Jed: Tell us about soccer.
Gino: Nothing. We train good. And I cannot wait to start the season. And we see what happen this year. We have a good team and good locker room.

I hope everyone enjoys this blog and I am so glad to stay on this team and with my team mate, they are the best team mates I ever had. And it is a pleasure for me to play with Guillermo Barros Schelotto because he is a legend in Argentina.

Well, sleeping most nights is pretty good except when my feet hang off the bed. Andy Iro has the loudest snore/snort. I can hear it when the door is closed and I am in the living room and I have to yell at him to shut up. The beds are so squeaky that every time one of us moves it wakes the other up. So, Iro has been sleeping in the living room so he and I can get more sleep.

Where to begin with Andy Iro? He spends a lot of time on the computer. I guess we already went over the snoring. We have very deep political and life discussions. I taught Andy how to fish and he caught a 3 ounce baby snapper. Does he smell good? Iro actually smells good though. He is always lathering himself with cocoa butter. I know I smell though. Eating all that cajun food all my life has messed up my digestive system.

Andy: Fully grown salmon.
Jason: A baby snapper.
Andy: A sweet salmon.
Jason: More like a minnow.

Today we caught 6 or 7 large mouth bass. We had a good time (Steve and Doctor J). We were fishing right by the fields where we train. It was awesome because we were watching TFC play in a scrimmage against UCF (college team) and they were losing to them until the final minute. They scored and you would have thought they won the MLS Cup Championship. Steve and I looked at each other and were wondering why they were freaking out about scoring against a college team that they just tied.

Our inter squad scrimmage was good.

Jason: Andy Iro did not mark me on the free kick when I scored off a rebound.
Andy: No, he was not my guy. Come on.
Jason: Alright I concede I was not your man. I did shut you down on the corners though when you were on offense. You could do absolute nothing.
Andy: Hahaha
Jason: You did punch me in the back one time.
Andy: I did? Yeah well get out of my way bro. Haha

Did a regen in the afternoon and then now we are sitting here watching some tv. I will tell you that I cannot wait to get home to my wife and dogs. I actually made Andy Gruenebaum shovel some snow on my driveway because he is staying at our house. Just two more days.

Let me tell you about my dogs. Ace is a character, He really enjoys the snow. Ace is a full blooded black lab. He is kind of a beast. He rolls around the snow. My wife said the snow was so deep that the dogs would disappear into the snow, jump out, and disappear. If we just got Ace to stop eating stuff off the counters he would be the perfect dog. Lola is our other dog and ahe is awesome. She is a pitbull/lab and well probably 10 other dogs mixed in with those. She is adopted. She is a little mutt. She was abused, so she just loves any attention she can get. She is 40 pounds, but thinks she is a lap dog. She just loves to be on some one's lap. Oh yeah and she lovvvves to chase squirrels, deer, and well anything that moves.

I will leave you with my final words now: WHO DAT.

If you want to Support Haiti and try and help the hundreds of thousands in need. Check out my former team mate Seth Stammler's non profit. He plays for the NY Red Bulls right now, but grew up in Gahanna, Ohio and played at Maryland with me. Here is his link www.sportingchancefoundation.org