True Fellowship

[edvaughn]

Two weeks ago, I got a rare opportunity to spend some time with a few of my old childhood / Ef friends. I knew Glenn Phoenix since 1979, when we used to play EF on my parents front step. I met Ernie Grice shortly afterwards. I was actually a classmate of
Albert (Al) Harvey in the 6th grade!! I haven’t been on the “field” competitively in 4 years and with family responsibilities , I haven’t been around the fellas for quite some time. We were all brought together for a road trip via Don Smith, also a dear friend who happened to be spending time with his uncle Steven in Maryland over the thanksgiving holiday. This was a great reunion for me with my old Jersey crew and the treat to have some fellowship with our friend Don!!! The fellas departed form Jersey, grabbed me in Delaware and we were off. The one hour ride seemed like 15 minutes as we laughed, at some points till we had tears in our eyes and talked Ef. We arrived at Uncle Stevens’s house and instantly we knew Uncle Steven was a class act, he welcomed us in and made us feel welcome instantly. He called up to Don to let him know we arrived. It was good seeing Don, we did not see him since the Seawall Brawl. We sat at the table and talked about family, our children and just life in general. It was 3 hours before we “broke out” a field!!
Needless to say we shared a lot of info at that magic table, strategy, painting, tweaking, pizza , a few beers and fantastic cigars!! I’ll tell you this, I got home at 11pm and my board was “on and poppin’….” I had to incorporate some of the principles I learned that afternoon. That was truly a great day and we are looking forward to getting back to Maryland with Uncle Steven and Don the next time Don is in town!!!!

[NATIONAL]

Dang......... why wasn't I invited???????????

I know you guys were cracking up all evening. I'm laughing now just thinking about it!

Nat'l

Ed you are 100% correct! That day couldn't have been any better if it was scripted. That combination together could be real dangerous(if you know what I mean)! Being with the old crew again was something we all needed. You realize how much you miss each other when within a couple minutes its like you never missed a beat. Thats a good feeling. Don you and Uncle Steve are great hosts and I cant wait to do it again. The info you shared with us and the experiences that we shared with each other is going to do nothing but make each of us not only better coaches but better people. That table was on fire by the time we got done. I can feel a shift in the balance of power!!!!! You feel me guys?????

Quote the Raven Never More

[Shabby J]

Quite often MF is about times like these, for these are truly special. We all get involved in leagues, tourneys, etc...they are fun and great, but times like this are what it's all about in my opinion.

Thanks for sharing the fun.

I get a call from one of my oldest friends who I haven't heard from in a few. We talk caught up on things and Ed says Don Smith in town we should all hook up! What are you kidding the"jersey boys" on a roadtrip to see Don Smith. Let's do this your talking Glenn Phoenix,Al Harvey and Ed Vaughn and myself "man" we had a ball on the way up and more fun on the way back but in the middle! It was a lesson on Life,football and friends add with more fun.!!! It's been a few weeks and were still talking about it!! I just want to say thanks to Don Smith and Uncle Steve for having us. We will do it again,God Bless!

Eddie V.

I’m sorry I didn’t see this post sooner. I just returned home after spending the past week in the “ATL”. My mom was in the ICU at Emory Crawford Long hospital, due to heart failure. She isn’t out of the woods yet, but she’s recovering quite nicely.

I had a great time hanging out with you, Glenn, Ernie, and Al a couple of weeks ago. I appreciate you guys coming out and fellowshipping with me at Uncle Steve’s. I learned a lot about you guys as Miniature Football coaches, and as human beings. You gents get high marks in both categories.

As coaches… the four of you are truly professional in how you carry yourselves and your equipment. Your teams were all spectacular in detail and appearance. You guys have some of the best paint jobs that I’ve ever seen. Your team cases were artistically decorated, as well as functional. All four of you exhibited vast amounts of knowledge and expertise on many of the different aspects of Miniature Football.

I got to see Glenn’s mighty Ravens. Glenn is an offensive specialist who has the ability to ring up large scores and stats. He’s already been a champion in the Philly area, but Glenn also has the potential to be a champion outside of his own backyard and possibly one of the best in our hobby.

Ernie Grice’s game reflects the characteristics of the team he uses… the Pittsburgh Steelers. Like Blitzburgh, Ernie uses a stingy defense to suffocate his opponents into submission. His ability to play championship defense has lead him to multiple titles (NEFL&PEFL) in the Philly area. When healthy, Ernie can play at the highest levels.

Al Harvey is a coaches-coach. Al exemplifies what coaching is all about. He truly studies the game and his opponents. He’s a gifted strategist, and one of the best thinkers that I’ve come across. His coaching ability reminds me of another good friend of mine… Simmie “Tookie” Lassiter. Al and Tookie are tremendous at figuring out: how to win on the fly. I have a great amount of respect for the way they make their teams overachieve and play better, regardless of their opponent. Al Harvey is another former Philly champ.

And last but not least Ed Vaughn. I never seen Ed play, but I’ve read about some of his exploits on past message boards, and I remember him winning one of the D.C. tournaments against Big Keith. That alone speaks volumes about the man’s playing abilities. Ed or “Kenny” as his friends know him, has a lot of Miniature Football talents.
He’s a gifted painter, decaler, custom figures maker, and web designer. Ed also like to film games when he’s in the room. He has great passion for this hobby, and the people in it.

These guys taught me a lot when we got together. They even loaned me their tweaking tools, and bases to fiddle around on. Yes we had boards buzzing, helmets a cracking, and men flying about, but watching these seasoned veterans with so much pride and professionalism laughing it up and having a ball really made my day. Sodas, beers, cigars, hamburger, and pizzas just added to the festivities. This wasn’t anything planned it was all spur of the moment.

These gentlemen are all great guys, and I look forward to hooking up with them again. I also want to add my congratulations to Glenn and Al for making it to the PEFL Superbowl game. Good luck to both of you this Saturday.

Take care,

Don Smith

Originally Posted by PRETTYBOY

Dang......... why wasn't I invited???????????

I know you guys were cracking up all evening. I'm laughing now just thinking about it!

Nat'l

CorEy, you're welcome to come and hangout with the fellas the next time we get together.

Originally Posted by Shabby J

Quite often MF is about times like these, for these are truly special. We all get involved in leagues, tourneys, etc...they are fun and great, but times like this are what it's all about in my opinion.

Thanks for sharing the fun.

Shabby J, I couldn't agree with you more. You really hit the nail on the head 100%.

Peace,

OldSchool

I just want to say that I enjoyed the road trip with my brothers. Life is short to worry about mess. Stop and enjoy what the lord has provide. Good old friends and good new ones.Electric football is good but life is great. When there is one it is good but when there are many it is a blessing.

[Norbert Revels]

I know you guys had aball hangin out with eachother, I have been thinking of taking a trip myself to visit with some old friends.

P.S. Feels good to read post like this before starting your day !!

Norbert Revels