"I'm a very emotional and passionate man. I can't help it. To me, there are three things we all should do every day. We should do this every day of our lives. Number one is laugh. You should laugh every day. Number two is think. You should spend some time in thought. Number three is, you should have your emotions moved to tears, could be happiness or joy. But think about it. If you laugh, you think, and you cry, that's a full day. That's a heck of a day. You do that seven days a week, you're going to have something special. It's so important to know where you are. I know where I am right now. How do you go from where you are to where you want to be? I think you have to have an enthusiasm for life. You have to have a dream, a goal. You have to be willing to work for it."

New Trier, Barrington, Wheaton South, Cary-Grove, Huntley, Glenbrook South, Hersey, Maine South, Lyons, Wheaton North, St. Viator, Loyola, Homewood-Flossmoor , Wheaton Academy, St. Ignatius and Lake Forest were the 16 teams that earned one of the top seeds.

The complete tournament bracket may be found at www.pepsishowdown.us. Here is the complete game schedule for the 2010 showcase:

ATHLETICO SHOWCASE GAMES
(Non-bracket games)
Cary-Grove at Plainfield North
St. Francis at Huntley
Glenbrook South at Hersey
Maine South at New Trier
Lyons at Wheaton North
St. Viator at Wheaton South
Loyola at Homewood-Flossmoor
Wheaton Academy at Barrington
St. Ignatius at Lake Forest

THURSDAY, APRIL 8
NIKE BRACKET
Hinsdale South/U-High winner at Huntley
Plainfield North at St. Viatory
Mundelein/Young winner at Wheaton South
Fenwick/Lincoln-Way East winner at Loyola
Andrew/Providence winner at Barrington
Deerfield/Oak Park winner at Lake Forest
Crystal Lake South/Lisle winner at Maine South
Stagg/Elk Grove winner at Lyons
Jacobs/Warren winner at New Trier
Lake Zurich/Lakes winner at Hersey
Stevenson/Payton winner at Wheaton Academy
St. Francis at H-F
Oswego/Lincoln-Way North winner at St. Ignatius
Libertyville/Niles North winner at Wheaton North
York/Joliet winner at Cary-Grove
Lockport/Mother McAuley winner at Glenbrook South

ATHLETICO BRACKET
Andrew/Providence loser at Hinsdale South/U-High loser
Fenwick/Lincoln-Way East loser at Mundelein/Young loser
Stagg/Elk Grove loser at Crystal Lake South/Lisle loser
Jacobs/Warren loser at Lake Zurich/Lakes loser
Stevenson/Payton loser at Libertyville/Niles North loser
Oswego/Lincoln-Way North loser at Deerfield/Oak Park loser
York/Joliet loser at Lockport/Mother McAuley loser

SATURDAY, APRIL 10
All games at Olympic Park, Schaumburg
NIKE BRACKET Sweet 16 with other tournament teams paired up against one another in showcase games.

THURSDAY, APRIL 15
Only NIKE BRACKET games will be played home/away.

SATURDAY, APRIL 17
All games at Olympic Park, Schaumburg
NIKE BRACKET semifinals with other tournament teams paired up against one another in showcase games.

TITLE GAME AT TOYOTA PARK

The 2010 showcase will take place Dec. 29 at the Chicago Sports Zone, and it will feature an added combine portion and college coaches Q & A panel for coaches, parents and players.

The goal is simple - to provide players an opportunity to shine in front of college coaches, while providing one site for college coaches to come and see hundreds of high school players from all over. But it's also a great opportunity for players to play with different players and high school coaches from different schools to see players from outside their area.

The 2010 event will return to its four session format of underclassmen boys, underclassmen girls, senior boys and senior girls. You don't need to head to Florida or another state with a club team to be seen in December 2010.

The opportunity is right here.

Here is the list of colleges expected to be in attendance:

University of Dayton

Robert Morris

Loras College Iowa

Concordia University Wisconsin

Lawrence University Wisconsin

Trinity International University

Concordia University Chicago

University of St. Francis

Lewis University

North Central College

Carleton College Minnesota

University of Dubuque

Trinity Christian College

Wartburg College Iowa

Rockford College

Illinois State University

Lake Forest College

University of Wisconsin

Triton

Elmhurst College

University of Wisconsin-Parkside

Marian University Wisconsin

Saint Louis University

Ancilla College Indiana

Lincoln College

Monmouth College

University of Indy

University of Illinois at Springfield

Heartland College

Augustana College

Saint Mary's University Minnesota

North Park University

Central College

Dominican University

University of Wisconsin- GBay

Eastern Illinois University

Lakeland College

Oakton College

MacMurray College

Marquette University

Olivet Nazarene University

Illinois Wesleyan

Benedictine University

University of Chicago

Waldorf College Iowa

Loyola University Chicago

William Penn University

St. Xavier University Chicago

DePauw University Indiana

Trine University Indiana

Lakeland College Wisconsin

Carthage College Wisconsin

Carroll University Wisconsin

University of Wisconsin-Platteville

St. Norbert College Wisconsin

- Joe Trost

And at the end of the day, that's who I'm writing about, writing and running events for.

When Curt Herron, a former co-worker of mine when I was still in college, told me that he and Gary Larsen of WestSuburbanSoccer.com were going to hand out postseason awards differently, my ears perked up.

If you've been a reader of this blog for more than a day or ever met me, you know I disapprove of how some awards are handed out. But with that said, sometimes it's a crap shoot with stuff like that.

This year, I took a lot of heat for two players on the 2009 Sun-Times All-Area Boys Soccer team. The first was naming Naperville Central's Chris Prince the Sun-Times Player of the Year, and the second was naming Neuqua Valley's Scott Davis to the first team.

I question people all the time, so I expect people to question me. It's part of the job. That's why when I read the story on WestSuburbanSoccer.com and saw who the players talked about the most, I'm not going to lie - I smiled.

Where forwards were concerned, no name came up more often than Chris Prince, a one-man gang in the final third this season who posted 27 goals and 11 assists in becoming Naperville Central's all-time leading goal-scorer for a season and a career.

The list of big goals Prince scored this year is too long to mention. He struck like lightning throughout the year, seemingly whenever the Redhawks needed a goal.

"I don't recall one time when he lost the ball when he had it at his feet," Neuqua Valley's Scott Davis said. "He was all over the place and he caused our defense a nightmare. He almost beat us single-handedly."

"You can't give him any space," Hinsdale Central's Robbie LaRocque said of Prince. "He can score from any angle."

And who better to assess a forward than the guys in back? "I only got beat near post once all year," WW South goalkeeper Derek Babb said. "And it came off of Prince's foot. It was so quick, I never saw it coming."

Waubonsie Valley's Nik Patel is one of the best defenders in the business, and his take on Prince was typical.

"He's very strong and he loved to have the ball at his feet. He can hold the ball and turn at any moment and shoot it, dish the ball at any moment, give and go at any moment," Patel said. "He's very hard to deal with."

Neuqua Valley's Bryan Ciesiulka echoed what players from every team Naperville Central played against could have said: "He was the most dangerous player we faced all year," Ciesiulka said.

Ultimately, Naperville North defender Jake Remegi may have summed Prince up best. "He's bigger than you are, stronger than you are, and faster than you are," Remegi said. "As a defender, that makes him really hard to handle."

After Prince, no forward was mentioned more frequently than Scott Davis among players we interviewed.

"He is the epitome of hard work," Waubonsie's Patel said of the Neuqua senior. "He gives it all he's got, all the time, and he's very fast. If he gets one step on you, he's gone."

Naperville North's Chris Boswell cut to the chase in describing Davis: "He works his (backside) off."

Davis had 24 goals and 16 assists for Neuqua this year, and played every game like he should have been wearing a helmet.

"As a goalie, he's a scary player to go against," Naperville North goalkeeper Mike Wiest said of Davis. "He never stops running. You'll think you have an easy ball, and that you have it, but you know he's coming and he's not going to stop. He just keeps going. He is absolutely relentless."

Lyons Township played Neuqua Valley three times this year, and that was more than enough of Davis as far as the Lions' Chris Meingast is concerned.

"You have to have those few workers that are going to go after the ball for 80 minutes, and that's what made Davis so dangerous," Meingast said. "As a defender you want a break once in a while, but he's not going to give it to you."

The event, which is co-sponsored by YourSeason.com, is the lone tournament in Illinois to host its title game at Toyota Park every year since the venue opened. Here is the list of teams to receive a 2010 invite, which includes a couple newcomers. There also will be Saturday Showcase games at Lyons. Those teams will be announced at a later date.

- Joe Trost

Stay tuned.

According to the AP, a House subcommittee approved legislation Wednesday aimed at forcing college football to switch to a playoff system to determine its national champion, over the objections of some lawmakers who said Congress has meatier targets to tackle.

The bill, which faces steep odds, would ban the promotion of a postseason NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision game as a national championship unless it results from a playoff. The measure passed by voice vote in a House Energy and Commerce Committee subcommittee, with one audible "no," from Rep. John Barrow, D-Ga.

The BCS selections announced last weekend pit two unbeaten teams, No. 1 Alabama and No. 2 Texas, in the Jan. 7 national title game. Three other undefeated teams -- TCU, Cincinnati and Boise State -- will play in a BCS bowl game, but not for the championship.

"What can we say -- it's December and the BCS is in chaos again," said the bill's sponsor, Rep. Joe Barton of Texas, the top Republican on the House Energy and Commerce Committee. He said the BCS system is unfair and won't change unless prompted by Congress.

So if you can't say national champion after the No. 1 and No. 2 teams play in college football, then it's safe to say you can't say state champion after the winner of a geographic-based tournament - right?

Too bad Congress can't bounce Marty Moneyball off YouTube and out of Pee-Wee's Playhouse in Bloomington, too.

The event, which is slated for Wednesday, Dec. 30 at the Chicago Sports Zone in Melrose Park, will feature hundreds of high school boys and girls varsity soccer players from the Midwest.

Additional details for players and college coaches may be found by visiting www.pepsishowdown.us.

But do me a favor and please write return to sender in CAPS on the box with GAC in CAPS.

Until the folks at Pee-Wee's Playhouse learn to DWR - nice one IHSA first-year PR guru Matt Troha - Walgreen's should tell the IHSA and moneyball Marty Hickman to take a hike.

Tournament games on small fields, with no lights and horrible layout.

Yes, IHSA - DWR.

(P.S. GAC doesn't mean Girls Athletic Conference. It means 'Get A Clue.')

*Head coach boys - 29 years
*More than 400 wins
*Led Sandburg to IHSA title in 1993 and Lincoln-Way to second place finishes in 1999 and 2000
*Six-time sectional coach of the year
*IHSSCA soccer person of the year
*IHSSCA vice president - 1998-present

But what half of the people in the audience and even those sitting at the head table with him will never truly understand is the impact he's had on soccer in the South Suburbs.

Brian Papa is soccer in the South Suburbs.

And while Brother Rice's Nick Markulin also has done a ton, Papa - a St. Laurence graduate - has been the one consistent force when it comes to soccer in that area.

That's why he's referred to as the King out there.

He built the Sandburg soccer program, helping the South Suburbs claim its first IHSA title in 1993. Ask any of his former players, and they'll tell you the Sandburg program is where it's at today because of Papa.

After a gut-wrenching decision to take a physical education position at rival Lincoln-Way in 1994, Papa took the Lincoln-Way soccer programs to another level.

For years, the Knights had a hard time beating teams north of the Stevenson. Combined with the girls, Papa eventually took Lincoln-Way to the IHSA title game four times.

Talent helps, but so does experience and knowledge.

People need to remember that at times, the role of a high school coach is to see talent, put the right pieces together and monitor chemistry. When you only have three months, there's only so much each high school coach can do these days.

I always tell the story of my first meeting with Papa back in August 1996. I drove out to a Lincoln-Way preseason practice to do a preview story.

Instead of welcoming a college student and thanking him for giving his team some exposure, he says to me, "I don't know why they send you out here. You guys are going to do a preview story and then it's going to be all football and basketball the rest of the year."

I hated soccer prior to meeting Papa, who loves baseball and basketball just as much as soccer these days. But one thing I learned right away was that Papa was a fighter.

You might not like what he says or agree with him, but he's going to make sure you hear him. I've listened to him call newspapers and rip reporters for not covering the sport or not giving a player his due.

I've listened to him stand up to the IHSA, while other gutless coaches sit in the corner after moaning for months. There have been many of times when Papa and I have had a heated exchange or two (or three or four), resulting in me slamming the phone down.

But I've always respected him, and he's always made me think. When a person has been around as long as he has and gained the experience and knowledge that comes with it, you need to listen.

I'm just hoping that when someone rambles off a basic speech tonight and talks about his list of accomplishments, they go a little deeper and look at what he has truly meant to the game of high school soccer in the South Suburbs and the thousands of players he's had an impact on.

And let me be the first to say thank you Brian.

I wasn't a player of his, but to this day he's had an impact on my career.

- Joe Trost

But blogs and message boards have allowed the goons of the world to be heard.

It's going to be very interesting once this case is final to see how the world changes. It took another big, positive step in the right direction today.

November 18, 2009

BY STEFANO ESPOSITO Staff Reporter

A Cook County judge today set a Dec. 18 date for Buffalo Grove Trustee Lisa Stone to learn the name and address of the person who allegedly made nasty -- and anonymous -- comments about Stone's teenage son on the Daily Herald's Web site.

But an attorney for the online poster, listed as "John Doe" in legal proceedings, vowed to appeal Judge Jeffery Lawrence's ruling.

Experts and attorneys are keeping a close eye on this modern-day First Amendment case in which Stone filed legal papers asking the Herald's publishers for the identity of the commenter known as "Hipcheck16." The online poster made a series of unflattering comments on the Herald's Web site earlier this year as Stone was running for trustee and just before she took office.

In his six-page ruling issued last week, Lawrence said the poster's name and address can be turned over to Stone, but she is not permitted to distribute the information publicly. Lawrence had asked Stone's attorney, Stephen Tyma, to write an order specifying how to carry out his ruling, which was presented today in court.

John Doe has argued, through his attorney, that his identity is protected by free speech.

Stone's husband -- but not the trustee herself -- appeared in court today. After the hearing, Stone said he sees the ruling as a partial victory, because the Stones had hoped Lawrence would allow them to disclose John Doe's name to the public.

"I don't think he deserves any protection," Gary Stone said. "Certainly the comments are public, and (the name of) the commentator should be public."

- Joe Trost