The Man Who Thinks He Can

I grew up in Michigan with Mike. Our families had known each other for a long time. My dad and Mike's dad went to grade school together, and had remained friends over the years. His dad actually taught me a Junior Achievement class in grade school. He took our class to his steel company to see how to run a business. His company was called Sennett Steel, so know you can see how Mike got the nickname.

We got to know each other during Mike's first year at Brother Rice. I was a year ahead, and was pretty good friends with his neighbor, John. Through John and Lacrosse, Mike and I became teammates and better friends.

Steel was just that...the iron man in the middle. He wasn't the best athlete on the team. He wasn't the best attackman on the team. He just thought he could be. That's the reason for my caption, and it really reflected Steel's persona:

"Life's battles don't always go to the faster or stronger man, but to the man who thinks he can."

It was one of our team motto's while we were at Rice, and I think Mike took it completely on board. Steel was an integral part of Rice's first Michigan State High School Lacrosse Championship team in 1986. If you ever saw him play or watched him run, it was like a duck running to the water - not fast, not graceful, but got the job done.

I went to a prep school for a year while I was deciding where to go to college. If Notre Dame would have accepted me, we would have been classmates and teammates at ND. I wish I would have had the opportunity. It would have been a blast.

I am going to repeat this from Lombo's addition to the blog because I think it bears repeating:

"Things come up and there never seems to be enough time. Family comes first. It is hard to get away when you have a wife and three kids. There is always next month or the next time. But sometimes there is no next time. I will regret that I never got to see him one more time and hear his stupid jokes. You have to see the ones you love, even if only for an hour or two. Make time. Never pass up a time to spend time with the good people you know and love."

For the for the guys Mike coached - you got to play for one of the best. Stay in touch with your teammates and friends - whether it's just an email, a phone call, a text, or stopping by to say 'hello'...do it, because you'll never know when you won't be able to do it again. The friendships you make while you are 'warriors' on the field will be the friends that you'll take to battle, and will be with you for the rest of you lives.

Steel - God Bless. See you when we get there.

Smurf