Bonus Post - Vegetarian French Dip

A growing number of elite athletes are vegetarian or vegan. Finding tasty recipes takes a little work.

I was skeptical that this could perform at a level of a traditional French Dip sandwich. 

Here's the skinny:

1. Bread - that's up to you. A small sub roll, toasted, will suffice.

2. "Spread" - as a substitute for the cheese (usually provolone), we used a vegan mayo spread with garlic powder, salt, and pepper to taste

3. "Dip" - this recipe called for a mushroom liquid concentrate, one tablespoon of olive oil, 1/3 cup of water, garlic powder, salt and pepper. I'd use a bouillon cube as a substitute for the mushroom concentrate. 

4. Filler - the surprise - sautee a mixture of chopped mushrooms and sliced onions with salt and pepper about 4 minutes. Fill the toasted sub roll with the mayo spread and top with the sautee mix and washed arugula (a.k.a. lawn weeds?) which adds crunch, fiber, and flavor. Baby spinach might be  substitute for the arugula. 

Dip the assembled sandwich into your sauce and voila. The combination exceeded the sum of its parts, an A-/B+ sandwich without the calories or cost of beef. 

Reading the Blocker

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Volleyball is a thinking person's sport. Reading is a separator. 

Players read serves, attackers, and setters read blockers to escape double blocks. 

The setter who puts a blocker out of position increases the hitter's chance of succeeding. 

You still have a few months to work on your "anticipation" skills before tryouts. 

Targeting

"Before taking any shot, a golfer must pick out the smallest possible target." - Bob Rotella in "Golf Is Not a Game of Perfect" 

"Ready, aim, fire." It's never been, "Ready, fire, aim." 

Get specific by targeting an area of the ball. 

Top hitters have an elite approach:

• They target an area on the ball.
• They target space or seams.
• They target areas of the block.
• They are aware of the timing of the attack...

Strategic approach:

1. What part of the ball are you hitting?

2. Where are you trying to make the ball land?

3. What part of the block or defense are you attacking?

Players who answer all three start to think like great hitters — they don’t just swing hard, they swing smart.

Lagniappe. Hit on top of the ball. 

Learn to use deception. 

Lagniappe 2. Better mechanics launch you into a more athletic attack position. 

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The Code

"Back when everything was as it should have been, one of Marcus’s combat instructors had laid down a law: control is key. Control the environment, control your opponent. Most of all, control yourself." - Mick Herron in "Real Tigers" from the Slough House series

Find a 'closer'. Not just for your team but for yourself. A closer allows you the best chance. The best chance to make the right decision and right action...not just on the court. 

But it's more. Guys speak of "Bro Code" and for women in sport, it's a special Sisterhood.

ChatGPT Plus steps in here, lightly edited. You never know when it might help.

On successful girls' teams, there absolutely seems to be an unwritten set of norms that transcend team rules.

A volleyball version of "The Sisterhood" might look something like this:

The Sisterhood

1. Protect Each Other's Trust

What is shared in confidence stays in confidence.

A teammate should never wonder:

"If I tell her this, will the whole school know tomorrow?"

Trust is a competitive advantage.

2. Celebrate Without Envy

When a teammate succeeds:

• applaud,
• support,
• encourage.

Jealousy fractures teams.

Great teammates understand: her success helps us all.

3. Don't Be a Rat

Not in the sense of hiding dangerous behavior.

Rather:

• don't create drama,
• don't weaponize information,
• don't run to authority figures over every minor conflict.

Handle small problems directly and respectfully whenever possible.

4. Don't Undermine Relationships

Don't pursue:

• a teammate's boyfriend,
• a teammate's crush,
• or situations that create unnecessary distrust.

Loyalty matters.

5. Defend Absent Teammates

If someone is being criticized behind her back:

• redirect,
• defend,
• or stop the conversation.

The true test of loyalty is what happens when the person isn't present.

6. Tell the Truth Kindly

Sisterhood is not blind agreement.

Sometimes the most caring thing is:

"You need to hear this."

Honesty delivered with compassion strengthens relationships.

7. Leave No One Isolated

Watch for:

• the quiet player,
• the injured player,
• the freshman,
• the athlete struggling with confidence.

Inclusion is a leadership skill.

8. Compete Cleanly

You can compete fiercely for:

• positions,
• playing time,
• recognition.

But never sabotage a teammate. Earn your opportunities through performance.

9. Carry Each Other Through Hard Days

Everyone eventually:

• slumps,
• struggles,
• doubts themselves.

The best teams understand:

today I carry you;
tomorrow you may carry me.

10. Put the Team First

Perhaps the highest principle.

The Sisterhood is ultimately:

"I choose us over me."

Not always. Not perfectly. But consistently.

What's interesting is that many of these overlap with the values you've repeatedly emphasized in Melrose Volleyball:

• Team First
• Accountability
• Trust
• Communication
• Being a great teammate over being a great player

In fact, if I were writing this for a volleyball team, I'd probably conclude:

The Sisterhood isn't about always agreeing with each other.

Create a circle of trust where every player knows:

"These women want the best for me, will tell me the truth, and will stand beside me when things get hard."

That's the kind of culture that tends to survive long after the final match is played.

Lagniappe. The toss. 

Lagniappe 2. Develop a diversity of attacks. 

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Heart on Your Sleeve

JJ Redick said, "The star players and their energy have an exponential effect on the group."

Your body language is contagious.
· It sets the tone.
· It impacts you.
· It impacts your time.

That's why leaders lead with action - not words.
(@PGCbasketball) pic.twitter.com/6DYmv6nGv2

— Coach AJ 🎯 Mental Fitness (@coachajkings) May 27, 2026

Energy is contagious.

Attitude is contagious. 

Body language impacts the team. Make a difference with your example. 

 

Dinner Time

We have an odd family saying, "Don't waste it." For instance, if someone asked, "how was that cake?," answering "Don't waste it" means that it was fantastic...as in "don't eat all of it."

Experiences are similar. Entrepreneur Sara Blakely, CEO of Spanx, explained how her father asked her brother and her each Saturday night dinner, "What did you fail at this week?" He not only gave them permission to fail, but made failure a badge of courage to explore. 

Here are some "Don't waste it" thoughts:

Don't 'waste' practice, be it passing, hitting, attacking, or a session in the weight room. Einstein used to think in pictures. 

Graph created with ChatGPT Plus:

Attackers choose among complex options that depend on the set, the defensive alignment, and the attacker's skill set. There is obviously less margin for error down the line or with the cut shot, with the tradeoff being more 'room for landing' without defenders close by. 

By studying film, your "mind's eye" can see what is actually happening at any given moment in a play. 

I've shown wonderful attack mechanics by Adriana, an elite athlete. Here's one that's less efficient and worth learning from...watching in slow motion (use the 'gear' adjustment) and repeatedly reveals what happened. 

1. Runway... plenty of room for her three-step (left-right-left) attack

2.Footwork...instead of her usual medium-long-short desired footwork, the timing is off and it's long-short-short-shuffle (I think it's because she was early)

3.Armswing...tends to parallel footwork. Her high initial upswing leads to a shortened back armswing and the timing is disrupted...that compromises the lift on the jump and therefore the potential contact point and attack angle. 

4.Notice that the Ipswich OH has dropped behind the block to cover the tip and the entire right side of the court (shorter) is open. 

What I suspect happened was that the set was higher than anticipated and that changed the timing. The point is solely to illustrate how small difference can disrupt the attack. 

Celtics Coach Joe Mazzulla emphasizes that in each match, there may be fifteen or so points that might be managed differently and that players can learn by studying the details. 

Lagniappe. Passing off the midline 

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"Work in Progress"

We're all a work in progress as students, athletes, and writers. Improvement takes focus, work, and time.

This is a wonderful video on serve-receive, a prime determinant of team success. There's a saying, "One bad pass often leads to another."

The presenter, Nataliia, a career libero, gives a compelling presentation on the art of serve receive with technical details about platform construction, angles, common problems, and solutions. If you dream of playing in the back row, watch and learn. 

 

Doing the Work, Jump Training

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Sport rewards athleticism...three days a week exercises. 

Almost three months until tryouts. 

Remember the four-legged stool. 

Work out with a partner to improve a teammate. 

You got this.  

Volleyball Lessons from "Infantry Attacks" (Erwin Rommel)

The long offseason provides many opportunities to explore the intersection of sport and history.

One of the great 'commanders' of over a century ago was Field Marshall Erwin Rommel, a master of tank warfare. His book, "Infantry Attacks" remains relevant to both military and sports today. 

Rommel’s Infantry Attacks is not a book about weapons. It’s a book about decision-making under stress, small-unit leadership, and how advantage is created when conditions are chaotic.

That makes it relevant to volleyball.

Rommel commanded at the point of contact. He was a legendary observer and note-taker. He valued initiative and speed over perfection. His lessons translate well to a game decided in fractions of seconds.

1. Initiative Beats Instructions

“Opportunities are fleeting. Whoever acts first often wins.”

Rommel emphasized junior officers acting without waiting for orders. Delay, he believed, was often fatal.

Volleyball rewards the same mindset.

• The best defenders don’t wait - they go.

• The best setters don’t freeze - they choose.

• The best teams solve problems on the fly.

Over-coached teams hesitate. Decisiveness shows up as initiative. Practice should create players who act decisively, not players waiting to be told.

Lesson: Consider Drake Maye's game-clinching bootleg to send the Patriots to the Super Bowl. Trained spontaneity...

2. Speed Creates Advantage

Movement confuses opponents more than strength.

Rommel prized rapid movement to dislocate defenders mentally before overwhelming them physically.

In volleyball:

• Fast offense beats bigger blocks.

• Quick transitions beat organized defenses.

• Tempo creates mistakes.

Speed creates advantage. It’s pressure applied before the opponent is ready. Teams that play faster than opponents think gain free points without superior talent.

Quote: "Speed kills."

3. Surprise Is a Force Multiplier

Predictability invites resistance.

Rommel repeatedly attacked where he wasn’t expected - not where doctrine suggested.

Volleyball equivalents:

• Serving the setter

• Back-row attacks in predictable rotations

• Quick dumps at emotionally vulnerable moments

Surprise isn’t trickery. It creates the unexpected. Once a team relaxes into pattern recognition, it’s already late.

Lesson: "Utilize strengths, attack weaknesses." - Sun Tzu

4. Reconnaissance Is Continuous

Observation never stops.

Rommel constantly gathered information - terrain, morale, reactions -during action, not before it.

Great volleyball teams scout while playing:

• Who struggles after an error?

• Which passer backs up under pressure?

• Which hitter tips when late?

Good teams see plays. Great teams find edges by attacking weaker opponents. 

Quote: "Find the fish." 

5. Exploit Weakness, Don’t Argue with Strength

Attack where resistance is lightest.

Rommel avoided frontal assaults whenever possible. He looked for gaps.

In volleyball:

• Attack poor passers

• Isolate weak blockers

• Target rotations that fracture under pressure

This isn’t cruelty.
It’s efficiency.

Winning teams don’t prove superiority—they apply pressure where it works.

6. Decentralized Leadership Wins

The front line knows more than headquarters.

Rommel trusted subordinate leaders to adapt.

Volleyball thrives on the same principle:

• Setters lead the offense

• Liberos organize defense

• Captains regulate emotional tone

A coach cannot control every rally.
Teams succeed when leadership is distributed, not hoarded.

7. Morale Is Tactical

Psychology shapes outcomes.

Rommel understood that confidence, fear, and momentum mattered as much as positioning.

In volleyball:

• Long rallies break belief

• Tough serves create visible doubt

• Body language spreads faster than strategy

Morale isn’t fluff.
It’s a competitive variable.

Teams that protect each other emotionally last longer under stress.

8. Simple Plans, Executed Aggressively

Complexity collapses under pressure.

Rommel favored clear objectives and direct execution.

Volleyball agrees:

• Simple serve-receive rules

• Clear defensive priorities

• Few, trusted offensive options

Clarity frees players to play hard.

Under pressure, athletes revert to habit. The question is whether those habits are useful.

The Takeaway

Infantry Attacks is not about war. It’s about how humans perform when uncertainty is high and time is short.

Volleyball lives there.

Teams don’t need more information.
They need:

• Initiative

• Speed

• Observation

• Simplicity

• Emotional steadiness

Rommel reminds us that advantage often comes not from power, but from clarity applied early.

Lagniappe. A principled "Set Five" hitting game... 

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Become Unstoppable

All opinions expressed in the blog are solely mine. The blog is not an official publication of any City of Melrose organization. 

Lessons from film. 

1. Train. "We sink to the level of our training." 

2. Find a mentor. Mr. Rogers said, "Look for the helpers." Know that "mentoring is the only shortcut to excellence." 

3. "Be your own editor." Become a pitcher not a thrower. Become a fighter not a puncher. 

4. "Toughness is a skill." 

5. Become a closer; be able to finish strong. 

6. "Leave the jersey in a better place." - James Kerr, Legacy

 

The Short Game

"The short game requires the same uncluttered mind, the same focus on the target, and the same disciplined routine that’s a long game requires - only more so." - Bob Rotella in Golf Is Not a Game of Perfect

Focus is a superpower. Focus is a superpower. Mindset of success. Game management. Execution. 

When attacking the ball, disallow all distractions. The set is coming and you can perceive the location of the blockers. No thoughts belong about mechanics as you have automated your run-up and arm-swing.

History is replete with players making "the shot" in the moment. 

Mindset matters, your mental approach. 

• Be decisive. 
• Focus only on putting the ball down. 
• Replay your numerous successes.

"Fear is the mind killer." Fear is for the other guy.

 

Lagniappe. Sport rewards explosive movements...rebounding the basketball, quick crossover step when stealing a base, acceleration - often after deceleration to separate from defenders in soccer or lacrosse. Study and refine the timing of your attack. 

Separate Yourself from the Pack

“Whatever you do in life, have the courage and commitment to do it to your absolute best.” - Pat Summitt

Not halfway effort.
Not excuses.
Not “good enough.”

The courage to show up.
The commitment to stay with it.

That’s where excellence lives. pic.twitter.com/5guzAoYjGK

— Greg Berge (@GregBerge) May 25, 2026

Find the key words from Pat Summitt. The top players are different, driven by a combination of autonomy, pursuit of mastery, and discipline. Examine the careers of a Mia Hamm or Dan Gable.

Seek the path that brings success without obsession. 

• Build winning habits.
• Be an exceptional teammate.
• Always do your best...at home, in school, in your sport. 
• Read. What extra reading are you doing today? 
• Write your narrative. Make it great. 

Lagniappe. Pancake 

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