For those of you who don't know who Lefty is, or why he's called Lefty - ask around. I kid about him a lot, but yesterday he just blew me away. His team (U-16) was playing at a tournament. After playing two games, we were supposed to be done for the day but the coach asked if he wanted to fill in for a kid on the U -18's for a late game. So we show up and we're playing Kolping FC out of Cinci. Big time players, big time club, Big guys period. And the coach starts Lefty at the right back. I worried about him getting out classed, beaten a couple times. I'm pretty rough on him sometimes, and I can be probably too critical. I'm an idiot. He came out blazing - chopping people down, big time tackles, terrific intercepts, smart runs, killer passes up to the wingers, nobody even came close to turning the corner, let alone get a cross off; just ripping them a new one. I was so stunned I couldn't speak. He was simply over the top. On another planet. Just a ********in rock back there. In short, he played like a man. Unfortunately, he had a big time collision with the keeper and screwed up his ankle, so he's down for a bit. But he knows he rose to the occasion, and that he grew up some in my eyes.