Football has changed since I played high school ball in the mid-1970s. Back in the good old days, the game was one of power and ball control.

Many high schools and colleges didn't throw more than five or 10 passes a game. Anyone who averaged 15 or 20 passes a game was living on the edge.

Back in that day, Bear Bryant was winning Southeastern Conference and national championships running the Wishbone, triple-option offense at Alabama.

Players weren't as big as they are today; coaches lined them up and ran the football.

From what I saw of new Crestview High School football coach Tim Hatten's offense this spring, nobody will mistake the Bulldogs for an old Alabama team.

Crestview likely will average 15 or 20 passes a half, and twice that many passes a game. The thought of keeping up with Hatten's offense has me thinking about checking to see if my health insurance policy covers oxygen at halftime.

I'll be hoping the Bulldogs score a lot of quick touchdowns and the other team's offense can hold onto the ball for a few plays so I can catch my breath. I know it's going to be a wild fall.

Things won't be so breathtaking at Baker School, where Matt Brunson will play the old ball control football that he loves and has embraced throughout his coaching career.

The Gators will be more likely to score on a long run by D.J. Thomas than they will on a long pass from Jon Beck or Ben Crowson.

The truth is there is no right way of doing things. Each coach must develop his philosophy and decide how he can implement it with his players.

Fortunately, for Hatten, the Bulldogs have skill position players that can stretch the field. And Brunson has the kids that take pride in power football.

Last week at the Southeastern Conference Media Days, University of Arkansas head coach Bret Bielema complained about no huddle, spread offenses. He rightfully pointed out that up-tempo offenses don't allow for defensive substitution.

He argued that a player won’t be as fresh on the 15th play of a drive as he was on the fifth play. That’s just common sense.

Of course, what Bielema didn't address was the defense can get off the field by stopping the offense on three downs or forcing a turnover.

It seems as if Bielema is still living in the 1970s or 80s.

I still prefer a physical game of smash mouth football — in which a player can test his manhood with bone-jarring collisions — but I understand the game has changed.

Today's players love fast, high-power offenses. It's their game now, and I hope they will love it as much 30 years from now as they do today.

Love of the game and memories of time on the field stay with you forever.

Randy Dickson is the Crestview News Bulletin’s sports editor. Email him at randyd@crestviewbulletin.com, tweet him @BigRandle, or call 682-6524.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: SIDELINE OBSERVATIONS: Football has changed

After almost two weeks off, I'm back from vacation and preparing for the upcoming football season.

This year, my vacation included a trip to DeLand to visit family, and a trip to Knoxville, Tenn., to visit friends and stroll the University of Tennessee campus’ once familiar streets.

Just about everyone in the area knows I'm a Tennessee grad and I love the Volunteers through thick and thin. If you cut me deep enough, I might even bleed a little Tennessee orange.

Prior to my visit last week, I hadn't been on the UT campus in almost nine years. Almost all of the familiar professors and staffers have long since retired or moved away.

It's even hard to keep track of all the coaches who have come and gone since I graduated from Tennessee a little less than 14 years ago.

While on campus, I made it a point to visit Neyland Stadium, where the Volunteers play football. The stadium seats more than 100,000 fans. When I was a freshman in the fall of 1976, the stadium capacity was 80,250.

One constant in life is change. If you doubt that, just look at how many coaching changes have taken place at Crestview High School in recent years.

Tim Hatten is Crestview High School’s third head football coach since the start of the 2010 season.

Greg Watson is the third Bulldog boys basketball coach since the end of the 2011-12 season.

And the next Crestview softball coach will be the sixth in five years.

There also have been multiple coaching changes at Baker School and Laurel Hill School.

In a world of change, it's nice to know that we can still count on football season in the fall, basketball in the winter and baseball in the spring.

Players and coaches come and go, but the games remain a constant reminder of those special times in life.

Football practice for the 2013 season officially starts in less than three weeks. The Kickoff Classics are scheduled for Aug. 23 and the regular season starts Aug. 30. Overall, it's enough to make a guy's head spin.

I know the routine, and soon I'll be gathering information for our annual preseason football publication. And in the blink of an eye, the season will be in full swing and I'll be off and running for another year.

Yes, it's that time of year again and I can forget about the changes and concentrate on the year to come.

Randy Dickson is the Crestview News Bulletin’s sports editor. Email him at randyd@crestviewbulletin.com, tweet him @BigRandle, or call 682-6524.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: SIDELINE OBSERVATIONS: Sports are constants in a world of change

In recent years, I haven’t taken as much time to sit down and read good books as I once had. So this summer, I’ve tried to do some reading.

I recently finished reading books about Michael Oher, the football player of “The Blind Side” fame, and former Major League baseball player Roger Maris, whose 61 home runs in 1961 broke Babe Ruth’s single-season record. Maris was one of my first baseball heroes because, like him, I bat lefty and throw righty.

Sometimes, I’m so busy writing that I don’t want to spend a lot of time reading. So I’m a binge reader. I’ll read three, four or five books in a few weeks — and then not read another book for several months. The summer is usually when I find the most time to read.

As an elementary school student, I developed a love for reading biographies of famous athletes. I believe reading those first books about Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle, Knute Rockne and others helped steer me toward being a sports writer.

The first sports biography I bought was John Devaney’s “The Baseball Life of Mickey Mantle.” I purchased it through the Weekly Reader’s Scholastic Book Club.

That was one of at least a half-dozen books on him that I’ve bought and read. I’m reading another biography, Jane Leavy’s “The Last Boy: Mickey Mantle and the End of America’s Childhood.”

I once got in trouble in a high school algebra class for reading a book about Hall of Fame third baseman Brooks Robinson. I should have been paying attention in class, but baseball was always more interesting than trying to solve for x.

Today we can read books on our electronic devices. We don’t need to go to the library to check out the latest must-read.

However, I still prefer to take a book in hand and get comfortable in my favorite chair as I flip the pages and transport to another time and place.

My personal library is scattered in various bookshelves and boxes. I prefer sports biographies and books that help me grow in my Christian faith.

I have never been to China, but I traveled there in my mind as I read a biography about Bill Wallace, a missionary killed by the Communist government in China more than 60 years ago.

I never saw Babe Ruth swing a baseball bat, or witnessed a young Vince Lombardi play football at Fordham University, but I can almost hear the crowds roar for these sport giants. Just as summer is a good time for boys and girls to exercise their bodies, it also can be a good time to exercise their minds.

No matter what your interest is, you can find a book on that subject — and you don’t have to wait for your favorite program to come on television.

Several years ago there was a television public service announcement that stressed, “Reading is Fundamental.” Reading also is fun. Have you read any good books lately?

Randy Dickson is the Crestview News Bulletin’s sports editor. Email him at randyd@crestviewbulletin.com, tweet him @BigRandle, or call 682-6524.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: SIDELINE OBSERVATIONS: It starts with a book

Yesterday we celebrated our nation's 237th birthday. On July 4, 1776 a group of brave men signed a document, The Declaration of Independence, which has forever changed the world.

There is something special about our mid-summer holiday. The Fourth of July undeniably belongs to the United States of America.

I love Christmas, Easter and Thanksgiving. Each is a special day to celebrate my faith and to take time to recognize the one who gives us every good and perfect gift. I also love Memorial Day, as we take a day to honor those brave men and women who have given the ultimate sacrifice so we can be free.

However, my favorite holiday is the Fourth of July. Maybe it's because I was a member of the Bicentennial Class way back in 1976. But more than that, I just love the All-American celebration.

There's something special about burgers on the grill, a nice cold watermelon and time with family and friends.

The holiday evokes special memories of long ago summer days and evenings playing ball with my friends or enjoying a day at a crowded Pensacola Beach. And what would the holiday be without fireworks.

One of my favorite movie scenes of all times comes from the baseball classic, "The Sandlot." Those of you who know the movie as I do will quickly recall that the Fourth of July was the one chance the boys had to play night baseball as fireworks lit up the sky.

Most of us will never experience anything like that movie scene. But I think there's a part of every boy who has ever picked up a bat and ball that longs for the perfect summer night of playing baseball as Roman candles explode overhead to the tune of Ray Charles singing “America the Beautiful” in the background.

I'm in DeLand this week celebrating the holiday with my family. I'm hoping my dad and I can catch a few innings of a baseball game on TV. Fortunately, Dad's favorite team, the Philadelphia Phillies, and my favorite, the Los Angeles Dodgers, aren’t playing each other, so maybe we will be pulling for the same team.

It seems like only yesterday I was a boy enjoying those endless summers of youth. Sadly, every summer eventually comes to an end, as do all the seasons of life.

In every season we should look for a reason to celebrate. I celebrated the Fourth with those I love. I’m thankful for the day, all the days past and those still to come, that living in this great country allows.

Happy Birthday, America.

Randy Dickson is the Crestview News Bulletin’s sports editor. Email him at randyd@crestviewbulletin.com, tweet him @BigRandle, or call 682-6524.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: SIDELINE OBSERVATIONS: Celebrating the Fourth

Summer officially arrived early Friday morning, but let's face it, none of us looks at the calendar and says June 20 or 21 is the start of the summer.

Most people I know mark the beginning of summer by Memorial Day weekend or the day that school gets out for the academic year. Similarly, summer ends and fall begins when school returns the next academic year.

Winter and spring become trickier to define, as they fall during the school year.

I've always paid attention to the seasons. I love winter in the mountains, where the cold slaps you in the face like a snowball. I also love the colors of spring and autumn in the mountains.

I tend to divide my world into football season, basketball season, baseball season and hurricane season. I enjoy busy football, basketball and baseball seasons, but my heart sinks at the thought of a busy hurricane season.

Hopefully, Okaloosa County and the surrounding areas won't be in a storm path this year. It would be nicer if every named storm blew harmlessly out while still at sea, and none of our neighbors anywhere in the country had to face nature's wrath.

As a kid, I always enjoyed the summer. Maybe that's because I wasn't a very good student and I've always preferred being outside playing than being cooped up inside hitting the books.

Driving around town the past few days, I've seen some moms with their kids at Twin Hills Park, but the local baseball fields, tennis courts and outdoor basketball courts are empty. And the local sports camps do a good job of getting the kids outside and playing, but it's not the same as it used to be.

There was a time when kids didn't need a controlled environment to encourage an active lifestyle or participation in sports. Back in the day, we would play ball from the early morning until late afternoon, only breaking for lunch.

If it got too hot, we might go inside for an hour or two to cool down, but those times were rare. We were lean, tanned and never worried about being overweight or overheated.

With all the talk in the news about childhood obesity being on the rise, there's no better time than summer for kids to get active.

In addition to playing baseball during the summer, I loved to ride my bicycle, climb trees, fish and swim when I was a kid. I even found time to go to the local tennis courts and hit a ball around with my buddies.

Some of my best memories of youth and dearest friendships forged were spent on endless days too quickly gone.

I know the world is different today than it was when I was a boy. Computer games and video games have replaced real baseball. And why should a kid go outside and sweat on the tennis court when you can play tennis in the comfort of your own home on your Wii?

Yes, summer and being a kid sure has changed a lot.

Randy Dickson is the Crestview News Bulletin’s sports editor. Email him at randyd@crestviewbulletin.com, tweet him @BigRandle, or call 682-6524.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: SIDELINE OBSERVATIONS: Today's kids are missing out(side)

Father’s Day slipped up on me this year. No, I didn’t forget to call my dad and share a few minutes on the phone with him. And I’ll see him sometime in the next few weeks when I head to DeLand for vacation.

But I usually like to honor all the dads out there with some thoughts in this column. Since I believe that every day should be one that we honor and pay tribute to our dads, it’s not too late to wish all the dads, step-dads and surrogate dads out there all the best.

I love watching our local coaches as they coach their sons and daughters. There is something special about watching the bond between parent and child strengthen on a baseball diamond, football field or basketball court.

For many of us, our dad was our first coach who taught us the finer points of the sports we love today. Maybe he didn’t get it right all the time, but he tried to teach us the basics. If we were lucky, our dad was even more interested in teaching us the basic skills needed to succeed in life.

When we were kids, I doubt many of us understood how tired our dad was after work, when he took time to play catch with us in the backyard before supper. I can think of better ways for a father to spend his time than coaching Little League baseball, YMCA basketball or Pop Warner football.

Through the years, my dad coached dozens of other boys on countless teams, just as many of your dads have done. I’m sure many of you share similar memories of an old duffel bag used to hold baseball bats, balls and the catcher’s equipment of shin guards, a chest protector and mask.

That bag of baseball stuff stayed in the trunk of Dad’s car so he would have it if he was running late to practice or a game.

My dad grew up in the 1930s and 40s, when baseball gloves were primitive even by the standards of the 1960s and 1970s. Maybe that’s why he always insisted on his players catching the ball with two hands.

More than 40 years after he coached my last Little League game, I can still hear Dad shouting, “If the good Lord had meant for you to catch a ball with one hand, he wouldn’t have given you the other one.”

Whether your dad is 5-foot-7 or 6-foot-8, when you were in the first or second grade, he seemed 10 feet tall. I hope you had a good enough relationship with your dad that you tried to walk in his stride or try his shoes on for size.

My dad would tell me that I might get to be 6-foot-6 and weigh 280 pounds, but I’d never be able to whip him. I never made it to 6 feet, but I have tipped the scales at more than 300 pounds, and Dad is now a feeble old man. I want to believe that he can still whip me and that those strong arms that once carried me can still handle his share of the load.

Dad’s health is failing now, and I’m surprised and thankful he was still around to celebrate Father’s Day 2013. There’s a good chance he won’t be around for next Father’s Day or even for his birthday in late October.

I celebrate Father’s Day every day now. I call Dad each day to tell him how much I love him. I know we will never play another game of catch or shoot baskets again on an old asphalt basketball court, but it doesn’t matter.

Each day remains a gift to share a laugh or just to remember while strengthening a bond that only a dad and his boy can know.

It may not be Father’s Day, but call your dad. You’ll be glad you did.

Randy Dickson is the Crestview News Bulletin’s sports editor. Email him at randyd@crestviewbulletin.com, tweet him @BigRandle, or call 682-6524.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: SIDELINE OBSERVATIONS: Belated wishes for dads