Coach and Friends

.... Honorary Captains

2007-2008

2006-2007

F. Lee Bailey

........F. Lee Bailey, one of the most successful defense attorneys in American legal history and best-selling author, was born June 10, 1933 in Waltham, Massachusetts. He entered Harvard as a member of the class of 1954 but dropped out in 1952 to join the United States Marine Corps. As a Marine he earned his aviator wings in 1954 and served as a jet fighter pilot and legal officer. Discharged in 1956 he attended Boston University and received his law degree - graduating first in the class of 1960.

........Since the 1960's Mr. Bailey has defended numerous high profile clients including Samuel Shepard - the doctor who was accused of murdering his wife that became the inspiration for the TV series and movie "The Fugitive". Other significant cases include the court martial trial of Captain Ernest Medina over the incident at My Lai in Vietnam and the Boston Strangler trial. SLA kidnapping victim Patty Hurst and the infamous O.J. Simpson are celebrated clients which Mr. Bailey has defended as well.

........Mr. Bailey is also a distinguished speaker appearing at universities, conventions and professional organizations and a best-selling author. He has written 17 books including The Defense Never Rests and For the Defense, as well as legal textbooks, plus Secret, a novel written in 1982.

2005-2006

Terry Francona

Terry is a long time friend of Coach G's and the Icecats.

He is proud to be this year's Honorary Captain.

.....Terry Jon Francona (born April 22, 1959 in Aberdeen, South Dakota) is the Major League Baseball manager of the Boston Red Sox in the American League.

.....Terry grew up outside of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and got his start in baseball at New Brighton, Pennsylvania High School. His father, Tito Francona, played in the majors from 1956 to 1970 and went to a neighboring high school near Pittsburgh.

Terry was drafted out of the University of Arizona in the first round of the 1980 amateur draft by the Montreal Expos, the 22nd overall selection. At Arizona he earned the Golden Spikes Award in 1980 as the best player in amateur baseball. Terry played major league baseball for Montreal, the Chicago Cubs, the Cincinnati Reds, the Cleveland Indians and the Milwaukee Brewers. In ten seasons and 708 games he posted a .274 career average with 16 homers and 143 RBI's.

Francona's major league managerial career began with the Philadelphia Phillies. The Boston Red Sox hired Francona to manage their club in 2004. Francona led the Red Sox to a 98-64 record in 2004, the second best record in the American League behind the division rival Yankees. Under Francona's leadership, the Red Sox won the 2004 World Series against the St. Louis Cardinals giving the Red Sox their first world championship in 86 years.

2004-2005

Willie Nelson

.....Born in 1933 in the tiny Central Texas farming community of Abbott. Willie Nelson grew up in a world permeated with music. The gospel songs of the grandparents who raised him; the blues and Mexican corridas that eased the labor of the cotton fields; the country and Western Swing hits filling the airwaves from Nashville and Fort Worth...and the inner music was in him. aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa .....In his long and eclectic career, Willie Nelson has recorded country music, standards, gospel, and much more. Now with the release of Milk Cow Blues, his third album for Island Records and his first blues release, Willie Nelson leaves his mark on yet another chunk of the American music landscape. aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa .....Since releasing his first single in 1957, he has given birth to concept albums (his first,Yesterday's Wino, was recorded in 1971), gospel albums, jazz albums, movie soundtracks, myriad duet projects, Christmas albums, live albums, and an album of standards (1978's Stardust), which has become a standard in itself. aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa .....His around-the-beat blues-flavored vocals set the Nashville musical establishment on its ear. His spare-sounding breakthrough album, 1975's Red-headed Stranger, went so against the Music City grain of thee day that his record company president first thought Nelson had presented him with a demo. His early-70's merger of the traditional country and long-haired hippie audiences was called suicidal at the time, and has since come to be regarded as visionary. aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa .....Outside the recording studio, Nelson established himself as a champion for the family farmer with his annual Farm Aid concerts. His Fourth of July Picnics have for the past quarter-century served as a rite of musical passage in Texas. His films include The Electric Horseman (with Robert Redford and Jane Fonda), Songwriter (with Kris Kristofferson), Wag the Dog (with Robert DeNiro and Dustin Hoffman), and many others. aaaaaaaaaaaaaaa .....Today, Nelson divides his time between the road and his beloved Pedernales recording studio, golf course in the Hill Country outside of Austin, Texas. Often asked when he plans to retire, the 67-year-old Nelson invariably replies with a smile, "All I do is play music and golf--which one do you want me to give up?"

2002-2003

Mr. Don Rickle

.....Don Rickles is one of the 20th Century's most famous funny men. For almost 40 years he has appeared in top showrooms in Atlantic City, Reno, Lake Tahoe and Las Vegas. He is regarded among the world's top entertainers.

.....Rickles is also highly visible on TV, as well as in motion pictures, including appearances in Universal Pictures' "Casino," directed by Martin Scorsese, appearing with Robert De Niro, Sharon Stone and Joe Pesci, "Toy Story," a revolutionary computer animated feature,for Walt Disney Pictures, and now cult classic, "Kelly's Heroes," as we;; as ear;u career roles in "Run Silent, Run Deep" and "Rat Race." He is also seen in the mega-hit "Toy Story 2." Additionally, he has starred in live stage productions and along the way, has had tow best-selling comedy albums.

.....A small step forward in Rickles' career occurred in 1957 at a small Hollywood nightclub. One night, Frank Sinatra wandered in. Rickles, still "unknown," eyed Sinatra and said, "I just saw your movie, 'The Pride and the Passion,' and I want to tell you, the cannon was great." And,"Make yourself at home, Frank. Hit somebody."

Sinatra doubled up laughing and became one of Rickles' biggest boosters among Hollywood celebrities. Rickles soon became the "in" comic among the Hollywood stars, who flocked to his nightclub engagements to become the targets of his "insults."

.....Although it is difficult to pinpoint the exact moment of his breakthrough, Rickles believes the ball really started rolling on the night of October 7, 1965, during his first appearance on Johnny Carson's "Tonight Show." His freewheeling performance that night became the talk of the show business industry and caused nationwide comment among the press and public.

.....Until then, Rickles' TV appearances had been limited to acting assignments on situation comedy and dramatic shows. A fine actor who graduated from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York, Rickles had frequently received rave reviews for his acting ability. But now, the door was wide open for him to appear on TV as a comedian.

.....Meanwhile, the public was discovering that behind the sharp Rickles' barbs was deep affection and love for those whom he seemed to be taunting.

....."If I were to insult people and mean it, that wouldn't be funny," Rickles told an interviewer. "There is a difference between an actual insult and just having fun."

.....By year's end all three major networks and every major independent producer were besieging Rickles with ideas for a TV series of his own. He has since starred in prime time series for ABC, CBS, NBC, and FOX. During the '70's and '80's, Rickles also co-hosted seven television specials.

.....Another TV appearance of note come in 1984 when Rickles received one of the highest honors an entertainer can be afforded. He was invited by President Reagan to perform at the televised Inaugural Gala, where he "zinged" the President, the Vice President and other of the nation's dignitaries gathered for the occasion.

.....Don Rickles was born in New York City. As a teenager, he performed in high school plays and at neighborhood dances before starting to work in small nightclubs.

.....His "insult" style just happened. Two years after his discharge from the U.S. Navy in 1946, he was working in nightclubs. Never a great joke teller in the traditional sense, Rickles suddenly found himself talking directly to the audience and throwing "off the cuff" lines at them. The laughs came and the rest, as they say, is history.

.....Rickles is also well known for his many charitable involvements. Among his proudest moments was the dedication on February 7, 1982 of the Barbara and Don Rickles Gymnasium at Sinai Temple in West Los Angeles, California. The gymnasium was built with funds raised by Rickles and many of his star friends during a special performance at the Ahmanson Theater in the Los Angeles Music Center.

.....Rickles and his wife Barbara live in the Los Angeles area. The have a daughter Mindy, and son Lawrence, and recently became grandparents for the first time.

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