You know that guy who wears the green-and-gold bandana and the pink boa who does the play-by-play at Indian River High School football games on Friday nights? The one that only on the rarest of occasions accidentally leaves the mic on without knowing it and gives the entire Indian River High School football stadium a behind-the-scenes look at the press box, and even then never says anything that would offend anyone, even though, in this day and age, people are pretty easily offended?
Well, that’s Krash, the legendary game-day voice of IR football, and I was talking to him at the Indians’ first home game of the season a few weeks ago.
What he said to me (completely unaware that it would end up in “Tripple Overtime” but still not saying anything to offend anyone nonetheless) was “Welcome to the Steele Cage,” which I immediately thought was a lot like Krash — it stands out and it’s pretty cool.
The unofficial new name for Indian River High School football stadium is meant to play off the name of another Indian River High School football legend — former head coach Ray Steele, who led the Indians to a state championship in 2011.
I immediately took to the name, mostly because “Steele” is actually my middle name, so it would give me an opportunity to try to convince people that the stadium was partially named after me, even though no one would believe it anyway, and even though the “cage” part makes me think of birds and, as a self-diagnosed ornithophobiac (irrational fear of birds), kind of terrifies me, but also because it seems like a cool way to honor a man that spent 39 years helping build a program.
You see it all the time in sports, mostly because a team’s history is every bit as important as their present and their future. In New York, the Yankees have “The House that Ruth Built.” Down in Durham, they’ve got “Cameron Indoor Stadium” and the “Cameron Crazies.”
And even though no one is on board yet, I’m sure Bill Belichick and Tom Brady have had plenty of late-night discussions about how they can honor themselves in New England when their run is finally over. (And if Bill and Tom are reading this, I’d like to throw in “The Liars Den,” “Sleeveless Stadium” and “I Bet You Can’t Prove it, Though… Field” as potential options.)
Aside from that last example, I’m a big fan of paying homage to a program’s history, especially with a team like Indian River, which not only has an extensive one but makes sure to honor it with sayings like “IR Pride.”
The gesture would certainly go a long way in exemplifying that pride and tradition, especially if Krash can somehow figure out a way to work “Bunting” into the name, as well, for Jim Bunting, who served as the Indians’ head coach, with Steele, for 35 years before retiring in 2011, when Steele took the helm.
Who knows, maybe if it all goes well, one day we’ll even see “Kilby Coliseum” over at the soccer field, or “The Stone Dome,” for the field hockey field, the “Barnes… Barn,” in the gym or “Major Ryman’s Roundabout” over at the track.
I should probably leave the naming rights up to Krash, but whether it ends up being officially dubbed “The Steele Cage” or not, I’m sure the Indians will be playing with just as much Green-and-Gold pride come Friday night, while Bill and Tom… Well, they’ll probably be looking for words that rhyme with “Belichick” and figuring out how to get Uggs to replace Gillette as the stadium’s primary sponsor.