Lucky #13

In case you've never heard me rave about the baby of my sibling posse (and I doubt you haven't), let me tell you about the super cool, amazing, incredible Dallin McEwen. Dallin is royalty in my household--able, noble, yet humble. And this amazing brother of mine called last night to tell us HE WILL BE JOINING THE BYU FOOTBALL TEAM THIS FALL!!! Wahoo! Yay! Congrats to Dallin! #13 has always been lucky for us.

So you are all invited over every Saturday for the game--unless we're at it, of course. Here's a column I wrote last fall for the OCR that I hope conveys for this boy who I love like he's my own son...

At the risk of getting kicked out of my own column, or even my hometown, I have a confession to make: Last Friday night, I sat on the Diablo side.

I knew this year's showdown between our hometown Tritons and Mission Viejo's varsity football team would be a controversial event for me – where to sit, for whom to cheer? But blood runs thicker than the bonds of our city water, so I crossed into enemy territory. You see, my baby brother is Mission Viejo's QB No. 1. And that's why I was a "visitor" last weekend

We don't need to talk about the game. What's done is done. And I promise next year, I'll be back – goooo Tritons! But just for a minute, can I please talk about my brother?

Dallin first acquired the nickname "Hollywood" in his first Pee Wee flag-football league in Memphis, Tenn. Even as a 6-year-old, he had the arm, the brains and the heart to become a great quarterback.

When he was in middle school, my parents felt his plans of playing for a West Coast school would be enhanced if he actually lived on the West Coast. So before his freshman year, he moved out here to attend one of the greatest quarterback programs in the country under the tutelage of coach Bob Johnson at Mission Viejo High School.

Before my mom joined him that first summer in permanent residence, Dallin lived in my house. My husband and I learned firsthand what it takes to raise a future Division I athlete. And now I'm kind of hoping my sons stick to recreational sports.

My entire family combined can't eat what Dallin eats for dinner. I found myself making two lasagnas and four pizzas, with a dozen eggs on the side. And that was just the first course. My food bill tripled, but where did all those calories go?

I'll tell ya, those two-a-days are serious stuff. These high school coaches want to see their boys all day long. (Except for brief breaks in which they are expected to eat a filet of dinosaur.) I spent that summer ensuring that Dallin spent 36 hours a day at the field, at the gym, at the trainers and eating.

It paid off. Now he's the leading arm of Orange County's No. 2-ranked team. On paper, Dallin's a great guy. He's smart. He's talented. He's a cute kid and can always get a date. He's well-liked at school and has some great college prospects ahead of him.

But here's what I love most about my little brother: Dallin would rather spend his rare free weekend night babysitting my kids or enduring a family game night than out partying with his friends. He wants to be a veterinarian. My baby girl follows him wherever he goes. He taught my sons how to throw a football. He hugs me after every game. He's the heart of our family and his team.

In case you missed it last Friday night, Mission injected a trick play by replacing my brother with running back Jake Marshall to throw a 41-yard touchdown. But right after this happened, no one on Mission's team was happier for Jake than my brother. As he jumped exultantly for his friend from the sidelines, I smiled down at the shining, happy face of my baby brother. Though Dallin says he doesn't aspire for a future in the NFL, he'll always be Hollywood to me.