Hometown Heroes
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| Porvoo Old Town |
We have been blessed at the
Butchers with great players who not only have spent the time and effort to hone
their skills at playing American Football but also are great people. I want to
introduce you to three of them who have had incredible careers on the field but
also have served their communities honorably off the field as well. Pasi Lautala, Sebastian Karbin and Ville
Kurvinen all have professions that are essential to the safety of the community
but they have also demonstrated incredible passion for the game of football.
Last week in my talk with the team
before the game I used a quote from the legendary painter Vincent Van Gogh who
declared, “Your profession is not what brings home your paycheck. Your profession
is what you were put on earth to do. With such passion and such intensity that
it becomes spiritual in calling.” These three exhibit
this sense of passion for the game of football and it has been a calling. They
have delighted fans with their exploits and yet they are excellent at what does
bring home their paychecks as well so I would like you to get to know them.
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| Pasi Lautala #73 |
Pasi Lautala is the heart and soul
of our offensive line this year. Pasi was awarded our “Butcher of the Year”
award last year for the player who gave the most to the team and exemplified
the ideals and character of excellence that we strive for. Pasi is not only a great player for us, but is also a board member with many management responsibilities
off the field as well. He would argue that this is what makes him late to
everything but we all know that is not the truth! In fact if Pasi is ever early
to something it is because someone told him the wrong time or there is food
that he is looking forward to! regardless of his tardiness there is no one on the Butchers with a kinder
and gentler heart and he has done everything in his power to move the team
forward.
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| Lautala blocking against the Border Knights |
On the field, Pasi plays our right
guard position. Last year he was flanked by one of the greatest players in Finnish
football history, Seppo Evwaraye, who played at Nebraska, which I won’t hold against
him, and with the Minnesota Vikings. This year with Seppo’s retirement, Sami
Moilanen has joined us and takes Seppo’s position. I did not realize that this
spot also holds the responsibility for getting Pasi to and from practices and
games but apparently it does. Sami does have an advantage this year however as
he has a car and can dictate times to Pasi when he is driving whereas poor
Seppo was at the mercy of “Pasi time!” Pasi has been honored by being named to
the Finnish national team for many years and has played in many European and
World Championships representing his country. Pasi plays through injury and
pain every week and I am amazed at his dedication.
Off the field Pasi is a police
officer with the K-9 unit. He has trained dogs and works with them on his
shifts. His latest dog is a German shepherd who usually listens to Pasi, but
not always, which can be quite amusing. Pasi was on the police force here in
Porvoo for many years but this year was transferred to Vantaa about a 50 KM
drive each way for him every day. He now works there with another of our
lineman who Pasi recruited to play, Kristoffer Lind, who as a rookie has
performed wonderfully this year. Whether
through routine patrols or in a situation such as the McDonalds shootings here
last year, Pasi has proven to be a wonderful public servant. He has a beautiful wife,
who should be awarded sainthood for her patience with all of his football
pursuits, and two lovely little girls. As
a dad, husband, police officer, friend and football player he is exemplary, and
his passion for all of those things cannot be stronger! Kiitos Pasi!
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| Sebastian Karbin #68 |
Sebastian Karbin, or Seba, is an
amazing football player. As Mackenzie McGrady, our American QB, commented after
his first practice with Seba, “I am sure glad he is on our team, holy crap!”
Seba is our outside linebacker and along with Tero Kontiainen and Layton Brown
forms a very formidable line backing crew. But Seba stands out for his bone crushing hits. Last season Seba learned
how to read the lineman in front of him and became better at using his hands to
get off blocks and since that time has become a nightmare for other teams. He
was named the Maple League’s defensive player of the year last season and also
played exceptionally well in the European Championships for Finland. Seba
demonstrates natural power, speed and a love for hitting that is a rare
combination. He plays through incredible pain and this year has been playing on
a dislocated big toe for much of the season. In another game he had a fever of
104 degrees F but played out of his mind. In our first game this season against the Roosters
he dominated the game and created the fumble and picked it up for the games only
touchdown. Oh, and just for good measure he gave the QB a nice shove before
jumping on the football to score. He is
one of those players on defense who can set the tempo of a game with a big hit
or crucial turnover. We almost did not have Seba this year as he was
contemplating retiring. I am so glad he didn’t and I hope our fans are as well
because he is at the peak of his game and every week delivers a show that is
spectacular.
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| Seba creating a fumble and recovering it for a touchdown. |
Off the field Seba also serves as a
police officer here in Porvoo. He is well respected in the community and is a
credit to the police force. It is always a welcome sight to see Seba pop out of
his police van and come walking over to say hi. I don’t know if any criminals
know what would happen if they tried to run from Seba as they would feel the
pain for days if he tackled them. Seba, along with Pasi has competed in the World Police Games many times as well. These
are athletic competitions for police officers from around the world and this
year they are in New York City. Seba is one of those players who you love as a
coach because they give you everything they have and they make you look really
good both on the field and off! I am honored to work with Seba and told him
after last week’s game that they should put up a statue of him on the
waterfront!
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| Ville Kurvinen #44 |
Ville Kurvinen is a phenomenal
receiver. He runs great routes, has excellent hands and wonderful body control.
He will make the clutch reception when a game is on the line and also comes up
with amazing diving catches. Ville has also played on the National team here in
Finland and was recognized as one of the top 50 greatest Finnish players of all
time by the SAJL (Suomi American Football Federation) at their 30th anniversary in 2009. Ville has also
played defensive end, punter, and kicker for us! He is an amazing athlete and incredibly
humble. He has the boyish good looks of former All-pro San Diego Chargers
Receiver Lance Allworth and plays very similar. Of course he will have no idea
who that is as I am showing my age, but trust me it is a compliment. Ville also blocks well which says a lot about
a receiver in my book. Ville is such a joy to be around because he is very even
keeled, has a great disposition and always has smile on his face, a rare thing
for a Finn indeed. He loves to play! He
is not only our big play receiver he is our best possession receiver as well.
In one game a few weeks ago there was a crucial 3rd down pass that
we needed to complete. The ball sailed high right toward me on the sidelines
and I instantly had bad thoughts. But then out of nowhere, Ville jumped up,
snagged the ball and got his feet back down in bounds to extend the drive. It was a game winning catch as it allowed us
to keep moving the ball and run out the clock when we were deep in our own
territory.
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| Kurvinen with a great catch! |
Ville, like Pasi and Seba also
serves his community off the field. However, Ville is a fireman here in Porvoo.
Ville has helped on many different emergencies here in Porvoo including the
Porvoo Cathedral fire a few years ago. He has been kind enough to show my kids
and I around the firehouse on tours which we loved. He is truly an amazing
person with a dedication to the things he does which is second to none!
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| Getting ready before a game |
Often here in Europe, the American
imports get most of the glory and they are usually deserving for their on the
field performances. However I am proud to be able to highlight these local
heroes of the gridiron as they are the heart of Finnish American Football. They
not only play at extremely high levels often matching that of their American
counterparts but they also serve our community with grace, humility and
courage! I also am proud to call them friends.
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| The Porvoo Cathedral |
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