Bumming around town with Bill Bumerton

Bumerton is a retired Navy fighter pilot who had been missing in action for several years while he traversed the globe looking for greener grass. He discovered the grass is only greener here (it’s blue in Kentucky), so he returned to again take charge of his 1954 green Hudson Hornet that has been in storage, refilled his pipe, and is ready to continue his smokin’ ways. Here is what he recently told us at the Sports Paper.

Big Dawg, you have a strange connection, as distant as it is, with Doug Pederson, the offensive coordinator with the Kansas City Chiefs. You were two years behind Doug’s dad at Ferndale High School. His name is Gordy Pederson, who was a pretty good offensive and defensive lineman at Ferndale during a time when Pinky Erickson, the father of Dennis Erickson was the coach of the Golden Eagles. Gordy Pederson eventually was transferred by his job to Monroe, Louisiana and Doug went to high school there and at Northeast Louisiana where he was the quarterback from 1987-90. He played 12 years in the NFL, backing up Brett Favre, Dan Marino and Donovan McNabb at various stops. You told me about playing against Gordy in a pick-up football game one time and thought you were being smart and bull-rushed him, expecting to take him by surprise and reach the QB. But he out-smarted you by laying a cross body block down, knocking you off your feet so smoothly you didn’t feel a thing as you fell to the ground. The weird thing, Big Dawg, is Doug Pederson is now honing an offense for the Chiefs around Alex Smith, who was born in Bremerton and is the son of former Olympic High football coach Doug Smith. Pederson was quoted in an ESPN story as saying, “I think we have the best in the league (in Smith).” Pederson went on to say, “There are a lot of great ones, but over time, Alex has proven he can get it done. “He’s a sharp guy, he brings a wealth of knowledge, he’s experienced, he’s a proven winner the last couple of years, and he needs a team to embrace him.” Doug Smith, by the way, is supposed to be in Bremerton with wife Pam Wednesday at 5 p.m. at the Cloverleaf Sports Bar & Grill in east Bremerton for a meet and greet with friends.