You never know who'll you'll bump into on the beach

http://blogs.mcall.com/groller/ FROM KEITH GROLLER It was another day where the biggest problem on the beach was walking with bare feet. After all the rain, and the hurricanes and the other tropical storms I've dealt with over the years on shore vacations, I am not complaining. But I think I moved faster today than I have in years just getting from beach chair to ocean because the sand felt like hot coals. Not even a free tray of Yocco's hot dogs could get me moving any quicker. While hot-footing it, I saw a familiar face today on a blanket right near our umbrella. The face and body build looked familiar, but the Pitt shorts were the sure giveaway. Here in Ocean City, New Jersey I meet up with the one and only Anthony Gonzalez. Had just a five-minute conversation with the former Liberty star, but I was really glad to see him and I could see he's doing very well. I haven't talked to him in awhile, but I sense he's not a kid anymore, but a mature young man. He had week off and was spending it with friends at the beach. He talked about vying for a starting position at safety this year at Pitt. He said he likes the new coaches and thinks that, finally, stability has come to the Panthers coaching staff after considerable upheaval. He thinks the new coach is a lot like Dave Wannstedt, the former Pitt coach who recruited him. We talked about Devin Street and Jarrad Holley and a few others briefly, and talked about how Liberty is going to do in football this season. He asked what was coming up for me and I said lots of summer basketball with the Stellar and SportsFest tournaments in the next two weeks. He said he still tries to keep track of what's going on in the Valley. And that was about it. The burning sand wasn't the time and place for a long conversation, but just seeing him and talking with him let me know Anthony is in a good place in his life and he's going to do well over the rest of the his career at Pitt. And frankly, I hope he dominates over the next couple of years because I have always thought him to be a real good kid, that one silly youthful mistake aside. "Stay healthy and well, and I'll be rooting for you," is how I ended the conversation, and then it was back to hoofing it for a dip in the ocean.