It's a Monday morning and a million things are going through my head. Aside from being in the classroom, the best perk in the teaching profession has to be summer vacation. I know teachers don't make corporate-sized cash (unions and government render that impossible), but the 9-10 weeks each June, July, and August make up the difference. Thus my Monday thought process. This is a general improvement summer -- clean up the horrendous clutter that engulfs my condo, fix the garage door, clean the heating vents (never done in nearly 20 years), buy a new car, and prepare for fall classes. At least it all sounds good.
Something happened last week that prompted my anger but eventual contentment. I have a great friend who happens to be an exceptional coach. Those in the know regard him as one of the better minds in his field. He worked at a nearby university (former employer of mine as well) for over 30 years as both an assistant and head coach, the latter for 15 years.His teams won far more than they lost, his players graduated, and he was perhaps the most loyal individual (to school, colleagues, players, and supporters) I've ever met. I can speak from personal experience having benefited from numerous acts of kindness and support over the years. College athletics, especially at the top echelons, seldom promote long term loyalty.
In the midst of a successful season last year, one that would see his team finish second in the league and win 21 games, he was forced to retire. The company line was that he had made his own decision. Reality said otherwise. It seems that several big money types expressed their disappointment that the team had failed to reach the NCAA tournament in the recent past. They wanted change and promised open checkbooks if that change occurred. The president of the school, disregarding loyalty and competence, forced the retirement with the team in first place and four games left in the regular season schedule. Despite the ignorance, disloyalty, and embarrassment, my friend refused to assess blame or make contrary remarks. His loyalty never wavered. Those in the know showered him with recognition, packing the pavilion for his last home game, and attending two functions held in his honor. One long-time friend wrote a detailed, moving biography of his life, publishing it at his own expense.
For a number of different reasons, he remained at the university in a largely ceremonial fund raising capacity while the new coach (with no previous head coaching experience at any level)operated with relaxed admissions procedures, TRIPLE the previous salary and budget, and virtual carte blanche access to any perceived needs of the program. Communication between the past and present did not exist for obvious reasons. My friend desperately wanted to continue coaching, but familial obligations limited his options to local institutions.
Two weeks ago I received a phone call from him. Out of the blue he had been recommended for an assistant head coaching position at one of America's finest schools. It's private , in the Bay Area, and a member of one of the best and most competitive conferences in the land. It seems the newly-appointed head coach was searching for an individual with experience and expertise since he had no previous head coaching on his resume. With my friend, ego is not and never will be a factor. He interviewed for the position and was subsequently hired. The ensuing phone call was among the most pleasant I have fielded. He was happy, exuberant may be a better word, and at his advancing age, completely revitalized. We discussed his situation and he waxed enthusiastically about how challenging this position would be. I know he wasn't worried about the periphery, he simply wanted to do the one thing, aside from his family, that marked his passion -- coaching.
There remains one truism about this situation. His new boss made a great decision. From his latest hiring, he'll receive a full day's work and then some, unusual expertise from years of toil, and implacable loyalty. That's something others should emulate.
MM
Monday, June 30, 2008
Saturday, June 28, 2008
YOU NEVER KNOW
Several years ago, I was fortunate enough to create my own English course. The formal title is Literature of Sport, an elective class open to all 11th and 12th grade students. I think it has been fairly well-received, based on past student comments. At the beginning of each semester I ask both classes the following question: Why Sports? It always elicits numerous responses ranging from competition to entertainment. After noting all responses on the white board (I hate chalk!), the correct answer (or one of the top three)remains elusive. In nearly every class, I have to provide the answer. Simply stated, it encompasses three words: YOU NEVER KNOW. That sounds a bit abstract, but perhaps I can explain.
In virtually all parts of our lives, the end result of each endeavor is clear cut. If high school students get As in all their classes, they will attend a reputable college. As a teacher, I know in advance what my salary will be each month -- no mystery. With the possible exception of this year's highly acclaimed, yet incredibly strange No Country for Old Men, movie plots are not difficult to unravel.But sports offer something different. Favorites don't always win; there is no set formula for victory or defeat. The list follows an endless array of surprises: USA Hockey in 1980, Red Sox-Yankees, 2004, Michigan-Appalachian State, 2007, and hundreds of other individual and team results that defy definition. This is a long-winded introduction to the latest YNK example: Fresno State's hard-to-believe College World Series victory.
I worked in college athletics for nearly 15 years. During that time I had front row seats to many an upset. But what the Fresno State baseball team achieved in the past several weeks renews the axiom for Why Sports? They were the lowest seeded team to reach the grueling 64-squad event that included a four-team double elimination regional tournament, a best-of-three super regional playoff, and the College World Series itself, another double elimination design lasting two weeks in scenic Omaha, Nebraska. FSU should never have been there. They lost 12 of their first 20 games and had to win their conference (Western Athletic) tournament to even qualify for the NCAA bash. They lost their best pitcher to a shoulder injury before the regular season ended, and two of their best hitters had digit injuries to overcome throughout the tournament. So what happened? They proceeded to beat heavy favorites and highly-ranked opponents at every stop, dodging elimination games against San Diego and Arizona State in the regional and super regional rounds, then downing Rice, number one-ranked North Carolina twice, and heavily-favored Georgia twice for the championship, after losing the first game of that best-of-three finale. In all they had 31 losses on the season, most ever for a championship team. The final exclamation point came from sophomore outfielder Steve Detwiler. He had suffered a torn ligament in his right thumb prior to the tournament. It requires surgery and months of rehab to correct the injury. Detwiler played through the pain and hit two homers to drive in all six FSU runs in the title contest. That just doesn't happen in real life. Even to an old cynic like myself, this improbable journey to a championship was stunning and highly entertaining. It was nice to take a break from gas prices and roadside bomb epitaphs.
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For whatever this is worth, my game plan is to write three of these a week if possible. It's something I should have done years ago to at least satisfy or placate my Writing Jones to use the modern vernacular.
MM
In virtually all parts of our lives, the end result of each endeavor is clear cut. If high school students get As in all their classes, they will attend a reputable college. As a teacher, I know in advance what my salary will be each month -- no mystery. With the possible exception of this year's highly acclaimed, yet incredibly strange No Country for Old Men, movie plots are not difficult to unravel.But sports offer something different. Favorites don't always win; there is no set formula for victory or defeat. The list follows an endless array of surprises: USA Hockey in 1980, Red Sox-Yankees, 2004, Michigan-Appalachian State, 2007, and hundreds of other individual and team results that defy definition. This is a long-winded introduction to the latest YNK example: Fresno State's hard-to-believe College World Series victory.
I worked in college athletics for nearly 15 years. During that time I had front row seats to many an upset. But what the Fresno State baseball team achieved in the past several weeks renews the axiom for Why Sports? They were the lowest seeded team to reach the grueling 64-squad event that included a four-team double elimination regional tournament, a best-of-three super regional playoff, and the College World Series itself, another double elimination design lasting two weeks in scenic Omaha, Nebraska. FSU should never have been there. They lost 12 of their first 20 games and had to win their conference (Western Athletic) tournament to even qualify for the NCAA bash. They lost their best pitcher to a shoulder injury before the regular season ended, and two of their best hitters had digit injuries to overcome throughout the tournament. So what happened? They proceeded to beat heavy favorites and highly-ranked opponents at every stop, dodging elimination games against San Diego and Arizona State in the regional and super regional rounds, then downing Rice, number one-ranked North Carolina twice, and heavily-favored Georgia twice for the championship, after losing the first game of that best-of-three finale. In all they had 31 losses on the season, most ever for a championship team. The final exclamation point came from sophomore outfielder Steve Detwiler. He had suffered a torn ligament in his right thumb prior to the tournament. It requires surgery and months of rehab to correct the injury. Detwiler played through the pain and hit two homers to drive in all six FSU runs in the title contest. That just doesn't happen in real life. Even to an old cynic like myself, this improbable journey to a championship was stunning and highly entertaining. It was nice to take a break from gas prices and roadside bomb epitaphs.
********************************************************************
For whatever this is worth, my game plan is to write three of these a week if possible. It's something I should have done years ago to at least satisfy or placate my Writing Jones to use the modern vernacular.
MM
Friday, June 27, 2008
A LONG TIME BETWEEN
When I first wrote in this space some 10 months ago, I thought it was an interesting beginning. I reread the post, became highly self-critical, and proceeded to abandon the project until now. Writing fascinates me, but as I have told so many students, the inner critic is the worst critic, a saying I read many years ago. For some reason, that remains true in my case. Perhaps a lack of confidence, perhaps a timidity to explore. It's a truism that age shapes one's thought process. At 21 I had no fear; at 62 I fear mortality. That leaves some time in between. After that first post, I marched on to something else and let this gather cyberspace cobwebs. But I think I'm going to give it another shot, if for no other reason to state my opinions.
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Politics is front and center now as the November elections edge closer. I'm uneasy in so many ways. When all of us were young, parents and grandparents told us tales of their youthful hardships, emphasizing how much better and easier our own lives were with the evolution of time. I'm beginning to wonder if that evolutionary progression has changed.
Technology explodes faster than one can grasp, at least one as technically challenged as this writer. Is that a good thing or otherwise? The decision seems mixed. On the one hand, knowledge of all types is available in seconds. Communication proceeds at warp speed. Yet such wonderful pastimes as reading and letter-writing have given way to Wikipedia searches and text messaging. I am hardly the right person to judge; we always adjust to change. It's the SPEED of change that concerns me. We barely have time to savor the calculator before the PC changes it all. A number of my students now find reading tedious -- it takes too long to get to the conclusion. Bigger, faster, quicker. Politics relates to this.
I fear the Obamification process. No, I don't dislike Barack Obama or his wife, Michelle. On the one hand, it's exciting that a person of color will likely be elected President. On the other hand, I worry about his lack of experience. It was only four years ago that he was a state senator in Illinois. Can he lead in a troubled, confusing time? Will he be his own counsel or play the absolute party line? So many difficult decisions need addressing -- energy, health care, economic and cultural disparity, etc. Will he listen to a diversity of opinions? What will be his strengths, his weaknesses? Will he be faced with an updated Cuban Missile Crisis? What will be his solutions to above-mentioned problems? His opportunity (as well as his party's) has evolved from a mind-boggling lack of vision and leadership in the Republican Party.
The political pendulum goes back and forth. In 1994 the infamous Contract with America thrust the Republicans to their long-sought control of congress. It was a golden opportunity to make significant change. As always, power, greed, and lapses (both ethical and moral) reversed the process and the Democrats regained their majority some 10 years later. It now appears that both houses of congress and the executive branch will be Democrat-controlled (and by a wide margin) in less than five months. What will happen is the angst-ridden question. Is the two-party system in jeopardy, given the nearly nationwide Republican demise? Where will opposition challenge appear?
One other thought. Are we willing to question the country's leaders? Senator Obama's superb rhetorical eloquence has propelled him far beyond the original curiosity of his candidacy. His defeat of the Clinton machine indicates an American uneasiness with politics as usual. But can he match the rhetoric of hope and change with the reality of problem and solution? More to come, and with resolvedly more frequency.
MM
***************************************************************************************
Politics is front and center now as the November elections edge closer. I'm uneasy in so many ways. When all of us were young, parents and grandparents told us tales of their youthful hardships, emphasizing how much better and easier our own lives were with the evolution of time. I'm beginning to wonder if that evolutionary progression has changed.
Technology explodes faster than one can grasp, at least one as technically challenged as this writer. Is that a good thing or otherwise? The decision seems mixed. On the one hand, knowledge of all types is available in seconds. Communication proceeds at warp speed. Yet such wonderful pastimes as reading and letter-writing have given way to Wikipedia searches and text messaging. I am hardly the right person to judge; we always adjust to change. It's the SPEED of change that concerns me. We barely have time to savor the calculator before the PC changes it all. A number of my students now find reading tedious -- it takes too long to get to the conclusion. Bigger, faster, quicker. Politics relates to this.
I fear the Obamification process. No, I don't dislike Barack Obama or his wife, Michelle. On the one hand, it's exciting that a person of color will likely be elected President. On the other hand, I worry about his lack of experience. It was only four years ago that he was a state senator in Illinois. Can he lead in a troubled, confusing time? Will he be his own counsel or play the absolute party line? So many difficult decisions need addressing -- energy, health care, economic and cultural disparity, etc. Will he listen to a diversity of opinions? What will be his strengths, his weaknesses? Will he be faced with an updated Cuban Missile Crisis? What will be his solutions to above-mentioned problems? His opportunity (as well as his party's) has evolved from a mind-boggling lack of vision and leadership in the Republican Party.
The political pendulum goes back and forth. In 1994 the infamous Contract with America thrust the Republicans to their long-sought control of congress. It was a golden opportunity to make significant change. As always, power, greed, and lapses (both ethical and moral) reversed the process and the Democrats regained their majority some 10 years later. It now appears that both houses of congress and the executive branch will be Democrat-controlled (and by a wide margin) in less than five months. What will happen is the angst-ridden question. Is the two-party system in jeopardy, given the nearly nationwide Republican demise? Where will opposition challenge appear?
One other thought. Are we willing to question the country's leaders? Senator Obama's superb rhetorical eloquence has propelled him far beyond the original curiosity of his candidacy. His defeat of the Clinton machine indicates an American uneasiness with politics as usual. But can he match the rhetoric of hope and change with the reality of problem and solution? More to come, and with resolvedly more frequency.
MM
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