MORE LEACH NEWS, ESPN CIRCLE'S THE WAGONS & SOME RANTING
As I watch Nebraska dismantle the Arizona Wildcats, Linda is trying to cure my P.C. ills with long distance assistance from our nephew, Marty. I hope to return to it soon, I hate working with this contraption.
After hearing Texas Tech's Chancellor, Kent Hance, at halftime, I will admit that on the surface, it appears Mike Leach had an out to retain his position as head football coach. It also appears, his ego may have gotten the best of him. I can't defend Leach & I'm certainly not going to defend Adam or Craig James, I think they have almost as much to do with this mess as Leach does. It's been said today that Leach was the only Division I coach willing to extend a scholarship to James, even at the objection of 2 of his coaches. Maybe in the future Mike Leach will listen to those around him, from his assistant coaches to a chancellor trying to throw him a lifeline. But bottom line, Leach could still be the Red Raider head coach, when your future is in the hands of others, how you respond to them will ultimately determine your job security. In the end, Mike Leach failed the test.
There are no winners in this story. Everybody loses, Leach will have to sue to get a cent out of Tech, his reputation is trashed, the university & it's football program take a major hit, how many recruits will bail now? Who is going to coach this program & keep it a consistent top-25 team? The 'James Gang' comes off as whining tattletales versus the only coach willing to throw a scholarship their way. The fans lose as well, they supported a fairly impotent football team for years, Leach transforms the program & now it all goes down the drain. I wonder how long this program will remain viable. Leach was the 2008 AP Coach of the Year & Big-12 Coach of the Year. I believe it will be a long time before Texas Tech wins 11 games in one season.
Just as disturbing to me was ESPN's lack of any objectivity the past 48 hours. It was like I was watching Sean Hannity expecting him to praise President Obama or Keith Olberman saying something favorable about any Republican, it just isn't going to happen. ESPN is somewhat of a monopoly, ever since Fred Hickman & Nick Charles disappeared from CNN & Olberman got canned by Fox, there isn't a nightly live sports' news broadcast anywhere on cable. Chris Berman has said for years "no one circles the wagons like the Buffalo Bills", actually it's "nobody circles the wagons like ESPN." Even tonight, they continue to insist James was locked in an electrical closet & a shed. I told you this afternoon these descriptions were really dishonest. They continue to quote one player who obviously had issues with Leach, with a roster of 95 players, there will always be 8-10 players who don't like the coach. Does everyone like your boss at work? They never quoted any of the former players or assistant coaches who both supported Leach & spoke their peace regarding Adam James' behavior as a Red Raider football player. Not once & I've had ESPN on since 5 AM. Like so much of the dishonest media today, if they don't tell you about it, then it didn't happen right? Don't lie about what happened, just don't tell the whole story or give all the facts. This is one of my major gripes about our country right now, If giving all the facts might damage your agenda or harm one of your own, just don't give all the facts. The American public is stupid anyway, they'll never know much more than what we want them to know.
I was a football coach way back when, it was only in Pop Warner, but I can tell you, the parents can ruin it for everybody. If your team doesn't win, it's your fault. If you get on their kid, you're an a**h***. If their kid doesn't play enough, you're an a**h***. If you play their kid & they obviously aren't as prepared as some of their teammates, it's certainly not the kid's fault. This is why they give trophies to every single player in every single kid's league, even if your team didn't win a game or even score a single point/run/touchdown, they get a trophy. And this prepares your child for what? An entitlement mentality, no personal accountability, it's always someone else's fault if things don't go their way. Honestly, most of the parents I dealt with were really decent & respectful. But the 20% who aren't can ruin it for everybody, the kids, the other parents & me. Even when you win, somebody's mom or dad still has criticism for you.
Mike Leach called Craig James a "little league dad." If you've ever coached any sport, you know what he means. Leach said James often called complaining about Adam's lack of playing time. How about thanking him for allowing your son to play bigtime college football? Nope, my kid has only 17 receptions this season & that has to be your fault coach. And yes, all of the other 119 Division I coaches that wouldn't recruit my son were wrong, he has a wall full of "participant" & "honorable mention"trophies.
Think my cynicism meter isn't on tilt? Why strive for a championship born out of a true playoff system when you can be one of 68 bowl teams? We honestly know we aren't good enough to win the national championship, so instead of making our program better, possibly making it competitive enough to challenge for a championship, let's settle. Settle for winning 6 or 7 games & go to the 'Politically Correct Citrus Happy Sunshine Bowl', who cares if we win or not? Everybody gets a trophy.
After hearing Texas Tech's Chancellor, Kent Hance, at halftime, I will admit that on the surface, it appears Mike Leach had an out to retain his position as head football coach. It also appears, his ego may have gotten the best of him. I can't defend Leach & I'm certainly not going to defend Adam or Craig James, I think they have almost as much to do with this mess as Leach does. It's been said today that Leach was the only Division I coach willing to extend a scholarship to James, even at the objection of 2 of his coaches. Maybe in the future Mike Leach will listen to those around him, from his assistant coaches to a chancellor trying to throw him a lifeline. But bottom line, Leach could still be the Red Raider head coach, when your future is in the hands of others, how you respond to them will ultimately determine your job security. In the end, Mike Leach failed the test.
There are no winners in this story. Everybody loses, Leach will have to sue to get a cent out of Tech, his reputation is trashed, the university & it's football program take a major hit, how many recruits will bail now? Who is going to coach this program & keep it a consistent top-25 team? The 'James Gang' comes off as whining tattletales versus the only coach willing to throw a scholarship their way. The fans lose as well, they supported a fairly impotent football team for years, Leach transforms the program & now it all goes down the drain. I wonder how long this program will remain viable. Leach was the 2008 AP Coach of the Year & Big-12 Coach of the Year. I believe it will be a long time before Texas Tech wins 11 games in one season.
Just as disturbing to me was ESPN's lack of any objectivity the past 48 hours. It was like I was watching Sean Hannity expecting him to praise President Obama or Keith Olberman saying something favorable about any Republican, it just isn't going to happen. ESPN is somewhat of a monopoly, ever since Fred Hickman & Nick Charles disappeared from CNN & Olberman got canned by Fox, there isn't a nightly live sports' news broadcast anywhere on cable. Chris Berman has said for years "no one circles the wagons like the Buffalo Bills", actually it's "nobody circles the wagons like ESPN." Even tonight, they continue to insist James was locked in an electrical closet & a shed. I told you this afternoon these descriptions were really dishonest. They continue to quote one player who obviously had issues with Leach, with a roster of 95 players, there will always be 8-10 players who don't like the coach. Does everyone like your boss at work? They never quoted any of the former players or assistant coaches who both supported Leach & spoke their peace regarding Adam James' behavior as a Red Raider football player. Not once & I've had ESPN on since 5 AM. Like so much of the dishonest media today, if they don't tell you about it, then it didn't happen right? Don't lie about what happened, just don't tell the whole story or give all the facts. This is one of my major gripes about our country right now, If giving all the facts might damage your agenda or harm one of your own, just don't give all the facts. The American public is stupid anyway, they'll never know much more than what we want them to know.
I was a football coach way back when, it was only in Pop Warner, but I can tell you, the parents can ruin it for everybody. If your team doesn't win, it's your fault. If you get on their kid, you're an a**h***. If their kid doesn't play enough, you're an a**h***. If you play their kid & they obviously aren't as prepared as some of their teammates, it's certainly not the kid's fault. This is why they give trophies to every single player in every single kid's league, even if your team didn't win a game or even score a single point/run/touchdown, they get a trophy. And this prepares your child for what? An entitlement mentality, no personal accountability, it's always someone else's fault if things don't go their way. Honestly, most of the parents I dealt with were really decent & respectful. But the 20% who aren't can ruin it for everybody, the kids, the other parents & me. Even when you win, somebody's mom or dad still has criticism for you.
Mike Leach called Craig James a "little league dad." If you've ever coached any sport, you know what he means. Leach said James often called complaining about Adam's lack of playing time. How about thanking him for allowing your son to play bigtime college football? Nope, my kid has only 17 receptions this season & that has to be your fault coach. And yes, all of the other 119 Division I coaches that wouldn't recruit my son were wrong, he has a wall full of "participant" & "honorable mention"trophies.
Think my cynicism meter isn't on tilt? Why strive for a championship born out of a true playoff system when you can be one of 68 bowl teams? We honestly know we aren't good enough to win the national championship, so instead of making our program better, possibly making it competitive enough to challenge for a championship, let's settle. Settle for winning 6 or 7 games & go to the 'Politically Correct Citrus Happy Sunshine Bowl', who cares if we win or not? Everybody gets a trophy.
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