You Say Parity, I Say Mediocrity

With the semester wrapping up, I thought I'd write about something else which is soon wrapping up its season, the NFL. I heard Bernie Mullin speak about his love of basketball and how he believed that David Stern was the best commissioner EVER in any league. I squirmed in my seat a little at the thought of this, because if it were put to a vote in the U.S., I think Pete Rozelle would win in a landslide. He merged two football leagues into one, and had the vision to create one of the best sports "holidays" of the year, the Super Bowl. He had one big criticism during his career, playing games the weekend after the JFK assassination in 1963. If he were alive today, he would probably be asked about rumors of steroids and amphetamines in locker rooms in the 1970s and early 80s. That said, I'm not sure Rozelle would be happy with some of the aspects of today's NFL. He would like that television revenue sharing keeps small markets like Green Bay competitive with larger markets like New York. I don't know if he would like treatment of retired players who built the league or mediocre product on display on Sundays. Good teams used to routinely beat the bad teams and the cream would rise to the top early in the course of a season. The problem is that the cream doesn't necessarily rise now and a team can get hot in December and win the Super Bowl. Awful teams routinely beat good ones and quarterbacks are regularly asked not to lose a game rather than win it. The lowly Oakland Raiders have three wins against playoff teams (Philadelphia, Denver, and Cincinnati) and the then undefeated Saints were a botched field goal away from losing to a three win Washington team. The NFL has avoided the over expansion that baseball, basketball, and hockey have had in the last 20 years. Too many teams and a watered down talent pool. It has also surpassed baseball as our pastime in my 39 years on Earth. Unfortunately, the on field product and game have declined and I think Pete Rozelle would agree with me.

The Weight of (Unrealistic) Expectations

Monday, Notre Dame fired their head football coach, Charlie Weis after five seasons. His 35-27 record was not acceptable by Notre Dame standards. Notre Dame while prestigious, has become a job that only a select few desire anymore. This is because of the unrealistic expectations placed on coaches to deliver them back to the old days when national championships were common place. In reality, Notre Dame hasn't won a national title since 1988 and hasn't really been relevant since Lou Holtz left in 1996. In reality, Notre Dame has won four national titles since integration and seven before it. Their 1966 national title came under scrutiny because number three Alabama may have had the best team but were punished in the polls because Bear Bryant didn't have any African American players. I don't know where football fans lost track of time but Notre Dame is no longer a football power when it habitually loses to service academies and doesn't draw top flight recruits anymore. SEC football, Big 12 and Pac 10 to lesser extents are played at a different level and at a different speed. Notre Dame fans would do well to lose the sense of entitlement because they think they are an elite football program. If they need help, they may look to the southern end of Indiana and the Indiana University basketball team. The fans have no illusions that the school is a work in progress and pretty much has been since the firing of Bob Knight. Tom Crean inherited two players when he took over in 2007 and is gradually building the program back to its place in the college basketball world. They still sit third all time with five national titles (tied with the University of North Carolina) behind Kentucky and UCLA. Take a lesson gold domers, rebuilding takes time. REBUILDING-learn the word.

My Mount Rushmore of 20th Century Music

I want to talk about Mount Rushmore today. I'm talking about Mount Rushmore the concept rather than the historic landmark. The concept is putting four people, in metaphoric stone, above all others for eternity. My friends have a Mount Rushmore of NFL coaches for example. It generally includes Vince Lombardi, Chuck Noll, and Bill Walsh with the fourth spot being hotly contested. The Mount Rushmore I'm speaking of today is for 20th century music, which, with all due respect to Beethoven, Bach, et al, is when music took off with the birth of rock and roll. The first person carved into my rock is Robert Johnson. He laid the foundation for electric blues and the other three men on my monument. He only recorded 38 songs but they are some of the most important recordings in music history. Even Eric Clapton said he'd never heard anything more soulful. The second is Muddy Waters. McKinley Morganfield was from Mississippi, like Johnson and learned the guitar while working on Stovall Plantation. He took the blues sound to Chicago and electrified it, changing his name to Muddy Waters along the way. In the movie "Crossroads" Willie Brown says "Muddy Waters discovered electricity" and he couldn't be more correct. Waters crossed over and took delta blues to new heights. Howlin' Wolf is the third member of my Mount Rushmore. Wolf was an amazing vocalist and bandleader, who along with Waters, influenced some working class kids from England, with names like Clapton, Page, Jagger, and Richards, and started a revolution called the British Invasion. The last one may raise some eyebrows because I think he's the king of rock and roll but I'm in the minority; it's Chuck Berry. Now Elvis fans are going to be upset with me but there's some logic behind my thinking. I really thin Elvis was the first "brand" entertainer. He was bigger than just a musician. He was a movie star and American icon. We still print stamps of him 30 years after his death. Chuck Berry on the other hand, was a rock star. He also had a hand in the British Invasion and laid the foundation for modern guitar rock. These four gentlemen represent the most influential and best the twentieth century has to offer.

The Death of Sports Loyalty

Today's blog is a buzzword that is thrown around in sports, LOYALTY. Older sports fans wonder what became of it and some even go as far as to say it ruined the game. Would the Pittsburgh Steelers of the 1970s have won four Super Bowls if there had been free agency in the NFL then? Would their star players have stayed for the championships or left for more money? On the other hand, with the current NFL salary cap Pittsburgh's management would have been forced to let players go? It seems that coaches, players, and management have free reign to go to the highest bidder. Now the average sports fan may preach loyalty, but they would have a hard time resisting the large sums of money that are offered in sports today. Even colleges have gotten in on the act, hiring big name coaches and luring coaches who are considered "hot names" from smaller schools. Coaches will also leave top schools for their "dream jobs" in what's basically a lateral move. These moves can enrage the passionate sports fan and create animosity towards teams, players, coaches, and management. Nick Saban has left multiple organizations for money and the stroking of his ego. Numerous baseball players have jumped from their teams to teams with deeper pockets. Can you really blame them as a fan? The days are gone when you knew your team would be together and your stars would always be there. Unfortunately this is what sports fans have to accept going into the future. Hired gun coaches will also be a part of it. As a fan of college athletics, this bugs me more. There won't be anymore Don Haskins, Bob Knights, or John Wooodens who spend twenty five plus years at one school and who's names are synonymous with their schools. College sports have gone the route of the pros and winning now and having the best pay at the best schools are paramount. I guess I need to get with the times too.

Two Words: Basketball Withdraw

Normally this time of year, I am polishing my offense and working out details for the upcoming basketball season. This year, I'm unable to coach because of my internship which culminates my college experience. I love working with the players and seeing them develop from the start of the year to the end. I like a good hard practice focusing on fundamentals of defensive basketball combined with a couple of new elements that players can learn and take away. Most of my drills are ones I've learned from college coaches and altered to suit my players. In three years, my teams have been among the best prepared and consistently at the top for free throw percentage, which is one of the most basic fundamental skills to me. I like the match ups against other coaches, whether it's substitutions or their offense versus my defense, etc. I'll be attending some games but it's just not the same thing. The hours of preparation and practice leading to to game success or failure are what I'll miss the most. That translation from teaching to doing is about the best part of being a coach. Hopfully, I'll have the chance to coach and teach the game next season.

Two National Anthems and the Power of Music

I had a debate with a professor last week about which anthem was better, O' Canada or the Star Spangled Banner. I like the Star Spangled Banner and all, but there's just something about O' Canada, particularly before a playoff hockey game. It's a simplistic and beautiful song which hasn't been embellished unlike our own anthem has at times. This made me think about the power of music and those great bar stool debates when you tout your favorite band and trash your friend's band. I still remember Don McLean's "American Pie" playing at my prom in 1989 and everyone singing along. Two years ago when I was coaching basketball, my daughter (who is an assistant coach) and I listened to Tom Petty's "Runnin Down a Dream" on the way to the gym, during our season ending tournament. The dream came true and that group of boys won the championship. It's been twenty years now since I saw my favorite band, The Rolling Stones, in concert for the first time and I still remember the set list, lighting, and Mick Jagger's green leather tuxedo jacket as vividly as it happened yesterday. There may never be a bitter fit for a person and a song as coach Bob Knight and Frank Sinatra's "My Way". I even play a little guitar, though not very well. Great music is also timeless. Beethoven resonates today like when he created the music. Listen to Bob Dylan's "Masters of War". The lyrics are as true as when he wrote it in 1965. There's a genre for everyone and it bridges generations. I can still spend hours in a store looking through different things. I keep a fairly hefty wish list. I hope you do too. Until next week, keep learning!

On Going Home

Those of you who know and for those of you who don't, I lost a childhood friend to cancer recently. I returned home over the weekend for a memorial service. It was the first time I'd set foot in my hometown in 18 years. I left New Jersey and moved to Pennsylvania and have lived here since 1990. I drove through my hometown about six years ago when my aunt passed away. The place still looked the same, but a little different at the same time. The memorial was at a church my family and I attended which burned down five years ago and was rebuilt on the outskirts of town. The old one was at the center of town. It was great seeing everyone, under the extreme circumstances. The scene was also surreal. I felt like the scene at the start of the film 'The Big Chill', where old college friends are brought together by the funeral of another friend. Good movie, great soundtrack by the way. Obviously there was catching up to do, kids, marriages, etc. We reminisced about Joe and told stories. It made for a special time. Later that night, I got the tough question put to me, via instant message ironically, 'why did you leave?' It was tough to answer. First, my parents told me to get out of town and experience the world. Ultimately they helped facilitate this when they divorced and went their separate ways. So my parents were responsible with their actions and words. Some of it was me also. Pennsylvania became a safe haven for me to deal with their divorce and I had met some great new friends. Life started over for me, essentially. So, while moving on is nice, it is okay to go home once in awhile, say every 18 years. Until next week, keep learning.

I'm back

I apologize to my three readers for my 10 week hiatus, but I had some writer's block and summer vacation things to work through. I lost a good friend to cancer, which made me reexamine my own life and get in touch with a lot of old friends. These things, however, have little to do with my blog this week. I wanted to talk about the 24 hour news networks. I have said before that the two party system is killing this country and may eventually be the death of it. The ability to fill 24 hours is almost impossible, so what the viewer gets is spin and attack on the opposing party, as filler. In the old days, the local network news covered your hometown and it was followed by a half hour of national news on the major networks. Your hometown news consisted of five to fifteen minutes of death, fires, and tragedies depending on what part of the country you lived. This was followed by a few minutes of weather and sports and wrapped up with something from the lighter side to leave you laughing. If you wanted more, you bought a newspaper. For younger readers: a newspaper was a daily publication reviewing the previous day events in your area. The national news told stories of world events, beyond your hometown. I don't know when these two half hour shows became "not enough" for the viewing public. It may have been the first Gulf War in the early 1990s when CNN gave us inside coverage, or perhaps when the Internet became mainstream in nearly every household. Either way, the news that a lot of us grew up with is a thing of the past, with newspapers bordering on extinction. The 24 hour news networks, at some point, turned news into political commentary based on their leanings. FOXNews is working democrat Barrack Obama like a boxer on the speed bag, while MSNBC did the same to republican, George W. Bush. How about just reporting the news and leaving the commentary? It has become so bad that Comedy Central added The Colbert Report to it's late night "news" line up to counter balance the more liberal Daily Show with Jon Stewart. Although Colbert's right wing rhetoric is often tongue in cheek, it makes for two of the best half hour programs on television. The viewer gets news and comedic spin, mocking the opposite political party. The other problem I have is the fact that the news organizations fail to be on top of things at times. My Twitter friends were reporting Michael Jackson's death three hours before any 24 hour news network broke the story. Now I know my friends are good, but three hours? How does that happen? They're not even getting paid to report. Were the news networks possibly too busy blasting their rival political party to notice the passing of an American icon? I think this may be the case. Until next time, keep learning.

I Remember the 80s--Sports Style

This week, I'd like to talk about the time I grew up, the 80s. I'm not talking about the 80s that gave us parachute pants, one-hit-wonder bands, and the Brat Pack. I'm talking about the sports. The 80s featured some of the best players the respective sports have ever seen. Who can forget the defense of the 1985 Chicago Bears and a team I think was every bit their defensive equal, the 1986 New York Giants? The NFC dominated the 1980s with the exception of a couple of Raiders' Super Bowl wins. The NFL also had Joe Gibbs, Bill Walsh, Bill Parcells, and Mike Ditka all in their primes as coaches. The players were phenomenal as well. Walter Payton, Joe Montana, and Lawrence Taylor were superstars. The business side of the NFL was different also. You knew the nucleus of your team would be together every year. It was before free agency and salary caps were common everyday terms. The NBA was starting to blossom as well, with stars like Larry Bird and Magic Johnson taking the game to new heights. There were only 23 teams at the time and the cream generally stayed at the top, particularly Magic's Lakers, who only missed two finals in the eighties. They dominated the Western Conference, with the exception of 1981 and 86 when the Houston Rockets managed to slip in to the finals. The sport grew into what it is today in the 80s. As I've mentioned before, baseball had what I thought was one of its more dominant teams, the 1984 Detroit Tigers. There were some great World Series also. St. Louis played in three classics: in 1982 against the Milwaukee Brewers, 1985 against in state rival Kansas City, and in 1987 against the Minnesota Twins. Hockey saw the end of one dynasty on Long Island and the beginning of another in Edmonton, with probably the greatest team sport athlete leading the way, Wayne Gretzky. I know people think Michael Jordan is the greatest team sport athlete but for my money it's The Great One. He won four Stanley Cups in Edmonton, beating the Flyers and my Bruins, twice each. He held or tied 61 records when he retired in 1999, half a dozen or so will probably NEVER be broken. One of the great stats in sports is his 2,857 points, however if you take away Gretzky's 894 goals, he is STILL the NHL's all time scoring king with 1,963 assists. When Edmonton traded him to Los Angeles in the summer of 1988, he brought the game to warm weather markets in the southern US. We have teams in Florida, Dallas and Arizona now, because of this trade. Finally this week, there are all the moments. Villanova and North Carolina State pulling off huge upsets in the NCAA basketball tournament. Orel Hershiser and Kirk Gibson willing the Dodgers over Oakland in 88. Jack Nicklaus winning the Masters a 6th time at age 46 in 1986. That February day in 1980 when we believed in miracles. Larry Bird stealing the ball and the game from the Pistons in 87. John Riggins breaking a 43 yard run off tackle in Super Bowl XVII after the 49ers fantastic goal line stand, the previous Super Bowl. Michael Jordan scoring at will against the Celtics in the 86 playoffs. Bob Knight leading the last all-amateur basketball team to Olympic gold in 1984. The Will Clark-Mark Grace one on one battle in the 1989 NLCS. There are too many to mention. I hope some of you enjoyed this history lesson and the older readers got t a trip down memory lane. Until next week, keep learning.

Bring Back My TV

I apologize for this being a day late, life kind of got in the way. This week's topic is something I have been banging on for years...reality TV. I have called it the "decline of America" and "the beginning of the end for the US." It is a lot of crap, in my opinion, and a way for networks to save a buck and avoid the creative process. About twenty years ago, the first and probably the best reality show launched. 'Cops' gave us a look at the typical day of sheriffs in Dade County, Florida. Dealing with drunks, assaults, and domestic situations gave viewers a look at what actual cops do on a daily basis as opposed to shows about cops like 'Miami Vice' or 'Hill Street Blues', which were sensationalized for TV. 'Hill Street' and another Steven Bochco show, 'NYPD Blue' were tauted as great, cutting edge television at the time they were introduced. 'Blue' gave us nudity and graphic language despite protests about that type of material being on network TV. For my money, it ranks in the top three creative, cutting edge shows ever. The other two are 'All in the Family' and 'The Sopranos'. In 'All in the Family', Carroll O'Connor played Archie Bunker, an old school type character who'd served his country but didn't care for the liberalization of the country that he defended. His arguments with liberal son-in-law "Meathead", played by Rob Reiner are legendary television. The show also used epithets not heard before on TV. 'The Sopranos' gave us a look at a northern New Jersey mafia boss balancing his work and home life. The show was so realistic it made actual mob bosses nervous that there was a leak within the organization. The show also helped HBO get more subscribers, which would be unheard of in today's economic climate. At some point, Hollywood got away from these ideas and gave us 'So You Think You Can Dance?', 'The Bachelor', 'The Bachelorette', and 'Survivor'. Some of these shows, like 'Survivor' and 'American Idol' are actually taken from other countries' TV programming. I'll give them it saves money, not having to pay writers and actors, and a lot of Americans enjoy the failing of reality TV characters to make them feel better about their own lives, but it is short on creativity. Americans should demand more of their entertainment. Hollywood could push the envelope further from where shows like 'The Sopranos' left off. Most of the best television no longer appears on networks, but on basic and pay cable channels these days. Some of today's better offering include 'Weeds', 'Entourage', 'Saving Grace', and 'The Closer' are well written with great ensemble casts. Maybe the four networks can catch these shows and get back to writing actual TV shows rather than the reality crap they've been giving us.

On Science and Math

A funny thing happened when I returned to college in 2006. I forgot a lot of science and math knowledge I had previously. I was fairly good at these subjects but since re-enrolling in college, they have been my biggest struggles. In fact they've been my only struggles. Now I understand that chemistry and physics knowledge, I had in high school twenty years ago, was bound to disappear but I have used math pretty regularly in various careers, particularly real estate. I had to know financing options as a realtor and measurements as a real estate appraiser. These were jobs I've held this decade but skills which have significantly deteriorated. I was one of the smarter "new" agents at the time and knew finance inside and out. I thought the knowledge would help and was specifically told to learn all I could about financing a home. I had vast information on home loans but lacked the salesmanship a lot of people have. That coupled with the events of 9-11 ended my sales career. I got into the appraisal side of the business and I liked it a lot. It was still straight commission but I was rewarded for my hard work. The math in the appraisal business is mostly dimensions and square footage. I still remember an acre of land is 43,560 square feet. These subjects have not been kind to me though. The only classes I've received less than a "C" in are math and science classes. I tell my kids all the time that social studies/history is a lot of memorization. Perhaps that's where the struggles lies. Math and science are so vast with so many disciplines, it is near impossible to master all dimensions of them. For instance, a lot of geologists might struggle with biology, though there can be overlap in the two fields. Someone who knows algebra like the back of their hand may struggle with accounting, and therefore have their taxes prepared for them despite a deep knowledge of math. Hopefully, some of what I've forgotten will come back and I can survive this last year of school. Until next week, keep learning.

On Winning Championships

Pro hockey and basketball decided their championships this weekend and it got me thinking about winning and being part of those experiences. I was part of back to back championships in little league as a youngster and coached two championship teams in basketball. I was also an all state tennis player in New Jersey in the late 80s. The individual accolades were nice but I'd have given them up for a team title any day. We finished second three of my four years of high school. There are always different types of championship teams. There are teams that are "supposed" to win, teams that get hot at the right time, and surprise teams that come from nowhere. I've watched a lot of great teams also. The 1986 Boston Celtics are still the best basketball team I have ever seen. The 1998 Yankees are the most dominant baseball team I've seen along with the 1984 Detroit Tigers. These are teams that were supposed to win and did. I coached a basketball team, my first year, that fell into this category. As a coach, I knew it as it was happening, which I suppose is the way big time coaches experience it. By about the 5th game, I thought they could be something special. It was an "off" day for my better players and a couple of other players picked up the slack. It did wonders for their confidence to carry the team in the scoring column. We only lost two games that year, and played with a target on our backs, as the team to beat. The second basketball championship was a little sweeter. That team finished third in the regular season and got hot in the playoffs, much like the New York Giants did on their Super Bowl run in 2008. The key to that team was that my "star" player and top scorer finally bought into my defensive philosophy. When he focused his energy on defensive play as well as his scoring, that team took off and squeezed out a one point victory in the finals. I'm given too much credit for those two teams. Bill Cowher said "coaches coach and players play." This is definitely the case here. Too much credit is given at times to coaches, particularly in basketball, which is probably the most over-coached sport there is. There are strategies and motivators coaches use, but the teaching aspect is often overlooked. My goal at the beginning of each season is for each player to develop their game. My successes have been because of a defense first philosophy and because the kids have bought into what I'm selling. Until next week, keep learning.

Online School and the Art of Verbal Communication

I started taking an online course to help me graduate next May. It's interesting because you see all the ads for online schools, be it on TV or in the Inbox of your email account. They offer the convenience of classes when you want and appeal to adult learners like myself. As I have gotten into the course, I've started to learn more about some of the downside to online schools. For starters, the interactions with classmates are obviously absent. The instruction can also be absent at times. In a typical classroom, many professors lecture based on students' readings. Assignments are given and topics are debated, sometimes heatedly. Students can also compare grades on exams and papers to know where they stand. The beauty of online school is its convenience. Students can get an undergraduate degree or graduate degree online in their pajamas, if they want, but is it really higher learning? The classroom discussions and the sharing of opinions is vital to the higher learning process. Sure there are group discussions in online classes, but much like society today, you don't get to look the other people in the eye when you post discussion topics. Our technology has done a lot of damage to the art of face to face communication and I wonder how kids raised in this technological age will be able communicate in a job interview, perhaps. This will be a challenge for the future. I work on my kids constantly about verbal communication and presentation skills. I'm still trying to hone my own skills. I can be uneasy at the first basketball practice of the year and during a presentation where I'm uncomfortable with the subject matter. I must admit though, I've gotten a lot better. Until next week, keep learning.

On Money and the NCAA

Last week, I wrote a paper on escalating coaching salaries in big time college football and basketball for one of my classes. Now it's no secret I'd like to get into coaching. I don't think I'll ever make it to the highest level of college though. The paper however, made me think about money, today's economy, and where people's priorities are. Money is still a major reason for divorce in this country, right there with irreconcilable differences and infidelity. I won't lie to my two or three readers; it was a mitigating factor in my own divorce proceedings. It has become a dangerous obsession in this country and a major factor why a lot of the world doesn't care for the US. State universities are cutting back and I think they are going to have to justify coaches' salaries. Winning cures all that. Sports fans have to wonder what John Wooden or Paul "Bear" Bryant would be worth today. Even coaches with multiple national championships like Joe Paterno or Mike Krzyzewski aren't the highest paid in their sports. This trend of paying coaches, or players for that matter, based on potential has soiled people on the games. As the economic gap between the participants and the fans increases, less and less people will settle for watching the games on TV. John Calipari just signed a contract with Kentucky, making him the highest paid college basketball coach. His former school, Memphis, was named in an NCAA investigation about a player having someone take his SAT test for him. There are a couple problems with this situation. First and most important, the NCAA created this problem with the silly "one and done" rule. A player must be one year removed from high school before going into the NBA draft. Most go to college, but playing in Europe or the NBA developmental league are also options. The Memphis player in question, probably never wanted anything to do with the SATs or college for that matter. The other problem is that if it is found that Calipari had any knowledge of this, he gets a slap on the wrist while Memphis receives the brunt of the punishment. I'd like to see basketball players go three years like football players. They gain some college experience, develop maturity and have a chance to further hone their skills. Though David Stern probably won't go for it, it'd make the college and NBA games would both be better. Until next week, keep learning.

My Golfing Hobby and Random Thoughts on Coaching

I got out to play some golf on Monday. It was fun and relaxing as usual. There is something peaceful about golf courses, for the most part. Occasionally you find one that's too close to a major highway or road that takes away from its allure. The other 97 percent are beautiful pieces of land, nicely landscaped and serene. There are some nice ones here in Central Pennsylvania and I've also played a couple in New Jersey and the Outer Banks of North Carolina. I have three golf courses on my "To Do" list. The first is Saint Andrews in Scotland. If you have ever had the chance to play links golf, with the deep bunkers and creative shot making, you know how fun it can be. The second is Pebble Beach in Northern California. It hosts a great pro-am event and has breathtaking views of the Pacific Ocean. If it's good enough for Clint Eastwood, it's good enough for me. The last course is a little more obscure, but still a great course. It's Congressional in Bethesda, Maryland. Besides hosting PGA Tour events, including the US Open, the course has also been played by various Presidents and Heads of State. I can just picture the photo wall at the 19th hole being quite a piece of American history.
Summer classes started for me Tuesday and I have a good size summer course load to do so I can graduate on time, next May. It is also times when schools do their searches for coaching candidates for next season. I've been polishing my resumes and cover letters for various local institutions. I have coached at different levels and each level brings different challenges. College coaches have the challenge of recruiting and managing a budget. High school coaches may have budgetary concerns as well, as well as the socioeconomic factors of the school district they coach in. This is one of the reasons Bob Hurley, Sr. has received a lot of accolades for his work at St. Anthony's in Jersey City, NJ. Youth coaches have other challenges, like the gap between players' abilities. While one player may needs help with basic shooting form, another may be ready for more complex offensive and defensive strategies. The youth coach has to be able to determine the needs of each player and budget their time to teach the inexperienced and experienced players alike. My parents were buying me coaching books when I was in the second grade and I believe I was born to do it. I have the drive, focus and willingness to learn. To me, good coaches are like good musicians. They take things they learn from other musicians and mold it into something of their own. That good foundation is what separates the great ones from the average ones, in music or coaching. Until next week, keep learning.

Me as a Student and Some GOOD Things About the NHL

I wrapped up the spring semester last week but I didn't finish as strong as I would like. I don't test well, particularly tests that involve lists. For example, maybe a History class asks for five reasons the south lost the Civil War. I could give two and then have to improvise the other three. It makes attaining excellent grades difficult, since so much weight is placed on exam scores in most classes. I usually excel at papers and projects. I have a problem with assignments I don't believe in. I wrote a paper in the fall semester on a subject I could not put into word. I viewed it the way some Congressmen view pornography, "I can't put it into words, but I'll know it when I see it." Some assignments are harder to focus on than others. I learned a long time ago that true crime and biographies hold my interest more than other reading materials, the exceptions being textbooks and the Harry Potter series. This is me as a student.
Hockey season ended for my team last week, when the Boston Bruins lost game 7 at home. The loss stings a little because I really believed this was their year. They were great this season and lost to a very hot Carolina team. Despite the gut wrenching game 7 overtime loss, the Bruins have managed to make hockey relevant again in Boston but they stand out in Boston because they are the one of the four pro sports teams there, but the only one who hasn't won a recent championship. Hockey has also made a comeback in Chicago. The Blackhawks have the longest Stanley Cup drought in the NHL but they are headed in the right direction. They have become important again in the fabric of Chicago sports. As a hockey fan, I love it. It is a good thing for hockey when the Original 6 teams (Boston, Chicago, Toronto, Montreal, Detroit and the New York Rangers) are good. Hockey has been such a whipping boy for the press, whether its the economics of the sport, the extra long regular season, or a random act of thuggery. The media tends to dwell on the negative side of hockey but the resurgence of a couple of Original 6 teams and the rise of individual superstars have people talking about the sport in a positive light. Just a quick note-the NHL playoffs have been better than the NBA playoffs this year-HANDS DOWN! If you are lucky enough to get Versus on your cable or satellite package, watch some games. The NHL also owns the most exciting player in all of sports, Alex Ovechkin. He is a goal scorer, who's as tough as nails. He brings a youthful exuberance that sports fans haven't seen since Sammy Sosa or Brett Favre in their primes. He probably will win another MVP award for the 2008-09 regular season, to go with being the top goal scorer again. He reminds me of Mark Messier,the great player who played for New York, Edmonton and Vancouver, a little. He can but a team on his back and has a nasty edge to his game, much like "The Captain". The fact he's so young holds well for the NHL also. He has the ability to bring the Stanley Cup to Washington, a thought that has that city buzzing. Washington has always been (the NFL's) Redskins and everybody else. To have another championship caliber team in the nation's capital is exciting for them. Next week I'll probably talk some golf, so to all you duffers out there, stay tuned and keep learning.

The Death of Two Coaches From My Childhood

I apologize for the lateness of this but it's finals week. So I lost a couple of sports figures from my childhood last week, and it starts to make me feel old. Danny Ozark was the Phillies manager when I went to my first game. I was a tee ball player who could rattle off Greg Luzinski's RBI's and Larry Bowa's errors in half a second. I was a Phillies fans until Dallas Green went to Chicago and took all my favorites with him, leaving Steve Carlton in Philly. I've been a Cubs fan ever since. Ozark could never get his team to the top of the mountain. He won a few National League east titles, but came up short in the NLCS. It ultimately cost him his job and Dallas Green got it and won the World Series in 1980. The other was Chuck Daly, the great Detroit Pistons coach and the guy who led the original 'Dream Team' in 1992 at the Barcelona Olympics. These guys are among the best who ever played in the NBA and were like rock stars in Spain. Now those of us into sports know Daly battled pancreatic cancer to the end and cancer has touched us all in some way. What's overlooked is what a great coach he was. He had some great players like Dennis Rodman and Isiah Thomas but had great role players too like Vinny Johnson aka The Microwave, who'd come off the bench and knock down 3 pointer after 3 pointer. I believe they beat up the Celtics enough in the '87 playoffs to cost them a title. If it weren't for a Larry Bird steal, the Pistons would have probably won that series. Daly coached the Dream Team also, which is probably the greatest assembling of basketball talent ever to take the court. Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, and Michael Jordan are three of the five greatest basketball players to ever play and they were all on one team. The rest of the world had no chance. Daly was a master at meshing these egos. He will be missed. These were two coaches I took a lot from. Until next week, keep learning.

The Real World, Physical Therapy, and a Train Wreck

So graduations are upon us and I was wondering, 'is it a good time to graduate?' With the economy and unemployment situations right now, is it better to be a junior or below, having more school while the US rights the ship? There are some industries and majors that may be recession proof, but many more that aren't. I couldn't imagine being on the cusp of graduating and going out into 'the real world' as say, a business major. Or imagine being an engineering student from Lehigh or other prestigious engineering school thinking you're going to work for Pontiac. These are some scary implications that college graduating classes haven't seen in some years.
I have come around on physical therapy. I looked at it as a hassle, having to go twice a week to work on my back and right leg problems. While I found the therapists to be really nice people, it seemed to be an unnecessary addition to my already busy schedule. I know I needed it. I couldn't sit down when I was coaching basketball games this season. My team, as well as my grades, have suffered because of back pain and some of the pain medications that go along with it. So I took it upon myself to start stretching back and leg muscles at home. I was really just doing what I was supposed to but didn't believe I had the time or energy to do so. I am feeling better and enjoyed a round of golf on Saturday. Now, I want to keep working to be pain free and beat this disc disease nonsense.
As a sports fan, I try to follow and learn as much as possible about the games, but stuff comes along that really makes me lose interest in a sport or sport star. The latest is the Alex Rodriguez book. It seems to me that this guy's life has turned into a train wreck. He probably has the most expensive divorce proceedings since Michael Jordan and is as big a lightning rod for controversy as Terrell Owens. It fuels sports talk radio but who really cares about this National Enquirer type crap? Even the steroids stuff and 'disgracing' baseball is too much. For some of the time he used roids, it wasn't against Major League Baseball's rules, though illegal in the US. The whole steroids thing kills me. There is a pill that makes you better at your job. Illegal or not, probably fifty percent of us are going to take it. There is someone out there, younger, better or willing to work for less behind us. Right now I'm more interested in the Boston Bruins pursuit of the Stanley Cup and the Cubs trying to end their hundred year championship drought, as far as my sports interests go. I'm even too busy with school work at times, to enjoy those. Until next week, keep learning.

My Epiphany & the Best Two Months of the Year

In 'The Simpson's Movie', Homer has an epiphany and returns to Springfield to save his family and the town. While I was in Chapel Hill, NC for the CSRI Conference, I had an epiphany of my own, though there was no one to save. The epiphany was a simple realization that I could live anywhere within the continental US. I have lived in the northeast for all of my 38 years. Many of my vacations have also been in this region, from Washington DC to Cape Cod, MA. I don't believe there is anywhere better in the world to live than the area between Washington DC and Boston. A lot of our nations history has been formed here and some of the greatest cities in the world are found in this area. My realization came as a surprise to me personally because I never pictured myself living outside the region. I love the four seasons and the more uptempo lifestyle. I'm sure Chicago and Los Angeles also have that type of intensity as well. A few of my classmates didn't want to leave Chapel Hill mainly because the found the people to be so friendly and the intensity was dialed down a bit. I enjoyed some of these aspects as well, but I liked the fresh clean air and somewhat laid back style. Some of that could be contributed to my age or my back problems also. A couple of the professors at the conference asked me about graduate school but I am more worried about finishing my degree 21 years after I started. I did look into grad school, however, and found one in the Midwest, which seemed right for me. That obviously will require a move to another part of the country and a new experience. I'm looking forward to it, but let's worry about the year I have left in school, first.
HOCKEY FANS-I have not forgotten you. This is the best time of the year for those of us who enjoy pucks and the best 2 months of the year, the Stanley Cup playoffs. This year's field seems wide open, especially given the way the first round has played out. Who pictured New York or Anaheim being in the positions they are now-having a top seed on the verge of elimination? Anaheim-San Jose has been one of the NHL's better rivalries the past 3 or so years but the Rangers stealing games from the Caps and the Caps going to a 20 year old goalie to help them comes as a bit more of a shock. Vancouver and Boston dominated their opponents thoroughly but how will they fare with a big layoff before the next round? For the non-hockey fans, get on board and enjoy the passion, energy, and intensity the playoffs have to offer. Until next week, keep learning!

College sports, celebrity citings and visiting a landmark

The wise philosopher (and guitar legend) Keith Richards once said, "you meet a lot of great people on the road." I found this to be true at the CSRI conference last week. http://www.csriconference.org/ Ironically the first people I met in Chapel Hill, NC were from a school here in Pennsylvania about three hours away. The next person I met was a professor from a school in Massachusetts. Despite being a Montreal Candiens fan, he was all right. I learned a lot from talking to him. A lot of the people I follow on Twitter were at the conference as well. It was another interesting aspect of the conference. The panels, speakers, and presentations were excellent. The thing I didn't really hear were voices for the solutions to some of the problems in college athletics. I've always felt that smart guys in college athletics, like Bob Knight and Joe Paterno, have good ideas but often seem to be dismissed as old men trying to turn back the clock on college sports. Paterno has spoken about possibly paying players and Knight has too many ideas to mention in a single blog. I understand that college presidents and athletic directors may be hesitant to bite the NCAA hand that feeds them, particularly at BCS schools. Jeremy Bloom gave a passionate speech about changes and things coming from his well publicized dispute with the NCAA. He's one guy who's been through the system but lacks a lot of power. The NCAA is as tough to challenge as Major League Baseball's players union, the most powerful union in sports and the third most powerful in the world. College sports have become big business like it or not. The days of people seeing Larry Bird for the first time in the 1979 finals are over. Nowadays, you could see Bird on YouTube or ESPN, among other media outlets. I myself have good ideas to eliminate the BCS and create a playoff as well as a solution to the one-and-done player in college basketball. Much like Jeremy Bloom, I have minimal power with the NCAA. Heck, the power i have in my own household is often called into question. Despite my one negative thought, the conference was great. The professors and students who run it did a hell of a job and lined up some quality people to speak and present their research. Also a shout out to the Top of the Hill Restaurant and Brewery, Marriot Chapel Hill, and 007, the greatest cabbie in all the land. Other than that there were other interesting aspects of the six hour road trip. We met comedian Lewis Black at Top of the Hill Thursday night. He was great and very friendly to all the autograph/photo seeking fans. BJ Surhoff, former Orioles outfielder and Wyatt Cenac, best known for his work on the Daily Show. We took an eight mile field trip to Duke University to take in some of the architecture and Cameron Indoor Stadium. It is one of the great sports places I've been to and someplace you should go, like Wrigley Field. Looking at the banners, the retired jerseys, scoreboard and all the history was a special moment I won't soon forget. The other cool thing about the trip was the chance to spend time with classmates I might not get to otherwise. It was also a chance to see two of my professors let their hair down. I do want to apologize to hockey fans. I know I promised some in this week's blog, but my ability to watch games was limited due to attending events and limited tv coverage in some places. Next week, a life altering epiphany I had on our trip and playoff hockey. Until then, go Bruins and keep learning!

Twitter, technology in the film industry, and chasing a dream

As I mentioned last week, I was going to try to learn Twitter. It's a great way to meet people you may not actually meet otherwise in your little corner of the world wherever it may be. I also told my daughter and another classmate how to use it. Imagine learning technology from a 38 year old! Anyway, I've made some friends and several sports contacts along the way. I did everything from quote funny movie lines to talking sports with baseball and basketball fans. If I have a problem with Twitter, it would be that it somewhat over values the mundane details of our lives. How many of you cared that I went to physical therapy twice last week? Or that I watched "Wyatt Earp" (the Kevin Costner version) on Sunday? The only celeb I'm following is Kevin Pollak. He had me at "Canadian Bacon". I also learned about the movie business and how technology, in particular, enhances it. I can put myself on the moon or in a city I've never been to, like London. Maybe eventually, movie directors and producers won't have to film on location. For those of you that may have missed it, I coach basketball. Coached middle school this year and though our won-loss record was subpar, all eight of the kids developed as players which is always my main goal. Anyway the school year ahead may forbid me from coaching and I was asked if I'd rather coach or graduate. I honestly had to think about it. I love coaching more than breathing and enjoy being at the gym and teaching most of all. So this week I applied for a coaching position with Harvard's Men's Basketball team as an assistant to Tommy Amaker. Those of you who are old enough may remember him from Duke as part of their backcourt in the 80's. He has also coached at Seton Hall and Michigan. The chance to learn from someone like that, combined with my respect for the Ivy League was too much to resist. The Ivy League offers no athletic scholarships and doesn't have a conference tournament, so the regular season sets up a 'winner take all' scenario. The old school mentality suits me. I know its a longshot to get the job but I figured I'd try. Sometimes you have to chase the dream. I'm known as a chaser at the poker table too, should we ever find ourselves face-to-face over some hold 'em. Next week, the CSRI Conference and my favorite time of the year, the Stanley Cup playoffs. Stay tuned and keep learning!

hello all

Welcome to my blog. I'm Jason and my blog is about things I have learned over the course of the week. I'll generally write posts on Mondays, about the previous week and what I learned as a parent, as a man, as a 38 year old college student and as a citizen of the world. I'll talk about things I am passionate about like coaching basketball, sports, music and other world happenings. Grant it I am not up to speed on all things, and musically I'm very set in my ways. On to random things I learned over the past week. The Final Four is the best event North American sports has to offer. Super Bowl Sunday is nice but it is one day, with two weeks of hype preceding. I was pulling for Villanova personally. As a coach, I've been where Jay Wright was on Saturday night. Your team gets the looks and percentage shots but they don't fall. Its gut wrenching and ages coaches. I'm learning about Twitter which should make for an interesting post next week. I was disappointed to see Bob Hurley Sr. ommitted from the Basketball Hall of Fame class as a contributor to the game. 24 state titles and 100 plus players given scholarships to Division I or Division II programs and off the mean streets of Jersey City, NJ. The year I graduated high school, 1989, he had one of his best teams and was voted national champs. Anyway, I'm off to school for a meeting on a "field trip" we are taking shortly, so I'll be back next week. Keep learning!