Well, the Phillies and their Canadian manager are off to the World Series. A pleasant surprise for many a baseball fan. The wildcard Philadelphia crew has been a treat to watch with their timely hitting and solid pitching. Houston is no surprise with their machine-like efficiency crushing opponents so far in these playoffs. Most pundits have the Astros as the favourite to take the title, but I'm sure the upstart Phillies may have something to say about that.
While on the subject of baseball , do yourself a favour (if you have Netflix) and watch Facing Nolan. It's an excellent documentary about Hall of Fame fireballer Nolan Ryan's 27-year reign as MLB's premier power pitcher. As a kid, I was a die-hard Angels fan because of my admiration of Ryan and how he played the game. Now a new generation can develop that same admiration by watching this poignant film about a star from a different era. A true class act, Ryan's story of his on and off-the-field life is a true feel-good watch. Even if you are familiar with Ryan, there is a lot more to learn about the legend in this doc. I don't think his records for the number of 300-plus strikeout seasons (six), all-time strikeouts (5,714) and no-hitters (seven) will ever be broken. Ryan currently holds 51 MLB records.
It's been said by many, but this is truly a sports fan's dream time of year. All running simultaneously, there's the NHL, NBA, NFL, MLB playoffs, MLS playoffs, Nascar Chase, F1, Moto GP, college football, CFL, curling, major junior hockey, pro golf, and most importantly — fall walleye fishing!
I'm not buying what a lot of people are selling as it pertains to a recent sideline incident in the NFL.
"It's just their competitive nature coming out" or "It happens in the heat of intense competition", is a refrain I've heard tossed around since a star QB was seen chewing out his coach. Another player is observed stepping between the QB, and his coach, trying to play peacemaker, which makes the optics even more disturbing.
Listen, as a coach I understand that there are times in sport when coaches and players come into conflict. But it is usually out of view of TV cameras and the public eye. I thought the coach handled the situation well and did not escalate the situation any further. What I find ironic is the QB was yelling at his coach to calm down. Where in the annals of sports decorum is yelling an effective means of calming someone else down? Is not a firm and calm approach (thereby setting the example) asking a person to take a breath and calm down, the rational approach? It does not appear to be in today's world. Nope.
It seems a reflection of our current society's diminishing lack of respect and contempt for authority and leadership. Same situation but a different approach ... in a calm demeanour, "Coach, you've got to calm down. You've got me rattled and it's affecting the team as a whole." But when $40-plus million a year is out of line with a $5-million a year coach, who do you think longterm comes out on top? I like this particular quarterback and think he's a decent person. We all snap or get overexcited and do or say things we might not ordinarily do. And you know what works really well? A simple apology. Works for most of us.
So hopefully this was just a one-off incident and everybody learned a thing or two. (I'm taking the rose-coloured glasses off now for the rest of this column.) Playing the game is hard enough. Trying to "coach" your coach can only lead to a rocky road. After all, football is such an intricate game, it usually has a head coach, 5 co-ordinators, eight offensive coaches, eight defensive coaches and one special teams' coach. There are over 20 coaches for a reason. When players play and coaches coach, things have a beautiful way of getting done.
For many years I was lucky enough to have worked with a truly dedicated and gifted group of individuals teaching NOHA, OHF, and HC coaching programs. And I taught all the programs at one point or another. Teaching these programs also allowed me to meet and work with the countless number of tireless volunteers who give of themselves to allow kids to play and learn the game. Many times I'm sure I learned as much from them as they did from me.
One of the first things I always hammered away on was the impact a coach has on young athletes. We are quick to emphasize the role of a coach but are sometimes light on just how important they can be to a kid's development both on and off the ice. I stressed that while you can have a ton of fun coaching, you need to understand the seriousness of your role.
Now I'm not saying you are responsible for supplying the values, and life habits of your athletes, but you surely can help enhance them. Here are two of the hundreds of examples I could give you.
Number one: A young lad is playing at the highest levels of amateur hockey 500 miles from home. His mother has been on him for months to get a haircut and he keeps refusing. So she calls me and asks me to talk to him as a former coach. So I reach out to him. "Hey, you trying to look as out of place in a rink as I do? No? Well then, look the part of a serious player and get a haircut like your mom has asked. When your an old wash-up like me, you can look however you like. That's cool. But while you are trying to make a go of the game, remember that those who may employ you are watching."
Mom called 24 hours later to tell me about his new haircut.
Number two: While teaching a young coach at a clinic I reiterated the whole importance of being a coach thing, I explained that most kids will have a deep respect and will genuinely like you for being their coach. So about three years later that same coach stops by to share his thoughts on that aspect of the clinic. "I really thought you guys were blowing smoke at me about that whole coach/player relationship. But I can't help but notice that when I'm out and about, the number of kids I've coached who run up to me to say hello and tell me what's going on with them. I've now come to know what you guys were talking about. And I feel so good talking to kids who use to play for me"
Of course there have been times when I was less than a stellar example to some kids, but hopefully they learned from that too. And more importantly, I learned.
From the other perspective, I can't begin to tell you how many coaches had such a positive impact on me as a player. Guys I will always be thankful to for taking the time to coach an idiot like me and being someone who was fair and caring about me. Someone who also put me in my place and helped teach me about respect for the game and people in general. Even when their methods angered me and put me in the "he doesn't like me" mode. I soon realized that they were once again teaching me. Thanks, coach(es).
And finally, if you think I didn't learn a lot from kids that played for me—you've missed a boat somewhere.
Later Skater
