Might be time to pull back a bit on the coach love

I see by the dispatches that Coach K down at Duke (and if you think I’m going to try and correctly spell Krzyzewski throughout the entirety of a blog post you are silly, silly people) coached his 903rd win last night, becoming the winningest men’s basketball coach in NCAA history.

He will, of course, be the subject of great tales over the next day or so, where we will hear and read what a wonderful coach he is, what a great accomplishment this is and his deification will continue unabated.

And I wonder of the wisdom of it.

Now, this is not to suggest for a second that Coach K specifically is anything other than a decent and honourable man worthy of such tributes. I have too many close friends who have had close interaction with him who tell me what a fine man he is in all regards to come to any other conclusion than that they are right.

The very few times I’ve spoken to him, he’s been respectful and engaging and a seemingly genuine man.

No, the trouble I have is with The Big Country To Our South and its penchant for lionization of college sports icons, its ability and willingness to raise them to impossible-to-hold standards, to make them greater than what they actually are.

This comes entirely on the heels of the disgusting Penn State scandal and has rankled me for years, this whole NCAA issue of “legendary coaches and leaders of men and women” and an utterly fascination with them.

If we have learned nothing over the years – and thousands of trees have given their lives to stories of coaches, specifically American college coaches, who have been something less than what we think we know of them – it is that there is a misguided rush to lift them to places they don’t belong.

Yes, they are charged with helping start teens on the road to becoming valued and functioning men and women of society but the rush is always to overly praise and elevate rather than to step back and take a deep breath.

What Coach K did was great – although there is a large part of me that believes any “winningest” coach thing is a more a function of time than anything (see Wlkens, Lenny) – and as a college basketball tactician he has few rivals.

But we need to hold off, in his case and every other one, don’t we?

This does come entirely to mind because of Penn State and Joe Paterno and how many times over the years we were told what a paragon he was, how he should be on the Mount Rushmore of coaching.

Now, there are likely no skeletons in the closet of Coach K or many of the other men and women who achieve NCAA greatness. But there are those who would make all of them more than they should and that bothers me.

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So I see the lawsuits have begun the NBA – one in California, one in Minnesota – and all I can say is I’m still a tad confused over what exactly the process is but that it’s started has to at least be seen as a good thing.

Read somewhere that the choice to file in the Northern California circuit was done at least in part because that court has a history of expediting such matters and that can’t be a bad thing.

The choice of players as plaintiffs has to do with gaining a cross-section of earners to present to the court and, yes, they left out anyone from the HOTH. Guess they’re saving them for suits in Brazil, Italy, Spain and Lithuania if need be.

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Now, I like London (the one down the 401, as well as the one over the Atlantic) quite a bit. Been to Labatt Park and Alumni Hall, hung at the Ceeps and Joe Cool’s, used to work in the neighbourhood and my boy Sweet Joe is some high-falutin’ media leader down that way.

But, really.

What nincompoop decided it was a good idea to name a new minor league baseball team the London Rippers?

Just what I’d want in an allegedly family-friendly sports franchise: A name that conjures up reminiscences of serial killers and women who might take their clothes off for a living?

Really.

Do people not think?

Might be the worst team name ever, no?

Sure ain’t the Macon Whoopees, which remains the all-time favourite.

Hey, whoever you are? Change it. Today. Thanks.

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Here’s one thing we have to stop concerning ourselves with:

There were a bunch of “sourced” reports out there yesterday afternoon about the NBA informing teams that games through Dec. 15 had been cancelled.

And people actually treated this as news.

Look, forget the NBA schedule. Any schedule you’re looking at is simply garbage, it’s a waste of bandwidth to publish on a website, a waste of paper to print off.

There is no way the one that eventually gets done – and who knows when that will be – will include games on many of the same nights, certainly not against the same team and it’s an utter falsity to even put it out there.

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How cool is this?

And since it’s her birthday today, why not give it a listen and smile.

Beautiful, no?

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Digression?

Tough week for Super Dog.

Had one of her too-infrequent and apparently frightful baths (all you have to do is say the word and the shivering starts), had to have her nails clipped (given her druthers, she’d rather be Howard Hughes in that regard) and a trip to the vet ends with the diagnosis of “loose joints” and a propensity for her back right knee to pop out of place every now and then. No pain, just a limp and very expensive yet seemingly un-tasty treats that now must be snuck into her food.

And I’m stunned.

This may be the most sedentary hound in the history of domesticated animals, I couldn’t imagine she used her joints often enough for them to become “loose.”

What a dog.

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This just in:

Sources say NBA games through Dec. 16 are cancelled.

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May as well start, no?

Let’s get the mail going. Do it here, let me know what you think and I’d wade through pages and pages and pages of Leaves goalie thingies to find ‘em.

Thanks.

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Comments

[doug]

funny how it works sometimes...I read your whole blog (nice piece on the NCAA and lionizing coaches/teams etc I concur 200%) but 2 words in your blog stuck out, The Ceeps, my god i spent so many hours there, playing shuffle board, doing the socializing thing, and it was cool as we'd go there after baseball games, there's be maybe 10 of us depending on the night, how it worked is you buy a tray of draft, 25 cent drafts, 5 bucks a tray, then next guys turn...so with 10 guys or so, you drank the whole night for the price of one tray....sweet deal and fun times, plus some interesting waiters, oh plus we had for years a couple of those wooden chairs from there in our rec room, long story how they got there...I blame the draft beer....good old Ceeps now their is a place that should be lionized, if those walls could talk....and all the years and times we went i never,ever saw a fight there, close but not a one...outside in the parking lot yes...not inside those hallowed walls....wow those 2 words triggered a lot of good memories...thanks..

[doug]

I have to head out to work but just a quick note on the Ceeps you reminded me of...one of the guys that was on the team, was a fellow who liked his beer but tended to like smoking a particular herb better, he was a real lady's man, and had no problem sowing his oats or living the good life....we went to Montreal to see the Expos, Fort Lauderdale etc....well a couple years pass, and my wife and I were on a co-ed baseball team, and she twisted her knee so we went off to emerg at Vic Hospital to get it checked out, so were waiting in the examination room and the curtain opens and in walks this guy...he was in residency, which I knew but I was shocked to see him walk thru those curtains...now he is a fine doc but at this time he was only a couple years removed from our travels and experiences, so there was no way in hell he was going to check out my wife, as for one he was the definition of a stoner, and here he was as a doctor in training, to funny, to hard to wrap my mind around for both of us I think...he did a cursory exam (of the knee only) and we were on our way, we all had a good laugh after the fact over it.....that's a Ceeps grad for you and there are many like him out there....

[dave]

Right on the mark with your comments about Coack K. He has become bigger than Duke just like Paterno overshadowed PSU. But he is a basketball coach and not more. He has done well in his profession, he has had a good impact on others but I am willing to bet there are hundreds more working today at Duke who have done similar good work but we'll never know.

It is amazing to watch the same media who lionized and then tore down JoePA merrily carry on with the over the top reporting of Coach K.

[Jason]

Doug, you can't forget the McMaster University water polo team: the Bators.

[TLI]

"...conjures up reminiscences of serial killers and women who might take their clothes off..." Not to mention the social gaffes of chronic flatulators!!!

Good call on the college coaches, Doug. At the risk of overstating, the coaches in college are phys ed teachers. Why do we not lionize the other great teachers who lead by example and inspire kids to greatness? How many teens actually achieve the wonderful attributes for which we credit the coaches? How many more step up to the same qualities of character through the leadership and mentorship they find in their pursuit of the sciences, arts and professions?

[Dave in BG]

Super Dog reminds me of my old dog. A Shetland Sheepdog that was, ahem, a tad portly (if she was a person, she would have been a Grunt for sure). Well she was out playing BBall with the kids and blows out her ACL. Seriously. A dog with a blown ACL. Surgery and rehab cost over $2 Grand. Worst part is, her vertical was never the same...

[Andrew Potter]

Let's get a party together to take in a London Lightning NBL game with a cool down session at the Ceeps afterwards.

Blogger's note: Sounds like a plan; will investigate schedule.

[Steve G]

Another fun team name from the International Basketball League back in the 90s....the Cincinnati Stuff.

[sam]

It's not just succesful college coaches south of the 49th that get that sort of treatment: Other sports figures like Tiger, Clemens, McGuire were held to a higher degree until we got to see the ugly truth.
In our Home and Native Land an argument could be made with the adulation Vince and Bosh recevied over the years. Where is that now?

[chili]

Butte Pirates.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_E195qKOiHmg/SibVpwcZRwI/AAAAAAAAAQo/J7-4J3WuNsE/s320/butte-pirates.jpg

[Mike D.]

Doug, in my experience it's not just the U.S. press and it's not just coaches; the North American press generally seems to find ways to put powerful people on pedestals. From time to time I've had the chance to meet businesspeople after reading about them in the paper and have generally found them....how to word this euphemistically...not quite as advertised.

I'm assuming the same doesn't apply to sportswriters. In particular, I will be bitterly disappointed if I meet Dave F. in person and find that he's a really mellow, happy-go-lucky guy.

[Lorie]

Hi Doug!
Isn't that name awful? Why is it that the further down the foodchain you get with these sports franchises the wackier the names become? (Although "London Rippers" isn't merely wacky - it's very, very wrong.) Isn't Diana Krall terrific? And that song? Splendid. And reminded me of something I listened to last Saturday night. Now that winter's here (and since I'm not into spending Saturday nights with HNIC) I've been spending more time with a good book and listening to Randy Bachman on CBC Radio talk music on his great show "Vinyl Tap". Last Saturday night he was talking about unique voices in music and he mentioned his own top three: third was Patsy Cline singing the song Diana Krall's singing in your blog today; second was Bill Medley doing "Unchained Melody" and the third was Roy Orbison. Doing anything. What a unique and wonderful voice, indeed. Cheers!
http://youtu.be/c-EiKPrAOHA

[Cluck Kent]

There is no money in media if folks aren't reading, listening or watching and those folks want big stories, tough honourable men and beautiful, princes like women. So the media focuses on big stories and if there aren't any big stories, they make whatever stories there are - big. It's like the weather. No one listens to the weather when it's sunny and 75F. So these days, when there is any kind of weather at all, the weathersirens are out, 'watch out everyone, rain is approaching and it's a teeming, pounding rain, capable of almost anything. Stay here for all the details and messages from our sponsors.' Simply ridiculous.

[LeeZ]

Thanks for "Crazy", Doug, but I just can't help it: whenever I see Willie Nelson, I see Johnny Carson instead. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l61kKhbAHeo
As for school names, I love what the fans do at Austin Peay games: they chant, understandibly enough, GO PEAY! Which, of course, is the same as GO PEE! A truly bizarre experience for opposition teams to witness.

[Mike kovacs]

Doug so much to comment on today! I think the college coaches get away with so much because of all the cash that their sports bring in to the schools. Today one of the sports channels had the top 5 Bobby Knight bleeps. ( and you thought Tony Larussa holds the media in disdain). I hadn't heard about that terrible name for the new London baseball team - it is awful. There has been controversy because there has been a perception that this team is getting some preferential treatment over the London Majors. Finally there is one egregious error - it is Joe KOOLisky'S!

[james]

I'd still like to know why the sainted K left Greg Newton nailed to the bench in the NCAAs in his senior year. It seemed like shabby treatment of a player who had given four years of service, and intensely personal as well.

[GM]

As @sam said, it's not just the college coaches, it's athletes, too, and, I would submit, professional coaches, too. One problem I don't have, though, is with longevity being a determining factor in the winningest category. You can't stick around forever if you're a bad coach. Of course the wins will pile up if you are decent to very good year after year after year.

Did anyone else read this excerpt from Shaq's book on the subject of RuPaul?:
“Some guys come into the league without a ton of props, so there’s not a whole lot of pressure on them. Then they sign a big deal and all of a sudden they’re thrown into the spotlight. Chris Bosh is like that. He’s getting all this attention, so he starts believing he’s really good. C’mon now. We know better. He’s a player who can put up some numbers, but he’s not an elite player. He was in Toronto eight years and they were never a factor, never a playoff team. Don’t get with those other two guys and start pounding your chest. I ain’t buying it, and I’m not the only one.”

[The J]

London Rippers might be the worst team name ever? Have you not heard of a team called the Nashville Predators? The Predators! In this day and age they name their team that, not a Dateline special, their team! In a professional sports league no less.

Come to think of it there is also a professional sports team named the Rapto-, umm, maybe I won't go there.

[Paul B]

first a streetscape re leaves, now superdog and a sofa... that's entrapment doug, Adrian, don't get caught!!

[GM]

@LeeZ, the best was when Fly Williams played for Austin Peay. The fans would chant, "The Fly is open, let's go Peay!"

Blogger's note:
Best.
Chant.
Ever.

[Pat]

Poor dog. I am willing to give up the entire NBA season, and the millions upon millions of dollars the players and owners will earn in the near future to see her healthy.

[D-Mac Ottawa]

Would anyone agree that "Tiger-Cats" is a bit odd in the team name category?
Among schools south of the border, you've got your Southern Arkansas "Muleriders" and your "Battlin' Beavers" of Blackburn College. "Demon Deacons" is good for conversation as Wake Forest's moniker. And did you know the U of Virginia has a second official name besides "Cavaliers" – it's the "Wahoos" (wonder why they don't use that one much...). But the best two I know of are the State University of New York-College of Environmental Science and Forestry "Stumpies" and the Rhode Island School of Design "Nads"...
Then there are the team slogans. "Team work makes the dream work" seems to get a lot of mileage. "Talk with your feet. Play with your heart" is a winner. Of course everyone knows "It takes leather balls to play rugby." But my all-time favourite has be the one from a league hoops team I played on back in Iowa. Our motto: "We may be short. But we're slow." And we were true to our words. We led every game at halftime. We lost every game but one...
Happy Birthday, Diana Krall! I'd link you to her outstanding rendition of "How Deep Is The Ocean" but I can't find a Google version to do it justice. Cheers anyway!

[joeu]

@GM

What to make of the Shaq excerpt ?

1. Shaq, master of self-promotion. Shaq doesn't need to be constantly in the spotlight, he needs to be the spotlight.

2. Name calling is the second lowest form of intelligence, marginally above making fun of someone's name.

3. The RuPaul comment makes him sound like a guy who is on the downside of a career he didn't work too hard to maintain, and is jealous of being eclipsed.

4. Shaq needs a Superstar like DWade on his team to win a championship, and can't carry the same team a year later, when DWade is injured, but Shaq's a superstar. Chris Bosh, on a far weaker team, also doesn't get far in the playoffs, and so is not an elite player

5. Shaq, beacon of the unvarnished truth in an culture of trash talk and hype.
I can't even type that with a straight face.

[Nick M]

You give us the London Rippers and then put up a logo for Macon?
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And what about their mascot?
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It brings back memories of the movie 'Replacements' (not good memories-it wasn't a very good movie) and their replacement 'Cheerleaders'
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Good choice on Super Dog! It came down to a choice of Boston Terrier and Puggle for us. We went with the latter. But speaking from experience it is best to take a picture of them standing up. The seated pose is never very flattering!!!

[doug]

Presidents Cup starts tonight at 9:30...Tiger against Stevie right from the get -go be interesting...set your pvr or stay up late for some good golf...