Jack’s Blog

Many years ago I roomed with one of the other assistant coaches on our staff for an extended road trip.  Because we were on the road so long, we discussed a variety of subjects, one of which was gays.  Not gay athletes (or lesbians), just gay men.  My “roommate” absolutely despised homosexuals, saying he was disgusted a man would choose to live that way.  I said that I didn’t think they necessarily wanted to be gay.  He maintained it was a way of life and whoever lived that style of life had to have selected it.  Nothing I said seemed to shake his profound belief until I finally came up with a scenario that, while it didn’t change his mind, it did rattle his foundation - a little.

The language we used in the conversation was salty so out of respect for those readers who would be uncomfortable with it, I’ve changed the exact words.  Independent of who you are, you will thoroughly understand the message so there’s no need to put it down verbatim.  I initially asked him if (a female star whom I can’t remember now but who would be that day’s equivalent of Beyonce) walked into the room and began to disrobe, would he get excited?  He said of course he would.  I asked him if he was sure, if there was anything that would prevent that from happening.  He assured me that, other than being blind and deaf (he did put those qualifiers on his answer), he would be aroused.  Maybe he thought it was a trick question.

Then I asked him if (the equivalent of LL Cool J, Chris O’Donnell or Eric Olsen - hey, I think NCIS-LA has a good-looking cast - including Daniela Ruah) did the same thing, if he’d experience similar feelings.  “NO WAY!” he screamed, as if I should have been drawn and quartered for even suggesting it.

Wait, I asked, how about if the lights were low, some Barry White was playing and . . .”NO!“  I go the “caps” answer to that one.

C’mon, what if he’d been out drinking and just got really wasted and hadn’t had sex in a month (this guy was in his early 30s and was a very eligible bachelor) and the dancer was wearing provocative . . . There aren’t enough expletives for his response.

I went for the trump card.  “Even if you tried to talk yourself into it?”  When he remained steadfast in his belief, I said to him, “Don’t you think that’s how it is for gay guys?  What you’re saying is you’re wired into feeling the way you do - and couldn’t change if you tried.  Don’t you think it’s the same for them?”

I noticed in one of the past couple issues of SI there was a letter from a reader which corrected a previous SI story that used the term “sexual preference.”  The writer said it should have been “sexual orientation.”

The following quote from Warren Bennis’ was referring to how business leaders should treat employees in general.  I’m not sure this topic is what he had in mind, yet it fits perfectly.

“Accept people as they are, not as you want them to be.”

Accept people as they are, not as you want them to be.

Yesterday, both Boston and the Lakers were down 0-3.  It was apparent that neither was going to win its series.  Yet the Celtics won Game 4 in Boston, knowing that all they have to look forward to is the Knicks’ inevitable series-clincher in New York.   Meanwhile, the Lakers lost to San Antonio in LA.  Can we conclude anything from these two performances?  Even though, without Rondo, the Celtics had almost no chance of advancing, they were well aware they didn’t dare let their long-time, ticket-buying fans down in an elimination game.  Apparently, the Lakers’ relationship with their fans isn’t quite as intimate as that of the Celts.

On TNT’s pregame show, Kenny Smith even exclaimed that he’d heard Jack Nicholson gave his tickets to his cousin.  Which, of course, was absurd.  Because Jack has a relationship with the Lakers that’s stronger than a series sweep (against - he’s witnessed the flip side), even if it’s his favorite team getting blown out twice in a row.  He remembers the past - and looks forward to the future.  Whatever (and whomever) it brings.

For the record: how many people who were criticizing the way Mike D’Antoni coached yesterday’s game would have wanted to switch places with him?  And for those foolish enough to say yes, do you really think the outcome would have been any different because of your brilliant bench manuevering?  If you do, there are talk show hosts and hundreds of callers waiting to abuse you on the Subway fresh take hot lines, #1-25.

Truthfully, Boston had a shot at winning yesterday and the Lakers didn’t.  For that game, they’d lost their their starting small forward and top four guards - one of whom happens to be one the top three players in the game.  They were so decimated with injuries, nothing could have been done against the Spurs.  Nothing.

Whether or not that is true for the entire season will remain a mystery.  The saddest part of the entire year is the truth behind Charles Barkley’s statement regarding the Lakers’ pitiful performance in Game 3:

“It’s not too many times you can take the Lakers +30 - and lose.”

Fan is short for fanatic.  It’s just that a fanatic gets fanatical about his or her team when the team is down as well as when it’s winning.  And that fanaticism can take on the form of sarcasm, negativity and disgust if losing persists - even if injuries turn a slim chance into a nonexistent one.  In the case of the Los Angeles Lakers, their fans should have their “fan licenses” revoked after the way they acted toward their team - or what was left of it - the past few games.

If any Lakers fan is asked to name the greatest player in the NBA, every last one of them will (still) yell, “Kobe!“  So, when your team loses its best player - who happens to be the best player in the NBA (according to you) - wouldn’t you think it would be normal (even for fanatics) - to tone down their expectations?  At least a little?  One of them was heard (on the air in Fresno) answering that question by exclaiming, “Maybe, but this is the Lakers.“  Meaning what?  That there’s a proclamation issued that your team is bequeathed wins?

First of all, before they lost Bryant, the Lakers were a seven seed matched up against the two seed.  The two seed that just happened to be the San Antonio Spurs, a team that’s used to post season pressure, having won its share of championships in the past, and a team that has a coach in Gregg Popovich who many think is the best in the business.  In addition to having the great Kobe MIA for the remainder of the year, Los Angeles had Steve Nash as its point guard.  He would have been the perfect lead guard had he not gotten hurt.  Some fans felt that it was a mistake to obtain Nash because it was inevitable he was going to get hurt - with his age and history of injuries.  Nevertheless, these fans still expected Nash to lead the team to a World Championship.  But, alas, Nash got hurt and wasn’t available last night.

Steve Blake is, ideally, the back up to Nash, so with Nash out, Lakers fans felt he was certainly capable to lead the team.  Then, he pulled his hamstring - and now he’s out indefinitely.  Jodie Meeks, a nice complementary player was next, but he sprained his ankle and is headed for an MRI.  Is there someone out there with a Los Angeles Lakers voodoo doll?  I guarantee if there was such a thing, they’d sell out in a hurry.

Still and all, Laker fans went into Game 3 with hope that, maybe the home crowd could pull them through.  Of course, if that were to happen, it would have to wait until at least midway through the second quarter because that’s when it’s fashionable to show up in LA.  You know, like, with the traffic and all.

When the game began, the Lakers got a few points from their big guys - Pau Gasol and Dwight Howard.  The fans, which include their announcers, actually thought, even though the game is 48 minutes, that they’d have a shot.  “Get it inside!” they yelled, because it is somewhat unrealistic to depend on a second year player and a guy just called up from the D-League to knock down enough shots to win.  And, because that’s what Kobe tweeted.  As if the Spurs didn’t consider it would be a good idea for the Lakers to try to score that way and had not game planned for it.

That’s when the cynicism begins.  All because the fan’s team is losing.  And they don’t want to be a loser.  A number of them are losers in what they do.  The Lakers give them meaning - and they think - respect.  Hey, they don’t need any more help being a loser.  While fanatic has the word “fan” in it, so does infantile.  Winston Churchill said a long time ago:

“A fanatic is someone who can’t change his mind and won’t change the subject.”

There are two constants that viewers of NBA playoff games - or is it any game? - can count on.  One of them is players complaining to referees following fouls called on them.  Or fouls not called on guys guarding them.  Dwight Howard, Pau, Russell Westbrook, KD, Melo, Boozer, KG, Blake Griffin, Tim Duncan, Zach Randolph, LeBron, Bosh, and for all intents and purposes, every other player in the league.  Possibly, it’s because they’re embarrassed they missed a shot.  Or maybe they really got fouled and the ref missed the call.  Or it should have been a charge instead of a block - or a block instead of a charge.

Whatever the case, the following scenario is guaranteed.  The offended player gives the referee the stank eye, then mumbles (or louder and clearer) his displeasure.  Something like “It was a clean block”/”Didn’t you see him hit me?”  Occasionally, additional adjectives an adverbs find their way into the conversation.  In some cases, he will soon be donating money to the league.

The second constant is the refs don’t change their minds.  Larry Sanders of the Milwaukee Bucks put it best in the 4/15/13 edition of Sports Illustrated when he discussed his new found philosophy toward officials:

“What’s going on here?  I’m arguing with the ref, but he’s not the enemy.  Sometimes he makes good calls, sometimes he makes bad calls, but he never overturns his calls.  So what am I doing?”

After watching the Bulls totally throttle the Nets, Bill Simmons must have been proclaiming, “Can anybody say, ‘sweep BULLS IN FIVE!’ ”

The Heat is (doesn’t it sound like it oughtta be “are”) clearly the favorite but a team that might give them trouble would be one made up of Derrick Rose, Rajon Rondo, Kobe Bryant, Amar’e Stoudamire, David Lee, Jordan Hill, Jared Sullinger, Danilo Gallinari, Danny Granger and Boris Diaw.  82 games is a lot of wear and tear on a body, especially one that has to endure the increasingly allowable physical play. That group of injured guys, if healthy, would be a tough one to beat.

At first it simply sounded like another case of superlative playoff commentary when Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith anointed the Warriors’ Steph Curry and Klay Thompson “the best two shooters in the world” - until you start thinking about it.  Even Reggie Miller - who might not have been the greatest shooter in the world, but was certainly in the finals - agreed with the assessment.  After seeing them up close, George Karl wasn’t about to disagree.

Is it really fair to report that the Clippers need to get to the Western Conference finals for Vinny Del Negro to keep his job?  And then continually ask him how he feels about it?  If, in fact, getting to the finals is what’s necessary, why not leave the guy alone so he can put everything he has into achieving that goal?  Naturally, it’s typical NBA tomfoolery that a coach who produced a franchise high 56 victories, won the division and finally gained the respect of the league isn’t the man to take them to the next step.  First of all, the Clippers have never sniffed the next step, so how would they even know what type of coach should lead them there?  Seems like their motto is, “If it ain’t broke, break it.”

Speaking of interfering with a coach’s concentration, is it really necessary for Kobe to tweet during games?  It’s almost like Mike D’Antoni is supposed to be looking at his iPhone while the game is going on.  It’s one thing to want to stay involved but what Kobe does from a hospital bed (or his own) ought to be kept between him and his teammates - just like players say when their privacy is invaded.

Coaches in the NBA make an incredible amount of money, have a cushy life - in terms of having things done for them that the rest of us have to do for ourselves, enjoying perks the average person could only dream about (exorbitant per diem, private jets, luxury hotels), but the way these intelligent, decent people - with families - are treated is truly criminal.  It’s a sexy job, but to have other people who might not know, but think they do determine whether you continue your passion defies all logic.

Many of the owners and front office people have been called cynics and as Oscar Wilde once said:

“A cynic is someone who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing.”

There hasn’t been anyone who’s seen the video of former Rutgers basketball coach Mike Rice who can believe it.  Including (probably) Mike Rice.  Coaches - even some of the most highly successful ones who have been around for a long, long time - have been quoted that they felt uncomfortable just watching it.  Kobe Bryant claimed he would’ve “smacked the hell out of him” - even if he were only an 18 year old freshman.  Yet, not one of the Rutgers’ players even gave their coach a dirty look.  Keep in mind, however, the video was a “highlight film” (or “lowlight”) of Rice’s bullying antics, i.e. what people saw wasn’t from just one practice.  In fact, it might have been a compilation of weeks of practice video.

Most people have asked “Why did they take it?”  Why did none of them act in the manner Kobe said he would have.  Did the coach brainwash them?  Actually, that might exactly be why they took it.  Here’s my scenario (and keep in mind, it’s nothing more than conjecture, i.e. there is not a shred of evidence to it):

Coach Rice: “Look, guys, we’re the ugly stepchild of this league (the Big East).  Nobody has any respect for us.  Everybody bullies us.  For us to win, we’re going to have to be tough.  Tougher than the guys who want to bully us.

“So I’m going to bully you.  Now, it will just be in practice.  Before and after practice, nothing about our relationship will change.  My door’s still always open, you’re still my guys .  But, at practice I’m going to bully you.  I’m going to shove you, verbally abuse you and throw balls at you.  How are you going to react?  Are you going to cave in to the bully?  Or are you going to ignore him, play harder and beat him?”

Once again, this is complete conjecture.  After seeing the video - and noticing the players never seemed to get upset, never questioned Rice (although in other clips, players are seen pushing back assistant Jimmy Martelli after he shoves them - hey, assistants only get so much leeway) led me to believe that these were playing along.  Like it was a play and they were playing a part in it.  Why else would macho guys - as a good deal of today’s ballers see themselves - allow themselves to be subjected to such bullying.  Especially by somebody who recruited them - who was in their homes, spoke with their parents and their coaches.  You know he never told them to expect any such tomfoolery at practices.

Naturally, even if this were true, Rice could never admit it as it’s as asinine a strategy as telling them to play on their knees in order to get lower in their defensive stances.  Plus, admitting to using the homophobic verbiage as a ploy - in any day and age - but especially this one would force any administrator to fire him on the spot.

All of the above is only my imagination’s explanation of what occurred at Rutgers, so we should all keep in mind that:

“Just because you can justify something in your own mind doesn’t make it right.”

This past weekend I was listening to sports talk radio when I heard a familiar voice.  It was Bobby Cremins.  Although Bobby and I are both east coast guys, I didn’t get to know him until we were working in the Southern Conference, Bobby as the head coach at Appalachian State and me as an assistant at Western Carolina.  We became pretty good friends.  Aside from enjoying a career as a highly successful coach, Bobby is one of the most genuine guys in the business and loved by everybody in - and out -of it.  The following story is from my book, Life’s A Joke.  It is pure Bobby.

With all the stops I’ve made, I’ve witnessed some pretty great rivalries: Washington State vs. Washington, Oregon vs. Oregon State, Tennessee vs. Kentucky, Toledo vs. Bowling Green and USC vs. UCLA.  While those are certainly intense, possibly the most heated rivalry is the one between Western Carolina and Appalachian State.  Each is in the Southern Conference - Western Carolina located in the valley of the Smoky Mountains, Appy State at the very top, about a 2 1/2 hour drive from one to the other.  Each (at that time) played in cracker box gymnasiums and every game was hotly contested.

While I was there in the late ’70s, the coach at Appalachian State was Bobby Cremins who later went on to have a highly successful coaching career at Georgia Tech.  Bobby is a native New Yorker and, as had his college coach, Frank McGuire, established a New York pipeline down to Boone, NC where Appalachian State is located.  There’s a major difference between people from the east and those from the south - and this certainly holds true for the student-athletes as well.

One night in Cullowhee, where Western is located, the game was very close until ASU started to pull away at the end.  The crowning blow was a dunk by one of the Appalachian players who hailed from NYC.  As he ran by the capacity crowd of 4400 in a building designed to seat about 3400, he gave the fans the one finger salute.  The chancellor at Western Carolina at that time was, as they say Down South, “a good ol’ boy” and one of the best university administrators I’ve ever been around.  His name was Dr. H.F. “Cotton” Robinson.  Dr. Robinson was an absolutely huge sports fan, not only attending every contest on campus, but really getting involved in the game.

Because Cullowhee was the type of town it was, e.g. unincorporated, no population, no mayor, no Main Street, there weren’t too many jacket-and-tie people coming to games.  This included Dr. Robinson who always sat in the first row, opposite the visiting team’s bench, usually in corduroy pants and a plaid shirt.  Once the game ended and the coaches and players had shaken hands, Dr. Robinson made a beeline for Bobby and said how embarrassed he should be that a player who acted in such a rude manner would be representing his school.  Bobby, being from New York, said what most New Yorkers like him would say.  “Get the bleep outta here!”

Dr. Robinson replied, “Young man, I’ll have you know I’m the chancellor at this university, and I don’t appreciate you talking to me like that.”

To which, Bobby, after checking the corduroy pants and plaid shirt, and realizing that he’d never seen a person of authority dress in such a manner, said, “Get outta my face.  You’re no bleeping chancellor.”

You can only imagine how shocked and embarrassed Bobby was when his media relations director asked him what he and Western Carolina’s chancellor were talking about.

“Better to reserve judgment until you’ve accumulated ALL the facts.”

Since the beginning of time, there have been different types of leaders on athletics teams.  Let’s limit the discussion to only successful ones.  One type of leader might be the player who talks to each teammate individually on a daily basis and gains the trust of everyone.  His or her skill, however, must be such that the team respects it and is confident it will bring victory.  The result is the guys don’t want to let their leader down and will put out maximum effort.

Another type of leader is someone who’s the polar opposite of the above, i.e. is extremely quiet, instead allowing his or her actions speak in lieu of verbal direction.  Players see, not just the talent, but the dedication that is rare today.  This dedication, combined with the skills that translate into victories, are enough to make everyone on the team a believer.

Additional leaders are those individuals who fall in between the two categories mentioned above.  There might be a good player who also happens to be a fine communicator, with the combination of the two yielding positive results.  If he or she is the hardest worker on the team, although not necessarily as skilled as many on the squad, may possess a personality that lends to likability, which in turn becomes trust.  The team believes in this teammate and buys into the spoken word as gospel.  Respect translates to maximum effort and the result is what each team desires: synergy.

How effective a leader of a team is usually can be seen in the overall record, i.e. success, of the club.  Any of the above will be deemed successful if the team wins big.  Interestingly enough, it turned out that this year one of the greatest leaders was a guy who many (outside his organization) felt led through intimidation.  Ray Lewis of the Baltimore Ravens has a well-documented history, much of which dealt with violence.  The negative aspect of Lewis’ life occurred long ago and since then, he’s been an inspiration to his teammates through his “pontificating” - especially after practices and before games.  The Ravens won the Super Bowl in the year Lewis announced his retirement, similar to a move to the charismatic Al McGuire.

When questioned about what he thought when Ray Lewis would “go off” during one of his rants sermons, quarterback - and offensive leader - Joe Flacco simply said:

“His speeches come from the heart.  There’s times where he says some stuff and you’re like, ‘Man I don’t know what that meant, but I like how he said it.’ “

College kids storming the floor after a huge win (”huge” being relative at different universities) has become as much a part of campus life as homecoming.  Hey, why not?  Coaches and athletics administrators implore students to attend games and be loud!  “We especially need help tonight against our rivals, State U, who’s #1 in our league/in the country.”

So they follow orders, support the players and, often, really make a difference.  Maybe a little one but in a close game, all the squad needs is a point or two.  Maybe the team gets a bucket because of a hustle play by a player not known for going all-out.  Or maybe one of their guys shortarms, better yet, airballs a free throw into a crowd of waving, screaming, stomping students.

The game progresses and as the scoreboard hits 0:00 with the home team - the major underdog - ahead!  For all their hard work and sweat, the players celebrate on the court.  Why would anyone expect the students to act any differently?  Let them loose!  Where the professional game and the college game differ is the players are being mobbed by their classmates.  

Naturally, the problem is for the safety of the group of visitors.  Mike Krzyzewski (whose team has been on the receiving end of more floor rushes than anyone else) has expressed concern for his players’ safety.  One idea is to, in the waning seconds, escort the losing club and have security make sure the remaining players on the floor get off safely.  In the past this hasn’t been an issue.  Like in the past boarding an airplane wasn’t an issue.

Just as a very small number of people seem to have ruined it for the overwhelming majority, we now have issues at basketball games.  These “sore winners” feel it necessary to verbally abuse the visitors at exactly a time that all they want to do is get into their locker room with their own people.  Of course, there’s a chance tempers would flare and the situation escalate.  Or the perpetrator, perhaps fortified with liquid courage and feeling the “strength in numbers” behind him, might just act beyond foolish and cause an incident.  Even if Mike’s proposal to guard the visiting team were put into effect, there would be no accounting for the game in which the outcome was decided by a last second shot - a make by the home squad or a miss by the favored visitors.

I’ve been involved with quite a few such “storming the Bastille” situations - on both sides.  At Fresno State we beat Tulsa in the finals of the WAC tournament (which was held on Fresno State’s home floor) to punch our dance card to the NCAAs.  At that time, Bill Self’s team had lost four games - three of them to us, this one by the largest margin - three.  During the regular season, we’d won at Tulsa by one and in Fresno by two.  Terrence Roberson hit his only three-pointer of the game on our last possession with the score tied, we got a stop and . . . batten down the hatches!  After addressing our guys in the locker room, Jerry Tarkanian went into theirs (the only time he ever entered an opponent’s locker room after a game) and said, “I only wish I could get our guys to play as hard as you guys do.”  He capped off the tribute with his trademark, “You’re the best.”

One year I was an assistant at USC, we had a magical run, finishing in the top 10 in the nation.  In the (then) Pac-10, we’d beaten UCLA both times and entered the final game (this was prior to a Pac-10 conference tournament) 14-3 in league play.  The Bruins were 15-2, meaning we’d gotten no help from anybody.  In order to win the championship, we needed to beat Arizona at home and then watch and hope Arizona State could defeat UCLA later that day.

We were down by one with seconds to play and ran a play for Harold Miner, our All-American.  Of course, the Wildcats weren’t going to let him score.  They doubled him, leaving our point guard open.  He took a 15-footer - and missed.  Our do-it-all combo guard, Rodney Chatman, picked up the rebound on the baseline about eight feet from the basket.  Because there was so little time, he simply flipped the ball at the basket.  Later (no replays for referees back then), ESPN’s cameras showed the ball had left the tips of his fingers with 0:00.1 tick left.  Good basket.  Game over.  Trojans win.

Our head coach, George Raveling, didn’t wait for the students to storm the floor.  He sprinted across the floor and dove into the student section!  UCLA beat ASU a couple hours later to dampen our parade but I’ll never forget George’s - and the students’ - reactions.

About three weeks prior to that thriller, we traveled to Pullman, our (George’s and my) old stompin’ grounds, he being the head coach there for 11 years and me being a graduate assistant and earning my master’s from Washington State.  We were neck-and-neck with UCLA for first place in the league.  WSU shot the lights out and beat us.  And their student body stormed the floor.  As we headed back to the locker room, George turned to me and said:

“I can’t believe it, Jack.  A team storming the court after beating USC in basketball.  We’ve finally arrived.”

Yesterday was Thursday.  Mariano Rivera, the greatest closer in major league baseball history, had planned on announcing his retirement from the game on Saturday, the day he was to report to spring training.  But, now, everybody who reads newspapers, checks out the Internet, listens to radio or watches television knows about it.   As far as I can tell, it was Joel Sherman of the New York Post who got the scoop.  I did see where Mark Feinsand and Bill Madden in Florida were close but, from all indications, Sherman was the winner.

Winner of what?  That he got to deprive Rivera of announcing his own retirement when he wanted to announce it?  What, exactly, did he win - except for the admiration of all his fellow journalists for having the best “leak” (aka “source”) or eavesdropping on a conversation Rivera had or hacking into his computer.  Couldn’t all those guys just respected Rivera’s decision and the timing of it?

Through college basketball, I’ve crossed the country and back.  And back again.  I imagine I’ve known more media members than any other other group of professionals, with the exception of coaches and athletic administrators.  Most are great people.  I’ve stayed in touch with many.  As with most relationships, they either fade away or one of the two people does a better job of sustaining it.

One guy I became good friends with, until he got a better job and we lost touch, was the stereotype media guy.  The person who 1) loves sports and getting to know (well) “famous” people, 2) possesses absolutely zero athletic ability but would attempt to play various sports (and likes to think he isn’t that bad - as he used, and knowing him as well as I did, I’m sure he still does - assess his skills) and 3) is great at his job and is totally devoted to it and consumed by it.

One day, we were in one of our many discussions when I brought up something that had happened in the world of college hoops.  “I had that scoop!” he exclaimed.  I continued talking about it when he, once again, repeated, “You know, I had that scoop.”  I told him I had no reason to doubt him.  He then explained to me that getting the scoop, being the first to have the story, was a media guy’s dream.

I said to him that I remembered reading in a book long ago that one TV station beating another by even 15 seconds was considered a major accomplishment.  But the book I read was talking about man walking on the moon or the discovery of a cure for a disease or something, well, meaningful.

No offense to Joel Sherman or Feinsand and Madden, or for that matter, Mariano Rivera, but most of us thought he was going to retire after last year.  Whether the injury lit a fire under him or made him decide that last year wasn’t the way he wanted to go out or, as some have suggested, he wanted the Chipper Jones treatment, i.e. the year-long victory tour in city after city, who cares?  Heck, he deserves to have tributes in all those cities where he broke so many of the locals’ hearts.  Was it really that newsworthy to “scoop” Mariano on his own story?  By two stinkin’ days?  

It’s to guys like these that Golda Meir was referring when she said:

“Don’t be so humble.  You’re not that great.”