Jack’s Blog

With the economic state the country’s in, everyone thought the “bailout” package would most assuredly pass.  It didn’t and the excuses have topped triple digits.

First, it’s the Republicans because they had 12 “aye’s” change their minds.  However, 93 Democrats also voted against it, rendering the dirty dozen moot if more Dems nodded instead of shook.  Our political leaders (and anyone with a party affiliation) immediately started, in crucial times as these, to do what they’re best equipped to do - start blaming others.  Whom to blame?  Simple.  People who disagree with what you believe.

The biggest problem in America is that we’ve lost our sense of TEAM.  Every coach knows when things go wrong, the absolute worst thing to do, the thing that will polarize and destroy the club quicker than anything else, thus assuring failure, is to point fingers.

Yet, this is exactly (no surprise to anyone who’s ever followed politics) what happened. The Republicans said the vote was already to go through until Nancy Pelosi - during one of the greatest crises that’s ever faced our nation - felt the need to make a partisan speech, slamming the opposition party.  It wasn’t enough for her to say we’ve come together to give hope back to the country by passing this emergency legislation; she needed to grandstand and give it a political agenda.  The result was the proposal fell and so did the market, costing the taxpayers $1.2 trillion.  Thanks, Madame Speaker, you now have shown you truly have the cojones you’ve always longed for.

On the Democratic side, remarks were heard, “Oh, just because some Republicans had their feelings hurt, they decided to change their vote.”  True, but these were also congressmen (and possibly, congresswomen - wouldn’t want to offend Pelosi) who had been bombarded by their constituents not to vote in favor of the bail out.  In times of high unemployment, the is only one job statistic a congressperson cares about - do I still have a job?  Listening to, and not offending the people they represent is the most surefire way of remaining on the employment side of the unemployment-employment topic.

Yes, in truth, it may have cost some legislators their jobs and if they caved in because they truly believed they needed to serve their constituency, I’ll buy it, but if it really was because Pelosi wanted to make it look like all of this was the Republicans’ fault and the Democrats came to the rescue, shame on everybody.  The team is most important and politicians constantly lose sight of that fundamental principle.

The talking heads weighed in.  Hannity and Colmes did as they always do - pound away at numbers and facts that favor their side, deflect and ignore those that are contrary, all the while Sean and Alan never having to worry about filling out the short form when April 15 rolls around (yet they sound so righteous when discussing the poor guy on “Main Street“).  Meanwhile, Bill O’Reilly puts up with interviewing guests who take up valuable time he could be using to promote his latest book.

After hearing all the pundits had to say, I’m certain I know who’s at fault.  It’s always the same person.  Somebody else.

In an athletics depatment where I once worked, when a problem was brought up and blame was to be assigned, what followed reminded me of the old Three Stooges movies - when Moe turn and slap Larry, then Larry would turn and slap Curly.  Finally, Curly would turn and there’d be no one to slap.  That’s when I came up with my rule of survival:

“Don’t be Curly.”    �

My 9/24 blog mentioned my latest back problem.  Although I’ve been on medication to ease the pain somewhat (down to an 8 out of 10 from a 10+), it’s flared up again.  Permit me to reprint an archived blog (May of ‘07) from the days when I was only getting 100 or so hits (meaning the majority of the current readers didn’t read it).  With all that’s going on the past couple weeks, it’s certainly worth repeating:

Since the ’90s, more and more companies have been writing “mission statements” to let their clients, employees and the world know what their deepest meaning as an organization is.  Quite possibly, this has been the practice for decades, yet it seems only recently they’ve been so prominent, i.e. displayed on the wall of the foyer for every man, woman and child to see.

Since this idea has been so well accepted, it was only a matter of time before people had personal mission statements.  I’ve read a great deal about mission statements and everything I’ve seen made a lot of sense, so a few years ago, I decided to craft my own personal mission statement. 

The one thing I noticed is many people use words that make you reach for a thesaurus, so I made up my mind that “the simpler, the better” would be rule #1 for my mission statement.  My original idea contained only three words: make a difference.  Then, I started to think.  Osama Bin Laden made a difference.  Time for the first edit.  The new and improved mission statement became: make a positive difference. 

Then I recalled a family vacation we took to Scottsdale one year.  Part of our stay was at the magnificent Phoenician Hotel.  This awesome architectural masterpiece was built with funds from Charles Keating, and contained every possible amenity you could wish for - and then some.  It was quite apparent that nothing was compromised in erecting this fabulous resort.  Charles Keating, however, was the same person who made his fortune by bilking people in the savings and loan scandal (looks like the guys who are responsible for the current mess went to school on Ol’ Chuck).  Second edit: make a positive difference, legally.

This was OK but was still a little more bland than I would have liked.  I needed something that better encompassed my personality.  So, the final draft of my personal mission statement became: Make a positive difference, legally, and have fun doing it.

Works for me.

When I wondered if this had truly “captured” me, the following quote from Socrates popped into my head:
 

“The greatest way to live with honor in this world is to be what we pretend to be - to be in reality what we want others to think we are.”

A great deal has been written about the New York Mets latest swoon (although, they prevailed in their last game, 2-0).  The word “choke” is thrown about by Mets’ fans and detractors (aka “haters”), but what exactly is choking? 

Quoting from the home page of the Selfhelp Magazine website, “Choking is an inability to perform up to a former standard.  High anxiety is typically the major cause of choking …” In other words, the athlete is overly concerned about what others think.  Independent of the level of play (from T-ball all the way up to the Major Leagues), an overabundance of anxiety, i.e. a worry about failing, … about what others will say, … about letting teammates, family and friends down, will, with a fairly high degree of probability, result in a self-fulfilling prophecy - or a choke.

Think about it from a personal standpoint - if you have ever experienced those circumstances.  If not, i.e. if you’ve somehow successfully blocked out the experience from your mind because, let’s face it, anyone who’s had an athletic career that’s lasted longer than a weekend, has buckled at one time or another, try to recall “another athlete” facing such a situation.  Why did you/he/she miss the putt or the kick or the free throw or not clear the qualifying height (which had been a piece of cake in the past), or double fault? 

Undoubtedly, it was because what was going through the mind of the competitor (and, yeah, I still think the majority of “chokers” are competitors) was not “How great will this feel when I successfully accomplish it?” but rather, “How bad will things be if I miss?” 

I always wrap up these blogs with a summary quote.  Today’s entry will have two, each of which I believe are apropos.  The first is from Philip Anschutz, who owns, or has major interests in (among other belongings), the MLS’ Los Angeles Galaxy, the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings, the NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers and the Staples Center:

“It’s not failure that stops people.  It’s the fear of failure that stops people.” 

Quote number two, from speaker Ed Foreman, is equally as powerful:

“Worry is nothing less than the misuse of your imagination.”

Warning: This blog may sound like “second verse, same as the first” (or fifteenth verse, same as the fourteenth).

The fundamental problem with politics is NOT with the candidates (especially at the Presidential level).

The fundamental problem is with the strategists - whose only goal is TO WIN!  It’s not their fault.  It’s their job!  Example (and keep in mind that this example is not from Republican and Democratic strategists, just a Republican and a Democrat - however, they are reactions of two extremely bright and knowledgeable people who are closely following the debate and the campaigns- in chronological order of when they were interviewed (so as to eliminate accusations of slanting my commentary). 

First, Bill Bennett (Republican) said McCain’s theme was “Obama doesn’t understand,” while Obama’s was, “You’re right, John,” which, he said, showed Obama is intellectually generous, while McCain is a sheriff.  Bennett’s conclusion was that in these times, we need a sheriff.  Next up was Paul Begala (Democrat) who, not surprisingly, explained why he thought Obama did better in the debate.

Strategists’ jobs (come to think of it, not that unlike Bennett’s and Begala’s) are 1) when they hear a good idea come from the opposition, either figure out a way to take credit for it, i.e. that it was, in fact, their candidate who came up with it (or at least, their party did), or find some way to discredit it, or some area where they can punch a hole in it (even though, privately, they agree with 99.9999% of it) and 2) to listen to the opponent, not with (Stephen Covey’s 5th of his 7 Habits of Highly Effective People suggests) the intent to seek to understand, but rather they hover and pounce on any mistake, any (even the most minor) of slip-ups and build a case to paint the opponent as wrong, naive, uninformed, foolish, or, if possible, the ultimate trump card - as someone who is completely incapable of holding such a prestigious and powerful position and, hence, would be a danger to the people - if elected.

Another example of conflicting post-debate comments: Nicole Wallace (Senior Advisor to John McCain) smiled throughout the entire interview, claiming a resounding McCain victory.  Interviewed immediately after Wallace was Joe Biden (no ID necessary), who evaluated the debate from a diametrically opposed viewpoint. 

Same debate, very intelligent people.  How could their opinions differ so widely?  The quote from the blog of just a couple days ago (9/25) fits in nicely, but when it comes to the overall good of the American people, the one by former President Dwight D. Eisenhower (because of its content, not necessarily his party affiliation) might hit the mark even better:

“It’s far more important to be able to hit the target than it is to haggle over who makes the weapon or pulls the trigger.”   �

I have no idea.  I mean, there’s no explanation. 

Sure, you could say that Oregon State was totally focused on the game and nothing else because they hadn’t started school yet (classes at OSU start on Monday), but do you really think the Trojans had their minds screwed up by some homework assignment or professor’s lecture?  Independent of what else could be used as an excuse, one fact remains paramount.  USC has infinitely more talent than the Beavers.  There might be a handful of guys on Oregon State’s squad that the Trojans would like to be wearing the Cardinal and Gold (Jacquizz Rodgers may have had a sensational game, but do you think for a Hollywood minute SC coaches are rethinking their philosophy of recruiting tailbacks to include one that stands 5′6″)?  On the other hand, that number pales in comparison to the number of SC players the OSU coaching staff tried to recruit and couldn’t even get into the picture - much less the homes of - with when it came to luring them to Corvallis.

Sure, all the factors occurred in an upset, e.g. the Trojans fumbling and the turnover leading to an Oregon State touchdown; an uncharacteristic, undisciplined cheap shot by an Southern Cal player offering the Beavers an additional opportunity which, naturally, they cashed in on, not only for a TD, but for a score that first looked like an interception just before the half ended, only to be bobbled by the Beaver receiver (rhyme intended, but no pun as this is a family blog) screwed the Trojans for six.

The reason I can’t find an explanation for this incredible upset is because of the way USC’s marvelously talented offense played in the second half.  It seemed like Mark Sanchez’s sideline antics got his guys fired up and they so easily did after intermission what they could not do in the opening 30 minutes.  (Therein lies the question: Why couldn’t they - didn’t they - do the same in the first half)?  I guarantee you everybody in Trojan Country is perplexed by that question.  They needed a score to keep from getting completely embarrassed (they trailed 21-0 at the half), so they went out and scored a pair (while the defense throttled the Beavers offense which had been so amazing in the first half).  Another Why?

At 21-14, Sanchez made a costly mistake, throwing into coverage, actually overthrowing into coverage, got picked off and returned so close to a score, it was a simple blast away from the clinching touchdown.  Yet, even at that point, the Trojans, under the fiery leadership from their highly skilled QB, put up another score and was a recovery of an onside kick away from a certain comeback of epic proportions.  But onside kicks aren’t ever a very reliable method to lean on and that was the case in this game.

Following the game, USC head coach Pete Carroll was his usual magnamimous self, giving all the credit to OSU (kind of easy when you lose an average of one game a year), although he did wrap up his remarks by saying his team didn’t play well.  Duh!  The Men of Troy are so vastly superior in talent to the guys from Corvallis that they entered the game between three and four touchdown favorites. 

Some might point out that, because there is so little to do in Corn Valley, that had something to do with the upset.  Puh-lease.  Do you really think the lack of entertainment prior to a road game ever has anything to do with a college football team losing.  These guys are so singleminded of purpose, it wouldn’t matter if the Presidential debates were held the night before the game and each player was given a front row seat.  They simply wouldn’t go (although don’t let the NCAA know they’d probably sell the tickets since such a ducat would fetch big-time dough and don’t think there isn’t a person - or two - who make a living off of ticket scalping - and who would be close enough by to gladly take such a distraction off their hands - for a price.

When all is said and done, SC still can’t be ruled out for the National Championship. They’re just going to have to hope that no more than one team goes through the season undefeated (or that no team does) and SC wins out.  With their remaining schedule (although when Coach Carroll made the statement, “The Pac-10 is so ridiculously hard,” I wondered what he’d say if they were in the SEC, where each game actually is ridiculously hard - and then you have to a conference playoff, against the winner from the other side - which is ridiculously harder), it’s not a stretch to see the Trojans in the final game.    

However, at the conclusion of this particular game, the fans let their enthusiasm pour onto the field, the identical enthusiasm the Beavs played with throughout (most of) the evening.  So maybe this is just one of those games that Dee Andros, the late OSU football coach, known as The Great Pumpkin, for his rotund figure and propensity for dressing all in orange, would have quoted Andrew Carnegie:

“A person can succeed at almost anything in which they have unlimited enthusiasm.”

I’ve had eight back surgeries - all major.  Of course, I once heard minor surgery is what it’s called when it’s done to someone else; it’s major when they cut you.  For those fortunate of you who’ve never experienced surgery, take my word for it, the last statement’s true.

Since I’ve been confined to bed since I got back from the Emergency Room at 4:00 am on Tuesday morning, I’ve done nothing but sleep, watch CNN and read a  book entitled Minestrone for the Mobster’s Soul (co-written, believe it or not, by an assistant coach for the Chicago Bulls, an 30+ year basketball coaching lifer - 15 at Gordon Tech High School in Chicago, a brief stay in college and the last 20 years in the NBA - named Bob Ociepka - pen name Bobby Madura, and his cousin, Bruno).  Nothing, that is, other than writhe in pain every minute I’m awake - which could account for the tone of this blog.  Bear with me if you disagree.

The sleeping part is great, until the waking up part happens.  The book is so enjoyable because, while it’s certainly not a book for everybody (I defy anybody to name one that is, including, unfortunately, The Holy Bible), it’s as real a book as I’ve ever read (and I’m considered a rather voracious reader).  This blog’s not about that book however (although I anticipate writing one once I finish it).

What may have exacerbated my condition was the news that was reported all within a period, it seemed, of a couple hours: President Bush’s address on the economy (or what’s left of it), Senator McCain’s statement on suspending his campaign and his suggestion to postpone Friday’s debate and Senator Obama’s answer to Senator McCain that, while the economic crisis certainly is a monstrous problen, a president must be able to deal with more than one crisis at a time, i.e. the campaign and the debate must go on.

First, President Bush’s address.  It sounded sincere and who am I to doubt the President’s sincerity?  I just have one question: Where the hell has this guy been?  How in the world does someone who has as much responsibility as he does for the American citizens, let the country we’ve entrusted to him get into such bad shape to begin with?  I can’t believe nobody in his advisory council saw any of this financial collapse coming?  When I lost faith in the President (and I have to admit, I voted for him) was the day, quite a while back, he was questioned about gas costing over $4/gallon.  His response was, “It is?  I did not know that.”  Is that how you run up a nine trillion dollar deficit?  In math terms, that’s $9,000,000,000,000.  That ought to bother even people making a whole lotta money. 

When Dick Cheney, his vice-presidential choice, was discovered to have the connections he did with Halliburton, it was the being of the end of trusting the current administration.  To someone who’s as ignorant of the business world as I am, what’s going on now and what happened with Halliburton stinks of one common human flaw: greed.  How anyone can screw over so many people for personal financial gains, independent of how much they end up cashing in on (7, 8 or even 9 figures) just shocks me - and I’m definitely no babe in the woods when it comes to dishonestly.  (After all, I did recruit basketball players in the SEC from 1980-87.)  When trust goes, there’s nothing substantial left.

These people (the CEO’s who cash in and take off) should be subjected to Bobby O’s form of justice - but they ought to be made to read the section on it in Minestrone first - so they know what’s coming, just not when.

As far as Senators McCain and Obama, there is no question in my mind that each is a true public servant.  Both want what’s best for the American people.  It’s the small, but oh-so-powerful nameless and faceless minority behind them, running their campaigns, so hell-bent on winning, that their every move is toward political, as opposed to human, needs.  I don’t know why (or maybe I do), but every time I see (and hear) Karl Rove, I think of this type of person - someone who’s the absolute best at smearing opponents, yet when asked about a weakness of someone he supports, diverts the query and returns to smearing.  He should be the first person to read Bobby’s book.

I tell my classes every year the story of Copernicus, the person who told everybody that the world, in fact, did not revolve around us, that we were part of something bigger - and that even though he was right, his reward was … getting killed.  (Maybe that’s where honesty got a bad rap).  Yet, his main message lives on - and it would do all political candidates (and their committee members and supporters - which means, pretty much, everyone), to take heed:

“It’s not about us.  We’re part of something bigger.” ¼/p>

I’ve gone down this road (too many) times before and my greatest fear is I will need another surgery.  This will be my ninth.

Don’t give up on me.  I’ll be back as soon as I possibly can.

This past Ryder Cup was such a thrill for golf fans because it was such a thrill for the players!  To see Boo Weekly, the complete opposite of what we’ve come to think of as a golfer even in PGA tournament play, ride his golf club like a horse (a la Adam Sandler in Happy Gilmore), is, to state the obvious, not something we’re likely to see on the weekly tour television coverage.  That, alone, made the viewing worthwhile.

Golf has become such a lucrative occupation, that when we see one of its competitors miss a shot which would have extended his lead or pulled him to within a stroke or two of it, we can almost see his thought process: “Damn, I really needed that one … but I’m still assured a pretty good paycheck.”  The last part of that thought is a rather presumptuous conclusion on my part, but the fact remains the only person who is affected by the tour golfer’s performance is the golfer himself (and those close to him, e.g. his family, caddie or anyone whose livelihood is dependent on his performance).

In Ryder Cup play, however, the atmosphere completely changes.  Anyone who watched this past weekend and couldn’t tell the Kentucky crowd gave a distinct “home course” advantage to the Americans, ought to take the mirror under the nose test.  Just watching Phil Mickelson, who, if he were to play the way he did for the USA in a PGA match (major or not), would be incredibly disappointed.  Yet, there he was, acting like a school kid, after it was all over, celebrating his team’s victory. 

When Kenny Perry said he thought playing for the Red, White and Blue and winning the Ryder Cup would define his career, but he was mistaken - it made his career and hearing J.B. Holmes, along with Perry, a Blue Grass native, try to explain how much winning the Cup meant to him, his voice cracking throughout the interview, showed how much more pressure playing for a team - for others beside yourself - there is in a game that’s loaded with pressure to begin with.

The entire experience is reminiscent of Booker T. Washington’s line:

“If you want to lift yourself up, lift up someone else.”     �

As far as I’m concerned, The Yankee Stadium, the one with all that rich tradition, has been gone ever since they renovated it in 1974.  So, when someone asks me, knowing I grew up in New Jersey and had been to Yankee Stadium on numerous occasions as a youngster, if I regret the landmark shrine being torn down, I say no, because it hasn’t been the same since ‘74 anyway.

I can vividly recall going to see the Yankees with my father (who was a huge Yankees fan, while I was a Dodgers’ fanatic, “brainwashed” - according to him - by my mother’s side of the family who were all from Brooklyn and had taken me to Ebbets Field at the age of four).  Still, I fully realized how great the Yankees were.  One reason was all the neighbors (including my best friend and his two brothers) were NYY supporters and another was I was very knowledgeable, as most New York and New Jersey kids were, about baseball statistics.  It was hard to argue the dominance of the Bronx Bombers (which, however, never stopped me, Dodger loyalist and pre-teen that I was).

When my father and I would make the trip to The Stadium as it was known (for people old enough to remember, it didn’t matter how much of a Dodger or Giants fan you were, Ebbets Field and the Polo Grounds just didn’t qualify as stadiums, more like band boxes -which, in all honesty, they were), I stood in awe of the structure that held (it seemed), the World Series every year.  I remember, most of all, center field and the monuments (which as a kid, I thought were tombstones, under which the Yankee greats were buried - even though some of them were still alive).  Any ball hit to that part of the stadium was a guaranteed inside-the-park home run, but the players still had to futively chase the ball down, just like in the fields we played that didn’t have fences.  Nobody ever thought about hitting a ball into the bleachers in dead center, although my friends secretly hoped “the Mick” would do it, so they’d have more ammunition for their argument about why Mantle was better than Duke Snider, something I’d never admit (until I got to be in my twenties, lost most of my passion in Major League Baseball - and gained some sense).

One game, we got to the park about an hour early (watching batting practice was as much fun as keeping score in the program my dad would buy) and I went down to the Yankees dugout (although our seats were about twenty rows - and a deck - higher).  Back in those days, no one ever stopped a kid from trying to get autographs (of course, we weren’t trying to sell them, either) and I yelled out for some players to come out and sign my program, promising them that if they’d sign, they’d have a great game.  A couple of guys emerged.  It was a “pick-up line” I used every time we went to a major league game (we’d go to two or three games a year from my eighth birthday to my twelfth or thirteenth) and I found it worked for many players.  After a career in athletics (coaching, not playing), I came to realize some guys are so superstitious, they’ll do almost anything to help out their game, especially if they’re in a slump.  One game, in particular, I remember one of the guys who gave me an autograph hit a grand slam home run.  I can’t for the life of me remember who it was, but it was a game the Yankees slaughtered their opponent (as if that narrows it down much) and Mickey Mantle had two homers.

I understand now why the ball park has to be replaced, but as a kid, I’d be front and center in any demonstration to “save the old ball yard.”  It’s all about economics - which kids don’t understand - and don’t care to.  It was the same reason I was stunned, betrayed and hurt when the Dodgers and Giants (more the Dodgers) left in 1958 (when I was ten) to go out west.  But, as Ann Landers remarked (although it probably had zero to do with baseball when she said it):

“Maturity is the ability to live in peace with that which we cannot change.”  

       �

Today’s college football coaches are being paid like CEO’s and it’s because, for all intents and purposes, they are.  A great one can not only win games, but account for a substantial contribution to the university’s bottom line - in not only money, but also enrollment.  Ask any admissions officer if there’s a correlation between a winning football program and the number of applications a school receives.  If any of them say it’s not true, you’ve found yourself an admissions director of a school without a football team.   

The job description of today’s football coach includes responsibility for the overall program, meaning: naturally, the won-loss record, but also overseeing recruiting; the academic performance of the student-athletes; their strength, conditioning and nutrition activities; their off-the-field behavior - both positive e.g. community service (appearances at elementary, junior high high schools and youth athletic programs, etc.) and negative (legal problems, negative publicity, etc.); speaking engagements, and fund raising functions.

Yet, regardless of how well the coach performs in all the other areas combined, e.g. the players graduate, they’re in top physical condition (through the use of all natural methods and supplements), they’re pillars of the community with nothing illegal or immoral ever occurring, and the coach is always available to speak to whatever group requests him - and can be counted on to make, not only an appearance, but a difference, in a fund raising event, won’t he still be dismissed if the team’s record is, year after (not too many) year(s), a losing one?  Realistically, at the Division IA level (or whatever the football gods are calling it now), the answer is yes - since what really matters to the overwhelming majority of the school’s supporters is - no surprise - winning.  Independent of what any Polyanna-ish fan proclaims, the number one factor in winning is talent.  It, then, would stand to reason that the best recruiter would be the best coach.  But this is not always the case.

Coaching skills (strategy, play calling, motivation, substitution patterns) still are a major factor in which team wins.  It’s very seldom anyone will hear a coach sincerely say he was out-coached.  Sure, every so often, a coach - usually one who has a glossy record and a great deal of job security (if there is such an animal) - will say he was outcoached, but, usually that comes after a disappointing loss and is preceded by the words: “We were outplayed and outhustled.”  So as not to lose his team by looking like he threw them under the bus (and because the loss was so humbling), he’ll add the “outcoached” part.  Then, it shows a type of team unity (or, at least, plays on the misery loves company theme).

So, can a coach make a difference in any area besides talent?  I still believe he can.  The greatest compliment there ever was, regarding “coaching skill” - and I defy anybody to come up with a better one - was when Bum Phillips, coach of the old Houston Oilers, said of his contemporary, Don Shula, then coach of the Miami Dolphins:

“He can take his’n and beat your’n and take your’n and beat his’n.”

   �