The 5 most feared words in sports. Well at least for me it is.
This is usually the play that the opposition makes a devastating play against my beloved alma mater. It's also one of many lame sayings our PA announcer belts out prior to that play (the worst being, "that's another Golden Gopher....First Down!!"). Almost like a bad rash or a sudden case of the mouth throw ups, I hate these 5 words. Note: we play Ohio State this weekend on National TV, they may not face 3rd down until they take a knee in the 4th quarter.
Well Gopher Fans, it's 3rd Down for our football program and really long right now.
Here's why:
The current head coach of the program, Joel Maturi, is about as in touch with college sports as Mr. Drummond was with his new son's Arnold and Willlis on Different Strokes (What you talkin 'bout Willis?)!
Just like being in a 3rd and long situation...Gopher Athletics' needs a lucky play or even better a cheapie pass interference call (see Tubby Smith Hire) to make up for some dismal circumstances. But before we hire the coach, let's make sure our house is clean before we start inviting people over.
1. Radio Crew - please fire Dave Lee, Dave Mona, Darrell Thompson and anyone besides Ray Christensen who has been involved over the last 20 years. Hire a real radio announcer, not a guy who shills bread and funeral chapels every morning and wouldn't know a 5 star recruit from a 5 pound bag of Bushel Barrel Tomatoes. Sorry Darrell and Dave Mona to lump you in, but this is a clear throw the baby out with the bathwater moment.
2. PA Guy - please fire him and get rid of all of his lame "traditions". Just like the radio guy...hire a pro, not a hack. Go to a college game and note what the characteristics of what other schools do well and make up your own, rather than try to copy what everyone else is doing.
3. Game Day Experience - Our in-stadium experience strikes me as "let's try some lame stuff until something works..." Well nothing has worked. It is some of the hokiest attempts at humor and copying of other traditions in one spot you will ever find. Please just one original thought...one, please!!!!!!!!
Most are probably thinking, "hey Z, you wanna fire the radio announcer, the PA guy, and develop some in-game atmosphere at the stadium...aren't you ignoring the white elephant in the room...Joel Maturi?"
Not ignoring that at all, but realistically we have 3 weeks to hire a coach before another program like Michigan, ASU, Maryland, Texas A&M, Colorado, etc gets an itchy trigger finger, fires their coach and hires who we want. So no, we can't fire Mr. Drummond.......yet.
Here is my Realistic Top 5 (provided to you because the local pro-biased, my buddy-biased media has no true insight who is a viable candidate). I'd take any of these guys in a heartbeat:
1. Mike Belotti - The architect behind the current Oregon success..enough said.
2. Gary Patterson - was interested 4 years ago post haste, straight shooter, will never get a chance at BCS Title at TCU (nor will Boise when push comes to shove).
3. Al Golden - Temple head coach, great recruiter, young, defensive minded, Penn State background
4. Dan Mullen - Mississippi State coach, former Florida Coordinator...has MSU back on the map in his second year
5. Troy Calhoun - Air Force head coach, young, has all the tools to be the next best coach in College Football.
Not Realistic Top 3:
Mike Leach - I'd take him, but Mr. Drummond is way too squeaky to hire a guy who has problems with authority...
Jim Harbaugh - LOL, no chance
Chris Peterson - Boise, no chance (he turned down Tennessee)!
Sleepers:
Gary Pinkel - Missouri Coach
Mike Stoops - Arizona Coach
Randy Shannon - Miami Coach
Don't make me swear Top 5:
Dan McCarney
Kevin Sumlin
Paul Chryst
Marc Trestman
Glen Mason
Did I leave any stone un-turned?
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
The Youth Hockey Conundrum
This blog entry is directed mostly at my local youth hockey-niks...but if you live in Indiana (insert basketball) or if you live in Hawaii (insert surfing).
So, the other day I'm talking to a buddy who is an active board member at Minnesota Hockey (the governing body of association hockey which is affiliated directly with USA Hockey). As we were agreeing on just about everything that is right and wrong with youth hockey today...he gave me an incredible statistic he just discovered.
MNH surveyed the 2,000 parents whose kids played hockey last year and did not sign up again this year. My gut reaction was the parents would play the "economy" card. Fees for hockey can be close to $1,000 per year in the early years to up to $5,000 or more in years afterward.
Of the hundreds of replies received, only ONE replied that it was too expensive. That's a huge "wow" all by itself...but there's more. The other set of responses were categorized into two even batches:
1. Too Much Time: The first was that the amount of time that was required (3 days week in the early years to just 1-3 days off per month in the later years). The time commitment is huge and the early morning ice is especially painful. Most season's start light in September/October -- and go heavy from November to March (that's 6 months - not counting pre and post season clinics, AAA season, off season dryland and hockey camp).
2. Not Enough: In the early years (5-8 years old) it is common to have hockey on the weekends and once during the week. By 7 or 8, some parents (and presumably some kids, haha) want more than what their local association offers. Because of demand, there are For Profit entities happy to take these parent's money and charge them for 4-5 days a week, intense training, and adult styled games.
The conundrum is this:
Where is the happy medium to attract people to the fastest sport on earth? Is it against the law to want to just play recreationally (i.e. down at the park)? It is also not against the law to play as much as the kid/parent wants.
Commentary:
A heavy, heavy, heavy majority of the people fall in the middle. They want their kid to play hockey, play hockey with their friends, take part in a great (Minnesota) tradition. The problem lies with the people who lose this perspective...their agenda is to get their kid ahead of the pack at all cost even at the expense of friendships (including their neighbors). These people will move their families to the right zip code to get their kid on the right team, they will travel 2,000 miles to play in a game not as good as one in their own backyard....doing all of this with people they barely know and live nowhere near. All in the quest to get ahead or to say "Billy played in the Edmonton last Summer for the Pink Lady AAA Super Select Elite Ass Kickers!"
Herb Brooks said it best to his 1980 Olympic team, "...you were born to be a player, you were meant to be here..." If your kid was meant to be a player, let him play. But if your kid doesn't want to go to hockey on July 11th because it's 80 degrees and sunny and he'd rather climb a tree, then take a look in the mirror and remember whose sport it is and let him climb the tree.
So, the other day I'm talking to a buddy who is an active board member at Minnesota Hockey (the governing body of association hockey which is affiliated directly with USA Hockey). As we were agreeing on just about everything that is right and wrong with youth hockey today...he gave me an incredible statistic he just discovered.
MNH surveyed the 2,000 parents whose kids played hockey last year and did not sign up again this year. My gut reaction was the parents would play the "economy" card. Fees for hockey can be close to $1,000 per year in the early years to up to $5,000 or more in years afterward.
Of the hundreds of replies received, only ONE replied that it was too expensive. That's a huge "wow" all by itself...but there's more. The other set of responses were categorized into two even batches:
1. Too Much Time: The first was that the amount of time that was required (3 days week in the early years to just 1-3 days off per month in the later years). The time commitment is huge and the early morning ice is especially painful. Most season's start light in September/October -- and go heavy from November to March (that's 6 months - not counting pre and post season clinics, AAA season, off season dryland and hockey camp).
2. Not Enough: In the early years (5-8 years old) it is common to have hockey on the weekends and once during the week. By 7 or 8, some parents (and presumably some kids, haha) want more than what their local association offers. Because of demand, there are For Profit entities happy to take these parent's money and charge them for 4-5 days a week, intense training, and adult styled games.
The conundrum is this:
Where is the happy medium to attract people to the fastest sport on earth? Is it against the law to want to just play recreationally (i.e. down at the park)? It is also not against the law to play as much as the kid/parent wants.
Commentary:
A heavy, heavy, heavy majority of the people fall in the middle. They want their kid to play hockey, play hockey with their friends, take part in a great (Minnesota) tradition. The problem lies with the people who lose this perspective...their agenda is to get their kid ahead of the pack at all cost even at the expense of friendships (including their neighbors). These people will move their families to the right zip code to get their kid on the right team, they will travel 2,000 miles to play in a game not as good as one in their own backyard....doing all of this with people they barely know and live nowhere near. All in the quest to get ahead or to say "Billy played in the Edmonton last Summer for the Pink Lady AAA Super Select Elite Ass Kickers!"
Herb Brooks said it best to his 1980 Olympic team, "...you were born to be a player, you were meant to be here..." If your kid was meant to be a player, let him play. But if your kid doesn't want to go to hockey on July 11th because it's 80 degrees and sunny and he'd rather climb a tree, then take a look in the mirror and remember whose sport it is and let him climb the tree.
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