I've never been a true, dyed-in-the-wool baseball fan, but I love coaching baseball.
I love coaching baseball because I'm helping and teaching kids, kids that just want to learn the game, get better, and learn how to be teammates.
There's absolutely nothing better in this world than teaching and helping kids. Whether you're a school teacher or a coach, teaching and coaching kids to conduct themselves in the right way is a reward all its own.
I grew up loving baseball first, and collecting baseball cards before football cards, because to me, there was something magical about the game, especially when it's played in the bright summer sunshine.
Speaking of teachers, my grade school teachers would always allow us to watch the World Series, long ago, when it used to be played during the day, even on weekdays.
Now, of course, I'm a football guy, and will always be a football guy, that's who I am when it comes to sports. But, there was a time.........
I used to just love watching baseball players warm up before they went onto the field, and then watching them play when I was a kid, because they just looked like they were having so much fun. They truly enjoyed and loved the game, and it showed, whether they were warming up, or out there playing the actual game.
That seems sooooo long ago now, so far away. Steroids and night games and playing for money only and baseball strikes have completely overshadowed a truly great game. Our "National Pasttime" no longer.
But alas, that magical game isn't really so far away after all.
Go to your nearest little league ball field on a Saturday afternoon and watch the youngsters play. Such joy and fun amidst learning to play the game and being a teammate, it just doesn't get any better than this.
Even better, get involved, be a part. Help teach and coach our kids, have fun, and be rewarded all at the same time.
Football is my favorite sport, far and away, but I'd rather be out there coaching my boys' baseball team on a Saturday afternoon, than watching Tennesse play a football game, if they were to overlap.
The magic is still there in baseball, you just have to know where to look.
Monday, April 27, 2009
Monday, April 20, 2009
Running Game to Carry Vols
Watching the Orange and White game last evening, my heart quickened a bit as I saw Tennessee's running backs continually make good yardage.
Yes, we all like the big downfield passing plays, and they're certainly pretty to watch, and I've been a staunch proponent of Tennessee doing more of that in past years. But if there was ever a year Tennessee needs to establish the running game, this is it, given their poor quarterback play last season.
The zone blocking scheme, which Lane Kiffin has brought to Tennessee, could be the saving grace not only for the overall offense, but for these struggling quarterbacks as well. It could help open up the passing game with less pressure on them.
But I digress. Let's talk about the running backs and the offensive line.
Montario Hardesty, and more notably Turean Poole and Toney Williams, have grasped the "one cut and go" mentality you have to have when running behind the zone blocking scheme.
This is the same scheme that brought the Denver Broncos their first Super Bowl title, and made Terrell Davis a Super Bowl MVP. It's also the same scheme used to free the likes of Reggie Bush and Lendale White at USC.
It's design is twofold.....one, it gives the offensive line a real chance to make those 3rd shorts, especially one as underachieving as Tennessee's has been the last 2-3 years. Secondly, it gives slashing, breakaway runners a chance to string out a play a bit, then make the one cut behind that zone blocking, then go north and south against the grain. This is a perfect recipe for long gains.
The offensive line, even when blocking in such a scheme, doesn't have to remember a third as much as they did a year ago with all of the flip-flopping they were doing. They can each concentrate on their own particular jobs, and play instead of thinking and reacting.
Thus, this offensive line, despite having to learn yet another system, has taken to it with great excitement, and has already become rather accomplished at it, given the short time they've had to learn and execute.
This year, I believe the running game will more important to Tennessee's success than at any time in recent memory. The Vol quarterbacks still have a lot of growing to do, and a lot of confidence yet to gain, and a good, solid running game is just what the doctor ordered for them.
There are still some unknowns certainly, because SEC foes like Florida, Georgia, and Alabama will crowd the line of scrimmage, and try to force UT's quarterbacks to beat them. And the offensive line will have to prove they can get it done in the SEC. However, given the way Tennessee's defensive front has been performing, running well against that consistently could bode well for the Vols come September.
Monday, April 13, 2009
Is Tiger the Best Ever?
Tiger Woods.
Sixty-six tournament victories and 14 major championships in less than 12 years on tour. He wins nearly 30% of the tournaments he enters. He makes seemingly every clutch putt he's ever had to make.
He's never, ever lost a major after leading or being tied for the lead going into the final round. 14-0.
His name rising up the leaderboard strikes fear into everyone ahead of him. His gallery's roars let the other contenders know what he's doing, causing fellow competitors to quiver and shake.
He commands millions of dollars in appearance fees alone, and will be sport's first "Billion Dollar Man".
He's being called the best golfer ever.
But is he?
He's still 5 major wins away from eclipsing Jack Nicklaus's record of 18 major titles. He's still 8 total PGA tour victories shy of Nicklaus's 73 wins, and still well short of Sam Snead's record 82 victories.
Yet, a lot of national media types and even some current and former professional tour players say he's already the best of all time.
Our society these days, pop culture, if you will, has consistently said that what's happening during this particular era is unmatched, whether you're talking about sports, entertainment, music, anything.
Most people's point of reference obviously begins from when they were born, and the vast majority of today's young golfers and media types call Woods the best ever.
They didn't see Nicklaus play, and mostly remember him from his victory in the 1986 Masters, when he won at age 46.
Nicklaus and Woods each have dominated their sport in similar fashion, from their major victories, to their ability to intimidate their competition, to being able to bomb the golf ball off the tee.
The difference though, is in the competition they faced.
Nicklaus had Arnold Palmer, Gary Player, and Lee Trevino early on, and then Johnny Miller Tom Weiskopf, and most notably Tom Watson later. The number of majors they've won all told, is 32.
Tiger Woods had Ernie Els and Vijay Singh early on, and Phil Mickelson and Padraig Harrington currently.
They've won only 12 combined majors.
The major difference, other than the majors? Well, one is the number of so-called competitors. Tiger has is roughly two-less than Nicklaus did.
But the biggest and most important difference is that Nicklaus's contemporaries actually stole several majors from Jack. Trevino beat Nicklaus head-to-head twice. Watson did it three times. Both Palmer and Player beat Nicklaus in majors as well.
How many have Tiger's so-called rivals stolen from him? Exactly zero. Zip. Nada.
They've won during the Tiger era, but not head-to-head against him when Tiger had a chance to win. Two of Harrington's 3 majors were won when Tiger was on the shelf with his knee injury. That's not to take anything from Harrington, because he couldn't help it if Tiger's knee wouldn't cooperate.
If Tiger doesn't play another year after this one, and even if he were to win the next three majors this year before bowing out, he still wouldn't get to Jack's majors record.
And, therefore, wouldn't qualify in my mind as the best of all time.
Tiger still has to go out there and do it. Until he does, Nicklaus holds that well-deserved title as "The Best of All Time".
Sixty-six tournament victories and 14 major championships in less than 12 years on tour. He wins nearly 30% of the tournaments he enters. He makes seemingly every clutch putt he's ever had to make.
He's never, ever lost a major after leading or being tied for the lead going into the final round. 14-0.
His name rising up the leaderboard strikes fear into everyone ahead of him. His gallery's roars let the other contenders know what he's doing, causing fellow competitors to quiver and shake.
He commands millions of dollars in appearance fees alone, and will be sport's first "Billion Dollar Man".
He's being called the best golfer ever.
But is he?
He's still 5 major wins away from eclipsing Jack Nicklaus's record of 18 major titles. He's still 8 total PGA tour victories shy of Nicklaus's 73 wins, and still well short of Sam Snead's record 82 victories.
Yet, a lot of national media types and even some current and former professional tour players say he's already the best of all time.
Our society these days, pop culture, if you will, has consistently said that what's happening during this particular era is unmatched, whether you're talking about sports, entertainment, music, anything.
Most people's point of reference obviously begins from when they were born, and the vast majority of today's young golfers and media types call Woods the best ever.
They didn't see Nicklaus play, and mostly remember him from his victory in the 1986 Masters, when he won at age 46.
Nicklaus and Woods each have dominated their sport in similar fashion, from their major victories, to their ability to intimidate their competition, to being able to bomb the golf ball off the tee.
The difference though, is in the competition they faced.
Nicklaus had Arnold Palmer, Gary Player, and Lee Trevino early on, and then Johnny Miller Tom Weiskopf, and most notably Tom Watson later. The number of majors they've won all told, is 32.
Tiger Woods had Ernie Els and Vijay Singh early on, and Phil Mickelson and Padraig Harrington currently.
They've won only 12 combined majors.
The major difference, other than the majors? Well, one is the number of so-called competitors. Tiger has is roughly two-less than Nicklaus did.
But the biggest and most important difference is that Nicklaus's contemporaries actually stole several majors from Jack. Trevino beat Nicklaus head-to-head twice. Watson did it three times. Both Palmer and Player beat Nicklaus in majors as well.
How many have Tiger's so-called rivals stolen from him? Exactly zero. Zip. Nada.
They've won during the Tiger era, but not head-to-head against him when Tiger had a chance to win. Two of Harrington's 3 majors were won when Tiger was on the shelf with his knee injury. That's not to take anything from Harrington, because he couldn't help it if Tiger's knee wouldn't cooperate.
If Tiger doesn't play another year after this one, and even if he were to win the next three majors this year before bowing out, he still wouldn't get to Jack's majors record.
And, therefore, wouldn't qualify in my mind as the best of all time.
Tiger still has to go out there and do it. Until he does, Nicklaus holds that well-deserved title as "The Best of All Time".
Monday, April 6, 2009
Wake up the Echoes
Sorry Notre Dame fans, this blog is not about the Irish. In fact, it's not even about football.
It's about......The Masters, "a tradition unlike any other". Or is it, anymore?
It always seems to produce the most exciting drama in all of golf, and indeed, in all of sport. Or, at least, it did.
The back nine on Sunday at Augusta is golf at its finest, with one shot after another producing some of the most thrilling moments in golf history. Or, at least, it was.
After enjoying an unprecedented run from 1986-1998, and great moments at varying times through 2005, the last three years have been ho-hum by Masters standards.
This is not coincidence.
Beginning with major course changes in 2002, and continuing with minor alterations through 2006, holes were lengthened and tightened, and mostly, on Augusta's second nine.
Phil Mickelson won his first green jacket with a birdie at the 18th in 2004.
Most of us can recount the late-day, final round heroics of Tiger Woods in 2005, chipping in on the 16th, with that ever-present Nike logo staring at us for just a moment before dropping into the cup.
Great drama......but other than that, the finishes have been less thrilling since 2002.
That great 13-year Masters run from 1986 through '98, was highlighted of course, by that incredible charge by Jack Nicklaus in 1986, coming from 7 shots back on the second nine, punctuated by the birdie at seventeen that finally gave him the lead.
What was the other highlight of that day? Those wonderful, and to other golfers, intimidating Augusta National roars.
But lately at Augusta, this kind of drama has been missing. No roars echoing through the pines on the back nine, just muted applause as the contenders make one nice par after another, with maybe a rare birdie mixed in.
It's about......The Masters, "a tradition unlike any other". Or is it, anymore?
It always seems to produce the most exciting drama in all of golf, and indeed, in all of sport. Or, at least, it did.
The back nine on Sunday at Augusta is golf at its finest, with one shot after another producing some of the most thrilling moments in golf history. Or, at least, it was.
After enjoying an unprecedented run from 1986-1998, and great moments at varying times through 2005, the last three years have been ho-hum by Masters standards.
This is not coincidence.
Beginning with major course changes in 2002, and continuing with minor alterations through 2006, holes were lengthened and tightened, and mostly, on Augusta's second nine.
Phil Mickelson won his first green jacket with a birdie at the 18th in 2004.
Most of us can recount the late-day, final round heroics of Tiger Woods in 2005, chipping in on the 16th, with that ever-present Nike logo staring at us for just a moment before dropping into the cup.
Great drama......but other than that, the finishes have been less thrilling since 2002.
That great 13-year Masters run from 1986 through '98, was highlighted of course, by that incredible charge by Jack Nicklaus in 1986, coming from 7 shots back on the second nine, punctuated by the birdie at seventeen that finally gave him the lead.
What was the other highlight of that day? Those wonderful, and to other golfers, intimidating Augusta National roars.
But lately at Augusta, this kind of drama has been missing. No roars echoing through the pines on the back nine, just muted applause as the contenders make one nice par after another, with maybe a rare birdie mixed in.
The powers that be at Augusta National decided, especially after Tiger's 2nd Masters win in 2001, that golf technology was getting too close to rendering its wonderful course largely obsolete. They didn't want 20 under par winning the Masters.
But they went too far. A happy medium needs to be reached, and it wouldn't be that complicated.
Simply return the two par 5's on the back nine to their original distances, which would be 490 yards on number 13 (from 510 now), and 500 yards (from 530) on number 15. That's it. Nothing else need be done.
Remember, golf is as much about momentum as any sport, and to gain momentum, especially at a major, sometimes you need a big shot to help you along. These par 5's would give the players that opportunity.
Jack Nicklaus doesn't ignite those huge Augusta National roars, and thus doesn't win the tournament, if he doesn't make eagle at 15 in 1986. The momentum he garnered from that enabled him to make consecutive birdies at 16 and 17 to close out his round.
Return the two second nine par 5's back to their original distances, and restore the roar and wake up the echoes at Augusta.
Monday, March 30, 2009
Kiffin Inspires Confidence
Whether or not you agree with Lane Kiffin's many comments directed at Tennessee's SEC rivals over the past three months or so, you cannot deny their positive effects.
I'm not talking about the effect these comments have had on the UT fan base, nor am I talking about the positive effects many say these comments have had on Tennessee rivals Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, and particularly Florida.
Yes, we all know the Gators put pictures of Lane Kiffin all over their locker room, talking about how now, well, it's personal. Please. If you heard my show Monday, you already know what I think about that.
What I'm talking about here is the effect Kiffin's words have had on his own team. I think we're going to find out not only that Kiffin is crazy like a fox, if you will. We're also going to find out that he knew better than anybody what his team needed first and foremost, and that's confidence.
Sure, it's an easy conclusion to come to, with the team coming off a disastrous 5-7 season, and having been blown out by rivals Florida and Alabama, and having lost to lowly Wyoming in Knoxville.
But let's be more specific. Let's talk about how these same Tennessee players look at those comments. They love it. They love that their new coach isn't backing down from these teams. coaches, and programs. They love it that Lane Kiffin talks confidently and assertively when confronting these other SEC programs.
That kind of thing trickles down to the players, players that include three quarterbacks who were among the worst at their position in college football last year. Players that include an offensive line that significantly underachieved a year ago.
Not that they'll shoot off at the mouth toward their rivals like Kiffin did, but simply that confidence will once again be making it's way back into the mindset of the players.
Could you even begin to imagine that Jonathon Crompton would have enough confidence in himself to call out the defense to play out another goalline situation (as he did in the last scrimmage)? And then win it? I couldn't.
This not only fuels players' confidence in themselves, but in their teammates. Crompton believed that his OL would perform, and that they would score on that stingy defense. When they did, the defense immediately returned the favor and said, "let's do this again!"
Obviously, this is only spring practice, but you have to start somewhere, and you have to start by reintroducing confidence to team that had little to none. Kiffin has done that in a number of different ways, but most notably, of course, he did it by calling out his rivals.
Those comments have helped inspire the team as a whole, but Kiffin has also inspired confidence in individual players, and has translated his belief that they can get the job done. As an example, let's talk about the quarterbacks......
I've always believed that winners think about what they're going to do, and losers think about what they're NOT going to do. Tennessee's quarterbacks, under the previous regime, were doing the latter. They were told NOT to turn the ball over, NOT to make the bad throw, NOT to check into the wrong play.
Lane Kiffin immediately addressed that with his players, especially the QB's. Note the following quote from Kiffin, which I also read on my show a few weeks ago. He was talking about last year's Tennessee players.......
"You watch film from last year to get an idea athletically what you have, but you can't base it off of that because you don't know what they were told. If we start looking at that film and say, "This guy can't play. This guy can't play". Then they won't be able to play because you'll put your mindset that they can't, and that's what they'll become. Whatever you talk about, whatever you think about is where they draw to. So that's why we haven't given up on anybody. Everybody has a clean slate."
Note the quotes I put in italics.
Given the above, I believe this Tennessee team will execute much better than last year, and as a result, will be much improved over last year in every area.
Does that mean they'll have a better record than 5-7? Yes, I believe so. Will they go to a bowl game this coming season? Again, yes, I think so. Will they win a game they're not supposed to win? They might.
Now, does this translate to a team that will compete for the SEC title? I don't think so.....Rome wasn't built in a day. But the foundation is being laid for great success in Big Orange Country, and that foundation is........confidence.
I'm not talking about the effect these comments have had on the UT fan base, nor am I talking about the positive effects many say these comments have had on Tennessee rivals Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, and particularly Florida.
Yes, we all know the Gators put pictures of Lane Kiffin all over their locker room, talking about how now, well, it's personal. Please. If you heard my show Monday, you already know what I think about that.
What I'm talking about here is the effect Kiffin's words have had on his own team. I think we're going to find out not only that Kiffin is crazy like a fox, if you will. We're also going to find out that he knew better than anybody what his team needed first and foremost, and that's confidence.
Sure, it's an easy conclusion to come to, with the team coming off a disastrous 5-7 season, and having been blown out by rivals Florida and Alabama, and having lost to lowly Wyoming in Knoxville.
But let's be more specific. Let's talk about how these same Tennessee players look at those comments. They love it. They love that their new coach isn't backing down from these teams. coaches, and programs. They love it that Lane Kiffin talks confidently and assertively when confronting these other SEC programs.
That kind of thing trickles down to the players, players that include three quarterbacks who were among the worst at their position in college football last year. Players that include an offensive line that significantly underachieved a year ago.
Not that they'll shoot off at the mouth toward their rivals like Kiffin did, but simply that confidence will once again be making it's way back into the mindset of the players.
Could you even begin to imagine that Jonathon Crompton would have enough confidence in himself to call out the defense to play out another goalline situation (as he did in the last scrimmage)? And then win it? I couldn't.
This not only fuels players' confidence in themselves, but in their teammates. Crompton believed that his OL would perform, and that they would score on that stingy defense. When they did, the defense immediately returned the favor and said, "let's do this again!"
Obviously, this is only spring practice, but you have to start somewhere, and you have to start by reintroducing confidence to team that had little to none. Kiffin has done that in a number of different ways, but most notably, of course, he did it by calling out his rivals.
Those comments have helped inspire the team as a whole, but Kiffin has also inspired confidence in individual players, and has translated his belief that they can get the job done. As an example, let's talk about the quarterbacks......
I've always believed that winners think about what they're going to do, and losers think about what they're NOT going to do. Tennessee's quarterbacks, under the previous regime, were doing the latter. They were told NOT to turn the ball over, NOT to make the bad throw, NOT to check into the wrong play.
Lane Kiffin immediately addressed that with his players, especially the QB's. Note the following quote from Kiffin, which I also read on my show a few weeks ago. He was talking about last year's Tennessee players.......
"You watch film from last year to get an idea athletically what you have, but you can't base it off of that because you don't know what they were told. If we start looking at that film and say, "This guy can't play. This guy can't play". Then they won't be able to play because you'll put your mindset that they can't, and that's what they'll become. Whatever you talk about, whatever you think about is where they draw to. So that's why we haven't given up on anybody. Everybody has a clean slate."
Note the quotes I put in italics.
Given the above, I believe this Tennessee team will execute much better than last year, and as a result, will be much improved over last year in every area.
Does that mean they'll have a better record than 5-7? Yes, I believe so. Will they go to a bowl game this coming season? Again, yes, I think so. Will they win a game they're not supposed to win? They might.
Now, does this translate to a team that will compete for the SEC title? I don't think so.....Rome wasn't built in a day. But the foundation is being laid for great success in Big Orange Country, and that foundation is........confidence.
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