Dealing with coaches who get it

Perhaps he meant to say "pussy cat." That was my first inclination when I read his quote that he left out the word "cat."

 

I coach a girls high school track team. The way I talk to my friends, the local reporter, other coaches, etc. is much different than the way I talk to the girls.
Probably the same way with this coach.

It's like how you and I may also go out with the guys and curse like a sailor, but at work, not so much.

 

Rhody: I way I read it was that he told you he told the girls "I am a pussy."

That's where my issue is.

Are you saying he didn't say it to the girls?

I have a lot less of a problem with it then. It's still inappopriate, but lots of people are inappropriate,

Oh, and I have known plenty of coaches who don't curse in front of their players. They're usually the better ones, because they care about what they are modeling.

Now, I have covered and worked with some real douchenozzles, who through "Fuck" all over the place and urge their kids to hurt other players . (Not in Rhode Island, but not too far away)

See inappropriate. :

 

Yeah, you can't say "pussy" to a bunch of 14-year-old girls, unless you want a visit from Chris Hansen.

 

This might be somewhat off the path but what the hell.

One coach who didn't speak in cliches and didn't mince words and was brutally honest was men's hoops coach Dick Bennett.

I know many people hated the style his teams employed but he was 100% candid after practices and after games, win or lose. If his star player sucked that night he said so. If he didn't prepare/coach his team well enough, he'd criticize his efforts.

He lost a brother to AIDS back in the mid-90s and was going to miss a league game to attend a funeral. At the end of practice that day he called the scribes over to explain he'd miss the next game and WHY he'd be gone.

No veiled "personal reasons" stories. Just opened up and volunteered the who/what/when/why/etc.

He was almost always one of the good people in the business. And he hasn't changed in retirement.

 

The best parents on the face of the planet are those who don't actually have children.

Sorry Rhody.

 

THANKS for the story on Dick. I was there that day at the Fieldhouse, holding a microphone as well. It was like it came out of nowhere.

He was a trip to cover because of that -- such a tortured soul, at least on the basketball court. Always searching for that one game of perfection. Did you ever read that book by Eric Ferris, where he spent a whole year with Bennett in 1997? Great look at what made the guy tick.

 

I don't see how this coach "gets" it. The quote he gave you is not that unusual -- all the girls helped get them where they are and the coach is really a "softy."

Not particularly unique or insightful and by substituting vulgar language for cliches, he didn't do you much of a favor.

 

It's not as if you could change the direct quote to wimp and don't say you did that Rhody in the final copy.

 

Actually he did say that he did that.

 

I thought he was half joking in the first post, but changing pussy to wimp is not cleaning up a quote. That's another topic, though.

 

To me, it's rare but so cool when a coach does "get it."
To me, that means he understands your job (very few do) and never complains when you call him at home or on his cell when you need him. He talks after wins and losses and grants you access to his players after wins and losses every single time no matter how difficult the loss.
That's not to say the coach doesn't get upset at the media once in a while. But you are so comfortable with him you can give your side of the story just as angrily right back at him.
These coaches are very rare, and I'm of the belief pretty much all coaches of high profile college and pro teams do lie. I think it's in their nature.
But when I think of "getting it" I think of them actually understanding your job a bit and letting you have access to him and his program EVERY TIME you need it.