By Joe Torosian “My God I see not what you see. My God what do you see in me?”
--- Supertones
Pardon me while I slip on my caveman head gear…
(Never feel sorry for anyone, never feel sorry for anyone)
But I have always enjoyed games ending 100 to 0, very clarifying.
On the winning side a coach can forget about the points scored and be happy the team kept focus in not allowing a single point.
(Never feel sorry for anyone, never feel sorry for anyone)
On the losing side the coach is practically given a mandate to do and say anything he or she wants.
The team didn’t play offense, the team didn’t play defense, the coach of the losing team has more pull than a new president with a 59-41 edge in the Senate, and a bad economy.
(Never feel sorry for anyone, never feel sorry for anyone)
I’ve never been part of a team that won a 100 to 0, but I have been on the losing end as a player and coach.
A 48 to 0 loss to Cortada in the fifth grade, I was the quarterback.
(Never feel sorry for anyone, never feel sorry for anyone)
The 1975 NFC championship game when the Cowboys beat the Rams 37-7, I was in the stands but felt like an immense loser during the bus ride home.
(Never feel sorry for anyone, never feel sorry for anyone)
I coached a church team of high school guys to an 85-20 disaster against an inner city team in 1985.
Three years later I coached a church team of high school girls to a 53-6 defeat against the Bulgarian National Womens team. These were tough looking ladies, all were moms, all had given birth sideways.
(Never feel sorry for anyone, never feel sorry for anyone)
I took all of these losses maturely, like any reasonable person would under similar circumstances.
First I wanted to die or at the very least have Calgon take me away.
Second I worked through it convincing myself it was the players fault, my teammates fault, Chuck Knox’s fault, the refs fault, and Zola Budd’s fault.
(Never feel sorry for anyone, never feel sorry for anyone)
Third, and finally, I realized it was my fault. I wasn’t part of the Rams defense that gave up 37-points, but I bought the ticket. I bear some responsibility. If I had been at home instead of the Coliseum I could have changed the channel, but I chose to be there. It was a self inflicted wound.
(Never feel sorry for anyone, never feel sorry for anyone)
In the other cases I should have been better prepared as a player and a coach. I should have worked harder to make sure it never happened at all.
What I did not do was go back to the teams that beat me, or write a letter to the Dallas Cowboys to beg them to call off the dogs and be a little NICER next time.
(Never feel sorry for anyone, never feel sorry for anyone)
Instead all I thought about was getting even, settling the score. There is something to that line in “The Untouchables” where Capone says; “If you steal from me, I’m gonna say; ‘you stole.’ Not talk to you about spitting on the sidewalk.”
The team scoring zero, or hasn’t won a game in four years, shouldn’t fire there coach because of the loss (As Scanlan preaches wins and losses are meaningless) or losses but because of cowardice, the inability to accept responsibility and teach life.
(Never feel sorry for anyone, never feel sorry for anyone)
A good coach instills character, especially at the prep level, it’s about not quitting, it’s about not looking for a bailout, but handling the business of your life, about learning and going forward. Maturity.
One thing I understand, clearly, through sports, is the world doesn’t feel sorry for anyone…And if it says it does its usually selling something.
--- Supertones
Pardon me while I slip on my caveman head gear…
(Never feel sorry for anyone, never feel sorry for anyone)
But I have always enjoyed games ending 100 to 0, very clarifying.
On the winning side a coach can forget about the points scored and be happy the team kept focus in not allowing a single point.
(Never feel sorry for anyone, never feel sorry for anyone)
On the losing side the coach is practically given a mandate to do and say anything he or she wants.
The team didn’t play offense, the team didn’t play defense, the coach of the losing team has more pull than a new president with a 59-41 edge in the Senate, and a bad economy.
(Never feel sorry for anyone, never feel sorry for anyone)
I’ve never been part of a team that won a 100 to 0, but I have been on the losing end as a player and coach.
A 48 to 0 loss to Cortada in the fifth grade, I was the quarterback.
(Never feel sorry for anyone, never feel sorry for anyone)
The 1975 NFC championship game when the Cowboys beat the Rams 37-7, I was in the stands but felt like an immense loser during the bus ride home.
(Never feel sorry for anyone, never feel sorry for anyone)
I coached a church team of high school guys to an 85-20 disaster against an inner city team in 1985.
Three years later I coached a church team of high school girls to a 53-6 defeat against the Bulgarian National Womens team. These were tough looking ladies, all were moms, all had given birth sideways.
(Never feel sorry for anyone, never feel sorry for anyone)
I took all of these losses maturely, like any reasonable person would under similar circumstances.
First I wanted to die or at the very least have Calgon take me away.
Second I worked through it convincing myself it was the players fault, my teammates fault, Chuck Knox’s fault, the refs fault, and Zola Budd’s fault.
(Never feel sorry for anyone, never feel sorry for anyone)
Third, and finally, I realized it was my fault. I wasn’t part of the Rams defense that gave up 37-points, but I bought the ticket. I bear some responsibility. If I had been at home instead of the Coliseum I could have changed the channel, but I chose to be there. It was a self inflicted wound.
(Never feel sorry for anyone, never feel sorry for anyone)
In the other cases I should have been better prepared as a player and a coach. I should have worked harder to make sure it never happened at all.
What I did not do was go back to the teams that beat me, or write a letter to the Dallas Cowboys to beg them to call off the dogs and be a little NICER next time.
(Never feel sorry for anyone, never feel sorry for anyone)
Instead all I thought about was getting even, settling the score. There is something to that line in “The Untouchables” where Capone says; “If you steal from me, I’m gonna say; ‘you stole.’ Not talk to you about spitting on the sidewalk.”
The team scoring zero, or hasn’t won a game in four years, shouldn’t fire there coach because of the loss (As Scanlan preaches wins and losses are meaningless) or losses but because of cowardice, the inability to accept responsibility and teach life.
(Never feel sorry for anyone, never feel sorry for anyone)
A good coach instills character, especially at the prep level, it’s about not quitting, it’s about not looking for a bailout, but handling the business of your life, about learning and going forward. Maturity.
One thing I understand, clearly, through sports, is the world doesn’t feel sorry for anyone…And if it says it does its usually selling something.
Joe can be blogged here or reached at joet13b@yahoo.com
Au contraire, I said the wins and losses stat was insignificant, not wins and losses themselves.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad the coach of the team that scored 100 didn't apologize. High school sports are about the experience of participating and the camaraderie you develop with your teammates. I've seen so many kids quit because they weren't playing in the games. That tells me they weren't there for the right reasons in the first place. Many of them go on and do nothing instead of finding something else to do. Parents let them do this instead of reminding their child that they made a commitment, regardless of whether they play every game or 1 minute of one game.
Youth sports are about the experience. The team that scored 100 and the team that scored zero will both learn something from this that will serve them well in their lives. The only issue is if there will be adults around them wise enough to teach it.
Sohn Jcanlan