More than just a whistle: Coaches

Coaching is one of the hardest professions in the world and one that people undervalue every day. As fans we turn on the TV or attend a game, that's about all we can do as fans. Sure we can try and coach from the stands and tell everyone around us what the coaches are doing wrong, that's the easiest part of any game. Another easy spot on the team is the armchair quarterback; sure it's easy to see where the quarterback should have went with the ball on the 2nd or 3rd replay. But it's not that easy in full speed with guys flying all around.

A good coach puts everything they have into improving their team.  However, when it comes down to the outcome of a single game itself, it's really not up to the coach whenever the team wins or loses. Sure a coach can make a few bad decisions during a game or at the end of a game, which many view as the calls that lost the game. However, that is not always the case. As Bob Conwell, one of my football coaches would say there are five plays that change a game. After hearing this for the first time I did not believe it, but it really does hold true.  Take any football game, there are five plays with-in that game that either won or lost your team the game. Sometimes the play seems like the littlest thing at the time, but it can have a major impact on the game in the end. The game comes down to the players not the coach.  The reason for this is that good players can overcome bad coaching, but good coaching can't overcome bad players.

When it comes to sports everyone wants to win, just like many other facets of life. But no one wants to win more than a coach. No one puts more work into the team or upcoming game as a coach.


Coaching can really take its toll on someone when their team isn't winning or playing well.  As a society we have been taught that winning on the field is the only thing that matters.  Society does not care what a coach does off the field, for their players or anyone else. The only thing people care about is what the team does on the field. But to be a good coach, they can not concern themselves with just the results on the field they also have to be concerned about the development  of the players on their team.  A coach plays a major role in shaping a player for the rest of their lives. Coaching is like teaching, but in a different classroom.  The subject a coach teaches depends on the sport in which they coach. However, all coaches teach players life lessons that will be instilled in the players the rest of their lives.

Cubs right divison, wrong team for GM

The Chicago Cubs are looking in the right division, but the wrong team for their new General Manager.  The Cubs should be looking at Tampa Bay Rays Andrew Friedman; he fits Tom Ricketts baseball philosophy.  On October 30, 2009 in Rickett’s first press conference as the new Cubs owner, Ricketts stated “We've realized there is no magic bullet, no one player you can sign," he said. "The only way you're going to do it is drafting and developing the right players and coaching them through the system and being consistent with how that talent comes up the system to give the general manager the flexibility to put the best team on the field.”  The Cubs have already begun the process of improving their minor league system, and upgrading their international scouting.  Also, they upgraded their facility in the Dominican Republic.

Theo Epstein is a good GM but I am not sure he is the right fit for the Cubs.  Epstein has had what seems like an endless bank role.  Now the Cubs are a big market team, but they are also a team looking to cut payroll over the next few years.  However, Ricketts does not seem like he wants to spend a bunch of money on free agents.  Ricketts would rather build a team from within, as he stated at his first press conference.  Which has not been Epstein strong point over the years, he has been better at finding free agents and trading for players.  Now yes, the Red Sox have had a pretty good farm system over the years, but most of their impact players have been brought in from the outside.  The biggest reason I think Epstein is a good fit for the Cubs is because he ended the Red Sox drought.

Andrew Friedman has done the most with so little.  The Rays are a small market team.  The market doesn’t even seem to care about them; they can’t even sellout playoff games.  Friedman has been the GM of the Rays since November 3, 2005.  Before Friedman was named GM the Rays never one more then 70 games. Since then the Rays have consecutively won over 70 games the last four years.  There have only been two years that the Rays did not win over 70 games and they were his first two years as GM.  The Rays have been to the playoffs three times since Friedman took over, which equates to half his time as a GM. These stats are very remarkable since the Rays play in the AL East, with the Yankees and Red Sox.  The Rays payroll this year was 41.053 million dollars.  In comparison the Yankees payroll was 202.689 million and the Red Sox payroll was 161.762 million.  The Rays could play for almost four years with their roster before they would even reach the Red Sox payroll for one year.  The Cubs are looking to cut payroll, which will still be more the Friedman has ever had to spend down in Tampa.  Epstein has never had a payroll under 120 million. Friedman has never had a payroll over 71 million.  From my understanding the Cubs are looking to have a payroll around a 100 million.  I believe that Friedman would be able to get the most out of those 100 million dollars.

The Rays minor league system has been rank in the top five for many years. This year it is ranked number three, last year it was number one.  Compared to the Red Sox which is ranked fourteenth, last year it was eleventh. Ricketts is looking to build from the inside out; this is something Friedman has been able to do down in Tampa.  Epstein has been better at building from the outside in, bringing in free agents and trading for prospects.  If Ricketts truly believes in his statement about how he thinks a team needs to build a team to win consistently. The better fit would seem to be Friedman and not Epstein.

Neither one is a bad choice, but the one that seems to fit the Ricketts baseball philosophy is Friedman. 

**This is a little late, as sources claim the Cubs have agreed to a 5 year 15-20 million dollar deal witrh Epstein**

NBA could lose big if Lockout ends season

The first two weeks of the NBA season were cancelled last tonight, and it is a footnote.  Reasoning it became a footnote was because there were MLB playoff games and a NFL Monday night game.  Now the cancellation had been expected since late last week, but think if the NFL cancelled it first two weeks at some point, any other game would have been interrupted. 

The NBA lockout is much different than the NFL lockout that happened this past summer.   The biggest difference is that NBA teams are actually losing money, much of the doing of team owners.  The NFL made claims that they were losing money, but it was just a ploy that the NFL owners were trying to use to get a better deal.   The NBA has a full list of problems much of which will not be quick fixes, but if they want to keep the casual fan around they must get a deal done without losing any more games.  NBA does not have everything going for them like the NFL does.  Football is the biggest sport in this country because as a country we love violence.  We also have short attention spans, games on three days a week at most is much easier to follow then having games every day of the week. 

Personally I am not a really big NBA fan but I will watch it, but I won’t watch a bad basketball game.  I also won’t go out of my way to watch the Bulls play, if I miss a game I miss a game no big deal.  However I can’t remember the last time I missed more than a quarter of a Bears game, also will watch any game that is on. Growing up in Chicago, I was able to witness six NBA championships, the first three I really don’t remember, as I was too young.  But then the Bulls went through more than a decade of bad play and knew there was no chance of them doing anything.  That is one of the biggest differences between the NFL and NBA, with the NFL there is always hope for the team one roots for at the beginning of the season too come out of not where and make the playoffs.  In the NBA thought for the most part at the being of the season people know what to expect from the their team.  NBA is all about stars and the NFL is all about teams.  In the NBA a team needs two star players or a star and a bunch of good role players.  In the NFL a team needs no stars to compete; they just need guys who play.

In Chicago there is a sense of pride now in the Bulls that has been there since the championship teams.  The Bulls are good again and are a very young team.  They also have an elite player in Derrick Rose, but I fear that the Bulls will lose everything they have built if the season is cancelled much more than a few weeks.  People will need to rediscover the team, same thing happened with hockey after they came back from their lockout after missing the entire 2004-2005 season. Same thing happened with baseball after their strike in 1994-1995.  If the NBA doesn’t want to lose fans the need to come to an agreement by the end of the week at the latest.  Even if it is just a year deal and they continue talks on a longer deal.

Owners and Players get warped up in talks that they forget the people who they really affect and that is the people that work in the stadiums.  These people are the ones who are going to miss the money they would have earn during the season.  Most players are still getting checks from their team and will continue to receive a check until the end of October.  Owners are not living off money they receive from the teams many own other teams and or business, so yes they will lose money but it will not make them have to find another job.   

I hope i get to see more highlights like these ones sooner than later 

Like it, Love it, Steer Clear of it- Week 4

Like it

Lions (+1) vs. Cowboys

I really like the Lions this year; I see them winning this game by a Field goal.  Hard to trust Romo who could go down at any minute, because of his broken ribs and collapsed lung.  The Lions front four can get after a QB, Suh also has a history of trying to kill a QB.  The Cowboys should be able to thrown on the Lions if their offensive line can give Romo time.  However, the Lions are the better team and will show that today, but winning this game.

Love it

 Bills (-3) vs. Bengals

Bills haven’t lost to the Bengals in forever and I don’t see it happening this week.  The Bills have an elite offense, which is also a balance offensive and their defense is better then last year. The Bengals have a top 3 defense this year but they have yet to play a good offense.  The Bills should be able to impose their will on offense, and keep the Bengals in check. 

Steer Clear of it

Vikings (-3) vs. Chiefs

This game scares solely because neither team has established an identity.  The Vikings can’t play four quarters, the have lead every game they have been in this year only to collapse in the second half.  The Chiefs have lost a few guys on both sides of the ball and it’s hard to see what they are going to be.  I believe the Vikings will win the game but it’s too iffy to make that call.