Robservations: R?sum?s: What’s the big deal?
A helpful hint for coaches: Double-check those r?sum?s, people!
Vanderbilt University finds itself back in the hunt for a women’s basketball coach, after Tom Collen announced he would be stepping down less than a day after accepting the job.
It seems Collen, who came from Colorado State, had a r?sum? which stated he had earned two master’s degrees. The problem was, he only has one.
Of course, the story brought to mind last year’s George O’Leary debacle, in which the former Georgia Tech coach accepted, then resigned from, the job at Notre Dame when it was found his r?sum? wasn’t worth the paper it was printed on.
But here’s my question. What would be wrong with hiring a coach, finding out he had a bit of misinformation on his r?sum?, and keeping him anyway?
Take Collen, for example. He’s never had a losing record. That must mean he knows a little bit about basketball, right? So what difference does it make how much he knows about health education or recreational programming?
• On the local front, it’s time to go strong or go home for the Pioneer baseball team.
Tonight’s District 7-AAA Tournament play-in game means the difference between a trip to the double-elimination portion of the tourney and a quick trip to the house.
Following the Pioneers over the past couple of weeks, it seems there’s been something missing — something other than runs or wins, that is.
After defeating Oakland in their first meeting this year, the Pioneers showed a spirit and enthusiasm that they hadn’t displayed to that point. Unfortunately, after that win, that spirit hasn’t returned.
In their most recent loss, Tuesday’s soggy 9-2 decision at White County, the Pioneers honestly looked beaten well before the Warriors put the game away.
Maybe — hopefully — the fact that Tuesday’s game couldn’t affect their place in the district standings was the reason for the Pioneers’ lackluster performance.
But if that was the case, there are no excuses now. Every game from this point on can mean the difference between leaving the postseason party early, or spoiling someone else’s fun.
Personally, I’m a baseball fan, and a fan of this team. So I don’t want the season to end just yet. Hopefully the Pioneers agree with me, and will use tonight’s game to show the rest of the league they’re still in this thing for keeps.
• Speaking of enthusiasm among sports teams, even that has its limits.
There’s a disturbing trend growing among high school baseball squads, where teams who are at bat chant, sing and clap from the dugout while their teammates are at the plate.
I guess they picked it up from girls softball teams, but these guys are going well past “annoying” all the way up to the “ridiculous” mark on the nuisance meter.
No wonder coaches are so agitated all the time. Can you imagine having to sit in a little cinder-block shack with 17 kids who are simultaneously screaming at the top of their lungs?
It’s not just “hey, batter batter” either. At last week’s middle school tournament, I could’ve sworn I heard a few verses of “Lean on Me” wafting out of one team’s dugout.
Fortunately, the Pioneers didn’t have to resort to inspirational sing-alongs to get the job done.