It is painfully obvious that Jim Tressel andBruce Pearl  never attended kindergarten because if they had they would still be employed.  So I have enclosed a copy of ALL I NEED TO KNOW I LEARNED IN KINDERGARTEN by Robert Fulghum in the hopes of helping other coaches that may have missed these important life lessons.

Share everything- just for clarification this does not mean share your house and food with players not yet old enough for official visits. Do not allow car
dealers to share cars with your players.  It means when you have made a mistake go and tell and share with your athletic director. Do not wait almost a year to admit you knew your players were selling memorabilia.
Play fair- ummm don’t cheat, don’t
pay people, don’t lie so that your team can have all their best players in the
hopes of winning a BCS championship. Besides don’t you want to win because you and your team were good enough to do so without cheating.  Do you want to look at that championship ring and think about all the shortcuts you took to obtain it?
Don’t hit people-for example Woody Hayes hitting the Clemson player, Lou Pinella throwing first base, Bobby Knight throwing a chair, Chaney threatening Calipari and McClendon actually stealing first base.  All good examples of WHAT NOT TO DO when you are upset.
Put things back where you found them-if you throw a chair return it to
where you found it.  Return players to their parents and hometown in a better state when you took them under your wing.

Clean up your own mess-if you lie,cheat or steal own up to it and take the consequences.  If you have junior recruits over to your house for a bbq and take a picture with your assistant coach’s wife and illegal recruit, do not then attempt to say you don’t know who the people are in the picture.  If you find out your players are selling their jerseys and rings to a local tattoo parlor you should fix it right away by turning them in.  If you make a mistake here is a good phrase to use at the news conference “I am sorry, I madea mistake”.  You will be surprised how forgiving fans are if you own up to your mistakes right away.

Don’t take things that aren’t yours-if
you have to lie about or hide one of your actions it probably falls under
taking things that aren’t yours. If a high school player verbals to a school
respect that decision, don’t keep calling them.  If someone wants to donate money to your program for time with your players, you are giving away your players’ time and it isn’t yours to donate without their permission.  There are a million examples, use common sense.
Say you’re sorry when you hurt somebody.-Take responsibility for your
actions.  Sure Bruce Pearl cried on television and said he was sorry, but then he went out and “bumped” a recruitseveral days later.  So his sorry is
quite hard to believe.  Tressel on theother hand never even attempted to say he was sorry.

Wash your hands before you eat-check
out the people around you, know them, and make sure they are good people who
have your program’s best interest at heart.  That goes for everyone from your secretary to the President of your school.
Flush-get rid of any crap around your program, end of story

Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you- sit down with those around your program in a non threatening environment and you will be surprised what you will learn about the players and coaches in your program.  So go on dunk your Oreos.

Live a balanced life- volunteer, make time for your spouse, your kids, exercise,  further your own education and travel.

Take a nap every afternoon-if coaches as a whole took a few minutes
of solitude everyday to review their actions from the past day they might
realize some of their mistakes as well as some of their successes.  I think Eddie Fogler at U of South Carolina used to shut his door everyday, pull out his couch and take a nap everyday in his office and left us with this quote after his last game… “It is very difficult with college athletics being the way it is today and the pressures. You are darned if you do, darned if you don’t. I’m leaving college basketball with my dignity, my integrity and my sanity”.

When you go out into the world, watch out for traffic, hold hands, and stick together-find yourself assistants and support staff that you can trust.  There will always be people trying to bring you down and you will need
staff members  who aren’t afraid to tell you when you are off track.

Be aware of wonder- start to think only in terms of what its like to win a national championship and you will find yourself justifying reasons for cheating. You shouldn’t have to put on a vest and nickname yourself the Senator to give the appearance of virtue because then you are simply a contrived individual with no true substance.

Remember the little seed in the styrofoam cup: The roots go down and the plant goes up and nobody really knows how or why, but we are all like that-build a solid foundation for your program from the start; don’t allow any shortcuts, shady individuals, or quick fixes to take root in your program.  Need a blue print look at Coach K’s example.  In his early years Duke was ready to fire him but he didn’t deviate from his plan for a quick fix and 30
years later his program is still strong and clean.

And then remember the Dick-and-Jane books and the first word you learned – the biggest word of all – LOOK.- walk around campus, sit in the back of a classroom,show up at a recruits practice unannounced, sit in the school cafeteria for a day and LOOK.  You will be surprised what
you will learn.

Goldfish and hamsters and white mice and even the little seed in the Styrofoam cup -they all die. So do we.-Doesn’t matter if you are Bruce Pearl or Jim Tressel eventually you will get your due and be kicked to the stands for your actions.

FOR NOW I AM THINKING OF THAT BEAUTIFUL FALL DAY in 2002 when I sat in the fifth row, on the 50 yard line at Ohio State, watched Maurice Clarett tear around the field and wondered to myself what did they have to do to get him to OSU.

 I cracked open Women’s Health purely for easy trashy reading.  With titles like Look Better Naked, Sex Boosters, Slim Body Fat Wallet no one in their right mind would presume that this was actually a magazine devoted to “health”.  I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that this magazine chose to highlight and promote Jillian Michaels of The Biggest Loser as the epitome of health and wellness.

 Anyone with a shred of common sense who watches The Biggest Loser quickly knows that the weight loss strategies employed by the show and thus supported by the trainers are unsafe, unhealthy and that the majority of contestants will most likely gain weight back.  Watching a 450 pound contestant collapse from heat exhaustion simply supports the fact that the producers and trainers are placing money before the wellness of their “clients”.  Put all of that aside though and one quote from the article by Jillian Michaels really sent me over the edge.

 When asked about having children Jillian states that she is going to adopt, “because I can’t handle doing that to my body”.  Is this the type of person that should be influencing the health and fitness decisions of America?  Adoption is a generous, kind and giving gift, one that she be reserved for people who are grounded in reality and can provide a normal environment.  Not one for someone who didn’t become pregnant in an effort not to ruin their body.  If you are fit, healthy and focused before, during and after pregnancy then your body won’t have an issue.  If you need inspiration look no further then CPT Kelly Calway of the US Army, who ran a marathon 6 weeks after her daughter Hazel was born. 

Now a member of the Army’s World Class Athlete Program and training for the 2012 Olympics, CPT. Calway had the following to say after the birth of her daughter; the addition to her life has changed Calway’s life for the better.  Motherhood has changed my outlook in so many ways.  It’s also given me a new sense of purpose.  My daughter is always with me during those tough races when I need to overcome mental and physical obstacles.  I just think of Hazel and I make it happen.”  Instead of a nation embracing an attitude like Calway’s, Michael’s has now provided the lazy and unmotivated women in the country the excuse they need to remain lazy and focused only on their own vision of perfection. The following was just one among many postings in a chat room:

I am 43 years old and have two children. I ruined my figure with the birth of my children. I became grossly overweight. If I had the choice to do it over, I would definitely choose adoption over carrying a child myself. I now have a terrible problem with my weight, which I have let spiral out of control. I now face the possibility of not being there for my children due to my obesity. Therefore, I highly recommend that if a woman has the opportunity to make the choice to give a child a much-needed home and family over having biological children of her own, I say go for it!. Save your figure and possibly your health. Adopt.“

Sure lady it was the birth of your children that made you grossly overweight, not the fact that you aren’t eating properly or even attempting the basics of exercise.  Great mantra, save your figure, adopt!  Wow Jillian what a legacy you are inspiring, well done!

FOR NOW I am trying to figure out how I can complete a marathon without actually running the race.

Apparently the powers that be in the NCAA office heard my rantings that expanding the NCAA tournament to 96 teams would be the equivalent of handing out trophies to everyone just for participating.  Gone would be the prestige associated with qualifying for the tournament and being considered an “elite” team.  This week the NCAA announced that they would expand to 68 teams, which in my mind is the best possible solution given the fact that the NCAA was hell bent on expansion.

 The NCAA and CBS sports signed a $10.8 billion deal good for the next 14 years.  On the plus side March Madness fans will be able to see regional games in their entirety, on the negative side student athletes still won’t be receiving any of the money that their hard work, dedication and drive do so much to generate.  In an era when million dollar contracts are the norm for high level coaches don’t the student athletes deserve to have a trust established for them so that when they graduate and suddenly find themselves going “pro” in something other than their sport they actually have the opportunity to succeed in finding a job? 

 No student athlete at the DI level has the time to participate in internships relevant to their major or hold summer jobs to build up their financial reserves for when they graduate so that they can afford to live while they job hunt.  The fairy tale of DI athletes being handed jobs is simply that a fairy tale.  Nor is it appropriate to state that the value of their scholarship is equivalent to the time and effort they invest on a daily basis to participating in a collegiate sport.  If the average cost of tuition, room and board works out to about $30,000, a regular student could work 40 hours a week at $14.00 an hour for 52 weeks and be able to pay off their tuition.  The regular student athlete easily devotes 40 hours a week to “athletic” related activities even though rules state 20 hours a week of practice and film time.  Naturally that doesn’t factor in bus and airplane rides, time in the training room, optional but mandatory shooting, volunteer clinics and a litany of other time consuming items.  It would also be remarkable if the NCAA factored injury pay to help pay for long term care down the line.  How many former collegiate athletes 15 years after graduation are suffering the after effects of concussions, knee reconstructions, steel rods implanted in shin bones and shoulder reconstructions incurred during their playing years? My sister, best friend and husband combined have had 12 surgeries, all former collegiate athletes.  How many of them are receiving health care help from the NCAA? NONE

 In my opinion the NCAA has the most brilliant minds in the country working for them as they have found a way to legally make money off the backs of individuals that they do not compensate.  How absolutely brilliant is that? They have managed to “hire” workers for free as it is the colleges’ responsibility to provide the scholarships, fund the teams and pay the staff.  In some cases the workers are under the age of 18, so I am thinking that Kate Gosselin has nothing on the NCAA.  They maintain their tax exempt status as a non-profit because they are organized and operate exclusively for educational purposes.  Is the NCAA any more worthy of tax-exempt status then the “houses” in my parents’ neighborhood that hang a sign out front and call themselves a church?  In this case I would argue that the NCAA’s tax exempt status is a good thing because it forces full disclosure and transparency.

 In any case the rich are getting richer while the student athletes are still well student athletes.

 FOR NOW I AM WAITING TO SEE HOW THE RUMORED BIG TEN EXPANSION EFFECTS MY BELOVED BIG EAST BASKETBALL CONFERENCE.

The madness began in our household on Sunday when my dad’s team, Queens College locked up a spot in the NCAA DII tournament, by winning their conference tournament.  Although I am on the opposite side of the country we were able to watch the game via the internet.  (The wonders of modern technology).  Of course this left me with no choice but to book a flight to New York so that we could support the man who rarely missed any of his children’s games.  On Wednesday I packed up the two kids, my husband dropped us at the San Jose airport for the red eye to New York and several hours later my husband was picking us back up as the plane was having some form of technical difficulty.  LOTS OF FUN sitting in an airport with two children for hours. Needless to say we will be watching the game tonight on the internet.

Yesterday all we did was watch the Big East tournament on television and nothing else mattered.  Dishes remained in the sink, beds unmade and children swinging from the chandeliers.  The great thing about living on the west coast is that when you wake up, the games are already on!  The heartbreaking part is that if you grow up near Madison Square Garden attendance at the Big East Tournament is mandatory and that is hard to do if you are living on the west coast.  I almost felt as if I was there because I watched the Syracuse vs. UConn game with one of my old teammates from Hofstra, April Fitzpatrick.  She lives on the opposite coast but that’s why they invented text messaging. It was just like old times when we sat next to each other on the Hofstra bench; yelling at the referees, second guessing coaches, imploring players to go harder and loving the fact that walk-ons and third stringers decided the outcome in what has to be one of the greatest games in the history of the Big East Tournament. 

March Madness strikes everyone at some point.  I spoke to my mom this morning who was driving to Philadelphia to cheer my dad on tonight.  She could hardly form a sentence since apparently she stayed up until 2am watching the UConn/Syracuse game. Did I mention she and my sister took half days from work so that they can get to the game in time?  I have to run now the Georgia Tech game is about to begin and I am hoping they can pull off another upset.

FOR NOW I am hoping to get out of my pajamas before noon!

Another NAVY wrestler working hard!

If it is a beautiful Sunday in November and the fire truck from FDNY L102 in Bedford Stuyvesant, New York is parked at the corner gas station it must be time for the ING NYC Marathon.  Somehow Paula Radcliffe found a way to win the women’s side of the race for the third time in her career, in 2:23:56.  (Not sure what most of us did with 2.5 hours of our Sunday, but I am guessing it was not quite as productive).  No easy feat if you take into account that she has had a leg injury for the past several months.  Last year Radcliffe won the ING Marathon, only ten months months after giving birth to her daughter, so we already know that she is tough as nails.

What is it about mothers that causes them to perform feats that require more hours and time then any 24 hour day has to offer?  Perhaps the real success stories of the NYC Marathon are the moms who somehow find a way to run in a marathon, with no coach, no sponsors and only themselves (or perhaps the promise of a quiet hour or two) to hold them accountable to train.  Perfect example is my former basketball teammate at Hofstra University, Melanie Carpenter.  When we were in college she ran cross country in her spare time because she thought it was fun…slightly different then my idea of fun

Now twelve years after her last intercollegiate basketball game, she finds herself a founder and partner of I-advize Corporate Communications on Wall Street, as well as a wife and a mom to two children.  Seven years have passed since she first ran the NYC Marathon, so with all of her spare time she figured why not run it this year.  The last time she prepared for this race, her father would ride his bike while she did her long runs. He has since passed away, so she was on her own as she ran through the streets of Middletown, NJ.

Melanie knew going into the race that she hadn’t trained enough (simply aren’t enough hours in her day) that it would be a tough race and only her mental toughness would allow her to complete the race.   Can you imagine lining up to run 26.2 miles, knowing you weren’t fully prepared, but deciding I will just gut it out?  Complete it she did, although she said there was no sprinting the last two miles like she did in 2000.  (Right now I would pay good money to sprint to the end of my driveway)

I am sure there were thousands of women who completed the NYC Marathon today, who rise everyday at the crack of dawn so that they can run, before their “real” jobs begin as business women, teachers, wives and moms.  Never underestimate the strength and desire of a woman!

For now I hope Mel is giving herself the day off tomorrow, if not I will take one for her!

Well it seems that Lute Olson is officially retiring.  It has been a whirlwind of going, coming, staying, leaving, I am here, I am not here and finally after a year of speculation he has decided to hang up his whistle.  I hope that fans across the country don’t remember him for this past year, but rather the good he did for college hoops and the fact that among active college coaches only Coach K has more wins then Lute. 

We are talking about a man who has won 12 conference titles, 780 games, coached in 5 Final Fours and a National Title.  He coached the likes of Steve Kerr, Elliott, Lofton, Miles, Bibby and Dickerson.  Players most coaches would give anything for the opportunity to mentor and develop. 

Two years ago when my daughter was barely 2 months old, we traveled to Tucson to visit my in laws, while my husband was deployed in Iraq.  My father-in-law (Big Papa) was kind enough to get us tickets to a University of Arizona basketball game, fourth row seats if I remember correctly.  Big Papa forgot to mention that I would be sitting next to his mother, Grammy M who knows more about coaching the Wildcats then Lute Olson ever did.  So my poor daughter had the band playing on her right side, Grammy M screaming on her left side and her new mom wondering if this was the best possible environment for her daughter, who was actually covering her ears.  Of course it was!  She was surrounded by family that loved her, fans supporting their college, student athletes playing hard and a legend coaching on the sideline.  What better environment for an infant? 

Now as she grows up, I will be able to tell her that she saw the great Lute Olson coach. I just hope that Grammy M recovers from Lute’s recent engagement and retirement.  (I think she may have a crush on him).