Best Coaching Tirades

This past Saturday, 2/20/16, I heard it reported that North Carolina basketball head coach Roy Williams went off on Doug Gottlieb during a post-game press conference, as Gottlieb claimed during the pre-game show that Williams would be stepping down after the season, and that UNC alum and current assistant coach, Hubert Davis would be stepping in to take over. Gottlieb later backtracked a little and tried to clarify that it was more speculation by many, and not necessarily something he heard was going to happen. Still, Williams laid into Gottlieb pretty good and clearly was very angry as he said things like it being "sinful", "not journalism", and that Gottlieb "couldn't put his shorts on right at Oklahoma State". Roy has had a few moments over the years.

As I heard this news, it got me thinking about some of my personal favorite coaching (and player) tirades and classic meltdowns over the years. So many hilarious examples to choose from! Here is my personal top 10 countdown:

And actually before I jump into to my top 10 "coaching" tirades, I thought it appropriate to insert a bonus, and one of both mine and my wife's favorite and funniest "player" rants ever: 

* BONUS- Allen Iverson- "Practice!" 

10. Herm Edwards- "You play to win the game!" 

9. Steve Spurrier- "I need to just get outta here!" 

Not necessarily one of the (or "the Ole' Ball Coach") most epic "meltdowns", but classic- especially since my Vols got the best of him in his last game vs. UT!

8. Jim Mora- "SICK!" 

He certainly has several classics that I could choose from but I'll go with this one, specifically because some of you know how much I have loved using the word "sick" for years!

7. Earl Weaver- "Get your finger off of me!" 

Though most of his antics were on the field, the legendary "Earl of Baltimore" has had many moments, with this being one of his finest!

6. Hal Mcrae- "Beep" fest! 

5. Mike Ditka- "NEXT!" 

4. Dennis Green- "The Bears are who we thought they were!" 

3. Jim Mora- "PLAYOFFS?!" 

No doubt one of the most famous, and often quoted tirades in sports history. Never gets old! 

2. John Chaney- "I'll Kill You!" 

I put this #2 because this was perhaps the first, and also one of the more unexpected tirades I ever saw! I couldn't believe that Chaney actually charged after a young, arrogant John Calipari, while he was coaching at UMASS. I couldn't stand Calipari then (and still can't), and though uncalled for, I still thought it was somewhat funny that Chaney started going after him! At that point in Calipari's career, I thought it said a lot about the kind of {dirty} coach I perceived him becoming. 

1. Mike Gundy- "I'm a man, I'm 40!" 

Hard to narrow all of these down, but this is probably my favorite. I love quoting it. My wife loves quoting it. I love quoting it for buddies who have recently turned 40. I just turned 40 last year and many buddies quoted it out of tribute for me! Finally, I became "a man". 

Throwback Thursday- Spring Training in Sarasota with the O's!

I have heard it said that the four sweetest words in the English Language are: "Pitchers and Catchers Report." Yes, the dawn of spring. New beginnings. A fresh start. New hope. New optimism. And in the world of Major League Baseball, and America's historically "favorite pastime", it ushers in the beginning stages of "spring training", where MLB teams flock south to Florida, (and west to Arizona), to begin the grind. Today is that day. 

Three years ago, I was able to take my family down to Sarasota (after a few days at Disney!), spring home of my Baltimore Orioles for my first experience of spring training. My wife, Tessa was pregnant with our girl, Evelyn so it was us and the boys. This was a bucket list event for me. And it did not disappoint. First, we got to escape from the typical snowy and icy Maryland weather, to the warm and delightful Sarasota weather. We went to beautiful Siesta Key beach, less than 10 miles from Ed Smith Stadium. And of course, we got to enjoy the Birds in action. An intimate, family stadium environment where you could easily hear the players throughout the game, easily meet them after the game, and enjoy the great game of baseball in a relaxed, paradise environment. 

JT taking it in. 

Cal Ripken was there signing autographs. 

Yes, O's and MLB legend Cal Ripken was also there, as he often is supporting his O's! Our last game there prior to leaving back home was a classic. The O's played the rival Blue Jays. Down by 3 in the ninth, the O's mounted a comeback. A classic, Orioles Magic comeback. Then Ryan Flaherty came to bat with the O's still down by 2 and 2 men on base, with 2 outs. I sensed something dramatic was about to happen and got my phone out to record. He worked the count full. And then, yes...a dramatic walk-off 3 run HR to win the game! 

A sweet moment, and a great way to cap off our first visit to Sarasota! Then after the game while we were down at the O's dugout, congratulating Ryan and the team as they came off the field, Buck Showalter took a moment to come over and sign a baseball for us! Not surprising at all. I love this man. (And BTW, a separate post coming on him soon!). 

After the game, we went over and saw Cal while he was mingling with fans and signing autographs. It was a sweet day. It was a sweet trip. We plan to go back next spring. And one day, (retirement) our hope is to escape the nasty local weather, and spend the entire month of March down w/the O's in Spring Training! 

Yes, the dawn of spring is here. Pitchers and Catchers Report today! Let's Go O's!

Throwback Thursday- The Day I met Peyton Manning

It was at this same time- yesterday was National signing day- back in 1994 that a young phenom named Peyton Manning committed to UT, further propelling what was already a dominant program, and taking the Vols to new heights in their storied tradition. And of course at this present time it is also Super Bowl week, where Peyton is preparing to play in his 4th Super Bowl. The oldest QB to ever start in the Super Bowl. And I might add, his 4th Super Bowl, with his 4th head coach (never done before)- with 2 different teams. I will refrain in this post from building my case for Peyton to be, what I believe is on the "Mt Rushmore" of greatest NFL QB's of all-time. That time will come soon! 

Peyton Manning announces commitment to UT

When Peyton came to the Vols, they were consistently a top 5-10 team, and competing for not only the SEC Championship, but the National Championship virtually every year during this glorious era. And now they would be led by Manning, one of the best QB prospects the sport had ever seen. In his first full season as QB at UT, the Vols finished 11-1, defeating Ohio St in the Citrus Bowl and were ranked #2 in the country after the season. 1996 was also a stellar year. Though the Vols started the season ranked #2 in the country with high hopes of a National Championship run, there were heartbreaking losses at home to Florida (I went to the game and almost witnessed a miraculous comeback) and then a fluke loss at Memphis. Led by Peyton, the Vols were still dominant and finished #8 in the country after dismantling a good Northwestern team in the Citrus Bowl, 48-28. After the season, rumors were swirling as to whether or not Peyton would forgo his senior year and head to the NFL, where he would likely be the #1 pick in the draft, or do something most players of his caliber wouldn't do- stay in school. The anticipation was so high. The Knoxville area was in a buzz with nervous excitement as the day, March 5, 1997 came. The announcement came while I was in between classes. I'll never forget the press conference, when Peyton announced, "I'm gonna stay at the University of Tennessee." The city and all of Vol Nation was elated. 

During the fall of 1996 when I was living in Tennessee, I spent a lot of time studying in the UT library while I was currently going to school at a community college in Knoxville. At the time, my plan was to transfer to UT the next year. And yes, I went to just about every Vols home game. 

It was a Sunday night, October 20th, 1996 to be exact. The Vols had just won on the road in Georgia the week before and it was their bye weekend, prior to facing Alabama at home the next weekend. I was in the UT library- per usual for a Sunday night at this time- and needed to find a couple books for a research project. Now of course at this time, resources were much harder to come by in this just-launched, brand-new, pre-explosion of the internet- "world wide web" age! In fact, it was only a few weeks earlier that I had gotten my very first access to this new world via my school account and had this new thing called email. Using the library computer, I was able to locate the books and then print off the library sheet for where to find them. The location of my needed books was on the 5th floor. I'll never forget it. I was walking on the far left of the room near the windows, and coming up to the row where my sheet was leading me. I arrived at the row and as I started turning right, I collided with someone who was coming out of that aisle at the same time. I said, "I'm sorry!", while looking up simultaneously, and said, "Oh, HEY PEYTON!!" Yes, I was stunned. In what was a very empty room (about 6PM on that Sunday night), the great Peyton Manning and I collided in a moment of fate. Of course, he was classy, polite, and kind. Though I remember exactly how I responded and what I said, I don't remember exactly what he said but I do remember we both laughed and he said something to the effect of "Hey! No big deal, that's ok!" I walked over with him to a corner table where he was studying with who he said was his girlfriend, I believe wife now. I didn't want to take a lot of his time but we talked for a minute or so. Among a few things, I told him: "great game last week" (GA), "looking forward to the Alabama game next weekend!", and "it's so great having you here at UT". Of course, this was also pre-selfie, iPhone age so I really wish I could have gotten an easy picture! The only thing I could think of to highlight the incredible moment was ask him if he could please sign the only thing I had on me at the moment- my library sheet! Though I was only 1 year older than him, of course I was in awe and honored to meet him face to face in that quiet setting. A moment I will forever savor. 

Peyton signs the only thing I had on me: the library print out sheet for books I was trying to find! 

And you better believe I will be cheering hard for this same guy to win his 2nd Super Bowl ring this weekend, and perhaps call it a career and ride off into the sunset. Thanks for the great memories, Peyton. On, and off the field! 

Crush is back with the Birds

Now that my O's have locked up Chris "Crush" Davis to a mega , 7 year, and team-record $161M deal there are understandably a lot of opinions from fans, media, and those in and around the baseball industry. Is there a risk when you sign any player to a long-term deal like this at age 30 or later? Yes. Is it especially a risk when a team typically doesn't spend $ like this and can't afford for a lot of bad contracts, unlike teams like the Yanks, Dodgers, Red Sox, etc.? Yes. Do the O's also need pitching? Yes. Does Crush strike out a lot and go into prolonged slumps at times? Yes. Could it potentially hinder O's from making a lot of other significant deals over the years? Perhaps. 

Here is my perspective. First off, I have always loved him as a person since coming to the O's via trade in 2011. He had to overcome a lot of adversity, criticism, and very lofty expectations to get another shot at the Big Leagues, after not living up to the hype in Texas while coming up with the Rangers. By all accounts, he seems to be very humble, doesn't complain, encourages teammates and works extremely hard. As a Christian, I also love how much he talks about The Lord and realizes who he lives for and where his strength to endure comes from. 

After a solid 2012 campaign, where he was very instrumental in leading the O's back to the playoffs for the first time since 1997, came the breakout 2013 season. He started the season on an absolute tear, hitting HR's in the first 4 games, and setting the tone for his monster, team-record and MLB-leading 53 HR's, and near MVP season. Among many highlights from that season, was one of my personal favorite moments ever at an O's game: his dramatic 8th inning, go-ahead Grand Slam on Opening Day! It's like we all expected him to HR. The Yard was mostly standing and cheering in unison, just waiting for Crush to do it again for the 4th straight game and continue one of the greatest starts in MLB history. Right before his slam, I leaned over to my brother and said, "if he goes yard this place will go nuts!" And on cue, Crush responded in dramatic fashion. Yes, we went nuts. 

2014 had some sweet highlights, including my personal favorite Crush moment from the season: his walk-off, pinch hit HR vs the White Sox. Joe Angel's call of "The Big Fella" was one of my personal favorites of his, ever. 

Later that weekend at the annual autograph session for season ticket holders, he signed this picture for me that I had made from his dramatic walk off. 

But most of the season was obviously a disappointing one in comparison to '13 as he slumped, struck out a lot, was also hurt (much more than we knew about at the time), and then of course, had the season ending adderall suspension, right before the playoffs began. Fans were torn on what to think of him. 

Between his 2014 slump and suspension, and then sub-par play for the earlier part of 2015, I was torn and started to lean more towards letting him go after the season when he hit free agency if this kind of play continued. I thought it may be a given, not only that the O's wouldn't be able to keep him, but that they probably shouldn't. But then, something clicked near mid season and Crush went on an absolute tear down the stretch. A tear very similar to his breakout year of 2013. I was elated. Crush was back! He was brimming with confidence, once again hitting HR's all over the yard in massive binges, sometimes even as if on cue and expected like in '13, in walk-off fashion to win games. Below is the video I took of his walk-off vs the A's. Expecting it, and he delivered! 

And on top of this, he was even robbed of a MLB leading 5-6 HR's!  

As the season started to wind down, my emphatic conclusion was that, yes even though there are the risks mentioned to bring Crush back, these are risks worth taking, and that it is absolutely the move my O's needed to make. Why?

- He's proven to be very durable physically and is an athletic freak who works out very hard to stay in top shape. 

- He's extremely versatile, and able to play several positions well- including pitcher in a pinch! I would also argue he is gold glove caliber at 1B.

- He's got good speed and runs very well, especially for a guy his size. 

- He's a great clubhouse guy and well-respected teammate. 

Crush and Jonesy bromance. 

- He wanted to be here. 

- He's very involved in the community. 

- As mentioned above, by all accounts, he seems to be humble and have solid character traits. 

- Signing Crush sends a message in the organization (to current players, and potential free agents) that ownership will spend to reward and keep players when needed to remain competitive. 

- Signing Crush sends a message to fans that ownership is serious about being competitive. 

- Signing Crush is a good PR move with a very popular and marketable player. 

- Though some wonder if O's paid too much or were bidding against ourselves, consider this:

     A. We don't know if others were heavily in or not. 

     B. O's made a strong offer & stayed the course to show Crush our desire. 

     C. We don't know if other teams may have swooped in (change of philosophy or sudden injury need) at the 11th hour. 

     D. If O's didn't make a strong offer, he likely would have taken a 1 year deal (perhaps from someone else), and likely gotten a lot more than our offer- especially if he balls out again- when other big spenders enter the market next year.

Yes, the O's played this right, as Crush settled for closer to our original offer (7-$154) vs Boras demand of 8-$200M. 

- Some of the $ is deferred

- It keeps O's a lot more of a bona-fide contender this year. 

- And oh yeah, he can flat out CRUSH and lead the MLB in HR's, with the mentioned team-record 53 HR's in '13, and then 47 in '15, while carrying the team on his massive shoulders for stretches. 

So yes, at the beginning of the offseason I was- and remained more optimistic and excited about this deal if it came together. Hats off to Peter Angelos & the front office for making it happen. 

Crush is back!

Go O's! 

The Local Sports Optimist

     My passion for sports began at the age of 7. One of the first things I can remember wanting to do in life was to be a baseball player one day. Fortunately, I soon realized (around 11-12 years old) that even if I was to go completely all in and play year round, field ground balls and go to the batting cage for hours after school each day, and do all I could to sharpen every possible skill in me, my best would maybe be good enough to ride the bench...on a A level team one day. There was no way I would ever be remotely good enough to compete for a Major League team, much less a decent college team! Shortly after this realization, at about the age of 11, I then wanted to be a sports broadcaster. I would spend hours listening to Orioles games on the radio and carefully study, emulate, and be in awe of the play-by-play broadcaster of the O's: Jon Miller. As the next few years went by, this growing passion stayed with me. I created tapes of simulated broadcasts, and would practice doing games while sometimes muting the TV for baseball and football games. My brother Jonathan and I would create and record sports talk shows. I participated in an Orioles broadcast challenge at the age of 14. I even talked to Jon Miller after O's games to pick his brain and ask questions about being a broadcaster. I wanted to pursue this. Friends and family told me I should pursue this. Then about mid way through high school, while seriously evaluating possible broadcast career path options to pursue, I realized that it wouldn't be an ideal career for me because I also wanted to be married and have kids one day, and I saw broadcasting as likely involving a lot of travel, sacrifice, and a lot of time away from home, which I perceived would be a very difficult path and not be easy with a family. I believed that God's plan for my life was to not pursue that path at the time. And I can certainly see more of this in hindsight as I reflect today. Still, just because I never pursued broadcasting as a career my passion for sports in no way diminished. Over the years, I have had the privilege to be pursued to be the PA announcer, as well as play-by-play announcer for various small scale sporting events. And of course I had a lot of fun doing this! I have also done some freelance writing that has been published by yahoo sports. 

     So where does all of this lead to today? No question, I love what I'm doing in Real Estate. This is my career. I love working hard to serve and help people achieve their home dreams. Still, my wife and I wonder from time to time if there is ever any sports gig for me down the road. Friends often tell me I should have been a broadcaster, or should pursue being a broadcaster. Maybe start a sports talk show, or perhaps have a sports podcast. Or, just start a sports blog. I don't know. What I do know is that I will always love sports. I love the competition. I love the thrill of victory and, this may sound a bit demented...perhaps even at times the agonies of defeat. I believe that in my life, God has used sports in an abundance of ways that has both benefited me, and helped me live more of my life the way He has wanted me to live. Sports has given me great relationships with people and has taught me a lot about people. I love how sports unites people. It brings together people of all races, backgrounds, beliefs, careers, and interests. Sports has helped teach me how to cope with some of life's circumstances in some of the high's and low's. It has taught me character, discipline, and perseverance. Sports has helped teach me how to hope and be excited about things. 

     Now I have to say that my sports passion and knowledge is also limited, as you won't get much from me beyond football, baseball, basketball, and a little bit of hockey! I do like boxing as well, but don't really follow it today. I love the great history of boxing in our country and love reading and watching clips from some of the great boxers of years gone by. Men like, Muhammad Ali (greatest ever), Jim Braddock (The Cinderalla Man), Joe Louis, Rocky Marciano, Mike Tyson, George Foreman, Sugar Ray Leonard, and Evander Holyfield. Sadly, the sport has changed dramatically and does not really hold my interest today. My interest is more of the sweet part that this sport plays in our nation's history. 

     So my thinking is that perhaps an easy way for me to communicate my passion of sports and have fun engaging people who also love the sports culture is by simply starting with this. I don't have major aspirations, or pre-conceived notions and I certainly don't know where this whole "Local Sports Optimist" thing will go. I don't even want to assume that anyone will read or care about what I post in my small Jim-O-Centric world of sports passion! I just want to have fun, have an archive of my favorite sports memories, share my insignificant opinions about my favorite sports, ask the opinions of others, and learn from others. And to clarify, though my passion is mostly my favorite teams, I will not only be writing about my teams but from time to time will try to include some mainstream sports news. It's a hobby of mine. Also, full disclosure: I don't have the luxury of an editor, so hopefully my writing, grammar and overall structure is tolerable! My wife knows better than anyone how bad my writing style (like run on sentences and grammar) can be! And quite frankly, I have been told before that I write like I speak so hopefully that's not a bad thing!

Thanks for taking the time to stop by and read. I hope this serves people and enhances our mutual love of the God-given gift of sports! Here's to more lifetime sports memories to enjoy together!