Growing up we all played for at least one good coach. Good coaches not only helped us with our skills on the field or court but they also taught us life lessons. I had the good fortune of coaching high school sports for five years in Oregon. I loved it. There are a number of coaches who I wish I played for. When Mike Price was coaching football at Washington State not only where his teams usually good but they looked like they were having fun. I always respected the heck out of Jerry Sloan. His Utah Jazz teams were always the most gritty and well prepared teams in the NBA. I think I would have enjoyed playing for the late Billy Martin, ex manager of the New York Yankees. It would have been a three ring circus but Martin knew the game.
This train of thought led me to wonder, who are some of the great movie and TV coaches and which ones would have I liked to play for? Who can forgot the iconic Morris Buttermaker from the Bad News Bears movie? He inherited a team of losers, added some talent, and almost one the league title. He was also hilarious. We may never know if Chubs Peterson was a great coach but he did help Happy Gilmore get his grandma’s house back and beat Shooter McGavin. Would anyone turn down a chance to play for the great, Patches O’Houlihan from Dodgeball fame? Patches had so much wisdom to give like, “If you can dodge a wrench, you can dodge a ball.” “You’re about as useful as a poopie-flavored lollipop and “This is Patches O’Houlihan saying take care of your balls, and they’ll take care of you.” I doubt anyone would turn down playing for the great, Jimmie Dugan. He was the brilliant manager of the Rockford Peaches in the movie, A League of Their Own. Jimmie had wisdom in spades like, “It’s supposed to be hard. If it wasn’t hard, everyone would do it. The hard… is what makes it great” Who can forget, “There’s no crying in baseball!”
Having a good relationship with a coach is important as a player and a broadcaster. The key word in that last sentence was, relationship. It’s always important to have a good working relationship with the coaches you cover whether its high school, college or pro. I believe it’s vital at the high school level. For the most part if you are broadcasting high school sports you do all the prep from getting rosters, stats, injury updates, pre-game/post-game show, etc. Remember, the coach is also a teacher or a vice principal or serves in some capacity other than coaching at the high school. If a roster or stat package doesn’t get back to you right away, be patient. When it does arrive, thank them! It seems so easy but a simple email that says, “thank you coach I appreciate your help” goes a long way.
I am blessed to work with coaches in West Texas that go out of their way to help me out with rosters, stats, game plans, scouting, etc. It makes my job so much smoother. (It also helps me sound like I know what am talking about) I also live in small town West Texas so when I see the coaches at church or at the park or grocery store I make sure to say hi and be friendly. I know, I know, it seems like a no brainer but you would be surprised at how many broadcasters take getting rosters and stats for granted. Sending the play by play guy information is not high on a coaches list of things to do when they are teaching two classes, have a family and could be coaching multiple sports. Be patient. Be appreciative.
