6/01/2007
Billy the Kid has Become a Man
How would you like to spend a day in the shoes of Billy Donovan? If I could, I certainly would. The reasons are obvious, he's young, attractive, and probably the most well known coach in college basketball today outside of Jim Boehiem and Coach K who have been at their respective school forever. Perhaps most importantly, he has led the University of Florida to back to back NCAA basketball titles, and now, at the height of his popularity, the NBA has come calling and Donovan has answered the bell. He has agreed to coach the Orlando Magic, a franchise that with the possible exception of the Shaq era has always been a perennial loser. In offering the job to Donovan, the Magic management is hoping that the success he's had in Gainsville will cross over to the NBA.
I don't blame Donovan for wanting to take the high road and jump to the NBA even if he had just signed a contract extension for two reasons. First of all, he probably figured that he's already reached the highest level in college basketball twice and that the logical thing to do is to accept the challenge that being a coach in the NBA brings. Second of all, accepting the job with the Magic allowed him to both stay in Florida to be close to his family and proceed to NBA at the same time. I don't know if he would have accepted a job with any other NBA franchise other than the Heat if it meant having to leave the Florida lifestyle that he has grown accustomed to behind. So now, Billy the Kid has chosen to take the next step. in going to the NBA there are three distinct possibilities that could occur, I will rank them in order from the most likely to the least likely to occur.
1. He presides over the Magic for a couple years and then comes to the realization that he would rather coach in the college game.: This is most likely because Donovan will probably want to be with kids who want to play the game instead of ego-inflated maniacs who care more about their next sneaker contract than playing basketball.
2. He fails miserably, and is subsequently fired with 2 0r 3 years left on his deal. His coaching records is so god awful, that it will be difficult for him to land a job in college or the pros. The pros will never hire him for obvious reasons, but the colleges may stay away from him because they figure he's lost his luster and credibility as a coach.
3. He finds success in the NBA and is able to lead the Magic to the promised land. Of all the coaches that have jumped the college game to go to the NBA, Larry Brown is the only only one who comes to mind that was able to find success there once he won a national title and even then it took him years to accomplish that feat. Hopefully, Donovan won't have to wait that long although the odds are against him
How will he do, only time will tell. It's not often that you see a college coach find success in the NBA, but here's hoping Billy the Kid finds success in the NBA and is able to prove his detractors wrong!
I don't blame Donovan for wanting to take the high road and jump to the NBA even if he had just signed a contract extension for two reasons. First of all, he probably figured that he's already reached the highest level in college basketball twice and that the logical thing to do is to accept the challenge that being a coach in the NBA brings. Second of all, accepting the job with the Magic allowed him to both stay in Florida to be close to his family and proceed to NBA at the same time. I don't know if he would have accepted a job with any other NBA franchise other than the Heat if it meant having to leave the Florida lifestyle that he has grown accustomed to behind. So now, Billy the Kid has chosen to take the next step. in going to the NBA there are three distinct possibilities that could occur, I will rank them in order from the most likely to the least likely to occur.
1. He presides over the Magic for a couple years and then comes to the realization that he would rather coach in the college game.: This is most likely because Donovan will probably want to be with kids who want to play the game instead of ego-inflated maniacs who care more about their next sneaker contract than playing basketball.
2. He fails miserably, and is subsequently fired with 2 0r 3 years left on his deal. His coaching records is so god awful, that it will be difficult for him to land a job in college or the pros. The pros will never hire him for obvious reasons, but the colleges may stay away from him because they figure he's lost his luster and credibility as a coach.
3. He finds success in the NBA and is able to lead the Magic to the promised land. Of all the coaches that have jumped the college game to go to the NBA, Larry Brown is the only only one who comes to mind that was able to find success there once he won a national title and even then it took him years to accomplish that feat. Hopefully, Donovan won't have to wait that long although the odds are against him
How will he do, only time will tell. It's not often that you see a college coach find success in the NBA, but here's hoping Billy the Kid finds success in the NBA and is able to prove his detractors wrong!
Labels: Billy. Donovan, Florida, Gators Basketball, Magic, Orlando
5/31/2007
Jim Bouton, Hero or pariah?
If you have followed baseball for over 40 years you've probably heard of a little book written by a journeyman starter and reliever named Jim Bouton entitled "Ball Four". First published in 1970, "Ball Four" broke the rules of the traditional baseball book. it was not a book in which ball players were put on pedestals and meant to be worshiped by the adoring public, rather it was a book that sought to portray men who play on the diamond as perverts and fools. In documenting the joys and struggles of the entire 1969 baseball season, Bouton intended to prove that there is much more to a baseball player than a guy who goes out there and plays for 9 innings and then goes home. In the end, Bouton got mixed reviews for his efforts. Some appreciated the book for it's brutal honesty and hilarious exchanges among players, others crucified the book angry that Bouton had made the establishment look bad by portraying ballplayers as anything but heroes and making accusations within the text that few felt were true. League reaction to the book was so negative that one team burned a copy in protest and then MLB Commissioner Bowie Kuhn tried to force Bouton to sign a statement claiming everything written within the context of the work was untrue, a request that Bouton declined.
No one should be able to deny that the book did not create a stir but my question to you is how should we view Jim Bouton? Should we look at Bouton as a hero because he had the guts to depict baseball as a lousy establishment in which players engaged in activities that we in our hearts felt they would never do? Or perhaps we could called Bouton a pariah for daring to challenge the integrity and values that founding Fathers of the game like Abner Doubleday and Kennesaw Mountain Landis worked so hard to uphold. We all have our opinions but within this blog only one man's opinion counts, mine, and so let me tell you that I believe Jim Bouton is both a hero and a pariah for writing his book and here's why.
I consider Bouton at the very least a figure of admiration for having the gall to point out obvious flaws in our perception of the typical baseball player. Before 1969, the average person probably thought the average player was a smart man with good morals who would do anything asked of him by his fan's and never dared to balk about his salary. Bouton dispels these beliefs by claiming that players are perverts, could care less about there fans, and often think that they are getting screwed with the paycheck. Bouton also proved he was gutsy by claiming several ballplayers take drugs to enhance their performance on the field. You must remember that this was way before drugs became a major facet of big league baseball. Bouton should be credited with being one of the first people to actively believe that drugs had the potential to become a huge problem with the baseball landscape.
Bouton should also be praised for exposing the upper management of certain ball clubs as a bunch of tight-fisted cheapos. By claiming that Seattle Pilot GM Marvin Milkes was unfair in his treatment of players, Bouton perhaps created the first documented evidence that some higher-ups within the game were penny pinchers and thought more highly of themselves than the good of the team. Today, you see plenty of owners and GM's unwilling to pay for top tier talent because they think for themselves rather than the needs of their players and fans. Although some of Mr. Bouton's points are valid and daring. I think most of his book was pure drivel and fabricated to make himself look like an angel and a figure of pity so that his book can sell the most copies possible.
Mr Bouton fails miserably to make you want to feel bad for him by giving you a step by step account of his constant money squabbles with then Yankee GM Ralph Houk, by saying he refused to report to work until he was paid a decent wage. Bouton was a mediocre pitcher at best and was in way deserving of a top tier salary, granted this was in the days were ballplayers did not make all that much money and only the best players were guaranteed a six figure paycheck, but for Bouton to claim that $15,000 was not a big enough salary for him to live on in those days is ludicrous. To intone that he held out for 2 years in a row because of low pay is down right outrageous. I would assume that Bouton was making a hell of a lot more than the average doctor or teacher in the early 1960's he should have been fortunate that he got to do the job that millions of kids dream of but only few get to actually live out. I can sympathize with a man who is loves baseball and finds it difficult to earn a decent wage because he is a minor leaguer, but for man who is lucky enough to pitch in the big leagues when he is not that talented a player and complain that his salary is too low does little to invoke any sympathy from me. If Bouton played today, he'd strike me as the type of player that would hire an agent that would force an organization to overpay for an alright player at best. When he finally gets what he wants he is ineffective or injured and then run out of town by the media, forcing the team to eat the remainder of his contract.
Another thing Bouton did in his book was depict his teammates as a bunch of perverted men who sometimes kissed each other and would often look up women's skirt using binoculars. I find it hard to believe that the majority of baseball players let alone humans would regularly engage in those kinds of activities. Bouton probably put the escapades in there so the book would be more entertaining and likable even if most of the episodes were untrue. The act of perversion was proven to be a recurring theme throughout the book so I believe that some of the activities described were made up.
Lastly, the reason why Bouton is a pariah among this baseball fan is because of the constant barrage of downright crude accusations he makes about other people within the story. For instance, Bouton accused Carl Yazstremski, one of the greatest players who ever lived of being a loafer on the field. He also accused Mickey Mantle and being a drunk and a man who never went out of his way to sign an autograph for a kid. All of this would be alright me if Bouton was quick to point out that he was no prince himself but there is not one mention of any wrongdoing on his part throughout the course of the book. Bouton is a hypocrite because he accuses others of being detriments to the game yet he believes that pulling such pranks as sending a teammate a phony paternity suit endears him to his teammates because everyone will have a good laugh over it later on is downright cruel and mean. If Bouton were man enough to show remorse for his actions, maybe I would not be ripping him. However, Bouton wants people to believe he is the poster child for morality and that he is right and everyone else around baseball is wrong. Therefore, I believe that the hatred, scorn, and ridicule Bouton received from the establishment upon the book's publication was very much justifiable
In conclusion, the effect of Ball Four is two fold. The book should be be complimented on the fact that it dispelled any believe that all baseball players are good people and some of what they do is immoral and illegal. On the other hand. Ball Four is a book in which one mediocre baseball thought to expose the truth about Major League Baseball players and executives while the author portrays himself as the moral compass of the league. I'm almost certain that Mr. Bouton will never read this piece, but if by chance he does, I want to know that I appreciate his rebel approach to the game and his courage to write what he truly felt. However, I'm ashamed to admit that I paid $24.95 for almost 500 pages of lies and accusations that were never proven by the majority of people in baseball. You're no hero in my book, but what you stated obviously struck a chord with the public and for that you have my admiration.
No one should be able to deny that the book did not create a stir but my question to you is how should we view Jim Bouton? Should we look at Bouton as a hero because he had the guts to depict baseball as a lousy establishment in which players engaged in activities that we in our hearts felt they would never do? Or perhaps we could called Bouton a pariah for daring to challenge the integrity and values that founding Fathers of the game like Abner Doubleday and Kennesaw Mountain Landis worked so hard to uphold. We all have our opinions but within this blog only one man's opinion counts, mine, and so let me tell you that I believe Jim Bouton is both a hero and a pariah for writing his book and here's why.
I consider Bouton at the very least a figure of admiration for having the gall to point out obvious flaws in our perception of the typical baseball player. Before 1969, the average person probably thought the average player was a smart man with good morals who would do anything asked of him by his fan's and never dared to balk about his salary. Bouton dispels these beliefs by claiming that players are perverts, could care less about there fans, and often think that they are getting screwed with the paycheck. Bouton also proved he was gutsy by claiming several ballplayers take drugs to enhance their performance on the field. You must remember that this was way before drugs became a major facet of big league baseball. Bouton should be credited with being one of the first people to actively believe that drugs had the potential to become a huge problem with the baseball landscape.
Bouton should also be praised for exposing the upper management of certain ball clubs as a bunch of tight-fisted cheapos. By claiming that Seattle Pilot GM Marvin Milkes was unfair in his treatment of players, Bouton perhaps created the first documented evidence that some higher-ups within the game were penny pinchers and thought more highly of themselves than the good of the team. Today, you see plenty of owners and GM's unwilling to pay for top tier talent because they think for themselves rather than the needs of their players and fans. Although some of Mr. Bouton's points are valid and daring. I think most of his book was pure drivel and fabricated to make himself look like an angel and a figure of pity so that his book can sell the most copies possible.
Mr Bouton fails miserably to make you want to feel bad for him by giving you a step by step account of his constant money squabbles with then Yankee GM Ralph Houk, by saying he refused to report to work until he was paid a decent wage. Bouton was a mediocre pitcher at best and was in way deserving of a top tier salary, granted this was in the days were ballplayers did not make all that much money and only the best players were guaranteed a six figure paycheck, but for Bouton to claim that $15,000 was not a big enough salary for him to live on in those days is ludicrous. To intone that he held out for 2 years in a row because of low pay is down right outrageous. I would assume that Bouton was making a hell of a lot more than the average doctor or teacher in the early 1960's he should have been fortunate that he got to do the job that millions of kids dream of but only few get to actually live out. I can sympathize with a man who is loves baseball and finds it difficult to earn a decent wage because he is a minor leaguer, but for man who is lucky enough to pitch in the big leagues when he is not that talented a player and complain that his salary is too low does little to invoke any sympathy from me. If Bouton played today, he'd strike me as the type of player that would hire an agent that would force an organization to overpay for an alright player at best. When he finally gets what he wants he is ineffective or injured and then run out of town by the media, forcing the team to eat the remainder of his contract.
Another thing Bouton did in his book was depict his teammates as a bunch of perverted men who sometimes kissed each other and would often look up women's skirt using binoculars. I find it hard to believe that the majority of baseball players let alone humans would regularly engage in those kinds of activities. Bouton probably put the escapades in there so the book would be more entertaining and likable even if most of the episodes were untrue. The act of perversion was proven to be a recurring theme throughout the book so I believe that some of the activities described were made up.
Lastly, the reason why Bouton is a pariah among this baseball fan is because of the constant barrage of downright crude accusations he makes about other people within the story. For instance, Bouton accused Carl Yazstremski, one of the greatest players who ever lived of being a loafer on the field. He also accused Mickey Mantle and being a drunk and a man who never went out of his way to sign an autograph for a kid. All of this would be alright me if Bouton was quick to point out that he was no prince himself but there is not one mention of any wrongdoing on his part throughout the course of the book. Bouton is a hypocrite because he accuses others of being detriments to the game yet he believes that pulling such pranks as sending a teammate a phony paternity suit endears him to his teammates because everyone will have a good laugh over it later on is downright cruel and mean. If Bouton were man enough to show remorse for his actions, maybe I would not be ripping him. However, Bouton wants people to believe he is the poster child for morality and that he is right and everyone else around baseball is wrong. Therefore, I believe that the hatred, scorn, and ridicule Bouton received from the establishment upon the book's publication was very much justifiable
In conclusion, the effect of Ball Four is two fold. The book should be be complimented on the fact that it dispelled any believe that all baseball players are good people and some of what they do is immoral and illegal. On the other hand. Ball Four is a book in which one mediocre baseball thought to expose the truth about Major League Baseball players and executives while the author portrays himself as the moral compass of the league. I'm almost certain that Mr. Bouton will never read this piece, but if by chance he does, I want to know that I appreciate his rebel approach to the game and his courage to write what he truly felt. However, I'm ashamed to admit that I paid $24.95 for almost 500 pages of lies and accusations that were never proven by the majority of people in baseball. You're no hero in my book, but what you stated obviously struck a chord with the public and for that you have my admiration.
Labels: Ball, Baseball, books, Bouton, Four, Jim, Seattle Pilots, Yazstremski
