—-

Skip Dolan, who coaches boys basketball and girls softball at Annandale High School – and has coached for a total of 72 varsity seasons – spoke at a Kiwanis luncheon last week. He was asked about the situation at Rutgers University, where men’s basketball coach Mike Rice was fired after a video surfaced of him hitting, shoving and berating his players.

While speaking at the Kiwanis luncheon, Dolan was asked about Rice and what he did in his practices at Rutgers. The following are some of Dolan’s comments…

“Coaches getting intense is part of the nature of the beast, but what made me truly sick about the Rutgers situation is that I truly believe one of the best classrooms in our schools is the athletic fields and courts.”

“Mike Rice did not take advantage of the opportunity to teach these young men of our future so many things that are going to help them be successful in life. Instead, he destroyed a golden opportunity to be a quality teacher which had nothing to do with coaching.”

“Many of you sitting out in the audience listening to me either have hired young people or will be hiring them in the future. Wouldn’t you like to hire a young man or woman that was taught the following qualities every day while they were in school?

* You need to show up every day

* You need to be on time.

* You need to be accountable.

* You need to work even harder today, to be better than you were the day before.

* You need to learn to work with a group of people and tolerate all of differences. Be a team!

* You need to learn to be confident, and yet be humble.

* You will learn to respect authority.

* You will learn how to show gratitude.

“I tell you and my players, if these traits are instilled, whether a young person goes on to college or joins the work force, they will be successful. That player will have pride in themselves and their life.”

“Shame on Rutgers for destroying such a classroom!”

“It makes me sick that we have people that don’t get the real meaning of what we are trying to accomplish in the coaching profession.”

-Biggest Crowd would go to the DC vs. Monticello Girls Basketball Section Championship game. They were waiting for a long time and completely filled a huge gym in Buffalo. Everyone was anticipating a good game in this rematch. A good second place goes to NYA vs. Mayer Lutheran Boys Basketball playoff game. I heard they were waiting almost an hour to get into that border battle.

-Best Tournament still has to be Hockey. There are few tournaments in the country that can compete with the level of play, the tradition, the atmosphere…everything. The Double A Tournament almost seems like your seeing the top High School teams in the nation. The tournament sells out in 2A, and Class A is getting bigger and bigger. I was a basketball guy in high school, but I’m fast becoming a hockey guy now.

-There was an idea floated at the State Boys Hockey Tournament to try and get the 8 best teams into the tournament, I’ll call this the West Metro rule. You see, the West Metro hockey teams are by far the best in 2A and only a handful can qualify for state being in the same sections. Some people wanted more of those teams in the tournament over teams that didn’t have as good of regular seasons. One person even said No team with a sub-.500 record should be allowed into the post season tournaments.

I have mixed feelings on a rule like this. On one hand I like this idea, although to be fair I think you’d have to make this a rule for all team sports. It would make the regular season mean something again, which right now no one cares about that portion. It would get better teams in, quality of play would increase.

But, on the other hand…what makes march madness is the upsets. Tell me the last time the NCAA Mens Basketball Tournament had the #1-#4 ranked teams still alive in the Final 4? I can’t remember it ever happening…I’m sure it has, but when? What makes it fun is seeing David knock of Goliath. We like seeing the Butlers, the NC State’s, the Valparasio’s, beat the top seeds. Everyone has a shot…until your beaten and eliminated you’ve got a shot. That’s what makes it fun.

-The loudest crowds have to go to Wrestling. I’m a basketball guy, like I said before so I haven’t personally heard the crowds…but listening to Pat and Ron and Kip and Gary…the crowds in the background of their matches are always hyped up to the max. Almost rivals Volleyball. Sorry, no one’s beating a bunch of screaming girls…No one.

-If there is one competitor this winter season to keep watching after the season, it’s Cole Bateman from Hutchinson Boys Swimming. He’s going on to Division 1 Swimming, and is hoping to go further into Nationals. As good as he is…we might hear his name again. A Summer trip to Rio in a few years would be a nice lofty goal.

-I miss bands. Haven’t heard too many pep bands at games this year. I know fans and players enjoy piped in music more, but the atmosphere with a band is better. Just as long as I’m not setting up my broadcast table 3 feet from the percussion section.

-Sportsmanship has been up and down this season from what I’ve seen. I’ve seen games and fans that exemplify what it means to be good fans and sports…but I’ve also seen games and fans that I wouldn’t let me daughters sit next to ever. It’s just kids playing a game people. It’s wonderful to cheer them on and encourage them, but why get so torked off if they don’t win? Didn’t they give it their best shot? Shouldn’t that be enough? Not everyone in life gets a trophy…it’s how you pick yourself up and move on that makes part of the measure of a man.

-A note to basketball programs…teach kids how to shoot the ball! The Shooting I have seen at a lot of games has left a lot to be desired. Too many times I’ve seen either poor shots taken, or no shot taken. Summertime should be a time to shoot about 30,000 shots. And no I’m not kidding.

-I like what I’ve seen in getting kids involved with varsity teams. Whether it’s LDC Hockey having youth kids skate with the team in warm ups or player introductions, to basketball teams playing at halftime…I’ve seen more involvement this year than in past years. Nice job! The more kids that are interested in a sport the better, it makes for better overall program numbers, and makes for an overall better program in the long term.

-To the New York Jets….the game Clue. Then you can say you actually have a clue. While it’s fun to see someone out side of Minnesota suffering, its getting sickening to hear about “as the Jets turn” day in and day out. Oh and a bonus gift of some pillows to a certain few players and coaches who’ll need them to land on when they are kicked out in January.

-To the National Politicians…Oh I had to get this one specially made. It’s a special edtion of the popular game “Rock Em Sock Em Robots”. This edition I got specially made so the heads of the robots are glued down and can never come off. Well apparantly this is the game they like to play most…hammering away at your opponents while no one ever wins the game.

-To the Minnesota Twins…a case of your favorite beverage. We’ve begged you for years to do something, get some players in here and now you are. We know you may not be so good this year so you may need this beverage to get through the season.

-To the folks of Connecticut, Colorado, and every other place that saw needless and senseless violence this year….Peace. It’s been said many times but can never be said enough…we’re all with you.

-To Rick Adelman…a 2000 piece puzzle. Well the man has been a master at piecing things together. Of course this puzzle might be easier than piecing together a lineup lately with all th einjuries.

-To Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds….tickets to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. Hopefully that’s the only way you’ll see the inside of that building.

-To Jack Morris…a new suit. Hopefully you’ll need it in late July!

-To the Minnesota Vikings…a guide book to the sites of New York City. To remind you that this season has been great…but that it’s the Super Bowl in 2014 (in NYC) that we’re shooting for.

-To the NHL Players Union…a copy of the economic reports of your home cities. No one cares your gone…not even here in hockey country.

-To the Gopher Football team…a sincere wish for good health to Coach Jerry Kill. He seems like a genuinely nice guy and the right guy to lead the football team, BUT I have to wonder if the team can keep surviving through Kill’s health scares. It’s got to hurt recruiting some.

-To national journalists and broadcasters…some ethics and standards. Most of you out there have this in spades but it’s the select few that don’t that are hurting our names and jobs. There shouldn’t be a race to break a story…you should take your time and do your due diligence.

-To Celebrities and anyone who’s been on TMZ or other hollywood news programs…Some Peace and Quiet. I still wonder why we need to know where you’ve had dinner and why were they out alone. You deserve some privacy…too bad I’m in the minority on that opinion.

-To Major League Baseball…a 10 foot shopping cart. Apparantly this cart (and free agents) can only go shopping in large markets.

-To NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell…an armored vehicle. Anything less and I’d be worried about his safety when he visits the super bowl in New Orleans in a few weeks.

-To the Internet…special filters that take out junk I don’t need to see. I don’t need 50,000 messages or forwards that have been forwarded 50 times already.

-To local charities, groups, volunteers, and anyone else who gave their time or talents to make this world better….a toast from me to you. May you be richly blessed in the future. Not everyone is able to do what you do and some people rely on you just to be able to get by day after day. You provide a valuable servce and they’re aren’t enough of you. God Bless you all!

-And finally to you…those who have listened this past year or read this column…a tip of my cap and my gratitude, along with a special prayer for you. The prayer’s author is unknown, but I found it on the website of former Pro Wrestling manager Percy Pringle (aka Paul Bearer)…

Lord, as I stumble through this life help me to create more laughter than tears, dispense more happiness than gloom, spread more cheer than despair. Never let me grow so big that I will fail to see the wonder in the eyes of a child or the twinkle in the eyes of the aged.

Never let me forget that my total effort is to cheer people, make them happy, and make them forget at least momentarily all the unpleasant things in their lives. And, in my final moment, may I hear You whisper: “When you made my people smile, you made me smile.” Amen.

I do hope I made you smile, that I took you away from your troubles for a moment. Have a very Merry Christmas, and I look foward to talking with you in 2013!

First let’s do a comparison. Here are two football players…one is in the hall of fame, the other is not:

Player A: 16 seasons, 1,101 catches, 13,899 yards, 130 TD, 8 time Pro Bowler, named to 11 All Pro teams, 31 times was in the top ten of a statistical category, named Walter Payton Man of the Year, led his team to 2 Conference Title Games

Player B: 16 seasons, 940 catches, 12,721 yards, 68 TD, 3 time Pro Bowler, named to 11 All Pro Teams, 8 times was in the top ten of a statistical category, helped team to 1 Super Bowl.

Ok, now which one do you think is in the hall of fame? Looking at things to me Player B looks like a good player that was an integral part of his team for a few years and into a Super Bowl. Player A looks like he was on top of the NFL, considered one of the best to have played during his time. 31 times in the top ten compared to 8, Almost 200 more catches in just as many seasons, and more Pro Bowls means respect from the coaches and fans.

Well if you said Player A is in the Hall of Fame…you’d be wrong. Player A is Vikings WR Cris Carter, while Player B is Washington Redskins WR Art Monk.

All those stats I just mentioned are fine…stats are one way to judge a players performance. It can be a meaningful way to compare players and figure out who is worthy. But no one now a days looks at, what I think, is the single most important factor to someone being in that sports hall of fame. Was a person considered the BEST at their position when they played?

Take the case of baseball pitcher Jack Morris for example. Now maybe Black Jack finally gets in this year but it’s been way to long of a wait for him. You look at his stats and his career ERA of almost 4 is not very good, his win-loss ratio of only 57.7% is also not great. Now that being said, you can’t tell me that during the time frame of the 1979 season through 1992 season he wasn’t the best darn pitcher in the American League. Any manager during that time frame would’ve picked Black Jack as his starting pitcher for one game. That to me speaks of the greatness of Morris.

The man averaged 242 innings per year and 16 wins. You want to talk pitching in the postseason, I offer you a DVD of the World Series Game 7, 1991. I rest my case.

This year Curt Schilling pops up on the Hall of Fame ballot for the first time. Now I do not believe that Schilling is a first ballot hall of famer, but I do believe he should be in the hall. Schillings stats don’t jump out at you…his career ERA is almost 3.5, he only had 216 wins (which is comparable to the mighty arms of Bob Welch, Rick Reuschel, and Bobo Newsom).

But again Schilling falls into the Jack Morris category…from the time between 1997 and 2006, there were few pitchers you’d rather have on that mound. That to me speaks of greatness.

I don’t like comparing Pitchers to Hitters for obvious reasons but I will in this instance. Take Hall of Fame outfielder Andre Dawson…Did you ever think you were watching one of the greats ever when you saw him out there? Did that .279 career average speak of greatness? Not to me. Would you ever pay to watch him play? I wouldn’t. But I would pay to see Jack Morris and Curt Schilling play.

I urge the voters of all professional hall of fames to consider one thing before all others…was the player the BEST at his position during his time. Greatness has no stats.

Joel

PS. I’m not even going to get into the case of Punter Ray Guy. I’ll let Vikings punter Chris Kluwe do that for me. He’s doing a good job of arguing that point in the blogosphere.

As we head through another playoff season I get the question or comment something to the effect of…”(insert team or school name here) is always winning in the playoffs, boy they have a good program”. Now whatever person said that comment is usually right. Take a look at the football teams playing for Section Championships in the area – Hutchinson, Glencoe Silver Lake, Sibley East, BOLD, ACGC, Annandale and Mayer Lutheran. All of those schools have had winning records these past years, and with the exception of Sibley East…all have been to the state tournament in the past 5-10 years. Even going over to Volleyball – Hutchinson, Waconia, Mayer Lutheran, and BOLD have all been considered great programs and all have been to the state tournament recently. How did these teams get to be consistent winners? Let’s examine…

First let’s examine this question…Is it Luck? Yeah probably a little bit. There is luck involved in every sport. Can you stay injury free? Does the ball bounce your way? Do all the intangible things seem to go for you? Yes, there is luck involved but not a lot. I’m of the belief that teams make their own luck too. They are knowledgeable enough to force situations and then capitalize on them. But inevitably, every team has luck.

That leads me into the main reason…These schools have developed a nice program from youth all the way up to high school. Oh sure, sometimes a particular class or grade in school develops good players in a particular sport but to me those are the anomalies. If you have a solid program and foundation to work off of you don’t need to rely on that “good class of kids”.

A solid foundation includes a quality youth sports program. Get kids involved and let them have fun. Develop a love of the game, not a love of the win. This is probably the hardest part of the formula. Parents, god love you all, but sometimes you want to see Little Johnny or Suzie win as many games as possible when they are 10 years old. It’s not about that. At a young age it’s about getting every kid playing time, getting everyone on the field or court, and getting everyone to stick it out to next year. Keep improving, keep getting better.

The single most asked sports question I’ve heard over the years is, “How does Hutch keep winning in varsity football? I mean we killed them in 9th grade.” Yes you probably did, but the Hutch program is one that every kid plays and it’s about developing talent. Yes they want to win the game just like anyone, but they are not going to sacrifice the development of the player to get there. In the grand scheme who cares if you got 8-0 in 8th or 9th grade. It’s a great accomplishment, but I’d rather be 9-0 in varsity and playing for a section or state title.

To me Parents are the most important person in a childs development in athletics and more importantly in life. But a parent needs to walk that fine line and not get too involved. I do not know what sports or activities my children will do when they are older, but I can guarantee you this. I will NOT ever coach them. A parents job is not to be the coach, but to be the kids #1 cheerleader. Help them along the path. The more and different coaches a person has in his/her lifetime exposes them to new ways of thinking and doing things. It gives them life lessons on how to deal with issues not on the field of play.

Now I’ve said this next line a few times in my columns but I’ll say it again. Losing is the greatest gift you can give an athlete. Losing teaches a kid to not be satisfied….Losing teaches a kid to brush themselves off, get up, and go try it again…Losing teaches a kid the effort that it’s going to take to win the game…And Losing gives kids mental toughness, and comraderie among the players, the your all in this together mindset. All of those things I previously mentioned are required traits if your going to win a state championship when your older. If a kid wins all the time it doesn’t teach them how to go through adversity, how to work harder when playing a more talented team, and doesn’t give them mental toughness. Besides, once you’ve tasted defeat…the Winning seems so much sweeter.

Now it takes a little while for these programs to be built. You take a look at coaches trying to turn programs around…my mind goes to Sibley East football or Waconia Volleyball. These were programs that before their current coaches got here were kind of middle of the road programs. The coach changed the culture and got the youth programs going. Sure they still had to go through a year or two more of middle of the road play but now those two programs are built for the long haul.

There is no perfect way to build a program, everyone has their own system, their own limiations. These are just my views on what I think makes up quality teams. But however your favorite schools winning teams do it, you can bet you’ll find a pretty darn good program behind it all.

I was asked on a radio show recently about the experience of a bigtime high school football rivalry (Hutchinson vs. GSL).  The host eluded that maybe he should come out to the 2013 version of this game.  I responded I’d welcome him with open arms and get him a pre game pork chop, saying the chops were legendary at the stadium.   That got me to thinking a bit about gameday experiences.  I figured I’d take a look at the four levels of football in the state and what each experience was like.  Then at the end I’ll give you my pick for top football experience.

Pro Football/Vikings: I am a diehard Vikings fan.  Been through the 3 and 4 win seasons, been through Sean Salisbury at QB (yikes!), been through more scandals than JLO has had husbands, and still bleeding purple.  But I’m just not a huge fan of the gameday experience at the dome.  Ok, now that’s really no shock to anyone of us that’s been to the dome.  To give the Vikings credit they are trying with the outdoor plaza,  but In the end it’s the stadium that gives it such a low grade.  I’d much rather watch a game on TV.  Now maybe this changes when the new stadium is built, but for now…this one is dead last on my list.

Major College Football/Gophers: To be fair, I’ll preface this next paragraph by saying I have not attended a game at the new TCF Bank Stadium.  I have seen the stadium, I have been by it…but not been in it.  Getting the games back on campus I do think helped their gameday experience.  Had they still been in the dome, this experience would easily rank last, Instead it climbs up a spot to #3.  The team has not been watchable for a while and that has a big drag on the experience.  You don’t hear about any pregame or postgame activities…it’s just go to the game and go home.  Again, maybe I’d change my mind if I attended a game there…but that’s how it looks like to me.

High School Football: This ranks #2 on my best experiences list.  There are few things better in my mind than a fall night on the gridiron.  A bunch of kids playing for the name on the front of the jersey’s and not the back.  Kids you know giving their all just because they love the game.  Certain places there are tailgating, gathering with your friends and talking over the week, your neighbors and friends all together supporting the local school.  The only reason this does not rank #1 on my list is the much higher chances of seeing a stinker for a game.  In HS football the good teams can be real good, and the not so good teams…well you get the picture.  A well played High School football game to go along with the overall atmosphere is a beautiful thing.

Small College Football: Yep, the #1 spot on my list goes here to Small College Football.  A fall Saturday afternoon is one of the few things that rank higher to me than a fall Friday.  I don’t care if your watching St. Cloud State or Mankato…Crown College or Ridgewater…your seeing kids that someone thought was the best of High School Football.  Your going to see a game played with high skill, players who know what they are doing and try to execute the game plan.  Your also seeing some of the things I mentioned in High School Football.  Your seeing friends and neighbors at the game, your seeing pregame and postgame tailgating.  Kids that aren’t playing for the big money that the big colleges are playing for.  Oh sure, there are a few players there that may see time in the NFL, but for 99.9% of the small college players they know they are going pro in something other than sports.  But they don’t care…they love playing at it shows.

So there you have it…Small College Football gets my vote for best gameday experience.  I’d love to hear what you have to say.  Everyone’s experiences can be so different.  Your list may look completely different than mine.  Send me a note or leave a comment below.  I always look forward to hearing what you have to say.

Just recently I watched the Olympics…after seeing Team Jamaica win the 4×100 meter relay I heard Usain Bolt on TV saying, (and I’ll paraphrase a bit) “I did it…My legacy is complete…I’m the greatest.” His team had just won, but he didn’t mention the team at all.

So that got me to thinking about all the good things I’ve seen or experienced lately. In a ME sports world, I’ve seen a bunch of WE lately and I’d like to salute them for it. Salute them for showing people that not everything in sports is bad, Salute them for doing the right thing. Things that maybe don’t seem special…but are special just because of the growing rarity of them. Here we go…

-A Salute to the folks over in Sacred Heart. Was over there for the State American Legion Baseball Tournament. Pleasant folks to work with, would bend over backwards to help out, provided a great atmosphere, and was fun. That’s how you host a baseball tournament.

-As long as we’re on Legion Ball…A Salute to the folks in Wahpeton and the D2 National Regional Baseball Tournament. They were equally as accommodating as the folks in Sacred Heart…maybe a bit more so. They were genuinely glad to have us up there covering the games on the radio. Helped out where they could and opened their community to me. Great job on the tournament guys! If Plato had to lose, I’m glad they lost to a classy organization.

-To the Plato American Legion Baseball team. You conducted yourself with dignity and pride. You were always gracious…represented yourselves, your parents, your community well. In a state tournament that was marred by a selfish act by another team you kept composed and level headed. In the National Regionals I know talking to people there, you impressed people with your play on the field and the way you presented yourselves. Good job guys!

-A Salute to Team USA Womens Basketball. Showed great team play in the Olympics…Multiple people involved in the game…the entire roster contributing to the gold medal performance…gracious in defeat…always complimenting the team and not the person. You were a pleasure to watch ladies!

-A salute to all the sportsmanship at the Olympics. I know I saw a scene where two men from different countries helped up another person who’d fallen and helped him cross the finish line. I also saw a photo where an American Wrestler and an Iranian Wrestler embracing. The Olympics need to come sooner than every 4 years…they teach us that division among countries, or even political parties isn’t a good thing. More people need to work together.

-A salute to the boy from Detroit who set up a lemonade stand with the purpose of donating the proceeds to help the city out. He raised about $3,600 dollars and donated every penny. The cities parks and recreation areas are going to get that money. Oh and by the way…he’s 9 years old.

-This one’s not sports but that’s ok….To the group called Aaron’s Wish. If you haven’t seen any of these videos…google them on you tube. A mans dying wish was for his family after he was gone to go out for pizza and leave the waitress a $500 tip. They did and have said they’ll continue to do so if they get enough donations. $50,000 have been donated so far…more tips to come. Great thing this family is doing!

-Lastly a salute out to you folks reading this. Sometimes everyday things go unnoticed and unthanked. If you’ve ever helped out a friend in need…scooped snow for a neighbor who couldn’t do it…volunteered at your church or a charity…raised money for a good cause…or just listened to someone who needed a friend. For all those thing and many more that I didn’t mention…I salute you.

Would you like to salute someone? I’d love to hear about the story…post your salute in the comments section below on this webpage!

Recently I was reminded of those days, after going up to the Alexandria area. Spent a good amount of time on the lake and boy was it relaxing. Course it helped that we caught fish…my in particular. I hauled in 8 Northern Pike, with other parties in our boat getting 4 more. (Random Fishing Tip…I was trolling a JB Lures Ventilated Spinner with a minnow…feel free to try that next time on the water)

But, as I was fishing, I kept thinking…why can’t this be the scene in Hutchinson? We forget, and myself included, that this is a lake town. There’s more shore line in this town than there is in some northern Minnesota hot spots. With Campbell Lake, Otter Lake, and the Crow River….there are more than enough areas to sustain fish, and provide good fishing.

A quick check of the DNR’s website shows that overall Campbell/Otter/Crow is a very shallow body of water with the deepest area of the lake only about 6 feet deep. Bullheads are the most plentiful fish in the water but it does offer some Walleyes and Northern Pike. Crappies, Sunfish, and Perch can also be caught here as well. That’s not a bad selection to choose from.

One of the problems the lakes are dealing with is that it’s hard to travel between the lakes. Roads separate the three area’s of the lake with insufficient bridges to travel between the lakes. One bridge has been recitified on the Luce Line trail…I know another one along the southern portion on South Grade Road is scheduled to be fixed in the coming years. Now if we could just get the Highway 7 portion fixed we’d be in business.

I know the Hutchinson Leader newspaper has written about this in the past in more depth than I am here, but I would like to throw my support behind what they’ve written about. We have a good resource here, I’d like to see it utilized more.

Than maybe someday I can recreate that scene of sitting in a boat, listening to now Cory Provus and Dan Gladden, with a line in my hand looking over the City of Hutchinson. To me Hutchinson can be the gateway to the North Country. The lakes start here and get more plentiful as you go farther north on Highway 15. But let’s try and remember that first part of what I just said…the lakes start HERE.