Coaching causes baldness

I can clearly remember the day I decided to become a basketball coach. I was sitting in the Shoemaker Center (I think it's called 5th/3rd Arena now?) bleachers after a good rec with one of the guys who lived next door to me in Calhoun Hall at UC. I was a History major in the Pre-Law program, but after a funky smelling conversation with Greg Malo I decided education and coaching was the path for me. Fifteen years later with half my hair still intact, I was a head coach. Within in three years I was completely bald. Coincidence? I think not. Being a head basketball coach is really stressful, but it is also the best medicine for my soul and drug for my consciousness I have ever found. You wanna float with Snoop Dogg and Lil' Wayne? Beat a team no one thought you could .... your feet float above the ground better than Criss Angel or the Tangerine Dream ever could. Lose a game you're not supposed to lose and you'll realize why Kurt Cobain thought swallowing a shotgun was a good idea. The part of coaching which keeps me in it is the kids ... and I've had some great ones. You become more of a social worker most of the time (and psychiatrist with mainly parents) and you learn there are four ways to deal with kids. You can pat them on the back, kick them in the butt, leave them alone or cut ties with them. Most kids respond to one of the first three methods, but occasionally you have to cut ties. Luckily for me I have had many more great kids than kids I have to cut ties with, and hopefully the ones you cut ties with understand it is always business and never personal. It really boils down to one thing: Are you going to do what I need you to do to move our program forward? If the answer is yes, I will work with you until we're both dog tired. If the answer is no, then I have no time for distractions. The unfortunate part is some players, most parents and virtually every AAU coach don't understand that the real world is the same way!!! Your boss has expectations for your performance to insure the company or organization survives. If you don't show up, bad mouth your co-workers, threaten to quit or run your mouth on Twitter and Facebook you will end up fired. Rule #1 for keeping your job: Show up on time everyday. Rule #2: Do what your boss expects you to do. The basketball program I have helped to create works the same way. If that makes me a bully, then your boss with be King Kong. Here endeth the lesson!

Unless you have been hanging out with Chuck Noland and Wilson on a deserted tropical island the past couple months, you would know how important in U.S. history today's Facebook IPO is!!! It is going to make some really rich people even richer!!! I love American invention and entrepreneurial spirit more than Frisch's Hot Fudge Cake, but the majority of Americans will see absolutely no benefit from taking Facebook public. Although Bono will become the richest musician alive (He stands to make $1.5 billion on his Facebook investment and will surpass Paul McCartney, who has a paltry $665 million). Hopefully he has found what he is looking for or can hire the person to find if for him!! Conversely tomorrow's big event has the chance push the boundaries of American science and technological achievement farther than even Facebook can reach. Space X, founded by Elon Musk (born in South Africa & made billions in the U.S. & is a U.S. citizen), is poised to become the first private spacecraft to reach the International Space Station and return. I would herald the return of manned American spaceflight and show the technological mastery of an American corporation. The vast majority of countries (eh-hum .. North Korea) do not have the technological know-how to put things into orbit. It's a huge accomplishment and shows maybe the U.S. isn't as technologically inept as some in the mainstream media would have you believe.

The Reds lost to the Mets yesterday afternoon ... I knew I shouldn't have put the Vottomatic homerun in the blog!!!! The curse of Bill Simmons lives!!!! Dusty threw out another famous "Gotta get him going" quote yesterday in defense of starting Ryan Ludwick (he of the .183 batting average). Even Mario Mendoza would be offended if Ludwick was mentioned in the same breath!!! Free Chris Heisey has been on fire lately and doubled in his only AB yesterday, but Dusty Custer said "I know everybody wants to play the guy who is hot. But what happens when the guy who’s hot gets cold and the guy who’s cold never gets lukewarm because he ain’t playing?" Abbot and Costello nodded silently from the grave wondering when Why would get a start in LF. One person who won't get a start anytime soon is Aroldis Chapman. Read more here. Which only makes sense because His Dustiness knows baseball and the rest of us don't, so stop asking. The Reds are consistently inconsistent to the point where even Vottomatic is becoming Vottosometimes (a throwing error on Wednesday and a baserunning error yesterday). He is still crushing the ball and I can only Tangerine Dream what would happen if guys got on base in front of him and he had some protection hitting behind him. I defer to the Hit King on hitting (Dusty listens to no man!!) so the Reds batting order should look like this: Phillips, Hanigan, Votto, Bruce, Heisey, Stubbs, Frazier, Cozart and a pitcher. No Hanigan? Cozart goes to 2 and Mesoraco goes to 8. Just take a toke of this order Dusty!!! It will be dreamy!!! The Reds finally play a three game series .. against the Yankees in the house George built. No ... not George Herman "Babe" Ruth, Jr. George Michael Steinbrenner III - holder of a Master's Degree in Physical Education from The Ohio State University - built the house the Reds visit this weekend. Bronson Arroyo faces a fresh from testifying Andy Pettitte who may or may not have taken hgh recently. 3 win and 2 losses in the Big Apple would be fabulous!!! Let's go Reds!!!

Live Oaks Golf Outing is in an hour. I'm warming up in my room as we speak and I putted earlier in class. I'm ready. Let's Goooooooooooooooo!!!!

P.S. Shout-out to Paul Woodson and Phil Hardaway on graduating this weekend from Aiken and Withrow respectively. Two former Cougars who still bleed blue!!!! Good Luck!!!!