WCHS has named a new baseball coach who appears a wise choice.
Trice Powers has a long resume as both a player and a coach, plus the benefit of having a father who is a baseball coach. On Friday, Powers was handed the reins of one of Warren County’s most successful athletic programs.
On top of his pedigree, Powers said all the right things at the meeting to announce his hiring. It’s good to say the right things, but I’m going to do things differently when I’m named head coach of a major sports organization, which is on my five-year plan.
When I’m named head coach, preferably of a baseball or basketball team, I vow to be straightforward and ditch the coach speak.
The trendy thing to say nowadays as a coach is, “I’m not going to worry so much about wins and losses. I’m going to concern myself with character. If you teach them the right way of doing things, the wins will follow.”
That’s cute, but it’s not accurate. I’ve coached my share of teams and there’s one thing I’ve learned – it is all about the wins. You win and people are joyful. You lose and there’s moaning and second guessing.
So, when I’m named coach, I pledge to tell it like it is.
“All I care about is wins. If you can throw an 88 mph fastball, it doesn’t matter to me if you’re a rotten guy in the community. You have a spot on this team. If you can throw a 95 mph fastball, I’ll bail you out of jail. I’m here to win.”
Character and academics are nice, but give me a kid who can smack the ball to the fence or who can drain 3-pointers. I’m not teaching math.
That’s why I’m going to stress, “It doesn’t matter to me if my players excel in the classroom. This is not a spelling bee. If they can block 5 shots and grab 15 rebounds a game, they’re going to start. School teachers are supposed to show them how to read. I will show them how to break a 1-3-1 trap.”
Whatever happens, I’m never going to claim “sports teaches you so much about life.” Actually sports teaches you nothing about Billy at the office who will try to stab you in the back and get you fired. Sports teaches you nothing about making a mortgage payment and juggling two kids. It teaches you nothing about the uncle who drinks too much and always asks to borrow money.
Sports teaches you how to compete against others and typically involves running and some sort of ball. The object is simple: to win.