What Ever Happened to Sportsmanship?

Sportsmanship used to matter.  We'd look up to the Johnny Unitas's, Willis Reed's, Carl Yaztremskis, and later on the Joe Montana's, Larry Bird's, Hank Aarons and later yet the Peyton Mannings', Steve Nash's, and David Wrights.  It gets harder and harder to find Good Sportsmanship in the games we play.  the Media is able to find many examples of poor sportsmanship without even looking very hard.  But it's the examples of Poor Fan Sportsmanship that is growing and growing.  Disrepectful chants directed at the players on the court and the other team's fans have become common place in some places.    Even swearing disguised but clearly swearing is occuring. 

How do we stop this?  In Section 2  & the NYSPSAA we have instituted a Sportsmanship Policy which is posted in every gym in the state and is read many times prior to a game.The next step is in enforce it.   School administration needs to step up & demand that their students and fans display good sportsmanship. 
Now to get what has gotten me on this topic.  Tonight I attended a girls basketball game.  read belo
Sad to say that the Student Body Cheering section of a local high school may have graduated most of the rude & disrespectful members of it's crew from two years ago, they have found more to replace them. I was subject to "cheers" of " Ass Hole", " Bull Shit"," You Can't Do That" , " Air Ball" & other derogatory comments made toward the other team during the game & even during free throws. Section 2 Has a Sportsmanship Code which is usually read prior to any game but for some reason it doesn't apply to this school's fans. Their administration sits there & does very little to stop them. They all wear their bright yellow t-shirts ands stand during most of the game " CHEERING?" I was subjected to the " Ass Hole" chant as I was leaving...Nothing personal I'm sure. Just a Pet Peeve of Mine...my 2 cents on it.

British Show Hits Home

The BBC show, "Downtown Abbey" is hitting home here in the Good Old USA. Just finishing it's second season. it has become favorite of especially many middle & lower class Americans. What grabs us is the "Compassion that the Rich have for the Poor" in the series. The fictional Lord Grantham reminds us alot of our 32nd president, Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Mr Roosevelt , like Lord Grantham, is from an Aristocratic family but always shows compassion for those with less, lots less. He gives a job to his current butler whom he fought side by side with in WWI. He gives his staff a ball where he & his family wait on them. He treats them like equals in many ways even going the extra mile & looking out for them. The Gap between the Haves & Have Nots in his world is very small. FDR was that kind of leader. He looked out for Have Nots. Many of his programs were designed to shrink the gap & take care of the less fortunate.

Americans are loving "Downtown Abbey". They would love to see an America built on it's principals. If we could shrink that gap, I believe many of the issues we are struggling with would shrink as well. We need politicians & leaders that embrace those kinds of thoughts & are more like FDR. They need to encourage the Rich...the Haves to reach out their hands & make them "Helping Hands". To develope laws & policies which close that HUGE Gap. Which puts all Americans on equal footing when it comes to most of life's opportunities. There will always be a Gap but The Gap shouldn't be getting bigger. So Americans, maybe the British have the right idea. Maybe it's time for us to Learn from our Former Mother Country once again. Let's find Leaders that "Get It".

Tale of Three NBA'ers

Jimmer Fredette graduated from College at BYU & was drafted #10 by the Sacremento Kings. Jeremy Lin graduated from College at Harvard and was un-drafted by the NBA. DeMarcus Cousins went to the Univ. of Kentucky for a year before getting drafted in the top 10 by the Sacremento Kings. He was always in & out of trouble in both High School & College & there are those of us who believe he was a major reason for former Coach Paul Westphaul of the Kings to be fired & Kieth Smart to be hired.

Lin's story is well documented. He went undrafted out of Harvard before his hometown GS Warriors signed him. He was cut by the Warriors & hooked up with the Houston Rockets who also cut him before getting his big chance with the New York Knicks & making the Huge Splash he has made. Good for Him.

Jimmer's story was a fairy tale career at BYU ending in his being named College Player of the Year after his Senior Year. He was drafted #10 by the Sacremento Kings, the youngest team in the NBA. We all figured he had things to learn to adjust his team oriented style of play to the typical run & gun, Me first style of most NBA teams. But once Mr Smart took over the Kings it was obvious he thought Jimmer had much to learn & didn't fit in his style. The Kings play a run & gun style with emphasis on taking the paul hard to the hoop. Once the ball is over half court not many passes are made. Jimmer is seeing less & less time. Knowing Jimmer he will work harder & harder to prove himself & get more playing time.

Meanwhile Demarcus Cousins plays the me first style I was refering to while he hangs under the basket. His reputation for a bad attitude is well documented. He plays 40 or more minutes most games unless he gets into foul trouble.

It sure is nice to see Jeremy Lin get rewarded for all his hard work. I sure hope it happens for Jimmer, if not with the Kings, then with a team that appreciates his hard work ethic, good manners, great attitude, & skills. We can hope that he rubs off on Demarcus Cousins. The NBA needs more Jeremy Lins & Jimmer Fredettes.

A Time to Share

To Blog or Not to Blog? What to Blog About?

The Price of Oil & Gas skyrocketing due to issues in Iran. The Knicks, Melo & Linsanity? Is this Mo's last year? The Mets & why be a Met's fan?This Crazy Snowless winter & how it will affect our Year? Schools & how the 2% tax cap is going to affect them? What are Schools going to look like next year & in years to come? How Teachers have become the "Whipping Boys & Girls" of all our country's failures? Does the President really matter? Wanted: A Fair & Honest Politician/cCndidate who will truly make a difference & who truly cares about all the right things. Why will be spend millions on Entertainment & Entertainers while we have hundreds of thousands living in poverty? Why doesn't it pay to grow old?

I'd like to share a story I heard recently. All of a sudden an elderly person had their prescription costs skyrocket. Trying to get answers from their Medicare Part D Drug provider was like "pulling" teeth. Cigna had no answers but something had changed. This person tried talking to the Pharmacy where their drugs were purchased & their doctor. All they got was the possibilities of trying generic drugs. But not all this person's drugs had a generic. So what to do? This person couldn't afford to stay alive basically.

The problem of Medical Insurance is hurting the citizens of this country. What to do? We need answers. We need congress to get off thier high horses & stop worrying about being re-elected , stop paying back favors, stop bashing one another, and start taking care of business. We all need affordable Health Insurance & especially for our Elderly & Children.

Do Fans Fan the Flames

So what is a fan? To me it's someone who supports a team by rooting them on, by cheering for them, and by following their every move. Fan's can get nasty they can do some unthinkable things, and they can be very negative. Unfortunately that's the side of fans we seem to see more often now a days. Watch or go to any sporting event and you'll see this. But since when does cheering your team on have to be shown by being disrespectful to their opponents?

A few years ago I was working the Girls' State Tournament and had to deal with a group of fans from a local high school yelling disrespectful comments to the opponents. There were even "cheers' directing at specific players. When trying to tone them down, I heard comments like....Let them cheer....They're only being kids.........It's not that bad. I was surprised that their school's officials didn't try & control them. I did have some of their parents apologize for their behavior though. Recently I was at a college hockey game where the student section directed dorogitory comments at the players from the other team. These comments included words like "You suck'...." Asshole" ...& others. They even created t-shirts which "Implied" sware words on them directed against the opponents.

I'm just wondering why? Why do fans feel it is their right to belittle & disrespect the opposing team & players? Why can't they just cheer on their team without disrespecting the other team?

Let's carry it a bit further. How many times in the past year have you read about or seen footage of fans fighting or beating up fans of the opposing team? There was a fan in San Francisco beaten so much, he was paralyzed. How about the youth league parents that berate the other team or their own child's coach because their child isn't playing enough? They even did a Law N Order where a parent murdered his son's coach. How far will they take it? What are we teaching our children? Has SPORTS gone to far? Is it just sports? Do Fans Fan the Flames?

Coaches vs Parents

Being a former coach, I am a bit touchy when I hear parents bashing a coach. I understand that coaches can be wrong at times but until you've had the pleasure of coaching, you really will never understand the responsibility that a coach has. No matter what level, your biggest responsibility is to teach the game and to do it fairly. That's s where the rub comes in with parents. What exactly is fairly? I used to tell my parents," When you come to a game, your eyes are focused on " # 12 ". Meanwhile my eyes are focused on all 12 of my players. Where I am concerned about each player, my main concern is the team. I have to balance the well being of the team to the well being of each player. Depending on the level, the well being of the individual, may take a back seat to that of the team. Meaning that at the early levels, we need to develope all of our players & that may mean sacrificing winning.

Parents need to support their child & their child's team. They can do it best by: Making sure their child stays healthy, getting them to & from practice & games, helping the team fundraise, encouraging their child to always work hard & do their best, and by not bashing their child's coach or teammates. A coach works very hard to help his team create good team chemistry and a trust between he or she & their players. Nothing destroys team chemistry more then parents using the dinner time conversation to question & bash their child's coach or teammates. If your child is unhappy with his or her spot on their team, as a parent, you need to encourage them to discuss the situation with their coach.

A parent's attitude can be the deciding factor as to whether their child has an enjoyable experience or not. A parent's bad attitude can create a "cancer" on their child's team. Or their attitude can help propell them to a successful & enjoyable experience. It needs to be Coaches AND Parents , not Coaches vs Parents.

What Makes us Who We Are?

I'm debating what to talk about today & have decided to give a little ...like one cent to two topics.

Yesterday I was walking to CVS when I passed a person loading their car with things they had purchased at CVS. On my way out I noticed that they had left their cart right where they had been parked, about 50 feet from the store entrance. I preceded to bring the cart back.

So: What made that person leave the cart there & what made me bring it back to the store? In other words, Why did they feel it was ok to just leave the cart in the middle of the parking lot & Why did I feel I should bring it back to the store? I'm not saying they were wrong & I was right . I'm not saying " Hooray for ME". Just posing that question, What makes us who we are?

Did I come from a household where there were people who did these kinds of things? Is it a case of Right & Wrong and knowing the difference? Did I conciously think of that when I returned the cart? Did the other person just feel it was the right thing to do to leave the cart there? Is it an employees job to return the cart? Was he/she in a hurry? Did they forget? I'm really not sure what is the answer here. I will tell you this: I will pick up trash or bottles that I walk by & deposit them in a trash can. I will return extra carts when I return mine.I will not block a side road & will let others out of a side road.

Again, O'm not saying this to say "HooRay for Me". But it does speak to who we are & what makes us who we are. I gotta believe being around certain kinds of Role Models does influence us some how. All that we are exposed to makes us who we are. It can't help but. So as you go about doing whatever you are doing think of how you are influencing what others around you are becoming because whether we like it or not, Our Influence is out there & in the end it's what we leave behind. Finish this sentence: Boy, he/she or that reminds me of.............................

As a devote & sufferring Knick fan yearning for the days of Clyde , Willis, Dick, Bill, & Dave days....it sure is refeshing to see what the young Jeremy Lin has done for the Knicks. They are fun to watch & they are winning. The question remains, what will happen when the mega-stars Melo & Amare return? Will they be happy with sharing the limelight with the humble Mr Lin? Will they beable to play in the fast paced ball movement game? Or Will they succumb to their one on one isolation game which had us losing & losing? Is it All about them or all about the team? I sure hope The Team wins out.

That's about two cents worth for today.

Does a Test Tell it all?

As I stated when I started this Blog, It will be my opinion mostly but sometimes, many times, my opinion is shared by others. And sometimes I will read something that inspires my Blog. Today is just one of those times. There appeared a Great Letter from former Schenectady Teacher , Richard Terry, in today's Schenectady Gazette, on State Testing being used in a teacher's evaluation. He points out what should be obvious flaws. I'd like to make a point myself. I observed the following in a Kindergarten classroom. There was a discussion regarding what a Leap Year was. There were a few 5 year olds who were able to relate the sun & solar system, some that knew that the earth revolved around the sun, while some didn't know what the earth and sun were. Obviously some came from a home environment where much time was taken reading, being read to, & discussions were had while some had little or none of this, with little constructive attention paid. Circumstances are different in homes which allow for some things to occur or not to occur. Twelve years later most of these children will graduate after spending those twelve years in their home circumstance. The point is : These children will have similar educational programs given by their schools. But can that make up for the vast differences in their home circumstances? How can we expect all students to fit the "same" mold when tested? Given the same Recipe but different Ingredients....will the cake be the same? Something to think about.

To stand or Not to stand

Recently I got involved in a discussion on Standing for the Pledge of Alligiance. The discussion took me places I hadn't given much thought about. When my generation stands is it because we truly know why we are standing or was it just ingrained that we should? In recent years people's right to stand or not stand has come into play. Heck in school we couldn't force a student to say the pledge but he/she had to stand. Most students said the pledge but was it out of fear, following the crowd, or because they really understood what they were saying & why? A recent cartoon showing a student sitting with his feet up on his desk during the pledge and his teacher standing next to a wounded vet sitting in a wheel chair led to the discussion I mentioned earlier. The teacher pointed out to the student that the vet couldn't stand because of wounds he inflicted protecting the student's right to not stand.

Very Interesting. Do students today really understand where their rights were earned? Do they understand why George Washington led an army of colonists fighting for their freedom to be a new nation "under God" and not under British Rule? Do they understand the Declaration of Independence & what it says & means? Do they understand the Constitution & Bill of Rights, where those rights came from, & what was lost to gain those rights? Do they understand that all the wars & fights our country has been in since has been fought to protect those rights . Not only our rights but the rights of all people to be free?

So Why stand during the pledge? Why recite the pledge? Why stand during the Star Spangled Banner? Why sing it?

I believe it all started out of Respect for the Flag and what it stood for. Under that flag, many men & women fought for those rights & to protect & keep those rights we hold so true. Over the years many have given their lives to keep us free & protect our rights.

Now there are some that say that one of those rights we fought for is the right we have to not stand. Well I suppose they are right. We don't have to stand during the pledge or our country's national anthem or when our flag goes by. But so many of the morals that made our country the greatest country in the world are gone. Gone due to apathy or the lack of good foundation for our children due to so many "advances". Ah..there's my wit & sarcasm shining through. Advances in many areas have allowed us to forget to raise respectable and moral children to carry on the respect and honor we should afford our country, it's flag, & all those who have given to protect our right to stand or not. Sad but true.

So for what it's worth, No one should stand because they are just following the leader or out of fear. But Hopefully after they've been taught where those rights they hold dear came from, they will WANT to stand up for America & for all those who died to give us our freedom,to keep us free, & who gave us our rights.
It's the least we can do.

Getting Started

I can't believe it. I'm finally taking some advice and starting my own blog.  Fran's Two Cents will exclusively be only my opinion on things.  Oh I may steal an idea or thought because as we all know our thoughts are a collection of things we have heard somewhere and given thought about.   But as those of you who know me giving my opinion on things is something I do pretty regularly.  I feel that my opinions are mostly what most regular people are thinking and just aren't always saying.  So where to start?  Well my opinions come from over 30 years in education and 36 years of marriage and 33 years as a father.  Oh and over 30 years as a coach and 58 years as a person or a good facsimile of one.

I will try and update this regularly as long as I can find this site again. Thanks to my cousin Nina's daughter Stefanie who helped me find this site and nice words of encouragement from Roland and Chrissy and you too Michelle.    I may just ramble from time to time or throw in a joke or riddle to get you all thinking.  Because thinking is  something we don't do enough of.  so ready....set...here goes:

Our Education System is in Need of Big Help.    I know that throwing more money at it isn't the answer but it can't hurt.   Teachers need to be evaluated but so do administrators and yes so do parents.  But how can we do it without pissing everyone off.  How bout we all just do our jobs to the best of our abilities.   Oh and maybe just maybe the kids can try and do their bests.  Next let's forget about all these stupid tests because all they do is tell us how stupid we all are and take up so much valuable time that could be used to LEARN.  Then let us stop comparing ourselves to the rest of the world.  We're never going to measure up.  They all learn English but we all don't learn spanish or whatever.  Also only the smart kids in all those countries get tested.  They are smarter then we are.  We test even the dummies.  If we just tested the smarties and actually taught our kids good English we just might measure up to the rest of the world.

Lets face it, we can't keep cutting and cutting.  If we do our schools will be like a barber shop with most of our brains all over the floor.    We need to offer our kids a well rounded education and cut the testing and other unfunded mandates.  Bottom line....Throw Money at it but make sure it gets caught and used well.  Give all schools good Gloves.