Monday, October 27, 2008

Coach Woody

Do you remember Woody Hayes? he was a coaching great from a bygone era. As a former Navy man, his temper is well documented. I was never an Ohio State fan but I did respect Woody's coaching ability and service to our country. Woody was known as a sensible and friendly guy. He would often meet with those which whom he would disagree. But Woody's downfall would come when he took a swing at an opposing player who had happened to intercept a pass from his Ohio State Buckeyes. Woody, in a moment of desperation, had gone too far. Woody was a great coach, but his "riding roughshod over opponents" style became obsolete.

Tony Dungee? He would guide his team with a deliberate and didactic demeanor and Zen-like coaching style to a Super Bowl win. A Black head coach winning the Super Bowl? Many thought that it could/would never happen. When the haters would hate - Tony would coolly keep his mind focused on the task at hand.

The POTUS is more like a head coach than a quarterback. The President doesn't have the time nor the resources to manage every problem for every person. A President who would micro-manage every aspect of society would do more harm than good. Do I think that the next POTUS could solve America's problems? Nope! It's not his job. The job is to put the right people in the right place to enable the players (Us - some are quarterbacks, some lineman, some play "D", some are on special teams, some sit on the bench and watch the stars and wait for their ring) to execute the proper play at the proper time. The Head coach oversees the position coaches (Cabinet) and works with other members of a team's administration (Owners - Congress and General Manager - Supreme Court) to ensure a winning team.
The head coach manages his team's personnel and it's plays - he doesn't actually have a direct effect on whether the team executes or not.

Obama has been called "Only Inspirational", as though that was not a needed quality.
Obama won't solve my problems. It would be juvenile to expect him to.
Obama can create a winning mentality and environment to enable all to function at their maximum potential.
If the choice is between the antiquated coaching philosophies of Woody Hayes and the more current and more worldly philosophy of Tony Dungee - I'll pick Tony.

2 comments:

D.J. said...

I am standing up and applauding. this is exactly what a leader is, someone who;s ego allows them to say i don't know but i am surrounding myself with people who do. Would you want to follow McCain or Palin or Bush across the street much yet further into this new millennium? Hell NAWR!!!!!

RunningMom said...

And I'm standing and applauding with d.j. - this analagy is fantastic! I wish we could see this exact image you have painted in a prime-time commercial. You Rock UBJ!