What is Success?
Someone posted on Facebook the other day that he was glad Mike Bobo was no longer at UGA, because he was a terrible Offensive Coordinator, especially in the realm of calling plays, his contention being that he was too predictable. The discussion morphed into a criticism of Mark Richt, with calling anyone who backed him a RichBot. The main point was that Richt was a failure because he only won 2 SEC Championships, and no National Championships.
What disturbs me about these "discussions" is that they tend to turn personal. One person even compared Richt to Joe Paterno, basically accusing him of being a child molester! Needless to say, I stopped reading at that point. It's amazing to me that people will claim to know what is in someone else's heart.
Richt was often criticized for not having enough "fire" on the sideline, and was thought by many to just be happy with collecting a paycheck and not caring about championships. This was because he rarely changed his expression on the sideline, and allowed his assistant coaches to do their jobs. It reminds me of the criticism that was heaped upon Andruw Jones because he would walk away from the batter's box after a strikeout with a smile on his face. Never mind that that was his normal expression!
You can certainly criticize someone for a lack of success, but to criticize them for character flaws based on that lack is a stretch for me. How do you know Andruw wasn't torn up inside? How do you know what Richt was like in the locker room or on the practice field? I never once noticed a lack of effort or desire from either one of them.
I have to say that every Braves player in their history is my favorite, just like every UGA player, every Falcons player, etc. And anyone who plays for any other team is my least favorite player. That's because I'm a fan. I don't get criticizing your own players (or coaches). However, there is one player that played for the Braves that I learned to truly dislike, and was happy when he left: Nate McLouth. (Hector Oliviera doesn't count because we hardly knew him, but I was glad he was traded due to his legal problems. The same could be said for Vick...) McLouth, for some inexplicable reason, stopped trying to throw anyone out. Bottom of the 9th, tie game, runner on third, no or 1 out; a fly ball hit to McLouth, and he just lets the run score. No throw. What have you got to lose? Let it fly! If it's a bad throw, who cares? You're gonna lose anyway! I don't know if he was hurt, but he never claimed to be, and so it seemed to be an "I don't care" attitude. Notice I said "seemed to be". I didn't stop rooting for him to do well, though.
Let's go back to what is considered success. I don't think most people realize how difficult it is to be successful at anything that requires a high skill level. They also don't realize that often the opponent is also trying their hardest to win! Let me give you an example. When I was at ROTC Basic Camp at Fort Knox, Kentucky, we had a day where they allowed us to go to the PX. At the PX, there was a pool table, where, for 50 cents or so, you could play a game of pool. Generally, the "rule" was that whoever lost paid for the game. Now, I'm not that great of a pool player, but I had played some at church youth group, at friends' houses, and at the UGA Tate Center. I got in line, and watched a couple of games, with the winner being the same guy- if you won, you could keep playing. I was next, so we played, and I won. The guy said he wanted to play again, so we did, and I won again. He seemed kind of frustrated, and wanted to play again, but I needed to get back to the barracks. On the way back to the barracks, one of my buddies told me that, according to the crowd around the pool table, the guy I beat was the #2 rated amateur pool player in the state of Minnesota! Now, he probably plays more games in a week than I had played in my entire lifetime, but, for those 2 games, I was better. Does that make him a failure? Not at all, because sometimes, an individual plays way above their skill level, and a better player may play below their level at the same time. That's why there are upsets in tennis, boxing, swimming, and every other sport. There is no doubt in my mind that if we played 100 more times, he would have won 90 or more, maybe even all 100. That's because he could maintain a high level of play, while I could not. Think of how good professional musicians are, and yet they miss, crack or play notes out of tune occasionally. The difference between them and others is consistency.
So is success consistency, or is it championships? Many consider the Braves failures in the 90s because they only won 1 championship. The argument comes down to: Auburn or Georgia? If you're a college football fan, you'll know what I mean. Georgia has consistently won 9+ games a year, but has no national championships since 1980, and no SEC championship since 2005. Auburn, on the other hand, has won 2 SEC championships recently, and one national championship, but in the intervening years has had some losing seasons and some mediocre seasons? Which do you prefer?
P.S.- One more mention about road names. Generally, when a road replaces another, it's because of a newer route. For example, Lost Mountain Road would be a replacement/different road for Old Lost Mountain Road. However, I passed an intersection where Villa Rica Road continues to become Old Villa Rica Road. Which would be fine, except that Old Villa Rica Road is going TO Villa Rica, and Villa Rica Road is going AWAY from Villa Rica. Weird...
Until next time, may your day and your loved ones be blessed!
What disturbs me about these "discussions" is that they tend to turn personal. One person even compared Richt to Joe Paterno, basically accusing him of being a child molester! Needless to say, I stopped reading at that point. It's amazing to me that people will claim to know what is in someone else's heart.
Richt was often criticized for not having enough "fire" on the sideline, and was thought by many to just be happy with collecting a paycheck and not caring about championships. This was because he rarely changed his expression on the sideline, and allowed his assistant coaches to do their jobs. It reminds me of the criticism that was heaped upon Andruw Jones because he would walk away from the batter's box after a strikeout with a smile on his face. Never mind that that was his normal expression!
You can certainly criticize someone for a lack of success, but to criticize them for character flaws based on that lack is a stretch for me. How do you know Andruw wasn't torn up inside? How do you know what Richt was like in the locker room or on the practice field? I never once noticed a lack of effort or desire from either one of them.
I have to say that every Braves player in their history is my favorite, just like every UGA player, every Falcons player, etc. And anyone who plays for any other team is my least favorite player. That's because I'm a fan. I don't get criticizing your own players (or coaches). However, there is one player that played for the Braves that I learned to truly dislike, and was happy when he left: Nate McLouth. (Hector Oliviera doesn't count because we hardly knew him, but I was glad he was traded due to his legal problems. The same could be said for Vick...) McLouth, for some inexplicable reason, stopped trying to throw anyone out. Bottom of the 9th, tie game, runner on third, no or 1 out; a fly ball hit to McLouth, and he just lets the run score. No throw. What have you got to lose? Let it fly! If it's a bad throw, who cares? You're gonna lose anyway! I don't know if he was hurt, but he never claimed to be, and so it seemed to be an "I don't care" attitude. Notice I said "seemed to be". I didn't stop rooting for him to do well, though.
Let's go back to what is considered success. I don't think most people realize how difficult it is to be successful at anything that requires a high skill level. They also don't realize that often the opponent is also trying their hardest to win! Let me give you an example. When I was at ROTC Basic Camp at Fort Knox, Kentucky, we had a day where they allowed us to go to the PX. At the PX, there was a pool table, where, for 50 cents or so, you could play a game of pool. Generally, the "rule" was that whoever lost paid for the game. Now, I'm not that great of a pool player, but I had played some at church youth group, at friends' houses, and at the UGA Tate Center. I got in line, and watched a couple of games, with the winner being the same guy- if you won, you could keep playing. I was next, so we played, and I won. The guy said he wanted to play again, so we did, and I won again. He seemed kind of frustrated, and wanted to play again, but I needed to get back to the barracks. On the way back to the barracks, one of my buddies told me that, according to the crowd around the pool table, the guy I beat was the #2 rated amateur pool player in the state of Minnesota! Now, he probably plays more games in a week than I had played in my entire lifetime, but, for those 2 games, I was better. Does that make him a failure? Not at all, because sometimes, an individual plays way above their skill level, and a better player may play below their level at the same time. That's why there are upsets in tennis, boxing, swimming, and every other sport. There is no doubt in my mind that if we played 100 more times, he would have won 90 or more, maybe even all 100. That's because he could maintain a high level of play, while I could not. Think of how good professional musicians are, and yet they miss, crack or play notes out of tune occasionally. The difference between them and others is consistency.
So is success consistency, or is it championships? Many consider the Braves failures in the 90s because they only won 1 championship. The argument comes down to: Auburn or Georgia? If you're a college football fan, you'll know what I mean. Georgia has consistently won 9+ games a year, but has no national championships since 1980, and no SEC championship since 2005. Auburn, on the other hand, has won 2 SEC championships recently, and one national championship, but in the intervening years has had some losing seasons and some mediocre seasons? Which do you prefer?
P.S.- One more mention about road names. Generally, when a road replaces another, it's because of a newer route. For example, Lost Mountain Road would be a replacement/different road for Old Lost Mountain Road. However, I passed an intersection where Villa Rica Road continues to become Old Villa Rica Road. Which would be fine, except that Old Villa Rica Road is going TO Villa Rica, and Villa Rica Road is going AWAY from Villa Rica. Weird...
Until next time, may your day and your loved ones be blessed!
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