Deprogramming athletes not as easy as it appears

Sometimes you hear people make blanket statements that we assume make sense but when
you break down the theory further, you find that the idea makes very little sense at best.

Having watched more football and basketball games that I can count, I have found that many
games that are potentially being decided by one possession, or ultimately reaching such an
outcome, involve a commentator and/or spectator uttering the words, “You don’t want to
score too soon.” That statement is ordinarily made in reference to the team that is trailing on
the scoreboard but attempting to either take the lead in the waning moments/seconds or win
the game as the buzzer sounds.

Having grown up watching quarterbacks like Joe Montana, John Elway, Brett Favre, Peyton
Manning, Tom Brady and Dan Marino to name a few, many times I would hear the
commentator say, “You don’t want to score too soon because you will leave (fill in the blank)
too much time to win the game.”

George Blanda, Ken Stabler, Roger Staubach, and Otto Graham are other quarterbacks in NFL
history known for their last minute heroics. Since I was born in 1972, I only have minimal
memories of Stabler and Staubach in their primes and none whatsoever of Blanda and Graham.

Basketball is a very similar dynamic. In my lifetime, the most clutch players I can remember
in terms of players one would fear taking the final shot are Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson,
Larry Bird, Kobe Bryant, Reggie Miller and Robert Horry.

Jerry West is known as “Mr. Clutch” for his ability to make a big play in a clutch situation,
such as his famous buzzer-beating 60-foot shot that tied Game 3 of the 1970 NBA Finals
against the New York Knicks. However, I have no recollection at all of watching West unless
I dial up a YouTube video.

I have also seen these same scenarios play out at the college and high school level. I spent the
majority of my 18 years as a sports reporter covering the latter but also had the chance to do
so at the college and professional levels.

Regardless of which players are involved, or at which level, I come away from these situations
feeling entirely the same way. While it sounds great to score the go-ahead points with as little
time left on the clock as possible, even no time at all, that situation is too idealistic.

In the moment, your job as an offense is to score. You have no control over what your team
does when on defense. The “don’t score too soon” theory is also flawed because there is no
guarantee you will have that chance to score later.

The other side of the theory is if a team is on defense to allow the offensive team to score so
your team’s offense can get the ball back with ample time to score.

Whether it involves letting a team score to get the ball back or simply going down as some
suggest, it’s not as easy as one might think for players to suddenly deprogram themselves
of something they have been taught to do from youth sports.

No matter how much anyone thinks a certain strategy is more prudent at the time, it’s hard to
suddenly convince a player to do anything other than score or in the case of the defensive
player, stop your opponent from scoring. You can make the same argument for the defense
trying to stop the opponent but for the moment, I’ll keep the focus on the offensive
perspective.

Whether you are carrying a football or shooting a basketball, you are taught that every play
is a potential score. Athletes’ bodies are creatures of habit and are going to do what they
have been trained to do, which is try to score.  

On TV or in the stands it seems so easy to say, “don’t score too soon,” but on the field,
players are moving 100 miles per hour, or so it seems. You figure the average play takes
about five seconds in football. They have a lot to digest in about five seconds: a) Get off
on the snap count, b) Take the right steps, c) Execute your assignment, d) Make the right
reads. If you are carrying a football in the open field, you have to be mindful of defenders
trying to tackle you. In basketball, you have to be mindful of defenders going for a steal
or a blocked shot.

Which is another reason why I get very flabbergasted every time I hear a commentator say,
“don’t score too soon, you might give Tom Brady time to score.”

In a perfect world, you do want to score with as little or no time left on the clock as possible,
but as an offense, your job is to score. You have no control over what your defense does.
Plus, there’s no guarantee that you will have the chance to score later.

Again, it’s not about how big the stage is, it’s a matter of principle.

Greatest of all time debates should be taken with a grain of salt

The older you get, the more you recognize subjectivity along with seeing continued
affirmation that you are a product of the generation in which you were raised.

Those thoughts are true as they pertain to things including but not limited to sports,
entertainment, food, political stances, etc. As one who was born in 1972, I will always
consider myself a child of the 1980s. However, since I am the youngest of five
children, I am a Generation Xer mixed in with Baby Boomer siblings so I did gravitate
some towards the 1970s.

The irony is that I graduated from high school in 1991 but I’m in the minority of my
class, and those surrounding, in that I never acquired a taste for bands like Nirvana,
Pearl Jam, Pantera and Stone Temple Pilots. My musical tastes include many bands
from the 1970s and 1980s along with Elvis Presley.

With regard to TV programs, my favorites were The Dukes of Hazzard, Dallas,
Falcon Crest, The Love Boat, The A-Team, Different Strokes, The Jeffersons, All in
The Family, Good Times, and Married With Children to name a few.  

With regard to entertainment I mentioned, no one will ever convince me those were
not the best. I acknowledge that some will agree with me and others from previous
or subsequent generations might look at me cross-eyed but that’s fine. It’s their
prerogative.  

The same theory can be applied to food. As a first-generation American with both
sets of parents being from Italy, no one will ever convince me that any other cuisine
than Italian is the best and Olive Garden is not even Rookie League. However, if I
talk to other races and/or ethnic groups about their preferences, I would get a
different answer.

With the NBA playoffs well underway, any “greatest player of all time” (aka GOAT)
conversation is sure to raise anyone’s ire. The most polarizing are any linkage to
Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and Lebron James. If you are in the Jordan camp,
the pro-Bryant/pro-James crowd goes on the attack toward you. If you are a Bryant
supporter, the Jordan/James zealots come after you. If you are a James supporter,
the Jordan/Bryant bunch looks to cut you down.

With regard to teams, there are Golden State Warrior fans that think the game was
invented in 2014 just because their team began winning multiple NBA titles. The
Warriors are vying for their third NBA title in four seasons. There are Chicago Bulls
fans that think the game ceased to exist after 1998 because their team’s run of six
NBA titles in eight seasons ended. You’ll get similar points of view from some
Boston Celtic fans from the 1960s or Los Angeles Laker fans, particularly post 1989.

In the NFL, the greatest quarterback of all-time debate raises the ire of many
whether one’s beliefs are Joe Montana, Tom Brady, Johnny Unitas, Bart Starr, Otto
Graham, John Elway, Peyton Manning or Dan Marino. With regard to teams, the
varied answers you get are the 1960s Green Bay Packers, 1970s Pittsburgh Steelers,
1980s San Francisco 49ers, 1990s Dallas Cowboys or 21st Century New England
Patriots.

In Major League Baseball, the answers you get for greatest player of all-time could
be Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth, Willie Mays, Ty Cobb, Barry Bonds or Ted Williams to
name a few. In terms of teams, the mixture of answers you might expect to hear
include the New York Yankees (1947-1953). That team won six World Series titles in
seven years, a feat not likely to be duplicated or surpassed, even though the
1996-2001 Yankees won four in five seasons. The 1936-1941 Yankees won four
straight titles. With those achievements, between 1942-1946, the St. Louis Cardinals
won three titles. The 1970-1972 Oakland Athletics won three consecutive titles.
Besides the aforementioned 1996-2001 Yankees, the 2010-2014 San Francisco
Giants represent an impressive modern day run of three titles in five years.

Ranking teams and players is a subjective point of view. Statistics and number of
championships are the common evaluator but even that is subjective because
eras change along with rules of the game. In football, basketball and baseball,
rules of the game change to benefit offenses, which makes it exceedingly difficult
to evaluate. You have to think about how much would that player or team’s ability
have translated in the current or previous era.

With that being said, whether you think Bill Russell, Kareem-Abdul Jabaar, Magic
Johnson, Wilt Chamberlin, Oscar Robertson, Larry Bird, Kevin Durant, James,
Jordan or Bryant are the best of all time. None of those answers should be viewed
as wrong. However, if you tell me, Scottie Pippen is the best player of all time, I’ll tell
you that you are high. Pippen was an excellent complimentary piece to the Bulls
alongside Jordan and a Hall of Famer. Greatest of all time, however, no.

Before you voice your opinion on the greatest player, team, TV show or music artist
of all time, understand this, you only speak for how you feel. If someone disagrees
with you, they’re not wrong either. It is simply what they think.

I like The Beatles and Elvis Presley but if given the choice, give me the latter.

Pridy an exemplary representative of Napa High

Todd Pridy and Napa High baseball.

Those words go together like logs on a fire.

The 1989 Napa High graduate is stepping down as the Indians’ head coach after 17 seasons.
They are the Indians by mascot until June 30, 2018, thanks to a decision by the Napa Valley
Unified School District Board of Trustees. Shot fired but I digress.

The 47-year old Pridy’s reason for his resignation is based he and his wife, Aine, desiring to
follow their two sons, Jack and Jason, as they play college baseball. Jack, who graduated in
2016, is currently at Sonoma State. As for Jason, who is a current senior at Napa, it’s not
known yet as to where he will be playing.

Napa finished its regular season with an 8-6 loss to crosstown rival Vintage at the Veterans
Home of California’s Cleve Borman Field. The Indians are currently preparing for the CIF
Sac-Joaquin Section playoffs and will learn of their fate either Saturday or Sunday. Napa is
15-12 overall and 9-6 in the Monticello Empire League.

Pridy was honored in a pregame ceremony that included his family, Vintage head coach
Rich Anderson and Napa High principal Annie Petrie. The former has coached Vintage for
26 years and his teams are long-time combatants of Pridy’s Indians.

As of this writing, Pridy’s replacement has not been named publicly but if the choice were
mine, which of course it is not, current assistant Jason Chatham would be the prudent choice.
However, that decision is for the powers that be, not yours truly.

Chatham, who teaches at Napa High, was the head coach of the Rodriguez (Cordelia)
Mustangs and guided them to a 181-139-3 record from 2003-2015. The Mustangs appeared
in consecutive SJS Div. III title games, losing to Benicia in 2011 and beating El Camino in
2012.

Pridy, who teaches history, has a lifelong legacy as both a coach and athlete. With the former,
he was just the third coach in 46 years. Clint Smith and Mike Brown were the other two. The
latter was Pridy’s coach. Pridy was an assistant coach for four seasons before taking over
after Brown retired. Pridy has been through peaks and valleys with his teams going 210-216
over the aforementioned 17-year span. The high points were winning the MEL title outright
in 2009 and a share of the crown in 2007 and 2012.

As a student-athlete, Pridy was All-Napa County, All-MEL and team MVP twice, during
both his junior and senior seasons. He was also being named to the All-State team once at
Napa High. The 1988 team won the SJS championship. Pridy batted .476 and led the team
in home runs, runs scored and runs batted in. His .533 average led the 1989 team and he
also led in home runs and RBIs.

Pridy played on gold- and bronze-medal winning teams for the Napa Yankees in the AAU
Junior Olympics in 1986 and ’87. Pridy was inducted into the Napa High Athletic Hall of
Fame in 2004.

He went on to play at Napa Valley College under then head coach Matt Stewart. Pridy was
named to the All-Bay Valley Conference first team and was the BVC Player of the Year. He
was honored with the Northern California Big Stick award and was chosen to All-Northern
California and Junior College All-America teams. Pridy was inducted in the NVC Athletic
Hall of Fame in 2011.

Pridy played independent minor league baseball for the Sonoma County Crushers. Stewart
was on the team’s coaching staff. Among other distinctions, Pridy was the Florida Marlins’
Organizational Player of the Year in 1992 and became a Western Baseball League All-Star
and MVP.

He was in the Marlins’ system from 1992-94, playing short-season Class A ball for Erie,
Pa., of the New York Penn League, Class A ball for Kane County, Ill., of the Midwest
League, and high-level Class A for Brevard County of the Florida State League.

Pridy made All-Star teams in his two years (1995 and ’96) playing independent baseball
for Salinas of the Western Baseball League.

He played three years (1997-99) for the Sonoma County Crushers and was the WBL Player
of the Year in 1998 after batting .413. He took a year off and played in 2001, his final season
of pro ball, for Sonoma County.

I look at Pridy’s decision to step away from coaching in a few of ways. For openers, if I had
a Top Five list of most recogizable names to link the baseball community of Napa and the
name Pridy, I’d put him there without thinking about it. Pridy also did another thing that was
difficult, go from being an elite player to coaching. That transition is seldom easy. Pridy also
coached most of his years in the SJS Div. I level, which is no joke.

Pridy and I are two years apart in age but since we went to different high schools, I only
knew him on the periphery. When I moved back to California after college and became a
sports reporter for 18 years, I had many engaging conversations with Pridy. Most of my
tenure was on the Upvalley beat but he would always jab me about, “We need to get you on
our games.” I felt flattered and covered a few of Pridy’s games. From afar, I respect him as a
human being and as a coach. Win or lose, they competed the same way, straight ahead. Win
or lose, he was also gracious with his time.

One also has to look at Mount Field at Napa High. Brown did a lot of heavy lifting to upgrade
the facility to respectability. In Pridy’s tenure, the field elevated to looking great. I played
some of my Napa Babe Ruth Games on that field in the mid-1980s. That field had everything
from no fence, potholes the size of the Grand Canyon and if you chased a flyball, you might
dig up a mouthpiece from football practice in 1982.

The other aspect I see is that in the last couple of years, Napa High coaches resigning have
had a negative undertone, most specifically football coach Troy Mott and softball coach
Tammy Mansuy. I don’t want to go into any more specifics publicly than I already have but
it is refreshing that by all appearances, Pridy is walking away on his own accord.

Relevant to wanting to follow his son’s college athletic endeavors, one narrative I constantly
preach is how those who continue to coach after their kids are gone deserve ample praise.
Keep in mind, many youth coaches exit Stage Left after their kids are gone and it’s hard to
fault them. Yes, Pridy is leaving at the same time his youngest son graduates. If anything,
however, I would contend that Pridy stepping away to follow his sons closer is even more
noble than continuing to coach.

May Coach Pridy enjoy his son’s continued journey.

Being a former sports reporter is helping me as a sports parent

Sometimes, the best sports columns you read resonate on levels you never imagined.

Just about a year ago, give or take a few days, Vallejo Times-Herald sports reporter
Thomas Gase wrote a column that I put in select company. The topic was about how
the bad parents at the youth sports level sully the name of the good ones.

The ways Gase pointed out how they sully the name include but are not limited to
extreme examples such as expressing obscenities, either in front of others or even
in private, at coaches or officials. Another way includes passive/aggressive
behaviors such as gathering allies to go to the powers that be to get rid of the coach.

I could give countless other examples but in the interest of space I will avoid such.
I see Gase from time-to-time when I cover high school football as a freelance
reporter. He does a fine job. I witnessed exactly what he refers to when I was a
sports reporter for 18 years before changing careers.

However, with an 11-year old and 9-year old twins, I am getting a taste of sports
parenthood. I frequently quip how I have crossed over from becoming a sports
reporter to a sports parent. Since my kids are so young, I don’t witness the quibbling
over playing time because at the youth level, every kid on the roster will receive
ample time. I believe that trend is a good thing because part of the impetus at that
level is to keep a youngster’s interest. However, I’m sure I’ll have that challenge
when they are in high school.

As a sports reporter, I saw the highest points (teams winning section titles) and the
low points. I saw basketball games that were blowouts but the bench goes crackers
when the 12th man scores a basket to get in the boxscore. In track & field, you might
see a kid smile like a butcher’s dog because he finished third but ran his best time of
his career.

Again, the examples of joy are endless and you learn to judge success differently.

I can also think of endless examples of parents being total shnooks in terms of having
an inflated ego when it comes to their youngster’s ability. One of the best examples
I can give was covering a high school boys basketball team that a 5-foot-4 point
guard. I will avoid using names. This kid’s mother was insistent that her kid play
AAU basketball because that was his best shot at playing basketball at the next level.
I did not say anything back to said parent because I felt it served no purpose. However,
deep down inside, I had my own viewpoints. How many 5-4 point guards do you see
in Div. I or the NBA? You might see a few below that level but not many. The root of
parents being delusional is them having an inflated idea of their youngster’s talent.

Then, of course, there are the parents that chastise the referees every chance they get.
As a little league parent, the only criticism I have of umpires is they expand the strike
zone to a fault. I get wanting to teach kids to swing the bat and not look for walks but
don’t expand it so much that a kid needs an orr to hit the ball. Then again, it’s easy to
be dismissive because if the team wins, the parent will ignore calls that went against
their team and espouse the ones called that their team benefited from, even if they
were terrible.

I believe my experience as a sports reporter is helping me as a sports parent because
I have seen enough bad behavior to know what not to emulate.

While I don’t expect my kids’ coaches to be Bill Belichick, Nick Saban, Gregg
Popovich or Bruce Bochy, I have baseline expectations. For openers, I want them to
be engaged when it comes to teaching fundamentals. I also want them to teach a
balance of playing to win but having fun. At the youth level, the latter is as important
as the former. I also want structure. I cross paths with a friend I went to grade school
and high school with, I won’t mention names so as to protect identities. This lovely
friend, however, told me a story that made me cringe.

Both of our daughters play youth softball here in Napa, CA. we also both have sons
that played soccer. Her son, however, did not have a pleasurable experience in large
part because the volunteer coach had various practice sessions that involved playing
tag. I’m all for mixing in fun with youth sports but my goodness, they can play tag
at recess. Plus, if you are an adult volunteering the time to coach, the least you can
do is run a program that at least impersonates structure.

My son loves soccer. I don’t but if he loves it, I’m there for him. However, I wouldn’t
coach because I know I’m not qualified to teach the fundamentals of that sport.

Being a sports parent, we should want such a fate. Just don’t be the parent that is the
bad egg.

Raines returning to Vintage roots

Vintage High 1995 graduate Dennis Raines is coming full circle.

After taking a year off from coaching, Raines is joining Vintage head coach Dylan
Leach’s staff. Raines’ role will be coaching tight ends and fullbacks with an
emphasis on the offensive line. With that role, Raines will have a close working
relationship with another familiar face besides Leach, Crushers’ assistant coach
Andrew Hall. The two worked together at Napa High.

“This is truly coming home for me,” said Raines, who played football and baseball
as a Crusher. “I have many fond memories from my playing days.at Vintage and
continue to have relationships today that were started at Vintage. The plan for me
to come back to Vintage started a long time ago. Coach Leach and I talked about
this years back. We always hoped he would get a chance to run this program and I
would follow him over.”

Raines served in various roles the past ten seasons on the Napa High staff under
former head coach Troy Mott, who is Raines’ brother. Raines was a quality control
assistant for the varsity (2006-2009), offensive coordinator/offensive line coach for
the freshmen team (2010-2013) and the defensive line coach for the varsity
(2014-2016).

Raines took the 2017 season off from coaching after Mott and staff resigned in lieu
of an alleged hazing scandal which led to a power struggle between Mott and the
administration. The latter wanted control over whom Mott could keep as assistants,
much to his disapproval. Mott along with the entire staff resigned, some of those
assistants landed jobs elsewhere, notably Kirk Anderson (American Canyon) and
Ian MacMillan (St. Helena).

“What happened at Napa High was unfortunate for everyone involved,” Raines said.
“I didn't need to reset. I knew I wanted coach again and even entertained a coaching
job out of town. Ultimately I want to help mold young men in my community. The
opportunity to come back and work with Dylan and his talented staff was just a
perfect fit.”

Like Raines, Leach is a Vintage High graduate (1992), who traded in the Blue &
Gold of Napa for the Burgundy & Gold of Vintage. Leach was a long-time Vintage
assistant (2000-2009) under Les Franco and Billy Smith. Leach became Napa’s
defensive coordinator from 2010-2015 but when the Vintage High head coaching job
opened in March 2016, Leach headed home.

It turns out, Raines would not be far behind. Raines and Leach have shared a
friendship since 1985, when the two played in the Napa Saints Youth Football
program.

“Dylan is a true student of the game,” Raines said. “I watched him learn everyday
while we worked on Mott's staff. He is a true grinder and will do everything in his
power to prepare his team. Like Troy, he his a natural leader and is honest with his
players and coaches. I am very fortunate that he chose me to come on this journey
with him.”

By all appearances, the Crushers are on the uptick, going 12-8 the past two
seasons but 7-3 in 2017, which marked Vintage’s best season since 2000. Among
the notable wins were victories over local rivals American Canyon (28-14) and Napa
(14-7). Vintage had not beaten the latter since 2005. As the No. 15 seeded in the
CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Div. II playoffs, the Crushers lost in the first round but did
not go quietly. No. 2 seeded Inderkum (Sacramento) 35-24, once holding a 24-21
lead.

Raines hopes to play a role in helping continue the program’s upward trend. Raines
joins the program at a time in which the landscape is changing. Vintage will no
longer be in the SJS. The Crushers will be members of the North Coast Section in
the newly formed Vine Valley Athletic League with Napa, American Canyon,
Justin-Siena, Casa Grande, Petaluma and Sonoma Valley.

While Raines alluded to last season being difficult not being involved in coaching,
he added that he has been blessed to learn from many really good ones and
considers Leach among that group.

“I have been very fortunate to learn this game and how to be a teacher of it from
many of the best football minds and leaders in our community,” Raines said. “Coach
Mott, Coach (Jerry) Harris and Coach (Jerry) Dunlap really took me under their
wings and groomed me to become better at my craft. Dylan is my guy, I would go to
war for him. He’s a great leader who loves his players and is there for all the right
reasons.”

Raines is also returning to his alma mater with a heavy heart with his father (Rod)
having passed away unexpectedly within the past month.

“My mom (Debbie) and him were very excited about my return to Vintage,” Raines
said. “I miss him very much. He believed in what my brother and I do in our
community through this game we all love so much. Hopefully I will continue to make
him proud.”

In meantime, Raines returns to where it started with hopes of helping Vintage’s
football program continue on the ascend.