Life Balance

Posted on April 25, 2022 by Jim Tunney Ed.D

On the TunneySide of Sports April 18, 2022 #897 Up next… Life Balance

After further review… The 2022 National Football League Draft begins this week on April 28 and continues through April 30 when Mr. Irrelevant will be selected.  The ambition of many young athletes is to play in what is euphemistically called the “big show” meaning at the professional level. This brings to mind Jacob Hickman, a 6’4 290 lbs. offensive lineman from the University of Nebraska some 10 years ago. Those Cornhuskers are famous for developing offensive linemen.

Hickman said, “Playing in the NFL was never a dream for me. I kind of thought if that happened, it’s something I would do. Now, I’ve kind of gone in  a different direction.” Hickman, considered by the NFL in the top 10 in his position, did not pursue an NFL career saying, “The passion is gone.” What an insight for a player who could have been a high draft pick, commanding a six-figure salary plus bonus. But instead, assessing his future as a husband and future father “playing with my kids at 40 without a limp”.

Yet, that dream of millions of young people on America’s sandlots prevails with little thought given to risk vs. reward. The word “sandlot” brings to mind: are we organizing our kids too young and demanding of their time and commitment too early in life? For me, as a kid on the sandlot, my commitment was to my friends who would show up and play. No coaches, no uniforms, no mothers in the stands cheering us on, no after-the-game snacks and no trophies at the end of the season. Season? The only season we knew was when the ball changed size from football to basketball to baseball.

Do today’s parents and coaches expect (demand?) too much from their kids? As an example, I know of coaches at the high school level who insist that their athletes play only one sport – theirs!  I can cite examples – more than I care to – of coaches conducting organized and unorganized practices every month of the year. Kids under that kind of dictum have no choice of participating in other sports or activities. Excessive pressure put on young athletes is not necessary. Encouragement is always important.

Encouragement and the teaching of skills to play any sport to the best of each player’s ability are always welcomed. Too much demand on a young player’s time and involvement may lead to burnout.

Will you give young athletes a chance to grow and learn at their own pace?

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Jim’s Bobblehead and books examining the philosophy and value of sports can be found in the many books he has written.

Shop here.

To contact Jim, go to www.jimtunney.com  or email jim@jimtunney.com.

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The Last Bastion

Posted on April 18, 2022 by Jim Tunney Ed.D

On the TunneySide of Sports April 18, 2022 #896 Up next… The Last Bastion

After further review… I have often thought that sports or the field of sports would be the last bastion in maintaining truth and honesty or at least doing it the right way. Let me lay out the definition of bastion which is: (as I understand it): “An institution, place, or person strongly defending or upholding particular principles, attitudes, or activities.”

This was the lesson I learned playing on the playground after school and on weekends. I guess I shouldn’t say after school since what we were learning on that playground were life lessons that would serve us well. On the playground, we were the last bastion. There were no coaches or referees or umpires to guide us. We had to figure it out ourselves. And do it quickly since we were running out of daylight! Time was of the essence as we needed to be home before dark. Oh, yes, we argued about a foul or a procedure but settled it quickly.

The thinking behind this article is what we are seeing daily through our media. Elected officials are being charged with crimes that we always assumed were being committed by known criminals, not those we elected to represent us. Crime is rampant in our streets –always has been, always will be – but we, hopefully, draw the line when it happens in institutions we hold as sacred.

The case(s) in point are those colleges and universities that have succumbed to outside  brokers who have fallen into the hands of private citizens who want to get their young people into that school by offering financial “bribes.” Granted these brokers are not part of or held accountable to said college but are only in this “scheme” to make money – legally or illegally – the latter is the issue.

However, that broker is working with an employee of that college who have the ways to make it happen. That person associated with the college has to be that “last bastion” who says STOP – we are not interested in this way of enrolling students who don’t meet our admission standards. Colleges and universities need to do a better job vetting these types of employees.

Let’s not be naïve enough to think that this has not happened in the past. It certainly has, but hopefully, the law has come forward to stop it or at least slow it down.

Will, you, if ever involved, avoid being part of a scheme to go against standard procedures?

To contact Jim, go to www.jimtunney.com or email jim@jimtunney.com. “Impartial Judgment” is now out of print but is available for $20 with free shipping from the website or contact Jim at 2962 Club Rd. Ste #32 Pebble Beach, CA. 93953. It includes Jim’s autograph. 

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Jim’s books include many messages about rules and regulations (remember he was a referee). His bobblehead on your desk or shelf will be a treasure in your office or home. Jim’s Bobblehead includes no tax and comes with free shipping. Use PayPal or mail check to 2962 Club Rd, Ste 32, Pebble Beach, CA 93953.

Shop here.

To contact Jim, go to www.jimtunney.com  or email jim@jimtunney.com.

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Getting the Green Light

Posted on April 11, 2022 by Jim Tunney Ed.D

M.L.B. Approves Technology to Limit Sign Stealing

On the TunneySide of Sports April 11, 2022 #895 Up next… getting the Green Light

After further review… I read recently that major league pitchers and catchers now have been given permission (the green light) by MLB to establish signals to counteract “signal stealing” by the opponents during a game. You certainly will recall the system that the Houston Astros were caught using during the 2017 MLB season. But just a minute, stealing signals has been part of baseball since Elston Howard moved from the Negro Leagues to catch for the New York Yankees.

Catchers have been changing signals to their pitcher even before Howard was sitting in that crouch in the Bronx. You’ve seen catchers waggle their fingers from a one or two and move their non-glove hand from one leg to the other. As a kid on the playground, it was simple “one” was a fastball: “two’ was a curve. That was about it. No sliders, no knuckleball, etc. Of course, this was before Little League and adult coaches and way before Tommy John’s surgery. It was a simple game: somebody threw the ball. Somebody caught the ball, and somebody hit the ball. My, how it has grown.

Of course, if you’ve watched MLB managers in the dugout or in the third-base coaching box relay signals to the batter or baserunner, you gotta be confused as to which maneuver was the correct one. If your aging father or old uncle Earl did that in your living room, you gotta think about where he should be living!

When technology appeared, MLB outlawed it. Steal signals if you can but you can’t use technology. In a simple explanation of what the Astros did in 2017: a member of that organization stationed in the centerfield skybox would determine what sign the opposing catcher was using and relay what he believed the type of pitch was next to be delivered via cell phone or another device to the dugout where an assistant would bang on a drum—one bang for a fastball and so on. Hmm, sounds not too much different than what we did as kids, except for the cell phone and other technology.

The catcher will now have a button device on his “mitt” and the pitcher will have an earpiece. The catcher can now avoid all those finger signals to relay to the pitcher which pitch he is calling for. Hmm, guess technology has been allowed in full bloom!

Will you log-in your thoughts on the use of these new devices for MLB? Or do you care?

To contact Jim, go to www.jimtunney.com or email jim@jimtunney.com. “Impartial Judgment” is now out of print but is available for $20 with free shipping from the website or contact Jim at 2962 Club Rd. Ste #32 Pebble Beach, CA. 93953. It includes Jim’s autograph. 

—————

Jim’s books include many messages about rules and regulations (remember he was a referee). His bobblehead on your desk or shelf will be a treasure in your office or home. Jim’s Bobblehead includes no tax and comes with free shipping. Use PayPal or mail check to 2962 Club Rd, Ste 32, Pebble Beach, CA 93953.

Shop here.

To contact Jim, go to www.jimtunney.com  or email jim@jimtunney.com.

Posted in Sports, Tunney Side of Sports Columns | Tagged | Leave a comment