Setting the Bar

Posted on June 14, 2021 by Jim Tunney Ed.D

On the TunneySide of Sports June 14, 2021 #852 Up next… Setting the Bar

After further review… Even before the National Football League established the Rooney Rule, the Pittsburgh Pirates (MLB) was hiring players from diverse backgrounds. In 1969 the Pirates employed a player from Panama named Renaldo Antonio Stennett Porte. His teammates called him Rennie.  He was born in Colon, Panama, played second base, stood about 5-foot-11 at 160 pounds.

The NFL’s Rooney Rule was created from the influence of Dan Rooney, owner of the Steelers and chairman of NFL’s diversity committee. It was also the result of the firings of Tony Dungy, head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Dennis Green of the Minnesota Vikings. The Rooney Rule’s purpose was to ensure that minority coaches, especially African Americans, would be considered for high-level coaching positions. It has been expanded to apply to jobs for all NFL senior football operations. Incidentally, both Dungy and Green worked for Steelers head coach Chuck Noll. Further, despite what some may think, Eugene Chung, New England’s 1st round draft choice in 1992, qualifies under the Rooney Rule.

That’s not to say that Stennett’s employment was ensured by the Rooney Rule (or such equivalent MLB rule). The “barrier” for African Americans had been broken on April 15, 1947 when Jackie Robinson was put on the field by Branch Rickey of the Brooklyn Dodgers. But what made Stennett so special was that he was the leadoff hitter in MLBs first all-Black and Latino starting lineup. That day came on  September 1, 1971, 24 years after Robinson’s debut.

You probably heard of a couple of others in that lineup that Stennett led off -– Roberto Clemente and Willie Stargell, both in the MLB Hall of Fame.  On September 15, 1975, Stennett went 7 for 7 at the plate in nine innings. No player has matched that since. In 1977 Stennett’s batting average of .336 helped the Pirates win the World Series. And he followed that in 1979 helping the Pirates win another World Series.

All three have passed away with Stennett dying just last month at the age of 72. Pirates President, Travis Williams, eulogized Stennett saying “Rennie symbolized what it meant to be a Pittsburgh Pirate.”

While the present Rooney Rule does not quantify characteristics of integrity and work ethic, it would be prudent to use Stennett as a good example of both.

Will you choose wisely in hiring others to shape and grow your organization?

—————

Jim Tunney had an exemplary career in sports. A former high school coach, teacher, principal, and district superintendent, he had a 40-year career in officiating football and basketball. Thirty-one of those years he was “The Face of NFL officiating” working a record twenty-nine post-season games including three Super Bowls (two back-to-back), ten NFC/AFC Championship games, six Pro Bowls and twenty-five Monday Night games, when MNF was THE game of the week. He officiated some of the most memorable games in NFL history, including “The Ice Bowl”, “The Kick”, “The Snowball Game”, “The Final Fumble”, “The Fog Bowl”, and “The Catch”. His book “IMPARTIAL JUDGMENT: “The Dean of NFL Referees” calls Pro Football as He Sees It”, chronicles his NFL career. See the website for all products.

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

Fan Entitlement

Posted on June 7, 2021 by Jim Tunney Ed.D

Fan throwing popcorn at Russell WestbrookOn the TunneySide of Sports June 7, 2021 #851 Up next… Fan Entitlement

After further review… In the movie “Finding Forester” William  Forester (played by the late Sean Connery) asks Jamal Wallace (played by actor Rob Brown) if, at the end of his high school championship game played in Madison Square Garden, when Wallace had two free throws, which he missed, but would have won the game, “Did you miss ‘em or did you miss ‘em?” as if on purpose. For Wallace, it was a matter of integrity.

Let’s pose the same question for our professional athletes. Did the professional athletes miss not having fans in the stands while the pandemic kept them sheltered in? Or did they miss them? While it was widely said that NBA players and professional golfers would prefer to have the stands and fairway sidelines packed with fans, were they really missed? Did the players play with less intensity or effort without the fans? Is this an integrity issue as the one faced by Jamal Wallace in the aforementioned movie?

Let’s make the case that it is an integrity issue! Why is that? Did the raucous golf crowd at the PGA Championship in Kiawah Island make it uncomfortable to compete fairly for Phil Mickelson or Brooks Koepka on the walk up the 18th fairway? Yes, you can make the point that although Mickelson was leading and did win. How uncomfortable were they in a crowd that, at least on television, looked out of control? Were the fans entitled to be on the course?

It’s been a U.S. Open policy to allow fans (most PGA golf tournaments do not) to follow the leading golfer(s) up the 18th on the final round. This “mob” (as the late sportscaster Jack Whittaker would have said) appeared to be out of control. The players were even jostled as they walked toward the 18th green. Surely, that U.S. Open policy is being examined.

On another fan issue. The Philadelphia Sixers ejected a Sixers fan and later denied his admission to the Wells Fargo Center, the home arena of the Sixers, for throwing popcorn at and onto Russell Westbrook of the Washington Wizards as he exited the game. The Sixers lost that game.

Further, a disgruntled fan threw a water bottle at Kyrie Irving, Brooklyn Nets star point guard as Irving was leaving the playing floor following the Nets 125-119 win over the Celtics at the TD Garden, home of the Boston Celtics. Whether the fan was angry at Irving for stomping on the Celtics logo or not, throwing objects at players is way out of line!

Will you log-in about the entitlements of fans at sporting events?

—————

Jim Tunney had an exemplary career in sports. A former high school coach, teacher, principal, and district superintendent, he had a 40-year career in officiating football and basketball. Thirty-one of those years he was “The Face of NFL officiating” working a record twenty-nine post-season games including three Super Bowls (two back-to-back), ten NFC/AFC Championship games, six Pro Bowls and twenty-five Monday Night games, when MNF was THE game of the week. He officiated some of the most memorable games in NFL history, including “The Ice Bowl”, “The Kick”, “The Snowball Game”, “The Final Fumble”, “The Fog Bowl”, and “The Catch”. His book “IMPARTIAL JUDGMENT: “The Dean of NFL Referees” calls Pro Football as He Sees It”, chronicles his NFL career. See the website for all products.

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

Zero Tolerance

Posted on May 31, 2021 by Jim Tunney Ed.D

On the TunneySide of Sports May 31, 2021 #850 Up next… Zero Tolerance

After further review… Thoroughbred racing has always been exciting to me. Perhaps because my family was involved for some 75 years — on the administrative side, not ownership or training.

I love watching those magnificent athletes run at some 40-45 MPH and compete for a victory. The Triple Crown comprised of the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes, and the Belmont Stakes (to be run next Saturday, June 5th) has always been a favorite.

The 146th running of the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico race course in Baltimore on May 15th featured an upset with Rombauer ridden by jockey Flavin Plat and trained by Michael McCarthy, not the Dallas Cowboys head coach – he’s busy getting ready for the season. Rombauer came from 11th place to outrun Midnight Bourbon and Medina Spirit, who won the Kentucky Derby a couple of weeks earlier.

Oh yes, Medina Spirit still is this years’ Derby winner although the horse tested positive after the race. The use of betamethasone has been used to enhance a horse’s running ability, which was not found in ‘Spirit, but a medication used to treat dermatitis did show a positive drug use. Remember it’s not the horse’s fault that the use of a drug shows up in a urine sample.

This was not trainer Bob Baffert’s first “rodeo.” And this is not an accusation of his guilt. Baffert has won 7 Kentucky Derbies (a record) as well as 2 Triple Crowns (2015 and 2018). Baffert’s horses have failed drug tests for over four decades including four in 2020 and although he is in the Lone Star Park’s and the National Museum’s Halls of Fame his “leafy credibility,” as some have claimed, has caused damage to his outstanding accomplishments.

Here’s where my family enters this picture. My dad, Jim Sr., was a high school administrator in the mid-1940s when he was recruited by the California Thoroughbred Horse Racing Association to join them as a Patrol Judge and then as a Steward at their 3 California racetracks. Thoroughbred racing at that time was having problems with “fouls” being committed during the race. Mind you, dad had never ridden or even been on a horse – let alone a thoroughbred.

However, he was an outstanding sports official (football and basketball) and not only knew a foul when he saw one but had the integrity to enforce it when it occurred. He served in that capacity for 20 years until he passed away in 1965. Along with fellow stewards, his presence, experience, and integrity corrected those problems. Further, his son, Peter, served as General Manager of Golden Gate Fields in Albany, California for 30 years. His grandson, Michael, worked at the Del Mar Race Track (California) for 40 seasons.

Will you serve with integrity as your first and foremost quality?

MEMORIAL DAY – Never Forget

—————

Jim Tunney had an exemplary career in sports. A former high school coach, teacher, principal, and district superintendent, he had a 40-year career in officiating football and basketball. Thirty-one of those years he was “The Face of NFL officiating” working a record twenty-nine post-season games including three Super Bowls (two back-to-back), ten NFC/AFC Championship games, six Pro Bowls and twenty-five Monday Night games, when MNF was THE game of the week. He officiated some of the most memorable games in NFL history, including “The Ice Bowl”, “The Kick”, “The Snowball Game”, “The Final Fumble”, “The Fog Bowl”, and “The Catch”. His book “IMPARTIAL JUDGMENT: “The Dean of NFL Referees” calls Pro Football as He Sees It”, chronicles his NFL career. See the website for all products.

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

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