A Tribute Revisited!

Posted on June 10, 2019 by Jim Tunney Ed.D

RJ HarperOn the TunneySide of Sports June 10, 2019 #747 A Tribute Revisited!

After further review… Today begins the week of the 119th U.S. Open to be played at Pebble Beach Golf Links. The Honorary General Chairman is R.J. Harper, posthumously honored.  R.J. passed away November 8, 2017, after 14 months battling pancreatic cancer. He will be missed.

Harpers! The Pebble Beach Company with the cooperation of the U.S.G.A. has established a venue adjacent to the 10th fairway called Harpers. All U.S. Open ticket holders are welcome. His presence will be felt throughout this week.

Here’s his story:

“R.J.” was all the title he needed. Everyone knew who he was, but many didn’t know how he achieved his success. He grew up in a simple, unsophisticated environment in Memphis, Tennessee. He was always a straight-forward, easy-to-meet guy – a guy you’d like to have as your best friend. He was one of mine.

In this twenties, he made his way across the U.S. to achieve his dream of playing golf on the Pebble Beach Golf Course. He began working there as a marshal for $5.00 an hour in the mid-1980s. His daily routine of hard work, friendly attitude, and perseverance helped him work his way through the culture of the company to become the Executive Vice-President of Golf for the Pebble Beach Company’s four golf courses. His stature in that role ranked him among the best!

Hall of Fame golfer Jack Nicklaus said of Pebble Beach that if he had one last game to play, he would like it to be those 18 holes at Pebble Beach. Nicklaus is among those names you could count as a close friend of R.J.s You’ll find every legend of the game on that list. Maybe first and foremost, would be the late Arnold Palmer. Arnie considered R.J. a dear friend, although the age difference would make R.J. the age of his son.

As R.J. fought that dreaded pancreatic cancer his two sons, Tucker and J.T. were at his side throughout, as was his former wife Kelly, along with his boss, Bill Perocchi, Pebble Beach CEO and his wife, Nanci.

My friendship with R.J. began 30 years ago. He was a member of the Jim Tunney Youth Foundation Board of Directors for whom he served with dignity. He is missed every day.

Will you emulate that R.J. smile and friendliness when you meet others?

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

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Jim’s thirteenth book and the third in a series ‘Yet Another 101 Best of TunneySide of Sports’ will be published July 1st. To get an advance and personally autographed copy with free shipping, please send a check for $20 to Jim Tunney Youth Foundation P.O. Box 1440 Pebble Beach, CA. 93953 or use PayPal.

This offer is available to the continental United States only.

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 To contact Jim, go to JimTunney.com or email Jim@JimTunney.com. Jim’s books are full of inspiration and interesting stories. Please visit his online store to learn more. Another 101 Best of TunneySide of Sports Be sure to get Jim’s book ‘Another 101 Best of TunneySide of Sports’ by clicking this link or using the email above to contact Jim directly. These TunneySides take issues from real-life situations and relate them as inspiration for the betterment of others. Jim is available for speaking engagements on leadership and T*E*A*M Building. His books are available for $20 which includes shipping and tax. The Tunney Bobblehead is available for $30. Please visit JimTunney.com. Thank you!

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Tweaking PI?

Posted on June 3, 2019 by Jim Tunney Ed.D

On the TunneySide of Sports June 3, 2019 #746 Up next,,, “Tweeking PI”?On the TunneySide of Sports June 3, 2019 #746 “Tweaking PI”?

After further review… As a result of a missed defensive pass interference foul by the on-field game officials in the game between the Los Angeles Rams and the New Orleans Saints, the NFL owners gave the Competition Committee the authority to “allow pass interference calls (or non-calls) to be challenged by coaches and reviewed via replay on a one-year experiment.” At this writing, the 2019 rule would not include the last two minutes, since in that time-period all decisions are the responsibility of the replay-booth official. From the perspective of a former 31-year on-field NFL game official, this is taking video replay beyond the game itself.

The non-call in the aforementioned National Football Conference championship game definitely put the offended T*E*A*M at a disadvantage. Some say it even cost the Saints a chance to play as the NFC champion in Super Bowl LIII. So, how does the NFL fix the non-call situation? There may be options, many of which will not get the approval of all concerned.

The NFL established guidelines in 1999 to permit NFL head coaches to challenge certain plays on the field. For example, whether a fumble occurred (or not) prior to a runner being down-by-contact, etc. In chapter 15, there are 28 pages of replay guidelines in the 2019  rule book. Over the years, the committee wisely has avoided judgment calls, e.g., holding, intentional grounding, etc. However, the committee now is going against what it always believed: “that judgment calls can be interpreted differently.”  The committee is taking that decision out of the hands of the on-field game officials and putting it under the direction of an official in the booth, who will then make the decision after looking at the replay – perhaps over and over.

When the league abandons the trust of its game officials, it has entered into the realm of a video game e.g., Madden’20! Trust is a part of any live-action sport. Officials must trust players and coaches to play by the rules. When those are violated, the officials must step in to keep the playing field level. The reciprocal is paramount in any successful relationship.

Being on the NFL field for 31 years trust has been the essence of my tenure. When a coach disagreed with a call, he trusted that the official was doing the best he could without prejudice. When that trust is lost, it changes the game.

Will you log-in your thoughts of the NFL change in its rules?

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Jim is publishing his third book in the Best of Tunneyside series called ‘Yet Another 101 Best of TunneySide of Sports’.

Look for it about July 1, 2019. $20 –  Includes autograph and free shipping.

 To contact Jim, go to JimTunney.com or email Jim@JimTunney.com. Jim’s books are full of inspiration and interesting stories. Please visit his online store to learn more. Another 101 Best of TunneySide of Sports Be sure to get Jim’s book ‘Another 101 Best of TunneySide of Sports’ by clicking this link or using the email above to contact Jim directly. These TunneySides take issues from real-life situations and relate them as inspiration for the betterment of others. Jim is available for speaking engagements on leadership and T*E*A*M Building. His books are available for $20 which includes shipping and tax. The Tunney Bobblehead is available for $30. Please visit JimTunney.com. Thank you!

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Memorial Day 2019

Posted on May 27, 2019 by Jim Tunney Ed.D

brian banksOn the TunneySide of Sports May 27, 2019 #745 Memorial Day 2019

After further review… General John A. Logan of Civil War vintage founded what was then called Decoration Day, later to be termed as we know it, Memorial Day. It was and technically still is a day to honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice so that we can live a life of freedom. It’s a national holiday on the last Monday in May, but it has become a day to barbeque hamburgers at the beach or at the park. For some, it starts on Friday for a 4-day holiday!

We tend to forget what got us to this 4-day-vacation but often treat it as if it were an entitlement. Some may lower the American flag to half-staff or take a flag to the grave site of a relative or friend or, perhaps, stand at curbside waving a flag at a parade. The question remains are we doing something in our daily lives to be grateful for our freedom as well as doing something to provide that for all Americans?

If you’ve ever been “locked-up,” you’ll know what freedom-taken-away from you means. Here’s a true story about a southern California 16-year old young athlete who was falsely accused of dragging his female classmate into the school’s stairwell and forcibly having sex with her. Faced with the possibility of a 40 years-to-life sentence, he was persuaded by his lawyer to accept a plea deal that put him behind bars for 62 months — to be followed by five years’ probation.

He was a promising football player who had a scholarship waiting for him at the University of Southern California and a realistic dream of playing in the National Football League. That’s difficult to do, if, for the rest of your life, you would live as a registered sex offender and branded with an electronic monitor.

The female victim’s family sued the school district and won a $1.5 million dollar settlement. When he was freed, the victim “friended” him on Facebook and said she made up the rape charge and admitted the sex was consensual. The school district was able to recoup the money. But that’s not the point. His freedom was wrongly taken away.

The inspirational true story of Brian Banks, high school All-American, will be a movie directed by Tom Shadyac scheduled for an August 2019 release. Be sure to see it.

Will you enjoy this Memorial Day with the freedoms that have been granted to you?

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 To contact Jim, go to JimTunney.com or email Jim@JimTunney.com. Jim’s books are full of inspiration and interesting stories. Please visit his online store to learn more. Another 101 Best of TunneySide of Sports Be sure to get Jim’s book ‘Another 101 Best of TunneySide of Sports’ by clicking this link or using the email above to contact Jim directly. These TunneySides take issues from real-life situations and relate them as inspiration for the betterment of others. Jim is available for speaking engagements on leadership and T*E*A*M Building. His books are available for $20 which includes shipping and tax. The Tunney Bobblehead is available for $30. Please visit JimTunney.com. Thank you!

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