Tuesday, November 13, 2007 7:13 PM
I love sports! If you read my earlier posts, I think that is a common theme. There are many reasons why, and I'll get in to them in a different post when I feel like writing a lot about will power, confidence, character and all that good stuff. But this one needs to be short and sweet because I am getting ready to head out the door.
Running up the score: Good, Bad, or Indifferent?
I guess this is my first survey type of blog post. I want some feedback on this one. I'd like to see what kind of thoughts people have on this.
Personally, I feel that it varies for different levels of competition. I think coaches or teams who elect to run up the score in little leagues or high school are just plain wrong. Those years should be spent learning valuable lessons about life through sports. Getting your brains beat in for a few hours doesn't teach you a darn thing. Once you get above those levels and in particular the professional or even high amateur ranks, I have no problem with it whatsoever. I feel at that point, when you are recruiting your players or paying them money, or even in the golf world, when you've learned to control your mind and body so well, then go for it. At that point, you should be able to take your beatings and learn what you need and move on.
For extra credit, what do you consider running up the score? In football, do you think it's when you cross the 50 point mark? In stroke play in golf, is it Tiger Woods beating everyone by 15 shots? In baseball is it a 25-1 win?
Just some food for thought. I look forward to seeing what you think.
Oh, in case you wonder, this came about from a radio talk show where they said Gary Pinkel, the head coach of the MU Tigers, said he basically shuts down his offense before he gets to 50 points because he doesn't feel it's right to rub it in. I can see where he is coming from, but at the same time, wasn't it Steve Spurrier that said something about if we're beating you that bad, get better players, because we're gonna keep scoring.
Happy blogging! Can't wait to see what you guys have to say!