Opinions, Commentary

Black Sportswriters On Pacman Jones

by Gregory Moore/gmoore@blackathlete.com

If you are wondering what that sound is, it is the sound of me flushing Adam "Pacman" Jones down the proverbial sports toilet from my own perch and walking away from him and his mess. I'm through with him as a sports writer and more importantly, I'm walking away from him as a black sports writer and as a black man.

I'm through with him and his legal issues and it is time that the sports world just let this guy go on and get ready for whatever color of a jumpsuit he is going to wear in three months. It is time for black sports writers across this country to just say, "Enough is enough" and we wash our hands of Jones and others like him.

This guy is the worst representation for the Black community and instead of this community rising up and embarrassing the hell out of him, many are enabling him, making excuses for his actions and behaviors. Many have said that he needs to be around his friends but so many more are saying that he should have dumped every one of his friends and found him some true friends that truly want him to succeed.

Personally, I've said on too many airwaves that Pacman needs to dump those flipping losers and any family members that can't see the bigger picture and that he also needs to possibly stay away from clubs in general. And while many of us have been trying to get this "player" to realize that he is about to screw up his dream, we were shot down, ridiculed and told that we don't know what we are talking about.

Well, guess what folks? For all of you who thought Pacman was being racially profiled, picked on and harassed because he was a young black man with money, the rest of us are walking away from him and his friends/family who don't understand just how embarrassing this is.

This is the very reason why black sports writers need to walk away from this story: Pacman Jones and others like him are an embarrassment to us. Is that being selfish? Damn right it is. Whether people like to admit this or not but a group is judged by the whole even though one of them may be the village idiot.

Pacman just isn't the village idiot; he is the King of all Court Jesters that like to embarrass a group of individuals. He is the ultimate reason why many of us in the journalism world want to be the voices that shake things up at rookie symposiums or veteran media sessions because Jones is the poster child as to why many individuals think that Black athletes are nothing more than the 21st century version of Rochester from the Jack Benny show and that is simply not the case.

One of Jones' teammates, David Thornton, said it best in a USA Today article. "The light has been turned on. A lot of things he did in darkness are being revealed."

Thornton has never been more correct than now. Pacman thought he could hide his wrongdoings from his employer and that is simply not the case anymore. From Jeff Fisher to Bud Adams, the Tennessee Titans have "officially" closed the door on Jones as a player on their roster and well they should. This is reality and Pacman and his supporters need to realize that nobody has time to play with him or hold his hand every time he does something stupid.

Everyone that Pacman needed to surround himself with are walking away from him and you know what's next? His so-called friends will be doing the same in a few months. When the money runs out, they'll latch on to someone else. Jones will be sucked dry and nobody, and that includes his family members, will be man or woman enough to say, "Adam we're sorry for not protecting you more and making you own up to your faults."

But in the meantime it is definitely time for a smaller segment to start forgetting that he even exists. The numerous black sports writers need find someone else and help the rest of the media world do the same. Today, from this point on, Pacman is dead to me.

I don't know who he is anymore and I don't want to know. Right now he is just the thuggish, thug thug that is glossin' the "Thuglife" magazine cover. After this story, I'm going to ban myself from writing about him and it is time that others do the same.

Was Vince Young Behind Chow Firing?

by David Climer in The Tennessean

Assuming that Norm Chow wasn't hanging out with Pacman Jones at that Atlanta strip club in the wee hours of Jan. 3, we are left to speculate on his sudden exit from the Tennessee Titans.

And one way or another, two initials factor into this:

V.Y.

Vince Young is the Titans' future. His development at quarterback is essential if the franchise is to continue its climb back up the NFL charts.

As of today, head coach Jeff Fisher decided that the marriage between offensive coordinator Chow and Young simply wasn't working. Whether it was Chow's offensive scheme or his coaching style, the perception was that Young's talent and production were not being maximized.

After being named NFL Rookie of the Year in 2006, Young regressed in some areas in his second year. It's impossible to ignore the telling ratio of nine touchdown passes to 17 interceptions. His passer rating of 71.1 was No. 26 in the league.

Is that entirely Norm Chow's fault? Of course not. Chow had virtually nothing to do with personnel decisions, which means he can't be blamed for the Titans' sub-standard receiving corps and lack of offensive weapons.

Still, there often seemed to be a disconnect between Chow and Young. Chow is an old-school coach who expected certain things from his quarterback. Sometimes he got them from Young. Sometimes he didn't.

It is also no secret that Chow didn't appreciate Young's intermittent temper tantrums and moodiness. He expected more professionalism, even from a quarterback who is still in the formative stages of his pro career. The two just could not get on the same page.

As for Chow, he never could get ahead of the curve on his college-to-NFL transition. The X's and O's that worked so well at BYU and Southern Cal never fully translated into the pro game.

In his first NFL season in '05, Chow clearly was in over his head. Barely two months into the season, he so much as admitted it when he said:

"This is the biggest challenge of my life. ... This is hard. Honestly, it's harder than I thought it would be. Defenses are just so good, so fast. It's such a challenge to find ways to attack."

A year later, Young was drafted and Titans owner Bud Adams fast-tracked him into the huddle.

After two seasons together, Chow is out. Young is in. Draw your own conclusions.

While I'm not suggesting that Young marched into Fisher's office and demanded that Chow be fired, I doubt that the quarterback is terribly upset with the move.

But be careful what you wish for, Vince.

Word has it that the new/old sheriff headed to town is Mike Heimerdinger. He was the Titans' offensive coordinator in 2000-04. And he's a tough nut.

If your ego bruises easily or you can't take criticism, you're going to have a hard time playing for Heimerdinger.

Note to V.Y.: Call your old pal, Steve McNair. He played for Heimerdinger and he played for Chow. He can tell you some stories.

Gordon Gee

Gee Credited As Innovator At Vandy

by Brett Hait In The Nashville City Paper

   Some called it an execution. Gordon Gee called it a revolution.
   Regardless of the viewpoint, Gee, Vanderbilt’s former Chancellor who is leaving for the presidency at Ohio State, made national headlines in September 2003 when he overhauled the school’s athletics department.
   There would be no further need for an athletics director. The athletics department, such as it was, would be merged into the academic and student-life structure of the university. In the Southeastern Conference, this was bordering on blasphemy.
   “Nothing short of a revolution will stop what has become a crisis of conscience and integrity for colleges and universities in this country,” Gee said in 2003.
   On Wednesday, Vanderbilt coaches said Gee accomplished his mission.
   “He had a vision of what he wanted the athletics department to look like at Vanderbilt, and he worked hard to get that done,” football coach Bobby Johnson said. “I admire him for sticking to his guns and doing what he thought he had to do.”
   “It has worked and survived,” added baseball coach Tim Corbin.
   Coincidentally or not, Vanderbilt has experienced one of the best runs of athletics success in school history since Gee’s announcement.
   The men’s basketball team has twice reached the NCAA Sweet 16. The women’s basketball team won the SEC Tournament this spring. The upstart baseball program was ranked No. 1 nationally for most of the 2007 season and captured the SEC regular-season and tournament championships.
   Vanderbilt’s U.S. Sports Academy Director’s Cup finish for the recently completed academic year was its second-best finish ever. The Commodores placed 33rd among 285 college institutions that scored points during 2006-07, putting the program in approximately the 88th percentile nationally.
   Other schools have attempted to poach VU coaches such as Corbin, men’s basketball coach Kevin Stallings and women’s basketball coach Melanie Balcomb.
   In addition, facilities have improved, and school administrators report that academic success for athletes has risen.
   “We have a lot of things we measure, and all of those things are on the right track,” said VU Vice Chancellor David Williams, who has overseen athletics since 2003.
   Gee’s plan in 2003 was attacked by many as a concession that Vanderbilt could not compete in the SEC. Critics labeled VU athletics as “glorified intramurals” and predicted coaches would run amok with no accountability.
   Coaches were immediately put on the defensive when recruiting athletes who wondered about the future and stability of Vanderbilt athletics.
   “It took a little while to get over that,” Johnson said. “Now, not many people have questions about it.”
   Johnson said the emphasis on academics at Vanderbilt made for a unique environment even before Gee’s overhaul.
   “If there was an athletics program that was already close to that model, anyway, it was Vanderbilt,” Johnson said. “He just redefined it a little.”
   Coaches say Gee remained committed to athletic success. Johnson met with Gee at the end of each football season to discuss the needs of the program and said he was never disappointed.
   “He said, ‘No matter how we organize it, I’m going to work hard to get you what you need to compete,’” Johnson said. “We believed him. He’s been right there with the things he said he was going to do.”
   Corbin, who has overseen the meteoric rise of the baseball program, also found the same support.
   “It’s more than me being a spoiled brat who wants something,” Corbin said. “It was about what him thinking the baseball program is doing something good from a university standpoint. He wanted our program to be thought of as one of the best at this university.
   “Quite honestly, I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for him, and I wouldn’t have stayed if it wasn’t for him. He’s a personal friend. I’m hurt that he’s leaving, but I understand.”
   Williams said the recent success of VU athletics validates Gee’s vision and has laid the groundwork for the future.
   “I don’t think his leaving will have an impact on that,” Williams said. “I don’t know who the next Chancellor will be or what his or her views will be, but I don’t see any changes.”

Pat Summitt

Pat Summitt "Best Coach Ever?"

By JIM ALEXANDER in the Riverside (Cal) Press-Enterprise

To understand why Tennessee's Pat Summitt just may be the best college basketball coach ever, regardless of gender, you need to go beyond her record.

Past the seven national championships, more than anyone not named John Wooden. Past the 957 career victories, which happen to be 71 more than men's record-holder Bob Knight. Past her seven national Coach of the Year awards, or even her place in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.

To truly understand, it's necessary to go back to the beginning.

It was 1974, and Patricia Head, 22 and an All-American player at Tennessee-Martin, was hired to coach a Tennessee women's team that, to be fair, was one step up from intramurals.

"I'd call it extramurals," Summitt recalled Tuesday at Pauley Pavilion, where the Lady Vols practiced for tonight's game against UCLA.

"We didn't charge admission. We drove in vans. Typically, I drove the van with all the equipment, and my assistant drove the van with all the players. The players didn't want to ride with me."

She laughed.

"I was kind of tough in those days," she said.

Of such humble origins are legends forged. From washing jerseys, assigning four players to a hotel room and scouting cafeterias for road trip meals, Summitt now oversees a program that draws 14,000 fans a game, flies charter on many of its road trips and is high-powered enough that even elite recruits can be tongue-tied.

"At the beginning, I couldn't even talk to her on the phone when she was recruiting me, I was so in awe of her," junior forward Candace Parker said.

Summitt's reputation is similar to that of most great coaches: demanding, detail-oriented, intense.

"When she asks for something, you gotta get it done right then ," said Vicki Baugh, a freshman forward from Sacramento. "There's no slacking in this program. Every day, every second, you have to work hard."

But Summitt has tweaked her approach, subtly, to reflect changes in the women's game and the athletes who play it.

"She's grown with the game," Parker said.

"A lot of coaches wanted to be stuck in their ways and stay (with) their same principles. She's realizing players are getting bigger and stronger and able to do more things."

Parker is the classic representation of that growth in the women's game, a sublime blend of grace and force who comes as close as any woman to having an above-the-rim game. She almost certainly will be the No. 1 pick of the WNBA draft by the Sparks if she decides to turn pro after this season.

But the changes Summitt has made aren't just about adjusting to the differences in the game.

"It's much more about what they need from me," Summitt said. "It's more about working and managing and having open communication. If the dialogue is there on a daily basis, and they understand you're challenging and pushing them because you see more in them than they see in themselves ... that's my job. That's my job.

"And a lot of times, rather than call players out, I'll go over and speak to them one-on-one. (But) I'll have my moments, and they know it. And when I ain't happy, ain't nobody happy, and they know that, too."

"But for the most part, I don't have to coach another day in my life and I don't have to win another basketball game to prove anything," she continued. "I love teaching, and I love this team. I love working with them."

It hasn't gotten old, and Summitt, 55, doesn't expect it to for a while. There will be more players matriculating to the pros or becoming coaches, using the principles they've learned in Knoxville to build their own programs.

In the meantime, her Vols (9-0 going into tonight's UCLA game) will remain in their sport's top tier. And that career victory total figures to reach four digits in the next couple of years.

"She's definitely one of the pioneers of the game," Parker said.

"When you play for Tennessee you play for the program, because it has so much history behind it. The players of the past still come back and still support the program, and that's what Pat Summitt has built."

It is a long way from those van rides in the Tennessee night.