Once upon a time, a coach was criticized by a parent, a die-hard, win-at-all-costs parent, for being "too friendly" with the players. "Friendly doesn't win ball games," he said. Friendly doesn't motivate and drive. Friendly doesn't get you anywhere. Sports teaches all kinds of valuable lessons-- I don't know if this is one of them.
Tonight as I type this, a young man is downstairs sleeping on our couch. Before he went to bed he had a hot supper, a warm shower, a fresh toothbrush, and a request for what kind of lunch he'd like for tomorrow. He also had a 5 year old wanting him to "sleepover."
Friendly may not win ball games, but it will take a homeless boy off the streets for a night.
Friendly may not get you the job and unfortunately the respect of some folks, but there are bigger folks we aim to please.
Tomorrow is Friday. Football games will be played and plenty of coaches will go home with a win. Names in the paper for how hard they coach; how hard they push; how far they will go this season. And it IS exciting and builds character.
But 4 years passes quickly and boys on the field become the men of the world. The things we accomplish as a "hard" coach will be forgotten: scores, tackles, bad calls. The things we accomplish as the "too friendly" coach will endure: love, kindness, and hope.
For our guest tonight, I hope he meets hundreds of other "too friendly" coaches along his way. I hope he always believes that another coach will come along when needed. And, of course, I hope one day he will BE that "too friendly" coach to another in need.
And I hope last night was the last night he will ever sleep in a baseball dugout to keep safe from the rain and storms.
But most of all, I hope he finds a home.
Lessons are learned every day on the field. A lot of them take place off the field, as well.
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