CALHOUN
Pete Abraham, a Red Sox focused reporter
for the Boston Globe, because I think it provides such a clear view into
the man.
"One non-baseball thought:
• UConn basketball coach Jim Calhoun will announce his retirement today. My
first job out of UMass was covering UConn for the Norwich (Conn.) Bulletin.
Calhoun was in his first season and was, frankly, terrifying.
In 1986, the idea of UConn winning three NCAA titles was laughable. They
were such a bad team in the Big East that the school commissioned a study
to determine whether they should remain in the league. The team practiced
in the old UConn Field House and if the track team was working out, a
basketball player chasing a loose ball had to dodge runners.
Calhoun worked the Huskies like dogs and was even hard on the writers. If
you wrote something he didn't like, he would call early in the morning and
tell you in no uncertain (and unprintable) terms what he thought. But when
you showed up to cover practice a few hours later, it was like it never
happened.
If you hustled after stories, you would get them. If you showed up at
practice, he would tell you things. Calhoun was so desperate for media
attention on his team that he would talk to a stupid kid from a small paper
and answer all his questions.
This may sound silly and if it does, that's fine. But I tried harder at my
job because I didn't want him to think less of me. Sitting there at
practice and hearing him preach the values of hard work to his players sank
in. The effect was profound.
Calhoun grew up in blue-collar Braintree and loves his Red Sox. After one
of his three titles, the Yankees invited him to throw out the first pitch
at a game and he refused. He might be the only person who has ever done
that.
UConn's victory against Duke in the 1999 NCAA title game was Calhoun at his
best. In the years that followed, we sometimes saw Calhoun at his worst.
UConn broke rules, the players were lax academically and Calhoun lost
control of the powerhouse he built because he so badly wanted to win. He
made mistakes and if you think poorly of him for that, you aren't wrong.
But the man could coach, he worked hard and he built one of the best
programs ever out of rubble. A lot of people are better off in their lives
for knowing him and I'm one of them. Here is wishing him well in retirement
with the hope he finds some peace in that raging soul of his."
for the Boston Globe, because I think it provides such a clear view into
the man.
"One non-baseball thought:
• UConn basketball coach Jim Calhoun will announce his retirement today. My
first job out of UMass was covering UConn for the Norwich (Conn.) Bulletin.
Calhoun was in his first season and was, frankly, terrifying.
In 1986, the idea of UConn winning three NCAA titles was laughable. They
were such a bad team in the Big East that the school commissioned a study
to determine whether they should remain in the league. The team practiced
in the old UConn Field House and if the track team was working out, a
basketball player chasing a loose ball had to dodge runners.
Calhoun worked the Huskies like dogs and was even hard on the writers. If
you wrote something he didn't like, he would call early in the morning and
tell you in no uncertain (and unprintable) terms what he thought. But when
you showed up to cover practice a few hours later, it was like it never
happened.
If you hustled after stories, you would get them. If you showed up at
practice, he would tell you things. Calhoun was so desperate for media
attention on his team that he would talk to a stupid kid from a small paper
and answer all his questions.
This may sound silly and if it does, that's fine. But I tried harder at my
job because I didn't want him to think less of me. Sitting there at
practice and hearing him preach the values of hard work to his players sank
in. The effect was profound.
Calhoun grew up in blue-collar Braintree and loves his Red Sox. After one
of his three titles, the Yankees invited him to throw out the first pitch
at a game and he refused. He might be the only person who has ever done
that.
UConn's victory against Duke in the 1999 NCAA title game was Calhoun at his
best. In the years that followed, we sometimes saw Calhoun at his worst.
UConn broke rules, the players were lax academically and Calhoun lost
control of the powerhouse he built because he so badly wanted to win. He
made mistakes and if you think poorly of him for that, you aren't wrong.
But the man could coach, he worked hard and he built one of the best
programs ever out of rubble. A lot of people are better off in their lives
for knowing him and I'm one of them. Here is wishing him well in retirement
with the hope he finds some peace in that raging soul of his."
