Following is something I have been pondering for a few days, and that is, can a successful coach also be a nice guy?
There are some who believe that it is not a likely proposition, including the former manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers way back in the day. That would be the one and only Leo Durocher, whose infamous quote, “Nice guys finish last” also became the title of his autobiography. The original quote from 1946 was shortened from “The nice guys are all over there, in seventh place,” when the future Hall of Famer was referring to the New York Giants, who were in next-to-last place in the National League.
Durocher, one of the all-time true characters in baseball history, made the statement after being needled by broadcaster Red Barber for not being a “nice guy.” Durocher pointed toward the Giants’ dugout and pointed out that their manager, Mel Ott, and many of the players were nice guys, but they were also stuck in seventh place. The point he was trying to make was that kindness, being too accommodating or lacking aggression leads to losing in competitive sports.
While that is certainly not always the case, Durocher had a valid point, and one that is a part of sports lore. Successful coaches are not afraid of conflict with their players on occasion, and being too nice can be detrimental to having a winning team.
The reason I thought of Durocher’s famous quote recently is the lack of success being achieved by a pair of coaches who are reputed to be “nice guys.”
Does Pope need to get meaner?
The first example is the currently struggling head basketball coach at the University of Kentucky. Mark Pope is considered one of the nicest and most caring people you would ever want to meet, but he is already feeling rather intense pressure from many UK basketball fans. His team is struggling mightily and laid one of the biggest eggs in the history of the school last week. The game against Gonzaga in Nashville morphed into a blowout of historic proportions and dropped the Cats to a mediocre 5-4.
The embarrassing defeat continued a trend that is seeing Kentucky losing to good teams and looking befuddled while doing so. In the moments immediately following the setbacks, Pope appears dazed and confused. He is still searching for a lineup that meshes as a team, with the results thus far being a team that plays selfish, and at times, just plain stupid basketball.
One area where Pope and his staff failed during the offseason was recruiting players who don’t seem to fit his system. Getting the players on this team to play effectively together will be difficult to fix during the season, but Pope will be working tirelessly to find the answers.
Whether that can be accomplished at this point is up for serious debate, and the focus of next year’s roster should be bringing in players who care deeply about winning and want to be a part of something much bigger than their individual talents. That has not been the case so far, and if it isn’t remedied soon, this team will go down as classic underachievers. Rumors persist that the players don’t even like each other, and the way they have performed against good competition, that argument appears to be a valid one.
Taylor: Great person, not a great coach
The second example of a “nice guy” who isn’t getting the desired results in recent seasons is Zac Taylor. The Cincinnati Bengals’ head coach had some success several years ago, getting the Men in Stripes to the Super Bowl and the AFC Championship Game in successive seasons.
However, as the saying goes, what have you done for me lately? The answer to that age-old question is, not much. The Bengals will finish this season with a losing record after going 9-8 in the previous two seasons. Granted, the problems facing this franchise go much deeper than merely the head coach. The drafting decisions have been horrible for several years, and the front office is not exactly known for spending the necessary money to acquire the best available talent. Yes, they paid quarterback Joe Burrow and receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins handsomely, but ignored numerous other needs, especially on the defensive side of the ball.
Even so, Taylor has demonstrated his stubbornness to call the plays, and his effectiveness in dealing with his players remains questionable. That has apparently also become an issue for Pope. Both coaches are admirable people, but are they respected by their players?
Perhaps they need to take advice from Leo Durocher and be less of a nice guy.
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“Half the results of a good intention are evil; half the results of an evil intention are good.” – Mark Twain
