A SCOUT'S PERSPECTIVE - OBSERVATIONS & RUMINATIONS

"They ask me what I'd like written about me when I'm gone. I hope they write I made Penn State a better place, not just that I was a good football coach."  The above words appear on a stone wall behind a statue of Joe Paterno, affectionately called Joe Pa by many, that is located outside the East side of Beaver Stadium.  The statue has been a fixture on campus since 2001 and very few people probably ever thought they would need to question if Paterno had made Penn State a better place. Now that the world knows about Jerry Sandusky's decades long assault on tender young boys, many are questioning if Joe Paterno is worthy of being called a Humanitarian and if he indeed helped to make Penn State a better place. What say you? Joe Paterno first set foot on Penn State's campus in 1950. He has been a fixture and powerful presence on campus since the 1970's. He was the head coach for 46 years and finished his head coaching career as football's all-t...

Coach Steve Finamore sent me an article written by Harvey Araton on Earl Monroe, the greatest basketball player that my father, Clarence "Big House" Gaines ever coached. The article is entitled "The Parable of the Pearl" and it's a great read. The article is excerpted from Araton's book, "When The Garden was Eden," and focuses on a trade that rocked the basketball world on November 11, 1971. On that date, Earl Monroe was traded by the Baltimore Bullets to the New York Knicks. The central question that basketball fans and experts had on their minds after the trade was consummated was a simple one; could Walt Frazier and Earl Monroe coexist in the same backcourt? Araton's article addresses the question in the first paragraph: The trade was announced on November 11, stunning the basketball world. Imagine hearing in 1985 that Magic Johnson had been traded to the Celtics -- that's how unimaginable the dealing of Earl Monr...

  A little over a year ago I was visiting my mother in Winston-Salem, NC & took my family to one of Forsyth County's treasures, Tanglewood Park in Clemmons, NC. My daughter was looking forward to visiting the park because I had told her in 2009 about an incident that my family experienced at the park when I was about her age. In 2009, my daughter, Olivia had a most interesting assignment from her 8th grade history teacher, Jill Bergeron.  Olivia's task was to interview her parents on the subject of segregation and integration. Here are a few sample questions that she asked me: "Did you see any examples of segregation or institutionalized racism when you were growing up?" "During the 1960s or 70s do you recall hearing or witnessing any events related to desegregation?" "Have you ever experienced discrimination or racism first hand?" In answering the latter question, I recounted to her a story that my family (Mom, Dad...

Early Sunday morning on May 1, 2011 I happened upon the teachings of Coach Brooks Johnson via his wonderful blog entitled Spikes & Flats. Spikes & Flats is one of the greatest coaching blogs in existence. I was on a late night quest for wisdom, and I found it by reading every post that Brooks Johnson had on his blog. I thought so much of his blog, that I created my first Chirpstory and commented that "the internet is a wonderful place to explore, so much wisdom, if you're ready to receive it." My intent in writing this blog on Brooks Johnson is to get you to explore his blog, Spikes & Flats , especially if you're a coach. If you click on the highlighted Chirpstory link , you're sure to find subjects that will interest you. For example, in the first blog post I highlighted, Johnson talks about his Pet Peeves - Refocus vs. Focusing: "While I am on the topic of pet peeves, let me share another one that is mental and psychologically cente...

Four thoughts came to mind in watching the Mavericks sweep the Lakers in the second round of the 2011 NBA playoffs. Like Phil Jackson's kids, I was present for my father's, Clarence "Big House" Gaines, last game.  His last team wasn't very good and they got pummeled. During that game I thought about all the highs and lows that he had experienced in his career. Hated to see him go out that way, but it didn't detract from the great things he had done in basketball, and more importantly, in life.  With so many highs in Phil Jackson's career, it's somewhat fitting that he went out on a low. The good Lord has a sense of humor and has a way of humbling us all. Tex Winter introduced me to one of my favorite quotes. Tex, contributed the "Everything turns upon a trifle" part and Benjamin Franklin is responsible for the rest. "The Trifle" quote was ever-present in my mind in regards to this series. Everything turns upon a trifle: “Fo...