montanans too nice?

[citygriz]

as i march through life, i find montanans to be among the most open, friendly, trusting and giving of any group i've ever met. they're just as quick to spot a phony, but until you reach that point, they're quick with a "howdy" or to toss a buck in your dumpster or buy you a drink. being from montana has helped me tremendously in life, and i've never felt alone among montanans.

all of which has made me wonder at times if montanans are just basically too nice to compete in the savage world of contemporary athletics. this thought returned again yesterday, as i watched tennessee take on marist, a 13th seed. marist sort of reminded me of us, a talented well-coached team, but clearly not in the league with tennessee, and just hoping basically to make a decent showing on the national stage.

which--they just couldn't, at least not against the thoroughbreds from tennessee. they quickly get down 20 with about five minutes left in the first half, so what does pat summitt do? puts on a full-court press! then, with seconds left in the first half, marist scores two quick buckets, and summitt calls time out to scream at her team for letting their defense down.

i mean, where does toughness verge into cruelty? where does sportsmanship end, and jungle rules take over? would anybody from montana have the heart to treat marist the way pat summitt did if we had her resources?

just wondering...

 

[Grizbacker1]

as i march through life, i find montanans to be among the most open, friendly, trusting and giving of any group i've ever met. they're just as quick to spot a phony, but until you reach that point, they're quick with a "howdy" or to toss a buck in your dumpster or buy you a drink. being from montana has helped me tremendously in life, and i've never felt alone among montanans.

all of which has made me wonder at times if montanans are just basically too nice to compete in the savage world of contemporary athletics. this thought returned again yesterday, as i watched tennessee take on marist, a 13th seed. marist sort of reminded me of us, a talented well-coached team, but clearly not in the league with tennessee, and just hoping basically to make a decent showing on the national stage.

which--they just couldn't, at least not against the thoroughbreds from tennessee. they quickly get down 20 with about five minutes left in the first half, so what does pat summitt do? puts on a full-court press! then, with seconds left in the first half, marist scores two quick buckets, and summitt calls time out to scream at her team for letting their defense down.

i mean, where does toughness verge into cruelty? where does sportsmanship end, and jungle rules take over? would anybody from montana have the heart to treat marist the way pat summitt did if we had her resources?

just wondering...

That is why Summitt makes over $1,000,000 per, and has over 900 wins. She is intense on the court, but off it she is great. When she brought the Vols to Missoula she impressed everyone she met. Very personable in person, but I would not cross her on the court.

I think Montana people are as nice as can be, until you give them reason not to be. I don't really think the analogy to athletics is fitting. If you go to TN, the people there seem just as nice.

 

[Grisly Fan]

I hate to think of Ms. Summit as the benchmark by which anyone would choose to be measured. I can at least understand a "win at all costs'" mentality but "massacre your opponent at all costs" is over the edge and actually destructive. I have seen sales management do nearly this same thing and tear apart a highly performing sales team in the process.

What Pat Summit and her ilk seem to ignore is the reality that college basketball is a means to an end not an end all, be all. I'll bet the young women she coaches will over-come her draconian tactics in spite of not because of her. She is wasting an opportunity to show mercy and if showing mercy is a sign of weakness, let Montanans be the weakest of all.

 

[Grizbacker1]

I can't believe people are actually passing judgement on the type of person Summit is based on a basketball score. Actually, it is Egriz, I take it back. :shocked:

 

[Bay Area Cat]

My high school basketball coach screamed at us in the locker room after a road game for only beating a team by 20-something points (he had set a halftime goal to extend our huge lead by the end of the game). Because our scrubs failed to do meet this goal, we got a spit shower and were told that when we got back home we should be ready to get off the bus and go straight to the gym, because we were going to do conditioning as punishment well into the morning.

The coach was born and raised in Montana.

 

[Bozgriz]

My high school basketball coach screamed at us in the locker room after a road game for only beating a team by 20-something points (he had set a halftime goal to extend our huge lead by the end of the game). Because our scrubs failed to do meet this goal, we got a spit shower and were told that when we got back home we should be ready to get off the bus and go straight to the gym, because we were going to do conditioning as punishment well into the morning.

The coach was born and raised in Montana.

Must have known you would grow up and become a cat... :tounge:

Just kidding BAC! :thumb: