my oregonian brother and i have both hated oregon state for so long and for reasons too petty and archaic to list here, that when the tinks announcement was made, i texted my brother: yet another reason to hate oregon state!
but a funny thing has happened to me in the ensuing week--a feeling of sweet peaceful heartfelt understanding of love and respect has suffused my soul and left me cheering for all parties to this deal.
--the oregon state a.d. could have made the easy choice and gone with stoudamaire, the local favorite. instead, he risked his job for a guy with qualities that elevate a program above the sole obsession on W's. in our avaricious buck-hustling culture, where winning vindicates all evil, this guy evidently has principles, a soul. i like this guy.
--i never was naive about tinks's prospects out there, yet at the same time i never suspected him of being a carpetbagger, a guy who would make a faustian bargain with a school that made no sense for him or his family except for the bucks, and of course he didn't. he stayed loyal to his northwest roots, found a small town akin to missoula, where he can be close to his beloved spokane and montana and at the same time test his coaching expertise at a much higher level. good for him.
i don't know if any of you ever read the children's book, "the little prince," always nourishing his flowers while cleaning out his volcanoes, who left us with this: "it is only the heart that sees rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye." too bad donald sterling doesn't subscribe to this motto, as evidently all parties did in the tinkle negotiation. when the heart sees rightly, good things happen, and they will for both tinks and oregon state.
finally, in his press conference, tinks made pointed reference to the fact lisa is in the montana hall of fame but he isn't. isn't it time we changed that, at the earliest convenience?
but a funny thing has happened to me in the ensuing week--a feeling of sweet peaceful heartfelt understanding of love and respect has suffused my soul and left me cheering for all parties to this deal.
--the oregon state a.d. could have made the easy choice and gone with stoudamaire, the local favorite. instead, he risked his job for a guy with qualities that elevate a program above the sole obsession on W's. in our avaricious buck-hustling culture, where winning vindicates all evil, this guy evidently has principles, a soul. i like this guy.
--i never was naive about tinks's prospects out there, yet at the same time i never suspected him of being a carpetbagger, a guy who would make a faustian bargain with a school that made no sense for him or his family except for the bucks, and of course he didn't. he stayed loyal to his northwest roots, found a small town akin to missoula, where he can be close to his beloved spokane and montana and at the same time test his coaching expertise at a much higher level. good for him.
i don't know if any of you ever read the children's book, "the little prince," always nourishing his flowers while cleaning out his volcanoes, who left us with this: "it is only the heart that sees rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye." too bad donald sterling doesn't subscribe to this motto, as evidently all parties did in the tinkle negotiation. when the heart sees rightly, good things happen, and they will for both tinks and oregon state.
finally, in his press conference, tinks made pointed reference to the fact lisa is in the montana hall of fame but he isn't. isn't it time we changed that, at the earliest convenience?
