Doin' the Math

As most of you probably already know, the Philadelphia Phillies wrapped up a World Series Championship season last night in their home park. As most of you don't know -- since I've kept it tightly under wraps as a contributor to this sports-averse blog of Tom's -- I am a lifelong fan of the Philadelphia Phillies (as well as of the Eagles, the Flyers and even the Sixers, although I only follow football and baseball closely anymore).

In other words, I am an enormous loser. And not just because of what Tom thinks of sports. No, I'm a loser because I'm 46 years old and the last time my Phillies won the World Series I was 18. When the Sixers won it all in 1983, I was 21. And that has been it for successes in my long adult life of following sports. Yet I've kept watching.

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Which reminds me of a song:

All of that time where did it go?
What did you do and what have you got to show for it?
Doin' the math is kind of a bummer
You best avoid crunchin' that number

But a World Series moment forces you to crunch. I've been at it incessantly since the final out last night, just marveling away at all of that time and at all of my life swirling through and along with it. I am ancient in moments and plays and games and days and seasons and years. And losses, and even wins.

Elections are crunch times too (helpfully to getting me out of a post like this on a blog like this). We'll all be hoping and reminiscing on fours, on eights, on decades and on eras as Tuesday approaches and we look toward a more productive future for the nation. Along those lines, Kevin Drum made an interesting point this morning on the intersection of these two crunching moments:

A WORLD SERIES WE CAN BELIEVE IN?....A friend points out that the last time the Phillies won the Series was October 1980, ushering in the election of Ronald Reagan and a long era of conservative ascendency. Tonight the Phillies won again. Another sign of a new era in politics? Maybe!

Can the long personal/national nightmare of my life be nearing its end (the "nightmare" part, thank you very much, not the "my life" part)? All I can say is, the Philadelphia Phillies are world champs, therefore ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE! And if our progressive future may hang in the balance, you've just gotta love those Phils. (That means everybody, George and Steve.)

Bill Walsh's Other Legacy

San Francisco 49ers coach Bill Walsh, hoisted on the shoulders of his team after beating the Miami Dolphins in Super Bowl XIX in 1985.

Bill Walsh's legacy, as documented in the sports news outlets yesterday and today in the aftermath of his death from leukemia at age 75, includes the tremendous influence of his innovative style on the way the game is played today, and the incredible "coaching tree" of coaches who worked for Walsh and went on to influence other coaches.

But there's another important part of his legacy.

The Fritz Pollard Alliance, named for the first black coach in NFL history, is dedicated to the advancement of minority hiring in the NFL. Only one white man has received its most prestigious award: Bill Walsh. (source: Contra Costa Times)

Consider these three quotes from current African-American NFL and Division I college head coaches:

"I played for him for one year, and I learned a lot. But more important was that he was so supportive of me and my career and African-American coaches. It's one of those things that really touches you." -- Indianapolis Colts coach Tony Dungy.

"He had great vision on what the league was going to become and how to forge opportunities for players. What he did for that organization, the Super Bowls he won, is a testament to what kind of coach he was. But he was also a good man who gave guys an opportunity." -- Kansas City Chief coach Herm Edwards.

"The world lost a great man in Bill Walsh. He had a tremendous impact on me, both personally and professionally. ... Bill's development of the minority coaching program at the collegiate and professional levels literally changed the face of football. His sphere of influence was significantly greater than any coach of his time. He will truly be missed." -- [University of] Washington coach Tyrone Willingham. (Associated Press via Sporting News)

Lovie Smith and Marvin Lewis

From the Chron:

Another contribution was the Minority Coaching Fellowship, a program he created in 1987 [when there were no black head coaches in the NFL] to help African American coaches improve their job prospects in the NFL and Division I colleges by inviting them to an up-close look at the 49ers' training camps. Among those who took advantage of the program were Tyrone Willingham, former Stanford head coach and current head coach at the University of Washington; Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis and several NFL assistants. The NFL later turned the fellowship into a league-wide program.

Bill Walsh's vision of the future of football included diversity in the coaching ranks, and, unwilling to sit back and wait for it, he saw an opportunity to take -- yes, affirmative action -- to help it along.

Tony Dungy

More from Tony Dungy:

Dungy played for Walsh in 1979, coming to the 49ers in a trade that sent Ray Rhodes to Pittsburgh.

“It was really tough for me,” Dungy said. “I played for him for one year and then certainly learned a lot. But even more than that, he was so supportive all throughout my career. He did a lot for African-American coaches, I think coaches in general. Bill was very innovative and very much a winner and somebody I learned a lot from and a very good friend." [...]

In an ironic twist of fate, it was Walsh’s hiring of Dennis Green as an assistant that helped Dungy during his own rise in the profession.

Dennis Green

“At a time when most teams didn’t have any black coaches, that’s where I met Denny Green,” Dungy said. “He’d hired Denny and Billy Matthews. Billy started the minority internship program. [Walsh] hired Ray Rhodes [as an assistant]. Shortly after that, [Rhodes] got his [coaching] career going. And so he was very socially conscious. He wanted football to be good and he wanted the game to be good on the field. But he thought about things off the field as well. That‘s what was special about him.”

(Terre Haute Tribune Star)

Martin McNeal, Sacramento Bee:

What always will remain fresh in my mind was Walsh's understanding of the impact of retired Cal professor and African American leader Harry Edwards on his staff [Edwards has been associated with the 49ers for over twenty years]. Many white reporters thought Edwards was more bluster than substance. However, anyone who had been with track athletes John Carlos and Tommie Smith, like Edwards and the late Sam Skinner, during the controversial 1968 Mexico City Olympics garnered much respect.

Walsh understood that and recognized that learning as much about the African American athlete as he could would make him a better coach and person.