Speaking of Sports Column Archive

Speaking
of
Sports

by
Bernie
Fratto

There is no ‘I’ in Team… but there is one in ‘QUIT’

10/2/06

What do Bay City Glenn, Standish-Sterling, LeRoy Pine River, and Bridgeport High Schools all have in common? They will all be credited with a football win vs. Oscoda High School even though they don’t have to play the game.

Unless you’ve been on Mars, by now you’ve heard the story. Despite pleas from parents and players, the Oscoda Board of Education upheld the cancellation of the 2006 football season at the suggestion of Head Coach Kyle Tobin.

Tobin ironically, has an excellent coaching resume. In his 28-year career he has even won State Championships. But, he concluded that his team simply wasn’t ‘physically competitive’ and that he thought that their continuance would be ‘unsafe.’

I wasn’t there so I can’t give an accurate analysis but I do know this; Tobin will have to live with this decision for the rest of his life. I’m sure he checked his moral compass and thought he was making the best call, but when you make a unilateral decision that effects hundreds of people over time, it’s ripple effect might not be felt for years.

“All I ever wanted to do was play football,” senior quarterback Mike Gondek stated. “My teammates never felt so unsafe as to not be out there.”

His pleas fell on deaf ears.

So, now that the ship has sailed for 2006 what’s next? How can Coach Tobin and his staff regain any credibility for next year? What about incoming students? What about the opposing teams and their players, coaches, parents, and fans? They were denied too.

It’s a shame they couldn’t stick it out until Oct. 20th when the season would have ended… mercifully, yet with dignity. By throwing in the towel, the coach was really saying he didn’t have any faith in these young men, and that is very unfortunate.

It was just five years ago that Oscoda made the playoffs, even garnering a first-round win against Reed City. Granted, the team was 0-4 this season and they’d been outscored 166-0, but now there’s no way to redeem themselves now since they’ve been sent packing by their own coach.

The Oscoda Owls will never know if they might have won a game, scored a touchdown, or as Coach Tobin feared, suffered a serious injury. That’s the worst part, they’ll never know.

Harry Truman once said, “One of the worst things you can say about somebody is that they ‘meant well’”.

I’m sure Coach Tobin meant well, and he’ll have the best intentions next season too.

Practice starts Aug. 8, 2007… That is of course, if you show up...

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Bernie Fratto is a freelance writer, radio personality, and motivational speaker. His passion for sports comes in part from his experience as a former Cincinnati Red farm- hand. "Behind every sports story lies the hearts and minds of real human beings" said Fratto. "These athletic endeavors often serve as a metaphor for the game we call life."

Bernie is also on the broadcast team at Live 97.1FM talk-radio, and is a frequent co-host on the popular "Parker & The Man Show," a nightly sportstalk show which airs Monday-Friday from 7-11pm.