I received a wedding invitation in the mail the other day. It was from one of my former players who is now a teacher in Colorado. Before I go any further, I have to mention that a school administrator once told me that he found it “strange” that my former players would invite me to their college graduations and their weddings. I told him that I want to get to know my players as people and listen to what they have to say. I’ve always thought that the personal touch is a big part of why my teams win so much.
Anyway, back in the day, this kid was tough-minded, head-strong and wildly opinionated. Just about perfect. Not the best basketball player, although if you think about it, that description fits everybody except that one player who is the best. This kid was probably the seventh or eighth best basketball player on the squad but her toughness got her a lot of playing time.
One night, we were playing a road game against a team that, under normal circumstances, we should have been able to beat by 20 points or more. But this wasn’t a normal night. Two of my starters (including our leading scorer and rebounder) were home with illnesses, the other team was playing really well, and, on offense, we couldn’t throw a marble in the ocean if we were standing in the surf. And, for good measure, pretty much our whole team was in foul trouble.
So, with a couple minutes left in the half, I told the kid to just stand there, holding the ball (something I generally hate to do). She gets the pass and immediately starts dribbling while standing still. I very politely asked her whether she had understood my instructions. When she said yes, I asked her why, then, was she dribbling. I told her to give the ball up, get it back, and HOLD THE BALL. She was fuming. She said, “This is stupid!”
In my head, I thought, “Your mama’s stupid,” but I actually said, “Well, at least one of us wants to win.”
We took the last shot of the half and bricked it, but at least we had a four-point lead at the break. We slogged our way through an ugly second half and came away with a seven-point win. For the rest of the season, the kid wanted to argue that strategy. At State, she ended up hitting the game-winning shot in overtime against powerhouse Pima High to get us to the Final Four.
Years later, when she was getting her Master’s at NAU, she came to one of our State playoff games in Prescott. After the game, she told that story to my then-players. I figure that there’s a 73 percent chance that she brings it up at her wedding reception, probably around the time of the cake-cutting (when she has a knife in her hand).
My response to that then, now, and forever is that we won. We might have won using a different strategy, but what we did gave us the best chance of winning.
Which, at long last, brings us to next week’s Democratic primary. People, we have to win in November. This isn’t lame Michael Dukakis against lamer George Bush. It’s not slick Bill Clinton against ancient Bob Dole. This is the most important election of a generation, maybe of the century. The White House has been captured by a demon, one who worships money and hates minorities. He lies and cheats and steals and is absolutely convinced that laws are for lesser beings. The sad part is that two out of every five American adults are okay with him lying and cheating and ignoring the law.
It’s going to take a decade or more to clean away the stench left behind by a one-term Trump Administration. If he gets another term, the America that we love may well cease to exist. But we have to start by winning in November. And if the safe, boring approach gives us the best chance of doing so, then safe and boring it is.
Donald Trump is almost stunningly beatable. The blueprint for winning big was drawn in the 2018 midterm elections when articulate Democrats talked about health care and a return to decency. There was no talk of revolution and neither would we be well served by such talk now.
Joe Biden may be my 10,000th-favorite Democrat, but that still puts him ahead of Bernie Sanders, who isn’t a Democrat at all. We live in a country where an embarrassingly large number of people don’t know the difference between socialism and communism and neither are they aware that socialism—like love—is all around.
It would be so easy to run a successful national campaign against Bernie Sanders. “Hey, here’s a Chatty Bernie Doll. Just pull the string and he says dumb-ass things like ‘government health-care for all.'”
Another thing about Sanders: It rings true when someone who makes thousands of dollars a year complains about millionaires. But when a millionaire like Sanders constantly complains about billionaires, it seems disingenuous.
I’m imploring my fellow Democrats not to vote for Bernie Sanders next Tuesday. You really want revolution? Schedule it for 2024. Right now we have to win. We have to make America, America again.
This article appears in Mar 12-18, 2020.
I have some empathy for you Tom. You have to chose between the lesser of two evils.
Thanks Tom. This is exactly how Hitler came to power. Socialism is around because of socialist democrats that lie like Biden. And he is losing his mind. Democrats attack the President over Corona Virus because Russia and Ukraine impeachment frauds did not work.
You should have taught your teams that winning isn’t everything, but it seems it is for you. At what cost?
You like to “personally touch” your female basketball players?
Sounds like a Harvey Wenstein move to me …
Elaine P talking about how Hitler came to power??What the hell does she think Trump is trying to do !! Trump is as NAZI as they come and ALL of his supporters are Swastika saluting card carriers.
Trump will mop the floor with Biden. Bernie will at least put up a fight.
There is no normal, anymore and the revolution started in 2015.
Trump has worked to restore and protect freedoms for Americans. Some people just don’t like America.
People, it’s not the democrat party anymore. It’s the communist party and this Danehy clown is a hardcore bolshevik whose mission is nation destruction.
It doesn’t matter who is nominated for the Democrats. Joe Biden’s positions are almost identical to Bernie Sanders. Joe is a Delaware admitted liberal who will follow the left’s socialist’s agenda of Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Nancy Pelosi, Sheila Jackson Lee, Maxine Waters, Al Green, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rashida Talib, Ayanna Pressley and llhan Omar.
Democrat-Socialist Goals & Platform:
-Sanctuary Cities & States.
-De-fund & terminate Border Patrol & ICE.
-Medicare care for all including illegal aliens (taxpayer funded with a 52 trillion estimate)
-College for all, including illegal aliens. (tax payer funded)
-Disarming Americans.
-Decriminalization of illegal entry into our country.
-Citizenship for 20 to 50 million illegal aliens & TPS recipients.
-Drivers licenses for illegal aliens.
-Late term abortions up to 9 months.
-Opposed to ANY voter ID Laws.
-Weaken our Military.
-Taxpayer Bailout student Loan Debt. Cost to taxpayers Billions.
-End all deportations of illegal aliens, if you get here, you stay.
-Destruction of all private / employer based health care
-The Green new deal.(which would create massive unemployment)
-Reparations for any race harmed by Caucasians.
-Massive tax increases.
-Open Borders, No Borders.
-Welfare & Food Stamps for illegal aliens.
Sources: Biden / Sanders websites. View their speeches debates on you tube.
Tom supports the Democrat who, as much as any other, got us into the Iraq War and opposes the guy that got us out of Iraq and Afghanistan. Biden is the pro-War candidate. Vote for him if that’s what you want.
Bernie made a foolish move in 2020, he ran as a Democrat. Danehy’s comments pretty much sum up the revulsion Democrats hold toward this wild-eyed pinko who argues for social equality, access to healthcare as a right, access to higher education without bankrupting themselves, an end to stupid, pointless wars, you get it all the things Biden has fought against over the past 40 years.
But, but, but if Bernie had run as an independent …. blah blah blah. If Bernie had run as an independent, we might be looking at a close three-way race. His strategy of running as a Democrat was doomed from Day 1. Why run for president in a party dominated by “neo-liberal centrists” aka moderates fearful of…everything. So we have Biden, the aging right-winger carrying enough baggage to make a Pullman porter gaze in astonishment.
But, but, but Bernie has moved the Democrats to the left! If Biden is left, up is down, and backward is forward.
Biden is socialist lite. But he can’t even win an argument with his wife. I also don’t think Bernie can convince his supporters to hold their nose and vote democratic one more time. They will get the same result. Revolution, what revolution?
I am so thankful that the democrats got the awareness elevated to the level of hysteria so that we would all stock up on supplies for the long term. As one event after another has been cancelled, it now seems inevitable that they will have to cancel the elections in November and just let Donald Trump serve another four years. The country has finally come together on this so we can move forward.
Putin floves Elaine P. And Jim Katt.
Politico just posted a story on the #neverbiden movement and their fear is that if they were to give in and vote for Biden they will always get treated like this . And they are right. If only the black voters could come to this conclusion the democratic (old) party would be eliminated. They intend to use this election to make their point.
Look for him to be back in 2024 even stronger.
With Vladimir Putin as his campaign manager and Fox News as Trump’s happy place, Trump may indeed win again. If he gets reelected, Putin will win big, but the US economy will crash (as Putin would like), our currency will tank (like, $1.00 = 35cents) and hardworking Americans will suffering 3rd World lives. Trump will lie and distort and blame everyone but himself.
On the other hand, if he loses in a fair contest, Trump will call (again) for a civil war that will flare up around the country. Putin will smile as we burn. Trump is owned and operated by Vladimir Putin.
Give the Putin hysteria a rest. It didn’t work
Dump Trump + stubborn HS basketball player + wedding invite + [epiphany] Bernie Sanders is a mooching millionaire hypocrite…. Gee, you coach b-ball far better than you write. And I thought you scatterbrained Tucson-Lefties were just a rarity.
A final thought for the mathematically challenged Tom Danehy. “Another thing about Sanders: It rings true when someone who makes thousands of dollars a year complains about millionaires. But when a millionaire like Sanders constantly complains about billionaires, it seems disingenuous.”
Uh, Tom, you realize that Sanders has served 29 years in Congress as both a House member and a senator, right? You still with me? Today’s salary for either position is $174,000. Do the math. He’s earned somewhere north of $5 million in his congressional career not counting expense reimbursement and other big bennies. His wife has also worked throughout their marriage adding more to their estate.
If he hadn’t managed to achieve a net worth of $1 million we’d be comparing him to some idiot who could lose money owning a casino.
I thought Mrs Sanders made her money running Burlington College into the ground. Bernie authored books and benefitted by capitalism.
I’m late on this article, but there’s something about it I don’t like!
You can’t possibly be serious or else you are just intellectually lazy. “Joe Biden may be my 10,000th-favorite Democrat, but that still puts him ahead of Bernie Sanders, who isn’t a Democrat at all.” I’m not understanding what part of Crazy Bernie’s agenda is NOT part of the current Democrat party platform. Open borders, free stuff, legalize weed, abortion at any time for any reason, LGBTQ rights plus recognition of all 987 genders (and counting), $15 min wage (or more), medicare for all, higher taxes…all boxes checked. JFK could not even run as a Democrat today.
Trump will mangle Joe in face to face debates, the guy just doesn’t do well in showdowns unless given the softball questions like those in the primaries. His thinking on his feet ability is just not there. And we haven’t even gotten to Hunter yet. The dems only hope is a deadlocked convention with someone like Cuomo emerging as the candidate, with all the press he’s been receiving for his demanding, whining like wants and needs for one of the highest taxed states, he’s still a better candidate for prez
Biden is fighting off even more charges of sexual molestation (Come on Joe, we’ve all seen it) and is hiding out in his basement taking shots at the President who is trying to manage this pandemic. Even the WaPo is pointing out his lies.
He has proven one thing. He is unfit for office.