Capn Leach

First off I don't really want to debate what went down today. Everyone has their opinions, but I will say a couple things. First, Leach wasn't fired for this singular incident. Leach and the administration has had a rocky relationship from the start. This was just a good excuse to get him out of his contract. Second, nobody REALLY knows what went down at TT except the individuals associated with the TT football program so should Leach have done what he did? Probably not. Is Adam James a "my daddy diva?" Most likely. Finally, I find it a little disturbing that the alleged father was an analyst for the most powerful sports media conglomerate in the world and we have him giving exclusive interviews on the matter. Adding on to that we have other analysts (used loosely) saying "Well Craig is my friend and such a good guy, but you have to wonder what Leach is thinking and when serious consequences will come down." But I guess that's what happens when you hire dumb jocks instead of professional journalists. AND if James is such a stand up guy why didn't he go and talk to Leach himself like a real man would do?

Fuck it I'm over it.

I remember many moons ago I started paying attention to an Oklahoma team led by a goober of a QB, Josh Huepel. Yet this goober and this team was putting up some insane offensive numbers. Being the football nerd that I am, I had to find out what this offense was and who was running this anti-thesis of pro-style football. At that point I discovered the offense was the Air-Raid, and the mad bomber at the helm was Mike Leach. At this point I became a fan. Following that season I followed the career of coach Leach which led him to the black hole of college football. A place where coaches go to die. Lubbock Texas.

During his early years his passing stats remained off the charts and he rattled off 9 win seasons in 02, 05, and 07. This was all being done recruiting against OU, UT, OSU, Nebraska, A&M....and once again IN LUBBOCK TEXAS. At this point I started reading about him, which is kinda hard. He doesn't have any fluff piece books like the major suits in CFB. My favorite is No Excuses the book written about Charlie Weiss after his FIRST YEAR at ND. Anyway once you start reading about Leach you realize he's different in every way, shape, and form. He only played High School ball, he loves Pirates, he wakes up at the crack of noon, he graduated from law school, he evidently scored a 1600 on his SAT's. In short he was different.

Then came his heyday where he was talking about pirates beating soldiers, and made fun of pokes. He told us what to do on a first date and the best way to check the weather. He called out officials. He was genuinely excited after a win, and equally disappointed after a loss. He was real, and he was one of the many things that is great about college football. Mike Leach is a departure from the stoic sideline figures and the political program managers.

No offense to great coaches like Mack Brown, but really is there anything interesting about him? He rides horses? His stepson is a dumbass? What about Saban? He eats souls? Truth is there really isn't any kind of depth to them other than the stereotypical football coach. Leach on the other hand was himself. He really didn't care what he said, or what other people thought about him. Unfortunately, this most likely brought about the end at TT.

But all is not lost for our favorite captain. He'll land on his feet. He'll win his lawsuit against TT, get his contract money back. (most likely more) Some other smart university will pick him up and he'll drop bombs on everyone as usual. And when he does land another gig I hope he bans the shit out of ESPN from attending any of his press conferences/interviews.

The only thing that pisses me off is the hypocrisy in the media. They flip out over the concussion issue, but they open broadcasts with brain shattering hits and two helmets exploding. They talk about how players have to be mentally tough and toe the program line, yet shit their pants when one of their own is challenged. University Presidents want exposure for the school, but hate a guy for speaking his mind. The media complains about the cookie cutter demeanor of coaches, but vilify a guy for standing by his principles. Mike Leach is refreshing. ESPN is a cancer.

But like I said, Leach should be fine. So let's end on a happy note. Leach at his finest.