Category Archives: Rants

January 2, 2012 · 1:46 PM

Fitness New Year Proposal

Happy New Year!
But, please people, hold off for now on the gargantuan fitness resolutions for January 1, 2012. Please. It is January, folks. It’s mid-winter Kansas here;  dark, cold, and there’s more than likely snow on ground. January is not, I repeat, IS NOT, the best time to make fitness resolutions if you want to give yourself the best chance at success with those resolutions.
Instead,  try to accomplish some baby steps forward at this time. Eat a little better and move your body a little more often. Maybe try to learn something new your body can do or perhaps do something it hasn’t done in a while. Take the baby steps, then make a new target date for the big fitness resolutions. A new date when the weather is a little better, when the sun shines a little more and life in general makes the big fitness changes easier. I propose we designate a new date, perhaps April 1 (April Fool’s Day), to be the official date of the Fitness New Year.
So, take those baby steps, build some confidence in your body and what you can do. Lay the groundwork for significant lifestyle fitness changes come April 1, 2012.
Coach Hays
P.S. I am going to try something new in 2012. I will  attempt to post daily  the FamFit and Human Weapon workouts on Twitter under the hashtag #FamFit .  Follow me @coachhays64, if interested. 

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October 5, 2011 · 6:16 PM

Football is NOT Life, A Reprise

I originally wrote this post last year for me, to help me get over myself being down in the dumps over another year not coaching football. I wrote is as a therapeutic reminder that, even though I miss coaching dearly, this great game of football is not, and should never be, the MOST IMPORTANT thing in life.

I am re-posting the blog piece, Football is NOT Life, for you.  You know, you folks out there who have let things slip out of focus in the Fall of 2011. The ones who are half crazed with the emotion and the frustration and the disappointment associated with sports, especially when things are heading south in a hurry.

Everybody wants to win, it is written in the marrow of our bones. However, not everybody can win and we need to remind ourselves there are worse things in life than losing a game of football, no matter how much it hurts.

Respect the kids and respect the coaches. Respect the work and effort everyone invests, no matter how disappointing the outcome is. Please read this post and think about it. If it helps, then pass it on to the next person before we adults take all the fun out of this great game.

Football is NOT Life! (originally posted on September 21, 2010)

I know this may sound highly irrational and maybe even a bit hypocritical coming from me, but contrary to what the t-shirts say, FOOTBALL IS NOT LIFE!.

Football is the greatest damn game ever invented, but it is not life.  Football is intensity, competitiveness, sportsmanship and violence, but it is not life.  Football requires immense strategy and teamwork, but it is not life.  Football provides education, drama, entertainment, and a solidarity which binds communities, campuses and fan bases throughout the nation, but it is not life.  Football is universal, it is played by presidents and paupers, genius and idiot, big and small, aggressive and passive, rich and poor, but it is not life.  Football should not be all consuming.  Football should not be the top priority.  I know this for a fact, I have tripped and fallen down that hole before (see my story).

Football can be like a package of Oreos, both need to be consumed in moderation.  You’ve been there, you open the package of Oreos and leave it out on the counter.  Sooner, rather than later, the whole package is gone and you don’t feel so good.  But if you open that package and only take a couple of Oreos and place the package in the cupboard for a later date, they not only taste spectacular, but last and satisfy for days upon days.  Football is not life.  It should be taken in moderation and/or with a tall glass of milk, (1% or skim preferably).

Football has it’s proper place, it has it’s proper perspective. Football is not the primary reason for the existence of high schools, colleges and universities.

Yes, football is important.  It is important to compete.  It is important to work hard to be the best coach or player you can be.  It is important to compete with purpose, pride and passion.  But I think Coach Paul Lane said it best with his prioritization of the sport, “Faith, Family, Football, in that order”.

Football is important to me.  But football is not life.  Let’s work to keep football in it’s proper perspective and place. I would hate for you to get a football belly-ache.

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September 21, 2011 · 7:58 PM

The Game Perspective

It’s a game.

It’s a game.

It’s a game.

Truly, it is only a game.   Not that you can’t take the game seriously. Not that you can’t work you buttocks to the bare bone to prepare to compete. Not that you can’t compete with the very marrow of your human existence. All of those things are good. But, in the end, it is only a game.

I am a competitor. I will scrape and scrap for any victory, no matter how insignificant the victory or the competition can be. If there is a contest to be had, my game face sits constantly at the ready. Whether organized sports, recreational sports, family game night or kicking/blocking 32 oz plastic cup field goals through my president’s room door off the living room of the fraternity house, it is game on. But, it always remains a game. No crying, no whining, no takeover of one’s life…It’s a game.

After my eighth grade year, we had a very good summer baseball team. We were too cool for school in the late 1970’s. As recent graduates of Catholic school, we were good and we had uniforms fashioned after the old rainbows style of the Houston Astros, only with a blue spot on the front of jersey instead of a star. Our head coach worked as a salesman for our team sponsor, Spotbilt (hence the blue spot) and with his job it meant he was out of town sometimes for games. When he was gone, our gruff assistant, Ray, would take over. Ray was a much-older brother of one of my teammate friends and a friend of my oldest brother.  He was a mountain of a man, with a hippie inclination, who loved music and sports. He was a great influence on me while I was growing up, needless to say.

One night, right before the championship game of the end of season tournament, Ray said one of the damnedest things I had every heard. His wisdom that night has stuck in a prominent place in my brain all these years. It is the perfect thought for a rant on perspective and sports.

Before our games, our very Catholic head coach would do the very Catholic sports thing of praying for the quick and bloodless domination of our upcoming opponent.  It was always one of those awkward moments in which newly minted teenage boys found difficult to keep from giggling and laughing, but the head coach made us do it with religious purpose and consistency.

The championship game rolls around and, lo and behold, the head coach is out of town on a sales trip. We warm up, take pregame infield and meet down the first base line for the usual “biggest game of your life, now let’s pray an Our Father for the complete vanquishing of our opponent” speech our head coach always gave. Coach Ray fills in for the head coach. Ray talks about how much fun it is to play a championship game, how hard we have worked to get here and how we need to go out, relax and have a good time. But, when we all put a hand in the team circle to say the prayer, Ray turns and walks toward the dugout.

We look in confusion to each other. After a few seconds, one of our real smart asses on the team (one of many smart asses on that team, I assure you.) says, “Hey Ray Ray, aren’t we going to say a prayer?”

Ray stops dead in his 6’ 4” 280 lb. tracks, pauses for a moment of thought, then returns to the team huddle.  The look in Ray’s eyes spelt doom for the young smartass who had the nerve to speak up and say what we were all thinking, but with the “Ray Ray” thrown in. Ray stops, looks each of us squarely in the eye and says,

“Boys, this game tonight is important. This sport of baseball is a great game, it is important. But, if God gives a shit about the outcome of this baseball game, we are all in a hell of a bad way. Now go out and play goddamn baseball while you still can.”

Perspective and sports. Not always an easy marriage. But, it is just a game…

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September 15, 2011 · 7:55 PM

Puzzle Pieces and Patience

After the first few weeks of the 2011 fall sports season, I imagine some are in panic mode about their favorite teams, whether  it’s a grade school,  middle school, high school, college or professional team. Maybe a poor start or some ugliness on the field/court, but it has not been the start of the season coaches, players and fans dreamed of during the preseason. If this sounds like familiar territory, here is one word of advice: PATIENCE.  Give the coaches and the players a chance to find themselves. Give them a chance to establish their footing in the whirlwind disappointing start to the season.

Building a team is a little like making a homemade puzzle.  The coach envisions the team he wants to build from the players he has available. He creates the best picture he can using all the players on the team.  The vision is done and it looks promising. Now it’s time to take the jigsaw to it and cut it into pieces.  A very talented, very experienced team cuts into big easy-to-fit pieces, like a Mickey Mouse preschool board puzzle.  As the raw talent and experience level decreases, though, the pieces become increasingly complex in shape and number.

But, this is not going to be a calm, relaxing Sunday afternoon leisurely putting the puzzle back together. Practice starts and all the puzzle pieces are placed on one of those electric football fields from the kick butt sports game of the 1970’s. The switch is turned on, the board vibrates and all the pieces move around the field.  The team cut into the big, easy-to-fit pieces slides into its place in the big picture easier and faster to make the complete team everyone envisioned.  A team ready to roll. The other teams, the ones with complex shapes and many pieces take more time to aggregate into that team everyone dreams about. They need to put in the work and focus harder on coming together. Unfortunately, sometimes it never really comes together into a picture full of grace and beauty.
If your team puzzle picture never really comes together, don’t be discouraged, don’t raise Cain, don’t fly off the handle, just stay patient and enjoy the parts which are good. Never forget, that although the team did not have the season people dreamed of, those are still some pretty damn important player pieces out there working their tails off.

Finally, remember that in sports, as in life, it is not how you start, but how you finish and compete that is important.

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September 12, 2011 · 7:25 PM

Bubba Lineman Tribute:The School of Block

The School of Block

There is Honor on the line.

There is Glory in the trenches.

Honor in the protection of what’s ours and in the destruction of what’s theirs.

Honor in the 50-79 numbers, invisible to all but the coaches and the blood relation.

Honor in aggressively getting in the defender’s way. Line it up, tear them down, repeat.

Glory in a facemask decorated in turf and mud.  Hands bruised. Fingers battered. Knuckles bloodied.

Glory in watching the backside of your running back move down the field.

Glory in crushing the will of the opponent.

The School of Block

Coach Hays, September 2010

I love blocking. When most football fans watch the pretty boys (the QB/RB/Receivers), I watch the line. Every play, whether in person at a game or watching one on TV, I watch the line play first and foremost. I played the line, I coached the line and, my favorite story, PLATTE RIVER by Rich Bass, is about a lineman. I guess I just view life through the lens of a lineman.

The SCHOOL OF BLOCK is my tribute to the boys in the trenches. It is my interpretation of what it means to be a lineman and my attempt to represent the feel of being a lineman. As football coaches, we know the vital importance of winning the game at the line of scrimmage. As fan, I hope this inspires you to watch the line play more often and come to appreciate the Bubbas.

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August 31, 2011 · 7:15 PM

Tiger Football: Friday Night in America

For opening of the 2011 season, a replay from the Coach Hays archive:

We did not come here  for “spirit” or to be “peppy”, others will come for those.

We did not come here for peace, or love, or joy.

We came here to knock your pride into the dirt.

We came here to steal your dignity.

Friday Night in America.

Tiger Football.

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August 25, 2011 · 8:20 PM

Just Do It

Advertising campaigns are mostly fluff. The slogans and jingles may stick in your head initially. But, like a syrupy pop song, they eventually fade into a distant memory. Some have more staying power. Take, for example, “Where’s the Beef?” or “Leggo of my Eggo!” or perhaps, “Don’t hate me because I’m beautiful.”  Catchy little phrases, but not much substance.

But, there is one ad campaign that runs deep. One that not only has grown to identify its product at its very sight or mention, it can also evoke a deep philosophy for life.

Just Do It.

You know the company. Not my favorite company, nor my favorite brand of athletic shoes or wear. Even so, I immediately identify the company from these three simple words. Just. Do. It.  Effective advertising, but how does that evoke a life philosophy?

Just Do It. If you want something to happen or something to change, how do you go about making that happen? Simple, just do it. If you want to transform yourself or accomplish a great feat, how do you go about it? Simple, just do it.

I love the saying “Every journey begins with a first step.”  Yeah, that’s good stuff, but how many first steps have you taken that are the ONLY steps toward your goal. One step and done. No goal, no dreams, just standing in the same spot.  I have a million of those.

“Just Do It” is more universal, it is more encompassing.  The total package. It covers all the bases.

Have a dream? Just Do It.

Want to write a book? Just Do It.

Want to be the best coach? Just Do It.

Want to be a better father? Just Do It.

Want to be a better athlete? Just Do It.

A “Just Do It” attitude and hard work can accomplish practically anything.

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July 18, 2011 · 7:47 PM

Five Things I’ve Learned: Parenting

These are five things I have learned (and am still learning) since becoming a father, with some things learned from the wise mother.

1. Watching your own kids is NOT babysitting, it’s called PARENTING.

2. The dining room table is one of the most effective family-building tools.

3. The kitchen, household and laundry appliances are unisex in design and engineering. Go figure.

4. Not much beats a good family game or movie night, especially when the Dad wins the game or John Wayne and/or Star Wars and/or Indiana Jones is the movie.

5. If you give them a good base and allow them to be them, your kids will become better human beings than you. (Just as you wished for the day they were born.)

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June 17, 2011 · 9:13 PM

Unexpected

You know certain things when you go into coaching.  You know you will teach the sport, you know you will lead young men and women into competition and you know there will be the inevitable bumps in the road along the way.  But there is one thing I never even considered would be one of the best benefits of coaching; the relationships.  Especially in a small town like mine.  I have had the joy of meeting, coaching and becoming friends with well over 500 young men and their families over the years.  Sometimes I forget this, sometime I don’t appreciate that unexpected gift a coach is given by being allowed to do the things a coach does.  Two wedding receptions this summer and seeing many many ex-players in attendance reminded me just how lucky we are/were to be a part of something so special.

It wasn’t always so special, though.  I yelled at most of them on many occasions.  I lost my temper with most of them at one time or the other. I lost sleep worrying about life decisions they made or were making. I drove them like dogs knowing they needed to get better. There were times they hated me. I know it. I could see it on their faces when I challenged them to improve.  But, I also saw their joy when the light went on and they eventually noticed their improvement.

So, thanks boys!  Thanks for all the practices, the proms, the road trips, the games, the dinners, the band and vocal concerts.  Thanks for the graduation parties, the family functions, for TP-ing the house, for knocking on my front door wearing rubber masks and helping the Hays family move once upon a time ago.  Above all, I especially thank you  for all those intense summer mornings when, no matter how much you despised it, no matter how hot and miserable it was, you did all the crazy crap your idiot assistant coach asked you to do.

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May 10, 2011 · 11:06 AM

Scientific Misconduct Starts Young?

Scientific Misconduct Starts Early by Julie Manoharan

“They found that 65% of respondents had falsified data, 20% had altered their hypothesis after finishing their study, and 33% had abused the scientific method in some other way.”

First off, I think this study by the two students in Kentucky for their science fair project was an ingenious idea. (I especially like the teacher’s first thought was that the two were just trying to get out of working on a research project.) One of the young men said he has been aware of questionable science practices and heavy doses of parental guidance in the science fairs since he was in sixth grade. The ingenuity and daring in the design of their survey project is to be admired almost as much as an alarm raised to their findings.

Scientific misconduct is becoming a MAJOR league problem in science. The pressure and desire to break the next big thing often overshadows ethical science behavior. This is unfortunate and this is wrong. As the public begins to trust the power of science more and more, we, as scientist, can’t allow the temptation for misconduct to risk that public trust. Ethics is as important as experimental design. Ethics is as vital to science as the scientific method itself. Patience, perseverance and solid data are keys to pushing science forward in the long term. And from the results of this survey, we need to start teaching and re-enforcing scientific ethics early on. We need to educate parents, students and teachers that the ends do not justify the means in science.

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