Coach: Lessons on the Game of Life

As a former High School and College Baseball player, and a current high school baseball coach, I have never read a book that epitomizes youth baseball today more than this one. Lewis' description of his experiences, and his coaches experiences, regarding todays parents/athletes could not be better. Every parent of a youth/high school athlete should read this book before they even consider complaining to their child's coach. I am only in my mid 20's and I can relate to many of the experiences described in this book. It's a very quick read as well. If I could give it 100 stars I would. For those readers who complained about the length of the book, yes it is a quick read but the book only costs 10 dollars. Anyone who is looking for a lengthy book should know not to purchase a book that is 90 pages long. For those of you who were, and then bought the book, that's your own fault. Great book.

Best selling author (Moneyball, Liar's Poker, and the New New Thing), Michael Lewis has written a little (90 pages) jewel with "Coach." Lewis reflects on his life at Isidore Newman School and the impact that his baseball coach and teacher, Billy "Fitz" Fitzgerald, had in shaping his life. Fitz entered Lewis's mind at age 12 and has stayed there ever since. Think about that rare teacher or coach that has stayed with you into your adult life; reminisce with Lewis as he rediscovers the attributes of this relationship and its impact on his life. Lewis's learning that a former player was organizing an effort to remodel the old gym and have it named after Fitz served as the catalyst for the book. While the cash was pouring in from former players and the parents of former players, current players and their parents were doing all that they could to persuade the headmaster to get rid of him. This conflict allows Lewis to contrast a time when Fitz worked tirelessly to give boys a sense that their lives could be something other than ordinary to what is happening today. Fitz effectiveness had ended as he had run up against the culture of "kids being bestowed with a sense of self-esteem at birth." The system of values he attempted to instill is no longer in alignment and was now more difficult than those of the parents and of the greater society. They are not in sync; they are no longer tolerated. "Coach" transcends the events surrounding Fitz and the gym revealing the dark side of a society that has lost its way with honorable values and meaning.

MONEYBALL by Michael Lewis was one of the best baseball books that I have ever read . . . so when I saw the author had another book out, COACH, I made it a point to get and read that one too . . . and I wasn't disappointed, though it is radically different from his earlier effort. MONEYBALL dealt with the economics of professional baseball as it is played today . . . COACH is the story of the author's coach when he was in high school who now--because he hasn't changed his approach--isn't completely understood by his players or their parents . . . in fact, many even want to see him replaced. And that's a shame because as Lewis notes, [he was] "a man trying to give boys a sense that their lives could be something other than ordinary." Others have that same opinion, too, including Peyton Manning who might be the highest-paid player in pro football: "As far as the respect and admiration I feel for the man, I couldn't put it into words. Just incredibly strong. For me, personally, he prepared me for so much of what I faced at the college and pro level. Unlike some coaches--for whom it's all about winning and losing--Coach Fitz was trying to make men out of people. I think he prepares you for life. And, if you want my opinion,  the people who are screwing up high school sports are the parents. The parents who want their son to be the next Michael Jordan. Or the parent who beats up the coach, or gets into a fight in the stands. Here's a coach who is so intense. Yet he's never laid a hand on anybody." My only complaint about COACH is that it is quite short--only 91 pages, in fact, in a 5" x 7" format . . . it left me wanting to read more about Lewis' high school days and how he described them . . . such as in the following passage: Graduating from Babe Ruth to the varsity with only the slightest physical justification ( I now resembled less a scoop of vanilla ice cream than a rounder Hobbit) meant coping with an out-of-control hormonal arms race. A few of our players had sprouted sideburns; but the enemy retaliated by growing terrifying little goatees and showing up at games with wives and, on one shocking occasion, children. I still had no muscles, and no facial hair, but I did have my own odor. I smelled, pretty much all the time, like Ben-Gay. I wore the stuff on my perpetually sore right shoulder and elbow. I wore it, also, on the bill of my cap, where Fitz had taught me to put it, to generate the grease for a spitball that might just compensate for my pathetic fastball. Everywhere I went that year, I emitted a vaguely medicinal vapor; and it is the smell of Ben-Gay I associate with what happened next.

Lewis makes a remarkable statement: a person is not born with selfrespect, but earns it. A struggle to overcome fear and failure is necessary. There are those that try to instill these beliefs on children, even though the lesson is not appreciated immediately in their youth and the profoundly positive impact is not understood until later in life. This is what the book is about. Lewis' high school coach drives them hard. The kids don't understand why initially. Over time, they learn that through hard work they can achieve their goals--not just in athletics. Casual readers, based on earlier reviews, seem to think that the coach is obsessed with winning; they miss the point (just as Lewis did when he was in 7th grade). Lewis talks about a season when the team was 1-12: The coaches frustration is not with the win-loss record, but that they kids possess the drive to improve and compete. He is not preparing them to win baseball games, but obtain their goals for years to come in life. The book is a criticism of a growing opinion among parents that kids are born with respect, instead of needing to develop it. Achievement builds selfrespect, not conception. Parents should be exposing their children to fear and failure to allow them to overcome these obstacles instead of protecting them from it. The touching element is that a successful author living comfortably in the Bay area champions someone that people no longer believe in, because this person championed him when nobody, including Lewis, believed in himself. It is the ultimate strength of character that Lewis' coach successfully cultivated in Lewis and others. As a subscriber to the New York Times, I get the magazine. Unfortunately I did not see this article when it was published. To say a book that is a reprint of an article does not have merit is to foolishly presume that everyone gets the Times and has the time every Sunday to devour it. A reprint of an article takes a concept from a select few to the masses. Shame on those who do not appreciate this.