Coach Of Team That Won 100-0 Should Have Been Smarter

I have coached, covered (as a newspaper reporter), called (as a radio analyst), watched (as a fan) and more, but I can honestly say I have never been involved in a game where a team was beaten 100-0 in a basketball contest. I have been intrigued by this story from down in Texas of the team that was beaten 100-0. Sadly, there are no winners in a game like this and I certainly commend the girls who were beaten for playing hard and holding their heads high (in spite of the beating they absorbed on the hardwood). We can go into all of the issues: why was this game scheduled, how did it get so far out of hand, did the coach try to run up the score, were other coaches celebrating too much and so on and so forth. The coach (Micah Grimes), this week, was fired when he not only did not apologize for it (that is his choice), but when he spoke out against the apology of his school (huge mistake). Grimes apparently sent an e-mail to the Dallas Morning News disagreeing with the administrators of his school apologizing for the win and feeling bad about the win. Grimes is not going to look good in this situation (even if he did not have bad intentions). He should have recognized his situation and kept his mouth shut and his e-mail opinions to himself. But, he did not.

Here is Grimes’ response:
“In response to the statement posted on The Covenant School Web site, I do not agree with the apology or the notion that the Covenant School girls basketball team should feel embarrassed or ashamed,” Grimes wrote in the e-mail, according to the newspaper. “We played the game as it was meant to be played. My values and my beliefs would not allow me to run up the score on any opponent, and it will not allow me to apologize for a wide-margin victory when my girls played with honor and integrity.”

There may be some truth to what he said in the e-mail. But, like the Gambler, you gotta know when to hold them … know when to fold them … know when to walk away … know when to run. Grimes did not and that is why he found himself fired. I’m not sure he should have been fired for the game itself, but he did not do himself any favors with his e-mail response. He should have kept his mouth shut and realized how bad he looked (fairly or unfairly). He didn’t recognize the situation and he made himself look even worse.

Fox News:
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,482825,00.html