Re: Pitino haters alert

[Jamey Rallis <rallis@vgi.com>]

Mark,

I get the impression from your constantly harping on this, that you've
never had to work for someone that was incompetent and ruining your
career.  Of course most of us can just get another job for equal or better
pay, but some people can't.  Imagine having to take a 90% pay cut to avoid
working for someone that you thought was killing your career.

I will admit I have worked with some people though that would bang their
head against a brick wall until their skull cracked because someone paying
them $5/hour told to do it.  And the pay scale doesn't matter, $5/hour or
$5 million/hour, cracking open your skull against a brick wall for some
idiot doesn't do you much good.

But you can keep ignoring the evidence, the things you mention below,
Pitino's handling of Eric Williams, who had huge energy on the offensive
glass the very FIRST game Pitino was gone (so it's not really Walker and
Pierce that were the biggest "quitters" according to you), and everything
the players, the media, and other NBA coaches and players have been
saying.

All I can say is, I would never ever blindly follow the lead of someone
just because they're giving me a paycheck.  Especially when I could see
for myself how pathetic their plan was.

I happen to strongly agree with a post Jim made a while back.  People, at
least sane and intelligent ones (in my opinion), give higher energy to
projects that they feel will succeed, not ones that they're just spinning
in place.  If that makes them quitters, then you're right, and 90%+ of the
people in the world are quitters.  Although you also have a point that
professional pampered athletes are more likely to quit sooner and for less
good reason.  But in this case, were they really wrong?  I don't feel like
they were.  And I loved the Pitino hiring years ago.

Just my opinion, it's tough to really get a good feel what people really
think over email, but that's the impression I've gotten about you.  You're
really lucky to have all the wonderful bosses you've had, or you quit and
move on faster than I do.

And one last point, O'Brien is and was coaching the practices.  If Pitino
actually coached instead of micromanaging, things might have been
different.  I would not consider what Pitino was doing during and after
games coaching.  Some may, I wouldn't.

-Jamey

> Date: Fri, 09 Feb 2001 10:17:02 -0500
> From: "Berry, Mark  S" <berrym@BATTELLE.ORG>
> Subject: Re: Pitino haters alert

<snipped>

> Look, I like some of the things O'Brien has done: shortening the rotation,
> keeping strong defenders around Toine and Pierce, playing Blount... but
> that's not the reason the team is winning, and it's not because O'Brien
> isn't yelling or because O'Brien's picture isn't on the front of the media
> guide ... the biggest reason for the turnaround is the team, specifically
> our two captains, have decided to play hard. They wouldn't do it for Pitino.
> In fact, they quit on him. Some say that's Pitino's fault. I disagree. 

<snipped>