Monday June 29, 2009

Ryan Update; Dabo 1.5

Ryan Update
Last Monday I went and picked up Ryan to begin our vacation Tuesday. I am grateful to report we had an excellent week. We went to Atlanta and enjoyed all three Yankee-Braves games at Turner Field. Obviously the two Yankee wins were more fun but we really enjoyed the entire week. Ryan got a chance to see future Hall of Famers and his beloved New York Yankees. The hotel was good. The food was fantastic and the baseball was top notch. Ryan got a chance to speak briefly to Joe Girardi and see Mariano Rivera bat for only the second time in his career.

I guess I am getting older but I enjoyed a different kind of vacation this year. I left the computer at home and did not keep up with anything going on in the world. In fact, I may have been the last person on earth to find out Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett passed away.

This was just about Ryan. He is improving every day still and his progress is fascinating to see. Food, baseball and relaxation. We had a great week.

Dabo 1.5
I take it not a lot happened in Tiger Nation while I was on vacation. Summer is best when it is quiet. I think Dabo and his staff would prefer to stay off of the front pages with arrests or accidents. I was saddened to hear about Nate Irving’s automobile accident. Hopefully the NC State linebacker can have a full recovery.

As I was driving back last night I turned my attention back to work, the radio show and the blog. One of the first things that came to my mind was how 2009 might be different than 2008.

Obviously the players are different. James Davis, Aaron Kelly, Cullen Harper and the seniors are gone. There are a few freshmen that may be able to help in 2009 as well. But the biggest difference will be with the coaching staff.

The Tigers will play their first game the new staff including new defensive coordinator Kevin Steele. Charlie Harbison got his feet wet with his new players in the Gator Bowl and Chris Rumph has a new title but he is familiar with his personnel. The Middle Tennessee State game will be Dan Brooks’ first game in orange and purple.

The offensive staff does not have the new faces on staff like the defense but they have more inexperience on the staff on that side of the ball.

Perhaps the biggest change from the last half of 2008 to 2009 might be in the head man himself. Don’t get me wrong, Dabo does not have the most secure spot in the head coaching industry and 2009 may be the first year of a two or three year experiment with Dabo but it has be less pressure and stress than the five game audition he passed last season.

What we saw from Dabo was a fiery interim head coach that coached like his hair was on fire from mid-October until the first of December when the interim tag was dropped and he was named the head coach of the Clemson Tigers.

I have asked Dabo a bunch of questions since that December day and he has been open and honest with his answers. But one question I have not asked him is, “How will he change as a head coach now that the interim tag has been dropped?”

My first inclination is that there will have to be some changes but the core will remain the same. This metamorphosis happens in every coach when he gets his first head coaching position. I was young but witnessed Danny Ford do it in the late 70s and early 80s. I have been closer to Rick Stockstill and have seen him go through it as well.

There is a balancing act between remaining who you are at your core and changing enough to develop into a good head coach. As an assistant you coach differently because your role is different. You treat players a little different when you are the head man. You have to delegate more. Your day is different. Your responsibilities just change.

But I think Dabo will remain the same in some ways. At least I think he will. I understand he cannot be the “hair on fire” guy all of the time but it would be nice to see that enthusiasm continue from the head guy. I think we will continue to see the passion he has already shown.

I think perhaps the biggest thing I want to see remain is the sense of urgency we saw late last fall. As a fan, I can say that every game is important. I am not sure I sensed that since Rich Rodriguez left for West Virginia.

On the flip side, there has to be some more stability and some sense of calmness. I remember years ago I was about to do play-by-play for Clemson baseball in an early season game for WCCP. I only did it for a few games before the network coverage started and I enjoyed my color analyst Bob Bradley for a game or two. However the best advice I got was from legendary play-by-play man Jim Phillips. He told me baseball play-by-play is different from football or basketball because the game lasts three hours or more at times. He said you have to calm down and take it at a slower pace than the other two sports because you did not want to wear your audience out by the end of the game.

I think Dabo is going to have to calm down some aspects of his coaching style without losing his core passion. It will be very interesting to watch this young man grow in his new job. We will get a chance to witness his development and watch him build on his successes and hopefully learn from his mistakes.

I know it is not July just yet but I am starting to get a little excited about watching this progress and Dabo 1.5.

The Brad Hughes All-State Insurance Agency

Prayer List
We have started a prayer list on the blog. Here are the guidelines:
*If you are offended by prayer or prayer lists then I apologize in advance. The blog is free and the prayer list will be on the bottom of the page so you don’t have to read it.
*If you would like to add someone to the list please e-mail me at mickeyplyler@hotmail.com
*If you want the reason for the prayer to be added to the name please specify in your e-mails.
*Please let me know when it is appropriate to take the person off of the prayer list

Those who need our prayers include:
Finn Brookover, Mrs. Kathleen Bowers, Larry in Naples, FL, RTG-Pawsitive Tiger, Mary-Louise Pawlowski (John's daughter), Jo Ann Bachman, Frank Taylor, Kenneth Bryant, Pruitt Martin, Got igers and his family, David Rowland, Leonard Gillespie and his family, Jim S, Christine Hepfer, Daniel Rosborough, Amy Murphey, Jack Huffman, Nancy Winkler, Dr. Nancy Strom Morgan, John Reeve, Eileen Woodrum, Ethel Southard, Vinnie Brock, Jean-Pierre Bailey, Kaitlyn L, William Perry, Delores Weaver, Eric Boessneck, John Bowers, Jimmy Ness, Susan Miller, Joyce Harley, Steve Proveaux.