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Sidelines
Kalani Simpson
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The book on Hawkins: the Boise years
I'M in the middle of reading Dan Hawkins' book. It's not bad. (They should put that on the back of the cover, "It's not bad.") As with many sports books, there is a little too much play-by-play -- it always reminds me of Barry Switzer's "Bootlegger's Boy," talking about hanging half a hundred on some hapless opponent in some midseason game in 1979. I guess you can't help but talk about games in a sports book. Still, lots of good stuff.
So far the best part is when a young Hawkins decides to take chemistry in college so he can sit next to some hot girl (she would become his wife). Then, she drops the class and he's a football player stuck taking chemistry and his coach/academic advisor laughs at him.
And there is Gandhi. Lots of Gandhi. Lots of Nelson Mandela. Lots of Lao Tzu. Of course.
It really gets good when he talks about his philosophy of coaching, of using so many players, each one of them focused on a single task and doing it well, all of them working together.
Not bad. Some intriguing insight into an interesting guy.
I can also see why he took the Colorado job. Boise State football coach has a book coming out, who cares? Colorado football coach has a book, now you might actually sell a few copies.
(Nah, nah, only a joke.)
» The more I read the more it sounds like Boise is going to be just fine under Hawkins' successor, Chris Petersen.
» It does make you wonder. What if June Jones wrote a book? The titles are right there for the taking:
"We Do What We Do."
"To Be Perfectly Honest With You."
"Since I've Been Here."
Other suggestions?
» Watching one of Neil Everett's ESPN commercials (now you know he's made it), I'm struck by two things:
1) The man does not exactly have Dan Patrick's parking space. That's a long, long walk to the office.
2) He's been on the mainland a while. Most local guys would just change in the parking lot instead of carrying nice clothes inside with them.
» Omaha World-Herald columnist Tom Shatel on the College World Series: "The only human growth hormone around is a Zesto's shake. Drink one and you'll grow."
» Love Shaq saying "no earthling, no human, no animal, no article," can affect his focus.
» Hawaii football season-ticket renewals "have exceeded 16,000," UH announced yesterday. Oh, my goodness ... are you kidding? (No. Apparently not. But maybe the new online ticket system is so appealing that 10,000 new people will just decide to sign up.)
» When does the Tadd Fujikawa movie come out?