Tennis coaches suck

I was essentially working alone on Tuesday, which during the spring sports season is borderline psychotic. Had a part timer in, and another guy was out covering a baseball DH and wasn't back until late.

We try to run briefs on how county teams (eight schools) did when we get their results in. The main local school's boys tennis coach is usually good about bringing by the results of tournaments they play in. Well, he swings by around 9 p.m. (90 minutes before our first deadline) and drops off the results. Now, the guy who covered Local Main High left, and the SE is kind of like the tennis/golf expert and was out of town, but I told the coach we'd get the results in as well as a brief.

He tells me, "Well, this is a pretty big deal. It was our first tournament win in two years."

Well, yeah. I guess it is a pretty big deal especially because they usually play in tough tournaments. So what did I lede with in the brief?

"The Local Main High boys tennis team won its first tournament championship in two years Tuesday ..."

Boy, did that piss off the coach. He sends a scathing email to me, the SE and OUR PUBLISHER ranting about how we made it sound like that his team is terrible and can't win any tournaments.

Mind you, nothing I put in the brief was inaccurate. I don't know much about the team, beyond that they are usually decent, but this coach was incredibly pissed not only with how the brief led, but the fact that it was lumped together with other local briefs.

This on the day after Nearby Local High split a baseball doubleheader. Got nothing but boxscores 30 minutes before deadline. I didn't have time to write a brief but did get the scores in. Johnny Winning Pitcher's dad called up and literally begged me to put something in about his son throwing a complete game.

Fuck, I hate being short-staffed. I hate tennis coaches too.

 

I feel your pain, KC. Send out the reality check again: It's high school tennis... though it does take some balls to rip you a new one based off of his interpretation.

My own recent experience with a tennis coach: I'm in the office early a few days ago. It's early afternoon when the phone rings. The conversation goes something like this:

Him: "Hi, this is Coach Smith from Nearby High School. I've got some tennis results."

Me: (looks at clock) "Is this from yesterday?"

Him: "Yeah... but I've never really done this before."

(He then proceeds to detail a 9-0 win.)

Me: "In the future, we'd encourage you to call in right after your match. That way we can get it in for the next day."

Him: "Oh really? I didn't think you guys were in that late."

:

 

So, the coach emphasizes how big of a deal it is for them to win -- for the first time in TWO FUCKING YEARS?? -- and then gets upset enough to call the SE and Publisher to complain when you give him some love?

Fuck him. Fuck him with a piece of jagged steel coated with concrete.

 

Yes, that's about the best summary a person could write.

I'm still pissed off.

 

Dude doesn't just suck ... he swallows.

Fuck him with a rusted steel dildo.

 

Wouldn't hurt to e-mail the coach's AD and let him know you're feeling a bit unappreciated.

If if the coach is a teacher, CC the principal and the district superintendent. One of the three will say something to the coach, even if it's just in passing. That will pretty much insure he'll never speak to you again, which would certainly solve this problem.

I wouldn't normally advise doing that, but as long as long as someone else normally handles the tennis gig at your place, it's no great loss for you.

 

what a dick

nothing wrong with putting the accomplishment in context. most coaches would appreciate that

i was once out on a date at some restaurant when a local HS tennis coach saw me, stopped at my table, didn't even say hi, and just started complaining about our all-district tennis team, complaining that his kid was second team instead of first team

even though it was only our second or third date, I told him, "Can we talk about this when I'm not about to propose to my girlfriend?"

he left

 

I had a similar situation to Stone Cane's.

At an event I see a friend, start talking. Another guy walks up. Friend introduces him as one of his "top guys" at their company.

Dickhead immediately begins to rip me, the newspaper, coverage, not putting in this, leaving out that, etc. My friend and I stood there dumbfounded because there was no "Hello, how are you. Hey, let me ask you this" or anything. Just a straight rip. And then he walked away.

That was 11 years ago and I've had numerous chances to write specifically about that guy. His name has never appeared in print in our section despite a few occasions when merited, but as long as I'm there it never will. I told his boss, my friend, the same thing.

Had a second incident almost like that, based on a story we ran from another newspaper. Guy starts in about the story, ragging on, etc. I let him finish, said, "You have a nice day" and walked away. His name and business never have appeared, either.

Fucking morons. People just don't fucking get it.

 

My boss took a score from a tennis coach the other night, wrote up the information for the paper.

He got a call from the coach the next day: Coach had reported the wrong final score.

 

And he's prolly blaming the paper for getting it wrong ...

 

Tennis sucks, especially at the high school level. Can't think of anything more boring.

 

Field sports?

At least track has some racin' involved.