Venting Briefly

"Compare an apple to an orange like in the dream we seen
As the energy come from the waves at Trussels
And all this hearty fruit has made my muscles grow to what you see"
--Orange Appeal, Alien Ant Farm

Those guys did that "Smooth Criminal" cover, which has to rank as one of the greatest covers of all time (approximately 17 billion spots ahead of Jessica Simpson's calamitous remake of "Take My Breath Away"), and I don't think I've heard from them since. The reference is to comparing things that are incredibly different (I'll briefly mention that this would be another opportunity to literally and figuratively do something: pick up an apple and an orange in the produce section at Ralphs and start comparing), specifically something that has me as upset about a sporting issue as I've ever been.
Let me preface this by saying that I'm not a sexist, not even close. But here's what is getting my goat right now: Pat Summitt's Tennessee Volunteers won an NCAA tournament game on Sunday and earned her career victory No. 879, which is the most a women's college coach has ever won. A WOMEN'S COACH. All the news is referring to the fact that Summitt has tied Dean Smith--yes, Dean Smith, the former North Carolina MEN'S COACH--for the most victories all time. Smith also won 879 games in his illustrious career in Chapel Hill (he should have been awarded another 30-something for the team that Bill Guthridge took to the Final Four the year after Dean's retirement). So every single story I've seen (and that includes like three different links from the front page of ESPN.com yesterday - for example) has talked about her tying and then passing Smith (the Vols play tonight), moving into first place by herself on the all-time wins list. Now I don't want to take anything away from Pat Summitt's career. It's obviously been quite successful. She's won six titles, and even considering the lack of parity in the women's game (I don't care about it enough to really analyze it, but trust me, there's only like four good teams), six national championships is pretty good. But here's the thing: SHE COACHES WOMEN!!!! It's a totally different sport. Come on. She deserves a record: the women's Division I record. Dean Smith has his own record, probably soon to be surpassed by Bob Knight, who, by the way, also coaches men. I seriously can't understand why people insist on putting the two in the same category. In the same Summitt article, there's a line about another coach: "Smith's record was surpassed this year by an NAIA coach. Harry Statham of McKendree College in Illinois finished this season with 896 wins." So if you're going to include women's basketball in this so-called record book of yours, why wouldn't you include other men's divisions? Why not drop down to high school? Tom Hofman's about halfway there, right? It's absurd.
The comparison I made at yesterday morning's meeting was this: If Lisa Leslie sticks around and plays fifteen more years in the WNBA, will she be challenging Kareem's scoring record? Of course not. Why? Because it's a totally different sport, that's why. Is Jennie Finch getting anywhere near Nolan Ryan's strikeout record? Should the Lingerie Bowl MVP be mentioned in the same breath as Tom Brady? (Sorry, that last one might have been a stretch.) If Summitt happened to be the women's coach at North Carolina, they wouldn't even say that she's approaching the school record for wins, because the two programs are separate. She'd have her own record, and comparisons would likely be made between her and Smith (as they are now), but the records would certainly exist separately. I spent too much energy on this yesterday and I'm obviously still worked up about it this morning, but it's worth talking about. Anyone who's ever had to watch women's basketball for any length of time (and yes, that includes those who willingly watched the first ever WNBA game on TV--I'm looking right at you, Side) knows that the men's game differs vastly from the women's, and the two can't even be compared. Pat Summitt should have been honored a long time ago for breaking the women's record, and it should have been left at that. She's got nothing to do with Dean Smith. Okay, I'm done.
Got to finally screen the biographical film for your Father last night, and it was a huge success. After dinner at Grandview Palace Inn (Bill Plaschke's favorite Chinese spot), we were treated to a quasi-theater setting in the youth facility at La Crescenta Presbyterian Church, thanks to their benificent Youth Director, Darren Pollock. Each successive guest that appeared on screen was greeted by surprise and excitement, and the overall experience was tremendous. He was very grateful and quite impressed with the breadth of commenting individuals. Of course, that made for quite a late evening, followed by Outlook editing upon my return home, and a bedtime after midnight, which doesn't make the 5 a.m. wake-up any easier.
Quick update on the show, beginning it's new (old) format yesterday with Chris Rose back in the fold, John Salley still around, and Guest Hosts Willie McGinest and Rex Hudler chipping in. It worked well yesterday and I think it should continue to be a good thing, especially since I'm more prominently involved, which is always nice. After two weeks of very little work, yesterday was a necessary reality check, jarring me back into the familiar daily routine.
On another (closing) note, it's Holy Week, and the return to work makes it a little tougher to be in the right frame of mind. Being at church for Palm Sunday was great, bible study tomorrow night will also be good, and I'm hoping to make it up to our Maundy Thursday service (though this new shooting schedule makes any sort of early departure highly unlikely). I've been reading through some devotions, and here's one that I'm afraid I won't be able to follow so closely: "This week, be deliberate about not turning to the media to fill your time. Try not to watch TV (also a good practice for kids), or listen to the radio in the car. Try to avoid computers (as much as work allows it). Trade newspapers or magazines for the Bible or quiet contemplation. Meditate on Easter and all that was paid on our behalf to make it possible." I can do the whole meditation thing, but the rest of it might be tough. A blessed Holy Week to everybody. Remember the price He paid.