Grading ESPN's MegaCast

ESPN got bold Monday night with their coverage of the BCS Championship Game. They went all out. They truly went balls to the wall. And some of their efforts worked, some did not.

The Title Talk on ESPN 2 was atrocious. Imagine watching people watch something. And not like a reaction YouTube video, watching people react to Two Girls and a Cup. This was watching 2-4 astute college football fans watching a game with 3-4 moronic people. "Is the guy who snaps the ball called the snapper?" That was a direct quote from ESPN 2's Title Talk.

Jemele Hill was also there. Remember she was the one who compared rooting for the Boston Celtics to rooting for the Nazis in World War II. She's not too smart, and is habitually prone to hyperbole, which means she's one of ESPN's favorite personalities. Why be smart and appreciated when you can be moronic and controversial? Which one results in more internet hits? That's all that matters for ESPN.

I will grade ESPN's Title Talk program with a D-. It's not a complete fail because it did what it tried to do, and have an inane conversation of ignorance. And I think NESN should learn from it and make a ThinkPink simulcast for Red Sox and Bruins playoff games in the future. The Pink Hats would love it. The rest of the real sports fans will watch the actual game.

The BCS Film Room merits an A-. It was great. Truly great. There were some small problems, like keeping pace with the live feed. However, the coaches and experts were interesting, informative, and honest. As a BC fan I gained new appreciation for Steve Addazio. And it was also cool to listen to thoughts from Texas A&aM's Kevin Sumlin, and Pitt's Paul Chryst.

The only critiques I have for the Film Room coverage is that Matt Millen monopolized conversation. Just let other people talk, man. There was so much college football wisdom and knowledge in that room among 6 people, but Millen spoke more than a third of the words. And the show was somewhat disjointed. Which is typical for the first run of shows. But by and large it was great.

The Sounds of the BCS coverage on ESPN Classic was what it was. The TV broadcast without TV broadcasters. I'll give that a B.

The BCS Command Center on ESPN Goal Line gets an Incomplete because I don't get that channel.

All the features on ESPN3 get a B- because they delivered what they promised and nothing more. And for some reason Comcast Xfinity and my computer and phone have a major disagreement. I'll call it a philosophical misunderstanding. Watching ESPN3 feeds was fun while they lasted.

I thought it worked on some levels. Title Talk wasn't for me. Not at all, not one bit. But the BCS Film Room was fan-fucking-tastic. I mean it was awesome to behold how smart football coaches are, how they can read a play with just a few frames of footage, how they viewed the game in such an holistic way. They were schooling, non-stop.

The only drawback was that Matt Millen seemed to think his contract gave him the rights to 40% of the words, even though three respected college football coaches were in the room, along with two other college football analysts. Maybe in 2015 Matt Millen will get his own channel on MegaCast, and he can dominate his own conversations.

I'd love to see stuff like the Film Room for future big games, maybe for the Super Bowl, the Final Four, the Stanley Cup and NBA Finals, and so on.

Coaches Gather at Fenway

On Tuesday June 18th, Fenway Park hosted the Second Annual Coffee with the Coaches, a fundraising breakfast to benefit the Boston Chapter of the Positive Coaching Alliance (PCA). The event featured a panel of easteemed professional and college coaches: Red Sox Manager John Farrell, Notre Dame football Head Coach Brian Kelly (who was born in Everett, raised in Chelsea, and played football at Worcester's Assumption College), Connecticut Sun Head Coach Anne Donovan (who has 4 Olympic gold medals in women's basketball as a player and 2 as a coach), and newly appointed Boston College football Head Coach Steve Addazio.

The event was hosted by WEEI's Michael Holley and Mike Salk, and raised $95,000 for PCA-Boston.

What struck me about these coaches was how different each of their situations are, and how that requires them to adjust to those different and always changing situations. The job description of a coach changes every day, every game, and every season.

Three of the coaches (Farrell, Donovan, and Addazio) are in their first seasons running their squads. Although Farrell has already been an assistant coach with the Red Sox.

There is also a vast difference in what each coach is expected to do. Kelly's Fighting Irish finished last season 12-1, runners up in the National Championship game. And at the other end of the table was Steve Addazio, who inherits a BC program that went 2-10 last year and hasn't played a bowl game since 2010. Kelly has to reload after losing talented seniors, Addazio has to rebuild a program from scratch. Kelly is expected to contend for a BCS bowl, Addazio is expected to lead the Eagles to bowl eligibility.

Anne Donovan and John Farrell are also in unique positions. Donovan's Connecticut Sun have been a competitive team, but they've yet to win a WNBA Championship. She's tasked with pushing them over the top. Farrell inherited a Red Sox team that was in utter disarray, despite high expectations and a high payroll. He's tasked with reintroducing winning baseball to Boston, and ending an era of bitter disappointment.

Despite the different situations, different styles, and different philosophies, all the coaches have a tremendous respect for the impact a coach can have on someone.

Both Donovan and Addazio reflected on coaches in their lives who pushed them to maximize their potential. For Donovan, who is 6 feet, 8 inches tall, she discussed a high school coach who "Would not let [her] just be tall," and challenged her to add more dimensions to her game than just sitting under a rim, rebounding, and shooting layups. Addazio spoke of a Little League baseball coach who made him a catcher, even though he wasn't especially enthusiastic about the idea, and mentored him to be a leader. Neither of these coaches would be who they are or where they are without the coaches who coached them.

The coaches also found common ground on several issues.

Addazio and Farrell had similar philosophies on how to rebuild their respective teams. Addazio is making an effort to "Squeeze selfishness out," while Farrell is working with Red Sox GM Ben Cherington to change the culture of the team, to find the right "People inside the player," as he put it.

Both Farrell and Donovan agreed that athletes are all looking for direction, and want to be part of something bigger than themselves. So that even if they're getting paid millions of dollars, they still want more from the game.

When asked about concerns in high school sports, Brian Kelly, Addazio, and Farrell all spoke about social media and the effects of over confidence on young athletes in the recruitment process. Kelly mentioned the need to keep recruits humble, despite the constant praise and attention they receive. Addazio told a story about a parent who bragged about their 12-year old son being "Phenomenal." To which Addazio asked "Where do you go from phenomenal?"

Coaching is one of the most demanding and unique jobs in sports, from guys like Farrell coaching millionaire professionals to youth league volunteer coaches teaching kids the fundamentals of the game. Coaches, particularly in youth sports, can have a tremendous impact on the lives of their players. Because those coaches are uniquely positioned to push kids to be, as the PCA's motto states, better athletes and better people. There are so many lessons that can be learned through sports, and kids are eager to learn them. As PCA founder Jim Thompson put it Thursday "Youth sports leaders are among the most important leaders in this country," with the ability to affect "Hundreds of kids' lives."

And with the $95,000 raised at this breakfast, that's exactly what the Positive Coaching Alliance will strive to do in the Boston area, as well as in their expanding number of chapters across the country.

BC Football Names Steve Addazio Head Coach

It didn't take long for BC to find a replacement for Frank Spaziani. Yesterday afternoon Steve Addazio was announced as the new head coach for the beleaguered program. Addazio has been the head coach at Temple the past two seasons. He had a 13-11 record with the Owls.

Before that he was the offensive coordinator at Florida for 2 years, the same time Tim Tebow was there. Perhaps Addazio will bring some of that option stuff to Chestnut Hill, where offensive creativity has been sorely lacking for years. He was part of Florida's coaching staff from 2005 to 2010.

Addazio's two BCS titles as an assistant coach, as well as his experience in Gainesville, should buy him some credibility when recruiting and coaching offensive players.

The 53 year old Connecticut native has also been an assistant coach at Syracuse, Notre Dame, and Indiana. He coached high school football in Connecticut from 1988 to 1994.

Addazio brings some new blood to a program that desperately needs it. In the last 8 years he's been moving up through the ranks of Florida's coaching staff. He went from an offensive-line and tight-end coach, to becoming the assistant head coach, to offensive coordinator, and then head coach at Temple. BC needed a coach who is making steps forward in their career, not one who is standing still, or taking steps back.

Addazio's background as an offensive-line coach also fits with BC's reputation as a program that produces NFL caliber talent in those positions. Addazio played on the offensive and defensive lines when he played at Central Connecticut State.

BC and Addazio agreed to a 6 year deal. Hopefully by then Addazio has done so well that he's fielding job offers from the SEC and NFL.