Saturday, April 14, 2007
Upon Further Review: 4/15/2007
Jim Sacco’s award-winning Upon Further Review column appears every Sunday in The News Virginian.
We’ll never know what happened.
At some point during his coaching career at Waynesboro High School, Jim “The Mouth of the South” Critzer put a cork in that Tabasco dispenser he used to call a mouth.
No longer did he spin yarn (among other things) about his boys after a terrible game. He stopped calling and feeding us quote upon quote upon quote after his baseball team played like they were back in Little League (a luxury no team in the Valley District can afford).
His colorful quotes stopped. His surly attitude after losses went away.
We got ourselves a kinder, maybe slightly gentler Critzer. We figured it was something we would have to live it.
We had acid reflux and Critzer cut out the spice. But no, we weren’t happy.
He was a sports writer’s dream.
A watering hole of information and stinging quotes.
He was, at times, a sports editor’s worst nightmare (though one who always called in scores, and we can live with that).
We do know a few parents of past players called to complain; that may have forced Critzer to tone down his MLB coaching ways just at tad. He’ll never tell us that on the record, so after too many times to remember, we just stopped asking.
Back in the day, a 12-inning loss to Turner Ashby would have sent him into a quote-spewing rage. Hell, we shudder to think what he would have said if those past losses to TA featured as many blown chances to win as Friday’s loss did.
And, let’s be honest here Giantdom, the umpires had nothing to do with the Little Giants losing. Replay the sixth-inning in your mind. Don’t forget those five errors on the end of the scoreboard. And how many times did James Lucas or Jay Thompson open up a walk-off inning with a hit, only to find themselves playing with dirt at second or third? But we digress.
This isn’t about what cost Waynesboro its biggest win in a decade on the diamond. It’s about how they played. And what happened to Critzer.
And there lies the answer.
For years you’ve shook your head at some of the things he’s said. You’ve turned red in the face when he acted up, or dropped a no-no word at an umpire or opposing coach.
Now think about how red-faced he got when he watched you, the fans, force Waynesboro’s finest to escort the umpires from the KC on Friday. Oh yeah, we’re sure that wasn’t embarrassing to anybody in that dugout. You can keep telling yourselves that if you wish, but two days afterward you know better now, don’t you?
And, for years, Critzer has given you nothing but a quality program that he began building back when he was a frustrated JV coach watching his pupils rot out on a struggling varsity team. He toned it down, but thankfully the players have picked up the torch.
Maybe that Critzer’s goal all along. Play with an attitude. Play like you’re better than the other team – especially if that team is “untouchable” Turner Ashby.
Play like he used to coach.
If one of those TA players mouths off to you (and boy, did they ever on Friday), you mouth back (and boy, did they ever on Friday).
Don’t back down.
Nobody is better than you.
Don’t take no crap from nobody.
Sorry, folks. You may still treat those guys on the baseball team like boys, but Critzer has never made any bones about it – he treats them like men.
Quick to correct.
Sometimes quick to criticize.
But always the first to give him a hug when a player gives it his all.
Your sons should have beaten one of the strongest baseball programs in the state Friday. If they had made only three errors and gotten one more timely hit (or would have held on to a dropped third strike or two) visions of a Group AA berth would be dancing in your heads today.
It’s not the Little Giants who have anything to be embarrassed about.
That embarrassment belongs to you and the part-time umpires you chased off the field Friday night.
It certainly doesn’t belong to Jim Critzer, the coach you tried to shoo away for years who has your team on the cusp of something special.
And exciting.
Contact Jim Sacco at 932-3557.