What happens to the team when coaches leave?
Several Mary Persons coaches will not be returning next year.
Coach Prelvis Paster has moved on to coach the boys basketball team of Vidalia.
Track coach and assistant football coach Lee Hannah took a job at MLK.
And Coach Robert Fitzpatrick flew the coop to spend more time with his family and save money on gas driving every day from Macon.
There are many reasons coaches leave. For most of them, it's to move to greener pastures or to build their resume. Sometimes, they are urged to leave by the powers that be.
But, regardless of the reason, we ask . . .
How does it affect players when coaches leave? What about the trust factor? The coaches ask for comittment. . . then half-way through your junior year. . . you're told he's moving on.
This was the case with Coach Fitz. He is a likeable guy, but many questioned his ability to lead the team. At times he seemed more like a peer than a coach.
It's very understandable how illness in the family can get your brain out of whack. But Fitz should have either waited until the end of the season to resign or he should have sat down and told his players the real deal.
Knowing his personal dilemma, the team probably would have rallied behind him instead of feeling abandoned and giving up. Instead they heard a plethora of rumors, including the one that Coach Fitz was fired (which he denies).
They felt like the coach gave up on them, so they just stopped trying. That’s a shame.
The Bulldog baseball team was loaded up with talent this year. There's no reason they shouldn't have gone deep into the playoffs. But, the team fell apart. . . mainly because of a lack of leadership and too many glory-hounds.
The petty jealousy in the dugout and the constant backstabbing undermined any sense of team there ever was. Maybe no one ever told the MP baseball players there's no "I" in TEAM. There were too many heroes on that field. That's where good coaching needs to take over.
Well, that's what we think. . . what do you think?
Click on "comments" below
posted by Bulldog Overtime 4:58 PM Permalink
Coach Fitzpatrick is a punk. How convenient that gas prices and family are important when you have a losing record.
Coach Fitz is gone and Coach Gastley seems to be doing well. He's already started a baseball camp for kids. We've never had that before. It's July 9.
That is not quite correct. Coach Fitz worked the Mercer Camp in June for kids.
You people should be ashammed. NONE of you played for the man and if you did you would know that he did everything in his power to help us. He is a great coach. This is what makes me sick about the parents at mp you all gotta find something to bitch about. Coach Fitz its a great coach and if CERTAIN people would have let him run his show he would still be there today. How many of you knew his background any way? You people make me sick!
That is probally the best post yet. He did what he needed to do to draw attention to the baseball program. Sometimes you have to lose a good thing before you know what you have. He will do great wherever he goes.
You can only do so much when your hands are tied by the athletic director. Yeah, there were some things that could have been done better on Fitz's part, but he is a great guy and unless you or your child played for him then you shouldn't be commenting.
Maybe if head coaches of sports they love (i.e. baseball) weren't forced to coach sports they didn't like (i.e. football) and stay at the fieldhouse until 10:00 or 11:00every night during the fall, away from their families...maybe then they wouldn't have to resign for family reasons. There's no reason high school coaches should be away from home at 10 or 11 at night on school nights when they don't even have a game. Don't we expect these guys to TEACH too??