Fire the Coach!

Whose fault is it when a sports team fails?

Most men I know--regardless of whether they're game fans--would have an easy time with the answer: "It's the coach's fault." Most women I know would have a more nuanced view of the matter.

Either way, the reality in high school, college and professional sports today is this: the male view predominates, i.e., the coach's head gets chopped when a team turns in poor to mediocre player stats and amasses a poor win/loss record over a season or two.

Thus, I feel for Mississippi State head football coach Sylvester Croom, who's in his fifth year at Starkville. His Bulldogs have been lackluster this year; last year they were pretty impressive. During today's 45-0 rout of his team by the Rebels of arch rival Ole Miss, Coach Croom may have seen signs popping up among State fans calling for his head. "FIRE CROOM NOW!" one of the signs read to TV audiences in the South.

Ironically, a similar hue and cry went up after the Ole Miss vs. State game in 2007. Only then, it was the Ole Miss coach who was on his way out. Never that popular with fans or players, Coach Ed Orgeron sealed his fate the moment he called for a play that lost the annual Egg Bowl game for Ole Miss and won it for State--a play many fans and analysts have said was either the coach's anger at players and fans (implication: he threw the game) or an evidenced lack of coaching skills and strategies.

In any case, Orgeron was out almost the next day, thus paving the way for Ole Miss to bring in Coach Houston Nutt, then of Arkansas and now a Mississippi Rebel extraordinaire. He and his fired-up team and fans are light years removed from the firing mode these days.

Sylvester Croom should be so lucky at State!