Time Out by John Bernhardt

“If you could take out athletics and transportation, this job wouldn’t be half bad.”
I’ve never forgotten that advice, delivered by a wise old sage during my first days serving as a superintendent of schools. I was the newly appointed superintendent at Andover Central School, a small rural school in New York’s Allegany County. The board of education had hired Ed Husted, a retired superintendent from Houghton to serve as a mentor during my transition.

“New York, New York, it’s a beautiful town, The Mets are up, and the Yankees are down.”
For one day this week it was great to be a Mets’ fan. Monday, the Mets opened the 2010 season by logging an impressive 6-1 win over Florida at Citi Field. The previous day, the Yankees squandered a 5-1 lead, losing their opener at Fenway Park in Boston, leaving the Mets atop New York’s baseball world for a single day.

“It’s a well researched fact that the team that takes the most foul shots wins 90 percent of the games in the NBA.” That tidbit was passed along by one of basketball’s legendary coaches, a man respected as one of the game’s greatest teachers, in a Championship Production instructional video titled, “How To Win With Less Talent.”

It was a visit to York, Pennsylvania; many years ago that introduced me to the passion many women have for baseball. My wife and I were engaged to be married and we were visiting her Aunt Rose Hollander, a retired schoolteacher, a widower, who lived alone. I had never met Aunt Rose before and was a bit nervous anticipating how I would be received.

Sometimes if we’re not slapped in the face by the significance of an event, we take for granted the very things we most enjoy. For dye-in-the-wool Delaware County basketball fans, that has to be the case with the National Junior College Athletic Association Division III Men’s Basketball Championships held at SUNY Delhi.

by John Bernhardt
Former late night talk show king, Johnny Carson, understood the importance of preparation. “Talent alone won’t make you a success. Neither will being in the right place at the right time, unless you are ready. The most important question is, ‘Are you ready?’ counseled Carson when advising young comedians about the road to success.

University of Rochester men’s basketball coach Mike Neer feels success is all about developing good habits. Talking to 60 or more young basketball enthusiasts, including Andes guards Eric Reid and Sage Beemer, Neer opened and closed his Big Man/Point Guard Clinic talking about habits. According to the U of R mentor, successful play on the hardwoods is all about the development of good habits. “Invest in good habits. It’s not about the sneakers, not the shorts, not the dunks, not the threes, it’s the good habits you develop that make the difference,” implored Neer at the start of the clinic.

The Avoca Summer Classic is my favorite off-season basketball venue. This three-on-three tournament gem is the highlight of a packed spring and summer basketball schedule for my Andes boys’ basketball team. In its eighth year this summer, the Avoca Classic is a full day of competitive basketball and small town community fun.

“How are your guys doing?”
The question was directed my way by Houghton College men’s basketball coach Brad Zarges. Flawlessly playing the role of host, Zarges was eager to learn how the Andes team was doing at the Houghton Team Basketball Camp. Knowing Andes was a late fill-in replacement team and by far the smallest of 16 boys’ teams at the camp, Zarges wanted to be sure things were going well.

The worldwide obsession with the passing of Michael Jackson devoured many of us during the past two weeks. No matter where you turned, the glare of the media lights were focused on everything Jackson. Speculation about how Jackson died and endless commentary concerning issues that marred his life made watching television or reading a newspaper almost painful.