Opinion Column: Old pros vs. new hot shots

Talk about it

You have to wonder what coaches who have given nearly a lifetime to the profession think of whiz-kid, flavor-of-the-month-types.

The ones that suddenly land in plum jobs with relatively light résumés.

There are a many of them. On Thursday, the Florida Marlins hired Mike “Red Dog” Redmond as its new manager. It’s the same Mike Redmond that just three years ago was caddying for Joe Mauer and doing live radio interviews before and during Twins games.

It’s the same Mike Redmond that as a player in 2003, while with the Marlins, took batting practice for a week naked — for those of you who know Mike Redmond and his body type I apologize for the mental image.

Redmond spent the last two years managing in the minor leagues, so it’s not as if he was lying around home, naked, doing nothing.

There are many cases similar to “Red Dog.” Mike Matheny, the St. Louis Cardinals manager, had never managed before getting his dream job.

Five years ago, Oregon’s Chip Kelly was the offensive coordinator at New Hampshire, the same level of college football NDSU and UND play at. Come the end of this season, he’ll have his pick of any open NFL head coaching job, or he stays at Oregon and makes upwards of $4 million per season.

You may not have heard of football coach Dabo Swinney. He is the head man at Clemson of the ACC, but less than 10 years ago he was working in real estate. He knew the right person, got on staff at Clemson and in 2008 William Christopher “Dabo” Swinney took over at a major D-I school.

Contrast that to so many coaches we all know and played for in our area.

Dave Tews has been coaching gymnastics in Jamestown, well, forever pretty much. Tewsie coaching gymnastics is like cold in the winter. Can’t have one without the other.

Jim Clark has been coaching at Jamestown College (35 years) nearly as long as Red Dog Redmond or old Dabo have been alive.

Same is true of football coach Hank Biesiot, a fixture at Dickinson State for nearly four decades.

There are many, many more, of course. The Dans (Imdieke and Carr) down in Linton. Midkota’s Rick Christian and Mike Monson. Rick Hack in Ellendale. Brent Kleinsasser in Strasburg — for every one listed, there are 10 more just as loyal and committed to their teams and towns, all of whom do it for peanuts compared to millionaires like Dabo or Red Dog.

A lot of these hot, young coaches do quite well, of course. It’d be hard to root against a guy like Red Dog. I’m sure he’ll do a heckuva job and hopefully remain fully clothed at all times.

Sun sports editor Dave Selvig can be reached at (701) 952-8460 or by e-mail at dselvig@jamestownsun.com

Tags: sports, baseball, mlb