TUESDAY COMMENTARY – JONES BACKSTORY, OH WHAT A FEELING!
(Listen daily for the Rod Pedersen Commentary at 9:50 am and 5:20 pm on Cat Country 98 FM)
WE’RE GOING TO PACK A LOT OF LEARNING INTO TODAY’S ONE-MINUTE COMMENTARY.
ON MONDAY THE NEWS CAME OUT THAT FORMER RIDER BOSS CHRIS JONES HAS *APPLIED* TO BE THE HEAD FOOTBALL COACH AT SOUTH PITTSBURGH HIGH SCHOOL IN HIS HOMETOWN IN TENNESSEE.
IN A MIRACULOUS BIT OF TIMING, SOUTH PITTSBURGH PIRATES HEAD COACH VIC GRIDER RETIRED LAST WEEK AFTER DECADES ON THE JOB, AND TONS OF STATE TITLES.
WE’D KNOWN ABOUT THIS DEVELOPMENT FOR SOME TIME, BUT THE JONES CAMP WANTED TO “GET OUT FRONT” OF THE STORY AND HAVE C-J ANNOUNCE IT HIMSELF.
HE DID, BY POSTING IT ON HIS FACEBOOK PAGE ON MONDAY. FROM THERE, THE MEDIA RAN WITH IT.
I’M PREDICTING JONES WILL GET THE JOB, AND THAT IT’S A FORMALITY. HE PLAYED FOR THAT TEAM, AND HAS COACHED IN THE NCAA, CFL AND NFL. WHICH ALUM WOULD HAVE A BETTER RESUME THAN THAT?
BUT HOW THIS STORY CAME OUT WAS IMPORTANT TO TEAM JONES. HOW WILL IT LOOK? CERTAINLY SOME CFL FANS – PARTICULARLY THE JONES-HATERS – WILL SCOFF AND LOOK AT THIS AS A DRAMATIC FALL FROM GRACE.
WELL, JONES MADE THE ANNOUNCEMENT AND ON CUE, THE SCORN CAME OUT WITHIN MINUTES.
BUT THAT’S A REFLECTION ON THE IGNORANCE OF THE HATERS, RATHER THAN ON CHRIS JONES.
HE’S EXCITED ABOUT THIS! IT’S ANOTHER CAREER GOAL CHECKED OFF THE BUCKET LIST. THERE ARE HIGH SCHOOL TEAMS IN THE USA WHO OUT-DRAW THE CFL. THIS IS A COVETED JOB. AND WITH THE INANE COACHES CAP IN CANADA AND THE UNCERTAINTY OVER A 2021 SEASON AT ALL, JONES COULDN’T COME BACK TO THE CFL AT THIS TIME.
IF YOU CAN’T SEE THAT, YOU’RE A DUMMY.
IT’S ALSO NO DIFFERENT THAN MIKE BABCOCK GOING TO THE U OF S HUSKIES. OR MARC HABSCHEID GOING TO THE MELFORT MUSTANGS BACK IN THE DAY. OR JIM POPP COACHING AT ALABAMA STATE THIS YEAR.
IF YOU TRULY LOVE THE GAME AND THE JOB, THE WAGE DOESN’T MATTER. NOR THE LEVEL.
I’VE ONLY BEEN SAYING THIS FOR MONTHS BUT A PRESSURE FEW ARE GETTING IT THROUGH THEIR THICK SKULL.
BUT PEOPLE ONLY WANT TO HEAR WHAT THEY WANT TO HEAR.
I’M JUST FEELING REAL GRATEFUL THAT OVER THE PAST TWO YEARS I’VE TRULY REALIZED THAT IT DOESN’T MATTER WHAT PEOPLE THINK.
OH WHAT A FEELING.
THAT’S TODAY’S ROD PEDERSEN COMMENTARY ON CAT COUNTRY 98.
Great commentary, They don’t get it because they don’t want to get it. Many people equate $ with 🙂 and that ain’t the case by a long shot. The true contentment is enjoying the journey and finding inner peace. I guard mine now with a pitch fork. Since November 15, 2018 to today at 9:00 a.m. – these past 845 days (845 if I make it through this one and I have a strong feeling I will), have been the greatest days of my life. Get humbled, show gratitude, clean house, keep my mouth shut, demonstrate change, start fresh, be… Read more »
Good for Jones, & as with Babcock, I think it will give them a chance to get a new perspective on things. But, Rod, I say this with no disrespect to either of them, anyone who thinks that both of them will not ultimately look for employment in the CFL or NFL is IMO a little naive. They live for their sport but, more so, for the challenges of the pro game. In the meantime, enjoy the journey & give back to the communities where it all began.
Hey there, good point. For anyone and I mean anyone. The day you get your offer letter, find out where the washrooms are, how to contribute to the coffee fund – right after lunch, you update your resume and start looking for your next gig. The degree to which you look, and how often/how long/how serious you look – that all depends on how the organization is treating you. If you have enough time in then you wait for the golden handshake, take time off, relax, and onto the next adventure. Anyone in the real world who believes loyalty exists… Read more »
Where did I ever say this was going to be their last job?
I wasn’t pointing the finger at you Rod. I simply meant that it’s no disrespect to them for taking these jobs even though it is obviously a temporary diversion. The end game IMO is to get back to where they once where. That doesn’t diminish what they are doing now. I probably didn’t clarify that properly.