Gardner’s optimism has equaled success for Nevada
Nevada softball coach Michelle Gardner is the most confident woman I’ve ever met.
She’ll make a young reporter believe that her team will be on a Wheaties cereal box some day.
She made me believe that her team three years ago was just a glimpse of how good they would be in the future.
Gardner came through on her word.
The Wolf Pack is ranked 18, 21 and 25 in three polls, and last weekend she became the all-time winningest softball coach in school history. Gardner has a 178-172 record and passed Pat Hixson, who won 174 games from 1980-1989. Gardner did it in fewer seasons but Hixson didn’t play as many games per year.
Any rate, one of the first events I covered for this newspaper was the softball team. It was because no one else wanted to do it.
I remember being somewhat scared of her. She stands about 5-foot-10, and she speaks loud and crisp, using good volume levels when she emphasizes something.
Even when her team got railed by Washington by 19 runs three years ago, instead of talking about how bad her team got beat, she talked about how her team would be as good as the Huskies someday.
Just talking to her, it’s easy to see how this team is winning. If I were a betting man, I would put Gardner on the same level with Mark Fox when it comes to going into a recruit’s house to talk to mom and dad.
Fox got JaVale McGee to sign when Nevada wasn’t even a choice until the end. He got along really well with McGee’s mom, Pamela. Gardner can be just as effective, I bet.
Gardner has charisma and her confidence makes it easy to believe in her vision. And now, people don’t need to trust her anymore that the team is going somewhere.
This team (35-14, 13-2 Western Athletic Conference) will be in the NCAA Regionals this year because they are 8-6 against ranked opponents, and if they sweep San Jose State this weekend they will secure first place in the conference.
Butler deserved better
I sort of feel bad for Ezra Butler.
The super-athletic linebacker who entered the NFL Draft didn’t get picked, but some media outlets are reporting that he signed a free agent deal with the San Francisco 49ers.
The Reno Gazette-Journal ran a story tacking on all the bad stuff that has happened: he didn’t play in the East-West Shrine Bowl, he pulled a hammy and couldn’t work out at the combine or the Nevada pro day, and he admitted to using marijuana before the season, causing him to miss the Nebraska game.
Then there were reports that some teams backed off him because he said he still smokes. Butler denied it and reportedly sent a letter to every NFL general manager saying he was sorry and he doesn’t smoke anymore.
No matter what happens, I still think he’ll be a good back-up and an eventual starter. The smoking stuff is a problem. But it’s not as problematic as crime and arrests.
He never got into trouble and he played as hard as anyone on the field throughout his career. He was good with the media and was always seen laughing with coaches and teammates.
He’s still fast. He’s still athletic and he still should have a decent NFL career.
Scott Oxarart is the Sports Editor at the Nevada Sagebrush. He can be reached at soxarart@nevadasagebrush.com
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May 2nd, 2008 at 12:09 am
What about that Michelle Beach!! Way to go girl! My question is when are they going to let you play? How about that grand slam!! You deserve to play! I’m still disappointed that we drove all the way to Reno to watch you play and you didn’t even get in the game!
May 8th, 2008 at 10:52 pm
All I can say “You may knock him down , but you will never knock him out”
Ezra is a great player and person. He will succeed anyway. How many kids out there have done something wrong, he admitted it and has not smoked again.
The ULTIMATE plan in his life WILL come to pass