I'll Be Your Fool
Inning by Inning: A Portrait of a Coach (2008)
directed by Richard Linklater
rating: 2 out of 5 cravats
on Netflix at Syl's
It's a popular but rarely well-executed tactic in journalism to let unlikeable subjects hang themselves over the course of an article or documentary. In spite of what Richard Linklater says about his love for Augie Garrido (nice shorts, Rick), I believe that he's usurped even Errol Morris's treatment of Robert McNamara for garroting done right. On the one hand, Augie is a successful coach with a clutch of college baseball championships under his arm. People love him. On the other hand, he's a jerk, as contradictory with his pat pronouncements as every coach I've ever ignored. "I let you down" becomes "You let me down." "It's all about you" is synonymous with "It's all about me." Depends on the day, depends on the weather.
Most middle school coaches of any sport have more opportunities to play an important role in kids' lives than a professional like Augie does with semi-professional college recruits. The "science of practice" sounds like the foundation of two hours of drills every afternoon after school, not something Garrido invented. Linklater, of course, is a professional - still one of my favorites - and Inning by Inning says what Q & As don't. Rick would disagree with me, but having tracked the darn thing down, I'm happy to be the bug in Augie's ear.
directed by Richard Linklater
rating: 2 out of 5 cravats
on Netflix at Syl's
It's a popular but rarely well-executed tactic in journalism to let unlikeable subjects hang themselves over the course of an article or documentary. In spite of what Richard Linklater says about his love for Augie Garrido (nice shorts, Rick), I believe that he's usurped even Errol Morris's treatment of Robert McNamara for garroting done right. On the one hand, Augie is a successful coach with a clutch of college baseball championships under his arm. People love him. On the other hand, he's a jerk, as contradictory with his pat pronouncements as every coach I've ever ignored. "I let you down" becomes "You let me down." "It's all about you" is synonymous with "It's all about me." Depends on the day, depends on the weather.
Most middle school coaches of any sport have more opportunities to play an important role in kids' lives than a professional like Augie does with semi-professional college recruits. The "science of practice" sounds like the foundation of two hours of drills every afternoon after school, not something Garrido invented. Linklater, of course, is a professional - still one of my favorites - and Inning by Inning says what Q & As don't. Rick would disagree with me, but having tracked the darn thing down, I'm happy to be the bug in Augie's ear.
posted by NPK at 12:19 PM
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