Hindsight Prediction For USF

Chances are, the firing of Jim Leavitt, 53, as USF football coach will turn out to be a blessing in disguise. An awkward, embarrassing, unfortunate disguise, to be sure, but a blessing to all those grown tired of Leavitt’s overbearing manner and USF’s Big East also-ran status.

Some context.                                         

Leavitt was the right guy at the right time to start a football program at a school such as USF – poor in tradition but rich in recruiting potential. He was hired in December 1995. Not yet 40, he had been a well-regarded co-defensive coordinator at a big time program (Kansas State). By the way, the other co-coordinator was Bob Stoops, now the highly-successful coach of Oklahoma. Leavitt, a Dixie Hollins High grad, even had local roots. Moreover, he was hyper passionate and uber energetic, arguably traits that would well serve the person charged with creating something from scratch at the mammoth, history-challenged “commuter” university in the state’s largest media market.

To his credit, Leavitt didn’t care that the initial facilities were inferior to some of the better high school programs. His own office was in a trailer. He had a vision and a can-do, workaholic temperament. He practically willed the program to life.

Two years later USF fielded its first-ever team and won its first-ever football game – 80-3 over Kentucky Wesleyan – before nearly 50,000 fans at Tampa Stadium. Three years after that — Oct. 28, 2000 — it had its first win over a major opponent, Connecticut. In 2005, it played its first Big East game, a 45-15 win over Louisville. The following year it had its first bowl victory, 24-7 over East Carolina in the Papajohns.com Bowl. By September 2007, USF found itself ranked in the Top 10 after a big win over West Virginia in sold-out Raymond James Stadium.

Leavitt’s program had arrived – but it also had peaked.

The Bulls would finish 2007 in disappointing, defeat-dominated fashion, culminating in a blow-out loss to Oregon in the Sun Bowl.  The next two years would revisit a familiar pattern: Fast (5-0) starts, which included at least one marquee win over a favored opponent, followed by more losses than wins against Big East opposition. Followed by a minor bowl game because there were so many (34) and sheer merit was no longer a criterion. Besides, the Big East had a slew of bowl tie-ins to honor. This year the Bulls got the one (International) that required passports and drew the fewest spectators.

But it was more than just the losses that disappointed. The defeats were typically characterized by a frustrating lack of on-field discipline. The Bulls had earned an unflattering reputation for losing their poise when the pressure was on. They weren’t playing with underdog abandonment; they were playing not to lose.

One look at the sideline yielded plenty of clues. Sure, there was problematic play selection and poor clock management in evidence. USF wasn’t known for outcoaching anybody. But the sideline was where Leavitt roamed and ranted. Too often his team seemed to channel his blatant lack of composure.

And there were more than whispers that USF, which was hardly averse to recruiting junior college transfers, wasn’t exactly the Notre Dame of the South academically.

Leavitt had five years (worth about $7 million) of a 7-year contract remaining, and USF seemed stuck in Big East mediocrity – not just beaten, but flat-out embarrassed annually by the likes of Rutgers. Overall, the Bulls lost more (18) Big East games than they won (17). Moreover, Leavitt was no longer the passionate, sort of goofy, football lifer who was USF personified. Sure, he could still draw blood (his own) by head-butting (helmet-wearing) players in the name of emotion and intensity, but he also had morphed into an off-putting, over-the-top sort whose teams didn’t handle pressure well. And recruiting in talent-rich Florida was still yielding more JUCO transfers than high school blue chips.

Whether USF had realized it or not, it had made a Faustian contract deal in the giddy aftermath of that 2007 win over West Virginia. Subsequently, however, more observant Bulls’ fans began growing restive. There was, of course, recognition that the ambitious and demanding Leavitt deserved credit for creating the program and fast-forwarding it so far so fast. But there was also the realization that the boorish and unapologetic Leavitt didn’t seem capable of taking USF to the next level. To a Big East championship and a BCS bowl.

And then came the November incident where USF investigators determined that Leavitt grabbed the throat of a walk-on, special teams’ player and slapped him twice during halftime of the Louisville game. His inconsistent denials and subsequent contact with witnesses further sealed his fate.

Ironic Legacy

Talk about a game-changer. Absent this sad turn of events, it’s likely that five years from now USF fans would have been reduced to still lionizing Leavitt for starting the program and leading it to the Big East Conference and pretending they were content with ever more appearances in the International, Papajohns.com and St. Petersburg Bowls. And it would have cost USF more than $7 million for five more years of frustrating, unrealized potential.

Now, after a firing “for cause,” USF only owes Leavitt a month’s base-salary severance – or some $66,000 – although that could still ratchet up in a settlement scenario. He has retained legal counsel. In hindsight, USF will now get a second chance — especially if they can salvage this recruiting class — to pick up where they left off after that big ’07 RayJay win in front of 67,000 against nationally-ranked West Virginia. A chance to bring in a high-energy, take-charge, proven recruiter who’s also capable of acting like the adult in charge.

And USF can, indeed, command just such a person. That’s in large part because USF is a BCS-conference member in a state that is the recruiting envy of its competition. It pays well and is in a major media market. No reason that USF can’t, quite candidly, outdo Cincinnati, which almost made it to the national championship game this season.  

And, ironically, USF can command such a person because Jim Leavitt came in with the right gung-ho skill set back in ’95 to jumpstart USF into the big time. That will be Jim Leavitt’s most enduring legacy.

Candidate Avoids Railroading

PBA must stand for Police Buffoonery Association. Benevolent it is not. Nor fair. Nor politically savvy.

That was evident last week as those dozen or so PBA protesters gathered in front of Union Station to take an unconscionable cheap shot at City Council member Linda Saul-Sena. The five-term City Council member was inside announcing her formal bid for Hillsborough County Commission. The PBA dolts carried signs saying: “Linda Saul-Sena: The Criminal’s Best Friend.” They really did.  

That was PBA payback because she had recently voted against a police step-pay increase. Saul-Sena is hardly anti-cop — let alone “the criminal’s best friend” — because she joined  a council (super) majority in requiring all city employees, including police and fire, to take one for Team Tampa during a devastating recession. In so doing, some layoffs were benevolently avoided.

Interestingly enough, the lone council vote in favor of the police pay increase was cast by Joseph Caetano. Does that mean “Clueless Joe” is the police department’s only “friend” on council? Please.

By the way, Saul-Sena will be vying for the District 5 countywide seat being vacated by the term-limited Jim Norman. Her main opposition will be Commission Chairman Ken Hagan, who will resign his District 2 seat.

While Saul-Sena is known as the avatar of the arts, the goddess of green and the patron saint of preservation, she underscored growth management, transportation and city-county collaboration as key themes she hopes will resonate countywide. It’s no longer about “Build, build, build,” she declared, but “Jobs, jobs, jobs.” Expect to see her play up her Metropolitan Planning Organization experience – especially in response to those inevitably portraying her as a South Tampa elite out to advance a liberal agenda.

It speaks volumes that she has Mitch Kates, the street-smart, take-no-prisoners strategist, on board. He’s the same advisor used successfully by Kevin Beckner against Brian Blair and by Mary Mulhern, who upset Shawn Harrison. Look for Kates to take the gloves off in referencing Hagan’s stands on the environment/wetlands/developers as well as a reputation for ducking debates.

Reid ‘Em And Weep

Harry Reid, whatever you think of him, deserves better. He’s no racist. Here’s what he is:

*Naïve and careless. A “private conversation” during a presidential campaign with national reporters always looking for bombastic outtakes for a book?

*A victim of political correctness Nazis and hypocritical, GOP exploitation. We all know what the Senate Majority Leader meant when he noted that then-Senator Barack Obama was “light-skinned” and sans a “Negro dialect.” However awkward and archaic his phrasing, it was Reid’s way of explaining why Sen. Barack Obama was, indeed, the first truly viable African-American presidential candidate in history.

In effect, Reid said that Obama wasn’t threatening to white America, still the largest voting block and still not colorblind. Obama wasn’t a race hustler. He wasn’t about playing the white-guilt and reparation cards. He appeared to transcend race. He seemed to many to personify the sense that America really was trying to figure out exactly where it fit in this diverse world not entirely to our liking. And the way candidate Obama looked and sounded, fair or not, was incredibly relevant. Among those who know what Reid meant: Barack Obama.

Gasparilla: “Responsibility is the Key”

It’s now official.

The theme for Gasparilla will no longer be: “Lewd and Rude Rocks.”  Nor will it be: “Anarchy by the Bay” or “Under Age, Under the Influence and Above the Law.”  

No, this year it will be the sobering antithesis of debauchery: “Responsibility Is The Key.”  Might as well be: “Rebottle the Genie.”

Good luck.

Actually, all understandable skepticism aside, good start.

But first, of course, you must concede that a mega parade attracting 300,000-400,000 really does belong on Bayshore adjacent to residential neighborhoods, and that it must have a beer sponsor (Pepin Distributing). That, uh, said, the recent changes announced by the city and the Tampa Police Department are, well, encouraging. More police, an extended parade route ending at the new, party-friendly Curtis Hixon Park, the elimination of some waterside bleachers and more Port-o-lets.

Even more to the point, there are serious signs of an attitudinal change. “We’ve listened very carefully to what the neighborhoods have said to us,” underscored Mayor Pam Iorio. Indeed, she has gotten an earful – through her surrogates – from a number of “ground zero” residents, some of whom feel extorted, in effect, into hiring security and erecting temporary fencing. All of whom have seen their share of disgusting, even threatening, incidents.

The new reality, say City Hall and TPD officials, is “zero tolerance” for drunkenness, lewdness and related mayhem. It’s no mere catch phrase, they stress, and arrests – where warranted – will be made. That means underage drinking, bead flashing and “large (beer) vessel” transporting, as well as public urination and back-alley sex, will be targeted.

The wonder is it wasn’t before.

But that was then, and this is now. For the first time, a number of groups – including TPD – are coordinating efforts to make community presentations to students. Both high school and college. They are saying, in effect: “Enjoy yourselves. But don’t force us to arrest you, because we will.”

And, yet, there are still others who need to be part of the solution to what has for too long been Tampa’s signature drunkfest. Those hosting house parties are responsible, at minimum, for under-age imbibers. Those who don’t read — or heed — the responsibility memo are a major part of the problem.

As are parents. Where do drunken teens go at the end of the day? Who do they go home to? Who do they answer to? Safe House parental surrogates? Parents are part of the problem if they countenance a day without rules or repercussions. Especially in somebody else’s neighborhood.

And one more thing. Those extra police? If “responsibility” is really the key, post them in the alleys. And maybe ask Grand Marshall Mike Alstott to patrol one as well.

And, yes, I live near “ground zero.” In fact, I was just reminded. A doorknob flier was just affixed. “Gasparilla: Protect your property from ‘The Invasion.’ Temporary Fencing. Call early.”  – Smith Fence.

Actually, we’ve “only” had to hire an off-duty cop in the past. And this year, given the official commitment to “zero tolerance,” we won’t do that. I hope that’s not being irresponsible.

Leavitt’s Legacy

However this ultimately plays out (read: settlement), even though this has been sad and embarrassing, USF is better off with a new football coach. For all that Jim Leavitt had done to successfully build a program from scratch and guide it to Big East membership, he had, quite arguably, taken it as far as he could. From underdog to underachiever.

The last three years were frustrating re-runs: Fast, nationally-noted (5-0) starts followed by more losses than wins against Big East opponents. Followed by a minor bowl appearance. This year the Bulls got the one (International in Toronto) that drew the fewest spectators.

But it was more than those late-season swoons that disappointed USF fans. It was the manner in which the Bulls lost. A lack of on-field discipline had become a Bulls’ trademark. USF had earned a dubious reputation for losing games by losing poise when the pressure was on. It was also known as a team that didn’t outcoach anybody.

For those paying close attention, it appeared the on-field play was an extension of the side-line by-play. That’s where Leavitt roamed and ranted. Too often his team seemed to channel his lack of composure.

Increasingly, USF insiders were no longer seeing the passionate, energetic, gung-ho Leavitt who jumpstarted the program from nothing. They were seeing the often off-putting, overbearing sort who lost more Big East games (18) than he won (17). They were also seeing a coach whose recruiting in talent-laden Florida was still yielding more junior college transfers than high school blue chips. That’s no way to build a solid foundation for success.

USF, by virtue of its Big East affiliation, talent-rich geography and major media-market status, is now a place that can command a national-caliber coach who can take the Bulls to the next level: winning the Big East and playing in a BCS bowl. And ironically, it would not have been possible had not Jim Leavitt been the right guy at the right time for USF to start a football program back in 1995. That’s Leavitt’s legacy.

Praying For Common Sense

Let us pray.

No, let us prey.

Let us prey on those who, in the good names of diversity and inclusiveness and acknowledgement of a higher power, continue to defend a practice that has now morphed into a meaningless, trivializing gimmick. That is the tradition of City Council — following the Pledge of (“…One Nation, under God…”) Allegiance — starting each meeting with an invocation delivered by a token invitee. Ostensibly generic and sort of secular, but inevitably an unholy alliance.

The invitees have generally been Christians (usually ministers), occasionally Jews (typically rabbis) and once, memorably, an atheist. But in a politically correct era, it’s only a matter of time before it becomes a pick-a-number experience with animists, agnostics, Buddhists, Confucians, Hindis, Muslims, et al queuing up for their share of nominal inclusiveness. And where do we draw the line? Santeria? Scientology?   

What in Jesus’ name are we doing? Oops. See how hard it is to stay secular?

            Anyway, I see where Alan Snel, the City Hall gadfly and diversity proponent who has weighed in on this issue, has been invited to deliver the invocation Jan. 15. Well, I would like to officially go on the record right now that if invited, I’d be pleased to deliver one myself. And although I acknowledge that I’m a George Carlin Catholic, I would promise to keep my invocation utterly generic and non-sectarian. In fact, here it is:

“Let us not be presumptuous enough to think that a deity — by whatever identity and one that not everyone agrees even exists — needs to be invoked in matters of liquor licenses, sewer repairs, local taxes and the like. Let’s simply focus on the reality that this Council has been elected to represent the best interests of Tampa. And remember that doing the right thing is not synonymous with doing the popular thing. And that what is good for the individual political careers of Council members is, candidly, not very important.

“Let us now take a brief moment of silence to reflect on this city’s priorities and what it meant to take that oath of office.”

More Titles For Plant

At Plant High School, volleyball and football are the marquee sports. It’s what happens when you win multiple state championships and earn national acclaim.

What doesn’t typically happen, however, is this: Both squads were state champions in the classroom too. The Florida High School Athletic Association ranked Plant’s volleyball and football teams tops academically in the state in their classifications.

The volleyball team, winners of four straight state championships, won the Class 6A title with a team grade point average of 3.7. The football team, which has won two consecutive state titles and three in the last four years, won the 5A honor with a collective GPA of 3.1.

Middleton’s Comeback

By all accounts, Middleton High School is responding to the academic and behavioral SOS that had gone out over falling test scores and rising rates of unacceptable conduct. Hanging in the balance: the possibility of the state taking over under the federal No Child Left Behind Law.

Apparently a house cleaning of administrators and teachers has helped. So has help from the Department of Education that has enabled MHS to hire full-time mentors for reading, math and science. Even more importantly, a culture of hope, renewal and academic achievement appears to be taking root under the charismatic guidance of new principal Owen Young.

But that “house-cleaning” needs context. Middleton’s “underperforming teachers” have been “reassigned.” Surely, they’re not now the problem of some other school, one that’s out of the headlines and not under any state or federal mandate? Surely.

Saul-Sena Makes It Official

It’s now official. Press-conference-at-Union-Station official.

Tampa City Council fixture Linda Saul-Sena is formally in the race for the District 5 countywide Hillsborough County Commission seat being vacated by the term-limited Jim Norman. Her main opposition will be Commission Chairman Ken Hagan, now in his third term, who will resign his District 2 seat. Some outtakes and observations:

*Conventional wisdom took a beating after Kevin Beckner’s historic win over Brian Blair. In effect, all liberal-vs-conservative/city-vs-county bets are off. Saul-Sena, a Democrat and five-term Council member, will be formidable. She’s more than the avatar of the arts, the patron saint of preservation, the goddess of green and the personification of perkiness.

*Her themes, as she underscored them at her press conference, were those that can resonate county-wide. Growth management and transportation will be prominent. She trotted out a line that we’ll be seeing often. It’s no longer about “Build, build, build,” she declared, but “Jobs, jobs, jobs.” Expect to see her play up her Metropolitan Planning Organization experience – especially in response to those inevitably portraying her as a South Tampa elite out to advance a liberal agenda.

Saul-Sena deplored the “lack of collaboration between city and county.” For too long, she stressed, too many have seen the city as the “doughnut hole” and the county as “the doughnut.” It’s in everyone’s interest, she said, to keep the focus on “a more prosperous and sustainable future” for the county.

*It speaks volumes that she has Mitch Kates, the street-smart, take-no-prisoners strategist in her corner. That’s how serious Saul-Sena is. Recall that Kates is the same campaign advisor used by Beckner – as well as Mary Mulhern, who upset incumbent, up-county Republican Shawn Harrison for a Tampa City Council seat. Saul-Sena is not a negative campaigner, but Kates will take the gloves off. That means less-than-flattering references to Hagan’s take on the environment/wetlands and developers, as well as a reputation for eschewing debates.

*Saul-Sena faces a major financing challenge. She hasn’t had to raise serious money in years. When she was re-elected to her citywide District 3 Council seat in 2007, she was unchallenged. Now she faces a Republican opponent who is sitting on more than $200,000 in contributions. She said she’ll be tapping into her sizable support network and expects to raise about $300,000.

But it could be worse, she said with a smile and a shrug. “Alex Sink has to raise about $30 million. Now that’s daunting.”

*Everyone certainly “got” the Union Station press-conference venue. All the history and all the implications for the future. And Saul-Sena doesn’t mind reminding listeners that she “led the effort to save it.” But some media types wondered if something out in the county – in effect, Ken Hagan’s backyard – would have made more strategic sense.

*Saul-Sena seemed genuinely taken aback by the two dozen or so supporters of the Tampa police union picketing outside Union Station before and during her indoor press conference. Tampa Police Benevolent Association members were saying she was no friend of the TPD because of her vote against a police step-pay raise. The wording, “Linda Saul-Sena: The Criminal’s Best Friend,” was the cheapest of shots. “Yes, I was surprised,” said Saul-Sena. “I have a great record in supporting the police.”

*For what it’s worth, the media – both electronic and print – seemed to take a dim view of the picketers. The sign-carriers came across, as one prominent columnist labeled it, as “cheesy.” Saul-Sena is hardly anti-cop and voted with the City Council super majority because all city employees — including police and fire — were being asked to take one for Team Tampa by foregoing raises during a ravaging, budget-slashing recession. One of the acknowledged ripple effects of deferred raises: fewer layoffs.

*I spoke with one picketer, who was polite, 50-something, and direct. There was nothing nuanced about the protest or his take. “It’s like George Bush said: ‘You’re either with us or against us,’” he explained. “You can’t have it both ways.”

*Imagine, Clueless Joe Cataeno, who cast the lone pro-union vote, is the police union’s only “friend.” Please.