Social media can open some doors, close some others

Gary Harris seemed to have breathed new life into a Springfield High football program that had hit rock bottom. The numbers were up, the kids were having fun and there were some minimal results on the field.
http://www.rutlandherald.com/article/20150809/SPORTS02/708099999

Published August 9, 2015 in the Rutland Herald Social media can open some doors, close some others By TOM HALEY STAFF WRITER Gary Harris seemed to have breathed new life into a Springfield High football program that had hit rock bottom. The numbers were up, the kids were having fun and there were some minimal results on the field. And minimal is all anyone could have expected from any coach considering where the program was at when he blew in from Tennessee. I first observed Harris at a scrimmage at Otter Valley last year. I was impressed with his ability to teach. Then it happened. Social media pancaked him like a 350-pound offensive lineman. Cost him his job. Social media is not the culprit, of course. It was his use of social media. The finger must always be pointed at the user. He posted things that anyone would have found objectionable. They were personal and inappropriate. The players had bought in to what Harris was doing with the Cosmos. Players rallied to support him at a meeting. But there was no saving him. Now, Rich Saypack will try to continue the ascent. He is a local guy who has done this before and will be preparing the Cosmos for the home opener on Aug. 28 at home against Bellows Falls. How strange is that? The Cosmos playing Bellows Falls at the beginning of the season instead of at the end. More recently, Castleton’s John Scarborough got bit by his use of social media. The veteran stock car driver posted vulgar and inappropriate comments that got him banned from a a number of tracks, including Devil’s Bowl Speedway which is just a short drive from his home. It was the combination of a physical altercation and the posts that did in Scarborough. And there is the good side of social media in sports. The fun side. It can add so much to the local scene. This is especially apparent on Friday nights and Saturday afternoons during the football season. Twitter has such an enormous following especially on Friday night when everyone is tweeting from the football game they are attending. There is a buzz about upsets or the weekend’s marquee matchups. It just adds a dimension we once never had. The same goes for all the sports. Imagine being a fan at your school’s playoff soccer game and being able to follow the contest 60 miles away between the two teams that are vying for the right to play your team in the next round. Thursday was a day off. My son, grandson and I went to Pittsfield, Mass., to watch a Futures League game between the Pittsfield Suns and Bristol Blues. Mainly we wanted to see Waconah Park which I had heard so much about. Former major league pitcher Jim Bouton actually had a hand in saving the gem of a ballpark and wrote a book about it. Then, I noticed in the game program that the Blues’ right fielder was Christian Whigham who had attended a junior college in his hometown of Midland, Texas and was getting ready for a two-sport (also football) career at Louisiana Tech. I immediately sent a tweet to my friend OK Davis, the sports editor of the Ruston (La.) Daily Leader. He covers Louisiana Tech extensively. He was elated to find out that Whigham was playing for Bristol and asked me to update him with how he was doing in the doubleheader. Whighan got some hits and stole a base. He’s fast. Davis, in turn, informed his readers. It might be a long shot that someone from Vermont will head to Ruston and play something for the Division I Louisiana Tech Bulldogs. But if they do, I know Davis will return the favor. On second thought, maybe it’s not such a long shot. Every day I am more amazed by how small the world is. A lot of that has to do with social media. I remember the first day I ever got on Facebook several years ago, someone sent me some advice. I don’t remember who it was but I recall exactly what he said: Be careful what you say. Unwise use of social media can cost you a lot. But it can also connect you with people. It can make the world so much smaller and sports so much more fun. It is a great tool and can enhance your experience, professionally and socially. That night at Waconah Park was made so much more enjoyable by being able to inform OK Davis about Whigham as well as being kept updated by others on the Vermont Mountaineers’ NECBL playoff game. There are some intriguing football games on the opening weekend of the high school season. CVU at Rutland, for example. Mount Anthony’s visit to Middlebury is another. Rice’s entry into Division I at BFA-St. Albans will command a lot of interest, too. I think St. Johnsbury could be pretty good this year. The Hilltoppers’ home game that weekend against South Burlington has sizzle as does Mill River’s trip to Woodstock. It is going to be neat to be in Rutland, Middlebury, St. Albans, St. Johnsbury and Woodstock, as well as other venues, all on opening weekend. Ah, the beauty of social media.