DOH-mer Of The Week- Name Calling Again

We all know Lou Holtz. Well, at least most of us do. If you follow college football at all, you know he was one of the great coaching names of his time, now works as an analyst for ESPN, and recently had a statue in his likeness unveiled on the Notre Dame campus. Some people love him, and others hate him. If you’ve heard his opinions on college games, you realize he represents “homerism” to the extreme. The man has a doctorate degree, and has a segment called “Dr. Lou” that airs during halftime of college football games broadcast on ESPN. And though I’ve always admired his coaching skills, I’ve never been a fan of his commentary. To hear him, my belief is that he dips into the cooking sherry before going on air. But last week, he made one of the biggest no-no’s of broadcasting, referencing the infamous German dictator Adolf Hitler in comparison to a college coach.

Is the entire thing overblown? All he said was, “ya know, Hitler was a great leader too”. Some people think something was made out of nothing, but I’m not one of those people. Nothing is going to ruffle feathers more than the use of Hitler in a positive light. Great? He was about as great as the first lemming that leads the others to the cliff, before they all plunge to their death. As I see it, he led his country to be conquered, divided, and controlled by other powers. Leader? If anything…“cowardly”. He sent 12 year old boys to fight his enemies, while he refused to suffer the consequences of his actions, choosing suicide, instead. It reminds me a lot of the huffing and puffing “leader” of Iraq, who ordered his citizens to fight off the invading Americans with their kitchen knives and what-not, only to be found cowering inside a farm hole with candies and small children. There was nothing “great” about Adolph Hitler. Even his artwork was a piece of sh**.

If Dr. Lou is going to use Hitler as a comparison to Michigan’s Rich Rodriguez, who will he choose to be Pete Carroll’s leadership mirror? Is it Charles Manson, leading an entire cult to fulfill his desires. Maybe Jim Tressel can be compared to Jim Jones, who had so much influence over his congregation that he led them out of the country, before leading then to drink cyanide laced Kool-Aid. Maybe Nick Saban has so much success in his short time in Alabama, because like David Koresh, his leadership has his football team believing he’s Jesus Christ.

Overblown? If you’re calling Rich Rodriguez a bad coach and leader, who will eventually lead to the demise of the program, that’s one thing. But the Wolverines look to defeat their opponents, and not to exterminate them based on prejudices. In some countries it’s unlawful to name a child “Adolf Hitler”, and that certainly doesn’t reflect the opinion of “greatness” in his leadership.

Dr. Lou takes this DOH-mer home, and not for just making that asinine mistake, but also for not knowing better. In June, Jamele Hill, also employed by ESPN, was suspended for Hitler comments. I guess Lou doesn’t pay attention to what goes on in the office, while he's refilling his flask.

And in case you haven't seen any of those horrible "Dr. Lou" segments, here's my offering: