In all my 34 years of sports writing,
this saga today takes the cake. It takes a lot to wrap your hands around it. My
brain hurts from the idiocy.
But here goes. John Finke has been
the head boys’ basketball coach at West Milford High School for the last 28
years. He’s turned a totally moribund and listless program into a perennial
pain in the rectum for opponents, especially in Passaic County. His teams are
annually competitive and win big game after big game. He’s won 355 such games
over the last 28 basketball seasons and made a very cold gym a lively and exciting
place to be every winter, especially with three runs to the NJSIAA North 1,
Group III sectional final game.
One would figure that Finke would
be able to hold his position for life. After all, he graduated from the place
in 1982 and came back home to coach his alma mater, taking over a position that
no one really wanted.
When it comes time to rehiring
coaches, there’s almost an unwritten rule, especially with long-time coaches,
that it’s a rubber stamp on the paperwork and everything gets pushed along
pretty neatly.
However, for some reason this year,
when it came to reappointing Finke, the brilliance that sits on the West
Milford Board of Education decided to vote on Finke being rehired.
So on May 23, the Board of
Education, a nine-member group, decided to vote on whether Coach Finke should
be retained. Finke would need five votes from the Board to be rehired. At the
meeting that night, two members already left prior to the voting, which left
seven remaining.
So of the seven people left, four
voted yes, two (Board president James Foody and member Glenn Huber) voted no
and one (Debbie O’Brien) for some unknown reason abstained.
Not getting the necessary five
votes to be retained, Finke is out. He’s out after 28 years, out after 355
wins, out without fanfare or anything. Just gone.
In fact, the backstabbing athletic
director Joe Trenticosta, has already recommended that the Board hire Patrick
McCarney, a long-time friend of Trenticosta, as Finke’s replacement.
Finke didn’t think he was in
jeopardy of losing his job and losing the chance to coach son Andrew, a First
Team All-Passaic County selection last March, for his senior season. So he didn’t
attend the May 23 meeting. For all intents and purposes, he was in.
“But at 11:05 p.m. I got the phone
call that I was voted out,” Finke said. “I couldn’t sleep a wink. I went to
work the next day.”
Needless to say, Finke is shocked.
“It’s hard to believe that after 28 years, and
all the things that have happened throughout that time, all the accomplishments
and all the different players coming through the program, that two ‘no votes’ could
end my career,” Finke said.
Needless to say, Finke’s supporters
are up in arms. Parents, former players, current players, former coaches, opposing
coaches have flooded Finke with calls, e-mails, texts and what have you.
“I’m not defeated,” said Finke. “After
28 years, I plan on fighting this.”
The time for the WTFs are over.
Believe me, I’ve said the same thing about 1,000 times since May 23. WTF is the
Board of Education thinking? If there weren’t nine people in the room, then why
not revote when nine are indeed present? Or in that respect, have them mail in
a secret ballot so this way we won’t have any idea who voted out a coaching
legend. WTF West Milford? WTF?
Finke doesn’t know how to react now.
“For 28 years to go by, and my son will be a
senior next year, I would have liked to go out with some dignity and respect
and on my own terms,” Finke said. “I would like to go out at my final awards
dinner and say ‘Goodbye and thank you’ to all the people who helped me
throughout my career, my family. I don’t get to do that now. I don’t get that
chance to go out the right way, the way that a 28-year veteran coach should be
able to go out.”
Damn skippy. Finke deserved the
right to go out on his own terms. He’s done nothing wrong, except guiding the
Highlanders to a losing season last year. But as everyone knows, unless you
were St. Anthony or you are currently the Patrick School, high school basketball
in New Jersey is cyclical. You win for a couple years, then you pay the
fiddler, then you get another chance to bounce back.
“We had everyone back,” Finke said. “We
were going to be very good.”
“It’s like they all stabbed me,”
said Finke, who also coaches the golf team. “It’s not a physical pain. But they
have ripped the passion I had for coaching being taken away from me. There’s no
reason.”
Well, there’s now reason to unite as
one to support Finke, one last chance for the coaching giant to save his job.
The Board of Education will convene Tuesday night at the Westbrook School at
7:30 p.m. Anyone who is anyone should take the time to be there. Coach Finke
deserves better. If the Board of Education wanted him out, then there would
have been better ways.
“John, you suck, you’re history,”
could be one, but that would be lying.
“John, you’re awful, we’ve tried
with you and you’re done,” could have been another.
But for a guy to find out the way he
found out_ via a text from a friend _ well, that’s just wrong.
It was a special B of E session with
not all members present. That really doesn’t form a forum. And if four voted for him and two voted against him, that means the end? Because of James Foody and Glenn Huber? They are the two who cast the votes against Finke. Chances are neither saw the Highlanders play.
Because if you saw them play like I did, you would be proud of the way they held their own against the big boys. They played Teaneck a few years ago in the state playoffs and completely outmanned. And Finke had the team playing hard to the bigger end. West Milford lost by about four points, but it was part of the moral victory that made Finke the great coach that he is.
West Milford should do the right thing and recast a vote at Tuesday night's meeting. It would be the only fair thing for Finke. Actually, the fair thing would be to let him go out on his own terms in a year or two. Not this way. Not without getting the chance to build on last year's 9-18 record. Not to have someone else coach his son for his senior year.
Let's hope they get things right in West Milford. John Finke deserves better.
==========================================================================
If anyone has driven in my beloved home town of Jersey City recently, you'll notice one glaring problem.
THE TRAFFIC!!!!
Ugh, driving through Jersey City's streets right now is like a mouse trying to get through a maze to get a piece of cheese. This street is blocked. No, it's that one. No, it's one more. It's downright frustrating.
Now, I know some of it is because of the massive amount of construction going on. But in the Jersey City Heights? Have you tried to simply sit on Baldwin Avenue near Pershing Field. You don't even need the time of day. You're sitting in traffic.
The same thing is going on at Garfield Avenue in the Greenville section. Since when so many cars want to drive through Greenville along Garfield. Oh, Lord, times have changed.
So has the traffic. It's annoying.
Some politician should run on the No Traffic ticket for Mayor Steve Fulop's job in November. Promise that all the road construction would be done and the hideous traffic that is on Route 440 every single day is fixed. I know of one way to fix the Route 440 dilemma. How about stagger the traffic lights to make them all green at the same time and all red at the same time. That doesn't take a genius.
==============================================================================
You can read more of my work at www.hudsonreporter.com or www.theobserver.com
