[OverAndBack]

I've had fewer problems with youth coaches than I have with youth parents. They're the real psychos.

For the most part (with exceptions that we can all name), I've found the few youth coaches I've had to deal with to be guys who really care about teaching and making sure the kids have fun, and they haven't given officials much, if any, stick.

Travel basketball coaches, now I've had it with them. I'm retired from basketball because of that crap.

I find that freshman football coaches are pretty good, and the middle school coaches I've had have been pretty good (except for not knowing the rules).

I had one guy (this is a 7th grade coach, now) riding me the whole first half last week and I finally said, "Coach, would you like to do this?"

He said, "No. No, I wouldn't." And didn't say anything else to me the rest of the game.

But I've had more positive experiences than negative ones with youth, freshman, and lower level football coaches. And I've hosed a couple of them with inadvertent whistles and they've been cool about it.

There's pain in the *** coaches at every level in every sport. I don't know that one level has a monopoly on them.