State Sen. Nozzolio Takes Eyes Off the Ball
State-level politics in NY. We all know the state legislature’s dysfunctional. But here’s when you know it’s becoming obvious, when even sportswriters are giving “real” news a
run for their money. Reader “A fan” (my favorite reader after “btp, I just sent you that $500 I owe you”) sent us this little gem, from the NY state sportswriters blog, of all things.
Here’s the summary: a South Seneca senior missed some football practices because he was in Basic Training for the National Guard. A worthy thing. Trouble is, state eligibility rules don’t allow BT to count towards the required number of football practices. And State Senator Nozollio (whose district stretches from Webster to Wayne county to Victor and points southeast), wants the rule changed:
“The bottom line is that the rule needs to be changed in the near future,” Nozzolio told the [D&C]. “It’s outrageous.”
The sportswriter, John Moriello, sets him straight:
No, senator. The rule makes sense. While I’m positive that the athlete in question is in top physical condition, I’m also hopeful that he will not be employing techniques on the field that were learned at Fort Benning. That’s where coaching and team practices come in. It’s how athletes learn the skills and strategies they’ll need on the field; going through plays at half speed and then three quarters-speed and then at full speed assures that they will have the technique and experience necessary to play the game well — and safely.
Doing it any other way would be begging for a lawsuit the minute that Brewer or the guy lining up next to or across from him got injured during a game. You know that, I know that, the world knows that.
But Moriello also gets the larger point– and asks Nozzolio to keep his eye on the ball:
So save your outrage for something more important, senator. And put your time and energy into doing something that will actually help your constituents — and New Yorkers in general. Like maybe lowering my taxes. Between school and property assessments, I’ll have to lay out something just barely south of $6,000 this year. A lot of it pays for the gravy train you and the dysfunctional state government have been riding for years.
And the rebate that will be coming to proper owners shortly before Election Day isn’t fooling me. You and your colleagues are in effect buying votes by fooling the terminally stupid souls who keep sending you back to Albany.
Exile said it best in an email to me:
 Frankly, it’s nice to see someone view this from the proper perspective: this is a waste of time and we have bigger issues. I wish more people would say this when politicians start jumping up and down about a non-issue.
YES!!! Note how this kind of thing goes right up to the national level (like the stem cells issue) and down even more local (Maggie Brooks’ fake Taxpayer Protection Act). That’s the game plan, up and down ticket: use fake stuff to whip up the population, so you can do whatever else you want and ignore the important issues of our day.
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I usually agree with you, and I do agree that our leaders need to focus on what is important, but I also know a lot about football and a lot about the National Guard and basic training and it is not true that BT would not give an athlete half-speed, 3/4 speed and full speed exposure. That is ridiculous. This reporter sounds like a guy mad about the government (I’m with him there) but he’s doing it in a poor argument. I’m all for our leaders focusing on the important things, but don’t give me lame “speed training” arguments. Have you ever been through BT? It’s football, not brain surgery. Also, we get all up in arms when a returning Guardsman doesn’t have his job waiting for him or doesn’t have health insurance, so why aren’t we up in arms when, while performing his duty, he returns and can’t play a football game?
Not surprised to see John — who’s a common-sense, reasonable guy — make two smart points about political outrage and tax “rebates”.
The latter point also gets my goat around this time of year. If the state wants to cut taxes, just cut them. Don’t make me pay for a whole bureaucracy to inform me about the tax cut. Every time I get my STAR letter I wonder how much that piece of paper cost me, and how much more my tax break would have been if I didn’t have to pay for the apparatus that calculates and publicizes it.
I certainly don’t know anything about speed training. But I think the representative is grandstanding here. I feel the same way about hearings on steroid abuse in baseball and the like.
I’m not sure I think this is comparable to someone losing his job while he’s in Iraq. Maybe I’m wrong, though.
I think it’s the principle of the matter that when we ask our citizens to volunteer (and it is a volunteer force) that we should not make it hard for them to resume civilian life once they return to it.
Of course the representative is grandstanding but the larger issue is to allow our citizens to be citizens when they’re back home and not create roadblocks for that. I see this as an example of preventing the resumption of civilian life. If we care about our armed servicemen and women then we have to see this as symptomatic.
We are discussing a High School student who joined the Guard not a returning soldier from Iraq.
The rule is a certain number of practices as a practice across all of NYS sports. Nozzolio is grandstanding.
I read the sports writer - actually I think his arguments make sense. Practice is about building a team.
The fact that the kid should sit is not related to he is about to serve his country.
I see your point but then you’re not going to get willing athletes to enlist if they won’t get to play their sports. I think if we have citizens who are willingly enlisting then we should make a military service exception. It’s a high school sport for goodness sake and the basic training will more than rev them into shape. I maintain the speed training argument is nonsense.
Furthermore, we then cannot complain about the overtaxed Guard on 3rd and 4th tours of duty if we are doing things to actually prevent them from enlisting.
You are missing my point. Isn’t preseason football practice about creating a team, learning the plays as all the as well as a physical component.
Why make an exception here? Are there not other good reasons for missing some practices? Why not make exception for the kid who spent the summer building Katrina houses for Habitat for Humanity or spent time in the Peace Corps or pick some other very good honorable activity. In fact cut some other kid a break because he got sick or something through no fault of his/her own.
I have to disagree with you about doing things to prevent them from enlisting. NO ONE is preventing this kid or others from enlisting. No ONE. He enlisted which is great and provides replacement manpower for the Guard.
In fact NO ONE is preventing him from ultimately playing football either. He just has to sit for a few games to accumulate the number of practices necessary to play because he is following the rules that applies to everyone else.
Sorry - he is a high school student not an active duty soldier. The High School rules apply.
Oh - it is still grandstanding.
Ok, you convinced me. I win next time, deal?
He just has to sit for a few games to accumulate the number of practices necessary to play because he is following the rules that applies to everyone else.
That seems like a key point here.
I understand your point about cutting soldiers some slack with they return home and all that. I agree with that and I’m not talking about the type of slack they found at Walter Reed or unforgiving employers or all the rest.
I just don’t see this in this case. But you are already convinced so I’ll stop lest you become unconvinced.
You win next time? Where would fairness be in that? lol
See you soon in the comments