Two Bald Men

What do Coach Craig McPhail of Lees-McRae College and Shaquille O'Neal of the NBA's Phoenix Suns have in common? Stay tuned, the answer will be revealed shortly. Welcome to Monday's edition of "the stache," where we thought spring was just around the corner but winter reared its ugly head on Sunday, dumping approximately a foot of snow onto the Southern Appalachia region.

March is prime time for basketball and also seems to be prime time for the revitalization of men in their late 30s. You can call it a "rebirth, a return to youth, but I think the proper word is fate. You see Coach Craig McPhail, long time head coach of the Lees-McRae College cross country team and distance coach for the track team, and Shaquille O'Neal of the Phoenix Suns go way back. Back in the early to mid 90's these two charismatic individuals were engaging in battles of HORSE, the basketball game where you try to match each others shot in order to avoid spelling out the word HORSE and losing. These two young, and probably still bald men were both members of the NBA's Orlando Magic. Shaq as he is commonly known was an up and coming center in the league, while McPhail was a fledgling just out of the college ranks, trying to find his way. These two men are forever connected and as we head into March, the month of these two men's birthdays. One cannot help but feel that the juice is returning to these fellas legs. Shaq, a.k.a. "the Big Diesel" has been told by many critics (myself included) that his career was at an end and that he was running out of gas (yes, pun intended) following a porous season where he averaged career lows in points with the Miami Heat (14.2 ppg) and Phoenix Suns (12.9 ppg) in 2007-2008. But a superb athletic training staff has revived "the Diesel" and this season he has averaged 18.1 points a game, a total he has not surpassed since the 2005-2006 season with the Miami Heat. Most recently, it has become apparent that "the Diesel" has a lot left in the tank as he has put up 78 points in his last 2 games.

Now you may ask how does this breakdown of Shaq's career relate to the one and only Coach McPhail. Glad you asked. Most recently it has been discovered that Coach "Mac," as he has been affectionately called by the distance squad here at Lees-McRae College, has seemed to have regained his youth of yesteryear back when he was a young lad and recent grad working for the Orlando Magic. Yes, ladies and gentleman, Coach "Mac" is back, and back with a vengeance. His fitness level has coincided with the level at which Shaq has played at recently. Many thought that a return to fitness was darn near impossible, but this man has defied the odds. "It's a miracle," quotes one anonymous runner for the Bobcats of Lees-McRae, "all of a sudden he is running with you, than he just takes off on this downhill mile during the middle of a long run, probably hitting close to 5 minutes a mile, it totally caught everyone off guard."
"Totally unexpected," says another runner not wanting to be named for fear of being ridiculed by his teammates. He could be seen doing post run strides/sprints after the long run, as if dropping a 5 minute mile wasn't enough, he had to continue working on his speed. I was among the many who seriously doubted that comebacks like this could happen to two men such as these guys, but I was proven wrong yet again. Never underestimate the heart of champion. As he told his wife recently, "I am back."Indeed he is and if these last few days are an indicator, Shaquille O'Neal and Craig McPhail both have a lot left to prove. I will leave you with one final piece on which to chew on:

"Champions aren't made in gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them - a desire, a dream, a vision. They have to have last-minute stamina, they have to be a little faster, they have to have the skill and the will. But the will must be stronger than the skill."- Muhammad Ali.

Its just that simple folks. I hope you have enjoyed the latest edition of "the stache." Stay tuned for the latest and greatest news on the happenings of the sports world. I will keep a close eye on this inspirational story and let you know how it develops over the next couple months. Until we meet again, hugs and handpounds everyone.

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