Michael Lewis on the lessons of Coach Fitz

Last week (11 June 2005), Saturday Morning Edition's Scott Simon interviewed Michael Lewis on his book, an expansion of his NY Times article (28 March 2004), about his high school baseball coach, Billy Fitzgerald ("Fitz"). Lewis recalls his years of play with Fitz at Isidore Newman School in New Orleans and thereby the value of athletics for youth and how a change in parents' views of athletics and schools threaten a legend. Said headmaster, Scott McLeod,

''The parents' willingness to intercede on the kids' behalf, to take the kids' side, to protect the kid, in a not healthy way -- there's much more of that each year,'' he said. ''It's true in sports, it's true in the classroom. And it's only going to get worse.'' Fitz sat at the very top of the list of hardships that parents protected their kids from; indeed, the first angry call McLeod received after he became headmaster came from a father who was upset that Fitz wasn't giving his son more playing time.

Evidently, since Lewis' NY Times article was published, Fitz's job was saved and the headmaster McLeod lost his job instead. As of October last fall, according to the school's website, they've hired a new headmaster.

Hattip: Camile, over at Book Moot.