Hi, Johnny Sentiment here, and today's topic: Is cancer more or less serious than a first-round opponent in the NCAA Tournament?
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| N.C. State coach Kay Yow is helped to her feet by top assistant Stephanie Glance during Sunday's game. (AP) |
For most folks, the answer would be "more," because while cancer is not undefeated, it is typically a No. 1 seed with a severe home-court advantage.
But for what has been described as "a smattering" of Robert Morris fans awaiting the start of their team's game with North Carolina State, beating the No. 4 seed was slightly more important than giving N.C. State coach Kay Yow a pass.
These smatterers, and there were admittedly only a few by most accounts, booed Yow as the head coach of the foe, which would be perfectly fine if not for the fact that she is trying to fight cancer for the third time. It is at Stage 4, has spread to her skeleton and liver, and based on what we read in Jere Longman's long/depressing/uplifting piece in Sunday's New York Times, looks like a fight beyond her capabilities to win.
But it is not beyond her capabilities to fight, which she is. In fact, if only for her vow to remove her wig if her team wins the national championship, she is fighting like three full hells.
So when she was introduced before Sunday's game, which N.C. State won 658-49 or something like that, she received a huge ovation ... and that smattering of boos.
Now that's a tough crowd. Well, crowdlet.
Now it's possible that the people who booed weren't paying attention and just did it reflexively. Or they didn't know Yow's back story. Or maybe they didn't like the fact that N.C. State was playing at home. Maybe they thought they were paying her the weirdest compliment ever: "She wouldn't want us to treat her any differently just because she's doing chemo."
Or maybe they're just really creepy people.
Now this is not a blanket indictment of all things Robert Morris. Coach Sal Buscaglia called it an honor just coach on the same floor, and that was after losing by 32. The folks who booed know who they are, and if you didn't, you have nothing to worry about -- your humanity is intact.
But this does create the question, "Just what does a person have to do not to get booed by anyone?" I mean, you'd have thought that coaching through Stage 4 cancer would do it, but apparently you'd be wrong.
And no, we're not having the political correctness lecture thrown at us this time. This one is simple human decency, because as near as we can tell, Yow's most serious breach has been to try to win every game she's ever coached. She's in the Basketball Hall of Fame, if that helps at all.
