Ultimate Temper Tantrum

If you have not yet seen the 3-minute temper tantrum of Asheville Tourists manager Joe Mikulik in arguing the umpire's call, you can watch it at the Major League Baseball website.
Admittedly it is less-than-commendable that this temper tantrum has been replayed on every sports show in the last 48 hours (and I'm not suggesting that blogging about the incident is somehow commendable either!).

It was truly the Ultimate Tamper Tantrum - the "best" of Billy Martin & Lou Pinella plus some unique Mikulik additions all at once. Yet what message does this send to children who's parents tell them not to throw a temper tantrum? to young people who can't get what they want, whether because of "mean parents" or "old-fashioned teachers" or ....? It is any wonder that any "authority" is a joke for most adults when we cheer and laugh for behavior like this? And that anyone who calls her/himself a leader is perceived as a hypocrite or soon-to-be-hypocrite?

Please don't take this as some moral condemnation of Mikulik. I've watched the replays at least three times and laughed each time. And I've had my share of frustrations at referees and expressed that in various forms. But I'm smart enough (I think!) to realize that this is not an "acceptable human reaction" to life not going your way.

A leader needs to...
1) be able to express frustration in an appropriate time and place,
2) stand up for the team if s/he feels they are being treated injustly,
3) Do so in a way where the team is improved and grows - not in such a way that the leader becomes "the show."

Thanks Joe Mikulik for reminding me (us?) of this!