Pioneer Marcum Waives Problem Child
Adam J Locascio
Tuesday April 4, 2006
For anyone who hasn’t been on a message board should know this. The posts are usually self-indulgent and are basically just there to make a fan feel a little better about their team’s chances in the coming week. I don’t even have to look at a message board to know that George Mason fans were all calling for an upset over Florida.
This past week, the Tampa Bay Storm waived WR/LB Bobby Sippio, possibly the biggest free agent acquisition the team has had in the past five years. Despite the fact that Sippio had notched 18 touchdowns in nine games, he was still placed on waivers and subsequently picked up by Chicago.
It was a shocking move and the fans were up in arms.
One fan posted, "this really pisses me off!!!!!!!!!!!! [sic] that the hell did he do that was bad, this is a bunch of bs and i hope that its one of those things where they [sic] realease him and sign him back the next morning!!!!!!"
Another posted, "Now You know why I hate Tim marcum he gets rid of his great players just
like the owner of the Florida Marlins."
No one knows for sure what happened to cause Coach Marcum to release Sippio. Even on his weekly radio show, Marcum said the move was made, "for the benefit of the team." Even when pressed, Marcum did not provide details, but it was apparent that there was more to the story than meets the eye. Some reports alluded to the fact that Sippio was openly criticizing the play calling during the Storm’s loss to the Georgia Force in the previous week.
Even at this weekend’s game, fans were asking, "Where’s Sippio?" At the autograph session that was held on the field at the St. Pete Times Forum, two twenty-something fans snuck up behind Marcum while he was signing autographs and sarcastically carried on a rehearsed conversation that started and ended with, "We love Sippio!"
We don’t know what happened, and if anyone knows Coach Marcum, no one outside of the locker room will either. The point is, something happened or has been happening and he’s gone.
So… why the shock? Have we as fans become so accustomed to the TOs’, the Barry Bonds’, and the Spreewells’ that boorish behavior is now the norm?
"People have to have common sense. I mean, we’re all trying to do this thing together," said Marcum. "I may challenge someone in the newspaper, like Bill Gramatica to start kicking his a-- off, coaches do that all the time to motivate the team."
It’s gotten to the point where the unruly behavior of athletes is now somewhat accepted by fans. A coach who won’t deal with it is shocking and in some cases, unheard of. Talk about a reversal of roles.
So a coach who does not placate to the egos of these athletes is now somewhat incompetent? Think about your job. If you walked around screaming and complaining out loud about being underpaid or whatever, your boss would can you pretty quick.
"When you’re the number one offense in the league and we have to change our plays…there’s something wrong with that statement. I feel like this was the best decision for the team. It’s about this team concept."
Regardless of what Sippio did, Marcum did the right thing – he recognized that whatever was happening, it was hurting his team and he fixed the problem. Marcum shouldn’t be chastised for his behavior. If anything, he should be canonized because standing up to a player in this sick day and age is a rarity.
The real shock is that a coach didn’t put up with a problem-child for a week, a month, or a season.
"I don’t like [players like Terrell Owens]," said Marcum. "That’s putting yourself above the team. The name of the game is getting all those guys pulling the rope in the same direction."
Adam J. Locascio is a financial advisor in the Tampa Bay area and a Board Member of the Tampa Bay Storm Surge Fan Club. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Phoenix and is a six-year season ticket holder for the Tampa Bay Storm.
