A clandestine undertaking on behalf of Israel, the Jets and the Jews.

 
Bill Parcells, Al Groh and The Guy in the Glass

In exactly four weeks, it wil be 10 years since Bill Parcells resigned as Jets head coach. In explaining his resignation to his players, Parcells read The Guy in the Glass, a poem written in 1934 by Dale Wimbrow about integrity and self-awareness. Since then, I've thought about the message in The Guy in the Glass when advising others and (admittedly to a lesser extent) in my own decisions.

Following Bill Belichick's resignation the next day, Parcells was succeeded by Al Groh. Groh himself then quit right after the season to take the head coaching job at University of Virginia, where he coached for nine seasons before being let go last week.

After his final game last Saturday night, Groh read The Guy in the Glass to his players, and then added: "When I visited the guy in the glass, I saw that he's a guy of commitment, of integrity, of dependability and accountability. He's loyal. His spirit is indomitable. And he is caring and loving."

Groh wasn't any of those things when he quit the Jets, though he probably can't be blamed for taking a more secure long-term position.

But I can't help but think that in extolling his own virtues, Groh missed the point in The Guy in the Glass.


The Guy in the Glass
by Dale Wimbrow, (c) 1934

When you get what you want in your struggle for pelf,
And the world makes you King for a day,
Then go to the mirror and look at yourself,
And see what that guy has to say.

For it isn't your Father, or Mother, or Wife,
Who judgement upon you must pass.
The feller whose verdict counts most in your life
Is the guy staring back from the glass.

He's the feller to please, never mind all the rest,
For he's with you clear up to the end,
And you've passed your most dangerous, difficult test
If the guy in the glass is your friend.

You may be like Jack Horner and "chisel" a plum,
And think you're a wonderful guy,
But the man in the glass says you're only a bum
If you can't look him straight in the eye.

You can fool the whole world down the pathway of years,
And get pats on the back as you pass,
But your final reward will be heartaches and tears
If you've cheated the guy in the glass.
posted on 12/06/2009