Frank Giardina

February 19, 2008

Frank Giardina has seen a lot of turn-arounds in his career as an athlete and sports commentator.

"In sports as in life," he told Putnam Rotarians today, "things are not always what they seem.

"In the 20's and 30's, the Brooklyn Dodgers were on the bottom in baseball.

"But in 1947 they signed Jackie Robinson -- and changed the face of race relations and civil rights in this country."

Robinson was a member of six World Series teams, and in 1962 he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

The Pittsburgh Pirates had a terrible record, and were criticized for drafting the Latino player Roberto Clemente in 1954.

Clemente played for the Pirates for eighteen seasons and was selected to participate in the National League's All-Star game on twelve occasions.

"The important things are often not what is seen on the firld, but what is unseen," says Giardina.

He cited the coaching controversy in West Virginia football. The team lost its critical game with Pittsburgh, and then lost its head coach.

But the circumstances brought about a bonding of the team and a determination. And the result was the Fiesta Bowl victory over highly favored Oklahoma.

Frank Giardina combines his freelance writing with ministry and counseling, and coaches are often among his clients. "Don't turn down opportunities," he advises. "Things don't happen by chance. Short term losses don't mean failure."

Giardina is host of the nationally syndicated radio show Sports Spectrum Radio.