STRAIGHT TALK
By Jeffrey Zaslow
Issue date:
January 16-18, 1998
Beau Bridges: The famous acting clan also breeds typical "soccer dads." Bridges' advice to parents on the sidelines: Back off!
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As a Little Leaguer, Beau walked seven batters, but dad-coach Lloyd kept him on the mound.
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 S THE FATHER of five athletic kids, ages 4 to 28, actor Beau Bridges has seen obnoxious sports parents. Indeed, he's been one himself, cackling at refs' bad calls and snarling at coaches. "I just signed one of my kids up for basketball, and we were given a long list of do's and don'ts -- for the adults, not the kids."Bridges, who played a star jock's dad in Jerry Maguire, hopes to do a film project on "the phenomenon of youth sports, and how it affects families. It's all related to the American desire to win." Bridges grew up in a family of Hollywood winners, including father Lloyd, star of the 1950s TV series Sea Hunt, and brother Jeff, Beau's co-star in The Fabulous Baker Boys. (This weekend, Beau stars in a Showtime movie update of the classic TV series The Defenders.) When Beau was 10, Lloyd coached his baseball team. "He had me pitch in the league championship, and I walked seven straight batters" -- but stayed on the mound. When they lost, Beau was furious at his father for not taking him out of the game. "I had faith in you," Lloyd said. It was an act of faith -- or stupidity -- that Beau still ponders. Beau, who considered a career in coaching, is eight years older than his brother, and rode him hard. "When I was teaching Jeff to pitch, he had a nightmare. We found him wandering the hallway, trying to catch a pop fly." Bridges extends the tough-love tradition to his own kids, a daughter and four sons. When one son was 6 and playing third base, an opposing player slid into third. That boy's dad yelled, "Jimmy, if that boy gets in your way again, knock him down!" Bridges then shouted at his son, "If that kid tries to run home, hit him with the ball!" Says Bridges: "Our kids stared up at us like we were complete jerks. The rest of the season, when that other dad's eyes met mine, we'd hang our heads in shame." The lesson? "The object of athletics is for kids to have fun." Parents, take note.
Photo Credit: MICHAEL GRECCO FOR USA WEEKEND
ASK BRIDGES FOR ADVICE Bridges will write or call a reader who seeks advice. By Jan. 25, write to "Straight Talk," P.O. Box 3455, Chicago, Ill. 60654 (fax: 312-661-0375; e-mail: talk@usaweekend.com).
Mow those bushy brows:
Eyebrows grow in the Bridges family "like a jungle. If you have 'em like mine, you'd better cut 'em if you want to see."
Throw da bums out! "I've coached [youth] soccer games and seen fistfights between parents, and mothers choking each other. I've had to get on top of them, pulling them apart. We need rules for parents, saying their behavior has to be conducive to a peaceful game."
Read Mom's diary: "My mom has kept a diary since she was 18, and she did a wonderful thing: She gave each of her kids a set of excerpts, covering from the day we were born to the present. She picked passages she thought were important, to give us an impression of what we were like growing up."
Zaslow is an advice columnist for the Chicago Sun-Times.
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