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By CHRIS DUNCAN AP Sports Writer
Posted: 11/20/2008 04:46:26 PM MST

COLLEGE STATION, Texas—A Bunsen burner has turned into a handy motivational prop for Texas A&M coach Mike Sherman.

A few weeks ago, Sherman talked about using one of the open-flamed contraptions to illustrate that hot water boils with only a small increase in temperature, drawing the parallel with players' levels of effort.

He pulled out the burner again at another recent team meeting and heated up a marshmallow, a jelly bean and a steel ball, comparing how each object reacted to the heat with how players handle pressure.

The marshmallow melted immediately, the jelly bean withstood the heat for a few moments before burning up and the steel ball absorbed the heat and lost its impurities in the process.

"You talk about three different types of people: marshmallows, jelly beans and rocks," Sherman said Thursday. "What are you? You take a marshmallow, the heat gets turned up, adversity's in your face and the pressure's really high. Are you a marshmallow? You put the marshmallow over the Bunsen burner and it ignites almost simultaneously. Who's a marshmallow?

"If a kid doesn't have a great practice, or doesn't demonstrate the integrity of practice," Sherman said, "maybe he even finds a marshmallow in his locker."

Sherman said he tries to come up with creative ways to make points to his team to break up the monotony of the long season.

"These kids in this day and age—and not just in college, but in the NFL—each week, you have to give them new motivation, new reasons to win," Sherman said. "Sometimes, they lose sight of, 'Why are we doing this? Why do we really have to win this ballgame? You try to connect them with little hooks."

Senior quarterback Stephen McGee said the players get the messages—along with a few good laughs.

"He's always doing something like that," said McGee. "He's been around football players for so long, he has a great way to relate to young guys."

The Aggies (4-7, 2-5 Big 12) wrap up their regular season against fourth-ranked Texas (10-1, 6-1) in Austin on Thanksgiving Day.

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http://www.elpasotimes.com/ci_11034577

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"He's always doing something like that," said McGee. "He's been around football players for so long, he has a great way to relate to young guys.

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How about winning some games?

So how many of the defensive starters raised their hand when he asked the marshmallow question?
My high school coach brought in a cat as a prop one time..."there's only 2 kinds of people that play on a football team - those who ARE p**** and those who LIKE p****..." (Offensive language? bah)

[This message has been edited by aggiebeav (edited 11/20/2008 6:28p).]

what is he doing?
these kids didnt come to learn science, they came to learn football!

/

wow.

College kids are very impressionable and I think Sherm definatly knows what he is doing. If McGee whom you all love so dearly seems to find it working then i believe it is working.

wooooohoooo

...

Wow! What a fiery speech! Gets me going. I'm ready to hit somebody.

rebel, remember that mcgee also thought franchione was working just fine as well.

well, (I DO NOT SUPPORT FRAN) I guess from a QB's stance 9-3 seems to be well to me.

I was speaking about last year in mcgee became quite animated about supporting franchione as it became more and more apparent that franchione was going to be fired.

why doesnt he just tell them that they are playing like puss***, he is coaching like sheet, and if they dont get their as in gear they will all be gone. ...... or maybe he should give them all a chain link again that seemed to really work when mgee did it. good god these people are adults not in kids inc

Now if he had held his hand over the bunsen burner while giving the speech.....

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"Sometimes I like to get a marshmallow flaming hot on my bunsen burner, then cram it in the face of a player who screwed up the prior Saturday. I think it helps me to relate to these kids and sends a message."

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[This message has been edited by SeaAg96 (edited 11/20/2008 10:27p).]

Isnt it obvious? Sherman just wants a reason to eat more marshmallows and jellybeans.

I don't understand how this would motivate a player. Some players step up when facing adversity and some back down. Illustrating that with a goofy hands-on analogy seems like a waste of time.

hot water is not a bad analogy

next up: Newton's Laws.

I'm sure when he gets down on the players' levels intellectually, it will help them get their butts into forward motion at a higher rate.

don't think he should keep using the same thing over...

He can fill a balloon with hydrogen and hold it over the burner to demonstrate this season


[This message has been edited by SeaAg96 (edited 11/21/2008 2:45a).]

hahahaha seaag

isn't it obvious? it's the middle of the week in el paso... they were desperate for a story. hey quick, lets write about every other dumb thing coaches do in the locker room to inspire their kids.

you guys look way too much in this to, either pumping sherm, or bashing him. its a story from a guy who doesn't want to get yelled at because his spot wasn't filled in time for release...

by the way, i thought it was pretty interesting and i liked it.

[This message has been edited by Padre_Island_Ag (edited 11/20/2008 11:51p).]

I think it would help if he held the flame under their behinds!

While I'm not sure this would motivate them to the extent they need to be motivated I think its a step in the right direction.

We need to light a fire on these boys asses and get them going like crazy banshees.

on second thought, i think he should break out the Blue Bell speech. that was a great one.

It beats friendship bracelets.

Fran did the EXACT same thing to motivate his players. People used to make fun of his Little Debbies, but careful observers would have noticed that they were often scorched (kind of like Torbush's defenses).

What they didn't say in the article was that in the press conferences yesterday, McGee gave the bunson burner as an example of how Sherman relates to players. In McGees example, he said Sherman asked them what kind of balls they had, marshmellows, jelly beans, or balls of steel. Everyone was cracking up. All of this prompted the reporters to ask Sherman about it. Sherman's explanation was that he asked the players what kind of person they were, and how they dealt with adversity.

I thought it was funny how McGee just blurted out the "balls of steel" comment, and Sherman cleaned it up and made it more politically correct for the media.

Oh yeah, McGee didn't say "bullcrap", but he did say "crap" a couple of times.







"I just love it when someone namedrops Fran on Texags, and after just a few replies, Fran is completely out of the conversation, b/c it has turned into an argument over burritos."

Texas A&M Football

Reminds me of Mr. Wizard from Nickalodeon (SP?) years ago!!!

..."What is losing?"

Losing is a disease...

...as contagious as polio.

Losing is a disease...

...as contagious as syphilis.

Losing is a disease...

...as contagious as bubonic plague...

... attacking one...

... but infecting all.

But curable.

Now, I want you to imagine...

...you are on a ship at sea...

...on a vast...

...gently rocking.

Gently rocking.

Gently rocking.

Gently rocking.

He could use it to set fire to the gameplan.