Gotta love parents

They shower their kids with an overabundance of love, shower them with too much praise and are always there to stick up for them.

However parents are the bane of every coach.

Just ask Colorado coach Dan Hawkins.

He recently received an unsigned letter asking why the kids can't have more vacation time before they begin camp in the summer. During a recent press conference, he went nuts.

He screamed, "This is Division I football. This is the Big XII. It's not intramurals."

And I wholeheartedly agree. If you can't get up to play in Boulder and go up against Nebraska, Oklahoma and Texas, then you don't belong on the field. Apparently, that hasn't gotten through to the kids, who slugged through a disastrous 2-10 season last year.

And it's not Hawkins' fault. This is a guy that has won four WAC titles while coaching in Boise State. If he can win in the coaching abyss that is known more for its "Smurf Turf" than for its play, there is no reason he shouldn't win in CU.

Hawkins knows the pressure is on. Last December, he inked a five-year $900,000 deal with incentives to pay him more than $1.5 million. The wins are expected to come now, as a way of forgetting how Gary Barnett brothelized Boulder recruits.

Last year was the first time in Hawkins' six-year coaching career that saw a sub-.500 team. And that includes the embarrassing 19-10 loss to Division I-AA Montana State at home to open the season.

I appplaud Hawkins for mouthing off. It's high time that parents learn to keep their mouths shut and let the coaches coach. It's a different story when a parent gives a little league coach the business, but it's truly unacceptable to do it to a proven leader. And how gutless not to sign your name, to ensure that your son doesn't lose any precious playing time.

Without parents, sports would be a much better place.