Captain Mac has U.S. team going in the right direction

Victoria Sun

Tuesday, April 11, 2000 | 11:01 a.m.

From John McEnroe's point of view, the linesmen were at it again.

Crouching, squinting and making bad calls.

So he did what he does best -- he sauntered over to the chair umpire more than once over the weekend to protest the questionable calls.

Except this time, he wasn't arguing for himself.

As the first-year captain of the U.S. Davis Cup team, McEnroe was speaking up for his dream team of players headed by Las Vegan Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras.

"I'm not used to being in this position," McEnroe said on Sunday after his team rallied for a 3-2 victory over the Czech Republic. "I believe in Davis Cup, but to sit there and not be running around, I'm not used to that.

"So there's no question that I've got a lot of work to do. It's not the easiest thing to know exactly what to do, and the key is to try to get these great players relaxed and able to play up to their great ability."

Knowing when to coax and encourage his players and when to shut up and let them play is something the rookie captain still hasn't mastered, but he's working on it.

After two emotionally draining Davis Cup ties where the U.S. has had to claw its way back for a victory on the final day, McEnroe has quickly learned that coaching isn't as easy as it looks.

Especially in a sport where no on-court coaching is normally allowed. During Davis Cup, the captain of each team is allowed to sit on the court and talk with the players during the change-overs.

"Let's just say it's not the healthiest of occupations," McEnroe said while sitting next to Sampras after Sampras beat Slava Dosedel, 6-4, 6-4, 7-6 to clinch the victory.

Sampras quickly interjected, "What are you complaining about? I mean, it's a couple weeks of the year."

"That's what I've been telling him," McEnroe shot back.

Although Sampras has played Davis Cup six other times, he has never been openly ready or willing to play in the event, which is spread out over the year, because he felt that time was needed to focus on keeping his No. 1 ranking.

One of McEnroe's first duties after being named captain was to convince Sampras to play.

"It gives me a perspective of how tough it is to be these coaches," McEnroe said after he was done exchanging friendly verbal jibes with Sampras. "It tells you how great a coach (Los Angeles Lakers head coach) Phil Jackson is, he maintains a Zen vibe that's amazing.

"These other guys, you live with it. These guys live with it, like 24 hours a day, I don't know how they do it. For this week, it feels like more than a week. (It's) like God, I need a break."

McEnroe's experience as a former player and his enthusiasm are exactly what Agassi appreciates about the former No. 1-ranked player.

Captain Mac isn't afraid to tear into his players when they don't perform up to par, but is also the first to defend and applaud their efforts.

After the American doubles team of Alex O'Brien and Jared Palmer lost on Saturday causing the U.S. to fall behind 2-1, McEnroe blasted the squad for its lack of heart and said the players acted like "a bunch of spoiled kids" -- his children, to be exact.

"You know, you have to know know John is going to speak his mind," Agassi said after his 6-3, 6-3, 6-1 victory over Jiri Novak tied things up at 2-2. "Just because he speaks his mind doesn't mean he's being critical."

And the head scratching, jack-in-the-box imitation McEnroe does while confined to the director's chair on the side of the court?

"I don't think he struggles to sit still," Agassi offered. "I think he chooses not to.

"I mean, you know, God bless him for it. I like the energy. You know, you need to have it out there."