pooch1918
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Posts posted by pooch1918
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I'm not interested in re-reading 359 meandering, jibberish posts to get to the heart of someone's beef with Bernie...all I'm saying is this: Certain SLU fans ALWAYS ***** about Bernie and it's because they have an ignorant conception of the professional media. Speaking of that:
St. Louis is the 21st largest media market in the United States. Ahead of places like Pittsburgh, San Diego, Baltimore and Indianapolis. The Post has a daily circulation of about 300,000. Show me any standard by which that's looked at as NON major metro daily.
I'm not anti-SLU, I'm as true blue as you'll find. I'm just not drinking the kool-aid.
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Get over it. Is Bernie the most informed merchant of SLU information? No. Does Bernie understand the nuances of SLU's admission policies? No. Is Bernie right on the mark with the tone of his criticism about SLU's ineptness this year? Absolutely. You can't expect the major media to give SLU the "little-program-that-could" treatment every year. The school's aiming high with the program...and this year has been disastrous. Thank God the A-10 already accepted SLU. You can expect an undiscriminating cheering section from chat boards designed by die-hard SLU fans. Don't be childish enough to think a major metropolitan newspaper will do likewise. And, no, I'm not Bernie.
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Bernie has no axe to grind with SLU...he's calling it like it is. And stirring things up a little. It's all in his job description. He's wrong about none of what he said, BTW.
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I know...as I recall, it was an interesting year for Big Mel...started the 91-92 season with a huge game in a loss to USC (20pts 17 rbs)...than had a spat with Grawer in practice...announced plans to transfer to Mizzou...then Arizona State...then declared himself eligible for the NBA draft...a friend of mine saw him at the rec center later that spring and said asked, "Hey, Melvin, I heard you're gonna play ball in Europe?"...Melvin: "Nah, man. I'm gonna play in Spain."
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TIME FOR SLU TO GET WITH THE PROGRAM
I made the obligatory phone call to the Rev. Lawrence Biondi over at St. LouisUniversity the other day, in an attempt to discover if he plans to make a decision on the men's basketball coach sometime before, say, 1999. Anyway, I was informed that Biondi was unavailable to dispense wisdom on this day.
No surprise. I mean, this man hides better than Salman Rushdie. I was told that Biondi was traveling outside of the country. Indeed. U.S. Secretary of State James Baker doesn't have as many frequent-flyer miles as Biondi. We'll assume that coach Rich Grawer will learn his fate when Biondi's passport expires.
In the interim, I'd like to pass along more encouragement: It's time for everyone over at SLU to throw away the crutches. No more lame excuses. The Billikens can win again on the national scene. And soon. You may recall the March 21 column, in which we compared SLU to Seton Hall, which had no facilities, no future in the Big East Conference and no fun at all until coach P.J. Carlesimo t ransformed the Pirates into a power.
Carlesimo proved that if you can win at an academically solid commuter school near Newark, N.J., you can win anywhere. Including SLU. And we failed to point out how the emergence of top basketball enhanced Seton Hall. Basketball, according to Charles Dees, the vice chancellor for Seton Hall's university affairs, ''has given us national name recognition. We've been able to fill four new residence halls. We've attracted students from across the country. Before, we were largely a local institution.'' Sound familiar? Additional research has only reinforced the opinion that SLU can do the same. First, we have to destroy at least one myth: that SLU, because of unreasonably tough academic standards, can't get hoops recruits into school. Wrong. W
hen Melvin Robinson left the Billikens and expressed interest in going to the University of Missouri, the admissions people at Mizzou chuckled at his SLU transcripts. According to a Missouri source, Robinson lacked the academic credentials to transfer to Mizzou. But not only did Big Chill get into SLU, he remained eligible for two-plus years. SLU is a fine institution, but we're not talking Harvard here. SLU does have a special-admissions program. Moreover, athletic director Debbie Yow intervened - after an initial rejection - to get junior-college transfer McGlother Irvin into SLU last summer.
The Craig Upchurch fiasco isn't likely to happen again. Moving along, there are other examples in the NCAA Tournament to inspire SLU, which needs to stop wallowing in a state of self-pity. Texas El-Paso: We always hear the SLU administration doesn't support Grawer. Right. Before the NCAA placed UTEP on probation at the outset of the season, UTEP President Dr. Diana Natalicio fired two assistant coaches without telling head coach Don Haskins. ''This came as a total surprise to me,'' Haskins said in a statement at the time. ''I find myself shocked.'' So devastated, he knocked off Kansas in the NCAA Tournament. Tulane: Participated in its first-ever NCAA Tournament, upsetting St. John's last weekend before losing to Oklahoma State. T
ulane dropped basketball in 1985 after a betting scandal. The program was restored three years later. In another three years, coach Perry Clark had Tulane in the NCAA tourney. Massachusetts: UMass didn't have a single winning season in the 1980s, twice losing 24 games. But in this, coach John Calipari's fourth season, UMass won 30 games and reached the NCAA Sweet 16. One more thing: Grawer's apologists always complain about inadequate facilities. UMass plays in a home arena that seats 4,058.
Memphis State: SLU's Great Midwest Conference rival made the first trip to the NCAA round of 16 since 1985 - fully recovering from the 1986 firing of coach Dana Kirk, who went to federal prison for tax violations and obstruction of justice. Cincinnati: The Bearcats, another Great Midwest rep, have won 28 games and reached the Elite Eight. UC had seven losing seasons in 11 years before coach Bob Huggins arrived in 1989. Huggins inherited a program hurt by NCAA sanctions.
Attendance had declined to an all-time low of 3,527 per game in 1988-89. Look now: A return to the NCAA Tournament after a 15-year absence, average 10,111 home attendance. And this, despite having to compete - in the same city - with Xavier. ''Everybody talks about a five-year plan or a three-year plan,'' Huggins said. ''I don't buy it. The minute you talk about rebuilding, you cheat the seniors in your program. I don't understand that philosophy. I don't let our guys cop out, I'm not going to cop out on them.''
I believe Huggins is saying we shouldn't cling to outdated excuses. Time for SLU to throw away the crutches.
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...just re-read some Post Dispatch articles from Dec.--Feb. '91-'92...forgot how much of a train wreck that season was on SOOO many fronts...The Big Chill's decision to transfer to Mizzou--who laughed at his transcripts...Carlos Skinner, McGlother literally quitting during games...that truly was a complete "bottom out/program in shambles" season.
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...McGlother Irvin is smiling.
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Thoughts? Opinions? Comparisons?
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last quote in Sunday's story:
He said he still believes in the system and figures it's just a matter of executing better. But he hinted that there might be more to the team's problem than what fans see on the court.
"I do have some other feelings as to what's wrong," he said, "but I don't feel that's appropriate for me to say. That's locker-room talk."
Who's got the scoop on this...
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Anyone get their hands on this? Supposedly good article by Steven Richardson of "The Basketball Times" about SLU going to the A-10 and the new arena? Link? Anything? Anyone?
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Love to see that...but would anyone in their right mind transfer from Harvard to SLU? That's like....ahhh (insert clever metaphor).
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Ditto...don't have ESPN2...caught scores all night on the computer..saw the finish on ESPN...couldn't BELIEVE IT!!! What a nice win for this program!!!
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yeah...I know...good points all...but even when they are announced it seems to fly well below the radar...
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I realize they're probably not out yet...but every year it's the same thing...even in the brave new world of the internet it's impossible to find anything out about the NIT...even the website... www.nit.org is a joke...you can tell no one gives a rat's ass...
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I caught the last :11 on internet radio...were we trailing the whole way? Any details?
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Spoon took some heat for this in Larry Hughes' glorious season...his reasoning, in a quote I can almost recite verbatim "if you have three fouls to start the second half, I'd like to coach against you"
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10-4 on the piano...I knew I'd get called on the "underfunded" thing...I meant, historically, and compared to the Yankees...
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Piano? What do you mean? I'm intrigued...and let's be honest...rooting for SLU is a lot like rooting for the Sox...the little, less funded lovable guys with the heart of a lion...who always, always, always seem to make you believe...but then succumb to the Cincy's, Georgia Tech's and Arizona's of the world...not complaining...just saying.
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Two things happen EVERY YEAR in college basketball...Holy Cross wins the Patriot League and scares the ###### out of a top rated first round opponent only to lose...and SLU goes to either Cincy, Marquette or Louisville and ALMOST pulls of an improbable road upset...don't get me wrong---I'll take it over a blowout, and I love these guys...but they're so often like the Red Sox...
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Who knows? I'll take it...I'm listening on an earpiece at work and almost had a heart attack...is K State that good? Should we feel lucky? Relieved? Worried? Don't get me wrong...I'll take it...I just hope today was an inspired effort by a decent K State team...instead of a "we were lucky as hell to beat a crappy team at home" type game.
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you mean free radio feed? or TV? I'm at work...would like to listen on 'puter...please advise if possible
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...couldn't watch the whole game on ESPN2...but highlights showed SCADS of empty seats...was the whole place that empty?
Misplaced Anger: Bernie Miklasz isn't why SLU sucks
in Billikens.com Main Board
Posted
Roy...I respect what you bring to this forum. I don't have the institutional knowledge about SLU hoops you and many others on this board have. That said, I CAN recognize when die-hard fans of a down-and-out team are losing perspective of the big picture. How informed should I be? This club is 7-17. It's not rocket science. They stink, and the local media are kicking them around. It's no time to attack Bernie's weight or trouble with booze. But if that makes you feel better---go ahead.