gruehls Posted January 16, 2004 Share Posted January 16, 2004 ...or restart it as the case may be, the storm over Marquette's extra home game has not yet abated. From today's Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Marquette ready for unique outing Green Bay game has inspired backlash By TODD ROSIAK [email protected] Posted: Jan. 15, 2004 They will be playing just 1 1/2 hours north of their campus and have close to 10,000 of their fans cheering them on, but the Marquette Golden Eagles have scurried into the bunker over the backlash surrounding their matchup with Southern Mississippi tonight in Green Bay. "Do we have an 'Us against the world' mentality? Well, I would hope so," coach Tom Crean said Thursday morning, barely removed from his team's 85-73 loss to Cincinnati the night before. "I would hope we would, with all that's been said and written and spoken. We're going to have to go in there and respond to that. But more importantly, we're going to have to respond to a very good team, which I think Southern Miss is." The game, originally scheduled to be played Saturday afternoon in Hattiesburg, Miss., was moved to the Resch Center at the request of Southern Mississippi in September. Billing it as a chance for fans to see the alma mater of Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre, the school's athletic department in reality gave up one of its eight league home games in exchange for a guarantee from a promoter reported to be in the $100,000 range. For a cash-strapped program like Southern Mississippi's, the deal made financial sense. But it also gave Marquette what amounts to an extra home game and saved the team the hassle of having to make the trip to Hattiesburg. Located roughly 100 miles from any major city, teams have to fly into either Jackson, Miss., Mobile, Ala. or New Orleans and then bus in. And winning at Reed Green Coliseum, the 8,095-seat home of Southern Mississippi, has never been easy. Southern Mississippi is 80-34 (.701) at home since joining Conference USA and is 6-0 this season, including an upset of Memphis last weekend. "Our mission was revenue," said coach James Green, whose team is 0-6 on the road this year. "If I am to be part of the responsibility for revenue, then you've got to go with that." Most Conference USA coaches were incensed by the move. Saint Louis coach Brad Soderberg, who was quoted as saying he'd do whatever it took to make sure the game was moved back to Hattiesburg, went so far as to call an impromptu meeting with Commissioner Britton Banowsky during the league's media day in Chicago in late October to express his displeasure. Nevertheless, the arrangement stood. To prevent a similar situation from occurring again, Conference USA passed a regulation last month forbidding the movement of league games in the future. Still, Crean and his entire Marquette program continue to feel the heat. "It's a unique situation," Crean said. "Do I see everybody else's point? Yes, no question about it. But it wasn't our point to make. Southern Miss approached us about doing it. We'll never know if everybody else would have done the same thing." Had the game remained in Hattiesburg and been played on Saturday as the original schedule called for, 21st-ranked Marquette (11-3, 2-1 Conference USA) would have flown out Friday afternoon and returned to Milwaukee on Saturday evening. The team also would have had an extra day to recover from a physical game against Cincinnati and to prepare for Southern Mississippi. Instead, the Golden Eagles bused to Green Bay on Thursday afternoon. Having never played in the 10,500-seat Resch Center, they practiced in it once they arrived and will then have their normal pregame shootaround today. Valuable preparation time won't be able to be made up. Southern Mississippi, fresh off a tough loss at Saint Louis on Tuesday, also arrived in Green Bay Thursday. "It is a road game because we've never played there," Crean said. "That's why we're going to maximize our time and do a lot of shooting and a lot of walking through. They've been taking people out of what they do, so we've got to get ready in a hurry." From the Jan. 16, 2004 editions of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel http://www.jsonline.com/sports/marq/jan04/200300.asp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slu72 Posted January 16, 2004 Share Posted January 16, 2004 Ooooh no, not you, Porridge Boy. You don't care because you're thinking Hugs Thugs will go undefeated, so big deal. Let 'em eat cake...or in this case... let 'em eat Bratwurst. Where's my skyline? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gruehls Posted January 16, 2004 Author Share Posted January 16, 2004 hello slu72. shoot me your address again and i'll send some down you're way. and i won't even mention that you never sent me that sauce i was supposed to get in exchange for the montgomery inn stuff. i find it odd that there's a debate on whether or not this MU/USM deal was right or wrong. from a cincy perspective, no coach was more loyal to CUSA than Huggins. no coach or AD was better positioned during the entire life of CUSA to cut independent deals that would benefit their own program and no other. they never did it, and no other coach or program should have been allowed to either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slu72 Posted January 16, 2004 Share Posted January 16, 2004 Yeah, I agree. You don't think Crean went back to his office that day and started pinching himself...no travel to the backwaters of Mississippi coming on the heels of UC. Oh God, thank you, I will never sin again...never. ND might have touchdown Jesus, but MU's got the SCHEDULING GOD! What I can't understand is SMiss depriving their fans a chance to see them knock off a final four squad. You can't tell me MU wouldn't have been good for an extra thousand or two in ticket sales. Hell their catholic and Yankee. That alone would of brought out the rebs en masse. Ok, what's the deal on this Montgomery Inn stuff. You must of sent it to Broy I sure didn't get any. I'll get you some more of Maurice's, you did get a bottle right, in exchange. You show me yours I'll show you mine. Message me and I'll send you my address, Porridge Boy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billiken_roy Posted January 16, 2004 Share Posted January 16, 2004 dont bring me in on your food deals! gruehls did steve send you your shirt? wear it proudly at all the bearcat games. :-) i am working hard at converting naticat to the world of billikens. he has been a number of spectacular billiken games already since his move to st louis. surely it wont be long before he is hooked on the rollercoaster ride of the billikens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slu72 Posted January 16, 2004 Share Posted January 16, 2004 Roy, did you get my sauce? I know you've eaten at Montgomery's and it ain't bad. By the way are there any Ram's players we could host an away game for at Savvis? Preferably, a UC grad, we'd like to see honored with such an event. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iggy Posted January 16, 2004 Share Posted January 16, 2004 We could honor Isaac Bruce and get that Memphis game moved to the Family Arena. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slu72 Posted January 16, 2004 Share Posted January 16, 2004 Perfect! Uh oh too late Iggy, they have a by law prohibiting these games. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bonwich Posted January 16, 2004 Share Posted January 16, 2004 If so, I have a nomination: The crEaN-ron Scandal: Home-and-away = Home and Green Bay Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billiken_roy Posted January 16, 2004 Share Posted January 16, 2004 you never sent me any sauce. but please feel free! i love the montgomery inn. a trip to cincy would be incomplete without the visit. great atmosphere as well. and while the downtown location has the awesome river view, i think the one in the burbs is actually a better restaurant. but both are excellent. that said, i will take memphis barbq anyday over anywhere in the world. btw, when playing at world softball tourney in cincy about 10 years ago, myself and few teamates decided we needed to sample the reknown skyline chilli. huge disappointment. i wouldnt feed it to dogs. you can buy better in a can at most grocers. i would rather eat wendy's chilli than skyline and that aint saying much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billiken_roy Posted January 16, 2004 Share Posted January 16, 2004 that is the game i was thinking of as well. memphis for honoring isaac. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schasz Posted January 16, 2004 Share Posted January 16, 2004 Is a National Team!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gruehls Posted January 16, 2004 Author Share Posted January 16, 2004 ...howdy Roy. In answer to your question about the shirt, I did get it (big thnx to Steve) and MAN HAVE I BEEN STYLIN! Of course, I can only wear it in the basement with the lights out, lest my Bearcat credentials come under attack. I promise to wear it to an SLU game in the tourney, assuming the 'Cats aren't forced to dispense with you fellas in the very same game. SLU72, I never got the Maurice's, but I got the other stuff you sent. Check the message and we'll ship you some cans of Skyline, pronto. How many Billikannots will be headin this way for the tourney? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billiken_roy Posted January 16, 2004 Share Posted January 16, 2004 sadly, i am missing this year as my lovely wife and naticat's fiancee have us booked on a cruise that week. when will women get it. i trust you and tom will of course keep the natives under control for us though. i do believe taj will be there this year. please buy him a beer as his wife controls the purse and will probably not give him enough spending money to hardly exist that week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gruehls Posted January 16, 2004 Author Share Posted January 16, 2004 well, that's darned unfortunate. i was sorta hoping i'd get to meet you this year. i already owe taj a couple cold ones, so he's covered there. i know where to get some pretty decent scotch too, if he has a taste for that sort of thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gruehls Posted January 16, 2004 Author Share Posted January 16, 2004 Not bad bonwich. How about "Green Bay: Marquette's Favre-ite place to watch Mississippi Burning?" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slu72 Posted January 16, 2004 Share Posted January 16, 2004 Scotch...did someone say Scotch? Free Scotch at Gruehls if you go to the tourney at the shoe? Well, now there's an incentive. Not the trip to Gruehl's but the scotch. I was sure I sent you some Maurice's but will make a trip to Rebel Holler and pick you up some good old Carolina bbq sauce. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scrivener Posted January 16, 2004 Share Posted January 16, 2004 MU Geography Majors Say: Marquette is Located In The (Big)EAST and You Gotta Head NORTH To Get To Southern Mississippi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slu72 Posted January 16, 2004 Share Posted January 16, 2004 Or THE SOUTH WILL RISE AGAIN, MISSISSIPPI'S TURN TO BURN Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluecrewwebmaster Posted January 16, 2004 Share Posted January 16, 2004 CUSA tourney at Riverfront Coliseum (whatever its called now) man too bad i am gonna be missin that...spring break service trip. Used to be a HUGE Cats fan but to tell ya the truth, i hope the bills roll on - although i am still angered that Kenyon Martin broke his leg against us in 2000...Cats coulda gone all teh way that year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scrivener Posted January 16, 2004 Share Posted January 16, 2004 MU to USM: First We Steal Your Mascot, Then We Take Your Home Games Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billiken_roy Posted January 16, 2004 Share Posted January 16, 2004 scriv, both of those are damn good! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.