slu72 Posted March 20, 2012 Share Posted March 20, 2012 I blame all of the shortfalls of the late 90s on Spoon. He won nicely with Grawer's recruits, supplemented by his own in H, Dobbs, Turner and Robinson. He threw his entire coaching stock portfolio behind the signing of Hughes and saw his ship sink with Hughes' one-and-done. He seemed to lose interest after that. He got a nice keeper in Love, but the loss of Hughes made expectations of Baniak, Tatum and Heinrich somewhat impossible to achieve. We languished under Romar (who got lucky in Memphis) and Soderberg. Majerus was the needed bombshell. The sustained line of the past few recruiting years bodes well. It projects well. But it seems dependent on one man. We need to lock that up as well. Right now, you come to SLU for one reason, to play for Rick Majerus. There is nothing else right now. If you can't take him and his peculiarities, you leave (Smith, Relaphorde, Jordan, etc.). If you can, you hang around an dit does wonders for you (Conklin, Lisch, Cassity, Mitchell, etc.). This is only a start. A baby step. I'm not really sure you can blame it on Spoon. The rumors on this board were that Spoon was getting nickled and dimed to death after Yow left. Others more in the know can comment on that. I think it was the admin more than anything. Spoon built a great following and the Bills had about the 7th highest attendance rating in college hoops. The mystery is why didn't the admin support the program in a way that would keep that momentum rolling? Spoon pulled in fans off the street who had nothing to do w/ SLU. But they liked spoonball and they came. Then they stopped. Romar didn't bring 'em back. UB didn't bring 'em back. And quite honestly, RM hasn't brought 'em back... yet. Hopefully, the success we had this season will carry over and a Bills seat becomes one of St. Louis' rare sports gems. The Arena commitment is what really turned the tables. Finally, the BB light went on in the Admin's head, as in, "Hey, look's what's happening at Marquette, Zaga, X, Butler et al. More apps, better students, better geographics, more $ for their AD's, more exposure on a national stage, etc. We didn't get any of those benefits when we put in all those statues." Luckily, it didn't stop with brick and mortar. We brought in RM, and, finally, in year 5 we're suddenly knocking on Heaven's door. We're not in yet, but at least we're in the right neighborhood. Agreed, Taj Mahal 79, RM's the draw right now. But given his health history, it's imperative that someone on his staff could continue to carry this forward, ala X and the Zags. We don't want to branded as the school where Rick Majerus coaches, we want our brand to be known simply as Saint Louis University. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eastsidejoe Posted March 20, 2012 Author Share Posted March 20, 2012 Eastsidejoe, I am a senior pre-med math major at SLU and am excitedly planning to attend SLUSOM next year. I have been reading the forum from time to time over the past four years but today you inspired me to join. I have another (self-centered) story for you about some of us young Bills watching the game and some thoughts for hyping up the program. I have been excited about this season for a very long time. I knew it was going to be something special. A friend's parents invited 6 of us seniors to vacation in Cabo San Lucas with them over Spring Break. As the season has progressed I knew the Bills would be playing in the tournament over Spring Break and was just hopeful that I would be able to watch the SLU games. When our seed came out for the tournament on Selection Sunday we made sure to look up the TV schedule and contact the resort to see if they had the ability to put it on any of their TVs. They asked what time and told us it that the beach side bar's TVs would be programmed to tune in automatically for it on Friday afternoon for the Memphis game. We showed up for the game wearing our Billiken Blue and as the game progressed we made friends with many of the older people enjoying appetizers and watching the game along with us. We started to do cheers and sing When the Saints go Marching in. We were scared that the waitstaff and other customers would find it rude so we sang and chanted quietly almost under our breadth. We started to gain a lot of attention and even older couples started to join in with some of our chants presumably because they we happy to see our excitement and the game swinging back our way in the second half. It was an amazing experience and many other students stopped by and checked in to see what was going on. We continued singing When the Saints go Marching in and letting everyone see our excitement for hours after the game. I can say hands down that this was the most exciting time for me as a Billiken and I am excited for the chance to retain that title for another four more years on the South Grand campus. Here is a picture of the 6 of us post game sporting blue. http://oi40.tinypic.com/vnzac2.jpg 3 of us have confirmed attendance to SLU med next year, another is waitlisted, another is looking to possibly go to SLU for grad school in Chemistry and the last is exploring his options and taking a year off before applying to med schools. My first idea is for a way to get people to join the message board. I think it would be a great idea to get students involved if someone could contact the slunewslink service and have students tell their stories of where they were supporting the Billikens. I don't know if it would be possible to make a contest or voting scenario out of it but get the message out to young Bills like me to share their stories and let alumni show their support and appreciation to supporting the BIlls across the nation whether it was on the beachs, ski resorts, or at home with other friends on break. This past weekend we all watched the "I AM A BILLIKEN" commercials during the telecasts. After a game I typically go onto ESPN's conversation/forum page for the game and almost every time I see an opposing fan using an expletive comment asking what is a Billiken anyways. One of my favorite things to do which has been inspired by those commercials is to reply "I AM A BILLIKEN". I don't always get the chance to do it but I feel like it is a great way to reply to those posters and show my support. I have always thought it would be great if after everyone of those posts on various social media sites if many people did the same or shared some history about SLU and the billiken, just flood the question with polite responses without resorting to any sort of deprecating cursing in return. Every time my parents visit my mom loves the signs on campus that give out little facts about SLU. I don't know if everyone has seen them or not but they say things like "First College West of the Mississippi" or "11 national championships in D1 soccer". I don't know if anyone has the poll to get the SLU stores to change their graphic designs for T-shirts but I think these facts would be great on the back of clothes to show support and show people that SLU has been and is a contender in D1 sports not just on the rise because we have a hall of fame coach. As a former HS football player I have a few other ideas for T-shirts one modeled on the Bradley University Football T-Shirt that reads "Still Undefeated" or the story of how SLU is the only team to win an official medal in football (by default). Read this article if you do not know where my quirky historic interpretation comes from (the paragraph just above the picture of the gate at Francis Field) http://www.mmbolding...ic_Football.htm . I think quirky clever T-shirts supporting Billiken facts would be a great addition to helping promote the program as a successful D1 program in various sports some of my ideas are: claiming to be the home of Brian McBride, eleven D1 Championships, Rick Majerus (The media seems very fond of the SLUperman poster), the only Olympic Championship team in football, SLU football "Undefeated since 1950", claiming the first forward pass or anything quirky someone else comes up with about the basketball team sadly I haven't read too much into historical stories and don't think my generation would understand how big the NIT tournament was when we won the 1948 title. I once opened a presentation on concussions by talking about how SLU helped make the sport of football safer (by integrating the forward pass) after a plea by Teddy Roosevelt, my classmates loved the idea and my Jesuit professor was very impressed. Sadly my opening in that presentation only worked because the knowledge and relevance of this fact has been lost on the students. I believe T-shirts would be a great way to promote the relevance our programs have had in the athletic communities. I have just one more stat to share. we can all be proud of the Bills this year as on they won on the biggest stage in basketball upsetting Obama's and more than 71% of the nation's tournament brackets. Signed, A Billiken Awesome story. Thanks for joining the Board. I also have some great marketing ideas for next year. If we want to fill the Fetz, we have to expand Billiken Nation and that involves area High Schools. We give away about 100 tickets a game to different High Schools each game, expand the base, develope new Billiken Fans. Then truly it can be said that nobody wants to play at the Fetz!! PS. My story about the Alabama crew is only one of several during the awesome weekend. If I could catch up with the 8 students that drove in from Alabama, I would buy them a drink at the Fieldhouse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimbofive Posted March 20, 2012 Share Posted March 20, 2012 If we want to fill the Fetz, we have to expand Billiken Nation and that involves area High Schools. We give away about 100 tickets a game to different High Schools each game, expand the base, develope new Billiken Fans. that's actually a great idea. kids that are nominated by their teachers as being super badass in the classroom (being a jock on the basketball team wouldn't hurt either), can get a ticket to a bills game, and a free sodie pop to boot! i don't know the legalities of this, RM would just have the NC-double-eyyyyyyy people take care of it. could definitely inspire fanship and possibly even enrollment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MapleLeaf45 Posted March 20, 2012 Share Posted March 20, 2012 thanks for letting me know that people aren't very sincere I was a little miffed. I took no offense to the cabo san lucas post just that that was all that was commented on Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Box and Won Posted March 20, 2012 Share Posted March 20, 2012 MapleLeaf - thanks for sharing your story! I love the enthusiasm. Best of luck to you and your friends in med school (I guess you'll be disappearing for a few years). As for the "undefeated" football shirt, I actually used to have one when I was in school - someone made up a bunch and was selling them out of the trunk of his car. This was back in the 90s, long before the advent of CafePress or Zazzle, of course. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RUBillsFan Posted March 20, 2012 Share Posted March 20, 2012 It may have something to do with our stylization of Saint rather than St. .... Doing someone's taxes this year I noticed that on the W-2s issued by SLU it is written as St. Louis University. I prefer Saint Louis U. But I would say that if they are putting St. Louis U on documents, that about kills the argument that the Post Dispatch or whoever should be using Saint Louis U. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moytoy12 Posted March 20, 2012 Share Posted March 20, 2012 MapleLeaf - thanks for sharing your story! I love the enthusiasm. Best of luck to you and your friends in med school (I guess you'll be disappearing for a few years). As for the "undefeated" football shirt, I actually used to have one when I was in school - someone made up a bunch and was selling them out of the trunk of his car. This was back in the 90s, long before the advent of CafePress or Zazzle, of course. Sure, you were buying t-shirts out of the trunk of his car. Yep, t-shirts. Also, good stuff, mapleleaf. p.s. I know that isn't the only pic of those two girls. They were on Spring Break. In Cabo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbizzle09 Posted March 20, 2012 Share Posted March 20, 2012 Awesome story. Thanks for joining the Board. I also have some great marketing ideas for next year. If we want to fill the Fetz, we have to expand Billiken Nation and that involves area High Schools. We give away about 100 tickets a game to different High Schools each game, expand the base, develope new Billiken Fans. Then truly it can be said that nobody wants to play at the Fetz!! PS. My story about the Alabama crew is only one of several during the awesome weekend. If I could catch up with the 8 students that drove in from Alabama, I would buy them a drink at the Fieldhouse. Just wanted to reiterate what you said about those students that drove in. The amount of energy that they brought with them was amazing, especially considering the 14 hour long drive they had just endured. Me and the wife got to spend a little bit of time with them at the tent before the game and huing out with them right before the halftime of the game as they were trying to get into the lower level. I, for one, am glad they were able to get down there and add some energy during the 2nd half. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taj79 Posted March 20, 2012 Share Posted March 20, 2012 05 was right on ----- a joke on my part. Just thought there was a Spanish flair connecting the words. Maybe I should have asked why you guys didn't drive from Alabama like some others did. I mean, there WAS a land route available ..... I understand that it is hard to convey emotion in a two-dimensional image of black letters on white space. Please accept my apologies. I read your story, linked to the picture, and all that jazz. Good stuff. To add to your t-shirt collection, how about we list the truth that "The Exorcist" really occurred at SLU and they changed it to Georgetown to protect the innocent but kept it Jesuit to Jesuit? The story could start on the front of the t-shirt and then jump to the back. If it's on one of our cheerleaders, damn sure I'm hanging around to read it. Look --- all I want is Saint Louis University paraphenalia to be in the proper school colors, be better and readily available, and get rid of the "SLU" because I'm tired of friends putting a black "T" on my t-shirts. Or hats. or whatever. Quirky facts can go in the recruiting literature. A t-shirt is a ten second sound bite. Quirky facts will make you ........ what's the word ........ QUIRKY. But if that's your aim .... I'd also offer that what happened in 2005 at Illinois matters not except to those there --- either in that time frame, or right before or after it. They think they belong in these playoffs because its the birthright of every BCS school out there. Only 4 and 12 in conference? Yes, but its the B1G Ten! The fact that we have won 11 national championships in an illegitimate US sport matters not to me, and I am closer to the last one then you are. The first forward pass is irrelevant; the last one in the BCS title game or Super Bowl is all that matters. We threw the first forward pass. Great, so how did your football team do last year? I am going to guess #20 at Hermann is soccer and not Larry Hughes. Although whomever that 20 is for, Hughes' legacy is far greater in one year in a relevant US sport than any soccer player in the world including even Pele. Some of the ideas are great but your focus is on marketing the school. I'd offer that the school and the basketball program, while related, are not that connected or maybe not connected that way. I also think the focus on this forum is on cultivating rabid Billiken Basketball fans. My opinion stinks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taj79 Posted March 20, 2012 Share Posted March 20, 2012 @larry 72 --- your last paragraph. Bingo! Right now, the only reason to come to Saint Louyis University is to play for Coach Majerus. We have to sustain that and cultivate it for a few years as kshoe noted. W/o that, it could be back to square one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milwaukeebill Posted March 20, 2012 Share Posted March 20, 2012 I hope everyone knows its 10 National championships not 11. and #20 is Brian McBride. Im not a huge soccer guy but youd have to be a poor sports fan not to know who that is, and if you are a sports fan of SLU you should definitely know who it is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Pelican Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 @Taj - SLU didn't have a single loss this past year. That's how we did. I think these are interesting facts that make SLU more interesting. Sure, big news is more relevant to the big picture but big news is hard to come by at a small school. Agree with you on the apparel and everything else. Nice to see the college kids taking a little pride in all things SLU. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
majerus mojo Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 Thinking about getting the SLUperman onto a t-shirt or two. I'll talk to my buddy who did the actual photo-shopping tomorrow and we'll see what we can come up with, if there's interest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AMDG Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 Thinking about getting the SLUperman onto a t-shirt or two. I'll talk to my buddy who did the actual photo-shopping tomorrow and we'll see what we can come up with, if there's interest. Sluperman & The Magical Mejeri Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duff Man Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 I am going to guess #20 at Hermann is soccer and not Larry Hughes. Although whomever that 20 is for, Hughes' legacy is far greater in one year in a relevant US sport than any soccer player in the world including even Pele. My opinion stinks. I'm grateful for Hughes' year of service, and I get he had to take care of his dying brother, but his SLU legacy is that of unfulfilled promise. Brian McBride was the first American to score a goal in multiple World Cup finals - the biggest (MOST RELEVANT) sporting event in the world. In 100 years he'll still be relevant, while Larry Hughes will simply be known as part of Lebron's supporting cast who never won in Cleveland. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taj79 Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 @Duff Man --- your comment is exactly why my comment was "relevant US sport." Soccer is irrelevant to the bulk of this country and I really don't care about what the rest of the world follows. Messi just became the greatest goal scorer in Barcelona's history. I saw the highlights where he scored five goals the other night. Good for him. Do I care? Nope. And I disagree on McBride being "relevant" in 100 years. He'll be nothing more than a prehistoric footnote if American soccer actually becomes relevant. Agree with you on Hughes --- both on his college and pro legacy; I am pretty certain the world looks at our World Series, Super Bowl and Daytona 500 just as irrationally as I look at soccer. To each his own. And I'm kind of close to soccer; my daughter dates the leading returning goal scorer in the Big South; his brother was taken #17 overall just this past winter by the MLS' Real Salt Lake. Makes me none the fonder; but I don't watch women's basketball either. @The Pelican --- I kind of believe that actually playing a full schedule (in any sport) and stil being unbeaten means a lot more than an imaginary team being unbeaten or not "have a single loss." Coincidently, both my daughters went to schools who already have those t-shirts; Stevenson University's shirt says "Unbeaten since 1945" and High Point University's says "Unbeaten since 1924." Maybe knowing/seeing those has jaded me to the quirkiness of that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duff Man Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 @Duff Man --- your comment is exactly why my comment was "relevant US sport." Soccer is irrelevant to the bulk of this country and I really don't care about what the rest of the world follows. Messi just became the greatest goal scorer in Barcelona's history. I saw the highlights where he scored five goals the other night. Good for him. Do I care? Nope. And I disagree on McBride being "relevant" in 100 years. He'll be nothing more than a prehistoric footnote if American soccer actually becomes relevant. Soccer has already broken through to become relevant in this country, just as SLU Basketball has recently broken through to become relevant (again). There will always be mopes who will remain in denial about Soccer's place in American culture, just as there will be locals who will continue to laugh off SLU basketball because they choose to keep their heads in the sand (as if it's some kind of badge of honor to be ignorant). The mere fact that a hater like yourself is aware of Messi speaks to soccer's relevance. 10 years ago (an all-time classic goal, to win the biggest club game of the year, from the greatest player of his generation) did NOT make the primetime SportsCenter. Soccer need not be as popular as Football/Baseball/Basketball to be relevant, just as SLU basketball need not be as popular as Mizzou/Blues/Rams/Cardinals to be relevant. They just need to be successful enough in events that the media cannot ignore (i.e. NCAA Tournament, World Cup), which raises the awareness in the minds of non-fans, some of whom will become permanent fans -> more fans = more incentive for media coverage = more relevance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billikenfan05 Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 Soccer has already broken through to become relevant in this country, just as SLU Basketball has recently broken through to become relevant (again). There will always be mopes who will remain in denial about Soccer's place in American culture, just as there will be locals who will continue to laugh off SLU basketball because they choose to keep their heads in the sand (as if it's some kind of badge of honor to be ignorant). The mere fact that a hater like yourself is aware of Messi speaks to soccer's relevance. 10 years ago (an all-time classic goal, to win the biggest club game of the year, from the greatest player of his generation) did NOT make the primetime SportsCenter. Soccer need not be as popular as Football/Baseball/Basketball to be relevant, just as SLU basketball need not be as popular as Mizzou/Blues/Rams/Cardinals to be relevant. They just need to be successful enough in events that the media cannot ignore (i.e. NCAA Tournament, World Cup), which raises the awareness in the minds of non-fans, some of whom will become permanent fans -> more fans = more incentive for media coverage = more relevance.Good post, MLS has also bypassed the NBA in attendance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbizzle09 Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 Looks like we have another 'soccer in the USA' discussion brewing...paging MB73! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moytoy12 Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 Looks like we have another 'soccer in the USA' discussion brewing...paging MB73! Nothing but a bunch of sissy boys play soccer. Reality. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billiken Rich Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 Brian Mcbride and the shot heard 'round the world? Ah.......ok....... Slobo Eliefsky's(sp) grandkids may remember it in another twenty years but I'd never heard of it till today. Soccer may outdraw the NBA given it's played in larger venues but most pepole are too busy watching real sports (Baseball and Football) to give a crap about either. The only time soccer makes the news in most of the USA is when hooligans are biker stomping the opposing fans or refs are in fear of their lives after bad calls (which may be the most redeeming thing about the game.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billikenfan05 Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 Brian Mcbride and the shot heard 'round the world? Ah.......ok....... Slobo Eliefsky's(sp) grandkids may remember it in another twenty years but I'd never heard of it till today. Soccer may outdraw the NBA given it's played in larger venues but most pepole are too busy watching real sports (Baseball and Football) to give a crap about either. The only time soccer makes the news in most of the USA is when hooligans are biker stomping the opposing fans or refs are in fear of their lives after bad calls (which may be the most redeeming thing about the game.) I'd love to know what makes them "real sports" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SShoe Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 I'd love to know what makes them "real sports"Constant ESPN coverage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billikenfan05 Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 Constant ESPN coverage.ESPN also covers poker. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbizzle09 Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 ESPN also covers poker. And spelling bees. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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