davidnark Posted September 26, 2003 Share Posted September 26, 2003 SLU is in the process of upgrading its athletic program. Coaches salaries have improved and first-class facilities are being constructed. Since this conference shuffle has begun, the only destinations that have been suggested for SLU by CREDIBLE SOURCES are (i) the A-10, (ii) a revamped C-USA, or (iii) a new papal conference. The local media has critized SLU in the past for not upgrading its resources. Now that SLU has made this committment, the media is suggesting that we downgrade our conference affiliations. The local media is making this suggestion with ZERO credible sources indicating that this is even a possibility on the table. Someone please explain to me what is driving our local media. Are they really this ignorant and lazy with their coverage of SLU? SLU makes the committment the media asks, and they still disrespect us to no end. Joe B., what is going on over at the Post? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3star_recruit Posted September 26, 2003 Share Posted September 26, 2003 Frank C. reiterated this morning that in his private talks with SLU administrators, the MVC was never really an option. I could give a durn what Bernie, Burwell, Gordo or even Rammer think. The first three gentleman don't even follow college basketball and Rammer's knowledge of basketball doesn't extend beyond the Midwest-based basketball conferences. I doubt Rammer even knows who Jameer Nelson and Romain Sato are, despite their lofty national reputations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billiken_roy Posted September 26, 2003 Share Posted September 26, 2003 i had a long discussion yesterday morning with frank's channel 5 cameraman. he began the discussion with slu needs to go to the mvc. i then proceeded to tell him about all the positives of the a-10 and he admitted he didnt know any of that. i think that is the problem. the local fans are not the basketball nuts we are. they do not have the overall interest to understand the positives and the negatives. as 3 star noted, they dont even know who jamar nelson is. they dont know that st joes was a top 30 team. they scoff at the thought that dayton and xavier are top 25 teams. my question is why isnt anyone doing their homework in the media? why isnt a report being published that explains these positives? lazy. just lazy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slufanskip Posted September 26, 2003 Share Posted September 26, 2003 It is not whether they have knowledge or not ... it is perceptions ...perception is reality. The more media types who link us in with the MVC ... the more the general public will see us in that light. That will hurt recruiting. I hope this ends and as soon as we get an official invite from the A-10 we accept. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3star_recruit Posted September 26, 2003 Share Posted September 26, 2003 This is a pro sports town. The local media doesn't do research when it comes to college sports unless there's a scandal (see Ricky Clemons). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bonwich Posted September 26, 2003 Share Posted September 26, 2003 I just did an archive search on what Bryan had written thus far about SLU. The most recent was the speculative piece about us ending up in a superconference; he also mused about what a great time it was to be a St. Louis-area "hoops junkie" when SLU was (totally unexpectedly) on the bubble last year, and about how great Marque was. He also wrote about our game with Charlotte in the context of "There are still some teams out there who haven't fallen into the filth that is college athletics" (right after the St. Bonnie's controversy). So although, like all of you, I wasn't real pleased with today's piece, I'm willing to cut him some slack. On the bigger issue, though, on the one hand, I tend to side with B-Roy about very poor external communications by the athletic department. Where's Doug? Where's the SID? (Or, for that matter, where's St. Larry the Lucky, making a definitive statement about the school's demonstrated commitment to athletics while at the same time calling for more rather than less stringent standards for things like Juco transfers?) On the other hand, Counselor Nark might be able to enlighten us about any aspects of tortuous interference we might be facing by talking publicly about our conference affiliation aspirations. I could see the possibility that, until we are released from C-USA, we might be on shaky legal grounds talking about moving anywhere else. (I did a quick glance at the Marquette web site and didn't find any conference info there; I haven't wandered through the Milwaukee Journal site to see if our Jesuit brethren have been shooting off their mouths to the local media up in brat-land.) Still, my feelings on our competence at marketing (which includes "deep background" public relations activities) are pretty well known, and it looks like we continue to lack certain proficiencies. (Funny aside: We sat at dinner last weekend with a couple we were meeting for the first time, who told us their son-in-law was the asst. athletic director "in charge of marketing." [No, it wasn't the new guy they just hired. I don't think he's an AAD.] You can imagine how many times I bit my tongue during the course of the meal.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billiken_roy Posted September 26, 2003 Share Posted September 26, 2003 bonwich said, "(Funny aside: We sat at dinner last weekend with a couple we were meeting for the first time, who told us their son-in-law was the asst. athletic director "in charge of marketing." You can imagine how many times I bit my tongue during the course of the meal.)" bonwich, anything you could have said is probably nothing i havent already politely stated to john garrison in person already. you should have told them so john knows it is more than just me thinking it. btw all, john isnt the problem. talk about conscientious and hardworking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bonwich Posted September 26, 2003 Share Posted September 26, 2003 "btw all, john isnt the problem. talk about conscientious and hardworking." Do you attribute the "problem," then, to someone higher than John? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billiken_roy Posted September 26, 2003 Share Posted September 26, 2003 i take the 5th. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tseugnekillib Posted September 26, 2003 Share Posted September 26, 2003 I vote for the "ignorant and lazy" ballot. Except for Earl Austin, I don't believe anyone in the local media is thinking SLU bball or conference realignment at this time. They are all thinking Cardinals, Rams, Blues, potential Missouri bball violations, and the great job Gary Pinkel is doing with Missouri football, with zero to no thought on Billiken bball or Illini bball recruiting at this time. Thus, you get the quick off-the-cuff type of answers that you see voiced and printed recently. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billiken_roy Posted September 26, 2003 Share Posted September 26, 2003 btw, as a side comment, while i do like pinkel, i think the tiger enthusiasm for their football team is overstated. who have they actually beaten yet? so far their "big win" is an illinois team who hasnt shown much of anything yet. let's wait and see how they do against actual football teams. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tseugnekillib Posted September 26, 2003 Share Posted September 26, 2003 broy, I just like Pinkel's no non-sense personality and program building style. I think Coach Pinkel and Coach Soderberg are alike in many ways. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidnark Posted September 26, 2003 Author Share Posted September 26, 2003 They administration could release a statement along the lines of "If C-USA breaks up or realigns, we have little interest in moving to the Missouri Valley Conference. We are, however, making contingency plans that could involve several different scenarios." This type of statement would quash the ridiculous MVC dialouge without creating any legal problems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billiken_roy Posted September 26, 2003 Share Posted September 26, 2003 like i said, i like him as well. but the chest thumping all their fans are doing when they really havent played anyone yet is amusing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillikenButch Posted September 26, 2003 Share Posted September 26, 2003 While I agree with the intent of the message, there is absolutely no way the University should send that kind of message. It sends an insulting message to a conference that you schedule games with and I believe that we are affiliated with in the hosting of NCAA Tournament games. There is no need to call them out. The MVC is like the girl you grew your whole life with as good friends, you know you are never going to marry her despite how others think you are a good match, but you certainly would not announce to the world that there is absolutely no way you will marry her. That is inconsiderate. Let the match makers be, because they really do not care to undertsand the circumstances. Ok it's a silly analogy, but I think the discussion has gotten a bit too serious. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidnark Posted September 26, 2003 Author Share Posted September 26, 2003 I think it is a good analogy. You don't want to hurt the nice girls feelings (which will also upset the family and neighborhood chemistry), but you also don't want to wake up next to her the rest of your life. You are quiet and polite on these touchy subjects. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billiken_roy Posted September 26, 2003 Share Posted September 26, 2003 i see your point about the announcement, but still it has not gotten too serious. this is the kind of thing that could steamroll out of control and the next thing we know we are being taken out of consideration for the a-10. the "endorsements" from what seem to be credible sources, i.e. media types should be on the same page as the program. the real key is doug woolard or the sid get these media goofs off to the side and clue them in. and if they dont want to get on the same page, then fire them from their billiken cush gigs or promise to freeze them out in the future. my gosh, i am sure this backroom politicing goes on all the time, why cant we play that way as well? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quality Is Job 1 Posted September 26, 2003 Share Posted September 26, 2003 >> see your point about the announcement, but still it has not gotten too serious. this is the kind of thing that could steamroll out of control and the next thing we know we are being taken out of consideration for the a-10. Roy, I don't see that happening. The A-10 is not going to be influenced by the St. Louis media any more than the ACC was influenced by the Boston media (i.e., they had Boston College in the ACC, but the ACC went against media expectations). If the A-10 reneges on inviting SLU, then Cedric Dempsey SWINDLED SLU (furthermore, if SLU goes to the Valley, Dempsey stole from SLU). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billiken_roy Posted September 26, 2003 Share Posted September 26, 2003 thicks, one thing i have learned in my 20+ years in the business world is never underestimate the power of the grapevine. who knows who hears what and calls whomever. why take a chance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillikenTX Posted September 27, 2003 Share Posted September 27, 2003 Much like the chest bumping they do in bball when ranked in the top ten 2 weeks into the season only to find themselves in the middle of the pack in their conference Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basketbill Posted September 27, 2003 Share Posted September 27, 2003 It is not the fans or local media that i think is overstated it is the poll rankings. I think this is really an example of big conferences dominating the media. after three wins two against lesser teams and one from a big conference but a bad team they got ranked in the top 25........to much recognition too early. That said Beat Kansas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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