Dick Rosenthal {l Wrote}:The gameday experience at BC for football is the worst in Division 1 and basketball would be the worst except for that fact that DePaul has managed to render its fan base as apathetic as ours and plays in a barren off campus venue.
Reverend Mike {l Wrote}:Dick Rosenthal {l Wrote}:The gameday experience at BC for football is the worst in Division 1 and basketball would be the worst except for that fact that DePaul has managed to render its fan base as apathetic as ours and plays in a barren off campus venue.
they serve beer though. so...yeah. I'm going with depaul over the ghosts in contay.
Dick Rosenthal {l Wrote}:Reverend Mike {l Wrote}:Dick Rosenthal {l Wrote}:The gameday experience at BC for football is the worst in Division 1 and basketball would be the worst except for that fact that DePaul has managed to render its fan base as apathetic as ours and plays in a barren off campus venue.
they serve beer though. so...yeah. I'm going with depaul over the ghosts in contay.
True, but drinking beer in the Rosemont Horizon--I don't care what they call it now, it will always be the Rosemont Horizon to me--is akin to drinking beer in an alley while warming one's hands over trash can fire. In fact, I am pretty sure there were a few hobos doing that courtside during the last scintillating Seton Hall-DePaul tilt that was televised on the Ocho. There is something menacing about finding oneself inside the Rosemont Horizon-- both because it serves as a way station for a lot of bums who stay warm riding the trains out to O'Hare during the winter and because when you are there you can't fight the sense that something has gone terribly wrong with your life--and you have plenty of time to think about those shortcomings as you drive or take the train back into the City.
In contrast, there is nothing remotely menacing about Conte. The Conte vibe is more of a I had to work late and now have to stop at the Star Market/Harris Teeter/Stop N' Shop and pick up a bottle of OJ and some Pampers during the graveyard shift. There is an antiseptic sterility to Conte Forum that is comforting. You can fall asleep in your seats and have no fear that someone will steal your coat or visit violence on your person.
I suppose that when I was a younger man and enjoyed gambling with my own well-being, I would prefer the Rosemont Horizon. But when you begin to slide into middle age and you recognize that Aurelius was correct when he said "all is folly", gambling with your own well being becomes boring and trite. When you find yourself where I find myself today life boils down to a few simple questions: (a) How much wealth can I accumulate that I can't possibly spend that will no doubt serve no better purpose then to subsidize the existence of my less successful or driven progeny; (b) Can I outlive my wife and if I do so will my dick still work well enough on that day that I will be able to utilize some of my obscene wealth to purchase the services of a nubile young concubine/consort; (c) What does my actuarial chart look like at this point and will it be a cardiac event or some form of cancerous malignancy that ultimately removes me from this mortal coil; (d) Who do you have to fuck to get invited to join Burning Tree and what do I have to make to get a whiff at Augusta--$500 million? More? Less? Shit, I'll never be notable enough.
Such thoughts are far better examined in the sterile emptiness of Conte.
Dick Rosenthal {l Wrote}:but there is no record of past performance that suggests that he has the chops to coach that talent up to a level we will need to reach in order to compete with Florida State or Clemson
Dick Rosenthal {l Wrote}:You bunch of whining sandy snatches. The idea that any of you thought for even a second that our horrific third-rate President and pretty boy Athletic Director were going to do anything other than hire a small-timey, third-rate failure of a basketball coach proves conclusively that you have not paid any attention to who runs your alma mater. This was baked in the cake from the beginning.
And with respect to the Dazzler--look, I like the guy and I love his enthusiasm, but you are sadly mistaken if you think he is going to achieve at a Jags-level. He will collect talent enough to make us relevant within the conference, but there is no record of past performance that suggests that he has the chops to coach that talent up to a level we will need to reach in order to compete with Florida State or Clemson and achieve national notoriety. His hiring should not have earned Bates or Leahy or marinfuckmyfirstfamilyintheearhaveyouseenmytrophywifeandthekidsifatheredinmy50seagle any goodwill, but rather served as confirmation that being slightly above average is the most any of these frauds will dare dream that we can achieve. As Christopher Walken told Dennis Hopper in True Romance "That was a punch in the nose. Hurts like hell. Hurts so much that you can't even think. And you know what? That is as good as it is going to get for you."
Life will be a lot easier if you accept that we have a President, BOT and AD who don't think this school has the cache to compete at the top end of the revenue sports heap and see no reason to even bother trying. You can rage all you want but it will make not an iota of difference as they feed you a steady diet of shucksings. My advice is to ignore the revenue sports. The gameday experience at BC for football is the worst in Division 1 and basketball would be the worst except for that fact that DePaul has managed to render its fan base as apathetic as ours and plays in a barren off campus venue. But take heart, if you like sports that upper middle class white kids excel in we will continue to amaze. Our hockey dominance is a given for as long as Coach Champion decides to keep on keepin' on and I have no doubt that we will be a national power in lacrosse within five years of going back to varsity status. And we will always have sailing.
Dick Rosenthal {l Wrote}:I think he benefited from being under the radar this year. Florida State didn't take us even remotely seriously and Clemson was clearly focused on the Florida State game and running a pretty vanilla offense. In both instances, when they realized that we didn't suck nearly as much as they expected and turned up the offensive heat we had absolutely no answers. I think the USC and Arizona games were more illustrative of what we can expect against athletically superior teams in most cases. Both those teams were focused--USC because of their bed shitting against Wazoo and Arizona because it was a bowl game and they wanted to prove their guy was better than Andre--and they simply beat us in every phase of the game.
pick6pedro {l Wrote}:Dick Rosenthal {l Wrote}:I think he benefited from being under the radar this year. Florida State didn't take us even remotely seriously and Clemson was clearly focused on the Florida State game and running a pretty vanilla offense. In both instances, when they realized that we didn't suck nearly as much as they expected and turned up the offensive heat we had absolutely no answers. I think the USC and Arizona games were more illustrative of what we can expect against athletically superior teams in most cases. Both those teams were focused--USC because of their bed shitting against Wazoo and Arizona because it was a bowl game and they wanted to prove their guy was better than Andre--and they simply beat us in every phase of the game.
While I agree with the focus aspect, I tend to disagree on your and most people's portrayal its overall impact (both in these games and throughout sports in general). If BC had no answers, then neither of the games would have come down to the wire like they did. Fact of the matter is that he and/or his staff game planned pretty spectacularly but in the end some basic execution failed them (still their responsibility).
At the end of the day, those who agree with you about his chops go on about AZ and USC. Those that think he's a savior will point to Clemson and FSU. I tend to fall in the middle and am still evaluating.
angrychicken {l Wrote}:So I'm driving down the road the other day (driving poorly, because, you know), and a commercial came over the radio. It was a commercial for the Filet O Fish from McDonald's. It had a catchy tune that I had heard several times before. It goes like this:
It got me thinking. I was sure that McDonald's had come up with a similar, catchy commercial in the past. Sure enough, they had:
I'm sure there are more. These commercials must work, because McDonald's probably spends a pretty penny on them, both in production and in advertising dollars. Now, I've never had a Filet O Fish because 1) I'm not a fan of fish sandwiches, and b) even if I enjoyed a tasty fish sandwich, I'm convinced that the Filet O Fish is a disgusting product. So who is the target audience for the Filet O Fish commercials? For those who have never eaten a Filet O Fish, it's probably the guy who says, "That's a catchy tune from a seemingly reputable company. The Filet O Fish must be tasty." For the guy who has eaten a Filet O Fish before, the commercial gets him saying, "I've had a Filet O Fish before and I found it mildly enjoyable. I bet they have made it better considering they have spent a lot of money on these commercials." These people then walk into McDonald's humming the catchy tune, buying into the hype. When all is said and done, they are sitting there with a sick feeling in their stomachs, realizing that they just ate a shit sandwich.
I know what you're thinking. "Chris, what does the Filet O Fish have to do with the hiring of Jim Christian?" The answer is simple: EVERYTHING. It's comical to me that anyone, ANYONE, could have imagined this turning out any differently. Coaching "searches" and hires at BC have followed the same pattern...forever. They put together a nice jingle, say that they are looking for a guy to take it to the next level, throw out some decent names, but, in the end, we're all sitting here eating a shit sandwich, feeling sick. Look, I have no idea how the Jim Christian era will play out, but I do know that the basketball program is in a hole...a deep hole. The hiring of Jim Christian does nothing to immediately lift them out of that hole, even just a little bit. The next Patrick Ewing ain't walking through that door because Jim Christian is now running the show. Hell, the next Sean Marshall isn't either.
So what's the answer, you ask? That's not my job. I'm not paid handsomely to find those answers. I'm not asked to be the steward of a multi-million...nay, billion dollar ship. Bates and Leahy are like the managers at McDonald's. Sure, you know they're in charge because they dress the part by wearing the button down, short sleeve shirts and clip-on ties, but do you really want them making decisions other than the timing of the switch from the breakfast menu to the lunch menu? I don't have the answer. All I know is what I have been conditioned to expect from the Boston College Athletic Department and those that pull its strings. As such, I'll just sit back, watch the show, root for BC, and begrudgingly accept the "We Are What We Are" mantra that emanates from Chestnut Hill.
By the way, get ready. The McRib is just around the corner.
You just better hope that it doesn't come on ice. Coach Champion won't be around forever. Oh, I hear you already. "But, but...there is no way this could happen to the hockey program! They're the bestest team in the land!" All I can say is that the next time you're in McDonald's, take a look at that old guy working there, schlepping the mop bucket into the bathroom. That's Steve Cedorchuk. And the guy stumbling out of the bathroom, running out the door? That's Mike Milbury. He just tasted the Filet O Fish.
Dick Rosenthal {l Wrote}:I still would have been disappointed, but at least in that instance you could make allowances based on the following rationales: (a) the guy won an A-10 title and essentially saved a program that had imploded to the point the President of the BOT killed himself because he thought the implosion was going to take the whole university under; (b) he is a proud BC alum and he has always said that BC is his dream job; and (c) He has great recruiting track record at Xavier where he was the lead recruiter during that program's best years and (d) he has developed a track record at Bonnies of finding athletic big men/diamonds in the rough and turning them into NBA-caliber players.
In Schmidt's case you can make the argument that he is a better coach than Skinner--he won an A-10 title with his own players in a much harder place to do it than URI. I don't think you can make that argument with Christian as his only success has been at a level below the A-10 and his one foray into a major conference was an unmitigated disaster. Essentially, all we have done with this move is hire Steve Donahue by a different name.
hansen {l Wrote}:I like filet o' fishes.
There, I said it.
Dick Rosenthal {l Wrote}:pick6pedro {l Wrote}:Dick Rosenthal {l Wrote}:I think he benefited from being under the radar this year. Florida State didn't take us even remotely seriously and Clemson was clearly focused on the Florida State game and running a pretty vanilla offense. In both instances, when they realized that we didn't suck nearly as much as they expected and turned up the offensive heat we had absolutely no answers. I think the USC and Arizona games were more illustrative of what we can expect against athletically superior teams in most cases. Both those teams were focused--USC because of their bed shitting against Wazoo and Arizona because it was a bowl game and they wanted to prove their guy was better than Andre--and they simply beat us in every phase of the game.
While I agree with the focus aspect, I tend to disagree on your and most people's portrayal its overall impact (both in these games and throughout sports in general). If BC had no answers, then neither of the games would have come down to the wire like they did. Fact of the matter is that he and/or his staff game planned pretty spectacularly but in the end some basic execution failed them (still their responsibility).
At the end of the day, those who agree with you about his chops go on about AZ and USC. Those that think he's a savior will point to Clemson and FSU. I tend to fall in the middle and am still evaluating.
Let me make something clear. I don't think the Dazzler is a terrible coach, I just don't think he has the top end sort of football mind that is necessary to give BC a chance to beat baby rapist/national power-type schools and win a conference championship. Based on what I saw this year I think he will achieve a level of success in the ballpark of Jortsy O'Jortsian--probably a bit better because he has a much better personality and will probably land a smattering of talented kids that the Supply Officer would never has a chance to land. With that said, I think he is a step below the Jags/Logan combo which really was the combination of personality (Jags) and schematic chops (Logan) that would have allowed us to compete with the Baby Rapists.
hansen {l Wrote}:I like filet o' fishes.
There, I said it.
Be sure to ask for them without cheese.
ATLeagle {l Wrote}:AC:
McDonald's buys more ads for Filet-O-fish during Lent.
ATLeagle {l Wrote}:AC:
McDonald's buys more ads for Filet-O-fish during Lent.
angrychicken {l Wrote}:ATLeagle {l Wrote}:AC:
McDonald's buys more ads for Filet-O-fish during Lent.
OK. My cat's breath smells like cat food.
Dick Rosenthal {l Wrote}:But take heart, if you like sports that upper middle class white kids excel in we will continue to amaze. Our hockey dominance is a given for as long as Coach Champion decides to keep on keepin' on and I have no doubt that we will be a national power in lacrosse within five years of going back to varsity status. And we will always have sailing.
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