After we set the table yesterday with this diversion that many seemed to like, we thought that we would use today to follow-up on some things from the “life is stranger than fiction” file.
John Bunting
Carolina continues to make lists that nobody wants to be a part of as the focus of everyone’s jokes.
* The noose is tightening around John Bunting’s neck. The noose is tightening to the point that it feels like Bunting is cracking with crazy. You can hear some of it by clicking here. What is he talking about? Every thing that he mentioned as positives of the program are all actually problems that have come together to create this mess for Bunting – attrition, disciplinary problems, poor recruiting, etc.
* The folks in the media who are Tarheel fans and like to position their reporting of the facts as unbiased are continuing their assault with numbers. (Pardon me, I take that previous sentence back. I just read the story titled “Judging the Facts on Bunting” and realized that the story provided no facts on which to judge Bunting).
* I’m just curious — when Les Robinson had created the worst 5 year period in the history of NC State Basketball, where were all of the the media’s “Judging Les Robinson on the facts” articles? When Herb Sendek had created another of the worst 5 year periods in the history of NC State Basketball, where were all of the local pieces highlighting the “facts”?
* While we are asking about the consistency of the media on certain topics…may I ask where the News & Observer‘s John Bunting Cartoon is for this year? The Chuck Amato cartoon has been out there on its own for 50 days and we continue to wait for the spoof on Bunting that has not yet come. Click here for a link to a key previous conversations.
Miami Situation
Link to scUM of the ACC
Watching the fallout of the Miami-FIU fight has been very interesting and even morosely entertaining. Folks are jumping on it from all sorts of different angles. Some are even asking if Virginia Tech is next?
For example – you could not make-up some of the stuff that is happening down there if you needed to craft a fictional story.
First, check this out. This is the kind of person that Miami has chosen to represent them. Is it any wonder why many in the ACC are now scratching our heads about what we have brought on to ourselves?
Next, be careful not to cry when you click on this link. Can you believe the sad irony?
The Miami Dade Police Department kicked off their annual “Join-a-Team, Not-a-Gang program on Tuesday, October 10th. This program is a cooperative effort, which includes Miami Dade Public Schools, the University of Miami Athletic Department, and Florida Power & Light Company.
The program gives out a “Most Improved Student Award”. Each hard working student will get a chance to visit a University of Miami football practice, a tour of athletic facilities, and a chance to meet the University of Miami football coaches and student-athletes.
Students are selected by their school and selection is based on improvement in academics, behavior, and attendance. The visits take place once a week and continue through football season. Winners and a D.A.R.E. officer from each school will be visiting the school once a week throughout the football season.
This Saturday, the Miami Dade Police Department will bring about 700 children to the Miami vs. FIU football game as part of the program.
But, I guess you have to give Miami credit for getting this one right. Please see our comments regarding this topic by clicking here.
On the football side…one starts to wonder if anyone will actually want the Miami job when it opens at the end of the year. Tony Barnhart wrote a fantastic piece that expresses many of the thoughts that I have had about the Hurriance program’s run prior to the fight; Barnhart expressly states that the Miami football program is done and the ACC has not gotten what it was expecting. You should check it out.
What Miami and the ACC don’t seem to get is that this is so much bigger than 30 horrible minutes on a Saturday. Simply stated: The football program at the University of Miami is not going to recover from this, at least not in this generation. Athletic director Paul Dee will be gone at the end of the year and his replacement will be charged with cleaning this up. And when the new AD goes to hire a big time football coach, he will be shocked that no established, successful person will want the job.
There is too much baggage. The expectations of parts of the fan base are insane. Miami plays in the single worst football facility (Orange Bowl) among the BCS conferences. If the Hurricanes aren’t playing Florida State, the attendance is awful. Only 29,621 turned out for North Carolina on Oct. 7.
The painful truth is that Miami football has overachieved because of its location, which made it easier for great coaches to bring in great players. That is to their credit. Miami overcame a lot to build an incredible football tradition that lasted for almost 25 years.
But it’s over. It’s sad, but it’s over
