Dueling Boards or "UConn message board"
by BabaGhanouj (2018-08-12 13:24:20)
Edited on 2018-08-14 10:05:43

I realize this thread will not be popular with some Benchers (please don’t ‘Ignore’ me), but I find it curiously compelling and a chance to reach across to those poor, misguided limbo-laden souls.

I noticed today that the Boneyard has a new thread called, “ND message board”. After the flattery subsided, I thought this could be fun. First, let me say that there is no better spot on the internet to find college women basketball news, novelties, and nuances than the Boneyard, period. If your pride fails to allow you to visit their site, it’s your loss, albeit you must wade through a lot of boastful bravado and small minded trivia. Secondly, their board allows for a lot of differences of opinion. I still wish Charliebball had not been booted, but he can be frustrating even on his own board.

Thirdly, and this will really be challenged by all the Rudys out there, this board (just like the Boneyard) is a bit of a granfalloon…not totally, but largely. As someone wisely posted a month or so ago, every board is composed of distinct individuals, each with different ideas and experiences. Lumping all members of a board together is always a mistake. (And to lend support for the granfalloon point, someone on their board just posted “I can't understand for the life of me why someone would peruse a message board of a school that they don't root for.”—separated from birth for a number of Benchers?)

That said, here is what the Boneyard posts about McGraw’s Bench:
I went on it the other day and it seems to me they think they have a Stronger chance at landing Boston then us. They pretty much assume haveing[sic] Sam Brunelle commitment and playing with them just a few weeks ago in Under 18[sic] worlds she will get them ALL to follow them. So we’re all doomed!! They pretty much think there[sic] going to land every top player ... so basically Geno and company should just stop recruiting and go on the walk on and Juco route. Oh by the way it still cracks me up when they refer us to the “Evil Empire”.

I know what you’re thinking, but this is how they often write. It's tough to follow with a lot of ellipses, emojis, sentence fragments and little editing. The thinking is just as sloppy, as the criticism seems especially ironic after reading on their board a plethora of “Me want…” followed by about a half dozen top recruit names. Posters post that they deserve and should end up with the starting five from U17 and more, but the shallowness of the sentiment seems to suggest a strained shakiness.

Come on, Boneyard, Sam is smart and personable, but you're not doing yourselves any favors if a recruit happens to glimpse your site only to decide she wants a real college education. Have some pride in your posts. Seriously, in an all out food fight, what chance do you have? More exclamation marks just won’t cut it.


Boneyard clearly has its faults.
by Dadknutefrank&ara  (2018-08-16 11:27:17)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Reply to Post

The Boneyard, albeit is an excellent source of WCBB news; however, with that said, anyone who remotely criticizes UCONN WBB, especially Geno, incurs the wrath of the board to a point where several posters have been needleslly banned. I am a member as a UCONN fan.but seldom if ever post, rather just lurk as they say. I find this board much more receptive and civil to opposing points of view than the Boneyard who are way too sensitive to someone who even remotely posts something they disagree with.


You're an example of how CharlieBBall should have acted
by cbiebel  (2018-08-17 03:15:12)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Reply to Post

While definitely a UConn fan, you aren't as "in your face about it." You don't just start a bunch of threads about UConn, then try to suggest that you did so to ask for comparisons with ND, even though you didn't. Also, many of the times that you post about UConn, it's in defense from a comment from a ND fan, which is definitely fair. Also, you try to come across as informative and not just pushing UConn. Plus, you established yourself on the board before starting threads.

My general rules for posting on other teams' boards are:

1. Be polite and don't just start threads talking up your own team. Generally, post mostly to defend your team, and do so by actually defending your team, not attacking theirs.

2. Don't attack the other team (at least not much). Generally, it's better to build up your team than try to "raise" your team by tearing down theirs. If you beat them, it's because your team played better, not because theirs sucked.

3. When you do start a thread either make it about their team or have a clear tie-in between your team and theirs in the thread.

I can't say that I've followed these rules 100%, but I do try.

Of course, on neutral boards it's a different story.


Nice to hear, friend! Never knew you were a member.
by Fighting_Artichoke  (2018-08-16 16:38:50)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Reply to Post

If it's not a secret, what's your handle there?


And right on cue...
by cbiebel  (2018-08-15 02:01:14)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Reply to Post

That said, here is what the Boneyard posts about McGraw’s Bench:
I went on it the other day and it seems to me they think they have a Stronger chance at landing Boston then us. They pretty much assume haveing[sic] Sam Brunelle commitment and playing with them just a few weeks ago in Under 18[sic] worlds she will get them ALL to follow them. So we’re all doomed!! They pretty much think there[sic] going to land every top player ... so basically Geno and company should just stop recruiting and go on the walk on and Juco route. Oh by the way it still cracks me up when they refer us to the “Evil Empire”.

Check out the 9th post in this Boneyard thread...

Agree, but UConn/Evil Empire game definitely fits the post.



As I said...


Boneyard has gone too far
by ram  (2018-08-15 10:01:20)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Reply to Post

"Nobody likes their first beer." (Page 6 of the thread, posted by "Scoop")

So not true.




That's like when someone commented to me that
by cbiebel  (2018-08-15 18:52:17)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Reply to Post

"little kids don't like beer."

That didn't apply to me...


Brunnelle may help in the recruiting process, however ...
by NDoggie78  (2018-08-14 08:38:04)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Reply to Post

1) Most of the young ladies discussed here have shown interest in ND before Brunelle committed
2) We are coming off a National Championship - and a spectacular one at that
3) ND's wins and Arike's heroics have crossed over beyond Women's basketball boundaries
4) We have Muffet McGraw and staff
5) We Are ND - some recruits get that (even beyond the academics)

That being said, we are optimistic about all the highly ranked recruits (if UConn is mocking us for that, they need a mirror) but we realize we won't/can't get all of them.


Very nice summary…
by BabaGhanouj  (2018-08-14 09:48:52)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Reply to Post

If the Boneyard could read one post on recruiting, that would be a good one. I'd add one caveat. "We Are ND" can be a benefit or a handicap depending how the whole "Catholic issue" is viewed, as McLean pointed out in his post on Muffet's book.


Boneyard clearly has its faults.
by Dadknutefrank&ara  (2018-08-13 13:02:47)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Reply to Post

The Boneyard, albeit is an excellent source of WCBB news; however, with that said, anyone who remotely criticizes UCONN WBB, especially Geno, incurs the wrath of the board to a point where several posters have been needleslly banned. I am a member as a UCONN fan.but seldom if ever post, rather just lurk as they say. I find this board much more receptive and civil to opposing points of view than the Boneyard who are way too sensitive to someone who even remotely posts something they disagree with.


Same. Many insufferable personalities over there.
by Goirish01  (2018-08-13 14:46:20)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Reply to Post

Some good info and they are all over late breaking commitments, transfers, firings, injuries, etc... But the way they treat any opinion that doesn’t glorify UConn or treat Geno like a omnipotent diety is insufferable.


Yes there is some good on there, but...
by thed  (2018-08-13 08:47:49)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Reply to Post

I find I can't wade through the arrogance and insults to get to it. So I hope others will wade through it, thank you, and relay any relevant information.

It's my emotional ulcer and don't want to stir it up.


We can't land every top player...
by cbiebel  (2018-08-12 22:18:32)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Reply to Post

There isn't enough room in the class to do that.

In all seriousness, I think Brunelle could be similar to Diamond DeShields, but in a more positive way.

The idea of a very personable top rated player convincing other top rated players to follow her.


When I 1st visited, I was pleasantly surprised. Lots of good
by Jon  (2018-08-12 20:19:41)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Reply to Post

.. threads/discussions. Lots of ego too, but if anybody has earned it, it's the Huskies.

I guess at the end of the day there's not too many WBB fans period, so we're all in one tribe.


The two best boards in the past...
by cbiebel  (2018-08-12 22:13:30)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Reply to Post

Were the old AOL Women's Basketball boards back when AOL was big and the ESPN message board when ESPN would keep separate sport message boards. I guess that didn't work for the big sports, so they went to have discussions setups for the individual games, which is a stupid idea for sports like Women's Basketball. Also, the old usenet newsgroup rec.sports.basketball.women was a great spot online before those two.

The great thing about those boards were that they were neutral areas. After ESPN closed up their message boards, two others sprang up (RebKel which had been around, but was much smaller due to the popularity of the ESPN board and CollegeFans. The latter just ended up overrun with UConn fans who drowned out everyone else and just became a UConn echo chamber (HuskyNan and some of the regulars actually do a good job policing the Boneyard to keep it from getting that bad).


Evil Empire
by RISteve  (2018-08-12 16:21:36)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Reply to Post

They should take The Evil Empire as a compliment. After all, I am a Red Sox fan, and that is how we refer to The Yankees. A show of respect as well as just being some sports fun. Lighten up, before we know it, the ref will be tossing the ball up once again and both teams will be neck and neck.

And Thanks, I’ll make a note to visit The Yard more often.


I'm not 100% sure which direction it went, but...
by cbiebel  (2018-08-12 22:01:08)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Reply to Post

about 15 or so years ago the UConn/UT rivalry had fans of at least one side (I think it was the UConn fans) referring to the other (UT) as the "Evil Empire." I think this is a case of there being a lot of "Johnnie Come Latelies" among the UConn faithful.

As you said, it's not that uncommon of a thing in sports, especially between the fans of the two top teams.


evil empire
by linkster  (2018-08-14 20:23:09)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Reply to Post

The actual origin does come from Red Sox fans referring to the Yankees. It was used by Geno in an interview to describe Tennessee back when the LV's were the dominant program. The writers were New Englanders and understood the reference but Pat took it as an insult. I think a lot of the animosity between Geno and Pat was due to the way he poked Pat. She was a great coach but she lacked a thick skin and IMO took herself too seriously and Geno used that every chance he got.


I visit there every day
by NOBBYDOMER  (2018-08-12 16:05:50)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Reply to Post

The info is excellent with UCONN and non-UCONN recruiting threads. Sure, most don't like ND.....what the heck we have a real rivalry. Dillon is a frequent poster and well respected. Orangutan and FArtichoke are more provocative but tolerated and engaged.
And don't we want Boston, Buekers, Fudd....too?


Did you intentionally shorten Artichoke's name that way?
by cbiebel  (2018-08-12 22:04:02)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Reply to Post

Fart-i-choke?


Just Lazy...glad you didn't suggest another F word! *
by NOBBYDOMER  (2018-08-13 16:38:09)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Reply to Post


Granfalloon? As a Hoosier and ND fan, I resemble that! *
by Notra_Dahm  (2018-08-12 14:11:39)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Reply to Post


Ha! Well said! *
by BabaGhanouj  (2018-08-12 14:14:22)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Reply to Post