If You Can't Beat 'Em ... Suck It Up
Driving home from dropping the kids at school today, I was listening to ESPN's Mike and Mike in the Morning. While I still have some residual dissatisfaction with the way Irish alum and program co-host Mike Golic handled himself in the wake of the Tyrone Willingham firing, his son will be wearing the Blue and Gold in a couple of seasons. Given that I also like Mike Greenberg from his days in Chicago sports media, I figured it was time to move on. Besides, given a choice between the WWL and Mike North (the presence of Irish alum Anne Maxfield notwithstanding) and a third run through the morning news, the choice is clear.
During the program, they were discussing the subject of player movement in the pros and how it can create interesting (if not awkward) situations both for players and fans. What do New York Yankee fans do when their team signs someone from the Boston Red Sox? Could Bears fans stomach winning games with Brett Favre at the helm? Can you envision Spike Lee wearing a Bulls jersey?
That got me to thinking -- if you can't beat them, should you really join them? Or is it better to suck it up until you can beat them?
Greenberg seemed much more in tune with my way of thinking on this subject -- I don't want to win with that guy, I want to beat that guy and have him leave my field with his head hanging in shame basking in his looserdom. Grow your own and use them to bludgeon your opponents into submission, I say.
Over the course of the drive, I tried to think of coaches or players I could not stand having on ND's roster, no matter how good it made the Irish.
It was difficult in basketball, because there isn't a lot of hate going around these days. Of course, there are the old standbys like Tom Kleinschmidt, but those are days long past. I did come up with a few -- Gerry McNamara, Eric Devendorf and Jim Calhoun sprang to mind immediately -- but I'd probably have to give it a lot more prayerful meditation.
In football, however, it was easier. Coaches made the list a lot moreso than players because players tend to be temporary while coaches seem to last forever.
The day Pete Carroll or Urban Meyer are named as coach of Notre Dame, I begin a hiatus from Notre Dame football until they leave, and I don't care if ND wins five MNC's in a row. Carroll is a snake oil salesman who has a maturity less developed than the players he coaches, and I want him at SC for a long long time until we can deliver a couple of well-deserved ass kickings. Meyer is a self-promoting jagbag who has already used ND for his own personal gain once. Karma, for him, will be a bitch and a half, and I want to watch it and enjoy every nanosecond.
Steve Spurrier? I'd take him. Yes, he's arrogant, but most coaches are, and I don't have a particular antipathy for him. Terry Bowden, on the other hand, makes my skin crawl both physically and metaphorically.
Corwin Brown I can handle just fine. Lloyydd Ccarr? Nuh-uh. And Cheaty McSweatervest can take his SUV's and AIDS Awareness curriculum and go scratch.
Did I miss anybody?
During the program, they were discussing the subject of player movement in the pros and how it can create interesting (if not awkward) situations both for players and fans. What do New York Yankee fans do when their team signs someone from the Boston Red Sox? Could Bears fans stomach winning games with Brett Favre at the helm? Can you envision Spike Lee wearing a Bulls jersey?
That got me to thinking -- if you can't beat them, should you really join them? Or is it better to suck it up until you can beat them?
Greenberg seemed much more in tune with my way of thinking on this subject -- I don't want to win with that guy, I want to beat that guy and have him leave my field with his head hanging in shame basking in his looserdom. Grow your own and use them to bludgeon your opponents into submission, I say.
Over the course of the drive, I tried to think of coaches or players I could not stand having on ND's roster, no matter how good it made the Irish.
It was difficult in basketball, because there isn't a lot of hate going around these days. Of course, there are the old standbys like Tom Kleinschmidt, but those are days long past. I did come up with a few -- Gerry McNamara, Eric Devendorf and Jim Calhoun sprang to mind immediately -- but I'd probably have to give it a lot more prayerful meditation.
In football, however, it was easier. Coaches made the list a lot moreso than players because players tend to be temporary while coaches seem to last forever.
The day Pete Carroll or Urban Meyer are named as coach of Notre Dame, I begin a hiatus from Notre Dame football until they leave, and I don't care if ND wins five MNC's in a row. Carroll is a snake oil salesman who has a maturity less developed than the players he coaches, and I want him at SC for a long long time until we can deliver a couple of well-deserved ass kickings. Meyer is a self-promoting jagbag who has already used ND for his own personal gain once. Karma, for him, will be a bitch and a half, and I want to watch it and enjoy every nanosecond.
Steve Spurrier? I'd take him. Yes, he's arrogant, but most coaches are, and I don't have a particular antipathy for him. Terry Bowden, on the other hand, makes my skin crawl both physically and metaphorically.
Corwin Brown I can handle just fine. Lloyydd Ccarr? Nuh-uh. And Cheaty McSweatervest can take his SUV's and AIDS Awareness curriculum and go scratch.
Did I miss anybody?
Labels: college basketball, college football, nd basketball, nd football
posted by Mike Coffey at 9:16 AM
11 Comments:
Sure--Slick Rick Neuheisel!
That was awesome! you read my mind
Gary Barnett, Jimmy Johnson, Nick Saben anyone from Boston College, anyone who coached and or golf's with Ty Willingham, John Lansing Smith, anyone from Miami, in basketball. the dead guy , Anyone from Boston College, Bob Huggins, Any Duke assistant coach,
Being a Cowboy fan and too young to remember the Catholics vs. Convicts, Id take Jimmy Johnson. Id never take Mr. Wilford "Eat your damn oats" Brimley at Purdue.
Dont we have a former Duke assistant coaching the BBall team now?
Can't believe GMac and Devend-0-for-12 were mentioned, but not Boewhine. Also, Wilford Brimley comes to mind as well.
Second Huggins, he's the "Anti-Domer", with her 'perfect graduation rate' of 0%.
Bob Knight - is mostly forgotten now, but should never be welcomed on campus.
For personal reasons, I'd add any of the slick haired bball coaches. I think hair styling is proportinal to ethics so Lavin, Donovan are out. Add Pitino.
Among FB coaches, Spurrier is a huge no. Adding most hated coach to most hated program could trigger the apocolypse. Add Zook, Fulmer, Saban, any Bowden, Petrino, and Tuberville. In fact, a default no on any head coaches from SEC (overrides are possible under Cutcliffe exemption)
I think you have to add to the list anyone ever associated with Miami Hurricanes football. Most notably, Jimmy Johnson and Dennis Erickson. I had to quit rooting for the San Francisco 49ers for the Erickson era, instead rooting for them to get whipped every week until that jerk got fired. Now I am a Niners fan again.
I ALWAYS HATED SPURRIER TOO UNTILL I READ LOU'S NEW BOOK, NOT A BAD GUY AWAY FROM THE TRACK... BUT HE COULD NEVER BE HC, MAYBE SPCL TEAMS...
Doug Gotlieb or Mark Mayes. I hate those 2 dweebs. So anit ND. They rip ND new ones almost everytime I hear them speak. I like Spurrier but hate all Bowdens with a passion. Pete Carrol makes me wanna run my car into on coming traffic. John L. Smith was a psycho thats about all I can say for the man. No BoB Davie ever ever again.
danny angie
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