Chief’s Briefs -Lafayette Edition

[storrsroars]

Thanks for your feedback. Looks like Chief struck a nerve. Sorry.
If you are a true fan of a team you will attend some games when it’s perhaps not your top entertainment option at the moment. Games you know they will likely win, games you know they will likely lose, games when travel is bad, games that are nearly meaningless for tournament eligibility. Games where others back out,
Chief believes you do have a responsibility to support the team not to just be entertained. None of us are perfect but if you consider this patronizing or unnecessary (as if most things on this blog are “necessary”), so be it. Chief is NOT lowering the bar.

I live in Pittsburgh, so unless/until UConn joins the ACC, I'm not attending any UConn games. I'm really trying to not be insulting here. But even your response is condescending, not to mention the child-like third person self-references.

The notes, comments and opinions you offer regarding game action are worthwhile. So let me put this into a food analogy. If you were a food or restaurant critic, you'd discuss layering of flavors, seasoning, textures of the various components of a dish and how they all work together in harmony for something delicious or didn't work and the dish was a failure. You might also talk about the ambience or prices or whatever. But you don't write that if readers don't eat there they're not really interested in decent food. Nor that you are so far above the hoi polloi that you're the only arbiter of taste that matters.

You can certainly paint a picture of why one would want to attend. Let those words speak for themselves. No need to browbeat those you consider lower than yourself while doing it.

As the current presidential funeral emphasizes, there are still positives in being "gentlemanly" and not a bully.

And btw, there's no "bar" to be lowered vis a vis condemning casual fans on not filling the seats. You seem to be confusing an annoying behavior on your part with a standard of accomplishment.

 

[Madmannsucks]

After the last 2 years, the team has not yet earned XL sellouts against a scrub team with no stars.

 

[Husky25]

I live in Pittsburgh...

Bush league on you. It's only 16 hours round trip, with no bathroom breaks or pit stops. If you started out before lunch, you definitely could have made tip off and home again with two hours to spare before making the kids' breakfast before school.

 

[CL82]

It’s amazing to me how Kwintin’s athletic ability never translates into superior play. Kid was trying hard and working his butt off today....but it seems like everything that could go wrong does go wrong with him. He missed badly twice, ball slipped out once, got beat on a fast break once, got lost on defense twice. Didn’t even attempt to get any offensive rebounds. Just started running down the court the min the ball went up. I just don’t get it

I've been thinking about this and I'm going with processing time. His read and react time is slow. He also plays very flat footed. I've said this before but it's like he's a walk on from the football team. He's athletic, but he just doesn't look like a basketball player out there.

Seems like a great kid though. I definitely pull for him when he's out there.

 

[Husky25]

I've been thinking about this and I'm going with processing time. His read and react time is slow. He also plays very flat footed. I've said this before but it's like he's a walk on from the football. He's athletic, but he just doesn't look like a basketball player out there.

Seems like a great kid though. I definitely pull for him when he's out there.

I'm glad Williams got 7+ minutes last night, but he did not show anything to garner a thought that he deserved anything else but junk time.

I don't think he has any eligibility left, so maybe UConn can schedule their NFL scouting Pro day around the AAC and NCAA/NIT Tournament. TE may be his calling.

 

[Blaneylover]

I was at the game last night. Sat in my friend's seats, three rows behind center court, and about 15 feet from Coach Hurley. I enjoyed watching (and listening!) to him as much as the game, itself. He is coaching these guys so hard. He is constantly on them...especially on defense. On offense, he called quite a few sets, as well. The players seem to be responding to him. From where I was last night, I would have caught an eye roll or a shoulder droop. I only saw effort. Coach Hurley was still on the officials during the last minute of a 30 point game, imploring them to "make a call" when he saw a foul go down without a whistle. The comparison to 1986's Coach Calhoun are certainly apt, but Coach Hurley is coaching offense as well as defense. The ball movement and the pace are such where the team has constantly (except maybe for 10 minutes against Iowa) been able to score points. They have avoided the absurd scoring droughts that we saw last year.

At the beginning of the year, I was hopeful that we'd have a winning record and make a post season tournament of come sort...NCAA, NIT, CBI...whatever. I think that looks pretty probable now. It's a long season, but you cannot help but be ecstatic at what you're seeing if you are UConn fan.

 

[storrsroars]

Bush league on you. It's only 16 hours round trip, with no bathroom breaks or pit stops. If you started out before lunch, you definitely could have made tip off and home again with two hours to spare before making the kids' breakfast before school.

I actually did an overnight trip to last year's Cuse football game and had the pleasure of meeting CoachCap and Waquoit at their tailgate.

But I got free food and booze for sitting through that disaster.

 

[Husky25]

I actually did an overnight trip to last year's Cuse football game and had the pleasure of meeting CoachCap and Waquoit at their tailgate.

But I got free food and booze for sitting through that disaster.

Five hours drive? Child's play. Though just knowing that Syracuse is the destination must add hours to the experience as it is.

My wife's brother (and family) lives in Gibsonia and had their wedding reception at PNC Park. We flew out there once when we my oldest was still under 2, but have made the drive three other times. The first (for their wedding), I drove the distance straight through with only two stops and my wife, 2.5 month old and mother (for babysitting purposes) in tow.

The last two times we (Wife and two kids) picked out a hotel in Altoona, start out around 5 or 6:00, and aim for a midnight arrival, changing drivers halfway through. The hotel is a nice adventure for the kids and we finish the journey the next morning.

For four people, flying anywhere is a cool $G to most places.

 

[Scrutineer]

4.5[/QUOTE

Thanks for clarifying this. It thought it was a "Where's Waldo Chief?" photo.

It was a none too subtle attempt by Chief to tease the Boneyard. He's the guy in the white shirt in Row G right in the middle of the photo.
Since he's now well above his playing weight he had to blur the photo so no one could read the rather large company name embroidered on the left chest.

 

[Stainmaster]

It is no secret that @storrsroars lives in Pittsburgh, PA. Be that as it may (and my thoughts on this is also no secret), I have a hard time classifying anyone...well, very few in any case...posting on the Boneyard as "casual," whether or not they attend games.

Calling other people “casual” is something certain posters do to make themselves seem superior and negate all who disagree with/criticize them as uneducated.

 

[Chief00]

Unfortunately, Chief has to call you on this. Your original post did not bring up a long trip, your argument was about clearing schedules and sports being entertainment. Of course, Chief doesn’t expect you to to drive from Pittdburgh every game.

Good work on reporting the details and nuances you see.

You can skip the editorializing on "casual" fans and "legit" though. Patronizing and unnecessary. It's 2018, pretty much only retirees can clear schedules for every game. And in case you forgot, sports are not an obligation. They are entertainment. Life would go on without them.

 

[smoothcriminal]

Good work on reporting the details and nuances you see.

You can skip the editorializing on "casual" fans and "legit" though. Patronizing and unnecessary. It's 2018, pretty much only retirees can clear schedules for every game. And in case you forgot, sports are not an obligation. They are entertainment. Life would go on without them.

Let’s not make this complicated. If UConn basketball is just entertainment to you, you are CASUAL. I have tons of friends who are casual - well to do men of good intentions.

 

[Travelman6]

On Sunday, Arizona's athleticism on D forcing 19 TO's.

What scares me is I read somewhere that FSU is tops in the country in forcing turnovers, I think they force TOs on something like 20 to 25% of opponent possesions which is easily good for top 20 in the country. I would not be shocked if Uconn has more than 20 on Saturday.

 

[storrsroars]

Five hours drive? Child's play. Though just knowing that Syracuse is the destination must add hours to the experience as it is.

My wife's brother (and family) lives in Gibsonia and had their wedding reception at PNC Park. We flew out there once when we my oldest was still under 2, but have made the drive three other times. The first (for their wedding), I drove the distance straight through with only two stops and my wife, 2.5 month old and mother (for babysitting purposes) in tow.

The last two times we (Wife and two kids) picked out a hotel in Altoona, start out around 5 or 6:00, and aim for a midnight arrival, changing drivers halfway through. The hotel is a nice adventure for the kids and we finish the journey the next morning.

For four people, flying anywhere is a cool $G to most places.

My bad. TWO years ago at the Rent. My how time flies when you're having fun with UConn athletics the past two years.

 

[storrsroars]

Let’s not make this complicated. If UConn basketball is just entertainment to you, you are CASUAL. I have tons of friends who are casual - well to do men of good intentions.

All sports are entertainment, period. Unless it's your actual job.

Sometimes they actually entertain!

 

[Huskybass]

It’s amazing to me how Kwintin’s athletic ability never translates into superior play. Kid was trying hard and working his butt off today....but it seems like everything that could go wrong does go wrong with him. He missed badly twice, ball slipped out once, got beat on a fast break once, got lost on defense twice. Didn’t even attempt to get any offensive rebounds. Just started running down the court the min the ball went up. I just don’t get it

What we saw last night from Kwintin was eye opening. I swear he looked a bit better last season.

 

[Chief00]

What we saw last night from Kwintin was eye opening. I swear he looked a bit better last season.

He is a little better than he showed when he got in late in the game. Seemed like he was mentally already on the bus home. Kind of symbolic. Give Hurley credit for playing him. Again, First Night and The Season have very little to do with each other.