OT: a timeline for rotten fruit

[pnow15]

Yes, UConn bends all the rules so that we can bring in midget point guards and seven footers who can't make a layup.

 

[ctchamps]

No. That's not remotely what I'm saying. Honestly, I'm not even sure how you would come to that conclusion. Try again.

Your boy is saying that the idea that UConn is a dirty program is something that people make up out of thin air because how can a program that's reasonably new on the scene be so good. Therefore they must be cheating. I don't hear that. Ever.

I'm saying that people say UConn is a dirty program because of all the reasons I listed in my prior email. Make more sense now?

He postulated an opinion based on his conversations with people. He didn't footnote his statement and he didn't cross all the t's or dot all the i's. Both your opinions are based on anecdotal evidence (what each of you have heard others say) with underlying logical reasoning. Most people here don't express their opinions with imm or imo. And yes some people confuse their opinions as absolutes or facts which is a problem for society as a whole. Imo, you have over reacted here.

Take the underlying logic of both of you and I think (my opinion) the picture is more complete.

 

[ctchamps]

Yes, UConn bends all the rules so that we can bring in midget point guards and seven footers who can't make a layup.

He didn't say this.

 

[ctchamps]

Ok, this post is very haphazard, poorly written and may contain an alarming number of gramatical errors, so if that will annoy you, just move on. Other than that, if you can comprehend what i am saying, it will make sense, i think. It is far too late and i am far too tired to go through and give this thesis a review, so i am posting it as is. Please, before leaving some snide remark, remember that i warned you. Without further adieu...

Frankly, that sentiment (uconn is dirty) seems to be rather pervasive in college basketball. I have seen something to the effect of "maybe we should start paying recruits if we want to win titles like uconn" from boards of florida, msu, michigan, duke, cincinnati and even kentucky. I think it is incredibly naive of you to think no one feels that way about UConn. The general sense i get is "damn, how do they keep winning" and then someone inevitably throws out the dirty program and cites marcus williams, aj price, wolf, kemba saying he read his first book senior year and the APR ban. A lot of it comes naturally from people looking to rationalize how a yankee conference program has won 4 titles, but Calhouns brash interactions with the media did not help.

Syracuse itself, along with NW, produce a ton of media members between print, online, tv, et cetera, which could contribute to them not getting pounded on a regular basis. They are also a private school, which, compared to a massive public university, would seem to make hiding things a bit easier. I don't think it is anything sinister or a plot again UConn, but for UConn fans, at this point, with everything that has happened to the school in terms of APR/recruiting violations/conference realignment, i myself have even begun to dream up conspiracy theories. I mean the success we have had in such a short period took us from a whichita state/butler mid-major underdog everyone can root for to god damn why are they dominating a major conference with Cuse/G-town/St Johns in it and naturally, they looked for excuses. Then you have Emmertt going from the president bungling projects and budgets, to the NCAA chief and just as realignment begins, you retroactively change the punishments/rules and ban them from a tournament and, compared to other school, make a ridiculously huge deal out of the issue plus the "atmosphere of compliance" because of texts from a guy who stole money from one of our best players ever (rip) and was told not to contact the school, all over a player who never played one minute for uconn. It seemed like even the NCAA was out to get us. And of course, the best part, when realignment had its last breath, UL was taken over us for "academic reasons" and we weren't strong enough academically for the ACC, even though we rate higher than half their programs (right next to Cuse and Pitt) and are so far beyond UL that the comparison is laughable. Then you start thinking, well uconn has won 25% of teh last 16 national titles, but their football program is terrible, why bring them back to the big boys tables if we can just keep them in the AAC for a few years? they wont have the $$ to compete and the program will crumble. Yea, they just won the title, but the APR/recruiting violations/realignment screwjob/coaching uncertainty killed their recruiting for 3 years and destroyed their reputation, lets keep them down.

The bottom line is EVERY PROGRAM is dirty to some degree. If anyone ever went through all 351 D-1 programs, they could find skeletons about everyone. Hell, Jeff Adrien used to drive a fresh challenger around campus and rocked a ridiculous diamond studded chain, same with Stix, who would buy an ounce the day the season ended. It happens at every school, the only difference is who the media is looking at, how the police deal with events and how the university handles them/covers them up.

We will never beat them in the media and they're too scared to play us hiding behind the "it doesnt help recruiting, like playing Buffalo in the dome is somehow preferable to a yearly game at MSG, so the only thing we can do is dominate everyone else. We need to start a Kansas like run of conference titles and really have to get back to top 5 seeds every year. U-C-O-N-N UCONN/UCONN/UCONN.

You should be whipped by Snidely Whiplash. My wife and son would cringe at this horrific attempt of humor.

The content was a wonderful read. I don't know who cheats or how much people/programs cheat, but I believe many people cheat, some a heck of a lot more than others. And some of the biggest cheaters probably never get caught. (my opinion) I would say that if every program could be thoroughly investigated a lot more skeletons would be discovered than currently is the case. But there are people with integrity. Some have more than others.

Two bb icons died this weak. One was implicated for cheating. One is a TBD situation. Even if the second gets implicated in the upcoming NCAA investigation it is my opinion it will not change the minds of most of those fans who grew up watching both of them. People assess things more or less critically depending on how they identify with the subject. A younger generation of fans might view things differently since they are not emotionally invested with either one.

Bottom line is I'm learning to ignore a lot of this chatter. Haters are always going to find reasons to validate their hate. I have no way of really knowing whether JC has cheated or, if he cheated, how much he cheated. Same with the program, because coaches can be innocent whereas certain agents or alumni may not. I tend to doubt the program is as dirty as some contend because, as continuously evidenced by many posters, UConn frequently ended up with their 4th or 5th options or lower when recruiting. And academically, UConn might be guilty of not getting its athletes to succeed but they didn't game the system as we now are discovering other universities have done.

 

[Kembacity]

If you want to say that it's your opinion that UConn had the reputation of a rogue program under Calhoun because of some unconscious sense that people had in their mind they were a Johnny-come-lately, then fine. But that's nothing more than your opinion. Like I said, I've been a college basketball fan for a long time, I know lots of fans of other programs, and I have literally never heard a single person express that idea.

It seems more logical to assume that people feel that way because, rightly or wrongly, UConn (1) has been in the cross-hairs of the NCAA on multiple occasions, including an investigation that got a significant amount of coverage in the media, (2) has had multiple high-profile players in trouble with the law, (3) was the only program of note to be banned from the NCAA tournament for academics (again, rightly or wrongly), and (4) had an abrasive head coach who never met a fight he didn't like and loved to thumb his nose at authority.

Edit: I'll add a #5) Calhoun liked kids with chips on their shoulders from tough backgrounds and a lot of people see a young black kid with braids or tattoos and assume they're a "thug," whatever that means. So that adds to the reputation too, Unfairly.

It seems like those things, together, might fuel the reputation more than "They're too good, they must be cheating." That sounds like something that a UConn fan with his head in the sand would say. But again that's just my opinion. [Insert something that kids say about Kermit the Frog.]

good god, get over yourself, you're pretending that a person writing a post on an online forum was presenting the words as scientific fact rather than opinion? Its pretty obvious that its one person's opinion, which I completely agree with. If you want everyone to preface any words that arent fact checked with "in my opinion...", I'm sorry sir but you'll have a tough life going forward

Like with Calipari, I can admit that my hatred of him and assumption that he breaks rules and pays players has little to no grounding in reality, but with so many top guys choosing to go there and barely play, in my head something is up...

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

good god, get over yourself, you're pretending that a person writing a post on an online forum was presenting the words as scientific fact rather than opinion? Its pretty obvious that its one person's opinion, which I completely agree with. If you want everyone to preface any words that arent fact checked with "in my opinion...", I'm sorry sir but you'll have a tough life going forward

Like with Calipari, I can admit that my hatred of him and assumption that he breaks rules and pays players has little to no grounding in reality, but with so many top guys choosing to go there and barely play, in my head something is up...

Nothing that happens on a message board has anything to do with my life. So I think I'm good. Thanks though.

By the way, if you express a thought that has no basis in reality and is the product of only your blatant homerism, you're free to do that. I can also point out how silly it sounds. See how that works? And then fleud will do some 10 cent psychoanalysis and everyone will be happy.

 

[Kembacity]

Nothing that happens on a message board has anything to do with my life. So I think I'm good. Thanks though.

By the way, if you express a thought that has no basis in reality and is the product of only your blatant homerism, you're free to do that. I can also point out how silly it sounds. See how that works? And then fleud will do some 10 cent psychoanalysis and everyone will be happy.

Haha, I love reading you big-league people from behind a keyboard, its classic!

You're the one who was butthurt because people dared share their opinions without labeling them as such... but you do the same thing, the difference is you think you're better than everyone else for some reason so its not an opinion if it comes from your head.

I get a good laugh out of you