1. As the SEC Media Days are unfolding in front of our very eyes this week, I'm reminded that every year the SEC has the earliest Media Days of any conference and it's not by accident. Strategically speaking, the SEC isn't about sharing with the rest of the college football world, which means that next week when the Big 12 has its Media Days, you can set your watch to the reality that the SEC will roll all of its head coaches throughout the week into the ESPN "car-wash" in what will absolutely be a successful attempt to overshadow all other conferences.
It's going to happen. It's been happening for years.
So, I guess my question is this... why isn't Charlie Strong at ESPN right now doing to the SEC what is surely going to be done to him next week? Or Bob Stoops? Or Jim Harbaugh?
If the point of Media Days is to create exposure for the conference and individual programs within the conference, what is the value of your event if it is overshadowed by another league that plays chess better than you play checkers?
2. Between the Baylor scandal, the newest insight into the Penn State child molestation disaster and the shit being shoveled in our direction at SEC Media Days, it's nearly impossible to feel good about the current state of college athletics. It's to the point where I don't trust that anyone is ever telling the truth and I cringe at the thought of college football coaches believing they are responsible for molding young men.
Good grief, who on earth could justify that they are qualified for such a thing?
Consider Dan Mullen yesterday. In hyping up his "swagged out" shoes and tripping all over himself when asked about the ramifications of allowing five-star woman-beater Jeffery Simmons into his program, he created a picture of a person I would least want my son to learn a damn thing from.
Check out this section from an article written on Tuesday by Kyle Tucker:
But finally, Tuesday, Mullen had to face the music. And he hit every wrong note.
So what if it was a member of your actual family on the ground?
“I don’t know,” Mullen said, “I don’t think it would be my family. I don’t deal in hypotheticals, really, so, um – but anybody, I mean, in the video, I don’t know that my family would be in that situation, to be honest with you.”
These are the words of a man that believes he can shape the minds and characters of young men?
No thanks, Coach.
3. I can't type the words "Joe Paterno" without seething in anger. Wherever his soul is right now, I hope it is very, very, very, very, very warm.
4. Texas commitment Major Tennison is the perfect example of a kid that simply made a verbal commitment before he was really ready to do so. I can imagine that he was overwhelmed when he received his offer from Texas because a kid from his high school receiving a Texas football offer occurs about as often as a Halley's comet sighting. So, he jumped on it, because why wouldn't he? However, as the days have allowed for more perspective, it's clear that at the very least he wants to consider all of his options (which is fair) and it's possible that the commitment to the Longhorns is nothing more than the kind of verbal commitment you give to someone that you're dating when you don't have the heart to tell them that you really want to be dating someone else, but you're worried about how they will react.
Tennison needs to cut himself loose and just try to figure things out without the pressure of having this verbal commitment hanging over his head. If he comes back to Texas, then it was meant to be. If not, same thing.
5. Given everything going on around our nation right now, I have to say that these comments warmed my heart a little yesterday. I needed to be reminded of the good of college athletics and Texas A&M star defensive end Myles Garrett did it.
I find myself really liking Garrett and Texas linebacker Malik Jefferson for a million reasons and most of them are unrelated to football. It's young people like Garrett and Jefferson that make my job enjoyable.
6. Finally, a special thanks to former president George W. Bush for his words yesterday at the memorial event in Dallas for the five officers that were murdered last week.
"Too often, we judge other groups by their worst examples; too often we judge ourselves by our best intentions."
Amen.
This is a tense time in our country and I don't sense that the tension will ease in the coming months of what is sure to be one of the nastiest presidential campaigns in the history of our nation, but we've all got to do a better job of listening a little more and talking over others a little less.
p.s. In one of the stranger friendships I've ever seen, I believe that W. and Obama actually really like each other and have since Obama took office. I think people forget that once you get past politics, W. can be an incredibly engaging, funny and strong leader/human being When Obama's out of office, I'd love to see these two travel together on a campaign to tackle the challenges of our nation coming together. There's something about the sight of these two men, who have political positions that would seem to make for a testy relationship, engaging in very human and friendly interactions. It's a beautifully unexpected sight.
It's going to happen. It's been happening for years.
So, I guess my question is this... why isn't Charlie Strong at ESPN right now doing to the SEC what is surely going to be done to him next week? Or Bob Stoops? Or Jim Harbaugh?
If the point of Media Days is to create exposure for the conference and individual programs within the conference, what is the value of your event if it is overshadowed by another league that plays chess better than you play checkers?
2. Between the Baylor scandal, the newest insight into the Penn State child molestation disaster and the shit being shoveled in our direction at SEC Media Days, it's nearly impossible to feel good about the current state of college athletics. It's to the point where I don't trust that anyone is ever telling the truth and I cringe at the thought of college football coaches believing they are responsible for molding young men.
Good grief, who on earth could justify that they are qualified for such a thing?
Consider Dan Mullen yesterday. In hyping up his "swagged out" shoes and tripping all over himself when asked about the ramifications of allowing five-star woman-beater Jeffery Simmons into his program, he created a picture of a person I would least want my son to learn a damn thing from.
Check out this section from an article written on Tuesday by Kyle Tucker:
But finally, Tuesday, Mullen had to face the music. And he hit every wrong note.
So what if it was a member of your actual family on the ground?
“I don’t know,” Mullen said, “I don’t think it would be my family. I don’t deal in hypotheticals, really, so, um – but anybody, I mean, in the video, I don’t know that my family would be in that situation, to be honest with you.”
These are the words of a man that believes he can shape the minds and characters of young men?
No thanks, Coach.
3. I can't type the words "Joe Paterno" without seething in anger. Wherever his soul is right now, I hope it is very, very, very, very, very warm.
4. Texas commitment Major Tennison is the perfect example of a kid that simply made a verbal commitment before he was really ready to do so. I can imagine that he was overwhelmed when he received his offer from Texas because a kid from his high school receiving a Texas football offer occurs about as often as a Halley's comet sighting. So, he jumped on it, because why wouldn't he? However, as the days have allowed for more perspective, it's clear that at the very least he wants to consider all of his options (which is fair) and it's possible that the commitment to the Longhorns is nothing more than the kind of verbal commitment you give to someone that you're dating when you don't have the heart to tell them that you really want to be dating someone else, but you're worried about how they will react.
Tennison needs to cut himself loose and just try to figure things out without the pressure of having this verbal commitment hanging over his head. If he comes back to Texas, then it was meant to be. If not, same thing.
5. Given everything going on around our nation right now, I have to say that these comments warmed my heart a little yesterday. I needed to be reminded of the good of college athletics and Texas A&M star defensive end Myles Garrett did it.
I find myself really liking Garrett and Texas linebacker Malik Jefferson for a million reasons and most of them are unrelated to football. It's young people like Garrett and Jefferson that make my job enjoyable.
6. Finally, a special thanks to former president George W. Bush for his words yesterday at the memorial event in Dallas for the five officers that were murdered last week.
"Too often, we judge other groups by their worst examples; too often we judge ourselves by our best intentions."
Amen.
This is a tense time in our country and I don't sense that the tension will ease in the coming months of what is sure to be one of the nastiest presidential campaigns in the history of our nation, but we've all got to do a better job of listening a little more and talking over others a little less.
p.s. In one of the stranger friendships I've ever seen, I believe that W. and Obama actually really like each other and have since Obama took office. I think people forget that once you get past politics, W. can be an incredibly engaging, funny and strong leader/human being When Obama's out of office, I'd love to see these two travel together on a campaign to tackle the challenges of our nation coming together. There's something about the sight of these two men, who have political positions that would seem to make for a testy relationship, engaging in very human and friendly interactions. It's a beautifully unexpected sight.
