[Schfourteenteen]

Ssh, I think your Blackberry is ringing.

Shhh I think youre spilling your kool aid.
...wait it is ringing, oh wait, its a another job offer from a staff cause I know what I'm doing and they know they need me to get things done in the offseason to make players better and to run summer camp... oh wait another call coming in, oh its an offer to be a grad assistant and Tennessee when im done with school....shhhh you dont know me, so dont act like you do.

Hmmmm but he knows you have a Blackberry and where it came from? TTL stop making more names

[ToTheLeft]

He doesn't have a blackberry, I don't think. it's a palm thing... not sure.

Anyways, it's not me, he asked me if I knew who it was and we were trying to figure it out.

[checkmate]

What is with the NEW direction. JF hired Rocco, we are still in the Big South. Our women continue to dominate the titles. Tolsma kicks butt. Pinder was hired by JF. Alder was a long time Flame. JB hires have failed to surpass the old direction. Oh yes numberous new flagpoles and the institution opening up its checkbook. Thom Park hired the athletic staff didn't he? Isn't the New direction that JF hired a good football coach with serious contacts to UVA and VA tech that lead to improved talent and enthusiasm. So to come in and frame the past as a failure would be shortsighted. Hope it all continues to grow and the vision is realized under JF jr.

[Schfourteenteen]

JB hires have failed to surpass the old direction.

After 1 basketball season and 15 baseball games?

[olldflame]

Yep, McKay should have recruited a half dozen HS All-Americans and won 2 or 3 conference championships by now.

checkmate, you are a master at selecting things that support your position and forgetting/ignoring those that do not.

Apologies to anyone offended by the comparison, but here goes.

The 05-06 MBB season is to checkmate as the haulocost is to neo-nazi revisionist historians. Never happened.

Advancing in the conference tournament or having a non-losing record overall and winning more games than we have in 4 years is a failure because we did not finish in the top 3 in conference in the regular season.

Ehemen Orupke is still in Nigeria and Brew's babies still need shoes, but we are supposed to believe that if RD had been here, he would have waved his magic wand and they would have led LU to the big dance this year.

I could go on.

[TylerBakersGonnaBGreat]

...wait it is ringing, oh wait, its a another job offer from a staff cause I know what I'm doing and they know they need me to get things done in the offseason to make players better and to run summer camp...

I hate to tell you but I don't think the Shorter deal is going to happen. Maybe you should go back to your rap career.

Unless we re-named Liberty to Shorter, Thats not what Im talking about. Thanks again though... add 1 more hater to the list, join the club, fair warning though... I embrace them because they will never have the chances I do/did. I really understand where you are coming from, I would be mad that someone as young as I am could have more knowlege than you and do things you have only dreamed of doing. So its ok, Thanks and since you know so much about me mind telling me who you are?

[JDUB]

JB hires have failed to surpass the old direction.

After 1 basketball season and 15 baseball games?

yeah, forget about how the students actually go to basketball games now, or how a lot more revenue is coming in now. or a great recruiting class coming in next year. lets not think about anything good the coach does, i mean, if he replaced the all great RD he must not do anything good.

the jury is still out on baseball, but the team looks like they are having more fun this year.

[checkmate]

Yep, McKay should have recruited a half dozen HS All-Americans and won 2 or 3 conference championships by now.

checkmate, you are a master at selecting things that support your position and forgetting/ignoring those that do not.

Apologies to anyone offended by the comparison, but here goes.

The 05-06 MBB season is to checkmate as the haulocost is to neo-nazi revisionist historians. Never happened.

Advancing in the conference tournament or having a non-losing record overall and winning more games than we have in 4 years is a failure because we did not finish in the top 3 in conference in the regular season.

Ehemen Orupke is still in Nigeria and Brew's babies still need shoes, but we are supposed to believe that if RD had been here, he would have waved his magic wand and they would have led LU to the big dance this year.

I could go on.

If we continue to play fourteen teams with rpi below 300 with first team all conference centers and acc pt guards: You will have some deceptive records.

No 2005-2006 happened. the man was corageous enough to remove key players in the face of knowing it would hurt the season. then rebounded to third. I guess the 2-1-2-3 never happened in old flames mind.

I stand by my earlier post that the direction of our programs was well under way in all moving in a positive direction. Until JB came in and spent more $$$ to move two of them backwards.

[thesportscritic]

yeah 7 big south championships claimed by LU and you call this under JB moving in the wrong direction, you need to seriously go back to elementary school to find the definition of going in the wrong direction. You bring nothing but drama to this board

[The True Paradox]

I would be mad that someone as young as I am could have more knowlege than you

What you have is not knowledge its potential testimony.

[jimflamesfan]

I am happy with the new direction.

I think we are making all kinds of positive strides in all sports.

As far as the minor cosmetic changes...they add a lot. I used to buy the reserved silver seats, and then I couldn't sit in them, because people didn't know they were deserved.

The plastic red seats may appear cosmetic - but I beleive that led to a huge increase in reserved ticket sales.

How about the football crowds - great.

And I think the basketball crowds were bigger as well...

I don't know of a coach right now that I am not happy with - I'm happy with all of them. Very excited about LU sports.

[TylerBakersGonnaBGreat]

I would be mad that someone as young as I am could have more knowlege than you

What you have is not knowledge its potential testimony.

Yeah? and how do you get to decide that?

[HenryGale]

I just struggle how anybody with an UNBIASED opinion can not be extremely excited about the direction of LU athletics

[TylerBakersGonnaBGreat]

I just struggle how anybody with an UNBIASED opinion can not be extremely excited about the direction of LU athletics

Im really excited... Football is getting better every year.

[JDUB]

I just struggle how anybody with an UNBIASED opinion can not be extremely excited about the direction of LU athletics

Im really excited... Football is getting better every year.

basketball is too, i mean, Tyler Baker is gonna be playing next year.

[olldflame]

I just struggle how anybody with an UNBIASED opinion can not be extremely excited about the direction of LU athletics

Im really excited... Football is getting better every year.

basketball is too, i mean, Tyler Baker is gonna be playing next year.

Allegedly.

[Schfourteenteen]

Thats why we didnt finish better in basketball! No Tyler Baker. Thats the difference right there.

Basketball not living up to expectations? Problem solved.

[TylerBakersGonnaBGreat]

Im not allowed to disagree there... Amen.

[Knucklehead]

KUM BY YAH

[BJWilliams]

Here is where I stand:

As someone who has been a student at this school for a number of years, and seen both the highs and lows of the program in many sports, I like where we are going. Yes changes have had to be made unfortunately and lives have been negatively affected. But good things are happening. Football in 2005 was 1-10. Coach Rocco was brought in and we won 5 more games the first year. The SECOND year we won 8 games and nearly made the playoffs. Coach McKay is brought in. We improve, over last year. Yes we didnt win the conference but the fact is that people are buying into the team now and coming to games. I think that we could be looking at a real big improvement in 2008-09 potentiall, much like football. Baseball, we won a lot of games, yes, but obviously things were not totally right there and they felt a chance was necessary. Again, lives were adversely affected yes, but in any job situation, lives are adversely affected. Anyone that may have expected us to go out and win 50 games is putting WAY too high of a set of expectations on a first year coach. Very rarely are you going to have a first year coach that has meteoric success. I am looking forward to what RMK does in his second year (and will support him like I supported previous coaches) and I will be looking forward to supporting Storm just like I supported the previous baseball coach. Also, seeing much needed omprovements to sporting facilities is good to see as well. I feel like this athletic department is moving in the right direction even if the wins and losses may not show it.

[Purple Haize]

Dare I say that perhaps Checkmate has a few vaild points. I don't think the direction of the athletic department can be soley judged by what happens on the field. After all we did when approximately 186 Sasser Cups under the previous regimes. You can argue that JF hiring who he did is not something that you can chalk up to JB and that includes the rest of the coaches mentioned.
The one HUGE factor that IMHO trumps all others is the positive change in attitude and "corporate philosophy" that has emerged in the last two years or so. Granted the JB has had unprecedented access to funds that others did not, but if you know people who have worked in this time and in administrations in the past just about everyone of them will tell you that things are "happier" now. Not working less, not driven less or more, but encouraged to do a good job and recognized when they are with out fear of "Big Brother" watching over them. To me THAT is JB's greatest accomplishment and why the athletic department is going in the right direction

[thepostman]

checkmate always has some valid points, but he always dismisses anything JB does simply because he does not like the man...how many schools around the country have more money going into then their athletic departments and are absolutely terrible?? quite a few....money isn't everything, its how you use money...also isn't one of the main reasons we have more money because of the ability to raise money through the Flames Club? Hasn't this kind of giving gone up??? I am not here to trash on the past....because from the good and the bad we need to realize that this school needed all those things to happen in order for us to get to where we are now....

We are headed in a great direction....the students are more excited about athletics then I have ever seen since I've been here (with a long ways still to go)....the past is the past....but as far as right now and the people in place right now...I say our future is pretty bright....

[thesportscritic]

checkmate always has some valid points, but he always dismisses anything JB does simply because he does not like the man...how many schools around the country have more money going into then their athletic departments and are absolutely terrible?? quite a few....money isn't everything, its how you use money...also isn't one of the main reasons we have more money because of the ability to raise money through the Flames Club? Hasn't this kind of giving gone up??? I am not here to trash on the past....because from the good and the bad we need to realize that this school needed all those things to happen in order for us to get to where we are now....

We are headed in a great direction....the students are more excited about athletics then I have ever seen since I've been here (with a long ways still to go)....the past is the past....but as far as right now and the people in place right now...I say our future is pretty bright....

agreed postman.

[bigsmooth]

nicely put posty.

[LUconn]

So I guess here is the main thing that I'd like to know. Despite what you think happened or who you're loyal to:

Is there any program or coach in it's current status that you're unhappy with right now?

There is a lot of argument over what should have happened with former coaches or people being unfair. But that's not the issue. That's crying over spilled milk. What about what we've got right now?