Grumpy old men
posted by LW, Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Well, well, well.
Looks like our man Bart Wright had another hissy fit about all those mean Internet people.
Bart does a miserable job at piecing together last week's tiff between Dabo Swinney and Billy Napier, making the laughably erroneous assumption that a few band members ran home and called all their favorite bloggers to inform them of the spat, and that nothing would've gotten out had the band not been present.
I'm not going to talk any more about the dust-up and how it was not a run-of-the-mill development, because that thing has run its course and there's nothing more to say. It's been a week, and it's time to move on.
I also won't take issue with his complaints about news being broken by an anonymous web site, because I can see how some folks might be uneasy about that. Can't say I've totally reconciled it myself.
But I will say that Bart's latest tirade about "recruiting web sites" is more feeble and desperate than his previous blasts of hot air on the topic.
I read his screed twice and am still trying to figure out what, exactly, a "fan boy Web site" did wrong other than confirming news it knew to be true.
Delivering news. What a concept. Maybe Bart and his sports section should try it sometime.
You'd have a lot more respect for Bart's beef if he had the guts to cite the "fan boy Web site" and the specific affront to his lofty journalistic standards.
We "fan boy Web sites" aren't perfect, but I can think of a newspaper or two that's been irresponsible and wrong on occasion. And somehow these "fan boy Web sites" have managed to attract and maintain a target audience that newspapers have alienated, and irretrievably lost.
So I guess it's understandable that Bart has a burr under his saddle and will attack "fan boys" like me at every opportunity.
But here's some news Bart might want to consider: These fan boy Web sites? They're probably going to be around for a while.
Newspapers? Can't say the same thing, unfortunately.
It's superficial, out-of-touch rants like these that seal their irrelevance, and ultimately their demise.
I will say I'm glad I could help boost the hit total on Bart's blog from about five or 10 to a few thousand.
It's the least I could do...
In The State, Paul Strelow writes about the desire for Kyle Parker to use his feet more.
Interesting numbers here:
Parker has run from a pass-play scramble eight times this season; he gained at least 8 yards on five of them, making a first down on five of six third-down scrambles.
Strelow also touches on something we explored earlier this week: The Tigers' need for improvement on first down.
On 95 designed first-down runs this season, the Tigers have averaged 4.48 yards per carry, a figure coaches would accept in a heartbeat.
But it has been feast or famine for the Tigers, as 42 of those 95 carries (44 percent) have gone for 2 yards or less, forcing the offense into a high volume of undesirably long second- and third-down situations.
In its two consecutive losses to TCU and Maryland, 18 of Clemson's 32 first-down runs (56 per-ent) spanned 2 yards or fewer, exemplifying the team's difficulties in establishing a power running game.
In The Post and Courier, Travis Sawchik works in a Barack Obama reference for his left-wing base.
Sawchik also presents his weekly ACC notebook with a great quote from the Man of Steele:
"You hear about a great quarterback being recruited, the savior of the program, and then somebody else plays and wins a bunch of games. It happens more than people really notice," Clemson defensive coordinator Kevin Steele on the production of Skinner, who was a little sought-after recruit out of Bolles High in Jacksonville, Fla.
Greg Wallace of the Independent-Mail writes about the Tigers' offensive line.
Through five games, the Tigers’ line is far more experienced and cohesive than 2008’s group, which endured youth and constant lineup shuffles over the first two-thirds of the season before settling on a constant lineup (and, consequently, improving) over the final month.
But all involved agree plenty of work remains: heading into Saturday’s visit from Wake Forest, Clemson (2-3, 1-2 ACC) is 102nd nationally in total offense (10th in the ACC) with 316.6 yards per game, and has 135.5 yards rushing per game (73rd nationally and sixth in the ACC).
“We’re far from dominant, but we’re better,” Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said this week. “We’re not close to what I want us to be, but we are better. There’s no denying that.”
Good story in the Greenville News by Scott Keepfer, who writes about Kyle Parker's friendship with Wake Forest tight end Andrew Parker (no relation).
I am, however, disappointed that Keepfer couldn't find a way to work in a "Napoleon Dynamite" reference.
Also in the GN, Jim Grobe is nervous about facing the Tigers.
“Of course they've had two weeks to prepare and that makes me nervous,” he said. “They've played some great football teams here early in the year. I think that's something people tend to forget.”
The Charlotte Observer/State/News & Observer triumvirate unveils this week's SEC/ACC rankings with some snarky one-liners.
Such as...
1. FLORIDA (5) 143, 1: Time to ask Tim Tebow to fix our health care system.
12. TENNESSEE 81, 16: Loathe him or hate him, Lane Kiffin has made the Vols formidable in big games again.
13. OLE MISS 77, 10: Jevan Snead is this year's Cullen Harper. If you remember who that is.
17. FLORIDA STATE 44, 18: Yep, there's no staff dissension. Right.
20. (TIE) MARYLAND 29, 21: Imagine how good the Terps would look if they faced Clemson every week.
20. (TIE) DUKE 29, 24: Imagine what the Blue Devils might accomplish if they were in the Atlantic Division.
Zings all around...
J.P. Giglio ponders a coin flip for the ACC title game.
But a win by Georgia Tech on Saturday plausibly would put all three teams in the top 12 in the first BCS standings. You don't have to be Jeff Sagarin to project all three to remain in the same range if they keep winning. If they do, the league would determine the Coastal winner by a coin flip, or by pulling names from a hat.
The idea sounds preposterous. Can you imagine a spot in the ACC title game and potentially in a BCS bowl being decided by a coin flip or a raffle?
No news out of Winston-Salem today other than Dino Gaudio receiving an extension.
That's it for now. Gotta get ready to take the 2-year-old to Sesame Street Live at Littlejohn Coliseum.
I'm legitimately pumped, though I'm not sure about this Elmo guy.
He's too new-school. Kind of like those fan boy Internet losers.
LW
For questions or comments on this blog entry, please visit The West Zone message board.
Link to this entry - Discuss this entry - Return to Blog Home
Well, well, well.
Looks like our man Bart Wright had another hissy fit about all those mean Internet people.
Bart does a miserable job at piecing together last week's tiff between Dabo Swinney and Billy Napier, making the laughably erroneous assumption that a few band members ran home and called all their favorite bloggers to inform them of the spat, and that nothing would've gotten out had the band not been present.
I'm not going to talk any more about the dust-up and how it was not a run-of-the-mill development, because that thing has run its course and there's nothing more to say. It's been a week, and it's time to move on.
I also won't take issue with his complaints about news being broken by an anonymous web site, because I can see how some folks might be uneasy about that. Can't say I've totally reconciled it myself.
But I will say that Bart's latest tirade about "recruiting web sites" is more feeble and desperate than his previous blasts of hot air on the topic.
I read his screed twice and am still trying to figure out what, exactly, a "fan boy Web site" did wrong other than confirming news it knew to be true.
Delivering news. What a concept. Maybe Bart and his sports section should try it sometime.
You'd have a lot more respect for Bart's beef if he had the guts to cite the "fan boy Web site" and the specific affront to his lofty journalistic standards.
We "fan boy Web sites" aren't perfect, but I can think of a newspaper or two that's been irresponsible and wrong on occasion. And somehow these "fan boy Web sites" have managed to attract and maintain a target audience that newspapers have alienated, and irretrievably lost.
So I guess it's understandable that Bart has a burr under his saddle and will attack "fan boys" like me at every opportunity.
But here's some news Bart might want to consider: These fan boy Web sites? They're probably going to be around for a while.
Newspapers? Can't say the same thing, unfortunately.
It's superficial, out-of-touch rants like these that seal their irrelevance, and ultimately their demise.
I will say I'm glad I could help boost the hit total on Bart's blog from about five or 10 to a few thousand.
It's the least I could do...
In The State, Paul Strelow writes about the desire for Kyle Parker to use his feet more.
Interesting numbers here:
Parker has run from a pass-play scramble eight times this season; he gained at least 8 yards on five of them, making a first down on five of six third-down scrambles.
Strelow also touches on something we explored earlier this week: The Tigers' need for improvement on first down.
On 95 designed first-down runs this season, the Tigers have averaged 4.48 yards per carry, a figure coaches would accept in a heartbeat.
But it has been feast or famine for the Tigers, as 42 of those 95 carries (44 percent) have gone for 2 yards or less, forcing the offense into a high volume of undesirably long second- and third-down situations.
In its two consecutive losses to TCU and Maryland, 18 of Clemson's 32 first-down runs (56 per-ent) spanned 2 yards or fewer, exemplifying the team's difficulties in establishing a power running game.
In The Post and Courier, Travis Sawchik works in a Barack Obama reference for his left-wing base.
Sawchik also presents his weekly ACC notebook with a great quote from the Man of Steele:
"You hear about a great quarterback being recruited, the savior of the program, and then somebody else plays and wins a bunch of games. It happens more than people really notice," Clemson defensive coordinator Kevin Steele on the production of Skinner, who was a little sought-after recruit out of Bolles High in Jacksonville, Fla.
Greg Wallace of the Independent-Mail writes about the Tigers' offensive line.
Through five games, the Tigers’ line is far more experienced and cohesive than 2008’s group, which endured youth and constant lineup shuffles over the first two-thirds of the season before settling on a constant lineup (and, consequently, improving) over the final month.
But all involved agree plenty of work remains: heading into Saturday’s visit from Wake Forest, Clemson (2-3, 1-2 ACC) is 102nd nationally in total offense (10th in the ACC) with 316.6 yards per game, and has 135.5 yards rushing per game (73rd nationally and sixth in the ACC).
“We’re far from dominant, but we’re better,” Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said this week. “We’re not close to what I want us to be, but we are better. There’s no denying that.”
Good story in the Greenville News by Scott Keepfer, who writes about Kyle Parker's friendship with Wake Forest tight end Andrew Parker (no relation).
I am, however, disappointed that Keepfer couldn't find a way to work in a "Napoleon Dynamite" reference.
Also in the GN, Jim Grobe is nervous about facing the Tigers.
“Of course they've had two weeks to prepare and that makes me nervous,” he said. “They've played some great football teams here early in the year. I think that's something people tend to forget.”
The Charlotte Observer/State/News & Observer triumvirate unveils this week's SEC/ACC rankings with some snarky one-liners.
Such as...
1. FLORIDA (5) 143, 1: Time to ask Tim Tebow to fix our health care system.
12. TENNESSEE 81, 16: Loathe him or hate him, Lane Kiffin has made the Vols formidable in big games again.
13. OLE MISS 77, 10: Jevan Snead is this year's Cullen Harper. If you remember who that is.
17. FLORIDA STATE 44, 18: Yep, there's no staff dissension. Right.
20. (TIE) MARYLAND 29, 21: Imagine how good the Terps would look if they faced Clemson every week.
20. (TIE) DUKE 29, 24: Imagine what the Blue Devils might accomplish if they were in the Atlantic Division.
Zings all around...
J.P. Giglio ponders a coin flip for the ACC title game.
But a win by Georgia Tech on Saturday plausibly would put all three teams in the top 12 in the first BCS standings. You don't have to be Jeff Sagarin to project all three to remain in the same range if they keep winning. If they do, the league would determine the Coastal winner by a coin flip, or by pulling names from a hat.
The idea sounds preposterous. Can you imagine a spot in the ACC title game and potentially in a BCS bowl being decided by a coin flip or a raffle?
No news out of Winston-Salem today other than Dino Gaudio receiving an extension.
That's it for now. Gotta get ready to take the 2-year-old to Sesame Street Live at Littlejohn Coliseum.
I'm legitimately pumped, though I'm not sure about this Elmo guy.
He's too new-school. Kind of like those fan boy Internet losers.
LW
For questions or comments on this blog entry, please visit The West Zone message board.
Link to this entry - Discuss this entry - Return to Blog Home
Donnie Patterson. Donnie Patterson is the founder of Patterson Tax Service, located in Easley, S.C. He has been active in tax preparation since 1970, and offers a full range of tax and bookkeeping services.
Larry Williams. Larry has covered the daily beat at Clemson since 2004. Williams, who worked for the Charleston Post & Courier from 2004-08, joined Tigerillustrated.com in November of 2008. He may be reached by email at ldubya08(at)gmail.com. Replace (at) with @.