Mike Gundy vs. Sports Journalists

For those of you who live in a cave, or have had California-esque blackouts or don't own a computer with lightning fast internet, I will quickly summarize the escapade of Mike Gundy to the three of you. After a gutty victory over an undefeated Texas Tech team, Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy refused to address the football game that had just ended, instead prominently displaying a recent article in the Daily Oklahoman that was critical, in the lightest sense of the word, of Oklahoma State starter/backup, star/mediocre quarterback Bobby Reid. Now I not only watched the entirety of the press conference in which Mike Gundy attacks the media like Kobe Bryant after finding out that the Lakers chose not to try and get a veteran but instead make Kobe do all the work again while Lamar Odom bitches about how he doesn't get enough touches. But I also read the article in question and also many responses from commendable sports journalists around the nation who jump on a story like this because frankly they eat scandal up. After all of the reading was done I came to one conclusion about my opinion on this topic, and thats that I have absolutely no clue who to defend. So because I love an argument as much as the next man, I will argue both sides. First, defending Jenni Carlson, the author of the article in the Oklahoman, and then from Kobe Bryant's.........I mean Mike Gundy's perspective. Here goes nothing.

First and foremost the story really wasn't anything worse than any other critical article ever written about an athlete, at the professional or collegiate level. Yes, its true that Jenni Carlson called Bobby Reid immature, and suggested that he probably has some work ethic problems and some attitude problems, but seriously, we are currently surrounded by athletes about cheaters, dog killers, strip joint lovers and men who are sponsored by the Red Army (Tank Johnson) and someone is trying to tell me that all of a sudden Bobby Reid is being attacked for no reason. Mike Gundy overreacted, its plain and simple, If all of the statements about Bobby Reid are false, then why did you replace your former All Big 12 quarterback with a career backup and then stick with the backup even after it was clear he was out of his league against Troy which probably was an all girls school until 4 years ago.
The only thing Carlson is guilty of is writing a story about a team nobody cares about. Also, Stewart Mandel of SI.com called Carlson a commendable journalist because she was the first to get to interview Adrian Peterson's father. Oh I am sorry did someone forget to send me the memo that says you are knighted a "commendable journalist" as long as you are able to secure an interview that no one else has got before. No, it doesn't matter about the content of the story or whether the statements made are unfounded, you were first. That's like saying David Duke is a "commendable debater" because he was the first person to defeat Oprah in a debate on the Oprah show. No, it doesn't matter that Duke is the leader of the new KKK and his opinions are going farther in reverse than Pac Man's career, he was first! She has the right to write about whatever she wants and should not be chastised and embarassed in a post game news conference about an article that might hurt the young man's feelings. Hasn't Gundy ever heard of the expression of tough love?

Now, before I write this next portion I want it to be known that I am about to be critical of Jenni Carlson, and if the editor of the Daily Oklahoman wants to blast me in a press conference bring it on, I won't cry. For what its worth, the article was not very good. Carlson couldn't back up one statement she made with an actual legitimate source or quote that would have given a foundation to her accusations and she also lambasted Reid for being fed by his mother. Listen, I know college kids whose mothers still call them everyday, being fed chicken by mom isn't really that bad. Also I am not sure if how he eats has any relevance to the type of quarterback he is, or the kind of regression he is experiencing as a player.
Also, in the day and age of people like Mack Brown whose team played all the extras in the newest version of the Longest Yard because they wanted real felons, I have a great amount of appreciation and admiration for Mike Gundy for sticking up for his player and making sure that he let his team and Reid know that he is behind them every step of the way. Mack Brown takes no responsibility for the fact that in the past 8 months he has had 5 players arrested. He acts like he had no idea about the character issues some of his players imbue and he sounds like a disappointed grandfather who has just learned that his grandson smokes pot. I think more coaches, like Andy Reid should come out in favor of their quarterback and defend them, plus how funny would it be to see Andy Reid flush in the face spitting up his just eaten pork roast while he tells people what a stand up guy McNabb is.

All and all this story really isn't all that not worthy, there have been worse things that have happened in the world, and now I bid you all adieu because I need to figure out how I can get Tim Tebow to do something wrong so I can make fun of him. The guy can do no wrong.

Shame on the Irish

Shame on the once grand institution of Notre Dame. Shame on their athletic director, Kevin White. Shame on every haughty, pretentious alumni who thought 3 years was enough to rebuild a Notre Dame team left in ruin after the Bob Davie Era. The school loved Tyrone Willingham after he first year at the school started with such promise and hope. The team finished the regular season 10-2 before embarrassing themselves in the Gator Bowl against a Phillip Rivers led North Carolina State team. The attrition from that 2002 was substantial but there was reason for hope. 5-star recruit Brady Quinn had committed to the Irish along with a host of other top recruits and although the 2003 season outlook was less than rosy it seemed Tyrone Willingham was bringing Notre Dame back to national prominence. Fast-forward to the end of the 2004 season after a second consecutive sub-par season from Notre Dame the 2002 season was starting to lose its shine and the alumni were growing restless. But things looked better for the 2005 season. Brady Quinn was finally coming into his own as a quarterback and youngsters like Darius Walker and Jeff Samardzjia were beginning to show a lot of potential. So of course the Notre Dame alumni decided it was time for a coaching change. They fired Willingham after just 3 years and 2 bowl games and decided to move on in what was one of the most surprising coaching changes of the off-season.

Now a lot of pundits during that occurrence tried to play the race card, to be honest I was surprised Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton weren't strapping themselves to Touchdown Jesus in protest. I want to make it clear that I do not think race was a factor at all, I just think the Notre Dame alumni think their program is too good for an off year. They would have fired Tom Landry if he had been coaching them. Of course, being Notre Dame they had no trouble finding a long list of potential suitors and eventually decided on the offensive mastermind behind Tom Brady and the New England Patriots offense, Charlie Weiss. Weiss in his first year finished 9-3 on the season and was anointed a genius similar to the way Willingham was received. But, behind that terrific record were a lot of warning signs that showed the season wasn't quite all rosy. Notre Dame's best win was against a Michigan team that was vastly overrated and finished the season just 7-5. Their defense never really exhibited that much talent, and although I give Weiss plenty of credit for helping Brady Quinn transform to a star quarterback, he was Tyrone Willingham's recruit and was much ballyhooed out of high school so it wasn't as if Weiss transformed a nobody the way he did with Tom Brady.

Now fast-forward to week 1 of the 2007 college football season. I watched Notre Dame rotate 3 quarterbacks, gain -9 yards rushing, and get thoroughly embarrassed by a good, but not that good, Georgia Tech team. The "genius" Charlie Weiss was supposed to match John Tenuta, Georgia Tech's defensive coordinator, wit for wit in a battle of offense vs. defense. Instead I watched Demetrius Jones use his above average speed to lower his head and run a quarterback sneak at least 5 times and basically watch his receivers run vertical routes away from him while Phillip Wheeler hit him in the chin.

After 2 games Weis' supposed vaunted offense ranks last in the country in total offense and in rushing offense. Jimmy Clausen looked reasonable considering he was never going to be able to live up to his enormous hype in his first collegiate start and he is a freshman playing in Happy Valley, but the offense is so anemic it couldn't muster an offensive touchdown in the two games it has played this year. Looking at the rest of Notre Dame's schedule it is not inconceivable to see the Fighting Irish going into their game against the Navy Midshipmen at a catastrophic 0-7. Meanwhile Tyrone Willingham is 2-0 with a major victory that ended Boise St. win streak and a freshman quarterback whose decision-making and play-making far outweighs that of Jimmy Clausen, and now he has a legitimate chance to upset Ohio State and put Washington's season on the fast track. He is laughing all the way from Seattle right now.