He's our only hope
Congratulations to our three All Ivy honorees, P Paul Delaney (1st Team), LB Zach Olinger (2nd Team), and DT Nico Padilla (Honorable Mention).
With Delaney and Olinger graduating in May, Padilla will the sole All Ivy player on the squad in 2014.
Also congratulations to the men's basketball team for their 61-47 win over American University last night. The game featured a breakout performance from freshman power forward Luke Petrasek from Long Island! I sincerely hope this young team proves me wrong and posts a winning Ivy record this coming winter.
As far as getting the change we need for the football program, it's clear the only person who can pull the trigger on making that change is Bill Campbell. And Bill Campbell is the King Lear of Columbia Athletics right now.
My Lit Hum professor taught me in 1989 that King Lear was not only the greatest of all of Shakespeare's plays, but it was the most profound piece of literature in the history of the modern world.
He had a point. And in the last few days, I feel like I've been reading Lear all over again.
I've seen countless emails, very well-written and passionate, not only lauding Campbell's undeniable achievements and contributions to CU football, but they also insist that no one really has the right to question his judgment about Dianne Murphy, Pete Mangurian, or anything.
I respectfully submit to Mr. Campbell that these people are your fans, your devotees, but they are not your true friends. They are giving you bad advice, rubber stamping everything you say, and not allowing you to see the situation clearly.
True friends do not only crave a person's approval and attention. True friends point out important mistakes in a friendly way without taking away any due respect or admiration.
And so while I really don't know Campbell personally, here are three things his true friends would and should be telling him:
1) Standing behind Mangurian and Murphy, both financially and institutionally, is a bad decision right now. It's making you look bad personally and hurting athletics and the University in general.
You've backed beleaguered head coaches in the past, but never in so public a manner. If you allow this to continue, you own this in every way shape and form. Do you really have that much confidence in Mangurian and Murphy that you're willing to put your good name up with them and their records now and in the future... for all time?
2) If you do choose to stand by them, the students and alumni deserve a real explanation why. Saying that two years is not enough time to judge Mangurian is not a good enough answer when he's just turned in the very worst performance of any football team in the history of the Ivy League. If the COO of Intuit or Apple had a full year of record poor performances, I can't believe there would be much chance that you would retain him or her.
As far as Murphy goes, we all deserve much better than the flat out inaccurate and misleading defense of her record signed by President Lee Bollinger last week. That was a true embarrassment to him and the school at large and it's in your best interest to distance yourself from that statement as much as possible.
Don't you think the students and alumni who have just endured this abomination of a football season, more than a decade without a winning Ivy men's basketball record, and countless other failures deserve more of an explanation or at least an acknowledgement of the validity of our discontent? Wouldn't you be calling the paramedics to check for signs of the fan base's life if we DIDN'T have negative comments as a result of all of this? And aren't you in the least bit disturbed that Mangurian's "explanation" for where the program was going was basically nonsensical as soon as he cited "empirical data?" Aren't you in the least bit disturbed that Murphy hasn't made any assurances for improvement in football?
3) You have a lot of commitments in your personal and professional life. And yet your financial and emotional commitment to Columbia Athletics is unimpeachable. So why NOT allow an outside consulting group to take over the department and make the overhaul we so sorely need? This is your chance to delegate this key job and be the savior, once again, for making the call. The humility and responsibility you'd be showing by doing that would be truly worthy of a legend.
It's really up to you Bill. You can ignore this advice from someone who doesn't owe you money, doesn't need a job from you, and isn't looking to get his kids into Columbia.
But you shouldn't, because it comes from someone who genuinely admires you yet realizes you need a little push to the right direction.
I'm sure you'd return the favor.
8 comments:
Campbell hired Captain Queeg(Mangurian)and only Campbell can remove him as the flunkies Bollinger and Murphy dance to Campbell's music and won't make a move without his "blessing".
It is high time for the "Wizard" Bill Campbell to admit that he made a colossal mistake with hiring and supporting this tragic coach who really sounds paranoid in his comments about the program and alumni.
However, I doubt Campbell will step up now and fire this very failed and misguided head coach. Campbell's ego is much too large to admit to his error in judgment.
I would suggest that maybe Bill Campbell must be suffering from the same mental malady of Captain Queeg!
May I suggest that, before you approach Campbell, you stop running those (of course) anonymous and unsubstantiated posts which claim to reference his supposed atrabiliousness? (And how's that for a Columbia-type word!)
And if you let those posts somehow sneak through, Jake, then I can only imagine what bilgewater was in those posts you've deleted.
Nonetheless, to you and all who attend this site, my wishes for the happiest possible Thanksgiving.
Never before have seen an 0-10 coach in his second year retained. Good luck...
Well, at least Jake gave up repeating the same boilerplate demands before each blog entry. That shows change is possible.
Now, if he would only give up on this fruitless and destructive campaign...
Some years ago, I was reminding a high school class I was teaching to not get too nervous about the upcoming NYS Regents testing. I told my students that the sun would shine tomorrow no matter what the results of the tests. I was interrupted by this beautiful voice singing the first stanza of Tomorrow from the musical Annie.
The sun'll come out
Tomorrow
Bet your bottom dollar
That tomorrow
There'll be sun.
Give Bill Campbell some space and he will make a decision that will be explained to all who are concerned about the sun shining again on CU football and its student athletes. A good CO listens to all sides before making a final decision.
teacher mike 196
Right now we are on the dark side of the moon. A lot more than a little sun is needed. Looking forward to more positive responses from our toss in the towel responders.
Could Mangurian's "Empirical Data" refer to his years at Cornell? Just wondering...
The problem is BC sequesters himself in his wine cellar - excuse me, I mean in his mansion. Few people have access to his personal cell. and email. He only makes himself available if it suits his needs. He is inaccessible. to deliver the messages he needs to hear and act upon.
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