Bilas on MU's Win

[🏀]

Let's just all take a deep breath here. I'll send an e-mail to Bilas, and hope for an answer until then. Let's all put away our male reproductive organs and stop trying to piss on everything.

While I wouldn't put be surprised at PRN's theory, that would be quite the giant bowel movement to be made inside the "Al McGuire Center".

[Canned Goods n Ammo]

A. I am one of the handful of people on this board with any credibility.

No, no you aren't.

Re-read some of your rants.

I know you were/are a big MU hoops fan. There is not doubt. But, seriously, you bitch about EVERYTHING and don't really offer anything insightful.

I really don't want this to turn into another "internet fight"... but seriously, go back and re-read some of your stuff.

If you're re-reading some of of my "stuff," you've just proven my point about credibility. Thanks, though.

I don't think that even makes sense. What are you trying to say?

I re-read some of your posts as research to make sure that I wasn't making a bold statement without first double checking my facts.

I gave a quick look, and the VAST MAJORITY of your posts don't have any factual claims or even basketball insight, but are rather just inferences about Crean's ego and stuff about the ultra-PC people at MU who changed the nickname.

That's it.

I don't think there is credibility in that.

[deerchaser]

Not to add any gas to the fire or stir up the anti-ESPN argument, but wouldn't ESPN/Jay Bilas be just as at fault for promoting or not checking this "fact" out?  I'm just trying to point out that as much as MU/Crean (whomever) may be at fault, if the AD did spit out this fact ESPN/Bilas do have a duty to check it and are just as responsible as our AD.  If the AD didn't publicize this tidbit then ESPN/Bilas is still at fault for not indicating from what poll(s) it was determined.  

[muwarrior87]

I have one simple question...

Are we Marquette or Kentucky?!?

Cuz right now, we have a top ten program and instead of talking about the successes we've had and the things we need to improve on, we're letting something our coach may/may not have said become the focal point of a thread.  How about we get back to the topic at hand and discuss the point that Bilas has made.  Whether correct or not, in the past 30 years, Marquette has not been at this point of being in the top 25 as often as it has been under Crean. 

We all LOVE Al and all he stood for with this program and no coach will ever replace him as the best coach we've had.  Crean, while some people question his motives for things or him as a person off the court, you cannot question what he's done with this program. We are getting mentioned in the national spotlight every week.  Our games are being shown nationwide and we are getting a lot of positive press.

I know it can be upsetting if 'facts' are put out there and not true, but I think we can all agree that MU is in a great spot right now and to be arguing over this is a little childish and really makes me feel like we're at Kentucky and nit picking every detail about our coach.

[RJax55]

PRN, your really going out on a limb here ... Could it be possible that MU gave this info to Bilas for use in his article ... Yes ... But is it also very possible that the info came from a researcher at ESPN that was looking to plug their own poll? The fact is you have no clue what prompted Bilas to say that in this article.

Hopefully, Jay will respond to marqptm email. However, no matter what happens, you will still blame TC. If Bilas comes back and says that he made a mistake or received bad info from an ESPN staffer, you will just say that Bilas is covering for Crean and MU.

BTW, I think you do raise valid points regarding the program ... Banners for the CBE and Great Alaskan Shootout should be removed from the BC. Also, I agree with you regarding the attendance figures for big games. However, when you spout off with these Crean conspiracy theories with no facts backing them up, you look silly.

[Coobeys Oil Depot]

I would bet money that he is NOT right.  In the 70's decade the only school with a better winning percentage than Marquette was John Wooden's UCLA club that one what was it 9 NCAA championships?  I doubt the Warriors were out of the top twenty five for much of that entire decade.

I'm willing to bet money that Bilas is right. Only due to the fact that Bilas was definetly using the Coaches' poll for that comment. UPI or AP poll and Bilas is wrong.

I'm willing to bet money that Bilas got that grossly incorrect statement from Marquette. It's borderline outrageous and it wouldn't surprise me if that pipeline of information passed through our head coach at some point.

Seriously, why is it that whenever there's a good feeling around this team or university, they freaking blow it up with idiotic things like this. I compare this to the George Thompson number fiasco.

It's possible that Bilas did get it from Marquette. We've all had to deal with the incompetence in the ticket department and considering we haven't had an Athletic Director for over a year it's no stretch to think that things aren't as tight as they should be.

OTOH, Bilas gets in trouble because if he took it straight from MU without sending it through the ESPN research nerds the responsibility is now 50/50 rather then all on Crean. And, we must remember that this is a blog (an Insider blog at that) and blogs aren't exactly required to be 100% factual.

As for equating it with George Thompson number fiasco it's not even close. In fact, that's a gross stretch. 95% of MU fans will know nothing about the throwaway ranking line in Bilas' blog. 95% of MU fans knew about the GT thing since it was played out right in the media in Milwaukee rather then in some obscure paid subscription blog on the internet.

Finally, who are the posters with you in the handful of credibility club?

[Doctor V]

here is my problem: even though some of these things that crean has done are true, why can noone believe that he might be doing it for the good of the program rather than for himself?? PRN, crean can get many jobs with or without inflating crowd stats or putting up banners or plugging himself.
You ever think that he loves to make his school look good

And so what if he feels like he is in Al's shadow and wants to establish a legacy of his own? How is that a detriment?? He has always been supportive and accepting of Al's history here, and he would be a coward to not want to build a legacy of his own

Id rather have a coach that tries to make the university look good than one who makes it look bad. Atleast he isnt using the program as a stepping stone, he could have been gone by now if he wanted- and even if he leaves for MSU thats his decision hes still done a ton for MU

With the way coaches quit programs and jump ship to go somewhere else, I am happy TC has stayed here and tried to increase the notoriety of the program

Tradition is important and completely necessary- if you dont know where youve been theres no way of knowing where you need to go. However, things change and every traditionalist needs to adapt, thats the bottom line. Warriors great, but for whatever reason was seen as inappropriate so the change was made. As Dwyane Wade said, he will always be a Golden Eagle. Al great, but now its TC's turn, and hes doing a damn good job compared to where this program was immediately before he got here

[Pakuni]

I know it can be upsetting if 'facts' are put out there and not true, but I think we can all agree that MU is in a great spot right now and to be arguing over this is a little childish and really makes me feel like we're at Kentucky and nit picking every detail about our coach.

Amen.

The fact that the anti-Crean contingent has to go this far -- i.e. creating suppositions about an erroneous throwaway line in an ESPN column -- to find evidence of wrongdoing by MU's coach shows just how well the program is doing, and how desperate those people have become to defend their biases.

At most places, fans unhappy with the coaches complain about losses, poor recruiting, poor attendance, strategy, subsitution patterns, player development, thuggish behavior by members of the program, etc.

Here its seems the best they can come up with these days is an unprovable accusation that the coach provided inaccurate information about a meaningless factoid. Oh, and let's not forget the great controversy over the karate outfits and ATV.
Credibility, indeed.

[PuertoRicanNightmare]

here is my problem: even though some of these things that crean has done are true, why can noone believe that he might be doing it for the good of the program rather than for himself?? PRN, crean can get many jobs with or without inflating crowd stats or putting up banners or plugging himself.
You ever think that he loves to make his school look good

And so what if he feels like he is in Al's shadow and wants to establish a legacy of his own? How is that a detriment?? He has always been supportive and accepting of Al's history here, and he would be a coward to not want to build a legacy of his own

Id rather have a coach that tries to make the university look good than one who makes it look bad. Atleast he isnt using the program as a stepping stone, he could have been gone by now if he wanted- and even if he leaves for MSU thats his decision hes still done a ton for MU

With the way coaches quit programs and jump ship to go somewhere else, I am happy TC has stayed here and tried to increase the notoriety of the program

Tradition is important and completely necessary- if you dont know where youve been theres no way of knowing where you need to go. However, things change and every traditionalist needs to adapt, thats the bottom line. Warriors great, but for whatever reason was seen as inappropriate so the change was made. As Dwyane Wade said, he will always be a Golden Eagle. Al great, but now its TC's turn, and hes doing a damn good job compared to where this program was immediately before he got here

That's great. Now maybe you can explain how making the outrageously incorrect claim of being the most successful coach ever at Marquette benefits the university? Claiming "traditionalists" need to adapt is just goofy. Adapting is one thing, rewriting history is another.

Crean is like Sandy Berger, stuffing the pages of history down his pants hoping that nobody hears the crinkling sound as he walks out the door.

Pakuni - that was not a "throwaway line."
 
Coobeys -- I'll work on a list. Needless to say, Marquette84 will NOT be on it as he has zero credibility (I wouldn't be a bit surprised if he's on the MU payroll).

[RJax55]

here is my problem: even though some of these things that crean has done are true, why can noone believe that he might be doing it for the good of the program rather than for himself?? PRN, crean can get many jobs with or without inflating crowd stats or putting up banners or plugging himself.
You ever think that he loves to make his school look good

And so what if he feels like he is in Al's shadow and wants to establish a legacy of his own? How is that a detriment?? He has always been supportive and accepting of Al's history here, and he would be a coward to not want to build a legacy of his own

Id rather have a coach that tries to make the university look good than one who makes it look bad. Atleast he isnt using the program as a stepping stone, he could have been gone by now if he wanted- and even if he leaves for MSU thats his decision hes still done a ton for MU

With the way coaches quit programs and jump ship to go somewhere else, I am happy TC has stayed here and tried to increase the notoriety of the program

Tradition is important and completely necessary- if you dont know where youve been theres no way of knowing where you need to go. However, things change and every traditionalist needs to adapt, thats the bottom line. Warriors great, but for whatever reason was seen as inappropriate so the change was made. As Dwyane Wade said, he will always be a Golden Eagle. Al great, but now its TC's turn, and hes doing a damn good job compared to where this program was immediately before he got here

That's great. Now maybe you can explain how making the outrageously incorrect claim of being the most successful coach ever at Marquette benefits the university? Claiming "traditionalists" need to adapt is just goofy. Adapting is one thing, rewriting history is another.

PRN, when and where has Crean claimed he was the most succesful coach ever at MU? Again, you don't know where the info from the Bilas statement came from.

[mu03eng]

here is my problem: even though some of these things that crean has done are true, why can noone believe that he might be doing it for the good of the program rather than for himself?? PRN, crean can get many jobs with or without inflating crowd stats or putting up banners or plugging himself.
You ever think that he loves to make his school look good

And so what if he feels like he is in Al's shadow and wants to establish a legacy of his own? How is that a detriment?? He has always been supportive and accepting of Al's history here, and he would be a coward to not want to build a legacy of his own

Id rather have a coach that tries to make the university look good than one who makes it look bad. Atleast he isnt using the program as a stepping stone, he could have been gone by now if he wanted- and even if he leaves for MSU thats his decision hes still done a ton for MU

With the way coaches quit programs and jump ship to go somewhere else, I am happy TC has stayed here and tried to increase the notoriety of the program

Tradition is important and completely necessary- if you dont know where youve been theres no way of knowing where you need to go. However, things change and every traditionalist needs to adapt, thats the bottom line. Warriors great, but for whatever reason was seen as inappropriate so the change was made. As Dwyane Wade said, he will always be a Golden Eagle. Al great, but now its TC's turn, and hes doing a damn good job compared to where this program was immediately before he got here

That's great. Now maybe you can explain how making the outrageously incorrect claim of being the most successful coach ever at Marquette benefits the university? Claiming "traditionalists" need to adapt is just goofy. Adapting is one thing, rewriting history is another.

Crean is like Sandy Berger, stuffing the pages of history down his pants hoping that nobody hears the crinkling sound as he walks out the door.

Pakuni - that was not a "throwaway line."
 
Coobeys -- I'll work on a list. Needless to say, Marquette84 will NOT be on it as he has zero credibility (I wouldn't be a bit surprised if he's on the MU payroll).

Hey maybe it helps Marquette because we can say, remember all that Al tradition and how great those teams are.....we are even better now than we are then....mr. recruit why don't you come be part of our how successful we are now. 

Would you rather Crean going into recruits' homes telling them that we are pretty ok but we were better 30 years ago?????  It servers Marquette by saying we were great once, we are just as good if not better now, come be a part of it.  You are building a house of cards, Crean said it so it must serve only him except that the reason I know Crean said it is because I know that comment only serves him.

See there thought of that in roughly 2 nanoseconds, its easy to do if you take off the Crean blinders

[muwarrior87]

if we can get a national championship and make some deep runs into the tourney, then we'll be as good now as we were then.

[Norm]

PRN,

Please bring forth the evidence that proves Tom Crean sent the information to Jay Bilas. If you can't provide any, than I would suggest you may want to stop your complaining.

[Final Four or Bust]

Few thoughts:

1)  No one knows where the info came from -- PRN has his thoughts (which he is entitled to).  I would like to know the source of this info though -- as it is so blatantly incorrect it just screams something is wrong here.

2)  I would be interested in the numbers of the O'Neill era and the Deane era for rankings.   Those that suggest we were so horrible prior to Crean fail to realize that we weren't have bad in the 90s.  I know, I was there, and save the one final four year we had more post-season success under those two than Crean.  That doesn't mean I am not fine where the program is now, but it isn't necessary to bash those before him to make it seem like we are that much better.  If I have a pet peeve on this board (or other MU boards), its the constant talking down of the program before Crean came.

[RawdogDX]

here is my problem: even though some of these things that crean has done are true, why can noone believe that he might be doing it for the good of the program rather than for himself?? PRN, crean can get many jobs with or without inflating crowd stats or putting up banners or plugging himself.
You ever think that he loves to make his school look good

And so what if he feels like he is in Al's shadow and wants to establish a legacy of his own? How is that a detriment?? He has always been supportive and accepting of Al's history here, and he would be a coward to not want to build a legacy of his own

Id rather have a coach that tries to make the university look good than one who makes it look bad. Atleast he isnt using the program as a stepping stone, he could have been gone by now if he wanted- and even if he leaves for MSU thats his decision hes still done a ton for MU

With the way coaches quit programs and jump ship to go somewhere else, I am happy TC has stayed here and tried to increase the notoriety of the program

Tradition is important and completely necessary- if you dont know where youve been theres no way of knowing where you need to go. However, things change and every traditionalist needs to adapt, thats the bottom line. Warriors great, but for whatever reason was seen as inappropriate so the change was made. As Dwyane Wade said, he will always be a Golden Eagle. Al great, but now its TC's turn, and hes doing a damn good job compared to where this program was immediately before he got here

That's great. Now maybe you can explain how making the outrageously incorrect claim of being the most successful coach ever at Marquette benefits the university? Claiming "traditionalists" need to adapt is just goofy. Adapting is one thing, rewriting history is another.

PRN, when and where has Crean claimed he was the most succesful coach ever at MU? Again, you don't know where the info from the Bilas statement came from.

I want to 2nd this question?  You just think he says things.  You think he does things.  You make guesses on things happening behind closed doors and you make assumptions on his motivations.  Are you like this in other aspects of your life?  What if you picked a random person you know and just started assuming that every thing they did was for some sort of self serving aspect.  And you just built and built on it angrily stomping your feet about it.  Here watch me do it I'll pick a random example... I'm going to try and think of my friend Stu in the way you think of crean.
"I just got a Christmas card from that sob.  But he couldn't use a normal card, he had to get one of those fancy f'ing cards with his picture on it.  OF COURSE he did.  He wants everyone who comes to my house to see his face on my mantle sill, him and his pretty little wife.  I can't believe everyone doesn't hate him and his shameless self promotion.  He knows that if I display his card that it will overshadow the picture i have of my parents!  Can you believe the nerve of him trying to take my parents spot in my heart?!?!"

Pretty crazy sounding isn't it?  Well I honestly feel like this would be your internal monalog if you recieved a christmas card from crean.  But what do i know, i'm not one of the few 'Credible' people on the board.

ps. thanks for the card stu!

[ZiggysFryBoy]

here is my problem: even though some of these things that crean has done are true, why can noone believe that he might be doing it for the good of the program rather than for himself?? PRN, crean can get many jobs with or without inflating crowd stats or putting up banners or plugging himself.
You ever think that he loves to make his school look good

And so what if he feels like he is in Al's shadow and wants to establish a legacy of his own? How is that a detriment?? He has always been supportive and accepting of Al's history here, and he would be a coward to not want to build a legacy of his own

Id rather have a coach that tries to make the university look good than one who makes it look bad. Atleast he isnt using the program as a stepping stone, he could have been gone by now if he wanted- and even if he leaves for MSU thats his decision hes still done a ton for MU

With the way coaches quit programs and jump ship to go somewhere else, I am happy TC has stayed here and tried to increase the notoriety of the program

Tradition is important and completely necessary- if you dont know where youve been theres no way of knowing where you need to go. However, things change and every traditionalist needs to adapt, thats the bottom line. Warriors great, but for whatever reason was seen as inappropriate so the change was made. As Dwyane Wade said, he will always be a Golden Eagle. Al great, but now its TC's turn, and hes doing a damn good job compared to where this program was immediately before he got here

That's great. Now maybe you can explain how making the outrageously incorrect claim of being the most successful coach ever at Marquette benefits the university? Claiming "traditionalists" need to adapt is just goofy. Adapting is one thing, rewriting history is another.

PRN, when and where has Crean claimed he was the most succesful coach ever at MU? Again, you don't know where the info from the Bilas statement came from.

I want to 2nd this question?  You just think he says things.  You think he does things.  You make guesses on things happening behind closed doors and you make assumptions on his motivations.  Are you like this in other aspects of your life?  What if you picked a random person you know and just started assuming that every thing they did was for some sort of self serving aspect.  And you just built and built on it angrily stomping your feet about it.  Here watch me do it I'll pick a random example... I'm going to try and think of my friend Stu in the way you think of crean.
"I just got a Christmas card from that sob.  But he couldn't use a normal card, he had to get one of those fancy f'ing cards with his picture on it.  OF COURSE he did.  He wants everyone who comes to my house to see his face on my mantle sill, him and his pretty little wife.  I can't believe everyone doesn't hate him and his shameless self promotion.  He knows that if I display his card that it will overshadow the picture i have of my parents!  Can you believe the nerve of him trying to take my parents spot in my heart?!?!"

Pretty crazy sounding isn't it?  Well I honestly feel like this would be your internal monalog if you recieved a christmas card from crean.  But what do i know, i'm not one of the few 'Credible' people on the board.

ps. thanks for the card stu!

Rawdog, I know where you're going with this, but bad analogy.  I do think that Stu is an pretty boy for sending me that Christmas card.  Everyone knows that Disco Stu doesn't need to advertise.

[Ready2Fly]

Another thing about this that irks me, Crean/Marquette puts this kind of misleading crap out there and it'll be repeated over and over again on ESPN. And why? Who is it serving? Marquette? Absolutely not! Our players? Nope. It's put out there for one reason...to build Tom Crean's resume and to give the announcers a reason to talk even more about Crean during Marquette telecasts. 

I am quite sure there will be several replies to this post claiming that "Crean wasn't responsible," "it's technically true," "PRN is blind with hatred," etc., etc.

But if you need a prime example of why there are many people (including MANY MU fans) that find our head coach distasteful, look no further than that Bilas article.

Wow.  There are an awful ot of assumptions you threw in there.  Please, please, please, PLEASE tell me how you could possibly know that Crean told that to Bilas.

Are you a conspiracy theorist about everything?  Do you think little green men from Roswell take you at night and probe your rear with long metal objects and the government knows all about it but they just keep leaking false information to the media so everyone will think otherwise?  Because that's the kind of whack-job you sound like with posts like this.

I'd like to nominate this for Most Paranoid Post of the Year.

[PuertoRicanNightmare]

here is my problem: even though some of these things that crean has done are true, why can noone believe that he might be doing it for the good of the program rather than for himself?? PRN, crean can get many jobs with or without inflating crowd stats or putting up banners or plugging himself.
You ever think that he loves to make his school look good

And so what if he feels like he is in Al's shadow and wants to establish a legacy of his own? How is that a detriment?? He has always been supportive and accepting of Al's history here, and he would be a coward to not want to build a legacy of his own

Id rather have a coach that tries to make the university look good than one who makes it look bad. Atleast he isnt using the program as a stepping stone, he could have been gone by now if he wanted- and even if he leaves for MSU thats his decision hes still done a ton for MU

With the way coaches quit programs and jump ship to go somewhere else, I am happy TC has stayed here and tried to increase the notoriety of the program

Tradition is important and completely necessary- if you dont know where youve been theres no way of knowing where you need to go. However, things change and every traditionalist needs to adapt, thats the bottom line. Warriors great, but for whatever reason was seen as inappropriate so the change was made. As Dwyane Wade said, he will always be a Golden Eagle. Al great, but now its TC's turn, and hes doing a damn good job compared to where this program was immediately before he got here

That's great. Now maybe you can explain how making the outrageously incorrect claim of being the most successful coach ever at Marquette benefits the university? Claiming "traditionalists" need to adapt is just goofy. Adapting is one thing, rewriting history is another.

PRN, when and where has Crean claimed he was the most succesful coach ever at MU? Again, you don't know where the info from the Bilas statement came from.

I want to 2nd this question?  You just think he says things.  You think he does things.  You make guesses on things happening behind closed doors and you make assumptions on his motivations.  Are you like this in other aspects of your life?  What if you picked a random person you know and just started assuming that every thing they did was for some sort of self serving aspect.  And you just built and built on it angrily stomping your feet about it.  Here watch me do it I'll pick a random example... I'm going to try and think of my friend Stu in the way you think of crean.
"I just got a Christmas card from that sob.  But he couldn't use a normal card, he had to get one of those fancy f'ing cards with his picture on it.  OF COURSE he did.  He wants everyone who comes to my house to see his face on my mantle sill, him and his pretty little wife.  I can't believe everyone doesn't hate him and his shameless self promotion.  He knows that if I display his card that it will overshadow the picture i have of my parents!  Can you believe the nerve of him trying to take my parents spot in my heart?!?!"

Pretty crazy sounding isn't it?  Well I honestly feel like this would be your internal monalog if you recieved a christmas card from crean.  But what do i know, i'm not one of the few 'Credible' people on the board.

ps. thanks for the card stu!

This guy Stu sounds like a real sonovabitch.

I realize it's only an analogy, but let me turn it around for you.

What would you think if, instead of a nice picture of him and his pretty little wife, Stu decided to send out one of those holiday letters listing his accomplishments for the year. And instead of listing his ACTUAL accomplishments, he decided to throw in a couple that never happened. He claimed to live in a 5 bedroom house, when you knew it was 3. He inflated the cost of his house and mentioned that in the letter. On top of that, he threw in a quick mention of how much he paid for his European car and imported wrist watch. He dropped in a couple of names of people he thought were important and then mentioned that people were dying to have him come work for them but he just loved his current job. In this scenario, you have to keep in mind that you have full knowledge that the author of this note...Stu...was virtually bankrupt in both 2004 and 2005 and all his co-workers have left his company after a single year to work for other companies.

Now, I ask you, would you continue to make excuses for Stu when other people pointed out that he was an overbearing, unlikable boob? Would you say to them, "I know his Christmas letter was ridiculous, egotistical and filled with untruths, but he only sent it to benefit his family and because he truly cares about me!"

I know what my answer is!

And Rawdog...my list is incomplete. There is hope for you, yet.

Tell Stu to give me a call. I'd like to meet his old lady.

[RawdogDX]

here is my problem: even though some of these things that crean has done are true, why can noone believe that he might be doing it for the good of the program rather than for himself?? PRN, crean can get many jobs with or without inflating crowd stats or putting up banners or plugging himself.
You ever think that he loves to make his school look good

And so what if he feels like he is in Al's shadow and wants to establish a legacy of his own? How is that a detriment?? He has always been supportive and accepting of Al's history here, and he would be a coward to not want to build a legacy of his own

Id rather have a coach that tries to make the university look good than one who makes it look bad. Atleast he isnt using the program as a stepping stone, he could have been gone by now if he wanted- and even if he leaves for MSU thats his decision hes still done a ton for MU

With the way coaches quit programs and jump ship to go somewhere else, I am happy TC has stayed here and tried to increase the notoriety of the program

Tradition is important and completely necessary- if you dont know where youve been theres no way of knowing where you need to go. However, things change and every traditionalist needs to adapt, thats the bottom line. Warriors great, but for whatever reason was seen as inappropriate so the change was made. As Dwyane Wade said, he will always be a Golden Eagle. Al great, but now its TC's turn, and hes doing a damn good job compared to where this program was immediately before he got here

That's great. Now maybe you can explain how making the outrageously incorrect claim of being the most successful coach ever at Marquette benefits the university? Claiming "traditionalists" need to adapt is just goofy. Adapting is one thing, rewriting history is another.

PRN, when and where has Crean claimed he was the most succesful coach ever at MU? Again, you don't know where the info from the Bilas statement came from.

I want to 2nd this question?  You just think he says things.  You think he does things.  You make guesses on things happening behind closed doors and you make assumptions on his motivations.  Are you like this in other aspects of your life?  What if you picked a random person you know and just started assuming that every thing they did was for some sort of self serving aspect.  And you just built and built on it angrily stomping your feet about it.  Here watch me do it I'll pick a random example... I'm going to try and think of my friend Stu in the way you think of crean.
"I just got a Christmas card from that sob.  But he couldn't use a normal card, he had to get one of those fancy f'ing cards with his picture on it.  OF COURSE he did.  He wants everyone who comes to my house to see his face on my mantle sill, him and his pretty little wife.  I can't believe everyone doesn't hate him and his shameless self promotion.  He knows that if I display his card that it will overshadow the picture i have of my parents!  Can you believe the nerve of him trying to take my parents spot in my heart?!?!"

Pretty crazy sounding isn't it?  Well I honestly feel like this would be your internal monalog if you recieved a christmas card from crean.  But what do i know, i'm not one of the few 'Credible' people on the board.

ps. thanks for the card stu!

This guy Stu sounds like a real sonovabitch.

I realize it's only an analogy, but let me turn it around for you.

What would you think if, instead of a nice picture of him and his pretty little wife, Stu decided to send out one of those holiday letters listing his accomplishments for the year. And instead of listing his ACTUAL accomplishments, he decided to throw in a couple that never happened. He claimed to live in a 5 bedroom house, when you knew it was 3. He inflated the cost of his house and mentioned that in the letter. On top of that, he threw in a quick mention of how much he paid for his European car and imported wrist watch. He dropped in a couple of names of people he thought were important and then mentioned that people were dying to have him come work for them but he just loved his current job. In this scenario, you have to keep in mind that you have full knowledge that the author of this note...Stu...was virtually bankrupt in both 2004 and 2005 and all his co-workers have left his company after a single year to work for other companies.

Now, I ask you, would you continue to make excuses for Stu when other people pointed out that he was an overbearing, unlikable boob? Would you say to them, "I know his Christmas letter was ridiculous, egotistical and filled with untruths, but he only sent it to benefit his family and because he truly cares about me!"

I know what my answer is!

And Rawdog...my list is incomplete. There is hope for you, yet.

Tell Stu to give me a call. I'd like to meet his old lady.

The difference being if Stu did send that letter.  I'd be holding it in my hands looking at it and seeing his signature on the bottom.  Not just assuming that he said those lies without any evidence what so ever other than my own miss placed hatred.  I know you don't mean to do this but I want you to know that you go so far over the top with this crap that it's hard for people who agree with you 60% or even 80% of the way to side with you.   When crean does something that I find somewhat to be in poor choice i'll go to post about it and before I get a chance you already are calling him Satan in carnate, so instead of complaining about him i find myself posting "oh come on it wasn't that bad."  So YOU force me to be a defender in instances where i'd be on your side by going on your wild snowballing triads.  Perhaps if you would occasionally liken him to Genghis Khan rather than Hitler you'd have a few more people agreeing with you.

[mu03eng]

here is my problem: even though some of these things that crean has done are true, why can noone believe that he might be doing it for the good of the program rather than for himself?? PRN, crean can get many jobs with or without inflating crowd stats or putting up banners or plugging himself.
You ever think that he loves to make his school look good

And so what if he feels like he is in Al's shadow and wants to establish a legacy of his own? How is that a detriment?? He has always been supportive and accepting of Al's history here, and he would be a coward to not want to build a legacy of his own

Id rather have a coach that tries to make the university look good than one who makes it look bad. Atleast he isnt using the program as a stepping stone, he could have been gone by now if he wanted- and even if he leaves for MSU thats his decision hes still done a ton for MU

With the way coaches quit programs and jump ship to go somewhere else, I am happy TC has stayed here and tried to increase the notoriety of the program

Tradition is important and completely necessary- if you dont know where youve been theres no way of knowing where you need to go. However, things change and every traditionalist needs to adapt, thats the bottom line. Warriors great, but for whatever reason was seen as inappropriate so the change was made. As Dwyane Wade said, he will always be a Golden Eagle. Al great, but now its TC's turn, and hes doing a damn good job compared to where this program was immediately before he got here

That's great. Now maybe you can explain how making the outrageously incorrect claim of being the most successful coach ever at Marquette benefits the university? Claiming "traditionalists" need to adapt is just goofy. Adapting is one thing, rewriting history is another.

PRN, when and where has Crean claimed he was the most succesful coach ever at MU? Again, you don't know where the info from the Bilas statement came from.

I want to 2nd this question?  You just think he says things.  You think he does things.  You make guesses on things happening behind closed doors and you make assumptions on his motivations.  Are you like this in other aspects of your life?  What if you picked a random person you know and just started assuming that every thing they did was for some sort of self serving aspect.  And you just built and built on it angrily stomping your feet about it.  Here watch me do it I'll pick a random example... I'm going to try and think of my friend Stu in the way you think of crean.
"I just got a Christmas card from that sob.  But he couldn't use a normal card, he had to get one of those fancy f'ing cards with his picture on it.  OF COURSE he did.  He wants everyone who comes to my house to see his face on my mantle sill, him and his pretty little wife.  I can't believe everyone doesn't hate him and his shameless self promotion.  He knows that if I display his card that it will overshadow the picture i have of my parents!  Can you believe the nerve of him trying to take my parents spot in my heart?!?!"

Pretty crazy sounding isn't it?  Well I honestly feel like this would be your internal monalog if you recieved a christmas card from crean.  But what do i know, i'm not one of the few 'Credible' people on the board.

ps. thanks for the card stu!

This guy Stu sounds like a real sonovabitch.

I realize it's only an analogy, but let me turn it around for you.

What would you think if, instead of a nice picture of him and his pretty little wife, Stu decided to send out one of those holiday letters listing his accomplishments for the year. And instead of listing his ACTUAL accomplishments, he decided to throw in a couple that never happened. He claimed to live in a 5 bedroom house, when you knew it was 3. He inflated the cost of his house and mentioned that in the letter. On top of that, he threw in a quick mention of how much he paid for his European car and imported wrist watch. He dropped in a couple of names of people he thought were important and then mentioned that people were dying to have him come work for them but he just loved his current job. In this scenario, you have to keep in mind that you have full knowledge that the author of this note...Stu...was virtually bankrupt in both 2004 and 2005 and all his co-workers have left his company after a single year to work for other companies.

Now, I ask you, would you continue to make excuses for Stu when other people pointed out that he was an overbearing, unlikable boob? Would you say to them, "I know his Christmas letter was ridiculous, egotistical and filled with untruths, but he only sent it to benefit his family and because he truly cares about me!"

I know what my answer is!

And Rawdog...my list is incomplete. There is hope for you, yet.

Tell Stu to give me a call. I'd like to meet his old lady.

Big problem with this analogy......PRN you assert that Stu wrote the letter, ala you know Crean made the statements(lies and inaccuracies).  That is not a correct statement because we don't know he said these things.  You rest your knowledge that Stu(Crean) MUST have done it because it serves only his purposes.....ah but what about the pretty little wife.....maybe it serves her purposes(get it, the pretty lady is MU here or perhaps Jay Bilas or some combination of the two).

[Henry Sugar]

[MUinCO]

Regardless of where those comments came from, if all they do is add to the aura of success (and are not totally incorrect) then what's wrong with that?  I think someone else eluded to it here...come to MU Mr. Recruit, we had a great coach 30 years ago, the new guy...so-so, you can do better, actually.  Come on. 

Shame on anyone for trying to fuel controversy, where none exists, on a guy that has done more for Marquette than anyone on this board could hope to do. 

As far as I'm concerned, what ever benefits Crean benefits Marquette.  Crean is the program's leader, it's most visible personality, and ultimately the university's ambassador to all.  His success is our success, anyone who can't see that can't seriously call themselves a part of this community.

WE are Marquette!

[Avenue Commons]

Another thing about this that irks me, Crean/Marquette puts this kind of misleading crap out there and it'll be repeated over and over again on ESPN. And why? Who is it serving? Marquette? Absolutely not! Our players? Nope. It's put out there for one reason...to build Tom Crean's resume and to give the announcers a reason to talk even more about Crean during Marquette telecasts. 

I am quite sure there will be several replies to this post claiming that "Crean wasn't responsible," "it's technically true," "PRN is blind with hatred," etc., etc.

But if you need a prime example of why there are many people (including MANY MU fans) that find our head coach distasteful, look no further than that Bilas article.

Please provide your source for your assertion that Tom Crean and/or Marquette provided this information in any way, shape, or form. Thank you.

[RawdogDX]

\
Big problem with this analogy......PRN you assert that Stu wrote the letter, ala you know Crean made the statements(lies and inaccuracies).  That is not a correct statement because we don't know he said these things.  You rest your knowledge that Stu(Crean) MUST have done it because it serves only his purposes.....ah but what about the pretty little wife.....maybe it serves her purposes(get it, the pretty lady is MU here or perhaps Jay Bilas or some combination of the two).

wow, it's not offten people follow my rambling analogies so well.  You should win a prize.

[Canned Goods n Ammo]

here is my problem: even though some of these things that crean has done are true, why can noone believe that he might be doing it for the good of the program rather than for himself?? PRN, crean can get many jobs with or without inflating crowd stats or putting up banners or plugging himself.
You ever think that he loves to make his school look good

And so what if he feels like he is in Al's shadow and wants to establish a legacy of his own? How is that a detriment?? He has always been supportive and accepting of Al's history here, and he would be a coward to not want to build a legacy of his own

Id rather have a coach that tries to make the university look good than one who makes it look bad. Atleast he isnt using the program as a stepping stone, he could have been gone by now if he wanted- and even if he leaves for MSU thats his decision hes still done a ton for MU

With the way coaches quit programs and jump ship to go somewhere else, I am happy TC has stayed here and tried to increase the notoriety of the program

Tradition is important and completely necessary- if you dont know where youve been theres no way of knowing where you need to go. However, things change and every traditionalist needs to adapt, thats the bottom line. Warriors great, but for whatever reason was seen as inappropriate so the change was made. As Dwyane Wade said, he will always be a Golden Eagle. Al great, but now its TC's turn, and hes doing a damn good job compared to where this program was immediately before he got here

That's great. Now maybe you can explain how making the outrageously incorrect claim of being the most successful coach ever at Marquette benefits the university? Claiming "traditionalists" need to adapt is just goofy. Adapting is one thing, rewriting history is another.

PRN, when and where has Crean claimed he was the most succesful coach ever at MU? Again, you don't know where the info from the Bilas statement came from.

I want to 2nd this question?  You just think he says things.  You think he does things.  You make guesses on things happening behind closed doors and you make assumptions on his motivations.  Are you like this in other aspects of your life?  What if you picked a random person you know and just started assuming that every thing they did was for some sort of self serving aspect.  And you just built and built on it angrily stomping your feet about it.  Here watch me do it I'll pick a random example... I'm going to try and think of my friend Stu in the way you think of crean.
"I just got a Christmas card from that sob.  But he couldn't use a normal card, he had to get one of those fancy f'ing cards with his picture on it.  OF COURSE he did.  He wants everyone who comes to my house to see his face on my mantle sill, him and his pretty little wife.  I can't believe everyone doesn't hate him and his shameless self promotion.  He knows that if I display his card that it will overshadow the picture i have of my parents!  Can you believe the nerve of him trying to take my parents spot in my heart?!?!"

Pretty crazy sounding isn't it?  Well I honestly feel like this would be your internal monalog if you recieved a christmas card from crean.  But what do i know, i'm not one of the few 'Credible' people on the board.

ps. thanks for the card stu!

This guy Stu sounds like a real sonovabitch.

I realize it's only an analogy, but let me turn it around for you.

What would you think if, instead of a nice picture of him and his pretty little wife, Stu decided to send out one of those holiday letters listing his accomplishments for the year. And instead of listing his ACTUAL accomplishments, he decided to throw in a couple that never happened. He claimed to live in a 5 bedroom house, when you knew it was 3. He inflated the cost of his house and mentioned that in the letter. On top of that, he threw in a quick mention of how much he paid for his European car and imported wrist watch. He dropped in a couple of names of people he thought were important and then mentioned that people were dying to have him come work for them but he just loved his current job. In this scenario, you have to keep in mind that you have full knowledge that the author of this note...Stu...was virtually bankrupt in both 2004 and 2005 and all his co-workers have left his company after a single year to work for other companies.

Now, I ask you, would you continue to make excuses for Stu when other people pointed out that he was an overbearing, unlikable boob? Would you say to them, "I know his Christmas letter was ridiculous, egotistical and filled with untruths, but he only sent it to benefit his family and because he truly cares about me!"

I know what my answer is!

And Rawdog...my list is incomplete. There is hope for you, yet.

Tell Stu to give me a call. I'd like to meet his old lady.

The difference being if Stu did send that letter.  I'd be holding it in my hands looking at it and seeing his signature on the bottom.  Not just assuming that he said those lies without any evidence what so ever other than my own miss placed hatred.  I know you don't mean to do this but I want you to know that you go so far over the top with this crap that it's hard for people who agree with you 60% or even 80% of the way to side with you.   When crean does something that I find somewhat to be in poor choice i'll go to post about it and before I get a chance you already are calling him Satan in carnate, so instead of complaining about him i find myself posting "oh come on it wasn't that bad."  So YOU force me to be a defender in instances where i'd be on your side by going on your wild snowballing triads.  Perhaps if you would occasionally liken him to Genghis Khan rather than Hitler you'd have a few more people agreeing with you.

Nicely put.

Crean is not perfect, nor is he immune to criticism. But, when a few people go off on tirades about every move the guy makes, it just makes it tough to tell the legit gripes and accurate criticism from the "critical to just be critical" group.

Overall, Crean has done a great job, and given the work he has done, he deserves the benefit of the doubt more often than not.

I just think PRN assumes the worst with Crean, while most people assume the best.


Did Crean put Bilas up to writing it? How the hell do I know? Jay Bilas' name is on it, so why the hell would I suddenly jump to the conclusion that Crean told him to write that?

Crean donated money to the new soccer stadium. Most people saw it as a great and generous gesture. PRN chose to see it as self-promotion.

The price of the hyperbolic chamber was listed in an article. Most people thought it was just a fact in the article, PRN saw it as Crean bragging.

Are we seeing a pattern here?

No matter what Crean does (including having a hell of a team) PRN is going to blast him for it.

PRN, are you actually Steve "Sparky" Fifer? He's the only guy I've ever heard find so much to bitch about.