[Paint Touches] Playing Hauser was dumb and dangerous

[🏀]

Assclown writes assclown opinion, while grasping for straws at reality.

That's sports journalism in 2018. PT is just following the real journalist's lead.

[brewcity77]

My PT insight on the digital MU fanbase:
250 or so that will click on anything at any point in the year
750 or so that are active during the season
1500 or so that are active during March
3000+ that are active during the NCAA Tournament
5K+ that will click on anything bashing Buzz

In general, there has been a pretty large gap from Buzz to Wojo, but mediocre teams for 5 years will do that.

As for Wojo, he declined an interview request for the story.

So this article, whether intentionally or not, is targeting the highest traffic time of year when you anticipate the most clicks.

I think the issue and why Wojo lashed out how he did is twofold. First, you write a Marquette based blog and essentially did an attack piece on the integrity of the staff and the program. The headline especially impugned their character and asserted they are being reckless with Sam's future.

Second, you did so without knowledge of the situation. You asked one medical professional not familiar with the injury or patient and they referred you to academic articles that may or may not have any relevance whatsoever to Sam's situation. That's lazy journalism. Unless you are talking to people actually familiar with the situation or find multiple sources that can go on the record about this specific injury, you are not doing your job.

I also understand your counterpoints. That Paint Touches is not beholden to Marquette basketball and you have no obligation to protect the program. That's true, but I'd say first that PT wouldn't exist without Marquette Basketball and second PT also has no obligation to libel Marquette Basketball without having done complete research.

In addition, I imagine you feel that as a blog with only a few thousand followers and not a real publication, you don't have the reach of JSOnline or the other bigger media outlets. To that, I'd say that media is changing and sources that were once on the fringe are more readily available and should be held to the same professional standard the bigger outlets are if they want to be taken seriously. Any fan, player, recruit, or rival coach can find and use this stuff however they like.

I think for the most part the content was okay. Writing an opinion piece is just that. But I think it's important to label it clearly as such and the headline doesn't do that. Had the headline been "Should Sam Hauser Have Been Shut Down?" no one would've batted an eye.

As far as getting Wojo to interview for this...it's seemingly more difficult to get to this staff than past ones. I imagine writing pieces they view as attacks won't make getting those interviews easier in the future.

[skianth16]

This isn't an attack piece. This is certainly not libel. And any concern that this would be used in an effort to hurt the MU program is a massive stretch. And on top of all that, it wasn't lazy. The most damning thing said in the article was - "So all of this is to say, Wojo and Sam took a very unnecessary risk by playing Hauser in the NIT and didn’t really reap any rewards." That's pretty mild stuff.

The headline, like many headlines today, is louder than the content. The actual article doesn't say that Wojo or the doctors put their interests ahead of Sam's. It doesn't say anything that would question the integrity of anyone in the program. It just offers an opinion that any possible risk of furthering the injury was not worth the benefit of the additional games he played. It actually blatantly says that he's sure doctors gave Sam the OK to play, clearly noting that they played an important role in the decision.

Here are direct quotes from the article that everyone seems to have missed, which is probably why this is being blown out of proportion. They are very obviously just one man's opinion. Nothing to get too worked up over. They're also pretty tame in comparison to most criticism thrown around on the internet.

"if I was on the coaching staff, I would take the decision out of Sam’s hands and tell him to get right"

"I don’t care what odds the doctors gave Sam for making the injury worse. Any odds, no matter how minimal, was not worth the potential for long term damage"

As far as calling this lazy journalism, come on, it's a freakin blog. The article cites a couple of medical journals and also links to 2 or 3 other stories/clips, all of which were used to explain the opinion expressed throughout the story. That's pretty darn good for a guy doing this for free. Could more effort have been put into the medical side of it? Sure, there's always more research possible. But I think he went well beyond the standard for most bloggers.

I think the reaction to this story from the board here and from the program is over the top. I see this as another example of Wojo being a bit thin skinned and hope this will be a learning moment for him as he matures as a coach. There, I've said my peace. I don't think I can beat this to death much more.

[NickelDimer]

I had no problem with Wojo’s response except for his suggestion, which he made multiple times, of an agenda. That was overly defensive. To me it reaked a bit of him having a victims mentality

[Nukem2]

This isn't an attack piece. This is certainly not libel. And any concern that this would be used in an effort to hurt the MU program is a massive stretch. And on top of all that, it wasn't lazy. The most damning thing said in the article was - "So all of this is to say, Wojo and Sam took a very unnecessary risk by playing Hauser in the NIT and didn’t really reap any rewards." That's pretty mild stuff.

The headline, like many headlines today, is louder than the content..

Actually, the headline is obviously the opinion drawn by the writer based on what he presented in the blog. 

[GGGG]

This isn't an attack piece. This is certainly not libel. And any concern that this would be used in an effort to hurt the MU program is a massive stretch. And on top of all that, it wasn't lazy. The most damning thing said in the article was - "So all of this is to say, Wojo and Sam took a very unnecessary risk by playing Hauser in the NIT and didn’t really reap any rewards." That's pretty mild stuff.

The headline, like many headlines today, is louder than the content. The actual article doesn't say that Wojo or the doctors put their interests ahead of Sam's. It doesn't say anything that would question the integrity of anyone in the program. It just offers an opinion that any possible risk of furthering the injury was not worth the benefit of the additional games he played. It actually blatantly says that he's sure doctors gave Sam the OK to play, clearly noting that they played an important role in the decision.

Here are direct quotes from the article that everyone seems to have missed, which is probably why this is being blown out of proportion. They are very obviously just one man's opinion. Nothing to get too worked up over. They're also pretty tame in comparison to most criticism thrown around on the internet.

"if I was on the coaching staff, I would take the decision out of Sam’s hands and tell him to get right"

"I don’t care what odds the doctors gave Sam for making the injury worse. Any odds, no matter how minimal, was not worth the potential for long term damage"

As far as calling this lazy journalism, come on, it's a freakin blog. The article cites a couple of medical journals and also links to 2 or 3 other stories/clips, all of which were used to explain the opinion expressed throughout the story. That's pretty darn good for a guy doing this for free. Could more effort have been put into the medical side of it? Sure, there's always more research possible. But I think he went well beyond the standard for most bloggers.

I think the reaction to this story from the board here and from the program is over the top. I see this as another example of Wojo being a bit thin skinned and hope this will be a learning moment for him as he matures as a coach. There, I've said my peace. I don't think I can beat this to death much more.

I see this post as another example of you not knowing what you are talking about.

[Loose Cannon]

Assclown writes assclown opinion, while grasping for straws at reality.

That's sports journalism in 2018. PT is just following the real journalist's lead.

Yep, just a Follower, with Clip Baiting Headlines.

[MU82]

We can argue all day about the article itself. Many here already have.

The headline clearly impugned the integrity of the coach, as well as Marquette's medical personnel and training staff.

It was a dumb & dangerous headline, and PT should be better than that.

Thankfully, they almost always are. I hope this was an aberration and not the "new normal."

All of the above is IMHO, of course.

[Dr. Blackheart]

The PT piece was very relevant, and let's face it, the theme of it (Sam's performance impacted) was on our minds as it was clear from just watching, especially after DePaul. Who here can't admit this wasn't on our minds?

IMO, it should have stopped there and not delved into the medical speculation as fact...although, asking open ended questions on a blog piece is fine like "will it impact his recovery?".  I just think it crossed that line which caused Wojo to defend the program in a more public way. Clearly, the Hausers where in line and informed along the way, and I know MU's medical staff is top notch.

I appreciate the work from the PT crew, including being provacative...I just think this piece went more definitive than it should have on the conclusion.

Let's move on.

[Floorslapper]

The PT piece was very relevant, and let's face it, the theme of it (Sam's performance impacted) was on our minds as it was clear from just watching, especially after DePaul. Who here can't admit this wasn't on our minds?

IMO, it should have stopped there and not delved into the medical speculation as fact...although, asking open ended questions on a blog piece is fine like "will it impact his recovery?".  I just think it crossed that line which caused Wojo to defend the program in a more public way. Clearly, the Hausers where in line and informed along the way, and I know MU's medical staff is top notch.

I appreciate the work from the PT crew, including being provacative...I just think this piece went more definitive than it should have on the conclusion.

Let's move on.

This is well said.  Generally PT and Andrei write great content.  Even the best of the best miss the mark at times. 

As valuable as Sam is to the team, it does bear asking, why was he played SO many minutes as the season wore on?  Since February 3rd, up until the Harvard game (when it was clear Sam was very limited) Sam averaged ~36 minutes per game.  He tweaked his knee in the DePaul game Feb 24 and 2 days later he played 43 minutes at GTown.

It does bear mentioning - perhaps due to some change in strength and conditioning approach - that since Wojo arrived, we've been injury free in the sense of not having any key players miss any games.  Pretty remarkable over a 4-year run.

[GooooMarquette]

The PT piece was very relevant, and let's face it, the theme of it (Sam's performance impacted) was on our minds as it was clear from just watching, especially after DePaul. Who here can't admit this wasn't on our minds?

IMO, it should have stopped there and not delved into the medical speculation as fact...although, asking open ended questions on a blog piece is fine like "will it impact his recovery?".  I just think it crossed that line which caused Wojo to defend the program in a more public way. Clearly, the Hausers where in line and informed along the way, and I know MU's medical staff is top notch.

I appreciate the work from the PT crew, including being provacative...I just think this piece went more definitive than it should have on the conclusion.

Let's move on.

Absolutely - the topic was fair game for discussion, as it was very relevant.

The hopelessly misguided interpretation of a medical publication was just way off base, and the headline was insulting. He would be wise to tone down his rhetoric, and needs to stay far away from the medical field.

[brewcity77]

The PT piece was very relevant, and let's face it, the theme of it (Sam's performance impacted) was on our minds as it was clear from just watching, especially after DePaul. Who here can't admit this wasn't on our minds?

IMO, it should have stopped there and not delved into the medical speculation as fact...although, asking open ended questions on a blog piece is fine like "will it impact his recovery?".  I just think it crossed that line which caused Wojo to defend the program in a more public way. Clearly, the Hausers where in line and informed along the way, and I know MU's medical staff is top notch.

I appreciate the work from the PT crew, including being provacative...I just think this piece went more definitive than it should have on the conclusion.

Let's move on.

+1

Well stated. The issue wasn't the topic, but the headline and definitive conclusion.

[WarriorDad]

LOL @ Chicos playing dumb

You've publicly maligned players on a well-read MU blog before. It was disgusting, embarrassing, and completely agenda driven. Now you're on a high horse lecturing another blog. High comedy!

Ok Chicos, you are starting to get on my nerves.

I asked for a reference or context, but you didn't provide.  What players am I publicly maligning and what does your phrase even mean?

[MUDPT]

Did some research this weekend. Return to play after FAI for professional soccer players was on average 9 months. However, national team players was closer to 5.7 months.  Not much info on basketball players.

http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0363546517738741?url_ver=Z39.88-2003&rfr_id=ori:rid:crossref.org&rfr_dat=cr_pub%3dpubmed

[auburnmarquette]

Sam should have absolutely been shut down after the big east tournament. Can’t believe the staff chose to play him in 3 exhibition games.

My gosh, how any Marquette fan could call the nit an exhibition with the great memories of the title run over Dr. J and Pistol Pete and the attention after hoop dreams beats me.

After spending a few years of not being able to make the NCAA or the NIT, being able to follow-up with an NCAA bid and the 2 wins in the NIT shows people we are going in the right direction again.

Exhibition? An opening round loss to Harvard would have been a crushing blow and made Marquette the only better not seed to lose their opening game. Mu goes out and loses that game and the programs reputation is really hurting when it comes to next selection Sunday because it looks like we were nowhere near the next four out.

You may as well say they should have left Sam out for the whole season since we weren't going to make the NCAA anyway . My math on that projects a 12-19 season without Hauser ending with a loss in the 8-9 game of the big east to St. John's.

How would our next couple of recruiting classes have looked after a 12-19 season?

An nit win means you stay alive and play another team that just win - in short the exact opposite of an exhibition.

[Floorslapper]

My gosh, how any Marquette fan could call the nit an exhibition with the great memories of the title run over Dr. J and Pistol Pete and the attention after hoop dreams beats me.

After spending a few years of not being able to make the NCAA or the NIT, being able to follow-up with an NCAA bid and the 2 wins in the NIT shows people we are going in the right direction again.

Exhibition? An opening round loss to Harvard would have been a crushing blow and made Marquette the only better not seed to lose their opening game. Mu goes out and loses that game and the programs reputation is really hurting when it comes to next selection Sunday because it looks like we were nowhere near the next four out.

You may as well say they should have left Sam out for the whole season since we weren't going to make the NCAA anyway . My math on that projects a 12-19 season without Hauser ending with a loss in the 8-9 game of the big east to St. John's.

How would our next couple of recruiting classes have looked after a 12-19 season?

An nit win means you stay alive and play another team that just win - in short the exact opposite of an exhibition.

Good post.  Agree on all counts.

Can you run the numbers on what our record would have been this season without Rowsey?  Would be helpful to know how much we have to "make up" next year, with him being the only departure...

[MU82]

Good post.  Agree on all counts.

Can you run the numbers on what our record would have been this season without Rowsey?  Would be helpful to know how much we have to "make up" next year, with him being the only departure...

And then run the numbers without Rowsey but with Morrow, Joey, Bailey, Ike, a healthy Elliott and the grad transfer PG we're gonna sign. Thanks!

[Floorslapper]

And then run the numbers without Rowsey but with Morrow, Joey, Bailey, Ike, a healthy Elliott and the grad transfer PG we're gonna sign. Thanks!

He does a projection every year prior to tip off that will include all of that. 

[Silkk the Shaka]

Ok Chicos, you are starting to get on my nerves.

I asked for a reference or context, but you didn't provide.  What players am I publicly maligning and what does your phrase even mean?

http://www.crackedsidewalks.com/2011/01/marquette-choking-dogs-pee-themselves.html

I'm talking about that post you wrote for Cracked Sidewalks, surely you remember?

[MUDPT]

Another yet to be published study on return to play after FAI: http://bjsm.bmj.com/content/early/2018/03/26/bjsports-2017-098696

[MuWarrior19]

Any word on when Sam will being having surgery? He looked fine at the Rec yesterday throwing down alley-oops from Markus....

[Eldon]

Any word on when Sam will being having surgery? He looked fine at the Rec yesterday throwing down alley-oops from Markus....

Those weren't alley-oops, bro.  Those were offensive goal tends.

[lurch91]

Any word on when Sam will being having surgery? He looked fine at the Rec yesterday throwing down alley-oops from Markus....

So dumb and dangerous for Sam to be having fun with a teammate on his own time when he should be having surgery.  Outrage, outrage I tell you!!! Fire Wojo!!!

[connie]

The PT piece was very relevant, and let's face it, the theme of it (Sam's performance impacted) was on our minds as it was clear from just watching, especially after DePaul. Who here can't admit this wasn't on our minds?

IMO, it should have stopped there and not delved into the medical speculation as fact...although, asking open ended questions on a blog piece is fine like "will it impact his recovery?".  I just think it crossed that line which caused Wojo to defend the program in a more public way. Clearly, the Hausers where in line and informed along the way, and I know MU's medical staff is top notch.

I appreciate the work from the PT crew, including being provacative...I just think this piece went more definitive than it should have on the conclusion.

Let's move on.

I agree with the good Doctor.  The topic is relevant.  The opinion is valid.  I don't blame anyone at MU for being peeved at the accusatory tone.  It was over the line and the absolutist conclusion lacked a solid basis.

[JamilJaeJamailJrJuan]

It is I, the dumb and dangerous one. Appreciate the feedback. I think the problem is the headline, not the actual article.

But the reaction to a post that has barely 1000 reads is pretty funny. I've been called out by the SID on Twitter, told by the Admin to change the headline, and talked about on the radio for 10 minutes. Again, for a column that got less clicks than a an average post. It makes no sense to me.

You all read my stuff, what agenda would you say I promote? (I am lazy in the offseason, so guilty as charged. But ya'll never click on anything but Ryan's transfer tracker anyways.)

Just catching up on this thread because the title and post count caused me to shy away (figured it would be a bunch of back of forth bi*tchin' banter - which it was)....but don't sweat this AG.  Not worth it.

Wojo's response was pretty funny in the Homer interview, however.