It's time for Uncle Joe to go

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Slim Tubby

Slim Tubby

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Can just one (1) person be solely responsible for completely destroying an Athletic Department? This is Joel:

Football: Enough said...one of the worst programs in the NCAA

Men's Hockey: National power reduced to being swept at home by *&^!#*&^!#*&^!#*&^!#ing Nebraska-Omaha

Women's BB: Promising program destroyed by suspected sexual orientation issues

Men's BB; I give some credit here but not much considering the circumstances

How in the hell can we continue on with an idiot of this magnitude? Empty seats at Mariucci Arena for hockey? Empty seats at beautiful TCF Stadium in only it's 2nd season? Can anyone give me a valid reason why Maturi works another day for the U of M? I work in a sales-driven organization and my a$$ would be fired with this type of performance record. I need someone to explain this to me how our primary state institution can allow this this to happen anyone?
 

We need a marketing team and an administration that actively promotes the u's athletic department almost to the point of annoyance. ENOUGH SAID.
 


If you're going to give him ALL the blame for the negatives, you also have to give him ALL the credit for the positives (recovering from Clem, signing Tubby, and building TCF Stadium). That said, I don't think his contract should be renewed.
 



Reusse describing what's taking place with Brewster.

Same booster: That 2-year extension for Maturi isn't going to happen. He's done June 30.
 

Maturi hasn't been all that bad. Gophers Sports over the last decade...it hasn't been all that bad. The horrible football program has overshadowed everything, but Maturi did help us get a new stadium.


Men's Hockey - 2 National Championships (02, 03), 5 WCHA Championships (03, 04, 05, 06, 07)

Women's Hockey - 3 National Championships (00, 04, 05), 6 WCHA Championships (01, 02, 04, 05, 09, 10)

Baseball - 6 Big Ten Championships (00, 01, 02, 03, 04, 10)

Wrestling - 3 National Championships (01, 02, 07), 5 Big Ten Championships (01, 02, 03, 06, 07)

Men's Basketball has 7 tournament appearances all time, 3 being in this decade (05, 09, 10)

A lot of the other minor sports had championships as well.
 

1) Maturi blew the football hire big time. Frankly, I thought firing Mason was a bad idea; he deserved to bring the team to TCF. Brewster is done and Maturi has to get it right.

2) Hockey. Lucia's program is on the slide, but you can hardly fire a guy with two national championships for a couple bad years. Think about it! If the program really tanks this year, then maybe.

3) Borton: "Promising program ruined by sexual orientation issues"? Pretty bold statement by you, if not insensitive. Borton has been very successful at the U and again, canning someone for an off year does not make any sense. Multiple bad years; perhaps.

4) B-ball: "I give some credit here, but not much". Why not? U looks classy for how the Mbakwe situation turned out and the team looks real good.

Bottom line is that Maturi is not very decisive, but he's not a terrible AD by any stretch. Any stretch. He had better get the football hire right though.
 

Slim Tubby said:
Can just one (1) person be solely responsible for completely destroying an Athletic Department? This is Joel:

Football: Enough said...one of the worst programs in the NCAA

Men's Hockey: National power reduced to being swept at home by *&^!#*&^!#*&^!#*&^!#ing Nebraska-Omaha

Women's BB: Promising program destroyed by suspected sexual orientation issues

Men's BB; I give some credit here but not much considering the circumstances

How in the hell can we continue on with an idiot of this magnitude? Empty seats at Mariucci Arena for hockey? Empty seats at beautiful TCF Stadium in only it's 2nd season? Can anyone give me a valid reason why Maturi works another day for the U of M? I work in a sales-driven organization and my a$$ would be fired with this type of performance record. I need someone to explain this to me how our primary state institution can allow this this to happen anyone?
Click to expand...

The problems you site are all stunningly true. The question in my mind is will getting rid of Joel and the coaches solve these problems? Brewster is probably gone. But, will that cure a very sick football program? Will cutting Maturi loose make all these other programs whole again? I guess it's worth a try.

What I have seen in the past was a brief feeling of fan euphoria and then a rapid descent into the same old worsening situation. I hope that firing people will be a simple cure-all.
 



I get sick when I think of just how far all of our programs have fallen.

What is this about sexual orientation issues with Women's BB? I have never heard of this being a problem before.
 

His inability to make decisions/demand that his superiors do so caused horrific handling of Mason's extension/firing, hiring Brew from the picked over candidates in January and Monson's firing/not firing/firing. I cannot be over-stated how badly these situations were handled.

But it has extended to other things. Trevor's situation may have worked out for everyone, but the way they treated him was wrong, IMO. Refusing to make a decision until the first game that could have been made before he even enrolled? That's pretty crappy. Letting Royce's actions then affect the decision? Even worse. The most important thing we have right now is Tubby. He's been rumored for other jobs. We're supposed to be working on a contract extension like any other school would. It's been 7 months and hasn't gotten done. This is inexcusable. Tubby has bonuses in his contract for making the NCAA Tournament. They are to be paid by May. The 1st time we made it he got paid 2-3 months late. How does this happen?

It even extends to his beloved minor sports. I could care less, but should it really take 4 months and multiple rejections to hire a softball coach?
 

Slim Tubby said:
Can just one (1) person be solely responsible for completely destroying an Athletic Department? This is Joel:

Football: Enough said...one of the worst programs in the NCAA

Men's Hockey: National power reduced to being swept at home by *&^!#*&^!#*&^!#*&^!#ing Nebraska-Omaha

Women's BB: Promising program destroyed by suspected sexual orientation issues

Men's BB; I give some credit here but not much considering the circumstances

How in the hell can we continue on with an idiot of this magnitude? Empty seats at Mariucci Arena for hockey? Empty seats at beautiful TCF Stadium in only it's 2nd season? Can anyone give me a valid reason why Maturi works another day for the U of M? I work in a sales-driven organization and my a$$ would be fired with this type of performance record. I need someone to explain this to me how our primary state institution can allow this this to happen anyone?
Click to expand...

Regarding the WBB issue described above, that comes with the territory. About 1/2 (or more) of folks in WBB have a different orientation than the great majority of the public. I see nothing wrong with that myself.
 

I would like to clarify a couple of things. I really like and respect Joel Maturi...much like I feel about Coach Brew...but that isn't enough for a school the size of the U of M. I do give him credit for his ability to land Tubby who is clearly our shining star of our Athletic Department. Great coach, classy man, lucky to have him...enough said. I also give Uncle Joel credit for his involvement in the building of TCF Stadium. It ends there. What good is having a brand new stadium if nobody has a desire to watch the worst college football program in the country? One poster made a great comment about how difficult it would be to fire Lucia after winning 2 National titles and I agree with them. However, that point in itslef shows Uncle Joel's greatest weakness...his inability to make the tough decisions. We just gopt swept at home by Corn Cob U and appear to be headed for a 4th season of mediocrity for a program that should be the easiest to succeed in at ANY school in ANY sport. How does a half-empty arena help the U financially? How much longer do we stand by idlely watching our program slide before we react? Women's Hockey? Come on...there are like 6 programs in the country and this is Minnesota afterall where hockey is king. Baseball and Wrestling? Our success is tied directly to two GREAT Head Coaches who if I'm not mistaken were not hired by Uncle Joel. As for Women's BBn I apologize if I offended anyone about my remarks. I believe in Gay Rights and support a person's right to choose and those of us that are hetero should respect the feelings of those who are not. Its all about what makes a person happy, right? However, I have heard from 3 different sources that are far more connected than I will ever be that the primary reason for many of the mass departures of players and coached is directly tied into the Head Coach's sexual orientation. Where there's smoke there's fire, right? Yet there has been no action by Uncle Joe to ask for some accountability at least that we're aware of and our once promising program is headed in the wrong direction once again. Uncle Joe has not demonstrated that he can make the tough decisions. His contract extensions and then almost immediate firings of Mason and Monson were reasons for Joel's termination from a business stand point alone. Everyone likes Uncle Joe...everyone...me included...because he is "nice". It's time for this University to find an AD that's not so nice...one that has the ability to make the tough decisions and sometimes those decisions mean putting other "nice" people out of work as cold as that sounds. Our Athletic Department cannot survive without our top revenue generating programs (Football, Men's Hockey, Basketball) achieving at acceptable AND respectable levels. And I like Joel Maturi...because he's nice.
 



Slim Tubby

Good luck firing someone for sexual orientation. Can you say lawsuit? Honestly, whats the point of even thinking about it? Who cares? Borton has been tremendously successful by any measuring stick. Cut the program some slack!

Honesty, if y'all had your way, the U would be firing coaches every six months. Not a formula for stability or long term success. The process of hiring/firing needs to be analytical and well thought out; not reactionary or impulsive. That is where Maturi got himself in trouble with Mason/Brewster.
 

I believe in Gay Rights and support a person's right to choose
Click to expand...

1. It isn't a choice
2. You just advocated the firing of someone because they might be gay
3. Psst, there are lots of Lesbian basketball coaches and...god forbid...players!
 

From the Barn said:
2. You just advocated the firing of someone because they might be gay
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He never said to fire her because she's gay, he said to fire her because the Women's Basketball program is an absolute mess right now and as the head coach, she is accountable for that mess.

Also, for what it's whether in the indecision category, Brewster is now officialy gonzo.
 

From the Barn said:
1. It isn't a choice
2. You just advocated the firing of someone because they might be gay
3. Psst, there are lots of Lesbian basketball coaches and...god forbid...players!
Click to expand...


Did I really say that Borton should be fired for being gay? If so, please point it out to me. The right to choose, born that way, whatever...it has nothing to do with my post. If sexism or racism of any kind is allowed to create an aura that is unacceptable in a lockerroom then it needs to be addressed immediately. Why is it when topics that involve sexual orientation or racism come up, others want to paint that poster in a corner and turn their heads? This is exactly why we still have racism in this country because most people don't feel comfortable enough to have an open discussion about it and admit that there are still issues that need to be addressed. This leads to my original point of the post...there IS some sort of problem right now with the WBB program and our AD apparently has done nothing to address it. Turn the other cheek and call me insensitive all you want if I brought up a subject that makes some people uncomfortable...Joel's been doing this for quite some time now. As an Operations Manager for a large financial firm that includes me dealing with Human Resource issues, I need to create a safe and healthy work environment for all of our employees regardless of gender, race or sexual preference. Failing to address issues that are damaging the productivity levels of our company is unacceptable and avoiding the issue hoping it will just go away by itself certainly doesn't work. I'm also forced to terminate employees that show up for work everyday with a great attitude and work ethic yet their sales productivity levels are not enough to keep them employed. Its not fun having to put a good person out of work...but my job and employer require and demand that I make some tough decisions or they will find someone else to make them. This is my point regarding Uncle Joel and its not about whether their are lesbians in the Athletic Department so please spare me the lectures. If you don't share my opinion on Joel's tenure then just say so. Your opinions are just as important and valid as mine.
 

You come out with this in your original post.

"Women's BB: Promising program destroyed by suspected sexual orientation issues"

Your intent was pretty clear even if you've stumbled all over yourself backtracking. Borton had a dismal season last year. But she's well above .500 here, and most reasonable people see that she doesn't deserve to be fired so why bring up the sexual orientation stuff? Lucia is also a tough call because of two national titles. These people have contracts and you don't go firing them left and right like some people want.

Then to continue your sliminess, you profess your fondness and respect for Maturi but you come out with the "Uncle Joe." You're going to claim that's endearment and not ridicule I suppose? As much a I don't like to say it, Maturi did screw up the football hire. I also think he realizes that it will cost him in the end and accepts it. There's an integrity about him that you certainly don't have.

These things will get resolved eventually. Might not be to everyone's liking. It is, after all, a huge university and a culture that might not be as intense about the Gophers as people here are. And it's sports and things happen. But it's also individuals involved, and this piling on some people do is just BS.
 

Slim Tubby said:
I would like to clarify a couple of things. I really like and respect Joel Maturi...much like I feel about Coach Brew...but that isn't enough for a school the size of the U of M. I do give him credit for his ability to land Tubby who is clearly our shining star of our Athletic Department. Great coach, classy man, lucky to have him...enough said. I also give Uncle Joel credit for his involvement in the building of TCF Stadium. It ends there. What good is having a brand new stadium if nobody has a desire to watch the worst college football program in the country? One poster made a great comment about how difficult it would be to fire Lucia after winning 2 National titles and I agree with them. However, that point in itslef shows Uncle Joel's greatest weakness...his inability to make the tough decisions. We just gopt swept at home by Corn Cob U and appear to be headed for a 4th season of mediocrity for a program that should be the easiest to succeed in at ANY school in ANY sport. How does a half-empty arena help the U financially? How much longer do we stand by idlely watching our program slide before we react? Women's Hockey? Come on...there are like 6 programs in the country and this is Minnesota afterall where hockey is king. Baseball and Wrestling? Our success is tied directly to two GREAT Head Coaches who if I'm not mistaken were not hired by Uncle Joel. As for Women's BBn I apologize if I offended anyone about my remarks. I believe in Gay Rights and support a person's right to choose and those of us that are hetero should respect the feelings of those who are not. Its all about what makes a person happy, right? However, I have heard from 3 different sources that are far more connected than I will ever be that the primary reason for many of the mass departures of players and coached is directly tied into the Head Coach's sexual orientation. Where there's smoke there's fire, right? Yet there has been no action by Uncle Joe to ask for some accountability at least that we're aware of and our once promising program is headed in the wrong direction once again. Uncle Joe has not demonstrated that he can make the tough decisions. His contract extensions and then almost immediate firings of Mason and Monson were reasons for Joel's termination from a business stand point alone. Everyone likes Uncle Joe...everyone...me included...because he is "nice". It's time for this University to find an AD that's not so nice...one that has the ability to make the tough decisions and sometimes those decisions mean putting other "nice" people out of work as cold as that sounds. Our Athletic Department cannot survive without our top revenue generating programs (Football, Men's Hockey, Basketball) achieving at acceptable AND respectable levels. And I like Joel Maturi...because he's nice.
Click to expand...

+1 "Joel has got to go"

1. JM has repeatedly stated the U can not compete with the big boys. At best the U is a mid-level / mediocre program. He is powerless to keep Tubby. To me this is grounds for dismissal, by itself. This is his expectation and the best the U can hope to achieve under his watch. Maybe he learned this while at Wisconsin. Please do not let him have any input in the next FB coach. Let me explain to you JM - the U is a world class institution located in one of the best metropolitan areas in the world. The sky is the limit. Get it!

2. The Mason / Monson firings were a joke and directly resulted in not having the funds to hire a qualified FB coach. Reminds me of Leave it to Beaver where the Beaver lost the money for his Mom's birthday present and had to settle for a cheap item from Eddie Haskell. I don't hate the Beaver, but I do not want him for my AD.

The U deserves better. JM is probably not the worst AD, but he is certainly not the best. He is clearly not qualified to turn the programs around. Do not settle for JM.

I imagine he might sue if terminated this close to retirement. Put him on special assignment. Take his keys and badge. Thank him for his efforts and give him a going away party (the sooner the better). Do not let him have any more input on anything involving the U.

Hire an alum. Someone who has high expectations and loves the U.
 

I'm not backtracking in any way, shape or form although I maybe could've worded a few comments differently. Your selective reading allows you to fit your personal agenda nicely yet you fail to actually address my point. I'm not asking for Borton to be fired at all but rather have an AD that investigates a very disturbing trend of players and coaches suddenly leaving the program including two coaches the first week of practice. Despite what you believe, Mulligan, it is possible to like Maturi as a person but still expect more from him as our AD. As for your "slimy" remark about "Uncle Joe", that's exactly who he reminds me of personally...the "nice" uncle that wouldn't hurt a fly and loves to tell stories. I apologize if me wanting to have an AD here that actually has the ability to make tough decisions. I'm not sure he even deserves credit for axing Brew. For all we know, that could've been a call by the President. Maturi does deserve the credit for hiring Brewster though...
 

Sorry Slimtubby, but when I see your walls of text my eyes just gloss over and I lose all motivation trying to read your post. Try formatting a little.
 

Sorry, Gdizzle (and I agree with you) but my BlackBerry won't allow formed paragraphs on the message board.
 

Slim Tubby said:
I'm not asking for Borton to be fired at all but rather have an AD that investigates a very disturbing trend of players and coaches suddenly leaving the program including two coaches the first week of practice.
Click to expand...

Here's the main sliminess. A "When did you stop beating your wife," statement. Investigate a very disturbing trend? Ya, you're just an honest, caring, sensetive guy. Talk about agendas.
 

Mulligan said:
Here's the main sliminess. A "When did you stop beating your wife," statement. Investigate a very disturbing trend? Ya, you're just an honest, caring, sensetive guy. Talk about agendas.
Click to expand...

Keep sticking your head in the sand, Mulligan...you'll eventually find a worm. My original post of why Maturi should be removed is what it is and you have yet to offer one single relevant idea negating this. If you care to continue this discussion further, please feel free to PM me so we don't bore the others with this little disagreement.
 

Mulligan said:
Here's the main sliminess. A "When did you stop beating your wife," statement. Investigate a very disturbing trend? Ya, you're just an honest, caring, sensetive guy. Talk about agendas.
Click to expand...

So two coaches walk away from the program within a week of each other and you don't think this is something that the AD should look into?
 

mattw1067 said:
So two coaches walk away from the program within a week of each other and you don't think this is something that the AD should look into?
Click to expand...

The AD should look into it, not the sexual orientation of the coach.
 

It is strange that so many people (coaches, players) have left the women's BB team over the last several years. I find it hard to believe that none of these people spoke about why they left.

The coach / players all have rights regardless of sexual orientation (gay / lesbian / bi / straight / transgender / etc.)

This is the first I have heard that the women's BB issues were along this line.
 

The Retarded of Dinkytown

Maturi is a disaster. He had less to do with the Tubby hire than most know. He placed his bet on a used-car salesman to coach the football team. The way he handled the Monson firing was pathetic. He let's a self rightous hockey coach continue to pile drive one of the signature programs in all of college hockey through to China. He speaks like a hick from the range when addressing the public (Reminds me of the Jerry Lundegard character in Fargo (William Macy)etc........ He is a nice guy but is in way over his head and totaly out of his element. Have him go run the community college at Hibbing. At least there they could relate to him.

The people that promote Maturi are the same morons that were part of Brew's Crew and held on through the NIU game. Admire the dedication but there are several marbles missing. I can't believe they are letting him have a say in who they will hire as the new coach.
 

steffyboy said:
Maturi is a disaster. He had less to do with the Tubby hire than most know. He placed his bet on a used-car salesman to coach the football team. The way he handled the Monson firing was pathetic. He let's a self rightous hockey coach continue to pile drive one of the signature programs in all of college hockey through to China. He speaks like a hick from the range when addressing the public (Reminds me of the Jerry Lundegard character in Fargo (William Macy)etc........ He is a nice guy but is in way over his head and totaly out of his element. Have him go run the community college at Hibbing. At least there they could relate to him.

The people that promote Maturi are the same morons that were part of Brew's Crew and held on through the NIU game. Admire the dedication but there are several marbles missing. I can't believe they are letting him have a say in who they will hire as the new coach.
Click to expand...

The first sentence is an ill-founded opinion. The second sentence is flat out 100% inaccurate.

Joel Maturi is well regarded by his peers and Gopher athletics (overall) ranks consistently among Top 10 in Div I according to annual rankings of such things.
 


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