Reusse STrib column: Bringing U fan base back to life requires just the right jolt

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The only jolt needed is W's. Our entire city is so bandwagon, they'll follow anything that wins. Look at women's basketball, that was a dead program if I ever seen one, but Brenda Oldfield (Frese now) comes in, makes a run, then Borton takes them to the Final Four and they were drawing 15,000 to their games. If whoever the next coach is comes in and we win, say, 8 games next season, I guarantee you the fan base will be jolted.

Recall 2003, the big Michigan debacle. We basically sold out the Dome, what's that 65,000 or so? People in this city will flock to a winner, wherever they can find it.
 

reusse is dead-on, as usual. yes, wins will bring fans... eventually. but if we were to bring in a leach or peterson, tcf tickets would be a very hot commodity.
 

But why write this now when the process is over and Leach is out of the running? Well, it does give Reusse the opportunity to take shots at the new coach.
 

50PoundHead said:
But why write this now when the process is over and Leach is out of the running? Well, it does give Reusse the opportunity to take shots at the new coach.
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You answered your own question in your statement LOL
 



I don't get the hatred of Reusse, both here, and among some other Minnesota sports fans. The guy is an excellent writer, and I think he really, truly, gives a damn about the local teams. In particular, the Twins, being a baseball guy at heart, and the Gophers, because he grew up here, and is old enough to remember when Gopher football mattered.

The difference between him and Drooling Sid, is that Reusse has the seeds to criticize when it's warranted. The difference between him and say, Barriero when he was writing, is that Pat isn't negative just for the sake of being a cranky naysayer. Reusse is simply brutally honest, and I suspect there are a lot of provincial people in this state who don't like to accept that.

Oh, and he's right about Leach, not that it matters, because he's not going to be the coach here. I suspect that there are a lot of other college presidents in the country who have the same position on Leach though - at least until his litigation is complete.
 

I agree with a lot of what Reusse wrote, but I don't agree that (a) the draw when Holtz was coach was just Holtz rather than the prospect of winning or (b) there's no dedicated fan base under the age of 60.

Fact is most of us would be real happy (despite what we read here) with any smart, competent, professional coach who consistently wins 6-9 games a year and doesn't make us scream in frustration by throwing away big games with boneheaded X/O decisions like Mason used to do.
 

Reusse writing this and Sid leading off with Chryst

This smells more and more like Chryst as the next Gophers head coach. Edsall and Petersen will not be leaving there programs for the Minnesota job, put two and two together guys. With the reality of the budget situation at Minnesota it is not going to be a higher profile coach where it will take a lot of money to sign a coach. With the guy's saying no and this late breaking news that Maturi interviewed Chryst on Thursday that should be a strong enough clue. It is probably Kill and Chryst as the finalist, Roufes had the tweet about Kill on Friday and he released the Brewster news and than Scoggins has the Chryst news. This job is Chryst job if he accepted it, and was the coach offered, there is to much from that. The Petersen and Edsall names are what we hope but not likely our reality. I think Maturi ended up offering it to Chrsyt because he did not want to go back to anyone else in the end and was tired of guy's saying no. At some point you need a candidate that want's the job to say's yes. Chryst > Kill. This is just opionion but that is who I think Maturi settled on, it is the way of the world as we know it as Gopher fans we get what we always pay for.
 



Reusse is spot on. The program needs both a proven winner and a name --leach should be coach....
 

It's scary how much I'm agreeing with what Reusse is saying. I'm beginning to second guess my own opinions.
 

discochris said:
I don't get the hatred of Reusse, both here, and among some other Minnesota sports fans. The guy is an excellent writer, and I think he really, truly, gives a damn about the local teams. In particular, the Twins, being a baseball guy at heart, and the Gophers, because he grew up here, and is old enough to remember when Gopher football mattered.

The difference between him and Drooling Sid, is that Reusse has the seeds to criticize when it's warranted. The difference between him and say, Barriero when he was writing, is that Pat isn't negative just for the sake of being a cranky naysayer. Reusse is simply brutally honest, and I suspect there are a lot of provincial people in this state who don't like to accept that.

Oh, and he's right about Leach, not that it matters, because he's not going to be the coach here. I suspect that there are a lot of other college presidents in the country who have the same position on Leach though - at least until his litigation is complete.
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Listen to Ruesse when he interviews Gardy on 1500 (home of the Twins) and let me know if he has the seeds to criticize when it's warranted. I swear he's a part time PR guy for the Twins. His viewpoint would change if he worked for 830. If you believe Ruesse treats the Gophers the same as the Twins, you're nuts.
 

I don't see anything groundbreaking here. Pat is just recycling what those of us on the Leach bandwagon have been saying for months. He did miss one important fact about Minnesota's love for all things shiny and new. Sure, people came to Xcel, Target Field and TCF simply to gawk at the building, but they also sat in massive lines requiring police to direct traffic when Krispy Kreme opened up here.
 



Why this article now? Two weeks ago he was talking about Trestman. Actually, I like Reusse at times. IMO, this article is written to criticize the hire because it is not going to be Leach.
 

While I think the proper jolt for this team is Mike Leach (or someone on that level), I can't help but find it curious that Miami hasn't hired him yet. Is it possible that Leach has done more damage to his reputation than the rest of us know about? I mean, if it is such a no-brainer to hire leach, why isn't anybody doing it already? Maybe it is too early, I don't know.

What this team needs if it cannot get an exciting coach like Leach, is a solid coach who will bring the program to some level of respectability. A coach who has experience building a program makes a lot of sense.
 

I think the undercurrent of Reusse's article is that Maturi and Mona are not going to make the kind of hire that is required to bring people into the seats by turning the program around by winning. Holtz was able to add some excitement with his track record, communications skills, and he won some games. His teams were competitive. The fans had legitimate hope for the future of the program. Unless the M&M boyz make a similar hire, I would expect another 4 years of mediocrity with another buyout and coaching search in 2014 or 2015. You cannot do the same things over and over again and expect different results. The basketball program is on the right track if Joel doesn't mess that up too.

I agree with Reusse in this one.
 

discochris said:
I don't get the hatred of Reusse, both here, and among some other Minnesota sports fans. The guy is an excellent writer, and I think he really, truly, gives a damn about the local teams. In particular, the Twins, being a baseball guy at heart, and the Gophers, because he grew up here, and is old enough to remember when Gopher football mattered.

The difference between him and Drooling Sid, is that Reusse has the seeds to criticize when it's warranted. The difference between him and say, Barriero when he was writing, is that Pat isn't negative just for the sake of being a cranky naysayer. Reusse is simply brutally honest, and I suspect there are a lot of provincial people in this state who don't like to accept that.

Oh, and he's right about Leach, not that it matters, because he's not going to be the coach here. I suspect that there are a lot of other college presidents in the country who have the same position on Leach though - at least until his litigation is complete.
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I don't hate Reusse. I think he's the best sports columnist in this town by quite a wide margin. Smart guy. Good writer. Has a way with a phase and has a good sense of humor. This just seems like a late suggestion from him on Leach. If he felt all along Leach should have been the coach, why not a column a month ago?
 


Monty519 said:
The only jolt needed is W's. Our entire city is so bandwagon, they'll follow anything that wins.
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I can't agree more with this. I keep telling my friends this as well.

When the Twins blew, they couldn't find people to go to the Dome. In 2007, the Vikings flirted with black outs -- they almost had to blackout a playoff game during the 2008 season.

Everyone made fun of me for driving home for the Iowa game. After it, everyone kept talking about how it was a huge victory. People want a winner. Win games, they'll show.
 

ButchNashGuy said:
Why this article now? Two weeks ago he was talking about Trestman. Actually, I like Reusse at times. IMO, this article is written to criticize the hire because it is not going to be Leach.
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Perhaps because a couple weeks ago there was still some level of hope that a coach meeting Reusse's idea of what's needed might agree to come to MN. Plus, a couple weeks ago nobody knew Leach was realistic.

He is, and unless someone like Peterson or Mullen is announced, it's going to be a disappointment and is not going to fire up most fans. Ruesse is spot on, and if you take your maroon and gold glasses off, you'll see that, plain as the nose on your face.
 

Lemon Scented Jim said:
While I think the proper jolt for this team is Mike Leach (or someone on that level), I can't help but find it curious that Miami hasn't hired him yet. Is it possible that Leach has done more damage to his reputation than the rest of us know about? I mean, if it is such a no-brainer to hire leach, why isn't anybody doing it already? Maybe it is too early, I don't know.

What this team needs if it cannot get an exciting coach like Leach, is a solid coach who will bring the program to some level of respectability. A coach who has experience building a program makes a lot of sense.
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From yesterday's Strib "Roundup" about Leach going on a couple of South Florida radio stations to lobby for the job: "Hurricane trustees told the Miami Herald the school will not hire a coach with baggage"

I liked Leach and would like to see him hired (I wouldn't have to manage him:eek:) but I do remember a number of stories about how the James incident was the "tip of the iceberg".
 

everybody knows my name said:
I agree with a lot of what Reusse wrote, but I don't agree that (a) the draw when Holtz was coach was just Holtz rather than the prospect of winning or (b) there's no dedicated fan base under the age of 60.

Fact is most of us would be real happy (despite what we read here) with any smart, competent, professional coach who consistently wins 6-9 games a year and doesn't make us scream in frustration by throwing away big games with boneheaded X/O decisions like Mason used to do.
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So, if you think you would be happy constantly having the new coach win 6 to 9 games, you are totally out to lunch IF you think there won't be a lot of heartbreaking losses in games that MIGHT have been won or games in which there MIGHT have been a lead that was surrendered late in the game. That is the trademark of a 6 to 9 win team. Not quite enough depth to push that mark up to constantly winning 8 to 11 games. Now, look at a Big Ten schedule: Michigan, MSU, iowa, wisky, Nebraska, NU, and maybe OSU, PSU, or Illinois or Indiana or Purdue. Is any coach we hire going to be able to beat iowa, wisky, OSU, PSU, Michigan, MSU, Purdue and Nebraska on a consistant basis? Maybe once in a great while with some of those teams, but just take a look at the past 50 seasons. From 1960 through 2010. Think that prexy b and maturi are leading us anywhere different?

You will HATE any coach that consistantly wins 6 to 9 games. You will soon be saying that coach is just as bad as Mason. You will say that he can't recruit. You will say he is lazy. You will say he doesn't do x's and o's well. You will second guess him. You will mob him and you will bash him. Unless a coach is hired who wins 8 to 11 games every season on a consistant bases, that coach will not be around for more than five years. You people are too good in your own estimations and you think you shouldn't have to put up with any coach that can not consistantly win 8 to 11 games all the time.

And, who ever prexy b hires will be lucky to win from 6 to 7 games consistantly. Especially once the Big Ten goes to a 9 game schedule. Just look at the Minnesota fans history. The students won't show, the 20 to 49 somethings won't show and it will just be the old timers who keep showing up all the time. And, the oldtimers will keep getting older. And, one day there won't be as many of them left.

Since maturi and prexy b are heading up the serch committee for one last time, look for a lot of 6 to 7 win seasons during the next 5 years.
 

50PoundHead said:
If he felt all along Leach should have been the coach, why not a column a month ago?
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Again, it's been answered. So he can set up the ripping ahead of time if things don't work out. Really doubt anyone is going to touch Leach. Ruesse knows that. But the important thing is to stir things up as much as possible and make life difficult for Maturi if possible.

What a bizarro world when now Ruesse should be listened to because way down deep he's still a Gopher fan and wants what is best for his beloved Gophers. Forget all of the columns and statements on the radio to the contrary over at least the last ten years. He has talent and knows sports but he's hardly the fearless, objective newspaper guy. He had family ties to Huskies hockey and stated his dislike of the U then. Also, people forget the column he wrote making fun of Gopher women's basketball. He basically had to crawl after that and, not coincidentally, that's when the campaign against the U really got noticeable.

As for fearless, look at his Twins coverage. He almost has Sid-like lips for his ass kissing there.
 

Mulligan said:
Again, it's been answered. So he can set up the ripping ahead of time if things don't work out. Really doubt anyone is going to touch Leach. Ruesse knows that. But the important thing is to stir things up as much as possible and make life difficult for Maturi if possible.

What a bizarro world when now Ruesse should be listened to because way down deep he's still a Gopher fan and wants what is best for his beloved Gophers. Forget all of the columns and statements on the radio to the contrary over at least the last ten years. He has talent and knows sports but he's hardly the fearless, objective newspaper guy. He had family ties to Huskies hockey and stated his dislike of the U then. Also, people forget the column he wrote making fun of Gopher women's basketball. He basically had to crawl after that and, not coincidentally, that's when the campaign against the U really got noticeable.

As for fearless, look at his Twins coverage. He almost has Sid-like lips for his ass kissing there.
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This is complete, utter nonsense.

Reusse is 100 percent correct. I know it, you know it, virtually every commenter at the STrib knows it, every poster here knows it, and what's sad is, Maturi knows it.

Reusse would like nothing better than to see the UM football program be successful. He's also smart, and honest enough to know that Brewster wasn't going to achieve that, and to know that a 'meh' hire is nothing if not more of the same. Kill, Edsall, et al aren't going to make Gopher football LOCALLY relavent again, much less nationally relavent.

Blame Reusse all you want. You're part of the problem, not Reusse.
 

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