For those relative newcomers to the board, Barn Burner used to go by the moniker ZTAGopher. He was a staunch defender of Dan Monson and when almost everyone else (save for his pals wren and the loon) felt it was time for the program to go in a different direction, he became quite indignant and began referring to "The Club" which was anyone who disagreed with him. It was somewhat fascinating at first, but then became purely tedious. Many of the comments he is trotting out in these recent posts are thinly veiled references to that time period, which again was five years ago. I thought he said he was leaving the GH some time ago and he wasn't seen nor heard for quite some time, but he's back. My advice-avoid getting drawn into it with him, unless you have some aspirin handy.
And now, going against my own advice, for at least one last post. . .
ZTA, if you've been following the board, you'll notice I haven't posted quite so often as in the past. That's for a number of reasons, primarily being that I'm no longer living in the U.S. and I have had limited access to watching the Gophers over the last three years. Without seeing the team consistently, I have deferred to others who see the team on a regular basis. I have had my criticisms and questions regarding where the program is headed, both big picture and with particular games/seasons. There's certainly enough critics on the board for the program and I don't feel the need to pile on; additionally, the circumstances of life have taken me away from the frequency I used to spend on this board and I believe the same holds true for many of the others from the days when you decided to draw that line in the sand.
I've been fortunate to find a consistent internet feed this year so I will be posting more often perhaps. I was quite happy to see the win against Va Tech the other night and I think there is quite a bit of potential with this team. Is it where I thought the program would be after five years? Nope. I expected more and I still have plenty of questions if Tubby can get the team over the hump of mediocrity. That being said, he's our coach and that's not changing anytime soon. I see a lot of potential in the likes of Hollins-squared, Eliason, Welch, etc. I'd rather focus on the positives that are occurring on the court rather than rehash or engage in pointless personal battles. If you want critics ZTA, cast your eyes wide, there are plenty. And if you want to jump back into the muck, I'm sure you will find willing partners to argue with you. I'm just not up for it, and my guess is that your other old adversaries aren't either.
