Worst to best writer in one article...Souhan

[scools12]

But their audience/customers do.

valid point. I would say that this audience/customer base was not one they cared if the alienated or not.

imagine with the new radio partnerships they probably will be more willing to appease this audience/customer base.

 

[stevedave23]

There is a huge difference between legitimate criticism and outright ridicule. The media in New York, Chicago, and LA may get very critical of their local teams but they don't make a joke out of them the way the Twin Cities sports media does with the Gophers. When the Vikings are going bad nobody is laughing about it. They are pissed because they care about the team. Very few members of the Twin Cities sports media care about the Gophers. They are much more interested in getting cheap laughs at their expense. For that reason they can all go screw themselves as far as I am concerned.

You've got a point here.

 

[phipedes]

I do have to give him credit for this line about Jerry Kill: "In the land of the unsighted, the one-eyed man is king."

I'm not too proud of a gopher fan to say that is right in so many ways LOL.

Tom Waits used a variation of this on Rain Dogs, one of his greatest albums ever.

"The captain is a one-armed dwarf, he's throwing dice along the wharf
In the land of the blind the one-eyed man is king, so take this ring"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GvIiFDECNJI

 

[phipedes]

I know Jesus said its wrong to hate, but Joel Maturi makes it very hard not to sin morning noon and night.

 

[Formo]

Maturi probably isn't the best AD we've had..

But the hatred he garners here is astounding.

You people need to get a hobby or something. Christ.

 

[confusedgopher]

Souhan is the worst sports columnist at the Star and Tribune ever. He doesn't know sh*t about running a Big 10 athletics department. And whats more, Souhan doesn't even care that he doesn't know anything. He knows how easy it is to get GopherHolers to start jacking-off when he writes a column like this one.

The only person Maturi has to please is Bob Bruininks. If any of you have ever taken the time to read or listen to Bruininks talk about Maturi you would know he absolutely loves the guy. Kaler is going to love Maturi for exactly the same reasons as Bruininks. Joel isn't going anywhere when Kaler takes over. When he ends his career at the U it will be at a time of his own choosing. You all better get used to the idea.

Do you have any idea how ignorant you sound? Why do you and others on this board continue to support Joel Maturi? And you are wrong, he doesn't simply have to answer to Bruininks, JM has a responsibility to every gopher fan/alumni/supporter to provide better leadership and accountability than he has at any point during his time as AD.

 

[disco]

And Jay Weiner, formerly of the Strib and now with MinnPost, responds with an article praising Maturi.

http://www.minnpost.com/jayweiner/2..._gophers_athletic_director_has_been_a_success

Sorry, but I agree with Souhan. Weiner starts with "be careful what you wish for." Well Jay, I wish for a Rose Bowl every now and then. I wish for Final Fours in hoops and national titles in hockey. I don't care about the rowing team, and I don't care if they pay Cam Newtons daddy ten million dollars, as long as they don't get caught within the statue of limitations. I'm tired of living in loserville, and rooting for loser teams.

 

[Go4Broke]

And Jay Weiner, formerly of the Strib and now with MinnPost, responds with an article praising Maturi.

http://www.minnpost.com/jayweiner/2..._gophers_athletic_director_has_been_a_success

Sorry, but I agree with Souhan. Weiner starts with "be careful what you wish for." Well Jay, I wish for a Rose Bowl every now and then. I wish for Final Fours in hoops and national titles in hockey. I don't care about the rowing team, and I don't care if they pay Cam Newtons daddy ten million dollars, as long as they don't get caught within the statue of limitations. I'm tired of living in loserville, and rooting for loser teams.

The people who run the U don't care what you think. AD's at the U are employees who follow orders from their superiors. You are going to be in for a huge disappointment when you find out that whoever replaces Maturi is not going to run the Athletics Department any differently than it has been run for the last 40 or 50 years. There is not going to be any magic bullet which is going to change the culture at the U. It is what it is.

 

[disco]

The people who run the U don't care what you think. AD's at the U are employees who follow orders from their superiors. You are going to be in for a huge disappointment when you find out that whoever replaces Maturi is not going to run the Athletics Department any differently than him. There is not going to be any magic bullet which is going to change the culture at the U.

Of course they don't, but nobody should then be surprised why attendance and interest dwindles. Nobody should be surprised or upset when the entire gamut of revenue sports at the U are treated like a second-rate bunch of losers by the local media and made the butt of jokes. Why, because that's what they are, and apparently, the administration is happy with that.

 

[dpodoll68]

Do you have any idea how ignorant you sound? Why do you and others on this board continue to support Joel Maturi? And you are wrong, he doesn't simply have to answer to Bruininks, JM has a responsibility to every gopher fan/alumni/supporter to provide better leadership and accountability than he has at any point during his time as AD.

You can go ahead and choose to live in a dream land where you think your opinions matter in the grand scheme, but I will go ahead and live in reality. Joel Maturi is accountable to one person - Dr. Robert Bruininks. As long as he is successful by his boss's standard, he can remain employed forever. You can wail and gnash your teeth about it all you want, but those are the facts.

And for any of you who think that everything will just automatically get better by getting rid of Maturi, you're living in a dream world. Firing Joel Maturi to cure all that ails the U of M's athletic department would be like using baby Tylenol to cure cancer.

 

[RodentRampage]

The big decisions have already been made. If Kill does well, Matrui will be remembered well. It all comes down to whether or not Kaler wants to start the search process in his first year.

 

[MaxyJR1]

Maturi is getting killed for things out of his control. I know that there are people with well thought out opinions on this topic, but do you think Maturi would be getting killed if the Gophers had swept AA in Hockey last weekend and if Nolan did not get hurt in basketball?

Tubby would be playing today or tomorrow and Lucia would as well as nearly a lock for the NCAA tournament. I think Maturi is doing the right thing. Probably lowering their buy-outs and putting them on notice that things need to change fast. I believe a year from now our three big programs will all be in a better place. We don't need a knee jerk reaction.

 

[Bayfieldgopher]

Of course they don't, but nobody should then be surprised why attendance and interest dwindles. Nobody should be surprised or upset when the entire gamut of revenue sports at the U are treated like a second-rate bunch of losers by the local media and made the butt of jokes. Why, because that's what they are, and apparently, the administration is happy with that.

Actually they aren't. If they were, Mason and Monson would likely still be here.

Keeping proven coaches that have had winning seasons on the staff isn't necessarily a bad thing as long as they can recreate what they accomplished in the past. That is the issue. And hoops and hockey need to step it up or changes will be made. Coach Kill gets a pass for at least three years unless he is totally inept which I don't expect.

IMO, Maturi is fulfulling his JD in the eyes of Bruininks. It will be interesting to see how President Elect Kaler views things and Maturi is doing the right thing by not signing the extension at this time.

 

[calminnfan]

http://www.minnpost.com/jayweiner/2..._gophers_athletic_director_has_been_a_success

You may or may not agree with the article Weiner writes, but he sure exposes Souhan. It is pretty obvious in his writings Souhan does not do his homework.

"Following a quick search of Star Tribune archives, I discovered it was at least the sixth time that Souhan has labeled Maturi, at best, inept, or called for his job. Souhan is not alone in this, but he has led the opinion charge even though, according to Maturi and others in the university administration, the pundit from the state's largest newspaper and website has never sat down to interview Maturi or ring him on the phone to discuss issues in the athletic department. Not once."

 

[2727Gopher]

And Jay Weiner, formerly of the Strib and now with MinnPost, responds with an article praising Maturi.

http://www.minnpost.com/jayweiner/2..._gophers_athletic_director_has_been_a_success

Sorry, but I agree with Souhan. Weiner starts with "be careful what you wish for." Well Jay, I wish for a Rose Bowl every now and then. I wish for Final Fours in hoops and national titles in hockey. I don't care about the rowing team, and I don't care if they pay Cam Newtons daddy ten million dollars, as long as they don't get caught within the statue of limitations. I'm tired of living in loserville, and rooting for loser teams.

I'd like those things too, but keep in mind that we haven't been to the Rose Bowl since 1962 and we've never been to a Final Four (no, we did not play in the Final Four in 1997), so Joel's hardly the only AD to fail to get us there. Much like others, I'm not trying to claim that Joel has done a great job or that he deserves to keep his job, but I don't understand the blind hatred.

And do you really not care if we cheat? Really? I'd rather have a clean, mediocre program than a great cheating one. You should really cheer on SEC programs if that's your attitude. I believe we can have both - a clean program AND a successful one on the field. That's what we should be chasing, not shortcuts and under-the-table deals.

 

[stevedave23]

The way I see it, the priorities at the U athletic department are like this:

1. Ethical Programs
2. Financially stable department as a whole
3. (tie) success in non-revenue & revenue sports

I personally think they should be like this:

1. Ethical Programs
2. (tie) Financial stability & success in revenue sports
3. success in non-revenue sports

One thing for which I'll give Maturi credit, he has always practiced what he's preached. He has always stressed that each of the 23 sports teams at the university are of equal importance, referring to the revenue sports as, "our more visible sports."

I disagree with this. I believe revenue sports are more important to the university than the non-revenue sports and should be treated as such. I don't think the U should compromise it's values or integrity in order to succeed in revenue sports, but I feel the success of revenue sports should become the focus and priority of the department.

 

[disco]

And do you really not care if we cheat? Really? I'd rather have a clean, mediocre program than a great cheating one. You should really cheer on SEC programs if that's your attitude. I believe we can have both - a clean program AND a successful one on the field. That's what we should be chasing, not shortcuts and under-the-table deals.

I would like to see a Rose Bowl or BCS national championship in my lifetime (I'm nearly 40). Yeah, I really don't care if this school fielded a team like Neuheisel's Washington team full of illiterates and thugs for a couple years, as long as they didn't get caught within the statute of limitations.

When it's all said and done, I suspect more people remember the memories and good feelings of cheering on Clem's teams than they do the scandal. At least more people I talk to do.

If you want a mediocre program, so be it. We have one of those. Way to aim high.

 

[2727Gopher]

I would like to see a Rose Bowl or BCS national championship in my lifetime (I'm nearly 40). Yeah, I really don't care if this school fielded a team like Neuheisel's Washington team full of illiterates and thugs for a couple years, as long as they didn't get caught within the statute of limitations.

When it's all said and done, I suspect more people remember the memories and good feelings of cheering on Clem's teams than they do the scandal. At least more people I talk to do.

If you want a mediocre program, so be it. We have one of those. Way to aim high.

Wow - If you play Monopoly, do you steal from the bank when people aren't looking? Do you take joy in cheating at things? I'm also nearly 40, and any thought I have of Clem Haskins brings pain, not joy. I went to a Final Three in Indianapolis because I thought my team was going to be there, but it turns out that we were a bunch of cheaters who didn't deserve to be there. The day this program embraces your methods is the day I walk away and never look back. I've never fully recovered from the Haskins scandal - I pay attention to the Gopher basketball team, but my passion is mostly gone. I really don't want the same thing to happen to my football team.

 

[Killjoy]

Life's Final Question

I would like to see a Rose Bowl or BCS national championship in my lifetime (I'm nearly 40). Yeah, I really don't care if this school fielded a team like Neuheisel's Washington team full of illiterates and thugs for a couple years, as long as they didn't get caught within the statute of limitations.

When it's all said and done, I suspect more people remember the memories and good feelings of cheering on Clem's teams than they do the scandal. At least more people I talk to do.

If you want a mediocre program, so be it. We have one of those. Way to aim high.

It is very sad to see that you are such a shallow person. I expect when you are on your death bad the question you are going to ask is “Did we win a national championship?” Pathetic!

 

[disco]

I'm not shallow. I'm realistic. Do you think Auburn fans care that much that they (allegedly and likely) paid Cam Newton's daddy, assuming that the NCAA closes the investigation and does nothing more? I doubt it. If I had to venture a guess, I'd say that at least 95% of football national champions from 1980 (BYU possibly being the exception, but Jim McMahon was on that team, so who knows) on have had some kind of shenanigans going on, whether it's fixed grades, or favors from boosters. As the saying goes "it's not cheating if you don't get caught."

Even the most revered college sports coach of all time, John Wooden' of UCLA hoops, very likely knew of, or was involved in major cheating at UCLA, with regards to booster Sam Gilbert, and it was said that the NCAA intentionally only investigated back through his successor, Gene Bartow, in order to protect Wooden's reputation, which is golden to this day.

 

[littlebigboy]

A new Pres. and New AD could change the atmosphere!!! This reminds me of our HS a few yrs. ago. Our test scores were 78th in the state, and we got a new supt. who demanded accountability. He caused quite a stir, but in 3 yrs. with basically the same staff our test scores rose to 15 th. Do things the right way and results will follow.

 

[Killjoy]

Clueless in Minnesota

I'm not shallow. I'm realistic. Do you think Auburn fans care that much that they (allegedly and likely) paid Cam Newton's daddy, assuming that the NCAA closes the investigation and does nothing more? I doubt it. If I had to venture a guess, I'd say that at least 95% of football national champions from 1980 (BYU possibly being the exception, but Jim McMahon was on that team, so who knows) on have had some kind of shenanigans going on, whether it's fixed grades, or favors from boosters. As the saying goes "it's not cheating if you don't get caught."

Even the most revered college sports coach of all time, John Wooden' of UCLA hoops, very likely knew of, or was involved in major cheating at UCLA, with regards to booster Sam Gilbert, and it was said that the NCAA intentionally only investigated back through his successor, Gene Bartow, in order to protect Wooden's reputation, which is golden to this day.

Every time you try to rationalize your position you only end up pointing out what a shallow person you are. It is not worth trying to discuss this with you since you don’t have a clue what the problem is. Maybe someday you can share a cell with Denny Hecker. He doesn't know what the problem is either.

 

[disco]

Every time you try to rationalize your position you only end up pointing out what a shallow person you are. It is not worth trying to discuss this with you since you don’t have a clue what the problem is. Maybe someday you can share a cell with Denny Hecker. He doesn't know what the problem is either.

I'm sure your world is all sunshine, lollipops and rainbows, and everyone is nice to everyone else.

 

[Killjoy]

Clueless in Minnesota

I'm sure your world is all sunshine, lollipops and rainbows, and everyone is nice to everyone else.

No - The world is full of people who have egos that think it is all about them. They operate out of greed and fear. The problem in doing so, they do a great deal of harm to other people and the world. It is called delusion.

 

[RodentRampage]

If only someone would invent a football league that got rid of all this pesky college business. Perhaps someone could even build a football league that was not just regional, but national...