Thoughts on latest Jacobs column

[billybud]

Were it that simple...

BYU, with the LDS billions and Senator Hatch...most senior member of the Republican Senate, ranking member of the Finance Committee, and who sits on other important committees...may be as far outside.

 

[TRest]

Were it that simple...

BYU, with the LDS billions and Senator Hatch...most senior member of the Republican Senate, ranking member of the Finance Committee, and who sits on other important committees...may be as far outside.

Hatch basically got Utah in the club and then backed off.

 

[Carl Spackler]

The importance of football will most clearly be demonstrated by comparing what a winning football program will do int the current conference to what we have now, which is consecutive seasons of going 3-9, followed by 2-10. In 2 AAC football seasons we are 5-19 overall, 4-10 at home overall and 2-13 in conference. Multiple AAC teams have gone bowling and had success. Not us.

Its a disgusting record and it needs change and only we can change it.

The rest of this just whining. Jacobs shows himself to be an idiot for even suggesting "Is it worth it?" in his own mind. What is the alternative?

I'LL TELL YOU. The alternative to losing, is winning. Talk to me about conference problems when we're winning. UConn won't have any,because we can bridge the money gap withourpaying customer fan base. What they wont pay for is a loser.

So the real conclusion, is that the only thing a different conference provides is financial security for cellar dwellers. Financial security for losers. Financial security for redistribution of wealth beneficiaries.

On that note, I guess it should come as no surprise that most CT people would long for that. I've always been minority in CT. I prefer the path of earning my way.

I want regular winning and the earnings that come with it, not security in being a cellar dwellar.

 

[Dooley]

The importance of football will most clearly be demonstrated by comparing what a winning football program will do int the current conference to what we have now, which is consecutive seasons of going 3-9, followed by 2-10. In 2 AAC football seasons we are 5-19 overall, 4-10 at home overall and 2-13 in conference. Multiple AAC teams have gone bowling and had success. Not us.

Its a disgusting record and it needs change and only we can change it.

The rest of this just whining. Jacobs shows himself to be an idiot for even suggesting "Is it worth it?" in his own mind. What is the alternative?

I'LL TELL YOU. The alternative to losing, is winning. Talk to me about conference problems when we're winning. UConn won't have any,because we can bridge the money gap withourpaying customer fan base. What they wont pay for is a loser.

So the real conclusion, is that the only thing a different conference provides is financial security for cellar dwellers. Financial security for losers. Financial security for redistribution of wealth beneficiaries.

On that note, I guess it should come as no surprise that most CT people would long for that. I've always been minority in CT. I prefer the path of earning my way.

I want regular winning and the earnings that come with it, not security in being a cellar dwellar.

Exactly. It's easy to assemble an angry mob and march towards the Burton with pitchforks and torches when we're losing. When UCONN football wins, AND IT WILL, the argument shifts away from football being the cement shoes tied to UCONN's conference resume and, instead, puts more pressure on Power conferences to make the add. Throw-away seasons like last year are even more frustrating because it only fuels the angry mobs who want to dump football and seal our mid-major Big East fate. I just hope to God that the 2014 practice year accelerates the learning curve and leads to wins sooner than projected. The program, the university and the state all need it.

 

[Fishy]

I don't buy into rah-rah nonsense.

Winning in this conference is an only slightly smaller issue than losing in it.

Simply being in the American is a persistent losing experience that will eventually bleed us dry. Dropping football now just means that we've decided to bleed ourselves out.

Basically, we need football to salvage our athletic existence. If we're still here in ten years, we'll be in a very different condition relative to our recent peers.

 

[DarthGrumpy]

The Boston Globe had an editorial this past Sunday calling for UMass to shrink or scrap football.

Was that this year, last year of 5 years ago? I hope at least the Globe got that UMass is indeed in the same state as Boston.

 

[UMass]

The Boston Globe had an editorial this past Sunday calling for UMass to shrink or scrap football.

Unlike the Courant and Jacobs, the Globe offers nothing positive and is a BC sycophant rag being fed erroneous info from within UMass. I'm not going to attempt to hijack this thread, but think about this. For a picture, the Globe used one taken of the visitor's side (Indiana) in our second ever FBS game. There were about 25 people in the picture. Chock that up to fair and impartial journalism.
There is one person, Katie Kingsbury, who so far has shown herself to be a journalist. When bombarded by UMass fans via email and twitter, she took down the picture and replaced it with one of the UMass side. She also asked that the fans write to her and point out any facts that they have misrepresented. She has stated that she will research these and will correct the record if the Globe published inaccurate facts. I'll believe it when I see it.

 

[Kolumbo]

I confess...i was surfing last night and actually landed on the Rutgers-Maryland hoops game. The "B1G" logo on the floor made the game relevant not necessarily to me, but I am sure to many basketball fans on the east coast. I also confess that I had very little interest watching UCONN-Tulsa the other night partially because it was late and partially because I just cannot get interested in a basketball conference which is so far removed from the awesome Big East. Playing Seton Hall, Providence, and even Rutgers when those teams were down was still fun because it was regional. What we have today is just a shame. I agree with many that we are being bled dry and two years from now, we will be in serious trouble, if not flat-lined.

 

[noeynox]

All this BS now??? This battle was lost the ACC picked Louisville over us. "UConn was penned in" according to UL AD Jurich. We were told to "sleep the sleep of angels" on this board based upon "inside info". How the fugg were here today is inconceivable. But oh well, what's done is done. Soon we won't have to worry about any of this stuff if things keep going as they are presently. The American pfft.

 

[DarthGrumpy]

Unlike the Courant and Jacobs, the Globe offers nothing positive and is a BC sycophant rag being fed erroneous info from within UMass. I'm not going to attempt to hijack this thread, but think about this. For a picture, the Globe used one taken of the visitor's side (Indiana) in our second ever FBS game. There were about 25 people in the picture. Chock that up to fair and impartial journalism.
There is one person, Katie Kingsbury, who so far has shown herself to be a journalist. When bombarded by UMass fans via email and twitter, she took down the picture and replaced it with one of the UMass side. She also asked that the fans write to her and point out any facts that they have misrepresented. She has stated that she will research these and will correct the record if the Globe published inaccurate facts. I'll believe it when I see it.

The Globe leans a bit to the left. UMass's faculty leans the same way and has always been anti-athletic and VERY anti-football. Thus, other than forgetting that Boston and UMass share the same commonwealth, the two like each other a lot. Thus, trashing the UMass football program on an annual basis whether it deserves it or not has been a pastime of the Globe since the 1990's.

 

[FDNY99]

All this BS now??? This battle was lost the ACC picked Louisville over us. "UConn was penned in" according to UL AD Jurich. We were told to "sleep the sleep of angels" on this board based upon "inside info". How the fugg were here today is inconceivable. But oh well, what's done is done. Soon we won't have to worry about any of this stuff if things keep going as they are presently. The American pfft.

Noey the answer to "how the fugg were here today is inconceivable" is VERY easy...Jeff Hathaway with a bit of Phil Austin/Michael Hogan mixed in!

 

[noeynox]

The day Louisville was picked I was sick to my stomach, posting how we wouldn't be able to compete with our regional rivals. I was told UConn had time. Almost two years later nothing has changed. We are no more flucked today than we were that day, so I guess I see no reason for Jacobs to write that or for the hand wringing I see.

With everything at stake, and knowing what was at stake, we hired an unknown at FB coach who one year in appears to be learning on the job. I much rather we had went the Cincy route with the Tubberville hire.

Words can't explain my frustration over this but I have felt this way since Louisville. I've resigned myself to accepting on blind faith that Warde and Susan know what they're doing, other than that we got nothing.

 

[Kolumbo]

The day Louisville was picked I was sick to my stomach, posting how we wouldn't be able to compete with our regional rivals. I was told UConn had time. Almost two years later nothing has changed. We are no more flucked today than we were that day, so I guess I see no reason for Jacobs to write that or for the hand wringing I see.

With everything at stake, and knowing what was at stake, we hired an unknown at FB coach who one year in appears to be learning on the job. I much rather we had went the Cincy route with the Tubberville hire.

Words can't explain my frustration over this but I have felt this way since Louisville. I've resigned myself to accepting on blind faith that Warde and Susan know what they're doing, other than that we got nothing.

In just a few hours we went from Yes! Maryland is leaving and we will get our ACC invite to oh ssss, are you kidding me? even then there was hope that the CR wheels were still turning but it seems more and more doubtful. Meanwhile "P5" is thrown around as if it has always been the P5. It's not fair to any of the G5 programs and I really don't see an invitation being proffered. I totally agree with your last sentence.

 

[SC Husky]

The day Louisville was picked I was sick to my stomach, posting how we wouldn't be able to compete with our regional rivals. I was told UConn had time. Almost two years later nothing has changed. We are no more flucked today than we were that day, so I guess I see no reason for Jacobs to write that or for the hand wringing I see.

With everything at stake, and knowing what was at stake, we hired an unknown at FB coach who one year in appears to be learning on the job. I much rather we had went the Cincy route with the Tubberville hire.

Words can't explain my frustration over this but I have felt this way since Louisville. I've resigned myself to accepting on blind faith that Warde and Susan know what they're doing, other than that we got nothing.

I know every other sentence that Susan utters is that UCONN is a great research university & that is aimed at the B1G. But I would feel somewhat better if I knew her & Warde are working Delany & B1G University Presidents behind the scenes. All we get is cold silence. And I would think that Jacobs would hear something about their efforts if there were any. This is so frustrating. The fanbase isn't stupid, no one believes Warde when he says the AAC is a good conference. Warde & Susan don't even have to provide details. Just let us know that it's being worked!

 

[pj]

I know every other sentence that Susan utters is that UCONN is a great research university & that is aimed at the B1G. But I would feel somewhat better if I knew her & Warde are working Delany & B1G University Presidents behind the scenes. All we get is cold silence. And I would think that Jacobs would hear something about their efforts if there were any. This is so frustrating. The fanbase isn't stupid, no one believes Warde when he says the AAC is a good conference. Warde & Susan don't even have to provide details. Just let us know that it's being worked!

First, any contact will be by telephone and will not be publicized. Second, at early stages you don't necessarily need frequent contact. If the B1G has told them, here are our metrics, here's where you stand, here's what you need to do -- here's the minimum to be considered, here's what you need to achieve for entry to become likely, here's what would make it a slam dunk. Now go work. In the meantime we'll be working with our TV partners, talking to other schools, measuring response to Rutgers and Maryland adds to refine our estimates of UConn's value. Decision points will be tied to TV contract negotiations and availability of partners. Assuming that conversation has been held, UConn knows their timetable, knows what it needs to work on, and just needs to give periodic updates on its progress.

As far as encouraging the fans, the less said the better. They can easily spoil negotiations with the B1G and potential with the B12 or ACC. Moreover, outcomes are not in their hands so it would be wrong to raise hopes prematurely. All they need to tell us is what we as fans need to do to support the school and its athletic programs.

 

[Deleted]

It still baffles me that we may never have a landing spot in the ACC. I agree that the B1G is infinitely a better conference, but geography helps develop rivalries (i.e UCLA USC, Duke UNC, UM OSU, etc)... who would be our natural rival in the B1G? As much as I hate the ACC, we would be a natural rival to both Cuse and BC, our basketball would thrive while football would become competitive again, and hockey stays in hockey east... but I'm just venting now I guess

 

[NC_Uconn_Fan]

Cold, gray January day here in NC, reading this thread makes me more depressed. Going to go home and drink.

 

[Kolumbo]

It still baffles me that we may never have a landing spot in the ACC. I agree that the B1G is infinitely a better conference, but geography helps develop rivalries (i.e UCLA USC, Duke UNC, UM OSU, etc)... who would be our natural rival in the B1G? As much as I hate the ACC, we would be a natural rival to both Cuse and BC, our basketball would thrive while football would become competitive again, and hockey stays in hockey east... but I'm just venting now I guess

Maryland, Rutgers, and perhaps Penn State. F BC and Cuse.

 

[SC Husky]

First, any contact will be by telephone and will not be publicized. Second, at early stages you don't necessarily need frequent contact. If the B1G has told them, here are our metrics, here's where you stand, here's what you need to do -- here's the minimum to be considered, here's what you need to achieve for entry to become likely, here's what would make it a slam dunk. Now go work. In the meantime we'll be working with our TV partners, talking to other schools, measuring response to Rutgers and Maryland adds to refine our estimates of UConn's value. Decision points will be tied to TV contract negotiations and availability of partners. Assuming that conversation has been held, UConn knows their timetable, knows what it needs to work on, and just needs to give periodic updates on its progress.

As far as encouraging the fans, the less said the better. They can easily spoil negotiations with the B1G and potential with the B12 or ACC. Moreover, outcomes are not in their hands so it would be wrong to raise hopes prematurely. All they need to tell us is what we as fans need to do to support the school and its athletic programs.

It will probably go on like this for the next decade. I think I'll head home after work & get loaded too.

 

[CL82]

Cold, gray January day here in NC, reading this thread makes me more depressed. Going to go home and drink.

Alcohol never solves your problems, but it does help to pass the time.

 

[auggie22]

Cold, gray January day here in NC, reading this thread makes me more depressed. Going to go home and drink.

In nc ( Durham ) at a Hotel bar drinking. Alone. Come join me.

 

[buddy]

I know every other sentence that Susan utters is that UCONN is a great research university & that is aimed at the B1G. But I would feel somewhat better if I knew her & Warde are working Delany & B1G University Presidents behind the scenes. All we get is cold silence. And I would think that Jacobs would hear something about their efforts if there were any. This is so frustrating. The fanbase isn't stupid, no one believes Warde when he says the AAC is a good conference. Warde & Susan don't even have to provide details. Just let us know that it's being worked!

If you want to be credible, it should be "she and Warde" not "her and Warde". Maybe the fanbase is stupid! The reason there is silence is because neither of them have a clue as to what is going on. UConn will be a great research university. AAU admission is highly unlikely however, as most of the metrics required for admission are not there. I recall, and please correct if I am wrong, that Susan actually stated that it would be a miracle if UConn was admitted to the B1G "in our lifetime". That quote says it all. I am hoping that it was "tongue in cheek", but I am not so sure. I wish I had the blind faith that noeynox does, but I don't. I think Jacobs just basically expressed the frustration that true UConn fans have over CR, the last horrible, horrible football season (worst ever, in my opinion), and the dim prospects for the future at this time. People are not going to make donations, buy season tickets, go to games, if the perception is that there is no hope. As they say silence=death. The silence coming out of Storrs is not a good thing for UConn faithful.

 

[pj]

I recall, and please correct if I am wrong, that Susan actually stated that it would be a miracle if UConn was admitted to the B1G "in our lifetime". That quote says it all. I am hoping that it was "tongue in cheek", but I am not so sure.

You're wrong. She was asked if a B1G invite would be coming and when; and she replied, "Let's hope so, in our lifetimes." There was nothing about miracles being required.

 

[SAMCRO]

In nc ( Durham ) at a Hotel bar drinking. Alone. Come join me.

is this the Boneyard chapter of Tinder?

 

[auggie22]

is this the Boneyard chapter of Tinder?

It was apparently a bad match. I think I came on too strong.