Stoops Out: Early Thoughts on a Not So Normal Monday

I hope that you have never been fired. It is a sinking, burning, wretched pain that refuses to leave your body, making a mess out of your thoughts, emotions, tingling all the way down to you're fingers and toes. There aren't too many more empty, lonely yet crushing feelings than being removed from a post you have grown to call your own. So while it didn't necessarily shock me that the head football couch at my beloved University of Arizona had been walked, my heart still sank.

For all of his flaws, this was a guy who poured everything that he had into the football program. Whether it was the tearful post-game scene with his assistants and respective wives after beating number 6 Cal in 2006 (sorry no links or photos) or a heartfelt conversation with the man at Rincon market, coach was the type of guy you wanted to succeed. However, as much as personal feelings resonate among all sports fans, results matter. Direction matters. It is painfully clear, when looking at the duration of the Stoops era, that this was a guy who was simply in over his head as the chief of an entire organization, one that includes hundreds of moving parts.

The fact is, the University of Arizona is a special place. Ask any alum. There are not too many schools that have game viewing parties in New York and Washington DC with hundreds of fans in attendance. There is a U of A bar in Hong Kong. A large, passionate alumni base, vibrant Greek community, and one story after another or people meeting best friends, wives, and business partners. It's about time that this University and the immediate surrounding community act like the elite and prestigious institution that it is.

If you want to read into what has happened today, know this. Greg Byrne, our athletic director and one of my favorite Sun Devils, is committed to making Tucson into an athletic powerhouse. This isn't a move that is made without supreme confidence that the money, resources, and intangible capital is in place to get a winner in the north end zone offices in a few weeks. Please treat coach Stoops with some class and respect, avoid the "thanks for nothing Stoops" garbage that has been flooding my newsfeed, and have some faith in Greg Byrne. It's always something in Tucson isn't it...




Thoughts on coaching candidates coming soon

Feast or Famine; a look at the state of Wildcat football

The college football season is officially in full swing. In some ways, hard to believe we are this deep into the season already. If you're an Arizona fan, however, it feels like the season has been going on for 3 years now. After facing an impossible gauntlet of what looks to be elite competition, it's time to take a look at the state of the program in what is now coach Mike Stoops' 8th season at the helm.

I'm not going to bombard you with "fire Stoops" or "all is well", what I would like you to do over the next several weeks is evaluate things that may go a little bit further than simple wins and losses, and make the decision for yourself whether you like the return my alma mater is getting from its investment. This will be part 1 of a series examining the football program as a whole, its validity,its outlook, its potential, and its limitations.


PART 1: Culture

The culture of a football program, whether at the high school level or at Gillette Stadium in Massachusetts, can oftentimes go further towards success than talent level. The University of Arizona historically, is known for cagey, scrappy overachievers, nasty dudes who hit guys in the mouth, play all the way to the whistle, and stand up and bring it against more 'talented' oppositions.

In more recent years, it seems this reputations has taken a hit. While much of that has been attributed to a poisonous atmosphere in the early stages of the previous decade, the burning dumpster in the middle of the train wreck that was John Mackovic occurred nearly ten years ago. At this point, ideals and attitude should be in place to guide players, from the moment they get on campus for Summer II to the pro day workout that all athletes covet.

Here are a few things that I look for in a program culture. First, is simple roster turnover. How many players start what they finished when they sign their LOI. Excluding career ending injuries, this one is a little disappointing. Whether it's a highly decorated linebacker deciding he would rather become a firefighter, a sleeper defensive end deciding that eating chic-fil-a and sleeping until noon as a GDI is better than putting in the work needed to compete at a BCS conference level, or a highly coveted defensive tackle prospect quitting after three semesters, it seems like there is a disconnect between finding the athletes coveted by the staff to develop, and the person (not a good or bad person, remember they are selecting from a pool of 17 year old kids) who ends up on campus. In addition, there is in-game discipline. Using my high school coach and the rules we were guided by as a reference. Athletes should not be interacting with students in the bleachers at any point during the game. The first 5 seconds of this clip really irk me. The fact that at one point nonsuits were not allowed on the sidelines under Coach Stoops doesn't help this argument.

Look closely on Saturday. The past few games I have noticed an uptick in untucked jerseys. Remember when you played a team that dressed sloppy in high school? Generally, they were good for multiple untimely penalties, finger pointing, blown assignments, and lazy efforts blocking and route running. Sound familiar?

Not all is doom and gloom. There are currently 18 kids who have committed to join the program next summer. In an era of early commitments, this number manages to stand out, and if the season begins to take shape will result in more coveted and decorated kids pledging to live in Colonia de la Paz and play in Tucson. This coaching staff is committed to running a clean, honest program. Upperclassmen who have been looked at as breakout stars and key performers have been sent packing for transactions that get you a slap on the wrist other places (cough Oregon Kiko Alonso cough). I will always admire the willingness to keep these players truly accountable and responsible in the community.

While there are glaring issues in the Wildcat football world, there are things to feel pretty good about. Take note, be open minded, and let me know what you think.


Part II comes as soon as I can, and will discuss roster management.

PROGRAMMING NOTE: Congrats to by buddy Jordan Durlester and the future Ms. Gurlester. Way to be. I better be invited.

Football is back!!!

As I watch today's opening round of games, which leave just a little bit to be desired, it got me thinking. What do I want to see this year ? Over the past few seasons, as an Arizona Wildcat homer fan, I have learned how to manage one's expectations so as to enjoy the season as much as possible. Today you are getting a 'rundown' of what I would like to see to enjoy this season.

1) 60 minutes from Arizona
Being a Wildcats fan certainly has it's ups and downs. Not just from week to week, but often one series feels like its being played, mentally, at a different venue than the one before it. Lets take a look at some memorable Arizona victories: ASU in 2008, Oregon in 2007, Cal in 2008, Iowa last season, (take a look at the student section, those school colors, and that field. The college I graduated from is better than yours.) and the Last Vegas bowl to close out the 2008 season. All of these 'signature wins' felt great, and were instrumental not only in improving the culture that is Arizona football, but making the collegiate experience that much more memorable. However, even in Arizona's finest hour one of the hallmarks of all great football teams is completely missing: slamming the door and playing a complete football game. Credit Coach Stoops for making awesome halftime adjustments in most of these games, or having the defense completely dialed in as he did against Iowa last September. But inevitably, there is a complete lull in intensity, where corners get caught peaking, lineman move early, and the Delashaun Deans of the world drop balls and whiff on blocks. For the Cats to ever become the program that we would like to see in Tucson, this seasons outfit needs to not only rise to the occasion, but slam the door shut on opponents.

2. Accountability
I'm taking this one national. While I won't sit here and tell you that Arizona is a spotless program, players have repeatedly been accountable for their actions. How many times is Kiko Alonso going to be suspended indefinitely up in Eugene. (Counting a redshirt year, Oregon has been paying this clown's tuition for 4 calendar years now, and only in one have his services been available to his coaches and teammates.) I much prefer the Stoops method: sully the jersey you wear and you're out. Ask Bug Wright, Jonathan Turner, or Adrian McCovy how their senior seasons went.

This goes beyond the individual level, and to me is even more important at the institutional level. I want the death penalty in effect. By placing this weapon on the table, the NCAA can show programs that no one is bulletproof, and that if you are blatantly, in the face of the rules set forth, committing violations then you will answer for them. The days of pandering to established powers should end right now.

3. Juron Criner
Mr. President is better than your favorite player.

4. ASU in a bowl game
Can you believe I just said that? Here's the deal: I love Dennis Erickson, just as much as I think Herb Sendek and his creepy jokes and forgettable zone are a perfect fit for Tempe. It's the kind of thing where keeping these guys around ensures that the big commuter school located near an outstanding burger joint stays the way it should: mediocre.


"Having Dennis Erickson as coach was like having a substitute teacher come in. When a substitute teacher comes in, everyone is rowdy."- Former Miami star Robert Bailey

5. A redshirt for Matt Scott
It's a funny deal. Myself and many other fans were ready to say good riddance after current star Nick Foles grabbed the reins two seasons ago. Scott, a high school All-American, had a rough outing against Iowa, and we all needed a savior. He has looked great in spot duty ever since, and frankly I think the staff owes it to a kid who has hung around when 90% of kids in his situation would have hi-tailed it to the WAC. Matt was just 18 on that fateful day, and the further we get from that weekend the more I realize you should never write off a quarterback who doesn't play that great in his first start on the road against a defense where all 11 starters would end up on NFL rosters. The coaching staff has said they would do everything they can to get Scott a senior year all to himself (if you are wondering, he played as a true freshman in mop up duty against Idaho, Toledo, and a rudderless Washington Huskies team), provided that incumbent (and possible first day draft pick) Nick Foles remains healthy. Obviously, with an inexperienced offensive line, as well as the most brutal stretch of any team in the country the first half of the season, people like myself are cautiously optimistic at best.

6. Brent Musberger
No better phrase in sports.


It's late, you've either got work in the morning or a pitcher of Coors on deck at the back bar, so while I realize 6 is a goofy number, I promise that I will have more for you this weekend.


Enjoy the games and let's all have a great long weekend!

Protestors and Looters: I'm putting you on notice

I swore to myself that I would try and play it as neutral as I could on here; that I wouldn't blatantly reveal my political and philosophical leanings to you, the valued reader. This could be an issue tonight. There have been some wild events going on with our quirky, smelly neighbors about 6 hours east and I just happen to have some opinions about them.

To the rioters: Shut up and go home. Take off your nasty hipster sweatshirts, get back on the Xbox controller, and chill out (read that as if I was yelling, all caps doesn't appeal to the naked eye). I have no idea what kind of person Mr. Mark Duggan was, and I doubt 95% of you (you the reader as well as you the weirdo ruffian across the pond) even care. This has been an incident that has 'almost' happened on numerous occasions within England; as times get tough people get ornery.

I get that you're upset, and I understand that you're scared. I've been young, unemployed, and to an extent lacking direction in my life, and its certainly horrifying. But here's a little secret I'd like to instill upon you, Johnny Redcoat: quit complaining and make yourself marketable. It's not like there aren't jobs out there. According to an article that I am going to cite heavily, there are currently over 2,000 entry level jobs available in London. I understand that isn't the California gold rush (in fact it's probably a list of much better jobs) but the opportunity is there is you show any desire to not be a waste of space.

(Read that whole article. I have no idea if the Daily Mail is a reputable source, but I've seen some of the garbage people post on facebook and twitter so you can't hold this against me.)

Where does one get off burning down local businesses? I wouldn't agree with it, but if this was something aimed at "multinationals" or "big business" or whatever then at least it would make sense ideologically. But seriously, burning down a 150 year old family run furniture store? You all suck.

And by the way, while it isn't Brentwood, the neighborhoods of Tottenham, Croydon and Hackney are not exactly the Coney Island housing projects or slums of Mumbai. Get over yourselves. I don't think anything is necessarily "to blame" (and I try my best to ward off the 'blameitis' that all Americans are born with) but one has to wonder how long the dead weight of England has been strung along. Again, this is a bunch of disenfranchised adolescents with no direction or respect for the world order. When you allow these people to receive handouts, it just sort of masks an underlying problem. Most of these kids, much like a lot of kids you and I went to school with (AND LET ME JUST SAY THAT THIS IS NOT A RACIAL ISSUE, TAKE A LOOK AT THE PHOTOS AND YOU WILL SEE THAT PRETTY CLEARLY) were probably lost in about 5th grade, and that's really all she wrote as far as having an easy go of it in life.

Unfortunately, just like what we are facing, the United Kingdom can't afford to keep these people on it's tab any more. The poor always deserve chances, and it needs to be instilled in those who aren't as fortunate from the get go that you have a chance to make something of this thing. I don't think there is any easy way to solve this problem, but giving people a handout and just enough so that they don't have to take any initiative sets a dangerous precedent.

This is the same deal in Tel Aviv; I don't know what people expect. Dear morons, what do you think happens when a neighborhood becomes desirable? Prices go up, the value of land multiplies, and landowners can get more bang for their buck. Can you blame them? (The answer is no btw.) Just because you want to live somewhere doesn't mean you can. I would love to post up on Camelback Mountain or on a pretty lot in Newport Beach, but guess what, I'm (not for long if you tell your buddies to read my posts) not of the means to do so, so I can't. I'm really sorry, but that's the way it works. And for the record, I love the 51st state, and I would vote for Netanyahu in 2012 if I could. Israel is legit.

What I have been trying to hammer towards, and I will now just say directly, is that you can't just grab things you want and have them because your mad. We aren't owed anything. This life is about earning things, and busting your butt to do the best you can. Stop dressing like a bad Tilly's mannequin and buy yourself an interview suit. I was once skeptical, but I'm sure the local Joseph A. Bank is having a 4 for 1 one time sale. (And once you put that first suit on, you'll never be the same.) If you aren't willing to give 100% to maximize the potential you have, then I don't care for you at all, and I hope the Scotland Yard has a field day with you.


There was a soccer game tonight. It will be interesting to see the USA roster sort itself out, but man Klinsmann is a breath of fresh air. As long as he keeps dialing in these young ambitious dudes I feel very good about the direction of what has secretly become one of my favorite sports to follow.

College football is coming soon. I know I linked it, but take a look at this video my boy Jay-Bama and enjoy.

Goodnight.

What a Week! Looking at the Lockout

It has been kind of a crazy week, hasn't it.

I was going to write up a long soliloquy about how great college football was, and how I really wouldn't miss the NFL that much if it canceled the season. How, in fact, it would have been a great thing for the NCAA after a pretty rough offseason. How the fact is, there are a ton of football fans who have never gotten into the manna from heaven that is BCS, big time college football. How a season without the NFL would wake a lot of people up (and keep Berman and Jaws in a soundproof room aka not on my television blurting NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE as loud as they can), who maybe didn't go to a big college, or attended Arizona State, or live in a major market, to what is in my opinion a damn good product, without all of the hyperbole and production that gets in the way of pro football. (If your scoring at home, and you know who you are, that is essentially a summary of what I had planned)

Something beautiful happened instead.


The lockout ended, and with the lockout ending a very accelerated yet abbreviated free agency period began. Honestly, this is how the NFL should do it. Deprive us of any real news for months, and then throw all these wild transactions at us in a matter of days. Fellas, (and by fellas I mean men and women) this is awesome. I can't get enough of this.

As a football fan in general, I have always taken at least some interest in watching athletes progress through the system. It's kind of a sidebar activity during games, remembering local kids when they appear on TV at various colleges, and then the next step, when they are either drafted or picked up as rookie free agents by pro clubs. When the lists started forming this week, I was overjoyed. I am a big fan of the underdog getting a shot, and nowhere in pro sports is this opportunity greater than it is for the undrafted free agent. Take a look at Arizona's own Nic Grigsby, an overachiever who played through a lot of pain in college (that he probably shouldn't have) and probably sacrificed a fair amount of draft stock in the process. Now he has a chance to not only make a roster, but possibly get himself carries in Miami.

(BTW congrats to a former teammate. Big Will Yeatman was a member of the famed 2004 Rancho Bernardo Broncos, who helped me pave the way to our school's first every undefeated conference championship {#holdtherope}. I know college didn't quite go the way you planned, but your a beast and you get to learn from the best in New England. The Pats don't look half bad, either. Also this run on wouldn't be complete without a congrats to Minneapolis' own David Gilreath, a kid who made it out of Armstrong High alive, and who made a lot of athletes from Cal Poly to Ohio State look foolish chasing him the past 4 seasons. You guys have awesome opportunities, work hard and enjoy the ride.)

Aside from dozens of names you are vaguely familiar with, how about all of these trades and signings happening in the last 72 hours? Based on the powers of Real Talk, twitter, and facebook, it appears that football fans are riding an all-time high of excitement. Heres my take: The NFL accidentally gave itself the best shot in the arm a professional league could hope for. Football fans everywhere, fresh off an amazing NBA playoffs, and facing a neverending baseball season with no fantasy drafts, tailgates, or sundays on the couch with wings to look forward to suddenly have the Batman signal staring at them at the end of the tunnel. The country is rarin' to go, and I think in August 2011 this country has an unprecedented amount of football optimism heading into the fall.

It's a real shame Hideki Irabu had to go. Honestly, I hate suicide. I hate the concept, and the hurt it causes so many people disgusts me. I can't imagine the pain that Hideki was going through, and like all suicides I wish he could have gotten the help he needed to face his demons before it was too late. We only get one of these, folks. If your sad, and in a ton of pain, please find an outlet. Whether its exercise, or confiding in a friend, or hell it could be eating contests, but please do not bottle it up. There is something and more importantly, some people out there to help you get through it. (Sorry for turning into an after school special quick, but sometimes the nasty side of life needs addressing too.)

(And for the record, I really wanted to link the Seinfeld clip, but this isn't my last blog ever so don't worry it's coming. Just struck me as possibly poor taste.)


One last thing, props to my buddy Alex for a great landing today. Scary stuff. You're a hell of an instinctive pilot buddy. Kudos indeed.

Stay tuned, I am working on some big things, including possibly a new and improved website! As always, If you have any suggestions or topics that you would like my .2 on don't hesitate to drop a line.


Hartman OUT

Dear Alex Morgan

So we lost today, that kind of sucks. Here is the kind of guy I am. I not only believe in, but really I live by, the idea of American Exceptionalism. It's just a fact, this country is better than yours and there isn't any room to debate this with me. In fact, if you disagree with me, Hugo Chavez has a clown shoes blog of his own, which I will not be linking. Just go ahead and click the red X button any time.


Regardless of the sport, or event, or subject, I want America to come out on top, and I am going to be pretty disappointed when we don't achieve victory. Look, hats off to Japan, they were great on the ball and played an honest, wide open style. By no means am I a sore loser; I have to imagine that this doesn't sting as much as losing to 11 Eurosnobs would. Lets focus on the positives.

By positives I am referring to Ms. America, or as you know her, Alex Morgan. I don't even care that she is a Cal Golden Lady Bear. (Is that what the female sports teams are called in Berkeley? Am I making a jump that it's similar to UConn's Lady Huskies?) Heck, I don't even care that she had a goal and an assist against the land of the rising sun.

(Editors Note: This is written based on the assumption that #13 in your roster but #1 in our hearts is in fact a loyal reader.)


Here is the deal Alex,


You know, if you're into it, and I'm just throwin it out there, and if your not into it send it right on back, but I would be willing to take you out to a nice, moderately priced dinner. You could even pick the movie as long as its "Horrible Bosses" and not that awful looking Zookeeper Movie. Well, who am I kidding; we can watch "Pearl Harbor" followed by "Caddyshack 2" if that is what you're in to. And hey, if you play your cards right, I might even call you back to watch me play FIFA try a lunch date or something, who knows. I'm just saying, if you're in the valley, I'm available at the moment.




Oh, and good game today boo.

Juron Criner situation

I have no idea what is going on with Arizona's star player, but it would not be the worst thing in the world if you prayed for him. If your an atheist, send some "vibes" his way. Regardless of what you're into, just hope for the best for one of the more quality people in college sports.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1WSAMN_k5gM