BC gets excited about Twitter addresses

Earlier in the week, BC teased a big announcement for Friday. The guessing among fans kicked into overdrive. New uniforms? Revamping the dreadful BC italics logo? Real progress on some of the facilities? Friday of a holiday weekend is usually a bad time to announce major news, but who cares? BC fans were getting something big! Errr, maybe not.

Maybe they teased the change too well, because this release from BC make it seem like the big announcement was about Twitter handles. Changing Twitter addresses is such a non-event, I don't know why they felt the need to promote it. All the short little rollercoaster did was raise expectations and in the aftermath raise frustration.

The only good to come of it is that the Athletic Department got a glimpse into what the people want. Perhaps they should address uniforms, or logos or other things people brought up. It would certainly excite the fanbase more than Twitter tweaks.

ACC Kickoff Day 1 Recap

Divitto and Rettig were very busy Sunday. They did a whole round of TV and print. Both did a great job representing the school and are getting me excited about the season. Here are some of the better links from Day 1. Monday will have more on Addazio and a few features on the players.

The "dude" thing is gaining notice. I loved the way Divitto explained it. At this point you either get it or you don't. 

Addazio taped some TV spots that aren't live yet, but fortunately BC's twitter account tweeted some of the highlights.

Chase Rettig gave all the right answers and conducts himself well. However, I don't get the feeling that he loves doing this sort of thing.

"You either are a dude, or you're not. If you're a dude, you know what it means to be a dude." BC LB explains dudedom http://t.co/M0TFAQ6Ec9
— SB Nation (@sbnation) July 21, 2013

Behind scenes at 2013 #ACC Football Kickoff MT @BCFootballNews: QB Chase Rettig gets #ACCFootball interviews underway pic.twitter.com/6utJXEOuWG
— Jack McCluskey (@jack_mccluskey) July 21, 2013

The players together.

Here is Meter at the BC table.

The challenge with any chat with a BC AD

Wednesday BC Alumni held a Q&A with Brad Bates. It was a great idea and holding it via Twitter was a new and welcome wrinkle. The issue with these sorts of chats is the predictability of the questions and the inability of any BC official to give candid answers. The questions are so repetitive, they have become a running joke among the most engaged BC fans. The BC Alumni Chat hosts understood that but still had to make sure that Bates did answer the men's lacrosse question or the one about tailgating. To Bates' credit, he did seem to enjoy the process (his predecessor often seemed exasperated answering questions regarding DBS or the air conditioning at Conte).

Of the most pressing issues regarding facilities Bates did reveal that a new master plan would be announced this summer. In my opinion this is most critical as it will hopefully address baseball/softball, the Plex, a football practice facility and enhancements to Alumni and Conte. Regardless of what happens on the field while he is AD, the facilities enhancements will probably be Bates' legacy. 

"To our alums - whenever you are on campus, come by and see me. My office is open anytime. I'd love to meet you." #AskBradBates :o)
— BC Alumni (@BCAlumni) May 8, 2013

I  am encouraged by Bates' energy and hope he stays engaged with fans and alumni once the honeymoon is over.

The new football staff's social media strategy

A college football coach joining Twitter is nothing new. Spaz had a twitter account...which he used one time. But like texting before it, social media is where the recruits connect and any staff that is serious about recruiting has to be on Twitter and Facebook. Someone in the Yawkey football offices agrees with me because just recently a bunch of the new staffers joined twitter.

Spent some time this morning getting #CoachedUp on Twitter! Let's get this thing rolling! #WeAreBC
— Steve Addazio (@BCCoachAddazio) May 8, 2013

Addazio is leading the way, but Don Brown, Sean McGowan, Kevin Lempa, Justin Frye, Benjamin Albert, and Todd Fitch are all now on Twitter. Al Washington -- who is very active on Facebook -- doesn't seem to have a Twitter account. Neither do Ryan Day, Frank Leonard or Sean McGowan. Given Addazio's lead, I expect that to change soon. I don't think any of these guys are going to become Twitter celebs and post great stuff all the time, but it will be interesting to follow them and who they follow.

Tweets of the Week

Rutgers should act quickly and hire the anti-Mike Rice. Our choice would be Al Skinner.

— mark blaudschun (@blauds) April 3, 2013

What does it say that the BC blogging community is rooting for Skinner to get the Rutgers job? RU should hire him now (of course they won't)

— Bill Maloney (@bcatleagle) April 3, 2013

Hey Rutgers, want the exact opposite of Mike Rice as your next basketball coach? Al Skinner 4 Rutgers.

— BC Interruption (@bcinterruption) April 3, 2013

I'm sure @jareddudley619 has already personally called Rutgers to endorse Al Skinner as their next MBB Head Coach..

— Fake Baldwin (@FakeBaldwin) April 2, 2013

I'm officially starting the "Al Skinner to Rutgers" rumor.

— Warren K. Zola (@WarrenKZola) April 2, 2013

God has truly blessed me

— Ifeanyi Momah (@Imomah) March 30, 2013

Today's Visitor: "The previous staff... seemed like they knew they were out... the new staff is here to win and that's how it's going to be"

— Boston College (@BCEagles247) April 3, 2013

Bubble down, #BCFootball back on the Alumni Stadium practice turf. twitter.com/BCFootballNews…

— BC Football News (@BCFootballNews) April 2, 2013

Congrats to the seniors of our decorated hockey program! What an amazing four years of representing BC. Great guys off the ice too!

— Chase Rettig (@ChaseRettig) April 2, 2013

This one's for @bcatleagle: Conan loves Matty Ice i.imgur.com/CAYoHGP.gif

— Red Fabbri (@redfabbri) April 2, 2013

Tweets of the Week

New feature alert! Every week I am going to highlight some of the BC-related tweets of the week. If you have any suggestions, you can always post them in the comments, tweet them or email me.

Everyone knows now.. but I'm a BOSTON COLLEGE EAGLE. #BLESSED.

— Marcus Outlow (@PrinceOutlow) February 20, 2013

After last night's loss to Boston College, Maryland has dropped to 0-2 in games after which its fans have stormed the court.

— Casual Hoya (@CasualHoya) February 20, 2013

Just a week after it collapsed, it looks like the bubble at Alumni has arisen again. twitter.com/GJoyce9/status…

— Greg Joyce (@GJoyce9) February 15, 2013

So what's it like to march in the Inaugural Parade? on.bc.edu/XBYoe6 | Great job, @bcmarchingband. P.S. Nice gloves.#wearebc

— Boston College (@BostonCollege) February 21, 2013

.@petefrates3 got a standing ovation when he presented the game ball. Here are a few more photos. instagr.am/p/WAhyteAMYA/

— BC Baseball (@BCBirdBall) February 21, 2013

In-game comments post: Florida State

Reading the team play the "disrespect" angle all week has me a little uneasy. We just lost to Army. No one should respect at this point. I would have preferred if the guys had just said bland things and came out firing today. Either way, I hope they are motivated and prepared. Florida State is going to want a decisive victory to make up for their loss to NC State. I just want a hard fought game. Leave your thoughts and comments below.

You can also follow me on twitter.

In-game comments post: Army

Despite all the potential for a trap game, I am not worried about our matchup with Army. Let's hope it is a nice solid victory. If the game doesn't go our way, readers venting their frustration in this post should be entertaining. Leave your thoughts and comments below.

You can  also follow me on twitter.

In-game comments post: Clemson

The Clemson games have generated some of the most memorable in-game posts, whether in victory or defeat. Let's hope this is a special day and the team bounces back from our rough start. Leave your thoughts and comments below.

You can also follow me on twitter.

Basketball team embraces new media on Spain trip

Who cares if the games don't count or the major media outlets are not there? BC basketball is providing its own wall-to-wall coverage of their trip to Spain. 

Coach Donahue, Assistant Woody Kampmann, and Video Coordinator Dan McDermott tweeted pictures of the team in and around Madrid. 

BCeagles.com has a photo gallery of Day 1 and a Ryan Anderson diary. Anderson even admitted to being a typical American and sneaking a McDonald's stop into his day. The Heights has Dennis Clifford blogging about the trip too. 

The best place to keep track of the comings and goings is probably the Official Basketball team's twitter account. Let's hope the games go as well as the first day did.

More people to follow

A little over a month ago, I posted a few BC related names that you should follow. Now, I have a few more...

BC Hockey Blog: twitter and blog. The diehard hockey fans already follow, but for those more casual BC hockey fans, this is a good place to keep up with our best team.

Warren K. Zola: twitter. BC's Assistant Dean of Graduate programs is pretty plugged into the student athlete  scene at BC. He contributes to the Huffington Post on Sports Law, sports news and College Sports.

Lou Imbriano: twitter. The former Patriots executive and current BC professor tweets about a variety of sports and sports marketing news. In my opinion, BC should be leaning on him more with regards to how we market our programs.

BC Che Chi's: twitter. A parody account that only a BC alum would understand. Parody accounts are tough to sustain, but I look forward to Che Chi's contributions come football season.

Justin Rowland: twitter. The Rivals recruiting writer is breaking more and more BC news lately. If you follow recruiting, you should probably follow Rowland.

Matt Ryan finally starts tweeting

As I tweeted earlier today, my neighbor and fellow Eagle Matt Ryan has finally started tweeting. Day 1 consisted mostly of Atlanta media and BC shout-outs. You can also follow Mrs. Ryan, who also still has her tabs on BC sports.

I don't think Gene appreciates the give and take of Twitter

If you are an Athletic Director and your team is headed towards its first losing season in 13 years and your controversial, handpicked coach is floundering, you might want to keep a low profile. Or if you are Gene DeFilippo you can use your new twitter account to take a passive aggressive jab at your own fans by mentioning one of their hot buttons.

Here is what Gene said via Twitter during the Clemson pregame.

@BCGeneD Gene DeFilippo
Very impressive to see ALL Clemson fans in their seats 10 minutes before kickoff, in time for the National Anthem.

It didn't take long for the BC fanbase to retort. Highlights include:

@amartin1004 Adam Martin
@BCGeneD BC fans would be too if they'd had 7 hrs to tailgate first like clemson fans.

@BCHysteria A.J Black
@TheSeanMcMahon I was kind of numb to this whole game. Now I am just pissed off because of our passive aggressive AD. Thanks @BCgened

@sleepkins Garv
#FireGDF RT @BCGeneD Very impressive to see ALL Clemson fans in their seats 10 minutes before kickoff, in time for the National Anthem.

@SaturdaysOnShea Saturdays on Shea
Disappointed by @BCGeneD 's earlier tweet about Clemson fans. Seems like a backhanded comment at BC fans @BCHysteria @BCMike22 #WeWereBC

@EdzoRyan Ed Ryan
Just stop it. RT @BCGeneD Very impressive to see ALL Clemson fans in their seats 10 minutes before kickoff, in time for the National Anthem.

@steve_acampa Steve Acampa
how not to connect with your fans RT “@BCGeneD: Very impressive to see ALL Clemson fans in their seats 10 minutes before kickoff

@runhappy625 Kelly
When we were good, wasn't a prob! RT @BCGeneD: Very impressive to see ALL Clemson fans in their seats 10 minutes before kickoff"

@Salvuccim Michael Salvucci
@BCGeneD maybe if you put a competitive football team on the field for your fans they'd do the same? #BCFootball #firespaz

@GoanEmcee Goan Emcee
@BCGeneD Very impressive to see ALL Clemson fans support a competent coach who leads a team to more than one win. #firespaz

@ChrisFollett Christopher Follett
BCPD should teargas tailgaters at kickoff. RT @BCGeneD Very impressive to see ALL Clemson fans in their seats 10 minutes before kickoff.

@ADavo10 Adam Davison
@BCGeneD they are in their seats because Clemson is fun to watch. BC slowly kills fan interest one handoff at a time #FireSpaz

@sullidop Stephen Sullivan
@BCGeneD understandable, they're excited to have a top 10 team

@SoaringtoGlory Soaring to Glory
Our AD is bashing his own fans and the FB coach is burning the program to the ground...yeah BC!

@mandylizz Amanda
Way to continue being a hypocritical douche, DeFilippo

I am sure Gene will delicately defuse this situation by tweeting on Donor Based Seating, Men's Lacrosse and of course extending Spaz's contract.

Louis Hinnant speaks the truth!

Louis Hinnant via twitter regarding Georgetown's fight on their tour of China:

Say what u want about Coach Skinner, but he woulda had no problems with us whoopin ass if a brawl broke out #WeAreBC

Not much else needs to be said.


I still wish he had punched Paulus.

Day 1 of training camp begins

The season officially started Monday! Aside from the work on the field, the biggest news of the day was voting on the new captains. The team elected Donnie Fletcher, Nathan Richman, Ifeanyi Momah, and Luke Kuechly. I am happy for all of them, especially someone like Momah who has done whatever the team has asked. Kuechly becomes one of the rare junior captains, which is an honor in itself.

Blaudschun made note of the minimal media turnout, but what's the point when BC covers the basics as well as the beat guys. I am glad BC does so much. What the other media need to realize is that there is plenty of BC stories to tell and news to break. They just need to dig deeper.

I don't know if you want to call it an omen but minutes into the practice, the skies opened and the team endured torrential downpours. Fortunately the weather cleared for the remainder of the day.

Here is Blaudschun's recap.

The best way to follow the team's progress might be via Gene's twitter account.

This writer sees us as the 4th best team in the division, with a pretty low upside.

Dudley connects with Donahue and other links

I always thought Jared Dudley had the highest basketball IQ I had seen in a college player. Now I think it is pretty clear that he is a smart beyond basketball and understands relationships, marketing and giving back. While in Boston this week for his own camp, he also stopped in to see BC's new players -- even though he had no relationship with them or the coaching staff. Then he made the effort to get to know Steve Donahue (not his coach) and then used his twitter account to blow up Donahue's account.

The Sporting News and Orlando Sentinel both released BC previews. You would hope that with its resources and reputation the Sporting News would be better, but I actually think the Sentinel's version was superior.

We've known about German signee Patrick Heckmann but now it is official.

Florida DB Justin Simmons joined Spaz's recruiting class. At this rate Spaz will have the class closed out in August. Here is more on his future teammate Michael Strizak.

Mark Herzlich signed a deal with Saucony. I found it interesting that one of the bigger name companies didn't work out a deal. Even if they think Mark is a longshot, there is very little downside in him endorsing your product. Good luck to both Saucony and Mark.

Here is a story on incoming BC player Spencer Rositano.

Advice on selling tickets and other links

Lou Imbriano teaches Sports Marketing at BC. Previously he was the Chief of Marketing for the Patriots. Unfortunately the Athletic Department doesn't consult him on issues related to marketing BC sports. In his most recent sports marketing chat he had something simple to say regarding ticket sales.

Think ticket sales folks have to spend more time understanding the fans likes and dislikes and less time thinking up gimmicks.

I don't expect change in the near future but BC needs to improve the gameday experience...especially if the product on the field doesn't improve.

BC's 9th commitment keeps our pipeline to Canada open. I actually think Canada should always be a good source for BC recruits. Canadians usually have a solid academic foundations, are a little older and don't seem concerned about the weather in Boston.

Swiggert and Freese are the latest BC players to be added to award watch lists.

Explaining my Gene D tweet

Earlier today I tweeted this:

FWIW Gene D to Tenn has legs. Also interesting the Gene hasn't pulled his name out of consideration.

Since then I've been asked to elaborate a few times. This is what I know. (After being wrong about the Ryan Day Offensive Coordinator stuff, you can take this all with a grain of salt.)

Gene is one of many names being considered for the position. He's popular with those aligned with Phil Fulmer. He is not considered the front runner but is a real candidate.

What is surprising is that many around BC think Gene would take the job if offered. Despite what has been implied in the past, Gene was never offered the job during Tennessee's last AD search and therefore never turned the job down. If he is actually the selection this time and offered, a few people think he would take it. The pay day, prestige and the "challenge" would be the motivation to leave Boston.

Tennessee named an interim AD Thursday. That buys them some time, but I doubt they want to drag this process into the football season. Football is their time to get fundraising going. They need the new AD in place soon. And as I tweeted, as long as Gene doesn't remove his name publicly, there is a chance BC will be looking for a new AD too.

Liebe for Heckmann

(Yes I plan on using German incorrectly in the headlines related to Heckmann over and over. Ich bin ein Blogger!)

Looks like I wasn't the only one excited about Patrick Heckmann. Fran Fraschilla is known for his occasional hyperbole, but my initial reason for excitement still stands. We only need a few prospects to pan out and Donahue has enough pieces that we will surprise people this season.

Criticism of Donahue's recruits and other links

While I've been gushing about Donahue's incoming recruiting class, others are not so enthusiastic. Even though the class is not full of McDonald's All Americans, as I've said, the real upside is that the guys come with defined skills sets. My only criticism is that the class is too big and will leave us with holes in the coming years.

As you've probably read, those incoming recruits will be playing Penn State in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.

Have you heard the rumors about potential basketball transfer Allen Huddleston? Don't read too much into them yet since he's shooting them down on Twitter.

In other Twitter news, former Eagle Brady Heslip has changed his physique at Baylor.

BC baseball wraps up their season against NC State this weekend. Although it has been very disappointing, I still have faith in Mike Gambino. Consensus is that Aoki left the cupboards bare and that Gambino's recruiting efforts are paying off.

This is from a few days, but definitely a worthwhile read on former BC basketball player and new grad Burnett Adams.

I've been a bit surprised by the reaction to the Jim O'Brien to Emerson story. Most are shocked that he is willing to coach in Division III. But those scratching their heads are overlooking how many bridges he has burned over the years. And although it was lifted, remember that JOB was banned by the NCAA for a few years. I obviously am not a big fan, but I hope for Emerson's sake it works out.

HD is definitely creeping onto the BC bandwagon. Now she sings Kuechly's praises here and here. She also sees good things ahead for Rettig. Now I wonder if BC doesn't perform well this fall, will she finally call out the staff?