DeFilippo: the man behind multiple messes

The Coaching Carousel has taking some weird turns this season. Nothing more unprecedented than the Tennessee fans revolting against the school's hire of Greg Schiano. With fit being so essential, you wonder how could Tennessee's AD John Currie so misread his own fanbase. Well guess who helped place Currie at Tennessee? Former Boston College AD Gene DeFilippo. Yes, Gene D handpicked Currie, who cited him as a mentor when introduced. Now less than one full football season later, Tennessee fans have neutered Currie and are ready to send him packing. Great pick, Gene!

In theory Gene should understand Tennessee given his past their and numerous ties. I am sure Gene and Turnkey would explain that the Schiano mess could have been avoided if they had been directly involved with that search. My guess is that they were conflicted out since Gene was already running the Ole Miss search. And who did Ole Miss hire after all was said and done? Their interim head coach. Gene really worked that one hard. It was like hiring Spaz all over again.

If you go back to last season, you start to notice a pattern. Gene ran LSU's coaching search last year. Who did they end up hiring? Their interim coach. Once again, money well spent on Turnkey!

It doesn't surprise me that Gene keeps getting these plum assignments. He was at his best when he was networking, mentoring and working the gossip. That's a major reason why BC got invited back into the ACC. However, the aspect of the job where Gene was least successful was hiring coaches. Jags, Spaz, Crawley and Donahue were all big missteps on his watch. But as long as colleges are looking for cover, I am sure Gene and his firm will gladly take their money and just hire the interim.

Regarding what Tennessee fans did, I am all for them standing up against the Schiano hire. I think the Penn State stuff was a red herring to make the relationship untenable. Ultimately they thought he was just another Butch Jones. I think Schiano is a good coach but an incredibly bad fit in Knoxville. Both sides could have done better. Maybe I should start my own search firm.

Globe's critique of BC hits and misses

The whispered about Boston Globe takedown of BC Sports came out Saturday night. As someone who wants the pressure turned up for this terrible year, I welcome the harsh spotlight. Leahy, Bates and the Board of Trustees are all assigned levels of blame in the article. However, the lengthy post inflates some issues, doesn't provide a clear picture of how we got here, and doesn't point to real solutions.

Race and BC Sports?

I was surprised by how much attention was paid to race in the piece. While BC does currently lack a minority head coach, the school employed two different African-American basketball coaches, an Asian-American baseball coach and has had various racial minority and homosexual staffers on teams and in the administration. While the school can always do better, I don't see the correlation between the current losing and race. Is race and Boston used against BC in recruiting basketball and football? Sure. But so is the cold. So is geography. So are dorm rooms and training tables. Race was used against BC basketball recruits when we had an African-American coach. Other schools will use whatever they can when trying to dissuade a potential student. A good coaching staff can recruit over any obstacles. It just forces them to find their niche.

The role of Leahy, the Board, Gene D and Bates

I don't expect the Globe to get into all the minutia of how we got here, but you have to question their understanding when they quote so heavily from Gene DeFilippo. He screwed things up and poisoned the well with some donors and fans, but he can't be blamed for Addazio and Christian. Those hires were during the Bates era. Both had rebuilds because of Gene's hires, but both hit shocking lows this year. I don't think great coaches would have sunk so low. I expect both to recover and return BC to some relative respectability, but both were exposed this year. They look to be mediocre at best and that goes to the man who hired them.

Brad Bates knew this article was coming and got out in front of it with an email to BC fans and donors. The email didn't reference the Globe, but it did say that he and BC weren't happy with our losing. At this point there is not much Bates can do other than support his guys and hope they succeed. If they don't, Bates won't be hiring their replacements. Bates also needs to double down on fundraising and getting the facilities built. That is where he can make a difference and that is where he has fallen short of the much maligned Gene D.

Unlike many, I don't think Leahy is major issue. He's empowers his ADs and doesn't get in the way. Could he do more? I guess, but I don't want a President who is focused on the Xs and Os of sports or breathing down the AD's neck. Leahy should be raising money and giving the programs the support they need. Where I feel he has lacked is with facilities. That has been somewhat addressed with the recent announcement but it is still late and questionable as to when this whole thing will actually get done. Leahy is nearing retirement, and his replacement will be a big issue. And that issue will fall to the Board.

I don't talk to any Board members on a regular basis, but the general reputation is that they don't care about BC Sports. I hope the recent negative attention forces them to pay more attention. If they don't realize the importance sports played in BC's past and the importance it will serve in the future, they are probably not fit to be on BC's Board.

How to fix things

Winning will fix most of BC's problems. Attendance and fund raising will improve. Morale will improve. Admissions will improve. So that leads back to Bates, Addazio and Christian. As much as I think all three are mediocre, I don't want anyone fired any time soon. It is not that I think they deserve more time, it is more about BC lacking a plan or the vision to boldly replace any of them. For now the best path -- other than a stunning turnaround -- is to hope for marginal improvement to the point where BC can make a less disruptive change. Firing Addazio or Christian now -- while still under the decision making of Bates, Leahy and the current BOT -- would probably lead to more mediocre hires tasked with another disruptive rebuild.

Kuechly finishing his degree and other links

Luke Kuechly is back on campus this semester finishing his degree. He shared that news and thoughts on the NFL in this Q&A with BCeagles.com.

Stewart Mandel gave BC a "B" for our coaching hire and like most thinks snagging Don Brown was a coup.

Most of you might have seen this already, but Gene is now teaching people the basics of football.

Adding an essay to the BC application process drastically cut the number of applicants and that is probably a good thing.

Do all ADs leave BC a better place than they found it?

Whenever anyone writes or talks about Gene's tenure (myself included) they always include some sort of caveat that "BC Athletics is in a better place than he found it" or some similar sentiment. Since I was a student during the transition from Gladchuk to Defilippo, I have vivid memories of what it was like then and where things are now and thought it might be time to compare the transitions. Because of the progress of BC as a whole and the growth of college athletics, most BC ADs could say they left BC a better place than they found it.

Being an AD is highly political and involves two things people hold dear (money and sports). Unless an AD moves on before opinions change, he or she are going to step on enough toes to the point where everyone wants him or her gone. It happened with Gene and it happened with Gladchuk. To give people perspective on Gladchuk and his parallels to Defilippo, let me breakdown the major issues then and their relevancy now.

Facilities
Gladchuk's major accomplishment was the renovation of Alumni. This was as big a facilities project as any Gene has done. Much of the momentum and fundraising was based off of Tom Coughlin's success, but it was still on Chet's watch. BC facilities were definitely in a better place after his tenure.

Conference
When Gladchuk tookover BC in 1990, the Big East was only a basketball conference. During his time, the Big East expanded multiple times and added football. The new conference earned a national TV deal on CBS and gave a boost to many of our non-revenue sports. It was still an awkward combination of schools, but BC was in a better more secure place than they were when he started.

Graduation Rate
BC won the College Football Association's Academic Achievement Award three times under Gladchuk. If anything this speaks to a culture and emphasis on the student aspect of "student-athlete" that predates both Chet and Gene. Like Gene, Chet deserves credit for preserving this part of our culture, but I don't know if he or anyone can claim they made it better. It is a BC thing, not an AD thing.

Fundraising
Gladchuk was able to raise a lot of money and create new things for fans and alumni to sponsor or buy. However, like Gene, he stepped on some big donors' toes. (Once again, it is the nature of the job.) And like Gene, the fundraising aspect of his job is the only area where you could question if BC was better off. He raised previously unprecedented levels of money, but also burned enough bridges that the new guy had to come in and repair relationships.

Athletic Department Operations
Gene's defenders will tell you that he took over a Department in the dark ages when it came to how we promote, market, licenses or sell Boston College Athletics. The same could be said about Gladchuk. He was taking over for the revered Bill Flynn, who still did things in an old school fashion. BC was never ahead of the curve in this area, but Gladchuk left the school in a better place.

Coaches
Gladchuk hired Tom Coughlin...and Dan Henning. He also screwed up the hockey program before lucking into York. In basketball, he inherited JOB and was ready to fire him, if not for some lobbying from alums and due to JOB's wife losing her battle with cancer. It was a mixed bag to say the least. Henning was really what did him in. When any AD is so closely tied to a bad football hire at a football school, it is going to generate a lot of criticism. TOB and Al Skinner both came in during Chet's last days, but he was not the main decision maker on either. He was a lame duck who wanted Randy Edsall. Sullivan and Leahy made the final decision on both coaches. Both turned out to be just what BC needed and led the school to success over the next decade. BC was in a better place, but it really wasn't Chet's doing.

Don't boo Gene on Saturday

I hate telling fans what to do, but I want to be a bit preemptive with this post. We are in the final days of Gene Defilippo's tenure as AD, so I imagine BC will make note of it in some way on Saturday. While many frustrated and angry fans might want to voice their dislike one last time, the appropriate response is to clap or not do anything at all. Booing accomplishes nothing. He is being replaced. BC is headed in another direction. Gene's legacy is still to be determined, but even without knowing what happens next for the department, you have to credit Gene for always doing what he felt was right for BC. Booing sends the wrong message and is not who we are. Although many of the coaches he fired didn't get a clean good-bye, it is how things should be done. Let Gene leave knowing that most BC fans took the high road.

Filling in the gaps around Blauds post on Sean Frazier

Early Wednesday Blauds posted an update predicting Sean Frazier would be BC's new Athletic Director. Of course he hedged his post with this quote at the end:

Which means that while I fully expect Sean Frazier to be the next BC AD, I will not be stunned if it is someone else.

I don't think Blauds knows for sure. From what I gather, the only people that truly know where BC is in the process are Father Leahy and Leo Sullivan. This is what I do know that Blauds either doesn't know or left out:

• BC has a Board of Trustees meeting on September 28
• Representatives of the Flynn Fund met with Sullivan and Leahy and both explained that they want a new AD in place soon, so that he or she can make a full evaluation of the football program. Even if someone is not named October 1, the process will not drag on much longer.
• Leahy and Sullivan also told the Flynn Fund that the new AD will be from the Athletic Department world and have football experience. We won't be following the recent steps of Michigan, Notre Dame and USC by hiring a high-profile alum that doesn't have hands on Athletic Department experience. 

I don't know if it will be Frazier. He seems like a fine candidate and I will write more on him if and when he gets the job. But I do agree with Blauds that this process will be over soon.

One more thing...this is Sean Frazier's profile picture on Twitter:

The latest on the AD search

This is all second-hand information so take it for what it is worth...

• BC met with all the current head coaches as a group to explain the situation, their initial plans and what it means to them. Some assistant coaches were included. Following the group meeting, one-on-ones were held with most of the coaches.
• Even among the Gene loyalists there is buy-in on the new direction and change. Ultimately most of these coaches want more financial support for their programs and facilities. We are near the bottom of the ACC when it comes to most facilities and resources for each respective team.
• Despite some early rumors and my suspicions, this is a real process. There is no candidate that is already locked in and set to be announced.
• There isn't necessarily an age bias, but BC realizes that the new AD has to have a passion and fire to get some big projects completed. 
• Prior fundraising experience is a plus, but not necessary.

The following is what I purely think...

Given the most prominent names being floated, I wouldn't be surprised if BC hired a woman or African-American. That isn't to say that BC would be making the hire purely based on gender or race, but that some of the school leadership would like to see BC as progressive in their hiring. As you can imagine, the vast majority of NCAA ADs are white men. 

It is time to induct Al Skinner into the BC Varsity Club Hall of Fame

I want BC to wait on most big decisions until a new Athletic Director is in place. It's only fair since he or she will have to live with the repercussions of those decisions. However, there are a few things that can and should be done immediately now that Gene is gone. The first is inducting Al Skinner into the Boston College Varsity Club Hall of Fame. The Hall has technically been independent of Gene, but his influence was felt. With Gene removed from the scene any potential politics or bad feelings between Al and Gene are a non-issue for the Hall.  Skinner has more than earned his spot. He's the school's all-time winnningest coach and rebuilt BC basketball in the late 1990s. I don't know Steve Donahue but the sense I get is that he would support the timing too. Things did not end on the best note with Al and BC. A Varsity Club Hall of Fame induction might be the best way to mend fences and say thanks.

Good seats still available

BC heard you. While not everyone complained to the school about Gene, enough fans withheld donations and didn't buy tickets for this upcoming year, that BC got the message. Financial support of the program and ticket sales were significant factors in this change. If you did withhold your money (whether through donations or tickets) because of Gene, now is the time to give. Don't wait for the new AD or for someone to fire Spaz. Removing Gene is enough of a message that the Department is changing. BC needs your financial support and our teams need your fan support. Administrators and coaches come and go, but the players remain BC students and future Boston College alumni. Respect them. Support them. And even if Spaz leads us through another lousy season, you know hope is just around the corner. 

BC deserves your money because they just gave you want you've wanted. Supporting BC this fall won't be an endorsement of Spaz. He's done. It would be support of the school's recent actions and its new direction.

If BC promotes internally they should look at these two

Although I want BC to look beyond the familiar names, I fear the school's leaders will want someone they know and who can take over the role quickly. If the school heads in that direction, I don't want any current Athletic Department officials. My bias may be unfair, but are any of Gene's lieutenants really capable of changing the culture, rebuilding bridges and bringing new ideas and approaches? But there are two current BC employees who could change our Athletic Department in a positive way.

Warren Zola
Currently the Assistant Dean for Graduate Programs in the Carroll School, Zola worked in the Athletic Departmet in the 1990s. In his current role he has been advising BC student athletes on their professional options and life after sports. Zola also consults other Athletic Departments and is a frequent speaker and writer on sports topics. What I like about Zola is that he's got one foot in the NCAA world, but also has the education and experience beyond the playing field. Zola understand's media and could be a driving force in improving our coverage and making sure the ACC keeps up with other major conferences media revenues.

Lou Imbriano
The trend in college athletic leadership is to hire marketing guys from the business world, instead of just promoting long-time administrators. Fortunately for BC, current marketing professor Lou Imbriano was the Patriots Chief Marketing Officer during their Super Bowl runs and also helped build the marketing department at WEEI in the 1990s. BC needs to boost marketing, fix our ticketing system and begin huge infrastructure projects. Lou's time with the Pats building Gillette Stadium would be especially relevant.

I don't think either guy will get serious traction, but both embody the type of thinking we need.

Spaz now an even lamer Lame Duck

Given his public and private actions, I don't believe Gene DeFilippo had any intention of stepping down now.  I believe that he planned to serve as AD for years to come and conclude his reign by hand picking BC's next head football coach. That won't be happening now. BC's actions are clear signal that the school did not want Gene's fingerprints on the next hire. I think it also signals that Spaz's days are numbered.

The role of an Athletic Director is broad, but the biggest issue and focus will always and should always be football. Any new AD worth his or her while will insist on the power to fire or keep Spaz. Firing the already unpopular Spaz will be an easy first step for the new leader. A move like that signals change, wins over the unhappy donors and energizes the marketing of the program.

Even if Spaz pulls out a winning season, I think he's still a goner. His age, his lackluster recruiting and fan apathy are enough justification for some new blood. All the winning or losing will change is how BC packages his departure. If he wins, Spaz will "retire." If he loses, Spaz will be fired.

Gene DeFilippo stepping down

Long-time Boston College Athletic Director is stepping down. Regardless of how you feel about Gene or his recent actions, his total tenure at BC was certainly positive. He ran the Department during some of its most successful times. He loved BC and loved being AD.

John Kane will serve as acting AD. I expect a new, permanent Athletic Director to be named this fall.

There are multiple implications, but for now I will say this is a very good thing. I also thank Gene for his service to BC.

Keep fighting the good fight Lax diehards!

AJ's tweet brought the following comments on BC's Facebook page to my attention. After BC posted an update on the new field, Gene and Spaz's critics took to Facebook to vent. The usual complaints about both guys, tailgating and the state of the program filled the discussion. But what stood out to me was one simple comment from Connor Wilson: "bring back lacrosse."  I don't share the BC Lax community's mission, but I respect their passion. Lacrosse is never coming back, but that doesn't mean BC shouldn't hear about it every day.

Mike Rutstein's rejected questions for Gene D***

Earlier this week, Eagle Action Publisher Mike Rutstein announced that Gene Defilippo cancelled their scheduled interview after deeming the questions too backward-looking about the football program.

In the spirit of good blogging, I decided these questions needed to be made public!!! So I flew up to Boston, broke into the Athletic Department, logged on to Gene's computer and copied the questions.**** What follows are the hard hitting and clearly offensive questions. It is no wonder Gene wanted nothing to do with the interview. We are all clearly better for his PR skills.

• When you said Spaz was the best coach in 15 years, you were talking dog years, right? 
• Who did you have in the “upperclassman Spaz is most likely to kick off the team unnecessarily” pool?
• Spaz went through two offensive coordinators last season. Do you think he can burn through three this year? 
• Does Spaz’s contract pay him a bonus for unused timeouts? 
• What gave you more personal pleasure in the last year: winning the National Championship in Hockey or blocking UConn from the ACC? 
• When will Men’s Lacrosse be a varsity sport again?

*** I totally made this up.
****I made up this part too.

Donation dilemma: to give or not to give?

May 31 marks the end of Boston College's fiscal year. If you are on BC's email list or follow BC on Facebook, I am sure you've received plenty of reminders that today is the last day to donate for the 2011-2012 school year. I don't know how far off BC is from its goal, but I know anecdotally that gifts to the Flynn Fund are down. There are always multiple factors in the decision to give to a charity, but fans and alumni unhappiness with BC athletics is having a negative affect on the Flynn Fund drive. I hate telling people how to spend their money, but I do have as suggestions for past Flynn Fund donors who are not giving this year.

1. Give to the General Fund.

BC's needs our gifts to continue its mission. The general fund covers a variety of areas. This money could trickle back to sports, but the purpose of the General fund is for BC to use the money as it sees fit. Plus even a small gift to the General fund helps the school's rankings and keeps you on the donor list.

2. Give to a named Athletic Scholarship or endowed position.

This way you can give to BC sports but not support the area of the Athletic Department that has upset you. Like the suggestion 1, this can still indirectly support the Flynn Fund, since the money from your gift rolls into the same budget as the Flynn Fund. But the intent is still there.

3. Give a conditional gift.

If you want Spaz gone or Gene gone or something else done, give BC a conditional gift. Say "I will give $XXX when Spaz steps down..." etc. BC is likely to reject this offer, but your point will be made. If enough former givers promise conditional gifts it swill send a message beyond the Athletic Department.

In full disclosure, my wife and I gave to the BC Fund in December. The size of our gift varies from year to year, but we do feel it is important to give to BC consistently.

Defilippo cancels interview with Eagle Action

For better or worse, Eagle Action has been the largest and longest-serving independent BC-focused media outlet. They've produced some great work and some equally appalling apologia over the years. Rarely have their editors or lead writers been at the forefront of BC criticism. If anything some of their writers over the years have been considered mouthpieces for certain BC coaches and personalities. That is why Gene Defilippo's decision to cancel his interview with Eagle Action is so surprising.

The interview was scheduled for last Friday with Eagle Action Founder and Publisher Mike Rutstein. Rutstein announced this today:

“Several of you had asked about my annual interview with Gene DeFilippo, which was scheduled for last Friday and which I had hoped to start posting here this week.

Unfortunately, Gene had to cancel our meeting on Friday. In talking to him today about rescheduling, it became clear that he didn't consider this to be a good time for us to sit down. I had sent him a preview of my questions and he seemed disappointed with some of the backward-looking questions about the football program. He held out the possibility of an interview in the fall when Boston College supporters would have the prospect of a new football season ahead of them.

Thanks to those of you who suggested questions for the interview. I hope to follow up in the fall."

If Gene is upset with the tone from an Eagle Action softy, what is he going to do when the Hot Seat talk heats up? Like any leader who has been held a position for 15 years, Gene has made some mistakes. If he doesn't want to address issues from the past, he should at least do it within the confines of an interview. Then he can brush off whatever Rutstein might have asked and steer the question back to his desired talking point. It is media training 101. Cancelling just looks like he has something to hide or no vision for the future.

Unless Spaz pulls a huge turnaround, he is coaching his last season at BC. If Gene wants to lead the process of hiring a new coach, he needs to be out front. He needs to show that he understands where he went wrong and what type of coach BC needs for the future. If he doesn't do that, the BC fans and boosters will just assume that Gene is going to screw up the search again.

A double Eagle plays peacemaker between BC-UConn

They said "only Nixon could go to China" so perhaps only a BC guy could solve UConn's BC problem. Connecticut's Governor Dan Malloy (a BC and BC Law Grad) reached out to Father Leahy to help resolve the longtime feud between BC and his homestate's University of Connecticut. Malloy claims he wants the two schools to start playing each other again. Because of our expanded ACC schedule, there just aren't that many opportunities for the two schools to play. BC knows this. UConn knows this. Malloy is a smart guy (obviously!). He must realize that the schedules are crowded. Given he's smart guy and all that's happened in college sports the past few months, I think Malloy's olive branch is less about scheduling and more about future ACC expansion.

The ACC is saving a spot for Notre Dame. IF the Irish ever come to the ACC, the conference would need one more team for scheduling purposes. On paper the most likely candidates for the last spot are UConn and Rutgers. Rutgers has the better recruiting and marketing demographics. UConn has the better athletic tradition...and more enemies. Their biggest enemy has been Gene and BC. If UConn ever wants to get into the ACC, they need to turn BC from an enemy to an advocate.

I am sure Malloy loves both schools, but this isn't about good games. It's about protecting UConn's athletic future and Malloy is probably just thinking ahead.

BC responds to Steve Lively and I give my two cents

Last November, I was blind copied on a letter written by Steve Lively to the Board of Trustees. Earlier this week Lively followed up his first letter with another email. I ignored it this time. Since his last email, Lively had now included a racial component to his criticism that I didn't want to delve into. I certainly have my agenda and think race and sports are intertwined, but I don't necessarily want to endorse everything Lively is saying. He's certainly welcome to voice his opinions -- as many BC fans, alumni and bloggers have been doing for years. He also sprinkled in numerous personal anecdotes that make his argument seem less a mission to fix BC and more about "getting" Gene. [Copies of the full letter are on various message boards.]

BC finally responded to Lively's criticism with the following statement.

Steve Lively’s letter regarding Athletic Director Gene DeFilippo is perplexing and unfortunate, and filled with irresponsible and baseless claims. It has caused a number of people, including several of Steve’s former football teammates, to express concern for him and his judgment.



Under Gene’s leadership, the BC Athletics program has remained true to its traditions and the pursuit of excellence. Boston College has one of the highest student-athlete graduation rates in the country, its athletics facilities have been upgraded significantly, and its athletes have succeeded on the field and in service to the wider community.



Gene DeFilippo has the confidence, respect and support of countless members of the Boston College community, including University President Fr. William Leahy, as well as colleagues in intercollegiate athletics throughout the United States.



Jack Dunn, University Spokesman

I blame Gene for many of the issues currently facing BC sports. I also think he oversteps his role and can lack tact at times. That doesn't gloss over all his many accomplishments while at BC or the improvements he has made to the school. We joke about how he is quick to remind people what things were like when he arrived, but he does deserve credit. However, he is in a high profile role required to make tough decisions. Over 15 years you are going to upset people, make enemies and make plenty of poor decisions. Also after 15 years you will tend to get complacent, set in your ways and start to think your past success means you can always make the right decision. Gene's persona and the comments he continues to make to the media and alumni are going to cause controversy. As much as we would like a victory lap conclusion to his career and smooth transition to his retirement, he may be too controversial for that to happen.

Lively can keep challenging Gene, but the statement from Dunn shows that the school's leadership has Gene's back. At this point I recommend individual fans keep up with your personal feelings and continue to use your gifts to the school as a vehicle to send a message.

Coach Flip is not very good at math or history...

or public relations or marketing.

Forgive me for parsing Coach Flip's quotes to the Herald, but they are too good to ignore.

Math

"Spaz is the best coach that we’ve had in the 15 years that I’ve been here."

Spaz's winning percentage: .512
TOB's winning percentage: .625
Jag's winning percentage: .714

History

Jags won two Atlantic Division Championships
TOB is BC's all-time winningest coach

Public Relations

In an interview with the Herald, DeFilippo addressed the calls for Spaziani’s job.

“It doesn’t matter,” DeFilippo told the HeralD

Marketing

"Spaz is coming back next year."

Coach Flip and Coach Spaz will be back in 2012

Per Dan Duggan of the Herald:

@DDuggan21
Gene DeFilippo on Frank Spaziani: "Spaz is coming back next year and our future here is really, really bright.”

@DDuggan21
DeFilippo also called called Spaz "The best coach that we’ve had in the 15 years that I’ve been here."

Gene DeFilippo is either blind or deaf. That is the only acceptable explanation. Because you would only come out with a strong endorsement of Spaz after this season if you did not see the problems in how Spaz approaches these games. Or worse he doesn't hear the growing outcry from our fanbase.

I think Gene thinks he always has BC's best interest at heart. But I suspect he has his best interest at heart. He is tied to Spaz's success. He risked his career with Spaz. He picked Spaz over candidates with more upside. And Spaz is probably the last coach in America that will let Gene serve as Coach Flip (our unofficial head coach). This means we are in for another letdown in 2012. This team has potential, but I have no faith in Spaz helping us reach our potential. His approach to games and his roster is stuck in the 1970s and ignores all the new data and strategies.

In the end, I will root like hell for BC. I hope we win every game and I hope I am wrong about Spaz.

To those who are upset by this, take comfort that Spaz and Gene's future at BC is not long. Their ages alone assure that. BC will prevail and one day football will be fun again. Until then keep cheering on the players, keep supporting the program and keep the pressure on our administration.