Friday June 15, 2007

Friday E-Mail Bag

Friday E-Mail Bag
Each Friday I publish your comments and answer your questions. To submit a comment or questions please e-mail me at mickeyplyler@hotmail.com.
Mickey,

Greg
The Tiger Rag Preservation Society

Greg,
Uniforms are important in college football. It is more important in college football than any other sport I can think of . I like Clemson’s uniforms and I happen to like the purple. Heck I even like the purple on orange. I agree about simplicity though and think you make a great point about logos.

Mickey,

Newberry Tiger

Newberry Tiger,
Jack just signed a new contract last year but I am not sure of the specific terms. I want to say it runs for five years. If my memory is correct I think it is in the $180,000 range from the university but like other sports he has other income in his contract. I have been told that Easton pays in the neighborhood of $100,000 to Leggett. So I think he is close to the $300,000 range. Coach Leggett also has a very successful summer camp program that he benefits from but that is considered outside income. In summary, I think Leggett’s is close to that of Sully’s.

Hello Mickey:

Kirk

Kirk,
I recently found out how expensive and all I can say is OUCH!

Mickey,
From the underclassmen taken in the MLB draft, which Tigers do you forsee leaving for professional baseball?

Grey

Grey,
The only ones that I think will return are Doug Hogan and P.J. Zocchi. Taylor Harbin has a decision to make but in the end I would not count on him coming back. But that is just a guess.

Mickey,
I will preface all my comments by stating I am a SC fan. I also played college baseball. I am completely amused by you, your administration, your team, and your fans' lack of understanding of how this system works. It wasn't a travesty that you didn't host....it was economics....and it always has been. Bottom line. 12k showed up at the MSU game....Clemson couldn't have done that, period. Most in college baseball, right or wrong, would say that MSU has the better facilities. I find it funny that anyone would try to equate hosting with being "deserving," or "having the better record." That has never bothered either SC or Clemson before when you guys have been a two seed in your own regional. You didn't complain that a team with a better record didn't host. It just has never worked that way. No, I don't disagree it ain't right, but the system is the system, and maybe people should focus on the system and changing that instead of coming up with reasons you should be hosting. Also, I think that to imply that the MSU AD created this mess is to not understand the system. In any case, the bottom line, in hindsight, is that Clemson should have focused on the team at hand instead of worrying about getting hosed. Also, I do think the MLB draft distracted Moskos....they need to change that stuff. You can't tell me that a 20 year old kid's head is in the right place staring down the barrel of 4 mil....easy. That just isn't far to any kid drafted. Enjoy your thoughts, just my two cents worth.

Jason

Jason,
I agree that it was about money. That and politics. I also agree that they drew more and have the better facility. But there is some inconsistency in the site selection process. If baseball coaches and athletic administrators don’t understand it then I can see how fans could have the same issue. On the deserving issue, that is what happens with the top eight seeds. So that is also contradiction. Hindsight tells us that MSU handled it better than Clemson.

Mr. Plyler
I want to commend you on a great blog. I am even more impressed with how you handle your critics. I am from Westminster, SC and I was a walk-on defensive back on the ’99 and ’00 teams and graduated with a BS in Chemistry. After graduation I joined the Army and got stationed in DC. The Carolina game in ’00 is the second most exciting moment of my life the first being my first jump at Airborne. There are many issues that I would like your opinion on but I will start with how I feel about Coach Bowden. I walked on in the spring of ’98 when he first got to Clemson and I am happy to have been there to see his era from the start. I think he is good for Clemson. He handles the overall program really well. I think he needs coordinators that can handle every aspect of the offense and defense and I don’t think the current ones have been doing that. From the outside looking in there does not seem to be game planning to dominate opponents. I know the coaches work 12-14 hour days but when it still isn’t working something has to give. Players work too hard in the spring and summer to not be put in a position to succeed. Coach Batson is a great strength and conditioning coach by the way, I don’t think people know how important he is to the program. When Coach Bowden first got here he talked about being dominant and playing with emotion and now it just doesn’t seem like the same message is going out to the players. The practices were very intense with Coach Rodriguez and Coach Herring, who was not thought of highly and has since coached in the NFL and NC State and Arkansas to nationally ranked defenses. I’m not trying to attack Coach Bowden’s character but from what I can tell he doesn’t have the hunger of someone that has had to work for everything they have. I know he was an assistant for a long time but he always had a good reference to put down and probably a fall back position with his dad. Yes I am making assumptions but when you have to work, really work for minimal necessities and what you see
other people given it puts a fire in you and I just don’t see that in Coach Bowden. I did not like when he said he already had a place picked out for a house after he retired. It may have been a joke but if not how can you talk about retirement when you haven’t accomplished at least a conference championship. With that being said I still think Coach Bowden being there is good for recruiting and manages the program well. But how many recruits really want to play for Coach Spence or Coach Koenning? There is some but there are better coordinators to match the player we have and are capable of getting. In time we will need someone to lead the program and not manage it but how responsive will the administration be to a coach that lives and breaths for football greatness. Thanks for your ear.

Former Walk-on

Former Walk-on,
I appreciate your insight from a point of view most will never see. Many things you wrote I agree and again thanks for providing a different point of view.

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