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Rimshots: 08/09

Rimshots: 08/09

Ol’ Roy & Shakespeare
...... Ya know what “they say” about Shakespeare – “he just took a bunch of famous quotes and strung’em together” – ouch!   Voting Ye Olde Bard as The Most Overrated Playwright of the 17th Century. “With all those famous lines, anyone could write a great play” one Avon-area critic remarked. Huh?

Well, apparently goofy ol’ Roy’s peers feel the same way about him.   A poll of 100 current college Bkb coaches voted Roy “The Most Overrated Coach In College Basketball”..... “anyone not named Matt Doherty could win big at UNC and KU blah blah blah....”.   This news, of course, sent the already euphoric ABC mob into a new level of orgasmic rapture.    ESPN Beijing downplayed the poll results per usual.

I immediately contacted a living legend of college basketball for his reaction – “They said exactly the same thing about Rupp and Wooden” – was his amused reaction. Since he coached with both Rupp AND Wooden, I figure he oughta know and, of course, he does. No, he was not elevating ORW to MegaLegendLand. I related that story to Bubba The AD who seems quite confident that Roy will survive this media-fueled speed bump.

Most coaches are always actively or passively campaigning for that next job. Ol’ Roy ain’t in campaign-mode. Roy IS nuttier than a Payday bar and probably not the life of the party at the annual coaches convention, but he is our nutty Payday bar and we’ll keep Ye Olde Short-fused Odd Duck around a few more years.

>><<

In the Cranial Crockpot
...... I keep 2-3 column ideas simmering in the cranial crockpot. Big picture concepts that are forever being refined by ongoing current events.   One in particular seems about ready to plate up for you – “Just Suppose UNC Was.....”.

Trust me; it’s a humdinger of a “just suppose” that will give the average board monkey a migraine AND acid reflux AND maybe even some carpal tunnel syndrome.   And you know how much I do enjoy doing that!

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Thirteen Moons and......
....... Charles Frazier is a modern day James Fenimore Cooper when it comes to lyrical prose. If Frazier or Cooper wrote technical manuals they would be “rip roaring reads”.

Charles Frazier is rightly famous for Cold Mountain. I’ve read all three of his novels just finishing Thirteen Moons which is now my favorite Frazier.   It’s an epic novel of one man’s life thru the 19th century centering around the Trail of Tears by the Cherokees.

I’ve “read” two stand alone books in the past six months that are now in my All Time Favs – Wish You Well by David Baldacci and now Thirteen Moons by Charles Frazier. Both coincidentally are set in rural Appalachia.

......And I’m now into my 7th consecutive C.J. Box “Joe Pickett” story.   I am devouring them like a jar of cashews.   Joe is “just a Wyoming game warden” but the scrapes he gets into / out of are compelling.   I read a lot of action-adventure series. Most can be read as stand alones. I really recommend starting with Book One – Open Season – with this one.   Each succeeding story builds on all the previous episodes.

Joe Pickett is NOT the “highly-trained ex-SEAL / CIA killing machine iconoclast”. Joe Pickett is not Jack Reacher, Mitch Rapp, Dewey Andreas, Scott Horvath, Cotton Malone, John Rain, or Gabriel Allon. (Joe’s friend Nate Romanowski fits that group).   Joe is “just a game warden in Wyoming” trying to understand his wife, his daughters, a mother-in-law from Hell, moronic bureaucrats and crooked small town politicians. ...... but Trouble with a capital T keeps showing up on his, and MaryBeth’s, doorstep.

You and I aren’t Jack Reacher, Mitch Rapp et al either; but there might be some “Joe Pickett” in each of us.   Check’em out!

>><<

And Another Thing
....... a month or so ago I teased you about some high-level media negotiations in progress. Remember? Well, part of that package is about ready to unveil. Maybe next week.   It’s not quite Hiroshima or Nagasaki-esque but it will likely set some tongues awagging and a few heads exploding.

>><<

Posted: August 09, 2012 at 9:24 AM by SaidWHATMedia | with 13 comments

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Comments

	Emmette Taylor
	Ole Roy proves the theory of being in right place at right time. Not many fear his Xand O work as your colleagues usually know you best IMHO. By the way, Sporting News released an article about lack of academics. Looks like problem may be bigger than we think. You have been fair and reasonable in this scandal.Ducking, weaving, head in the sand is not going to make this go away. Problem is national but UNC is on the firing line. Hold on Swofford as it now seems to go back many years. _____ BL: We shall see.... .
	8/13/2012 4:36:10 PM

	The REAL Bob Kennel
	Comment: Bobee, don't know whether you count me in the ABC crowd or not, but the Ol' Roy poll results didn't surprise me much and wasn't worth more than a chuckle. As already noted, the Pack Pride Boards didn't even react strongly. In any case, Pack looking good in Spain, and everyone looking oh, so carefully and slowly, at any academic question for both football and basketball. Is the breaking media news that you are taking over one of the WPTF radio spots? That would be a major improvement in any case. Also, what happened to the promised "Outliers" discussion? If you took over an N&O writing slot, that would be worthy of that book. _________ BL: There are other ABC clubhouses beyond PPride. Nope, nothing to do with WPTF or The N&O. Outlier column in a week or so. You will enjoy the upcoming "Just suppose UNC was ....." column. .
	8/11/2012 8:00:58 AM

	ncsu1987
	Don't understand the lack of respect for ol' Roy in this space. Hard to argue with the results. Don't misunderstand: I think he's an ass in many ways, and he uses his good 'ol boy persona to get away with a lot. (But, then, so am I). Probably couldn't stand to work for him, for example. If the current academic mess can be traced back and some of his work is vacated, then maybe we can talk. Until then, #scoreboard #results #banners #winning I respect the results. Really don't get that so many people see things as black and white. "He's the coach at UNC so he must suck..." Whatever. Reminds me of a little political experiment I once did with some associates. I asked a vocal, enthusiastic conservative to name one thing that the Republican party in general believed that he thought was wrong. He looked at me like I sprouted a horn. Repeat with shrieking liberal, same result. I really don't like blind allegiance, and bandwagoneering (if I may invent a word...) I like principled folks who speak with logic and forethought, and who aren't afraid to say that the emperor is ugly and naked. It's why I read your columns every week. __________ BL: Blind dislike has defined UNCers view of Coach K's success for decades. Its the same faction in any fan base. I still believe "most fans" just enjoy the games and enjoy them more when their team wins. .
	8/10/2012 5:42:14 PM

	fayettewuf
	I know your stock and trade is hyperbole but "sent the already euphoric ABC mob into a new level of orgasmic rapture"? If you don't occasionally peruse Packpride or something like it, how do you know what the ABC is enraptured by? Orgasmically?:-) I guess I had just read the thread on PP (the most ABC mob on the planet except possibly the Beijing bunch) and was sort of surprised at how few were orgasmically enraptured. _______ BL: I use several mainstream media comment sites. .
	8/10/2012 4:57:02 PM

	JDanWuff
	Nathaniel Bumppo was the first Indiana Jones / Jack Ryan and Cooper could write in spite of Twain's protestations. _______ BL: An entire chapter describing the moon rising over Lake Glimmerglass ..... Natty Bumpo ROCKS!
	8/9/2012 8:46:57 PM

	theological tar heel
	Does your living legend count Mr. Cash as a former employer? ________ BL: That took me a few seconds to decode. No, "living legend" is considerably higher up the "legend" ladder than Mr Packer.... considerably... I can only imagine the call I'm gonna get when he reads THAT. :-) .
	8/9/2012 5:37:36 PM

	YogiNC
	Bobby, Suits tonight! As for the Bard, the old saying goes "if he's so smart why ain't he rich?" Well the Bard was certainly well to do in his day, hobnobbed with the best of them (royalty included). He was the rock star before there was such a thing. While lots of scientists and philosophers from way back carry hefty names even today not many playwrights do. When it comes to writing not many writers use new or unknown phases. He just strung 'em together better than anyone else in the last 300 years or so. And say what you want but his stuff is considered "THE classics" , kinda like some of the beach music I love. Have a great weekend! _______ BL: Harvey Spectre Kicks Butt! .
	8/9/2012 4:32:11 PM

	Jenxster
	Yep, Roy is nuttier than a bag a peanuts most of the time, but then again, success has always bred envy and critique. I imagine if you ask ORW if he would rather be considered "the top rated coach in the nation" or have two NCAA national championships, he probably opt for the latter. In fact, so would all of those very same coaches. I wonder how many titles they have won collectively and individually? Just curious. While I've always loved Shakespeare, my personal favs, just for the sake of conversation, are EAP and Robert Frost. Then again, I even favor Tolstoy on occasion. Yep, read War and Peace, all 1450 pages of it, as an independent study whilst an undergrad. Proof positive my life was, and continues to be, dull. Just the way I prefer it. ______ BL: Since the poll was taken by CBSSports.com ; I imagine ORW is trying to figure out what that ".com" means. :-) .
	8/9/2012 3:50:29 PM

	fayettewuf
	If you read the part at the end of the poll, Roy's colleagues did not knock his success.'They' rated coaches on their court side coaching -perception versus reality. Other coaches seemed to think that Roy was over-rated in the game coaching department. The writer of the article stated that he valued recruiting and the ability to put together a good staff. If you were reading the thread on Packpride you would have seen some that pointed out that Roy had 2 national championships and it is hard to argue that he is over-rated. The poll however was taken from college coaches. Have you ever read Mark Twain's pieces on Cooper's style and his 'literary offenses'. They are hilarious. _______ BL: You lost me at "reading the thread on PackPride". I don't do PP or InsideCarolina.... but I appreciate that a number of fans do. :-) .
	8/9/2012 1:55:32 PM

	SmittyfromDurham
	ORW gets a bad rap for the old "anyone can win at Kansas and UNC" thing. That didn't apply at UCLA after John Wooden strung together 10 nattys. Or at Indiana after Bobby Knight won a lot of games. Even Kentucky had some down years after Rupp left. I'm not sure the next coach at UNC will have the same level of success ORW has had. I'd agree that he isn't the game's premier strategist but being CEO of a major D1 basketball program. Most coaches will admit that their success is a direct result of having the "best players". ________ BL: I suspect the "best basketball coaches in America" are coaching at small town high schools in the Midwest and "have a kid who can dunk" about every 6 years at best. .
	8/9/2012 11:30:40 AM

	BC in PV
	BL. Cold Mountain is one of my favorite books. The research behind the book was pretty amazing to me. I will have to try his new one. Thanks for the “head’s up”. Just finished Dewey’s latest adventures and really enjoy the C.J. Box books. Thanks for the education and the entertainment! ________ BL: Nate & Dewey are kindred spirits.... NOT your average Rotarians. :-) Frazier's 3rd book - Nightwoods is, imo, not in the league of the other two. Thirteen Moons is SPECIAL! .
	8/9/2012 10:52:06 AM

	The Cowdog
	BL, you actually beat me to the punch. Maybe we can coerce him into revealing the true list, though I suspect we both have it already. :-) ________ BL: I've sat at his knee for enough years to pretty much know it. The state of Indiana figures prominently in his list as well as Hinkle Fieldhouse. .
	8/9/2012 10:38:50 AM

	The Cowdog
	...Furthermore, Shakespeare never broke a 1/2 court trap, whereas Ol' Roy strings'em together with the best of bards. So much for the Fraternal Order of Coaches and Playwrites. I liken Charles Frazier to Larry McMurtry. The differences being Frazier writes in jabs, and McMurty will crush your jaw. Speaking of McMurtry, have you ever listened to the music of his son James? Hard edged Texas Americana styling. _______ BL: PLUS, you know "that coach" I contacted knows a little something about the coaching bizness. :-) McMurtry is more commercial than Frazier but both can really paint a picture with words. .
	8/9/2012 10:17:53 AM