"No Virginia. There was NO INTERVIEW."

BobLeeSays:   Dec 6, ’12: 
   In 1897, when little Virginia O’Hanlon wanted to know “is there a Santa Claus?” her daddy told her “If you see it in The (New York) Sun it’s so.”   Darn good thing the O’Hanlons didn’t read The News & Observer circa 2012.  -Larry Fedora never interviewed with or considered Tennessee. .......

When I saw the first “news report” on Tuesday I accepted as plausible – that there had been contact between Larry Fedora and Univ of Tennessee regarding their Football Coach position.  The contact would have taken place earlier this week at the National Football Foundation Banquet at New York’s Waldorf Astoria.  I knew a delegation of UNC Athletic Dept personnel including Fedora was attending the event.

That Tennessee would be interested in Fedora made sense.  That he would leave UNC after only one year was disheartening to consider, but, hey, it’s 2012 and the coaching carousel is as crazy as everything else in America.  I hoped it wouldn’t happen but ya never know...... but

One element of the N&O “breaking news” caught my eye – “a website reports that.....”.  The follow-up story several hours later noted “several websites are reporting that.....” according to N&O sportswriter Andrew Carter.  I was downwind by this time and it was starting to smell.

Readers began sending me frantic reports that “The News & Observer is reporting that.......”.  A supposedly credible “real newspaper” is reporting.  Hey, it must be true because I read it in the News & Observer.   Nope, simply “a website reported that....”.

By this time there was an ABCer Pep Rally in West Raleigh.  Those cross-eyed snaggletoothed galoots were turning backflips and stabbing themselves with long-handled barbecue forks.  They do that on special occasions involving administrative disasters at Carolina.  Or whenever Marvin Austin tweets.  Ouch.

They weren’t the only ones..... their crazy cuzzins who haunt the sub-basement of the Tar Heel fan base were in full-throated Yeee Haaaa too.  

The semi-normal fans of both schools who lurk in/out of the monkey boards picked it up. VOILA we had ourselves a BULL S*** palooza !!!  ..... all from Andrew Carter writing “a website is reporting that.....”.

Boys & Girls & Cliff Clavins; Guess What! IT NEVER HAPPENED.  Larry Fedora never considered any offer from Tennessee – No interview, formal or otherwise, ever took place. 

Larry Fedora and Tennessee’s coaching vacancy was 100% Internet speculation.

IF Fedora HAD indicated any interest, you can be certain that Dave Hart would have sent a G-550 stocked with Red Bull to bring him to Rocky Top to close the deal.   But he didn’t and Dave Hart didn’t.  

Larry Fedora is “a hot property” among college football coaches.  Carolina is fortunate to have him.  He considers himself very fortunate to be the Head Football Coach at Carolina for the foreseeable future.

That ABC Pep Rally and the long-handled barbecue forks were for naught.   Wuffs, especially their short-bus faction, should be expelling their enthusiasm over their own coach – Dave Doeren - who seems to be a mighty fine “get” for Frau Yow.   Coach Fedora and Coach Doeren should have some humdingers in the years to come.  OK.....

Why did the N&O go with a totally bogus story about Larry Fedora possibly leaving UNC?

Why did the N&O “rush to judgment” declaring the Duke Lacrosse players guilty within 24 hours of the first call to police?

Why was the N&O the LAST media operation in America to report the John Edwards Sex Scandal?

The financially destraught N&O has been running a slipshod pinch-penny operation for 6-8 years now.   Held together with bubble gum and duct tape.  Their veteran "real" reporters with high salaries were jettisoned long ago.  The work-cheap bunch of glorified interns that are left have no latitude or experience in real reporting.   They simply troll the Internet grabbing WARs (Wild-Ass Rumors) that they convert to Breaking News Stories............ Grantland Rice and A.J. Carr are weeping.

No, the N&O is not “out to get UNC”.  I’m not even a Dan Kane-hater.  The N&O has simply reduced itself to a two-bit tabloid regardless of what or who they are covering.   I’ve never met Andrew Carter.  He’s probably a good kid who loves his mamma and daddy.  Too bad his employer made him look like a pure fool.... just to break a bogus story.  Hey Andrew, call Ruth Sheehan.  Ruth can tell you what that feels like.

Look out State fans.  They might report....” EXTRA EXTRA: “Debbie Yow Bankrupted The Unv of Maryland”.  “A website is reporting....”

Several members of the UNC Ath Dept delegation at The Waldorf are BobLee Buddies so I contacted four different ones Thursday for their account.   Their reactions were all the same.  They were with Coach Fedora the whole time and were getting frantic emails about “The N&O is reporting that.....” and all looking at one another and laughing.

Will the FACT that this was TOTALLY BOGUS matter to the snaggle-toothed ABC crowd?  Nope, not a bit.  That bunch doesn’t ever get near enough to reality to touch it with a flagpole.  They live in a Dungeon & Dragons Fantasy.  Within their tortured little pea-brains Larry Fedora or Roy or any UNCer are ultimate eeeeeevil and always guilty” whether they are or not.

UNC’s snaggle-toothed gang is no better of course.  They huff ‘n puff all sorts of imaginary hokum about Duke and State celebrities.  

BobLee, are real people with opposable thumbs really gullible enough to fall for such crap?   Sure.  It happens every day.  Did you visit either fan base’s website.  Did you get all bent-outta shape thinking “Damn.  Fedora is pulling a Butch and threatening to leave to hold us for ransom.  That low-down dirty bird.....”?  Did you?

IT NEVER HAPPENED.  

Ten years ago I saw this trend in sloppy reporting beginning – i.e. “reporters” cruising websites for provocative albeit imaginary stories. I started one that:

“Mickie Krzyzewski is running a whore house out of the tennis shop at Hope Valley Country Club”.  - Did anyone believe that?  Call Hope Valley CC and ask’em how much chaos it created.

Larry Fedora may indeed move on at some point.  So might Dave Doeren or Mark Gottfried.  When they do you can expect the News & Observer to get it wrong.   Quote Former N&O Publisher Frank Daniels Jr: "If we admitted all our mistakes, it might affect our credibility."  No s*** Frank.

Yes, Virginia, there IS a Santa Claus...... unless the N&O says there is.  In that case, doubt it.