Mary & Jay WOW at Raleigh Sports Club

BobLee
March11/ 2015

From my perspective it was “a dud”.  I was hoping for silverware being thrown, F-bombs hurled, and a least one constipated TruBlue nutjob having a caniption fit but nooooooo!   “Mary (Willingham) & Jay (Smith)” spoke to an enthusiastic and packed fellowship hall at Highland UMC for The Raleigh Sports Club today – Wednesday.BonnieClyde MJ

As with an earlier appearance at the Durham Sports Club, the audience was “seasoned” and very attentive for “Bonnie & Clyde of Franklin Street”.

First, I could NOT get ahold of Jim Goodmon’s “Logistics Expert” Peter Anlyan so I had AgentPierce estimate the size of the crowd.   My SaidWHATMedia amigo used a slide rule, a divining rod and three wooly worms and, of course, came up with “At least 80,000…. maybe more.”  Who needs Peter Anlyan?   Pierce is submitting his logistics creds to Rev Barber’s bunch for their next “Hoot” at the General Assembly.   Good luck with that AP.

There MIGHT have been a millennial on hand, but I didn’t see him/her.   A Millbrook HS kid was honored as RSC does each week.   His coach talked too long which is also a tradition at RSC.   Like my buddies with the Missouri Football team, this crowd no longer uses Just For Men.  They’re proud to have any hair regardless of the color.

Raleigh Sports Club is a 50+ year tradition for Triangle-area fans.  Every coach at every area school has appeared before these folks…. even Monte Kiffin and whatshisname that followed Spurrier at Duke.   When you say “Bones” to these guys they think McKinney not the TV show with the skeletons.

The partisan breakdown is pretty much as one might imagine….. mostly State & UNC (about even) with plenty of Pirates, Deacons and Iron Dukes.  I spoke with a few Duke guys none of whom were Jewish or from New Jersey; of course none of the State guys drove a John Deere to the meeting either.   I checked the parking lot.   So much for convenient stereotypes.

Despite UNC being on TV at 2:00, it was a packed fellowship hall.   The food at RSC is, as always, “southern cafeteria-style”.   Anyone trying to change that fare would be about as popular with these guys as John Calipari.   The multi-partisans all unite that they REALLY don’t like that guy.   That’s about all they all agree on.

How BIG A DEAL was it to have “Mary & Jay” as the program?  How’s this – TheRealBobKennel went out and bought himself a brand-new Beltone for the occasion.  Who knew Beltone makes’em in Red with a little Mr Wolf logo?

BK also told me that NCSU has a VERY strict mandatory class attendance policy for its stud-athletes.  BK knows that sort of stuff.  He’s tight with Frau and Randy.

“Mary & Jay” did a fine presentation.  They don’t pretend to be professional speakers albeit Jay has commanded a classroom for 25+ years.  Certainly I’m prejudiced because I “like’em” and I totally support their courage to do what they are doing.

They share the podium with each one explaining how they got involved in this mess and what their actual objectives are….. not to be confused with the slanderous lies spread about them.

They are able to use Julius Pepper’s transcript as an example since it has been “outed” several years ago…. as you well know.   They discuss what they have labeled “The Eligibility Imperative”.   Eligibility being the primary (sole) purpose of the academic coursework many (not all) FB / BkBall players are assigned.

All should be reminded that Julius Peppers was aggressively recruited by over 50 schools including every major school in this state.   Had he walked on to any of their campuses he would have been just as academically deficient as he was at UNC-CH.   “Keeping Julius Eligible” would have Priority One for each of those Football staffs as it was at UNC.   The odds that he would have ever entered that round building at NC State for any reason other than to pee or get out of the rain are slim.

That scheme worked out well for Peppers.  He showcased his athletic talent and went on to earn umpteen millions in the NFL.   If that was assured for every kid under The Eligibility Imperative there would be no problem.   It isn’t and doesn’t happen for 95% of the kids.  Even the ones who do get a career in the pros, it is a short one and they are left, in their mid 20s, with zero marketable skills.

The Mary & Jay Haters know this but simply don’t care.   They justify “it’s the kids fault he can’t read” and comes to Carolina with zero study skills incapable of “learning” anything in the core courses that “regular students” are faced with.  The M&J Haters are, I suppose, entitled to that callous attitude.  It’s not their kids. ….. Remember my Gladiator v Spectator analogy.

As you mighta guessed, Yours Truly had to say something.  I noted how “interesting” last week was.   Everyone at UNC and Syracuse thinks Coach K should be fired.  Everyone at Duke and UNC thinks Jim Boeheim should be fired.   Everyone at Duke and Syracuse thinks UNC should be death penalized.   State, Wake and ECU folks think all three – UNC, Duke, Syracuse – should be fed into a wood chipper feet first.

Tough crowd, huh? ….. I threw out one really loud “SUMB*TCH” just to be sure Kennel’s Beltone was tracking.   It was.

Everyone wanted to know “when is this all going to end?”  That answer is not for a looooong time.  Even when the NCAA drops the hammer, the UNC Fat Cats’ War Chest will kick-in.  It will be tied up in court for many years.  Look forward to that !!!!!

No, M&J did NOT push their book.  In fact, the first print run is exhausted and they did not even have a dozen to sell to the audience after their presentation.

Did their presentation change the course of mighty rivers or save the college sports handbasket’s not so slow descent into Hell?   No probably not.   Did they change any minds – yea / nay?  Who knows?   They did a fine job and I like’em a lot.

But, it woulda been tres cool if just one old constipated TruBlue had stood up and shaken a gnarly old finger at Mary then fallen face first into his banana pudding.

For as you know…..  All of Life is Column Fodder and Show Prep.

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BobLee
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