Michael-Shawn Dugar, Daily News sports editor - Moscow, Idaho. August 20, 2015 1:00 am
Spotting a fiery, vehement Paul Petrino galloping up and down the SprinTurf sidelines isn't difficult. That's how the Idaho football coach is, both towards players and assistants, almost all the time, whether he's dishing out punishment or offering praise.
And in today's college football culture, berating players and coaches is commonplace. To most - including myself - it shows passion, mostly. And frankly, it's expected at a program that has two wins in as many years under Petrino.
But when a coach needs to be restrained from angrily approaching a member of the media, because he can't control his temper? Well, that's another story.
If I'm a Vandal fan part of me enjoys seeing someone have some fire.
But I've watched this game long enough to know that's not usually the act of a coach confident of where his team is, and the Vandals ought to be a four win team that could sneak out six with breaks and have a foundational season.
Petrino needs to realize that he coaches an all-but-dead football program and the media is the window through which those who will ultimately decide whether it lives or dies view the program.
It is a whiney piece, but the Coach seems like an insecure basket case.
I could maybe give a coach a pass for going off in a press conference after a tough loss when emotions are understandably high, but just berating someone on the side of the damn practice field during fall camp because of an unfavorable article seems a bit unstable to me.
(08-20-2015 11:29 AM)boroeagle2 Wrote: [ -> ]I could maybe give a coach a pass for going off in a press conference after a tough loss when emotions are understandably high, but just berating someone on the side of the damn practice field during fall camp because of an unfavorable article seems a bit unstable to me.
(08-20-2015 11:36 AM)bullitt_60 Wrote: [ -> ]I find that writing about this incident is unprofessional as well.
I have to agree with both of your assessments and after reading this it makes me wonder what the other reporter mentioned has to say about this incident.
Local sports journalists are not there to be cheerleaders. Local sports journalists are not there to be homer fan girls breathlessly waiting the next pat on the head from the master of the football program.
Paul may have gotten this false impression during his time in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
sounds like he is feeling the pressure, even before the season starts, and maybe he is seeing the writing on the wall not only as the coach of Idaho, but maybe his future as a head coach.
(08-20-2015 12:29 PM)ark30inf Wrote: [ -> ]Local sports journalists are not there to be cheerleaders. Local sports journalists are not there to be homer fan girls breathlessly waiting the next pat on the head from the master of the football program.
Paul may have gotten this false impression during his time in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
Considering his brother had a reporter fired from her job for wearing a UF cap (she was a Gator alum) to a fall practice presser, I agree with you 100%.
Sounds to me Michael-Shawn Dugar is a whiny ass little beeatch and Petino is a whiny ass control freak with a loud, booming voice. IOW, neither side wins in this one. Neither "man" seems to have any bidness being involved with anything to do with Division 1 athletics.
Is the ringing the bell thing any sort of long standing tradition at Idaho? Just seems like the players are being conditioned to accept that their personal best is....... Getting their bell rung.... My apologies if it is something long standing and important to the program. But if it is a Petrino thing, I'd pack it up and send it with him when \ if he goes.
(08-20-2015 12:29 PM)ark30inf Wrote: [ -> ]Paul may have gotten this false impression during his time in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
SEC schools have at least 1 beat writer who is nothing but a fan-boy. I think that's by rule.
The question in Arkansas is....do they have one who isn't a fan boy?
Little Rock has a tv station that doesn't even have a sports section on its website....just a "Razorback Nation" section.
And last year after a thrilling British Open, the lead sports story on that station was a former Lady'Back golfer tying for 20th in an LPGA event.
I'm in New Mexico this week, the biggest UNM story this week was a basketball player getting hurt and will miss two weeks of off-season conditioning work.
