(08-07-2013 12:33 PM)tigernole79 Wrote:  If you think a single recruit didn't sign with Memphis because of Tommy's press conference, you are insane. It did SOOOO much damage to the football program that we now have new terf fields, a new weight room, much improved facilities and have hired a great young coach and given him those tools needed to have success, which is exactly what Tommy's whole speech was about... in case you forgot.

(08-07-2013 12:04 PM)transitt Wrote:  I do think some of the Cal apologists go to great lengths to make it look like we were Arkansas Pine Bluff before he got here. Yeah, we had two losing seasons and a couple NIT seasons before that. Johnny Jones had us competitive his season here.

Yeah, I loved the run, too. However, Calipari TRIED to burn the program to the ground on the way out the door. Anyone who cannot see that....I just don't know.

He used to talk about UMass all the time when he was here. Has he said a SINGLE positive thing about Memphis since he left?

Remember the 'Hire Tony Barbee and I'll leave you some players" line?

(08-07-2013 11:39 AM)EarthBoundMisfit Wrote:  

(08-07-2013 10:54 AM)Bluebeard Wrote:  

(08-07-2013 10:12 AM)21-17 Best Time I Ever Ha Wrote:  It's called remembering what that jerk actually did to our players and our fans and our program. I will NEVER forget. And that's okay. Because if we ever forget, we might just allow it to happen again.

It's called getting screwed and never forgetting it.

I'm not saying he didn't do some lowball stuff on the way out the door. He did. But that doesn't change the fact that the basketball PROGRAM was in much better shape when Cal left than when he arrived. Also the basketball PROGRAM was in much better shape when Pastner arrived than when Cal arrived. That's all I'm saying.

Lessee program on probation.....check
program forfeited national runner up and 38 wins....check
sno-cone machine .....check
loss of highly regarded recruiting class Josh's first season....check

All of the momentum that Memphis had during the heyday of Calipari was gone. The cameras were gone, the highly rated recruits weren't studying us as much as they once did.
Yes we had nice facilities....but LOTS of schools in BCS conferences have nice facilities. Hell ESPN was still calling us a mid-major.
And if you think that Calipari did ALL of the legwork getting corporate support and Ambassadors support...you are dreaming.
The Memphis program as we knew it through those glorious years of winning 30+ games was over and done with. We were a shell of our former selves...and if the Memphis administration had made a bad hire to replace Calipari...we'd be looking at a smoking crater right now.
As much good as John did for us....he also did just as much to try and tear us down on his way out the door.

(08-07-2013 12:46 PM)Bluebeard Wrote:  Well that settles it. Hoopdreams is a social reject. Lol

(08-07-2013 12:44 PM)Bluebeard Wrote:  

(08-07-2013 11:39 AM)EarthBoundMisfit Wrote:  

(08-07-2013 10:54 AM)Bluebeard Wrote:  

(08-07-2013 10:12 AM)21-17 Best Time I Ever Ha Wrote:  It's called remembering what that jerk actually did to our players and our fans and our program. I will NEVER forget. And that's okay. Because if we ever forget, we might just allow it to happen again.

It's called getting screwed and never forgetting it.

I'm not saying he didn't do some lowball stuff on the way out the door. He did. But that doesn't change the fact that the basketball PROGRAM was in much better shape when Cal left than when he arrived. Also the basketball PROGRAM was in much better shape when Pastner arrived than when Cal arrived. That's all I'm saying.

Lessee program on probation.....check
program forfeited national runner up and 38 wins....check
sno-cone machine .....check
loss of highly regarded recruiting class Josh's first season....check

All of the momentum that Memphis had during the heyday of Calipari was gone. The cameras were gone, the highly rated recruits weren't studying us as much as they once did.
Yes we had nice facilities....but LOTS of schools in BCS conferences have nice facilities. Hell ESPN was still calling us a mid-major.
And if you think that Calipari did ALL of the legwork getting corporate support and Ambassadors support...you are dreaming.
The Memphis program as we knew it through those glorious years of winning 30+ games was over and done with. We were a shell of our former selves...and if the Memphis administration had made a bad hire to replace Calipari...we'd be looking at a smoking crater right now.
As much good as John did for us....he also did just as much to try and tear us down on his way out the door.

Good lord, do you hate our basketball program? You make it sound like our program is garbage and the only thing keeping it afloat is great coaches. I have more faith in the program than that.

(08-07-2013 01:04 PM)EarthBoundMisfit Wrote:  I am 45 years old. I have loved Memphis football and basketball for almost as long. I watched the championship game on tv with my grandfather against UCLA. Although I didn't really understand all that was going on...I was a lil Tiger. Larry Finch, and later players like Otis Jackson, Andre Turner and Keith Lee became my heroes. So don't even THINK about trying to paint me as a agitator....I LOVE the UofM....even though I have never attended the school.

No one has made you the 'fan police' so lets get THAT out of the way right now.
What I pointed out, was that the program that John had raised up...was damn near torn down by the time the keys were handed over to Josh Pastner. Damn near all the positives that Cal did while he was here, were wiped out by what he did on his way out the door.
Josh is the perfect type of coach to coach our program. He is the anti-Calipari...and it is why several other programs have tried to hire him away from us unsuccessfully. He will always deflect attention to his assistant coaches and players...which is why he will be succesful for years to come.
Does THAT make me a Memphis hater??

(08-07-2013 12:43 PM)tigernole79 Wrote:  Hell yeah, giving was up, there were many more ambassadors, the TSF was funded at an all new level and season tickets were up much more than when he signed on. The Tigers were on tv more, had more access to bowl games, had more media recognition... all incredible jumps forward in the football program!! Tommy West was great for the Program!!! (using the same logic you use with cal)


And only social rejects use hashtags on anything other than Twitter. It just makes the message board/facebook user look stupid.

(08-07-2013 12:43 PM)tigernole79 Wrote:  And only social rejects use hashtags on anything other than Twitter. It just makes the message board/facebook user look stupid.

(08-06-2013 04:29 PM)HoopDreams Wrote:  

(08-06-2013 04:14 PM)3601 Wrote:  HoopDreams, did you not tell me that Kirk threw the Detroit game and that Cal threw the Mizzou game?

I don't believe so - we may have discussed that there are folks out there with that opinion, certainly, but I'm not sure I ever espoused either one.

(08-07-2013 01:50 PM)3601 Wrote:  

(08-06-2013 04:29 PM)HoopDreams Wrote:  

(08-06-2013 04:14 PM)3601 Wrote:  HoopDreams, did you not tell me that Kirk threw the Detroit game and that Cal threw the Mizzou game?

I don't believe so - we may have discussed that there are folks out there with that opinion, certainly, but I'm not sure I ever espoused either one.

Your nose is growing, amigo.

(08-06-2013 06:53 PM)Bluebeard Wrote:  

(08-06-2013 04:21 PM)3601 Wrote:  After all, we were top 10 in the nation in attendance the year before Cal arrived.

Uh, no we weren't. Not even close. We averaged 11,974 and were ranked 25th. Now that, imo, is very good support for a program that was so mediocre at the time, but it's a long way from the top 10.

Calipari's first year we averaged 17,110 and were ranked 6th.