The unofficial online home for fans of the Old Dominion University Monarchs. Part of Collegiate Sports Nation (CSN).

(03-17-2019 08:23 AM)ODU AGGIE Wrote:  Good article here.

http://www.odusports.com/ViewArticle.dbm...=211795940

Hmm -- I wonder which internet poster(s) he had in mind?

I actually (and unfortunately, since I really like Harry Minium) think that this is a crappy article. It reads like it was written by a smitten cheerleader, not a reporter. He's much better than that.

A couple of examples:

==> "Blaine Taylor was well-thought of coach, but for whatever reason, when Jones replaced him, the program was in disarray." Is there some mystery about the reason for the program's disarray post-B.T.? What kind of reporter leaves unanswered that question, which is most pertinent to the expectations and promises made to the ODU community at the time of J.J.'s hiring?

==> "Incredibly, prior to this season, some fans were grumbling about Jones." I was not one of them, but I do not find it at all incredible that some of our fans were grumbling. The promise was made that Coach Jones knew what was needed to get us back to an at-large level program. He's not delivered on that promise. Yes, winning the tournament is big-time redemption. But it is not close to fair to suggest that fan criticism is incredible.

==> How does Minium square these two sentences, written within just a few paragraphs of one another: "I think the cumulative effect of having good seasons and falling short was another reason" with "What I will say for the tournament or nothing crowd is ... [t]hat’s still a bunch of garbage". A less credulous reporter might see the inconsistency in these two statements. If he's not going to acknowledge it, he could at least attempt to offer a plausible spin.



Bottom line: my opinion of J.J. (of whom I am generally a fan) has increased immeasurably after watching the job he as done with this year's team. Thanks to this gushy article, my opinion of H.M. as a serious reporter has decreased at least slightly.

But this is a small gripe on my part. Much more important: Congratulations to Coach Jones and to the 2018-2019 Monarchs! You guys have made the entire community proud.