It's five a.m. on a Saturday morning and I can't sleep. The walls are closing in but bring no relief with them. How long can I hold out? Because it goes without saying, kill the body and the head will die.


So I haven't been a member here for very long. I had no idea an A-sun bulletin board such as this actually existed until I found it by mistake a couple of weeks ago while looking up Baptist porn. Since then, due to my great love of ETSU basketball, I have found myself to be quite addicted to firing away at those puffed-up little Kennesaw kids. Those noxiously flamboyant varmint are practically daring Sherman to rise up from the grave and re-burn that rotten city and all its illegitimate suburbs with it. But tonight, in my current state of guilt induced insomnia, I've been reading old threads in which there seems to be a great and terrible roar of hatred spewing out on the one called PittsburghBucs. Why is this, I wonder? Is it because he is abstaining from ETSU sporting events? Is it because he treats the current administration with a such a level of disrespect that it embarrasses even the most disheartened of fans? Or perhaps this poor man is just ugly? Well? Sure! Why not? I suppose I'll never understand it. And maybe it's better that way.

However, this man informed me today that Jay Sandos reads this forum. That got me to thinking, what if other people read this forum? What then? Are we to be nothing more than a late night chuckle for Master Stanton before he rests that crooked head on his extra fluffed red satin pillow? Well, if that be the case then let this chuckle be for you sir. You destroyer of dreams. You menace of youth. You're basically the Jimmy Carter of ETSU. If you had to run for that office you hold your slogan would be "ETSU--We can't do it".

Well...that about sums it up I think. Remember, we have paid a terrible price...and so will you. You've passed go and collected your two hundred dollars, but the weasels are closing in. And they can smell the blood.

The new poster needs a theme song! Somebody call Shirley Bassey!

One thing about this place, though, is that I have long maintained the message board I am on is the most influential place concerning local sports there is.

I've been on here for now six years on various boards. Started out on buccaneerbible.com. Then went to soconhoops, which evolved into uncghoops.

There have been rival boards. I think ESPN has one currently.

The one constant- where I am- the people follow. I went here from uncghoops and that board died instantly.

And I'm criticized because I like to remind people of this little fact. And a self-appointed King, combined with this area's geographic bigotry and fear of controversy, is going to get unwarranted criticism.

Think shooting the messenger.

It isn't just Jay who reads the boards. It's just about everybody at ETSU (they know it's the place for unfiltered opinion).

If you're one of the few people listening to WXSM, you probably have heard Don Helman responding to points brought up here. Last week he did a little rant, without mentioning my name, on getting too close to local sports figures- defending his right to choose his friends.

I agree, but don't tell me then that after being Murry Bartow and David Mullins' golf partner you can be objective in covering them, especially after making so many excuses for them.

You don't get that here.

We've had players on here. We've had coaches, sports editors of two local daily newspapers post, and it's even rumored David Mullins has posted.

I've had Michael White tell me personally he likes promotional ideas I've come up with here.

We actually broke the story football was going to be dropped here.

As for me, I'm usually right, and I know my stock has gone up MIGHTILY after the football situation.

You have no idea how people have gotten on little ol' me for not being a shill like everyone else. I had ETSU flacks call up my last job and plant false rumors about me. I have had people challenge me to fights- then back out when I accepted their challenge.

Proving that while I used to live in a City of Champions- I now live in a City of Cowards.

Okay, that's a low blow. But after the way I get treated on here by the likes of Dung Bag or whoever, I'm justified.

Theme song?

Like I said, I'm trying to get ahold of Shirley Bassey right now.

You know Marky they have meds for Napoleon complex of yours. Of course the post count has gone up on this board since you came, you have made 25% of the posts. The old board was on its last legs and people migrating to this one long before you showed up. You have done nothing to increase discussion about ETSU sports. Most of your posts (and the responses you get) have little or nothing to do with ETSU sports, which is the whole point of these boards. You try and use these boards as your own soapbox because you have been denied any legit platform for your so called journalism. Despite what you wish people to believe you are usaully your own worst enemy and caused most of your problems with your ego. You have little to contribute of real substance and are an entertaining diversion sometimes when things get slow. Most of the time you aren't even that, you need to get a new act and material. You keep posting the same things over and over and are losing what little entertainment value you had, now you are just sounding shrill. I am here talk about ETSU sports not watch the Marky Marky and the Funky Bunch Show.
I am sure you will comeback with your standard attacks and responses, again try something NEW. But i know you can't.

Good Luck,

Rod Shaw II

Well I'll go on record by saying I have no problem with Murry Bartow. I realize many of you will strongly disagree. If you want to blame him for the poor performance in that first year of the A-Sun that's fine....but I always said it was too early to condemn him. I think he clearly battled back last year and it seems he's had another good recruiting year...we'll just have to see.


But as far as the administration goes.....they are fair game in my book. Those swine deserve it!

Golddust---

Most of the ppl within the athletic department read this. There are coaches that read this board as well, all you really need to do is look at the team records, that should tell you a little bit. The ETSU athletic department LOVES US! They'll never admit it, but the bottom line is there are people willing to talk passionately about ETSU athletics, whether it's positive, negative or indifferent, there are people here ALREADY TALKING BASKETBALL and they LOVE IT. This board gives them the ability to say to other teams look, we have passionate fans. Whether it's Marky and his crazy posts about his secret love of Mike White's bald head, or his desire to actually BE JAY SANDOS (though he'd settle for Steven Linebarger), or Fan1's Chicago Cub like optimism, BucFyre's, whatever it is BucFyre does, to Rod, myself, and everyone else on here, deep down, they love this board because it shows people actually give a damn about ETSU.

Rod, first off- calm down. You misspell a lot of words when you're angry.

Now, for someone who thinks I recycle things . . .

Dude- Ashley Grindstaff and HER magazine, Media Watch, the James Bond references.

Those are undeniably original- unlike say exciting posts attributed to you on UT basketball or "Ken Campbell, Proven Winner."

So tell me again what UT and Walters State has to do with ETSU?

And how soon you forget- it was I who started recruiting discussion on this board- who broke how the lack of a contract extension is killing ETSU in recruiting (still a scholarship left for a conference champ).

Who was it that brought you the info about the radio? Me- that's who.

Hell, ask BucDoctor- I even had the Syracuse thing before anyone on here did.

Oh, and those five years at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Yeah. That's a real fly-by-night operation. That's not legitimate journalism.

Heck, we had daily newspapers pick up on what I write here. WXSM. This is the place you go to to get it first. To deny that is to deny what is going on in the market.

Okay, I was sabatoged at WFHG- but I can make it at the PG. I'll let everyone else here determine if that's my fault or the fault of a the hillbilly outlet.

But see, Rod, you're what makes it fun. Most everyone here can see that a ton of my stuff is done tounge-in-cheek.

Now, the real uptight people like you can't see that, but the rest of the people can. Heck, even BUCLOVER isn't as uptight as you (and was a little more biting with his commentary in that last post, I must add)!

Now, the man who says I am not original is doing so by BRINGING UP AN ARGUEMENT WE HAD IN MARCH-

http://www.ncaabbs.com/forums/showthread.php?tid=17602

It's all there. This board was 18 posts a month before I came on here and uncghoops was thriving. Within a month of my arrival here we were destroying uncghoops- and in the year I wasn't there the traffic went down to the point it was 1/4 of what it was before.

But just for you, Rod, I'll bring back the Eastland Mall if it will make you feel any better.

What if I was Steven Linebarger?

Though it's a 50-50 bet that the National Guard might have to be called outside of Warf-Pickel 109, that would be some LIVELY postgame discussion.

It would be calls-a-plenty, "Did he really say that?, What will he say next?" and sponsors lining up to want to get into the party.

My word, instead of having to pay to get on the air, stations would be bidding to pay on ETSU.

But see, the current administration doesn't have the guts to do that.

So they'll have to lie in the bed they made.

And what that means is it looks like the broadcasts next year are going to be split up among a variety of stations and with no post-game call-in show.

Good God I thought!

Well all the mens basketball games will be on the same station.

And that station will also receive about 100 calls during every broadcast wanting to know where the music is.

LOL just like when they switched 640 from country to sports. It was hilarious listening to the hillbillies call in, and ask Bill or Don where the bluegrass was.

Ah good ol' 109... Marky seriously, advertisers will not line up for ETSU unless they're playing UT, and it doesn't seem to matter what you put on the air ETSU can't get callers into the post-game show. I don't believe I've ever seen someone who "hates" an area as bad as you do but would quite possibly give up a testicle for a job in the market. It doesn't add up.

Dude- look at the traffic I generate on this board.

On EAST TENNESSEE STATE- for God's sake!

Now, why is ETSU one of the top message boards on here?

Is it because of the great ETSU fan base? Please. The great ETSU fan base is waving orange pom poms.

Is it because people just gotta hear the latest on the Rocky Top Basketball League? Yeah- right- even the players appearances are optional in that league.

So why do we generate this traffic on the board more than FOUR MONTHS prior to any meaningful games ETSU will play?

Well, I'll just let you come to your own conclusions.

Seriously, though, if you don't think I can generate caller traffic, you just don't know me.

It doesn't matter who is on the air, generating calls on ETSU is next to impossible, there's about five of us who called the radio show every week, it was sad I honestly think Bartow figured out who I was with some of the questions I would ask. The ten/fifteen regular posters on here talk ETSU because we all either A: went to school there, B: worked at ETSU for a time, probably in the athletic department, C: PLAYED a sport at ETSU, or D: all of the above. Every school has a few fans, see Kennesaw State.

We have more posters than that, and the hits we get on every thread go into the hundreds.

One thing I have learned about talk radio- you could talk about ANYTHING if the personality is compelling enough.

You once called me a "Mark Madden Wannabe." Well, you know what Mark talks about first and foremost? Hockey- then SOCCER!

Now, is soccer bigger than football in Pittsburgh? Of course not. But he is able to do it because of his personality- same way Scott Ferrall could talk hockey nationwide- same way Jody McDonald is able to talk horse racing in New York and Philadelphia- same way John Renshaw is able to talk college hoops- same way The Two Live Stews are able to talk NBA- same way Jimmy Hyams is able to talk tennis- TENNIS- in Knoxville.

In fact, I will submit whenever I hear serious ETSU talk being discussed on talk shows it is the biggest call-in topic out there.

Example the day before the vote- guess what John Quaintance's topic was? That's right- ETSU football.

And John Quaintance knows absolutely NOTHING about football. He'll admit that to you himself. But he got all kinds of callers whereas Bill did not mention the issue much at all- merely stating in passing that he would be surprised if the football vote didn't pass.

Quaintance, by comparison, even gave commentary I would kill to hear Don and Bill give- such as stating matter-of-factly that ETSU has put all their eggs in the medical school basket.

Why could a non-sports show prosper with ETSU football discussion while the all-time talk show host in town could not? Because Quaintance built his show on the issue, whereas WXSM does not.

ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF THIS-

On the day the football vote came out- on Bill Meade's show he glossed over it and then went to his usual topics of the day rundown. The calls were mixed on topics.

Then I did something. I called at about 3:50.

And for any of you who heard that- the floodgates were opened for the rest of the show. There was ONE topic- the football vote- and to be honest it was THE topic for another week. And they couldn't stop the calls from coming in.

I've said this before- Bill wouldn't have a show if it wasn't for me. When that show first debuted at 6:20 on WJCW in 1990 he had NOBODY call in. Whole shows with no calls- just him doing a monologe.

Then I started calling in. And I swear to God, in the first couple of years of that show- they talked more Steelers than Vols. That was me getting all the Steelers fans out of the woodwork- just like I get the Bucs fans out of the woodwork.

The all-time call on that show- 1992- a guy called up and started taunting me- (again- you called his show to get to me- NOW THAT IS A HALL OF FAME CALLER!) and said that "If you stopped Barry Foster you stopped the Steelers."

If they have a tape of it- they should play it- because I went off on the guy as the last call on a Friday. I'm telling you- I got stopped on the street for that one. That call was the topic of conversation in Johnson City, Tennessee on that weekend.

I can do it again.

Heck, I do it here every day.

Pitt just a quick question.

You no doubt have a very loud voice on here and post quite often. But for all of your ranting have your opinions changed ETSU in any way. You harped about football and we have no football. You brought up the contract extension and we didn't get one in time for recruiting when it would mean anything.

You are a loud voice that isn't getting anything changed. So other than some amusing banter what does your presence on these boards do?

Just admit it, you are on here to talk about ETSU like we all are but don't think that you are making a major difference in the school.

Yes, there is something that is being changed.

There is an underground of dissent out there.

I honestly think in previous climates around here the student vote would have ended it.

However, if you look at donations there is dissent out there.

As far as my influence on media- just a couple of weeks ago James Brooks did a column on an article I wrote.

I mentioned my contributions to local talk radio.

One of my favorite ones was when football was cut they mentioned one of the reasons why was that Memorial Center was going to need new turf which would cost $1.5 million.

I knew damn well that was an inflated stat. I did a piece on it challenging the number- pointing out the turf had been replaced just a few years before for $700,000 and there were high schools that were getting turf that very year for $400,000.

IMMEDIATELY the ETSU spin machine started saying turf would cost "$700,000 to $1.5 million."

That's a pretty big gap. I know when I'm buying a house, I won't mind the real estate agent telling me the house will cost between $70,000 and $150,000.

I'm sure you'd stand for that from your real estate agent, right?

The points we make on here have been picked up repeatedly by talk radio and by TV news. One sportscaster even picked up on my "Vault of Victory" nickname (which beats the Oil Drum- don't you think?).

So the influence has been great and will continue to be great.

I seem to remember a time when you got banned from the SoCon Hoops board. The board didnt die then. Lets say you dissapeard from the face of the Earth tomorrow. Do you really think this board would die?