The Front Page of the Tuscaloosa News

[NutherT]

This literally covers the entire front page. Top to bottom.

Some notable quotes from the story:

"There is unrest among a small portion of the Mississippi State fan base due to the season Mississippi State is having this year after seeming to have turned the corner last year," said Gene Swindoll, publisher of GenesPage.com, an MSU fan Website. "Because of the current season, there is doubt among them that he can do the job.</p>

"But, overall, the vast majority of fans see improvement and still support him, as does the Mississippi State Athletic Director Greg Byrne and Mississippi State's incoming president, Dr. Mark Keenum. In fact, during his open interviews with various MSU groups Wednesday, Dr. Keenum made note of all the players that aren't playing this year due to injuries and other circumstances."

_____________________

</p>

Kelvin Croom, the coach's younger brother, an assistant principal at Paul W. Bryant High School, said fan pressure won't change Sylvester Croom.</p>

"He knows what's involved in his program and where they're at," Kelvin Croom said. "There's things, not to make excuses, but things beyond his power to control such as injuries and players making poor choices.</p>

"Any pressure on him is the pressure he applies to himself, because he's competitive and he wants to be the best. He's not in it for the money. He could walk away today and be happy because he's finanacially secure. He's not where he wants to be with the program, but he's working hard to get there."

____________________

</p>

Croom doesn't want to make a big deal about returning to coach against his alma mater in his hometown.</p>

"Tuscaloosa ain't changed in a long time," he said. "I go over there a lot, so it's pretty much the same.</p>

"When I do (go), I go visit my mom and I come right back here. I don't hang out a lot at the local places. It's home, and yet it's enemy territory. I don't hang out in Knoxville, either."</p></a><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.tuscaloosanews.com/article/20081115/NEWS/811159988/1011?Title=MSU_coach_Sylvester_Croom">http://www.tuscaloosanews...MSU_coach_Sylvester_Croom_

 

[NutherT]

This literally covers the entire front page. Top to bottom.

Some notable quotes from the story:

"There is unrest among a small portion of the Mississippi State fan base due to the season Mississippi State is having this year after seeming to have turned the corner last year," said Gene Swindoll, publisher of GenesPage.com, an MSU fan Website. "Because of the current season, there is doubt among them that he can do the job.</p>

"But, overall, the vast majority of fans see improvement and still support him, as does the Mississippi State Athletic Director Greg Byrne and Mississippi State's incoming president, Dr. Mark Keenum. In fact, during his open interviews with various MSU groups Wednesday, Dr. Keenum made note of all the players that aren't playing this year due to injuries and other circumstances."

_____________________

</p>

Kelvin Croom, the coach's younger brother, an assistant principal at Paul W. Bryant High School, said fan pressure won't change Sylvester Croom.</p>

"He knows what's involved in his program and where they're at," Kelvin Croom said. "There's things, not to make excuses, but things beyond his power to control such as injuries and players making poor choices.</p>

"Any pressure on him is the pressure he applies to himself, because he's competitive and he wants to be the best. He's not in it for the money. He could walk away today and be happy because he's finanacially secure. He's not where he wants to be with the program, but he's working hard to get there."

____________________

</p>

Croom doesn't want to make a big deal about returning to coach against his alma mater in his hometown.</p>

"Tuscaloosa ain't changed in a long time," he said. "I go over there a lot, so it's pretty much the same.</p>

"When I do (go), I go visit my mom and I come right back here. I don't hang out a lot at the local places. It's home, and yet it's enemy territory. I don't hang out in Knoxville, either."</p></a><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.tuscaloosanews.com/article/20081115/NEWS/811159988/1011?Title=MSU_coach_Sylvester_Croom">http://www.tuscaloosanews...MSU_coach_Sylvester_Croom_

 

[tossedoff]

nmku</p>

 

[bonedaddy401]

but also have never had more doubt than I do now.

Would we be better with a new coach? Probably not next year. I don't see why everyone is rushing to shove him out the door. The process of starting all over again plus all of the bad press we would get for canning him would just drive us farther down into oblivion. You think Kansas State is getting bad press? Wait till MISSISSIPPI State fires a black coach. Don't get me wrong I wish we had a coach we didn't have to watch learn how to be a head coach but we do.

Good luck Crooms. See you in T-Town.</p>

 

[msudawgs1978]

PLAYERS making poor choices?

 

[El Diablo Blanco]

</p>

"But, overall, <span style="font-weight: bold;">the vast majority of fans see improvement and still support him</span>, as does the Mississippi State Athletic Director Greg Byrne and Mississippi State's incoming president, Dr. Mark Keenum. In fact, during his open interviews with various MSU groups Wednesday, Dr. Keenum made note of all the players that aren't playing this year due to injuries and other circumstances."

</p>

Where the hell is this "vast majority".
Makes us sound like blind idiots.
Majority my ***.
If true, we deserve what we get.

 

[Shmuley]

they get to vicariously claim him while our program gets destroyed. Congratulations rest of the SEC. You get your BCA free pass, we get the peter principle right up the ***.

 

[3000lbchicken]

.

 

[bonedaddy401]

Sportscenter, PTI, Around the Horn or The Sports Reporters. All have addressed it and none have backed him being fired.

There is more to this world that Veazy's blog.

Buy yourself a TV so you can have substance to some of your arguments.

 

[Optimus Prime 4]

[No message]

 

[Mr Meoff]

I wish we had a coach we didn't have to watch learn how to be a head coach, but we do.

We are where we are, and we're just going to have to deal with it until Sly learns how to be a head coach. Just pray it doesn't take too long. That's the M-State way, unfortunately.

 

[Original48]

And if the "congratulations for hiring a black coach" comes with a "but be careful not to fire him too quickly" caveat, then skin color will certainly be a consideration from now on when hiring a head coach.

 

[Mr Meoff]

hadtobedone-ku

 

[Hundpfundfels]

Of course swan lake would spin it that way. Gene is a @%#%!%% moron. We'll see how small that minority is when Bama takes us to the woodshed and then we have 25,000 in the stands for upig.

 

[Optimus Prime 4]

they mentioned it, but didn't really say anything bad about it.

And while there may have been some bad press, it has not been very much. We got more for firing Cutcliff than they have for their firing.

 

[bonedaddy401]

and I bet that has a lot to do with whether a school hires an African American coach or not. Even ND caught hell when they fired Willingham.

Being in the deep south during a time in history when everyone is crying racist whenever they can will be a problem if we fire him this year.

Those liberal sports writers we watch yell at each other everyday on TV would love to cry "He's a good man", "He walked into a mess", "Mississippi State is next to impossible to win at" and then top it off with some kind of remark about it happening in Mississippi and racisim being a factor.

 

[Seinfeld]

Any pressure on him is the pressure he applies to himself, because he's competitive and he wants to be the best. He's not in it for the money

Bobby Knight is the only head coach that I've ever seen that has said something along these lines and I believed him. Money may not be Croom's #1 priority, but if that fat bastard isn't in it for the money, then he should do like Knight and give this year's salary back to the university. The man hasn't done squat to earn it.

 

[3000lbchicken]

telling you an actual fact.

I watch a couple of those shows for factual information. You know, like news. Not some moron's opinion. And I do like Veazy, because he reports the news, not opinion.

The only mention I've seen today is from you. No one is even talking about it anymore. It must not be that big of a deal.

The only "bad" thing about it that I've seen, is also an actual fact. We're down to just a few D1 black coaches. Is that K-State's fault. Nope. Will it be ours? Certainly not.

 

[BewareOfMSUDawg]

This is where the BCA hurts their own cause. Unfortunately when a black coach is hired the school is bringing the BCA in as well and their scrutiny and extra media scrutiny. I honestly believe that if the BCA and the media wouldn't make such a big public deal about the black coach issue you would see more black head coaches because the schools wouldn't have to deal w/all of the BS.

It would be nice to live in a world where we judge everyone on their own merits and not skin color, but that'll be the day when I'm a Heisman trophy winning QB at MState.

 

[Original48]

I'm glad we were able to make a hire at Mississippi State to prove a point.

 

[bonedaddy401]

3000lbchicken wrote: _________________________________________________ telling you an actual fact.

I watch a couple of those shows for factual information. You know, like news. Not some moron's opinion. And I do like Veazy, because he reports the news, not opinion.

The only mention I've seen today is from you. No one is even talking about it anymore. It must not be that big of a deal.

The only "bad" thing about it that I've seen, is also an actual fact. We're down to just a few D1 black coaches. Is that K-State's fault. Nope. Will it be ours? Certainly not.

They mentioned it on Gameday today. They did a whole piece on the BCA. So yes people are still talking about it.

Is it our fault? In wa way yes. Neither school hired a black coach that succeeded thus hurting the case for black coaches. So yes in a way it is our fault.

 

[Agentdog]

We know what is coming today. When the people at ESPN and the rest of the country see it, everyone will understand that he has not a clue. Crxxm will have a epipheny as well today as he stands at his sancutuary and gets his *** handed to him.

BTW, why did the paper draw McCorvey?

</p>

 

[bonedaddy401]

you need to pay better attention then. Yet another uniformed OP4 post....weird......

 

[3000lbchicken]

I completely missed the BCA segment and still never heard anything negative about KS.

I do have a question about it. Did they say specifically that they were wrong in firing their coach?

and this:

"Neither school hired a black coach that succeeded thus hurting the case for black coaches. So yes in a way it is our fault."

Is that your opinion or theirs (the BCA or Gameday Crew)?

Because we DID hire a black coach, we're ultimately still at fault because we hired the "WRONG BLACK COACH"?

 

[dawgstudent]

on the BCA and the lack of black coaches again in college football with the recent firings of Willingham and Prince.

 

[Optimus Prime 4]

to me it seemed more matter of fact, just stating what happened, not that they were wrong in the firing, unless I missed a part.

 

[bonedaddy401]

and one that is not that hard to understand. You hire a black coach that doesn't succeed you hurt the case for other black coaches to be hired. How is that hard to understand?

So much for watching ESPN all morning huh?

 

[Dawg in Caintuck]

So the key to getting more black coaches hired is to hire less black coaches? That sounds logical.

 

[bonedaddy401]

That isn't what I am saying at all. I'm saying that if you hire a black coach that isn't successful it hurts the case for other coaches. If you hire a black coach that does well it helps the case for other black coaches. It isn't fair but that is the way it is right now.

 

[3000lbchicken]

I see what your saying about the ultimate goal of getting more black coaches in D1 football being hurt but the only one you can blame for the coaches failure is the coach himself. They gave him a chance, just like any other coach. To blame the institution that hired him for hurting the BCA's agenda is reckless and unreasonable. And you are the only person I've seen so far that thinks that way.

 

[bonedaddy401]

3000lbchicken wrote: _________________________________________________ I see what your saying about the ultimate goal of getting more black coaches in D1 football being hurt but the only one you can blame for the coaches failure is the coach himself. They gave him a chance, just like any other coach. To blame the institution that hired him for hurting the BCA's agenda is reckless and unreasonable. And you are the only person I've seen so far that thinks that way.

I don't understand why you have to keep bringing up "fault". The blame game isn't the answer. My point.......for the fourth 17ing time......is that a black coach not succeeding hurts the chances for other black coaches that's all. Us or KState firing a black coach we chose to hire hurts their cause as well.

 

[3000lbchicken]

because of this http://sixpackspeak.yuku.com/sreply/94094

 

[ArrowDawg]

.... tell the truth when he knows it'll run off many of his subscribers. Then again, he probably is legitimately just as delusional as they are.

I just have to laugh every time he and other people of his ilk describe the critics as a "small" portion of fans. We're always a small "vocal minority" or something. It still sounds like we're firmly entrenched in the Larry Templeton administration way of thinking, with people like Gene still spinning the "move on, nothing to see here" garbage.

 

[TBonewannabe]

I have not seen one bad thing about Washington firing him. Why? Because he sucked. He only won 3 games a year and this year they are horrible. I think we might get a little bad press if we canned Croom but that could easily be refuted since his offense (which is HIS offense) has consistently been the worst in college football. I would look it up and compare over his 5 years but I am lazy. I don't think any other team in college has been as bad as us for the last 5 years. Most teams might have a bad year and then they might fire their coordinator. At M State we give them 75% raises.