fotee, you said it all!!! And you my friend are right.
iāll be buying a paper now.
i think this article will be good. If you want more coverage, you have to take the good with the bad, and the controversial with the petty things.
[QUOTE=W.H.;267104]As an A-10 fan AND a working journalist, I think the subject of Lutzās situation is inextricably linked to the beginning of this season, as well as the end. So I donāt think its untoward for the Observer to write about it now. The issue never goes away, and this story itself is not going to affect how the team plays one way or another. Give young people credit for their resilience ā and ignorance!
I also applaud Mike Persinger for interacting with fans as he does. My company does this as a matter of course and has since its inception 10 years, back in the early wild days of online journalism. More reporters and editors should do this, within reason and time constraints, and I think Charlotte fans are fortunate to have a person at whom they can vent, even if the Observer does not cover the team as they wish. Mr. Persinger would not be here if he didnāt care at all about current or prospective readers. It makes good business sense, but itās also good for the public.[/QUOTE]
Amen brother! First guys say that we donāt get enough local press. Than they say,we donāt want to see negative stories about the program.Last time I checked The Observer wasnāt a wholly owned subsidiary of Charlotte.Way too much paranoia here on the board imho.Bottom line isā¦if we have a good season(obviously open to interpretation) Bobby gets his extension and everyones happy.If we donāt,than heās looking for work and we find another coach.Funny thing is,again in my opinionā¦if Bobby rights the ship and has,say,2 good years back-to-backā¦he takes the first MAJOR conference offer that comes.Thatās just the way it is.
I donāt think it is distasteful. Look, Lutzās situation is the biggy, you can name team chemistry, young guys, or the OOC schedule as being more important but in the end all those things will determine his situation. The O is just reporting it, so what? We all know the different outcomes that could occur, so what are people shocked about. You donāt think current players or prospective players donāt know the situation either? I doubt the O is enlightening them on it. The current players know now and I doubt reading 4C (or 14C? where are the stories usually 40?) of the paper tomorrow is going to put any extra weight on their shoulders.
If anything wait until you read it before you go after Mike P. Iād like to think if it was going to be an article trashing the program he wouldnāt be advertising it on here.
My two cents: Anybody who stayed up for every update on Bobby Lutzās trip to South Alabama and eventual decision to decline the job offer cannot seriously now believe his future is not the most important issue this season. It affects everything - recruits, players considering transferring (not saying there are any, but if you know he only has one more season after this donāt be surprised), his actions this season (increased public role) and the way he goes about his job on a daily basis. Even whether this team wins or loses plays directly into this issue and his future. It is THE story this season.
[QUOTE=lucky57;267120]First guys say that we donāt get enough local press. Than they say,we donāt want to see negative stories about the program.[/QUOTE]
For the record, Iāve never complained about negative press. I can take the bad with the good. However, there isnāt enough local press not only for the basketball team, but for the entire University.
[QUOTE=Jim Utter;267140]My two cents: Anybody who stayed up for every update on Bobby Lutzās trip to South Alabama and eventual decision to decline the job offer cannot seriously now believe his future is not the most important issue this season. It affects everything - recruits, players considering transferring (not saying there are any, but if you know he only has one more season after this donāt be surprised), his actions this season (increased public role) and the way he goes about his job on a daily basis. Even whether this team wins or loses plays directly into this issue and his future. It is THE story this season.[/QUOTE]
I agree with you BUT it doesnāt mean it has to run on gameday. Run it mid-week, then run a game story or player feature on gameday. Oh yeah, that would be 2 articles in one week which would be way over budget. :doh: Blog is great. The space you get in the paper is not.
Iām in agreement with Utter as well. But remember, the O doesnāt run pregame stories on game day. This will just be a story that happens to be published on Friday, November 9.
[QUOTE=W.H.;267104]As an A-10 fan AND a working journalist, I think the subject of Lutzās situation is inextricably linked to the beginning of this season, as well as the end. So I donāt think its untoward for the Observer to write about it now. The issue never goes away, and this story itself is not going to affect how the team plays one way or another. Give young people credit for their resilience ā and ignorance!
I also applaud Mike Persinger for interacting with fans as he does. My company does this as a matter of course and has since its inception 10 years, back in the early wild days of online journalism. More reporters and editors should do this, within reason and time constraints, and I think Charlotte fans are fortunate to have a person at whom they can vent, even if the Observer does not cover the team as they wish. Mr. Persinger would not be here if he didnāt care at all about current or prospective readers. It makes good business sense, but itās also good for the public.[/QUOTE]
Agreed, the issue wonāt go away, does anyone on here actually think the N&O wouldnāt run an article like this if a NC St., Duke, or UNC-CH coach was on the hotseat at the beginning of the season. If the coach is on the hotseat, the players, loyal fans, and coaching staff already know it before the Observer printed this story. No use in shying away from it, just use it as motivation, cheer as hard as you can, and let Bobby and the players work their magic.
BTW, Iāve told Mike several times I appreciate the coverage when we get it. I do think it is improving for other sports, and I love Utterās blog, but I would love to at least see a nice pregame article done on each game. This is not too much to ask as other papers usually do several pregame articles for A-10 schools.
I guess they need to put something in the sports section till the tar holes play next week.
nm, posted in other thread.
Charlotte's schedule includes home games against Wake Forest, Maryland, Clemson and Davidson as well as a tournament appearance against Georgia Tech.
The game is at Clemson this year.
Good article, but it didnāt really live up to all the hype Mike was giving it yesterday.
I donāt agree with Bilas 100% either. Sounds like his friendship with Lutz is showing through in his comments a little bit.
The problem with Jay Bilas and Pacman quotes is that they donāt follow the team that closely. They give there opinion off based on there own friendship or very limited knowledge of the team.
I agree with you BUT it doesn't mean it has to run on gameday. Run it mid-week, then run a game story or player feature on gameday. Oh yeah, that would be 2 articles in one week which would be way over budget. :doh: Blog is great. The space you get in the paper is not.
I see nothing wrong with the story running today.
pub is pub
[QUOTE=metro;267227]I see nothing wrong with the story running today.
pub is pub[/QUOTE]
Agreed.
Iām not going to get into it as I am and will remain friends with Mike, but I think the bigger issue is how the paper strives diligently to keep the program at armās length, at all times. Thatās not so with any other sports program, pro or college, that it covers, with the exception of maybe the Bobcats. The entire tone of that article is that it was written & edited by a group hundreds of miles, both real and metaphorical, away from the program. Thatās really too bad.
That said, itās very well done, if for no other reason that it [I]ironically[/I] captures the biases of all the parties to the issue. I enjoyed reading it.
Is this story on Charlotte.com?
Itās the article linked in the Lutz in Limbo thread. [URL]http://www.charlotte.com/sports/story/354800.html[/URL]
I didnāt disagree with Bilasā statement about ābleeding the programā by not deciding on Lutz. Iām not saying keep him or get rid of him, but to constantly hold the program in this position is, IMO, more detrimental to the program then last seasonās lack luster effort was. You can rebuild teams and programs, but you canāt rebuild anything if there is no clear direction for anything further then 2 years out (max).
I do think Bobby has done a good job, but Bilasā comment about he should be rewarded for it now, 2 years after his success isnāt taking into account the future. You reward someone when they do good, not the opposite. Many fans, students, and alumni have been waiting for that next step, but instead the stairs ended two seasons ago, we topped off and have fell back down the steps. This has to change.
[QUOTE=Jim Utter;267140]My two cents: Anybody who stayed up for every update on Bobby Lutzās trip to South Alabama and eventual decision to decline the job offer cannot seriously now believe his future is not the most important issue this season. It affects everything - recruits, players considering transferring (not saying there are any, but if you know he only has one more season after this donāt be surprised), his actions this season (increased public role) and the way he goes about his job on a daily basis. Even whether this team wins or loses plays directly into this issue and his future. It is THE story this season.[/QUOTE]
I agree and thats why I donāt mind the article running today. Itās going to be the central issue of this season and what we discuss all year. Itās not going to distract the team or fans. Let the cat out of the bag and talk about it.
It sounds like Dr. Phil and AD Rose have done what should have been done several years ago. It was time they said to him, in effect, āJust quit your bellyaching. Find the job you want or do the job you haveā. I applaud them for it.
As for the contract situation, it is being handled correctly. Let him earn another contract if he wants it. If he canāt get it done he shouldnāt have the contract extended.
The article is pertinent, informative and timely.