Weekend Rumblings (1/26-27)
Eddie Sutton telling you “it’s not about getting to 800″ is like Barry Bonds telling you he’s never lied.
Sutton’s San Francisco men’s basketball team lost (again), a 79-57 defeat to no. 24 St. Mary’s on Saturday, leaving the elder Sutton (still) one win shy of 800.
Sutton’s position is a temporary post, but the mere fact that Sutton, a recovering alcoholic who’s resignation was forced upon him at Oklahoma State, accepted the interim position I take issue with:
1. Oh how many times do we hear it … my performance wouldn’t have been possible without my teammates … the most important thing was getting the win, my numbers are only a small part to the puzzle … I show up in the stat sheet but how about so-and-so hustling and bustling after loose balls every possession … Why then is this about two wins (that apparently, are tough to come by) to add to a resume already established? A resume where 800 wins is bolded and a DUI charge and a two-car accident that he helped create is in the fine print? I wish Sutton could tell me something like the above and do so convincingly. He could start by not being at the helm of an interim program with no direction, but at a program where two wins is as likely as Rasheed Wallace getting a technical after a no call.
2. I’m all for second chances, but this type of second chance is absurd. This second chance is about a record book, not about “working with young men.” This second chance is about clearing his name from a could-be-worse automobile accident on his behalf. This second chance is about Eddie Sutton. Not the game of basketball. Not the young men he claims to be invested in. And certainly not San Francisco basketball. At least Bobby Knight had a purpose when he took the Texas Tech job.
3. If Sutton wanted to coach again, no problem. But to accept an interim job at San Francisco is unfair. Coaches coach to leave a mark, to leave a legacy and above all, devote everything they have to a university for an extended period of time (of so they hope). Sutton went in with “two wins” written his chest and “get out” written on his back.
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| Two wins? That’s all I ask for. |
4. Again, all for second chances, but how do you feel if you’re forced-out former USF coach Jessie Evans, who’s replacement was basically announced via ESPN before he had notified? And then you see who this replacement is … and it’s Eddie Sutton? You picture Evans: “I never drank and drive. I never cheated. And boy, I never accepted a position midway through a season, at age 70, for the sole purpose of self-gratification.”
5. How about the USF administration … hats off to them for creating a stir and media frenzy around their miserable program, and screwing a guy that you know, was honest. Too bad college basketball is a media conglomerate run by unethical individuals that forget about those that treat each other and
Sutton goes for the big win against Santa Clara tonight. (Insert sarcastic remark here.)