The Sock 'Em, Bust 'Em Board Because that's our custom

Not Friday, but here’s Feedback

November 18, 2009 by Mike Casazza

Bill said:

Good point Alli, however, I think we would all love to at least have a hint of what’s going on….at least know if he is done for the year or will come back. Knowing that small little nugget will make me feel a lot better.

CASAZZA – I hope you are planning on a little more basketball coverage this week? I know its still really early, but since I haven’t seen our first two games, can we get some more insight aside from Jennings being a beast? How is practice going? What’s up with Mazzula? How is Truck looking? Any news on Tobias Harris? You haven’t even commented on the 7-footer who signed with us the other day out of Mountain State Academy.

Let’s start with Mr. Ebanks …

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Is it time for a PSA?

by Mike Casazza

NCMountaineer said:

This is a sad day in the history of the blog. This blog is the only place left where thoughtful, rational Mountaineer fans can come and discuss all issues WVU. There have been plenty of disagreements, but its always respectful. If somebody disagrees with a coach or a decision, regular contributors to the blog don’t go on childish rants, curse, or resort to name-calling.

The same garbage that almost make the articles on the main page unreadable have somehow leaked here. I’m sure that the people on the recruiting sites’ message boards will welcome you with open arms. Those sites are overrun with like-minded people.

Mike, I know that you really can’t do much about it, but I hope your blog can stay above that kind of nonsense. You do a great job with the blog, and I’m sure everyone here is very appreciative of the work you put into it.

I think it was thacker that posted that “The fan base is this athletic program’s largest albatross.” Couldn’t agree more…

Here’s an example of a respectful disagreement: I can do something about it. I’ve operated this thing with one rule. Everyone is welcome to contribute so long as the contributions are welcome. It’s never been a problem.

Yesterday, in one post in particular, we went in a new and strange direction. I don’t censor or edit comments. I don’t encourage or discourage comments. I don’t because I don’t want to. Not that it’d be hard, but it’d make it far less genuine. This has always been open to anyone and everything and contributions always made it a pretty neat place to acquire and discuss your sports news.

Some of the stuff yesterday — and I’m not talking about being critical of Stewart and the program or questioning how I do my job — needs to go away. You can ask questions of, raise issues about or openly critique and make fun of the things we follow. Please, though, do it with a certain maturity. People — and I mean “People” — read this and take some of the stuff pretty seriously because it’s rational and thoughtful. It can make you think or laugh or nod your head in agreement or disagreement. This just isn’t a place to call commenters names or to call out commenters for one reason or another or act like an raving lunatic. There are places for that. You can take it there and fit right in, but it does not and will not fit here.

Just a reminder: Everyone is welcome to contribute so long as the contributions are welcome.

Marv Robon was not considered

November 17, 2009 by Mike Casazza

You should recognize the newest member of WVU’s Board of Governors.

At last, our long local nightmare is over

by Mike Casazza

Rebecca Durst will resume her duties as Mountaineer mascot.

The awkward waiting game

by Mike Casazza

Poor Big East. Can’t catch a break. Both of its conference championship hopefuls get through tough games, but each comes with an officiating asterisk.

(I watched the Notre Dame-Pitt finish from a bar and the sound was off and the game was on one of five televisions in the room and I was frantically spinning around going, “Did anyone else see that? Isn’t that an awful call? Does Notre Dame get the timeout back? Is this happening? Are the announcers saying anything?”)

Now, no matter what happens these next two weeks, Pitt and The U.C. will play Dec. 5 for the Big East title. But, oh, what can happen these next two weeks.

WVU can beat Pitt. The Bearcats, who could really stand to get away from home and all the cozy reminders of how good they are, could lose at Nippert to Illinois. Both teams could come into Dec. 5 with blemishes. One might have a shiner and one might be shining. Both might be streaking.

Yet these next two weeks are overall irrelevant and if one- or two-loss Pitt beats unbeaten or one-loss Cincinnati — and vice versa — that team takes the league title. Amazing. Not unprecedented, though. WVU pounded UConn after Thanksgiving in 2007 to win the Big East title and then … never mind.

Onto the rankings.

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Upon further review

by Mike Casazza

Bill Stewart and WVU will apparently do nothing to get an explanation/admission of guilt from the Big East regarding Friday’s fumble recovery-turned-touchdown. 

“I have no comment on someone who made a judgment that maybe differs from my judgment,” Stewart said.

That’s been Stewart’s practice all year and, in honesty, there shouldn’t be a big issue with that. He is who he is, but the Big East already has procedures in place to assess such matters. If necessary, the conference will address the call, either publicly or, more likely, in private. It doesn’t do Stewart much good to bring light to an issue that’s already had a lot of light brought to it.

Then again, wouldn’t it be neat to see him fly off the handle once, just for principle?

Stewart was asked, however, to bring a little light to the back-to-back kickoff procedure penalties …

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Dan Jennings will kill you now

November 16, 2009 by Mike Casazza

“I was on the bench and we started losing and Coach Huggins called a timeout and he was screaming and I really took that to heart,” Jennings said. “Those guys were nothing compared to the guys in the Big East. We needed to go out there and kill them. Every game I should be killing everyone.”

I’m pretty sure I said this before — and I’m not bragging; I’m simply reminding you — but you’re going to like Dan Jennings. He might scare you a little (see above) but he may also excite you.

A lot.

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Texts from Cincinnati Game Day

by Mike Casazza

Good Monday to you. How about a Yackety Sax-less edition of Texts From Game Day? I’ll let you guess what two specific moments of the game generated the most (emotional) texts.

This will be a game, years from now, remembered for the perplexing fumble/touchdown reversal and the bizarre ending in which WVU decided to go for it on fourth-and-8 after a strange run play on third-and-9 while trailing 21-14 at the Cincinnati 25-yard line.

A few other things stand out, as you’ll see below. I understand this could be the complete opposite of therapeutic, but maybe it’s not. I really hope it helps. When you get that feeling, you want textual healing

(7:48 PM): This place is like our old stadium!

(7:59 PM): Nippert Stadium looks like Pony Lewis Field

(8:04 PM): Jesus hold the wheel! We need a miracle!

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WVU reacts to the reversal

November 14, 2009 by Mike Casazza

A friend dared me to write that Chad Ochocinco was seen bribing officials at Nippert Stadium Friday night. Another said I needed to mention they do sell beer at Nippert and that’s the only way to possibly explain the reversal. Or is it The Reversal? And does this connect to The Curse?

Irregardless (!), this is big, so let’s address it right now.

Three immediate press box reactions to Isaiah Pead’s “touchdown” run in the second quarter Friday night.

1. “Touch–did he lose the ball?”
2. “What a swing!”
3. “Ooohh … they’re gonna review that.”

From there, we were perplexed. We stared at the monitor, angled our heads, squinted, blinked and sighed. I think a few even jutted jaws and bowed backs. This was serious.

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Open post for your two cents

November 13, 2009 by Mike Casazza

bearcat

My God, that doesn’t look intimidating. These Bearcats on the turf at Nippert Stadium — they sell beer! — are a frightening outfit, though. Noel Devine is warming up as are Cincinnati’s two quarterbacks. We have a new backup Mountaineer on the sideline, Brock Burwell. RJB is on the way. We even have some bowl reps in the press box — the Sugar and the International. Read into that what you will.

Deep breaths, everyone. We’ll talk soon …