Derrick Brown Drafted and Stanley Burrell is My New Favorite Person Ever

First things first.  Congratulations to Derrick Brown for being the 40th overall draft pick and going to the Charlotte Bobcats last night.  Being that the Bobcats are consistently bad, this could be a great chance for DBrown to stand out and showcase his talent by winning some serious playing time next year.  I’m hoping this turns out to be the case.  Also, shame on my Cleveland Cavaliers for not picking him up with the 30th pick.  I know they just wanted to waste a pick with a foreign guy they didn’t want to pay, but still.  Shame.

In more controversial news…

Musketeer fan favorite and former guest of the Musketeer Blogosphere Stanley Burrell has been drawing some attention recently via his Twitter page.  Now I’m not a Twitter guy (even though Golfitup has decided to register us on the network) and I know many of you aren’t, but if you are a Muskie fan and you haven’t done so yet, go to Stanley Burrell’s Twitter page and read his recent commentary on D Brown and their former Coach Sean ‘Take the Money and Run’ Miller. 

From what I gather, I guess Burrellwas a little upset with fans leaving negative comments about Derrick and his decision to leave X with one more year of collegiate eligibility left to enter the NBA draft. 

He tweets, “if i recieveone more negative msg about D Brown, i will find a way to block that person. D is chasing a dream! Hes from xu- Support him!!!”

I couldn’t agree with SB more here.  Remember Muskie fans, Derrick was redshirted his freshman year.  He went to Xavier for four years of college, graduated, and put himself in a position to make a good living playing in the most competitive basketball league in the world.  Then Stanley began thinking of the situation that most likely guaranteed an early exit from X…

“Lets face it… SM isnt trying to develop pros. It was all about him! Look ive spoke to SM ONE time since grad. from X. Family huh? NOT! … SM taught me many things that im thankful for. Most recently, this world is cut throat! GET YOURS WHILE U CAN! Wow!”

and my favorite…

“The fact that ive talked to a coach ONE TIME since grad. that i gave my blood, sweat, and tears for(for 4 yrs) is BULLSHIT! I sacrificed (just like the rest of my teammates) for Sean and our team…He made me believe that we were really like family to eachother. when really that was just a scheme to get us all to buy in to the “team system”. He proved me right when i realized we only spoke once for about 15 secs when i attended the temple vs xu home game.”

I love Stanley Burrell.  I didn’t think I could like him any more, but he proved me totally wrong.  I love him like Michael Jackson loved Tiny Tunes (too soon?). 

Stanley Burrell has shown us that in a sports world where the media has gone completely batshit insane and the dollar now proves to be the ultimate prize, there is still some sense of loyalty, passion, and TEAM somewhere.  And that somewhere is in the heart of Burrell himself. 

Stan was obviously hurt by Miller.  Not because he packed his bags and headed out west for a new tax bracket, but for feeding him the same bull s. that every coach feeds every high school kid and their parents in their living rooms.  That they will become a father figure to the player and that the team will become his family away from family.  Well, Stan did the same thing all of us Musketeer fans did when we heard the Arizona Wildcats head coach say that our school was second to none and that he believed he could win a national championship at Xavier.  He believed him.

Way to teach those life lessons Coach D Bag.  Way to teach these kids that in life, no one really cares about you;  they are just using you as stepping stones to further their own personal gains and fortunes without any regard to those they turn their backs on.  The best thing for you to do is to tell people what they need to hear to help you reach your goals then cut ties with them if they are no longer needed.  The more you know…

I’ve heard X fans talk about Miller’s admirable family values and his devotion up until the very second he left us in the Midwest.  They must have been talking about Stanley Burrell, because he is a man that actually has the values Mr. Miller pretends to have. 

If you think Stanley is wrong, that Miller was just doing his job, then you don’t share the belief system of Xavier University.  That we are a family, whether you’re on the basketball team or just living at 3756 Ledgewood.  And you are not welcome at my parties, bitch. 

 

 

The Blogosphere has joined the Twitter ranks…

Let me justify.  I really enjoy the facebook, so I feel as though it would be rather hypocritical for me to turn my nose up at Twitter.  Now I’ve gone and done this without telling my partner in crime Ledgewood because he is very anti-twitter.  But screw him!  However, I just figure this could be a fun way to leave some (hopefully) witty anecdotes that aren’t worth making full posts about on the blog.  So feel free to follow us over at Twitter.  The website is twitter.com/muskieblog. 

Let’s go X!

Mack-Attack

 

A man happy to be our coach.

Any true Xavier fan trusts Mike Bobinski with everything they have.  I think some students need to get on the ball here and make some shirts that read, “In Bobo I trust.”  I know I’d buy one.

From the word go hiring Chris Mack seemed like the logical decision.  The players are behind him, he’s a Cincy guy, and a Xavier grad/man.  And as he mentioned in the press conference today, people thought he was nuts to leave Wake Forest when they were the number 1 team to start the season with Chris Paul.  He left because he wanted to coach in his hometown and his university.   

I find it interesting that almost nothing was found out about other coaching candidates during the search process.  Darrin Horn came out twice and denied being linked to job.  Other than the known interview with Mack nothing else was known about the search.  Bobo made it clear there was a great list of potential candidates who were very interested in the vacancy.  This is why Mike Bobinski is one of the best athletic directors in the country.  

Speaking of Bobo…

Go get some sleep buddy.  Guy’s probably been averaging about 4 hours a night the past month at least.  From being on the selection committee and all the stress that process can incur to traveling to different tournament sites to having to rush back to Cincinnati in order to suddenly try to keep a coach he thought would never leave to then having to undergo a week and a half long coaching search to keep the Xavier machine chugging along.  That’s a tough month to get through.  Do yourself a favor and take a nice vacation, Bobo, because you’ve earned it.  

Filling out the coaching staff, keeping Kevin Parrom on board and Derrick’s decision to turn pro or return for his senior season are the next big things on the horizon for this unexpected tumultuous off-season.

It’ll be awesome to have Brian Thornton on the staff next year in the position of Director of Basketball Operations.  

Some optimism has been preserved for this kid and that’s all I can ask/hope for at this point…

Let’s go X!

BREAKING NEWS!!!

Today at around noon, Sean Miller returned to the Cintas Center and took the dry erase board from the practice court.  The dry erase board included two felt black erasers and rolled nicely on its four-wheeled legs. 

After being with the team for 7 seasons, the dry erase board will now be assisting the Arizona Wildcats in drawing up both offensive and defensive plays including the pick-and-roll, the 3-2 zone, and perhaps even the alley-oop screen.  Coach Miller has denied all rumors that he will actually learn and use any inbound plays with Arizona. 

“It’s going to be sad to see it go,” said Xavier Junior Derrick Brown.  “I didn’t want to believe that it was gone at first, but then I saw Coach Miller loading it into one of his new SUV’s today and it really hit home.” 

 

As of 3:00 PM eastern, there has been no word from Xavier Athletic Director Mike Bobinski if there were any sweet deals on Amazon.com lately or if the search for a new dry erase board has even begun.

It’s official…

My sources allegedly tell me that its speculation that possibly a new suit will be named coach within the next two days!

Woohoo.

A swift kick to the balls….

Because I’m a masochist and a glutton for punishment I watched the press conference to introduce Sean Miller as the new coach at Arizona.  Basically, he lied to us.  And if that’s not a good enough reason to hold him in contempt, then I don’t know what is.  Call me nutty, but I’m just not a big fan of being lied to.  

That press conference was an absolute treat I have to say, ya know, on opposite day.  I mean, my god.  Here’s a quick rundown.  

-Referred to us as “little old Xavier” in the context of all the big state schools within a 3 hour drive of campus.  

-Their AD called us Eggs-avier at least three different times.  

-Said being in the A-10 made it tough for us to have the success we’ve been having.  (As you may remember, this goes completely against his rhetoric that basketball is not like football in that conferences don’t mean as much and that we are all playing for the same goal)  

-Said players are his number 1 priority.  (this would seem to contradict his behavior yesterday in that he allowed the players to find out about his departure from the media.  I don’t care how busy you are taking a new coaching job.  You FIND the time to let the players know you are leaving before they get a chance to hear it form anyone else.  You owe at least that much to them since you lied to them about saying you would be at Xavier for the for seeable future.  I completely understand why Mark Lyons and Jordan Crawford were so pissed yesterday.  And I’m sure other players are just as pissed, but the media didn’t get to see it)

By the way, if you read this blog I would imagine almost all of you have seen this, but here’s the link anyways.  Great rundown of all the events that took place yesterday.   

-Never came out and said it, but it’s ABUNDANTLY clear that Sean does not feel he could accomplish all of his goals at Xavier.  

Like many Xavier fans I bought “Xavier Tales” and devoured it immediately upon it arrival to my doorstep.  The writer, Michael Perry interviewed many former Xavier players, coaches and others associated with the program.  Obviously, Sean Miller was one of those people.  Let’s revisit a passage shall we?

And I quote, “Miller remembers Rogers’ (Dawn Rogers, the then AD) most important question:  Did he believe that Xavier did not have to be a stepping-stone job?  He did.”  I am so sick of the phrase stepping-stone.  

Right after Sean was hired it quotes the players as being “thrilled.”  And after reading a few quotes from the players maybe this is a foreshadowing of things to come for Chris Mack.  Guess we’ll have to wait and see, though I doubt very long.  In Bobinski I trust.  Not that I have much of a choice,  but his track record has been impeccable during his tenure as AD at X.  

Alright, it’s time to at least start the process of moving on after this metaphorical swift kick to the nuts.  It will be a little easier once we have a head coach.  Although I have to say coaches are looking more and more like politicians to me.  Same sweet talk only a different expertise.  

Ugh….

Go Muskies damnitt!

Dear Xavier Fans Who Feel the Need to Thank Sean Miller,

I understand that you are trying to take the classy route.  I understand the clichés of ”being the bigger man,” “taking the high road,” etc.  But pretending you aren’t angry and bottling up emotions is damaging to one’s own psyche.  And for those who say they aren’t angry, bitter, etc., and that say they understand why he made the good business move he did, please read on.

I am no fool.  This was the best business decision Sean Miller has ever made in his life.  He can light  Cubans with hundreds and sip on the best single malt whisky money can buy.  I am not going to try and explain why he should not have accepted the Arizona job.  That would be dumb.  However, I am writing to explain that there ARE, in fact, reasons that you should all be angry with him. 

The man handled this situation better than his homeboy, Thadwick, did.  Congrats Sean, you get an F+.   I know you’ve all read the reactions of our players.  Mr. Miller obviously gave them NO INDICATION WHATSOEVER that this was a possibility at this time.  Just as Thad’s kids did, they found out from the likes of ESPN and such.  As a result, you get reports of Derrick Brown screaming “I ain’t coming back next year,” you have transfers that have seen more coaches than teammates and simply say “This is bullshit,” and who knows what is going to happen with the likes of TuTu, Kenny, etc.  Obviously, reactions like this should be taken with a grain of salt due to emotions being at an all time high,  but this is why as a coach you make sure they FIND OUT FROM YOU, NOT THE EFFING NEWS.  You find the time; I don’t care how busy you are.  I’ve heard X fans talk about how Sean Miller is a great father figure to these kids.  I hope none of you feel that way anymore, because obviously the kids on the team don’t…

You know what else the team had to find out?  That Sean Miller did not believe in them.  In his completely unnecessary and very brief press conference, he said the ultimate reason that made his mind up was because he could win a national title at Arizona.  Immediately after, he removed his foot from his mouth and said you could win one at XU.  If he believes that XU can win, then why not just BE HONEST and tell the team and everyone else that he just couldn’t pass up the paycheck?  And if he doesn’t believe XU can win the NC, well then I think we can all agree that he can go eff himself.

Saying meaningless little lies about why he is leaving in a stupid little press conference isn’t as bad as saying he was going to stay and then leaving (which he did not do), but that is why he gets an F+, not an F.  His actions and words hurt this team.  We can all hope and say that it will only make them stronger, but we don’t know that.  Our recruiting is already up in the air (we can’t be mad at him for that), but the last thing we need is the current roster in turmoil. 

In conclusion, Sean Miller should be hated by all of us X fans.  If you are going to say he gets a pass because it’s just too much money, then he should have saved all the loyalty and going-places talk he fed us in the past.  It should have been business from the start.  That way, you won’t have to make a complete jackass out of yourself in a pathetic press conference talking about following your heart to a place 2,000 miles away from your home.  I mean, how many times did we hear him say that we are not a mid-major, that this is a destination-type job for any coach?  It is true that he did not lie to us and say he would stay here.  But he buttered us up and fed us enough bull ess just as bad as any politician.  And that is BAD. 

I urge you all to never again buy into the fluffy hope that a coach tries to instill in us, and just focus all loyalty to the colors on the jerseys, to the students going to battle for those colors and for you, and to all of us that pay in some way to be a part of Xavier Universtiy, not to those that GET PAID to do so.  Remember that the man on the sidelines is just a suit, trying to further his coaching career and to move elsewhere as soon as the price is right. 

Depression has set in…..

The five stages of grief is a commonly known theory that explains the emotions a person goes through after experiencing a loss in his or her life.  Currently I am chin deep in the denial waters.  I just can’t believe he left.  I thought he was different.  I thought he would at least be here to see the culmination of his first five years as a head coach.  Next year is suppose to be THE year for Xavier.  Now, it all is up in the air.  

He even said it as much.  Im paraphrasing, but he said something along the lines of “Next year has all the makings of a special season for Xavier.”  Now he turns his back on it all and goes thousands of miles west to take over a program that for all intensive purposes hasn’t been recruiting for two whole seasons.  I don’t necessarily wish failure upon him but I sure as Hell won’t be losing any sleep if that’s what it comes to out west.  

Never again.  Never again will I trust anything a college coach says.  Even though every fiber of my being will want to.  

In the end, what  I want to believe will happen and what will actually happen are two things that are hard to separate.  I wanted to, nay, DID believe Sean Miller when he said Xavier is a school he does not look upon as a “stepping-stone” job.  

Honestly, I am in shock.  Call me naive if you want to.  But I just refused to allow myself to think he would take the job out west.  Ugh, why do I care so much?

I’m gonna go have a beer.

Let’s go X!

Dear Sean Miller,

If your heart can change overnight, then so can mine. 

I hope your plane gets safely to Arizona.  And then I hope you fail so miserably next season that they run you out of the dry heat in no time at all.  I know it’s a lot of money, and that there are some Xavier fans that are wishing you well and telling you that they have no hard feeling toward you because, hey, who could turn down that much money?  But not me. 

This is how I see it:  If you have no use for me and for my school, then I have no use for you.  I hope the door does, in fact, hit you in the ass on the way out.  In fact, get out of Cincinnati now.  We’ll send your things. 

You are leaving a Final Four team that you in turn are letting down.  The only difference between you and your best buddy Thad is that he told us that he wasn’t going anywhere and then did, but you were too much of a coward to face anyone and say anything.  But not saying anything is just as bad as being dishonest to me.  So kindly eff off. 

Your dishonesty has gotten Xavier fans’ hopes up that there was someone in the sports world with some loyalty.   Thank you for reminding us that every professional in sports is a whore and a liar. 

Here’s to never seeing you again,

Jason Philip Martynowski

Oh Well…

When Coolio shot that ball with about 50 seconds left on the clock, I was relieved.  I actually vocally let out a “Yessss!” because Derrick Brown had a hand in his face, he was just about at NBA-range, and someone obviously replaced the regulation-sized rims with smaller ones for the second half.  I mean, no one was hitting anything for either team.  There was NO WAY that ball was going in, yeah?

Oh well…

It was one hell of a shot.  And then it was one hell of a defensive play.  Add one more cliched “what-if” for X fans with D Brown just barely stepping out of bounds after a defensive stop whislt up by 2 with 1:30 left to play.  But it happened,  and Pitt took advantage of a mistake when it mattered the most.  They won, they deserved to win, and they deserve their very first Elite Eight appearance, because Greg Oden didn’t push anyone into the third row right before it happened. 

Despite what EVERYONE but X fans said it would be, this was a very evenly-matched game.  Both teams played tremendous defense.  Kenny Frease’s defense appeared to have improved ten-fold and is enough to get me already thinking about October.  Part of me wished Coach gave him more minutes in the second half just to get that big Massilon-bred body of his in front of Blair, who appeared to just steam-roll through whoever had position on him for something like 107 rebounds I think it was. 

Speaking of the second half, why did we have to have a half time last night?  We would have won by 20 if we skipped that nonsensical break after 20 minutes.  That was the sexiest defense I have ever seen.  Stupid dumb basketball rules… I mean as soon as the new 20 minutes began, the Muskies forgot how to hold onto the ball and we began seeing the silly turnovers that was there for a lot of this season.  Combine that and the ball just not going in for about 8 minutes and the momentum was officially out the effing window.

The thing about this game that bugs me is that even with the lack of offensive execution, X still could have won.  It was ours to lose.  Personally, I blame the economy.

Anysway, my heart goes out to our BJ and CJ.  These guys were on a mission in the first half of this game, willing us to a comfortable lead at the break.  It’s always tough to see your seniors go out in their last effort, but thus is the life of a college basketball fan… unless your an Ohio State fan (which probably means you didn’t go there).  Then you just watch your underachieving 7 footers leave EVERY year. 

Well, I lost about 5-6 years of my life watching this game.  My heart was lifted and then dropped like those ridiculous rides at amusement parks that I do not go on.  I lost more hair and I flipped off some old guys who were mockingly cheering for Pitt because myself and the other X fans were cheering so loudly for our boys (classy, I know).  But this was another great experience for Xavier, and there are many positive things to come away with after this season.

I just really wanted to post this picture.

Who would have thought we were going to make it this far and have a great chance to beat the no. 1 seed in the third round?  What that says to me is that we can now all EXPECT this team to be there every year.  And what that also means is that we undoubtedly  have one of the best coaching staffs in the NCAA, PERIOD.  Making the tournament was all we asked from this team.  They got us another A10 Championship, earned a 4 seed to the dance, and made it into the Sweet Sixteen again.  XU will never be Cinderella again.  Not with the formula we have.  We are all witnessing this program advance to another level before our very eyes.  We are obviously not among the very elite of the field, but we are not that far behind.  There are many in our rear view mirrors, and they are getting further behind. 

So here’s to the best program in Ohio.  I can’t wait to dance next year.