Messages

61

YSU Penguin Athletics / Re: Wolf's Contract

« on: September 03, 2014, 10:29:27 PM »

Tressel will never coach again.

Wolford should have been fired in November.  The sooner this caveman is gone the better.

62

YSU Penguin Athletics / Re: Penguins Ranked 21st In Preseason FCS Coaches Poll

« on: August 06, 2014, 12:44:21 PM »

I am more staggered someone would call last season "strong".

63

YSU Penguin Athletics / Re: Tressel mentions bringing back wrestling?

« on: May 18, 2014, 07:14:33 AM »

You are totally right on both counts. 

64

YSU Penguin Athletics / Re: Tressel mentions bringing back wrestling?

« on: May 17, 2014, 11:57:46 PM »

He's not an excellent candidate.  He's a football coach. 

And...I'm not over it.  I am looking forward to equally qualified candidates like Ed O'Neill, Ray "Boom Boom" Machini, and Super Fan to apply when Tressel's contract is up.       

As a proud YSU graduate, I could not be more embarrassed. 

65

YSU Penguin Athletics / Re: Tressel mentions bringing back wrestling?

« on: May 17, 2014, 11:06:14 PM »

Glad to see the head gym teacher...I mean university president is concerning himself with important issues.

66

YSU Penguin Athletics / Re: The Tressel Movement

« on: April 12, 2014, 09:01:28 AM »

 
Message to the rest of you, Jim Tressel (we are not a typical university - we are going reinvent ourselves to be what a university should be the 21st century. He is exactly what we need (have him sell naming rights to every door, room, hallway, street, building, sports area etc. - I hear BP is ready and willing to name the new Beegly).  YSU needs to reinvent itself as a real university not a commuter school (you should not be allowed to apply to YSU as a marginal student - go to one of the two local community schools first).  Build new buildings (get the new Nursing School building up), hire correctly (hire teachers/professors from the real world), control the unions (we are 8 million in debt - don't dare ask YSU for more money)  (run off to professors who only exist to write textbooks, and not teach), continue the emphasis on research and development (like the Siemens Project), acquire more land (close off Lincoln Ave., create the new grass mall, etc)! 

This is a tall order for a new President...especially one with no serious executive management experience.  Moreover, I don't understand where in Tressel's past it would indicate he would be able to execute any of the things you describe above other than fundraising.  In fact, the only reason anyone can give as to why Tressel would be a "good" choice is his potential fund raising ability.  If this is true, I think a BS vanity title like he has at Akron or some job in the alumni office is appropriate.  Top job at a university?  Please. 

Beyond that, though, is I don't understand how a school transitions to a "real university" from "commuter school" by hiring "teacher/professors from the real world".  I don't even know what that means.  A "real university" hires the best academics they can slot from the best institutions.  While YSU isn't going to attract Harvard Ph.Ds, you should be able to fill your professor ranks with Ph.Ds from 2nd and 3rd tier graduate programs.  "Real universities" promote scholarship in their teachers.  Book writing, which you seem to dismiss above, is a part of that.  Moreover, YSU professors mainly spend their time in the classroom.  There are very, very few research oriented faculty at this university.  If you think their are, trust me...as someone who has worked at a few universities...YSU professors are first and foremost teachers. 

And...this is the crux of the problem...hiring a football coach to run your university, I feel, would be a giant red flag to actual academics and real university administrators.  Not only would it make me question the competency of the President's Office, but the Regents who thought this was possibly a good idea.  Hiring a football coach to run your university signals to the whole outside world that the decision makers at this institution "give up" and have low expectations for what YSU can be and the kind of employee it can attract.   As an alumni with great pride in my undergraduate institution, I can't accept that.  I just hope the decision makers at the university do not bow to public pressure from a ton of people unqualified to tell you what it takes to run a university by hiring someone unqualified to run a university.     

67

YSU Penguin Athletics / Re: The Tressel Movement

« on: April 12, 2014, 12:17:04 AM »

Tressel appeals to one kind of donor---football fans.  Anyone else would or should be turned off by this hire.  While I am not a big time donor to the university, I am strongly considering withholding any donations to the university if they choose to hire a person with zero credibility in academics or research for the top job at the university.

To Wick's point----I could possibly rally around a non-Ph.D. president, but it would have to come from someone with real executive management experience...not being a football coach.  And, we are all not acknowledging this person was fired from his last major university job for breaking NCAA rules.  Granted, the NCAA is a farce...but it doesn't send a great message as a university that our top boss was once fired for breaking NCAA rules.

I just think the only two school in the country that would possibly consider Tressel's weak credentials are Akron and YSU.  If Tressel applied anywhere else, people would think it was a mistake or a typo.

68

YSU Penguin Athletics / Re: The Tressel Movement

« on: April 11, 2014, 08:28:48 PM »

Well...this is awkward.  The school has to interview him because of his history with the school.  But---he is obviously not at all qualified for the job. 

I love Tressel...but I wish that both schools get a bit of self-respect and drop this silliness.  If one school is going to humiliate itself, I sure hope it is Akron.

69

YSU Penguin Athletics / Re: Wolford gets extension

« on: March 30, 2014, 07:52:43 AM »

Count me as one against the extension.  I know Strollo was painted into a corner with having a lame duck coach and what it would mean for recruiting.  The problem, though, is Wolford has demonstrated his ceiling already.  This guy simply is not a championship level coach.  If you don't see that, you are kidding yourself.  He definitely does a good job getting skilled athletes.  Without getting into the Heacock v. Wolford thing, the Heacock teams looked so slow and badly overmatched in their BCS games.  Wolford's teams look reasonably competitive in these games and, of course, even won one of those games.

Wolford, though, seems to be a homeless man's version of Les Miles.  He gets good players, but is actually kind of stupid and over-emotional on the sidelines.  The team in the Wolford years plays exactly like their coach.  The team is undisciplined, most notably in their sloppy special teams play and problems with blowing leads and winnable games.  I think Wolford is probably well-suited as a coordinator.  He can probably continually produce winning seasons here----just of the 7-4 variety.  I don't think he has the intellect or X and O chops to win 4 playoff games in a row.  I don't see the point in keeping a guy if this is evident already.

70

YSU Penguin Athletics / Re: The Tressel Movement

« on: February 20, 2014, 10:37:43 PM »

Great three page article    Unfortunately, Tressel doesn't really fit the bill on transferable outside experience either.  I know he has some vanity title at Akron and does fundraising.  That's great.  If he is so great at fundraising, put him in the development office.  He has no credibility when it comes to academics or scholarly research.  None.  That's actually what the point of a college is.  Just because Akron is willing to damage it's academic reputation by hiring a football coach as university president, doesn't mean YSU should too.  But---we are talking about the same region of the world that needed federal prison and congressional redistricting to finally stop sending Jim Trafficant to congress.  So, I get where this is coming from...

71

YSU Penguin Athletics / Re: The Tressel Movement

« on: February 20, 2014, 10:12:32 PM »

It's really embarrassing to the region and institution that people would be rallying so hard around someone so unqualified for the job of university president.  Only in NE Ohio can people think a football coach is qualified to run an institution of higher learning.  Tressel's academic credentials barely make him qualified to be an adjunct teacher at the school, let alone president.  It's a joke. 

72

YSU Penguin Athletics / Re: Who is head coach in 2014 ?

« on: November 24, 2013, 03:31:22 PM »

Same record, sure----though Heacock flubbed the golden 1st season with Jeff Ryan's senior year.  Plus, whatever remained of Tressel's kids.  Wolford didn't exactly walk in to the same thing.

As for Wolford, I don't need to see a single thing more.  This program is middle of the pack.  If the AD is happy with that, congrats---because that's what you are going to get.  This guy has maxed out his potential.

73

YSU Penguin Athletics / Re: Who is head coach in 2014 ?

« on: November 24, 2013, 11:08:21 AM »

I sure hope it isn't Mangino.  This guy hasn't gotten a sniff for a HC job since 2009.  Damaged goods.  I'd rather take a shot with a young guy from a lower division or a coordinator from a top program.

74

YSU Penguin Athletics / Re: Beep...Beep...Beep...

« on: November 24, 2013, 10:51:48 AM »

This team has no business in the playoffs.  Getting your butt handed to you in back-to-back home games against other playoff quality teams says all you need to say.  They *may* get in, but that would simply be due to a wildly watered down playoff pool now. 

As for feeling bad for the seniors and they "played well", I am assuming they were on the field the last three weeks, right?  Everything isn't Wolford's fault.

But----this guy shouldn't get extended.  He is too much a former football player.  He sounds dumb as a box of rocks.  Is the program better than it was 4 years ago?  I guess...but I think there is a limit to how far this guy can lead a college program.

75

YSU Penguin Athletics / Re: Scalzo's Vindy Article

« on: November 23, 2012, 07:47:55 AM »

What is "yellow" about this?  I read the two articles on Vindy.com written by this guy on Thursday.  I am not sure which article is referred to here, but I don't see the issue.  The season was a disappointment.  Wolford deserves criticism for the lackluster season.