Friday Email Bag

by Mickey Plyler - Radio Host - Fri Mar 17 08:13:54 GMT-04:00 2017

Friday Email Bag

Each Friday I publish your comments and answer your questions. To submit a comment or questions, please email me at mickeyplyler@hotmail.com.

Mickey

I have not seen a "Mickey Plyler" column since late February. Are you still contributing?

Luther

Luther,

It has been a while. I have had a bunch of things going on, but mainly I have been sick as a dog. I went to New York for the ACC tournament and had a food allergy that was a big health scare. It knocked me down for over a week. The plan is to write at least three blogs a week this spring and summer. Thanks for asking.

Mickey,

Our athletic director made a huge mistake when he put such a huge buyout clause in Coach Brownell's contract. Only put such a clause in there if other programs wanted him as their coach. This was a very poor move on his part.-David

David,

Buyouts are tricky. They are like insurance policies. If we knew the future, we could plan accordingly with insurance policies. I don't think they envisioned the program stagnating when they originally drafted the new contract. Hindsight tells us it looks like a bad investment.

Hi Mickey,

I will be taking my 5-year-old son to the spring game on April 8, this will be the first time I've ever attended the spring game. I've been told tickets are free. Do you just show up and walk into the stadium or do you reserve specific seats for example? I would obviously love to get the best seats possible. I assume this means to get there early. And other than the game, is there anything else going on at Clemson that I should know about? I am already aware of the baseball game at 5:30 against VT, so I am mostly referring to "fan-friendly" events for the football team. Thanks for any info you can provide.

Thanks,

Will

Will,

In the past, there have been no tickets. They just open the gates, and you can sit where you want. Obviously the earlier you get there, the better seat you can get. In the past, they have had the "Sons of Clemson" Bowl. It is flag football for former Clemson lettermen and is pretty entertaining. I would check out ClemsonTigers.com the week of the spring game to see who will play and what other events will be surrounding the spring game. Hope you guys have a great weekend.

Mickey,

Clearly the men's basketball team at Clemson has been a disappointment for several years and there are fundamental questions that no doubt will or need to be answered. Some of these questions are should basketball at Clemson be held to a lower standard than other sports? Why is it possible to have championship caliber teams in football, baseball, soccer, golf, track and field but not basketball? Why is it harder to recruit talented basketball players than it is in other sports? Is the supposed difficulty in recruiting a cop out? Why would Clemson spend $60 plus million on it's basketball arena if there were no expectation of winning and playing for championships that matter?

If BEST is the standard at Clemson, that should apply to all things Clemson.

Andy

Andy,

I think the last thing we need to do is lower expectations. If anything I think we need to raise expectations. The problem is we always make excuses about how hard it is to win here. I say we demand better and expect to win at the highest level.

There are several factors to Clemson's past failures in basketball. Mainly they did not hand out a full allotment of scholarships in the first decade they were in the ACC. Basketball was not a priority when Coach Howard was the AD, and they have been playing catch-up since.

The rural setting hurts a little in basketball. Many top prospects come from more urban environments, but mainly it is the lack of tradition. Clemson is not considered a basketball school and recruits sense this.

Yes, these are cop-outs and excuses. It is time to stop the excuses.

I have had conversations with Dan Radakovich, and he has convinced me that he wants to win in basketball. Littlejohn was the first step to giving the program full support.

The Brad Hughes All-State Insurance Agency

src="https://2cic.b-cdn.net/t/ads/plyler/allstate_logo.gif" border=0>

border=0>

Prayer List

The prayer list is a medium for our community to recognize those that are in need. If you would like to add someone to the list, please email me at mickeyplyler@hotmail.com. Please let me know when it is appropriate to remove a person from the list.

Those who need our prayers include: Jo Ann Bachman, Kenneth Bryant, Pruitt Martin, Got Igers and his family, David Rowland, Leonard, Gillespie and his family, Jim S., Daniel Rosborough, the Huffman family, Nancy Winkler, John Reeve, Vinnie Brock, Kaitlyn L., Susan Miller, Joyce Harley, Steve Proveaux, Jeffrey Greene, the Hutto family, Sherl Drawdy, Caleb Kennedy, Teresa O'Connor, Matt Jacobs, Perrin Seigler, Candee Massee, Lindsey Jordan, Sam Catoe, Tyler Felch, the Nicolopulos family, "the Jacksonville, FL guys," Kim Sims, the Coyle family, Ryleigh Tedder, Steve Lee, Kelly Trakas, Jimmy Moore, the Thomas V. family, Emary Claire Young, Kitty Bowers, Julie Locke, the Scheider family, Lauren Kittles' family, Frank Gentry, Stacey McKeown, Dale Childs, Larry Lentz, Jr., Carl Sharperson, Scott Hannon, William Perry, Tyler Swaney, Lillian, Mark Feit, David Frame, the family of Matthew M. Watson, the Dowis family, Alan Putnam, the Olivers, Lee Tate, Ronnie Abrams, Eddie Greene, the Jackson family, Bill Vader, Jim Taylor, Tina DeWitt, Rock Horne, Bobby Wayne Thomas, Emma and Danielle Carothers, Robert Ditty, Mr. and Mrs. Murray Smith, Millie Heatley, Lynn Martin and family, Michael Pinson, Jake David family, Angie Crowley, Ira,Poly Wells, Dr. Muriel Bishop, Jack Cunningham, Emily Jefford Meister, Zachary Stoller, Aaron Clackum, Pat James, Cortney Moore, William Moore, Angelia and Savannah Anderson, William Ross, Scott Johns, Frank Carroll, Brandon Thompson, Alvin Sammons, Georgine McAlhaney, Glen Davis, Mike Price, Aaron Knight, Danielle Johnston and family, Nicholas Abrams, Lana Kuykendall, Gary, Gary G., William Huggins, Jim Bennett, Chantz Fowler, Ethel McElveen, Michele Gurganus, William Gentry, Lewis Usher and Tanya Sanders, Shon Cooper, Nick Collins, Amanda Peake, Chip Turner, Nick Collins, Allen Steen, the Sturkey family, the Lance family, Nick Chrisley's family, Allison Williams, Lt. Kyle Walker, Summer and Joel Johnson, Nicole O'Donnell, James O. Johnson, Joy Pruett and family, Bill Schmidt, Jack Bailey, Gardner Family, Charles Turner, Kathy Bartholomew, Ray Sanders, David and Robin Blocker, Kenneth Kowe, Lauren Sielicki, Jenna Phipps, Mark Lawrence, Jonathan and Jacki Sullins, Peter Laboy, Kat and Carlisle Jones, Elizabeth Galloway and family, Anita McDonald, Willard Harryman, Liz Surratt, Molly Senn, Jackie Shearer, Richard Sellers, Tim Drisdelle, Dawson Bourne, Susan and Mike Brown, Julie Goodman Marshall, Willard and Dorothy Harryman, Justin Jernigan, Jack Cunningham, Mia Daughtery, Skylar, Joseph Thomas, Mrs. Nelis, Jeanne Thompson, Sean Rowell, George Parker, Levon Kirkland and family, Catherine Sewell, Randy Davenport, David Vaughn, Keith Dalton, B.T., Bill Hilbig, Rita Elrod Hammond and family, Jim McKeller, Tony Alewine, Sharon Storck, Richard Bagnal, Dustin and Brittany Peurifoy, Jan Allan, Gregg and Sylvia Lewis, Travis Hamrick, Kaki Harmon, Jammie McKellar and babies, Karen Edwards, Jackson Lindsey, Cathy Hutson Gregg, Kristin Heckman, Jennifer Johnson, Lyndsie Johnson, Emily Davis, Hayes Davis, Judy Towe, Johnny Towe, Ken Brown, Elaine Brown, Rhonda Thompson, Tim Davis, Jacob Greinke, Jack Finley, Richard and Clara Crawford, Israel, Frankie Allen, Bobby Allen, the Wessinger family, the Parsons family, Todd Price and family, Rosemary A Flynn, Dr. Mickey Shealy family, Mr. Gillespie, Bobbi Nicholson, Dr. Matt Stower, Tyler Kemmerlin, Parks Hutto, Patrick DeStefano, Robert Summerville, Michelle Richey, Julie Moore, Ashley Fitch, Drew Moore, Allison Williams, Nicholas Wickiser, Hammond Family, Elaine G. Duvall, Addison Grace, Bennie Cunningham, Kevin Orcutt, Alan Finley, Keith Wells, Steve Byrd, Jessica Hernandez, Wayne Mullins, Rita Alexander, Tony Osterman, family and friends of Gary Cooper, Derk Denton,Tim Vacek, Mike Vacek, Phil Compton, Alma Jean Sullivan, Lindsey Motley, Riley Cook, Dwayne Wood, Eileen Haslam, Larry Nimmons and family, Annie Gregory, Amy Black, Will Black, Sam Smith, Dixon Family, Jamie Skalski, Joe Lazorik, Mark Smith, Rene' Nelson, R. Bruce Harnage, Norris Brown and family, Tanner Cain, Avery Cain, Ted Wilson, Sandra Wilson, Leoffels family, Wren Jansen, Gail Culbreth, and our great country and the men and women in uniform that protect and serve it every day, plus their families.