Thursday September 17, 2009

Praising the AD

Praising the AD
If you ever criticize when things are bad then you must praise when things go right.

It is not secret that I have criticized the administration when I felt it deserved it over the past few years but this TCU game time switch deserves credit.

So how did this switch come about?

According to a couple of people I talked to in the athletic department, the administration considered a lot of information when they made the original decision but they received such a backlash that they reconsidered.

A lot of times you get politically correct statements in official releases but yesterday Clemson sent out the following statement:

“After further review, we have decided to make this time change,” said Clemson Athletic Director Terry Don Phillips. “This decision to play at 3:30 PM is made to provide balance between our fans that prefer an earlier kickoff time and our fans that prefer a later kickoff time. We look forward to playing an excellent TCU team that is currently ranked in the top 15 in the nation.”

This was what I was told as well but sometimes what happens and what is released can be two different things. However, this is not the case in this situation. Phillips said they did review things further and the decision was a compromise for the fans.

This switch is refreshing because it reaffirms what we already knew. The power is in the people. The reason they have the stadium is for fans and Clemson fans had their say in this matter.

Now, here is the dangerous part. Now the fans have learned that they have are heard and now they have incentive to voice their opinions even more.

In the past few years, so many decisions have been made without the consideration of the fans being a major priority. I see so many examples of the university not giving the fans enough credit and trying to spin things in order to fool some fans.

Don’t get me wrong, sometimes we fans are wrong. However, I would say when there is a line drawn in the sand, I think the administration often loses sight of the little man’s opinion.

Terry Don Phillips has made enough mistakes to last a while. As the athletic director, he should be scrutinized and held accountable for his department’s performance. However, he deserves praise when a good decision is made too.

The fact is that the athletic department is still worried about finances and they need butts to be in the seats for home football games. One athletic department official told me yesterday that a 1 o’clock game against TCU was expected to draw around 70,000 fans. The same official said a 3:30 game could affect the crowd by a few thousand fans.

If I could say one thing to the administration at Clemson it would be a request to be more upfront with the fans. I understand the need for official releases and some politically correctness but the truth is always the best answer. That is what made this release refreshing. They admitted they reviewed the time of the TCU game and made a compromise for the fans.

Sometimes the administration at Clemson does not give the Clemson people enough credit. You should just be upfront and honest. Clemson people see through the spin. Clemson people are real. They are intelligent and they have good instincts. They can tell the difference between sincerity and spin.

However, now the fans have to do their part. The TCU game is was scheduled as a result of the fans original displeasure with this year’s home schedule. The athletic department knew fans were going to be upset with another patsy so they made the TCU game work. The fans have spoken about the game time and the administration responded with their compromise.

So now, Clemson has an opponent that is ranked in the top 15 in the country coming to Death Valley at good time of the day. Now it is time for the fans to show up and support this team against this opponent at this game time. If fans don’t support it then the administration would have less incentive to listen to the next complaint. If the fans come out and support it then the administration would consider bigger non-conference games and 3:30 games more often.

One last note. The TCU game is very attractive because is a ranked team that the Tigers have not played in years. It should be a big game atmosphere and a chance to impress the country. However, Saturday’s Boston College game is much bigger. Boston College is a conference game and a division game. I know the game is at noon but I want to encourage everyone to consider the importance of this game.

I am looking forward to seeing you guys Saturday and next week. This should be pretty interesting watching this season develop with two home games to round out September.

The Brad Hughes All-State Insurance Agency

Prayer List
We have started a prayer list on the blog. Here are the guidelines:
*If you are offended by prayer or prayer lists then I apologize in advance. The blog is free and the prayer list will be on the bottom of the page so you don’t have to read it.
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Those who need our prayers include:
Finn Brookover, Larry in Naples, FL, RTG-Pawsitive Tiger, Mary-Louise Pawlowski (John's daughter), Jo Ann Bachman, Frank Taylor, Kenneth Bryant, Pruitt Martin, Got igers and his family, David Rowland, Leonard Gillespie and his family, Jim S, Christine Hepfer, Daniel Rosborough, Amy Murphey, Jack Huffman, Nancy Winkler, Dr. Nancy Strom Morgan, John Reeve, Eileen Woodrum, Ethel Southard, Vinnie Brock, Jean-Pierre Bailey, Kaitlyn L, Delores Weaver, Eric Boessneck, John Bowers, Jimmy Ness, Susan Miller, Joyce Harley, Steve Proveaux, John Petrey, Chalmers Carr, Drayton Melton, Jeffrey Greene, the Hutto family, Sherl Drawdy, Caleb Kennedy, Ann Fallaw, Bob Pollock.