TigerNet -- Blogs -- Mickey Plyler's Blog

Friday E-Mail Bag
Each Friday I publish your comments and answer your questions. To submit a comment or questions please e-mail me at mickeyplyler@hotmail.com.Good Afternoon Mickey,

Dean,
Thanks for your e-mail. I try not to criticize fans too often and are more sympathetic than critical of the average fan. I also understand that the average message board fan does not speak for the fan base. They are a small minority but have a big voice. But I was disgusted to see some comments by fans about Grady and Colton Walls. On the day they committed they get ripped by fans. This should be the happiest day of their life. They juist made one of the biggest decisions of their lives and they chose to join your favorite school. Instead of celebrating this great day, they get to read awful comments by fans who have never seen them play and know little about them. I would trust your coaches who have evaluated them. I was disgusted by this recently.

I won't try to talk you out of it because you have your mind made up. I know I have a limited amount of times I can watch Clemson football play in my life and I chose to maximize those opportuntiies. Just a difference in opinion. The only thing I will point out is that you are wrong about Cincinnati. Alabama and Texas would have played in the national title game last year because they are bigger programs who started out rankied higher than Cincinnati. The Bearcats had no opportunity to jump them. They were both undefeated and nothing Cincinnati did could have changed that. BTW-Alabama plays San Jose State and Georgia State this season.

Mark,
I agree that thaose guys are great kids. My college roommate walked on and earned a scholarship under Coach Ford and Cpach Hatfield and played mostly special teams so I saw the hard work first hand. However, if I wrote about these guys instead of McDaniel and Bowers then 10,000 people a day wouldn't read the blog everyday. People love big names and big stories. Big picture sells. Just the facts of the industry. People go to movies to see Robert DiNero and Will Ferrell instead of some "nice" actor. That is just the way it is in our country.

Mickey,
The reason so many people don't like these games is because the outcome is pre-determined and thus it becomes a glorified practice. Yes, it's nice to see how different facets of the Clemson team perform, but when we already know the outcome, it's takes a lot of the excitement away from the game. The reason the Auburn game is so huge, is the exact same reason the Presbyterian and North Texas games are so lame. You can't have an Auburn game be huge and not have a Presbyterian game be lame. Comments?

NJTiger,
I view the season as a whole and not individual parts. I liked playing TCU last year but would have rather played North Texas and won ten games instead of nine. The 12th game means an extra game. CLemson will play eight conference games each year. They play South Carolina every year. They play at least one SEC every year for the next 10 years or so. Those are ten very important football games so I don;t have a problem with a couple of breathers. I doubt everyone else has a job where every sales call is the most important one or that every court case is the most important one. Some court cases are speeding tickets and some are murder charges. I have no problem with 10 important games each year and two breathers.

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.
*If you would like to add someone to the list please e-mail me at mickeyplyler@hotmail.com
*If you want the reason for the prayer to be added to the name please specify in your e-mails.
*Please let me know when it is appropriate to take the person off of the prayer list

Those who need our prayers include:
Finn Brookover, RTG-Pawsitive Tiger, Mary-Louise Pawlowski (John's daughter), Jo Ann Bachman, Kenneth Bryant, Pruitt Martin, Got igers and his family, David Rowland, Leonard, Gillespie and his family, Jim S, Christine Hepfer, Daniel Rosborough, Amy Murphey, The Huffman family, Nancy Winkler, John Reeve, Ethel Southard, 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, Carole White Begley, Candee Massee, Lindsey Jordan, Sam Catoe, Tyler Felch, Steve Cato, the Nicolopulos family, Cason Palmer, Scott Jackson, "the Jacksonville, FL guys", Kim Sims, the Coyle familty, Ryleigh Tedder, Steve Lee, Richard Crawford, Kelly Trakas, Jimmy Moore, Steve Williams Jr, Steve Williams III, Kim Thomas, Reid Thomas, Sam Thomas, Linda Wiggs, Emily Claire Young, Dr. Wallace Honeycutt, Stacy Fowler, Kitty Bowers,
Nick Corontzes.

Comments:

Every school in the country plays cupcake games. Get over it already. Rip away.

Posted by CUson1 on August 06, 2010 at 12:42 PM EDT #

seriously. Clemson doesn't have the worst OOC schedule thats for sure. When it looked like boyd was starting, i was glad or schedule had two cupcakes to start. Would you want to throw him on day one into an alabama, of FL st game like recent years?

Posted by TigerNate on August 06, 2010 at 01:14 PM EDT #

i wish i only had to make 12 sales calls a year. if that was the case every single one of them would be extremely important. i'm sure the players would prefer to play big name schools instead of cupcakes.

Posted by hometowntiger on August 06, 2010 at 02:07 PM EDT #

LOL ... Robert DiNero and ... Will Farrell???

Now those are two names you don't normally expect to see listed side-by-side when discussing actors.

Seriously though ... fans only like playing quality OOC teams pre-season.

Most people LOVED seeing TCU on the schedule, until we lost the game.

I'm like you, I'll ALWAYS take a win over N. Texas St. over a loss to TCU.

Posted by apextiger on August 06, 2010 at 02:52 PM EDT #

Kevin... I think Mickey gets misunderstood and I think he misundertands others. Especially those who don't share his same feelings when it comes to the priorities placed on Clemson games. And really, there's no right or wrong. Just opinions.

Mickey has made it clear that the experience of going to a Clemson game is more important than strength of schedule to him. I used to think so too. There was a time when, just like Mickey, I placed no "value" on the quality of opponent. I just anted to be in Clemson. And that's ok. Mickey doesn't have to see it our way. Let him live in that world. No harm/No foul. We all have the right to set our priorities and live with them.

The difference is, 30 years from now, Mickey will have watched more cupcake games over the next few years while enjoying his time spent in Memorial Stadium. You and I will have seen the bigger games AND saved some cash too. I'm good with that.

Posted by RU4GOD2 on August 06, 2010 at 03:02 PM EDT #

I think it's sad when die-hard Clemson fans are unable to get excited for "boring" or "predetermined" games against weaker opponents. Maybe those people have gone to so many Clemson games that the experience has become diluted for them.

I'm not criticizing those who choose to devote their entire Saturday (and for many, their entire weekend) to Clemson football. That's their right to use their time and money that way. But for those who do, I cringe to think of the subset of that group who has to have a night game against a big opponent to get excited.

Why can't all Clemson football games be exciting, simply because they involve our Tigers, playing in Death Valley, preserving our awesome traditions?

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Posted by 211.175.201.20 on August 09, 2010 at 11:05 AM EDT #

I kind of like seeing the Tigers put a good whipping on an inferior team every once in awhile.

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