Mickey Plyler's Blog for June 2

by Mickey Plyler - Radio Host - Fri Jun 02 12:21:17 GMT-04:00 2006

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On Friday’s we publish your e-mail to let others read your opinion and I answer your questions.

Mickey:

You probably get a lot of suggestions for blog topics, but I wanted to offer up something for your consideration. In February, we had Jeff Davis come down to speak to the Clemson in the lowcountry group.

Jeff did his normal sensational talk before a group of 60 or so alumni and friends. Obviously the topic came around to money and he asked that people give to help build championships and to give to help in the development of young people like himself when he was a student athlete. He asked people to give - not for tickets and parking, but for championships and people.

His message struck my wife and me. You know, so many Clemson people are waiting around for "them" to get these facilities done. They are waiting for the "Big Money" to give the millions it takes for us to compete today. They are waiting and wondering why IPTAY hasn't got this thing done already, all the while complaining about one thing or another.

I'm not a "big money" man. I'm not a multimillionaire. We have been very blessed with my business but I can't stroke a check for a million

dollars. But his message hit home with me. My wife and I have pledged $50,000 towards the west end zone over the next 5 years. What if 1,000 people would give $50,000? That's $50,000,000! 1,000 people!

I get sick of people saying Clemson can't raise the money because our alumni base is too small, or we don't have a medical school or we don't have a law school - BS! Those are excuses.

Way too many Clemson people are giving for the wrong reasons, giving the minimum amount to keep their seats and parking and figuring "they" will get the money for the thing sooner or later.

In my opinion IPTAY does not have the proper resources to facilitate huge capital campaigns. I don't know many people who have been approached by IPTAY to donate to the WEZ. And I know plenty of people who could do what we did.

It's time for people to give to the point where it might hurt a little if you want to build championships!

Anyway, I'm not writing this to brag about my donation, and I would appreciate you never mentioning my name, I just thought you might be able to help the cause if you feel like it is appropriate to bring up the topic in a blog.

Lowcountry Tiger Fan,

Thank you!!!!!!!!!!!! I have never heard it said any better. Jeff brings a great message and hopefully more will hear it. It is about people not tickets. It is about championships not parking. Thanks so much for your generosity.

Mickey,

Why was Clemson the away team in baseball in the ACC tournament a couple of times when they were the #1 seed? David

David,

Coin flip. What a nice way to decide such an important deal.

Mickey,

First of all I enjoy reading your blog, and looked forward to reading a new one everyday. You said that Clemson is set at running back for a few years which I agree with, do you see any problems with playing time for all these running backs?

Keep up the great work

GO TIGERS!!!!! Rob

Rob,

I had Clemson running back coach Burton Burns on my show Thursday and he said you could never have enough running backs. Burns said injuries and situations would present each of the four backs with an opportunity. LSU has knee injuries problems. UGA has had a ton of talent and a ton of injuries at the position. It makes sense to have four guys ready at all times. Plus each has something they do well and that may help them in different situations.

No one could've said it better; let's enjoy that ACC championship in baseball; great job on the blobs

Donnie

Donnie Baseball,

I am now looking forward to the regional but I hate it when fans don’t enjoy the success. Take time to smell the roses every now and then. That was a great ACC tourney.

Mickey,

I think you should find a ghost blogger for the weekends. They are just very good. I look forward to them every day

Mark in Charlotte

Mark,

I doubt we could find someone who types worse with the bad grammar and spelling like me. Thanks for the kind words. Maybe we can have one of our interns do a weekend blog.

Thanks for the insightful information contained in your blogs. I have one comment I’d like to make. I've been attending Clemson games since my youth in the early 80's and have witnessed some awesome games played at Death Valley and else where, but by far the most exciting game that I have ever seen was last years game against Miami at home. For the first time ever, I could feel the lower deck swaying, and the high pitch frequency of the fans cheering brought goose bumps to my body. I have never heard Memorial stadium that loud. It was so loud that on one of the final plays of the game the quarterback from Miami got sacked on his own 15 or so yard line on third down which gave Clemson the chance to send the game to overtime. The fans help make games like those, and from prior experience, boost the excitement for the players. If we can have turnouts like those, with that kind of excitement, we might can send our players off on the road to those many tough road games this year with something to remember, coming home undefeated!! By far my best experience in Clemson! Paw Power, Shaun Spartanburg

Shaun,

I agree. I have been to some loud venues like the Swamp and Sanford Stadium. I have also been to some very loud games at Clemson. But never have I heard a football crowd like that one for the Miami game. Hopefully we will hear more like that one on the future. Thanks for the input.

Hello Mickey, I want to hear your opinion on Coach Bowden. In my mind, I think Tommy can duplicate Danny Ford’s tenure and more, I wouldn't put it past him to do what his father has done at FSU. Us as a whole should not be placing him on the chopping block every time we loose. We need to look at what he is doing and I believe we aren't that far from a BCS bowl and perhaps more. Look at our players, when is the last time we had the running backs or the quarterbacks we have? We should be glad we have him, and i hope he builds his dynasty here at Clemson. Instead of the booing and downing him, we need to let him know as fans and as alumni that we see what he is doing here and we want hi to stay. After all, isn't the coach at Texas the same one UNC fired a few years back????

Mac Brown left UNC and was not fired but you make a good point. I think Clemson is closer to what you and I want in a program. The staff is very excited about the future. They seem to have things going very well right now. Tye next few years at Clemson could be extremely exciting. I think Bowden has done a great job considering the league and what he has had to work with. As the facilities improve then they will continue to get better.

You printed an e-mail in your May 26th Blog from a guy named Brian who is in favor of playing the ACC Baseball Tournament in Fenway.

In his e-mail, Brian tried to justify why he thought Fenway would be successful; part of his argument was "Lets say BC gets 40,000 for the tournament which Jacksonville got roughly." Well, I don't know where Brian got his numbers, but the attendance last year was roughly 66,000 - that equates to 4,125 per game, a far cry from his claim of 2,500 per game. For the 2006 tournament, attendance should top 70,000 for 15 games, which is almost 4,700 per game - almost double the 2,500 figure that Brian is using for Boston.

I don't think Boston is a good choice - it's a long trip for most fans, the hotels are very expensive compared to other choices, and it likely won't be supported well by locals.

Just my .02 worth.

Mike

Mike,

Thanks for your thought. We will see if it is successful but like you, I doubt it will be.

Mickey-Wow, people have gotten pretty offended about that parking lot comment. My question to you though is concerning the depth at the running back position. With so much talent back there do you foresee any griping or emotions that may affect the performance of these guys? From what I've gathered, they're all pretty decent guys, but that could change in the quest for "fortune and glory." It seems that everyone is talking about Clemson running the ball a heck of a lot this year, but I think the passing game is going to be great too. No way a Tommy Bowden team will rely too heavy on the run. The blog is great, I’m looking forward to it all summer!

Brent in Abbeville, SC

Brent,

The parking lot deal is one where people are being selfish. I would walk ten miles a day if it meant Clemson could be more successful. See above about the running back question asked earlier but I know Burton Burns will have them ready when their number is called.

As an alum living in Knoxville, every once in a while there is something newsworthy that comes out of here that is related to Clemson athletics. Your earlier note on Brent Shaeffer probably didn't go far enough in explaining some of the disciplinary problems he had here in Knoxville. There were at least two (reported) assaults that he was involved in; one was caught on a dorm security camera. He is truly a great athlete, but seems to have some anger management issues. Though he could have come in and let Korn sit out a year to learn the system better, my personal opinion is we made the right choice by staying away from him. He'll most probably make a very good SEC QB with a coaching system.

Kenny

Kenny,

Thanks for the info. I did not want to get too much into it but I would take Korn’s character over Schaffer. Thanks again.

I just recently read your blog regarding SEC qb's, and I really was surprised. Let me start by saying, I am a SC fan. However, I am relatively objective when evaluating SC's talent etc. By no means do I think Blake Mitchell is a pro qb or a great or even good college qb, but I think he does a good job for what is asked of him. Having said that, you rated a qb not on campus that was at best avg at UT, you rated a UT qb who was HORRIBLE both when watching him play and statistically, and you rated an Ark soph who as a frosh was very very poor. I have no issues with Cox. However, the qb situation at three of the schools you ranked better than Blake not only have situations where each qb you referenced might not be a started, but in every instance, the qb's didn't beat out Blake in wins nor stats. I can understand to some degree if you factored in depth...but I still think Blake should have been higher. I can also understand if you factored in improvement from last year to this year...but you have to give first year starter in new system Mitchell the same respect. The funny part is that I am lobbying for a avg to a little bit above avg qb.....the fact that he is in the conversation indicates just how poor the SEC qb 's are this year. There is a total lack of quality. In any case, I have always respected your views, but this particular opinion to me came across as very biased, which I have typically not associated you with. Thanks for your time.

Gamecock,

Maybe I have not explained the rankings well enough. I am ranking the entire QB situation. The reason UT is higher is because I love Crompton. He is one of the most talented QBs I have ever seen. I think Mustain will be the signal caller for Arkansas. Please do not look just at the starters and instead look at the entire position situation.

Mick,

Thanks for the feedback. Any thoughts about the offensive line after the2006 season? I participate in a discussion board and one of the other guys things Clemson will be hurting on the OL in 2007. Not sure if I agree with this assessment as playing time in 2006 can prepare someone as a starter in 2007. Your thoughts?

Kirk

Kirk,

I am not sure if Barry Richardson comes back but if he does he will be the left tackle. At the other tackle will be Corey Lambert. The guards should be Pilgrim, Austin, Grant and McDuffie so they should be very good. Humphries will take over at center and be a good one. This group will lack experience but will be talented.

Hey Mickey,

I am an avid listener to your show and have called occasionally to disagree with you on certain points regarding Florida State. I have heard on your show and other local shows on 104.9 really praise Charlie Whitehurst over the years and really bash Chris Rix (and for good reasons at times). I looked on the internet and compared their career totals. I think they were up to date; you might want to check on these. They are very similar.

Whitehurst completed 60% of his passes for 9,656 yds, 49 TD's, and 46 INT's

Rix completed 55% of his passes for 8,390 yds, 63 TD's, and 40 INT's.

Whitehurst had more yds and completed a higher percentage of his passes, but threw less touchdowns and more interceptions and did not win an ACC title, while Rix won two ACC titles.

Chris Rix was without a doubt a bonehead that deserved much of the ribbing he took, but I am not sure Whitehurst (going strictly by numbers and winning) was that much better in college. Obviously, Whitehurst will have a better NFL career, even if he just makes the team!

Keep up the good work.

Chris

Chris,

You bring up some good points. My response would be to ask how good would Whitehurst have been at FSU? Give him those receivers and who know what would have happened. Plus I know Whitehurst was not as selfish.

Hi Mickey,

I liked your discussion under "Bring it Back." It makes so much sense to return the tournament to Greenville. Why can't the league office and the ADs see that? Except for Jacksonville, the league couldn't have done a worse job with the tournament if they had tried.

By the way, would you include the attendance figures by year (1996 - 2005) in a future blog or tell me a source for the information. I want attendance by year to settle a long-standing argument with a friend.

Enjoy your show. Keep up the good work.

Tom

Tom,

Thanks for your thoughts. The info comes from the ACC media book for baseball. It may be on the website www.theacc.com as well.