Tate: Give Beckman a fighting chance
With apologies to Spiro Agnew and speech writer William Safire, it's been a trying experience dealing with the "nattering nabobs of negativism" this past week.
No matter what he did, Illini athletic director Mike Thomas couldn't be right in the know-nothing precincts ... and a reasonable choice (Tim Beckman) met an early response that left some of us pondering the shortage of rational thought.
It reminded of Winston Churchill's comment to the effect that "the best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter."
My feeling is that being caught in this media-Internet whirlwind made us all dumber. You win. There is no defense against it.
But some positives worked their way through:
(1) For those who feel Beckman's $9 million for five years is too little or too much, read: "Once the market is set, a key factor in hiring executive-level personnel is that they have to feel that they are being compensated fairly in relation to their peer group." Thanks, James. I feel smarter.
(2) Former Houston coach Kevin Sumlin deserves praise, but his 12 victories in the regular season came against teams that were 62-83. The best team the Cougars played prior to the C-USA title game was probably Tulsa, 8-4. When paired against Southern Mississippi, the Cougars fell 49-28. Beckman's 8-4 Toledo club played (and lost to) three teams that most experts would label better than anyone Houston met in the regular season: Ohio State, Boise State and Northern Illinois. Just the facts.
(3) Since 2008, Toledo is 2-3 vs. the Big Ten, beating Purdue and Michigan, and falling to Ohio State twice and Purdue once. Not exactly lopsided, huh.
(4) Ron Zook's teams were 2-2 vs. the Mid-American Conference, losing to Ohio 20-17 and Western Michigan 30-27, and beating NIU 28-22 and Western Michigan 23-20. Of six UI games played against the MAC in this century, all were decided by six points or less. What do those results tell you?
(5) According to Scout.com, Illinois stands No. 64 with 14 football commits, just ahead of Toledo at No. 70. More information to consider before considering the Rockets inferior.
Mixed results
The UI's 48-43 basketball win against St. Bonaventure on Wednesday left everyone with mixed emotions.
Were you encouraged by the 18-4 run at the end, the rebound tipouts by Meyers Leonard, the game-saving drives by Brandon Paul, the stern defense that kept the Bonnies within reach?
Or are you still fretting about the Illini being outrebounded 36-26 — "We got punked," said Bruce Weber — converting 7 of 26 treys, getting no points from the freshman-laden bench and producing just 30 points in the first 35 minutes?
The win against Gonzaga propelled Illinois into the Top 25, but there are reasons to doubt this status. After profiting from Weber's heady matchup subbing against Robert Sacre and the Zags, Leonard seemed intimidated by the Bonnies' double-teams and committed five turnovers. Much as he has improved, the 7-foot sophomore will suffer ups and downs.
Here's what I envision. Assuming Jared Sullinger returns from lower back miseries, Ohio State will be a national title contender. The Illini appear to be one of seven Big Ten teams that are so close that, when they meet, the outcome probably will be determined by the home court. And then there are the likely bottom quartet of Minnesota, Nebraska, Penn State and Iowa.
Home again Sunday night vs. Coppin State, the Illini have no foreign-court trips between now and Dec. 31 at Purdue (virtually the same time as the Illini-UCLA bowl game). The neutral-court showdowns against UNLV and Missouri will determine the UI's right for continuing Top 25 status.
Not seeing red
John Mozeliak used the word "uncomfortable" in offering Albert Pujols a contract measuring nine or 10 years. Me, too.
Barring injury, Pujols will continue to put up gaudy numbers for the next several years, but were longtime Cardinal fans really anxious to see him chewing up one-fifth of the team salary as his skills diminish between 2017 and 2021?
So, California, here he comes! Enjoy. It's smart for him to spend his latter years in the American League where he can trade off as a designated hitter, and the Cardinals needed some of that money to sign a shortstop (Rafael Furcal). Maybe the Redbirds can enter the season with a set infield for a change.
If you'd be excited about the possibility of Pujols someday chasing Hank Aaron's home run record, that's fine. But for me, it's about championships and the construction of a balanced team that wins.
It can't be repeated enough that Pujols came to the plate just three times in the Cardinals' first 29 at-bats. When he's hot, they'll pitch around him. When he's cold, as is happening more frequently, he'll set records for grounding into double plays. Yes, he banged out five hits, including three homers, in a World Series game (the Cardinals would probably have won it without him). He was 1 for 19 in the other six.
It turns out that Pujols is like nearly every athlete and nearly every coach in every sport: They want to be at a place other than their current location. Here we are, with a budding Leonard barely scratching the surface of his talent, and the buzz around Illini basketball is that he's on the verge of an NBA career. Here we are, with Whitney Mercilus enjoying an excellent first season as a starting end, and it's likely he'll use the Mad Stork Award (Ted Hendricks) to propel him to the next level.
It's not a very well-kept secret. The fans are loyal. The coaches and athletes are loyal until dollars get involved. And that's not me being a cynic.
Loren Tate writes for The News-Gazette. He can be reached at ltate@news-gazette.com.
I'm a big Urban Meyer fan, from back in the day when he coached Utah. He started out as a MAC coach, went to Utah, then to Florida (replacing Ron Zook) and won a national championship, and now he is Ohio State's head coach.
Anyway, one positive note: Tim Beckman is an Urban Meyer protege. Meyer said: "I've known Tim a long time. He was my defensive coordinator at Bowling Green, and he is one of the top coaches I've ever worked with. You won't find many coaches as quality as Tim Beckman is; he is a great hire for the University of Illinois and the Big Ten Conference."
Like Loren Tate, I was reminded of Spiro Agnew's famous "nattering nabobs of negativism" quote. I say all the naysayers should give Beckman a chance. And I'll also remind them that the failure to attract a "big name" head football coach does not necessarily reflect on Mike Thomas' ability as AD. Illinois has never been a football school that attracts "big name" coaches.
I'm an Illinois grad (and UI retiree), and my father played on the UI football team. I'm a diehard Illini fan, through thick and through thin (mostly thin). I say we give Thomas and Beckman a chance to prove themselves before we try to burn them at the stake..."
I know Bob and Tate have been sent out to sell this manure to us poor stupid hicks, but your points about this hire dont stand up to 1 minute of serious analysis. Now its circle the wagons time to protect Beckman. I dont blame him for being what he is and has been. I assume he at least tried. Anyone could have discovered who and what he was with one hours work on the internet, except our administration!. Its the idiots that hired him who are at fault!
How dare you and Bob and all the others blame the fans for the adminstration's failure and incompetence! You two trot out and shill for these screw ups decade after decade as head cheerleeders for an institutional culture that has clearly demonstrated incompetence decade after decade and either doesnt care to spend the money or doesnt know how to win anymore. Hold THEM accountable! Blame yourself before you send one word in the fans direction. Hypocrits! Buffoons! Clowns!
This guy is no offensive wizard, no inovator, no tactician, a solid recruiter, is prone to boneheaded and inexplicable game time decisions, runs a spread offense, his defenses are poor to average, no experience recruiting Illinois, he is inflexible and stubborn. IN THE NAME OF GOD, WHY! That sounds exactly like what we just thought we saw the last of when Zook left? I have seen this movie before and the ending sucks! Why would we do such a thing? desperation? low self esteem? petaphilia? Explain it Please? This guy is already going to have trouble living up to the hype MT, Bob and Tate have created.
Tell those leaches in the ivory tower that they might actually want to conect with thier fans, alumni and former players before they throw a hail mary pass downfield in the dark with nothing out there but defensive backs.
This aint that Harvard on the Ohio River, MT is in the big time now and he better understand that this isnt going to fly anymore. WE ARE SICK OF IT! Another ho-hum safe, nobody can blame me, vanilla hire. Spend money? steal away one of the best coaches? It will take all the rubes 5-7 years to realize we F***ed up again, Keep our paychecks coming in the Admin building boys, etc. Thats what anyone who has been there for more than a few years is really thinking over there.
This poor dumb rube doesnt even understand that the institutional culture has set him up to fail like most of our past coaches to mask thier incompetence. They hire guys who dont have the tools to succeed here and are cheap and them blame them when it all goes bad.
White, Kruger and Self. 3 daring attempts get some kind of master of the craft and grab the brass ring in 40+ years (you could argue Henson and Mackovic, but i wont). That's institutionalized laziness and incompetance. Most Illini fans would settle for a great recruiter that brings in talent and is merely competent and confident when the game is on the line, we cant even get that on a consistent basis. Coach Webber would probbably be on his way out the door if Snacks hadnt pulled his chestnuts out of the fire and reset the recruiting program. The institutional legacy of Illinois still believes that a bunch of bad decisions will eventually equal one good one, at a cheaper price. Castoffs and rejects can be cleansed and reclaimed, at a cheaper price. We cant develop any internal coaching talent at any price. You get what you pay for and the fans have been getting screwed for years, while the U and its admistrators keep getting richer with little accountability. Everyone who has paid an athletic fee or bought a ticket during most years has been a victim of fraud, knowingly violated and raped by the athletic department and adminstration. Why dont you investigate that story?
Mt promised us we would be excited and there would be a buzz, got our hopes up and we believed him. We wanted to believe that things had finally changed. Then he went and layed a turd in the pool. He promised us hope and change and we got the same old S**t! Only now we the fans are being blamed for it.
I feel much less educated since I read this comment by ipsofacto. I'm guessing this was just a drunken tirade but it still shows complete ignorance to what Illinois football really is. We are not ever going to lure an Urban Meyer or Les Miles at this stage of their careers, nor can we afford to. But what we can do is find those type coaches before they become superstars of college football. I think we made a good hire and have a person who will have our players and assistants ready for every game regardless of who we are playing and will play to the best of their ability on every snap. Illinois future problem will be trying to keep the future Urban Meyers and Les Miles after a big ten championship and going to 3 or 4 bowls in a row. i.e. see Michigan State.
I must say, in a weak defense, it was a 3 in the morning rant. However, i am not going to willingly swallow a dildo from some some snake oil copy writer who blames the fans for yet another bad decision. Did i say something untrue or that many are not already thinking and muttering to thier friends and neighbors? or is it that recruits might read it?
ipsofacto, I'm with you, man. Tate has always hated fans and disses them whenever he can. He is arrogant and frozen in time around 1955 or so. And folks here need to speak up and not be shouted down by Sleepy Gazoo surrogates who can't stand that anyone would ever disagree with the views inside their bubbles.
Well I’m sold!! That silver tongued devil Tate made me a believer!! Go go to our new CEO! But the Spiro Agnew reference about the negative response over the selection of our new CEO won’t be so cute if we aren’t able convince Vic Koenning to stay or bring in someone better, which I don’t think is possible. Even that slick salesmen Tate couldn’t put enough spin or lipstick on anyone other than Koenning….CEO’s have to be held responsible, keep Vic or I say it’s “Occupy Green Street”.
It is not Beckman's fault he was selected so our disappointment should not be directed towards him by putting him down. We must support our team and hope we don't play N. Illinios and W. Michigan back to back. Illiniois has some good young experieced players returning and the first thing he should do is give Coach K part of his salary if necessary to keep him here. We will find out very soon if this guy can coach and lead the Illini.
Leave it to Saint Tate to keep hating fans -- for decades -- and to do so by quoting a discredited conservative who I believe was convicted of wrongdoing. Maybe the Sleepy Gazoo readership here should be restricted to only people in lockstep blind allegiance with The Saint and his arrogance and ego.
I don't know whether Beckman is a good hire -- nobody knows that yet. Not even Moses Saint Tate. Certainly Beckman deserves a fair shake and some time and from what I hear I like him so far. It's not as if Urban Meyer or Lous Saban would ever end up at Illinois. Illinois can't pick and choose -- look at how Sumlin and others rejected the advances. Outside the rather insular CU community others don't have as high of a view of it as a job.
What am I missing?? Reading various papers on line, most saying the Toledo AC offered AC here, OK… and most saying it’s possible, but highly unlikely Koenning will be retained..as in we don’t want him.. I just assumed we’d have to shower him with money and beg him to stay….is it the way he turned Clemson’s defense around?? Or Kansas State’s?? our ours?? Is it he stood up like a man and held the sinking ship together?? Is it the way our new CEO’s self professed mentor and savior, Urban Meyer kept the DC at Florida and seemingly keeping Fickle at OSU?? Why would we even consider anyone else unless he wants to leave?? Hopefully I’m mis-reading these stories and we haven’t hired a low self esteemed paranoid CEO who wants to surround himself with yes men…
If it were Sumlin ...
there would still be people complaining that we couldn't get the next higher up coach. The only coach that I could see that would not raise this storm of protest would be Mike Leach.
Would we be satisfied with Pete Carrol? I am glad at least we got a MAC guy and not a DIV II or Div III (NG HEADLINE: Illinois Hires Western Illinois HC: Let's keep losing in the State). Hey after the last go around where we were sold a FIRED coach who couldn't pronounce the name of the state (I still want to know how Zook pronounces his hometown in Ohio). We at least got a coach who actually has been a head coach in Div I, I frankly didn't even think we could get a HC.
Nevertheless, its the same sort of set up has come again to fruition in Chambana, its a lose-lose proposition. If Beckman fails/loses we go AGAIN on another coaching search, and if Beckman wins/succeeds he will be tapped by Ohio State in 2018 when Urban Meyer quits/retires. Urban has never been a head coach longer than six years in any one given place and unless he wins against Michigan and wins Big Ten titles every year-he will feel the pressure to move on again because he is replacing a legend and you never do that in coaching. So Beckman being an Ohio man, and presumably having enough success at Illinois (one BCS bowl and three minor bowls) would undoubtedly be picked to replace Urban. If he loses its all for moot.
Sorry about all the digressions but its late and I worked all day. Go Illini!
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