NCAAbbs

this one throws some punches at ETSU.

http://www.tricities.com/tristate/tri/sp...-0040.html

Unfortunately, the article says nothing except the writer is a fan of PTI.

I mean, what is the point Smith is trying to make?

Bill Parcells went to Wichita State. They don't have football anymore, either.

I'm not saying that comes off well for Wichita State. And I'm sure people in Wichita miss it.

A better column would have been if Smith had done a comparison. Within three years of the Shockers dropping football in 1986, the Shockers won the College World Series.

More recently, the men's basketball team made a run in the NCAA Tournament back in '06.

I'll make the point. WSU athletics improved after dropping football. ETSU athletics regressed.

This speaks of a failure of athletic leadership at ETSU and is a neon sign stating change needs to be made immediately.

WHOA! I just did that off the top of my head! And made a stronger point with more basis than Smith did in an indirect column expressing his fandom for PTI!

He certainly should tell every sportswriter in town how to do their job!

By the way- I love how "my sources tell me Smith will take the job."

Your sources. That's believable, Brian.

You admitted you got your info on Smith from other media outlets in your previous article. You quoted guys like Greg Stubbs, who stated he had no contact with Smith and didn't play with him in your previous article.

Your source is the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, for crying out loud.

But here ya go, Brian. I'll even give you some stuff for your next piece.

Back in 2001 I interviewed Mike Smith for Sports Talk. Did a big feature on him as "the first Buccaneer to get a Super Bowl ring," since he was the linebackers coach of the Baltimore Ravens in 2000.

The one thing that struck me on Mike Smith was his incredible loyalty to Brian Billick. Now, saying nice things about the top man is commonplace when you're an NFL assistant- I've known assistants who were about to be fired who would rave about how great the head coach was, even when they were fighting behind the scenes.

In fact, the guy I have in mind would probably have been the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons right now if the head coach didn't backstab him after 10 years of loyalty.

But after listening to Mike Smith, I really felt his praise of Billick was genuine. And in the almost militaristic environment of the NFL, such appriciation of a superior officer goes an awful long way.

It's well known Billick wasn't the most well liked guy in NFL circles. The personality skills of working well with a difficult boss certainly carried Mike Smith far and speaks well of his ability to communicate and lead in a very touchy situation in Atlanta.

Especially when you consider a decade ago Mike Smith was a Division I-AA assistant.

We get it. You don't like the guy or his writing but who else is writing ETSU football related articles in the area? No one.

Personally, I couldn't care less about content. Everytime he writes an article that brings up football, he is helping to keep it on people's mind.

Well, gee, who kicked this whole thing off with a cover piece on ETSU beating West Virginia?

And who's been fighting the fight, and often taking the heat, every day since 2003?

Hmmmmm. Someone IS writing about it, and has been fighting the fight, and absorbing the heat with almost NO thanks, for years.

And as I've always said, we have more influence on this board than any other outlet in the area. You'll hear Don Helman pick up arguements directly that were started here.

And our "demand more" tone on here (which I started, by the way) is what set off his "some ETSU fans just aren't happy unless they have something to complain about" comment.

Can you imagine a Play-by-Play announcer of any other NCAA program getting away with INSULTING their fans like that?

But it's okay at ETSU because "Won't Take the Fall, Paul," is just fine with bashing the customers as long as it doesn't come back at him.

By the way, I don't think Helman should be reprimanded for saying that- simply because it a comment borne from the Tri-Cities environment.

But the fact is Smith's "column" is written so poorly it DOESN'T help the ETSU cause. Again, he wrote a blurb not about Mike Smith getting the Falcons' job, but about why he likes PTI.

What's scary is with some decent copy editing Tim Chambers would be writing easier to read pieces.

And he'd actually develop legitimate sources.

I said "is writing" not "has written".

What do I do every day on here?

Post on a messageboard, nothing more, nothing less. Messageboards aren't newspapers, nor are they legitimate media outlets. I've tried to make that point with some of my outlandish posts over the years, deliberately insulting you over getting fired, or making fun of Fan1's obsession with large breasted women and failing Jay's class, or whatever else. All this board does is provide a place for us to piss and moan, and occasionally post decent stories covering ETSU.
That being said, the story Smith wrote was good, he could have gotten to the point a little quicker given that most people who read the sports page have about zero attention span. Alas, it was a good story from a LEGITIMATE media source, hopefully he'll keep it up.

Well, that's why you didn't make it in media, Andy. This one goes up there with "Real media doesn't troll message boards . . . "

Uh, so that explains why the story on the three NYC goalies in Sports Illustrated last week was led with what people were saying about the netminders on the internet.

PittsburghBucs is a VERY legitimate entity. Nobody in the market has the resume that I have, nobody in the market has the awards I have, nobody in the market is as good as I am and they know it.

That's why we have such a following on here. We're saying, and breaking, what everyone else should.

That's why we break for FREE what they get paid for. That's why we've had sportswriters come on here and post. That's why we've had coaches post.

While other media outlets shill for the Vols or are too busy writing high school game stories, we're analyzing the only hope of the Tri-Cities. Admittedly we can do that with the give and take, but to say that Bill Meade would be a legitimate source covering ETSU and I wouldn't be- HA!

So "ETSU Football Great Becomes NFL Head Coach" is not met with even the analysis I gave up there.

No, it is met with five paragraphs about how much the writer likes PTI.

How very Larry King.

Heck, if we weren't legit, I wouldn't be getting under Wardrobe by Jim Ignatowski's skin, would I?

I wouldn't be the WXSM show prep, would I?

Two things bud, one, you've got the worst case of Brian T. Smith P@nis envy in the HISTORY of American journalism. That's one of the saddest things I've seen, just a few short weeks ago you were ALL ABOUT him standing up, and now you've turned on him faster than you turned on Mike White when he turned you down for a press pass (again). Seriously though, are you going to horse cuss him in the ETSU parking lots, too? Or just turn and attack him personally like you did Kim Reece?
Two: It's cute what you said about the media and me. I don't work in it by choice. I would much rather have two day work weeks, get paid fulltime pay and get my health and retirement benefits taken care of.

I hardly envy someone from the BHC.

Now, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette staffers? You might have something there.

White lied to me about "not knowing about the press passes." I called him out on it in the parking lot and I acted accordingly.

Reece are on good terms after the summer's BFFF meeting.

You can have all that you state you have now in the media if you're good enough. Unfortunately, you were more suited to PR.

Anything else?

By the way, isn't it telling that to get this prosperity you now say you have so much of, you had to leave the area?

Nevertheless, your disingenuousness is readily apparent. For example-

You know very well that my piece on ETSU beating West Virginia, which you yourself said was well written on this board, kicked off the series of articles on ETSU football.

You know very well that my praise of the pieces was before I found out how diingenuous he was in writing them. Like I asked- how can you write nine articles on ETSU, in which you interview the athletic director for three hours, and then only give the athletic director's take on the events in the last article?

When I wrote the greatest column in the history of the Tri-Cities back in 2003 about Mullins' cover-up of Ed DeChellis' interview at Penn State, I gave Mullins every chance to respond. I even PRAISED Mullins' career as a tennis coach for academic success in writing the piece.

I showed both sides of the man. That's journalism. Smith's piece was not.

And lastly, you know very well everyone in the Tri-Cities envys my illustrious career and guts. I go places they wish they could.

Critics may say I'm a blowhard.

Which is true.

But, hey, I'm a loveable blowhard!

OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH PTI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OHHHHHHHHH TONY KORNHEISER!!!!!!!!!!!! OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH MIKE SMITH!!!!!!!!!! OHHHHHHHHHHHH ETSU FOOTBALL!!!!!!!!!!! OHHHHHHHHHHHHHH THE MINI DOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OH MOMMA BEAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH THE TRI-CITIES MEDIA!!!!!!!!!!!!! OHHHHHHHHHH BUSH LEAGUE!!!!!!!!!!!!! OHHHHHHHHHHHH THE DAVE MULLINS COVER UP!!!!!!! OHHHHHHHHHHHH MIKE WHITE IN THE PARKING LOT!!!!!!! OHHHHHHHHHHHHHH TRI-CITIES SPORTS!!!!!!!!!!!!! OHHHHHHHHHHHH USF VS ETSU!!!!!!!!! OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH FOOTBALL GAMES AT BMS!!!!!!!!!!!! OHHHHHHHHHHHHHH THE PITTSBURGH GAZETTE!!!!!!!!!! OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH ROD SHAW YOU KNOW WHICH WAY I LIKE IT!!!!!! OHHHHHHHHHHHH ORGASM!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Like I said Mo, it's great to have you back!

Okay folks, it's time to have some fun. My name is KrispyKremeKarl (Karl for short), a former member of the Tri-Cities media that currently works at a 150,000 circulation daily somewhere in this country.... a hint, I never worked at Bristol. Perhaps I never worked at a newspaper and changed somewhere along the way? Perhaps I did news only in the area and changed to sports?

Anyways, Marky Billson - first things first - on here at times I will be your best friend, at times I will be your worst nightmare. You hate it when people tell it like it is, much like yourself. That is one quality I've always admired about you. But you know as well as I do that the only reason you can't get a job in the Tri-Cities area isn't because you've been blackballed by the brass at ETSU, it's because of your ability to snap at any given moment and go off at the littlest things. If you were able to control that, there's not a doubt in my mind you would be racking up APSE's somewhere. You are talented. You have talent. If you could control yourself and handle that talent, you my friend, would be the man. If you hadn't snapped at Mike White last summer for no reason, you would probably have ETSU credentials right now. I think that's why at times you poke fun at people like Tim Chambers, who write part-time and work in the state government. I think that's why at times you dislike Brian Smith so much and want to take credit for his work. It's because they are doing something you can't be doing in this area. They have sports staff positions at daily newspapers and that eats at you. That drives you crazy. If I were in your shoes, it would drive me crazy as well.

Truth be known Marky, a friend in the Tri-Cities area e-mailed me a while back and told me of what happened at the Arby's Classic. They wrote, and I quote, it was like "Marky East meeting Marky West." You can't stand it because Brian Smith is taking the credit for things you did, things you think you could have done, would have done better. It eats at you. It eats at you so much that it makes you brag about a message board. Marky, there are maybe 100 or so people tha read this message board. 50 of those people see you as a threat.

Let's see, everyone in the Tri-Cities is jealous of you and the awards you've racked up? Hmm... How many APSE's have you won Marky? I know a kid much younger than you in the area that already has a ton of awards, particularly TPA awards on his mantle. The TPA, by the way, is 20 times more important than any certificate you have from the Tennessee Sportswriters Association. Marky, nobody in the area, NOBODY IN THE AREA MEDIA WISE IS JEALOUS OF YOU! You may like to think so. Instead, you have been laughed upon and ridiculed by writers and television and radio personalities high and low.

I'll give you your due... you are the number one Steelers fan in the world. You've been in the Hall of Fame. You've made fun of Howard Dean from rooftops near and far. You've written for everyone from Honolulu to Bumfrickegypt, WV. And you've done something that nobody else has been able to do... you've made Dave Mullins snap. I think it eats at you that you never wrote or did things that Brian Smith have wrote and you got removed from the one thing you love as much as the Steelers - East Tennessee State athletics. The reason is because he writes for Media General. He writes for a paper with backbone that would stand up to ETSU. ETSU knew they had the brass to stand up to Sports Talk with a threat to remove credentials.

Marky, if I were you (this is honest criticism and advice), I would get off this message board and make your own blog - your own page and pub it like crazy. Let's see, blogger has free blogs. I would get on there put everything you've written in the past on there as archives... and let it flow. Let it flow. A blog more searchable than this Buccaneer Nation would give you the attention you crave. I'm sure this board would put up a sticky to it.

Sure ya do, because you wouldn't talk about Smith that much if you didn't. You're eat up with it, boy. Deep down you're jealous of Mike and Jay, Joe and Kelly, even Ron Bliss (BTW how's that workin for ya these days?). Karl is dead on in his asessment of the situation. This IS NOT a media outlet, I've said it a thousand times. In the however many posts it is that I've had on here, most haven't been serious. At some point you just have to realize that.
Now, as for leaving the area, another thing done by choice, while I miss going to ETSU games, the employment opportunities are dwindling faster and faster in the tri-cities, and I get to have alot more fun where I'm at now.

Karl- You're dead right about the temper.

And the scary thing- I know it and I still don't know how to control it. That scares me more than you know.

But hey, thanks for the kind words.

I will take what you say in to consideration. But as far as the blog and all- I guess what has prevented me from doing that is-

A- This is easier.

B- There's more interactivity (is that even a word?). A blog just pushes it out. I like the give and take.

The reason I started doing this is because back in the days of Sports Talk we needed promotion and I had to do something.

And somehow it got to be something bigger than just a message board. Hey, look at yourself coming on here. We've attracted coaches, media types, athletes, and more on here. No other college sports message board can say that- and I've felt that's something.

I've always said this is the sports talk show I have always wanted.

Now, on Wardrobe by Jim Ignatowski, my thing is I didn't like the way he attacked me at the Arby's Classic.

But even so, you have to admit my criticisms of him are legit.

Just as many of yours to me are as well.

They come on here to laugh.... That's it. No more, no less...

Don't be so hard on yourself, Andy.

Cute, I can still work in the media if I choose to.... You still miss the boat dude, do the blog, pub it anywhere that people will listen...

You won't be writing for the Post-Gazette anytime soon, my friend.

How soon you forget.

That said, let us just say they laugh at me and I'm regarded as a stooge.

When it is stooges that are laughing at me, then who does that come off worse on?

It was earlier stated by Karl 50% of the people at ETSU who read this board were "scared" of me.

If that is so, then WHY would they be scared of me?

Because I'm the guy that has uncovered their mistakes?

And yet you say I have no credibility.

Sorry, doesn't add up.

But what does add up is your jealousy of me.