NCAAbbs

Today I get the Johnson City Press. Don't ask me why.

Here are the stories going around our community.

Tuition is going up at ETSU. Nine percent at the pharmacy school.

Four people who allegedly robbed a bank in Johnson City are up on federal charges.

Police caught a parole violator.

An alleged murderer had his request for a continuance denied.

The area is cleaning up after the heavy storm last afternoon.

Over in Blountville a person was convicted of child rape.

The Southern Baptists don't want to create a database for sex offenders.

It appears the tomatoes sold around here are safe, but McDonalds still isn't serving them.

SO WHAT IS THE FIRST THING TO BE SEEN ON THE FRONT PAGE OF THE PRESS?

BUCKY HOLDING A BIG BOTTLE OF COKE!!!

You have to legitimately question the editorial direction of the Press.

THAT DESERVES AS MUCH ATTENTION AS TUITION IS GOING UP????

Ask yourself this- if ETSU didn't call a press conference on this, is the decision to switch from Pepsi to Coke at the ballgames news?

If the Johnson City Cardinals switched from Coke to Pepsi, would it receive even the slightest mention on the BUSINESS PAGE?

Are there any other print media outlets that even covered this press conference?

I actually appriciate the fact the Press does do some good news, human interest stories about the community from time to time.

But this isn't a soldier winning a Bronze Star or the Hensley Family's 100-foot long generational quilt.

This is legitimately free advertising for Coca-Cola that doesn't even touch on the POSSIBLE news questions that would come up- such as-

A- "Hey, Coke, why'd this relationship between ETSU and you dissolve three years ago?"

B- "Was Dr. Enuf ever solicited for the soft drink contract in an effort to boost the local economy?"

C- Whatcha gonna do with this money, Dave? If it is going to go to new facilities, when can we expect them completed?

D- Will there be any hesitancy to use this money for long range plans with upcoming changing of the guard at ETSU?

E- Dave, while we have ya, what's the latest with Tony Skole?

F- Dave, do you wish to continue on as ETSU's AD after Paul Stanton retires?

G- Dave, any thoughts on SIU-E joining the OVC? Any fear of Belmont or Lipscomb following them?

H- Dave, do you feel peaking at a less than No. 20 national ranking is enough of a return from the golf team with the resources and alleged talent it possesses?

In conclusion, columns by Trey Williams aside, you really have to question the editorial decisions here. I don't think it is just as simple as a difference of opinion on how Don Dale laid out the page.

There is a legitimate perception when "COKE TO BE SERVED INSTEAD OF PEPSI AT MEMORIAL CENTER" is thought to be the biggest story of the day- when "Bucky with the Bottle" is thought to be a better picture than the police hauling away a suspect in cuffs- when- dare I say it- Wardrobe by Jim Ignatowski of the BHC writes how the soccer stadium is incomplete and Press sports editor Kelly Hodge runs quotes from people discussing how great the facility is AS IT STANDS INCOMPLETE (!) that the paper is in the college's pockets.

So why bother with it? Everything you'll read in the Press on ETSU can be found at etsubucs.com.

Do I need it? Do I need the "Columnist Unhappy with Tree Trimmers" piece? Do I need the story that people aren't siphoning gas around here (again- that's news?)? Do I need to know about the East Tennessee Soccer Federation or read the "Tastes" section? The classified section has always been ignored locally for the Tri-Cities Trading Post.

This was once a newspaper that won awards from The Sporting News for its coverage of the Cardinals. It's an even money bet now there won't even be a full box score from the home opener.

We ask ourselves why nobody seems to care about anything in Johnson City except resisting change.

Well . . .

Dont worry, I dont subscribe to the Press. Its a terrible paper. I have to advertise in there from time to time due to my job, but I always hate giving them money when I have to.

A couple of things:
There is no arguing that there are more important stories than this for the front headline of the paper. But at the same time, we often hate how the media around here dont pay enough attention to ETSU. We cant have it both ways.

Also, as much as most of us hate the current administration, etc., it is important to acknowledge this as a good thing and a good job by the advertising people of getting this deal. And having it on the front page of the paper cant hurt when other businesses decide whether to sponsor or advertise at ETSU games.

And this wasnt the appropriate time to ask about Tony Skole's future or the golf team! If that is the kind of questions to want asked for a story about Coca Cola, you need to go back to Pittsburgh.

Good post etsubuc.

What you have to understand about Pitt and other radical football supporters is that the above post is exactly why they aren't receiving as much attention. They go for the "fire everyone," negative attack campaign, and then ultimately alienate those that may have the power to bring back the sport.

There is not a soul on here that would not like to see football's return, however, to immediately jump on the Press and the university again on a story that is 100% positive speaks volumes of the state of mind of Pitt and others. Guys, it was a $5 million story and deserves its coverage in the paper. Sure, there were other big stories, but just because ETSU did something right and got a windfall of funding just two days after the big BFFF meetings (which resulted in little or no fund raising) does not mean we had to start reading "sour grapes." It is posts like the one above that keeps the more level-minded of us on here from jumping on board with the football fanatic fringe.

Pitt, it was a big story and good news for the university. Despite your comments, Mullins and company did a good job on this. Get over it.

Don't tell me where I need to go. And trust me, the media is far better there than it is here. I know the rules- they don't down here- as you proved. Got it?

You don't think that when the athletic director at any school makes a public appearance he isn't open to a wide array of questioning?

Here's the thing. That might have been a decent article in the business section. In fact, I think it would be.

But it doesn't get any attention if there isn't a formal annoucement. This gets more attention than, say, the extension of Murry Bartow's contract last year, which was a bigger story, because there was a press conference, whereas Bartow's extension was simply a press release.

But when ETSU tries to grandstand like this one doesn't have to cover it. I don't believe the BHC did.

ETSU DOES THIS ALL THE TIME- they tried to run a press conference on Election Day 2006 on something irrelevant at Mountain States Health Alliance.

YOU DON'T HOLD A PRESS CONFERENCE ON ELECTION DAY 2006 UNLESS YOU'RE ANNOUNCING YOUR VICTORY OR DEFEAT!

I used to gripe about ETSU not getting enough attention and I still feel they should get priority over high school and by and large UT, but a lot of people ignoring ETSU comes from ETSU themselves. It's tough to write about them during football season, for instance.

They tend to do crap like this and try to play the heavy behind the scenes.

Again, is this deal significantly better than what they got from Pepsi before?

Nobody can answer that. We just want to go out and say "What a great job by the advertising people!" when for all I know they're getting a worse deal than before!

I consider myself as a member of the pro football radical fringe. Congratulations to ETSU for getting the money, but I must ask the big question.

Why was an advertising deal not pursued in 2003 to make up for the alleged deficit in football? Would a deal like this have saved football? Did no one think of it?

I think we all agree non-revenue sports spending are at a record. Where will they use this money?

Was this announcement to counter recent negative press from Bristol, and the BFFF meeting?

No matter what the spin, I think mismanagement; lack of vision, political bickering, power struggles, and ineptness exist in the Athletic Department at ETSU.

ohhh.... we got served, Coke that is!!

proud radical frindger here, just wanted to say that I don't think we have to fire everybody in athletics, just the one's who aren't competent enough to work at any other athletic department of similar size or, hey, even bigger size for that matter. etsu athletics is loaded with people who should have NEVER had the reigns of an athletic program handed over to them, plain and simple. you can get all the ncaa hoopla grants and certificates that you can hang up, but it is a second-rate operation operated by some real second-rate people because it is based on nothing more than lip-service and personal egos.

etsu seems to be the place to go to retire and hope no one knows that you can't work in any other organization, sorry for the blunt assessment, but I'm sick of the "public" defending the way they have been able to lie, spin, and farce their way through the last five years.

And yes, I want football back at etsu and I don't think any of us are stupid enough to think that the current athletic administration and much of stanton's inner circle will do anything to help facilitate what has become a clearly public issue, they'll just keep spinning and hope that there is enough equally stupid faculty and staff to go vote in meaningless polls. Let's just hope we don't find out that the student polling was as flawed as the security systems!!

Does anyone know if you can have more people on the "fringe" of an issue than any other aspect? Do you still call it the "fringe?"