Tate: I stand by my letter
November 10, 2009 8:43 AM
Reaction to my "open letter" to Illini coach Ron Zook on Oct. 28 keeps reverberating to the point where I'm influenced to look back and see what it's all about. We'll call this the Stem-winder Sequel.
Of more than 10,000 opinion pieces this scribe has written for The News-Gazette since 1966, it ranked in the Top 10 in terms of praise, and in the Bottom 10 for criticism. Talk about extremes! Of course, it is usually this way when the Illini football program turns south. The opposing sides not only become locked into their point of view but don't really even hear each other. Trying to change anyone's mind on a controversial coach - Charlie Weis, Rich Rodriguez, you name it - is like asking a Democrat to vote for a Republican, or vice versa.
Raucous fan criticism trails all the way back to Ray Eliot - "He was so conservative that he punted on third down" - and I've already waded through 10 of these UI football coaching uproars. Pardon my cynicism, but it's wonderful for readership and talk radio.
Tate
Of more than 10,000 opinion pieces this scribe has written for The News-Gazette since 1966, it ranked in the Top 10 in terms of praise, and in the Bottom 10 for criticism. Talk about extremes! Of course, it is usually this way when the Illini football program turns south. The opposing sides not only become locked into their point of view but don't really even hear each other. Trying to change anyone's mind on a controversial coach - Charlie Weis, Rich Rodriguez, you name it - is like asking a Democrat to vote for a Republican, or vice versa.
Raucous fan criticism trails all the way back to Ray Eliot - "He was so conservative that he punted on third down" - and I've already waded through 10 of these UI football coaching uproars. Pardon my cynicism, but it's wonderful for readership and talk radio.
Tate
Filed under: Illini Football
