1. Mike Alden forced Norm Stewart to resign. They called it retirement, but Norm knew he had to step down or suffer the humiliation of being fired.
2. Alden hired a 32 year old man with NO prior head coaching experience to take over for a legend who had coached Mizzou during every year Quin Snyder had been on earth.
3. Alden fired football coach Larry Smith who in five years had taken the Tigers to two bowl games and their first bowl win in nearly 20 years.
4. After the basketball team was citied with dozens of NCAA violations, Alden fired the assistant coaches and spared Quin Snyder whom he said was not aware of what his assistants were doing. Yeah, right. The allegations came to light through recorded phone conversations from jail between a player named Rickey Clemens and the univeristy president's wife!
5. Rickey Clemens was recruited by Mizzou (including Quin Snyder and Mike Alden). Clemons passed 30 hours of college credits at three different schools in one summer in order to become eligible to transfer to Mizzou. The athletic department NEVER questioned how a "D" student was able to pull off this feat.
6. The athletic department and system president Elson Floyd allowed Clemons to violate his parole for assaulting his girlfriend by inviting him to Floyd's home to attend a party. While there, Clemens crashed Floyd's ATV and landed in the hospital and then back in jail.
7. After football player Aaron O'Neal died following a workout that took place less than two blocks from University hospital, the athletic department told the medical examiner NOT to attend the ensuing press conference that detailed O'Neal's death. The M.E. was previously asked to attend and then later told not to. At the press conference, the athletic department told reporters the M.E. couldn't make it due to a scheduling conflict. Why didn't they want her there?
8. Alden sent Gary Link, a radio commentator to tell Snyder he would be fired at the end of the season. Snyder says he was told that the system president, the chancellor, and the curators all agreed on this decision. He claims they gave him the option of resigning to prevent him from having to be fired. He had nothing to gain by making this story up. I believe him.
9. President Floyd, the curators, and Alden howaever, all deny that Link was told to tell Snyder these things. Floyd has ordered an investigation into what the truth is about how Snyder's dismissal was handled. I believe Alden directed Link to talk to Snyder without informing his superiors first. He didn't have the guts to talk to Quin himself and then he lied about sending the radio color-guy to do his dirty work for him. That's classy.
10. Alden has repeatedly failed to use good judgment while leading the athletic department. Sure some non-revenue generating sports are doing well. The football team did win a bowl game, although we'll have to see how they are WITHOUT the greatest player in Mizzou history next season. Yes, Alden got the new arena funded and built. However his failure to hold Quin accountable during the NCAA violations scandal, his attempt to bury the truth about O'Neal's death, and his underhanded way of dealing with the not-so-glamorous side of being in charge has put the nail in the coffin of his time here at Mizzou.
It is time for a fresh start. Alden should take the job at Georgia Tech that he denies having interest in. Norm "Mr. Mizzou" Stewart should take over as A.D. (Hey, Dan Devine did it and he was 120 years old.) Then Norm should bring in his buddy Bob Knight to help restore the University to its once proud image. Remember, Mizzou has been to Orange Bowls, beat Notre Dame in football, gone undefeated in Big 8 basketball, been a heartbeat away from the Final Four, had a hoops coach who racked up about 800 wins, won the college world series, etc. We need someone with character and copious amounts of school spirit to bring Mizzou back to glory. We don't need a morally questionable A.D. who is only good at raising money. (He's even better at spending it. The athletic budget has tripled since his arrival.)
That's my last rant about Mizzou for a while. I needed to get it out of my system. Feel free to get your two cents worth in, too.
2 comments:
I should mention that I have met the entire Alden family. Rocky, Mike's wife, was a regular customer at Doggie Empawrium where I used to "work." She is a very nice person, very friendly, and not at all uppity like you might expect someone in her position to be. Their son Jake is a funny little guy who liked sampling the dog treats we baked in the store. Don't worry it is all human-grade ingredients. Hell I ate them too.
One time Mike and Jake came in to buy treats and Jake asked for a sample. Mike got a weird look on his face so I asked him if he would like one too. He said no thanks. Then I told him, "Don't worry. Iwon't tell the press that you eat dog food." He laughed and watched his son have a snack.
So I don't think Mike Alden is a bad person. He just isn't the right man for Mizzou. Sometimes my rants seem mean-spirited. In this case, it is good to bear in mind that an entire family's future is at stake when I call for Alden's dismissal. Hey- who hasn't been fired at least once in their life!? Besides, I think they'll land on their feet and be just fine.
Dog treats anyone?
You said "clog the blog." You're pretty cool, Beavis. Huh, huh.
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