Big East Game 1- Xavier

Hope is for suckers.

Eight thirty EST is six hours past happy hour here but I managed to stay awake long enough to watch Villanova somewhere in the first half be incapable of inbounding the ball after which I retired to finish rereading True Grit (that's a book btw) knowing that Jay Wright was spinning in his grave watching his alleged predecessor destroy his legacy.

F SJU. Go Loins.

What is the root of the hate for your alma mater basketball program (I get the school itself with its newer direction, but at least have mercy on the basketball program)? haha . Even if there were coaching stuff in the past you did not like and teams that did not play well, I would have thought you would have come back on board with Pitino.

What is the root of the hate for your alma mater basketball program

I didn't attend SJU. My hatred for the program arises from other pathologies.

(I get the school itself with its newer direction, but at least have mercy on the basketball program)? haha . Even if there were coaching stuff in the past you did not like and teams that did not play well, I would have thought you would have come back on board with Pitino.

Rick Pitino is a great coach. He's also a self-serving POS who's been cheating - as a coach since he was at Hawaii - and on his wife - since probably before he got married and otherwise he's been deflecting questions about his character flaws since forever. He's an awful human being. His recent complaining about the untoward influence of money in sports is peak Pitino. On the bright side if Rick can get through nine eleven he can get thorough my opinion of him.

I'm looking forward to SJ choking its way to a loss tonight in RI. I might even watch a bit. (I'm 7-1 since you challenged me to.) And OTOH if they win it'll give suckers like you hope moving forward. Which it seems to me I can't lose.

I didn't attend SJU. My hatred for the program arises from other pathologies.

Rick Pitino is a great coach. He's also a self-serving POS who's been cheating - as a coach since he was at Hawaii - and on his wife - since probably before he got married and otherwise he's been deflecting questions about his character flaws since forever. He's an awful human being. His recent complaining about the untoward influence of money in sports is peak Pitino. On the bright side if Rick can get through nine eleven he can get thorough my opinion of him.

I'm looking forward to SJ choking its way to a loss tonight in RI. I might even watch a bit. (I'm 7-1 since you challenged me to.) And OTOH if they win it'll give suckers like you hope moving forward. Which it seems to me I can't lose.

haha got it- a man with pathologies.

The character thing is a fair point. I get that- the marital thing is inexcusable and perhaps an intentional blind eye to his prior program issues. But I do think this school needed some type of injection of talented coaching and he is a Hall of Famer so I think he can build it back up with some time.

Well- you got your wish. They took the L (I actually also predicted this). I think they are bound for NIT, which is not the worst thing considering a team was patched together from scratch except a couple players in a short period of time. Once the Grads are out, I think the program can be built properly.  Get Brady and Simeon experience of post-season in NIT. If we make a Big East Tourney run of some kind that would be the only way to NCAAs now.

The character thing is a fair point. I get that- the marital thing is inexcusable and perhaps an intentional blind eye to his prior program issues. But I do think this school needed some type of injection of talented coaching and he is a Hall of Famer so I think he can build it back up with some time.

SJ had no choice but to hire Pitino: he'd had success in their backyard and obviously he wanted the job and Cragg having bolluxed things up so stupendously last time around had no choice, despite the obvious fact that Pitino - again, one of the great coaches of his generation - is a arrogant narcissistic tortured little dwarf.

I'm not even talking about the public sex - who hasn't banged a subordinate's wife in a public place in front of a cheering crowd and anyway I don't doubt that Pitino and his wife have an understanding. I'm talking about his lack of character related to allegedly the great love of his life: basketball. He cheated at Hawaii, worked for Boeheim (another great coach who was a serial cheater, as are most college HOFers except maybe Bobby Knight), had success in the cesspool that is the NBA, and after catching lightning in a bottle at Providence went to Kentucky - the most corrupt program in the history of sports - and thereafter was fired from Louisville - a close second - for at best turning a blind eye to massive, pervasive and revolting institutional corruption, which when which malfeasance was exposed he compared the exposure to the murder of 3000 people on 9-11. As a human being Pitino's a reprehensible piece of shit, and that's me being kind.

The persecution rests.

The thing is, this team didn't have to suck. Which it does. Take away the half dozen island of misfit toys Pitino recruited and replace them with Posh, Storrs, Wusu, David Jones (21 and 7 at Memphis), Kolby King (12 and 4 at Tulane) and Omar Stanley (13 and 6 at Boise) and this would have been a team that might have made a run in the NCAA, as opposed to one that might get a favorable seed in the NIT. And don't give me BS about the character of the disappeared, every player who leaves SJ is addition by subtraction and every player who replaces them the second coming of Walter Berry until they morph into Alpha Bangura, or if you're a connoisseur, Curtis Redding. (Look him up.) And on the third hand we've already established that Pitino wouldn't recognize character if a character dressed as a character furrowed his way into his colon and etched the word character onto to one of his myriad polyps, the presence of polyps being characteristic of the colons of Mediterranean males. (Look it up.)

It crosses my mind that the game might have passed Pitino by (like at the end it did Lou C) reducing him to now complaining about the influence of money in college basketball, which I don't recall him complaining about the influence of money when he was at Kentucky. Which passing him by is odd, because Pitino helped create the modern game, where under the new rules the athletic superiority of talented African Americans is thwarted by the muscle memory of short white guys like Billy Donovan and Steph Curry. Obviously I hope that's the case, because every time Saint John's wins I die a little inside.

I didn't attend SJU. My hatred for the program arises from other pathologies.

Pathologies? 
As a practicing psycho, I can only imagine that your relationship with your father, a well respected  SJ professor, influenced your love of the program. 
If anyone should write a tongue and cheek book about our storied program (said story having ended in the late 80's) it would be you.
Glad to see you posting again.

Pathologies?  As a practicing psycho, I can only imagine that your relationship with your father, a well respected  SJ professor, influenced your love of the program. 

My father - and about pathologies let's just say he and I did not get along - was more than well respected: he made SJ a destination, at least for a while, until it became something less than that. In that respect he resembled Louie: apres moi le deluge.

As for my "love" for the program, I have the same love for it that I have for my myriad former girl-fiends, which is to say I wish upon them horrors beyond their comprehension. I had an ex for example who subsequent to our relationship got knocked up by some dope and lost the baby when it strangled on the umbilical chord when it dropped in the eighth month: she delivered a dead thing and thereafter succumbed to pancreatic cancer after a protracted illness. The thought of her fate still makes me smile. In the same way that will a SJ loss tonight.

My father - and about pathologies let's just say he and I did not get along - was more than well respected: he made SJ a destination, at least for a while, until it became something less than that. In that respect he resembled Louie: apres moi le deluge.

As for my "love" for the program, I have the same love for it that I have for my myriad former girl-fiends, which is to say I wish upon them horrors beyond their comprehension. I had an ex for example who subsequent to our relationship got knocked up by some dope and lost the baby when it strangled on the umbilical chord when it dropped in the eighth month: she delivered a dead thing and thereafter succumbed to pancreatic cancer after a protracted illness. The thought of her fate still makes me smile. In the same way that will a SJ loss tonight.

I bet you had an erection in the last 5 minutes of tonight's game anticipating another loss and ten your wife knocked on the door to your man cave, startling you while your Makers Mark bottle fell to the floor as the final whistle blew.
You'll get over in the next game.

If St. John's wins the NIT this year we can dedicate it to Professor FOAD and all will be right again as FOAD will again have hope in our basketball program.

With that being said- the fact that we have swept Villanova and have already taken 1 from Georgetown already makes this a nice season with a few nice players for the future- Simeon, Brady and Zuby. Next year we are going to be better once the post-grads have moved on to other pastures and we get younger and more athletic. Give Rick the full year recruiting and will pay dividends.

I bet you had an erection

Erections are for suckers.

I watched the first half with the long-suffering missus and then retired: SJ sucks but GT is even worse, that much was obvious, so I saw that there would be no joy in Funville. And for the record I don't have truck with Makers Mark, which is a drink for peasants such as yourself. Lately I've been devouring various varieties of Four Roses small batch, which small batches have been a revelation.

Other than that you made your usual salient points.

having already taken 1 from Georgetown already makes this a nice season

Surprised to mention you failed to mention our heroic sweep of DePaul.

I give you a pass because you're young and dumb idealistic, but in that regard I quote myself regarding the futility of being a SJ fan, because what follows is pretty pretty pretty good:



Speaking of bad losses, there was a fan board exchange this week wherein a poster noted that he was bringing his kid to his first Saint John’s game, to which I replied (presciently it turned out): “May I be the first to welcome your son to a lifetime of disappointment.” Which in turn set me to thinking about my own wretched youth and all the angst that Saint John’s has caused me through the years. I’ve been considering lately as I commence the slow slide into the grave how my life might have been different if e.g. I’d rooted for the Yankees and Cowboys and Celtics rather than Saint John’s and the Detroit Lions and the Republican Party. Consider the effect of these NCAA tournament results on the young psyche, and remember, these were Lou’s good teams.

March 14, 1982, at Nassau Coliseum: Alabama – who a year earlier beat SJU in the NIT at Carnesecca Arena Alumni Hall – beat SJU 69-68 in a game in which Alabama shot 37 free throws, scoring 40 percent of their points from the line. Saint John’s starting five had 21 fouls between them and Mullin fouled out, which how is that even possible, he never covered anybody. Kevin Williams scored five points in nine minutes compared to Bobby Kelly’s two in 37 and Jeff Allen scored 10 points on 5-5 from the floor, versus zero points from Wennington in 20 minutes.

In 1983 Lou lost to Vern Fleming’s Georgia in the first round, 70-67. Kevin Williams had 12 pts in 20 minutes vs zero for Bobby Kelly.

March 15, 1984: Saint John’s lost to Temple in the first round when Terrance Stanbury buried a 40 foot jump shot after Mullin missed the front end of a one and one. Team featured twin point guards (Moses and Jackson) and towers (Allen and Wennington).

1985, loss to Georgetown, understandable, although I would have pounded the ball into Berry.

1986, loss to Auburn, Saint John’s has no answer for Chuck Pearson.

March 15, 1987: Saint John’s lost to DePaul when Dallas Comegys committed a lane violation after trying to brick a FT off the back rim at the end of regulation, except the lane violation wasn’t called and NYC native Rod Strickland hit a buzzer beater off the rebound to send the game to OT, where in a stunning turn of events Saint John’s lost.

In 1988, a first round lost to the Vern Maxwell/Dwayne Schintzius version of Florida, 62-59. Florida shot 17 free throws to SJ’s 8. Mercifully I have no independent recollection of this game.

In 1989 Lou won the NIT, woo hoo, which NIT banner proudly adorns the walls of Carnesecca Arena Alumni Hall to this day. Although the team featured freshman Malik Sealy, this era commenced what knowledgeable fans such as myself refer to as the Muto years.

March 18, 1990. Lou lost to eventual national champion Duke 76-72. The game turned late in the second half when near-cripple Billy Singleton cleanly stole the ball at half court but was called for a foul and then a double technical when he bounced the ball in frustration. SJ was up six when the foul was called and the game was even when play resumed. SJU never recovered. The repulsive Christian Laettner – other than Bill Walton the greatest white college basketball player I ever saw, better even than Mullin – was 0 for 7 from the field and had six points. In a stunning turn Duke was awarded 32 free throws, to 15 for Saint John’s.

In 1991 Lou beat #1 Ohio State but lost again to DewK in the regionals. DooK shot 28 FTs to SJ’s 6.

In 1992 Sean Muto and Malik Sealy’s senior year, SJ lost to Tulane, in the game that convinced Lou to hang up his sweater.

Now, that might not rise to the heights of despair suffered by fans of say the Buffalo Bills or Minnesota Vikings, but only because Saint John’s never reached as many championship games as those guys. Our hopes were always dashed much earlier. So to that guy, whoever he was, consider buying your kid some cute Duke rompers this Christmas, and maybe some Patriots sheets to lay his head on at night. And to the kid, good luck, you’re going to need it.

Surprised to mention you failed to mention our heroic sweep of DePaul.

I give you a pass because you're young and dumb idealistic, but in that regard I quote myself regarding the futility of being a SJ fan, because what follows is pretty pretty pretty good:



Speaking of bad losses, there was a fan board exchange this week wherein a poster noted that he was bringing his kid to his first Saint John’s game, to which I replied (presciently it turned out): “May I be the first to welcome your son to a lifetime of disappointment.” Which in turn set me to thinking about my own wretched youth and all the angst that Saint John’s has caused me through the years. I’ve been considering lately as I commence the slow slide into the grave how my life might have been different if e.g. I’d rooted for the Yankees and Cowboys and Celtics rather than Saint John’s and the Detroit Lions and the Republican Party. Consider the effect of these NCAA tournament results on the young psyche, and remember, these were Lou’s good teams.

March 14, 1982, at Nassau Coliseum: Alabama – who a year earlier beat SJU in the NIT at Carnesecca Arena Alumni Hall – beat SJU 69-68 in a game in which Alabama shot 37 free throws, scoring 40 percent of their points from the line. Saint John’s starting five had 21 fouls between them and Mullin fouled out, which how is that even possible, he never covered anybody. Kevin Williams scored five points in nine minutes compared to Bobby Kelly’s two in 37 and Jeff Allen scored 10 points on 5-5 from the floor, versus zero points from Wennington in 20 minutes.

In 1983 Lou lost to Vern Fleming’s Georgia in the first round, 70-67. Kevin Williams had 12 pts in 20 minutes vs zero for Bobby Kelly.

March 15, 1984: Saint John’s lost to Temple in the first round when Terrance Stanbury buried a 40 foot jump shot after Mullin missed the front end of a one and one. Team featured twin point guards (Moses and Jackson) and towers (Allen and Wennington).

1985, loss to Georgetown, understandable, although I would have pounded the ball into Berry.

1986, loss to Auburn, Saint John’s has no answer for Chuck Pearson.

March 15, 1987: Saint John’s lost to DePaul when Dallas Comegys committed a lane violation after trying to brick a FT off the back rim at the end of regulation, except the lane violation wasn’t called and NYC native Rod Strickland hit a buzzer beater off the rebound to send the game to OT, where in a stunning turn of events Saint John’s lost.

In 1988, a first round lost to the Vern Maxwell/Dwayne Schintzius version of Florida, 62-59. Florida shot 17 free throws to SJ’s 8. Mercifully I have no independent recollection of this game.

In 1989 Lou won the NIT, woo hoo, which NIT banner proudly adorns the walls of Carnesecca Arena Alumni Hall to this day. Although the team featured freshman Malik Sealy, this era commenced what knowledgeable fans such as myself refer to as the Muto years.

March 18, 1990. Lou lost to eventual national champion Duke 76-72. The game turned late in the second half when near-cripple Billy Singleton cleanly stole the ball at half court but was called for a foul and then a double technical when he bounced the ball in frustration. SJ was up six when the foul was called and the game was even when play resumed. SJU never recovered. The repulsive Christian Laettner – other than Bill Walton the greatest white college basketball player I ever saw, better even than Mullin – was 0 for 7 from the field and had six points. In a stunning turn Duke was awarded 32 free throws, to 15 for Saint John’s.

In 1991 Lou beat #1 Ohio State but lost again to DewK in the regionals. DooK shot 28 FTs to SJ’s 6.

In 1992 Sean Muto and Malik Sealy’s senior year, SJ lost to Tulane, in the game that convinced Lou to hang up his sweater.

Now, that might not rise to the heights of despair suffered by fans of say the Buffalo Bills or Minnesota Vikings, but only because Saint John’s never reached as many championship games as those guys. Our hopes were always dashed much earlier. So to that guy, whoever he was, consider buying your kid some cute Duke rompers this Christmas, and maybe some Patriots sheets to lay his head on at night. And to the kid, good luck, you’re going to need it.

My sweet Lord!
I relived over 20 years of those nightmare endings!
This is why you are legend!

Surprised to mention you failed to mention our heroic sweep of DePaul.

I give you a pass because you're young and dumb idealistic, but in that regard I quote myself regarding the futility of being a SJ fan, because what follows is pretty pretty pretty good:



Speaking of bad losses, there was a fan board exchange this week wherein a poster noted that he was bringing his kid to his first Saint John’s game, to which I replied (presciently it turned out): “May I be the first to welcome your son to a lifetime of disappointment.” Which in turn set me to thinking about my own wretched youth and all the angst that Saint John’s has caused me through the years. I’ve been considering lately as I commence the slow slide into the grave how my life might have been different if e.g. I’d rooted for the Yankees and Cowboys and Celtics rather than Saint John’s and the Detroit Lions and the Republican Party. Consider the effect of these NCAA tournament results on the young psyche, and remember, these were Lou’s good teams.

March 14, 1982, at Nassau Coliseum: Alabama – who a year earlier beat SJU in the NIT at Carnesecca Arena Alumni Hall – beat SJU 69-68 in a game in which Alabama shot 37 free throws, scoring 40 percent of their points from the line. Saint John’s starting five had 21 fouls between them and Mullin fouled out, which how is that even possible, he never covered anybody. Kevin Williams scored five points in nine minutes compared to Bobby Kelly’s two in 37 and Jeff Allen scored 10 points on 5-5 from the floor, versus zero points from Wennington in 20 minutes.

In 1983 Lou lost to Vern Fleming’s Georgia in the first round, 70-67. Kevin Williams had 12 pts in 20 minutes vs zero for Bobby Kelly.

March 15, 1984: Saint John’s lost to Temple in the first round when Terrance Stanbury buried a 40 foot jump shot after Mullin missed the front end of a one and one. Team featured twin point guards (Moses and Jackson) and towers (Allen and Wennington).

1985, loss to Georgetown, understandable, although I would have pounded the ball into Berry.

1986, loss to Auburn, Saint John’s has no answer for Chuck Pearson.

March 15, 1987: Saint John’s lost to DePaul when Dallas Comegys committed a lane violation after trying to brick a FT off the back rim at the end of regulation, except the lane violation wasn’t called and NYC native Rod Strickland hit a buzzer beater off the rebound to send the game to OT, where in a stunning turn of events Saint John’s lost.

In 1988, a first round lost to the Vern Maxwell/Dwayne Schintzius version of Florida, 62-59. Florida shot 17 free throws to SJ’s 8. Mercifully I have no independent recollection of this game.

In 1989 Lou won the NIT, woo hoo, which NIT banner proudly adorns the walls of Carnesecca Arena Alumni Hall to this day. Although the team featured freshman Malik Sealy, this era commenced what knowledgeable fans such as myself refer to as the Muto years.

March 18, 1990. Lou lost to eventual national champion Duke 76-72. The game turned late in the second half when near-cripple Billy Singleton cleanly stole the ball at half court but was called for a foul and then a double technical when he bounced the ball in frustration. SJ was up six when the foul was called and the game was even when play resumed. SJU never recovered. The repulsive Christian Laettner – other than Bill Walton the greatest white college basketball player I ever saw, better even than Mullin – was 0 for 7 from the field and had six points. In a stunning turn Duke was awarded 32 free throws, to 15 for Saint John’s.

In 1991 Lou beat #1 Ohio State but lost again to DewK in the regionals. DooK shot 28 FTs to SJ’s 6.

In 1992 Sean Muto and Malik Sealy’s senior year, SJ lost to Tulane, in the game that convinced Lou to hang up his sweater.

Now, that might not rise to the heights of despair suffered by fans of say the Buffalo Bills or Minnesota Vikings, but only because Saint John’s never reached as many championship games as those guys. Our hopes were always dashed much earlier. So to that guy, whoever he was, consider buying your kid some cute Duke rompers this Christmas, and maybe some Patriots sheets to lay his head on at night. And to the kid, good luck, you’re going to need it.

First- your assuming DePaul is a legit college basketball team. How could I mention that awful team/sister school of ours.

Second, I never heard of or knew anything about those games. Good recap and learning experience- sadly a tortured history much like my Mets and Jets. But at least during those seasons and even into the 80s and 90s they had teams that would be up for rankings and nationally appreciated. The steep downfall after that is unfortunate. I think any "GOLD" alum (graduate of last 10 years as school coins it) would have appreciated being even a consistent tournament team in recent memory. We aren't even that. Thus- when a Lavin/Pitino is hired it generates alot of buzz with us. Mullin and Anderson were awful hires. Never was on board with them.

With that being said- Rick is right about the facilities and even at a minimum make a basketball hall of fame tribute. The program does not appreciate its older tradition enough when it was a contender. 

First- your assuming DePaul is a legit college basketball team. How could I mention that awful team/sister school of ours.

It's called irony, google it.

Second, I never heard of or knew anything about those games. Good recap and learning experience- sadly a tortured history much like my Mets and Jets.

Hence the history lesson. The Jets won the Super Bowl. The Mets have won a couple of World Series. That they haven't in your short life doesn't make them bums. Whereas St John's is an antediluvian also ran turned laughing stock. It's not one thing or another: it's not that they hired this guy rather than that guy or this guy went here rather than somewhere else (except Alcindor and maybe Gary Payton and Darius Miles and Lenny Cooke - an actual tragedy of whom you've never heard). I wouldn't go so far as to say that SJU is cursed, but it's clearly not blessed. Which having been said, let us pray:

This is why you are legend!

I prefer "national treasure."

Nice win against Butler tonight to keep hope alive for a tourney birth.

Nice win against Butler tonight to keep hope alive for a tourney birth.

Nice win, good to beat Posh too. I think if we win next 2 and win 2 in Big East to be safe we are in NCAAs.  If we win out regular season and win 1 Big East not so sure but either way we did punch a ticket to at least the NIT barring some crazy collapse. Post-season basketball for the first time since Coach Mullin tenure will be appreciated and only help make the young players better.

We cannot have any letdowns against Georgetown or DePaul. Have to win both. We tend to play Georgetown better at Home so I am hoping this win would be more convincing.