Friday May 22, 2009

Friday E-Mail Bag

Friday E-Mail Bag
Each Friday I publish your comments and answer your questions. To submit a comment or questions please e-mail me at mickeyplyler@hotmail.com.

Mickey,
What happened to our golf team? Was it the course? The weather? Or what? Not a very good showing by our Tigers.

Cufan

Cufan,
I have not talked to Coach Penley or Coach Byrd yet but have heard from someone close to the program that they were surprised by the poor play. The golf course played extremely difficult and the weather was a factor but that was the case for the entire field. I was surprised that some of the Tigers top players had poor rounds. This was a team that was playing well. David may was playing well going in but had some high numbers. I thought this team was a national title contender but am shocked at their play in the regionals. Sometimes in golf there are no explanations.

Hi Mickey,

Kirk

Kirk,
Thanks for the nice words about Ryan. He is doing so well and gets better every day. There is a natural comparison of Danny and Dabo. However, they are different in so many ways too. Also the conference is different. It is a different time in a different environment. I do think Dabo will be very successful at Clemson though.

Mick,
I agree with your assessment of IPTAY and the changes that have to be made over time to keep up with an ever-changing society, however I am mixed in my feelings toward the Orange & White. The Orange & White has always been an important part of my IPTAY membership going back to when I joined IPTAY as a 12 year old in July 1987. I have found, over time, that I rely on the Orange & White more for the stories and information that doesn’t relate to football or basketball. Internet and other media sources “well cover” the football and basketball programs; it’s the information related to the “non revenue” sports and the university in general that I get most of my information from the Orange & White.

Neil

Neil,
The good news is the Orange & White is not going away. They are going to a subscription base so we can still get the Orange & White. I am big fans of Phil and Kerry.

I am glad you touched on the last subject. You hit the nail on the head. Clemson has spent so much time and money trying to be something that we are not. We have lost our way. We have lost our special status because we have watered down our uniqueness. We are trying to impress a magazine panel and have lost our way. The Clemson family is split and few can unite it. Dabo and Purnell are two that do the best job in my opinion. The board and the president have become polarizing figures. Many of the goals are polarizing. Dabo and Purnell are the only two people I know that unify the Clemson Nation. I think we need changes. I think we need to identify leaders. I think we need leaders who can inspire people to follow them. I think we need to find our way again. I think we need become special again but special by our definition and not others. We need to emphasize our uniqueness. We need to special people to lead us and we need to be a family again.

I saw a wide receiver coach unite Clemson in five days and the Tiger Walk on that Georgia Tech Saturday was the first time in a long time that I felt the Clemson Nation united. Purnell does the same thing in basketball. These are leaders. These are the only men I see inspiring the entire family.

The football uniforms are polarizing. Some like orange and other like purple. We disagree on the size of the paw on the helmet. Some say Leggett’s small ball does not work. Some think Top 20 is the way to go and others totally disagree with it. Some believe and trust Barker and others don’t. Some think the board is transparent and other don’t. Some understand huge tuition hikes and others don’t. Some understand pay raises in Sikes Hall and others question it. Furloughs. Troutman’s lawsuit. Noon games. Ticket changes. Parking changes. Man, I get worn out by the family being spilt over all of the issues.

We need real leaders that we all trust. We need leaders who will tell us the entire truth. We need leaders who can inspire us to follow them. We need changes in important areas of leadership. We need leaders who are passionate about Clemson. We need to be Clemson again.

Sorry to rant but this is something I think about almost every day. I have written a blog that I will publish next week on the subject that is basically a little longer version of the above. Sorry to rant but you hit a great point with your e-mail.

The Brad Hughes All-State Insurance Agency

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Those who need our prayers include:
Finn Brookover, Mrs. Kathleen Bowers, Larry in Naples, FL, RTG-Pawsitive Tiger, Mary-Louise Pawlowski (John's daughter), Sandy Wright, Jo Ann Bachman, Frank Taylor, Kenneth Bryant, Pruitt Martin, Got igers and his family, David Rowland, Leonard Gillespie and his family, Jim S, Christine Hepfer, Daniel Rosborough, Amy Murphey, Jack Huffman, Nancy Winkler, Dr. Nancy Strom Morgan, Edward Putman, John Reeve, Eileen Woodrum, Ethel Southard, Vinnie Brock, Jean-Pierre Bailey, Kaitlyn L, William Perry, Delores Weaver.