Francesa

I know as a group we are mostly frustrated with Mike and his coverage of the program over the past years. All that frustration aside, legitimate or not, you have to admit the more he embraces the program going forward, the more he talks about St. Johns Basketball the better it is for our program.
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True. He is obviously all about ratings. If we are winning and making the NCAA Tourney with regularity, I am sure he will pay more attention to the program.

That said, it is too bad he wasn't paying more attention to this group of seniors. As we know, there are some great characters and human interest stories on this team. Hell, there's a dude named Sir'Dominic.
 
I know as a group we are mostly frustrated with Mike and his coverage of the program over the past years. All that frustration aside, legitimate or not, you have to admit the more he embraces the program going forward, the more he talks about St. Johns Basketball the better it is for our program.
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True. He is obviously all about ratings. If we are winning and making the NCAA Tourney with regularity, I am sure he will pay more attention to the program.
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Doesn't that bother you? We have to be good to get the attention of our own AD ?
 
Anyone else listening to Mike yesterday when a caller referred to him as a "big SJU fan" and his response was: "Not really. I'm not one of those big St John's alum fans"?

Preserving his neutrality?
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Francesa passionately disliked Father Harrington. They did not get a long, hence a real check from his pocket never hitting SJU.
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In fairness, Fr. Harrington wasn't the one who got up in front of 1K people and said he was establishing a scholarship in honor of his late mother, that was Mike.

If he had too much wine that night, and he got caught up in the spirit of giving back, he could have called the university the next day to say that he was embarrassed but would not be writing a large check but a much smaller one.

Instead he just ignored the university every time they called to ask how he planned to fund the scholarship.

After awhile, St. John's got the message and gave up.
 
I know as a group we are mostly frustrated with Mike and his coverage of the program over the past years. All that frustration aside, legitimate or not, you have to admit the more he embraces the program going forward, the more he talks about St. Johns Basketball the better it is for our program.
Click to expand...

True. He is obviously all about ratings. If we are winning and making the NCAA Tourney with regularity, I am sure he will pay more attention to the program.

That said, it is too bad he wasn't paying more attention to this group of seniors. As we know, there are some great characters and human interest stories on this team. Hell, there's a dude named Sir'Dominic.
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He's not a fan, and at this point in his career is pretty lazy about following sports in general. He' snot a sports nut, and you are right, he will only talk about sju if there is high interest in the city
 
Anyone else listening to Mike yesterday when a caller referred to him as a "big SJU fan" and his response was: "Not really. I'm not one of those big St John's alum fans"?

Preserving his neutrality?
Click to expand...

Francesa passionately disliked Father Harrington. They did not get a long, hence a real check from his pocket never hitting SJU.
Click to expand...

In fairness, Fr. Harrington wasn't the one who got up in front of 1K people and said he was establishing a scholarship in honor of his late mother, that was Mike.

If he had too much wine that night, and he got caught up in the spirit of giving back, he could have called the university the next day to say that he was embarrassed but would not be writing a large check but a much smaller one.

Instead he just ignored the university every time they called to ask how he planned to fund the scholarship.

After awhile, St. John's got the message and gave up.
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To be completely fair, and thanks for that explanation, some college fund raisers have zero bedside manner, and have a way of turning you off or hounding you. Francessa is at least 80% wrong here, and maybe 100%, but I think this all could have been handled a little better all the way around.
 
Anyone else listening to Mike yesterday when a caller referred to him as a "big SJU fan" and his response was: "Not really. I'm not one of those big St John's alum fans"?

Preserving his neutrality?
Click to expand...

Francesa passionately disliked Father Harrington. They did not get a long, hence a real check from his pocket never hitting SJU.
Click to expand...

In fairness, Fr. Harrington wasn't the one who got up in front of 1K people and said he was establishing a scholarship in honor of his late mother, that was Mike.

If he had too much wine that night, and he got caught up in the spirit of giving back, he could have called the university the next day to say that he was embarrassed but would not be writing a large check but a much smaller one.

Instead he just ignored the university every time they called to ask how he planned to fund the scholarship.

After awhile, St. John's got the message and gave up.
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Didn't Michael Scott do something similar?
 
i thought his hatred was more than the scholarship incident. When he was more active with the school, i believe he tried to get certain coaches hired after jarvis got canned but father harrington refused to listen. then the scholarship incident happened and it was the final nail in the coffin
 
i thought his hatred was more than the scholarship incident. When he was more active with the school, i believe he tried to get certain coaches hired after jarvis got canned but father harrington refused to listen. then the scholarship incident happened and it was the final nail in the coffin
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I remember him being on the search committie after the Jarvis firing. Based on what he has been saying recently he may have been pushing for Cluess. It was obvious from listening to the show back all those many years he was not thrilled with the Norm hiring. He was also big buddies with Rick Majaris(sp?) who I beleive was out of work at the time. What ever it is or was he has been more positive about the program lately and his support is helpful. Maybe more local exposure will keep more kids home; although nothing works better than winning!
 
i thought his hatred was more than the scholarship incident. When he was more active with the school, i believe he tried to get certain coaches hired after jarvis got canned but father harrington refused to listen. then the scholarship incident happened and it was the final nail in the coffin
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I remember him being on the search committie after the Jarvis firing. Based on what he has been saying recently he may have been pushing for Cluess. It was obvious from listening to the show back all those many years he was not thrilled with the Norm hiring. He was also big buddies with Rick Majaris(sp?) who I beleive was out of work at the time. What ever it is or was he has been more positive about the program lately and his support is helpful. Maybe more local exposure will keep more kids home; although nothing works better than winning!
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He was NOT on any search committee after Jarvis was fired.
 
i thought his hatred was more than the scholarship incident. When he was more active with the school, i believe he tried to get certain coaches hired after jarvis got canned but father harrington refused to listen. then the scholarship incident happened and it was the final nail in the coffin
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I remember him being on the search committie after the Jarvis firing. Based on what he has been saying recently he may have been pushing for Cluess. It was obvious from listening to the show back all those many years he was not thrilled with the Norm hiring. He was also big buddies with Rick Majaris(sp?) who I beleive was out of work at the time. What ever it is or was he has been more positive about the program lately and his support is helpful. Maybe more local exposure will keep more kids home; although nothing works better than winning!
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He was NOT on any search committee after Jarvis was fired.
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I would be shocked if he were. Thanks for clarifying.
 
[quote="redstorm89". Maybe more local exposure will keep more kids home; although nothing works better than winning!
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Other than a handful of schools and we all know who they are what is most important in recruiting is hard work and being on the kid a long time. Case in point Brandon Sampson , the staff has been on this kid for years. You have no idea what an accomplishment it is in the game of recruiting to get a kid from the Deep South to come north and to go to a school like SJU which has rarely been a winning program in Brandon's 17 years. Louie got a few high ranking kids from out of town in his 25 years of coaching , Marcus broadnax and Chuckie Sproling to name them but we were a top 3 team in the nation in the early to mid 80s in 83, 85 and 86 and were on national tv weekly. We had all kinds of pub. Very different times. Winning is important but committed hard work with the kid is better. I tip my hat to the staff on both of our recruits for this season. Need a minimum of a pg and forward to add to the class for next season.
 
i thought his hatred was more than the scholarship incident. When he was more active with the school, i believe he tried to get certain coaches hired after jarvis got canned but father harrington refused to listen. then the scholarship incident happened and it was the final nail in the coffin
Click to expand...

I remember him being on the search committie after the Jarvis firing. Based on what he has been saying recently he may have been pushing for Cluess. It was obvious from listening to the show back all those many years he was not thrilled with the Norm hiring. He was also big buddies with Rick Majaris(sp?) who I beleive was out of work at the time. What ever it is or was he has been more positive about the program lately and his support is helpful. Maybe more local exposure will keep more kids home; although nothing works better than winning!
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Rick had no serious interest in coaching us. I think Mike asked him to consider coaching us but that was a non-starter.

Cluess was coaching St. Mary's H.S. 15 years ago.

I know quite a few people at SJU. Very few, if any, like Mike. Take it FWIW.

His name always draws a visceral response.

Those who have interacted with him say that he has an outsized tendency to "high hat" people and think that he is better than most (at least that is what many have volunteered to me).

I don't know Mike.. Never had a conversation with him, but just about everyone I know at SJU has virtually nothing positive to say about him on a personal note.

The incident that got Norm and Mrs. Roberts ticked off (among others at SJU) is when, at The President's Dinner. The Waldorf) he said (pointing to a door that led to the kitchen) that if Norm wasn't successful that season he was going to find himself on the other side of the door (the kitchen).

Mike thought he was being funny (and maybe some thought that he succeeded) but it went over like athe proverbial lead baloon since this was a fund raiser not a Friar's Roast.

When it comes to St. John's Mike is arguably "passive-aggressive".

He frequently wears a SJU sweatshirt and says he roots for them yet he stiffed the university on a scholarship (he voluntarily guaranteed), doesn't attend any games and promotes Cal, Calhoun, and Wright.

A very complicated fellow.
 
Conundrum. What side to take?

In the red corner, wearing a fitted and imported black cassock with matching black jacket and pants is the former university president, who along with a very select few, used precious donations as a personal a checking account, to jetset and enjoy the finer things in life. All the while watching the University raise tuition and suffer in prestige, Father Donald J. Harrington.

In the blue corner, wearing a blue 3X sweater and 48 size waist dockers, an accomplished, famous and we'll heeled alum who is also a bombastic blowhard who is loathe to be corrected, is Mike Francesa.

This has reached the judges, and in a close decision, I will go with Francesa. If for no other reason, because if he reneged on his proposed scholarship atleast the money wasn't spent on Italian wine from Tuscany.

Who knows, maybe with a little prodding and salesmanship, the new president can get Francesa to fund that scholarship afterall. And talk up SJU once in a while as a bonus.
 
Raf is on the show right now. Spent some time singing St. John's praises (Sir'Dom, D'Lo, they'll be a tough out), and stating the importance of a good St John's team to the Big East.
 
Mike killed the Ref for the 4th Dom foul and said he needed the rest of the week off for giving a 4th to a main guy when it wasn't even a foul.
furthermore Mike said Johnnie's did not want to enter the tournament with the type of showing in the last two games. Hopefully the bad shooting is over.
 
Lavin on with Francessa tomorrow at 5:25PM
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Wonder if he'll interrupt Lavin as much as he interrupted Jay Wright today. Jeesh, every time Mike asked a question, while Wright was answering, Mike would interrupt and talk over Wright. Francesa is absolutely the worst interviewer! Especially to those he sucks up to, like Calhoun, Cal and so many others.
 
Lavin on with Francessa tomorrow at 5:25PM
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Wonder if he'll interrupt Lavin as much as he interrupted Jay Wright today. Jeesh, every time Mike asked a question, while Wright was answering, Mike would interrupt and talk over Wright. Francesa is absolutely the worst interviewer! Especially to those he sucks up to, like Calhoun, Cal and so many others.
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He had Rothstein on today and didn't let him finish a thought.
 
I am a big listener to his program. Overall, he pulls for St. John's to do well, and will discuss them whenever they have a good W. Has said on multiple occasions that he thinks St. John's being good is one of the two or three most important things for the Big East. And when fans of other schools call to discuss their program - whether it be Seton Hall, Rutgers, or even his buddy Cluess' - he goes out of his way to reiterate that St. John's is and will always be the NYC program that draws the most attention.

About a year ago, Mike mentioned that during a time in which St. John's was looking for a coach. he spoke to Majerus about taking over the job, and that Slice would be the lead assistant/recruiter. He said that the three were discussing it while watching the tourney one year, and that he thinks it would have happened but for North Carolina showing interest. Apparently Majerus backed off after that.
 
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