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RPI 2020 Off-season Overtime: In Memory of Turk181

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rpi82 said:
Actually I blame McElroy as much as Shirley. If he doesn't have the gonads to tell her that we owe these athletes some assurances about their careers at RPI then he shouldn't be the AD. He was retired when Shirley hired him - perhaps he views this job as a nice pension supplement so he doesn't want to actually do the job and rock the boat a little bit. The AD is supposed to argue in favor of what's best for the RPI athletic programs and, while I agreed with the cancellation of the season, it sounds like he stopped even trying to do his job when he failed to push through the types of accomodations and information flow that other schools have to keep the athletes active and involved.
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I totally agree with this.
As for Shirley, how many of you had the responsibility of running an organization of this size?
If she gave special attention to the athletes, how would that look to the rest of the student body. All of these kids want to attend classes in person and be part of the college experience.
She is in charge of all the students not just the hockey team.
I hate this whole situation, but I will not blame her for trying to keep these students healthy. JMO.
 
Today’s TU has an article about the rise in cases on local campuses. And take a look at the reports and videos of Spring break in Florida. The young people were asked not to do exactly what they are doing. And....So you are in charge of an organization with the majority of your charges young people who will do what exactly if you open the door a little and say to them “Please don’t go over the line drawn on the floor on the inside of the door”? Do I think Shirley should have been more transparent about her rationalization for the decisions she made? Yes I do. Do I think she had a very good reason to be as strict about things as she had been? Yeah I do. The minute she started to make exceptions for this group or that group, she would have lost control of the situation. The result she obtained by her policies was because of those policies , not in spite of them.
 
sezenack said:
Don't put words in my mouth. Not once in my post did I mention SAJ. I simply said the country is on track to reach herd immunity well before the fall.
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"Let's be clear though that next season is not in jeopardy." I was referring to your quote. What you said is obvious. I was stating simply that next season is in jeopardy due to the fact that SAJ has not committed to a hockey season - therefore your quoted statement is incorrect.
 
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rpi82 said:
Actually I blame McElroy as much as Shirley. If he doesn't have the gonads to tell her that we owe these athletes some assurances about their careers at RPI then he shouldn't be the AD. He was retired when Shirley hired him - perhaps he views this job as a nice pension supplement so he doesn't want to actually do the job and rock the boat a little bit. The AD is supposed to argue in favor of what's best for the RPI athletic programs and, while I agreed with the cancellation of the season, it sounds like he stopped even trying to do his job when he failed to push through the types of accomodations and information flow that other schools have to keep the athletes active and involved.
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There isn't much difference between McElroy and Kermit the Frog, as they're both puppets. He can't even remember your name when you meet him a second time. As far as having gonads, there is not one person in SAJ's cabinet that stands up to her, which is why they are in her cabinet in the first place. June can't come soon enough!
 
engineerhockeyfan said:
I totally agree with this.
As for Shirley, how many of you had the responsibility of running an organization of this size?
If she gave special attention to the athletes, how would that look to the rest of the student body. All of these kids want to attend classes in person and be part of the college experience.
She is in charge of all the students not just the hockey team.
I hate this whole situation, but I will not blame her for trying to keep these students healthy. JMO.
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I dont think anyone is/was asking for special attention to athletes. My point is if there are student athletes being restricted, due admin’s decisions, to work on their game, keep skills sharp etc., regardless of sport, then I feel for all the student athletes, as I have stated on here before. The hockey team gets the attention because we discuss hockey in this forum.

If students can be safely spaced out in a lecture hall for in person classes on the RPI campus, I would think it could have been figured on how to do the same with all teams, in all facilities. That’s the point. Safety first? Yes, 100% agree. But the inability to trust your staff to put together a return to practice/play over the course of the past 10 months is mind boggling. We (society) have no problem going to Walmart, high school activities work etc and follow the guidelines set forth . I’m sure the RPI athletes would have done the same, but were not given the opportunity.

Thus , we get to a point where apparently some of the hockey athletes have decide they do not want to play the waiting game anymore and want to explore their options to go to a school and play hockey, where the administration and athletic department worked together during a world pandemic and allowed their athletes, not special treatment, to trust the process presented and adhere to safety guidelines in order to play their designated sport.

Was never even an option at RPI.........
 
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Ferner's departure not something to take lightly. He's an incredible leader to have on your team and in the locker room. Losing that is arguably more important than losing what he also brings on the ice.
 
Today is 8 March 2021. There are 208 days until RPI's next game.


This is based upon 2 October 2021 for the start of next season.
 
Wicked Slappaahs said:
Death by a thousand cuts. I am sure he won't be the last. This is what happens when people feel like their voices aren't heard. They vote with their feet...
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Do not recall anyone addressing this yet, but a thousand cuts and sure it won't be the last is not limited to only the most important ingredient (players). Even the great Casey Stengel appeared to know what the most important ingredient was when asked what it felt like to win five consecutive world championships. Answer was "I couldn't have done it without the players".

However, there is also a list of coaches at the school that easily fall in to the very good, outstanding or possibly even great categories above and beyond hockey. Names like not only Smith but also Isernia, Gilbride and probably Maisonet too come to mind. Question is how long will it be before these people realize that it is time to deal with reality and join the players in leaving the looney bin. With the resumes these people have built, it is not very hard to imagine that all of them would be considered quite desirable elsewhere.
 
tony/troy said:
Do not recall anyone addressing this yet, but a thousand cuts and sure it won't be the last is not limited to only the most important ingredient (players). Even the great Casey Stengel appeared to know what the most important ingredient was when asked what it felt like to win five consecutive world championships. Answer was "I couldn't have done it without the players".

However, there is also a list of coaches at the school that easily fall in to the very good, outstanding or possibly even great categories above and beyond hockey. Names like not only Smith but also Isernia, Gilbride and probably Maisonet too come to mind. Question is how long will it be before these people realize that it is time to deal with reality and join the players in leaving the looney bin. With the resumes these people have built, it is not very hard to imagine that all of them would be considered quite desirable elsewhere.
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You are 100% correct!
 
sk8tronthepond said:
There isn't much difference between McElroy and Kermit the Frog, as they're both puppets. He can't even remember your name when you meet him a second time. As far as having gonads, there is not one person in SAJ's cabinet that stands up to her, which is why they are in her cabinet in the first place. June can't come soon enough!
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On the surface analogy very harsh. After all this is someone who did take over the top spot somewhere else when they were struggling to navigate the transition from the bottom rung of college athletics to the top one. Eventually the transition was completed quite successfully within that tenure and it remains so to this very day. On the other hand, however, if you wish to avoid being likened to a frog puppet, then do not take jobs like this one regardless of what titles or money is involved. That goes double when that job is, in all likelihood, your last one.

It is no secret what so ever that there is at LEAST ONE individual that has been in the department for quite some time who not only should already have the top job but probably should have already had the job for quite some time. On the other hand, however, it is questionable if the job would even be wanted under these circumstances. Probably better to wait for an opportunity where skills can be used not as an athletic director emeritus but as a real one either here or elsewhere.

While the frog analogy is not bad at all, a human version would possibly be better with regards to making career choices that lead to you being the but of jokes and ridicule forever more. That example would be a long ago very talented singer and musician with a songwriting credit or two to boot. His name was Charlie Hodge. Unfortunately, if anyone remembers him at all these days, it is for all the wrong reasons. He was the apparent flunky, stooge, lackey, yes man that always stood on the right side of the stage (left as you were looking at it) who appeared to have little more use or function that to just stand there and wait for Elvis to walk over to him at which time Charlie would hand Elvis a glass of water and drape a scarf around his neck which would eventually end up in the possession of a fawning female in the audience. Again, while the reality was hardly that, it is all people remember today.

Oh!!! those bad career decisions. Made at least one myself along he way.
 
tony/troy said:
Do not recall anyone addressing this yet, but a thousand cuts and sure it won't be the last is not limited to only the most important ingredient (players). Even the great Casey Stengel appeared to know what the most important ingredient was when asked what it felt like to win five consecutive world championships. Answer was "I couldn't have done it without the players".

However, there is also a list of coaches at the school that easily fall in to the very good, outstanding or possibly even great categories above and beyond hockey. Names like not only Smith but also Isernia, Gilbride and probably Maisonet too come to mind. Question is how long will it be before these people realize that it is time to deal with reality and join the players in leaving the looney bin. With the resumes these people have built, it is not very hard to imagine that all of them would be considered quite desirable elsewhere.
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Excellent point(s) of view. With the assistants being furloughed and having to collect unemployment for several months earlier in year, hard to imagine them, and/HCs not consider a move if opportunity came calling. Especially if opportunity was at a school that allowed their team(s) to compete this last year.
 
sezenack said:
Ferner's departure not something to take lightly. He's an incredible leader to have on your team and in the locker room. Losing that is arguably more important than losing what he also brings on the ice.
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There were several returning players whom I thought were key in keeping this program moving forward. Unfortunately 4 of the several key persons have either left or are in portal. Guessing Ferner (Babichuk also??) held on as long as he thought was possible before entering. He was widely suspected to be the captain next two years and was highly regarded on/off ice by his teammates, per some people I have spoken to over last year or so.

This isn’t like Ferner/Babichuk/Ashbrook/Savory were worried about their role/ice time ........all quality players in their own right.

Guessing we have not heard the last of the folks to try and get off Gilligan’s Island.
 
sk8tronthepond said:
You are 100% correct!
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Thank you skate. However, I carelessly omitted at least one name. Add Clinton to the list. Not that hard to miss one when you have already not seen any of them for what is now a totally unmanageable, unacceptable and absurd entire calendar year. Eventually, that tally is fully expected to reach at least 18 months.

There could be even more names that belong on the list but those would come from sports that are not my cup of tea, that I do not attend and know little or nothing about.
 
Today is 9 March 2021. There are 207 days until RPI's next game.


This is based upon 2 October 2021 for the start of next season.
 
Coaches Smith, Gilbride, and Isernia (and probably Coaches Maisonet and Clinton as well) know that RPI was a great place to be a coach or an athlete before the pandemic hit. Until and unless one or more of them leave, I will continue to believe that they think it can be so again after the pandemic is past.

As they go about trying to attract athletes for their teams in the future, they are probably hoping that prospective recruits don't pay too much attention to the relentless negativity on this thread.
 
Waite21 said:
Coaches Smith, Gilbride, and Isernia (and probably Coaches Maisonet and Clinton as well) know that RPI was a great place to be a coach or an athlete before the pandemic hit. Until and unless one or more of them leave, I will continue to believe that they think it can be so again after the pandemic is past.

As they go about trying to attract athletes for their teams in the future, they are probably hoping that prospective recruits don't pay too much attention to the relentless negativity on this thread.
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If student-athletes attend or don’t attend RPI because of what they read on this thread, then there’s bigger problems that none of us know about. Heck, there have been/still are parents that post here, and their kids are still attending. :-D
 
Today is 10 March 2021. There are 206 days until RPI's next game.


This is based upon 2 October 2021 for the start of next season.
 
Waite21 said:
Coaches Smith, Gilbride, and Isernia (and probably Coaches Maisonet and Clinton as well) know that RPI was a great place to be a coach or an athlete before the pandemic hit. Until and unless one or more of them leave, I will continue to believe that they think it can be so again after the pandemic is past.

As they go about trying to attract athletes for their teams in the future, they are probably hoping that prospective recruits don't pay too much attention to the relentless negativity on this thread.
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Again, go back and read Billy Jerry's missive from the fall. He spelled it out for the world to see -- athletes were encouraged to participate in the "process" (by complying with all of the MANY edicts) ---which they did to the letter, only to ultimately be ignored by the dictator. I can't think of a more effective way to alienate an entire athlete population, can you ? Any fallout for the damage done to RPI athletics lies squarely at the feet of one person.
 
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