Kirk Wessler column about Coach Geno Ford

[tornado]

OMG -- those cheap shots were legendary -- and I am not the only person who apparently thinks so...

[Buesch N Chips]

OMG -- those cheap shots were legendary -- and I am not the only person who apparently thinks so...

T you may be right, and I know there are people pretty inside who agree with you, but I think I need to see what the article says before making judgments.

[tornado]

The articles are on the archives of PJS but I am not going to waste my $$

http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_multi=JS|&p_product=JS&p_theme=gatehouse&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&s_dispstring="theobald"%20and%20"jim%20les"%20and%20"stockbroker"%20AND%20date(1/1/2002%20to%205/15/2003)&p_field_date-0=YMD_date&p_params_date-0=date:B,E&p_text_date-0=1/1/2002%20to%205/15/2003)&p_field_advanced-0=&p_text_advanced-0=("theobald"%20and%20"jim%20les"%20and%20"stockbroker")&xcal_numdocs=20&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&xcal_useweights=no

[panther12thman]

Typical KW article - he will continue to take shots at JL - he must believe that is his calling in life. He represents what the JS has become, a poor newspaper with an even worse sports department.

I for one, even though a die hard JL backer, will continue to also be a die hard Braves fan. However, I do not give our new coach a honeymoon period. He has good players coming back-plus new recruits, don't forget the anti-JL people were saying before he was fired, that he had to win big next year and challenge for the league title. If we are going to pay Geno $700,000 he needs to produce immediately and if he doesn't then Batgirl (JG) and her Robin (MC) need to get their resume's updated and look to move on.

[Buesch N Chips]

Typical KW article - he will continue to take shots at JL - he must believe that is his calling in life. He represents what the JS has become, a poor newspaper with an even worse sports department.

I for one, even though a die hard JL backer, will continue to also be a die hard Braves fan. However, I do not give our new coach a honeymoon period. He has good players coming back-plus new recruits, don't forget the anti-JL people were saying before he was fired, that he had to win big next year and challenge for the league title. If we are going to pay Geno $700,000 he needs to produce immediately and if he doesn't then Batgirl (JG) and her Robin (MC) need to get their resume's updated and look to move on.

I would think that any fan that would have expected JL to win big next year would be incredibly disingenuous if they didn't expect the same from GF. But the opposite is true as well.

And I agree, for 700K, there is no honeymoon.

[jrish12]

I for one, even though a die hard JL backer, will continue to also be a die hard Braves fan. However, I do not give our new coach a honeymoon period. He has good players coming back-plus new recruits, don't forget the anti-JL people were saying before he was fired, that he had to win big next year and challenge for the league title. If we are going to pay Geno $700,000 he needs to produce immediately and if he doesn't then Batgirl (JG) and her Robin (MC) need to get their resume's updated and look to move on.

Its pretty much a fact that a coach gets 3-4 years grace period to implement his system and get his guys in. Can GF win with the team he has now? of course he can. Will he? Nobody knows until the ball goes up come November. I think it would say alot about the coaching differences if GF wins with JL's players. IMO it would show that the talent was there but there was something missing from the coaching side. There is a difference in someone having to "win big" between a 10th year coach whose job is on the line vs. a brand new coach who hasnt even coached a game on the Carver Arena sidelines for Bradley. HUGE difference. If you cant see the difference between the 2 then, frankly you've lost alot of credibility IMO.

Also, can we get over the anti-JL BS. He has moved on and has a new Division I coaching job. Bradley has moved on, Jim has moved on. LET IT GO

[Braves4Life]

Also, can we get over the anti-JL BS. He has moved on and has a new Division I coaching job. Bradley has moved on, Jim has moved on. LET IT GO

Thank you!

[SFP]

In fairness this is about KW and his negative stance on JL throughout is career. That to me is a fact because there are a ton of documented articles on this. I also have to agree that it is time to move forward and I'm also hoping that GF agrees that there are no honeymoons on the Hilltop and that he is looking at winning as much as we are.

It does appear KW and the rest of the PJS staff has a man crush on GF. For whatever it is worth I'm glad.

[Buesch N Chips]

It does appear KW and the rest of the PJS staff has a man crush on GF. For whatever it is worth I'm glad.

I agree. Let the love fest continue.

[Bravesfan]

I keep hearing about these so-called first articles that took cheap shots at Les immediately after he was hired. I don't recall them as cheap shots, but rather statements of fact as to his background and experience. I'd really love to re-read these articles to compare their tone to the articles on Geno. I know someone must have a "treasure trove" of these articles as a testament as to all that is evil about the PJS.

I vaguely remember some of those early articles myself, and believe, KW was NO fan of Les from the get go! And this was patently unfair. People have to give everyone a fair shot when they are hired as a coach whether they have the background or not. We have seen PLENTY of head coaches lacking coaching experience hired who went on to do very well. But KW had an agenda against Les from the beginning, and that tone lived on throughout Les's nine year run here.

Look, don't get me wrong. I'm glad KW is being very receptive to Geno, but I can see KW changing his tune quickly when and if the "you know what" hits the fan. Which is why B4Life I have to respectively disagree with you that these were "statements of fact" regarding Les's background. There were personal issues and biases KW had against Les from the beginning and it seemed like every bad thing that occurred during Les's reign was magnified five times as much over every good thing that happened. But hopefully KW and the rest of the PJStar will continue the more unbiased trend they have established in recent weeks during the duration of the Geno Ford era, good or bad.

I just am not counting on that to happen.

[Bravesfan]

Its pretty much a fact that a coach gets 3-4 years grace period to implement his system and get his guys in. Can GF win with the team he has now? of course he can. Will he? Nobody knows until the ball goes up come November. I think it would say alot about the coaching differences if GF wins with JL's players. IMO it would show that the talent was there but there was something missing from the coaching side. There is a difference in someone having to "win big" between a 10th year coach whose job is on the line vs. a brand new coach who hasnt even coached a game on the Carver Arena sidelines for Bradley. HUGE difference. If you cant see the difference between the 2 then, frankly you've lost alot of credibility IMO.

Also, can we get over the anti-JL BS. He has moved on and has a new Division I coaching job. Bradley has moved on, Jim has moved on. LET IT GO

I know you weren't addressing this to me jrish12, but I have to chime in here. I am going to let this all go, but I'm also going to call a spade a spade too. This has to be addressed because you know the next time Bradley goes on a 5 game losing streak KW will ultimately find something to rag on against Geno and/or his coaching style, despite today's "vote of confidence".

Also, Bradley having a winning season right off the bat with Geno coaching does not tell me squat about the talent here. Les's team was one year younger with devastating injury issues. So it would be unfair to Les to compare him to Ford's first year since Les never got a chance to see what he could do with a full team that hopefully would have been injury free for the first time in four years! Big difference here.

And finally, regarding the typical 3 to 4 year grace period you alluded to jrish12, Les was lucky to get a 3 to 4 minute grace period when he was hired, let alone 3 to 4 years! And I don't think he even got that.

Just pointing out the differences, that's all.

[Bravesfan]

In fairness this is about KW and his negative stance on JL throughout is career. That to me is a fact because there are a ton of documented articles on this. I also have to agree that it is time to move forward and I'm also hoping that GF agrees that there are no honeymoons on the Hilltop and that he is looking at winning as much as we are.

It does appear KW and the rest of the PJS staff has a man crush on GF. For whatever it is worth I'm glad.

Definitely agree about KW's stance towards Les, and that was what I was trying to explain in my previous two posts above. However, I will give Ford a bit of a honeymoon as he has to take a little time to establish his system here with some new players thrown in the mix. But I don't think it will take that long, and I have already said several times since he was hired that Bradley may surprise a lot of people this year, perhaps even contending for the Valley championship. If they don't this year though, they at the very least should have a good shot to play their way out of the Valley tourney play-in round.

[lefty]

Anyone who's been here knows where we all stand and we aren't going to change each other's minds I really don't know why we have to try to keep pounding away at our point of views on the same thing.

It seems the relationship between PJS and GF will be better but only time will tell that for sure. As DC said somewhere there was fault on both sides of that so let it go already. And really that is only based on our observations and opinions.

[AZ BU Fan]

I would only be bummed about this coming season if BU players didn't play hard and smart for 40 minutes a game, night in and out.

Would be really bummed if I ever hear GF say his players didn't buy in to his coaching/game plan.

Would really really be bummed if GF recruits athletes who have to learn how to play bb.

[Bravesfan]

I would only be bummed about this coming season if BU players didn't play hard and smart for 40 minutes a game, night in and out.

Would be really bummed if I ever hear GF say his players didn't buy in to his coaching/game plan.

Would really really be bummed if GF recruits athletes who have to learn how to play bb.

I agree, and I also agree it is time to move on to what hopefully will be an enjoyable first season on the hilltop for Ford. I have said everything I wanted to say about KW for the time being, so let's just hope the more unbiased reporting continues at the PJStar.