Kirk Wessler

[BradleyBrave]

I really don't see what's wrong with that article. It's 100% spot-on. Our defense has been awful all season, and our defense is why we lost on Friday. If we played any defense whatsoever, even with all of the injuries, we'd have 20+ wins and some sort of significant postseason coming. We have gotten what we deserved all season, and we did yesterday. We have no one to blame but ourselves.

[Scouter]

scouter, I don't need a judge to tell when someone else says something libelous.
...and stop trying to think in a narrow judicial way....see the word for what it actually means....

libel, definition
1. a. A false publication, as in writing, print, signs, or pictures, that damages a person's reputation.

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/libel

http://www.answers.com/topic/libel?cat=biz-fin

I can see for myself that the statement was libel.

You may see it as libel, but a judge most certainly wouldn't. The defendant (in this fictional case, Les) must PROVE the statement to be false.

[tornado]

that's only if you want a judgement...
it's like saying a tree doesn't fall in the woods unless it is filmed while doing so and then is certified by a judge.

[Buesch N Chips]

I really don't see what's wrong with that article. It's 100% spot-on. Our defense has been awful all season, and our defense is why we lost on Friday. If we played any defense whatsoever, even with all of the injuries, we'd have 20+ wins and some sort of significant postseason coming. We have gotten what we deserved all season, and we did yesterday. We have no one to blame but ourselves.

Judging by your sarcastic signature, I'd say you are certainly in the Wessler camp.

[BradleyBrave]

Judging by your sarcastic signature, I'd say you are certainly in the Wessler camp.

Really? I guess you didn't see my posts that said I thought we should contend for a top 3 finish next year. Whatever.

If you're happy with 17-15, good for you. I'm not. Our defense was terrible for a majority of the season, and the numbers bear this out. I agree with KW on that. If you want to brand me some sort of 'hater' because of that, fine. You'll sound ignorant.

[braves12]

I think some want to think that Wessler is the problem, when in fact he is just the columnist for the local paper. He doesn't recruit, he doesn't teach the game, he doesn't schedule, in fact he does absolutely nothing that directly affects the basketball program. I think some want to point the finger at Wessler because it takes the attention off of the other issues that really matter. I say forget Wessler and concentrate more on do you want:
1. Players to stay out of the local police report?
2. BU teams that play defense that will allow them to finish 1-3 in the conference?
3. BU to outrecruit other programs in the Valley?
4. BU to make it to the NCAA more than once in 6 years?
5. BU to regularly win conference and/or tourney championship?
etc., etc, etc.

I hear all kinds of excuses, but most of us are measured on results. I think BU's athletics programs will be measured on success. To date so far the program has not been successful for a long time. I think the clock is ticking.

Back to the topic.....Wessler is meaningless in this bigger picture. I doubt the people who are responsible for BU could give 2 hoots about what he writes. But we seem to make it the big issue as opposed to what is really happening on the floor.

[Lakeview Brave]

I think some want to think that Wessler is the problem, when in fact he is just the columnist for the local paper. He doesn't recruit, he doesn't teach the game, he doesn't schedule, in fact he does absolutely nothing that directly affects the basketball program. I think some want to point the finger at Wessler because it takes the attention off of the other issues that really matter. I say forget Wessler and concentrate more on do you want:
1. Players to stay out of the local police report?
2. BU teams that play defense that will allow them to finish 1-3 in the conference?
3. BU to outrecruit other programs in the Valley?
4. BU to make it to the NCAA more than once in 6 years?
5. BU to regularly win conference and/or tourney championship?
etc., etc, etc.

I hear all kinds of excuses, but most of us are measured on results. I think BU's athletics programs will be measured on success. To date so far the program has not been successful for a long time. I think the clock is ticking.

Back to the topic.....Wessler is meaningless in this bigger picture. I doubt the people who are responsible for BU could give 2 hoots about what he writes. But we seem to make it the big issue as opposed to what is really happening on the floor.

Great post and exactly right.

[lefty]

I really don't see what's wrong with that article. It's 100% spot-on. Our defense has been awful all season, and our defense is why we lost on Friday. If we played any defense whatsoever, even with all of the injuries, we'd have 20+ wins and some sort of significant postseason coming. We have gotten what we deserved all season, and we did yesterday. We have no one to blame but ourselves.

I agree.

[Buesch N Chips]

Really? I guess you didn't see my posts that said I thought we should contend for a top 3 finish next year. Whatever.

If you're happy with 17-15, good for you. I'm not. Our defense was terrible for a majority of the season, and the numbers bear this out. I agree with KW on that. If you want to brand me sort of 'hater' because of that, fine. You'll sound ignorant.

Completely missing my point. My post had nothing to do with Bradley's season, players, whatever. My post is about the local beat writer who frustrates me because, like I said, he accentuates the negative and ignores the positive. Write all the hit pieces you want, but at least make an attempt at some balance. Wessler is a hater.

I don't think you are a hater. Your sig is just something I would not expect to see from a fan.

[OrangeandBlack74]

I had dinner with braves12 tonight, and encouraged him to write the post re: KW.

I agree that the problems with the BU program do not originate on KW's doorstep. Some may disagree with his opinions or even his approach, but he's just a writer for the local newspaper.....not a representative of the University. I think the people that should be held accountable for the disappointing results this season are the coaches and players themselves, not somebody who writes op ed sports articles for the Journal Star.

[VeveJones007]

I really don't see what's wrong with that article. It's 100% spot-on. Our defense has been awful all season, and our defense is why we lost on Friday. If we played any defense whatsoever, even with all of the injuries, we'd have 20+ wins and some sort of significant postseason coming. We have gotten what we deserved all season, and we did yesterday. We have no one to blame but ourselves.

I completely agree. If people want to look at this season and this program through rose-colored glasses fine. But don't hate the fans who expect and demand more from this team. I love Bradley basketball, and that's what makes it so disappointing.

I might feel differently about this team if I saw improvement from the beginning of the season to the end. But early in the year we saw this team dig a first-half hole against Vandy. We saw it in the middle of the season at ISU. And we saw it at the end of the season twice against Creighton. Those are all good teams and I'm not trying to put blame on anyone at all. I'm just saying that as a fan of BU, I'm disappointed because my expectations were higher. And it seems to me that other people's expectations were higher as well.

[Da Coach]

I am disappointed, too. But what I saw was that when Bradley had their starters healthy and not suspended, they were pretty good.

I know some won't accept this, but I can see this team easily winning 13-14 MVC games (and 22-24 overall) if they played all season with a full roster. That is where the depth hurt. We all thought the reserves would be more of a factor, but they weren't.

[BradleyBrave]

I am disappointed, too. But what I saw was that when Bradley had their starters healthy and not suspended, they were pretty good.

I know some won't accept this, but I can see this team easily winning 13-14 MVC games (and 22-24 overall) if they played all season with a full roster. That is where the depth hurt. We all thought the reserves would be more of a factor, but they weren't.

I agree. If this team was whole all year, I think 12-14 conference wins would have been attainable. But, at the same time, we should have won 2-3 more games even with the injuries/suspensions. Home games v UNI, WSU, DU and the Creighton giveaway last Saturday kept this season from being a feel-good story about overcoming adversity. Instead it's just a lost season. Oh well. Onward and upward.

[Lakeview Brave]

I am disappointed, too. But what I saw was that when Bradley had their starters healthy and not suspended, they were pretty good.

I know some won't accept this, but I can see this team easily winning 13-14 MVC games (and 22-24 overall) if they played all season with a full roster. That is where the depth hurt. We all thought the reserves would be more of a factor, but they weren't.

I agree if completely healthy we would have had more wins but this team was supposed to have talented depth. TCS and DC being busts hurt almost as much as the injuries. Also watching UNI tonight I really dont know how we lost to them at home plus we lost to Wichita both should have been wins with or without Ruff.

[ph]

I am disappointed, too. But what I saw was that when Bradley had their starters healthy and not suspended, they were pretty good.

I know some won't accept this, but I can see this team easily winning 13-14 MVC games (and 22-24 overall) if they played all season with a full roster. That is where the depth hurt. We all thought the reserves would be more of a factor, but they weren't.

We would have won more games with no injuries / suspensions, but I doubt we achieve the look of a legit top 25 team that we did achieve with the Creighton and Drake wins. We were not that good before Ruff's injury.

The Ruff arrest seemed to be the last straw, and we never played the same.