Kirk Wessler rants

[squeaky]

http://www.pjstar.com/stories/052106/KIR_B9S961E9.073.shtml

He is ranting about a couple "old news" items.
It sounds like he just got tired of writing nice things and finally had to fire off one of his "Phil Theobald"-type rants.
It especially sounds like he is just ticked off that he is not called by Bradley to keep him informed, and that the news he gets about Bradley is from other internet bulletins and is on the message boards way before he has a chance to comment on it.

He seems quite disturbed about Bradley's plans for the private property they own on the hilltop. As far as I see it, Bradley has done nothing wrong and has not been dishonest, even if they haven't been completely out in the open about their plans. But if you were trying to buy property, would you lay out all your plans for it before you could complete the purchase? That's nuts!

He is also miffed that he thought the NCAA issue was clkosed. Now we find out about the probation and slap on the wrist. But is anyone else surprised? Seems like KW is the only one.

He also says this--
"But - whether the issue is campus expansion into an adjacent neighborhood or an NCAA investigation, the basketball coach's contract status or the definitive NBA plans of a star underclassman - they don't respect you enough to be open and trust you with the truth."

Again, Bradley is under no obligation to tell the public everything they know about any of these subjects. KW's statement suggests Bradley has been dishonest or lied about them. I would like to know where he got that?

But then he says this-
"This is why residents of the neighborhoods adjacent to the university are wary of it. This is why loyal individuals on the campus shake their heads after years of service to the school. This is why some of us wonder."

Come on KW! If you know something about a "loyal individual" shaking their head about this, then why don't you give us a name and be more specific? You are doing exactly the same thing you accuse Bradley of doing!

[tornado]

Oh puke...

Not the old..."my family runs three generations deep in Bradley graduates...so they really, really owe me a lot..." mantra.
As if he is owed something by BU and moreso than you or I.
Hey, get over it......KW....you paid your tuition, you got your education.
(or at least it was there for the taking even if you didn't get it. I got mine and parlayed it into a decent profession that'll last me a lifetime.)

But someone has to be the first to point out a few glaring errors.....

If you are so much in love with "the university" then why can't you trust the people up there?
To me the "dedication" you profess to Bradley should include a little unconditional love and trust. Or do you use the logic that just because you write for the newspaper it is therefore your job to police even private institutions?


And as for KW's claims abvout the expansion:
"...(for thirty years)...the university maintained it had no specific plans."
Baloney!! I have attended meetings in which the exact plans were laid out -- even shown in a nice multi-media presentation that Jim Les might have designed. Where were you? I am no big whig insider, so if I was at those meetings, surely one of your paper's reporters could have been.


The "longest suspensions possible" is also NOT TRUE.
Two of the players involved got NO SUSPENSION, one got less than the longest allowable, and only one got the longest penalty, which was specified by rules that go back decades when $1200 was really a lot of money. Today it's not enough to even consider it was being done to lure POB to BU, not like the $10,000 thrown by Kansas at Darnell Jackson by one of the KU boosters, or the package of $6,000 plus a free apartment, food, books, even homework "help"and a live-in nanny who even provided some extracurricular freebies given by Ohio State's coaches to their recruit.
(by the way, nobody got any suspensions in either of those cases.)


By the way, the reports that led to the internal investigation came from a source that was divulged, and so I find it interesting that it is still being labelled as "anonymous tip of something rotten." Maybe the source was anonymous at one time, but it's been pretty well identified now.

[bu fan 9]

Who was the source?I really have not heard.

[Dallas Brave]

He admits he got scooped by the bulletin board. KW's boss probably called him in to find out what he has been doing during work hours. Instead of going out and building his network so that he could raise the level of his writing, he pens an article destined to line the bottom of the bird cage.

[tornado]

But what do you expect.
When I went on the PJ Star board myself last week and told bb Fan to tell his sports dept. to get a reporter down to Florida and cover the unfolding story of POB, bb Fan laughed and said his dept was already on it.
Here is that exact post:

http://www.pjstarforums.com/sports/viewtopic.php?p=529974&highlight=#529974

and the reply:
"I don't tell our editors and reporters what to do...I will be happy to pass along your request, though"

http://www.pjstarforums.com/sports/viewtopic.php?p=529986&highlight=#529986

Obviously they weren't on the story, as POB hired an agent that day, we talked about it for nearly two whole days on the message boards, then the PJS tries to make up for their very tardy coverage by posting a
BIG FRONT PAGE HEADLINE ARTICLE on Saturday as if they awere the first guys on the story, even though Foxsports and ESPN had their coverage up since like Thursday (as did draftexpress.com)

Hey, if I didn't have a full time 60 hour a week job, I could even do a better job of getting those stories up here on BradleyFans.com, but what the heck is their excuse?
Bradley obviously didn't spray paint all they knew about the NCAA checking in down on the Janssen Building, but what the hey---it's their private business and they don't need to.
Why, after all the rips and attacks we have seen by local reporters and columnists here in Peoria, would anyone with an ounce of sense expect the university to hand deliver info to the PJS so they rip some more??
If Mr. Wessler would like to be on Bradley's short list of who gets news releases, then maybe he should try to be a bit more fair and stop all the unfair attacks.

Does anyone remember how Mr. Wessler attacked Jim Les when les expressed dissatisfaction about being matched in the BracketBuster with Tenn. Tech.? Turns out Jim was absolutely right, as the match was horrible for BU and made no sense whatsoever. JL wasn't the only coach in the nation who complained about bad matchups. I know certain people DO read the message boards...so listen up.....
If you want the University to "be more open" and give you the stuff you want so you can write articles and get them in print before the Timbuktu Times beats you, then be a bit cooperative. A little niceness goes a long way.....

[Dallas Brave]

Maybe the PJS should feel a "moral obligation" (KW's words) to improve the quality of its columnists. KW admits time-and-time again in his article that he is operating in the dark. It's time for the PJS to bring in talent capable of writing articles based on true insight gained from wearing out shoe leather rather than stories that edge on self-pity from being out-of-the-loop. Peoria deserves better journalism.

[BradleyBrave]

I don't think BU needs to tell anyone what they plan to do with the land west of Maplewood. I think we all know what they want to do, and hopefully will do in the very near future. It is about 20+ years overdue.

I do have a beef though with our NCAA violations. It is an embarrassment to have 4 major violations in the time period we do. I have no problem with BU appealing behind closed doors, or keeping things under wraps, but I do have a problem with what has been taking place. I have a big problem with it. I am not pointing fingers at anyone, but the term 'lack of institutional control' is very apt here. This isn't a case of being picked on, it's a case of breaking the rules and getting caught. I'm sick of it. It is embarrassing. One of these times, it's going to end up costing us very, very dearly.

[BU Bill]

Maybe the PJS should feel a "moral obligation" (KW's words) to improve the quality of its columnists. KW admits time-and-time again in his article that he is operating in the dark. It's time for the PJS to bring in talent capable of writing articles based on true insight gained from wearing out shoe leather rather than stories that edge on self-pity from being out-of-the-loop. Peoria deserves better journalism.

Well said DB!

[braves12]

I wonder if the PJS did not have anyone in Florida because of budget issues.

I think there has been some uneasiness between BU and the PJS for a number of years now. They coexist because they both have to.


I think the current situation of distrust (my opinion) between BU and the PJS is the responsibility of both sides. I don't see it changing any time soon.

[bu fan 9]

If KW would have did his homework and went to a Cheifs club meeting he could have seen the model of the new building and where it is going to be it is not a big secret they talk about it every month.

[Bravesfan]

Re: Kirk Wessler rants

http://www.pjstar.com/stories/052106/KIR_B9S961E9.073.shtml

He is ranting about a couple "old news" items.
It sounds like he just got tired of writing nice things and finally had to fire off one of his "Phil Theobald"-type rants.
It especially sounds like he is just ticked off that he is not called by Bradley to keep him informed, and that the news he gets about Bradley is from other internet bulletins and is on the message boards way before he has a chance to comment on it.

He seems quite disturbed about Bradley's plans for the private property they own on the hilltop. As far as I see it, Bradley has done nothing wrong and has not been dishonest, even if they haven't been completely out in the open about their plans. But if you were trying to buy property, would you lay out all your plans for it before you could complete the purchase? That's nuts!

He is also miffed that he thought the NCAA issue was clkosed. Now we find out about the probation and slap on the wrist. But is anyone else surprised? Seems like KW is the only one.

He also says this--
"But - whether the issue is campus expansion into an adjacent neighborhood or an NCAA investigation, the basketball coach's contract status or the definitive NBA plans of a star underclassman - they don't respect you enough to be open and trust you with the truth."

Again, Bradley is under no obligation to tell the public everything they know about any of these subjects. KW's statement suggests Bradley has been dishonest or lied about them. I would like to know where he got that?

But then he says this-
"This is why residents of the neighborhoods adjacent to the university are wary of it. This is why loyal individuals on the campus shake their heads after years of service to the school. This is why some of us wonder."

Come on KW! If you know something about a "loyal individual" shaking their head about this, then why don't you give us a name and be more specific? You are doing exactly the same thing you accuse Bradley of doing!

Squeaky, you couldn't be more correct. Kirk is upset that HE didn't obtain the inside information, NOT us. Many of these journalists are born of the same ilk. They seem to get insanely jealous when they don't get the scoop before everyone else, and then they try to pass their anger off by saying the public is upset that they weren't notified earlier about these issues, as if Kirk is the representative of the masses!

I've got news for you KIRK. YOU and YOU only is the one who is upset, the public DOES trust the university, and it is NOT wrong to try to handle these issues in private. All the facts eventually come out, and if the Bradley athletic department does not have anything else to hide, WHO CARES when this info becomes public? Only KIRK and his cohorts in the media do, that's who!

[Bravesfan]

Oh puke...

Not the old..."my family runs three generations deep in Bradley graduates...so they really, really owe me a lot..." mantra.
As if he is owed something by BU and moreso than you or I.
Hey, get over it......KW....you paid your tuition, you got your education.
(or at least it was there for the taking even if you didn't get it. I got mine and parlayed it into a decent profession that'll last me a lifetime.)

But someone has to be the first to point out a few glaring errors.....

If you are so much in love with "the university" then why can't you trust the people up there?
To me the "dedication" you profess to Bradley should include a little unconditional love and trust. Or do you use the logic that just because you write for the newspaper it is therefore your job to police even private institutions?


And as for KW's claims abvout the expansion:
"...(for thirty years)...the university maintained it had no specific plans."
Baloney!! I have attended meetings in which the exact plans were laid out -- even shown in a nice multi-media presentation that Jim Les might have designed. Where were you? I am no big whig insider, so if I was at those meetings, surely one of your paper's reporters could have been.


The "longest suspensions possible" is also NOT TRUE.
Two of the players involved got NO SUSPENSION, one got less than the longest allowable, and only one got the longest penalty, which was specified by rules that go back decades when $1200 was really a lot of money. Today it's not enough to even consider it was being done to lure POB to BU, not like the $10,000 thrown by Kansas at Darnell Jackson by one of the KU boosters, or the package of $6,000 plus a free apartment, food, books, even homework "help"and a live-in nanny who even provided some extracurricular freebies given by Ohio State's coaches to their recruit.
(by the way, nobody got any suspensions in either of those cases.)


By the way, the reports that led to the internal investigation came from a source that was divulged, and so I find it interesting that it is still being labelled as "anonymous tip of something rotten." Maybe the source was anonymous at one time, but it's been pretty well identified now.

Great points tornado, especially about the presentation! As I just stated in my last (and 100th) post, he claims he speaks for everyone else when he doesn't. And as you said, he can't even do his job correctly! Jeez!

[Bravesfan]

He admits he got scooped by the bulletin board. KW's boss probably called him in to find out what he has been doing during work hours. Instead of going out and building his network so that he could raise the level of his writing, he pens an article destined to line the bottom of the bird cage.

[Murph]

My family has been having the PJS deliverd for 3 generations, we didn't get our paper Saturday, I want a full investigation.......

[Dallas Brave]

My family has been having the PJS deliverd for 3 generations, we didn't get our paper Saturday, I want a full investigation.......

Talk to AV23 - he purports to know where all the dirt is being sweeped. In fact, maybe AV23 can become a source for Kurt "I Know Noooothhhhing" Wessler - that would be quite a tag team.