Aggie Thoughts

Please tell me the Houston Comical didn't really just print this:

A source who has spoken with someone familiar with the situation told the Chronicle late Monday night that he has been told it's a done deal and it has been a done deal for a couple of weeks.

Unbelievable.

I guess I should be happy that Jerome Solomon gave credit (I guess?) instead of just ripping off another newspaper.

But really, that's BAD journalism. Someone told someone who might know that this was the case?!

On the other hand, the Comical's John Lopez has a pretty good observation on the difficulties of recruiting athletes to Texas A&M:

Slocum also could do nothing about a hidden hurdle in building a power. At Texas, Oklahoma and virtually every other Big 12 school, a general studies degree program that allows players with grade-point averages lower than what might get them into, say, business or political science school, is in place.

At A&M, incoming freshmen who might qualify for entrance into the university but not for specific degree programs must enter the agricultural college. In recent years, several recruits have slipped through Slocum's fingers at the last moment because of the academic hurdle.

As one competing coach once told a recruit, "Why do you want to go to A&M? You're just going to go gut chickens."

For some reason, Aggies have blinders when it comes to their institution. Because of R.C. Slocum's hard work into turning a cheating program without a great winning tradition into an honorable, winning program, they seem to think that College Station is akin to Notre Dame, a place where all great athletes should simply want to go.

It isn't, and they shouldn't take it for granted.

Why?

Because it wasn't that long ago when Oklahoma Sooner fans were just as fed up with Gary Gibbs. He couldn't beat the big rivals (Texas, Nebraska, and Colorado). He had four-loss seasons (never mind the reduced scholarships thanks to Switzer's outlaw years). His recruiting wasn't as good as Barry Switzer's had been (never mind the relative decline of Oklahoma's facilities and the aforementioned probation). So they axed him. And Sooner fans cheered. Until midway through the next season, when Schnelly's alleged sideline drinking and nearly killing a player and, yes, the 5-5-1 record (with the same losses to Nebraska and Colorado), weren't exactly highlights. And then came John Blake. Oh dear.

I hope for their sake the Aggies have a better plan than the equivalent of Drunkenberger or Big John. Because they just fired the biggest winner they've ever had.

[Posted at 23:23 CST on 12/02/02] [Link]