The Circus Has Come to Town
Hurry, hurry, hurry! A 3-ring circus on display for all to see this Friday at the Carrier Dome! Come see the witch-hunters, asking everyone of importance, "What did you know and when did you know it?" Come see the crazy protestors, causing real child abuse victim advocates to lose credibility! Come see political correctness run amok, as people seek to take down a Hall of Fame head basketball coach for the crime of "insensitivity" and "not getting it"! Come see the ESPN satellite trucks everywhere, looking for every possible story angle they have not already found... or possibly choosing their moment to "reveal new evidence"!
And oh yeah... there will be a basketball game between two Top 10 teams.
That's really what has happened with this whole sad, sordid Bernie Fine situation at Syracuse. It has officially become a circus. And it's so maddeningly crazy that it's enough to make me come on here and write about it when I'm supposed to be in full-on end-of-semester mode (in case you've been wondering where I've been for the past month). I had thought about writing something during the Penn State scandal, but I felt that so many other people had said it better, so I passed. Unfortunately for me, the subject matter hit home with this latest child abuse case. I'm from Syracuse originally, lived there for most of my life, still go home quite often, and I have my Masters degree from Syracuse University. I bleed Orange.
Therefore, was I a bit biased when the allegations first came out against Bernie Fine? Hell yes. Considering the timing of ESPN running the story, so soon after the mess that was Jerry Sandusky and Penn State, considering that Anonymous Internet Morons had tried to spin a point-shaving scandal out of thin air last season, considering that these same trolls are constantly calling for SU head basketball coach Jim Boeheim's head because he uses the 2-3 zone too damn much... of course, I thought I smelled a rat. A lot of us did, Boeheim included, and one would think he, more than anyone, would know. Ergo, we got Boeheim's initial statement calling Bobby Davis a liar out to get money. And most of us agreed and poked holes in his and Mike Lang's stories. Of course, some people took allegation to mean guilt and started grabbing torches and pitchforks. Many of these were child abuse victim advocates with good intentions, many were the usual Anonymous Internet Morons.
Then, the Laurie Fine tape hit over the weekend. A smoking gun if ever there was one. A game-changer. SU fired Bernie Fine, and rightfully so. Boeheim issued a new statement in which he said he knew nothing of the alleged abuse. At that point, the media started grabbing its torches and pitchforks... and cameras... and headed en masse to the Salt City. Out of one corner of their mouths, ESPN and others insisted this was not Penn State all over again: the head coach did not have abuse reported to him, only to send it up the food chain and then forget about it. Out of the other corner, they started asking Chancellor Cantor and any SU trustee they could find if there was a possibility that it COULD BE Penn State all over again... in other words, that there could be enough media-fueled doubt and hysteria in the air to sandbag Boeheim. And oh yeah, they reminded us that Boeheim called the guy a liar.
Which made the victim advocates get even more enraged, most notably Rev. Robert Hoatson, who demanded Boeheim resign or be fired because, whether he was had knowledge of the abuse or not, whether he apologized for his initial comments or not, had created an atmosphere where young boys "were not safe on his watch." Well gee, Rev. Hoatson, using that logic, do you also believe that the Pope should resign? Because as you well know, there is more than enough evidence "on his watch" that the CATHOLIC CHURCH is not safe for young boys, either. Incidentally, if a Pope does resign, who signs off on the letter? But I digress...
The Chancellor gave Boeheim her vote of confidence... the online response to which seemed to be about 60% supporting her (and Boeheim), 25% now calling for her head... and the other 15% still saying that Boeheim should be fired because he has "only" won one national championship. And incidentally, any Anonymous Internet Moron who is using this as an excuse to bring up his irrational frustrations over basketball-related issues should have his IP address revealed to the world and be publicly flogged. As for the Coach, he got up in front of the media after last night's game, gave a very contrite and to-the-point statement about everything that has happened and how he felt the need to defend a longtime friend at first and there is an investigation and we should WAIT UNTIL THAT IS DONE to pass judgment. Instead, many of the Holier Than Thous who call themselves sports columnists said, "Not good enough," and seized upon one silly comment Boeheim said at the beginning of the press conference about why there should be such a massive media presence for a 36-point crushing of Directional Michigan.
Yes, that's right, Jim Boeheim is being targeted for media execution because he has repeatedly committed the heinous crime of "insensitivity in front of a media microphone." Give me a break.
Now please understand, I think sexually molesting a child is about the worst thing anyone can do. I believe there is a special place in Hell for people who do that, and we are all right to have lost all respect for Bernie Fine as a human being. I believe that advocates of victims' rights do what they do with the best of intentions, and their cause should be worthy of our respect. However, just as Joe Paterno seemed to get tagged "pedophile-by-association" when we learned that he did not do enough to bring Sandusky to justice, people want to put that tag on Boeheim as well, or at the very least, state that his initial remarks carried the ultimate sin of intimidation toward future victims. We all know that our words have effects on people, or at least we should... but if we are able to atone for anything we have said that caused harm, that should not be taken as blood in the water. I believe Coach Boeheim when he says he knew nothing about the abuse, but I often fear that I am in the minority... because of Penn State. Because of media-fueled fear and paranoia. And believe me, there are many in Central PA who still believe that Joe Paterno was martyred at the hands of media frenzy.
And the media CAN get out of control at times. They certainly did after the PSU students rioted following Paterno's dismissal. Yes, the students' reaction was bad, but the media outdid them with pieces like the Philadelphia Daily News cover story advocating the destruction of PSU Main Campus, or the New York Times piece from the college professor who thinks that football should be outlawed. I'll save all of the discussion about how and why ESPN put this story (and the Fine tape, which they'd had in their possession for 8 years) out when they did for those who have already debated this. It certainly didn't help matters when Mayor Miner, the Syracuse Police, and DA William Fitzpatrick had their nice little dust-up for the entire nation to watch. Always great to shine the national media spotlight on typical dysfunctional Syracuse politics. We really needed both "town" and "gown" to be dragged through the mud. The ramifications from that episode have yet to be seen, but suffice to say, if we do find out that there was ANY effort in the SPD to mess with ANY investigation, heads will roll throughout City Hall.
As it is, we have this basketball game on Friday, 7-0 SU, ranked #3 in the country, against #10 Florida, in one of these made-for-TV conference vs. conference challenges. So ESPN was already going to be here for a showcase game. Only now, it's the full weight of ESPN (Outside the Lines crew included), several other major media outlets, and everything that a media circus tends to attract. In this case, the friggin' Westboro Baptist Church. Yes, these Bible-thumping wackjobs are coming to town to protest outside of the Dome, because they believe that SU has created an atmosphere for child rape. And in so doing, the real victims rights advocates lose credibility because they're on the same side as Fred Phelps and his fellow cuckoo-bananas. For their sake (and our own), I hope Rev. Hoatson and company let the Westboro mob know they are NOT welcome to join this discussion.
Will I be watching? Well yes, yes I will... but I should qualify that. I will be watching THE GAME. For two hours on Friday night, what happens on Jim Boeheim Court takes precedence. Because we Orange fans love our university and we love our basketball, and the circus outside will just have to deal with that.
And oh yeah... there will be a basketball game between two Top 10 teams.
That's really what has happened with this whole sad, sordid Bernie Fine situation at Syracuse. It has officially become a circus. And it's so maddeningly crazy that it's enough to make me come on here and write about it when I'm supposed to be in full-on end-of-semester mode (in case you've been wondering where I've been for the past month). I had thought about writing something during the Penn State scandal, but I felt that so many other people had said it better, so I passed. Unfortunately for me, the subject matter hit home with this latest child abuse case. I'm from Syracuse originally, lived there for most of my life, still go home quite often, and I have my Masters degree from Syracuse University. I bleed Orange.
Therefore, was I a bit biased when the allegations first came out against Bernie Fine? Hell yes. Considering the timing of ESPN running the story, so soon after the mess that was Jerry Sandusky and Penn State, considering that Anonymous Internet Morons had tried to spin a point-shaving scandal out of thin air last season, considering that these same trolls are constantly calling for SU head basketball coach Jim Boeheim's head because he uses the 2-3 zone too damn much... of course, I thought I smelled a rat. A lot of us did, Boeheim included, and one would think he, more than anyone, would know. Ergo, we got Boeheim's initial statement calling Bobby Davis a liar out to get money. And most of us agreed and poked holes in his and Mike Lang's stories. Of course, some people took allegation to mean guilt and started grabbing torches and pitchforks. Many of these were child abuse victim advocates with good intentions, many were the usual Anonymous Internet Morons.
Then, the Laurie Fine tape hit over the weekend. A smoking gun if ever there was one. A game-changer. SU fired Bernie Fine, and rightfully so. Boeheim issued a new statement in which he said he knew nothing of the alleged abuse. At that point, the media started grabbing its torches and pitchforks... and cameras... and headed en masse to the Salt City. Out of one corner of their mouths, ESPN and others insisted this was not Penn State all over again: the head coach did not have abuse reported to him, only to send it up the food chain and then forget about it. Out of the other corner, they started asking Chancellor Cantor and any SU trustee they could find if there was a possibility that it COULD BE Penn State all over again... in other words, that there could be enough media-fueled doubt and hysteria in the air to sandbag Boeheim. And oh yeah, they reminded us that Boeheim called the guy a liar.
Which made the victim advocates get even more enraged, most notably Rev. Robert Hoatson, who demanded Boeheim resign or be fired because, whether he was had knowledge of the abuse or not, whether he apologized for his initial comments or not, had created an atmosphere where young boys "were not safe on his watch." Well gee, Rev. Hoatson, using that logic, do you also believe that the Pope should resign? Because as you well know, there is more than enough evidence "on his watch" that the CATHOLIC CHURCH is not safe for young boys, either. Incidentally, if a Pope does resign, who signs off on the letter? But I digress...
The Chancellor gave Boeheim her vote of confidence... the online response to which seemed to be about 60% supporting her (and Boeheim), 25% now calling for her head... and the other 15% still saying that Boeheim should be fired because he has "only" won one national championship. And incidentally, any Anonymous Internet Moron who is using this as an excuse to bring up his irrational frustrations over basketball-related issues should have his IP address revealed to the world and be publicly flogged. As for the Coach, he got up in front of the media after last night's game, gave a very contrite and to-the-point statement about everything that has happened and how he felt the need to defend a longtime friend at first and there is an investigation and we should WAIT UNTIL THAT IS DONE to pass judgment. Instead, many of the Holier Than Thous who call themselves sports columnists said, "Not good enough," and seized upon one silly comment Boeheim said at the beginning of the press conference about why there should be such a massive media presence for a 36-point crushing of Directional Michigan.
Yes, that's right, Jim Boeheim is being targeted for media execution because he has repeatedly committed the heinous crime of "insensitivity in front of a media microphone." Give me a break.
Now please understand, I think sexually molesting a child is about the worst thing anyone can do. I believe there is a special place in Hell for people who do that, and we are all right to have lost all respect for Bernie Fine as a human being. I believe that advocates of victims' rights do what they do with the best of intentions, and their cause should be worthy of our respect. However, just as Joe Paterno seemed to get tagged "pedophile-by-association" when we learned that he did not do enough to bring Sandusky to justice, people want to put that tag on Boeheim as well, or at the very least, state that his initial remarks carried the ultimate sin of intimidation toward future victims. We all know that our words have effects on people, or at least we should... but if we are able to atone for anything we have said that caused harm, that should not be taken as blood in the water. I believe Coach Boeheim when he says he knew nothing about the abuse, but I often fear that I am in the minority... because of Penn State. Because of media-fueled fear and paranoia. And believe me, there are many in Central PA who still believe that Joe Paterno was martyred at the hands of media frenzy.
And the media CAN get out of control at times. They certainly did after the PSU students rioted following Paterno's dismissal. Yes, the students' reaction was bad, but the media outdid them with pieces like the Philadelphia Daily News cover story advocating the destruction of PSU Main Campus, or the New York Times piece from the college professor who thinks that football should be outlawed. I'll save all of the discussion about how and why ESPN put this story (and the Fine tape, which they'd had in their possession for 8 years) out when they did for those who have already debated this. It certainly didn't help matters when Mayor Miner, the Syracuse Police, and DA William Fitzpatrick had their nice little dust-up for the entire nation to watch. Always great to shine the national media spotlight on typical dysfunctional Syracuse politics. We really needed both "town" and "gown" to be dragged through the mud. The ramifications from that episode have yet to be seen, but suffice to say, if we do find out that there was ANY effort in the SPD to mess with ANY investigation, heads will roll throughout City Hall.
As it is, we have this basketball game on Friday, 7-0 SU, ranked #3 in the country, against #10 Florida, in one of these made-for-TV conference vs. conference challenges. So ESPN was already going to be here for a showcase game. Only now, it's the full weight of ESPN (Outside the Lines crew included), several other major media outlets, and everything that a media circus tends to attract. In this case, the friggin' Westboro Baptist Church. Yes, these Bible-thumping wackjobs are coming to town to protest outside of the Dome, because they believe that SU has created an atmosphere for child rape. And in so doing, the real victims rights advocates lose credibility because they're on the same side as Fred Phelps and his fellow cuckoo-bananas. For their sake (and our own), I hope Rev. Hoatson and company let the Westboro mob know they are NOT welcome to join this discussion.
Will I be watching? Well yes, yes I will... but I should qualify that. I will be watching THE GAME. For two hours on Friday night, what happens on Jim Boeheim Court takes precedence. Because we Orange fans love our university and we love our basketball, and the circus outside will just have to deal with that.
Labels: Bernie Fine, ESPN, Syracuse
posted by Dave | 10:03 PM
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1 comments
