An open letter to Wolfpack nation
It’s easy to write a column predicting doom and gloom and then run away from it when things turn out totally different than you thought.
It’s tougher to write another piece, fork in hand, in front of a plate of crow.
Yet, here I am wondering if the black bird tastes more like chicken or turkey?
The simple fact is this: I owe Sidney Lowe and Wolfpack nation an apology.
I wrote a less than flattering piece at my last paper on the departure of Herb Sendek and the hiring of Coach Lowe. I’ll spare you the entire article, but here’s the jist:
“Yeah, sure. It’s all about fun now at N.C. State. Let’s get it up and down and stick out their chests when they play Duke and Carolina.
“It’s a page out of the N.C. State football playbook. Walk loudly and carry a twig. What you have here is a trade-off that most State fans will welcome. The straight-laced, soft-spoken coach that wins more than he loses firmly in the shadow of his neighbors for the tough-talking State alum that isn’t scared to yell at Coach K or Skip Prosser to fire up his team.
“Style over substance never works over the long haul.”
In the words of Steve Czaban, “how’s that working out?”
Pretty well for State fans, not so much for me.
Looking back at the 2006-7 season, it’s hard not to be impressed by the job Lowe has done in Raleigh.
With limited scholarships, a rash of injuries and mixed and matched players from a previous – and completely different – coaching regime, the Pack made a remarkable run to the ACC title game, notched wins over Duke and Carolina and were rewarded with a trip to the NIT – a notion that was pretty far-fetched about six weeks ago.
And this is only the beginning.
Brandon Costner, Gavin Grant, Ben McCauley and Courtney Fells are all coming back next year. Add in a couple of high-impact transfers and what’s shaping up to be a top-notch recruiting class – something else I was dead wrong about – and things are certainly looking up in our state capitol.
Am I saying that N.C. State will be smacking around Duke and Carolina on a regular basis? No, I’m not going that far.
But it’s safe to say that the disaster I predicted isn’t coming to pass.
I was wrong and the legion of fans that peppered me with e-mails were right.
And to answer one in particular, I’ll take the crow boiled, over a bed of rice.
Maybe a little wine, too.
Red, of course.
It’s tougher to write another piece, fork in hand, in front of a plate of crow.
Yet, here I am wondering if the black bird tastes more like chicken or turkey?
The simple fact is this: I owe Sidney Lowe and Wolfpack nation an apology.
I wrote a less than flattering piece at my last paper on the departure of Herb Sendek and the hiring of Coach Lowe. I’ll spare you the entire article, but here’s the jist:
“Yeah, sure. It’s all about fun now at N.C. State. Let’s get it up and down and stick out their chests when they play Duke and Carolina.
“It’s a page out of the N.C. State football playbook. Walk loudly and carry a twig. What you have here is a trade-off that most State fans will welcome. The straight-laced, soft-spoken coach that wins more than he loses firmly in the shadow of his neighbors for the tough-talking State alum that isn’t scared to yell at Coach K or Skip Prosser to fire up his team.
“Style over substance never works over the long haul.”
In the words of Steve Czaban, “how’s that working out?”
Pretty well for State fans, not so much for me.
Looking back at the 2006-7 season, it’s hard not to be impressed by the job Lowe has done in Raleigh.
With limited scholarships, a rash of injuries and mixed and matched players from a previous – and completely different – coaching regime, the Pack made a remarkable run to the ACC title game, notched wins over Duke and Carolina and were rewarded with a trip to the NIT – a notion that was pretty far-fetched about six weeks ago.
And this is only the beginning.
Brandon Costner, Gavin Grant, Ben McCauley and Courtney Fells are all coming back next year. Add in a couple of high-impact transfers and what’s shaping up to be a top-notch recruiting class – something else I was dead wrong about – and things are certainly looking up in our state capitol.
Am I saying that N.C. State will be smacking around Duke and Carolina on a regular basis? No, I’m not going that far.
But it’s safe to say that the disaster I predicted isn’t coming to pass.
I was wrong and the legion of fans that peppered me with e-mails were right.
And to answer one in particular, I’ll take the crow boiled, over a bed of rice.
Maybe a little wine, too.
Red, of course.
posted by Randy Capps at 6:35 PM
1 Comments:
We will forgive you, but we will compete and battle the dookies and Tar Holes from here on out.
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