“What Comes Next Sits Squarely on My Shoulders.”

By Posted on: May 14th, 2013 in Baseball, Basketball, Football, News, Other Sports 9 Comments »
jacobs-sideburns21

Auburn A.D. Jay Jacobs says he has a plan … a plan to improve the athletics department including how to turnaround the lack of winning in the big three major sports.

Speaking before the Auburn Chamber of Commerce today, Jacobs said that University President Jay Gogue has made it clear that he has high expectations for the athletic department. And he told the business  leaders, “I intend to meet them.”

After meeting with Dr. Gogue , Jacobs said, he is aware that, “What comes next sits squarely on my shoulders.” 

“We have much work to do, but I’m convinced that our best days are not behind us … I will continue to defend Auburn, and I will continue to push us to get better every day.” 

Without giving any details, he said he has a plan for improving the overall operations, enhancing the game day experience, improving facilities, and improving “how we interact and communicate with fans and alumni.”

Part of his plan is to act on future recommendations of the consulting firm ,JMI Sports, which was hired by the Universirty to complete a year long intensive evaluation of Auburn athletics.

He was vague about how he expects to turnaround the poor performance of Auburn’s major sports other than pointing out the enthusiasm surrounding the football program since the return of Gus Malzahn.

He said Tony Barbee must win in basketball but pointed out it took former coaches Sonny Smith and Cliff Ellis 5-7 years to make the NCAA Tournament.

To be fair, facilities have improved tremendously under his watch, more student athletes are achieving at a higher level, and there hasn’t been a major NCAA violation in over 20 years.

However, as important as all those things are, and they are very important, winning at a tradition rich place like Auburn has to improve and improve significantly.

Saying he knows that the football and basketball teams were a disappointment this year, he added, “I want to be clear that regardless of how well we are performing across our other goals, I know how important winning is to our fans.”

Sounds like this whole process has made Jacobs aware that it’s not just coaches who may be on the hot seat but the Athletic Director as well. I believe all Auburn people want to see things improve on the Plains but if that doesn’t happen … then it’s like Jay said today, “What comes next sits squarely on (his) shoulders.”

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Baseball, Basketball, Football, News, Other Sports | 9 Comments »

The Report Is In – Gogue Expects Jay Jacobs to Make Necessary Improvements

By Posted on: May 13th, 2013 in Baseball, Basketball, Football, News, Other Sports 8 Comments »

gogue2- jay GogueThe much awaited report of the committee on Auburn Athletics has given their report to University President Jay Gogue.

Dr Gogue had charged the committee to take a look at five criteria for evaluating the athletic department: (1) academic and support services for student-athletes, (2) financial management, (3)customer service, (4) competition, including winning, sportsmanship and compliance, and (5) management structure.

In an open letter to the Auburn Family, Dr Gogue voiced support for Jacobs and the Athletic department while at the same time saying he expects “improvement in the overall operations,” and the upgrading of, “how we interact and communicate with fans and alumni, and enhance the game-day experience, on and off the field.”

There has been increased interest this year in the President’s evaluation of Jacobs and the Athletic Department due to the most dismal two years of Auburn sports in recent memory.

While new Auburn Women’s Basketball Coach Terri Williams-Flournoy took her team to the WNIT and the Equestrian team won another National Championship , the major sports have not had a good year. In addition, since Auburn won the BCS Championship two years ago, the big three major sports have struggled.

The basketball team has been terrible, football  had it’s worst season in 60 years and the baseball team has not made an NCAA Baseball Tournament since winning the West in 2010. Barring Pawlowski’s Tigers winning the SEC Tournament (an extreme longshot), Auburn will finish the year without winning a conference or division championship for the first time in 20 years.

The alumni and fans have been waiting to see if Dr Gogue takes any action. In his public response to the committee’s report he said:

“There’s much to celebrate about Auburn Athletics, but there’s also room for substantial improvement. I look forward to Jay providing the leadership needed to make the necessary improvements.”

Everyone agrees there is plenty of “room for substantial improvement” and Gogue says that, Jacobs will “talk more about what’s in store.”  He is scheduled to speak to the Auburn Chamber of Commerce Tuesday morning. Wonder if we will hear what he plans to do to make those “necessary improvements”

Readers can view Dr Gogue’s open letter after the jump:

Dear Auburn family,

The committee I appointed to review operations of Auburn Athletics as part of the Department’s annual evaluation has provided its findings. I’m grateful to members of the committee for their hard work, good thinking and dedication to helping Auburn Athletics move forward.

We asked the committee to review the Department’s total body of work with a focus on five areas: academic and support services for student-athletes; financial management; customer service; competition, including winning, sportsmanship and compliance; and management structure.

Athletics Director Jay Jacobs and I have talked in length about their recommendations. In general, they center on steps to improve overall operations of the Department, upgrade how we interact and communicate with fans and alumni, and enhance the game-day experience, on and off the field. Jay will talk in more detail about what’s in store, and I’m confident he will move forward to put in place a plan to give the Auburn family what we all expect.

There’s much to celebrate about Auburn Athletics, but there’s also room for substantial improvement. I look forward to Jay providing the leadership needed to make the necessary improvements.

War Eagle!

Jay Gogue

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Baseball, Basketball, Football, News, Other Sports | 8 Comments »

Jacobs says It’s Time to Move in Different Direction, Fires Tina Deese

By Posted on: May 8th, 2013 in News, Other Sports 6 Comments »
12473672-standard Tina deese

Auburn Athletic Director Jay Jacobs announced the firing tonight of Tina Deese, the Tigers’ Softball Coach. Deese started the Auburn program from scratch in 1995 and had a 17 year record of 562-458-1. She led the Tigers to their fifth consecutive appearance in the SEC Tournament and NCAA Regional in 2012.

Deese was the longest tenured head coach in the Southeastern Conference and the third-longest head coach of any sport at Auburn. Under Deese the Tigers topped 10,000 in total attendance each year since 2010 and set five of the top 10 attendance records, including the top three in the last three years.

However, her SEC record was 212-272. Apparently the lack of a winning SEC record was the problem. The Tigers had losing conference records in six of the last seven seasons including the last two back to back and Auburn failed to make the SEC Tournament this year after finishing 30 -23 and 7-17 in league play.

In making the announcement, Jacobs said, ““I deeply appreciate Tina’s many contributions to our program. She started it from the ground up, and I will always appreciate her role in establishing a foundation for Auburn softball. I made this decision because I felt it was time to move in another direction.”

The dismissal of Deese could be an omen for Auburn’s Baseball Coach, John Pawlowski. With a similar performance thus far on the baseball diamond, Pawlowski’s seat just got a little warmer. Should his team fail to make or do well in the SEC Tournament, he may be the next former Auburn Coach looking for work. 

Tags: , , , , , , ,
Posted in News, Other Sports | 6 Comments »

To Forgive, or Not to Forgive (that IS the question)

By Posted on: May 8th, 2013 in Football, Memories, Other Sports 14 Comments »

harvey-updike

Six months of prison, about half of which has already been served, with a laughable probation after that.  And when he gets out, he’ll be a hero to thousands, if not millions, for the rest of his pathetic life.

Upon first reflecting on this, I figured that if Hell didn’t exist already, God would have to create it for a situation like Harvey Updyke.

I went to A-Day, but I was not able to attend the “One Last Roll” that evening.  My understanding from Track ‘Em Tigers founder Jay Coulter is that far from being a funeral, the Last Roll was a testament to the Auburn Spirit, and nothing but positive.  Justin Lee at The War Eagle Reader even wrote “Thanks, Harvey” for the opportunity for all of us Auburn folks to unite in celebration of everything good about Auburn, without dwelling on the injury itself or even acknowledging the existence of the “other side” in whose hijacked name this heinous act was committed.

Although I know I would have enjoyed it and been caught up in all the enthusiasm and positivity, it was probably good that I did not go, considering how far from positive I still feel about this whole thing.  (I wanted to bring an effigy of “Al from Dadeville” to hang on the trees, even though I know that would have been totally tacky and out of place.)  I watched the “Roll Tide / War Eagle” DVD last weekend; seeing that son-of-a-bitch lie through his teeth about not poisoning the Toomers Oaks just re-affirmed my nothing-but-negative feelings about Updyke.

But there is another side to this whole episode.  Rarely are any of us presented in our lives with such a clear-cut challenge to fulfill Our Lord’s command to forgive those who do wrong to us.  In this case, we even have the luxury of losing “only” a pair of trees, rather than a human loved one, from this act of violence.

With my unhealthily overdeveloped sense of justice, I have a very, very hard time excusing anyone from anything (including myself).  However, real forgiveness is not something that excuses anything.  It is more an acknowledgement of the tragedy of human failings, or a disappointment that a person didn’t live up to what they could be.  Perhaps this is what makes forgiving one’s own self the hardest thing to do sometimes.

Driving around Atlanta, I see many bumper stickers featuring the Spanish word “Perdona.”  A search on the web revealed a Spanish-language site dedicated to spreading the message of forgiveness, including quotes from many great figures pointing out that the act of forgiving benefits the forgiver more than the forgiven.  On Christian radio, there is a song entitled “Forgiveness” (by Matthew West) with lyrics such as these:

It’ll clear the bitterness away
It can even set a prisoner free
There is no end to what it’s power can do
So, let it go and be amazed
By what you see through eyes of grace
The prisoner that it really frees is you

You even have the Lord’s own words from the cross, “Father, forgive them, they know not what they do.”  (Of course, as I pointed out in an earlier post, this perpetrator is so stupid that he really didn’t understand the enormity of what he did, which was to attack and try to kill everything good for which Auburn stands.)

It’s hard to argue with all of that, isn’t it.  I guess all of this is calling us to a specific action, isn’t it.

Consequently (and since I am writing this down for everyone to see, God and everyone else can hold me to it), Harvey Almon Updyke, I forgive you.  I hope you come to a sense of regret beyond merely that for being caught, or for the “harm” you caused your Crimson Tide “family,” or being the butt-end of the righteous indignation, anger, and hatred from hundreds of thousands of AU (and many UA) folks.  For your own salvation depends on coming to that true sense of regret, just as mine requires me to make good on my statement above.  So, Al from Dadeville, I hope I see you in Heaven.

The way I still feel, I wouldn’t lay odds on either of us being there, though.

Michael Val

(who hopes he can really forgive him who trespassed against us)

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Football, Memories, Other Sports | 14 Comments »

Auburn Equestrian Wins Overall National Champioship

By Posted on: April 21st, 2013 in Other Sports 1 Comment »
5173662dd67b7.image - equestrin national Championship

It was partiularly fitting this evening that Toomer Oaks went out on their last  weekend by being rolled in celebration of another Auburn championship. The Auburn Equestrian Team held a celebration at Toomer’s Corner Sunday evening for wining the 2013 NCEA Overall National Championship.

The Tigers defeated Georgia, 3-1, in a ride-off competition Saturday at the Extraco Events Center in Waco, Texas. Auburn also won the Hunt Seat National Championship earlier Saturday.

Auburn head coach Greg Williams said. “We finished in a tie for points with Georgia for the overall when we won the Hunt Seat. They had to finish all the Western events before we could do our final ride-off. Elizabeth Benson raked in two huge wins in the Hunt Seat, and Cheyenne Cracraft sealed the championship with a great ride in reining. This is a great win for Auburn thanks to Coach (Lisa) Helfer and Coach (Jessica) Braswell and our outstanding seniors.”

Congratulations Tigers! You’ve made us all proud. War Eagle!

Posted in Other Sports | 1 Comment »

“Are you about TREE, or are you about FOOTBALL?”

By Posted on: April 18th, 2013 in Baseball, Basketball, Business - Entertainment, Football, Other Sports 11 Comments »
toomer-corner-oak

                                 The last roll will take place on April 20, 2013.

(Author’s note: In view of the fact that our Oaks’ time on the Plains is drawing to a close, I thought I would update and re-run the first article I wrote over here at the new Track ‘Em Tigers, about a true experience I had last summer.  MVH)

My wife Eileen and I were enjoying our first not-visiting-relatives vacation since…our honeymoon four years ago, staying at her mother’s vacation condo in Hilton Head (which is about the only way we could afford to “do” Hilton Head). After our beach-and-pool day, we decided to go to the iconic Salty Dog Café for dinner. Getting a table meant an hour-and-a-half wait, so we took a seat at one of the outdoor bars to eat.

Although she is a Montevallo graduate and a total non-sports fan (yes, I don’t know how we got together either), I finally got my wife to understand what it means to be a part of the Auburn family after taking her to the National Championship celebration and a Homecoming game. I think she got the picture after seeing 80,000 people all wearing the same shirt. In any case, Eileen and I were both wearing Auburn t-shirts and coordinating shorts, not quite matchy-matchy (although I really don’t mind going completely matchy-matchy, which is one of my endearing qualities according to her) but close enough.

A fellow sitting by himself on another side of the bar to our right was talking to everyone around and no one in particular, with a misplaced sense of bravado and self-assuredness that men sitting by themselves at a bar often have. He wore a cap with the legend “NO1 GR8TR” on the front and the Kentucky “K” on the side. It didn’t take him long to notice our Auburn attire. “Awww, you’re from Auburn,” he said, thereby becoming Mr. MOTO (Master Of The Obvious) in my mind. “That’s okay, I like Auburn, they’re SEC, that’s good,” he continued. “But look out for these folks,” he said, pointing to a couple on the other side of the bar from us, “They are Alabama!” Eileen and I exchanged a pleasant wave with the Bama contingent (who incidentally were not wearing colors, and didn’t even look like they were going to make a deal about AU, Bama, or anything else for that matter).

Someone asked him what the notation on his cap meant. “It means ‘No One Greater’—that sure describes me!” Mr. MOTO guffawed, and explained it also represented Kentucky’s recent NCAA Basketball Championship. I really couldn’t ignore this fellow, and the misplaced bravado and self-assuredness was starting to rub me the wrong way. I butted in, “If the ball isn’t pointy or has laces, I don’t really care about it,” which refers to my love of football, rugby, and baseball, and my total present indifference to basketball. “That’s what happens when you can’t win championships,” he rejoindered, thereby scoring a cheap and inelegant, yet nonetheless valid, zinger on me.

True to what I dubbed him in my mind, Mr. MOTO continued on: “Hey, you got those trees down there at, what-do-they-call-it?” thus engaging me in more conversation than I wanted. “Toomers Corner, right in front of the Auburn campus,” I filled in. “Yeah, they poisoned them trees, what’s going on with that?” he asked. The Bama people then jumped right on into the conversation, chirping brightly, “But the trees are alright now.” “No, they are not,” I replied back, “They are biologically alive, and may stay that way for a while, but our horticulture department at Auburn says they may be what they call ‘aesthetically dead’ soon.” Not wanting to be left out of the conversation that he started, Mr. MOTO interjected, pointing at me and saying “Hey listen—Are you about TREE, or are you about FOOTBALL?”

My heart skipped a beat for a second when I heard that, and I had to catch my breath. I’d like to think the whole outdoor bar went silent, like in an old western movie, waiting for my reply (of course, it didn’t).

“I’m about AUBURN,” I told this fellow, and the Bama folks, and anyone else who wanted to hear my voice at normal speaking level. “Those trees are a part of our campus, and that campus is a part of our tradition, and all those things, plus every Auburn man and woman who ever passed under those trees, make up Auburn. Auburn is more than trees, or football, or any other thing. I’m about AUBURN.”

Fortunately, our food finally came, and I was relieved to be free from the conversation into which I was reluctantly drawn. A woman came up to me and said, “I think it is just TERRIBLE what they did to those trees.” And it is terrible, but it is more terrible to think why someone would do that to our trees. Folks, the man who “allegedly”admittedly poisoned our trees did that not because he is a jerk, not because he hates trees, and not because he has “too much Bama” in him (a sentiment which was repudiated by the family of Tommy Lewis, the originator of the quote). That man “allegedly” did this because he wanted to hurt all of us that hold Auburn dear. As such, he “allegedly” did this because he, along with all the Bama fans that now idolize him, stands, at heart, against all that Auburn really is. The thing is, he really isn’t smart enough to understand that about himself, but it is still true nonetheless.

So, folks, as we live our lives and scream “WAR EAGLE” and mourn our trees and enjoy our football, let’s remember one thing—at heart, we are all about AUBURN, and no less than all of AUBURN.

Michael Val

(who believes in Auburn…ALL of Auburn…and LOVES IT!)

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Baseball, Basketball, Business - Entertainment, Football, Other Sports | 11 Comments »

Good showing but no green jacket for the Duf

By Posted on: April 15th, 2013 in Featured Article, Other Sports 5 Comments »
Jason carries his AU spirit with him on the course

War Eagle folks.

I am taking Jays usual slot because he is heading to Hawaii. Tough gig huh. Have a great time Jay.

It was a woulda, coulda, shoulda week for the Duf in the Masters. He was cruising around at 4 under par for the tournament, and in the hunt, when a cruel bounce on #11 after a great shot on Saturday caused him to rinse a ball in the water hazard and led to a double bogey. Jason never seemed to recover from that and played pretty flat for the rest of Saturday and Sunday.

Anyone who has played top tier golf like Capn Vegetto and myself understands that the bounces can be cruel and the difference between winning and being an also ran is a razor thin margin, a good or bad bounce here or there or a putt that catches the lip and goes in instead of horseshoeing out. For me that is the allure of golf, all I ever need is one more chance to make something happen. I have done it before and can do it again but sometimes it never seems to be.

Jason actually opened his final round with a horrendous double bogey on the first hole but reeled off 11 straight pars after that. Now came some of the shoulda. He birdied the tough par 3 12th hole and the tough par 4 14th hole but made only pars on the 13th and 15th which are definitely birdeyable par 5 holes and both give a good chance for eagle.  He finished the tournament with a final round 73, tied for 20th place. Not too shabby but it surely could have been better.

Jason is a true fan of the legendary Ben Hogan and patterns his mental side of the game after him, thus his demeanor. A famous story was told about Hogan that when his playing partner made a hole in one on a par 3, and Hogan made birdie, he asked his fellow competitor on the next tee what did he have on the last hole.  That is how focused he was on his own game and that is how focused Jason is on his game.

There have been  3 AU graduates to compete on the PGA Tour, Buddy Gardner, Roland Thatcher, and John Huston. Huston had the most success, winning 7 times and finishing as high as 10th on the money list. Jason will surpass that with ease.

Having former AU atheletes in their respective professional ranks brings a great sense of pride to me. Cam in the NFL and Jason on the PGA Tour.

Instead of a pic of Jason that you have all seen before I chose to use a pic of his golf bag. His AU putter shows his AU pride and I am proud of Jason. He is a true Auburn Man.

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in Featured Article, Other Sports | 5 Comments »

Bad start, good comeback for Dufner

By Posted on: April 12th, 2013 in Member Post, Other Sports 2 Comments »

Jason Dufner got off to a pretty bad start Thursday at Augusta National, bogeying 2 of his first 4 holes, but played the remaining 14 holes at 2 under, to turn in a respectable even par 72. Despite 2 more untimely bogeys on the back 9, in typical Dufner fashion, he ground out 4 birdies and kept himself in the tournament. The Masters has an unusual rule that anyone within 10 shots of the lead will make the cut and be around for the weekend. Jason is well within that number and unless he forgets where he is, should be playing all 4 rounds. My prediction for today is a solid 67 or 68 which puts him in great position for the weekend.

Posted in Member Post, Other Sports | 2 Comments »