With Mitch/Scruffy away for a couple of weeks, I got to dust off my commentary/editorial skills. Here's the text of the one that aired on the 17th.
You may not have
heard, but the past and the future have been butting heads – not unlike what
Rams do in the animal kingdom – over the current state of the University of
Regina Rams. Many alumni members of
that fine organization – dating back to when the Rams ran roughshod over other
junior football teams before graduating to university action in 1999 – are up
in arms these days. They’re angry at the
slights – real and perceived – they’re suffering from the current board and the
people that run the athletics department at the University of Regina.
It all came to a head
recently when long-time head coach Frank McCrystal and his top assistant Bernie
Schmidt left – or were shown the door, depending on who you ask. As always, the
truth likely lies somewhere in between. Well, that didn’t sit well with the old
boys club. Frankly, if you’ll pardon
the unintentional pun, they liked things the way they were…the Ram way.
Which, I’ll grant you,
worked just fine when the team was the cream of the crop in junior football.
But, answer me this – and be honest – how’s that been working out for the Rams
lately? Aside from that one run to the Vanier Cup in 2000 – with a roster full
of 25-something men – have the Rams been a legitimate championship contender
since moving to university football? Really? Seriously?
No, they haven’t. It
was time for a change. It was time for a new way of thinking, with a new way of
doing things. I don’t know if new head coach Mike Gibson is the man to lead the
Rams to the CIS Promised Land, but why not give the man a chance?
Could the transfer of
power from McCrystal and Schmidt have been handled better by the University?
Absolutely. Was it necessary? I think so.
Remember: What’s the definition of insanity? Doing the same thing over
and over again and expecting different results. The Ram way was great, IN ITS
DAY. But make no mistake, this is not
your daddy’s junior football team anymore.
So, I’m sorry to those
members of the alumni – many of whom I respect a great deal as football men,
and as human beings – that are feeling slighted these days. I hope that
the relationship can be repaired – and I acknowledge it’s going to take some time –
for the benefit of both sides, and for the benefit of the rest of us who would
love to have a top CIS football program to cheer for every fall. Maybe the new
way is in fact the right way to update the Ram way. Whattya say we give it a
chance?
