More on Monson

Since I finished off my earlier entry on Dan Monson, the Star Trib online has virtually exploded with stories, so we start with a few links:

Pat Reusse throws in a great column, full of anger, bitterness, and vitriol - just the sort of column I wanted someone to write. Well done, Patrick, we'll see you at the Angry Journalists buffet. Sid Hartman, homer till the bitter end, is of all things angry at the U administrators for some odd reason. Sid, for a guy who hosts a weekly call-in radio show, you sure don't have your finger on the pulse of public feeling.

Perhaps just as interesting is that the link in my below post now leads to a completely rewritten article, this one focused not on Monson quotes but Joel Maturi quotes. This is, to say the least, a field of pumpkins too ripe to not smash with a shovel.

"It was pretty emotional. We talked about a lot of things. ... I told them I have faith in Coach Monson and we've got to stick together." --Joel Maturi

Joel, I used to feel the exact same way about the Easter Bunny and Santa Claus. The only problem is, like Monson's coaching talent, THEY DON'T EXIST.

"When you finish 10th in the Big Ten, it's human nature to say, 'What's going on?' Does that mean I have lost confidence in Dan? No." --Joel Maturi

Well, what would make you lose confidence? If Monson finishes 10th in the Big Ten AND screws the hired help?

"I've told this to Dan, 'If this were the Timberwolves and I were the GM, maybe he wouldn't be coaching next year.' But I don't want to be the Timberwolves and I'm not the GM. I'm the athletic director at an academic institution that has some values, has some integrity and we're going to live that and walk the talk." --Joel Maturi

Joel, what in God's name are you talking about? Values? Integrity? As I see it, Monson's job is to win games, sell tickets, and keep everyone on the team out of jail, in school, and making progress towards graduation. As Reusse points out, it's not like a lot of the Gophers graduate these days, and Monson's abjectly failed at winning or selling tickets. In other words, we can hire a traffic cop to have the same effect on the program as Monson did.

You want to follow the values of an academic institution, Joel? That's fine. If Monson were a professor and his resume were converted to an academic resume, there's not a single university in the entire world above DeVry that would award him tenure. None. He's had his seven years to make his case. It's time to let his ass go try to catch on at a minor state school. This is what would have happened if he were a professor of biology: no major awards, little published research, actually brought in negative research dollars... he wouldn't be asked back for an eighth year.



Finally, a horrible, gnawing comparison:
Glen Mason: 29-43, .403 winning percentage (Big Ten)
Dan Monson: 44-68, .392 winning percentage (Big Ten)

Mason: 9 years, just signed major contract extension
Monson: 7 years... two years to go on current contract...

Oh. No.