a10isl
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Post by a10isl on Feb 18, 2013 7:25:36 GMT -5
Since some of you enjoyed the rankings last week, I thought I'd post 'em here again, even though I didn't talk to Dr. Giannini for this week's version. I love La Salle. I don't know any other way to say it. It's my job to put the teams in some sort of order, so I have to put one of these top four at No. 4, but I want you to know I consider La Salle as a co-equal with Butler, VCU and Saint Louis. I've been talking up La Salle for a long time -- I've been doing these rankings since October -- and I enjoy watching La Salle play as much as I do any other team in the league. So you definitely have an ally here. If there were a bandwagon, I'm all the way onboard, and I'd be glad to drive, if one of you offered Almost forgot the link: www.indysportslegends.com/2013/02/18/atlantic-10-power-rankings-vcu-new-no-1/Thanks for reading an out-of-market source and I wish you luck the rest of the way. Send me feedback here or on Twitter @chrisgoff_ISL. Chris Goff Butler beat writer, IndySportsLegends.com
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Post by vasalos on Feb 18, 2013 7:42:31 GMT -5
I would like to think I am the original driver of the bandwagon. There's nothing like creating the Official post-season thread two years in a row and getting flamed for it...two years in a row. Huge game between VCU and St. Louis tomorrow night by the way. I think St. Louis has the edge at home. They've definitely had tough opponents come into that place and St. Louis knows how to shut teams down.
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Post by luhoopsfan on Feb 18, 2013 8:58:54 GMT -5
With this group, of we make the dance the bandwagon definitely needs a driver b/c the rest of us will be impaired.
Vasalos is the originator of the post season thread, but there are plenty of guys on this board that were on the bandwagon when it didn't even have wheels.
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Post by lasallerules1978 on Feb 18, 2013 9:09:10 GMT -5
I would like to think I am the original driver of the bandwagon. There's nothing like creating the Official post-season thread two years in a row and getting flamed for it...two years in a row. Huge game between VCU and St. Louis tomorrow night by the way. I think St. Louis has the edge at home. They've definitely had tough opponents come into that place and St. Louis knows how to shut teams down. Nope, that’s not the case at all. Dude you had us out of the NCAA's against St Bonnies. You panic way too easy. That has to be a “violation” self-proclaiming yourself anything because of a thread you started last year. The driver of that bus is Hykos. He has never panicked, he even drives the women's soccer bus, not sure anyone that follows women's soccer, but I have seen him give updates. Just calling it as I see it.
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Post by vasalos on Feb 18, 2013 9:25:31 GMT -5
A loss to the Bonnies would have kissed the NCAA tournament goodbye without a great showing in the A10. You guys don't understand statistics or math. I'm surprised as we're all La Salle alumn here. You all called me nuts last year when I said we were in the NIT. It doesn't matter in the end. Lets close this conference schedule out and avoid any bad losses (GW, URI, Dukes)
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Post by Deleted on Feb 18, 2013 10:00:42 GMT -5
I would like to think I am the original driver of the bandwagon. There's nothing like creating the Official post-season thread two years in a row and getting flamed for it...two years in a row. Huge game between VCU and St. Louis tomorrow night by the way. I think St. Louis has the edge at home. They've definitely had tough opponents come into that place and St. Louis knows how to shut teams down. Nope, that’s not the case at all. Dude you had us out of the NCAA's against St Bonnies. You panic way too easy. That has to be a “violation” self-proclaiming yourself anything because of a thread you started last year. The driver of that bus is Hykos. He has never panicked, he even drives the women's soccer bus, not sure anyone that follows women's soccer, but I have seen him give updates. Just calling it as I see it. I am a fan of La Salle men's AND women's soccer. The fans of wsoc are usually younger (no offense)... I was at one of Mia's games at the Linc where she and Abby both scored goals and USA romped 5-0. That game made a lifer out of me. but when asked on La Salle56 whether or why I prefer women's sports I couldn't answer the question because I never thought about it as a particular preference. my booster check goes to both programs 50/50 as have my bandwagon's FF miles over many years. It can be difficult to be a women's fan because you have to pave your own way, there are not as many "incentives" to watch and when the games are over it is tricky to find fans to celebrate/commiserate with because nobody saw the play and if they did they weren't as invested in the outcome as I felt I was and they think I am too serious about a game that 'doesn't count'. I have complained when the conference put the WBB in Lowell Mass in March when there was 4 feet of slush and mud on the ground and despite my complaints went anyway because I had three other friends going up there and it was not in our nature to boycott. Had an OK time but am glad this yr no one would have to sacrifice so much just to see a game because the wbb tourney is back in Philly where it belongs... and the finals are even in Brooklyn. I believe that if the conference would continue to promote women's sports in the right way rather than find whatever cheap neutral arena will bid on it, attendance would be at least respectable. Last yrs finals (Dayton vs Bonnies- two teams with about 6 losses between them all year and an attendance in the 4 digits) was a step in that direction rather than the Lowell disaster.
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Post by coqui900 on Feb 18, 2013 10:20:02 GMT -5
Since some of you enjoyed the rankings last week, I thought I'd post 'em here again, even though I didn't talk to Dr. Giannini for this week's version. I love La Salle. I don't know any other way to say it. It's my job to put the teams in some sort of order, so I have to put one of these top four at No. 4, but I want you to know I consider La Salle as a co-equal with Butler, VCU and Saint Louis. I've been talking up La Salle for a long time -- I've been doing these rankings since October -- and I enjoy watching La Salle play as much as I do any other team in the league. So you definitely have an ally here. If there were a bandwagon, I'm all the way onboard, and I'd be glad to drive, if one of you offered Almost forgot the link: www.indysportslegends.com/2013/02/18/atlantic-10-power-rankings-vcu-new-no-1/Thanks for reading an out-of-market source and I wish you luck the rest of the way. Send me feedback here or on Twitter @chrisgoff_ISL. Chris Goff Butler beat writer, IndySportsLegends.com Thanks Chris! It really means a lot for someone outside of Philly to take note and like our team. This is your first season in the A-10 so I don't know how much you know about the history of the program. There were so many bad decisions made in the 90s which really handcuffed our program. Then in 2004, we had a rape scandal which virtually destroyed the program and humiliated the school. Three players were kicked off the team and the men's and women's coaches were both fired. We took a horrible hit in the local media for firing the coaches -- Steven A. Smith wrote a column that began with something like "Ladies and gentlemen, do not send your kids to La Salle University" -- even though the coaches violated federal law AND our men's coach was/is a complete and total scumbag. The Dr. G. rebuilding project hasn't gone so well. Nine years is a long time, but I think this explains why he was given such a long time. We thought we had a NCAA team three years ago when returned four seniors (who won 18 games the year before) and brought in a Top 50 recruit but the whole team got injured and we ended not making the A-10s. Then that Top 50 senior turned out to be a program killer who transferred/was forced out. We kind of all gave up for hope on Dr. G and then last year shocked everyone with a very good season that ended up with a NIT bid. I remember thinking they were going to win 10-12 games all year when it started. This season is a total dream season for those of us who stuck with this program no matter what. On top of being good, they are REALLY fun to watch. Most importantly, the kids by all accounts are really great guys. I have some friends who work on campus who know a bunch of the players. Everyone raves about how nice, fun and personable they are.
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Post by lasallerules1978 on Feb 18, 2013 11:14:49 GMT -5
A loss to the Bonnies would have kissed the NCAA tournament goodbye without a great showing in the A10. You guys don't understand statistics or math. I'm surprised as we're all La Salle alumn here. You all called me nuts last year when I said we were in the NIT. It doesn't matter in the end. Lets close this conference schedule out and avoid any bad losses (GW, URI, Dukes) You are nuts. I was pleasantly surprised by the NIT. A loss to the Bonnies on the road isn't nearly as bad as a loss to Central Conn St at home. That is the game if any that will keep us out of the NCAA Tournament. And we didn't lose the game, but you did give up and said we were out. Hykos wouldn't have ever done that. Just saying.
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Post by luhoopsfan on Feb 18, 2013 14:24:35 GMT -5
OK - now is not the time for us to start laying claim to being the first bandwagoners. We're all in this together. If you went to La Salle any time in the last 20 years you've never experienced this and we shouldn't punish someone for being a new arrival/young alum simply because they didn't have to live through as much turmoil and frustration.
There are 3 groups of fans as I see it right now:
1 - Old-heads that experienced true greatness, some of them multiple times (54, 69, 89, 90), and have had to suffer through not only the terrible stretch from 1993-2007 but knowing that up until that time, we were regular player son the national scene. These guys get a ton of credit because it must've been like going through withdrawal
2 - the late 20/30 somethings that came to La Salle not too long after the last great run but far enough away that no one they would have gone to school with would have seen truly great hoops. Basically the classes of 96 and forward. Those guys were freshmen the year after the last tourney appearance. Those guys are like 37, 38 years old at the top end of the curve and 26 or 27 at the low end of the curve now and have never seen this kind of success. This is the most endangered species in the La Salle fandom family. Most years the teams were hardly worth watching and even when a solid opponent came to play, chances were pretty good that it would be over before half time (think Temple @ La Salle in 1999) There were a couple great seasons of hope for this clan (1999/2000 and the hype of Billy Hahn's first full class) but usually by mid-January it was all but guaranteed for another losing campaign. I'm not sure how many of these guys survived, I'm one of them and Coqui900 I believe is as well but by and large this year is the first time any of my classmates get fired up for hoops.
3 - the relative newcomers from roughly 2006 until now it hasn't been a God-awful ride. 2005/06 Doc got the frist monkey off the program's back and delivered a winning campaign overall and in the A10. I remain convinced to this day that group should have played in the NIT, but I digress. From this point we saw great hope in Rodney & Co with the interchangeable parts that ultimately didn't pan out as hoped, but certainly laid a foundation that the most recent success has been built upon. Guys in this range saw some Big 5 wins and some good games against quality opponents when the team came up just short but constant losing wasn't an epidemic anymore. And now winning has become the expected outcome. There are now 2 full classes worth (and two of the largest classes in general) on campus believing that how it is now is how it always was. I don't know where Vasalos comes in but my guess is that he's in this third group.
My point being this, we're all in the same boat now, no matter what era you went through, this is the current era and it's awesome to see so many people want to be a part of it. In a weird way I will miss sitting in Gola with 1,200 people watching a bad team play because the anticipation of someday being this good is probably better than experiencing it in reality, but I'm thrilled where we are right now.
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Post by ltrain38 on Feb 18, 2013 14:43:27 GMT -5
hoopsfan, I suppose I fall into your third group, so I think I can explain a little bit the experience of rooting for those teams. I was a freshman in 05-06. There were maybe 15-20 guys who were really into the program at the time (I'm pretty sure a few post on this board) and my roommates and I were part of that group. We knew the recent history really well and we talked about problems like "culture of losing" and perception of the school through sports all the time. But there was a kind of optimism that came out of that first winning season. I remember how huge it felt to beat Temple and the way some of the upperclassmen reacted to it. It was the first time I saw the Gola with even a half-way decent crowd. The next year was tough, but we saw a new core of players. My junior and senior years felt like we were making big steps. Beating St. Joe's (and then Dayton on a six game win streak), knocking off Duquesne and taking Temple to the wire in AC. And then another winning season. Murray felt like the last piece. I made a stupid bet that I lost about La Salle making the tournament in 2010. Between the injuries, having no point guard, and the Murray fiasco, most of us felt like for all the expectation, nothing had changed. That hurt because I believed for four years that we were slowly turning it around and then the bottom fell out. Maybe this is how people feel about that last Donnie Carr team, but I wasn't around, so I don't know.
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Post by lwc4591 on Feb 18, 2013 14:47:59 GMT -5
Well said Hoopsfan. 68 thru 92 were for the most part good to great years with many good to great players like Durrett, Cannon, Williams, R. Taylor, Jellybean, B. Taylor, Skyman, Brooks, Miller, Legler, Simmons, Overton, Woods, Hurd and many others until we fell on hard times with some bad conference decisions and recruiting. We are back and 2011 thru 2015 look good but after that point it will depend on who we pick up this season and the next two on the recruting trail.
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Post by sweat83 on Feb 18, 2013 15:32:38 GMT -5
Chris Goff... While we've got you...what are the chances of Butler departing the A10 in the near future to join forces with the "Catholic 7"? I heard Coach Stevens on the Mike Francesca show on WFAN last week, and he did not let on to believe that Butler was going to split from the A10 to go join the other league. Is this the way you see it?
The way it is constituted now, the A10 is a great basketball conference, and there is really no need for any of the schools to leave the conference.
BTW..I believe the original driver on the bus was Westhead. But he jumped ship as soon as we starting winning!
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Post by coqui900 on Feb 18, 2013 16:59:04 GMT -5
I am firmly in camp 2, as noted. I also may or may not have been quoted in a story by fellow camp 2 alum John Gonzalez when he wrote about the program when he was that Inky.
I am certainly the most hardcore of my friends from The Abyss but I have a few other friends who pay attention. But everyone pays attention when they do something good. In 2008, there was a big outburst of attention from my friends after The Whistle Blower game. People hedge their bets -- they don't want to go all in on something only to have the rug pulled back.
This year is different, obviously. Everyone is all in, as the crowd and atmosphere showed.
One of my favorite moments was when some old-head fans held up a La Salle banner and jumped up and down to the fight song.
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Post by luhoopsfan on Feb 18, 2013 17:39:35 GMT -5
I used to seethe after every loss to a point where my wife would threaten that if I couldn't get myself under control we were going to have some serious marital issues. I think in my older age I've grown to have a little more perspective that not every game is life or death. Admittedly, I still have trouble sleeping after a loss.
I can empathize with people from my camp in not wanting to get the rug pulled out, but the more often this team delivers the more people will go all in with them - it gets easier and easier to go all in when you're finally rewarded. I won't claim I have 100% confidence because I'm still a little gun shy from years of emotional abuse, but I'm certainly more apt to believe in the program now more than ever. Jerrardi really nailed it when he said there's fans that just can't believe we actually made the climb all the way back.
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a10isl
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Post by a10isl on Feb 18, 2013 17:59:27 GMT -5
Since some of you enjoyed the rankings last week, I thought I'd post 'em here again, even though I didn't talk to Dr. Giannini for this week's version. I love La Salle. I don't know any other way to say it. It's my job to put the teams in some sort of order, so I have to put one of these top four at No. 4, but I want you to know I consider La Salle as a co-equal with Butler, VCU and Saint Louis. I've been talking up La Salle for a long time -- I've been doing these rankings since October -- and I enjoy watching La Salle play as much as I do any other team in the league. So you definitely have an ally here. If there were a bandwagon, I'm all the way onboard, and I'd be glad to drive, if one of you offered Almost forgot the link: www.indysportslegends.com/2013/02/18/atlantic-10-power-rankings-vcu-new-no-1/Thanks for reading an out-of-market source and I wish you luck the rest of the way. Send me feedback here or on Twitter @chrisgoff_ISL. Chris Goff Butler beat writer, IndySportsLegends.com Thanks Chris! It really means a lot for someone outside of Philly to take note and like our team. This is your first season in the A-10 so I don't know how much you know about the history of the program. There were so many bad decisions made in the 90s which really handcuffed our program. Then in 2004, we had a rape scandal which virtually destroyed the program and humiliated the school. Three players were kicked off the team and the men's and women's coaches were both fired. We took a horrible hit in the local media for firing the coaches -- Steven A. Smith wrote a column that began with something like "Ladies and gentlemen, do not send your kids to La Salle University" -- even though the coaches violated federal law AND our men's coach was/is a complete and total scumbag. The Dr. G. rebuilding project hasn't gone so well. Nine years is a long time, but I think this explains why he was given such a long time. We thought we had a NCAA team three years ago when returned four seniors (who won 18 games the year before) and brought in a Top 50 recruit but the whole team got injured and we ended not making the A-10s. Then that Top 50 senior turned out to be a program killer who transferred/was forced out. We kind of all gave up for hope on Dr. G and then last year shocked everyone with a very good season that ended up with a NIT bid. I remember thinking they were going to win 10-12 games all year when it started. This season is a total dream season for those of us who stuck with this program no matter what. On top of being good, they are REALLY fun to watch. Most importantly, the kids by all accounts are really great guys. I have some friends who work on campus who know a bunch of the players. Everyone raves about how nice, fun and personable they are. ____________________________ Thanks coqui900 -- I really appreciate the background. Sounds like you Explorers diehards deserve this season more than anyone realizes. I gathered that mediocrity and irrelevancy had been problems, but did not remember that rape scandal of a decade ago. Nice of you to take the time to summarize for me the depths La Salle endured to get to the place they are now.
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a10isl
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Post by a10isl on Feb 18, 2013 18:17:51 GMT -5
Chris Goff... While we've got you...what are the chances of Butler departing the A10 in the near future to join forces with the "Catholic 7"? I heard Coach Stevens on the Mike Francesca show on WFAN last week, and he did not let on to believe that Butler was going to split from the A10 to go join the other league. Is this the way you see it? The way it is constituted now, the A10 is a great basketball conference, and there is really no need for any of the schools to leave the conference. BTW..I believe the original driver on the bus was Westhead. But he jumped ship as soon as we starting winning! Reading between the lines, I think the chances are pretty good Butler would accept an invitation from the new league. The president of the university, who was just installed in 2011, came directly from Villanova, which as you know is one of the Catholic 7, where he was dean of the business school. Butler officials have given strong public hints that departure from the A-10 is a serious option. The president is focused on raising capital and finding new revenue streams, and I believe he sees an offshoot of the Big East as an opportunity to secure better television dollars without compromising Butler's values and competitive strength. The fact that anyone from the university has commented on the matter at all is telling. I would hate to see Butler leave the league because of what a fun conference this seems to be. Granted, Temple and Charlotte will be gone, but I'm selfishly rooting for Butler to stay because some of those Big East programs just aren't what they once were, and I like the charm of the A-10 and some of the arenas like Gola and Rose Hill, on top of the quality of the basketball. If the new league snatches a Xavier, steals a Saint Louis, I can't see Butler hanging around, though. Stevens is focused on the present day, the next practice. He's going to publicly deflect. But the fact that the A-10 would be diminished, along with the chance to take a perceived step up to a "major" conference, is what has the real movers and shakers at Butler thinking it's an appetizing opportunity. Gun to the head, I think an offer comes, and I say Butler jumps.
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Post by lasallerules1978 on Feb 18, 2013 22:12:33 GMT -5
Chris Goff... While we've got you...what are the chances of Butler departing the A10 in the near future to join forces with the "Catholic 7"? I heard Coach Stevens on the Mike Francesca show on WFAN last week, and he did not let on to believe that Butler was going to split from the A10 to go join the other league. Is this the way you see it? The way it is constituted now, the A10 is a great basketball conference, and there is really no need for any of the schools to leave the conference. BTW..I believe the original driver on the bus was Westhead. But he jumped ship as soon as we starting winning! West head was a nut who posted approx 100xs a day, he eventually normalized and morphed into Joe F on phila hoops.com. I like joe alot more than west head warrior. West head was jobless and loved track n field. Joe F has multiple jobs and sticks to basketball. I would say he was a relatively new comer to the board maybe 2010 or so. The O.G. In my opinion of this board is Explorer 88, who I find to be quite good. He usually has some good insight and a good idea of the recruits we are perusing. I always enjoy his posts.
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Post by JoeFedorowicz on Feb 18, 2013 22:24:21 GMT -5
I don't know what you are talking about.
Further, I think that other guy started lurking in 2006 and posting in 2008.
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Post by luhoopsfan on Feb 18, 2013 22:41:34 GMT -5
Explorer88, AKA, Mik is really way up there and falls into the bucket of OG, but I think the true OG is 4everlasalle. Mik is awesome with the updates on recruiting as well as a guy like KJmac, both OG in their own ways but both are still coming up in the game a bit.
88 may have an AKA, but 4ever has cred.
For the record, only La Salle could have enough diehard old head fans that would try to start a riot in the stands during yet another terrible mid/early 2000s game by nearly coming to fisticuffs after arguing with other fans.... Of the same team about said team!
We have the best fans in town, we may not have big #s but we are the best.
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Post by lasallerules1978 on Feb 19, 2013 13:50:47 GMT -5
I don't know what you are talking about. Further, I think that other guy started lurking in 2006 and posting in 2008. You started posting in the 2009/2010 basketball season, the amount of posts are impressive. Title: Tom Gola Status Posts: 3209 posts all sites Joined: 11/17/2009 Last Visit: 01/19/2013 Here is Explorers 88 profile: Title: Tom Gola Status Posts: 9836 posts all sites Joined: 4/24/2002 Last Visit: 11/17/2012 Ignore this Member Send Private Message Pretty impressive, so close to 10,000. He is the Wilt Chamberlain of posting.
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Post by luhoopsfan on Feb 19, 2013 13:59:18 GMT -5
I'm not sure how you found that stuff but, wow.
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Post by player71 on Feb 19, 2013 14:04:34 GMT -5
And those numbers for Mik don't include the posts from the old rivals board back around 2000....
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Post by explorer88 on Feb 19, 2013 14:41:38 GMT -5
And those numbers for Mik don't include the posts from the old rivals board back around 2000.... So what are you saying I have too much time on my hands? Just kidding. I do not post as much as I used to only because when I was moderator it was much different. Keep in mind we are losing a lot and that time and it tends to increase banter and discussion more than the way it is now where things are good and there is an easy mode of discussion where we are all fans and want the same thing......which is La Salle to be relevant and good. When things were not going well we all have different opinions on what is wrong and what is needed to change things. I think we are all enjoying the ride now and the team's play says alot about how things go on a message board. BTW, Where is Hack, THID, Casey444, SCEXPLORER, Chris Gags, and the rest of those guys? ?
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Post by lasallerules1978 on Feb 19, 2013 14:47:44 GMT -5
I'm not sure how you found that stuff but, wow. Just go to the old scout.com. Those two are easy to find, they posted frequently and all you have to do is click on their profile and you get the stats.
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Post by JoeFedorowicz on Feb 19, 2013 15:03:16 GMT -5
I don't know what you are talking about. Further, I think that other guy started lurking in 2006 and posting in 2008. You started posting in the 2009/2010 basketball season, the amount of posts are impressive. Title: Tom Gola Status Posts: 3209 posts all sites Joined: 11/17/2009 I hope you understand my comments were in jest.
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Post by glorydays on Feb 19, 2013 15:28:35 GMT -5
Explorer88, AKA, Mik is really way up there and falls into the bucket of OG, but I think the true OG is 4everlasalle. Mik is awesome with the updates on recruiting as well as a guy like KJmac, both OG in their own ways but both are still coming up in the game a bit. 88 may have an AKA, but 4ever has cred. For the record, only La Salle could have enough diehard old head fans that would try to start a riot in the stands during yet another terrible mid/early 2000s game by nearly coming to fisticuffs after arguing with other fans.... Of the same team about said team!
We have the best fans in town, we may not have big #s but we are the best. It was lsurealist vs. Mr. Norris (who does not post to my knowledge) in the Thrilla at Gola at the end of a GW game about 7 years ago. Those guys are 71er's and fight every time they see each other and still remain friends. Every class has legends like that. Maybe they will end up in the same nursing home and torment each other to the grave...
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Post by lasallerules1978 on Feb 19, 2013 17:12:13 GMT -5
You started posting in the 2009/2010 basketball season, the amount of posts are impressive. Title: Tom Gola Status Posts: 3209 posts all sites Joined: 11/17/2009 I hope you understand my comments were in jest. I am on the same page, the only reason I looked up profiles is because the team has put me in a good mood.
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