DiMauro: BC haters have never been happier. Does anyone at BC care?
It was the end of a long Saturday, column written for Eagles Daily, and now I am pondering the two-hour drive home. I am annoyed. Not merely because Boston College no-showed for a chunk of its home football opener, but because I honestly didn’t encounter one person postgame who seemed as irritated as I was.
Not one coach. Not one player. Not one member of the athletic staff. Nobody.
The best I got was “well, that was disappointing” from a staffer. Disappointing? “Disappointing” is when it rains on the way to the beach. “Disappointing” is when the bartender dumps too much ice into the scotch glass. Losing to something called Northern Illinois - at home coming off a 3-9 season - is not “disappointing.” It is unacceptable. It is inexcusable. And ought to be treated as such.
I’m entering the elevator atop Alumni Stadium and notice this poster-sized message on the back wall. It read: “Athletics mission: Provide our student-athletes with an exceptional experience, fostering values, personal growth and athletics excellence.”
I’m thinking, “where’s an egg when you need one?”
The “exceptional experience” and “fostering values” and “personal growth” stuff are noble. But when does BC start achieving the part about “athletics excellence?”
BC football has produced a record of 5-16 in its last 21 games. Basketball hasn’t made the tournament since 2009, although Earl Grant appears to be on the path. And while some of BC’s Olympic sports are doing well - notably women’s lacrosse, among the best programs in the nation - athletic departments are judged on football and men’s basketball. (Just ask Stanford, which spent a few weeks as a vagrant, despite having the best Olympic sports programs in the country.)
It is for this reason that BC haters have never been this giddy. They’ve never had this much material. And I’m wondering if there is anybody on that campus - anybody - who is aware of how much Boston College is mocked in barber shops, gin mills and social media. Or if they really care. Because here’s my sense: Boston College is a passion for some of us. It is mere employment for others. And it’s reflected in how “disappointing” Saturday turned out.
Now I get that many in the court of public opinion, particularly social media, aren’t exactly returning champions on Jeopardy. And while it’s fine to dismiss the occasional nitwit, as a whole they do create public perception. Currently, the perception is that BC is a laughingstock that gets ridiculed on social media and ignored in mainstream media.
And so I ask again: When is BC going to start fulfilling its self-fancied athletics mission of “athletic excellence” hanging right there in the elevator?
Full disclosure here: I live and work in Connecticut. I am BC’s de facto delegate in the state where the Eagles are hated the most. No argument that it’s very skewed. I try to mount the best offense I can. But I’m running out of material. I can only trot out “SAT scores” so often.
It’s not just the Connecticut people. BC is a punching bag for Providence fans, too. Heaven forbid there’s a loss Saturday to Holy Cross. Even the UMass folks, who really can’t say much, pile on. You know why? Because they can. Because BC gives all of them reason.
I ask: When is this going to stop? Is there anybody in that athletic department with a pulse? When are we going to demand that things start changing? When are we going to see and feel some accountability for 16 football losses in 21 games? Or is it all just “disappointing” for everybody?
I’m not saying somebody needs to go full George Steinbrenner. But I remember the days of Tom Coughlin. I remember the days of Gary Williams. They did not tolerate fools. Nor did they accept losing. It was not “disappointing” to them. It was fodder for betterment.
My sense is that I’m going to get dismissed as a crackpot in that snooty BC way of remaining above the fray. That’s the problem. Somebody needs to get in the fray. Somebody needs to start demanding accountability. It’s nice and gosh golly whiz wonderful that we have student-athletes who open books, say please and thank you, and help senior citizens on and off the T.
Now it’s time to start winning games. It’s hanging right there in the elevator. Does anybody ever take the time to read it?
Mike DiMauro, a columnist in Connecticut, is a contributor to Eagles Daily and a 1990 BC graduate. He may be reached at m.dimauro@theday.com or @BCgenius