Blackistone actually writes a good article

[RGV Pony]

"...a private school"

Blackistone suggests that it's not only our beloved private school, but all private schools. Oh, except maybe TCU.

I guess Notre Dame is public? IUPUSB these days?

[WildBillPony]

Exactly!!!!! Does Kevin BS really think that his load of bull doesn't stink? I really did think that Kevin was a pretty astute fella. A few of his articles recently have been very suspect. It is the old double standard rearing its ugly head once again. I have actually had a fan from a state school tell me that his alma mater did not have to cheat. Good lord, do they actually believe this stuff? If the papers print it, it must be true. Heaven help us.

[DickerJames]

Very nice letter mr. pony, you did an excellent job of pointing out some of the absurd statements KB penned. I am just shocked that so many on this board thought it was a great colunm and good for SMU.

[SMUstang]

Sorry guys, I went back and reread the Blackstone article and I have to agree with him that the new AD's biggest challenge will be to build fan support. He says SMU fans have all sorts of excuses for not supporting athletics and he's right. Especially the students. When I was a student I was always excited about SMU athletics, win or lose. Most of the students today couldn't care less. They're more concerned about dating, sororities, fraternities, or whatever else. I used to walk past the fraternity houses on Airline Road going to games at Ownby Stadium and see the frat boys doing everything else besides getting ready and going to the game which was a block or two down the street and didn't cost them a dime. Nothing has changed today. And the alumni aren't much better. If we're not playing a SWC team, they're not interested. Pathetic.

[No Cal Pony]

Yes, the students and alumni of SMU can be pretty weak in support, but like Law School pointed out, SMU itself does a pretty poor job. What little they did while I was at SMU sounds as if it is all gone.

SMU also has to do a lot better job of reaching out to all its alumni, regardless of location and what they may be. My example, I sent in my information for the SMU Alumni Directory. I sent the $75 for the purchase. After it came months later that it was supposed to, I checked it out. Much to my surprise, I couldn't find my name at all. I made two calls to the Alumni relations office, and am still waiting to hear back ANYTHING on why this occured. Granted, I am not a big $ donor, but at leat I've done what I can to give to Meadows, Mustang Club, and was a member of the LASR team in So Cal, and a President of the group. I came back to speak w/ students in tv/film classes. The Alumni office has given ZERO support in return. ZERO answers, and has offerd no reason or apologies.

If this is what the school calls support for the alumni, then of course, alums will be driven away.

I do love my school, though somtime I do feel like they don't care about many of us.

Go Ponies!

[jtstang]

There's this thing called a public information request. How about doing some research? After all, someone was fishing when SMU was landed and gutted in 1987.

Wrong. David Stanley was the fish who jumped in the boat.

Here's some reality for you, Mr. Blackistone. SMU was not the only school paying players in the 80s. But, SMU is the only school to have ever received the death penalty, even though over 20 schools have since been eligible.

If you are suggesting SMU did not deserve the DP, you are a either a fool, or not well versed in the facts. Go read the NCAA's report. It's on line.

SMU got the death penalty precisely because they are a small, private school, (and we all know those guys cheat.)

Ditto.

Your letter is more evidence of the "whoa is me, poor SMU" mentality that keeps the death penalty relevant in the eye of the media. Instead of whining that Blackistone told the world what everybody here already knows--that we ain't got no frickin fan support--you should've written a letter to you old frat buddies and told them to get their @sses to the game. We all would have been better served by that.

[mr. pony]

JT,

1)David Stanley? OK, that's true, but the fishing to get SMU was going on for some time. The media did the entire investigation. The NCAA didn't have to lift a finger.

2) No, we did NOT deserve the death penalty as a matter of fact. And you fans who keep saying we did, aren't doing a damn thing to help SMU.

It was a preposterous penalty, given out because the NCAA knew they could get away with it in our case.

If we did deserve it, then why has no one else gotten it; the 20+ other programs since?

3) Not a frat guy, dude.

[mr. pony]

Read the recent escapades of Arkansas and Alabama. It's on line.
No DP for them.

Why is it important that no one else has been given the penalty?
Because as it stands now, SMU is the only one, and has the stigma as being the worst cheaters of all time.

Now, that's just not true is it?.......IS IT?

[mr. pony]

Sounds like the A&M recruit from Midland Lee may have recently "jumped in the boat" too, with his comment that the Aggies keep your pockets full of money.

Let's see if all hell now descends on Texas A&M.

[Treadway21]

You would have thought that Blakistone could have worked in a race angle since that is about all he writes about. He is one of many reasons I do not take the Dallas Morning News.

[Pony_Fan]

Isn't it curious there is not one SMU letter to the editor in Today's Sunday paper?

[couch 'em]

You would have thought that Blakistone could have worked in a race angle since that is about all he writes about. He is one of many reasons I do not take the Dallas Morning News.

If SMU was mostly black....do you think his article would have the same tone?

[jtstang]

Read the recent escapades of Arkansas and Alabama. It's on line.
No DP for them.

Why is it important that no one else has been given the penalty?
Because as it stands now, SMU is the only one, and has the stigma as being the worst cheaters of all time.

Now, that's just not true is it?.......IS IT?

Again, you can go through the entire littany of programs you think did something to deserve the death penalty, but it does not make a damn as to whether SMU deserved it, WHICH WE DID. And YES, we were one of the worst cheaters of all time, if you consider ONLY our pattern of repeat offenses. Hell you could say we pratically dared the NCAA to give us the death penalty and you wouldn't be far off at all...

[KnuckleStang]

I think if you consider the # of major infractions in the database...yes, we are indeed the worst cheaters of all time. STILL.

[PK]

As I e-mailed Mr. Blackistone, we were able to run with the big dogs not just because we cheated, but because we cheated better than the big dogs did.