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Dear Dr. Turner / Steve Orsini,

I was fortunate enough to attend SMU when we were the winningest college football team in all of America.

While neither of you were here back then, maybe you have aware of our success, we affectionately called it the Pony Express Years.

I have heard of your intention to change our mascot from our beloved Pony to a real ‘Mustang’ in hopes that this will somehow contribute to us winning football games.

Please help me understand this. You gentlemen have contributed to the most inept 20 year period in the history of American sport (that by the way is not an exaggeration, it is sadly a fact, we went from Top 10 to 113…see links below) and now your solution is to replace our 70+ year mascot at the encouragement of Trophy Wife #4 of an Oklahoma State billionaire with the full support of an icon from the state of Hawaii who has been at our school for less than 20 months and still refuses to wear socks.

Mr. Orsini, I will not even ask you how this would go over in South Bend, we both know the answer to this ridiculous question.

Dr. Turner, you have been at my University longer than Dr. Pye. While I think you are eminently more qualified than him, your athletic ‘prowess’ is eerily similar.

I must say I am extremely disappointed in both of you for allowing this to happen.


Peruna is Top 10 http://www.americasbestonline.net/cmascots.htm

SMU post DP is #113 http://football.stassen.com/cgi-bin/records/calc-wp.pl?start=1989&end=2008&rpct=30&min=5&se=on&by=Win+Pct

Dr Turner is #110 http://football.stassen.com/cgi-bin/records/calc-wp.pl?start=1995&end=2008&rpct=30&min=5&se=on&by=Win+Pct

Steve Orsini is #115 http://football.stassen.com/cgi-bin/records/calc-wp.pl?start=2002&end=2008&rpct=30&min=5&se=on&by=Win+Pct

Please let us know if you get a response.

I couldn't have said it better!

Probably made you feel better, but I've never found attacking someone Is a good way to get them to agree with you / change their mind.

So Cal Pony did you sign your legal name to the letter? I doubt they respond to individuals who use ficticious names or blog names.

Did you actually email it to them, or is this it

I think this idea of replacing Peruna is mostly rumor fueled by the statement that
the Mustangs given to the equestrian team might become mascots in the DMN.

If Turner, Orsini, and JJ were actually considering this, at best, it's a VERY
poor idea, like changing the galloping Mustang logo to a Boise State style one. It will
also die a quick death like the logo, or I predict a great reduction in donations, and revenue
to the school, and athletic department

I think you guys are freaking out just like they did in Hawaii when they changed the mascot from the Rainbow Warriors to just the "Warriors".

If we start winning, you'll get over it. Period.

I know I'm a "2000+" alum so I'm not technically qualified to speak on this, but you guys seriously need to lighten up. Why don't we see how this all plays out before acting like a bunch of whiny asses?

If you really sent that to Orsini/Turner, don't expect anything other than a standard form response - calling people out and being confrontational is a poor way to open any kind of dialogue with those whom you disagree.

Don't count on it. This will be a very unpopular decision-you guys can bend over all you want when a major 80 year SMU tradition is destroyed-a lot of the major "sponsors" of this decision on the board have been bending over for 20 years.

03Mustang wrote:I think you guys are freaking out just like they did in Hawaii when they changed the mascot from the Rainbow Warriors to just the "Warriors".

If we start winning, you'll get over it. Period.

I know I'm a "2000+" alum so I'm not technically qualified to speak on this, but you guys seriously need to lighten up. Why don't we see how this all plays out before acting like a bunch of whiny asses?

If you really sent that to Orsini/Turner, don't expect anything other than a standard form response - calling people out and being confrontational is a poor way to open any kind of dialogue with those whom you disagree.

See, you're under 30, and never heard the expression the WHINY wheel get's the grease.

Stallion wrote:Don't count on it. This will be a very unpopular decision-you guys can bend over all you want when a major 80 year SMU tradition is destroyed-a lot of the major "sponsors" of this decision on the board have been bending over for 20 years.

Query: Stallion, if you knew bringing JJ along would a) result in changes to the model, but at the same time would involve b) the current Mustang issue, would you have thought twice about bringing JJ?

Just wondering. No agenda, not trying to pen you in, just wondering. And let's not have an answer that wonders if the two are mutually exclusive.

03Mustang wrote:
If we start winning, you'll get over it. Period.

That is the athletic dept's hope. Like everyone else, I look forward to winning. But i will never "get over" the trashing of Peruna. Competely unnecessary and disgraceful

You guys sound just like the old timers that still bring up Tom Landry being fired every time someone mentions the Cowboys.

Two completely different issues. Coaches come and go. Peruna is the symbol of our university not just the present football coach. Fans who will not stand up for the traditions of the university SUCK. Just like they sucked when they bent over and allowed SMU to fumble membership in a great conference by implementing an Ivy League athletic Model.

I'm not saying I like it either, just saying we probably shouldn't freak out as much as this board has to this point. Let T Boone bring them in, see how it goes for this season, and then raise hell at that point.

Wouldn't everyone's argument against it hold even more water at that point?

Stallion wrote:Two completely different issues. Coaches come and go. Peruna is the symbol of our university not just the present football coach. Fans who will not stand up for the traditions of the university SUCK. Just like they sucked when they bent over and allowed SMU to fumble membership in a great conference by implementing an Ivy League athletic Model.

Some would argue Landry was a different issue. Coaches may come and go, but Landry was the ONLY coach the Cowboys had ever had.

Agree w/ you on the SWC/BigXII stuff. Watching Auburn-Arkansas, I cant help but think how brilliant Broyles wound up being for bolting the SWC for the SEC.