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The root issue in all this Ponyfans talk about June Jones is simply fairness and common decency. That means not treating a person -- especially a person who's done a lot for you -- like scum just because he's done (or you think he's done) something you didn't want him to. Many Ponyfans post-ers have shredded and bashed June Jones for being a low-life or a no-good bum. Their comments are beyond senseless.

Want a good picture of the haters? Here are some sample replies to an earlier post of mine. One basher states that June Jones has never cared about SMU(!) Another says that our last half-season problems were because of Jones' indifference to SMU(!)--(not at all because our perhaps-injured QB couldn't throw good passes more than ten yards down the field). Someone else says June Jones intentionally planned to win just enough at SMU so he could use the wins to get out of here. Who thinks up this lunatic stuff? We're dealing with nutcases here, people who need private nurses. God help us if there are many SMU fans like this. Oh yes, and one guy on Ponyfans just made a vulgar comment back to me without answering a single thing I said. A perfect self-portrait of the true hater.

In times of stress, people's true character and intelligence comes out. And the character and intelligence demonstrated by various Jones bashers on Ponyfans have been truly mind-numbing. Let's hope some of them have a good nap and wake up with a concept of treating someone with fairness and common decency. Like they'd like to be treated themselves. I hope that's not too much to ask, even from a committed hater.

I'll take a stab at this, as someone who supports JJ.

These are people's opinions. And they have every right to express them. Just like you have every right to not agree with them and to express your own opinion. Just like you have every right to tell me that you don't agree with them.

It's a message board. People get heated. The discussion gets heated.

People want what's best for this school, this team and it's players.

Do these opinions change as facts and circumstances change? Sure they do. A lot of what is said on here is reactionary to what was just posted by someone else, whether or not that post was even true.

Can you prove that what they said was not true? No, no more than they can prove that it was.

Some people just don't like JJ, and some have stated this from the beginning. That's the thing here, you don't have to like everything or everyone associated with the program to be a fan.

Everyone agrees that we're better off today than we were 4 years ago. But we're all wondering the same thing: What's next?

Kind of not liking someone is one thing. But drumbeat unwarranted unsubstantiated vitriolic hate is another thing entirely. I was brought up to believe you just don't treat people that way, public figure or not.

This has been a crucifixion, a lynching.

Leigh, allow me to ask you a question.

Why did Brown commit to ASU then back out after it turned out that JJ wasn't going there and commit to Nebraska instead?

Here's one possibility. Brown wanted to play for June, but when the ASU deal fell through he reasonably guessed that June's career would be unstable at SMU and committed elsewhere. Why does the answer necessarily involve any wrongdoing?

And, when it comes down to it, is it fair to engage in unsubstantiated speculation when a simple answer to the question will suffice? Some just seem to enjoy stirring up hell.

ponyboy wrote:Here's one possibility. Brown wanted to play for June, but when the ASU deal fell through he reasonably guessed that June's career would be unstable at SMU and committed elsewhere. Why does the answer necessarily involve any wrongdoing?

I wasn't referring to you but thanks for the response. I want to hear it from Leigh (under psuedonym Andrew D. Wilson)

Ok, but was it a bad answer?

ponyboy wrote:Ok, but was it a bad answer?

The issue with the answer is that it doesn't address why he committed to ASU (a full day before "June to ASU a done deal" was reported by the various sources). But I agree with the second part of your answer

Mainly hard core fans post on this site. The ones that have been around during decades of futility. Not an excuse but we are very use to failure and finding perceived causes for that failure.

Many are fatalist. The sky is always falling. Some are Sunshiners (Sunshine on my shoulders makes me happy) that always find a Silver Lining. And some are just thankful we are vastly improved over 4 years ago.

It is a fan site and opinions are shared. Many disagree or have different perspectives to the same situation. Part of being a fan.

We will never entirely agree. But one will hear (read) a variety of interesting opinions.

CalallenStang wrote:

ponyboy wrote:Ok, but was it a bad answer?

The issue with the answer is that it doesn't address why he committed to ASU (a full day before "June to ASU a done deal" was reported by the various sources). But I agree with the second part of your answer

Probably because June told him he was most probably going to ASU. Is that a bad thing?

ponyboy wrote:

CalallenStang wrote:

ponyboy wrote:Ok, but was it a bad answer?

The issue with the answer is that it doesn't address why he committed to ASU (a full day before "June to ASU a done deal" was reported by the various sources). But I agree with the second part of your answer

Because June told him he was most probably going to ASU.

And that's the sticking point (for me at least). Don't get me wrong, I see the validity of your viewpoint, but I don't like our head coach saying "come join me at ASU" before he finalizes leaving SMU and joins ASU. That's like a Coke sales rep using a Coca-Cola phone while being paid by Coca-Cola telling one of their large accounts "Hey, I'm most likely going to be working at Pepsi in two weeks...you should drop us and go sign with them." Now if Pepsi ends up not hiring that sales rep, would you expect Coke to keep him on? I certainly wouldn't.

Old Coke or New Coke?

Why is it necessary that Jones said to come join him? Is it possible that June just said, look, I need to be honest and tell you that I'm probably not going to be here next year and will probably be at ASU. Why do we have to get all Oliver Stone and make all these deep, dark assumptions that's June is surreptitiously stealing SMU's talent even before the ink is dry on a new contract?

ponyboy wrote:Why is it necessary that Jones said to come join him? Is it possible that June just said, look, I need to be honest and tell you that I'm probably not going to be here next year and will probably be at ASU. Why do we have to get all Oliver Stone and make all these deep, dark assumptions?

Don't say anything about any place. Say "Look, I'm probably not going to be here next year. I'm looking at another opportunity and if it works out, I will be leaving. Right now I am at SMU and we have an opening for you here, and at the next school we will also have a spot for you, so I'll be happy to have you wherever I go."

Once you mention the place by name, you've recruited for that school.

But the ASU info was splattered all over the frigging internet. You think if he didn't bring it up that the recruit wouldn't?