Ruminating and Cogitating Over 1700 Hits

A mention of a posting in this space on another website continues to make me a believer in the power of the Internet.

Earlier this year, when I first started my investigation and writing about the firing of Lennie Barton, the number of hits on my blog went to nearly 800, up from a high of 130. Yesterday, Alpha Wolf, writing on SportsFanNation, “How NC State Sports Information Really Works,” gave me space and a link to my Friday, April 16 story.

Yesterday, ACTIONS and REACTIONS II had more than 1650 different visitors, over 1750 visits and more than 2000 page views. I know who you are and where you came from. Google Analytics has a WOW factor. WOW!

Several visitors chimed in with comments and email notes, such as this email:

…I was a part-time student worker for the NC State SID office in the years 1985-87. Mr. (Ed) Seaman was still in charge then, with Mark Bockelman and Doug Herakovich, his underlings, and of course Beverly Sparks. I just found your blog this morning, thanks to a post on the PackPride.com message board. I found it very poignant and refreshing. I remember well your very passionate love and enthusiasm for NC State, both the athletics program and the academic quality of the University as a whole, and I'm happy to know it has not abated. I hope you will continue to speak out forthrightly and candidly that our wonderful school and its proud alumni should not have to suffer any longer the indignity of being so poorly and corruptly mismanaged by those that hide behind a facade of academia. Drive on, friend.

And this email:

Since moving to Apex eight years ago , I have been wondering why the Sports Information Department was not more proactive in promoting athletic events and activities. There seems to be a correlation between the SID having more family responsibility and the decline in the quantity and quality of information coming from that office. Perhaps I am wrong but I think there was more information when Frank Weeden was a one man show. At least I think he "worked" the crowd, ie. sports writers. Anyway, my point in writing this is to let you know I read your blog and found it thought provoking.

And…

I found your blog via a thread in the "Pack Pride" forum and after reading many of your postings I first wanted to thank you for your comments and efforts in regards to our Alma Mater. Well put and insightful sir! Over all I find your blog entertaining as well and enjoy your writings on other subjects than just NCSU.

There were no negative, written comments, but, from that same posting, in which I discussed the effort to raise money to build the Lonnie Poole golf Course, I received a telephone call from the person in charge of that effort. She was upset, saying I had criticized her efforts when I shouldn’t of. Here’s what I said: “If (Lee) Fowler had said yes (to making the golf course an athletics department facility) the Wolfpack Club would have probably raised all the money to build the course, the clubhouse and the related facilities. But now, the fund-raising effort struggles.”

I told her that if she felt that I was out of line with my comments, I apologize, though they were not directed at her. But, now that I have re-read what I said, I think I was quick to say I’m sorry. I never said she is doing or has done a bad job. She took exception to my statement that the Wolfpack Club is a better fund-raising organization than the NCSU Department of Advancement (Nevin Kessler's effort or lack thereof). After talking several weeks ago with Wolfpack Club representatives, I believe, if Lonnie Poole Golf Course had been an athletics project, Bobby Purcell and his staff would have secured the donations and pledges to build the entire complex. And, today, fund-raising for the project has stalled, at least that’s the impression I got when I asked for a report on it a few weeks back. I just hope it resumes and is successful, quickly. The chief fund-raiser for the project sounded optimistic. If there's anything I can do to help, just ask.

You see, I am a supporter of the University, the athletics program, the golf course and, specifically, the men's golf team. For the past seven years, I've directed the annual Wolfpack Intercollegiate in which up to 17 college golf teams compete in 54 holes of competition. Like a gypsy, the tournament—more than 20 years old—has moved around from course to course and finally landed at home this spring, just two weekends ago. The tournament is not free to operate by any means. This year, though my efforts, the event raised about $30,000 in cash and in-kind food, services and other necessities (thanks to more than 150 people who particiapted and helped) just to keep the athletics department from spending a dime while the Lonnie Poole Golf Course benefited. If that's not showing my support of NC State Unviersity, what is? Even the Chairman of the NCSU Board of Trustees thanked me last week for my service and said he hopes I'll continue that effort. As long as they want me, I said. Except for the gratification of the thank you notes I receive from the college teams and others associated with the tournament and the satisfaction of a job well-done, I receive no other benefits from this effort. And, that's fine with me.

There were other comments concerning the post of April 16th, and there was also one that took issue with what I wrote yesterday about CaryCitizen being “Better than any other website address for lots of good stuff happening in Cary.” The comment simply said “carynews.com is better…” (probably posted by an N&O staffer) to which I disagree. The newspaper website is a news website that consists primarily of what is in the print addition of the newspaper that's published twice a week as a supplement to The News & Observer. It is rarely updated on a daily basis. It’s not very personable; it’s not entertaining.

For instance, today (posted last night) on the front of CaryCitizen is a story, supplied by the Atlantic Coast Conference, about the league’s tennis championships—men and women—getting started Thursday at the Cary Tennis Park. It's good stuff. There’s no mention whatsoever on CaryNews.Com. Even if you drill down in the tennis link, all you'll find is high school tennis, basically. As a matter of fact, there is just lip-service mention on NewsObserver.com today, and not prior to today. The ACC Tennis event is a big deal to Cary specifically and the entire area in general, and the N&O and it's Cary News website should do more. Maybe the newspaper’s site has other stuff CaryCitizen doesn’t but my statement—CaryCitizen is better than any other website address for lots of good stuff happening in Cary—remains true. It’s all about the “lots of good stuff happening in Cary.” Do you own survey: Read CaryCitizen daily for fun stuff, and do the same with CaryNews.com, if you're looking for misery.

I also heard yesterday from a regular reader who, after my Monday story about USGA Rule 13, offered this perspective: “Most men would probably cheat on their wife before they cheated in golf.” That’s ponderable (if that's a word).  Surely, Tiger Woods has never cheated in golf, a game for which he has complete respect, but he failed to offer that same respect to his wife. Maybe if he had a little rule book on marriage to carry in his pocket, he would have spent more time studying it than studying the naked bodies of at least 12 women who are not his wife. My friend asks: “Is honoring golf more important than honoring the institution of marriage.”

He, my regular reader, wanted me to ruminate (his word) on those thoughts. Hmmm. Okay. Done.

But I’m still cogitating (my word) the idea of more than 1650 different people clicking a link to look at my babble. Thanks.