Comments on: Bush Leaguers in National Spotlight

By: American?

American? — Sat, 14 Jan 2006 01:11:39 +0000

A favorite American past time…..
a football game and half time…not a silly high paid advertisement…. a salute and a thank you to the 116th brigade whom have just returned from Iraq to fight for our freedom!? And all that can be done is rude remarks to the mayor? What about a thank you for the time and thought that HE put into it and not a mis pronounced word…for FUN!! I believe you all missed the real message that was put out at that game. All American.Think about it and maybe put your selfishness aside and thank him… he only was honoring the very friends,neighbors, brothers sons daughters and wives that are giving their life so you can attend a good old fashioned game.

How sad we Americans have become. My personal thank you to Mayor Bieter , the 116th Brigade and Boise and Boston for a wonderful time.

By: Joe Moran

Joe Moran — Mon, 09 Jan 2006 20:00:07 +0000

Thank you guardian for addressing an issue that has been ” hidden” for years.Real sportsmanship ,as shown by the Boston College Eagles has nothing to do with being macho, or would be local super-men ( and psuedo super-coach?) It ‘s all about respecting your opponent and fair play,on and off the field, which apparently BSU has yet to learn. My kudo’s go to the All American spirit of sports, on all levels at all times. The eagles showed that simply because it is a part of their life style. BSU can learn and grow from their example.

By: Jack

Jack — Thu, 05 Jan 2006 14:46:29 +0000

Tomato, tomato. Potato, potato. Let’s call the whole thing off.

Sticks and stones….

By: Chas

Chas — Tue, 03 Jan 2006 18:18:35 +0000

However one feels about our mayor, whom I like personally, the fact is that public speaking has never been his forte. A gaffe by him, if it had happened, would’ve been forgiveable, in my book. Obviously the MPC boss should’ve known better, being a CEO of a major corporation who has responsibility to SELL himself and his company to the world. Those who say that this is about BC’s oversensitivity are missing the point. Any speech in which somebody from Idaho has the temerity to compare themselves favorably to Boston or Massachusetts is going to be highly offensive to the brahmin bluebloods who finance, and cheer for, Boston College teams. This has nothing to do with players being thin-skinned. It’s all about those, in the media, and around the nation, who see Boise as far, far beneath BC. If we’d have just put the ball in the endzone on that one play, none of this would’ve been mentioned, of course.

By: TJ

TJ — Mon, 02 Jan 2006 01:57:25 +0000

I still wonder where the Moms were. Apparently this was much ado about nothing, but the “semi-roast” format is actually mostly tacky – someone is bound to get their undies in a knot.

My family says it was a great game – too bad for the last play on BSU’s part but, oh well. By the way, I really wish guys would go back to the John Wayne standard of never crying in public, keeping the old chin up, you know? I suppose Hawk is into the new standard sensitive model of male behavior, but geez!

By: KevinK.

KevinK. — Sun, 01 Jan 2006 14:27:51 +0000

In regards to Mr.”MAH-THIGH-US-KEY-WA-NOOKA” and his hyper sensitive feelings,it’s just a case of phonetic or is it phonic correctness gone terribly wrong???

He got more pub’ for his hurt feelings than he did for his sub par, lack-luster play during the MPC Bowl!

“HAY-MAH-THIGH-US,GIT-OH-VER-IT!”

By: Maxx

Maxx — Sun, 01 Jan 2006 01:55:00 +0000

Okay, okay… Regardless of who did what, the fact is these teams, play a lot of games and go a lot of places and suddenly Boise gets singled out as the bad guys… We’re not hearing about the players getting out of hand, it was Boise’s Mayor Dave Bieter, MPC Computers chief Mike Adkins and apparently other such noble cheerleaders. Maybe Bieter didn’t do the name game, but was he there cheering Adkins on? Some how, I think there was more than just the name game at issue here.

They went out of their way to include Boise’s Mayor as part of the problem; I would have to say that there are some that don’t see the Mayor as innocent as Bieter himself would like everyone to believe regardless of his role in this.

Just correct the mistake and make sure it doesn’t happen again. Life goes on…

By: osprey

osprey — Sat, 31 Dec 2005 04:26:07 +0000

For Bieter the initial news account was a bum rap. An Idaho Statesman correction was obtuse and shoe horned into the bottom left corner of the sports section on Friday. Nonetheless, like Ray Lewis he was at the scene and initally implicated with the mispronouncing the DE for Boston College and the “Go Broncos” cheering, neither of which is his style. Doubly ironic as one brother is a recent Ph.D. graduate of Boston College.

I’m bummed this happened and Mr, Guardian illustrates a valuable lesson of how quickly word can spread and tarnish our image. Something of an antidote for the handfull of interested readers, an excerpt from a Washington Post column in March 2001:

* * *

But the best story of this week, here or in any other region, was Idaho’s love affair with Hampton. It might be the warmest, fuzziest, feel-good relationship I’ve seen develop in 20 years of covering the NCAA tournament.

Thursday night, a house full of people at The Pavilion (11,250) fell in love with Hampton’s underdog of a basketball team, its foot-stompin’, head-boppin’ band, and its cheerleaders who say to hell with stunts, let’s dance. Hampton is a historically black university; Boise is 98 percent white. Their two worlds — trust me on this — have never ever intersected. Until here and now. The basketball team brought Boise and Hampton together, and because the house was full to the rim, the band played on. The people of Boise, who bought all the tickets for this event months ago, stayed and partied.

They were so taken with the Hampton people, they invited the band to play between periods of Friday night’s Idaho Steelheads West Coast Hockey League game at Bank of America Center. Carpet was rolled out so the cheerleaders could dance . . . on the ice. Another full house, 5,800, greeted Hampton’s band — called The Force — and made them stay and play on, and on. Folks quite literally danced in the aisles. When the arena cleared, band director Al Davis took his band members across to The Grove Hotel, where they started another set.

It seemed as if all of Boise was there, boppin’, swinging. Hampton turned Boise into Bourbon Street on Friday night. People came in off the street to hear the band play.

So Saturday afternoon, in the middle of the Maryland-Georgia State game, the damndest thing happened. This mighty roar went up as the Hampton band members, sans instruments, walked to their seats in the stands. When the Hampton team was introduced to the crowd at Boise State Pavilion, it was as if the old Celtics had walked into Boston Garden. The Hampton
cheerleaders held up signs that spelled out, “We Love Boise!”

Asked to talk about this instantly formed relationship between this Northwest city and Hampton University, guard Marseilles Brown said emotionally: “No words, man. . . . Sorry.”

Merfeld, clearly stunned by everything that had happened here this weekend, from the upset of second-seeded Iowa State on Friday night to the reception his team got before, during, and after the game against Georgetown, had some words.

“The recognition people gave us has been very, very special,” he said. “It’s very obvious to us why the tournament is in Boise, Idaho. We didn’t know that when we were assigned this region, but we do now. Thank you.”

* * *

By: Tam

Tam — Fri, 30 Dec 2005 20:01:45 +0000

I hope the good Mayor won’t take offense at my mistake. I know it is probably the first time anyone every misspelled his name. But, HAHA, you my dear, misspelled “misspelled”…that may be one for the books. Mine actually was a transposition as opposed to a misspelling, but that aside, thank you for bringing it to my attention. Even nicer work!

By: Dick

Dick — Fri, 30 Dec 2005 19:54:45 +0000

The kids played great. I think some folks had a chip on their shoulder
because BC should have gotten a better bowl venue. This incident was used to
“smack” their frustration.

Unfortunately, these games are more about money than student athletes (few
of which will sign a big contract). Money for the conferences, schools,
promoters, advertisers, broadcasters; and we can’t forget room taxes and
parking citations.

On the other hand, those in our community concerned about growth might find
comfort with the negative pub. A few downeasters may be dissuaded from
moving here. Cheers!