Taaffe Update

Literally, the instant that the Ticat blogger and I completed that last article, this was posted. There is a brief note that just went up on the Ticats website about a statement to be made regarding Taaffe tomorrow at 4pm. To me, it implies that he is leaving Hamilton. If he was staying put, I'm assuming they would just come out and say that. They surely want to put all this to rest. I've also heard that Stewart said the OC position would be filled by tomorrow. Things could get interesting here people, so read the article below this one. It's chock full of good information, especially his bio link.

EDIT: So here it is after another contact. My insider believes that Taaffe is coming to WVU and that it will be announced tomorrow. I've never had an insider before, and the one I have now isn't from WVU. But let's just say that I am 100% certain that Taaffe is headed our way.

NEW EDIT: I just got an email from a person who asked me not to divulge their identity and affiliation with a certain team north of the border, so I won't. But it is 100% certain that Taaffe is coming to WVU as offensive coordinator. When this happens, I expect many kudos in my comments tab (just kidding). I stumbled ass backwards into a news break, sort of. Everybody was already thinking he might be the guy, but I guess having no life on a Saturday when The Editor is out of town has its advantages in the blogosphere. And before you question my credibility, since my blog is named Let's Go Drink Some Beers and is full of tomfoolery, let me remind you that I am not in the business of trying to break a story or anything like it. This blog is usually for fun and opinion, but this time it's absolutely the real thing. I'm not sure how I got in this position today, but it's damn fun. So anyway, not that big a deal, but cool.

Charlie Taaffe

We all know that it looks like this one is still up in the air. With that said, I think it's still helpful to get an idea of exactly who he is. Here is his bio from the Hamilton Tiger-Cats website, link here. There is an awful lot of good information there, and quite a bit of success as well. The fan consensus is that he's viewed across the CFL as a nice guy and great coach. They seem to respect him very much, outside of this last little fiasco.

I also did a brief Q & A session with Thomas Riddell, a Hamilton Tiger-Cats blogger from The Black and Gold Report. Thomas has been privvy to practices and conversations with Taaffe all through his first season as Head Coach, and we exchanged a few ideas on the situation. You can check out my answers to his questions here.

Me: The CFL gets little to no exposure in the US. So for those readers too lazy to look for anything on their own, what is Hamilton's reputation in the league?


Thomas: Hamilton used to be known for its tough defense and passing game. Since Bob Young bought the team (in 2003) we have yet to find our "Playoff Magic".


Me: How has your experience with Charlie Taaffe been as a HC? And what kind of offensive system has he had in place?


Thomas: To me, it seems to be a West Coast system with a lot of short passes and power running with our tailbacks. The one thing I can say is that our team never quit under Charlie. Fans often come to practice to watch and Charlie was always willing to spend time with them. I learned more about football in 1 year watching these practices and asking Charlie question than I ever did before.


Me: Why would he consider leaving?

Thomas: The GM that hired Charlie was fired after a 3 win season (this past season) but Charlie was kept. A new GM was put in place and they wanted to make sure Charlie was the right man to turn the team around. He was in limbo for about a month as he talked to the new GM about his ideas on how to fix a bad football team. Finally, Charlie was asked to stay on and he agreed.


Me: If he left, which appears doubtful, what would your plans be to replace him?

Thomas: Right now who knows? It could be Tom Higgins or Dave Ritchie or a dark horse candidate.


Me: Do you think he could be successful again in an NCAA collegiate offensive system?

Thomas: Yes. Charlie has a lot of talent, but he should be back in Hamilton. He is under contract, for now.

Lost In All Of This Nonsense, But Congratulations Are In Order

West Virginia University football achieved greatness in at least one forum outside the Fiesta Bowl in 2007. With all the confusion and mayhem, it's gone largely unnoticed that WVU won the Lambert-Meadowlands Trophy this season. The background of the award can be found here, and it's WVU's first Eastern Football championship since 1993.
Once upon a time, this would have been an ultimate goal. Many classic and hated rivals are in the running, including Penn State and Boston College. Since the growth of conference football in the Eastern United State has taken over, the Lambert has fallen behind the scenes a bit. Outside of a national championship, this used to be the most coveted trophy in WVU football.
Considering the number of fine seasons WVU has had over the last several years, it is kind of surprising that we haven't won this thing since 1993. That just gives us one more idea of how special an accomplishment this is, and how difficult it is to achieve. So even though I'm a bit late, I would like to congratulate the Mountaineers. We are truly the beast of the east.

It should also be noted that WVU is currently ranked 7th in the nation for the U.S. Sports Academy Directors' Cup at the conclusion of the fall sports season. Basically, this is the all-sports championship for the NCAA, and is a great honor. In layman's terms, WVU athletics as a whole are ranked 7th in the country right now. That's not too shabby for an athletic department that is as wretched as ours supposedly is. More information can be found on WVU's Scout.com website, and the here is your link.

We're Coming, And Hell's Coming With Us

Toe Blake: Initial Rant...

Can we please stop saying that Bill Stewart can't recruit. This can't be more wrong. Stewart and the defensive line coach were known as the best recruiters on RR staff. Stewart is responsible for most of the talent on the offense. People are stupid to think that the head coach is out there getting all of these recruits. Dick Rod was too busy trying to make money off high school coaches trying to learn his zone read. Bill Stewart is extremely connected in college football being that he has had many stops over his 30 yr career. And yes he has far more connections than RR ever had.

That being said, the coaching hires are amazing. The defensive staff is a true all-star team. Every coach has been a successful d=coordinator for many years. Every coach said that they came back to be in home and work with Bill Stewart. It's not just that his players will walk through fire for him, but all of his friends and colleagues will too. Plus they are all life-long friends and egos like Dick Rod's will not be a factor.

Dunlap has worked with talent like Freeney and Mario williams and is known for getting the most of out his players and show casing their strengths. Lockwood is known as one of the best recruiters in the country and is very innovative. Beatty said that he plans on creating a pipeline from VA where he coached and knows all of the current H.S. players coming out. WV will now be able to tap into the talent in VA that VT has been living off of for all of their success.

Doc Holliday is a true gift from God. Who would have thought we would have 2 head coaches that everyone wanted. (What's next Bowden will coach quaterbacks?) Combine that with Doc being known as the best recruiter in Florida and WVU is truely rolling.

If the Fiesta Bowl is any indication, I don't think WVU fans will have to puke on bubble screens and Pat White up the middle every other play. Bill Stewart was more diversified than they have been all year. He threw down field. He called runs out of the I formation that went for TD's. Most of all when WVU had a big lead he went for the throat and threw a bomb to Gonzales. Tito scored with tears in his eyes because RR told him to leave because he wasn't any good. WVU did not site on the ball for 3 qtrs and pray they didn't lose like the Sugar Bowl. People forget that Stewart has many years as a O-coordinator and called many plays in the bowl not McGee. With Coach Rod, the O-coodinator is a title only because he checked out of or called all of the plays because of his ego. He also never admitted to making a mistake even after he only ran 3 plays against Pitt. He never gives another team or coach credited when he is totally out coached and his team is not prepared. Under Stewart, assistants will be able to show case skills and will have imput instead of being overrided on all of their calls. I don't think we will see uncontroled temper tantrums from Bill or him peeing down his leg in fear as he tries not to lose against subpar competition.

Congrats to you Bill Stewart you have done nothing but amaze the nation since you have taken the reins and I hope your success continues. I am sure we will not hear much about this great coaching staff or everything that Stewart is putting together on ESPN. They tear down WVU every chance they get. A team that has finished in the top 10 for 3 straight years and beat the Big 12 and SEC champs in BCS games and they get no respect. Coach Dick Rod leaving could be the best thing in the long run and mark the start of WVU's true dominance. What's the worst thing that could happen? Lose 2 games a year and choke in the only 1 or 2 big games WVU plays. Let's go Mountaineers.

Announcing a New Contributor

I am pleased to announce that Toe Blake will be occasionally submitting new posts to LGDSB. I've known this guy for a long time, and he's very opinionated about his WVU sports. He also hated RR before he left, and that's a pre-requisite to get any airtime on this website. Look for some new things soon from Mr. Blake. Like today soon.

WVU's "Painter" Is a Damn Good One (And Easy To Like Too!)

“He is so overmatched it’s not even funny,” said Ken Kendrick, managing partner of the Arizona Diamondbacks. “He’s a nice guy and a father figure. But they had a wonderful architect and they hired the painter to build the next house. I want Bill Stewart to win and I want our program to be successful. But I feel bad for our future. I’m very concerned.”

Keep those happy little trees coming Bill. Real Mountaineers are behind you all the way.

Load Up the Bus! The Magic Coaching Bus!

Judgment day has arrived minions. We are getting some official names and filling our staff. Here are my thoughts, not that any of you give a shit what I think.

Doc Holliday - What an awesome get. Not only was he good enough to be considered the frontrunner for HC, he is also one hell of a recruiter. Getting him to leave Florida is great, getting him to take a position lower than what he wanted is brilliant, and paying him WELL to show we mean business is very encouraging for the future of WVU football. I couldn't be happier about this and the way it's being handled.

Steve Dunlap - Nothing says "little brother" (M.R. or not, they are our little brother) like taking your Defensive Coordinator and making him our safeties coach. Fuck you Marshall! Not to mention this guy is a damn good coach. See Dwight Freeney and some of the old badass WVU defenses.

David Lockwood - This fine gentleman is a former WVU player and great recruiter from the Kentucky Wildcats. This is an awesome pickup. He brings in some younger blood, great ties, skill, and will do a brilliant job for us.

Chris Beatty - This is the one I really love that might slip under the radar. This guy is an outstanding HS coach from Virginia, and will really open up our pipeline to the types of guys VT gets (you know, the freakshow athletes, not the child molesting thugs!). Hopefully, we can get some of those dudes here to make our defense invincible. There's a boatload of talent down there, and we could really use that to our advantage. He seems like a confident guy, and really feels like he can market WVU to some highly rated players. But why wouldn't he feel good about it? We're the flagship of our conference, we have a sweet offense, we have a good defense, we win BCS games against the most traditional of powers, and we're close to that region. All combined, this means Chris Beatty is going to load us up with great talent.


So far, Sunshine Bill Stewart is kicking some serious ass with these selections. Not only are we getting great coaches, but we're paying them very well and luring them from good schools (other than Marshall of course!). WVU and Stewart are proving wrong the idiots. We are, in fact, serious about being a top flight program with money to spend on the assistants. I really think we come out of this significantly better than with RR. Way to go Bill Stewart, we love you. Unless we're idiots, that is. Ladies and gentlemen, we are going to have one hell of a staff when this is all said and done!

Ummm, What?

Allow George W. to illustrate my depth of knowledge about the coaching search. Holliday, Dunlap, Lockwood, and Taaffe are all rumored to be announced as coaches at WVU tomorrow. These same men are also all rumored to not be announced as coaches at WVU tomorrow. Both rumors come from actual news sources, and not from rumor mongering buffoons on message boards (although they are involved).
What do I think? I don't have a clue. Nor do I care at this point. This damn thing has had me so up and down that I'll just wait for an announcement at this point. Let it be duly noted that I would, in fact, but very happy with this group. That probably means it won't happen.
Come on, Sunny Bill, make something happen. I'm in your corner.

Also, our basketball team was pure shit tonight. I make this observation based on my ability to watch the last 4 minutes of play thanks to my dinner meeting. Stupid real life obligations ruined my whole evening. Anyway, if we didn't look like shit tonight, please tell me why. Huggins sounded like he agrees with me, but he always sounds like we were shit.

Ugh

Sometimes life is a kick "squaw in the nuts!" as Eric Cartman would say. Four and half hour late night dinner meetings are one of those times. Let's have fun, go have dinner, hang out together, and it won't be like work at all! Right.

Anyway, this made me happy. If college football teams were presidential candidates. There are some funny ones, and there is one for WVU so take a peek at it.

The Most Awesomely Wretched Video EVER

Enjoy Buckeye haters.

Oops!

Good times.

Columbus: The Day After

Well, I must admit, this has been a damn enjoyable day. Local Columbus radio was fantastic! Callers were losing their minds, hosts were nearly in tears, and everyone wants Tressel fired. There was also an outstanding commercial running all day long that congratulates Ohio State on being the national champions. It even gives you the opportunity to purchase a collector's edition game ball!! Sweet. I hope somebody lost their job for that one.

Open Letter To The Ohio State University

Dear Buckeyes,
Please stop making it to the BCS Title Game. You are ruining the end of the season by being completely non-competitive, and we're sick and tired of it. I understand that some of the blame lies with WVU and Missouri, but still. And I don't want to hear about how this was a rebuilding year either, and that you're not upset. I live in Columbus and you all thought you would walk away with the trophy this season. Newsflash: you're not very good. Again, please give it up, and stick with the Rose Bowl or something. You're tainting this for all of us with your annual blowout at the hands of some team that just isn't that great. Thank you for your cooperation.

Sincerely,
College Football

P.S. Please beat the hell out of Michigan.

This Man Makes A Six-Figure Salary

Watch all the way until the end. These are the people that ESPN hires as their football "experts". Any normal human being with a normal job would get fired for being so wrong so often, and acting like an idiot to boot. This sort of thing is exactly why I don't pay any attention to the talking heads. They are all complete idiots.

I Was Going To LiveBlog This Game

But Charley over at West BY GOD Virginia beat me to it. He does a hell of a job on liveblogs as well, so if you haven't checked it out, you should. Join him here. I'll be mocking the Buckeyes and Tigers in his comments as well. It should be fun!

Watch This and Enjoy It

If you work in an office, you will certainly appreciate this.

***Fiest Bowl Update***

Noel Devine has just scored yet another touchdown against the Oklahoma Sooners in Tempe, Arizona. At this point he's broken the speed of sound so many times that sonic booms have reduced his uniform to nothing more than a pair of shorts. Bob Stoops is currently beside himself with rage and appears to have beaten Brent Venables, OU's defensive coordinator, to a bloody pulp.
Terry Donahue pointed out in the 3rd quarter that Noel Devine is fast and trim, but not ripped. We'd have to disagree with that one based upon this photographic evidence and say that Donahue is, in fact, a raging fucking moron. Not that we are admiring Noel Devine's body mind you. Not that there's anything wrong with that if we were. Besides, he's in no better physical condition than I am anyway. Nope, not at all.

Oklahoma Fan Crushed By WVU Beatdown

AP - Norman, OK.
On January 1, 2008, country music star Toby Keith cut a piece of video for use by Fox on its Oklahoma-West Virginia Fiesta Bowl Broadcast. In the video Keith interrupts the singing of "Take Me Home, Country Roads" in order to suck the balls of the Sooners and tell us all what a great fan he is. When asked about disrespecting the state song of West Virginia and the potential backlash from WVU fans, Keith replied, "I don't give a fuck about western Virginia. They're a bunch of goddam redneck idiots. They aren't sophisticated, educated, and rich like us here Oklahomans. They got no cows, no corn, and no sweet stinky heartland cheebah."
According to the "experts", the Mountaineers also had no chance to win the game. The West Virginia University football squad was unanimously picked as a heavy underdog for the Fiesta Bowl, based on their atrocious loss to Pitt to end the season, and the backdoor buttfuck sneakout by their former head coach and current asshole Dick Fraudriguez. Brian Jones, a well known dickface from CSTV screamed unintelligible gibberish at the top of his lungs about the WVU team being one-dimensional. Afterwards, Jones would not comment other than to say, "I will never give that bunch of inbred hillbillies any credit. I'm an assface and always will be." He then gave Trev Alberts an inappropriate pat on the groin.
To make matters worse for the Mountaineers, Fraudriguez has stiffed the university on his $4 million buyout as part of his scorched earth policy against the state of West Virginia, the university, West Virginia natives, pets, children, Christians, vegetarians, and babies. Fraudriguez was unavailable for comment and would only say, "I don't address rumors or innuendo. You ask me one more question about those ignorant fuckers and I'll cry like a bitch and walk out of here. I'm here to talk about hairplugs, and hairplugs only. Rita! Grab your mask off the floor and let's get the hell out of here."
As far as football is concerned, once the game got underway the Mountaineers unleashed all of their pent up aggression and curbstomped the stunned, slowfooted Sooners. OU had no idea how overmatched they were speedwise for this game, and it showed. WVU scored at will and the final result was a 48--28 blowout. This was surprising to no one except the entire nation outside of West Virginia.
In his post-game presser, Toby Keith did not shy away from his earlier remarks, but was clearly shocked. "Well, to be honest with you, western Virginia was better than I thought they'd be considering that they ain't got no tradition or nothin'. I mean, shit, Oklahoma's been good for like 8 years or some shit. Western Virginia isn't even its own state and John Denver sucked. I do have friends in Richmond though, so I'm kinda happy for them, I guess. I mean, it's nice when a I-AA school can win a big game like that, I'm just sad it had to be against Oklahoma. And don't forget, Oklahoma didn't even care about this game, so they didn't really play hard. That's how we roll out here. If it ain't for all the marbles, it don't mean shit. Yeah, that's it. Fuck it, I need to get out here. I need to go freshen up my perm-mullett and write some terrible songs that make money off of our soldiers' misfortune in Iraq and Afghanistan. "
Back home amongst the aforementioned Country Roads, the people of West Virginia rejoiced for approximately 45 minutes before they began bitching about their new head coach. After all, Bill Stewart had only led them through the most tumultuous time school history and won, perhaps, the biggest victory ever for the Mountaineers in dominating fashion. Based upon this damning evidence, it's clear that Stewart doesn't have what it takes to coach West Virginia University football, and has much left to prove.

You Know What Makes Bob Huggins A Great Coach?

Stuff like this. The man is not afraid to ask for help or to implement something HE DIDN'T INVENT. He adjusts on the fly and gameplans for specific opponents. He motivates his players and they produce (look at Joe Alexander this season versus last). He comes prepared and his players do the same. He wins, and he does it impressively. The man is a born leader and a winner.
We are lucky to have him in Morgantown and we need to realize that immediately. Our basketball program is in great hands. I cannot emphasize how impressed I am by that man right now. He can put his ego aside and get outside input. That might not seem like a big deal on its own, but it's something our football team has been lacking up until now. We have been exposed the consequences of an ego that is too large to allow free thinking. And if you recall December 2, 2007, you know those consequences are not insignificant.

June Jones

WHAT IN GOD'S NAME ARE YOU THINKING TRYING TO LEAVE HAWAII?!?!?! I know your facilities suck, your budget sucks, and you get zero credibility for curbstomping nobodies all year because no one will voluntarily play you. BUT YOU ARE PAID PRETTY DAMN WELL AND YOU GET TO LIVE IN HAWAII!!!!!!

Sometimes I wonder about people. But then again, if you were going to pay me $2 million, I'd do pretty much anything. Yes, anything.

Unless, of course, I was coaching the West Virginia University Mountaineers. In that case, nothing, no nothing, could get me to leave my beloved Mountaineers.

I Hate to Resort to This, But...

Alright people. I know you're out there. I keep my eye on the page counter and can see it climbing in number. Actually, it's climbing at a pretty damn good rate too. That means 1 of 2 things.
(1) Some of you are actually coming to this site and reading it, or (2) The Editor just clicks on the refresh button all day long to toy with my emotions.
Since I don't put that past her (she is bossy and vindictive), there's only one way for me to tell. If you agree or don't agree with what is being written, please comment. If you like some stupid video or think I'm a jackass, please comment. Whatever you want to say, just say it. You don't even have to register. Just click on "comment", and tell me I'm a jackass or that you imagine me to be a gloriously attractive and well hung gentleman. Either way, it's more fun for everyone involved when we can aggressively argue while hurling personal insults that involve extreme profanity.
So there it is. Sorry to sound desperate, but thanks in advance. I'm an attention whore. Also, feel free to drop me an email if you have anything that you think warrants some attention. Or if you have naked pictures of attractive ladies. Those are always appreciated.
And Ken Kendrick, if you read this, I have school loans to pay. Please hook me up with a high-paying job in West Virginia so I can move home, or just donate about $150,000 to my charity, The Johnston Educational Expense is Ruining My Life Fund. Thanks.

In Other News

The Golden Hurricanes of Tulsa (mascot shown above) are beating the dogpiss out of Bowling Green. I consider this fitting for 2 reasons.

1. BGSU has begged and pleaded for Ohio State fans in nearby New Orleans for the championship game to come and support them. They didn't sell many tickets and want some charitable Buckeye state contributions. I find this weak, and I believe the Falcons should be punished accordingly by the football gods. I know WVU returned a bunch of tickets for the Fiesta, but there looked to be WAY more than 10,000 Mountaineer fans in attendance. Thank you EBAY and StubHub!

2. Tulsa Head Coach Todd Graham and Co-offensive coordinator (I still think it should be Offensive Co-coordinator, but I digress) Herb Hand are both from the WVU system of coaches. I liked both men very much when they were in Morgantown, and it is no surprise that they are successful.

With all that being said, Tulsa has the most ridiculous mascot I've ever seen. It looks like a deranged empty ice cream cone with legs, tights, and a cape. Incredible.

Also: Paul Smith is a damn good quarterback. There might not be another Patrick White in our future, but there seems to be a plethora of great spread QB's out there for the finding. I have complete faith in our new staff, whoever they are, to keep up our level of success. Have I mentioned that I love Bill Stewart?

***THIS JUST IN***

Noel Devine has "Oklahoma speed"!!

Flying Squirrel - Full Frontal View

For my money, this was the most awesome endzone entrance in the history of BCS bowl games. Granted, I'm severely and extraordinarily biased. I present to you, Darius Reynaud in the "Flying Squirrel". Fantastic work.

I must admit though, that in this particular picture, he looks like some sort of crazed frog suicide leaping from lily pad to lily pad.

Great Basketball Win Over #10 Marquette

That midget has some ups. I love watching that kid play, but not against us!


The men's basketball team got a high quality win today at the Coliseum, which we had been lacking up to this point. Beating the #10 AP/ #11 Coaches ranked Marquette Golden Warriors by 15 points could be huge when it comes down to NCAA tournament selection. This is one of those victories that helps our RPI, adds to the quality win component, and gives us some needed confidence coming into the heart of league play.
The Mountaineers defeated the 11-1 Warriors 79-64, pulling away late in the 2nd half to make it comfortable. I loved Joe Alexander, Alex Ruoff, and Darris Nichols today. Flowers, Butler, and Mazzulla also had very solid to excellent games. Jamie Smalligan played like garbage. We're going to need to improve in that area (read: Smalligan), or we might struggle quite a lot against bigger squads. The Mountaineers defense held Mighty Smurf Dominic James to only 10 points, and outrebounded MU by a 19-5 margin in the 2nd half.
The crowd sounded great, but attendance was just over 11K. We need to improve on that, and this win might help. Perhaps the game being on a Sunday hurt a little bit, I'm not sure. But since I wasn't there myself, I'm not going to complain too much. That being said, I know many people don't go to the basketball games out of pure laziness. Well, the first time you get there and it's rocking, you'll never miss another makeable homegame. That place is a great venue and great atmosphere, so let's take some pride in making it the toughest place to play in the Big East.

This Is Solid Reading

I don't know exactly where this originated, but here you go. Let me know if you know who came up with it.

Sung to the tune of the "Beverly Hillbillies"

Come listen to a story bout a man named Rod,
Mountaineer coach that thought that he was God.
Forgot his roots and became a Wolverine.
Up and left his home cuz all he sees is green

Michigan that is...
Big 10
Big deal

Well the next thing you know, up north they think he's great.
Then he turned around and lost to Appy State.
Lost the next four & then to OSU.
So they ran him outa town, with the kids and Rita too.

The wife that is
Big hair
Fake boobs...

So the moral of the story is that greed has a cost
If you don't hold the rope then your hopes and dreams are
lost. These Mountaineer players will yet make his-tor-eeee
But you won't be around to enjoy the mem-or-eee

National Champs that is...
Number 1
2008

Don't come crawlin back now.... ya hear?

Maybe ESPN Doesn't COMPLETELY Suck

This is at least some positive feedback. I also like the part where he says that the Mountaineers don't belong to the school, but to the state. Good stuff Lupica.