Clown Shoes University

Folks, the gamecocks continue to circle the drain. In a recent blog, I commented on Steve Spurrier's famous "free shoes university" jab at Florida State. It was funny at the time, but it's about time the HBC coined a nickname for his own program down in Columbia, SC. If I may, I have a suggestion: Clown Shoes University. That is precisely into what Spurrier is turning South Carolina. For the 3rd consecutive day, Spurrier's comments to the media have left him looking less like the rightfully arrogant, badass coach he once was, and more like Cookie on Bozo's day off. In today's The State paper, SOS gave a retraction(of sorts) to yesterday's accusations made against Tigerillustrated.com's Cris Ard. The following is an excerpt from that article:

“There was a bunch of newspaper articles sent to several recruits out of Clemson. The word we got, it came from that guy. That’s just the word we got. We thought that’s who it was,” Spurrier said when reached by phone.
“We certainly didn’t think any Clemson coaches would send that stuff. There was just a packet of articles came out of Clemson. That’s what we were led to believe. That’s why I mentioned it, and hopefully I won’t have to mention it again.”

I gotta ask, Steve, who are you sending out to investigate these claims? Based on the way this thing has blown up in your face, it wouldn't surprise me to find out it was Stephen Garcia. Whoever it is, get someone else on the case. It sickens me to keep opening up the paper to yet another legacy-tarnishing pity party. What has happened to you?! Get it together, man. You're the Ol' Ball Coach. You used to strike fear into everyone. Now you're about as intimidating as Greg Norman on Sunday. I hate having to write about this, because we all know you deserve better. You should have taken the Alabama job, and gone out a winner. But, borrowing a really smart quote that really smart, clever people like to use, it is what it is.

You made a mistake when you accused Mr. Ard of mailing useful information to your recruits. But at least you were man enough to scapegoat "the word we got." That's a step in the right direction. A better step might be telling your players to stop getting arrested on a regular basis, but they're South Carolina football players. It's what they do. You'd rather trumpet the fact that "a lot of them" got their charges dropped, than try and take preventative measures to keep them out of trouble. You'd rather complain about The State covering all their misdeeds, than punish the players committing the crimes. It's a sad state of affairs. Even so, it isn't all bad news, at least for us Clemson fans. We've watched this type of stuff go on since Lou took the helm, and frankly, we've enjoyed the dynamic it's created in the rivalry. So lace up your size 28s, Steve, it's gonna be a long year.

Before I sign off for the day, I'll leave y'all with one more SOS quote from today's article:

“We have so many guys, I think the last four have been arrested and all charges dropped,” Spurrier said. “I just wish if you’re going to arrest somebody, make sure the guy’s guilty.”

Sweet Irony.

Now for some of today's best MOAG....

On the whole Spurrier/packet/Ard saga:

- The master is at work - and I am enjoying it.

- SOS is just being SOS and is only beginning to get into their heads, much like he occupies 90% of all uga's skulls

- Clemsons fan and coaches have a LONG history of this kind of stuff

- This is actually quite funny. Watching these Taters unravel like this. I look forward to seeing the further meltdown. Sometimes supporting a losing position till it blows up in your face is not so wise.

*editor's note: I swear to god someone actually said that

- The "truth" is the ongoing negative recruiting by tatersuck coaches and fans, been going on for thirty years now. It's the only way those people can sell themselves, they have to trashed other schools to recruits to make themselves look better, that's the truth!!!!

- The more I read about this stuff the angrier I get. I hope Spurrier and the cocks run Bowden and that overrated tater team of his out of the state come Nov. I cannot wait.

- Are they so worried about our team that they have to resort to these tactics?

On the rivalry with Clemson:

- In the Spurrier Era Clemsux in the rivalry has scored 62 points USC 61....If you start from the year Clemsux started playing football to present the taters average .6 more wins per year than USC. OH The Superiority....See you fellas in November where we are 4-4 our last 8 visits.

- clempsuks Alltime Rec ver SEC .......27-146

*editor's note: Clemson alltime record v. south carolina is 64-36-4. Clemson's record v. the rest of the SEC is 44-116-5

- They are really going to be upset when we make it two in a row in Dead Valley this season with the worst beating we have given them in a really long time. Even more upset in a few years when we have run off 3 or 4 in a row overall.

- SOS don't back down. While at Fl he called FSU "Free Shoes University" when some players got a free illegal shopping trip to foot Locker. Any questions??

- I honestly don't think he(Spurrier) will lose many more games to clemson.

- More than half my family members are taters. I grew up next to taterville...hell no! poor it on 'em coach! let 'em have it. We've been passive for WAY too long. I let 'em have it even when we lose.

- We are .500 or 4-4 at Death Valley vs. you guys since we joined the SEC. I wouldn't be talking so much $hit if someone came in my house and beat my ass on such a regular basis like that. Certain SEC teams can claim to call us thier bitch but it's not you guys.

*editor's note: Clemson is 7-1 at south carolina since they joined the SEC, and Clemson has won 9 of the last 11. I'm just throwin it out there, since they beat our ass in Clemson on such a regular basis.

- may I ask, gives you the idea that we can't take the next 3 or 4, or something like that? Don't bring up past history, this is a new time. Ya'll are 2-1 against us in the last 3, all of which could have gone either way. As much as ya'll say how you could be 3-0 the last 3 yrs, we say the same thing, we easily could be 3-0 against ya'll.Go ahead and believe you have a lot more talent. The last few years suggest otherwise. !!!!!!!--->As much as ya'll might be better this year, so are we.<---!!!!!!!It was nice, a couple of years ago, after spending the entire day at that rat hole of a town, to come away with the win. Looking forward to the same this year, and please, don't act shocked when it happens.

*editor's note: South Carolina hasn't won 2 in a row in this series since 1969-70. And I added the exclamation points and arrows in this quote. I just didn't want anyone to miss that orgy of prose.

- What I hear are the sounds of a kitty, getting a little nervous that the HBC is turning the table in this rivalry.

- You call us your bitch? Your bitch is going to claim a winning record over you in your house this year since conference expansion.
Your bitch is 5-11 overall vs. you since the conferences expanded in 92 and that includes two years when our program had the longest losing streak in the country.
If there's any team that we play this year that should call us their bitch it should be Ole Miss. They are the only team on our schedule that we are winless against since joining the SEC.

*editor's note: Even I am at a loss for words on this one, folks. I'm just......I don't know. But he wasn't finished digging.

- 5-11 is bad but it's not "owning" a team. That pretty much means we beat you one out of every three years plus we can actually claim a winning record at DV this year since joining the conference. Sorry but that's not "ownage". Florida is 15-1 vs. USC since 92, that's ownage. Tennessee is 14-2 vs. USC, that's ownage. Auburn and Ole Miss are both 6-0 vs. USC since 92', that's ownage. We are actually a little competitive against you guys. You guys have the upperhand but you don't own us.



On team speed:

- Anyone else worried about Defensive speed? I feel that we are either going to be incredibly fast or too slow.