Thank You, Daily Illini

for calling out the best athletic director in the country for his inexcusable behavior during the NCAA tournament loss to Virginia Tech. When I was at Illinois, the Daily Illini was a worthless rag more famous for printing Holocaust denials in its op-ed page.

At least now it has the stones to call out Ron Guenther.

Daily Herald Corroborates Doyel's Story

More fuel for the fire. I can't wait to hear all you zealots and blind loyalist defend Ron Guenther now. I guess Gregg Doyel wasn't exaggerating, was he?

Illinois Will Not Punish Ron Guenther

Shocking, I know. Leave it to Chancellor Richard Herman to whitewash Guenther's inexcusable behavior:

Richard Herman, chancellor of the Urbana-Champaign campus, called Guenther "the ultimate fan.""I think this was an unfortunate lapse and he is very embarrassed by it and certainly regrets it," Herman said. "You don't get to lapse into being just a fan when you are an [athletic director]."Herman said Guenther had apologized to Weber and noted his plans to call Carter."My own view was it was less directed at any individual but toward the poor play on the court," Herman said.

Well the "ultimate fan" has ultimately failed UI athletics. 64-106-2 in football, and counting. Guenther should listen to Big 10 Commissioner Jim Delaney. "When you're on press row, you're better off to act like an objective media person," said Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany, who was at press row for first- and second-round games at the United Center.

Gregg Doyel has the right answer to Guenther's lame excuse-making: "If he doesn't think that's a public venue, that's not my problem," he said. "It's not like I walked into Illini crowd and started eavesdropping on him. This guy was on my press row, where I work. He came into my yard and pooh-poohed it."

Meanwhile, Warren Carter said he's "cool" with Ron Guenther. He is a better man than me. Heck, if Ron Guenther had called me an "idiot" I woulda told Guenther "No, YOU'RE THE IDIOT for scheduling a football game with Missouri in St. Louis, failing to fire Theresa Grentz, waiting too long to fire Ron Turner, 64-106-2......."

Jay Mariotti is Right!

I think planet Earth has stopped revolving on its axis. I agree 100% with an article written by Jay Mariotti of the Chicago Sun-Times.

He is supposed to be the cool head in Champaign, the responsible adult amid all the boosters, students and townies yelling about Weber's recruiting woes and the long drought of the football program. Closer to the truth, Guenther is losing grip of a department spinning out of control amid troubling criminal incidents. Basketball player Jamar Smith was charged with felony drunk driving after leaving the scene of an auto crash, a horrific wreck in a snowstorm that left teammate Brian Carlwell with a serious concussion. Two football players, Derrick McPhearson and Jody Ellis, were dismissed from the team and face criminal charges. Earlier this year, the New York Times looked into recruiting practices by football coach Ron Zook, who seems to be guilty of nothing more than a tireless work ethic and an overactive text-messaging gadget. But that didn't stop Guenther from hiring an outside firm to probe the whispers.

As if his lousy football record, men's basketball program arrests, overpaid women's basketball coach wasn't enough reason to Fire Ron Guenther.

Guenther's "Apology"

Well well well. Ron Guenther is in full spin mode. It didn't take him long to respond to the accusations in the article by CBS Sportsline's Gregg Doyel about his poor behavior at Friday's game. Doyel's article is in the previous blog entry. Naturally, Guenther spoke only to Champaign News-Gazette writer Loren Tate (a homer for sure!)

"I didn't know who he was. He never identified himself. He never even
looked at me. It wasn't an interview, and I didn't intend for anyone to overhear
what I said. But like everyone else, I was pretty excited. If I offended
someone, I apologize. But my comments weren't directed at anyone in
particular."

Um, how about an apology to Warren Carter for calling him an idot? How about an apology to all of us Fighting Illini fans for the bad football you have caused? How about an apology for Theresa Grentz, 64-106-2 and 4 bowl games in 15 years? No, that would be too much to ask for the best AD in the Country!

And for cryin' out loud, if you are going to be emotional, sit in a private box and not on press row.

Guenther's Alleged Behavior Courtside-INEXCUSABLE

While Gregg Doyel may be a maroon, his article on the behavior of the best AD in the country, if true, warrants Guenther's immediate dismissal.

His name is Ron Guenther. He sat two chairs from me on press row. If there's etiquette about what behavior is on or off the record on press row, I don't know about it. Here's what I do know: The Illinois AD is smart enough to ascend to the job he holds, but dumb enough to behave so ridiculously courtside, surrounded by media in general and sitting 30 inches from me in particular.

Guenther is a table-pounder, in good times and bad. Since there were very few good times Friday -- even when the Illini had a 10-point lead with less than 4 1/2 minutes to play, they looked awful -- Guenther did most of his pounding in anguish.
If only he left it at pounding. Alas, he did not. Guenther would on occasion rise and stare down an official, or rise and give coach Bruce Weber advice, generally something along the lines of, "Get Randle out of there!" And after one miserable play by Warren Carter -- which isn't nearly specific enough considering his vast array of miserable plays -- Guenther pounded the table, rose from his chair and screamed, "Warren -- you idiot!"

I didn't know second-guessing your coach in public and criticizing players in public were part of the job duties of an athletic director at a major university. That is great, Coach Guenther. Criticize a student-athlete who actually during his 4 years at Illinois didn't get arrested for drunk driving or otherwise embarrass the University. BRILLIANT!

This basketball season was a disappointment. Bad losses, injuries, and a total lack of discipline off the court. People blame Weber, but you should look at the guy who hired him.

FIRE RON GUENTHER!

Inmates Running the DIA Asylum?

Well folks, I am angry.I am NOT talking about yesterday's debacle at iowa.

I am talking about the disturbing number of off-field criminal incidents involving Illini athletes. Yesterday, WRs Derrick McPhearson (who was supposed to be a top recruit when Zook signed him) and Jody Ellis (blame Ron Turner, he recruited him) got arrested after a hit and run accident for allegedly possessing stolen property, which included an iPod and laptop computers. Ron Zook immediately suspended them indefinitely. I wonder what Bruce Weber would have done? Taken away their post-game milk and cookies?

People, this is yet another incident under the watch of the best athletic director in the country over the past few years.

Here are the ones that I recall: Football: Matt Sinclair & Ryan Matha (bar fight at Joe's, pled guilty); Derrick McPhearson and Jody Ellis (see above) ; E.B. Halsey (arrested in Ohio for not having paperwork related to rental of an automobile); Derrick Strong (arrested for allegedly stealing a bar sign from R&R's bar) Men's basketball: Shaun Pruitt (arrested for allegedly slapping a bouncer at a bar) Richard McBride, Luther Head, Aaron Spears (never charged, but rumored to have participated in an apartment burglary); Richard McBride (pled guilty to DUI); Jamar Smith (charged with felony DUI for leaving the scene of an accident involving his teammate Brian Carlwell).

What will Ronnie do? Bury his head in the Champaign-Urbana sand like an ostrich? He may be finally forced to institute some sort of code of conduct for student-athletes like Barry Alvarez did at Wisconsin. Or will he ignore the matter and give Theresa Grentz a lifetime contract?

Moreover, I have talked to several big-time donors who are fed up with this lawless conduct and are also mad about the death of Chief Illiniwek and the way the Board of Trustees secretly (a few of them anyhow) killed the Chief. This could spell trouble for donations in the future.

Will Guenther complain to the Big 10 Office?

In 2004, iowa came to Champaign. Pierre Pierce had just come off a suspension for misbehavior. Coach Guenther warned Orange Krush that they could not harass Pierce for fear of running afoul of the newly-implemented "sportsmanship rule" that Steve Alford of iowa instituted to protect Pierce. After iowa lost, Alford filed a complaint anyhow, even though Orange Krush didn't do anything to Pierce other than boo him.

Today, iowa fans gave it to Illinois, shouting "I-L-L-D-U-I" whenever Illinois was at the free throw line. What will Guenther do? Complain or just sulk about it?