{"id":7127,"date":"2014-10-09T06:55:52","date_gmt":"2014-10-09T10:55:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/jmusportsblog.com\/?p=7127"},"modified":"2014-10-09T06:55:52","modified_gmt":"2014-10-09T10:55:52","slug":"guest-post-a-fan-update","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jmusportsblog.com\/?p=7127","title":{"rendered":"Guest Post: A Fan Update"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Pep<\/a>Frank the Tank won last week’s prediction contest and earned the right to guest post. Here’s his take on the current state of his personal JMU fandom. Take it away Frank.<\/em><\/p>\n

JMU Nation,
\nI have no clue what to write about!\u00a0 As a second time winner of this contest (won a prediction last season and wrote about my personal story on becoming a JMU sports fan) I don’t want to just reiterate the normal hot topics, but at least I won the contest by predicting a JMU win.\u00a0 We could play Ole Miss this weekend, and I would predict JMU to win, anything else is treason. So, as I ‘swype’ this post on my phone, it is\u00a09:30pm<\/span><\/span>\u00a0and I have to make the JMU Sports Blog hard\u00a010pm<\/span><\/span>\u00a0deadline.\u00a0 I feel like I am typing my ISAT thesis the night before it was due (true story), oh the pressure.\u00a0 Though I like the pressure (unlike the JMU defense) and like many in my generation, procrastination has strangely served me well.\u00a0 In my\u00a0 internal struggle to pick a topic, I realized that I am a bit apathetic, similar to how I’ve felt about JMU sports the last couple years.\u00a0\u00a0 Lemme do some ‘splainin…<\/p>\n

First, compared to most of our alum, I am still a big fan.\u00a0 I watch every game possible, set side\u00a0Saturday<\/span><\/span>\u00a0gametime, and have my kids singing the fight song and saying ‘Go Dukes’ as I put them to bed… only after I’ve gone through the dreaded, energy draining bed time routine… how dare I not read the same book or tell the same story for the 1000th time or endure the wrath of 4 & 2 year olds!<\/p>\n

I even follow the Boys and Womens basketball teams.\u00a0 At least the Boys that play JMU basketball keep things interesting.\u00a0 Monotony, like consistently winning, would get boring, I guess.\u00a0 + or – 18 years until the Boys get back to NCAA tournament?<\/p>\n

With all that said, I love JMU, but I discontinued my season tickets last year, haven’t gone to a game yet this year (3 kids don’t help), and contemplating reducing\/eliminating my other JMU annual donations.\u00a0 Why?\u00a0 I feel like I’ve been duped and getting the JMU administration to discuss the ‘topic that shall not be discussed’ is like trying to get your cable company to explain your ever rising bill.\u00a0 I fear there are many like me, who still love JMU but with waning dedication, or even worse.. that JMU lost the edge on engaging thousands of alum who were intrigued by BFS and what seemed to be a imminent and likely transition to ‘the topic we won’t discuss.’\u00a0\u00a0 In a time where we need to build endowment or raise private funds for convo, we have failed to capitalize.<\/p>\n

Lets end this rant on some pisitives about what I like about JMU football this year:
\n1.\u00a0 I get the feeling Coach W is instilling a better culture.\u00a0 Yet to be seen, but hoping that his leadership yields less off field issues and it sounds like classroom\/discipline expectations are high.\u00a0 I like the attitude and we need the coaching staff to figure out some more of the X & Os stuff.
\n2.\u00a0 Offense, I like Vad.\u00a0 I think he’s better than what many of his haters complain about.\u00a0 Who would of thought after years of the D praying our offense could score more than 14 points, that we’d be putting up big O numbers, only to be praying for our D to make one stop and not give up 30+\/game.
\n3.\u00a0 I like that we still have a decent chance to get into playoffs, but I fear the stonybrook game.\u00a0 It seems like we can afford one more loss, and many hope for a split between the ticks and griffins, but I am scared a stonybrook could end our playoff dreams.
\n4.\u00a0 Lastly, hear it here first… we will roll over Towson.\u00a0 We are the Dukes of JMU!<\/p>\n

Well, I busted my deadline by 30 minutes.\u00a0 Sorry JMUSB!\u00a0 Til next time.<\/p>\n