May 14, 2008...12:37 am
Half-past midnight out East
Been frantic today.
Right now, it’s all phone tag, text messages and e-mails. Trying to get ahold of a few more folks for some breakdown reaction, but I did just get off the horn with Anthony Robles. While it’s an unfortunate situation in which I had to interview the lad, but I have to say this … what a kid.
Very few interviews in my 13-year career as a writer have been so profoundly well-spoken, grounded, articulate and from the heart. I’ve seen all the interviews, read all the stories and seen a slew of matches, but this kid has that “it” which you cannot exactly put your finger on, but it’s there.
He’s got some points to make, too. More on that coming Wednesday during normal hours. It’s been a trying day and I’m turning in for the night.
Wednesday should answer some more questions about what we have to do to save this sport (and possibly offer advice to the swimming and tennis communities as well). Let’s not get greedy about just our sport, other athletes got the wind taken out of their sails, too.
The fight is on in Tempe, with an A.D. with a degree no less, and a REMINDER … KEEP YOUR CORRESPONDENCE TOWARDS ASU CIVIL. We might want to be emotional in our e-mails and phone calls, but remember, every negative response just puts us deeper in a hole.
Oh, an update about a statement made in the Simpson interview below.
ASU’s sports information staff pointed out the funds used to build the facilities are not from the athletic department, but are from outside sources.
… so these projects have outside money, yet the department/school is losing money on athletics. Makes even less sense when you take the facilities out of the equation.
1 Comment
May 14, 2008 at 11:44 am
Interesting you got to talk to Robles. My first thought was about “where does he go?” There are not many coaches that would have the patience and ability to coach a unique athlete like Robles. ASU was a perfect fit for him in so many ways. So what does a great kid with great ability do in his case? It’ll be interesting to see who recruits him?
This ASU thing just shows what I suspect: wrestling in the PAC-10 will be gone in the next 5 years. With McCoy leaving Stanford, and now this, just watch what other west coast schools do….
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