Julio Q&A

[Ima Facultiwyfe]

FABulous! Thanks, JD, for saying everything I always wanted to say!
Bless your heart.
Love, Ima

[-bdbd]

Yeah Julio!

I thought your answers were terrific, to the point, and generally specific enough to be convincing. Have often made many of the same points to friends (and just about anyone else who will listen...). You struck the right, positive tone too.

Living in the DC area we certainly get our share of Duke-hating media types, mostly from U of MD.

One small nit to pick (or just an argument to suggest): When I am told that any anti-Duke bias is primarily just in print media, not in broadcasting, I respond with 2 words -- Stewart Scott. Well-known as a Kerlina grad (mostly b/c he used to wear it on his sleeve in every Sportscenter show, until ordered to stop by management there). From his promoting of the Duke-gets-all-the-calls mantra (even famously leading with that that story following a Duke game at FSU about 3 years ago, a game in which Duke fouled out all 5 starters and more than doubled FSU's foul total for the game)
to his hugely one-sided reporting of the Lax scandal (could give several examples but I always felt that, in a situation that just about embarassed the national media more than any other story this decade, SS really managed to stand out as one of the worst sinners).

Secondarily, on the Duke-gets-the-calls theme, I like to use specific stats to prove the obvious counter -- that ALL winning teams tend to get more fouls than they receive (b/c thaey have better, faster or bigger players who can get by defenders/go inside and draw fouls) to say nothing of usually being ahead late in games when opponents start intentionally fouling). On DBR we've seen those stats periodicaly, such as UNC and a dozen other teams having a better fouls given/taken ratio than Duke during this decade (or some such).

Question: Is the theme -- about Duke fans supposedly getting frustrated over playing second fiddle to UNC @ Chapel Hill -- getting much play down there in the NC media? I just noticed that he seemed to revisit that theme a couple times in the Q&A... (It surprised me simply b/c I haven't seen much of that angst on the various Duke websites - maybe the short-lived comment by a panicky fan worried about them getting another 5 star recruit when we just missed on someone - but certainly nothing approaching a general theme or persistent worry.)

Again, great job!

-BDBD

:cool: