PDA

View Full Version : Digger Phelps gave Virginia Tech a pep talk before the game last Saturday



wgl1228
03-04-2011, 02:07 PM
I just heard this on the David Glenn show and I'm sorry if it has been pointed out here. What are your thoughts on this? If your a broadcaster I think that should be off limits.

camion
03-04-2011, 02:15 PM
I think Digger should be able to do anything he wants. I like having reasons to abhor him.

PADukeMom
03-04-2011, 02:16 PM
We didn't lose the game because of a pep talk. I really don't know if there is a broadcasters honor code nor do I really care. We lost, it is over with. Time to move on.

dukelifer
03-04-2011, 02:17 PM
I just heard this on the David Glenn show and I'm sorry if it has been pointed out here. What are your thoughts on this? If your a broadcaster I think that should be off limits.

Poor Digger- Duke took away his only chance at a National Championship- the guy has not gotten over it.

Duvall
03-04-2011, 02:18 PM
I just heard this on the David Glenn show and I'm sorry if it has been pointed out here. What are your thoughts on this? If your a broadcaster I think that should be off limits.

I think it was pretty unfair of ESPN to try to hamstring Virginia Tech like that.

hq2
03-04-2011, 02:18 PM
Digger is an inveterate Duke hater. Not surprising at all. Still, I am surprised the network would let him do that.

OZ
03-04-2011, 02:19 PM
If Digger won it for them Saturday, I guess that explains the BC game - they returned to their regular coach.

wgl1228
03-04-2011, 02:21 PM
We didn't lose the game because of a pep talk. I really don't know if there is a broadcasters honor code nor do I really care. We lost, it is over with. Time to move on.

Obviously I know this did not cost us the game I was only providing information for discussion. Let's not be snappy.

Chicago 1995
03-04-2011, 02:23 PM
Digger still can't get over '78, I guess. Heh.

I definitely file this in the "who cares" box. It didn't matter one bit to the outcome of the game. Digger didn't make our offense stagnate against the 2-3. Digger didn't make Jeff Allen shoot well from distance.

His commentary about Duke showed no bias. He didn't root openly for Va Tech in the pre-game. What's it matter?


Doesn't it make you feel good to know that 33 years later, we still have Digger beat?

Matches
03-04-2011, 02:24 PM
Is there a difference between Digger openly or clandestinely rooting for one team or the other, and Bob Harris rooting openly for Duke?

I don't really see one. No law says ESPN or its employees have to be neutral.

Andy7207
03-04-2011, 02:29 PM
Didn't Bob Knight give our guys a pep talk recently?

Vincetaylor
03-04-2011, 02:36 PM
Big difference between digger's role and guys like Bob Harris and Woody Durham. That should be obvious. Jay Bilas, Jay Williams, Hubert Davis, Scott van Pelt etc. all do a pretty good job of staying neutral when they are on ESPN. Digger can do whatever he wants to off the air, but his job while he is on the air is to be impartial, which he is not IMO. Harris and Durham are expected to be biased.

WVDUKEFAN
03-04-2011, 02:43 PM
If I had to pay for pep talks, I'd give my money to Coach K every time. Is there a better motivator in all of basketball? All of sports? I doubt it. I think we lost the VT game mainly because we had a cold shooting night.

Matches
03-04-2011, 02:49 PM
Digger can do whatever he wants to off the air, but his job while he is on the air is to be impartial.

Why? I'm serious. It's not like he has some fiduciary duty to maintain neutrality. IMO objectivity is overrated - it's nice in theory but no one is 100% objective, and I'd rather see people be entertaining on television than studiously neutral.

If Digger hates Duke or loves VT, so be it. Bob Knight pretty clearly loves us to death. It's all good.

91_92_01_10_15
03-04-2011, 02:50 PM
Didn't Bob Knight give our guys a pep talk recently?

Yes, I think it was before the same game. All those guys were together for Gameday at VPI.

Sandman
03-04-2011, 03:03 PM
Back in the Dark Days (pre-Foster) - Notre Dame was rather good under Digger, and, of course, we weren't (I can never forget sitting at one such game in Columbia against the Gamecocks where Hodges was our superstar, and the chicken fans were laughing at the Duke team -- the Horror, the Horror of it all!!!). I recall reading a small newspaper article prior to a Duke visit to South Bend that quoted Digger to the effect of ...."Duke's a nice little school, but they can't compete against Notre Dame and shouldn't be playing a big-time schedule...." --- I've hated Digger(BB--wise that is)ever since. I'm so happy that history has revealed the Truth to him, even though he seems to have trouble understanding it.

Vincetaylor
03-04-2011, 03:10 PM
Why? I'm serious. It's not like he has some fiduciary duty to maintain neutrality. IMO objectivity is overrated - it's nice in theory but no one is 100% objective, and I'd rather see people be entertaining on television than studiously neutral.

If Digger hates Duke or loves VT, so be it. Bob Knight pretty clearly loves us to death. It's all good.

I like news/sports coverage to be unbiased. That's why I don't watch Fox. If ESPN was Elmore and Phelps all the time, I wouldn't watch it either.

Kfanarmy
03-04-2011, 03:39 PM
FWIW I think if you work for a nationally syndicated show, you should do your best to maintain a neutral stance in the performance of your commentating job. if you work for a local broadcast, support your favorite team to the hilt.

sagegrouse
03-04-2011, 03:46 PM
I think it was pretty unfair of ESPN to try to hamstring Virginia Tech like that.

I agree totally. -- sagegrouse

gus
03-04-2011, 03:57 PM
Jay Bilas tweeted about the speech:

"Digger Phelps gave a speech to the Virginia Tech team. Then they measured the height of the rim. Ten feet. Makes Reve Davis, 'Shooter.'"

This doesn't really bother me at all.

BD80
03-04-2011, 04:10 PM
Master stroke by Seth, to lighten the mood before the big game. It was down to Digger and Larry the Cable Guy, but Seth thought that Larry might be confused with a real coach.

Class of '94
03-04-2011, 04:12 PM
In fact, I think Digger should've went back to VT to give them a pre-game speech prior to playing BC....Maybe then, VT would've had a better showing and would not have been blasted by BC on VT's home floor. ;)

JasonEvans
03-04-2011, 04:31 PM
http://boomaga.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/mountain-out-of-a-molehill1.jpg

-Jason

miramar
03-04-2011, 04:32 PM
I'm not sure I understand half of the things he says anyway, so I don't think the players could either.

It's remarkable to think that he was a good coach for a while.

4decadedukie
03-04-2011, 05:05 PM
As others have noted, Digger has never recovered from 1978, not only his loss to Duke in the National Semifinals, but his consumate arrogance regarding Duke and the ACC in general. Succinctly stated, he is not terribly bright.

-bdbd
03-04-2011, 05:08 PM
I'm not sure I understand half of the things he says anyway, so I don't think the players could either.

It's remarkable to think that he was a good coach for a while.


Yes, but FWIW I'll bet his tie and pen color matched! :rolleyes:


Great post Jason. You made me laugh!!

JasonEvans
03-04-2011, 06:08 PM
Great post Jason. You made me laugh!!

If you like a post, I encourage you to give feedback to the poster via the little green smiley-red frowny icon at the bottom of the post.

I say this not to ask for rep for myself, but to remind the community about this method of praising or chastising posters. I give out dozens of rep points every week and the system works best if a lot of you are participating. It seems to me that a lot of you are not using the system as much as we had hoped (not singling out bdbd here, just using this as an opportune moment to talk about this issue).

So, when you find a post that makes you laugh or think or makes you hopping mad -- give them some pitchforks/flames. It will help all of us to know the posters who "bring it!" and the ones worth ignoring.

--Jason "the mountain and molehill are too big -- I failed at that part of it ;) " Evans

77devil
03-04-2011, 06:38 PM
Given Digger's exemplary 2-9 record versus Duke, and 1-7 specifically against Coach K, it's hard to imagine what value Seth expected his team to receive. I guess he watches ESPN and appreciates that Digger can still stir up the Duke hate as well as anyone, or maybe Seth just likes Digger's tie/highlighter routine.

weezie
03-04-2011, 10:14 PM
Richard Phelps is a nincompoop. He isn't worth two pages here, for heaven's sake.
Ignore the rheumy-eyed little fat man.

Devil's Advocate
03-05-2011, 08:07 AM
Richard Phelps is a nincompoop. . . for heaven's sake.
Ignore the rheumy-eyed little fat man.

Now THAT is both petty and hilarious.

TheDuckStore
03-05-2011, 04:04 PM
Didn't Bob Knight give our guys a pep talk recently?

He visited practice in NY last year ahead of the LSU and UCONN games at the Garden per photos on Duke Blue Planet.

I think that pregame speeches are overrated, and this Tech team had all the motivation in the world for the Duke game (Tourney, Seniors not having beat Duke, etc.). Of course, they went ahead and lost their next two games... maybe got too comfortable with their bubble status.

dukeimac
03-05-2011, 05:13 PM
Wow you guys apparently give Digger a lot of credit for being able to inspire a team to create a thread about it.

Duke didn't lose because of Digger's speech to anyone.

Duke lost because their 3rd scorer got into foul trouble and VT needed this game very very badly. Just like the game last year at Maryland around this time of last year, both teams needed huge wins and played like thier backs were against the wall.

Mike Corey
03-05-2011, 05:59 PM
Didn't Bob Knight give our guys a pep talk recently?

Pep talk, no. Counsel, yes.

Mike Corey
03-05-2011, 06:00 PM
Wow you guys apparently give Digger a lot of credit for being able to inspire a team to create a thread about it.

Duke didn't lose because of Digger's speech to anyone.

I don't believe anyone is suggesting that Mr. Phelps' words stirred Virginia Tech into winning. I do believe the suggestion by the original poster is that there is some impropriety in having a basketball commentator provide direct motivation for a team in-season.