Who is Mark May Anyway?
By: Will Vandervort
Sure, I'll be the first to admit I didn't expect anything truly "new" to come out of an interview with a national media outlet such as ESPN, and of course, I was right. After all, what additional insight could a three-person show offer that hasn't discussed ad nauseum here on this web site months ago?
Still, I was looking forward to hearing what kind of questions would be asked, and I was also looking forward to what the "outside world" thought of Spiller, James Davis and Clemson football in general entering the 2007 season.
Not surprisingly, the "dynamic tandem" of former college players who had varying degrees of success in the NFL in Robert Smith, (Ohio State, Minnesota Vikings) and Mark May, (Pitt, Washington Redskins), left much to be desired with their analysis.
May, who you've probably heard by now, busted in with a bold prediction of Clemson finishing the 2007 season 6-6. That's right, 6-6.
Let me go on the record to say first, Mark I have no problem with that whatsoever. You are paid by ESPN to give your opinion on college football.
Bravo.
But let me also say this, Mark, give me some kind of respectable analysis to back up your "bold prediction."
Go ahead and take a stand, but then back up your claim with statistics that matter. Give me some facts. Don't tell me Clemson will lose to Florida State, Virginia Tech, Boston College, Georgia Tech, Wake Forest and N.C. State without some sort of reasoning.
You are paid to give your opinion, but it also needs to be an informed one. Isn't that what the "worldwide leader in sports" demands anyway?
At least get his name right when you are talking about the kid on the show.
It's Spiller, Mark, not Smiller.
And did you suggest Oklahoma's backfield better than Clemson's this season? No offense Bob Stoops, but I'll go ahead and tell you the Sooners' combination of Scrubby McScrubberson and No-Adrian Peterson would ride the pine while Thunder and Lightning opened up their respective cans of you-know-what on the field.
Give me a break.
Having covered this football program the last five years, I guess I still live under the bizarro impression that I can tune into a national college football show and learn something new about the team and the conference I cover.
The reality is - nothing could be further from the truth.
These shows seem to be put together at the last minute and are nothing more than a hodgepodge of former players and hosts who couldn't care less about the information they provide to the general public. Sure, it's probably good for the Southern Californias, Ohio States and Floridas of the world. It's easy to talk about the incredible run those programs have been on recently. When in doubt on what to say, just talk about the 17 five-star prospects stockpiled at running back and how college football needs a playoff so that it can "be settled on the field."
Most of these shows turn into a Pete Carroll, Urban Meyer-love fest anyway.
Having watched Mark May for the last however-many years, I find it annoying that someone who seemingly knows so little about today's players and teams could sit in a chair and pretend to discuss college football on a semi-intelligent level.
And while we're talking about it, bring back Trev Alberts. Bring back somebody who has an opinion, knows his stuff and also knows how to present information in a way that makes sense.
Alberts did something hardly a soul I know would ever do - he left the biggest sports network in the world because he felt like he was the "support crew" for the wildly popular show, College Gameday, featuring Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit and Lee Corso.
He took a stand and always said what he believed and then backed it up with the kind talk that would make you want to go slap your own mother if you had to.
Mark May makes me want to go slap myself for watching such garbage. Who is this guy anyway? Just because he has his own page on Wikipedia and ESPN has chosen to throw him up there to tell me South Florida is going to the BCS I should believe him?
Absolutely ... not.
Hey, I like the concept of a daily college football show starting in August. I really do.
It's just disappointing and embarrassing when the on-air-talent fails so miserably to convince me they know what they are talking about.
When I first learned Clemson running back C.J. Spiller would be on ESPN's new College Football Live show Wednesday, I eagerly tuned in to see what the sophomore running back had to say.
Sure, I'll be the first to admit I didn't expect anything truly "new" to come out of an interview with a national media outlet such as ESPN, and of course, I was right. After all, what additional insight could a three-person show offer that hasn't discussed ad nauseum here on this web site months ago?
Still, I was looking forward to hearing what kind of questions would be asked, and I was also looking forward to what the "outside world" thought of Spiller, James Davis and Clemson football in general entering the 2007 season.
Not surprisingly, the "dynamic tandem" of former college players who had varying degrees of success in the NFL in Robert Smith, (Ohio State, Minnesota Vikings) and Mark May, (Pitt, Washington Redskins), left much to be desired with their analysis.
May, who you've probably heard by now, busted in with a bold prediction of Clemson finishing the 2007 season 6-6. That's right, 6-6.
Let me go on the record to say first, Mark I have no problem with that whatsoever. You are paid by ESPN to give your opinion on college football.
Bravo.
But let me also say this, Mark, give me some kind of respectable analysis to back up your "bold prediction."
Go ahead and take a stand, but then back up your claim with statistics that matter. Give me some facts. Don't tell me Clemson will lose to Florida State, Virginia Tech, Boston College, Georgia Tech, Wake Forest and N.C. State without some sort of reasoning.
You are paid to give your opinion, but it also needs to be an informed one. Isn't that what the "worldwide leader in sports" demands anyway?
At least get his name right when you are talking about the kid on the show.
It's Spiller, Mark, not Smiller.
And did you suggest Oklahoma's backfield better than Clemson's this season? No offense Bob Stoops, but I'll go ahead and tell you the Sooners' combination of Scrubby McScrubberson and No-Adrian Peterson would ride the pine while Thunder and Lightning opened up their respective cans of you-know-what on the field.
Give me a break.
Having covered this football program the last five years, I guess I still live under the bizarro impression that I can tune into a national college football show and learn something new about the team and the conference I cover.
The reality is - nothing could be further from the truth.
These shows seem to be put together at the last minute and are nothing more than a hodgepodge of former players and hosts who couldn't care less about the information they provide to the general public. Sure, it's probably good for the Southern Californias, Ohio States and Floridas of the world. It's easy to talk about the incredible run those programs have been on recently. When in doubt on what to say, just talk about the 17 five-star prospects stockpiled at running back and how college football needs a playoff so that it can "be settled on the field."
Most of these shows turn into a Pete Carroll, Urban Meyer-love fest anyway.
Having watched Mark May for the last however-many years, I find it annoying that someone who seemingly knows so little about today's players and teams could sit in a chair and pretend to discuss college football on a semi-intelligent level.
And while we're talking about it, bring back Trev Alberts. Bring back somebody who has an opinion, knows his stuff and also knows how to present information in a way that makes sense.
Alberts did something hardly a soul I know would ever do - he left the biggest sports network in the world because he felt like he was the "support crew" for the wildly popular show, College Gameday, featuring Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit and Lee Corso.
He took a stand and always said what he believed and then backed it up with the kind talk that would make you want to go slap your own mother if you had to.
Mark May makes me want to go slap myself for watching such garbage. Who is this guy anyway? Just because he has his own page on Wikipedia and ESPN has chosen to throw him up there to tell me South Florida is going to the BCS I should believe him?
Absolutely ... not.
Hey, I like the concept of a daily college football show starting in August. I really do.
It's just disappointing and embarrassing when the on-air-talent fails so miserably to convince me they know what they are talking about.
posted by Roy Philpott @ 4:44 PM
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