Projo's Donaldson on Rhody Fans being Encouraged

[ATPTourFan]

We give Jim Donaldson a lot of crap for his little jabs from time to time, but compared to what we recently saw published at another local media outlet, at least this is a proper column:
http://www.providencejournal.com/sports ... uraged.ece

[sf2010]

Practically Pulitzer-worthy compared to some other trash I can think of!

[RF1]

He writes this article in the same season where he calls out URI fans for not coming out in bigger numbers. He basically lays out the reasons why URI fans may be discouraged which would in turn explain why attendance is not high. He is all over the place.

[TruePoint]

I think the JimDo that wants to be provocative and a contrarian sucks (whether writing about URI or the Pats or Sox or whoever), but he is actually a pretty bright guy for local media. Maybe damning with faint praise there, but if he puts in any effort into a genuine take he can be OK. His problem is that he either tries to be a provocateur or mails it in (or both) most of the time.

[Rhode_Island_Red]

For those of us who wouldn't be caught dead giving money to the Fountain Street Fish-Wrap Co., could someone please post the piece? Or excerpts?

[BPR2010]

Thought it was a perfect relation to this board actually. If you want to call us the real diehards, then I think it was a great representation of this message board. It's pretty split on here in terms of encouraged/discouraged. I think most of us are getting on the "look forward to next year" mindset, but otherwise for most of this season both attitudes were displayed on these very boards. He pretty much said what most of us have been saying recently. We're close. Imagine if we had that go-to guy. We're taking tournament teams to the final minute. I know he has a history, but just singling out this article, thought it was spot on.

The true fans have been there for games. Don't let that fool you. The problem is, with the general public, they won't come out in droves unless A. There's a ranked team in the Ryan Center, B. We're playing PC, or C. We have a winning record. Honestly, if I was a casual or average joe with no affiliation to the school, I wouldn't come to games. You look in the paper and see a last place team with an 11-17 record? Rebuilding or not, the masses just simply aren't that smart and optimistic. So in terms of attendance, that was a bit odd of him to call out RI'ers for not showing up. Otherwise, solid article and exactly what a lot of us feel about this roller coaster ride of a season. Looking forward to Brooklyn and 2014-15!

[sandman012]

I am still amazed that people read ProJo .... or Jim Donaldson

People, the internet has set you free from shoddy journalism, embrace it

[Running Ram]

I'm with you sandman, I stay away from all these rags. There isn't a house within four any direction from me that gets the BlowJo. At one point they were going through and leaving their "express" version around the neighborhood for free, I wanted to call and ask them to stop junking up my yard, but I guess they got the message when nobody ordered their tired rag because they finally stopped littering my neighborhood with the "express" last summer.

[Rhodymob05]

I didn't find that article that discouraging. Personally we've already improved over last season and have the building blocks for next season. So im pleased, nt as much as Id hope to be but that's how things work sometimes.

[Rhode_Island_Red]

We have a base of about 3,000 people who buy tickets no matter what. Increasing that depends on a number of factors:
-- Last season's record. Ticket sales for all sports lag by one season.
-- Television. Putting home games on a network is one thing, but why should people shell out money and fight through the winter weather when they can stay home and watch in HD for free?
-- Game presentation. If they"re trying to attract the ADHD crowd, those people are too buay tweeting and gaming. Turn down the volume and let the games breathe. You want fans cheering for the game, not the ttimeouts..

[Ben]

I can't argue with Donaldson on this. Actually, I completely agree with him. I will not hold a decade of Jim Baron led disappointments against Dan Hurley and this group. I still feel good about it. Too many guys have unexpectedly been lost in the last year+. Also, Hurley has only had a year ans a half of game situations with which to teach a bunch of younger guys in a limited roster situation. The Freshmen are awesome. I am not personally disappointed or worried in the least. I can be much more patient. No NCAA invite in 15 years is not Hurley's fault. The team will be better going forward. Plus, I like the style of play more than I used to. And, I have faith in the ability of this coaching staff. They need to continue to improve the roster depth with recruiting. I won't freak out for another couple of years.