ANOTHER ETKIN LETTER

[ALBANY ALUM '94]

My friend who I went to school with and was a teammate of mine during our time at The University at Albany wrote this letter to Etkin and I thought I would share it with his permission of course.

 

Mr. Ettkin,

 

I was just disappointed to read your column today, which, while perhaps

being on-point, had such a disturbingly negative tone and was supported by

such ridiculous premises (I will ignore the amateurish one-line paragraph so

 

prevalent in your writing style) that I felt compelled to respond.

 

I would start by saying that I am a '95 Albany graduate that lives in

Boston, and has been gone from the Capital Region for over 10 years.

Throughout that time, my only source of decent coverage of the Great Danes

was the UAlbany website itself, which I checked religiously, following both

the football and basketball teams, as well as the nationally ranked lacrosse

 

team and other teams that have made the University proud. While at Albany,

I was one of the few hundred that personally witnessed some of Doc Sauers'

best seasons at D-III, and the move to D-I was a source of pride, despite

short shrift from your newspaper.

 

In support of your premise that Albany fans know nothing about their team,

you say "they're bombing the 20-question pop quiz on UAlbany basketball I

gave 10 randomly selected students on campus Tuesday". Nice subject group.

 

Sounds like you put alot of effort into that article, searching out a whole

10 students. Meanwhile, at a legitimate news outlet, ESPN, Pat Forde did a

historical study of the RPI ratings for all 13-16 seeds in the history of

the tournament, to come to the conclusion (and a nice article saying the

 

same) that Albany is the best 16 seed in history.

 

You could have chosen to take any number of slants for your column, such as

the nice story of Jamar Wilson selecting Albany and sticking with his LOI

(that means letter of intent by the way) despite pursuit from Texas and

Seton Hall; a decision that has led to this moment, and a story which

appeared in the NYC papers this morning. Instead, you focus on the

negative, mocking the Albany fanbase for their "bandwagon" routine. You

 

make stupid assertions like "Red Sox Nation didn't secede from the union and

 

become sovereign after Boston won a few games." I would point out that Red

Sox fans have been rabid since the Impossible Dream of 1967, through thick,

thin and heartbreak, but I suspect that you are a Yankee fan, which would

make you a certified bandwagon expert -- you couldn't give away tickets to

the Stadium during the Mel Hall era.

 

With questions like "How many teams make the Final Four? and Levi Levine Sr.

 

is the father of which UAlbany player? (Answer: Levi Levine)", your quiz

 

reflects more on the stupidity of those that you polled rather than the

breadth of their basketball knowledge. Perhaps UAlbany students, even the

non-basketball fans that you mockingly surveyed, would be more informed if

the T-U actually did an article on Levi Levine and his father, and if

someone actually read your newspaper. "But when asked if center Kirsten

 

Zoellner is from A) Holland, Scotland, C) Germany, D) Serbia or E) Coney

Island, junior American history major Justin Cavaretta said the German-born

Zoellner is "probably from Coney Island."" For your reference, this Albany

fan knows that das big man is not only from Germany, but also a transfer

 

from Boston College, another team bound for the dance (hint, hint, that

might make for a good column).

 

Resorting to weak attempts at overworked humor ("The last time I saw so many

 

furrowed brows and confused countenances, President Bush was speaking") you

appear to draw the conclusions that: a) Albany fans are new to this table;

and that is bad a thing. While that is certainly true, I fail to see

 

what you (evidently) believe is inherently wrong with that fact. All

programs, particularly those a mere 7 years-old (at the D-I level), take

 

time to build a fanbase, as you accurately point out. Which is the point,

and it is not a negative one that calls for sarcasm. Summing up with "Kids.

 

They'll learn. Probably." begs the question: what the hell is your point?

 

Albany has always had bandwagon fans; when the RACC hosted the D-III

Regionals (Elite Eight) and the team was matched up against NYU, the arena

was packed, although it has been reported that this year's Big Purple Growl

was the first sell out in the arena's history. But things are

different

now -- different level, different coach, different goals. A fan base may be

 

built on top of the backs of those of us who have followed the team for

years. That, despite the sarcastic tone of your article, is a good thing.

 

As I sit in my office in Boston 200 miles away from campus and look at the

"2006 America East Conference Men's Basketball Champion" T-shirt hanging

 

from my bookcase (yes this passenger on the bandwagon did in fact travel to

the game), I do so with a sense of pride. This is a good thing, warranting

the positive articles seen on ESPN and in the NYC papers. Please do us a

favor and go back to covering the Siena coach's contract negotiations, and

hire another columnist who might be able to get on board an open, and

friendly bandwagon.

 

You are no longer invited.

 

Sincerely,

Ted, Class of '95

[Dane96]

TWC with a fantastic rebuttal. DAMN THOSE LAWYERS WHO USE FACTS! Etkin..."how ya like us now!!!" (from Good Will Hunting).

Edited March 15, 2006 by Dane96

[GreatDanes06]

i actually liked this article because of it's truth. But I usually dont like his columns.

 

But the quote i would say to him would be:

 

"Etkin, you like apples? Well we just won the America East Title. HOW BOUT THEM APPLES?

[twballgame9]

i actually liked this article because of it's truth. But I usually dont like his columns.

 

But the quote i would say to him would be:

 

"Etkin, you like apples? Well we just won the America East Title. HOW BOUT THEM APPLES?

13133[/snapback]

 

 

In my defense, and since dane96 recognizes me from the AE board, I would point out that I acknowledge the truth of his premise. I just didn't like a) his tone (mocking, as if we should all go back in the woodwork and don't deserve to root for the team) his lack of legwork to legitimately support his premise, c) the stupidity of his random questions that a UCLA fan could answer ("how many teams make the Final Four") -- he clearly started his poll with the opinion that we are all stupid and frontrunners, and did just enough selective work to sort of prove his point, d) the timing of the decision to write on this when it should be a time for the local paper to do features on the team in their proud moment.

 

Like I said, I acknowledged the truth of it. "which, while perhaps

being on-pointhad such a disturbingly negative tone and was supported by

such ridiculous premises (I will ignore the amateurish one-line paragraph so

 

prevalent in your writing style) that I felt compelled to respond" being one example.

 

EDIT -- stupid smilies for

[KingDane]

There is no defense for the tone or content of the article. There are students on the Duke, CT, and UCLA campus that wouldn't know a basketball from a soccer ball. Finding them and using them to ridicule the program is not a story. And his trying to capture a negative by writing a story from such a ridiculous angle makes him not a journalist - which he wasn't in his last job in Tampa.

 

But, I'm a Dane in Tampa, and I know the answers - AND I WILL BE IN PHILLY ON FRIDAY NIGHT !!!

 

It may not end up the way we want but along the way I think we'll see some huskies bitch slapped and mounted by some Danes.

[Clickclack]

There is no defense for the tone or content of the article. There are students on the Duke, CT, and UCLA campus that wouldn't know a basketball from a soccer ball. Finding them and using them to ridicule the program is not a story. And his trying to capture a negative  by writing a story from such a ridiculous angle makes him not a journalist - which he wasn't in his last job in Tampa.

 

But, I'm a Dane in Tampa, and I know the answers - AND I WILL BE IN PHILLY ON FRIDAY NIGHT !!!

 

It may not end up the way we want but along the way I think we'll see some huskies bitch slapped and mounted by some Danes.

13138[/snapback]

 

 

I'll I gota say is BBBBWWWWHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH

[Oldtimer]

Etkind sampled 1/20th of 1% of the students. He found 3 students that knew something about the team. That is actually very, very good. That would mean 5,000 students have some knowledge of the team in a very diverse University with diverse interests. Good thing those 5,000 all don't want or can't(night classes) get to the games or us alums would have trouble finding a seat. Another good reason to get your seasons tickets for next year!!

[daneguy04]

It may not end up the way we want but along the way I think we'll see some huskies bitch slapped and mounted by some Danes.

13138[/snapback]

 

I like the way you think, if we cant win the game on the court we may as will win the game in the stands.

 

Outside of the laptop chant ridicule, anything else we could use for Friday???

[KingDane]

One more thing about the article -

 

If Etkind had happened upon a dozen Albany students who answered all his questions ('A' students in his literary piece), would the article have been "No bandwagon fans at Albany" or "Albany Students know their Danes", or "I had an a-hole premise and Dane fans sure proved me wrong".

 

I doubt it.

 

His article would have then been, "Danes to dance in tradition of Saints"

[olddog71]

How about a couple repetitions of "Laptop, Lapdog," to the rhythm of "Let's go dancing," as performed by UAlbany fans at the AE conference final.

 

Lapdogs = we're not afraid of those Huskies.

 

But then again, if I have to explain it . . .

Edited March 16, 2006 by olddog71

[B9j2j6s]

This Etkin guy sounds like another clown college drop out.

[ASP Guy]

I tend to like Etikin's writing style in general.

But having said that, I would never survey 10 students and proceed to write about it. Aside from being disingenuous, it's just flat out lazy.

[getinthere42]

How about "Dude you're getting a dell"

[twballgame9]

How about "Dude you're getting a dell"

13178[/snapback]

 

Calhoun's red nose should be a constant target as well. Guy's a jerk.

[statefan]

I, for one, still consider Ettkin a skilled journalist, as evidenced by his December 4 column, including the following (just in case anyone has forgotten the low point of the season);

 

In the Danes' defense, if you don't see through green-and-gold glasses, then you witnessed one of the worst non-calls a basketball game has seen.

 

Score tied, one second remaining in regulation, Jamar Wilson pump faked from beyond the arc, then as he elevated to shoot, Siena's Mousse Diop knocked him to the floor, so Wilson's air ball and butt fell errantly to earth.

 

That's when the referees gagged on their whistles.

 

"I'm 21 years old and the referee's been (working) for years," Wilson said. "That's their job, that's how they do it, so they know much better than I do."

 

He has to bite his lip.

 

I don't.

 

That was shameful, and if the roles had been reversed and Kirsten Zoellner banged Kojo Mensah like a gong as Mensah shot for the game, most of the 8,641 fans attending would've wailed