Episode 6 feat. Chris Massaro

[sWiley]

If I was you I wouldn't worry too much about the opinions of us. You are the one doing all the leg work and dedicating the time to do this without any $$$$ or return. Run the show how you see fit and if people like it then great. MT athletics media coverage, as you know, hardly even exists so the fact that you want to create a podcast is great and appreciated by most I would imagine.

Just don't be a sunshine pumper or mouth piece for this administration please. I'm sure we have some good coaches and good people that work in the AD and coach at MT.....but those in leadership positions like Massaro, McPhee, etc. overstayed their welcome a long, long time ago. I personally wouldn't even bother with them because I don't care or respect what they have to say. But I understand why you would considering their positions with the University.

 

[Hop45]

It was informative. Not particularly interesting to me, but I could see how it might be to others.

I think a huge issue that some newer fans might not understand is the frustration that has built up over the last two decades. Let me explain.

The fan base was very happy when Massaro and Stockstill were both hired. Massaro did a great job with scheduling, securing us home and home's with Power 5's, a 2 for 3 with Memphis, new turf (which at the time was a huge deal), Uniforms went to Nike, etc. He was a huge upgrade from the previous AD who I admittedly didn't know much about, I started school around a year before Massaro was hired.

Bringing on Stockstill was a big success at the time as well too. The football program had perenially underachieved, culminating in a disastrous 4-7 (3-4 in Sun Belt) 2005 campaign after being expected to contend for and win the SBC. I still remember radio talk in the off-season before 2005, comparing Clint Marks to the highly regarded future NFL pro Jay Cutler. I remember even some saying they would take Marks over him. Expectations were very high. And even though we rolled into Vanderbilt stadium, 0-4 and all, and beat the Jay Cutler led Commodes, it wasn't enough to satisfy the fanbase. McCollum had to go. Thus, Massaro fired McCollum and Stockstill was brought in. Side note: They actually offered the job to Watson Brown who turned it down due to $$$. Stockstill was third on the list. Watson Brown would have been a total disaster. A proven terrible coach. But I'm sure it surprises no one to see that's who McPhee, Steve Smith, and Massaro wanted. Thank god we got Stockstill instead (3rd choice)

Stockstill was a huge success. 2006 saw MT win a co-championship in Stockstill's first season along with our first ever bowl appearance. Expectations were sky high after Rick's first season because if he can do that with Andy's players, what's going to happen when he gets his players in here? At the time, Stockstill was regarded as a "Top 25" recruiter in the country. It's what helped him get the job. So we were super pumped up and ready to go knowing this. We had new turf, new Nike partnerships, new video boards, new coaches, Power 5 home and homes on the schedule, and new football territory to explore as we had never been to a bowl game before. I even personally attended our very first bowl game, Ford Field, against CMU. We lost a competitive game which sucked but the future sure looked bright....

Things got a little better in 2009, with Dasher leading us to a 10-3 record and New Orleans Bowl ass beating of Southern Miss. Still, Stockstill could only ever muster a co-championship in 2009. He could never beat Troy when it mattered. The program mostly waxed and waned after that, with some disastrous seasons but mostly mediocre results. Absolutely nothing to get excited about until we moved to CUSA, Brent Stockstill became our QB, and we tried and failed to win a championship a few times. 12 men on the field anybody? Anyway, from 2006 to 2023 Rick Stockstill could never field the best team in the conference and win an outright champsionship.....

Stockstill's (and by extension Massaro's) tenure here have been mostly just a bunch of ball tickling. It's why people have been so upset the last several years about the current situation. Stockstill was finally fired, but most would argue he wasn't even the biggest problem. Everyone know's McPhee and Steve Smith run the show and pull all the strings, and suck at it by the way. And people are sick and tired of it after two decades. Massaro is an extension of it all, and deserves some blame, but he's just a pawn in it all and likely a future fall guy.

The reason people want the hard questions is because most of us, after decades, are just sick of the BS and mediocrity. Very few of us even exist/care anymore. So many have been run off due to apathy and failure, and those of us left lost patience a long, long time ago. This university is dying for fresh blood. A new president, a new board, a new AD. A new everything. The current powers that be have done too much damage at this point. It's irreversible, and the only solution is to start over.

I highly suspect McPhee, Steve Smith, et al. would never have the insight or courage to step down like Nick Saban did at Alabama. Saban openly admitted he couldn't coach any longer because he did not feel like he could provide the standards needed to win anymore at Alabama. Wow, now that's a man and somebody who actually cares about the University, his players, alumni, and the fan base. And he speaks with his actions, not his words. Something our "leaders" could maybe learn from.

This might be your best post ever! Well said.

 

[BlueAlpha]

As others have said, good first start. Maybe because I live out-of-state, I received some clarity around a few things I was in the dark about.
Clearly that could be alleviated if CM was more proactive communicating his vision & strategy to current, future, & most importantly, disillusioned fans.
I have too many thoughts to put here, so will instead just share a couple of suggestions.
First, I thought at the end of the interview CM said “let’s do this again next month “. Did I misunderstand? If he did put that offer out there I would try and get a commitment to do at least one per quarter. Try it for 12-18 months and both sides can assess whether it’s worth keeping it going?
You both need one another. You, because you are trying to build your podcast brand within Rutherford County. CM, because he needs a forum to try and re-engage with a fan base that has voted with both their feet & wallet$.
You give CM a quarterly forum to communicate his mission/vision/expectations. You, in turn, let him know that same audience he’s trying to reach would like some answers and clarity around what has, or has not, changed during his tenure as AD. Seems like a fair trade off.
Secondly, might consider having a 3 person fan pod? Obviously has to be the right 3, people who can articulate both their frustrations as an MT fan, but more importantly, their suggestions on how to make MT the best it can be.
Look forward to your next interview!

 

[MidTennMtneer]

First off, I want to say thanks to @jakeboldenbrp for the pod and for getting CM on. Even thanks to CM for coming. Many schools wouldn't have an AD that comes on a fan pod to talk. I'm grateful we do.

That said, there are some issues. I 100% understand starting softly. I do. But he needs to be transparent. He may not like that term, but it is what we need as a G5 school. And that isn't a knock on you Jake. CM will become more comfortable but he also needs to truly take advantage of that hopeful comfort and open up. Example: he mentioned the fan board input. That is the first I have heard of it since Lee took applications. Why isn't there a release of talking points when meetings happen? Or a listing of suggestions made to get other fans' opinions? Again, dropped opportunity just like the basketball court design fiasco.

I am anxious to hear his next pod with Jake and see if he opens up more. I'm willing to give him that chance. I too would love him coming to be a regular thing.

That being said...a FOIA should never ever be required for a public institution employment contract. EVER. Of course that isn't a knock against this pod at all.

I too learned some things and had some things confirmed (NY6 money for one). Agree with Alpha about being out of state. We don't see all the progress and have to rely on things like this, or Larry Maples posting pics, etc. It is nice to have another information outlet.

I also agree with Alpha on the fan forum. Maybe do it once a qtr. Gather local and out of staters. Young and older with a different lens.

On that note, have you thought about doing video recording as well? Sometimes it is nice to see faces as well and not just voices. Especially when talking with coaches and admin to see their reactions to some things. Body language.

I say keep it up!

 

[ewglenn]

First off, I want to say thanks to @jakeboldenbrp for the pod and for getting CM on. Even thanks to CM for coming. Many schools wouldn't have an AD that comes on a fan pod to talk. I'm grateful we do.

That said, there are some issues. I 100% understand starting softly. I do. But he needs to be transparent. He may not like that term, but it is what we need as a G5 school. And that isn't a knock on you Jake. CM will become more comfortable but he also needs to truly take advantage of that hopeful comfort and open up. Example: he mentioned the fan board input. That is the first I have heard of it since Lee took applications. Why isn't there a release of talking points when meetings happen? Or a listing of suggestions made to get other fans' opinions? Again, dropped opportunity just like the basketball court design fiasco.

I am anxious to hear his next pod with Jake and see if he opens up more. I'm willing to give him that chance. I too would love him coming to be a regular thing.

That being said...a FOIA should never ever be required for a public institution employment contract. EVER. Of course that isn't a knock against this pod at all.

I too learned some things and had some things confirmed (NY6 money for one). Agree with Alpha about being out of state. We don't see all the progress and have to rely on things like this, or Larry Maples posting pics, etc. It is nice to have another information outlet.

I also agree with Alpha on the fan forum. Maybe do it once a qtr. Gather local and out of staters. Young and older with a different lens.

On that note, have you thought about doing video recording as well? Sometimes it is nice to see faces as well and not just voices. Especially when talking with coaches and admin to see their reactions to some things. Body language.

I say keep it up!

Good post, but I do want to clear up some things on the FOIA. It seems likely we will get that information this time around without an FOIA request. I think the issue our program has had in the past is there has no independent media group interested enough in that information. So our AD looked at it like “no one is asking so why give it out” type of scenario (no media group, clearly the fans wanted it). They clearly know now we will do the leg work to get the information so they are more likely to work with GoMiddle in the future. We just needed people that cared enough to get it and now we do. I’m not saying that’s right, I just genuinely get the feeling that’s what was happening. There’s no way a writer that’s paid by the school is going to post that information to upset the fan base even more.

 

[MidTennMtneer]

Good post, but I do want to clear up some things on the FOIA. It seems likely we will get that information this time around without an FOIA request. I think the issue our program has had in the past is there has no independent media group interested enough in that information. So our AD looked at it like “no one is asking so why give it out” type of scenario (no media group, clearly the fans wanted it). They clearly know now we will do the leg work to get the information so they are more likely to work with GoMiddle in the future. We just needed people that cared enough to get it and now we do. I’m not saying that’s right, I just genuinely get the feeling that’s what was happening. There’s no way a writer that’s paid by the school is going to post that information to upset the fan base even more.

Sheesh. This isn't against you or the rest of the GoMiddle team, but man what an awful stance by the admin. And I can totally see that happening. Not realizing that not releasing it creates more of a disconnect.

Makes you long for the Adam Sparks days for sure because there is zero media presence covering us regularly. Combination of print going away, local newscasts losing viewers, as well as not winning to create wanted buzz.

I think that is one advantage to having CDM, is that he's new to us, but not the area media. So he knows who to call, talk to, etc to get word out, and more importantly is willing to do it and put himself out there while enjoying it. We all know public outings/media gatherings were not the previous regime's strong suit.

 

[FranklinRaider315]

Good post, but I do want to clear up some things on the FOIA. It seems likely we will get that information this time around without an FOIA request. I think the issue our program has had in the past is there has no independent media group interested enough in that information. So our AD looked at it like “no one is asking so why give it out” type of scenario (no media group, clearly the fans wanted it). They clearly know now we will do the leg work to get the information so they are more likely to work with GoMiddle in the future. We just needed people that cared enough to get it and now we do. I’m not saying that’s right, I just genuinely get the feeling that’s what was happening. There’s no way a writer that’s paid by the school is going to post that information to upset the fan base even more.

I call BS. Not on you, but on CM.

The ONLY time he voluntarily released any of Stock’s extensions were when he wanted to spin his version, like the first time they released the additional 3 years for a load of crap act of benevolence on future unearned bonuses. He made sure ESPN and any other outlet that mattered would report it.

 

[Brew_Raider]

I call BS. Not on you, but on CM.

The ONLY time he voluntarily released any of Stock’s extensions were when he wanted to spin his version, like the first time they released the additional 3 years for a load of crap act of benevolence on future unearned bonuses. He made sure ESPN and any other outlet that mattered would report it.

It should be announced on the schools website, both the length of contract and salary.

“Why should I donate money or trust you, given that your administration lacks the basic transparency that other schools provide?”

I would honestly love to hear or have that conversation.

 

[jakeboldenbrp]

First off, I want to say thanks to @jakeboldenbrp for the pod and for getting CM on. Even thanks to CM for coming. Many schools wouldn't have an AD that comes on a fan pod to talk. I'm grateful we do.

That said, there are some issues. I 100% understand starting softly. I do. But he needs to be transparent. He may not like that term, but it is what we need as a G5 school. And that isn't a knock on you Jake. CM will become more comfortable but he also needs to truly take advantage of that hopeful comfort and open up. Example: he mentioned the fan board input. That is the first I have heard of it since Lee took applications. Why isn't there a release of talking points when meetings happen? Or a listing of suggestions made to get other fans' opinions? Again, dropped opportunity just like the basketball court design fiasco.

I am anxious to hear his next pod with Jake and see if he opens up more. I'm willing to give him that chance. I too would love him coming to be a regular thing.

That being said...a FOIA should never ever be required for a public institution employment contract. EVER. Of course that isn't a knock against this pod at all.

I too learned some things and had some things confirmed (NY6 money for one). Agree with Alpha about being out of state. We don't see all the progress and have to rely on things like this, or Larry Maples posting pics, etc. It is nice to have another information outlet.

I also agree with Alpha on the fan forum. Maybe do it once a qtr. Gather local and out of staters. Young and older with a different lens.

On that note, have you thought about doing video recording as well? Sometimes it is nice to see faces as well and not just voices. Especially when talking with coaches and admin to see their reactions to some things. Body language.

I say keep it up!

I appreciate your viewership!

I’ve certainly thought about making it a quarterly thing because I think it would be mutually beneficial. I’d like to do a mailbag style where I can filter questions but read directly what fans are saying. He’s more open to it than some may believe based on conversation I’ve had with him off camera, but he has shied away from letting his high profile coaches doing that so I could see where he may lose interest in doing it 4 times a year.

I’m working on visual for upcoming football season. I’m too much a perfectionist so I’d like to have my feet under me, work with editing software and put out a good product.