Bye-bye Bobby Bowden?

Former Florida State fan Frazer (say that three times fast) sent me this yesterday:

"It is with great regret that I announce that my decades-long man-love for Bobby Bowden has finally and irrevocably come to an end.

The disappointment and heartbreak of the 80s and 90s were bad enough, even before the scandals started; now all that remains are disgust and embarrassment as my once-proud Seminoles have been reduced to a laughingstock, currently #42 in the polls, and are apparently unable to pull themselves out of their tailspin. Jeff Bowden's incompetence as an offensive coordinator has been obvious for years, but then so was Chris Rix's complete and utter idiocy as a quarterback and no one did anything about that. And is Bobby actually coaching anymore? I mean, the guy's pushing 80. If he isn't actually coaching much now, then he needs to be eased into the sunset. And if he is, then he needs to be fired.

Back in the early days, mid-80s when I first came to FSU, one of the cool things about the program (even if it probably wasn't true) was that we could say, 'Hey, look at Florida--we're not that bad.' That feeling of course was crushed into dust years ago, but at least the team would occasionally win a game. Now most non-alumni have nothing but contempt for the Seminoles, and why wouldn't they? The petty greed, brazen indifference for the rules, the sheer stupidity--hell, we might as well be Miami.

And, like most FSU alum, I bought into the myth of Bobby Bowden, dadgummit. I loved the guy. Cornball, straight shooting, self-deprecating charisma. I even looked the other way when he started doing pre-recorded telemarketing calls for the Republicans in 2000. But now, he, his program, and his coaching career have become a ghastly parody. He's a cute little corn-pone wind-up doll, for sure, but there's something calculated and reptilian about his aw-shucks now. I can no longer defend it.

Therefore, I officially renounce my FSU fandom, until such time as Bobby Bowden retires, and the FSU coaching staff is taken over by someone other than Bobby's Faulknerian idiot man-child son Jeff. New blood is needed. Change. Great heaping ladles full of change. I am shopping around for a new college team to root for, and am open to any suggestions; of the gentlemen I've addressed this rant to, Fred and Ed are alums of schools that might fit the bill. Before Sunday, I would have just said I'm turning to pro football, but then our Panthers displayed great incompetence as well. We'll see how it shakes out.

Oh, yeah, Rick....you were right. Joe Pa deserves the most wins laurels, even if not technically.

Frazer
Former Florida State fan"