… “Managing The University of North Carolina is akin to being a Park Ranger on the San Andreas Fault. You expect tremors every few days. You just hope “the big one” doesn’t happen on your watch”. – BL Swagger; June 2004
Have “we”, and I certainly include myself, been too quick to convict James Moeser of Chancellortorial malfeasance? Reading his comments in a recent lengthy News & Observer interview I found myself in agreement with the tone and direction of his comments. Can a geeky organ PhD be a capable zookeeper for Chapel Hill? Let’s examine the realities.
Before we begin, remember that a .300 batting average gets you into Cooperstown. Every surgeon ties on a toe tag now and then. Every lawyer loses a few cases. Every Chancellor has a Susan Ehringhaus (???). Why does UNC’s rank & file seem to hold James Moeser in such low regard.
Moeser looks “geeky” and there’s that “Organ” thingie:
… True times two … none of us know any other “organ majors” except the spinster lady at church who wears those orthopedic shoes. While I do believe “physical appearance” is a factor in leadership especially with public perception … it can be overcome and is a superficial consideration at best. The “from Nebraska” thingie doesn’t help either. It helps FB Asst Marvin Sanders. It hurts Moe.
UNC is “a spider’s nest of ultra wacky left wing radicals”:
… Any liberal arts college carries that image albeit UNC is among the top five nationally in extreme wackiness. Clearing out that odious mess would be like Hercules cleaning out the stables of King Augeas. To “blame Moeser” for the loonie faction is too easy … Frank Porter Graham planted the seeds for that bumper crop many years ago. No Chancellor has been able to powerwash that stain away … nor should they. Maneuvering through that academic gauntlet of screeching magpies is a rite of passage every UNC student endures. When most graduates reach 25, their heads clear and they become productive citizens. Whether it is “Freshman book requirements” or that “hate speech” silliness of a few months ago … Moe never championed those farces so much as he acknowledged they are de rigueur for a Liberal Arts University. (NOTE: Our official wacky uber-Lib Fruitcake Freddie From Franklin Street dislikes Moeser, which is certainly a feather in Moe’s cap right there)
Moeser is Not Michael Hooker:
… No, he isn’t and that “follow a martyr” millstone may be his heaviest burden when historians write of The Moeser Years. Hooker was “a prodigal son” who had strength where Moeser has liabilities. Hooker conveyed more confidence and his leadership style was dynamic. Combining these factors with his short tenure and tragic end and you have a JFK scenario. Neither Michael Hooker, nor JFK, was around long enough to mess up too bad.
The Internet Message Board Mob Hates Moe:
… Moe should count that as a positive. That bunch sees Big Time Sports as the Top Ten priorities of any college. “Getting drunk” and “getting laid” occupy the next ten spots on their “what college is all about” list. They would replace Dean Wormer with Blutarski if they ran Faber College. The more I study Moeser the more I believe he has “sports” correctly placed along the “college life” continuum. Also, the Message Board Mob hates everybody … except Steve Spurrier (for now).
He Supports “that damn Dickie Baddour”:
… Yes, he certainly does. I don’t fault him so much for supporting The Dickster (I do too by comparison to most alum/fans) but I think he underestimates the voracity of the Baddour-bashers among the rank & file. As I have always said … Josephining Dickie into some amorphous South Building “special project” assignment would have been in EVERYONE’s best interests especially The Baddour Family. Three more years of his beleaguered malignment is going to do nothing positive for alumni morale.
Moeser Voted Against ACC Expansion:
… So did I on this very website. It comes down to what an institution’s priorities are. The long-term effects of this ratcheted up level of on-field competitiveness cannot be realistically measured for at least five years. James Moeser will likely be gone by that time if his term is consistent with his peers.
Moeser raised a heckavu lot of $$$ in the Capital Campaign:
… “So what” sneer his critics … “It’s Carolina, anybody could raise $$$ for Carolina!” … that is the clarion cry of naïve jackasses. Spearheading a Billion $$$ fund drive is an accomplishment for Warren Buffet, George Bush or The Clintons.
Moeser Doesn’t Connect Well With North Carolinians:
… This is a legitimate concern. It’s goes back to item #1. He is more at home at a string quartet recital than at a pig picking before a NASCAR race … but the infamous “UNC Snoots” share that fru fru predilection. Asking the question “describe the TYPICAL Carolina alum” will get you a wider range of answers than “who’s your favorite Bond girl?” I guaran-damn-tee you yours truly won’t appear on too many lists as a “typical UNC alum”. The NC General Assembly boys have certainly not warmed to Moeser. Is he as he presented himself in his hiring interviews with the BOT? I suspect he is. Is the UNC BOT more deserving of the “Clueless” moniker than is Moeser?
If Moeser survives five more years will he STILL be “that funny looking Dr Organ from Nebraska.?
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Swagger’s Stumper
He was Chocolate Thunder from Planet Lovetron … name the player.
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Being a high profile LEADER is damn hard. This weekend we were inundated with stories of two of America’s most successful “high profile leaders” … Dwight Eisenhower and Ronald Reagan. (NOTE: I’m pretty sure Fruitcake Freddie despises both of them too … if you are keeping score) Both Ike and Ronnie stood tall at Destiny’s Crossroads and chose the right path … only requiring consensus with the face in the mirror.
Going against the Internet howler monkeys and sticking with John Bunting is not QUITE Operation Overlord or “Mr Gorbachev, tear down that wall!”. Leadership at any level is certainly lonely. If John Bunting does win 6-7 games this year including a sound thrashing of the hated Wolfpack and Blue Devils, it is doubtful that Moeser will get many “Attaboy Moe” notes. I suspect Moe and Dickie will have to be content with giving each other “noogies”.
Several years ago I asked a highly positioned UNC staffer if I was being too hard on Moe. His reply was “He’s gotten better …”. I probably should check with my buddy again.
Before you unsubscribe from Ol’ BobLee’s website thinking I’ve gone daft … I’m simply going against the grain to consider alternatives here. I don’t mind holding the minority opinion. How much did you bet on Smarty Jones? — Huh!
INCOMING !
Tony & Kirk co-starred in Spartacus AND The Vikings. Many of you got Spartacus … only the crème de la crème got The Vikings. How could you forget Kirk’s “Viking funeral” or Tony having his hand cut off?
BobLee In The Big Apple
This Thursday – June 10
Brother Jimmy’s – 7:00 PM
428 Amsterdam between 80th and 81st
The BBQ is Carolina-style … the waitresses are cute!
Were all those D-Day shows inspiring or what!! … read Stephen Ambrose’s books. J-Lo got married again on D-Day Weekend. The Bootylicious Minx has become the Liz Taylor of the hip hop generation.
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