ESPN put a new Twitter policy in place this summer designed to urge its reporters to think before they tweet. But this weekend, the policy didn't stop ESPN the Magazine senior writer Bruce Feldman from ripping Sports Reporters panelist Mike Lupica -- then later thinking better of it and deleting the tweet.It all started with Lupica talking about USC coach Pete Carroll on The Sports Reporters.
"Carroll is in his ninth year there, his record is 89-15, and I swear, they've underachieved," Lupica said. "I really believe SC should have won more national championships than it's won on Pete Carroll's watch."
Carroll has been the most successful coach in college football during his tenure at Southern Cal, so it's no surprise that some USC fans took issue with Lupica saying Carroll had underachieved. It's also no surprise that a columnist at the Orange County Register questioned Lupica's logic, as did the USC blog Conquest Chronicles.
But it is a surprise that Feldman took a public shot at Lupica. Feldman tweeted this:
Mike Lupica sez Pete Carroll's team is "underachieving" Right, cause Carroll's the one who's been livin off his rep & mailin it in 4 years.That tweet was then circulated on Twitter by everyone from ordinary sports fans who thought it was a funny line, to popular bloggers like Sports By Brooks, to mainstream media luminaries like Richard Deitsch of Sports Illustrated and Pete Thamel of the New York Times.
Feldman later deleted the tweet from his Twitter profile, and I e-mailed him to ask him why he did it. He replied, "I thought about it last night while watching the game and figured it was out of line."
I also e-mailed ESPN spokesman Josh Krulewitz, who told me, "It was inappropriate and we've spoken to Bruce and he completely understands."
Personally, I'm with Feldman on the merits: I'd say there are roughly 119 other college football programs that would love to underachieve like USC has with Carroll. But Feldman probably would have been better off leaving that thought untweeted.
Comments (Page 1 of 1)
I know Bruce and it's funny that he said that, but Lupica's right.
I can't comment on Lupica's career, I don't read him so not really commenting on him here.
However you want to put it, USC has underachieved. Doesn't make it criminal and its only slight, but given all they've accomplished and all that they have they should have produced more.
Everyone outside of Florida would trade for USC's last eight years, but it doesn't mean that they haven't left a little more to be desired even at that incredible level.
Hope Lupica is not offended by the comment. All one would have to do is read some of Lupica's comments. He certainly doesn't care who he offends with his stupid statements about things he knows nothing about.He now writes about all the policical people that he doesn't agree with and thinks if he writes it then it is true and you must believe.
What merits? He didnt debate Lupica's point..He just took a shot...a funny right on shot but a shot none the less...I agree with Lupica...Hurts me but I do...They should have had more championships..Losing to Oregon State...Come on
Mike Lupica is a nasty little man and a hack for a writer who for some reason wields some kind of demigod type power here in Bristol. Haven forbid anyone tosses little Lord Fauntleroy into a light to be seen as the clown he truly is. ESPN used to employ REAL writers journalists who brought so much to the table writers like Ralph Wiley and Bill Simmons. Now there are just the clowns like “Scoop” Jackson and Lupica. I am actually surprised this guy kept his job after telling everyone out there what people at ESPN truly think of the mental midget.
Typical "East Coast" bias from Lupica. Who is he to talk about Pete Carroll's underachieving? Has he EVER played sports on a competitive level? And what about the bias against USC in terms of BCS voters? USC is far and away the BEST college football program in the country! At least they don't schedule Charleston Southern...who?? Maybe "The Little Sisters Of Mary" are next for OVER-RATED Florida!!!
I would love to see USC & Florida in this year's title game. Being a Gator fan, I (of course) believe they would prevail and take their 3RD National Championship in 4 years (are they then "Over"-achieving according to Lupica?). USC is a fantastic team and loaded with talent, but the SEC is the toughest conference in the nation, and that's a fact! Every school has a "Charleston Southern" on their schedule, better the Gators got their creme-puff out of the way early. And who did USC beat Saturday... puleeze! Let's see how they fair against OSU, who was obviously looking past Navy to this week's match-up. When all is said and done, the road to the National Championship will go through Gainesville.
Both sides are right. No coach has been better during Carroll's reign at USC. However, Lupica kind-of has a point that it feels like USC should have won one or two more titles this decade. I think that's where the "underachieved" comment was valid.
Like you said, every program west of Gainsville wishes they underachieved like USC.
Man, I love USC and I totally appreciated what Pete Carroll has done for my Trojans since he became head coach about 10 years ago but ....... the Trojans SHOULD have 3-4 more championships during Carroll's tenure. There are 2 reasons they don't. One is the obvious national (mainly east and south but also midwest) bias against almost anything California. And two is the utterly ridiculous and unbelievable losses to fellow Pac 10 teams like Oregon State (Twice!), UCLA (not UCLA!) and ...gulp .... STANFORD!!!! Are you kidding, Pete? USC lost to Stanford and the game was played in the Coliseum! Those losses were happily greeted by the writers and coaches around the nation who would then drop USC in the polls and cost the Trojans a spot in the idiotic BCS Championship game. Do you want to know how good the Trojans have been since Carroll took over? Other than Pete's first year, they have won every bowl game they have been in with the exception of the last-minute loss to Texas in the stupid BCS Championship a few years ago. And check the scores in those bowl victories. Almost every game was a Blow Out no matter who or where the Trojans played. They just have trouble going undefeated in the Pac 10. They can beat everyone and anyone else! They are even 4 and 0 against the so-called "mighty" SEC since Carroll took over. But Pete .... why the losses to teams like Stanford, Oregon Sate and UCLA?
It seems like Lupica was vindicated this weekend - without having to say another word.
Lupica is an underachiever, never-played-the-game-supposedly-expert writer that has mailed it in 4 years. I still remember his comment about Stoops supposedly running up the score when Stoops was playing deep into his bench, but Lupica had not watched the game and just mailed it in. Now Lupica who has an east coast bias is complaining that Pete Carroll & USC have underachieved.
I am a Big 12 fan but I saw that Texas-USC game and the refs gave the game to Texas so there's one of those national championships. Being honest about it USC should have been playing in the game instead of OU last year, another one (Look at how many were drafted from USC after last year).
If east coast writers and coaches who are the majority of the poll voters did not have a bias Pete Carroll may have satisfied Lupica but I doubt it. The results however like with anything in college is the numbers in the professional ranks and USC, especially under Carroll can not be matched.
Maybe Lupica made his comment because Pete Carroll
failed miserably in NY with the Jets. But the Jets
have failed miserably under everyone i'm sorry to
say. Now we got D-Rex and I hope he does ok...so
far so good. Go Jets.....see you on MNF...