Brian Murphy gets people talking, flaming

Everybody's favorite Statesman columnist is back to what he does best: incite anger.

Murphy jumped on a story on FOXSports.com about the Broncos that we linked to this morning regarding their being ranked as the best college football team from the last decade. The story is really not that big of a deal. FOX Sports didn't write it. Some Bleacher Report guy did. Bleacher Report is an open community for sports writers to give their opinions, and FOX Sports picks up an occasional story here and there.

Nevertheless, Murphy found the story important enough to blog about, and needless to say, he disagreed with it.

Still, it's tough to see how a team with one top-5 finish in the polls and no national titles (Boise State) is better than a team like USC, which won back-to-back national titles in the last decade.


Come on, Fox. This is plain ridiculous.

And then all hell broke loose in the comments section. Here is just a taste of the maelstrom of opinion:

I hate Murphy. Even if you feel that way as a local sports writer you have a lot of hate for our team and it is so easy to see in your writing of them. No one likes you in Boise except Vandal fans!

...and...

I do not know how he still has a job. Move to Moscow or Pocatello. OR if you dont have anyting nice to say just shut up

...not to mention...

You are entitled to your opinion and that is fine, you hate BSU, ok. My point again is that I do not think a local sports writer should have your negative opinion and always express teh negative side and view of our local team that most of us love in our local paper. He doesn't fit. I should not get angry every time I have to read his negative views of our team in MY LOCAL PAPER every day. You say then don't read it. It is one of the only things I have to keep up on my team. Most of us want a writer that gets us excited about our team and points out the positives. That is the point.

...and one more for good measure...

PLEASE STATESMAN PLEASE READ THIS. Give us a writer who gets excited about our local team and get us a writer who is excited about writing about them and actually likes them. Get rid of this bum. You would be doing us and from his writing I believe him a favor by doing so.

There were plenty more where that came from. At the time of this post, Murphy's article had racked up 56 comments. To put that in perspective, Chadd Cripe openly solicited comments about the quarterback race in a blog post last week. He got 46 replies.

Fortunately, some good came of this. One level-headed commenter set Murphy straight and gave everyone hope that there is a better alternative out there.

Murph, I am sure you read these comments. Understand that I don't live in Idaho. I live in St. George, UT. There is nothing in the way of Boise State coverage down here. I look to the Statesman to keep me informed. While I applaud you for remaining objective and fair most of the time, I have to agree with the masses this time. You purposely are misleading your readership with this blog entry.


For the rest of you out there who feel like I do, there is a little known website out there that I've found has all the Boise State information one could want. It's called 'One Bronco Nation Under God' and you can access it at www.obnug.com.


I wouldn't be one bit surprised if Murph found this FoxSports.com piece by going to OBNUG himself and seeing the link that was posted this morning.

Glad to see this whole thing could come to a fair and just conclusion.

Boise State #1 football team over last decade? [Murph's Turf] 

Update: Murphy has been compelled to respond.

An open letter to the Idaho Statesman

Dear Idaho Statesman,

We know we’ve had our differences over the past few months, what with you being unwieldy and archaic and us being fresh and relevant, but we are prepared to bury the hatchet provided you continue rocking the coverage of fall camp.

Great job yesterday. We loved reading all the news and information you got from the players and coaches. Even hearing your observations was refreshing. You showed us yesterday that somewhere deep inside the structure and bureaucracy of the newsroom lies some knowledge of new media and that, more importantly, you are willing to overcome your fears and ignorance of blogging, uploading, and—dare we say—podcasting in order to provide fans with the copious amounts of Bronco news they desire. Thanks for that.

As a result, we are starting to slowly regain our trust in you, kind of like White Fang regaining his trust in humans. Just don’t tie us to a dog sled and make us race to save the farm! (Or was that Iron Will?) We are coming to appreciate the service you provide for the community of Bronco Nation—a service that up until yesterday was more like the service at the Overland Burger King than anything else.

Speaking of yesterday, let’s recap your newsiness blitzkrieg:

• Chadd Cripe blog: Jeremy Childs news, walk-on information, more Drew Hawkins news than we care to read
• Brian Murphy blog: camp news, WAC quarterback news (better late than never), rumors of suspensions

These instant news updates were supplemented by your always thorough analysis in the print edition, and it worked fairly effectively. More importantly, we could tell that you had been planning this new strategy for quite some time.

Mike Prater: Alright guys, let’s talk about fall camp. How do you think we should approach this?

Chadd Cripe: Well, what does OBNUG do?

Brian Murphy: Post all the time.

Prater: Right! Post all the time! We can do that!

Cripe: Meeting adjourned. Let’s go to Sonic!

Of course, this letter would be incomplete if we failed to address the coming weeks and months. Getting off to a good start is commendable, but keeping your momentum will be the real sign that you have arrived. We imagine that sometime in the next two or three days, you are going to get tired of writing HTML into your blogging program and want to forget the whole thing and go back to throwing news into the print edition. Don’t. That is not what Bronco fans want, and we think you know that.

Keep posting as frequently as you have information. The Press-Tribune does it this way, and we love them for it. You have an advantage that the rest of Bronco Nation does not: access. Use it wisely.

We believe in you for the first time in a long time. Don’t betray our trust. We’d hate to have to eat you like White Fang ate that kid. (Or was that Free Willy?)

Sincerely,
OBNUG

Morning paper: Boise State football links 8/4

Brian Murphy on QB competition [Statesman]
Coach Pete and Harsin have been there before.

Chadd Cripe on QB competition [Statesman]
Well, at least the Statesman isn't blowing this thing out of proportion.

Alex Guerrero doing color on Spanish radio [Fight Fight BSU]
Donde esta el futbol? En el endzone! Seis puntas!

Broncos ranked #26 by NYT [New York Times]
A good read, if you're into looking up words in dictionaries.

15 minutes of fame for the laundry guy [Statesman]
No word on the Tide-to-go pen.

Dinwiddie CFL player of the week [CFL.ca]
Bags of milk for everyone!

If Aztecs are out, will Broncos be in? [Union-Tribune]
SDSU may be without stadium, which makes it hard to play football.

Nevada gets QB commit [Gazette-Journal]
See? Early recruits can happen outside of Boise.

WAC recruiting budgets [ESPN]
Blogger is out to get us [Blogger Buzz] 

Tuesday: Links with Engagement

Story of the day:

Non-BCS players to watch in 2008 [In the Bleachers]

We found this story interesting not only because it provides a handy guide to some potentially exciting players, but it also has a level-headed, sensible approach to the preseason WAC race.

After a quiet year in 2007 expect Johnson and Boise State to make another run in the WAC, where the departure of Colt Brennan and June Jones at Hawaii has suddenly left the conference wide open.

It sure is nice not having someone hand the title to Fresno State right away.

Ian Johnson is the lone BSU representative on the list, and he joins three other WAC players to watch. Not surprisingly, no Vandals were mentioned.

Other links:

Tadman in Jets camp [Idaho Statesman]
Oh, really, Statesman? It's about time you mentioned this. And thanks for not citing us as a source. Again.

Relating popular bands to their college team similes [Fight Fight BSU]
Conspicuously absent is Utah State. They always came across as a Scrantonicity to us.

Another case for Kellen Moore [Bleacher Report]
Written by Michael Hroma, which is probably an alias for Jeff Caves.

Scandrick impresses in Cowboys camp [Idaho Statesman]
The blogs have already hit on this, but we guess its not news until a newspaper covers it.

UH volleyball and football nearly double-booked [Honolulu Advertiser]
Crisis averted! Thank goodness they figured this one out.

Senior OL Woodruff picked in CFL Draft [Idaho Sports Zone]
Bronco golfer qualifies for regionals [Idaho Statesman]
Fresno recruiting cattle ranchers [ESPN.com]

Blogging's place in local media

Warning: There is some serious stuff in here. If you are looking for a typical OBNUG fluff piece, try this link. Proceed with appropriate seriousness.

Blogging has been in the news recently thanks to the ambush-discussion on HBO with Deadspin editor Will Leitch and a bunch of crotchety old men who aren't open-minded. Websites have lit up with talk of blogging's virtues (mostly on blogs) and blogging's faults (mostly on newspaper sites). The Statesman's Brian Murphy used his Sunday column to tackle the issue.

Now it is our turn.

Obviously, we have an opinion on the blog debate. But instead of rehashing breakdowns of blogging's validity, we want to turn the tables to blogging's place among the local media in Boise. OBNUG, Fight Fight BSU, and Statue Left are the three most predominant Bronco blogs, and there has yet to be a proper discourse on how our influence affects the big boys of the Idaho Statesman, Idaho Press-Tribune, KTVB, and others.

To start with, let's get a few basic facts out of the way:
1. Blogs are here to stay.
2. Traditional media doesn't need to understand or appreciate blogs in order for them to succeed.
3. Blogs serve a meaningful purpose in the new era of media.

We truly believe all those points, and we feel that in a few years, these tenets will be common knowledge. As such, we feel the discussion of whether or not blogs are relevant is pointless. Our numbers after three months in existence testify to this, and the popularity of OBNUG, Fight Fight BSU, and Statue Left is further proof.

Blogging, in general, provides a significant supplement to traditional news coverage. Blogging, in Boise, has the potential for far greater traction.

To say that the local media does not cater to a demanding Boise State audience would be an understatement. There is simply not enough constant, streaming news and information to satisfy a diehard fan, which is why forums and message boards have gained so much popularity. We started our website because we saw a need for Boise State content that was written by Boise State fans, for Boise State fans. We target our content to be accessible to casual fans, but we have found that the diehard fan gets just as much use out of it.

Why? Because they have no other choice. The traditional Boise media does not do a good enough job of providing content on a consistent, regular basis.

Case in point: the NFL Draft. Brian Murphy decided to dedicate his Murph's Turf blog to the NFL draft for the week leading up to draft day. He started on Monday; his last post was on a Tuesday. For the next few days, he posted various short items related to the Broncos.

Similarly, we decided to dedicate OBNUG to draft coverage for the entire week. We had multiple stories each day on the prospects of Boise State players and the latest news leading up to the draft. We live-blogged the draft on Saturday and we followed up with breaking news and video on Sunday.

If BSU fans wanted instant updates, they had to go to the blogs. And they did. During draft weekend, we received some of our highest ratings yet because we were live-blogging, updating, and breaking news. The Statesman wasn't, and knowledge-hungry fans recognized this.

Another prime example is the latest Marty Tadman news. Last night, while we were prepping for the week ahead, we came across a story about Marty Tadman being in Jets camp. At first, we couldn't believe our eyes. We had been searching feverishly for Tadman news ever since the draft ended. As one of our favorite Broncos, we were shocked when his name never turned up on initial free agent signings, but all of a sudden, here he was in Jets camp.

We searched the Statesman and the Press-Tribune for any similar stories, and they had nothing. Then, we had to double-check the source just to make sure it wasn't a mistake (that's right, we're a blog that actually checks sources). It wasn't. Tadman was indeed in Jets camp.

We posted the story late last night, as soon as we found out. We thought Bronco fans would want to know, and again, we were right. Fight Fight BSU linked to the story, and we've had a great number of hits today from fans who want more.

Our point is that Boise State blogs are committed to the Boise State football team. Other local media are decidedly less so. Having a team page devoted to Boise State isn't going to cut it in today's day and age. Fans want websites of news and information. They want devoted writers. They want quality and quantity.

The amazing thing is that local blogs provide their services with absolutely no pay. We do not have resources or funding or financial backers. What we do have is jobs--real, tangible, 9-to-5 jobs. We do the blogging on the side because we love the team and because we want to help support the Bronco football program. Imagine what we could do if we were getting paid a salary to report on the Broncos. OBNUG would be ten times this size!

The world is changing, and the next generation of consumers have a different approach to news and information. Instant gratification and instant knowledge is the new standard. The Statesman doesn't have it. The Idaho Press-Tribune doesn't have it. KTVB.com doesn't have it. Broncosports.com certainly doesn't have it.

Blogs do.

If we were granted the access and resources and support of a traditional media outlet, the competition would be over. As it stands, we still depend on outlets like the Statesman and KTIK for stories and news. But their autonomy won't last forever. Boise State bloggers have started cultivating our own sources and breaking our own news. We certainly have an edge when it comes to research and knowledge. And, most importantly, we understand the needs of our audience.

The future is bright for Bronco bloggers. Until the local media catches up, the same cannot be said of them.

Public Enemy #1: Mike Prater's case

OBNUG is in the process of deciding who should be this website's most hated villain. We'll be presenting the cases for all of the candidates over the next few weeks. Enjoy.

Mike Prater

When it comes to the sports editor of Idaho's largest newspaper, some might expect an objective, temperate journalist. Not us. We want the biggest homer around.

Mike Prater, the Statesman's sports editor since 2001, is not that homer. Sure, he does a fine job running the sports section, but he does so with a decidedly non-partisan flair. Where are the op-ed columns from Buster Bronco? Where is the photo collage of Brock Jaramillo? Where is the blue? Where is the orange?

We want someone running the sports section who loves Boise State football as much as we do. Instead, we have a Vandal apologist. And that reason alone is enough for this website to despise him.

We could forgive him for the complete lack of Bronco flair on the sports page. We can even forgive his part in the yukfest that is Caves & Prater. But we simply cannot overlook his unforgivable sin of not hating the Idaho Vandals.

And really, he leaves us no choice. He knows full well that defending the Vandals is a crime against Bronco Nation, and his doing so in the city of Boise only magnifies his betrayal. How far off is the day when Robb Akey and Nathan Enderle take the Broncos off the front page? Not as far as one might think.

Prater's Vandal vivality has dug himself a pretty big hole. He might never be able to repair the damage he has done to his reputation with Bronco fans, but there's no harm in trying.

Want to get off of our bad side, Prater? Vote Boise State #1 in your pre-season AP poll. Want to spend the next year as our Public Enemy #1? Keep right on doing what you're doing.

Konichiwa, Bronco Nation

Members from the football team at Hosei University in Japan are spending time at Boise State practices over the next two weeks. Might a future in the WAC be far off?

Hosei, which began an international academic partnership with Boise State in 2006, has appeared in 13 of the past 16 college football championship games in Japan. Hosei won back-to-back college titles in 2005 and 2006.

That is a better resumé than Utah State, New Mexico State, and Idaho put together.

The Hosei coaches have already been impressed by the way the Broncos practice, and they hope to take back some tips to keep their team at the top of Japanese football.

"The Broncos are very, very popular in Japan," Yaekura said. "A lot of people watched that Fiesta Bowl victory."

This just in: Bob Stoops hates Japan.

What's the Japanese translation for 'Statue Left'? [Idaho Statesman]

Boise State spring football kicks off today

Boise State returns to the field today for the first time in 2008 as spring practice gets underway. The Broncos will have 15 practices over the next month (taking a week off for spring break), and there will be three scrimmages planned that are open to the public. Here are the scrimmage dates:

1. March 21 (3:30 Bronco Stadium)
2. April 4 (3:30 TBA)
3. April 11 (6:00 Bronco Stadium)

Last week, we listed several questions we thought would need answering over the course of spring practice, so we hope that the Broncos have some productive sessions. Chadd Cripe will be covering the practices on his Boise Beat blog, while OBNUG will be trying to figure out a way to sneak in.

The Statesman ran a good spring ball primer on Sunday, but no Boise State news would be complete without OBNUG's opinion. Thusly, our highlights of the feature:

• "Practicing the no-huddle." Can we hope to see this during the regular season?
• "Great teams are built in practice." This just in: Utah State cancels spring practice.
• "Veterans Austin Pettis and Titus Young." Are we sure "veterans" is the right word?
• "A physical defense." We will gladly accept that.
• "Garcia Day to cornerback." Inevitable.
• "Thomas Byrd as starting center." Fine by us.

BSU football filling in the blanks [Idaho Statesman]

Let OBNUG plan your Thursday night

Yesterday, Idaho Statesman columnist Brian Murphy wrote an article calling out Bronco football fans for not being Bronco basketball fans. Specifically, he wanted Bronco Nation to attend tonight's men's basketball against Utah State as if it were some sort of obligation.

We didn't appreciate Murphy's presumptive tone, and we certainly didn't like that he was trying to plan our Thursday night. But anything Murphy can do, OBNUG can do better, so here are our humble suggestions for Thursday night activities.

1. Watch LOST.
Maybe this week we find out why the statues only have four toes.

2. Go to Dairy Queen.
Medium Oreo Blizzards for everyone!

3. Plan a road trip to a BSU away game.
Eugene is only 530 miles away.

4. Re-watch the 2007 Fiesta Bowl.
Fast-forward past the Zabransky interception.

5. Write Brian Murphy a letter.
Preferably one telling how to spend his free time.

Let Brian Murphy plan your Thursday night

In today's Idaho Statesman, columnist Brian Murphy pleaded with Boise State football fans to attend Thursday's Bronco basketball game.

...I'm making an exception today for all of those who call themselves Boise State fans - for the tens of thousands who show up at football games, who flocked to the Fiesta Bowl, who snap up hats and T-shirts and posters.

There is a pretty important men's basketball game Thursday night at Taco Bell Arena. The Broncos - your beloved Broncos, right? - host Utah State with the WAC regular-season championship and a postseason berth on the line...

Seems like a fan should be there.

We have a few problems with this. First off, he questioned Bronco Nation's loyalty. Second, he deigned to affect our social calendar. And third, he failed to understand that being a Bronco football fan has nothing to do with being a Bronco basketball fan.

We don't tell you how to write your condescending columns, so please don't tell us how to spend our free time.

BSU fans need to be at Thursday's game [Idaho Statesman]

BSU's Pro Day a success

Ryan Clady made his mark on NFL scouts yesterday, virtually assuring himself to be the second offensive lineman taken in April's NFL Draft. According to the Statesman, more than 50 pro personnel representing 30 of the NFL teams were on hand to watch Clady and a dozen other former Broncos work out and go through drills.

By all accounts, Clady impressed during the session, likely solidifying his spot as the No. 2 offensive tackle in the draft behind Michigan's Jake Long. Representatives from the San Francisco 49ers and Washington Redskins spoke with him after the workout. The Chicago Bears have a private workout scheduled with Clady for next week.

"With his workout I know he impressed everybody," said Clady's agent, Pat Dye Jr., who was not allowed inside during the workouts, but spoke with NFL personnel after the session. "Everybody came out and said he really helped himself."

Clady had a disappointing Combine performance after being forced to sit out with an injury. Doing well in yesterday's Pro Day assured everyone that he is worth a high first-round pick.

Clady solidifies his draft status [Idaho Statesman]
BSU's Clady impresses crowd at Pro Day workout [Idaho Statesman]

Lies compromise Statesman website

In its haste for timely journalism, the Idaho Statesman posted Boise State's schedule without having a Bronco fan read it first for mistakes. See that monumentally important game at the end of the schedule against Fresno? Where are we playing that again?



Let the conspiracy theories begin.

Boise State Pro Day on Monday

Ryan Clady and friends will be hitting the field for NFL scouts on Monday, March 3rd. The previous date posted on the NFL's website was at least a couple weeks later, but several stories in the Statesman has referred to the date as Monday. This will be the only time we trust the Idaho Statesman over the NFL.

Rent out BSU's practice facility

The Idaho Statesman ran a story today about the success of Boise State's practice facility, which apparently can be rented out by anyone for any reason. Hopefully this rule excludes Idaho Vandals.

Oh, and as a personal note to Chadd Cripe: please, no more Dan Hawkins quotes in any story ever. Thanks.

Sport Complex becomes popular community facility [Idaho Statesman]

Statesman recruiting coverage: A+

The Idaho Statesman did a tremendous job of covering the new BSU recruits last week. It is nice to see an Idaho media outlet understand technology and the way it improves communication.

We at OBNUG would like to particularly point out the contributions of Brian Murphy, who spent all day Wednesday blogging the recruits. You are okay in our book, Mr. Murphy.

In addition, the Statesman has video clips from all of the new Bronco players.

BSU football videos [Idaho Statesman]
Murph's Turf recruiting blog [Idaho Statesman]

Coach Peterson press conference

The full audio from Coach Peterson's press conference is up on the Idaho Statesman's website. If you can ignore the obsessive compulsive typing in the background, it is an interesting listen.

Is Chadd Cripe on vacation?

The Idaho Statesman is getting with the future by blogging Letter of Intent Day (LOI) on its website. Brian Murphy of the popular(?) Murph's Turf column kicked things off yesterday, and he already has a few posts up this morning. He seems like a nice guy, and if he's getting up at 7:30 to post BSU info, then he is okay in my book. Take a look at some of the hot leads:

Chris Potter made his decision to attend Boise State in June — and never
wavered.

He's breaking news from June! Amazing!

In all seriousness, though, Murphy might have some good stuff up there today, so we would recommend checking it out. That is, if you don't already know everything from having read sites like Scout.com and Rivals.com.

National Signing Day blog [Idaho Statesman]