FanPost

John R. Thompson Jr. = Hitler?

Both my grandparents are Holocaust survivors and most of their siblings perished in Germany, but the first person I remember consciously hating wasn't Hitler... it was John Thompson.

Now obviously John Thompson Jr. isn't nearly as bad as Hitler, but as a child my narrow world view had me ranking the most evil people as follows: 1. Hitler Tie for 2. Darth Vader and John Thompson Jr.

As a small child, I remember being convinced that at any given moment John Thompson was going to whip that towel at one of his players, tear off his suit, check himself into the game, and murder Derrick Coleman in cold blood on the middle of the court. My parents raised me to be respectful, polite, and considerate, but they also taught me to hate JT II and his Georgetown Hoyas. It wasn't a conscious undertaking on their part, instead I absorbed the vitriol they felt for him through osmosis, allowing their hatred to slowly seep into my pores until my childhood innocence had vanished, replaced with a bloodlust for Georgetown, its fans, players, and of course John Thompson.

When he retired and Craig Esherick took over, I remember feeling like a part of me was dying.... like an ugly, nasty, dirty part of me, but still, a part of me was dying! A strong, obnoxious, awful Georgetown brought out the best in Syracuse and its fans. A weak Georgetown meant that the players and fans and even Ol' Jimmy B were going to let their guard down. Somehow a weaker Georgetown was responsible for the Deshaun Williams era at Syracuse. I don't know how, but it had to be. So when JT III was hired, I was furiously thrilled. The rivalry needs a Thompson. And no, JT III isn't as scary as his father. He's never going to rip off his suit and check himself into a game, but his father's evil blood flows through his veins and so I hate him, and I hate Georgetown, and I can't wait to destroy them. I hate losses way more than I enjoy wins, but I make an exception for Georgetown (and National Championships). So if you're at the game this Wednesday... cheer loud, cheer proud, cheer angry, but for the love of God, show those Georgetown bastards and the Thompsons (father and son) that they can look forward to an eternity of Syracuse domination when they get to their special place in hell.