If Jim Boeheim wants to pop off, Jim Boeheim can pop off. I think we can all agree that he's earned the right to pop off at-will.
He is a fully-accredited member of the National Popping Off Association.
He has an honorary degree in Popping Off with an honorary minor in Sounding Off.
Popping Off: The Jim Boeheim Story will be the name of his autobiography.
Now, there's a lot of folks in the ACC who might not be aware of this. They might not realize that Jim Boeheim surpassed Right to Pop Off Whenever He God Damn Well Pleases status a long time ago. He surpassed Doesn't Give A S**tF**k What You Think About It status even before that.
Between now and the time the Syracuse Orange start playing ACC basketball, all ACC fans should begin acclimating themselves to The Great Pop-Offening that is ahead. Jim Boeheim will pop off about your team. He will pop off about your coach. He will pop off about the refs. He will pop off about the location in which you play basketball games. He will pop off about your local paper. He will most certainly pop off about the questions its reporters ask. He will pop off about your town. He will pop off about the dinner options available there. He will pop off about the local accommodations. And he will pop off about all of it whether you ask him to pop off or not.
Do you know why?
Because he has 856 wins, thirty-three 20-win seasons, twenty-seven NCAA Tournament appearances, eight Big East regular season championships, five Big East Tournament championships, an Olympic gold medal, a Hall of Fame plaque, three Finals Fours and a National Championship. That's the f*** why.
If you could just give N.C. State coach Mark Gottfried and his 279 career-wins the head's up about all that, it would be appreciated.
"I think the tournament has so much tradition, probably more than any other basketball tournament in the country," Gottfried said. "I like the fact, whether it’s in Greensboro, or to me, Charlotte would be a great place. Jim Boeheim popping off up there that he thinks it needs to be in New York -- he needs to get in the league first, before he starts making demands on the league."
Mark and the Wolfpack host Boeheim and the Orange on December 17th. Giddy up.