At This Point, I Feel Bad For Doug Gottlieb

A lot of morons convinced themselves that the Mayans predicted Friday was the end of the world. In fact, the only thing that was happening was that one Mayan calendar was ending and a new one was beginning. With it, a new era is said to have begun. An era of peace and oneness and love.

So it's with that in mind that I want to tell you that when it comes to Doug Gottlieb, the only thing I can really say at this point is that I feel bad for him.

I feel bad for the guy. I feel bad that he and Syracuse fans have never gotten along. And I feel bad that he has to put up with the "vile, completely disgusting" Syracuse fanbase every time he criticizes Syracuse and Jim Boeheim.

I feel bad that, the day after Jim Boeheim won his 900th game as head coach of the Syracuse Orange, Gottlieb was so beseeched by hatred and bile that he was forced to take to the airwaves to say that not only is Boeheim overrated but so is Syracuse in general. Especially since he already made it crystal clear previously that SU is overrated and no one wanted to listen to him. If no one will listen, I don't blame him for repeating his point over and over and over and over.

It bothers me that Jim Boeheim feels the need to make fun of Gottlieb and accusing him of having a bias against Syracuse. What bias? What proof do you have, James Arthur?

Especially considering Gottlieb, a son of two Syracuse alums, was not recruited by Boeheim. So think about that. You spend your whole life hearing about how amazing Syracuse, namely Syracuse basketball is, from your parents. You grow up to be good enough at basketball to get recruited by major programs. And when it comes time to get recruited by Jim Boeheim and SU...it never happens. Syracuse passes on you cause they're trying to recruit Stephan Marbury instead. YOU BROUGHT THIS ON YOURSELF, JIM.

When I read the quote, "It was always one of my dreams to play at Syracuse," uttered by Gottlieb in 2000, I feel absolutely grief-stricken. Can you imagine the effect it has on a person to get completely snubbed by the school that you dream of going to? The school your parents were good enough to attend but you weren't? It would make you feel unworthy. It would make you feel less-than. You'd always feel like a disappointment in their eyes. You'd resent them for it. You'd hate them for it. You'd want to get back at them by hurting them where it counts. By constantly and consistently putting down that school that represents them. By using the school and the basketball coach as proxies for your mom and dad. I can't even imagine the pain...

I feel so bad for Gottlieb, who can't even refer to Syracuse's basketball as "fraudulent" without everyone bringing up the fact that he actually committed fraud once. LEAVE DOUG ALONE!

And when Jim Boeheim says Doug Gottlieb has no credibility when Doug says Syracuse doesn't belong in the NCAA Tournament and then gets into the NCAA Tournament baed on their merits, it's shameful. Just embarrassing. Of course he has credibility. He's Doug Gottlieb!

I feel horrible about the fact that a week after Jim Boeheim's 900th win, a good five days after everyone else stopped talking about it or cared, Doug still had to write a 2,500 word article proving that Jim Boeheim is overrated. Think about how much you have to be bothered and personally affected by a topic to, a week after its relevant, and with everyone having made their point, write a TWO-THOUSAND-FIVE-HUNDRED WORD article on a topic. It pains me inside to know that Doug is so wracked by the guilt that he hasn't done enough to convince people that Syracuse and Jim Boeheim are overrated, that he has to take time out of his busy weekend to write a massive article about everything he's already said. It takes a tenacity and temerity unlike anything I know to be able to fight this good fight.

He even baked the piece in backhanded praise, so you know he's forthcoming and unbiased. What more do you want, Syracuse fans?

Look, Doug Gottlieb is entitled to his opinions. His UNBIASED opinions. If I have made anything clear here, it's that this guy who dreamed of going to Syracuse after growing up in a household of Syracuse alums and then having his dreams crushed by Jim Boeheim for not recruiting him and then got into a very public critical feud with Boeheim since 2004 and went as far as to refer to Syracuse fans as "vile" and "completely disgusting" is NOT BIASED IN ANY WAY TOWARDS SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY BASKETBALL.

And f***you guys for thinking so.

I'm sorry Douglas. I'm so, so, so sorry. I can only do so much but I will do everything I can to stop this vile, disgusting fanbase from continuing to misunderstand you.

It gets better.