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Posts: 1031
Jan 23 12 5:36 PM
I’m curious about mythology and I’ve never come across Fear Dearg! Big oversight. He’s perfect! Not as a mascot per say but as a leader of a merry band of pranksters for sure. This guy is the model of old Gael Force alumni! Plus many of our alumni already look like him!
http://www.google.com/img...,s:0&tx=98&ty=32
http://www.google.com/img...s:18&tx=55&ty=55
Sometimes he would come in to warm himself by a person's fire and if the people of the house raised no objections to him they prospered, but if any said any words against him bad luck happened to that person.
Posts: 126
Jan 23 12 5:40 PM
mjgogaels wrote: A PROPOSAL TO RAISE OUR SPIRIT Mike.........I loved your proposal and have sent the following to some alumns who might have some say at the College.To:parzmail@yahoo.com, david@kellycpa.com, gflint@bpadvisor.com, sjwromeo@tower-health.com, rturner@stmarys-ca.edu, joesiler@juno.com, Silvestrilaw@aol.com, ttsukaha@stmarys-ca.edu, wchap3@juno.com, john@macken.comCC: brg@stmarys-ca.edu, mike@jojolaw.com Hi Guys........ Though I have not been to any games in Moraga this year, I was taken by the complaints on http://www.gogisagael.com/ href="http://www.gogisagael.com/">www.GogIsAGael.com about the demise of the pep band and have been following the thread. There is a new proposal by MJ (Mike Johnson) and others that sounds useful and I thought I might send it on to you to see if you could support it with the athletic department, if not the administration. Milt Fletcher SMC '62
A PROPOSAL TO RAISE OUR SPIRIT
Jan 23 12 6:11 PM
GAELHOOPFREAK wrote:Guess I stirred the pot..........Freak ........ is out ( I love the Ideas by the way )
Posts: 7085
Jan 23 12 6:24 PM
Bleeding Red and Blue
Posts: 472
Jan 23 12 8:28 PM
Jan 23 12 9:55 PM
This would not be hard. About 3 minutes on Google and you’ll find plenty of pipe and drum clubs in the Bay Area. For cripes sake, there’s a freaking award-winning bagpipe band just on the other side of the hill!
• Piedmont Highlanders: http://www.piedmonthighlanders.org/
• Alameda County Sheriff's Pipe Band
• The Prince Charles Pipe Band in SF: http://www.pcpb.org/
• Stewart Tartan Pipes & Drums in SF http://www.stewarttartan.com/
Call over to the Irish Cultural Center in SF and they can probably give you a list of more clubs. Then there’s an absolute ton of solo players.
If you just did the weekend home games that’s only 5 or 6 gigs from November to February. Or maybe scale it down mid-week and just have one piper? Or just do the league games? Whatever. That’s not a big deal. Look at the stuff they play- it’s local parades, Scottish or Irish events, bagpipe competitions. Set the guys up with free tickets, they play and get to watch a great game, and they get a chance to play in front of 3000 people who will totally appreciate it. Time to pay the piper. Or not. They’d probably do it for free. And we extend our community!
Posts: 1337
Jan 23 12 10:58 PM
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Jan 23 12 11:46 PM
Jan 24 12 12:17 AM
Posts: 974
Jan 24 12 7:35 AM
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Jan 24 12 8:51 AM
Jan 24 12 10:23 AM
Hoops- you make some good points. But I also think you may have been reading into my posts as more “ranty” than they were meant to be. I have been guilty of that on many occasions here. I’ve particularly been trigger-happy when I read any asinine “fire Bennett” posts. (You people know who you are, don’t make me dig up the old posts) or when posters feel the need to goat out players. (I remember people calling McConnell “garbage” here- those posts still live) So I think I understand your trigger mechanism. I certainly was not saying the administration “sucks.” Far from it. (I was also not saying the Student section “sucked” in the other thread but I think you may have taken it that way.) The point I was making in both threads is the approach could be better. And I think somebody needs to step up and take the wheel. (MJ and others are doing that and I whole-heartedly support them.)
I recall a time when the approach was better when the teams were not nearly as good. The basketball team obviously, as you pointed out and I have also said in past threads, is superior in ways we could not (and probably should not) have dreamed! Coach Bennett has taken the team to heights that boggle the senses. The San Jose Mercury News runs more articles on St. Mary’s now than they do on Santa Clara or San Jose State. I’m not sure if the SF Chronicle realizes USF is in San Francisco. But they have a guy covering the Gaels now. The Gaels are on TV more than they ever have been, both locally and nationally. The basketball team is now ranked over the likes of Kansas State and UConn. Who would’a thought?! This is insanely cool. So I guess my background says it’s high time the school capitalizes on this. Or capitalizes on it better. Yes, what has been proposed, if done poorly, could come across as hokey. So could any of the things that schools do. But it could also be done well and develop a unique and fun brand that comes across well on TV and gets people excited about and talking about St. Mary's College. Again, look at all the stuff Notre Dame does. If a group comes up with funding, what’s the harm in trying or experimenting? If it comes across bad, scrap it and try something else until you find something that people respond well to. But this is a chance for people to see St. Mary’s again in ways that haven’t been available since the 1930s. That’s why I look to Slip Madigan’s model and ask, what is it we want them to see?
But one thing here that I don’t think could ever be bad, is MJ’s (and others) proposal of an organized alumni group like “The Fear Dearg.” Belonging is a huge part of the college and fan experience. And a group like that offers an “in.” "I'm not just a fan, I'm in The Fear Dearg!" Now… no amount of pipers playing or big guys in Braveheart costumes yelling or even hot cheerleaders shakin’ it is going to change the fact that it’s just too difficult for me and many others to get out to Moraga regularly to watch basketball games. And I’m a BIG fan. But I have life responsibilities that unfortunately trump all that. SO being able to officially support the team by being part of a group like “The Fear Dearg” is particularly attractive to me. I doubt I’d be alone. And that serves as a gateway to all sorts of other extended things that would help connect, or in some cases help re-connect, alumni back to The College. Again, this is about community. It’s also about dollars. And I think there is a huge opportunity here.
On that note, I’d say much of what is being bandied about here is more for the alumni and fans than it is for the students. Although, again, if done right, I’m sure they’d respond to it too. Tradition is something each and every college and university strives to build. Traditions are a large part of who we are. Traditions also can die on the vine, as we have seen. Those can be sad to lose. It seems like your college experience was much different than mine. As mine was also much different than some of our alumni from the 60’s and 70’s. Heck… my college experience was different than some of my classmates. Regardless, we could help revive some great old traditions or develop some new ones that could carry over for a long time. But nothing is going to happen if we do nothing.
As for the pipers, Webfoot, I had no doubts you guys did your research. Sorry if I came across that way. Everything was very well thought out. I would not be surprised if you already pin-pointed the group you wanted to have play or even brought them along piping you guys into the meeting. I was just pointing out to everyone else that there are indeed groups out there who play and they might be interested in becoming part of the great extended St. Mary’s College community.
Go Gaels! On to Victory!
I yield the soapbox.
Jan 24 12 4:19 PM
Jan 24 12 10:38 PM
SMCHoops wrote: I see your point and I wasn't calling you out as a ranty. But other people were calling for mass emails and talking about withholding funds. So I spoke up.Everybody is entitled to their own take, but my reaction is what in the hell are you guys talking about with “The Fear Dearg.” And I'm pretty sure that was their reaction. Even at this point, I don't know what it is, it's confusing, it sounds weird, and I have a hard enough time explaining to my friends what a Gael is. I wear Gael gear to every game, but you won't see me in a Dearg shirt. I say this not to be a prick or offend, but again I'm trying to explain how others might view it. But if it floats your boat, make some T-shirts. Maybe it catches on. The best traditions are organic and slowly grow over time. I don't get why the school has to push it or make it offical. If I hadn't read this, and I got a flyer about The Fear Dearg and asked to join, I pass. And I'm a pretty die hard fan.And if I'm the compliance office, I wouldn't be telling the school to formally do something with a new alum group that I don't have the time and resources to properly oversee. If it's a cool idea, just do it. Nobody asked the school if they could wear the rugby gear. And that's pretty of cool. The school already provides a decent number of events and the tip off club. I don't think they need to have an offical alum rooting club. That's basically what this blog is. That's my .02
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Jan 25 12 1:11 AM
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Jan 25 12 1:36 PM
Moraga Faithful
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