Fire marshal right to push back Crazies
Duke basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski is upset at a ruling from fire marshals that will push the Cameron Crazies back from their usual perch essentially atop press row.
I actually agree with the response from Coach K - basically "why wasn't this done 50 years ago?"
So the policy at Cameron Indoor Stadium allowing students to stand in the floor space behind press row dates that far back, eh?
I think Coach K is right - something should have been done about this 50 years ago.
I know, I know - that isn't what he was saying.
"It's like, 'Did we do something wrong?' " Krzyzewski said in addressing the issue with the media earlier this week.
"And if that is the case, then how might we be able to solve it without hurting the students? They're on the team, too. They should be as close to the court as possible."
Er ... maybe not there, K-Man.
I'm reminded as I write this of a classic picture in Sports Illustrated from a year or two ago that depicted a Tennessee women's player trying to inbound the ball from the sideline at Cameron against a backdrop of Crazies essentially physically surrounding her and making it near-impossible for her to pivot her body.
"They're on the team, too. They should be as close to the court as possible."
I'm sorry - I'm all for fans cheering and chanting and jumping up and down and all the rest. But this kind of fan presence has no place in sports - no matter what Krzyzewski or his running buddy Dick Vitale might say.
- Chris Graham