Can this be true?

[Madison]

See what I mean about overblown? You'd think he raped and killed the boys on the teams his son played against. "Biggest Jerk in Sports"? There are far worse guys out there.

I think it was just for November; I agree.

Haha, this getting fun I guess. After reading various articles, the vast majority of people, editors, publications and public polls suggest this Hinkle guy is a first class a-hole. I guess they're all idiots though

He's the easy target and it sells more papers or generates more clicks for them to blame him.

Wouldn't be nearly as interesting (less papers sold, less clicks) if they looked at it rationally. Not to mention that very few sites/papers have the stones to stand up and be the "bad guy" when they point out the simple facts of the whole situation. Much easier and safer to just jump on the bandwagon with everyone else.

[Coppermine]

See what I mean about overblown? You'd think he raped and killed the boys on the teams his son played against. "Biggest Jerk in Sports"? There are far worse guys out there.

I think it was just for November; I agree.

Haha, this getting fun I guess. After reading various articles, the vast majority of people, editors, publications and public polls suggest this Hinkle guy is a first class a-hole. I guess they're all idiots though

He's the easy target and it sells more papers or generates more clicks for them to blame him.

Wouldn't be nearly as interesting (less papers sold, less clicks) if they looked at it rationally. Not to mention that very few sites/papers have the stones to stand up and be the "bad guy" when they point out the simple facts of the whole situation. Much easier and safer to just jump on the bandwagon with everyone else.

Yeah! Screw the kids! This guy had the money (and huge "stones" I'm sure) to stand up to that coach and fire him for not following his orders. That coach and those kids are such cowards for not backing down!

[Madison]

Yeah! Screw the kids! This guy had the money (and huge "stones" I'm sure) to stand up to that coach and fire him for not following his orders. That coach and those kids are such cowards for not backing down!

Where did that come from?

[Coppermine]

Yeah! Screw the kids! This guy had the money (and huge "stones" I'm sure) to stand up to that coach and fire him for not following his orders. That coach and those kids are such cowards for not backing down!

Where did that come from?

Just playing the devil's advocate

[1337_Dude]

See what I mean about overblown? You'd think he raped and killed the boys on the teams his son played against. "Biggest Jerk in Sports"? There are far worse guys out there.

Oh, and note that he did say the team was welcome to use the equipment and facilities, since you were so kind as to bold an irrelevant part of the story.

Hinkle said yesterday that he would allow the Raptors to use the equipment. "I support [the league] trying to do something for the kids. I'm behind it 100 percent, using the equipment and the facilities."

In fact, Hinkle said, he would not stand in the way of letting the entire coaching staff return to coach the bowl game,

Now he's obviously not happy about the coach coming back, but he really didn't seem to have a problem with them using the equipment and facilities.

Just pointing it out to be fair of course. Unlike those who don't really look at it, and choose to not think rationally (like the idiot in the article).

I think it's just as much the guy doing something stupid and now he's trying to save face.

[Madison]

See what I mean about overblown? You'd think he raped and killed the boys on the teams his son played against. "Biggest Jerk in Sports"? There are far worse guys out there.

Oh, and note that he did say the team was welcome to use the equipment and facilities, since you were so kind as to bold an irrelevant part of the story.

Hinkle said yesterday that he would allow the Raptors to use the equipment. "I support [the league] trying to do something for the kids. I'm behind it 100 percent, using the equipment and the facilities."

In fact, Hinkle said, he would not stand in the way of letting the entire coaching staff return to coach the bowl game,

Now he's obviously not happy about the coach coming back, but he really didn't seem to have a problem with them using the equipment and facilities.

Just pointing it out to be fair of course. Unlike those who don't really look at it, and choose to not think rationally (like the idiot in the article).

I think it's just as much the guy doing something stupid and now he's trying to save face.

I'd agree if he had taken away their playoffs. He didn't do that though.

[1337_Dude]

See what I mean about overblown? You'd think he raped and killed the boys on the teams his son played against. "Biggest Jerk in Sports"? There are far worse guys out there.

Oh, and note that he did say the team was welcome to use the equipment and facilities, since you were so kind as to bold an irrelevant part of the story.

Hinkle said yesterday that he would allow the Raptors to use the equipment. "I support [the league] trying to do something for the kids. I'm behind it 100 percent, using the equipment and the facilities."

In fact, Hinkle said, he would not stand in the way of letting the entire coaching staff return to coach the bowl game,

Now he's obviously not happy about the coach coming back, but he really didn't seem to have a problem with them using the equipment and facilities.

Just pointing it out to be fair of course. Unlike those who don't really look at it, and choose to not think rationally (like the idiot in the article).

I think it's just as much the guy doing something stupid and now he's trying to save face.

I'd agree if he had taken away their playoffs. He didn't do that though.

In this case, I believe you're in the minority, so I do believe he needed to work some damage control.

[Madison]

See what I mean about overblown? You'd think he raped and killed the boys on the teams his son played against. "Biggest Jerk in Sports"? There are far worse guys out there.

Oh, and note that he did say the team was welcome to use the equipment and facilities, since you were so kind as to bold an irrelevant part of the story.

Hinkle said yesterday that he would allow the Raptors to use the equipment. "I support [the league] trying to do something for the kids. I'm behind it 100 percent, using the equipment and the facilities."

In fact, Hinkle said, he would not stand in the way of letting the entire coaching staff return to coach the bowl game,

Now he's obviously not happy about the coach coming back, but he really didn't seem to have a problem with them using the equipment and facilities.

Just pointing it out to be fair of course. Unlike those who don't really look at it, and choose to not think rationally (like the idiot in the article).

I think it's just as much the guy doing something stupid and now he's trying to save face.

I'd agree if he had taken away their playoffs. He didn't do that though.

In this case, I believe you're in the minority, so I do believe he needed to work some damage control.

Why do you believe it's damage control? Why does everyone think the owner has a problem and wants to punish the kids? It wasn't mentioned anywhere that the owner had any problems whatsoever with the kids. He even wanted to get a new coach so they could play in the playoffs. I'm not surprised at all that he said they could use the equipment and facilities. He had no problems with the kid, just with a coach who couldn't follow a simple rule.

Damage control? Not hardly.

[Coppermine]

See what I mean about overblown? You'd think he raped and killed the boys on the teams his son played against. "Biggest Jerk in Sports"? There are far worse guys out there.

Oh, and note that he did say the team was welcome to use the equipment and facilities, since you were so kind as to bold an irrelevant part of the story.

Hinkle said yesterday that he would allow the Raptors to use the equipment. "I support [the league] trying to do something for the kids. I'm behind it 100 percent, using the equipment and the facilities."

In fact, Hinkle said, he would not stand in the way of letting the entire coaching staff return to coach the bowl game,

Now he's obviously not happy about the coach coming back, but he really didn't seem to have a problem with them using the equipment and facilities.

Just pointing it out to be fair of course. Unlike those who don't really look at it, and choose to not think rationally (like the idiot in the article).

I think it's just as much the guy doing something stupid and now he's trying to save face.

I'd agree if he had taken away their playoffs. He didn't do that though.

In this case, I believe you're in the minority, so I do believe he needed to work some damage control.

Why do you believe it's damage control? Why does everyone think the owner has a problem and wants to punish the kids? It wasn't mentioned anywhere that the owner had any problems whatsoever with the kids. He even wanted to get a new coach so they could play in the playoffs. I'm not surprised at all that he said they could use the equipment and facilities. He had no problems with the kid, just with a coach who couldn't follow a simple rule.

Damage control? Not hardly.

I can't resist. I know you're not going to back down on your position here Mad, but I just have to...

You really don't think it's damage control? This guy fired the coach and had no clue it would be published in a nationally syndicated newspaper and talked about all over the country. I did a quick search and everyone everywhere is pretty much defining the commissioner as a bully and the team as a representation of good sportsmanship. It's like a made-for-TV or after-school movie where the kids overcome the bully grown up trying to push around their beloved coach.

I mean, i try to put myself in the shoes of the coach, the parent, even the kids.... I played little league, I know how parents and coaches can ruin the game. If my coach got fired for playing the commissioner's son on offense instead of defense as was demanded, I'd stand by my coach too.

Wasn't it even just one play?

[Madison]

I can't resist. I know you're not going to back down on your position here Mad, but I just have to...

You really don't think it's damage control? This guy fired the coach and had no clue it would be published in a nationally syndicated newspaper and talked about all over the country. I did a quick search and everyone everywhere is pretty much defining the commissioner as a bully and the team as a representation of good sportsmanship. It's like a made-for-TV or after-school movie where the kids overcome the bully grown up trying to push around their beloved coach.

I mean, i try to put myself in the shoes of the coach, the parent, even the kids.... I played little league, I know how parents and coaches can ruin the game. If my coach got fired for playing the commissioner's son on offense instead of defense as was demanded, I'd stand by my coach too.

Wasn't it even just one play?

What am I supposed to back down from? I've repeated the facts over and over and over.

Sure, everyone's blaming this guy. Wrveres's "sheep" comment would fit in perfectly with how people are reacting to this. Instead of reading the actual events and looking at it from other angles, they are just piling on and blaming the father. I didn't expect anything less and it's no surprise that people are intentionally ignoring the facts.

As to damage control, all you've got to do is show me where the owner did anything against the kids. He fired the coach. Big deal. Whoop-de-doo. Even offered to replace the coach so they could play in the playoffs. The owner has nothing at all against the kids, so why is him letting them use the equipment and facilities "damage control"? Now had he said the team could not use the equipment and facilities for this game because the coach was going to be back, and then changed his mind due to the sheep, that would be "damage control". The owner has done everything he could for the team, other than keep a coach who couldn't follow a simple rule. It's not nearly the big deal that some people are making it out to be.

Here's a gift for all those people who just assume the worst without actually reading the situation at hand: