Strong and Floyd - Fingers Did the Talking

ASDF JKL; -- The starting line for a display of power unimagined even a decade ago.

My father says that, of all the classes he took in school, the most important one was Typing. Anyone who read Myron Strong's Facebook fusillade directed at his now-former coach, Tim Floyd, would have to agree.

Myron seems to have gotten more from that than he did from English, anyway.

Not to date myself too much, but when I learned to get QWERTY with it the class was still called Typing, too.

It's Keyboarding now, the change both necessary (Who has actually seen a typewriter in the last 10 years?) and descriptive of the massive difference technology is making in who we are and how we express that.

Sure, we were online to start the new millenium, but to the web we added social networks and smartphones and geo-tagging with an army of apps encouraging us to share, and now everyone's singing "This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine," except some people have clearly plugged in their lights near standing water.

The results can be shocking. A little missive from a bitter former player and the blogosphere's ears were perked.

As a news junkie I love it. Truth will out at the speed of light -- and there is truth in Myron Strong's words, though it lies between the lines.

The fruit of information is understanding, so anything that encourages communication across borders and boundaries is essentially good. 

But beware to both consumers and conductors of information, that fruit also includes bad apples and sour grapes. Sometimes it can be tricky to figure out which is which, especially when things get contentious.

Not with Strong, though. That's easy pickin's.

Since the Facebook entry is conveniently deleted from Strong's account, here's the cut and paste: 

"Yeah I'm not at utep anymore I know a lot of ppl wondering y, but the big question really should be how did tim floyd even get the job there? Wasn't he just under investigation at USC? Well I'm hearing that he had a fake charity event to pay former player OJ Mayo $100,000 to play for him. How did the ncaa let that slide? I'm just saying." 

Then later, in response to a post: "Floyd a lil boy in me eyes! He came in stereotyping me from day 1. I been knew some was gone eventually happen. Glad it happened now then later tho" 

Say what you will about Floyd's motives, this is sour grapes. But it has elicited lots of comment. Good work from elpasotimes.com by "Turn Up the Orange", as well as by minerillustrated.com, not to mention national attention from Gary Parrish of CBS Sportsline. 

Searching for a response to his dismissal, it is clear that Strong's ridiculous allegation shows he prefers to apply wisdom gleaned from Jerry Springer over anything learned from a parent or coach: emotional outbursts and low blows create the most pain.

Except when they're based on nothing.

A hundred grand from a charity event? Where was it held, an Octagon in Thailand? 

I've seen cash handles for live sporting events and concerts. If it was, say, a charity tourney, netting $100,000 would have needed 1,000 teams paying $100 each with refs, organizers and the venue volunteering time and space. 

Or feature black market betting and punji sticks dipped in tar and broken glass. Take your pick, one is as likely as the other. 

Strong's words are dredged from a septic tank of self-pity and who knows what else. That said, I disagree with Floyd's immediate reaction to Dan Wolken of the Memphis Commercial-Appeal, who originally uncovered Strong's rant.

While not commenting to the El Paso media at the time, Wolken got a hold of Floyd who ripped Strong's lack of character and immediately threw Strong's positive drug test into the mix. 

Floyd just didn't need to go there. Jettisoning players happens. No doubt Floyd would do this. But for reputation or a roster spot?

Maybe both. Do we really care? 

Take a slap at the kid by bringing up his record and now we do, especially if you talk to out-of-town media but not to anyone here in El Paso.

Strong admitted to his positive drug test in an online interview with minerrush.com, but said he was one of many Miners who flunked, upping the ante even more on Floyd, who then felt compelled to go on-air with KVIA. 

If you think Floyd was getting rid of Strong to bring in another guard, the TV interview might give you pause. Floyd states that, with Strong gone, UTEP is down to just one point guard in Julyan Stone.

Regardless, Floyd should have let these Strong words rot on the vine. Instead we all get a lesson on the power and combustibility of the internet.

Starve a fire of oxygen and fuel and it goes out. 

Floyd fought fire with fire, and the resulting blaze was visible through blogs and tweets world-wide on the web. 

Whereas 10 years ago Myron Strong's thoughts would probably never have been heard, in 2010 they sparked a pyre in half a day.

Y'know, I always thought that my 90-100 words-per-minute on an IBM Selectric II were impressive. Until I saw my daughter equal me on her phone using her right thumb.

Yet more impressive -- my work was on paper that got thrown out, hers went to Facebook and could be viewed by six billion people.

LOL at your own risk.

Comments

[quisdraw]

Tell it like it is. Good writing. And the extra bonus? Intelligent. You got you money's worth out of that typing class.

[MinerMike]

OMG-LOL, IMHO EXCELLENT WORK!

[Jay Koester]

"A hundred grand from a charity hoops tourney? Where was it held, an Octagon in Thailand?"

Ha! Which I had thought of that.