The man in the middle

[jerry weinstein]

     Talk about a bittersweet day. This should be one of the greatest days in the history of UC sports, but the Huggins controversy is casting a pall over everything. Some of us have waited for this for generations, and now we can't even enjoy it.
 
    No one can be more aware of this than the man who deserves the most credit for our entry into the BE, Bob Goin, who is also the best AD this school ever had. Without Goin there would be no BE, no Varsity Village, and Bob Huggins would've left a long time ago.
 
   Poor Bob Goin. All of Huggins' detractors have viewed him as Huggins' protector, and now Huggins' defenders see him as a Judas who turned on their champion. I suspect that Goin at some point finally got tired of defending Huggins to the administration under the onslaught of unceasing debacles.
 
   Part of the administration's rationale vis a vis Huggins was in the ENQUIRER today. They see the BE as an opportunity to market UC to a region previously unavailable, including students from eastern cities. The negative image of Huggins' program does not fit the image of UC they want to project. 
 
   I happen to sympathize with their viewpoint, but not with the way they've handled it. Too bad for everyone including Bob Goin, who's surely not savoring his moment of triumph.