Okay!  I admit that I am a homer, but that certainly doesn't mean that I can't stand back and be objective.

Objectivity has been a developed skill, one that has gotten better with the wisdom that comes with age.

There was a time when wisdom and elders were respected, but times have changed.  Perhaps it is the advent of the internet.  With the world wide web, one has a plethora of information at their finger tips and I suppose that creates a comfort zone of knowledge, but it takes more than that to make calculated and accurate statements or assessments.

Until you have seen years of basketball, you may not get what I am saying.  Ask any long time fan if their views on Duke Basketball has changed over the years and they are sure to say yes.  They will be quick to tell you that they are happy with the success of the program and that it wasn't an overnight thing.  IOW, they have actually experienced losing  more than three out of nineteen games.

That has been the case with me.  In my youth, I too was quick to criticize or jump to a conclusion, but I realize that I didn't have enough information or experience to justify my blurbs.

As I said, the internet was not around during the Bubas and Foster eras, so discussion took place in social settings and people were dependent on newspapers.  In fact there was very little radio that. covered sports.

That brings me to why I am ranting again.  In the Triangle (Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill), there are two major sports radio shows.  On average, two of the three people on these shows despise Duke.  Oddly, much of the Duke criticism comes from the flagship station for Duke basketball.

If that is not enough anti Duke rhetoric, there is the Duke Campus radio station.  I happened upon it while scanning the waves last evening what I heard was in my opinion, was ridiculous.

The station has been around about as long as I have.  It has gone from rock to jazz to ... well, a lot of changes since the mid seventies.

Three Duke students were doing a good job emulating some of the spoiled unhappiness that permeates message boards in their discussion of Duke Basketball.

Despite the fact that Duke has won three consecutive ACC contests, they, like local talk shows can only talk about how weak the competition was.

Nevermind the fact that Duke won all three games by twenty points.  It simply wasn't enough.

One of the three went into Coach K stating, "He is not a good X and O's coach."  Uh, is this an original comment?  If not, can you elaborate on your statement?

Most students would be thrilled with Coach K, but not "some" of ours.  Oh, and to be fair, this is a stance many Duke fans take too. 

Far too many newcomer Duke fans talk about things they couldn't possibly know about.  My favorite is Christian Laettner.  So many urban legends have been passed down on the best player in NCAA Tournament history that it is hard to keep up with.

People hear these ridiculous, uninformed things and take them as truth.  As my pal, Jim Sumner would say -- history revisionists.

Back to the radio show ... the next statement was a jewel.  "I think Pocius should be getting McClure's minutes, we need the offense."

Are you kidding me?  If you can't see that McClure is the consummate team player, then you need to quit the brew.  David's invaluable to this team and his work ethic is phenomenal.

Pocius is a great offensive threat for sure, but until he gets the system down and where to be without the ball, he will languish on the bench. If that weren't enough the three then fumble for Gerald Henderson's height.

One would think that one of the three young men running a Duke sports show would know how tall he was without looking.  Afterall, you are making it all sound so simple ... all the answers spoken in an authoritative manner, yet it takes three to figure out a top ten recruits height?

There was plenty more, but the aforementioned is the gist of it.  So, what is my point here?

Firstly, I encourage all young Duke fans to realize how good they have it.  I promise you your thoughts on many subjects will change over time and that you will look back at some of your comments, hoping not too many people remember it.

Second, if you never saw Christian Laettner play or were six years old, you probably do not have much room to comment on him.  Whatever you do, try and be less critical on one of the greatest players in Duke Basketball history.

Third, I hope there are young fans that will carry the flag of fandom into the future and that one day they can relay what I have said here.  Of course, that will not happen if the program declines.  I am not saying don't comment, but save your harsh criticisms for a .500 team, if that ever happens again. 

Oh, and if you are a student on a radio show, think about what you are saying and do a little homework.  You may find out that Duke has let just five teams score over 58 points and you may realize that this young group learning defense first is natural and good in that it will carry over into the future until the offense meets your expectations.  Without defense, this team would be the .500 team that you have never witnessed.

The truth is this -- Duke Basketball is in it's zenith and one day you too will speak of the golden era.  This young Duke team needs your support.  They need their Crazies to lift them and quit complaining that the atmosphere of Cameron is due to sloppy play.  The only thing sloppy, is the lack of support or understanding from a few spoiled, arrogant fans. 

I am not trying pound new fans over the head. Instead I want to help you savor your experience through my misguided ways of days gone by.  Don't look back and think you missed the opportunity.

Now, lets get ready for Clemson and Boston College, because the team needs us to cheer our best in order to win these two important games.

Oh, and don't forget to give prospect Patrick Patterson some props during the Boston College game.