If we aren't back in five years ... just wait longer!

Lee Fowler's had just about enough of your Lee Fowler bashing, young man.

N.C. State athletics director Lee Fowler preached one thing Thursday.

Patience.

Really? We're eight years into this regime and that's the message?

"The NC State athletics department would like to thank you for your generous donations. As a token of our gratitude, please accept this kick in the junk. Thanks, and we'll see you next year!"

This is a great example of why I don't like talking about the Lee Fowler/state of the athletics dept. issue--it's incredibly frustrating. And just plain depressing.

I like to think I'm a patient person (it helps to have not been alive when we were actually winning stuff); I mean, I was about the most Herb-tolerant person I know. I'm willing to accept another difficult football season. I understand that rebuilding takes time. If you've got a good reason why I should wait, I'll wait. But that's the thing. I look around the athletics department and I don't see a lot of compelling reasons for WTNYin'. For example, look at what's going on with women's soccer:

Coach Seasons TotW-L-T ConfW-L-T TotW% ConfW% NCAA_App
Larry Gross ('84-'93) 10 146-53-18 15-9-3 .714 .611 8
Alvin Corneal ('94-'97) 4 49-34-7 12-13-2 .583 .481 3
Laura Kerrigan ('98-pres) 10 79-95-16 13-59-7 .458 .209 0
TOTALS ('84-pres) 24 274-182-41 40-81-12 .593 .346 11

Kerrigan's been here ten years and accomplished nothing. Less than nothing. And she still has a job because...? Because she was one of the best players in Wolfpack history? Because Method Road stadium was a hindrance to recruiting? Give her some time to run the program with the new facilities, Fowler would say. That's the excuses-for-doin'-nothin' climate that's been fostered here over the last decade. And it's bullshit.

You know what, Lee? You can preach on about your commitment to this job until you're blue in the face. I don't care. But I would like to know one thing: where's your pride?