Mick Cronin got ejected last night, and obviously you want the clip, so let’s look at the clip:
It’s important to note that this was a real ejection. Both technicals happened as the same time. Often, people will still call it an ejection when someone gets two technicals an hour apart. Technically, they’re correct, but I think we need a better term. It’s not as bad as baseball, where sensationalist media calls every bench-clearing incident a brawl, but the status quo here is not ideal.
Allegedly, at least one of the two technicals came because Cronin said, “Fuck you, Jeffrey,” to Jeffrey Anderson, the famous high knees official. Yep. That’ll get you a technical. I don’t hate Cronin saying it. Nothing against Jeffrey Anderson, but why couch the message? Sometimes, you really want to say “fuck you.” Let it out! Express yourself, Mister Cronin!
After the game, Cronin explained all the reasons he’s pissed. He’s mad that the refs did a bad job last night (in his opinion). He’s mad that the Big Ten’s TV–over–everything schedule had his guys flying across the country for a quick turnaround after a Tuesday game. He’s mad that his house might burn down. He didn’t say this part, but I’d guess he’s also mad that things got bad enough earlier this week for him to do his annual “My players are soft and I’m sick of it” press conference. Having some temper issues myself, and knowing others who do: It doesn’t feel good when you let one rip like that. You can’t help yourself, but the regret sets in pretty fast.
I’m not actually going to do a big breakdown of whether Mick Cronin is good or evil. Of course he’s good. Mick Cronin rocks. Through an inexplicable turn of events, Mick Cronin somehow ended up being the head basketball coach at UCLA, and by most assessments, he’s done well there. His teams have rallied from some bad mid-season situations. He always eventually gets his guys to play hard, and players usually stick around his program. He’s won a bunch of NCAA T*urnament games. Isn’t that what you perverts want??
The best part of Mick Cronin at UCLA is that it’s so unnatural that even in its sixth year, it still feels perilous at all times. Mick Cronin is fighting a constant battle to remain the coach at UCLA. It’s like watching a squirrel try not to fall off a rapidly spinning birdfeeder. We cannot turn away.
