Air Force Basketball

Gasdoc
Thu, 29 Nov 2007 20:09:46 +0000

Ramsey: Bzdelik merits nothing from Air Force crowd

DAVID RAMSEY THE GAZETTE

Silence.

It’s the proper response to Jeff Bzdelik’s return to Clune Arena.

He doesn’t deserve applause, not after abandoning the Falcons for a bigger paycheck in Boulder.

And he doesn’t deserve to be cursed or pelted with rotten mangos or burned in effigy. Such treatment is too extreme for a coach who led the Falcons to 50 wins in two seasons.

Here’s what he deserves: nothing.

Bzdelik insists he doesn’t care how the Clune crowd treats him when he returns tonight as coach of the Colorado Buffaloes.

I believe him. He doesn’t much care about the academy. He never did. Air Force is just another destination in his rearview mirror.

“I’ve been doing this 32 years,” Bzdelik said Tuesday night in his trademark monotone. “To me, you know, it’s just another step along the way.”

So take the simple approach. When Buzzy is introduced tonight as coach of the Buffaloes, the crowd at Clune should respond with a total absence of noise. Ignore him, and after the game he’ll go away.

When someone spurns you, the best response is apathy. A big fuss will only feed Bzdelik’s ego.