Archie Miller says harmless thing, Dayton sportswriter throws tantrum on internet

It’s Friday, which is a prime day for bad writing on the internet! Today’s garbage du jour comes from the Dayton Daily News’ Sean McClelland who puts on his tinfoil hat and wonders if a mundane quote from new Indiana basketball coach Archie Miller was a SHOT ACROSS THE BOW AT THE PROUD DAYTON FANBASE.

Let’s break this down. McClelland is mad at Ol’ Arch over his use of the word “peerless” in describing Indiana’s fan support. A sample of the full-on diaper shitting is below:

Nobody can fault Archie Miller for swapping Dayton and the Atlantic 10 for Indiana and the Big Ten. Too much money and prestige to turn down, and with so many impact seniors leaving and a bit of a rebuilding phase likely looming, it was just time.

Coaches know when they’ve taken a program as far as it can go. At the risk of dampening Dayton fans’ enthusiasm, new coach Anthony Grant isn’t going to win a national championship, because mid-majors don’t. Butler came close, but that was with two future NBA players. And, no, Gonzaga can’t be considered a mid-major anymore.

So don’t egg Miller’s house. This coach and this program were never meant to grow old together.

Classic! “Archie Miller’s gone? Well, guess what? He’s actually bad now.” There’s more.

One detail of Miller’s defection over the weekend did not sit well, however, and that was when he cited Indiana’s “peerless fan support” in explaining why Bloomington was “a dream destination” for him and his family.

Peerless? Really?

Granted, the quote was part of a press release no doubt crafted or suggested by Miller’s agent, but why Miller approved of this subtle swipe at Dayton fans on his way out the door isn’t clear.

And make no mistake, it definitely had the feel of a swipe, a nudge, a knock.

[Extremely Ron Howard Voice] It didn’t.

“Peerless” means Indiana boasts the best fan support in the country, bar none. While IU certainly ranks right up there by any measure, no fan base could have supported Miller and his family more whole-heartedly over the last six seasons than Dayton’s.

“Peerless” implies the Dayton experience could have gone better for the Millers, but that doesn’t pass the laugh test. How many fan bases, even in the so-called power conferences, get behind a program more avidly than the Flyer Faithful. A few? Five at the most?

Okay, this is all very stupid for a few reasons! First, Archie’s been highly complimentary of Dayton, urging his commits to stay there, saying he’ll always be a Flyer fan, since leaving and coming to Bloomington. Two, nowhere in here is anyone taking a shot at the Dayton job! Dayton’s a really really really good college basketball program. UD Arena is one of college basketball’s true treasures, and there’s no doubt the Dayton community absolutely rallies around the program like few in the sport.

It’s also an A-10 program at a private university. I’m hardly ever the type to get all sanctimonious about Indiana’s tradition, but it’s by most any count one of the top 6 programs in history, a top job in college basketball, and the biggest basketball attraction by far in the state where basketball matters more than any. It’s also a Big Ten job, if you’d like a far simpler reasons. Indiana has lots of things Dayton can’t provide. That’s not a shot against Dayton at all! They’ll probably beat Indiana in a future NCAA Tournament very soon, because that’s how these things work.

But, no. Archie didn’t take a shot at Dayton.