>> TIME NOW FOR ONE OF OUR REGULAR VISITS WITH RON
CHIMELIS, VIEWPOINT COLUMNIST FOR THE REPUBLICAN AND MASSLIVE.
THIS TIME WE'RE TALKING ABOUT HOW MUCH U MASS PLAYED THE
COACH, THE NATIONAL POLITICAL SCENE AND A LOT MORE.
>> BRUCE LANDON, I THINK HAS DONE AS MUCH OR MORE.
HE HAS SAVED HOCKEY IN SPRINGFIELD MANY TIMES, AND I
THINK THAT HE IS LEAVING AS HE SAYS WITH A GOOD CONSCIENCE THAT
IT'S HERE TO STAY, WITH THE NEW OWNERSHIP AND A GOOD BASE OF
PEOPLE AND SOME REVENUE BEHIND THEM AND GOOD MARKETING OF IDEAS
AND BRUCE DIDN'T WANT TO GIVE IT UP UNTIL HE WAS SURE THAT HIS
LIFE'S WORK WOULD PAY OFF, AND IT HAS.
>> AND AGAIN I CAN'T STRESS ENOUGH WHAT A GENTLEMAN THIS GUY
ALWAYS IS, AND REAL ROUGH AND TUMBLE SPORT.
HE WAS A ROUGH AND TUMBLE PLAYER IN HIS DAY.
HE WON'T DENY IT BUT WHAT A NICE GUY.
>> HE WAS NOT ALWAYS A GENTLEMAN.
I WILL TELL YOU I HAVE DEALT WITH BRUCE.
HE WAS NOT ALWAYS A GENTLEMAN ON THE ICE.
I WANT TO FINISH THAT.
I DEALT WITH BRUCE FOR MAYBE 30 YEARS.
HE HAS NEVER TOLD ME AN UNTRUTH.
AND THAT'S RARE IN ANY LINE OF WORK.
THERE HAVE BEEN TIMES HE'S BEEN CAREFUL OF WHAT HE SAID BUT HE'S
AN EXTREMELY HONEST MAN, A HIGHLY ETHICAL PERSON AND I
THINK THAT THOSE THINGS TRANSMIT AND I THINK THAT HELPED PEOPLE
STAY WITH HIM THROUGH VERY DIFFICULT YEARS, AND NOW HE'S
GETTING, I THINK, IT.
HE'S VERY EMBARRASSED BY ALL THIS ATTENTION BUT HE DESERVES
IT.
>> AND DID YOU SAY IF HE TOLD YOU SOMETHING YOU COULD TAKE IT
TO THE BANK?
>> NOT ONCE DID HE EVEN -- AGAIN, IT'S A BUSINESS.
IN BUSINESS PEOPLE TELL THE MEDIA ALL SORTS OF THINGS.
I CAN UNDERSTAND THAT I DON'T ALWAYS LIKE IT BUT BRUCE IS A
STRAIGHT SHOOTER.
HE WAS A STRAIGHT SHOOTER WITH THE OTHER PLAYERS ON THE TEAM.
PEOPLE LIKE PLAYING SOME SPRINGFIELD BECAUSE THEY LIKE
PLAYING ON A TEAM OPERATED BY BRUCE LANDON, NHL TEAMS LIKE
PLAYING WITH HIM, YOU KNEW THAT YOU WERE GETTING THE STRAIGHT
SCOOP FROM BRUCE AND I FELT THE SAME WAY.
>> ANOTHER DIRECTION FASCINATING STORY ABOUT ONE OF THOSE SORT OF
ONLY IN WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS KINDS OF THINGS, NORTHAMPTON WAS
A PROGRAM WHERE THE POLICE WERE GOING INTO THE SCHOOLS AND JUST
SAYING TO THE KIDS HI, HOW ARE YOU AND HIGH-FIVING THEM, THERE
WERE SOME COMPLAINTS FOLKS SAID WHAT IF A CHILD HAS HAD SOME
SORT OF NEGATIVE EXPERIENCE INVOLVING THE POLICE, TO BRING
IT ALL BACK THE SCHOOLS ENDED UP IN THE POLICE, AND THE POLICE
ENDED UP WITHDRAWING AND IT ENDED.
YOU SAID THIS REVERSAL WASN'T SENSITIVE.
WAS SHAMEFUL.
>> IT WAS SHAMEFUL.
FIRST THEY ARE STEREOTYPING POLICE.
ALL POLICE ARE BAD -- OF COURSE ALL POLICE AREN'T BAD.
THIS IS IN A COMMUNITY THAT PRIDES ITSELF ON FIGHTING
STEREOTYPES AND BEING PROGRESSIVE, WELL, POLICEMEN ARE
HUMAN BEINGS, TOO, ON TOP OF WHICH IN NORTHAMPTON THERE WERE
DOORS, IF YOU DID NOT WANT TO DO IT, YOU DID NOT HAVE TO DO IT.
THEY SET THIS UP TO MAKE EVERYBODY AS SATISFIED AS
POSSIBLE, AND A HANDFUL OF COMPLAINERS, NOT THE MAJORITY
BUT A FEW PEOPLE HAD SOME BUG UP WHEREVER, AND THE SCHOOL DIDN'T
WANT TO DEAL WITH THE CONTROVERSY, SO THEY CALLED OFF
THE PROGRAM DID I FEEL VERY BADLY FOR THE POLICE BECAUSE
THEY MUST FEEL THAT THEY ARE OPERATING IN A TOWN THAT DOES
NOT APPRECIATE THEM AND THEY SHOULD.
>> A LOT OF ATTENTION LATELY TO A LOCAL GUY WHO MADE VERY GOOD,
DEREK KELLOGG, SPRINGFIELD GUY, COVERAGE AT U-MASS, AFTER
PLAYING THERE, AFTER PLAYING HIS HIGH SCHOOL BALL LOCALLY, AND
AFTER A FEW BAD SEASONS, THEY GAVE HIM THE AX.
YOU POINTED OUT HERE'S A GUY WHO IS THE HIGHEST PAID STATE
EMPLOYEE AT A MILLION DOLLARS, WAY ABOVE ANYBODY ELSE'S PAY
GRADE.
I DON'T THINK THAT THERE IS ANYBODY AT HALF THAT RATE.
IF THERE IS THERE ARE NOT MANY.
AND YOU SAID, YOU KNOW, IT JUST PLAIN, NO MATTER, HE'S A GREAT,
LIKABLE GUY, A GOOD COACH, BUT RAISES QUESTIONS ABOUT OUR, AS
YOU PUT IT, CONFUSED PRIORITIES.
>> WELL, NOT CONFUSED, THEY ARE WRONG, I GUESS.
I HAVE LIKED THE FACT THAT IN MOST OF NEW ENGLAND, AND I WOULD
ACCEPT CONNECTICUT BECAUSE THEY HAD MAJOR PROBLEMS, WE HAVE KEPT
A GOOD SET OF PRIORITIES.
WE WANT OUR TEAMS TO DO WELL.
WERE YOU WE HAVEN'T GOTTEN INVOLVED IN WHAT I CALL THIS RAT
RACE FOR NATIONAL ACCLAIM, AND NOW U-MASS IS IN IT.
HE DID NOT MEASURE UP FROM A COACHING STANDPOINT.
I THINK THAT THEY HAD TO DO THAT, BUT THE -- THERE IS NO LAW
IN MASSACHUSETTS THAT SAYS THAT YOU HAVE TO PAY ANY SPORTS COACH
THAT MUCH.
I THINK IT'S GOTTEN OUT OF CONTROL.
I DON'T BLAME KELLOGG FOR THAT BUT I THINK THAT WE SHOULD ALL
TAKE A STEP BACK AND SAY IS THIS WHERE WE WANT OUR PRIORITIES TO
BE WHEN OTHER PEOPLE ARE PICKETING, PROTESTING, LIVING ON
LIMITED MEANS, DOING THINGS THAT FRANKLY ARE MORE IMPORTANT TO
SOCIETY THAN WINNING A BASKETBALL GAME?
>> ON THE NATIONAL SCENE AS I THINK THAT EVERYBODY IS BECAUSE
THE ONE THING THAT EVERYBODY TALKS ABOUT CONSTANTLY IS WHAT'S
THE LATEST IN WASHINGTON AND WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH PRESIDENT
TRUMP?
YOU WROTE A FASCINATING, AT TIMES FUNNY BUT REALLY TO ME
VERY THOUGHTFUL.
I HAVE READ IT A COUPLE TIMES BECAUSE IT REALLY WAS THOUGHT
PROVOKING COLUMN WITH THE CONTROVERSY OVER WHATEVER
RUSSIAN INVOLVEMENT, THE COMPUTER HACKING, THERE WAS IN
OUR ELECTION, AND FORCED THE RESIGNATION OF THE NATIONAL
SECURITY ADVISOR, MIKE FLYNN, AND YOU SAID LIFE WAS SIMPLER.
>> IT DID NOT USED TO BE A PART, IT IS AN ISSUE.
NOW I THINK THE REPUBLICANS FEEL COMPELLED TO DEFEND THEM BECAUSE
TRUMP IS A REPUBLICAN AND HE HAS SOME RELATIONSHIP OR A DIFFERENT
APPROACH THAN WE ARE USED TO, WE KNEW THE, WHO THE ENEMY WAS, WE
COULD DEAL WITH THE ENEMY, WE DID NOT WANT TO GO TO WAR WITH
THEM BUT WE COULD IDENTIFY THAT WE WERE ON WOULD YOU PLEASE SIDE
AND THEY WERE ON THE OTHER.
NOWIDS A CLOUDY, MURKY RELATIONSHIP, AND I THINK IT HAS
MADE IT UNSETTLING FOR A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO TO TRUST IN THEIR
COUNTRY AND IN OURS.
>> FASCINATING THING THAT WE HAVE SEEN HIGHER RATINGS FOR THE
TV NEWS, ALL NEWS CHANNELS, AND DESCRIPTIONS AND NEWSSTAND
SALES, AND I UNDERSTAND ARE UP FOR A NUMBER OF PUBLICATIONS, SO
YOU KNOW ALL THIS CONTROVERSY, IT SEEMS AT LEAST HAS PEOPLE
THINKING AND TALKING AND READING AND INGESTING A LITTLE MORE
ABOUT WHAT'S GOING ON IN THE COUNTRY.
>> THAT'S WHAT I KEEP HEARING AND THE NUMBERS PROBABLY DON'T
LIE.
I ALSO TALK TO A LOT OF PEOPLE.
I WRITE AN EDITORIAL ABOUT BURNOUT.
A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE TURNING AWAY FROM THE NEWS THAT THEY ALWAYS
WATCH BECAUSE IT'S SO DISCOURAGING AND SO DECISIVE AND
THEY ARE LOOKING FOR OTHER WAYS TO NORMALIZE THEIR LIFE INSTEAD
OF BEING SURROUNDED BY EVERYTHING DONALD TRUMP.
BUT IT HAS AWAKEN THE PEOPLE TO DEMOCRACY AND WHAT IT STANDS FOR
AND WHAT WE WANT IT TO STAND FOR.
WE ARE HAVING A DEBATE ABOUT WHAT WE'RE ALL ABOUT, THAT IS
PAINFUL BUT I THINK IT'S OVERDUE AND I HOPE IT TURNS OUT WELLALL
THE TIME THAT WE HAVE, RON CHIMELIS, WITH THE REPUBLICAN,
ALWAYS A PLEASURE.
THANKS FOR COMING.
>> THANK YOU.