A big assist from a big Q-tip

Everybody's got an opinion about Conor Shelley, the guy that many of you call "Q-Tip" (because he looks like one). Sometimes, the opinions vary based on the day and the idiotic comments that come out of his mouth.

But as most of you know, I'm a big Conor Shelley fan.

Oh sure, he can annoy the heck out of me, and does so on a pretty consistent basis. This past weekend was a perfect example on Conor annoying me and making me proud, at the same time.

Friday at Princeton: He shows up at the meet in not a great racing mindset, and goes ahead and runs that way in a half-hearted and mediocre 4:05 1500.

Saturday at Mets: After some threatening words from his usually laid back coach, Conor shows up and blasts through a great 4x800 leg (hey, he always said he was a 4x8 guy!), the day after his blah 1,500.

Sunday at the Admissions Open House: Conor graciously hung out in my office for the better part of four hours, providing me with huge assistance in dealing with the steady flow of recruits and other interested parties.

In this role, Conor was simply amazing. He said all the right things. And the great thing is, he means it. As you know, Conor is good at saying what's on his mind. Too good, in fact.

I love retelling this story: In the fall of 2007, my first semester teaching the fancy "Track and Field Coaching" class, Conor was in it. At practice, a couple guys ask him: "Conor, how is Coach's class?" Conor replies: "It's f--king boring. I fell asleep in it today." I was standing right next to him when he said this!

So again, there's not much of a filter with Conor. He was great with the recruits, really portraying our program in an accurate (and positive) light. That carries more weight than a coach saying it. On many levels, I appreciated it.

Conor also helped me out by taking my son Joey outside for a little while to watch the Marist baseball game. The a/c was not working in the coaches complex, and my office was about 90 degrees. Even with a fan blowing, Joey's ears were beet red and he looked like he was going to explode from the lack of ventilation. Conor relates very well to children (insert joke here), and so the boys had a good time out at the field.

There is no doubt in my mind that Conor would make a great coach in the future. Of course, Conor being Conor, on the van ride home Saturday, he said that as soon as he graduates, he is going to apply for a coaching position at a rival college not to be named here -- again, annoying the heck out of me.

And by the way: In case you think Conor (and I) have come to our senses and matured, think again. I have agreed to allow Conor to try the steeple at Sunday's Yale meet.

That should be interesting.

Weekend splits to be posted here as soon as I can get to them.