That was quite a performance on the part of those three guys on the stage. I mean that sincerely, and without any cynicism whatsoever.
I have to say, I didn't see one smile among the three of them for about the first minute or two they were up there, before the mics came on, but then something Schotty said to Stephen obviously broke some of the ice/stress, and suddenly the aura up there began turning from gray to sunshine.
I am damn positive that I'm in the minority on this. I'm also damn positive that the Eeyores will decry me as a dupe. But I feel better now about this situation than I think I could have if McCarthy were still the coach--which I considered to be, really, the only even-barely decent option. (Mind you, I'm not one for hotshot young coaches ascending to top dog as a rule, so I do bring that bias and would have been super skeptical had Ben Johnson somehow landed here after all.)
I see a vision I didn't see before. I'm really, really okay with this hire now, and I hadn't been that.
Optimistic? Not there, but mainly not there because I'm just so persuaded this first season will be, no matter the new head coach's effectiveness, the Season of Famine.
But for 2026? There's some hope, yes.