Transition brings out the best and the worst in a country. Revolution necessitates death, destruction, anarchy, and other problems in the short term. In the long term, it can result in the birth of a highly prosperous, successful nation.

Comrade Rodriguez came to West Virginia and revamped a program mired in the mud, firmly in the middle of mediocrity. His first year was full of pain, irrelevance and embarrassment – feelings common to the people of his home. But through a lethal combination of hard work and brilliance, Comrade Rodriguez took his people to new heights. Minister of Strength Barwis transformed the doughy, athletically-challenged soldiers of his team into blazing fast killing machines that could score three touchdowns before you realized their offensive possession had begun. From the outside, we could not see the dark underbelly of this successful revolution.

Little Gunner had led a hard life in West Virginia. His father, a devoted John Denver aficionado, took his untimely death very hard and left the family when Gunner was just a young boy. His mother worked 13 hour shifts at Dave’s Truck Stop off the freeway, alternating between cashier and shower girl.

For Gunner, his only outlet was West Virginia football. Rich Rodriguez brought him happiness, as Pat White dashed down the sideline and Steve Slaton eviscerated defenses at will. During those three hours on Saturday, Gunner was great. His proxies were defeating other peoples proxies, and it felt tremendous. He was able to forget about the black lung acquired through underage labor in the neighboring coal mine. He tossed from his mind the night his father, drunk and angry about Denver, decided to hold his own Red Bull Flutag event, drove the family pickup off the side of a cliff, and never returned. His physical growth was stunted due to a combination of his mother drinking during pregnancy and weak gene pool, but on Saturday he could pretend to be a part of the Barwis Army and believe he was strong.

Then came December. Comrade Rodriguez had been defeated by the hated Pitt Panthers, but there remained a bowl game to show the nation the prowess of the Mountaineers. It was not to be.

Rich Rodriguez got in the fancy new Honda hybrid he bought with a loan (based on future income that was, as of then, still unknown) and drove over to Gunner’s house. Gunner looked out the window in furious excitement – his hero was here to visit him!

Comrade Rodriguez then got out of the car and walked up the steps to greet Gunner. But once he got there, he ripped off his WVU windbreaker. Underneath was a Zoltan Mesko jersey. Confused, Gunner was unable to move. A fatal mistake. Rodriguez kicked him in his gut, pulled Gunner outside, and tossed him into the side of the trailer. As Rodriguez stomped Gunner’s limp body, the tears were muffled by the dirt. Rod laid his boot into Gunner’s spine one more time. For the big finish, he whipped it out and rained his Godly urine down onto Gunner. Poor Gunner couldn’t believe this was happening – but it was. Rodriguez turned to leave, but remembered the gift he had brought with him. Rod put on his sunglasses, turned towards Gunner’s urine covered carcass, and tossed down a fistful of Polaroids showing Rich with a fistful of Gunner’s mother. Then he peeled out, did a few donuts in the half-grass half-dirt lawn, and he was gone – off to Michigan and never to return.

Now this story may or may not have happened. But from the reaction of WVU fans in the months since Comrade Rodriguez departed, it seems he went around to every WVU fan and did something akin to what is described above. It must have been a busy night for him, almost impossible, but how else to justify the burning at the stake of a man who took their program from total national irrelevance and into BCS contention?

A sensible person realizes there must have been a fatal flaw in the athletic department that angered their coach. Or that he was simply doing the best thing for his family. Or, you hold a grudge, paint “Rich Sucks” on your single wide, and obsess about it continually. Instead of taking time and making a rational hire based on what is best for the future, you react to emotion and hire a 90 year old racist because he won a bowl game with players Rodriguez recruited and an offense Rodriguez designed. Then you become delusional and suggest Disney make a movie about the exploits of your courageous soldiers – but unfortunately Disney is not in the market for a film called “The Bill Stewart Story : How an Old Man Learned to Only Mutter the N-word Under His Breath and Function in a World Where Black Guys Can Play QB”.

Rich Rodriguez was your savior, West Virginia. Now Comrade Rodriguez, like all great revolutionaries, has moved on to spread his ideology into areas where it is needed more. Left with the choice of continuing his program and continuing your rise to prominence, you have regressed into cronyism and short-sighted, emotional decision making. The fall will be hard – as it was for the former Soviet republics – and it will not end any time soon. Enjoy.