Hello once again to everyone....
It's not often that I stand up and stump for a cause, but when I do, I put a great deal of effort behind it. And.....when one thinks about it, nobody is really immune from it. It has affected everyone at some level. I'm talking about cancer. I bring this uncomfortable topic up because the V Foundation is getting ready to have its annual ESPN Radio Auction (09 July) to benefit cancer research. Over the years, ESPN has really boosted the funds of the V Foundation with this auction, and they couldn't have done it without the generous donations of everyone out there. You can wait for the radio auction day to make your donation, and ESPN usually has some great items available for bids that day. Or, if that's a bit out of your league, you can call 1-800-4JimmyV and make your donation. You can also go to their website and donate as well. Just go to your favorite search engine and type in The V Foundation. Also, on their website, you can watch the most stirring speech the ESPY's has ever had. Jim Valvano's final speech is on the website, but be warned.......you will get either chills or teary-eyed. I can still remember the final words of his speech....."Cancer can take all of my physical abilities....but it cannot touch my mind, it cannot touch my heart, and it cannot touch my soul. And those three things are going to live on forever." We've all had to face this disease in our families at one time or another. If you can only donate five dollars, that's five more dollars they have to fight cancer. Please log on or call 1-800-4JimmyV to make your donation.
To Omaha, where I usually don't like to say I was right( OK, yes I do), but I said in the last post that I thought South Carolina and TCU were playing the best baseball of those left in Omaha, and I thought those two teams would be in the final series. USC beat Clemson (yeah.....what a stunner) in two straight games to claim their spot in the Finals. UCLA beat TCU in their third game to make up the other half. After winning Game 1, USC had to go to extra innings to win the game, the series, a national championship, and to close out decades of history at Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha. I know my nephew is walking on air this morning because of this win. Tip your hat to the Gamecocks. They got in a bit of trouble early on with their loss to Oklahoma. But, they went on a great run, culminating in a championship. And, Clemson......take notes on this one. This is what championship teams do......they finish. They close the deal, and they do NOT accept mediocrity. Congratulations Gamecocks. You deserve it.
To the NBA, where the biggest oxymoron in sports is about to take place with NBA free agency. Now, with the likes of LeBron James, DeWayne Wade, Dirk Nowitzki, Chris Bosh and Paul Pierce available for the taking, these guys will be anything but free! But, with word coming out of Miami that Wade has met with James and Bosh in an effort to get them to South Beach, it seems as if the remaining big ticket free agents will re-sign with their old teams. Miami and Chicago have the most salary cap space, with about 30 million available for both clubs to work with. But....Miami only has two guys under contract right now, and if they go the Wade-James-Bosh route, how much money will be available to fill out the rest of the team? And, in Chicago, owner Jerry Reinsdorf has never paid the luxury tax for going over the cap, and if he signs James, will he open the wallet to keep Derrick Rose when its time, or Joakim Noah? His propensity to throw money around like manhole covers is part of the reason the Jordan dynasty broke apart. Plus....if you're LeBron, do you really want to go to a city to where you'll always be judged by what Jordan accomplished? If LeBron goes to Chicago and wins a title, there will be those that will say "So what.....Jordan won six". It's all very interesting, and it all gets underway tonight at midnight. Stay tuned for more developments.
To the NFL, where it seems some people still don't get it. And, when one of those people is named Michael Vick, you really have to wonder what kind of thought processes go through his head. He threw a 30th birthday bash at a Virginia Beach night club. On the surface, that's not so bad. But.....when you add in that: 1. Someone was shot outside the club where the party was held. 2. The man that was shot is one Quannis Phillips, one of Vick's co-defendants in his dogfighting case, and the same co-defendant that Vick has been ordered to stay away from. Vick's initial defense in all of this was that he didn't invite Phillips to the party. But, authorities have documents where Vick posted on Facebook and Twitter that he was having a party, so the argument could be made that he, indeed, invited Phillips to the party. Today, evidence has surfaced that the timeline that Vick initially gave authorities is somewhat skewed. My question is this: If you've gotten a second chance to play in the NFL, and the team you play for traded their top QB to make room for you....how in the heck do you even think of doing something like this? I said it before, when it all went down, and I'll call for it once again here: Permanently suspend Vick from the NFL. If he wants to be a knucklehead, let him do so at his own peril. It's clear that he just doesn't get it, and he probably never will. I'm sorry, Eagles, you now have to deal with this mess.
With the 4th of July coming up, I'd like to take this opportunity to say "Happy Anniversary" to my father, Art. What a dad!!!! I was 15 years old, and he toook me to a baseball game in Atlanta, the one that turned out to go 19 innings versus the Mets, and the Braves still lost 16-13. Did I mention there were two rain delays, and the game took almost twelve hours to finish? Oh yeah......and Dad had to go to work the next morning. What a night in Atlanta!!!!
Hope everyone has a safe and Happy 4th. Till next time.................
Patrick
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Thursday, June 24, 2010
A big mess in Arlington, World Cup, College World Series....it's all a mess!!!
Welcome back everyone. I'm still pumped about the way the US World Cup team defeated Algeria yesterday, so if I start to sound a little excited, there's your reason. And, while I'm on that topic, I hope the guy at the London paper that ran the front page headline "England, Algeria, Slovenia, Yanks"....or EASY.....I hope he is hearing it from his readers today. Maybe Beckham won't be coming back to the States after all......not that we'd really miss him.
To Arlington, Texas now, where a bankruptcy judge has apparently sided with Rangers owner Tom Hicks in the sale of the team. Hicks had reached an agreement with a group headed by Nolan Ryan, but when another prospective buyer tried to enter the party, he was told that his name was not on the list, so to speak. Ah, but never underestimate the power of greed. Hicks heard about this individual, and met with him anyway, hearing basically what he wanted to hear. This new guy would offer more money than the Ryan group. Now, understand, in all of this, it's not really about the fact that Hicks defaulted on loans, or the fact that his Southwest Sports Group (he's selling the Stars too, by the way) got WAY too big for anyone to successfully manage. Hicks saw the writing on the wall, or on Randol Mill Road, as it would be in this case. Jerry Jones put his Cowboys in a HUGE stadium not 500 yards from Hicks' front door in Arlington. And, I don't have to tell anyone from Texas this fact: When faced with a choice of baseball or football, most Texans are going to the pigskin. So now, here sits Hicks, in what used to be his own playground, not getting what he perceives to be his "rightful share" of the money being generated on the corner. And believe me.......it might as well be another US Mint site with all the money generated there. So Hicks defaults on a bunch of his loans, tells his creditors he's broke, and he wants out of baseball (kind of like Tom Osborne, taking all his toys and going home). MLB obliges, and all parties reach what was supposed to be a solid agreement with the Ryan group. Here's where the greed comes into play. Because the price from the Ryan group won't fully square Hicks with his creditors, he complains that he's getting the short end of the stick. Obviously, the creditors object to the sale, since they wouldn't be getting their full dollar amount, but who does, really, in a bankruptcy case? So, for now, Hicks gets to be the owner of the Rangers, and try to squeeze every last penny he can out of this sale. He's got the money to walk away right now, but he's too damned arrogant for that. Despite the Rangers having a great season, the football season can't get here fast enough, so I can quit seeing Tom Hicks on the front page of my Star-Telegram, complaining of poverty. Do us all a favor Tom: Sell the team, walk away, and don't come back. Your usefulness has run its course.
How about that Wimbledon match? John Isner and Nocholas Mahut went 11 hours, 183 games, and finally ended in a 70-68 tiebreaker in the fifth set. Even if you're just a casual tennis fan, this has to pique your interest. Poor Isner, though. He has to play again tomorrow. Will he have anything left after this?
Italy lost today to Paraguay, and will not make it out of the group stage in World Cup. The defending champions, who played France in the last World Cup Final, at least had a better time than France did. Their whole team basically quit in mid-tournament following their coach's decision to send a player home that had verbally abused him. In other World Cup news, when Portugal defeated North Korea by a score of 7-0, it was reported that the entire Korean team would be sent to the country's coal mines to attone for their loss. Why can't it just be about sport, people, and, for once, not have some sort of political implications?
To Omaha, where the last bastion of pure college sport will bow out to the almighty dollar. This will be the final season that Rosenblatt Stadium will host the College World Series. The Series will move to a brand spanking new stadium starting next season, because God forbid, we have some tradition on baseball. But, as it stands right now, Clemson is in the catbird seat by virtue of wins over Arizona State and Oklahoma. For those of you keeping score (Alex and Miss Betty), that's Clemson 2 Oklahoma 0 in all-time meetings. But, let me just take this moment to caution all my fellow Clemson fans out there. I've heard this song before, and I know how it ends. Every time the Tigers have an opportunity to be great, they collapse. That's why I'm not getting excited about their chances right now. Don't believe me? Look at their last seasons of "big-time" sports. The football team was mediocre, at best, but had a chance to play for the conference championship. What happened? Collapsed under the pressure. The basketball team made it to the NCAA's, though I really don't see how after being bounced in the first round of the ACC tournament. But, again, Clemson didn't make it out of the first round, collapsing under the pressure. With that as a track record, how can I truly be excited now? I'd like to think that the baseball team can at least show a little heart, since their football and basketball teams don't have any. It still looks to me like TCU and South Carolina are playing better baseball right now, and are the two teams to watch going into the weekend.
As a new member of the FWAA, I got a free copy of Phil Steele's college football magazine. Folks, this is hands down, the BEST magazine out there as far as predicting the season and covering the teams. Go pick up your copy today.
That's about it for now. Hope everyone is well. Till next time..................
Patrick
To Arlington, Texas now, where a bankruptcy judge has apparently sided with Rangers owner Tom Hicks in the sale of the team. Hicks had reached an agreement with a group headed by Nolan Ryan, but when another prospective buyer tried to enter the party, he was told that his name was not on the list, so to speak. Ah, but never underestimate the power of greed. Hicks heard about this individual, and met with him anyway, hearing basically what he wanted to hear. This new guy would offer more money than the Ryan group. Now, understand, in all of this, it's not really about the fact that Hicks defaulted on loans, or the fact that his Southwest Sports Group (he's selling the Stars too, by the way) got WAY too big for anyone to successfully manage. Hicks saw the writing on the wall, or on Randol Mill Road, as it would be in this case. Jerry Jones put his Cowboys in a HUGE stadium not 500 yards from Hicks' front door in Arlington. And, I don't have to tell anyone from Texas this fact: When faced with a choice of baseball or football, most Texans are going to the pigskin. So now, here sits Hicks, in what used to be his own playground, not getting what he perceives to be his "rightful share" of the money being generated on the corner. And believe me.......it might as well be another US Mint site with all the money generated there. So Hicks defaults on a bunch of his loans, tells his creditors he's broke, and he wants out of baseball (kind of like Tom Osborne, taking all his toys and going home). MLB obliges, and all parties reach what was supposed to be a solid agreement with the Ryan group. Here's where the greed comes into play. Because the price from the Ryan group won't fully square Hicks with his creditors, he complains that he's getting the short end of the stick. Obviously, the creditors object to the sale, since they wouldn't be getting their full dollar amount, but who does, really, in a bankruptcy case? So, for now, Hicks gets to be the owner of the Rangers, and try to squeeze every last penny he can out of this sale. He's got the money to walk away right now, but he's too damned arrogant for that. Despite the Rangers having a great season, the football season can't get here fast enough, so I can quit seeing Tom Hicks on the front page of my Star-Telegram, complaining of poverty. Do us all a favor Tom: Sell the team, walk away, and don't come back. Your usefulness has run its course.
How about that Wimbledon match? John Isner and Nocholas Mahut went 11 hours, 183 games, and finally ended in a 70-68 tiebreaker in the fifth set. Even if you're just a casual tennis fan, this has to pique your interest. Poor Isner, though. He has to play again tomorrow. Will he have anything left after this?
Italy lost today to Paraguay, and will not make it out of the group stage in World Cup. The defending champions, who played France in the last World Cup Final, at least had a better time than France did. Their whole team basically quit in mid-tournament following their coach's decision to send a player home that had verbally abused him. In other World Cup news, when Portugal defeated North Korea by a score of 7-0, it was reported that the entire Korean team would be sent to the country's coal mines to attone for their loss. Why can't it just be about sport, people, and, for once, not have some sort of political implications?
To Omaha, where the last bastion of pure college sport will bow out to the almighty dollar. This will be the final season that Rosenblatt Stadium will host the College World Series. The Series will move to a brand spanking new stadium starting next season, because God forbid, we have some tradition on baseball. But, as it stands right now, Clemson is in the catbird seat by virtue of wins over Arizona State and Oklahoma. For those of you keeping score (Alex and Miss Betty), that's Clemson 2 Oklahoma 0 in all-time meetings. But, let me just take this moment to caution all my fellow Clemson fans out there. I've heard this song before, and I know how it ends. Every time the Tigers have an opportunity to be great, they collapse. That's why I'm not getting excited about their chances right now. Don't believe me? Look at their last seasons of "big-time" sports. The football team was mediocre, at best, but had a chance to play for the conference championship. What happened? Collapsed under the pressure. The basketball team made it to the NCAA's, though I really don't see how after being bounced in the first round of the ACC tournament. But, again, Clemson didn't make it out of the first round, collapsing under the pressure. With that as a track record, how can I truly be excited now? I'd like to think that the baseball team can at least show a little heart, since their football and basketball teams don't have any. It still looks to me like TCU and South Carolina are playing better baseball right now, and are the two teams to watch going into the weekend.
As a new member of the FWAA, I got a free copy of Phil Steele's college football magazine. Folks, this is hands down, the BEST magazine out there as far as predicting the season and covering the teams. Go pick up your copy today.
That's about it for now. Hope everyone is well. Till next time..................
Patrick
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Conference expansion, USC probation...
Welcome back to everyone, where I'm finally agreeing that I may need some help. I caught myself watching the Slovenia World Cup match the other day, and I was glued to the set, literally. If you get a chance to watch some World Cup action, I highly recommend it. You may even get to see another British keeper completely whiff on a shot! Sorry......I thought that was funny in its own sort of way.
But, on to the big news, where the rumors of the Big XII's demise have been greatly exaggerated. Now, we all heard the stories, and we all read the last posting of this blog (hopefully). The stories had Nebraska leaving, and they did. They accepted an invitation to the Big Ten. In a final display of hubris and audacity, Nebraska AD Tom Osborne, when asked about his team leaving breaking up the Big XII, answered "I don't think one team leaving breaks up a conference. I think six teams leaving breaks up a conference." Now, once again, don't fool yourself for one minute into thinking this was anything but a big money grab. Nebraska now falls into the Big Ten, with their own network, and all the revenue sharing that goes with it. And, Tom Osborne goes to a conference where he can become, once again, revered as a coach, since the Big Ten ain't exactly brimming with household names in the coaching department right now, save for Jim Tressel at Ohio State. The Big XII also lost Colorado to the PAC 10 in what was rumored to be the first of HUGE defections to the conference. But, in a last-minute save, the Big XII will stay together, partly because of a new TV deal, and partly (well.....mostly) because Texas will start to put things in place to start up their own Longhorns Sports Network. Had they gone to the PAC-10, they wouldn't have been allowed to do that. And the big fish the PAC-10 wanted to get were the Longhorns and the Sooners. Getting them would have gotten the PAC-10 into Texas and Oklahoma City, and given them a fallback option for the mess USC and Oregon are in right now (more on that in a minute). But.....the Big XII (Texas) decided to keep everything together and operate as a ten team league. The defectors aren't scheduled to leave till next season, which, I'm sure by then, the Big XII will have two more teams in mind so they can keep their conference championship game. If TCU and Baylor can mend their fence, and since they meet this year in football, that ain't likely.....I predict that the Big XII will get Houston and TCU (outside shot there) to join the Big XII. I've tried to get some people inside the Mountain West Conference to answer some of my questions, and have been met with either canned answers or complete silence. Give all this a little time to simmer down, and we'll see what happens when the dust settles. And, wouldn't you love to be a fly on the wall when Osborne has to write that 3 million dollar check for leaving the conference early? I hope DeLoss Dodds is there to accept it, to stick it to the Huskers once more on their way out the door.
The wild card in all of this was, surprisingly, Texas A&M. The Aggies were rumored to be heading to the SEC so they could have a "rivalry" with Arkansas. In an article from the Fort Worth Star Telegram's Randy Galloway, he quoted "multiple" sources from College Station as saying they were "damn tired of being Texas's house boy!" Once the stories got out of A&M's flirtation with the SEC, Texas then announced that should A&M leave their conference, then the rivalry between Texas and A&M would cease to exist (and that, my SC and FL friends, is kind of like saying the Tigers and Gamecocks would never play, nor would the Gators or Seminoles, but multiply it by a few thousand). In the end, it seems as if A&M saw the light. I can't imagine a Thanksgiving night without the UT-A&M game, and now, thankfully.....I won't have to.
Moving on to the PAC-10, the NCAA came down HARD on USC for their transgressions, and the Trojans are shocked....SHOCKED...that this has happened. The dreaded words "lack of institutional control" were used to describe some of the reasons for the tough sanctions. OK, we all know the big stories by now, but just in case: FACT.....former USC basketball coach Tim Floyd was caught giving cash to a representative of OJ Mayo to come to USC. FACT.....Reggie Bush took over 300,000 dollars from budding sports agents, then tried to renege on repayment. Only before the men had Bush on the courthouse steps did he decide to repay the loan. And, if that wasn't enough, these men pretty much footed the bill for a lavish house for his parents while he was at USC. So.....USC will now lose 30 scholarships, be banned from TV and from post-season games, and pretty much be on "double secret" probation once the two year ban has been lifted. USC AD Mike Garrett said the NCAA sanctions are all being handed out because "the NCAA is jealous of the Trojans' success in recent years". Really? You have a team using "professional" players, and you're surprised when you get in trouble? I applaud the NCAA for dropping the hammer here, since they haven't displayed a propensity to do it to a "revenue producing" school. Look for Washington and Oregon State to take advantage of the Trojans' misfortunes here, and if Steve Sarkisian in Washington can do that, he'll take the prized recruits out of LA and USC will fall back into the pre-Carroll funk they were in.
The new Dave Campbell's Texas Football is out now. I got my copy yesterday. It has a great article on Houston's Case Keenum and TCU's Andy Dalton. Check it out today. Well, off to prepare for tonight's TV show. Thanks again.
Till next time.........
Patrick
But, on to the big news, where the rumors of the Big XII's demise have been greatly exaggerated. Now, we all heard the stories, and we all read the last posting of this blog (hopefully). The stories had Nebraska leaving, and they did. They accepted an invitation to the Big Ten. In a final display of hubris and audacity, Nebraska AD Tom Osborne, when asked about his team leaving breaking up the Big XII, answered "I don't think one team leaving breaks up a conference. I think six teams leaving breaks up a conference." Now, once again, don't fool yourself for one minute into thinking this was anything but a big money grab. Nebraska now falls into the Big Ten, with their own network, and all the revenue sharing that goes with it. And, Tom Osborne goes to a conference where he can become, once again, revered as a coach, since the Big Ten ain't exactly brimming with household names in the coaching department right now, save for Jim Tressel at Ohio State. The Big XII also lost Colorado to the PAC 10 in what was rumored to be the first of HUGE defections to the conference. But, in a last-minute save, the Big XII will stay together, partly because of a new TV deal, and partly (well.....mostly) because Texas will start to put things in place to start up their own Longhorns Sports Network. Had they gone to the PAC-10, they wouldn't have been allowed to do that. And the big fish the PAC-10 wanted to get were the Longhorns and the Sooners. Getting them would have gotten the PAC-10 into Texas and Oklahoma City, and given them a fallback option for the mess USC and Oregon are in right now (more on that in a minute). But.....the Big XII (Texas) decided to keep everything together and operate as a ten team league. The defectors aren't scheduled to leave till next season, which, I'm sure by then, the Big XII will have two more teams in mind so they can keep their conference championship game. If TCU and Baylor can mend their fence, and since they meet this year in football, that ain't likely.....I predict that the Big XII will get Houston and TCU (outside shot there) to join the Big XII. I've tried to get some people inside the Mountain West Conference to answer some of my questions, and have been met with either canned answers or complete silence. Give all this a little time to simmer down, and we'll see what happens when the dust settles. And, wouldn't you love to be a fly on the wall when Osborne has to write that 3 million dollar check for leaving the conference early? I hope DeLoss Dodds is there to accept it, to stick it to the Huskers once more on their way out the door.
The wild card in all of this was, surprisingly, Texas A&M. The Aggies were rumored to be heading to the SEC so they could have a "rivalry" with Arkansas. In an article from the Fort Worth Star Telegram's Randy Galloway, he quoted "multiple" sources from College Station as saying they were "damn tired of being Texas's house boy!" Once the stories got out of A&M's flirtation with the SEC, Texas then announced that should A&M leave their conference, then the rivalry between Texas and A&M would cease to exist (and that, my SC and FL friends, is kind of like saying the Tigers and Gamecocks would never play, nor would the Gators or Seminoles, but multiply it by a few thousand). In the end, it seems as if A&M saw the light. I can't imagine a Thanksgiving night without the UT-A&M game, and now, thankfully.....I won't have to.
Moving on to the PAC-10, the NCAA came down HARD on USC for their transgressions, and the Trojans are shocked....SHOCKED...that this has happened. The dreaded words "lack of institutional control" were used to describe some of the reasons for the tough sanctions. OK, we all know the big stories by now, but just in case: FACT.....former USC basketball coach Tim Floyd was caught giving cash to a representative of OJ Mayo to come to USC. FACT.....Reggie Bush took over 300,000 dollars from budding sports agents, then tried to renege on repayment. Only before the men had Bush on the courthouse steps did he decide to repay the loan. And, if that wasn't enough, these men pretty much footed the bill for a lavish house for his parents while he was at USC. So.....USC will now lose 30 scholarships, be banned from TV and from post-season games, and pretty much be on "double secret" probation once the two year ban has been lifted. USC AD Mike Garrett said the NCAA sanctions are all being handed out because "the NCAA is jealous of the Trojans' success in recent years". Really? You have a team using "professional" players, and you're surprised when you get in trouble? I applaud the NCAA for dropping the hammer here, since they haven't displayed a propensity to do it to a "revenue producing" school. Look for Washington and Oregon State to take advantage of the Trojans' misfortunes here, and if Steve Sarkisian in Washington can do that, he'll take the prized recruits out of LA and USC will fall back into the pre-Carroll funk they were in.
The new Dave Campbell's Texas Football is out now. I got my copy yesterday. It has a great article on Houston's Case Keenum and TCU's Andy Dalton. Check it out today. Well, off to prepare for tonight's TV show. Thanks again.
Till next time.........
Patrick
Thursday, June 10, 2010
The Big XII......may she rest in peace.
Greetings once again to everyone.....
Since I am now a newly minted member of the Football Writers Association of America, I figured I'd better start writing this again to support my membership. Besides....I know that you all missed me out there (well, maybe one or two, but it's a start). Let's move on.
As you all know by now, the Big Ten (can we call them the new Big 12.....I'm just asking) has picked off Nebraska in an effort to remain on the minds of college football fans through the first week of December. Remember, with the "old" format, the Big Ten had their rivalry weekend around mid-November, and was virtually a non-player come Championship Weekend. This led to them being shut out when talk came for the invitees to the BCS title game. Well, Big Ten commissioner changed all that with the addition of Nebraska yesterday to the conference. Everyone in Lincoln would have you believe that it's a better fit geographically, that it's a better fit academically, etc, etc, etc. But, one need look no further than the AD at Nebraska when it comes to this move. Former Huskers coach Tom Osborne as hated the Big XII all along. He hated being lumped in a conference with Texas. He hated losing the first Big XII title game to Texas 37-27. He hated how the Big XII divided up the TV money (the more times on TV, the more money you got......sounds pretty simple to me). He hated the fact that Nebraska just wasn't eating at the big table any more, and somehow, got relegated to the kid's table when talk of college football heavyweights surfaced. So, one has to think that the way the title game transpired last season, he had his fill of the Big XII. For a guy that is pretty much the emperor in Licoln, he's an unhappy fellow. But, when talk started about Nebraska leaving the Big XII, it all started with Nebraska, and Osborne was nowhere to be seen issuing any denials. So, it comes as no shock, then, that the first domino in this musical chairs of conference re-alignment comes from Nebraska. I wonder how Osborne will feel when his school gets overshadowed this time by Ohio State. Let's all be honest, though.....this is a money grab, plain and simple. The Big Ten has a greater revenue stream due to the Big Ten Network. The Big XII gives the lion's share of the TV money to Texas and Oklahoma. Let's see now.....if I'm a TV executive, and I want to remain a TV executive, do I choose to air the Texas-Oklahoma game, or the Nebraska-Kansas game? Sounds like a simple decision to me. So, Osborne did what so many petulant brats before him have done.....he grabbed his toys and left. As of this morning, Colorado announced they,too, would leave the Big XII for the PAC-10, quite possibly taking five other Big XII schools with them to form the nation's first super-conference. When the Big XII obituary is written, let it start out with the fact that Osborne cried because the Big XII didn't kowtow to him as he felt they should. Osborne will have his revenge, somewhat, but his name will always be associated with the death of a great conference.
And, while we're on the subject of super-conferences, if the PAC-10 indeed takes on five more schools from the Big XII (Texas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas A&M, and Texas Tech) and forms a super-conference, don't expect the SEC to stand by. SEC commissioner Mike Slive is a more forward thinking individual than his counterpart at the Big XII, Dan Beebe. Guess that explains why Slive will still have a job when this is all over with. But, the SEC is rumored to be going after four schools from the ACC to make their conference stronger. If Notre Dame also goes to the Big Ten, and these super-conferences start forming, then maybe the world will get what they've been wanting all along......a college football playoff to determine a champion. Don't think it's not on the minds of the NCAA either. THey see the writing on the wall, and it scares them to death. If the super-conferences form, and let's face it....it's going to happen sooner or later, why then would they stick to the traditional bowl format when they could sign their own deal amongst themselves, and keep all the money to themselves? And.....if that occurs, then what's to stop the basketball schools from coming together to form their own playoff system, and relegating the NCAA tourney to what the NIT tourney is today? There is WAY too much money out there to stop his from becoming a reality. It now becomes a question of "when" rather than an idea of "what if".
Hope to see everyone at the Oil Bowl this weekend. Till next time.........
Patrick
Since I am now a newly minted member of the Football Writers Association of America, I figured I'd better start writing this again to support my membership. Besides....I know that you all missed me out there (well, maybe one or two, but it's a start). Let's move on.
As you all know by now, the Big Ten (can we call them the new Big 12.....I'm just asking) has picked off Nebraska in an effort to remain on the minds of college football fans through the first week of December. Remember, with the "old" format, the Big Ten had their rivalry weekend around mid-November, and was virtually a non-player come Championship Weekend. This led to them being shut out when talk came for the invitees to the BCS title game. Well, Big Ten commissioner changed all that with the addition of Nebraska yesterday to the conference. Everyone in Lincoln would have you believe that it's a better fit geographically, that it's a better fit academically, etc, etc, etc. But, one need look no further than the AD at Nebraska when it comes to this move. Former Huskers coach Tom Osborne as hated the Big XII all along. He hated being lumped in a conference with Texas. He hated losing the first Big XII title game to Texas 37-27. He hated how the Big XII divided up the TV money (the more times on TV, the more money you got......sounds pretty simple to me). He hated the fact that Nebraska just wasn't eating at the big table any more, and somehow, got relegated to the kid's table when talk of college football heavyweights surfaced. So, one has to think that the way the title game transpired last season, he had his fill of the Big XII. For a guy that is pretty much the emperor in Licoln, he's an unhappy fellow. But, when talk started about Nebraska leaving the Big XII, it all started with Nebraska, and Osborne was nowhere to be seen issuing any denials. So, it comes as no shock, then, that the first domino in this musical chairs of conference re-alignment comes from Nebraska. I wonder how Osborne will feel when his school gets overshadowed this time by Ohio State. Let's all be honest, though.....this is a money grab, plain and simple. The Big Ten has a greater revenue stream due to the Big Ten Network. The Big XII gives the lion's share of the TV money to Texas and Oklahoma. Let's see now.....if I'm a TV executive, and I want to remain a TV executive, do I choose to air the Texas-Oklahoma game, or the Nebraska-Kansas game? Sounds like a simple decision to me. So, Osborne did what so many petulant brats before him have done.....he grabbed his toys and left. As of this morning, Colorado announced they,too, would leave the Big XII for the PAC-10, quite possibly taking five other Big XII schools with them to form the nation's first super-conference. When the Big XII obituary is written, let it start out with the fact that Osborne cried because the Big XII didn't kowtow to him as he felt they should. Osborne will have his revenge, somewhat, but his name will always be associated with the death of a great conference.
And, while we're on the subject of super-conferences, if the PAC-10 indeed takes on five more schools from the Big XII (Texas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas A&M, and Texas Tech) and forms a super-conference, don't expect the SEC to stand by. SEC commissioner Mike Slive is a more forward thinking individual than his counterpart at the Big XII, Dan Beebe. Guess that explains why Slive will still have a job when this is all over with. But, the SEC is rumored to be going after four schools from the ACC to make their conference stronger. If Notre Dame also goes to the Big Ten, and these super-conferences start forming, then maybe the world will get what they've been wanting all along......a college football playoff to determine a champion. Don't think it's not on the minds of the NCAA either. THey see the writing on the wall, and it scares them to death. If the super-conferences form, and let's face it....it's going to happen sooner or later, why then would they stick to the traditional bowl format when they could sign their own deal amongst themselves, and keep all the money to themselves? And.....if that occurs, then what's to stop the basketball schools from coming together to form their own playoff system, and relegating the NCAA tourney to what the NIT tourney is today? There is WAY too much money out there to stop his from becoming a reality. It now becomes a question of "when" rather than an idea of "what if".
Hope to see everyone at the Oil Bowl this weekend. Till next time.........
Patrick
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