BE Presidents: Hold your horses!

[The Funster]

From the ashes there are a lot of good things that are (may be) emerging. We have a new FB facility. We are breaking ground on a new BB facility. UConn FB players are getting attention. UConn may start to become a sympathetic figure in the CR picture. I don't think there is any question that UConn will wind up in a good spot, most likely in the (reconstituted) ACC. While I still dream of the B1G, the ACC would give us the chance to play against a lot of our rivals.

 

[hthusky74]

Do you have any of her messages in audio? Maybe we can play it backwards and the secret will come out???

I already did. It says "Paul is a dead man" Is she referring to our football coach? lol

 

[Nostical]

We need to act like the perfect conference mate. We have to be enthusiastic and fill the seats and support the school

This is the only thing we as fans can control. So far, we've not done too well. Consider the following:
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/98496197/Kickoff v NC St.png

This is the TV image of what viewers saw at the kickoff of last year's home game vs NC St. It's what all those viewers tuning in from North Carolina and the ACC saw. Don't for a minute think images like this don't create bad impressions and make it easier for those who don't favor our interests to label our program (fairly or unfairly) in a negative way. Would the image look any different if we had a winning and more exciting team? Sure, ultimately, but what needs changing has to happen despite our record. This is like a job interview. We're interviewing for the B1G or ACC and at the beginning of our games when the folks tune in, it looks like we came to that interview with unpolished shoes and our tie askew. Not a great impression.

Look at these 10 sec videos of the Rent vs NC St. and then of NC St a few weeks later vs Va Tech, both at the end of their respective pregames. Keep your eye on the stands. Notice anything different? This is about demonstrating our passion as fans. While we on the Boneyard certainly do our part, we're not doing our all. If you're not in your seat by kickoff, you're part of the problem.

http://www.tubechop.com/watch/987504
http://www.tubechop.com/watch/987488

 

[housekeys]

This is the only thing we as fans can control. So far, we've not done too well. Consider the following:
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/98496197/Kickoff v NC St.png

This is the TV image of what viewers saw at the kickoff of last year's home game vs NC St. It's what all those viewers tuning in from North Carolina and the ACC saw. Don't for a minute think images like this don't create bad impressions and make it easier for those who don't favor our interests to label our program (fairly or unfairly) in a negative way. Would the image look any different if we had a winning and more exciting team? Sure, ultimately, but what needs changing has to happen despite our record. This is like a job interview. We're interviewing for the B1G or ACC and at the beginning of our games when the folks tune in, it looks like we came to that interview with unpolished shoes and our tie askew. Not a great impression.

Look at these 10 sec videos of the Rent vs NC St. and then of NC St a few weeks later vs Va Tech, both at the end of their respective pregames. Keep your eye on the stands. Notice anything different? This is about demonstrating our passion as fans. While we on the Boneyard certainly do our part, we're not doing our all. If you're not in your seat by kickoff, you're part of the problem.

http://www.tubechop.com/watch/987504
http://www.tubechop.com/watch/987488

Ouch. The UConn athletic department needs to see these. Very telling and I think most of us are aware of this. Apathy and complacency are huge problems. Given our dire situation within CR and our coaching transition, it should not be a big surprize. Under no circumstance, however, should UConn and the fans, accept this. One side of me wants to give excuses, like we are not the only ones, the economy, blah, blah.. Probably true, but as fans of the the school, we should not accept it. Certainly the athletic department should not. No doubt we need to reinvigorate the fan base. Incentives, marketing, whatever. We clearly have work to do. We need to stay hungry. Hope the school is on top of this and doing something about it. Some good news on the CR front wouldn't hurt. Ultimately, to sustain it, we must keep on winning.

 

[UConnNick]

The time frame I am talking about is very small. Correct my memory if I am wrong, but I believe the announcement of Maryland and Rutgers happened about Nov 20, and the announcement of Louisville to the ACC, about Nov 28. Aside from second hand quotes and speculation, I do not recall any evidence of an "internal fight" during this specific time frame, concerning UConn. I do not question your description about Tobacco Road and UConn prior to Nov 20 and a few days after. In fact, you are supporting my thesis in that UConn was the prime target after Nov 20. But what I am implying is that after the first couple of days of courting UConn, the ACC was told by us we are heading to the B1G, in due time (not sure why the delay). This last statement of mine is a guess and just a theory. If it is true, that would explain practically all the bizarre events that follow up to this point, including the sudden (as I remember it) change in the ACC decision making process, that basically focused only on Louisville. The cold shoulder treatment from the BE commissioner and the C7. Nothing that was published was directly from the ACC. It was just speculation about the internal disagreement on UConn. These articles made sense at the time because there was no other way to explain that UConn was no longer on the table.

I do not want to give false hope to anyone, but just trying to make sense out of it. This is the only way, as a UConn fan, that things can be explained. I am trying to replay the timeline and view articles ( the majority of which were just speculation, mind you) that either support or dismiss what I am saying. My greatest hope is based on this one fact: I know that UConn is not a worthless commodity.

While I'm sure UCONN fans would wholeheartedly welcome your theory, its pretty far fetched. First, it would imply that UCONN and the Big 10 have some sort of secret agreement allowing UCONN in at a later date. I also am fairly well convinced that any Big 10 agreement to admit UCONN will be conditional on expanding Rentschler to 55-60,000, which requires the Conn. state legislature and taxpayer money to become involved. For all of that to happen, you can't conduct business in secret as a governmental entity without violating a whole bunch of FOI laws.

I think BS College, Florida State and Clemson torpedoed UCONN's ACC membership because the ACC was wet pants scared that the latter two were about to bolt to the SEC. Pronoucements from Herbst and Manuel that we should practically embrace our new conference brethren, if they know something completely different, would border on the kind of duplicity that BS College was guilty of the first time around in 2003.

 

[housekeys]

While I'm sure UCONN fans would wholeheartedly welcome your theory, its pretty far fetched. First, it would imply that UCONN and the Big 10 have some sort of secret agreement allowing UCONN in at a later date. I also am fairly well convinced that any Big 10 agreement to admit UCONN will be conditional on expanding Rentschler to 55-60,000, which requires the Conn. state legislature and taxpayer money to become involved. For all of that to happen, you can't conduct business in secret as a governmental entity without violating a whole bunch of FOI laws.

I think BS College, Florida State and Clemson torpedoed UCONN's ACC membership because the ACC was wet pants scared that the latter two were about to bolt to the SEC. Pronoucements from Herbst and Manuel that we should practically embrace our new conference brethren, if they know something completely different, would border on the kind of duplicity that BS College was guilty of the first time around in 2003.

I appreciate your opinion and I agree, it sure is far fetched. So was the invite to Rutgers, until it happened. I know I linked to message board banter but still. If you want more reputable speculation, google JC just a few weeks back. But you do make good points, however. I just can't imagine getting a B1G invite with a 40,000 Rent. What can I tell you?

As for some secret agreement, this is a miss-characterization. It could be something as simple as a handshake and nothing else. Why would this be illegal? I hear the word "collegiality" a lot; this may be all it is. There is some anecdotal evidence to indicate something is up. Google Delany's comments around Dec 6 2012. But no one should expect Herbst/Manual, or anyone in the know, to publicly focus on anything but the NBE, whether an invite is forthcoming or not.

Your theory on BCU, FSU and Clemson is as good as mine, except that it does not explain the BE cold shoulder treatment of UConn. Sure UConn has made it known it wants out, and that may warrant some BE frowns , but not publicly. The BE administration has had no problem ignoring us at every opportunity and in public. Reality is reality and you can't speculate unless you stretch some of what is happening. That is definitely what I am doing.