Geno: "We did a lot of dumb things that are still haunting us."

[06029]

Give parking discounts to cars with 4 or more people in it. Find some unused space in Manchester or wherever and run shuttle buses. People could also tailgate in the "commuter" lot and catch the shuttle a half hour or sooner before gametime since the shuttle bus, as it were, does not have to park, it just lets people out.

Shuttle buses? Are you trying to turn the Rent environment into BC where you have to pay a lot to have grilling privileges? Not to mention the cost of the buses and no remote lot will allow tailgating. Too tough to control and too many rent a cops to make remote parking tailgate successful. Also, Uconn fans have trouble making kick off now when they can walk to their seats from their car. No way they get in buses 30 minutes early.

 

[CL82]

I have never shaken my love for Red, White and Blue beer.

You crack me up. I had far too many PBRs and Red, White and Blues.

 

[Pudge]

I am always amazed at how many people think UConn can become a "regional team". Everyone I have ever known from NYC, & LI will say something nice about MBB (WBB) and then change the subject to the Yankees, Mets, Giants, Jets, etc. In MA the same thing only substitute Sox, Pats, Bruins. I don't know about NH & RI but my guess is outside of the southern suburbs of Springfield there would not be a lot of interest. We are the University of Connecticut. When we "took over MSG"is because a lot of fans took the train down to see the game, not because many New Yorkers really care about UConn.

I couldn't be more on the opposite side of this debate.

Talking Yanks, Sox, Bruins, Pats, Giants ... ain't where our pool of revenue will come from. I think you can think a little harder & see that you left out a HUGE chunk. Regional? Why does Rutgers - with putrid results and a sick brand - get credit for people who'll never go to New Brunswick or turn on that TV? We actually have a BRAND appeal in Men's and Women's hoop. We actually have great Football within a few hours drive for a family/group ... that won't cost a bundle. The Pro discussion hits the wall when you realize that you are basically leaving live sports to just a corporate and wealthy guy environment.

 

[Gampeltiles]

Shuttle buses? Are you trying to turn the Rent environment into BC where you have to pay a lot to have grilling privileges? Not to mention the cost of the buses and no remote lot will allow tailgating. Too tough to control and too many rent a cops to make remote parking tailgate successful. Also, Uconn fans have trouble making kick off now when they can walk to their seats from their car. No way they get in buses 30 minutes early.

So other than that you agree with me?

 

[huskypantz]

I think he kind of burst the bubble of CR hope for UConn. I guess that there are no talks with other conferences happening if you read what he said.

Naahhhh. I think he's actually framing the argument as "UConn is a worthy P5 school, but we made enemies due to the lawsuit and that's the only reason we're on the outside".

 

[jostar1]

Here are emails from 2011 in case anyone hasn't seen them. By that time Hathaway was gone and Paul Pendergast was acting AD. Note how he was trying to get involved but Herbst made it quite clear that presidents and not AD's were running the show.

http://www.documentcloud.org/documents/282123-responsive-documents.html#document/p1

 

[businesslawyer]

The lawsuits- plural - were filed in CT, and named individuals personally as responsible for damaging UCONN. It's pretty shocking to me, still, even now - that it was allowed to happen. People hold grudges, especially if they are sued personally for millions of dollars.

Lew Perkins, never stayed to see his baby succeed - he knew exactly what was happening - his baby was spitting the silver spoon out and he wasn't staying around to try to clean up the mess.

What we do - is acknowledge it happened, learn from it, recognize the importance of the sport of football in the national landscape of intercollegiate athletics, and move forward accordingly demonstrating that we've learned from it, and hopefully voters in CT won't re-elect the liar in the senator's seat.

Carl: I am begging you to stop. You are embarassing yourself.

Let me make this simple for you: a lawyer can not sue a party without his client agreeing to it. That means that the University of Pittsburgh, Virginia Tech (at first), Rutgers, West Virginia and UConn -- as universities -- ALL APPROVED EACH PLAINTIFF BEING NAMED. And every individual at an ACC school that was sued knew this when then voted to invite Pitt.

 

[businesslawyer]

I am always amazed at how many people think UConn can become a "regional team". Everyone I have ever known from NYC, & LI will say something nice about MBB (WBB) and then change the subject to the Yankees, Mets, Giants, Jets, etc. In MA the same thing only substitute Sox, Pats, Bruins. I don't know about NH & RI but my guess is outside of the southern suburbs of Springfield there would not be a lot of interest. We are the University of Connecticut. When we "took over MSG"is because a lot of fans took the train down to see the game, not because many New Yorkers really care about UConn.

That is amazingly dumb. SNY pays to televise mens hoops, womens hoops and football and show the games in the entire region. if the rights only had value in CT, they would be bought by a CT broadcaster.

 

[UConnDan97]

Carl: I am begging you to stop. You are embarassing yourself.

Let me make this simple for you: a lawyer can not sue a party without his client agreeing to it. That means that the University of Pittsburgh, Virginia Tech (at first), Rutgers, West Virginia and UConn -- as universities -- ALL APPROVED EACH PLAINTIFF BEING NAMED. And every individual at an ACC school that was sued knew this when then voted to invite Pitt.

THIS! This is the key statement. This is why I lose my mind when people want to keep pointing back at the lawsuit (I know, I know...even Geno did it). The ACC was not at all concerned about the lawsuit and Nordenberg's major role in it when they invited Pitt and Syracuse. But they did so because they knew the money would be there and that they would cripple their major competitor in the East...

 

[RMoore1999]

Carl: I am begging you to stop. You are embarassing yourself.

Let me make this simple for you: a lawyer can not sue a party without his client agreeing to it. That means that the University of Pittsburgh, Virginia Tech (at first), Rutgers, West Virginia and UConn -- as universities -- ALL APPROVED EACH PLAINTIFF BEING NAMED. And every individual at an ACC school that was sued knew this when then voted to invite Pitt.

As a fellow transactional lawyer, couldn't agree more. Surprising this isn't obvious to all - neither a law, nor any other, degree should be required to grasp this concept.

I am curious though as to the identity of the AG's of those other states from back then...i can't seem to remember. Unlikely Blumenthal's contributions in that matter will soon be forgotten.

 

[CL82]

That is amazingly dumb. SNY pays to televise mens hoops, womens hoops and football and show the games in the entire region. if the rights only had value in CT, they would be bought by a CT broadcaster.

I agree BL but I do think a big motivating factor was getting a presence in Connecticut. They were already in NYC and North Jersey. UConn games were the keys to penetration into Connecticut. The real lesson of the SNY/UConn deal is that that penetration happened as fast as it did. UConn may not cause every TV in NYC to tune in (although they do cause a lot of them to do so and even a small percentage of that very big number has value) but they do carry the state of Connecticut, (Hartford/New Haven DMA, plus Fairfield County, plus the eastern part of the state) and that it is one of the more meaningful demographics still on the table.

 

[businesslawyer]

I agree BL but I do think a big motivating factor was getting a presence in Connecticut. They were already in NYC and North Jersey. UConn games were the keys to penetration into Connecticut. The real lesson of the SNY/UConn deal is that that penetration happened as fast as it did. UConn may not cause every TV in NYC to tune in (although they do cause a lot of them to do so and even a small percentage of that very big number has value) but they do carry the state of Connecticut, (Hartford/New Haven DMA, plus Fairfield County, plus the eastern part of the state) and that it is one of the more meaningful demographics still on the table.

You have accurately described the hidden value to SNY of the deal, and why it made more sense for them than it would have for MSG or YES. Having said that, Connecticut is a modest piece of SNY's total market, and they are not paying to carry the games in all of New York State, New Jersey and Eastern PA without believing that someone is watching.

 

[coachcap]

I agree BL but I do think a big motivating factor was getting a presence in Connecticut. They were already in NYC and North Jersey. UConn games were the keys to penetration into Connecticut. The real lesson of the SNY/UConn deal is that that penetration happened as fast as it did. UConn may not cause every TV in NYC to tune in (although they do cause a lot of them to do so and even a small percentage of that very big number has value) but they do carry the state of Connecticut, (Hartford/New Haven DMA, plus Fairfield County, plus the eastern part of the state) and that it is one of the more meaningful demographics still on the table.

The proof in the pudding of UConn's value to SNY is this. SNY had been trying for years to get coverage on CT. cable systems not in Fairfield County with little success. Once UConn signed it's contract with SNY the cable systems buckled & SNY was on every system seemingly within a month.

 

[Sea Goat]

Carl: I am begging you to stop. You are embarassing yourself.

Let me make this simple for you: a lawyer can not sue a party without his client agreeing to it. That means that the University of Pittsburgh, Virginia Tech (at first), Rutgers, West Virginia and UConn -- as universities -- ALL APPROVED EACH PLAINTIFF BEING NAMED. And every individual at an ACC school that was sued knew this when then voted to invite Pitt.

It's not that simple - at the time everyone knew Blumenthal was leading the litigation efforts. ( The action(s) were brought in CT and controlled by his office - the actions could have been brought in other jurisdictions.) Clients do have to agree on whether to proceed in litigation, but lawyers set the tone and advise and influence on all things, including who to sue. Blumenthal chose to name people individually and likely promoted the idea to his clients. That made it intensely personal and, in truth, it wasn't necessary to gain whatever relief he thought he could get. As a result, Blumenthal and CT ended up highest on the ACC " list".

Having said that, we know other reasons for the "blackball" were in play, especially with BC. But the CT's leadership on the lawsuit(s) probably tipped the balance. We all know that "success has a thousand fathers and failure is an orphan". Sure our fellow plaintiffs ran for the hills when the litigation strategy backfired. However, let's be real; if somehow the case(s) miraculously changed the course of CR at the time, you would have been run over by Blumenthal if you were between him and the cameras.

 

[businesslawyer]

It's not that simple - at the time everyone knew Blumenthal was leading the litigation efforts. ( The action(s) were brought in CT and controlled by his office - the actions could have been brought in other jurisdictions.) Clients do have to agree on whether to proceed in litigation, but lawyers set the tone and advise and influence on all things, including who to sue. Blumenthal chose to name people individually and likely promoted the idea to his clients. That made it intensely personal and, in truth, it wasn't necessary to gain whatever relief he thought he could get. As a result, Blumenthal and CT ended up highest on the ACC " list".

Having said that, we know other reasons for the "blackball" were in play, especially with BC. But the CT's leadership on the lawsuit(s) probably tipped the balance. We all know that "success has a thousand fathers and failure is an orphan". Sure our fellow plaintiffs ran for the hills when the litigation strategy backfired. However, let's be real; if somehow the case(s) miraculously changed the course of CR at the time, you would have been run over by Blumenthal if you were between him and the cameras.

Hogwash. Utter and complete hogwash. The litigation was being run by Skadden. Blumenthal was just the public spokesman. Anyone who thinks Pitt and WVU and Rutgers was ignoring the way Skadden wanted the litigation played and was instead relying on Dick Blumenthal's opinions and strategies is insane.

When you hear someone from the outside say "it's because of Blumenthal,", what do you expect them to say? It's because we don't want to have to compete with UConn? It's because we can make more money by leaving UConn on the outside? Those are all evidence of per se antitrust violations. They point to Blumenthal to explain decisions that are illegal but they don't want to publicly admit are illegal.

God, I wish people were smarter than this.

 

[UConnDan97]

Here's another reason for the general public why all of this stuff really is "hogwash":

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/columns/story?page=wojciechowski-110921

 

[Carl Spackler]

Hogwash. Utter and complete hogwash. The litigation was being run by Skadden. Blumenthal was just the public spokesman. Anyone who thinks Pitt and WVU and Rutgers was ignoring the way Skadden wanted the litigation played and was instead relying on Blumenthal's opinions and strategies is insane.

When you hear someone from the outside say "it's because of Blumenthal,", what do you expect them to say? It's because we don't want to have to compete with UConn? It's because we can make more money by leaving UConn on the outside? Those are all evidence of per se antitrust violations. They point to Blumenthal to explain decisions that are illegal but they don't want to publicly admit are illegal.

God, I wish people were smarter than this.

Now - that's funny. BL - Blumenthal is an embarrassment to anyone except Connecticut Dems that support him. That's not part of this argument, really, but I'm writing it just because I sense that you support the guy. He's a liar, a cheat and a publicity whore with an interest in advancing his own political position before doing good for the public. I'll save the rhetoric, but every time I get a phone call about my electric rates, I want him out of office. The guy has done more damage to the ability of business to function well in CT effectively with that one publicity stunt action regarding utility rates a while back, than any tax rate could do. He sold it to the public as doing something effective, yet we still have the highest commercial electricity rates of any state in the contiguous U.S.A. Only Alaska and Hawaii have higher commercial electricity rates, and because of Blumenthal's actions, there is essentially no way to get the rates to go down, and the supply and delivery divide and subcontracting is a disaster.

Only one of the many, many things. And I don't care if you don't believe me or not, and I'm not embarrassed one bit. There are people that were named in that lawsuit, that blame Blumenthal, and the University of Connecticut for being sued, and they will not support UCONN in any way again. People behave differently in real life, than they appear to do on legal papers.

 

[businesslawyer]

Now - that's funny. BL - Blumenthal is an embarrassment to anyone except Connecticut Dems that support him. That's not part of this argument, really, but I'm writing it just because I sense that you support the guy. He's a liar, a cheat and a publicity whore with an interest in advancing his own political position before doing good for the public. I'll save the rhetoric, but every time I get a phone call about my electric rates, I want him out of office. The guy has done more damage to the ability of business to function well in CT effectively with that one publicity stunt action regarding utility rates a while back, than any tax rate could do. He sold it to the public as doing something effective, yet we still have the highest commercial electricity rates of any state in the contiguous U.S.A. Only Alaska and Hawaii have higher commercial electricity rates, and because of Blumenthal's actions, there is essentially no way to get the rates to go down, and the supply and delivery divide and subcontracting is a disaster.

Only one of the many, many things. And I don't care if you don't believe me or not, and I'm not embarrassed one bit. There are people that were named in that lawsuit, that blame Blumenthal, and the University of Connecticut for being sued, and they will not support UCONN in any way again. People behave differently in real life, than they appear to do on legal papers.

If you can't read your first paragraph and conclude that you are not in a position to rationally discuss Blumenthal's role in conference realignment, you need to take a long look in the mirror. And for what it's worth, I think he's done many good things and also that he is a publicity hound and his lies about serving in Nam border somewhere between the insane and unconscionable.

Having said that, understand the logical absurdity of your statement. The Chancellor of Pitt chairs a committee of university presidents that hires Skadden to sue the ACC. The group, advised by Skadden, makes a strategic decision that the best venue to sue the ACC and the named defendants is in Connecticut. And because Pitt, advised by Skadden, elects to bring the suit in Connecticut to suit their interests, it's fine to vote to admit Pitt to the ACC but not UConn -- they are located in a state in which it was tactically preferable to bring the suit in.

Even hating Dick Blumenthal, you can't see how stupid that is?

 

[Sea Goat]

Hogwash. Utter and complete hogwash. The litigation was being run by Skadden. Blumenthal was just the public spokesman. Anyone who thinks Pitt and WVU and Rutgers was ignoring the way Skadden wanted the litigation played and was instead relying on Blumenthal's opinions and strategies is insane.

When you hear someone from the outside say "it's because of Blumenthal,", what do you expect them to say? It's because we don't want to have to compete with UConn? It's because we can make more money by leaving UConn on the outside? Those are all evidence of per se antitrust violations. They point to Blumenthal to explain decisions that are illegal but they don't want to publicly admit are illegal.

God, I wish people were smarter than this.

Wake up! I don't think you know how that office ran or had much experience with it. So shove your "hogwash" comments. If you want to have a civil discourse then come back appropriately.

 

[06029]

If you can't read your first paragraph and conclude that you are not in a position to rationally discuss Blumenthal's role in conference realignment, you need to take a long look in the mirror. And for what it's worth, I think he's done many good things and also that he is a publicity hound and his lies about serving in Nam border somewhere between the insane and unconscionable.

Having said that, understand the logical absurdity of your statement. The Chancellor of Pitt chairs a committee of university presidents that hires Skadden to sue the ACC. The group, advised by Skadden, makes a strategic decision that the best venue to sue the ACC and the named defendants is in Connecticut. And because Pitt, advised by Skadden, elects to bring the suit in Connecticut to suit their interests, it's fine to vote to admit Pitt to the ACC but not UConn -- they are located in a state in which it was tactically preferable to bring the suit in.

Even hating Blumenthal, you can't see how stupid that is?

All correct except Blumenthal was the front and center and he was the CT AG. He was the one the media filmed talking about BC and the ACC colluding. He was the one that shouted the loudest. He called out individuals in public as liars and deceitful. There was no other AG to be seen. There were presidents and AD's making carefully crafted comments but no other AG's from any other state.

Most smart lawyers tell their clients to shut up and let them do the talking. I'm sure you may have even given that advice in your career (I have certainly heard it from mine). But he did not or could not stay quiet. Like it or not, he was the personification of the lawsuit. He was the guy ar press events that gave the impression he was the guy in charge. So when people think about who led the lawsuit, factual or not, it is CT and Uconn, because of Blumenthal. There are times when perception becomes the reality people believe.

 

[businesslawyer]

All correct except Blumenthal was the front and center and he was the CT AG. He was the one the media filmed talking about BC and the ACC colluding. He was the one that shouted the loudest. He called out individuals in public as liars and deceitful. There was no other AG to be seen. There were presidents and AD's making carefully crafted comments but no other AG's from any other state.

Most smart lawyers tell their clients to shut up and let them do the talking. I'm sure you may have even given that advice in your career (I have certainly heard it from mine). But he did not or could not stay quiet. Like it or not, he was the personification of the lawsuit. He was the guy ar press events that gave the impression he was the guy in charge. So when people think about who led the lawsuit, factual or not, it is CT and Uconn, because of Blumenthal. There are times when perception becomes the reality people believe.

Yes, but who are the people? A blogger on ESPN.com? A poster here? The people who know who their enemies are are the executives -- all represented by experienced counsel -- who were sued. And they all voted for Pitt. It is their perception that drives this debate, and they all know exactly what happened.

 

[06029]

Yes, but who are the people? A blogger on ESPN.com? A poster here? The people who know who their enemies are are the executives -- all represented by experienced counsel -- who were sued. And they all voted for Pitt. It is their perception that drives this debate, and they all know exactly what happened.

Swofford, Leahy and DeFillipo knew who called them out in front of the media. Being named personally cost them, the school and the the ACC lots more money for lawyers than if the correct path was followed to just sue the schools and the conference. And the person who was the mouthpiece for the State of CT and Uconn at the time was the biggest shouter of all. Even louder than Skaden guy, which is actually hard to believe. The presidents know who filed the lawsuit, all of the schools. They also know who was the biggest shouter and gave the appearance of leading the charge. It is not a major factor in everything since, but it is not a minor factor either. If it wasn't a factor like you believe, it would not still be coming up with people that actually might know more than me or you. People like Calhoun and Geno. Or are they morons too?

 

[uconndogs]

I think biz is exactly right. That said, GDF came across as a small, petty man and I think he absolutely took it personally and had UCONN in his cross hairs on the issue. That, and the fact that in his infinite wisdom, he believed UCONN would take market share from BC rather than grow the market. Small, petty, insecure and STUPID........

 

[Gampeltiles]

Penetrating Connecticut

Anyway YES does Yale games, I'd like to see the ratings of SNY's UCONN games vs. YES's Yale games. It could be closer than we think.
Virtually, the only football conversation in New England until the last 15-20 years was Notre Dame and the Ivy League......Boola, Boola.......they whole 9 yards.

 

[BC1978]

Penetrating Connecticut

Anyway YES does Yale games, I'd like to see the ratings of SNY's UCONN games vs. YES's Yale games. It could be closer than we think.
Virtually, the only football conversation in New England until the last 15-20 years was Notre Dame and the Ivy League.Boola, Boola..they whole 9 yards.

Really? I guess that guy Doug Flutie must have been a figment of everyone's imagination! Who knew?