Grist for the mill

[huskymedic]

Len Elmore, who starred on the Maryland men’s basketball team from 1971 to 1974 and now is a basketball commentator for ESPN, called the news “sad” and Maryland’s possible defection to the Big Ten a “bad move.”
“From a standpoint of tradition, I didn’t think my alma mater would be looking for a money grab, one of the most pernicious things in all of college sports,” Elmore said. “It’s nuts. They’re blinded by the dollars.”
Poor Len. It's all great when the ACC is decimating the Big East, but now that his alma matre is going to the Big Ten he's upset.

I love how these commentators love calling into question the morals of Presidents who are going for the money grab, but when schools like Rutgers and Maryland are bleeding tens of millions each year because they can't compete in their conferences, everything is hunky dory with them. Nope, nothing wrong with eliminating academic programs so that these schools can continue to lose $30 million a year on athletics.

Poor Lefty...“If I were on the Board of Regents, I would say ‘Don't even think about it,' ” said former Maryland basketball coach Lefty Driesell, who also played in the ACC, for Duke. “It's not all about money. The students are interested in Duke and Carolina and N.C. State. They don't know anything about Wisconsin and Illinois.”

 

[CAHUSKY]

Poor Lefty...“If I were on the Board of Regents, I would say ‘Don't even think about it,' ” said former Maryland basketball coach Lefty Driesell, who also played in the ACC, for Duke. “It's not all about money. The students are interested in Duke and Carolina and N.C. State. They don't know anything about Wisconsin and Illinois.”

To a large extent I agree. Isn't it going to be a lot different for UCONN playing Houston, SMU, ECU than PITT and CUSE? The loss of rivalries in college sports is disheartening. Hopefully, if they move to 4 divisions of 16 you will see a return to a lot of traditional rivals

 

[ZooCougar]

Poor Lefty...“If I were on the Board of Regents, I would say ‘Don't even think about it,' ” said former Maryland basketball coach Lefty Driesell, who also played in the ACC, for Duke. “It's not all about money. The students are interested in Duke and Carolina and N.C. State. They don't know anything about Wisconsin and Illinois.”

I want this Maryland thing to happen. But Lefty is right! Unfortunately for the fans and the students, Swofford and the ACC outmanuevered themselves and Maryland's decision makers have decided to tap out.

The other thing is that Lefty is kind of wrong. I just read a Maryland blog on SBnation that basically said that Maryland has grown away from the Tobacco Road schools down south and they have no rival to speak of. So what difference does it make if they have no rival in the Big 10. Lefty may be a bit out of touch in that regard.

 

[Chin Diesel]

Lets be the beneficiaries of other people's bad decisions.

That was the opening line of my last job performance review.

 

[ZooCougar]

That was the opening line of my last job performance review.

Great minds think alike.