BL _ this is for you.
I've written a lot today, and I'm not sure where all of it is all over this website. I respect your writing and your opinion, it's your recaps of uconn football games that first drew me to this website, long before I started writing.
There is a lot of blame in the media right now on Marinatto for the state of the big east conference. ESPN leading the way, by putting up their ridiculous polls for the masses to react to, rather than reporting fact.
Marinatto has been conference commissioner for less than 3 years, and the biggest problem he has right now, all of this mess, comes from the faact that he actually believed his member constituency when they affirmed the conference rules and regulations, and demonstrated agreement for solidarity. That, I think we can agree on, I hope, and i don't need to publish facts to support it.
I'm stating here that Marinatto was directly responsible for the legwork and effort that went to salvaging the football conference in 2003, when Tranghese sat by and did nothing, and wanted a football split, and the athletic directors of the schools that are all now gone, also wanted to split, but didn't all have university president backing. UConn, in 2003, was firmly entrenched with the Big East. The first time, that there has been any kind of hint of failure of solidarity with the Big East from UConn, since 1979, happened in fall of 2011. I'm not going to publish anythign to support any of that, take it for what you will.
I personally, have wanted a split away from the big east for football schools, since we made the commitment in the late 90s, and actively wanted it since the upgrade finally went past point of no return in 2000. I've wanted a split, as long as the big east as a conference, did not demonstrate a committment to 1-A football, and that was most certainly the case until fall of 2011. This opinion, of mine, a desire to split, is somethign that goes back among football programs all the way to the beginning. THe first football season was played in 1992. In 1993 and 1994 they were seriously considering splitting, BOTH sides, basketball adn football wanted a split, but Tranghese kept it together by his agreement to provide a home for Notre Dame, and allow Notre Dame to maintain independance. To date, Tranghese, is the guy that Notre Dame most deserves to owe their football indendance. Every single other 1-A football program int he country - and there were a lot of them, has had to go the confernce route since 1995. Notre Dame doesn't get a chance to negotiate exclusivitey with the BCS, if Tranghese doesn't get them the arrangement with the Big EAst, and nobody else was given them that arrangement.
and it was the addition of Notre Dame,and a scheduling agreement that appeased both sides. I am 100% behind the Big East now, and although I lament, and regret the state of the conference is in now, regarding conference rivalry, I have no doubt that we have leadership at botht he university membership levels, and conference levels that can make it be successful, with priorities lined up right.
Historically, Marinatto has demonstrated well before that, many years before, that he fully understands the importance of football in the intercollegiate landscape, and has been fighting a battle with conference membership about ti for two decades. . That, is up for debate as I'm not willing to discuss why I write that, and what evidence there might be.
As for the finger pointing for the state of affairs, I have enjoyed the previous discussions I've read about here about the dynamics of what a conference commissioners and membership that I have read from you.
For the state of the big east in 2012, one need to look at the university presidents and AD's that compromise the Big EAst, the former big east commissioner, and the commissioner of the ACC, to understand - why the current big east commissioner has had to put together a league that looks like it does now.
and no, I'm not going to read this before I post it. I'll also run with scissors today.
