Marinatto's New Mission

[Fishy]

We can basically admit that whatever the Big East has done to try save the football side of the conference has failed.

Syracuse and Pitt announced they were leaving the conference on September 19th. Texas Christian bailed a few weeks ago and West Virginia left today. That's four out the door and there are zero commitments from anyone to replace them.

It's been six weeks. The ship has sailed.

If Marinatto is truly here to do what's best for his conference members, his efforts should change from a fruitless effort to shore up what cannot be shored up and move towards finding as soft a landing as possible for the five schools left.

That won't be easy either, but there is some possibility of success whereas his current efforts are a) not in anyone's best interests and b) doomed.

 

[flyonthewall]

Sensible idea but for the fact that the last guy any BE FB school should have working to help them is Marinate. The guy is a joke and completely ineffective.

 

[gars44]

Fish, I hear you, but you can't expect M to be able to work one side of the conference against the other. He can't operate. He has to take orders from interests as diverse as Georgetown and Seton Hall and Louisville and West Virginia all at the same time. Does any thing say "Non Compute" about this? He has the most impossible job in the world. His only fault is that he didn't have the integrity, and it is integrity, to say, "I can't do this" and just resign. He has made enough money to just walk away. That is his ultimate failure.

 

[TRest]

gars, if indeed the catholic schools let it be known they would split if UConn or Louisville left, it is time to let them go and let him work to find us another home. I don't want to be in a BE conference of the apparent future either.

 

[CL82]

The absolute last thing I'd want to have that small timer negotiating on our behalf. If he really wants to help us, he should negotiate against us.

 

[Fishy]

I don't lay this at any one person's feet - it is certainly not Marinatto's fault. The forces that tore this sucker apart were introduced first when Penn State was rejected and they've never truly been quelled. He's not a capable commissioner - whether anyone could be given the hand that was dealt, I dunno.

But it's over. The efforts put out to "save" the Big East will not and if they were 'successful' in the sense that some far flung schools like Boise joined, it might do more long-term harm to the programs left by diminishing them to the point where they will simply not be strong enough to warrant inclusion in future expansion.

(continued in the next post due to the duck*ing 1,180 character post limit....)

 

[Fishy]

(cont)

Working to move those schools to other conferences is no longer against the best interests of the basketball schools. This is not about saving a payday for the hoop schools any more - the big television contract is gone. It's better for them that they be allowed to replace the football schools with more like-minded programs - there is no scenario where Providence is better off being in a conference with Houston or UCF instead of Xavier and Dayton.

It's time to face reality. The posts about it being time for the Big East to start being 'ruthless' or whatever are just misguided. It ain't a flesh wound - the patient is gonna die.

 

[UCHuskies08]

What would he do to go about doing this? #BegHarder?

 

[jostar1]

If Marinatto is truly here to do what's best for his conference members, his efforts should change from a fruitless effort to shore up what cannot be shored up and move towards finding as soft a landing as possible for the five schools left.

What conference are you suggesting for UConn?

 

[ZooCougar]

We can basically admit that whatever the Big East has done to try save the football side of the conference has failed.

Syracuse and Pitt announced they were leaving the conference on September 19th. Texas Christian bailed a few weeks ago and West Virginia left today. That's four out the door and there are zero commitments from anyone to replace them.

It's been six weeks. The ship has sailed.

If Marinatto is truly here to do what's best for his conference members, his efforts should change from a fruitless effort to shore up what cannot be shored up and move towards finding as soft a landing as possible for the five schools left.

That won't be easy either, but there is some possibility of success whereas his current efforts are a) not in anyone's best interests and b) doomed.

His new mission should be to clean out his office.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

The Big 12 would have been the logical destination for everyone, given that a) they need the most help and b) the Big East was offering to do exactly that for Kansas, KState, Baylor, Iowa State and Missouri up to September 18, 2011.

The Big 12 North schools were in a world of hurt until the Pac 12 turned Texahoma down, and Texahoma was facing a giant legal problem as a result if the Pac 12 had said yes, which the Big East was going to solve for them. Of course, in return for the Big East's offer to help, a month later the Big 12 tells WVU that they have to leave for next year, which would totally screw the Big East.

The behavior of all of these "non-profit" institutions has been appalling.

 

[businesslawyer]

What is the Big East office supposed to do to get UConn into the ACC that UConn can't do itself?

 

[uchusky32]

I don't lay this at any one person's feet - it is certainly not Marinatto's fault. The forces that tore this sucker apart were introduced first when Penn State was rejected and they've never truly been quelled. He's not a capable commissioner - whether anyone could be given the hand that was dealt, I dunno.
8
But it's over. The efforts put out to "save" the Big East will not and if they were 'successful' in the sense that some far flung schools like Boise joined, it might do more long-term harm to the programs left by diminishing them to the point where they will simply not be strong enough to warrant inclusion in future expansion.

(continued in the next post due to the duck*ing 1,180 character post limit....)

You nailed it. The big east was sunk when we passed on Penn St, then when we expanded the last time we let in bb only schools instead of full members. The lack off commitment of the big east to football will be its demise. The bb only schools think they will be alright without the fb schools but they're wrong. Whose watching Seton Hall play Depuck on a Tuesday night.

 

[8893]

What is the Big East office supposed to do to get UConn into the ACC that UConn can't do itself?

Nelson 18:20

"Where two or three #BegHarder in my name, I am with them."

 

[huskyrob1]

We can basically admit that whatever the Big East has done to try save the football side of the conference has failed.

Syracuse and Pitt announced they were leaving the conference on September 19th. Texas Christian bailed a few weeks ago and West Virginia left today. That's four out the door and there are zero commitments from anyone to replace them.

It's been six weeks. The ship has sailed.

If Marinatto is truly here to do what's best for his conference members, his efforts should change from a fruitless effort to shore up what cannot be shored up and move towards finding as soft a landing as possible for the five schools left.

That won't be easy either, but there is some possibility of success whereas his current efforts are a) not in anyone's best interests and b) doomed.

He could start by lighting a fire under Villanova and get them to upgrade asap, start planning for a new stadium, etc. and possibly invite UMASS in all sports as they are in the process of upgrading FB as well. But the basketball onlys might not go along with that which would put us back to square one.

 

[junglehusky]

He could start by lighting a fire under Villanova and get them to upgrade asap, start planning for a new stadium, etc. and possibly invite UMASS in all sports as they are in the process of upgrading FB as well. But the basketball onlys might not go along with that which would put us back to square one.

Marinatto may have been pushing for Nova all along. At least that's the impression of some boneyarders, I can't recall anything on record specifically indicating that. We do know Pitt was against it - either generally , or at least specifically about the Philadelphia Union stadium.

 

[Fishy]

He could start by lighting a fire under Villanova and get them to upgrade asap, start planning for a new stadium, etc. and possibly invite UMASS in all sports as they are in the process of upgrading FB as well. But the basketball onlys might not go along with that which would put us back to square one.

I think he's trying to save the Big East, not the Yankee Conference.

This is exactly the sort of thing that I'm worried about.

 

[HistoryMajor]

Fishy said "I don't lay this at any one person's feet - it is certainly not Marinatto's fault."
I just don't know how you can say or believe that. He was outsmarted TWICE by the ACC and obviously didn't pay attention to the BE membership. First time not good but OK. Second time, agree with Wisky/Zoo - time to clean out his office.

 

[upstater]

What conference are you suggesting for UConn?

The idea is that the ACC cannot leave UConn to wither and die at this point. I don't know what you do about USF, but the Big12 should be prodded at this point to take on Louisville and perhaps Cincy.

Conferences need to be convinced that a future of litigation is not in anyone's interests.

 

[upstater]

Fishy said "I don't lay this at any one person's feet - it is certainly not Marinatto's fault."
I just don't know how you can say or believe that. He was outsmarted TWICE by the ACC and obviously didn't pay attention to the BE membership. First time not good but OK. Second time, agree with Wisky/Zoo - time to clean out his office.

Outsmarted once. Not twice. We had another Commish at the time.

 

[Fishy]

Marinatto should have been on the phone with anyone and everyone trying to get the B12 to accept Cincy and UL.

"Rescuing" them for the Big East did those schools no favors and have relatively little benefit for the hoop schools.

 

[UConnJim]

Normally, I would agree with Fishy, but not this time. BE football has to saved as the 5 remaining teams need to remain relevant to be considered for future expansion. Big 12 was not expanding beyond 10. Why? They want to play each other each year and their media contract required 10 teams and it didn't change with 12, so why go to 12.

BE football is becoming a conference of football convenience for schools that want a shot at an automatic bid. This is not a conference that anyone would sign over media rights. The travel issues are minimal for football, but would be for all sports which is why the Western teams are coming for football only.

 

[Fishy]

Fishy said "I don't lay this at any one person's feet - it is certainly not Marinatto's fault."
I just don't know how you can say or believe that. He was outsmarted TWICE by the ACC and obviously didn't pay attention to the BE membership. First time not good but OK. Second time, agree with Wisky/Zoo - time to clean out his office.

That's blaming the stewardess because your plane crashed.

The membership is the problem. They hired him, they set the agenda.

 

[uchusky32]

I think he's trying to save the Big East, not the Yankee Conference.

This is exactly the sort of thing that I'm worried about.

Agree, Umass, Villanova aren't saving the BCS status. We can't count on B st staying a top 5 team forever. Adding fb only schools because of the catholic schools is the reason we're here in the first place. The fb only schools will have needs for their other sports teams in the near future.

 

[upstater]

I think he's saying that the programs will be so damaged they will NOT be considered for future expansion.

He may also be saying (and I don't want to put words in his mouth) that the BCS leagues might consider that leaving 3 schools as orphans without a league might pressure them into finding landing spots for at least 2 of those orphans. As far as I can tell, there are only two logical arguments to be made for such a position.

1. It would forestall litigation.
2. There'd be less threat of being blamed for killing the BE conference.

In other words, you're better off begging harder than reconstituting a weak conference that will be shut out against conferences paying their coaches many millions and their players $2k each.