Non-Key Tweets | Page 173 | The Boneyard

Non-Key Tweets

If the B1G really wanted to raise a New York AAU flagship to B1G status, why wouldn't they go for Stony Brook? It has a bit farther than Buffalo to go athletically, but it is an hour from NYC and if the Port Jefferson to Bridgeport bridge ever got built, would be highly accessible to New England. And they have the land to build out athletic facilities.
 
Ldandy said:
Maybe not with any major relevance, but they are located in a top 50ish market, are close to another one in Rochester, and might even capture a few viewers in Toronto. Add in the fact that they are AAU, are actively branding themselves as The U of NY at Buffalo, as opposed to UB, and suddenly it doesn't seem impossible. I think the minimal entanglement they present helps their case. The issue they face, much like UCONN, is that it is hard to build a ton of momentum when you are handicapped by conference affiliation. I think both schools given the opportunity would thrive in The B1G.
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If you think Buffalo branding themselves as the University of New York means anything in New York, you're out of your depth.

You could put Buffalo in the Big Ten and it still wouldn't make a shred of difference.

The University of Virginia is closer to Manhattan than SUNY-Buffalo.

So is Pitt, Penn State, Boston College, Maryland, West Virginia and the University of Montreal.
 
I'm very skeptical of Flug's comments. I can see other current non-hockey B1G teams coming in, but an outsider, not really.

- The only one that makes sense as new full-fledged all-sport member is UConn. We all know ND is not going, neither is BC. I don't think he's talking about us in that comment. And I don't see us joining as a hockey-only member, and there's absolutely not reason the B1G would offer that to us. If they're looking for a hockey-only associate member there are many, many better options. Not meant as a disrespect to UConn hockey, but the move would make little sense. That'd be like the B1G adding Duke as a football-only member - completely nonsensical.
- Similarly, BU would not leave Hockey East unless it was a package deal with BC. Both were invited to the NCHC when it was forming. Both laughed the conference off the phone.
- Arizona State theoretically could, but it'd be a weird status as they'd be an associate member. I suppose it's possible, but it'd be 100% irrelevant to other realignment.
- Cornell 100% absolutely positively will not go, don't waste anymore time talking about it. Ivies don't leave Ivies.
- Buffalo: No. It will not be another startup program unless it has a HUGE financial backing and already has a brand name, such as Arizona State. The B1G hockey conference is having an abysmal year right now, they're at risk of being a one-bid league, and while PSU has been respectable, is not yet a strong program, and Michigan State and Wisconsin are going through very, very rough periods in their history right now. I cannot see them taking on more dead weight in the conference.
- The one wild card I can think of is North Dakota joining as an associate member for hockey only. A huge program, enormous fan base, good for TV, major existing rivalries with the Gophers, Badgers, and Michigan, and I know they're not entirely happy with the NCHC. Again, this would be a 100% irrelevant move to realignment more broadly.

Seven teams doesn't work, so they'd need to add at least two. Let's suppose his information is correct, my guess would be ASU and NoDak. I do not think in this case he's talking about UConn. If he obtained information that UConn was aligning with the B1G, I can't imagine it would be in the context of hockey, even with him being a Gopher, it just doesn't add up. The more I think about it, ASU/NoDak would be quite logical for them if ASU doesn't want to go NCHC.
 
TruDomGopher said:
Think about it.
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I did.

Then, I laughed and decided that I would give you a "D" for effort and an "F" for content.

You realize that Boston University is a Patriot League school without a football program?
 
Fishy said:
I did.

Then, I laughed and decided that I would give you a "D" for effort and an "F" for content.

You realize that Boston University is a Patriot League school without a football program?
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I am well aware they don't have football (or baseball, as I recall) and I'm trying to remember if Patriot League does scholarships, even though they're division one.

They are AAU, they are located in a part of the country B1G and Fox want to access, they'll fit in nicely with the eastern thrust, make a great traveling partner for UConn, and not mess up the move to 16 for football in the mid-Atlantic. They're not really long established in a conference, they have men's lacrosse, and have a great hockey program. Think Johns Hopkins on steroids and a reasonable trip to Storrs.

Did I miss anything?
 
brasssbonanzaa said:
BU Football: Undefeated since 1997.
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Didn't BU football play one of its last games at Memorial Stadium in Storrs? I remember that the BU football team played with black paint and/or black electrical tape covering-up all of their school logos. Felt bad for the players.
 
Did my skills fail me, or does U at Buffalo SUNY only have a club hockey team? No matter.
 
dayooper said:
- Boston U. Don't believe they will leave BC behind, but fit the academic profile. Just accepted into the AAU in 2012. Over 30
- Buffalo. The ever-present Bulls always come up in Big10 CR discussions. Big AAU school that has a hockey team. That's all they got
- University of Toronto. AAU in a hockey rich area
- McGill University. Exactly the same as Toronto except in Montreal
- Notre Dame. Only with full membership, and that isn't happening
-BC. See ND
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Buffalo doesn't have a hockey team, at least not in Division 1
 
brasssbonanzaa said:
I'm very skeptical of Flug's comments. I can see other current non-hockey B1G teams coming in, but an outsider, not really.
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In an ideal situation, the B1G would prefer to see existing members add hockey to their athletic slate.

Rutgers would be the obvious choice to do so as its a decent hockey state. The top NJ HS team, Delbarton, ran with the big dogs this year beating Fairfield Prep (CT) and Catholic Memorial (MA) while losing to Malden Catholic (MA) while my local HS drew +1,000 both both of its games with its rival. The Devils draw OK. But, Rutgers needs to get out of its financial mess and upgrade facilities for its existing sports first before adding two new programs (would have to add both men's & women's hockey).

Maryland would be another possible choice; but, they have financial issues, too.

Northwestern has the money; but, not sure if they have the will to add college hockey. I bet they would draw well, too, due to the number of alumni from Wisconsin, State, and U of M alumni in Chicago.

Would is be logistically possible for U Nebraska Omaha to shift its hockey program to U Nebraska Lincoln? I don't know.

Of the potential new full-time candidates that B1G is considering, UConn is likely the only college that can add immediately to B1G hockey as I don't believe that the B1G is considering BC and all of the other potential candidates int he ACC and XII do not sponsor hockey.

As for affiliates, BU could be possible, especially on the academic CIC/AAU; but, I don't see them giving-up rivals with BC, especially, Northeastern and the rest of the compact Hockey East conference. Plus, unlike Hopkins, BU does sponsor other D1 athletics. North Dakota also has potential; but, also sponsors D1 athletics besides hockey. Too bad U Toronto nor McGill sponsor hockey teams that could compete at a US D1 level.
 
I played hockey against a couple of New Jersey teams growing up, including Toms River in a tournament in Lake Placid in 1998, the year those same kids won the Little League World Series. They kicked our aces. And we were state semifinalists in the Connecticut State Tournament that season.

There's definitely hockey talent in New Jersey.
 
Fishy said:
If you think Buffalo branding themselves as the University of New York means anything in New York, you're out of your depth.

You could put Buffalo in the Big Ten and it still wouldn't make a shred of difference.

The University of Virginia is closer to Manhattan than SUNY-Buffalo.

So is Pitt, Penn State, Boston College, Maryland, West Virginia and the University of Montreal.
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I never claimed that they would resonate in NYC. They would simply be another product that The B1G could sell in conjunction with RU, PSU, UM, and potentially UCONN. What they bring to the table is AAU Membership and an entity in the state located in the proximity of two top 50ish markets. Much like UCONN they have shown a willingness to invest in facilities and coaches despite a less than ideal conference affiliation. The athletic rebranding is another positive step in trying to improve their position for the future, it is not a gaurantee of it.
 
MattMang23 said:
I played hockey against a couple of New Jersey teams growing up, including Toms River in a tournament in Lake Placid in 1998, the year those same kids won the Little League World Series. They kicked our aces. And we were state semifinalists in the Connecticut State Tournament that season.

There's definitely hockey talent in New Jersey.
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More and more NCAA recruits are coming out of there, it's a good talent pool.

On another note, of course I sing the praises of Flug the other day, and now two days in a row he goes jumping off the deep end. Now he's positing the possibility of B1G offering BU and UConn as hockey-only members. Ain't happening. Not even worth posting his string of tweets because they're pretty much ridiculous and incorrect. Though at least he's not claiming to have any inside information, just guessing.
 
Ldandy said:
I never claimed that they would resonate in NYC. They would simply be another product that The B1G could sell in conjunction with RU, PSU, UM, and potentially UCONN. What they bring to the table is AAU Membership and an entity in the state located in the proximity of two top 50ish markets. Much like UCONN they have shown a willingness to invest in facilities and coaches despite a less than ideal conference affiliation. The athletic rebranding is another positive step in trying to improve their position for the future, it is not a gaurantee of it.
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You are acting like the knight in Monty Python and the Holy Grail, trying to maintain the appearance of a draw after your arms and legs have been chopped off. Buffalo will not help in metro New York COMBINED WITH ANY OTHER SCHOOLS because it is beyond irrelevant in Metro New York. The state line is meaningless -- no one in Metro New York cares or even believes that they are in the same state as Buffalo. New York is not Michigan or Alabama or Utah.

Sometimes, you just need to walk away from a statement and not think you are defending yourself by defending the statement. Please trust me -- this is one of those times.
 
No incentive to offering BU a hockey-only invite. They're not leaving the best hockey league in the country with their traditional rivals and a good tv deal to go to a league that plays most games 700+ miles away. The only way BU goes B1G is if it's an all sports invite and that isn't happening for obvious reasons.
 
MattMang23 said:
No incentive to offering BU a hockey-only invite. They're not leaving the best hockey league in the country with their traditional rivals and a good tv deal to go to a league that plays most games 700+ miles away. The only way BU goes B1G is if it's an all sports invite and that isn't happening for obvious reasons.
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It's a ridiculous premise he's presenting. Only way I see it is if B1G gets BC for all sports and gets BU to tag along as hockey-only. But that's not happening. I'd bank on ASU+NoDak hockey-only if anything.
 
TruDomGopher said:
Boston U might make sense for all sports.
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Notre Dame is complaining about being a Midwest school with a hockey program in the east because there are no close-by rivals, and the current thinking is that BU, an eastern school without the benefit of prominent revenue generating sports, would pony up similar money to play a bunch of Midwest schools? Without FBS Football, BU Athletics is more than content in a bus league.
 
brasssbonanzaa said:
It's a ridiculous premise he's presenting. Only way I see it is if B1G gets BC for all sports and gets BU to tag along as hockey-only. But that's not happening. I'd bank on ASU+NoDak hockey-only if anything.
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North Dakota is a legit possibility as none of their other sports are D1. ASU is a legit possibility, although makes as much geographic sense as Huntsville being in a league with Anchorage, just because of the PAC12 not having hockey but having a relationship with the B1G.

Knowing nothing about these other schools except their names, but perhaps Colorado College, Air Force, Michigan Tech or even Miami U would be options just based on the same premises- either other sports not being D1 or having allegiance to D1 conferences that don't sponsor hockey?
 
Thinking out loud. I'd never considered Boston U until I saw someone mention it and then I saw possibilities.

Let's say I'm B1G leadership. I have a goal to reach and in the process I have to satisfy academics, get research dollars, keep the alumni happy, keep athletics happy, and now basically program and run a TV network. My strategic objective is fairly clear (barring some major outside influence.)

Let's say, hypothetically, that I already know that I've got VTech and UConn in my pocket for 16 football (all sports) schools and I have a pretty solid TV block running through the Midwest to the east coast.

What I don't have is a solid grasp on New England televisions. The region is bb first and the football has suffered from benign for 100 years and nobody watches it anyway. They're aren't any schools that are worth trying to build up and besides, half the B1G presidents are convinced football has to change while the other half doesn't think it can be changed and will be relegated to the history books and the deep south within 50 years.

Someone mentions Boston U. Suddenly it looks like a B1G school from 50 years in the future: Deep academic and research powerhouse and athletics is a geographic area I want to exploit for cash. TV numbers for hockey in the region are better than expected and they have hockey. I have a stated goal to build lacrosse in the region, they have that, too. They might be a touch nut to crack--worse than Maryland. Doable? Worth it?

So, what are the possibilities? What if they were added? Would they even be interested? How deep would my television penetration be and how much could I get per subscriber? How much would it increase ad revenue? How deeply into New England could the entire package B1G package capture and command? Only the Boston DMA, the entirety, or something in between?

The package would then be 16 football, eight hockey, and 17 bb. Would it be best to 18 bb? Would still like to nail the NYC market. Anyone available as an 18 for bb? How much money would it take to get NYU up from DIII to D1? Would they be interested? Games in the city sandwiched between Rutgers and UConn. How much could I get per subscriber? How much exposure?

Q: How many people does it take to change a light bulb?
A: The same as last time.

No...Johns Hopkins changed the rules. It isn't about the same as last time, it's about the geography I want to exploit, the conference I want to brand, and how much money I can make doing it. I'm not ruling out anything that might fit the criteria I've established.
 

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