ridiculous quote from Rick Pitino

[mattp]

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/20...ig-east-expansion.ap/index.html?sct=hp_t2_a13

I think what John Marinatto just did, he should get a substantial raise for what he just accomplished," Louisville coach Rick Pitino said.

i don't even know where to begin

 

[gars44]

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/20...ig-east-expansion.ap/index.html?sct=hp_t2_a13

I think what John Marinatto just did, he should get a substantial raise for what he just accomplished," Louisville coach Rick Pitino said.

i don't even know where to begin

Matt, I get where you're coming from, but you can't blame JM for this. Yes he is funny looking, easy target, etc. But the complete metamorphosis of the college sports TV market took everyone by surprise, not just JM. No one in the BE ever got it, and ones that did jumped ship. As commissioner of a hybrid conference, he was not in a position to advocate positions that were harmful to the basketball onlies. And they were not ready to listen to him anyway, not until Pitt, Syr, and WVA jumped ship. Then they finally got the seriousness of the situation. But before that, I'm not sure anyone could have gotten their attention. Can you imagine GTown and Villanova agreeing to UCF, SMU, as an all sports member before this most recent defection. They must be scratching their heads even now as to what is happening. Look, I don't think JM has saved the conference. But he has done an admirable job of trying to work within his constraints. No one would have done any different or any better given the instability of the BE structure when the earthquake happened.

 

[sportsart]

To be able to get 5 schools to join the BE does deserve a raise.

 

[SAMCRO]

The metamorphosis of college sports TV didn't take Swofford, Delaney, Scott, or Slive by surprise. Shoot, they were the architects of the metamorphosis. The state of the BE doesn't fall on Marinatto's shoulders alone though. It primarily falls on the Presidents and AD's of every FB school as well. It falls on Tranghese from years ago. The time for the BE to act was in the late 90's/early 00's. They didn't. Our fate was set in motion that long ago. Everything happening today is a result of indecision/wrong decision from a decade + ago.

 

[EricLA]

and yet we still have a hybrid conference.

 

[Cheddie]

The metamorphosis of college sports TV didn't take Swofford, Delaney, Scott, or Slive by surprise. Shoot, they were the architects of the metamorphosis. The state of the BE doesn't fall on Marinatto's shoulders alone though. It primarily falls on the Presidents and AD's of every FB school as well. It falls on Tranghese from years ago. The time for the BE to act was in the late 90's/early 00's. They didn't. Our fate was set in motion that long ago. Everything happening today is a result of indecision/wrong decision from a decade + ago.

Completely agree. The league, years ago, let things pass them by. But it's always been - and remains - an unstable mix with the FB schools and the Catholic schools.

 

[B1GEast]

the BE will soon be dead

 

[UCHuskies08]

The only difference between football independence and being a member of this new BE is scheduling (we know who our opponents will be as part of the conference). I can't imagine any network sinking good money into this.

I hate it. I never will be a fan of this conference. Truthfully, it's an embarrassment that my alma mater has to be a part of it in any capacity. I think I'd rather suffer and die as an independent.

Yeah, cutting off your nose to spite your face is always a good plan

 

[SubbaBub]

Rick is just tired of always picking up the dinner check.

Sent from my MB860 using Tapatalk

 

[mattp]

i thought the comment was ridiculous primarily because it's coming from someone from Louisville. i know Pitino has said he'd like to keep this together, but when we hear that Charlie Strong is telling his recruits they'll be in the B12, i think it's funny for him to be commenting. to be honest i think it'd be equally silly if Calhoun said the same thing.

secondly to say he deserves a raise is absurd. he did well enough that he deserves not to be fired, but any more than that shows no level of accountability. if the BCS autobids really do disappear, this whole western league will be our albatross. if he could have kept WVU (which was possible, since the B12 is just as much a mess at the BE) we could have just added Memphis and Temple (or whoever you like) to keep it an eastern league. if he could have pulled that off i'd say he deserved a raise

 

[Jericho]

Matt, I get where you're coming from, but you can't blame JM for this. Yes he is funny looking, easy target, etc. But the complete metamorphosis of the college sports TV market took everyone by surprise, not just JM. No one in the BE ever got it, and ones that did jumped ship. As commissioner of a hybrid conference, he was not in a position to advocate positions that were harmful to the basketball onlies. And they were not ready to listen to him anyway, not until Pitt, Syr, and WVA jumped ship. Then they finally got the seriousness of the situation. But before that, I'm not sure anyone could have gotten their attention. Can you imagine GTown and Villanova agreeing to UCF, SMU, as an all sports member before this most recent defection. They must be scratching their heads even now as to what is happening. Look, I don't think JM has saved the conference. But he has done an admirable job of trying to work within his constraints. No one would have done any different or any better given the instability of the BE structure when the earthquake happened.

I agree with this. I tend to think Marinatto gets unfairly criticized. Can anyone pinpoint a specific item that he could have done to resolve this? Yes, the Big East is a mess and has fallen behind the other major conferences. But I am of the belief the problems started long before Marinatto got there and exist because of the mix of football and non-football schools. It also does not help that the Big East is located in the northeast, which really is not a college football hotbed. What realistically could he have done to stop this? A school like Syracuse will always be able to make more money outside the Big East.

That said, he does not deserve a raise either. Getting non-BCS schools to join a BCS conference is easy. Teams are lining up to do so. While I don't think he's failed in anything he could have done, he hasn't really gone above and beyond and succeeded greatly either. It's a no win situation either way, I just feel Marinatto came aboard an already sinking ship.

 

[RS9999X]

I think what John Marinatto just did, he should get a substantial raise for what he just accomplished," Louisville coach Rick Pitino said.

Welcome to the back scratching club. What Pitino didn't add is "We all deserve a raise. Don't you think so John?"

 

[freescooter]

thsi is one of the odd situations where both sides are right, I think. As I said before about Marrinatto, just because the situation was untenable, doesn't mean that he was competent. he wasn't. he had no vision and didn't have the respect of the members, particularly the football members. Can you imagine Gavitt finding out about a defection on a tv feed while in an ACC stadium? Of course not. he had too much respect from the members. Even if it happened, he'd have been aware of it. I continue to believe that it was possible to have put together a Big East football league that would have worked, but it would have required imagination and the ability to your ideas to the members, especially the non-football members. Swofford, Scott, Delaney, those guys might have had the vision to see what could have been and the ability to sell that to the members. Marrinatto saw an upgraded Villanova.

 

[gars44]

i thought the comment was ridiculous primarily because it's coming from someone from Louisville. i know Pitino has said he'd like to keep this together, but when we hear that Charlie Strong is telling his recruits they'll be in the B12, i think it's funny for him to be commenting. to be honest i think it'd be equally silly if Calhoun said the same thing.

secondly to say he deserves a raise is absurd. he did well enough that he deserves not to be fired, but any more than that shows no level of accountability. if the BCS autobids really do disappear, this whole western league will be our albatross. if he could have kept WVU (which was possible, since the B12 is just as much a mess at the BE) we could have just added Memphis and Temple (or whoever you like) to keep it an eastern league. if he could have pulled that off i'd say he deserved a raise

How could Marinaro pull off keeping WVA? Don't you get it? They want out. So bad they are bringing this ridiculous law suit to get out. They see light at the end of the tunnel. They are clawing they're way out. Why blame Marinaro? Uconn, LV, RU, everyone, has publicly announced they want out. You think we could hire John Swofford, and he would change all that? Mike Slive could turn this around? You're upset. But you're now looking for a scapegoat. Blame the ________s. Maybe its their fault. Fill in the blank however you like.

 

[gars44]

thsi is one of the odd situations where both sides are right, I think. As I said before about Marrinatto, just because the situation was untenable, doesn't mean that he was competent. he wasn't. he had no vision and didn't have the respect of the members, particularly the football members. Can you imagine Gavitt finding out about a defection on a tv feed while in an ACC stadium? Of course not. he had too much respect from the members. Even if it happened, he'd have been aware of it. I continue to believe that it was possible to have put together a Big East football league that would have worked, but it would have required imagination and the ability to your ideas to the members, especially the non-football members. Swofford, Scott, Delaney, those guys might have had the vision to see what could have been and the ability to sell that to the members. Marrinatto saw an upgraded Villanova.

An upgraded Villanova is what one half of the conference wanted. And I use the term conference loosely. But when half your programs - the people you work for - want something to happen, or are at least not opposed, you kind of have to listen, no? They were not opposed to Villanova, but they were opposed to the addition of football members from all over the country (like many here now continue to be) that they felt diluted the essential basketball product so important to them (like so many here continue to oppose). The addition of UH, Boise State, etc., was unfathomable to the onlies, and you think that JM should have had better communication skills, or if he had been a better wordsmith he could have convinced the fathers at GTown, Providence and SJU that adding Boise State and BYU was a good idea? And San Diego? Hello?

 

[John Greene]

If in fact he did get GT, PC, SJU, etc. to fully buy into the expansion then he does deserve a raise. I have a feeling that ND had more to do with it than JM.

 

[junglehusky]

I won't give Pitino a hard time for his stance on this issue, since he recruits the NY metro area and the East Coast... he obviously is not a fan of UL going to the B12. I'm guessing he might be on board if they wind up in the ACC though.

 

[freescooter]

An upgraded Villanova is what one half of the conference wanted. And I use the term conference loosely. But when half your programs - the people you work for - want something to happen, or are at least not opposed, you kind of have to listen, no? They were not opposed to Villanova, but they were opposed to the addition of football members from all over the country (like many here now continue to be) that they felt diluted the essential basketball product so important to them (like so many here continue to oppose). The addition of UH, Boise State, etc., was unfathomable to the onlies, and you think that JM should have had better communication skills, or if he had been a better wordsmith he could have convinced the fathers at GTown, Providence and SJU that adding Boise State and BYU was a good idea? And San Diego? Hello?

Here's the thing they don't get and Marinatto never truly got, I think. without the football schools the "basketball product" is getting diluted and badly so. Who thinks a basketball league with SMU and Houston and Central florida is comparable to one with Syracuse, Pitt and West Virginia? Wouldn't a plan to keep those three plus a few others have been a better solution, and resulted in less of a "dilution" than losing them? And if you lose UCONN and Louisville in a couple of years, too? But Marinatto never got that or was never able to sell that to the hoop schools. Nor frankly did he have any alternative. adding a couple of B-12 schools when they were clearly vulnerable? Adding Central florida? Bringing forward a plan for a 12 team, two division football league and 20 team 2-division basketball league? he paid lip service to the idea, but never got beyond that. In a world that required a plan, the ability to sell that plan and a willingness to move quickly, he did none of that. For that matter, he couldn't even sell his Villanova plan to the football schools...who were begging for new members...