The Morons In Providence

[Palatine]

Would an immediate split after the initial ACC raid have prevented the debacle that followed? Who knows. But it would have gotten us away from the third rate hacks in Providence that have run the conference into the ground since Dave Gavvitt left.

How this plays out is anyones guess. UConn certainly is a more valuable athletic property than mostr of the universities in the country. But staying associated with these idiots will not serve us well.

 

[Go Dogs!!]

Right On! The last Big East Members can't say it but the fans can have a say! Commissioner John Marinatto sat on his hands and did nothing to improve the leagues standing. He could have been pro active and added additional teams beyond TCU and maybe the league wouldn't be in this position. Didn't he also reject a ESPN contact with the hope of better deal? How'd that work out for ya Commish? Sorry to say, League heading for the Toilet Bowl.

 

[whaler11]

I certainly would have signed up for it, but I don't think it would have made a difference in the long run.

 

[Go Dogs!!]

Most likely true but maybe W Virginia, Pitt and Syracuse would be still members with some new members.

 

[sportsart]

If there is not a massive change in Providence after this fiasco is over I will set up an Occupy
Big East headquarters.

I would be shocked if heads didn't roll.

 

[noeynox]

The football school presidents should have split. I wouldn't doubt UConn under Austin and Hogan, being one of the football schools most against a split.

Like I said in a previous post having Marinatto didn't help, but this lies at feet of the presidents. Both football and basketball share equal blame here.

 

[SO#1]

After they invited TCU they shouldn’t wait months and months for Nova to make up their mind. They should just go to twelve. It’s the nature of the hybrid with sixteen basketball teams moving forward quickly is hard.

 

[noeynox]

Agreed the bball onlies spent too much time worrying about diluting the bball product. Now three of ur best bball schools are leaving. How is that for diluting your product?

 

[B1GEast]

There were a lot of people on this board that hated the idea of a split because they wanted to ensure that Uconn played GT and Nova, instead of UCF, East Carolina and Memphis. I don't know why JM is still the commish of this league, and I really don't know what the future of this conference will be, seems to be dead in the water with no sail or rudder.

 

[Carl Spackler]

I've wanted a split of the conference since the early 1990s.

Now, in 2011, where we are now, is the worst time for a split. The basketball side of this conference has value. A lot. The football side? If they can get BYU in for WVU in a western division and set up a 12 team league with a championship game to be played in the big apple either at Yankee Stadium or at Giants Stadiume? Hell, alternate where TCU is playing tonight with the western side and a championship game at Jerry World?

Well, that would work. Fantastic. The key to me, is to set up two conferences under the big east title. Put an entirely new leadership of football in offices in NY or Dallas, and run the 12 team league independant of the big east basketball and olympics. TV contracts, everything...independant. Let Providence run the basketball side and olympics.

Let each confernence commissioner, the big east Marinatto, and whoever the football leader would be, negotiate and get the broadcast deals. Coordinate the length of contract b/w the two. Make a ton of money.

 

[huskyrob1]

Would an immediate split after the initial ACC raid have prevented the debacle that followed? Who knows. But it would have gotten us away from the third rate hacks in Providence that have run the conference into the ground since Dave Gavvitt left.

Gavitt ran the conference up to the day he died. Tranghese and Marinatto were just puppets, and now they are puppets without a puppetmaster. Gavitt was a basketball coach, and a great one, but just a basketball coach. He created the Big East conf as a basketball league, with the great conference tourney to be held every year at MSG, and if some schools also played football and wanted to play inter conference football games that was ok with him, but as far as he was concerned it took a backseat to basketball and that's how he ran things. All the BE weaknesses related to football were because of him and his policies. Gavitt didn't want ND football in his conf but he did want their basketball team, and he told Jopa to take a hike back in 1985.

 

[UConnSportsGuy]

Would an immediate split after the initial ACC raid have prevented the debacle that followed? Who knows. But it would have gotten us away from the third rate hacks in Providence that have run the conference into the ground since Dave Gavvitt left.

How this plays out is anyones guess. UConn certainly is a more valuable athletic property than mostr of the universities in the country. But staying associated with these idiots will not serve us well.

If the football schools had agreed to split from the basketball schools prior to 2003, the raid would never have happened. In fact, if the football schools had split from the basketball schools back them, the Big East probably would have raided the ACC (FSU and Maryland) and the tables would have been turned. Unfortunately, not enought BE Presidents wanted to do it back then. The ones who were in favor of splitting are the ones who have since left the conference. Oh well...what could have been!

 

[ZooCougar]

I am convinced the reason the Big East exists today is to give Notre Dame a bigtime basketball conference to play in, and allow it to remain indy in football. The basketball onlies help preserve that balance of power while the football schools did the heavy lifting with most of them field the best basketball programs as well.

You can call it scapegoating all you want, but it is what it is.

 

[huskyrob1]

I am convinced the reason the Big East exists today is to give Notre Dame a bigtime basketball conference to play in, and allow it to remain indy in football. The basketball onlies help preserve that balance of power while the football schools did the heavy lifting with most of them field the best basketball programs as well.

You can call it scapegoating all you want, but it is what it is.

The Big East and Notre Dame made for a perfect marriage when ND basketball and it's other sports (minus football of course) came to the Big East. Gavitt and the supporters of his policies never wanted ND football in the conference, as they were not about to let the main focus of the league switch from basketball to football. ND by the same token was not about to give up or share it's lucrative football contract with NBC with anyone. Obviously this was to the great detriment to the fb schools already in the BE. Gavitt was a great man but his foresight with respect to the league was really blinded by his love of basketball, and his devotion to the catholic bball onlys.

 

[Excalibur]

The football school presidents should have split. I wouldn't doubt UConn under Austin and Hogan, being one of the football schools most against a split.

Like I said in a previous post having Marinatto didn't help, but this lies at feet of the presidents. Both football and basketball share equal blame here.

Not splitting was the consensus after due diligence was completed following the initial raid. Too much to lose at the time. The question came up on several occasions after that. UConn never voted in favor of splitting.

 

[noeynox]

I vaguely remember that not splitting was considered the best option. Basketball credits were among the reasons debated for not splitting. I know hindsight is 20/20, but look where we are at today. The basketball schools are still worried about diluting basketball when the world knows this is about football. The remaining BE football schools are trying to keep their head above water and bball still is the loudest voice in the room.

I guess we just have to wait this out, as it looks far from over.

 

[uconnfan68]

Would an immediate split after the initial ACC raid have prevented the debacle that followed? Who knows. But it would have gotten us away from the third rate hacks in Providence that have run the conference into the ground since Dave Gavvitt left.

How this plays out is anyones guess. UConn certainly is a more valuable athletic property than mostr of the universities in the country. But staying associated with these idiots will not serve us well.

You simply don't understand what the job of the Big East Commissioner is about. He has NO power. He's between a rock (football schools) and a hard place (basketball-onlies), and he's got a sharp point up his (ND). It just boggles my mind that he is your fall guy, but I guess you need someone.

 

[gars44]

You simply don't understand what the job of the Big East Commissioner is about. He has NO power. He's between a rock (football schools) and a hard place (basketball-onlies), and he's got a sharp point up his (ND). It just boggles my mind that he is your fall guy, but I guess you need someone.

Right. Blaming Marinatto is foolish. He is required to be loyal to both factions. He can't just dump on one faction to the advantage of the other. He just takes orders, maybe gives some advice, but ultimately, the problem is with the structure, not Marinatto. He is funny looking tho, I will admit.

 

[Chief00]

Like your subject line. It says it all.

 

[RS9999X]

I seem to remember an outpouting of support for the BE to negotiate the new contract and walk on the initial offer in March and play Comcast off of ESPN.

Transparency helps. It's hard to blame the BE Commissioner when he's lied to.

The AQ was in trouble. No one in the BE was stepping up in football--thus TCU as a desperate measure. Two athletic departments were looking for excuses for their recent performance and recruiting (SU/PITT).

Pitt and SU and WVU did the right thing for their Universities. They couldn't carry the BE. WVU in the post Rich Rod era couldn't carry the load alone. BE schools couldn't afford to hold on to their coaches (Petrino, Kelly. Edsall).

There was no solution on the horizon. ND wouldn't change the rotting foundations of college ball where money is king