I'm not sure if this has been posted before:
www.fakeasthedayisdawn.com/story/Manuel-does-the-happy-dance
On a gray day in late November, Susan Herbst took a moment from her busy schedule to seek out Warde Manuel in his office deep in Gampel Pavillion. Manuel in the week prior had been working on a complex funding initiative for a basketball practice facility, as well working on coaching contracts, funding memorandum, and the dozens of other tasks that a Division I athletic director must perform. According to interviews with friends, associates, business colleagues, and administrators across the country, the tenacity and doggedness that Manuel devoted to securing UConn's future created something of mythic, yet tragic figure, in the often-closed world of college athletics.
"He [Manuel] would call me in the middle of the night with ideas and suggestions," said one UConn staffer who didn't want his name used for this story. "He was relentless. I turned to my wife one time after hanging up my cell and said to her, 'he doesn't sleep, I don't know how he does it.'"
That meeting in Manuel's office initially concerned a proposal to build a student recreational center. It was only supposed to be a ten minute meeting. But as the day's events unfolded the ten minute meeting dragged on from morning until late in the afternoon, and late into the evening. "We ordered breakfast, lunch, dinner desert, and then breakfast again" quipped another staffer privy to the meeting.
And the reason for the meeting's sudden change of direction soon became apparent to staffers who idly waited outside while Herbst and Manuel discussed what was thought to be the student center. While Herbst and Manuel huddled in Manuel's office over preliminary plans for the recreational center, Ms. Herbst's phone buzzed. It was Rachel Rubin, Herbst's Chief of Staff and trusted confidant. Herbst sent the call to voicemail. Within seconds, Manuel's phone buzzed, too. Manuel answered it. Herbst, who normally takes a stern view of meeting interruptions, softened that view once Manuel put the phone down.
Word had just broken that the Big Ten, led by its long time commissioner, Jim Delany, had invited the University of Maryland from the Atlantic Coast Conference and Rutgers University, from the Big East, to move their sports to what is widely considered the most powerful and lucrative of the NCAA athletic conferences.
Immediately Herbst enlisted the help of Rachel Rubin who first called Larry McHugh and Mary Anne Handley, two of the most respected UConn power brokers. Manuel called his entire staff into the meeting, including Doug Gnodtke, his top aide who followed Manuel from the University of Buffalo. Gnodtke took it upon himself to prepare Manuel's office for "Herbie's War" as the fight to ensure UConn's place in conference expansion was affectionately called. "His office really became a war room," one source said.
Computers from the recently added academic center were brought in, as were two 40" high defnintion monitors used by the baseball team to conduct swing analysis. One was quickly tuned to ESPN while the other carried a live twitter feed of various administrators, schools, conference officials and journalists. Gnodtke called Michael Lubatkin, a Professor in UConn's School of Business who had been helping UConn prepare and refine a comprehensive business plan that showcased UConn's benefits to prospective conferences. Robert Burton, UConn's most prolific donor was hunted down playing golf at Rock Ridge Country Club in Newtown. Jim Calhoun and Geno Auriemma, UConn's two most iconic and popular coaches were summoned. So were Governor Dannel Malloy (D) and his Chief of Staff, Tim Bannon.
What happened next was a testament to the work ethic and respect among his peers that Manuel commands.
That night at the hastily called meeting of the most important decision makers at the University of Connecticut, Herbst turned to Manuel and intoned to him, "Play it now, my rock star. Play it like you have never done before. " Herbst had just handed off to Manuel one of the most complex and important issues facing UConn,-it's future conference home, and the tens of millions of dollars in tv revenue that that entailed. When she said this to Manuel, sources at the meeting say that Manuel took it upon himself to remove his coat. He violently flung it to the ground, hopped up on the chestnut conference table that dominated his office, and exclaimed, "Strut your stuff, strut your stuff, UConn can't get enough!"
Part Two
Manuel Chills in the United States Virgin Islands
Sadly the above is a work of fiction. It is only for entertainment purposes. It is utter nonsense and is devoid of anything remotely representing reality. The events depicted above are as fake as UNC's classes. I repeat, what is written is not true. Please don't sue me. I just picked random names of people that I remember and put fake stuff into their mouths because it totally sucks to keep reading real news that sucks. 
