Other conference's looking to poach the Big 12

What is it about Big 12 schools that make them so desirable to other conferences?  For the second time in the past few months a Big 12 school has been mentioned as a primary target for a conference looking to expand.

Pac-10 commissioner Larry Scott has announced that his conference is interested in expanding as their television contract expires in 2012.  The first school being mentioned for a possible move is Colorado.  The Buffs were asked to join back in 1994, but chose to stay with the then brand new Big 12.

In addition, Kevin Weiberg, former Big 12 Commissioner and the man who helped put together the Big Ten’s new TV network has just joined the Pac-10.  Can you say shot across the bow?

Only a couple of months ago the Big 10 started talking expansion and Missouri hiked up their skirt to see how much interest they could attract.  In fact, Missouri’s Governor, Jay Nixon came out in favor of the move while taking pot shots at Texas Tech and Oklahoma State in the process.  Nebraska and Iowa State have also been mentioned as possible Big Ten candidates.

You could also expect the Pac-10 to send flowers Texas way to see what kind of interest they might receive from the Longhorns.  What’s all this mean for the Big 12?  Commissioner Don Beebe and his staff better get their act together and start figuring out how to make more money for the teams in the conference or they could be looking to plug some holes in the future.  Their shortsightedness in making a deal with ESPN instead of creating their own network has proven to cost the league millions for each team.

If you’re a fan of the conferences eyeing who to pick off to further their expansion appetite’s, who would you want for your league?

Pain isn't as cool as it's made out to be

The past two weeks have been a series of minor mishaps for me.  First, I got up early one morning and was walking down the dark hall toward the kitchen while rubbing the sleep out of my eyes and proceeded to walk straight into the linen closet door, which had somehow been left partially open.

No big deal really, except for the part where my right foot slammed into the door and apparently broke my little toe.  Now anyone who’s broken a toe knows there’s not much reason to go to the doctor over it.  Just ice it down and tape it to the next one.  It was three times bigger than normal, black and blue and I could only wear certain shoes, but other than that, fine.

Then just as it got around to healing up and I could walk normal, I hurt my back shoveling the driveway from the latest snowstorm.  It sucks getting old.  So while my back was going through spasms and I let the drugs do their work, I’ve been pretty useless for about five days.

I know, you don’t care.  I only bring this up because when it comes to our athletes we seem to be constantly amazed when they have to sit out a game for an ankle injury and can’t show enough toughness to make it through one lousy contest.  Yet when we get hurt for the most ridiculous of reasons, we tell stories about it and our friends laugh at us.

Truth is, while most of us are fans because we didn’t have the athletic gifts that the men and women we cheer on do, the other big reason is that we don’t have near the tolerance for pain that they do.  How well would you have played in the Super Bowl if you’d had a torn ankle ligament?  Oh yeah, you weren’t good enough to play in the first place.

It really is amazing that Cal Ripken played in 2,632 straight games or that Brett Favre has started 287 in a row.  I couldn’t bend down and tie a pair of shoes earlier this week and I hadn’t had to swing a bat or get up from being hit by a 350 pound lineman.  It just goes to show that great athletes are a different breed.  It doesn’t make them better people, they prove that every day.  But it is why we love to watch them play. 

NCAA has a heart made of greenbacks

Last week, word leaked out that the NCAA wants to expand the basketball tournament field to 96.  Why tamper with the golden goose?  Why money of course.

The NCAA has a six billion dollar contract with CBS which gives the NCAA an opportunity to opt out of the deal before August 31st in hopes of making even more money.  Nothing like riding on the backs of 18 to 22 year olds to make a living is there?  

While not exactly sweat shop conditions, it is interesting that old men and women in the name of education have no problem tasting caviar and champagne thanks to others who can do what they can’t.

Those who see the field of 64 as three weeks of sporting perfection can’t fathom the tournament any other way than it is now.  But once upon a time, it was just a sixteen team tournament, not that anybody but hard core basketball fans really cared back then.

A 96 team tourney wouldn’t be that hard to pull off.  All it would mean is one more opening round of games while the top16 teams get a bye.  Simple right?  Yeah, but who really thinks there are 96 teams that fans want to see play in the tourney?  How many sub .500 teams would find there way in?  These wouldn’t be Cinderella’s, they’d be sacrificial lambs.

Would a 96 team tourney totally devalue the league conference tournaments, that are already play-in games to the big dance?  Yes.  Not to mention it would be a hit to the pocketbooks of the conference coffers.  League tournaments can be huge moneymakers.

With a 96 team field the NCAA would make more money.  The NCAA would be more powerful.  The men and women who work there would probably end up with better paying jobs with better perks, but what about the players?  Elite programs have it great already, but how is this going to help the small Division One programs and their players?  And don’t give me the line they’d be able to look back one day and say, “I played in the Big Dance.”.  Every school can say that now thanks to conference tournaments.

This is nothing but pure greed.  It’s amazing the NCAA won’t get behind a football playoff system that could make them billions, but they’ll suck the blood out of the basketball tournament like a vampire on a drinking binge.

TV’s involved, so in the end it’ll probably happen.  That doesn’t mean they won’t have ruined the best event in sports. 

The party won't stop for another eight weeks in New Orleans

Well, I was wrong, but hey it’s not the first time.  The Saints played a near picture perfect game and now Mardi Gras has an early start in New Orleans.  

Credit goes to Drew Brees for an almost flawless performance, Sean Payton for some gutsy play calling, particularly his decision to onside kick to open the second half.  A tip of the cap goes to defensive coordinator Greg Williams and the rest of the New Orleans defense who gave up over 400 yards in total offense, but came up with the big play when they needed it late in the game.

Peyton Manning comes up short in his quest for a second title and his interception that turned the tide in favor of the Saints leaves some people doubting his credentials for quarterbacking immortality.  They said the same thing about John Elway untilthe last two years of his career. 

The Saints played like the riverboat gambler’s that once patrolled the Mississippi, playing like a team that had nothing to lose. That attitude that Sean Payton brought to his team paid off in their performance, no turnovers, only three penalties and a defensive touchdown. 

Saints play-by-play announcer Jim Henderson told me this morning that you can’t begin to measure the impact this win will have on the entire Gulf Coast region.  There is a waiting list of over 50,000 for season tickets and that was before last night’s win.   

The Big Easy is back and the party is on.

Why the Colts will win

We’re just hours away from kickoff so it’s finally time to make my selection.  No need letting the cat out of the bag early.  When the Colts and the Saints won their respective conference title games, Indianapolis quickly became the favorite for most people.  That all changed when we learned about Dwight Freeney’s ankle injury.

In the two weeks since, all we’ve really learned about Freeney is he has a torn ligament and hasn’t practiced but will try and give it a go today.  Whether he plays or not, his effectiveness has to be lessened and that is a point in the Saints favor.  Unless the Colts find other ways to apply pressure on Drew Brees, they could be in for trouble.

That said, the odds are in Indy’s favor.  Teams who are making a return trip to the Super Bowl hold a 19-4 advantage over squads making their first appearance.  Having four Time MVP quarterback Peyton Manning on your side along with four different playmaking receivers improves the Colts odds greatly, even without a significant running attack.

The X factor could be Reggie Bush.  Are we going to see the Reggie who dazzeled us all with his play against the Arizona Cardinals or will we see the Reggie that disappears into the woodwork and doesn’t make an impact on the game?  No one knows for sure.

Then there’s the kicking game.  Garrett Hartley won the NFC title game with his overtime field goal, but he’s still a second year player.  Matt Stover is the most experienced kicker      in the game and one of the most accurate in history.

New Orleans is a great story, but even with karma and voodoo on their side, I’m going with the odds.  I’ll take Manning and the Colts. 31-27.