John Rooke - Thinking Out Loud
Saturday, October 29, 2011
Thinking Out Loud…while wondering if I’ve ever seen snow earlier than what I’m seeing now…
• Why does it seem like Pittsburgh, Syracuse and West Virginia are so relieved as they exit the Big East? Was it really that bad? These schools aren’t merely burning bridges – they’ve napalmed them…
• Speaking of West Virginia…when the news came from the Big 12 Conference that the Mountaineers were being invited to join with the likes of Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas…there’s no truth to the rumor the coaches in the athletic department burned their contracts AND their couches…
• Not for nuthin’…but I’ll wager that after one or two trips into Morgantown, the folks from Austin will wonder what the hell they’re doing there…
• WVU President Dr. James Clements says “the Big 12 is a perfect fit for West Virginia University.” Really? With the closest competitor almost 1000 miles away? Perfect, how? Perfect for your student-athletes…or just your football players?
• WVU and the Big 12 say the Mountaineers are joining the league for 2012-13. The Big East says they’ll be held to the same 27-month time frame for exiting the league as Pitt and Syracuse. Hmmm…guess we’ll find out how much money really talks these days…
• The latest on Big East expansion has official invitations going out to Central Florida, SMU and Houston as soon as next Tuesday, once league presidents give commissioner John Marinatto the go-ahead to do so. What are they waiting for? Smoke signals from the Vatican?
• The newest name in expansionpalooza – Brigham Young. Yes, it’s the same BYU that is located in Provo, Utah. Apparently, the addition of a western partner (and potential football power) is something Boise State needs to see in order to be convinced about their own potential move…
• And before any other invitations or additional recruiting visits with athletic personnel at other schools take place – let’s make this simple: Temple and Memphis should be next on the list, for all sports. Their addition keeps Big East basketball at the top of the power conference list…
• But bring ‘em in before the ACC finds out, and decides to swoop in and take them, too…
• There’s just got to be more to the story…after seeing the Patriots cut cornerback Leigh Bodden this week…
• Hall-of-Fame receiver Michael Irvin this week called Wes Welker the best receiver in pro football. Why do I get the feeling that comment is a little back-handed?
• Here’s a story that should keep getting better and better…Patriots’ rookie offensive lineman Marcus Cannon is practicing with the team, his cancer (non-Hodgkins lymphoma) currently in full remission…
• A sobering thought: What the NBA is going through right now, could have happened to the NFL. Thank you, Robert Kraft…
• NBA games are cancelled through November. And the alleged all-star World Tour is now on hold, too. Good thing we’ve got college hoops to keep us…uh, wait. We DO still have college hoops around here, right?
• I’m normally a glass-half-full kinda guy. But even in my Friar-colored glasses, this year’s PC team could challenge even the staunchest supporters…
• The Bruins are dead last in the NHL’s Eastern Conference? Wow, that’s one long hangover…
• Game Six of the World Series was simply a remarkable game to watch. I didn’t much care for the outcome, but I have to admit…it was “edge-of-your-seat” stuff and great theater, which is great for the sport…
• What isn’t great for the sport…are games that end at almost 1:00 AM, like that one did…
• If Bud Selig really has to step in to decide the compensation the Red Sox receive from Chicago for Theo Epstein…what really makes you think he’ll be fair and impartial?
• Larry Lucchino told Dennis & Callahan on WEEI this week “You guys might want to live in September 2011 forever, but we don’t.” Yeah, we all want to relive that month about as much as we all want to drill holes in our heads, Larry. That’s why it keeps coming up as a topic – to make sure it doesn’t happen again…
• When is winning losing? Example: Pittsburgh’s Panthers beat UConn 35-20 Wednesday night, but lost star running back Ray Graham (the nation’s #2 rusher), receiver Cameron Saddler and lineman Matt Rotheram during the game – for the remainder of the season…
• The New England Revolution fired head coach Steve Nicol this week. A great guy and decent game-manager who was the longest-tenured coach in MLS history…but he needed to be held to the same standards of success as other pro teams are around here. And the Revs were terrible the past two seasons…
• Four tanks of gas = $200. Two nights of hotel rooms and meals = $300. Touring colleges and watching your kid play ball in front of coaches = priceless…
• On a road trip to the University of Virginia for my son’s college baseball camp this weekend…and big, fat snowflakes fell on our way back from the campus field. On October 28. I’m ready for a lot of things in life, but October snowfall is not one of them…
• This week’s mailbag question comes from Vin in Johnston: “John, I'm sure you know about WV to Big 12 is official!!! Now what?” Vin – I mentioned this earlier in the week, and again above…the Big East really needs to replace the basketball power in the league lost with Syracuse, Pitt and WVU leaving…so they should seriously consider adding Temple and Memphis. For all sports. Rick Pitino is an advocate, and even Dick Vitale has jumped on this wagon. They both are in big cities, which means big TV markets (what the Big East was built on), and have successful basketball programs with rabid fans. Sounds like Big East material to me…
• Interested in having your questions on local RI sports (including the Patriots, Red Sox, Bruins and Celtics) answered in a somewhat timely fashion? Send ‘em to me! It’s your chance to “think out loud,” so send your questions and comments to [email protected]. We’ll share mailbag comments/Facebook posts/Tweets right here! Follow me on Twitter, too @jrooke0722…
Follow us on Pinterest Google + Facebook Twitter See It Read It