Spicy Currie decision
Sometimes you just have to feel sorry for how the Big Orange Karma has treated Phillip Fulmer.
Regardless your view of Fulmer, the former UT player, assistant and long-time and uber-successful head coach, there's no one who can question his love for his alma mater and former employer.
Yet, at every finishing turn since in the last decade or so, Fulmer has been kilted by his Big Orange love. The latest kick to the shins (or maybe a couple of feet higher) was Tuesday when UT out of the blue announced John Currie was going to be the next AD.
The timing most likely was bad luck, but the fact that Fulmer was in North Georgia to speak to an FCA banquet made that appearance more than a touch awkward. In fact, there are a lot of layers to TFP sports columnist ace Mark Wiedmer's excellent take on the subject of Currie (and we'll get to more of that in a minute) here, but a clear one is the fact that the normally available Fulmer cancelled interviews.
Not only did Fulmer not get the job, something that at one time seemed like the biggest of Big Orange long shots but in recent weeks reports made him the front-runner. But the job went to the Mike Hamilton's consigliere, and all of us - especially Fulmer - remember that Hamilton and Currie were pulling the strings when Fulmer was ousted in 2008.
Ouch-standing.
As for Currie, we can understand the attraction his resume would present.
A lot of us believed that UTC AD David Blackburn and Fulmer were the two frontrunners for the UT gig, and each had strengths. Each went to school in Knoxville. Each would call it a dream job.
Individually, Blackburn has real, practical experience running an athletic department, from managing an eight-figure budget to hiring coaches to everything in between. Fulmer's connections and charisma would have re-energized the department and especially the fund-raising arm. Simply put, Fulmer can work a room like few others, and when he tells a Peerless Price 1998 story or spins that natty title ring, well, let's just say checks start writing themselves.
In a lot of ways, Currie is a perceived blend of those two strengths. He managed Kansas State efficiently and effectively in terms of winning and classroom excellence, as Weeds noted. He also was a tremendous fund-raiser who revamped lagging facilities in Manhattan with hundreds of millions in donations. (Donations I thought it was the trash.)
On paper, it makes a lot of sense and looks like it checks a lot of boxes.
So why are a majority of Kansas State fans on social media happy and majority of UT fans seem melancholy? Part of that is social media. Outrage and angst are more motivating emotions than pleased or hopeful.
How many tweets do you see tout a "nice, solid lunch" or something of that ilk? But if someone snakes your parking space, well, look out, here come 140 passionate characters.
The other part of that is perception.
Kansas State fans blame Currie for running off successful basketball coach Frank Martin and then leading the Wildcats from a place of NCAA tournament contention to occasional admittance. (Maybe not so ironically, when Currie and Godfather Hamilton were running the Vols, you could make a hard argument that the final straw was how badly they handled the Bruce Pearl unraveling with the Vols. Yes, Fulmer's ouster was emotional, but there was division in the program about the direction and the future of the football program. Everyone in orange wanted to figure out a way to keep Pearl, and Hamilton and Currie put the figurative horse head in his bead heading to the NCAA tournament bloodletting against Michigan.)
We also had the sports editor from the Manhattan on Press Row, and he told a story that Currie wanted KSU football coach Bill Snyder to run potential assistants through Currie, who wanted the final say.
Currie has ties to K-town, and he knows what he's walking into.
The Vols have a football program at a crossroad. A signature women's program that is potentially falling into the no-woman's land of perpetual mediocrity. There are funds and morale that need to be raised.
It's a tough gig, and one that a large majority of the UT fan base wanted to go to someone else, be that the boos at UTC or the longtime face of the UT athletic department.
And as that face, Fulmer's understandable no comment Tuesday night was quite telling.
Coastal Carolina starting pitcher Alex Cunningham (18) throws during the first inning of an NCAA men's College World Series baseball game against TCU in Omaha, Neb., Saturday, June 25, 2016. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik) NCAA hypocrisy, example No. 12,034,547,131
We are not a fan of the NCAA.
For the regulars around these parts, that is a pretty universally known fact.
We enjoy NCAA sports, and understand that being the heavy hand in matters of emotional investments like college sports can bring with it a certain amount of blame even for the best and most noble of leaderships. But, hardly in the last decade are the words 'best' and 'noble' used when describe the NCAA. Heck, when was the last time 'leadership' was used in a positive connotation?
The rules are antiquated and obscenely confusing. The enforcement is slow, obtuse, clouded by secrecy and inconsistent. The system is rigged for the millionaire coaches and twisted against the athletes at almost every angle. (And this is not about paying players. We believe that players are paid - scholarships are worth a lot of money - and that we severely undervalue the opportunity of education all things considered. But every time we start to feel comfortable with that argument, major college sports does something else lined with layered greed that makes that position seem more and more foolish when the SEC is cashing $40 million TV rights checks.)
In just about every avenue, the NCAA is the living, breathing sports direction of George Constanza and almost every decision seems to be backward at its basis. Here's the latest.
The NCAA has suspended five Richmond baseball players and determined they will not be able to play until the 're-instatement process' has been completed. (And of course, there's no timetable or suggestion on the duration of that process, so it could be some time this afternoon or May 2019.)
But wait, of course, it gets worse.
These Spiders were suspended for violating the gambling rule of the NCAA guidelines.
Here's the passage: "You are not eligible to compete if you knowingly participate in any sports wagering activity that involves intercollegiate, amateur or professional athletics, through a bookmaker, a parlay card or any other method employed by organized gambling. Examples of sports wagering include, but are not limited to, the use of a bookmaker or parlay card; internet sports wagering; auctions in which bids are placed on teams, individuals or contests; and pools or Fantasy leagues in which an entry fee is required."
And yes, these five guys were guilty of playing Fantasy football this past fall. Yes, rules are rules. Yes, the umbrella of anti-gambling rules has to be in place because sports leagues with even a tint of gambling impropriety could collapse into professional wrestling.
But like so many of the things with the NCAA - the ultimate do what we say not what we do clan - the disconnect is so wide it's staggering. We'll just call it poetic irony that today is March 1 and this news is circulating.
The NCAA makes 90 percent of its budget from the NCAA men's basketball tournament, which has become a billion-dollar TV event primarily because of the office pools and tournament sheets that would directly violate the very rule the NCAA is enforcing with these Spiders.
Yet, again, the date and the NCAA combine to give a new twist to March madness.
In this Thursday, Feb. 16, 2017, photograph, Air Force wide receiver Jalen Robinette lifts weights as he prepares for the NFL combine, at a workout facility in Centennial, Colo. The 330 players arriving at the NFL's annual combine have been readying for this week's combine in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski) NFL combine
The NFL draft prep takes the next step in the next few days. We love the draft. You know this.
The NFL Combine starts with some interviews today. Here's the complete schedule, and according to NFLcombine.org, the on-field tests (think 40s and drills and such) start Friday with Group 1, which is kickers, punters, offensive linemen and running backs.
The biggest item on the docket today will be the interviews with the quarterbacks (who are in Group 2, which has on-field drills on Saturday). This will be closely watched for a couple of reasons.
First, this is a week QB class. We believe Deshaun Watson has the skills to be a legit starter in the league. The rest? We are not sold on Mitch Trubisky and all of his 13 starts nor are we sold on Notre Dame part-time starter DeShone Kizer.
These interviews will be only part of the discussion as teams atop the draft board are looking for long-term solutions at quarterback.
Do you believe in one of these rookies, and do you believe enough to spend a top-five pick if you are Cleveland, San Fran or Chicago? Do you consider dealing one of those picks - or other assets - for a couple of the big names that could be available, guys like Garoppolo, Cousins or Romo?
That decoding starts in earnest this week.
Our solution is still another avenue. As we shared on Press Row on Tuesday, if we were running the Cleveland Browns, we are going to have to be talked out of not picking Alabama defensive lineman Jonathan Allen No. 1 overall. (We believe Myles Garrett, and his 8.5 sacks last year - 4.5 of them coming aginst UT-San Antonio - has major bust potential.) Then adding another playmaker, be it in the back seven or Dalvin Cook or even O.J. Howard at No. 12.
Yes, that does not address quarterback, but we'd employ the 76ers' plan of tanking and do everything in our power to be at No. 1 overall again next year when Sam Darnold, the USC gunslinger, could be coming out.
Thoughts?
This and that
- On a side note, we thought President Trump killed his speech Tuesday night. His message was pretty similar, but his tone and touch were far more impressive. delivered a clear message that presented - for the first time potentially - a vision of hope as much as a description of our problems. It was also compounded by two awful decisions by the other side. Several key Democrat leaders refused to stand for anything the President said, even the touching and emotional introduction of fallen Navy SEAL widow Carryn Owens. It was a terrible look. Then the response, presented by a former Kentucky governor in an empty diner in Lexington was more about Trump than the message he presented Tuesday night. Thoughts?
- Want to know what has the interest of the entire Northern California-area and the attention of every other Western Conference contender? The results of Kevin Durant's MRI today. Talk about a game-changer, if Durant has significant knee damage, well, all bets are off.
- New iPhone 8 will have all the bells and whistles imaginable for a phone with a $1,000 high-tech screen. Side note: Apple is also changing the chargers needed for the next version of its smart phone. Man, changing the accouterments for electrics has to be close to a billion-dollar industry in itself.
- Speaking of global domination, here's an interesting story on Jonathan Allen recalling Nick Saban's in-home visit and how Saban said "Thanks, but no thanks" to Mama Allen's offer of a home-cooked meal. Pretty interesting stuff and screams the overall dominance on the trail and in talent the Tide currently own.
- Michigan athletics is $240 million in debt according to this report that quotes Crain's Detroit Business. Yes, that number is largely due to facility construction and renovation In the story, here's the quote of "nothing to see here" from a Michigan spokesman. "Operating expenses go directly against revenues and Michigan has been able to balance its budget while operating independently as a self-sufficient entity," Kurt Svoboda, UM's associate athletic director for external communications and public relations." We accept no university or state monies. This long-term debt is less than 10 percent of our operating budget." OK, that's all well and good, but a for a school that has four football coaches on staff making seven figures annually and is planning to go to Rome, Italy for three spring football practices, well, just another NCAA image that is not a good look.
- Congrats to the UTC women's basketball team, which led by Jasmine Joyner's defensive player of the year award, racked up some SoCon hardware. UTC's five starters made some sort of postseason all-something SoCon list. That's cool.
- We are not expecting a similar showing for the men when the all-SoCon teams are released, unless there's a first-team all-pouty and a third-team all-selfish.
- Tough day for some truly great players in franchise history across the NFL. Adrian Peterson and Jamaal Charles were the all-time leading rushers at Minnesota and Kansas City. New York Jets greats Darrelle Revis and Nick Mangold have been mainstays and pro bowlers. All were told they will not be back when the new NFL year starts next week.
- Man, tough loss for Vandy on Tuesday. They led into the second half at Rupp before the Wildcats came roaring back for a 73-67 win that drops bubble-hungry Vandy to an eye-burning 16-14 overall. Side note: Because it was senior night and standout UK freshmen Malik Monk and De'Aaron Fox yielded their starting spots to upperclassmen, Kentucky had a mind-blowing 40-8 edge in bench scoring Tuesday.
Today's questions
OK, we know we went long today. And there's lots to get to. But hey, it's still the same low, low price.
One-word Wednesday:
The hiring of John Currie is _____________.
Vandy's postseason hopes are now __________.
Last night's speech by President Trump was _____________.
The NCAA suspending the Richmond baseball players for Fantasy football is _____________.
Lots of interesting birthdays today as well.
The original Daisy Duke - Catherine Bach - is 63 today, and it's hard to know anyone of a certain age that was not enchanted with the charms of of Ms. Bach's character on "The Dukes of Hazard." (Had to be the cool Jeep, right? Or maybe it was the Where were we?)
Ron Howard is also 63 today, and there are few people who have been in the public eye for, what 55-plus years, who have that kind of stellar reputation. He's the Hollywood version of Derek Jeter. Mark Paul Gosselaar is 43 today, and the man who will forever be known as Zach Morris deserves a SAL-loot.
Two all-timers retired on this day - Joe Louis hung 'em up in 1949 and Mickey Mantle called it a career in 1969.
Also of note, this was Super Tuesday a year ago when Hillary and Donald emerged as the front-runners. As for a Rushmore, what's the Rushmore of Ron Howard as a director.
Go, and remember the mailbag.