Friday Feedback
May 28, 2010 by Mike Casazza
Welcome to the Friday Feedback, which is happy for a three-day weekend if for no other reason than added time to find things to write about. We’re in the thinnest time of the year on the athletic calendar, but today ends the week that precedes the last week in that cycle.
Oh, it’ll be slow in other spots, but this time between … pre-graduation to freshman football arrivals is typically uneventful. Unless someone gets arrested for fighting or driving the wrong way on a one-way street or just up and decides to change his/her mind about a future at WVU.
Not to say nothing is happening, though I get a sense what is happening is nothing people want to really discuss. No offense baseball or women’s track and field. Kudos on those accomplishments.
Beyond that scope, though, are other things. The AD search is a little tired by now. Mere mention of the NCAA visit seems to ruffle a lot of feathers — is it just me, or is it the heat, or are people are really bothered by that? I guess we’re supposed to think nothing bad can happen to WVU or that we media are to stand on one side in the conflict and steadfastly protect it while, if given the chance, lobbing a few grenades at the other.
Anyhow, before long we’ll be talking about what freshmen look good, who’s signing that final letter-of-intent with the basketball team, the Bob Huggins fantasy camp and maybe even how the new AD is adjusting.
He did note that the June 30 end date in Pastilong’s contract is approaching and WVU has everything in place to make a hire before then.
Clements said the university doesn’t have to name the next AD by that date but still is moving toward that goal.
“We have a deadline for the search, and we know (Pastilong’s) current agreement goes through June 30,” Clements said. “He’s a good guy and he’s done a great job and he said he’d help as needed and he means it, but at the same time the search is going forward.”
Onto the Feedback. As always, comments appear as posted. In other words, sometimes it’s nun-ya business.
ffejboc said:
Mike, we are definitely in the slow summer-ish sports period when your blog entry centers on WVU baseball…
…or I could leave it blank for a day?
Mack said:
I have a feeling that the toungue was firmly planted in cheek when the headline to this entry was typed.
Phew.
Alli said:
I know maybe some won’t find women’s track “interesting,” but if a few of these girls can qualify for the next round, it’s possible one of them could win a national title (we’ll definitely have some All-Americans). Not to mention, I think it’s pretty cool that some of the best runners in the country come from North Central West Virginia. In a state where you only get 1 or 2 elite athletes in football, basketball, and baseball every few years, it’s pretty unique to have 3 or 4 on a team at one time, especially when a couple of them are peaking late in their college careers.
OK, you’ve made a pretty good case, and just before they did the same I’ll be following closely now. A few interesting notes: They’re cheese enthusiasts, into “Ney York hipster” style and fake Ray-Bans, excited about getting tans, prone to eschew some interview requests and unfazed by the color of any track.
Foul Shot said:
Butler is a steal in a lower round.
Give him a year and he will be back and as good as new.
He is a better scorer than Joe A.
Defense, who knows?
But with the projects these teams seem to try and draft at least Butler will be a known commodity as a scorer for someone to take a chance on in a lower round.
Not what he wants to hear, but at least he would have a foot in the door.
Wait…was that last line a joke? I think time and certainly the direction of his pro career has done Joe Alexander a disservice. He was an elite scorer at the end of his college career. He shot a better percentage from the floor and got to the line more than did Butler. That said, Butler’s ability to get the ball in the basket is his asset. In post knee injury discussions with a NBA fella, I was told Butler wasn’t terribly athletic to begin with — absolutely not on Alexander’s level — and whatever he’ll lack (if he lacks anything) after the knee isn’t going to make a great difference in that area. He’ll get a shot somewhere.
Jeff in Akron said:
Completely off topic here, last week Mike ran a blog about Oll Stew signing smaller classes in the 16-18 range. I just ran across this article and thought I would pass it along.
http://blutarsky.wordpress.com/2009/02/26/the-art-of-oversigning-or-too-much-is-never-enough/
Apparently, Oll Stew is taking the high road once again. By oversigning players, eventually you have to look at someone and say, sorry, we don’t have room for you anymore. Whether it be a guy that just signed his LOI, or a guy that’s been on the team for a year or two, somebody has to go.
This is starting to become a trend with Oll Stew. He announces something, everybody calls him nuts, and a period of time later the proverbial light goes on and he proves his moral compass is pointed in exactly the proper direction.
There is also a web site to deal with the art of oversigning, and how it effects college football as a whole. Since I’m already going to force Mike to mediate my post by adding one link, I’ll add a second.
Good call. Also, that “whoosh” you heard was Stewart’s detractors racing to buy the domain rights to undersigning.com/BillStewartMustGo.
Spatial Angel said:
Mike:
Of WVU’s silent verbals, could you give us an idea of how many are sleepers?
Also, I saw that ESPN referred to this type of player as a slepper, I’d be grateful if you could explain the difference in terminology.
Could it be schleppers?
I absolutely cannot help you there. The concept of silent verbals is somewhat obtuse in that 1) We can’t be sure they actually exist 2) We have no idea who they are. I guess in that regard, they’re all sleepers. Insight!
Michael said:
Mike-
Have you read the Freep’s articles on UM’s pre -emptive Mea Culpas today? Do you think the blowback from the Products likely implosion will stain WVU shoes?
And this was before things hit the fan.
SheilYbuti said:
It would be amusing if among the stuff that got shredded when the Product left was the only documentary evidence that could have supported potential sanctions against WVU for the same types of infractions as evidently occurred at Michigan. So long as the NCAA steers clear of actually charging WVU, anything that R-Rod might have done at UM should besmirch only that institution.
True, the shredding is the best hypothetical out there regarding the connections between P-Rod and WVU … but it’s not what the NCAA needs to retroactively find wrongdoing at WVU. Sorry. And it’s not something I’m forwarding out of my own imagination or creation. It’s a concern at WVU. It’s not as if I just come up with these things. I’m not quite that smart. I need help from others to fill in the blanks.
Karl said:
What scares me about this situation is that Rich Rod is a super-fiery guy who doesn’t seem to let go of grudges. If he had the chance, I wouldn’t be surprised if he threw his alma mater under the bus just to settle old scores.
I read this quote in one of the Free Press stories and couldn’t believe what I was seeing. With all that’s going on in his life right now, this is still at the front of his mind?
ON HOW HE IS PERCEIVED IN THE STATE: “When I look back and I talked about it with (associate athletic director) Bruce (Madej) and some other folks, I didn’t really say much I think the first six or seven months when they were talking about shredding papers (at West Virginia) or this and that. And I wanted to. Trust me, I wanted to stand on top of a table and say, ‘That’s not true. Let me tell you what really happened.’ But I didn’t. I just kind of stayed away from it and figured the truth would come out eventually. In retrospect, looking back, I think maybe I should have addressed every issue head-on because I don’t think all of the facts ever did come out.”
(See above) Anything is possible. You’d like to think he has a wee bit of character in him, though. That’d be an all-time bad guy move. Or would it? I mean, if the NCAA has you on something and starts asking you questions, you have to be honest. Who knows how far those questions or his answers extend?
ccteam said:
What part of forcing your alma mater to sue you to collect a contractually obligated payback is “taking the high road.” Not to mention allowing your attorney and agent to engage in a campaign of false and derogatory comments. Prod lives in an alternate reality from the rest of the world. Maybe he is a Lostie and his sideways world purgatory is Ann Arbor.
And away we go …
overtheSEC said:
I like that Lost sideways-purgatory/Ann Arbor comparison, cc. We can build on this.
Dusty Rutledge as Hugo, the loyal and rotund companion. Calvin Magee as Ben Linus, the wannabe leader with whom it was unclear as to which side hs was on. Barwis is Sawyer, the fiery tempered, shoot first, ask questions later guy. Greg Robinson as Michael but, instead of killing Ana Lucia, killed the Syracuse program and will be forced to roam in the trees. Rita is obviously the Smoke Monster.
Jack … Dave Brandon, prepared to protect the island. Kate … Mary Sue Coleman, committed to raising her baby. Marv Robon … Mr. Echo, taken from us far too soon. Lord, we could go on and on.
ccteam said:
Ken Kendrick could be Charles Widmore, a powerful guy with lots of money to throw around but wrong on almost everything he says. Gibson would be the weasily little assistant security guy that worked for Sawyer in Dharmaville.
The answer to your question is, “Yes, I am furious I didn’t make an entire post out of this … so that 3/5 of the audience would get it and 2/5 would walk away disappointed.”
oklahoma mountaineer said:
The articles on Michigan’s responses, specifically the Product’s, are somewhat disturbing. The story on the FP web site states the following:
No. 1a: His response to the allegation that U-M’s quality control staff worked with players in the summer was that he didn’t know the rule: “Rodriguez was not aware that NCAA legislation prohibits sport-specific noncoaching staff members from being involved with voluntary summer workouts. Rodriguez did not knowingly or deliberately ignore the bylaw, he simply overlooked it and believed it was permissible for the quality control staff to be involved in summer workouts because they were assigned to work with the strength staff.”
He didn’t know the rule — did the rules suddenly change when he packed his boxes……find it hard to believe that one of two things did not happen — 1) he “forgot” the restrictions he had on him at WVU or 2) the NCAA will be visiting us shortly with a summons the Principal’s office as well.
Either way, I’m thinking the Product’s going to need boxes again….real soon.
That was my second-favorite part of the whole Michigan thing Tuesday. The best? I can’t imagine how or why UM would admit to four violations that more or less deal with compliance and then contest one allegation that states it fails to promote an atmosphere of compliance. As for this, it’s a reach to think Rodriguez didn’t know the rule. If he truly did not, shame on him, his salary and his employers. But did he know? Um, maybe. Surely you remember this deposition:
Q: Were you ever told by anybody that your request for additional graduate assistants in the strength and conditioning program would violate NCAA rules?
A: No. And that’s not true, regarding the number of graduate assistants for the strength and conditioning. You can have as many as you want.
Q: As long as you use them for strength and conditioning?
A: Right.
Q: But if you’re using them to help do other things, including coaching, it’s a violation of the rules, isn’t it?
A: Right. You have to only use the 12 on the field for coaching.
Jeff in Akron said:
If you look into all the reasons P-Rod listed for leaving WVU, the only valid reason was raises for his staff. Although, how he intended to fund those raises was very questionable.
P-Rod simply never checked, or researched, the demands before he made them. The WVU administration, or more directly Ed Pastilong and his staff did. What they found were violations at other schools for the same practices that P-Rod was trying to implement at WVU.
P-Rod never did his homework while at WVU, EP, through various staff members, did it for him. P-Rod didn’t like what EP found and claimed a atmosphere of “NO”. Michigan decided to hire P-Rod and give in to some of the demands he was making at WVU. While Michigan had a clean resume prior to P-Rod, WVU could never be considered a rouge in regards to following established NCAA guidelines.
About a week after the NCAA visited, WVU was given an Unconditional Recertification by the NCAA. With everything factored in, I have to believe that was not by accident. I don’t believe that the NCAA would issue such a finding regarding the overall state of WVU athletics if WVU was about to be implicated in major violations by its previous coach.
At the time P-Rod left I was angry at the athletic department and the school administration for not working with P-Rod to produce a viable working atmosphere that would have allowed him to stay. Now, I realize I owe the athletic department and the administration an apology and a vote of confidence for a job well done. Ed Pastilong is at the top of that list.
I’d say that’s a pretty fair assessment, but I’m told the timing of that Unconditional Recertification isn’t directly related to anything involved with the NCAA’s inquiry. Sure, it’s a great pillar for WVU, but the NCAA hasn’t informed WVU of any finding, positive or negative, after its February visit.
StraightOuttaNorthCentral said:
“His long, separate statement — submitted by his attorney, Scott Tompsett — was a passionate defense.”
Wait, what happened to Marvelous Marv? Please don’t tell me he’s had to go back to personal injury cases!
Somewhere, Mssrs. Flaherty and Fitzsimmons are chuckling quietly to themselves.
I shed a tear, honest.
Mack said:
I don’t think it’s as clear-cut as others might think but I’d really like to know, if he could do it all over again, if he’d stay at West Virginia
Interesting. I say yes, but only because there was such discontent, dislike and a general state of disrepair. I also say he leaves the can full of gas and the handful of matches in the garage the second time around.
overtheSEC said:
Ever since the tournament expanded to 16 teams, the first day’s games (seeds 9-16) have always been on either on ESNPU or ESPN360 online (now ESPN3), before going to ESPN or ESPN2 on Day 2. Now that the marquee teams play on Day 1, it’d be interesting to see if you’d now have all games of the tournament either on ESPN or ESPN2.
But Paul Tagliabue says the Big East is being proactive and it all begins with ESPN. There’s a plan. Honest!
roopoo said:
I will go out on a limb here and ask the question…doesn’t this list prove something? Look at the teams surrounding WVU…all teams from the mighty SEC and Big Ten. Surprisingly, despite what networks view as an unfavorable TV market, and despite having a smaller university and alumni base than virtually every other school in the top ten, WVU still manages to sell more merchandise than every school included from the ACC and over half the SEC and more than half of the Big Ten. Look where all the schools targeted by the Big Ten sit…40th and lower.
I don’t think that’s a thin limb at all. It’s tangible, at the least, to prove some sort of a following/devotion compared to others present in the conversation. And at this point, nothing hurts.
philip said:
you want a prediction … you’re asking the wrong phil. i’ll give you a … prediction: it’s going to be cold, it’s going to be gray and it’s going to last you for the rest of your life.
Enjoy the weekend!