The Sock 'Em, Bust 'Em Board Because that's our custom

Once again, Ask Me About Stuff (Anything) at 11 a.m.

November 3, 2011 by Mike Casazza

Same place, same time and a title today in honor of the start of basketball season. See you there?

Dominique Rutledge reinstated

November 2, 2011 by Mike Casazza

And that’s about all the basketball news I have for you. This is probably — never mind; scratch probably — the most unprepared I’ve been for a basketball season. The football season and conference shenanigans and a now a lawsuit put blinders on me. That might not change soon, either.

The shame is I think WVU will be pretty compelling this season.

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You know, the guy has a point

by Mike Casazza

Lots of work left to do for WVU

by Mike Casazza

WVU is in the Big 12. A few other details are finished. Most others are unresolved.The general feeling generated in yesterday’s reception at Touchdown Terrace was that the Mountaineers have done — and, thanks to the lawsuit, will have to do — a lot of things to get out of the Big East Conference … and that the Mountaineers have a lot to learn about the Big 12.

We learned a little Tuesday, which, to be fair, was a reception the media was invited to attend for convenience. It was mostly intended as a celebration of the occasion and featured just about every notable university and athletics official available, be they coaches, administrators, cheerleaders or the pep band, but not the Mountaineer, who no one invited.

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Dana Holgorsen wore a sports jacket today

November 1, 2011 by Mike Casazza

Later, he was asked about his hat. Here’s the first part of his comments  from Tuesday’s press conference.

(About the beginning and the chuckles … WVU’s sports information contact gave an announcement and then innocently stumbled a chord. Dana called that “athletic.”)

The second half, which has his insight on the Big 12 and the linked-to comments on his sky piece, are after the jump. Last several minutes are worth a listen, though.

I’m still processing today’s reception at Touchdown Terrace — and would it surprise you to know Missouri has a Touchdown Terrace? In short, WVU is either bluffing and knows more than it is saying, or WVU is scrambling. There are a lot of unresolved issues and, beyond that, basic things that cannot be answered. Like, how many sports does WVU need? Which sports does WVU have to offer?

I can add this. It is wrestling coach Craig Turnbull’s goal to play all three Big 12 schools — Iowa State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State — every year. One year, he’ll play two at home and one on the road. The next year, two on the road and one at home. The Big 12 championship is then a quad meet.

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Unexpected twist: It is only now when things get weird

by Mike Casazza

OK, so we knew it wasn’t over when WVU and the Big 12 had their conference call Friday. And we knew it wouldn’t be over this afternoon when school and league had a reception to really, really announce the membership. And we knew it wouldn’t be over when the janitor locked the door at Touchdown Terrace.

We knew there was going to be a kerfuffle about the 27 months.

I just didn’t expect John Marinatto to be Franz Ferdinand.

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This is actually funny: WVU files suit against Big East

October 31, 2011 by Mike Casazza

WVU made it very clear  Friday — and if not with words, than with actions at the beginning the week — it was joining the Big 12 Conference and, as such, extricating itself from the Big East Conference. Yet somehow it is WVU that has filed suit against the Big East. I’m not joking.

So if you’re keeping score, the Big East voted to increase the exit fee to $10 million once a new member is added, but doesn’t add anyone in almost two weeks that followed and loses WVU.

That same school is bound for the Big 12 last Tuesday, sidetracked temporarily and then welcomed to the Big 12 Friday.

A conference call that night features Jim Clements and the WVU president says WVU is out July 1 and working to make it happen.

Today, WVU acts first and files a suit that basically asks the court to let WVU go because the Big East is a bad operation in bad shape because of bad adherence to founding principles and bad leadership.

I understand the Big East can’t file any sort of an injunction to keep WVU in the Big East, much like WVU couldn’t lock Rich Rodriguez in at WVU, but there’s nothing really stopping the Big East from doing what WVU did.

More on this as I give it a read. Feel free to offer your two cents.

What’s next is what matters most for WVU, Big 12

by Mike Casazza

A lot of thins are answered and many more still need to be resolved, but the Mountaineers insist they’ll be in the Big 12 Conference July 1.

The Big East begs to differ, though, to be fair, the conference hadn’t exactly heard from WVU late last week, even as WVU said its people were working with the Big East’s people to get out of the 27-month deal. Maybe that’s changed. Whatever the case, I suspect Pitt and Syracuse are far further down the road out of the Big East and that WVU has been paying attention.

If it does happen, the Mountaineers have some things to work out to make it work.

The Big 12 says WVU will be in — this is where the college football CEO could really help by sitting with the respective commissioners and arranging a settlement — and that means the conference schedule could be shuffled.

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Texts From Rutgers Game Day

by Mike Casazza

Fun game Saturday and you saw the inevitable adversity pop up in piles and you saw WVU handle it with a sweeping success it had thus far not exhibited. What the Mountaineers lacked in both losses, what nearly cost them the game at Maryland, was featured in Piscataway. Things could have gone the wrong way at halftime, but WVU pulled it out of the gutter and made a few good plays while avoiding disastrous ones to win a road game by 10.

How nice is the road win? Only Cincinnati (at USF), Rutgers (at Syracuse) and WVU have won a Big East game away from home this season. The Mountaineers have two more to go — is it just me, or might WVU have a lot of fans at Paul Brown Stadium for the Nov. 12 showdown with Cincinnati? — and they’ll have to keep this going.

“After the loss last week, to come into a situation on the road – regardless of the conditions – against a team that wants to win, this shows we may be on the verge of growing up a little bit,” said WVU Coach Dana Holgorsen, whose 24th-ranked team comes home to meet Louisville (4-4, 2-1 Big East) on Saturday at noon.

Holgorsen and his coaches spoke to their players all week about facing and handling adversity and WVU met it in physical, mental and even meteorological form.

“As bad of conditions that I’ve ever played in or coached in, in my entire career,” Holgorsen said. “The first half, the field was covered with ice and slush. We had a hard time hanging onto the ball. Those were not great conditions to throw the ball in.”

Good conditions to text in, though, and the messages flowed like snow plows to encapsulate all the swerves and reactions that fit perfectly at the end of a week like that. Big 12 invitation, political football, Big 12 invitation, October blizzard and 72 points in the snow … but a 17th straight win against the Scarlet Knights.

I’m talking to myself at night because I can’t forget. Back and forth through my mind, behind a cigarette. And the text message coming from my eyes says leave it alone. My edits are in [brackets]. Yours are, for some reason, in (parentheses).

3:10:
Maybe if Luck wouldn’t have run his mouth about Syracuse they wouldn’t have treated Friday like their Super Bowl. Cuse looks pathetic

3:37:
This time next year when you’re in, oh, Austin or Waco you’ll think back on this days weather and laugh

3:39:
Nice crowd

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WVU v. Rutgers: Have you never seen snow?

October 29, 2011 by Mike Casazza

1:19 pm: It’s going to be one of these days. I took that picture an hour ago. It’s getting worse.

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