Good morning and welcome to your day after the holiday skull session.
Hopefully, you celebrated America's birthday with unbridled fervor. Personally, I kinda shot the wad on the 3rd but still celebrated in laid back style with an 84 on the links (pretty good for me) and a handful of power naps in between watching my Yanks defeat the Rays (we miss you, Boss) and some pretty intense PB&J and Nutty Bar sessions.
Speaking of food, I did happen to see Joey Chestnut do America proud in the Nathan's contest as he inhaled 68 hot dogs in 10 minutes. In a WWE-type twist, Chestnut's usual long time rival, Takeru Kobayashi, didn't participate due to an ongoing contract dispute. Kobayashi is the same guy that charged the event stage in 2010 and ended up getting arrested in the process.
Crazy what that guy will do for weiners.
SEVEN SPORTS A VANISHING. Back in November of last year, the University of Maryland announced they would be forced to pull the plug on seven sports including the men's and women's swimming and diving teams, men's tennis, indoor and outdoor, cross-country and women's water polo, tumbling and aerobics effective the 2012-13 seasons, a combined $5 million in cuts, to help a critically injured athetic department.
When the upcoming cuts were announced, the team's were informed they could continue if they raised enough cheddar to keep their particular program afloat. The men's outdoor track team rounded up enough dough to stay alive for this year but has to come up with a total of $3.76 million by 2013 to keep the team on the respirator.
Obviously, the continued struggles to be legit in on the gridiron and lesser but still typically declining results in basketball have had a great impact on revenue generation as has the stadium expansion back in '06 that came with a $35 million price tag and the $2 million buyout awarded to Ralph Friedgen.
It's a shame to hear that 131 student-athletes won't be able to complete although it's nice to see they will still have their scholarships honored.
Blows me away just how crucial football and men's basketball success is to funding an entire athletic department.
THE "L" STANDS FOR LIQUIDATION. Arkansas Razorbacks head coach John L. Smith hit a jackpot of sorts when Petrino went motorcycle sledding with a little vixen strapped to his back but unfortunately, the boost in income wasn't enough to stave off his financial crisis.
Like many crippled by the housing downturn, Smith invested millions in subdivisions starting back in the last 90s and as the bottom fell out of the market, Smith began to hemorrhage money.
With Smith saying his stake in the group investments runs into the "multi-millions", he seems resigned to the fact he'll have to file bankruptcy:
"It was a situation where we all made a little and said, `Well, that's good. Let's see if we can make a little more. At that point, the bank was willing to give away money. We got in over our head with land, and then the bubble burst and all this land value dropped and we couldn't sustain it."
As a half-crazy person, John L's always been fun to clown on but this time around, let's just hope he can get out from under what looks like an honest mess.
You can't spell 'moustache' without a U-S-AANOTHER BUCKEYE BELIEVER. The College Football Matrix has run the numbers on the B1G season and likes the Buckeyes to capture the Leaders Division with a 6-2 mark including 10-2 overall.
Interestingly, CFBMatrix likes Penn State to also pull off a 6-2 slate to earn a spot in the conference championship tilt ahead of a 5-3 Wisconsin squad.
As expected, the Legends Division is a shootout between Hoke and Dantonio an the CFBM likes the Wolverines to grab the division title with a 7-1 record with Sparty at 6-2.
In the title game, the Matrix gives Michigan the nod though they do see the lone UM conference loss coming in Columbus.
DECISIONS, DECISIONS. It's been well-chronicled that Sullinger's decision to return for his sophomore season cost him millions of dollars after injury and more time to shoot holes in his game saw Jared's draft stock go from sure-fire top five pick to the being the 21st selection last week.
With that backdrop, Brent Yarina looked at the similar situation Cody Zeller found himself in following last season.
Currently, Zeller is listed as the number one pick in multiple 2013 NBA mock drafts but was it a good move for him to return to Bloomington for his sophomore season?
Yarina feels a return to Indiana was unquestionably the right move as Zeller will have another year to get stronger and add more to his overall repetoire. I also think he made the right choice but I say it for different reasons. Sure, Zeller will beef up but he'll also get to enjoy another year as the BMOC serving as the centepiece of a team that expects to make a lot of noise in next year's Dance. That's hard to pass up for any level headed kid.
STARS, STRIPES AND ROMAN CANDLE FIGHTS. Pac-Man Jones talks of dropping $1 mil in a weekend... SEC themed Barbie dolls! That's so Raven... Michigan is looking for an Assistant Cheerleading Coach I, in case you're interested... Old BCS computer repurposed... Butter with an attitude... Sexting FAIL.
