E-mailed 8/31/11
Well, this didn't take long:
(1) BYU didn't say it was interested but didn't say it wasn't, either. Says possible midget Dan Ubben: "It's going to be a difficult decision for the program, but ultimately, one it looks like the school is going to entertain." So you're saying there's a chance? This can't be a bad thing.
(2) Don't panic, says Mike Alden. That means one thing: time to panic. As you all know I'm a big Mike Alden guy, but I don't like his associations with known liar Frank Haith. In his statement, Alden flat out lies to Mizzou fans: "Dan Beebe, as our Commissioner, is focused on maintaining the Big 12 as a strong and viable league in college athletics." Much like in the Haith case, the facts say otherwise. The good news is, he tells some truths later in the statement: "Rest assured that the Mizzou "brand" is extremely strong nationally. We are the flagship institution of the State of Missouri with nearly 6 million residents who passionately follow our University and the Tigers. As a proud member of the prestigious Association of American Universities, we are equally proud of the national recognition Mizzou Athletics has received for our academic, social and competitive accomplishments. Our success wouldn't be possible without the great support of our students, faculty, staff, alumni and fans."
(3) Mike DeArmond of the KC Star sides with the truthful Alden. He states: "That puts Missouri in a position not of being a provocateur but of a girl walking down the street well aware that a bunch of guys are giving her the eyeball."
Conclusions: There are going to be lots of ups-and-downs between now and the kickoff of the 2012 football season. Right now, other than not having a basketball coach, I don't think the word is ending for Mizzou athletics. kU is cuddled up to us, asking for protection, and there is a chance BYU might come on board to save our current defunct league. Things could be much worse.
Until next time,
Doug
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Gone
Gone. That's the theme of the day. Read the links while listening to a great song by the same name.
(1) Gone from the Big 12-3? Texas A&M officially filed paperwork with the Big 12 saying they've applied for membership in another conference. In other words, the rumors were true.
(2) Big 12-3 ESPN blogger, who might or might not be a midget, says A&M is taking a big leap. He notes it could get real awkward between now and when the SEC announces a decision, which might not come until late fall or early spring. He also thinks, like me, Mizzou wins 10 again this year.
(3) A lot of folks in Salt Lake think BYU should and will join the Big 12-3 ranks. An interesting aspect of them joining: no sporting events on Sundays. It will be a problem for baseball.
(4) Meanwhile the Pony Express is trying to gallop into A&M's vacant spot.
Where does this leave Mizzou in terms of conferences? Where it always is: waiting. My gut says we aren't SEC material and we're staying, for better or for worse, in the Big 12-3 National Embarrassment Conference. Let's hope BYU, Louisville and TCU/Air Force make more for the better and less for the worse.
If all this news has you distressed or if you are worried about Saturday's football game, look at the new K-State mascot and laugh. It will definitely lighten the mood.
And finally, I'm gone for a long weekend and excited to meet up with some fellow Tigers. It probably means no more posts from me until Tuesday.
Hopefully at that point we'll have a win under out belts in football.
For Mizzou,
Doug
(1) Gone from the Big 12-3? Texas A&M officially filed paperwork with the Big 12 saying they've applied for membership in another conference. In other words, the rumors were true.
(2) Big 12-3 ESPN blogger, who might or might not be a midget, says A&M is taking a big leap. He notes it could get real awkward between now and when the SEC announces a decision, which might not come until late fall or early spring. He also thinks, like me, Mizzou wins 10 again this year.
(3) A lot of folks in Salt Lake think BYU should and will join the Big 12-3 ranks. An interesting aspect of them joining: no sporting events on Sundays. It will be a problem for baseball.
(4) Meanwhile the Pony Express is trying to gallop into A&M's vacant spot.
Where does this leave Mizzou in terms of conferences? Where it always is: waiting. My gut says we aren't SEC material and we're staying, for better or for worse, in the Big 12-3 National Embarrassment Conference. Let's hope BYU, Louisville and TCU/Air Force make more for the better and less for the worse.
If all this news has you distressed or if you are worried about Saturday's football game, look at the new K-State mascot and laugh. It will definitely lighten the mood.
And finally, I'm gone for a long weekend and excited to meet up with some fellow Tigers. It probably means no more posts from me until Tuesday.
Hopefully at that point we'll have a win under out belts in football.
For Mizzou,
Doug
Ins and Outs
E-mailed 8/30/11
Lots of movement going on around our great country and on our college campuses. Many new students moving in here on the Hilltop, so sorry some of this news is old. On to the links:
(1) Irene moved in (and out) of the east coast leaving destruction in her wake (pics). Meanwhile, douche bag Eric Cantor and the Tea Party are trying to continue the destruction by holding disaster relief dollars hostage unless they are balanced by spending cuts.
(2) The Cardinals have solidly moved out of the playoff chase with sixth massive August/September collapse in a row. Some are shocked. I am not: it was a flawed team to begin with. Teams with poor defense and no relief pitching don't play in October and we aren't, several years running.
(3) Moving into the Tiger Broadcast booth: Howard Richard. Who, you say? He's a former Tiger player recruited by the coach he is replacing. I say: give him a chance. If he succeeds it will be quite the story for Mizzou's Communication Department.
(4) Moving out of the Tiger's starting line-up on Saturday: three starters. The result is Lebanon, Missouri native Justin Britt moving into the starting offensive line. Justin loves Jesus on his twitter feed and on the football field is "one of our more versatile linemen" says GP.
(5) The defense has solidly moved into the forefront of the Mizzou football program. The reason? Defensive Coordinator Dave Steckel. And with three starters gone and a new QB we'll need every bit of our defense of Saturday to stop a balanced Miami team who is thinking upset. I think our team speed and home crowd will be too much for a team who plays at home in a stadium with no assigned seats for alumni or students. I say Mizzou wins in a squeaker: 21-17. Mizzou fans will be nervous until Miami-OH goes out and wins the MAC. Something Tiger fans need to accept: our team will get better as the season moves along, so don't judge based on some bad first looks against the Red Hawks.
(6) Moving out of the Big 12: Texas A&M. The University has moved past trying to prove a point and into all out aggression. When your coach says of this season, "We have a bunch of seniors on this team that will never play in that conference" you know the bags are packed. Says Mizzou Chancellor and Big 12 Board President Brady Deaton: "If Texas A&M does send that letter, we are poised to move aggressively to assure a strong Big 12." While that certainly is brave talk, I don't see it happening. In a wildly incoherent article by CBS Sportsline Dennis Dodd, one point he makes is BYU makes good sense for the Big 12-3 and for BYU. Let's just say I'm not confident in conference leadership but if we replace A&M with BYU we are at wash I feel in terms of quality. I just don't see BYU backing down from the opportunity to form national rivalries on each coast and then being able to recruit nationally, just like Notre Dame. Word is we'll move to Air Force if BYU says no. From there its anyone's guess with Louisville and Pitt being most discussed options. SMU is begging to be let in. They also have evidently designed their new locker room to look like a strip club. If we replace A&M with SMU, we might as well just move things along and fold the conference because it just makes us look like a national embarrassment.
(7) Moving out of the Big 12: Missouri? Nope. Big 10 says its staying put with its current teams. What about moving into the SEC? Well, its all kinds of crazy with teams being bantered about from Missouri to TCU and Louisville to Virginia Tech. Florida State rumors won't die and now North Carolina has been added to the mix. North Carolina? And their football program? Really? That's when know sure things are not necessarily sure things...such as...
(8) ...when A&M's moving trucks pump the breaks. No official letter has been sent informing the Big 12-3 of their release from the the conference, which will cost them $16-18 million. Why not? The SEC is getting cold feet tweets incoherent CBS Sportsline Dennis Dodd. They don't want to be "that guy" that breaks up another conference fearing their expansion will completely unravel the Big 12-3. So to recap: A&M is in a conference that no longer wants them and wants into a conference that might not take them. Sounds like if we fire Dan "Mr. Longhorn" Beebe we should look no further than the A&M President, who appears to be doing a bang up job running his athletics program.
(9) Moving into snuggle position with Mizzou: our good friends from kU. A compelling article from the KC Star. Conference realignment makes strange bedfellows.
(10) In other news a liar denies lying. I don't know how much longer this whole Haith thing can go on, but when NPR announces like it did this morning that a scandal at the U of Miami involves a donor "heaping cash and strippers on members of the football AND BASKETBALL teams" I can't imagine its a good idea to let it go on much longer. Mizzou athletics implored us to "Have Faith in Haith" but I'm now imploring Alden to have to courage to do what is right and start an internal investigation against the wishes of the NCAA. Its clear this isn't a clean man. We need to find the evidence, remove him, and move on. Here's hoping we have the courage to move him out.
And here's hoping we get to make a mark in the win column on Saturday,
Doug
Lots of movement going on around our great country and on our college campuses. Many new students moving in here on the Hilltop, so sorry some of this news is old. On to the links:
(1) Irene moved in (and out) of the east coast leaving destruction in her wake (pics). Meanwhile, douche bag Eric Cantor and the Tea Party are trying to continue the destruction by holding disaster relief dollars hostage unless they are balanced by spending cuts.
(2) The Cardinals have solidly moved out of the playoff chase with sixth massive August/September collapse in a row. Some are shocked. I am not: it was a flawed team to begin with. Teams with poor defense and no relief pitching don't play in October and we aren't, several years running.
(3) Moving into the Tiger Broadcast booth: Howard Richard. Who, you say? He's a former Tiger player recruited by the coach he is replacing. I say: give him a chance. If he succeeds it will be quite the story for Mizzou's Communication Department.
(4) Moving out of the Tiger's starting line-up on Saturday: three starters. The result is Lebanon, Missouri native Justin Britt moving into the starting offensive line. Justin loves Jesus on his twitter feed and on the football field is "one of our more versatile linemen" says GP.
(5) The defense has solidly moved into the forefront of the Mizzou football program. The reason? Defensive Coordinator Dave Steckel. And with three starters gone and a new QB we'll need every bit of our defense of Saturday to stop a balanced Miami team who is thinking upset. I think our team speed and home crowd will be too much for a team who plays at home in a stadium with no assigned seats for alumni or students. I say Mizzou wins in a squeaker: 21-17. Mizzou fans will be nervous until Miami-OH goes out and wins the MAC. Something Tiger fans need to accept: our team will get better as the season moves along, so don't judge based on some bad first looks against the Red Hawks.
(6) Moving out of the Big 12: Texas A&M. The University has moved past trying to prove a point and into all out aggression. When your coach says of this season, "We have a bunch of seniors on this team that will never play in that conference" you know the bags are packed. Says Mizzou Chancellor and Big 12 Board President Brady Deaton: "If Texas A&M does send that letter, we are poised to move aggressively to assure a strong Big 12." While that certainly is brave talk, I don't see it happening. In a wildly incoherent article by CBS Sportsline Dennis Dodd, one point he makes is BYU makes good sense for the Big 12-3 and for BYU. Let's just say I'm not confident in conference leadership but if we replace A&M with BYU we are at wash I feel in terms of quality. I just don't see BYU backing down from the opportunity to form national rivalries on each coast and then being able to recruit nationally, just like Notre Dame. Word is we'll move to Air Force if BYU says no. From there its anyone's guess with Louisville and Pitt being most discussed options. SMU is begging to be let in. They also have evidently designed their new locker room to look like a strip club. If we replace A&M with SMU, we might as well just move things along and fold the conference because it just makes us look like a national embarrassment.
(7) Moving out of the Big 12: Missouri? Nope. Big 10 says its staying put with its current teams. What about moving into the SEC? Well, its all kinds of crazy with teams being bantered about from Missouri to TCU and Louisville to Virginia Tech. Florida State rumors won't die and now North Carolina has been added to the mix. North Carolina? And their football program? Really? That's when know sure things are not necessarily sure things...such as...
(8) ...when A&M's moving trucks pump the breaks. No official letter has been sent informing the Big 12-3 of their release from the the conference, which will cost them $16-18 million. Why not? The SEC is getting cold feet tweets incoherent CBS Sportsline Dennis Dodd. They don't want to be "that guy" that breaks up another conference fearing their expansion will completely unravel the Big 12-3. So to recap: A&M is in a conference that no longer wants them and wants into a conference that might not take them. Sounds like if we fire Dan "Mr. Longhorn" Beebe we should look no further than the A&M President, who appears to be doing a bang up job running his athletics program.
(9) Moving into snuggle position with Mizzou: our good friends from kU. A compelling article from the KC Star. Conference realignment makes strange bedfellows.
(10) In other news a liar denies lying. I don't know how much longer this whole Haith thing can go on, but when NPR announces like it did this morning that a scandal at the U of Miami involves a donor "heaping cash and strippers on members of the football AND BASKETBALL teams" I can't imagine its a good idea to let it go on much longer. Mizzou athletics implored us to "Have Faith in Haith" but I'm now imploring Alden to have to courage to do what is right and start an internal investigation against the wishes of the NCAA. Its clear this isn't a clean man. We need to find the evidence, remove him, and move on. Here's hoping we have the courage to move him out.
And here's hoping we get to make a mark in the win column on Saturday,
Doug
The Waiting Game
E-mailed 8/22/11
Nothing much new today coming out of BoCoMo, just a few bits of further insight:
(1) Vahe Gregorian of the St. Louis P-D says MU is mulling its options while waiting on a Haith probe.
(2) Mike DeArmond of the KC Star quotes MU officials saying that MU isn't sitting still on coach Haith's future.
(3) Not so fast, say CBS Sportline's Gary Parrish. The approach Mizzou is taking is the worst thing they could do.
In summary: Parrish is right. If you read nothing else, read his very short article that is very much to the point. As Parrish says in his article: ""We're waiting for the NCAA process to carry itself out," said Missouri chancellor Brady Deaton. "We're obviously very concerned." Very foolish, too. With those 14 words, Deaton paralyzed Haith -- just left his coach swirling in unknown winds and gave every program recruiting against the Tigers the ability to cast serious doubt on Haith's future. It might've been an honest statement, but it was a stupid one. Missouri needed to either start negotiating a buyout with Haith based on the serious nature of the allegation or publicly back him against "the word of a criminal" regardless of whether his job is really in jeopardy behind the scenes. Either option would've made sense on some level. But it makes no sense for Missouri to keep Haith while acknowledging it's waiting on the results of the NCAA's investigation into Miami, because investigations take a long time and the wait could destroy one recruiting class and possibly more. It's difficult for coaches to operate with clouds above. "
He concludes: "There is no way rival schools aren't going to use this against Missouri. I get that. But I can't begin to understand why Missouri felt the need to use it against itself."
Bad news all around.
But, as Bernie from the St. Louis P-D says, at least we have Gary Pinkel.
Nothing much new today coming out of BoCoMo, just a few bits of further insight:
(1) Vahe Gregorian of the St. Louis P-D says MU is mulling its options while waiting on a Haith probe.
(2) Mike DeArmond of the KC Star quotes MU officials saying that MU isn't sitting still on coach Haith's future.
(3) Not so fast, say CBS Sportline's Gary Parrish. The approach Mizzou is taking is the worst thing they could do.
In summary: Parrish is right. If you read nothing else, read his very short article that is very much to the point. As Parrish says in his article: ""We're waiting for the NCAA process to carry itself out," said Missouri chancellor Brady Deaton. "We're obviously very concerned." Very foolish, too. With those 14 words, Deaton paralyzed Haith -- just left his coach swirling in unknown winds and gave every program recruiting against the Tigers the ability to cast serious doubt on Haith's future. It might've been an honest statement, but it was a stupid one. Missouri needed to either start negotiating a buyout with Haith based on the serious nature of the allegation or publicly back him against "the word of a criminal" regardless of whether his job is really in jeopardy behind the scenes. Either option would've made sense on some level. But it makes no sense for Missouri to keep Haith while acknowledging it's waiting on the results of the NCAA's investigation into Miami, because investigations take a long time and the wait could destroy one recruiting class and possibly more. It's difficult for coaches to operate with clouds above. "
He concludes: "There is no way rival schools aren't going to use this against Missouri. I get that. But I can't begin to understand why Missouri felt the need to use it against itself."
Bad news all around.
But, as Bernie from the St. Louis P-D says, at least we have Gary Pinkel.
As the Mizzou World Turns: The End is Near Edition
E-mailed 8/19/11
If you read nothing else today, read Character and Crises by Tim McKernan of InsideSTL.com. More on this at the end...now...on to sifting through the links so you don't have to:
Mizzou insiders are saying what many on the outside are feeling: there is no way Haith is going to survive this. People think he could be dismissed, possibly in the next two weeks. Money is an issue here, it will likely cost us $1.5 million to get rid of him cleanly without waiting on an NCAA investigation, which could take months.
That's a 1.5 million dollar mistake by Mike Alden. That's why Bernie Miklasz says he isn't buying the dismissal talk. He thinks Alden will try and save Haith and in the process try and save himself. The money quote: "And if Alden terminates Haith or forces him out, the move would be akin to Alden buying time on ESPN to declare: "As an AD, I am an abject failure, and I screwed up this hire about as terribly as you can botch a hire." And Alden isn't going to do that. Say what you want about him, but Alden's survival skills are impressive." Bernie isn't advocating for keeping him, he's just predicting what Alden will do.
Rock M Nation asks, "What Happens Next For Mizzou Basketball?" Whatever happens, the future looks bleak right now with the following scholarship players coming back for the 2012-2013 season (after this year):
Backcourt: Phil Pressey (Jr.), Mike Dixon (Sr.), Earnest Ross (Jr.), Keion Bell (Sr.)
Frontcourt: Kadeem Green (So.), Quantel Denson (Jr., though his status is questionable right now, to say the least), Aaron Scales (Fr.)
My guess is if we change coaches Pressey leaves for Arkansas and Denson never gets eligible. This means we have scarcely enough scholarship players to field a team.
In terms of who coaches the team, Rock M says conventional wisdom is that Ernie Nester, a solid X's and O's guy, will become interim head coach. They also point out he's as old as Norm when he retired and they make a convincing case that whoever they hire should at least be in the running for the full time gig (and that ain't Ernie Nester). Enter Tim Fuller. As per usual, Rock M Nation is pretty much right on. The best case scenario is they beg Nester to stay on and name Fuller Interim head coach. Fuller, they say, has higher upside and lower downside (agree) and he's our head recruiter. Money quotes: "Fact is, big-time recruits go to schools that are either under investigation or have a shaky head man in charge all the time." [snip] "Meanwhile, if Fuller can tell a recruit either a) the same thing or b) "I'm the top guy, and Mizzou's definitely going to retain me after this year," then it's probably fine too. The key is simply to find certainty, one way or another, in the next couple of weeks, before official visits begin. This isn't a pleasant situation, but committing to a path will help Mizzou long-term, no matter what is eventually discovered about Frank Haith."
Or as ESPN senior basketball recruiting analyst Dave Telep tells the Columbia Trib: “From now until the first of October, it’s prime fishing season. The waters have been chummed all spring and summer long, and now you’ve got to pull up the net. So the next month and a half is going to be, not just for Missouri, a pivotal month on the calendar for commitments this year.” He continues: “I really think that the best thing for Missouri to do is to take the pulse of their situation and then come out and instead of letting people draw their own conclusions, they’ve got to make a stand and make a statement about the status of everything going on,” Telep said. “That doesn’t have to be today. That doesn’t have to be tomorrow. But it can’t be six months from now.”
As stated above, if you read nothing else read Character and Crises by Tim McKernan of InsideSTL.com. Timmy goes through the Haith range of emotions from hiring to introduction, to media days and finally to the day the Miami news story broke. He also points out something important that I missed in my previous e-mails, the flat out denial that the crisis at Miami had anything to do with basketball and that Haith didn't know the donor involved. That came from Missouri Basketball Sports Information Director Dave Ritter: "Those things that are coming out with football didn’t have anything to do with Frank’s basketball program. I would say you would probably need to talk to the University of Miami if something happened on his watch. We had a chance to talk to Coach Haith and he’s had no involvement with this Mr. Shapiro guy. There’s nothing. Those are all football violations and allegations. There’s nothing dealing with basketball. Those violations have nothing involved with men’s basketball.’’
Tim's most upset about this than about the Yahoo allegations, and so am I. Mike DeArmond of The KC Star came to Ritter's defense and tweeted: "MU hoops SID was hung out to dry in defending Haith. Live and learn. But, lay off the kid. Haith used him." Timmy details the on-air convo he had with the St. Louis P-D's Vahe Gregorian who said he called athletics (he's the P-Ds Mizzou beat man) many times and they wouldn't comment because they hadn't seen the actual report, and certainly didn't know there were pictures and phone records to go with it. Hence, Haith telling Ritter to release that statement. Statement released. Full Yahoo report delivered....and the facts don't match the statement.
In other words, the bodies continue to pile up. Not only did Haith help to possibly deal a death sentence to the U's athletic program, he also managed to throw his new Sports Information Director under the bus and look even shadier in the process. This is unacceptable behavior. Not only does he make bad decisions, it appears as if he doesn't learn from them.
Its a start contrast to Gary Pinkel, who as Timmy points out, may "routinely" make questionable game decisions but always owns up to them. Timmy goes on to say that Mizzou is in lockdown mode and silence is deafening. Its not the way to handle a crisis. As Blues' Vice President and current Fleishmann-Hillard exec Jim Woodcock writes in last month's Sports Business Journal:
"On the day Derek Jeter celebrated his 3,000th hit, ESPN.com posted competing headlines detailing a player’s DUI charge, accusations of gay slurs by two athletes, a stabbing, a recruiting scandal and, of course, the NFL labor dispute. All are complex matters requiring a sound crisis communications platform. Unprepared responses by athletes, coaches and sports executives often result in spectacular breakdowns and failures that can enflame matters and, ultimately, erode faith.
The heartbreaking case of a Texas Rangers fan falling to his death while catching a foul ball tossed to him by the franchise’s iconic star, Josh Hamilton, on July 7 required nothing less than an urgent and elite crisis communications response. Under exceptionally difficult circumstances, the Rangers delivered.
Team President Nolan Ryan took command, and questions, in a postgame news conference. Hamilton followed suit by sharing thoughts with reporters. A trust fund was established on the Rangers’ website. Stadium officials were accessible and informed. Response was swift. Above all, it was accountable and believable.
In any crisis, the immediate response often determines how you are judged and how successful your strategy will ultimately become. Rather than close ranks behind a series of statements — unfortunately, a common approach to addressing sports crisis scenarios — the Rangers called on the two men considered to be the face of the franchise. As impressive, Ryan and Hamilton followed by revealing their soul. It’s not the easiest remedy, but perhaps it will provide the sports industry with a crisis communications template to consider in the future."
To conclude: Its time for someone to step forward from Mizzou Athletics and start bearing their soul. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but certainly not in six months after the NCAA investigation has concluded. We're rarely defined by our mistakes, more often we're defined by our reactions to them. As of late, Mizzou Athletics hasn't been defined very favorably.
If you read nothing else today, read Character and Crises by Tim McKernan of InsideSTL.com. More on this at the end...now...on to sifting through the links so you don't have to:
Mizzou insiders are saying what many on the outside are feeling: there is no way Haith is going to survive this. People think he could be dismissed, possibly in the next two weeks. Money is an issue here, it will likely cost us $1.5 million to get rid of him cleanly without waiting on an NCAA investigation, which could take months.
That's a 1.5 million dollar mistake by Mike Alden. That's why Bernie Miklasz says he isn't buying the dismissal talk. He thinks Alden will try and save Haith and in the process try and save himself. The money quote: "And if Alden terminates Haith or forces him out, the move would be akin to Alden buying time on ESPN to declare: "As an AD, I am an abject failure, and I screwed up this hire about as terribly as you can botch a hire." And Alden isn't going to do that. Say what you want about him, but Alden's survival skills are impressive." Bernie isn't advocating for keeping him, he's just predicting what Alden will do.
Rock M Nation asks, "What Happens Next For Mizzou Basketball?" Whatever happens, the future looks bleak right now with the following scholarship players coming back for the 2012-2013 season (after this year):
Backcourt: Phil Pressey (Jr.), Mike Dixon (Sr.), Earnest Ross (Jr.), Keion Bell (Sr.)
Frontcourt: Kadeem Green (So.), Quantel Denson (Jr., though his status is questionable right now, to say the least), Aaron Scales (Fr.)
My guess is if we change coaches Pressey leaves for Arkansas and Denson never gets eligible. This means we have scarcely enough scholarship players to field a team.
In terms of who coaches the team, Rock M says conventional wisdom is that Ernie Nester, a solid X's and O's guy, will become interim head coach. They also point out he's as old as Norm when he retired and they make a convincing case that whoever they hire should at least be in the running for the full time gig (and that ain't Ernie Nester). Enter Tim Fuller. As per usual, Rock M Nation is pretty much right on. The best case scenario is they beg Nester to stay on and name Fuller Interim head coach. Fuller, they say, has higher upside and lower downside (agree) and he's our head recruiter. Money quotes: "Fact is, big-time recruits go to schools that are either under investigation or have a shaky head man in charge all the time." [snip] "Meanwhile, if Fuller can tell a recruit either a) the same thing or b) "I'm the top guy, and Mizzou's definitely going to retain me after this year," then it's probably fine too. The key is simply to find certainty, one way or another, in the next couple of weeks, before official visits begin. This isn't a pleasant situation, but committing to a path will help Mizzou long-term, no matter what is eventually discovered about Frank Haith."
Or as ESPN senior basketball recruiting analyst Dave Telep tells the Columbia Trib: “From now until the first of October, it’s prime fishing season. The waters have been chummed all spring and summer long, and now you’ve got to pull up the net. So the next month and a half is going to be, not just for Missouri, a pivotal month on the calendar for commitments this year.” He continues: “I really think that the best thing for Missouri to do is to take the pulse of their situation and then come out and instead of letting people draw their own conclusions, they’ve got to make a stand and make a statement about the status of everything going on,” Telep said. “That doesn’t have to be today. That doesn’t have to be tomorrow. But it can’t be six months from now.”
As stated above, if you read nothing else read Character and Crises by Tim McKernan of InsideSTL.com. Timmy goes through the Haith range of emotions from hiring to introduction, to media days and finally to the day the Miami news story broke. He also points out something important that I missed in my previous e-mails, the flat out denial that the crisis at Miami had anything to do with basketball and that Haith didn't know the donor involved. That came from Missouri Basketball Sports Information Director Dave Ritter: "Those things that are coming out with football didn’t have anything to do with Frank’s basketball program. I would say you would probably need to talk to the University of Miami if something happened on his watch. We had a chance to talk to Coach Haith and he’s had no involvement with this Mr. Shapiro guy. There’s nothing. Those are all football violations and allegations. There’s nothing dealing with basketball. Those violations have nothing involved with men’s basketball.’’
Tim's most upset about this than about the Yahoo allegations, and so am I. Mike DeArmond of The KC Star came to Ritter's defense and tweeted: "MU hoops SID was hung out to dry in defending Haith. Live and learn. But, lay off the kid. Haith used him." Timmy details the on-air convo he had with the St. Louis P-D's Vahe Gregorian who said he called athletics (he's the P-Ds Mizzou beat man) many times and they wouldn't comment because they hadn't seen the actual report, and certainly didn't know there were pictures and phone records to go with it. Hence, Haith telling Ritter to release that statement. Statement released. Full Yahoo report delivered....and the facts don't match the statement.
In other words, the bodies continue to pile up. Not only did Haith help to possibly deal a death sentence to the U's athletic program, he also managed to throw his new Sports Information Director under the bus and look even shadier in the process. This is unacceptable behavior. Not only does he make bad decisions, it appears as if he doesn't learn from them.
Its a start contrast to Gary Pinkel, who as Timmy points out, may "routinely" make questionable game decisions but always owns up to them. Timmy goes on to say that Mizzou is in lockdown mode and silence is deafening. Its not the way to handle a crisis. As Blues' Vice President and current Fleishmann-Hillard exec Jim Woodcock writes in last month's Sports Business Journal:
"On the day Derek Jeter celebrated his 3,000th hit, ESPN.com posted competing headlines detailing a player’s DUI charge, accusations of gay slurs by two athletes, a stabbing, a recruiting scandal and, of course, the NFL labor dispute. All are complex matters requiring a sound crisis communications platform. Unprepared responses by athletes, coaches and sports executives often result in spectacular breakdowns and failures that can enflame matters and, ultimately, erode faith.
The heartbreaking case of a Texas Rangers fan falling to his death while catching a foul ball tossed to him by the franchise’s iconic star, Josh Hamilton, on July 7 required nothing less than an urgent and elite crisis communications response. Under exceptionally difficult circumstances, the Rangers delivered.
Team President Nolan Ryan took command, and questions, in a postgame news conference. Hamilton followed suit by sharing thoughts with reporters. A trust fund was established on the Rangers’ website. Stadium officials were accessible and informed. Response was swift. Above all, it was accountable and believable.
In any crisis, the immediate response often determines how you are judged and how successful your strategy will ultimately become. Rather than close ranks behind a series of statements — unfortunately, a common approach to addressing sports crisis scenarios — the Rangers called on the two men considered to be the face of the franchise. As impressive, Ryan and Hamilton followed by revealing their soul. It’s not the easiest remedy, but perhaps it will provide the sports industry with a crisis communications template to consider in the future."
To conclude: Its time for someone to step forward from Mizzou Athletics and start bearing their soul. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but certainly not in six months after the NCAA investigation has concluded. We're rarely defined by our mistakes, more often we're defined by our reactions to them. As of late, Mizzou Athletics hasn't been defined very favorably.
As the Mizzou World Turns
E-mailed 8/18/11
Nothing much new to report out today, just a few links/thoughts from folks around the nation. As Mizzou grad and ESPNer Pat Forde tweeted, "All coaches named in Yahoo report and now working somewhere other than The U need to have some really good answers for current employers." With that in mind, here are the links:
(1) Bernie Miklasz of the St. Louis Post-Disopatch says the damage has already been done to both Haith and Mizzou. The important snippets you need to hear from the story:
"So Alden adopted an alternative strategy [rather than focusing on wins and losses], stressing Haith's skills as a recruiter. More than anything Alden portrayed Haith as a beacon of integrity. That was core of MU's hard sales pitch to a skeptical, agitated fan base that had a hostile initial reaction to the hiring. Alden played the Family Values card. "Mentoring and the development of men," said Alden as he listed Haith's attributes on the evening MU announced the hire. "Men. Not basketball players. Men. People that are going to grow as sons, and brothers and perhaps husbands some day. Fathers. Whatever that may be. And to model those behaviors and to do those in a way that are reflective of the culture of the University of Missouri. You will note that when you meet Frank and his family that he certainly represents the highest character and ideals relative to social responsibility and mentorship.""
"When introduced as the new coach by Alden in early April, Haith hardly distanced himself from the character-integrity casting. He fully embraced it. Haith explained his recruiting message on home visits: "First and foremost, I'm here to mold our young people to be great citizens, great men," Haith said in his first Mizzou news conference. "And when their time is up, I've taught them more than how to dribble a basketball. I've taught them life skills."
And perhaps most importantly, the last few lines: "If Haith's integrity isn't anything close to being as pristine as advertised by Alden, and if Haith's recruiting power is compromised by the stench of Shapiro and a looming NCAA investigation, then what does Mizzou have exactly? Answer: another coaching search."
Bernie brings up a good point I failed to yesterday: recruiting. Who wants to join a program who might not have a head coach in a few weeks?
(2) So where does all of this leave Mike Alden? He hired Quinn Snyder over Bill Self and ended up settling on Haith after the Painter dream died. Gabe DeArmond of insidestl.com says, its not Alden's fault. If Alden has a fault, he says, its trusting others too much. As stated in the paragraph's below:
"In 2007, Missouri beat Kansas. They finished ahead of Kansas in the conference. Alden felt like that should be enough. He let his team’s performance do the talking. Meanwhile, Lew Perkins (wink-wink, nod-nod, nah, he'd never do that, right?) convinced the Orange Bowl he’d bring a billion Kansas fans to SouthBeach. The Jayhawks played in the Orange Bowl. The Tigers went to Dallas.
Last year, Missouri batted its eyelashes at the Big Ten. The Big Ten winked back. Jim Delaney held Missouri’s hand and whispered sweet things to Alden (it’s kind of a disturbing analogy, but you get my point). Many around Missouri were convinced they were going to the Big Ten. They didn’t. Nebraska did. Perhaps it should have taught us all a lesson: What they say doesn’t count. It only counts when it’s on paper.
This spring, the lesson had to be learned again. Mike Anderson was talking to Arkansas. Most in the Natural State insisted he was taking the job. Those of us close to Missouri did not. In fact, we insisted on the opposite. We did it because the people we trust were telling us that Anderson was staying. They said that because that’s what he said. And they trusted him. You know the saying. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice…
Now, has Alden been fooled again? I don’t know. I want to be clear I have no idea what really happened in Coral Gables or what Haith has told Alden behind closed doors. But I know that when I read Charles Robinson’s article, it doesn’t appear to have a whole lot of holes."
Whatever happens to Haith, it hasn't been a good summer for Alden. It sounds like he did his due diligence in checking up on Haith but the bottom line is he's the decider and in this case he decided wrong.
(3) Who are the real victims in all of this? Clearly the Mizzou players writes Sam Mellinger of the KC Star.
Which brings us to our final point of the day: Its not how all of this ends, but when. An investigation could take months if not a year all the while our players, and fan base, twists in the wind. It's a difficult time to be in Mizzou athletic department. There is already enough that's been done to warrant voiding Haith's contract. Decisions need to be made. I feel sorry for the decider.
Nothing much new to report out today, just a few links/thoughts from folks around the nation. As Mizzou grad and ESPNer Pat Forde tweeted, "All coaches named in Yahoo report and now working somewhere other than The U need to have some really good answers for current employers." With that in mind, here are the links:
(1) Bernie Miklasz of the St. Louis Post-Disopatch says the damage has already been done to both Haith and Mizzou. The important snippets you need to hear from the story:
"So Alden adopted an alternative strategy [rather than focusing on wins and losses], stressing Haith's skills as a recruiter. More than anything Alden portrayed Haith as a beacon of integrity. That was core of MU's hard sales pitch to a skeptical, agitated fan base that had a hostile initial reaction to the hiring. Alden played the Family Values card. "Mentoring and the development of men," said Alden as he listed Haith's attributes on the evening MU announced the hire. "Men. Not basketball players. Men. People that are going to grow as sons, and brothers and perhaps husbands some day. Fathers. Whatever that may be. And to model those behaviors and to do those in a way that are reflective of the culture of the University of Missouri. You will note that when you meet Frank and his family that he certainly represents the highest character and ideals relative to social responsibility and mentorship.""
"When introduced as the new coach by Alden in early April, Haith hardly distanced himself from the character-integrity casting. He fully embraced it. Haith explained his recruiting message on home visits: "First and foremost, I'm here to mold our young people to be great citizens, great men," Haith said in his first Mizzou news conference. "And when their time is up, I've taught them more than how to dribble a basketball. I've taught them life skills."
And perhaps most importantly, the last few lines: "If Haith's integrity isn't anything close to being as pristine as advertised by Alden, and if Haith's recruiting power is compromised by the stench of Shapiro and a looming NCAA investigation, then what does Mizzou have exactly? Answer: another coaching search."
Bernie brings up a good point I failed to yesterday: recruiting. Who wants to join a program who might not have a head coach in a few weeks?
(2) So where does all of this leave Mike Alden? He hired Quinn Snyder over Bill Self and ended up settling on Haith after the Painter dream died. Gabe DeArmond of insidestl.com says, its not Alden's fault. If Alden has a fault, he says, its trusting others too much. As stated in the paragraph's below:
"In 2007, Missouri beat Kansas. They finished ahead of Kansas in the conference. Alden felt like that should be enough. He let his team’s performance do the talking. Meanwhile, Lew Perkins (wink-wink, nod-nod, nah, he'd never do that, right?) convinced the Orange Bowl he’d bring a billion Kansas fans to SouthBeach. The Jayhawks played in the Orange Bowl. The Tigers went to Dallas.
Last year, Missouri batted its eyelashes at the Big Ten. The Big Ten winked back. Jim Delaney held Missouri’s hand and whispered sweet things to Alden (it’s kind of a disturbing analogy, but you get my point). Many around Missouri were convinced they were going to the Big Ten. They didn’t. Nebraska did. Perhaps it should have taught us all a lesson: What they say doesn’t count. It only counts when it’s on paper.
This spring, the lesson had to be learned again. Mike Anderson was talking to Arkansas. Most in the Natural State insisted he was taking the job. Those of us close to Missouri did not. In fact, we insisted on the opposite. We did it because the people we trust were telling us that Anderson was staying. They said that because that’s what he said. And they trusted him. You know the saying. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice…
Now, has Alden been fooled again? I don’t know. I want to be clear I have no idea what really happened in Coral Gables or what Haith has told Alden behind closed doors. But I know that when I read Charles Robinson’s article, it doesn’t appear to have a whole lot of holes."
Whatever happens to Haith, it hasn't been a good summer for Alden. It sounds like he did his due diligence in checking up on Haith but the bottom line is he's the decider and in this case he decided wrong.
(3) Who are the real victims in all of this? Clearly the Mizzou players writes Sam Mellinger of the KC Star.
Which brings us to our final point of the day: Its not how all of this ends, but when. An investigation could take months if not a year all the while our players, and fan base, twists in the wind. It's a difficult time to be in Mizzou athletic department. There is already enough that's been done to warrant voiding Haith's contract. Decisions need to be made. I feel sorry for the decider.
Re: No Faith in Haith + Save Your Jorts and Stop Flossing
E-mailed 8/17/11
Rapid response--Would you rather have a head coach who:
(1) didn't cheat
(2) cheated and won, but got sloppy and got caught
(3) cheated, didn't win, got ran off by his previous school
(where the cheating occurred), but did so smart enough (using
cash) that he'll be embarrassed but not convicted of wrong doing
Harkening back to a previous email--I haven't been able to reconcile my thoughts and feelings about our basketball coach. Reconciling got a lot easier today--I'm calling for his removal even though it would mean giving up on this season and next.
We sure didn't hire him on his record of success. The Athletic Department said they hired him for his character. That character is in tatters. At best he was way too cozy with a sleazy booster. At worst he got that booster to pay a recruit $10,000. Most likely: he was friends with the booster, ordered an assistant coach to work with the booster to get cash to a recruit, and spent, at minimum one night at a strip club with the booster and some UM players. Bottom line: regardless of what he did or didn't do, it's clear he associated himself with liars and cheats. People who hang with liars and cheats are generally liars and cheats. If he can't win and can't claim to have high character and values he can't coach for a major college basketball program. He has to go.
It's a sad day in Columbia and Fairfax: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/writers/luke_winn/08/17/haith.miami/index.html Money quote: "Back in April, I wondered if I'd someday be writing a "Haith isn't working out for Missouri" column, and a "Larranaga regrets leaving Mason" column, maybe as separate topics in March 2014. Those would have been sad pieces. Being forced to already combine those subjects, in the wake of the great Miami scandal, is infinitely more depressing."
In other news, Dan "Mr. Longhorn" Beebe has decided to finally address the A&M issue. Last week he got into a screaming match with the SEC Commish, royally pissing him off. Now, he's giving A&M a deadline, the same thing he did last summer which prompted the Big 10 to accelerate expansion planning and offer a spot to Nebraska: http://espn.go.com/blog/big12/post/_/id/31878/deadline-coming-for-am-sec-decision
Great strategy, Dan-o. No one grabs defeat from the jaws of victory quite like Longhorn Beebe. In other words, save those jorts and stop flossing because realignment ain't dead yet.
Rapid response--Would you rather have a head coach who:
(1) didn't cheat
(2) cheated and won, but got sloppy and got caught
(3) cheated, didn't win, got ran off by his previous school
(where the cheating occurred), but did so smart enough (using
cash) that he'll be embarrassed but not convicted of wrong doing
Harkening back to a previous email--I haven't been able to reconcile my thoughts and feelings about our basketball coach. Reconciling got a lot easier today--I'm calling for his removal even though it would mean giving up on this season and next.
We sure didn't hire him on his record of success. The Athletic Department said they hired him for his character. That character is in tatters. At best he was way too cozy with a sleazy booster. At worst he got that booster to pay a recruit $10,000. Most likely: he was friends with the booster, ordered an assistant coach to work with the booster to get cash to a recruit, and spent, at minimum one night at a strip club with the booster and some UM players. Bottom line: regardless of what he did or didn't do, it's clear he associated himself with liars and cheats. People who hang with liars and cheats are generally liars and cheats. If he can't win and can't claim to have high character and values he can't coach for a major college basketball program. He has to go.
It's a sad day in Columbia and Fairfax: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/writers/luke_winn/08/17/haith.miami/index.html Money quote: "Back in April, I wondered if I'd someday be writing a "Haith isn't working out for Missouri" column, and a "Larranaga regrets leaving Mason" column, maybe as separate topics in March 2014. Those would have been sad pieces. Being forced to already combine those subjects, in the wake of the great Miami scandal, is infinitely more depressing."
In other news, Dan "Mr. Longhorn" Beebe has decided to finally address the A&M issue. Last week he got into a screaming match with the SEC Commish, royally pissing him off. Now, he's giving A&M a deadline, the same thing he did last summer which prompted the Big 10 to accelerate expansion planning and offer a spot to Nebraska: http://espn.go.com/blog/big12/post/_/id/31878/deadline-coming-for-am-sec-decision
Great strategy, Dan-o. No one grabs defeat from the jaws of victory quite like Longhorn Beebe. In other words, save those jorts and stop flossing because realignment ain't dead yet.
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