The President’s Priorities

I found it interesting the release from new UConn President Susan Herbst about the evaluation of the UConn athletic department. It’s obvious Herbst was responding to a column in the Hartford Courant by Jeff Jacobs who intimated that the evaluation could cost athletic director Jeff Hathaway his job.

Here’s the president’s response.

“Athletics is a vital part of UConn and there are many ways to evaluate the success of a collegiate athletic department – academic performance of student-athletes, NCAA compliance, fundraising and overall athletic success.

“We will be excellent stewards of public and private funds in all areas of the University. As a result, I will be reviewing all divisions of the University over time, but with great urgency, to make sure that we are serving this state in the best possible way. Accountability and excellence are our themes, going forward.

“The Division of Athletics is one of those areas of the university in which we have already begun this evaluation process.”

 What’s interesting to me is the order in which she lists what’s important in the university’s evaluation. First and foremost, academic performance of student athletes. The men’s basketball program just got slapped with penalties for failing to meet certain NCAA academic minimums.

Next. NCAA compliance. Again, the men’s basketball program has just been hit with penalties for failing to be compliant.

Third in importance, according to the way the response is written, is fund-raising. UConn’s been moving ahead with plans to build a new practice facility for basketball. The football complex built on donations, is one of the best in the country.

And finally, at the bottom of Herbst’s list of what’s important in evaluating a program’s success, is athletic performance. UConn has just completed one of the greatest on the field school’s years in NCAA history. You may recall UConn is the first school ever to have its mens and women’s basketball programs in the final four, and it’s football team in a BCS bowl in the same school year. And the baseball team also made it to the NCAA tournament.

Maybe all of the items on Herbst’s list are of equal importance, but the way she has listed them in her response makes me think she’s not very happy with her athletic department, or her athletic director.

All Star Game is Broken

Baseball’s All Star game is broken, and I know how to fix it. First, stop giving the winner of the game home field advantage in the World Series.

That puts too much pressure on managers filling out their rosters. That’s why the National League’s best player isn’t at the game. There are too many first baseman on the National League roster to find a spot for Albert Pujols?It’s an All Star game. Put all-stars on the roster.

The team with the best regular season record should get World Series home field advantage anyway.

Next. If you’re elected by the fans, go to the game. Derek Jeter is fatigued. Mariano Rivera is tired. David Price has turf toe.

Ok, if you’re hurt, don’t go to the game but start the second half on a mandatory 15 day disabled list. I bet a whole bunch of those 16 players who were elected by fans but didn’t go to the game for various reasons might have gone if that rule were in place.

Baseball’s All Star game used to be an exciting, mid-season, must see event where all-star players went head to head to prove whose league is better. . Now it’s filled with a bunch of  second-rate, 3 month wonders who almost nobody cares about.

Justice

I don’t know about you, but when it comes to driving, I’m pretty sure no one drives better than I do. And I can’t stand it when other drivers disobey the traffic laws.

Like the other night, on my way home from work. I’m doing the speed limit on Lovely Street in Avon, when all of a sudden, headlights come barreling down on me from behind. The driver followed close behind for about 15 or 20 seconds, then pulled out and passed me on double yellow lines, at midnight, on a curvy Avon Rd.

I cursed him on the pass and wondered why there’s never a cop around when somebody else is breaking the traffic laws. And what a surprise as I got around the next corner to see the beautiful flashing white and blue lights. The idiot in the white Escalade had been pulled over by one of Avon’s finest. There were lots of hand gestures by me as I drove by. I’m pretty brave in the dark. But it was small win for me on a night when the law breakers usually get the last laugh.

The Elephant In The Room

 

Talk about the elephant in the room. The Uconn athletic department sent out a release today commenting on the NCAA’s report of the academic progress rate. 13 of the school’s athletic programs received a perfect score.3 were recognized for top academic performance. 3 earned public recognition awards.

And then the elephant in the room. Way down at the bottom of the press release, reaction to the men’s basketball program falling below the minimum score. Athletic director Jeff Hathaway called the mens failure which will cost the school to scholarships serious and unacceptable.

Jim Calhoun released his own statement independent of Hathaways’.

“We are all disappointed in our academic performance and going forward we are going to attack this in the only way I know how and that is to work as hard as possible to get better every day. Calhoun goes on to say, I do know that over the past year we have made improvements”.

UConn’s 893 score is for the four years from 200-6-07 to 2009-10. If the score falls below 925 for a second year in a row, the program could lose more scholarships and practice time. Three years in a row means no post season play. This is the first time the men’s basketball team did not meet the minimum requirement.

No Prom For Kid Who Broke Rules

So now we want to change the rules because we don’t like them. It’s a pretty clear rule at Shelton High School. If you get suspended from school, you are not allowed to attend the prom. Seems like a reasonable rule. If you want to go to the prom, don’t so something that would get you suspended.

I am not in favor of changing rules just because a whole bunch of people don’t like them.  It’s a slippery slope for sure. What happens the next time a kid at Shelton gets suspended? Do we change another rule? We might have to, because anyone could make the case that a precedent has been set.

I believe we have marginalized our teachers and educators to the extent that they have almost no authority to discipline our kids when they act inappropriately. And now we want to remove what little authority they have left by telling them the rules they do have in place aren’t really rules, they’re just suggestions, to be massaged and maneuvered by anyone who thinks the rule is wrong.

Never before

These days, the last thing you want to see when you’re pulling into a gas station is a guy walking towards the big price sign with a long stick. That can only mean one thing, the price is going up again.

So I wasn’t too happy when I drove into the Valero on route 4 in Farmington this afternoon. I needed three quarters of a tank and that usually means a $75 investment. As I pulled in, the price was at $4.08 and the guy with the stick was moving towards the price sign.

He put the new numbers up as I was trying to figure out how to get 70 bucks cash together. 70 on pump 2, I told the man behind the counter. Lucky day, he said to me, we just changed the price…..from $4:08 to $4:01. Never before. Never again.

When It Comes To Tiger, Golf Is What Matters

I HAVE TO ADMIT,I AM VERY MUCH INTERESTED IN WHAT TIGER WOODS IS DOING.

THERE WASN’T ONE TIME YESTERDAY WHILE WOODS WAS MAKING HIS CHARGE UP THE LEADER BOARD THAT I WAS INTERESTED IN HIS PERSONAL LIFE.

NOT FOR A SECOND AFTER HE MADE ONE OF THE GREATEST EAGLES YOU’LL EVER SEE TO TIE FOR THE LEAD DID I SAY TO MYSELF, YEAH, BUT I CAN’T ROOT FOR HIM, HE CHEATED ON HIS WIFE.

FOR AN HOUR OR TWO YESTERDAY, HE REMINDED US OF THAT PLAYER HE USED TO BE BEFORE HE RUINED IT ALL WITH HIS ADULTEROUS BEHAVIOR.

TODAY, I CAN STEP BACK AND REMEMBER WHAT A CREEP HE IS. YESTERDAY, AT THE MASTERS, IT DIDN’T MATTER AT ALL.

WHEN IT COMES TO WHAT’S HAPPENING ON THE GOLF COURSE,

Sorry It Wasn’t Pretty

If you listened to sports talk radio the last day or so, you’d think UConn stole the national championship. Yeah, it was an ugly game. Butler was horrible and UConn scored the fewest points for a national champion in 60 years.

But UConn didn’t have to score a lot of points and Butler couldn’t mostly because of UConn’s great defense, the same defense that shut Kentucky down in the semi final.

It’s amazing how many people want to diminish UConn’s win by saying it was a mediocre year for college basketball., and that UConn might’ve been the best of the mediocre. One Big 10 coach went so far as to  not vote for UConn #1 in the final poll, voting instead for Ohio State which was taken out of the tournament the weekend before.

That’s mean-spirited and petty. UConn won all the games it was supposed to win. The Huskies beat 11 straight opponents from wherever they came from. While the rest of the country complains about a soft season, fans in Connecticut will be celebrating another title.

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Calhoun Is On His Game

Just when you thought it was time for Jim Calhoun to step aside, he throws a Final Four at ya. With all that has gone down this season, from the NCAA sanctions to the under classmen team, Calhoun has put together what might be his best coaching job ever. Remember, this is the team that was picked to finish 9th in the Big East.

I can admire a guy his age who can still bring it every day, who can still get excited every day, who can still compete every day. There will be some talk the next week or two about Calhoun going out on top and win or lose, this is an on top season.

I hope he stays. He gets teams into the tournament and then coaches them to Final Fours. The NCAA sanctions will tarnish his image, for sure, but his legend is so substantial the impact, I think, will be minimal.

Calhoun as good as ever

It’s been a long time since there’s been so much March Madness here in Connecticut. The UConn men, the UConn Women and the UHart women will have us excited about basketball for at least another week and probably another three.

If ever you had any doubt about Jim Calhoun’s commitment, intensity, desire, just go back and look at the finish of the Louisville game the other night.

When the fifth win in five days was recorded, he jumped up and hugged just about anybody he could get his arms around.  There’s no doubt that in a season with so much turmoil and controversy, this was one of his best coaching jobs ever.

People ask how you can give this guy a multi-year contract. This season is how. He still brings it, and I get the feeling he appreciates the wins, the players, the milestones a lot more now.

I don’t know how much more he can muster out of this young team of his that has grown up before our very eyes,, but if he can get them thru the next two rounds, I would consider them a favorite to make it to the final four in Houston.