They said "only Nixon could go to China" so perhaps only a BC guy could solve UConn's BC problem.
Connecticut's Governor Dan Malloy (a BC and BC Law Grad) reached out to Father Leahy to help resolve the longtime feud between BC and his homestate's University of Connecticut. Malloy claims he wants the two schools to start playing each other again. Because of our expanded ACC schedule,
there just aren't that many opportunities for the two schools to play. BC knows this. UConn knows this. Malloy is a smart guy (obviously!). He must realize that the schedules are crowded. Given he's smart guy and all that's happened in college sports the past few months, I think Malloy's olive branch is less about scheduling and more about future ACC expansion.
The ACC is saving a spot for Notre Dame. IF the Irish ever come to the ACC, the conference would need one more team for scheduling purposes. On paper the most likely candidates for the last spot are UConn and Rutgers. Rutgers has the better recruiting and marketing demographics. UConn has the better athletic tradition...and more enemies. Their biggest enemy has been Gene and BC. If UConn ever wants to get into the ACC, they need to turn BC from an enemy to an advocate.
I am sure Malloy loves both schools, but this isn't about good games. It's about protecting UConn's athletic future and Malloy is probably just thinking ahead.
Posts
22 comments:
The addition of Notre Dame to Hockey East and the rumor that UCONN is being added to Hockey East leads me to believe that eventually both will be in the ACC.
The irony is that Boston College is the tie between Hockey East and the ACC and that we are essentially letting our biggest rivals on the field and in the court room into our league.
It really makes me think about how Gene operates. If he we all about Boston College ie the success of the school academically, economically, and athletically wouldn't he want to keep these schools out of "our" leagues. The rivalries are phony if the AD's at BC, ND, and UCONN are all working together and then want the alumni/fans of the programs to be rivals/enemies.
Your rivals are also your friends because you have shared interests you want furthered. What if BC remained the only northern school in the ACC and we had another decade of Spazball to ruin us? Wouldn't the odds of getting booted out and left aside be much larger? Essentially, BC is building the Big East it always wanted: BC, Miami, Syracuse, Pitt, ND and UNJ/YUCKON
ATL -- RU is a way better football program than UConn. If RU can get past state politics (actually impossible in NJ) and keep the right resources focused on football, they could be a very program.
RU is a much better candidate in almost every way to UConn for ACC admission, except Hoops (which is a very big exception)
BC needs the ACC to have more northern schools. Since we left the BE, we haven't had any real rivals (I'm not counting ND for this) to help keep things interesting with. We've been landlocked as well, being the only school north of MD. That stifles road trips (and they say that BC doesn't travel well... i wonder why???). Syracuse addition helps, but we need more. Closer rivals stir up interest in the program, and encourage road trips for students/alumni. I think it would improve the quality and history of our program
Oh, NJ state politics. I've been researching opening a Brew Pub for months now and every town has a different answer. It's impossible to create a full business plan when you have to put question marks for licensing and bribing.. I mean working with the city. NJ has shot itself in the foot compared to its neighboring states, economically, by refusing to get out of the stone age with the legislative and regulatory processes. I'm glad to read it is hurting one of my least favorite schools and not just me!
Atl is correct. This is all about future ACC admittance. Does the future hold the following? Romney elected Pres. Gov. Christie named A.G.( He formerly held the U. S. Attorney's post.) Christie sues the ACC, UConn, PITT.Syracuse and ESPN for restraint of trade violations in the destruction of the Big East. Remember while they were negotiating a new tv deal for the Big East Syracuse, Pitt and UConn were simultaneously negotiating to get into the ACC. A despicable act of great treachery unique in college football history.2 These steps may be a ruse to get Rutgers into the ACC or they could have merit resulting in multi million dollar fines and penalties to all parties. 3. Syracuse and ESPN still have substantial exposure on the Bernie Fine coverup.
I am Double Eagle as well. If someone where to sue me(UCONN/Syracuse) or drag my name through the mud(Notre Dame in recuiting) there is no way in hell I would then turn around and do business with them. Especially when that business requires that we work for the same organization(ACC).
The league has its northern schools it does not need UCONN. Rutgers is filthy stigh in terms of its location and student body(look up some of the stories of what goes on at that campus. It makes Zoo Mass look like Haverford). They do not fit. The best bet for the ACC is to get Villanova D1 in football. They are probably as good as we are right now. Then you add ND and Vill.
As an aside in regards to the conferences eventually there are going to be three conferences: East, Central, and West. Essentially everything will get to big and the government will break up the conferences and make everyone an independent- which is the way it should be. You have to pay if you want to play.
I really don't want ND to join the ACC. But if they do (and only as a full member as they will no doubt initially shop around to all the conferences to get the same crazy deal they have with the BE), then I would prefer:
1. Louisville
2. Rutgers
3-199. Any other school in North America
200. UConn
Even after Fr. Leahy, GDF and Molloy are long gone, it makes no sense to want a school that is so close and on the way down in the ACC with BC.
I don't get UConn to the Hockey East and I don't understand how that topic is being ignored. They don't have the appropriate funding, they don't have the necessary venue, and until whispers on here, I didn't even know they had a team, never mind one of Hockey East caliber. There has to be a more appropriate school in between Maine and Notre Dame that would jump at the opportunity. Why not Penn State? They annually have one of the best club teams in the country and are building an arena specifically for them...
Empty seats..lack of any real hated rival. Why is everyone so afraid of UConn? BC is twice the school. With a new AD and new coaches all coming within the next couple of years (and I do include BBAll)we should be fine. We had Holy Cross down the road for many many years and it was apparently a great rivelry for many of those years. We have BU for hockey, what is better??? Are not all the North Carolina schools on top of one another? That looks like fun to me. With UConn having been called on for lack of academics and having to clean up their house a bit and with Calhoon eventually leaving, UConn would be a great addition to the schedule not to mention the ACC. Maybe the students would actually get out of bed to come to the game. And yes Calhoon is an ass who can never get the chip off his shoulder that he did not get the BC job and he loved embarrassing Jim O'B becasue of that. And yes they suck for filing the lawsuit. But-again, as I have said before-read the court papers-the bad blood was caused initially by our slime ball AD who sat at the Big East meetings and signed a statement saying that BC was staying under any circumstances. At that meeting the ADs and presidents discussed confidential plans to combat other takeover bids. Gene knew all along that they were going to the ACC. He could have been upfront, like Louiville is doing now and not participated in the meeting. The lawsuit was settled after BC left. Do you think they paid money to the Big East when Big Gene had no culpability.
Even more important-don't let UMASS get the leg up and start playing them in Foxboro every year. Right now UMASS scares the hell out of me. This coach is working like hell on recruiting has a great offense and is getting help from Kelly with recuits that ND can't take.
BC has to man up and show our superiority by beating up on them every year not by ducking them.
You guys are all talking like the cowering Spaz.
no fear. more like disdain and lack of respect.
read the globe article. the UCONN brass are all kissing our ass because they want to get paid by the ACC and they know Boston College holds all the cards in allowing UCONN into Hockey East and the ACC.
Forget them. Malloy knows he has a political career for life if he gets UCONN into the ACC.
It is not about the fans or competition. It is about UCONN bringing my school court, losing, and now trying to kiss my schools ass because they want to get paid.
I am with Gene when it comes to the politics and economics.
The absolute best would be UCONN building a new hockey arena so that they can join Hockey East, becuase they think they are getting into the ACC.
And then they get snubbed by the ACC.
You know just like football.
eagle1331, completely agree. I don't want UConn watering down Hockey East. That said, I think Penn State is a stretch.
Beginning in the 2013-2014 season, Penn State will be competing in the newly formed BIG/Big10/Whatever Hockey conference with (Mich, Mich St, Minn, Ohio St, and Wisc). I don't imagine there's a realistic way out of it for them.
Unless of course, Penn State joined the ACC/Hockey East with Notre Lame. Unlikely, but it would obviously be amazing.
I for one would welcome ND into the ACC, and would certainly consider UCONN depending on the circumstances.
1) ND: I wholeheartedly support ND's admission to the ACC in any capacity. They continue to be a standard-bearer for catholic education along with Georgetwn and BC. ND graduates (not to be confused with ND sidewalk fans) as a rule tend to be highly successful in their fields (rated top ugrad business program in the country) and tend to take the same approach to student-athletes as BC. More so, BC grads tend to have siblings and parents who are ND grads, which only helps the rivalry. In short, being associated with ND only helps BC.
2. UCONN: The BC-UCONN problem isn't a problem between the alums and students. Its a problem between two egotistical tyrants, Jim Calhoun and Gene Difilippo. I give two sh-ts about either man, and I sure as hell won't let either one of those bums define a university or its alums for me.
I have many close friends who attended UCONN and would appreciate playing them more frequently. While I can see the recruiting issue being a challenge, I don't see how hiding from competition is a virtue which BC should stand behind. We should consider UCONN as it would be best for our basketball tradition. As for Rutgers, its a fine school with great traditions (and all schools have their partying, what matters is what the students achieve as students and as alums), I think UCONN fits better regionally.
As a Maryland fan, I want absolutely nothing to do with Connecticut and its obnoxious, nouveau riche fan base, especially after that ambulance-chasing attorney general of theirs sued the conference some years back.
If Notre Dame spurns the ACC and the conference wants to expand further, take in Rutgers and Temple...anyone but UConn.
VP8 -- UConn's fan's are not "nouveau riche." The UConn crowd is much more like the WVU fans. Get my drift?
Or put in this way, the real $$$ in CT (Greenwich, etc.) is not Husky turf, at all. ever.
And Temple to the ACC.... now that's a great joke. ha ha ha ha ha
If the ACC goes to 16 teams, and one of the final two happens to be Notre Dame - then who is the realistic choice for #16.
UCONN or Rutgers? Or someone else?
There are discussions and negotiations going on of which I have no control.
I am closer to Canttakeit than anyone else.
If UCONN prevails, I'll deal with it and move on. I'll show up in Hartford with my Maroon and Gold - I'll be nice when it's called for and I'll give it back and more when it's called for.
In the broad sense, it will be nice to have a (hated) rival but a 2 hour drive from Boston or NYC.
Screw UCONN - bring em on! Otherwise it's probably Rutgers.
Been to New Brunswick, NJ lately?
That is both Canttakeit and Bostonfoodie.
As a basketball guy more than football, the acc sucks. Yes it it fun when duke and Carolina come in, but the rest? There is no interest, no energy and no connection.
When uconn used to come in the building was electric. Sure we hated them, but it was a rivalry. Who is our rival in the acc? That is right, we don't have one.
I find it bizarre that people don't want uconn to be in the league. The schools must be bigger than coach flip, blumenthal and Calhoun. Canttakeit has it right. Let's get a real, close by, natural rival back in. It will create excitement and maybe sell some tickets. This grudge is puerile, and I really don't understand the alums who act as if they were sued personally.
Mod6a, When UConn came to Conte it was electric because their fans were loud and chanted BC sucks while we sat on our asses being quiet. That's how I remember it.
i am with Knucklehead here; if the ACC were to expand with ND, i think the best fit would be to add Villanova. They legitimately add a metropolitan area in Philadelphia, as opposed to this comedy that New York City is "Rutgers" territory -- yea right. Rutgers territory is the Garden State -- NYC has Rutgers alums in equal #'s of any other alums; I'd venture to say there are as many BC alums in NYC as there are Rutgers. Adding them to "get" NYC is illogical.
Nova has a great hoops program, they add a legitimate new northeast city in Philly, they have good academics, they are a Catholic school (which will make BC and ND happy), and their football team is growing. They won the D3 championship maybe 2 yrs ago, a handful of Nova football players have made the NFL (Brian Westbrook comes to mind), and I believe they were in the process of building a stadium in order to qualify for D-1 football.
Nova > Uconn or Rutgers.
Its the Gov's prerogative to get BC and Uconn back on even terms, he's the Gov of CT after all. But that he went to BC makes no difference, we should be THE New England school in the ACC, and adding UConn hurts that. Screw them. Also, without Calhoun, who knows where their bball program is; and their football team had one good year before their coach bounced.
Post a Comment