Monday, April 17, 2017

Silly season

In my offline life, I probably overuse the colloquialism "if you throw enough -hit at the wall, some of it will stick." Right now that phrase perfectly captures what's going on with the BC message boards and with Twitter. You can say a decision is near because frankly there aren't that many weeks of school left. No source needed. You can say there are finalists because there are seemingly endless rumors of finalists. One particular reporter continues to throw up names and rehash talk and rumors from BC message boards. [I know I am being very hypocritical about aspects of this, but please trust I am trying my best to be rational, consistent and accurate.]

The rumor and candidate de jour is former MLB and NFL executive Mike Dee. I can see where his name would be leaked because that is an old Red Sox move. I know the leak is not coming from Father Leahy. There is no way he is talking to old Boston College beat writers. If Dee is talking to people, it is because he is trying to drum up interest. But if he is talking, he is doesn't understand the current BC dynamics. Talking out of turn causes problems (see: Ammaker, Steve Donahue, etc.) I imagine if Dee truly made the face-to-face stage with Father Leahy, going to the media before a final decision won't help his candidacy. But even beyond that, I don't believe Dee is a finalist. BC has told donors they are looking for someone with Athletic Director leadership experience and a history of hiring coaches. Dee doesn't have that. If Father Leahy goes in that direction, it will be a big surprise to some of his most active donors.

I would be very upset if BC hired Dee. Fit and experience are my main gripes, but there are others too. I will save those issues for when I am proven wrong and he is hired.

15 comments:

Hario said...

Pat Lyons staying at Seton Hall. Seems like Dee might be guy just based on process of elimination?

Unknown said...

CHET GLADCHUK HIRED MANY MANY WINNERS AT BC AND ONE LOSER AND LOOK AT HIS RECORD AT NAVY
ESPECIALLY FOOTBALL. VERY FORTUNATE WE HAVENT FACED OFF WITH NAVY IN THE SPAZDAZIO YEARS.

WITHOUT EXPERIENCE HOW ABOUT DOUG FLUTIE.

mod34b said...

Hario, apropos of silly season, the NJ article you mention reporting Lyons is out, relies upon anonymous sources, and then goes on to cite Blauds for the notion that Dee is the lead dog.

Makes me think the source for Lyons out is the bullshitter Blauds.

I do hope Lyons is out, but would not rely pin Blauds...

Lyons does not seem like the right guy in any event (Seton Hall is as complex as a large catholic high school......not a training ground for the BC AD)

Dee seems like the anti-BC candidate if there every was one. Can't be Dee

Despite ATL's emphasis, I think Paquette is a big possibility.

(Blauds ---- for your next piece "There are rumors, strong rumors that Paq is a leading candidate")

Shabby1011 said...

We all know Blauds is a complete joke but this has to be some of the worst reporting in his lifetime. Just throws out a new name every 12 hours with no clue if they are even involved.

I would think announcement has to be fairly soon. Lyons was involved and pulled out (which means he didn't get the job) so with him and McGlaughlin both doing so the list has to be getting near the end.

ATL article title is perfect...silly season. If Blauds leaks a name, that person is out of the running. Blauds is getting information like 3 days late. Thus Dee is probably out (he would announce he is staying somewhere but he doesn't have a job).

We will hear from a National Source....Pete Thamel, Bruce Feldman or Jeff Goodman when they finally want to release the new AD. Hopefully it is today or tomorrow.

knucklehead said...

I agree Shabby. The people who were involved but not offered have had their names leaked.

Shabby1011 said...

I am going to pull a Blauds and throw stuff against the wall.

My angle is all these candidates were placed by Parker in current position & I have yet to hear one of these names so maybe it is one of them. I feel like the new AD is going to be a sitting AD that Parker placed prior.

Chris Massaro - Middle Tenn St - one of best mid major programs in Fball, BBall
Sean Frazier - Northern Ill - was involved before
Allen Greene - Buffalo - ND grad, 39, AA, Ole Miss previous stop
Doug Knuth - Nevada - UConn grad, was at UMass, UConn and Mich St previous stops
Danny White - Central Fl - was at Buff before Greene, just got to CF so maybe can't leave

knucklehead said...

I wouldn't surprised if Gladchuck comes back.

The Rice AD and Richmond AD would be on my list of realistic possibilities.

Shabby1011 said...

Would love to see Chet come back. He is good at his job. Older, experienced, knows BC and not afraid to stand up to Leahy.

AlbanyEagle said...

Does anyone really know if Gladchuck is in the mix? Hadn't really thought about it, and I certainly could have missed it if posted or commented on earlier.

From the Heights when he left BC for Houston:
"On the eve before accepting the Houston AD position, he reflected on his times at the Heights to the Boston Globe. "All the programs were on solid ground. It's time to take a
new challenge. I got [to BC] in 1990. We had 12,000 season tickets in football. We now have 40,000. We had athletic funding of $800,00 now it's $4.4 million," Gladchuk said."

Maybe he's ready for a another new challenge back at the Heights. A BC guy with proven success at BC and elsewhere. Why would he not be a great candidate?

Hario said...

ATL - at some point when all is decided will you do a post on what you have heard about how this process has gone along?

Napolean Bonaparte said...

Would anyone tolerate another AD from the MAC after Bates? I suppose if they had made really good coaching hires it should be overlooked. Bates did not make good coaching hires and I will never understand why Leahy hired the guy.

knucklehead said...

Leahy is part of the problem. He sees success in terms of $$ not wins and losses.

Leahy has been around while the school has made some dough in sports with the ACC move and overall with the endowment increase. The school is improving its physical plant under Leahy as well. I don't see Leahy as directly responsible for those "wins." Gene worked the ACC deal like a pro. He was ahead of the curve and one of the first if not THE first to get his school into a new conference with more financial stability. The endowment work is done by dozens of employees who grind and sell the school to alumni and businesses. The physical plant overhaul is a function of the endowment. Leahy isn't redesigning the school he hires one firm out of 3-4 who provide designs to him. Don't misunderstand Leahy deserves credit.

He personally hasn't done anything or espoused much on his own. As the leader of the school he should. The school has "treaded" water in the rankings and lacks the degree programs that most of the schools it thinks it is competing with have(medical school, engineering, architecture etc). The medical school situation is inconceivable. The school is 3 miles from the healthcare capital of the world. Even trying to create a "top notch" psychology department would be something to point to at minimal cost. The $$ generating sports have been the worst in America for years and there is no reason to believe that it will turn around in the next 2-3 years. That is 7 years of having the worst men's basketball and football programs in Power 5 . . . "like" schools committed to sports.

The tuition is $67,000 per year. 67. The expense is not exclusive to BC but it is fucking absurd for a school founded by Jesuits. How about an increase every other year or an annual one tied to inflation? There is no good reason for a 5% increase in tuition every year. You have minimal tax liability, you have a fixed number of students and your employees(not professors/coaches) are paid below market value. Where is the fucking money going(9000 students * $3000 incremental increase per student = $27,000,000 or so annually)? Use an extra $250,00 grand of it to hire a top notch AD who can procure decent coaches for the sports programs. It will pay itself off 5 fold when you make the tournament, get basketball back on CBS and football back to 40,000 people in the stadium each week instead of 28,000.

I don't know why he is still the president of the university. What has he done or tried to do as the president that allows him to keep that job for 25 years??

The attack is strictly business. I have reverence for the collar.

bceagle91 said...

The tuition next year is $52,500. With room and board, it'll be about $67k. A nice BMW every year. BU will be about $600 more in tuition so we're not out on island.

Your point about the rankings is spot on. As a university, we've been basically in the low to mid 30's since Fr. Leahy took over 21 years ago. Rankings in sports have gone down faster than a politician's morals. Where's the money going? Buildings, grounds and adding more and more overhead. For whatever reason, the board seems happy with him and so he remains. And we go nowhere.

I hope he knows how big the AD hire will be. When Fr. Monan died, the articles we saw detailing his accomplishments were lengthy. Fr. Leahy has been at the helm nearly as long as Fr. Monan was. And his accomplishments will take up much less space.

bceagle91 said...

"On an island" I meant. Sorry about that.

cventner said...

Applications have also declined in four of the last five years. BC's academic peers break new records for applications each year. Why is that?

We are at a point where the only marketing tool for the BC athletic department is home games where fans get to pay good money to watch BC get pummeled by ACC powers.