Thursday, May 26, 2011

Blaudschun finally recognizes Big East mess

One of the most frustrating things about the move from the Big East to the ACC was the media coverage in the Northeast. How many times did we hear or read that "BC doesn't belong in the ACC"? Ironically one of the biggest culprits was BC's beat writer Mark Blaudschun. Rarely did he or other Big East loyalists publicly state what a financial windfall the ACC move was. Nor did anyone emphasize how much stability the move brought BC. No, instead they fed the narrative that BC might one day "move back" to the Big East. Now it appears that Blaudschun has finally realized that the Big East is doomed in its current configuration.


No one knows what the future holds for any of these conferences. The college football media like Blaudschun think they do, but their track records show how out of touch they are. In the next shuffle, BC could be one of the schools left out or on the short end of someone's power play. But one thing is sure, leaving the Big East was one of the best moves we've ever made.

21 comments:

Big Jack Krack said...

"if the Big Ten decides to move forward again in a few years; already there are rumblings that it might go to 14 teams, with an eye on Georgia Tech and Maryland, which would significantly increase its television footprint."

I think this is the first time I have heard Georgia Tech mentioned in the Big Ten expansion picture.

I think the league commissioners need to be very engaged and savvy over the next couple of years.

Big Jack Krack said...

For discussion purposes only - we have to kill time until September :-)

It looks like expansion will continue - and so will the raids. If they can go to 16 teams, why not be bold and go for 24? Wrap up the entire "East" (I’ll never understand TCU)

Proposal - Big East and ACC merge and form “The Big ACC””
Syracuse
UConn
Rutgers
West Virginia
Pittsburgh
Louisville
Cincinnati
USF
TCU
Add 3 teams from the pool of ECU, Navy, Army or UCF and re-align. Notre Dame will have to pledge its commitment or join.

BC
Maryland
NCSU
Wake
Clemson
FSU
UNC
Duke
GT
Miami
UVA
VT

It could really add to some interesting divisions, etc.

mod34b said...

I can't imagine the Big Ten seeking out Maryland....seems to make no sense (except to hopeful Maryland fans), GT makes little sense too, starting with small-ish fan base and small stadium. Hardly Big Ten material.

mod34b said...

Here is another lame quote from Spaz, letting his guys know they really are not that good:


“We have Ifeanyi Momah, who played a lot for us last year. He’s a convert over there, and he had a productive spring and got better,” Spaziani said. “We have the three freshmen/redshirt freshmen that played for us last year. Those guys got better in the spring, but they aren’t ready for prime time ; they still have a long way to go. We are hoping we get Colin Larmond back. He was our No. 1 receiver going into camp last year, before he had surgery. He’s slated to come back this summer.”

See This Link

Does Spaz have even a basic understanding of psychology? I really hate his stupid downer quotes.

The article is otherwise really good....lots of Rogers, Rettig and TEs and the good things to come

JBQ said...

BC does not fit in the ACC. They are not wanted. It goes back to the Civil War. Jags took the team to the ACC championship twice. They were "cheated" twice. From comments made, the team this year could and probably will be exceptionally bad.

Scott said...

Something is really off in this article, which implies ESPN low-balled the Big East with an offer of $11M per school. That would be sweet-heart deal for crappy NBE, there is no way they turned that down ... and no way ESPN would offer that much.

- The ACC TV contract is $13.5 Mil per school for football + basketball.

- The SEC gets $160 mil/year for its TV & championship contracts

http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Daily/Issues/2010/06/Issue-183/Collegiate-Sports/Secs-TV-Deals-With-ESPN-CBS-Help-Bolster-Schools-Bottom-Lines.aspx

Galvin said...

Spaz really needs to lighten up. So does JBQ. I'm excited for BC football this year, and I'm excited to watch us play in the ACC.

Dan said...

Thank you Galvin! There's been so much negativity on the comments lately it was getting me down. This is the off-season for christs sake. This is when we are supposed to make outlandish statements about bc kicking ass next year. Or at the very least recognize positive facts like our stud defense bringing in 3 4-star recruits, a competent OC calling plays, the return of our best deep threat and two beastly RBs to take pressure off an improving qb. Those are the things we should be focusing on not Spazisms and how many recruits we have in freakin May!

Greg said...

Every time I read a comment from JBQ (here or at BCInterruption), I wonder which Big East school he actually went to. If he isn't using excessive "quotation marks" to "emphasize" his "points", he is trashing every aspect of the team (except Doug Flutie's nephew, who apparently would have been amazing if Spaz hadn't decided he hated every senior enough that he would rather lose then let them play more).

Time for some optimism. I would rather be excited for the season, and run the risk of disappointment than spend all my time talking about how awful everything will be in the future. Go Eagles!

EL MIZ said...

yea, i love people criticizing spaz for negativity and then being negative about the team. come on.

also was spaz's comment that bad? it sounds like he's trying to motivate the guy. momah was NOT good last year, how many drops did he have? how many big plays did he make? i am happy he made strides but i don't want spaz to say "yea momah's great he's exactly where we need him to be" when he isn't. i am happy with the criticism when warranted.

i am really excited for this team. montel returning and should be healthy, excited about DRE williams, i think rettig will make big strides now that the team has an OC, and our D should be sick. one of the best football players in the country will be on our team next year (kuechly). plus a thurs night game vs a loaded FSU team and a game at ND. can't wait!

mmason said...

I can still hear the echoes of many of my fellow BC alums on this post that cried croc tears on the passing of our BC Big Least Days a few years back. Calling for heads to roll 'cuz we left our nasty spirited Big East bro's behind and were making a huge mistake! (Glad those guys weren't the one's looking for Osama.)

Now we're well past that weirdness, I hope. All this post Civil War nonsense about do we fit in is just silly. We are BC and the ACC knows that our presence has made that conference better in every way. We have a good football team in the pipeline--Tranq is gone, Rettig is a player and the kids are alright. Can we put away all our Judeo-Xtian paranoia for awhile and just cheer these guys on and have some fun?

As for Spaz being a downer--heck, I'm married to a Sicilian and that style just comes with the territory. Nothing is ever rosy or perfect in Spaz' world. Didn't anybody out there read "The Godfather?" C'mon.Capiche?

Go Eagles!! Go ACC!! Roll the Dice and who knows what can happen. It's "game on" in like less than 2 months. Let's Rock! Good things will come. Believe.

Dan said...

BTW, from a psychology standpoint, Spaz's approach is actually textbook motivation, you take a positive comment (ie. "Those guys got better in the spring") and pair it with a constructive comment (ie. "but they still have a long way to go") It acknowledges progress while still challenging future development.

Sure it'd be nice for the positive statements to be a little more effusive. At the very least it would help obsessive fans like us sleep better hearing nice reviews, but you don't get 2 and 3 star players to overachieve by blowing sunshine up their ass.

Let's remember folks, we are returning:

Our leading Passer
Our top two rushers
Our top EIGHT receivers
Our leading tackler
Our interception leader
Our sack leader

And adding:

A competent OC who probably won't need 3rd quarter naptime
Three 4-star recruits to an already sick defense

The future is bright...

Let's go EAGLES!

Benjamin said...

Ugh... I just want to rip those quotes off...
Ignoring JBQ aside, I agree with El Miz and MMason on this one.

How would people be reacting if Spaz was saying everything was great and nothing was wrong with our program? Do I wish he was slightly more enthusiastic about things? Yes. But he's a guy that knows defense, and if he can keep our defense going strong, and let Rodgers work miracles with the offense, I'll be happy.

That said, Spaz is right. Our receivers probably aren't ready for prime time. Colin Larmond was awesome. Is anyone really comfortable saying our receivers are Rich Gunnel ready? He was ready for primetime, and he was a big reason why we went 8-5 under Shinskie.

mod34b said...

C'mon now. I am not criticizing the team. In fact, I am excited for next year. I think we will surprise a lot of teams

I am talking only about Spaz. How many times have we heard needless negative guff from him. Remember the VT half time remarks during his first year. etc. Guy is a dummy when he talks to the media.

And no, Dan, Spaz's remarks were NOT textbook motivation.

Think of being a boss at a company today. At the annual review, You DO NOT tell youngsters (Gen Y and below), "You improved in the last year, but you still really can't do the job you were hired for. You still got a long way to go." That does not work for young kids at all and is not the way bosses motivate young staff.

The way to motivate is to be positive. This applies especially at the college level. Spaz's approach is from the 1950s. Instead of telling them 'you suck -- prove me wrong', try positive motiviation : 'you are good and I know you can get better. You are destitned to be he best. Go for it.'

and Spaz did not say, Dan, "Those guys got better in the spring, but; they still have a long way to go"

he said

"Those guys got better in the spring, but they aren’t ready for prime time ; they still have a long way to go"

it is a stupid comment, debbie downer comment. I know , i know. That is Spaz. It is what it is. etc. Yes it is. and that's too bad.

Can't wait for Rogers to kick ass this year and take over as head coach!

CT said...

The UMD/GA Tech rumors to the Big 10 were pretty rampant before the last round of (non) expansion. Kind of old news. UMD and Penn State are big recruiting rivals. Is Northwestern Big 10 material? Vandy SEC material?

Looking forward to seeing if the Miami decommit is any good at CB. Here's hoping Rettig gets a lot better. Of course, we said the same thing about Shinskie.

Dan said...

Maybe Spaz should institute ice cream socials too?

Watch the videos of Spaz in the locker room after games, he is plenty heavy with positive reinforcement when it counts - right after the team does something well. You're right, positive reinforcement is the best, but it has to be paired with honest, constructive feedback to motivate. Spaz didn't say the kids can't play, their 2010 performance alone proves that wrong, but anyone telling them they are "prime time" is setting these kids up to fail.

Spaz isn't perfect. He is what he is - a blue collar coach putting a blue collar team in a position to be successful.

And sorry to break it to you, whether it's FBS level football or Gen Y in the workplace, not everyone gets a ribbon.

Benjamin said...

On a related tangent, HD seems to think we are program "on the rise." Clearly, she thinks we are "moving in the right direction." Maybe it's a good thing that some of us "haven't jumped ship."

http://espn.go.com/blog/acc/post/_/id/25197/rating-the-acc

BCMike said...

Wonder if "Dez" will write something similar?

...Or if Dez will address that "heinous" Boston College Coach who informed the 2010 recruit that as of 2011 HCRE would no longer be at UCan't....

Tim said...

mod34b

go back to coaching little league softball. It's ok to challenge kids.

Benjamin said...

In Mod34b's defense, he's a solid contributor to this section. He's not trolling, just saying how Spaz doesn't appear to be a motivator before the media.

mod34b said...
This comment has been removed by the author.