Video Game Settlement: one step closer to paying players?

EA Sports settled their class action lawsuit with former college players. Ed O'Bannon was the named plaintiff and there wasn't a high-profile BC athlete attached, but this should impact BC sports. This pretty much ends any chance of future NCAA video games. But it also sets a precedent for former players to recoup revenue from their likenesses.

I'm not a lawyer, but I think something like this has more legs than Northwestern players unionizing. The unionizing will take multiple teams joining in and could get caught up in courts. This settlement will put a check (albeit a small one) in the hands of former players.

Who knows how this will all play out? My only real prediction is that we will follow the lead of the schools we want to be associated with (like Duke and Notre Dame). But what the means or when change happens is a mystery.

Tweets of the Week

Can't wait for the Ben Affleck movie about the Boston College tickler http://t.co/U35ZzYJ9Gd pic.twitter.com/DpuzgJLC0t

— Andrew Sharp (@andrewsharp) May 29, 2014

Great group shot of #BCFootball alumni gathered for today's golf outing. Special day for all. #WeAreBC pic.twitter.com/UtdTAV4CJn

— BC Football News (@BCFootballNews) May 27, 2014

Bill Murray crashes a bachelor party with a bunch of @bostoncollege guys http://t.co/hbMwunPceg @BCAlumni

— Bill Maloney (@bcatleagle) May 27, 2014

Oh man--Duke vs Notre Dame for a title, talk about #America losing.

— Luke Russert (@LukeRussert) May 26, 2014

Recruiting roundup

Addazio is not wasting time on 2016 prospects. BC just offered rising Junior Running Back Moe Neal. Neal already has offers from Mississippi State and Syracuse. I expect the North Carolina product to get more ACC attention this fall.  BC also offered 2016 WR Nate Craig.

BC's top QB target for 2015 Hampton McConnell will visit this weekend.

Florida LB Carson Lyndon picked Virginia Tech over BC.

BC lost out on Ohio QB prospect Joe Burrow. He's staying home and headed to Ohio State.

Alumni Stadium updates

Practice is over. Graduation is over. Teams are gone for a bit, so it is time to tweak Alumni Stadium. The major project this summer is new video boards.

The space allotted for the new boards shows that we are avoiding the video board arms race. Half of the video boards in the SEC wouldn't even fit in Alumni. But this is a good start and should make for a better gameday experience for ticket holders. (HT EO message boards.)

Experts already forgetting about BC

Bowl Projections are easy offseason filler...and so is critiquing them. I try to ignore the projections, but felt ESPN's first lists were worth noting because they left out BC.

ESPN posted Brett McMurphy and Mark Schlabach's picks and 10 ACC teams (plus Notre Dame) were slotted. What surprised me is that they don't account for BC getting an at large bid. As we've seen over the years, if a major conference team gets to six wins, they will end up in a bowl. BC's TV ratings in low-level bowls also lead to us backfilling open slots. It could be that neither McMurphy or Schlaback don't think BC will get to six wins. But most of the early previews have the Eagles in that neighborhood. CBS's early projections had BC going to Detroit.

I will make my predictions later this summer, but I am not worried about BC staying home. As usual, if we get eligible, it will all work itself out.

Demko at NHL Combine and other links

There were 11 goaltenders invited to the NHL Combine in Toronto. Most scouts consider BC's Thatcher Demko the top prospect at the position.

Rettig is one of many undrafted players trying to make the Packers. But given the Packers' history with  QB development and their willingness to carry four QBs during the offseason, Rettig will have plenty of time to impress.

The Women's Sailing team is ready for Nationals.

Herzlich excerpt and other links

Mark Herzlich's new book is about to be released and with it comes a timely excerpt in the New York Post. I know we feel like we all know Mark's story, but in the excerpt he starts to get more personal and share more of the fear that he and his family hid so well during his fight. I look forward to reading more.

Former Eagle Eric Campbell is making the most of his time with the Mets.

The Chargers cut Ian White already.

Assessing Mike Gambino and the 2014 baseball season

BC just finished another disappointing Baseball season and yet there doesn't seem to be much talk about the future of Head Coach Mike Gambino. After four seasons the team remains one of the worst in the ACC and failed to qualify for the ACC Tournament. While the showed signs of improvement this season and there is renewed hope about facilities, we have to continue to ask if we have the right staff in place. I am an outside observer so I asked Brian Foley from College Baseball Daily for his opinion. My questions and his answers follow.

1. BC looked better and was more competitive but still had a terrible record. Was the improvement real? 

Foley: The improvement was far from real. They played several of the have-nots this year with NC State being a complete failure while they still ended up losing a series to old friend Mik Aoki’s Notre Dame squad which finished with a 9-21 record.

2. Who or what was the biggest surprise of the season and biggest disappointment? 

Foley: The biggest surprise to me was the development of Chris Shaw into an upper echelon ACC player. He finished the year with a .329 average and a team high six homers which was the same amount that the rest of the team combined for. Shaw was a disaster as a freshman when he hit .165 with six homers and 19 RBI.

The biggest disappointment continues to be the pitching staff which had a 4.27 ERA which is high seeing as about half BC’s games are against weak northern competition in midweek play and on the Spring Trip.

3. Would you fire Gambino? If no, what are the expectations for next year. If yes, who are potential replacements?

Foley: Would I fire Gambino? I don’t know if the school cares enough to actually fire him. I was attending the America East Tournament this week when one of his former players in Anthony Italiano got a key double to lead the Seawolves to a victory. This was a kid that was not good enough to play at BC but has had a solid little career at the Long Island school.

My first phone call would be to Justin Blood at Hartford. He has made that program into a respectable team which plays hard throughout the game. There were trailing a game by nine runs but wouldn’t give up in the ninth inning when they ended up losing only by four. This is the toughness that is missing right now with the BC program.

My second phone call after Blood would be to Steve Owens at Bryant. He made the NCAA tournament last year for the Smithfield RI school and had a successful run at Lemoyne before heading to the Bulldogs. Lemoyne would be an absolute pain back in the day for schools and Bryant is becoming a new Lemoyne.

Tweets of the Week

A few (ok, 142) photos from Commencement: https://t.co/2lAwI0XQwY #BC2014 pic.twitter.com/PyxrLwsbKc

— Boston College (@BostonCollege) May 20, 2014

Had to duck a bit but proud to receive honorary degree w/ legend Bob Cousy. #BC2014 pic.twitter.com/2A8qwokIlU

— John Kerry (@JohnKerry) May 19, 2014

Anyone who says that after your time at BC you'll move on to "Bigger and Better" things has obviously never had Uncle Che Chi's sausage.

— BC Che Chi's (@BCCheechees) May 20, 2014

#NotreDame Stadium field currently looking marginally worse than we're used to. (Photo by @jamesbuck) pic.twitter.com/EicBSwsLQH

— Rachel Terlep (@eTruth_Irish) May 21, 2014

Congrats to all @BostonCollege graduates today. Remember: "Ever to excel, to do better than others, and to bring glory to your forbears.."

— Warren K. Zola (@WarrenKZola) May 19, 2014

A BC angle to the World Cup

I love the World Cup. For me it is the perfect sporting event in that the sport is played at a high level, there are multiple, easy to follow storylines, and best of all it comes during one of the traditional slow times in the sports calendar. But despite being the most popular sporting event in the world, there are still plenty of Americans who don't "get" it or worse don't care. If you are BC fan, I offer another reason to get on the World Cup bandwagon: Alejandro Bedoya. The former Eagle just made the final roster for the U.S. Men's Team and should be a critical contributor to the team.

Just by making the team, Bedoya fans can now claim he's BC's all-time greatest soccer player. Charlie Davies' was an exciting USMT player, but his car accident stunted his career and kept him out of any Cup. Other BC guys have had solid professional careers in the U.S. and abroad, but none has made such and deep or talented World Cup roster.

The U.S. received a brutal draw for the Cup, so this whole thing could be over before it even starts. But if the U.S. advances to the knock out stage, it will need Bedoya to have the tournament of his life. He's an Eagle so he knows about excelling at the right time.

Seguin joins Athletic Department and other links

Brad Bates hired BC grad Jamie Seguin as Deputy Athletics Director. In her role, Seguin will focus on internal operations.

As expected, the USC game will be on national television and in prime time on one of the ESPN/ABC networks.

Pennsylvania WR Prospect Amechie Walker plans to camp at BC this summer.

ESPN confused KPL with the other KPL.

Johnny Gaudreau keeps making the highlight reels for Team USA.

Batten to play 5th year at BC

Former #ODU G Dimitri Batten just confirmed, via text message, that he will transfer to Boston College for his final season.
— Dave Fairbank (@FairbankDP) May 20, 2014

Jim Christian is putting another one of his scholarships to good use, by bringing in Old Dominion transfer Dimitri Batten. Batten is eligible to play immediately.

Batten is another wing, but with Hanlan as the primary point, some of Rahon's old minutes will go to perimeter players. Batten also has a chance to earn playing time with his defense.

While we all wanted a big 2014 recruit, a fifth year is a win-win. Like football, it represents a low risk, mature player.

Now that Christian's got a 2014 recruit and a fifth year, I expect the next scholarship to go to a true transfer.

Boston Politics get involved in college sports

With Former athletes suing the NCAA and Northwestern players exploring labor options, it is open season on taking on the hypocrisy of the NCAA. Now Boston City Councilor Josh Zakim wants to impose a “College Athlete Bill of Rights" on NCAA athletes that play within the city limits of Boston. His laws would apply to all schools but would have the biggest impact on BC since we host some of the most high-profile college teams in the country due to the ACC schedules. While I am for paying athletes and potentially disbanding the NCAA, I don't have much faith in Zakim's intentions or his motivation.

The issues that he's attacking are not really relevant to the current situation. Most athletes have plenty of time to graduate. A fifth year for players who don't work out on the field, is a small, small issue. Medically most of these guys are essentially covered year round. The head trauma debate is relevant, but I would say the NCAA and the teams in Boston are relatively ahead of the game. BC has been granting full medical waivers to head injury victims for two decades (think of Jim Unis). Why isn't Zakim mandating head injury policies for Massachusetts High School sports, the NHL, MLS, and NFL?

I don't mind attacking the system. But the real issue isn't health. It isn't safety. It's money. When Zakim figures out a way to mandate payment for players, then he will have my attention. Right now he just feels like someone trying to make a name for himself.

BC has a lot at risk in this process, but I predict these laws are a long way from being passed and then enforced.

Congratulation Graduates

Congratulations to Boston College's newest Alumni, the Class of 2014. Enjoy the day and be sure to thank your parents and loved ones.

Another 5th year transfer and other links

BC continues to leverage the NCAA 5th year rule, this time with former UConn DB Ty-Meer Brown. He brings immediate depth and a familiarity with Don Brown's schemes. Brown has a spinal condition that gave UConn pause, but I assume BC felt he could still be of use. Either way, 5th years are such low risk, high reward propositions, that I am glad to have Brown on the roster.

Women's Lacrosse lost a close game to Syracuse in the NCAA Quarterfinals.

You've got to love that KPL wore a suit and tie to his NFL Combine interviews.

Matt Patchan scored a 42 on his NFL Wonderlic.

Baseball lost their series to Clemson.

Don't get worked up about Terrell

On Friday Jared Terrell announced his commitment to URI. While most BC fans were level-headed, there was a vocal group that freaked out. I understand the frustration, but there is no reason to get upset over missing out on Terrell...even to a a midmajor like URI.

Terrell committed to Rhode Island after dealing with their program for nearly two years. He was familiar with Hurley and the team. He's been interacting with Jim Christian and BC for a few weeks. Despite being a bigger program, that lack of familiarity is tough to overcome. Plus our roster situation was not as friendly. We have Hanlan returning and he'll play 35+ minutes a game, be the primary ball handler and the leading scorer. And BC has decent depth at wing. Terrell would have come in immediately and played, but the minutes and scoring weren't as clear cut. The situation was much more inviting for a big man like Diallo.

Terrell would have been a huge boost and a great start for Christian, but it is not fair to hold it against the new staff. They scrambled the best they could, but the kid went elsewhere. It will happen again. The key to long-term success is just winning more of these battles than you lose.

Tweets of the Week

Ten of our seniors are on NFL rosters. Want a top degree, ACC football, and a shot at the NFL? That's @BostonCollege! pic.twitter.com/RTOZ5jGcfV

— Steve Addazio (@BCCoachAddazio) May 13, 2014

Coworker just looked at my Neenan calendar & asked "Does BC really look that nice?" Showed him the other pages and was like "Yup." @bcalumni

— Grant Salzano (@Salzano14) May 14, 2014

RB Andre Williams on being drafted: "From the start I had a feeling it was going to be the Giants, and I'm glad it turned out that way."

— Ralph Vacchiano (@RVacchianoNYDN) May 10, 2014

The ACC's counting conference games as non-conference games and telling BYU it's not a real football team and John Swofford is on crack.

— Spencer Hall (@edsbs) May 15, 2014

Obama honors Crowther and other links

Welles Crowther's story reached a new audience Thursday when President Obama mentioned him at the 9/11 Memorial.

KPL's preDraft workouts in Florida helped him impress during the draft process.

Donahue commit Jeremy Miller still names BC among his top choices.

Baseball lost to Clemson.

Softball placed three players on the NFCA All-Region Team.

Opponent Previews for UMass and Wake Forest

Every year Paul Myerberg writes individual team previews worthy of any magazine preview. Fortunately for us, he has already started rolling them out. He posts them by his predicted ranking and starts with the worst first. The two bottom dwellers that Myerberg already posted are Wake and UMass.

Even as Grobe's Wake teams slid back to their historical norm, they still gave BC tough games. The only reason so little is expected of them this season is due to the wholesale changes made by the new staff. Myerberg predicts a season where they still struggle offensively.

UMass is a trainwreck and one of the worst teams in FBS. Mark Whipple won't change that overnight. Myerberg knows that if they are going to have a miracle season, they need to upset BC in the opener.

The 8+1 schedule is great for BC

The ACC announced that they would move to a new scheduling format that mandates eight ACC conferences games and one non-conference game against a team from one of the Five Power conferences. This is the same format as the SEC and avoids the nine-game schedule used by the Pac 12, Big Ten and Big XII. The ACC move was ultimately about protecting non-conference rivalries like Florida-Florida State or Clemson-Georgia Tech, but what I think it works out best for a program like BC.

Under the new Notre Dame agreement we will play the Irish less (basically six out of ten years). While we've done a good job of finding like-minded or traditional powers to fill the void on non-ND years, there is always a temptation to find a nice win to pad the records. But cupcake opponents don't drive ticket demand and don't bring much national respect. Now regardless of who the coach is or what our AD wants to do, we know that BC will always have one good non-conference game annually.

Finally this move accelerates the idea of BC playing more games out west. The Alumni population in California is growing and the response to the USC game was impressive. We already reach the South through our ACC schedule and the Midwest with our frequent Notre Dame and MAC games. Plus the Pac 12 tend to be the most aggressive schedulers of the major conferences. I think most would gladly sign up for a two-game series with BC.  

The ACC is doing this to appease its members, appease its TV partners and strengthen its positioning for the playoff committee. It is not about BC. But it adds stability to our conference and good games to our schedule. That's good for BC fans.