Realignment II: Back On Your Heads!

Before I begin this entry for real, I’d like to extend a welcome to all the folks finding their way over here as a result of Steven Den Beste and Mark Byron linking to my most recent article. I’d also like to thank those two gentlemen for driving more traffic to that one article than the entire site had seen in the previous month. ;-) Welcome and thank you, everyone, and feel free to stick around here at BTN. If this particular article confuses you a bit, poke around in the archives for the background.

If the past few days’ news in the ACC/Big East war hasn’t been totally perfect for the remaining Big East schools, it’s certainly been miserable for the ACC, and right now we’ll accept that. The ACC commissioner and presidents conducted two separate conference calls Tuesday and Wednesday without getting a positive vote for expansion. Pay no attention to ACC Commissioner John Swofford’s bleatings that no vote was planned or taken. Both days, if he had had the necessary seven (of nine) votes for expansion, those presidents would have ended the conference call with three new, far-flung ACC members. The UNC chancellor, Duke president, and UVa president held, though, and the next conference call hasn’t even been scheduled for any more specific time than “sometime next week.”

On Wednesday night, I was elated at this news, and thought the ACC’s plans to kill off the Big East (and the 5 remaining football schools in it, potential competitors for TV dollars with the new ACC) might finally be dead.
Thursday I wasn’t so sure.

In the political domain, one old hand has pushed the issue further, and a couple of new faces have checked in. Thursday, Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal filed a motion to expedite discovery in the case, as Virginia AG Jerry Kilgore added his name to the suit (along with those of the two Virginia Tech lawyers already involved, who are part of his office’s organizational structure). Discovery is basically a demand for any paperwork (including electronic communications and notes from verbal discussions) related to the process — basically an early form of court-supported evidence-gathering, and expediting it means that Blumenthal wants the goods now. Kilgore’s addition could simply be a political play on his part — trying to keep himself on the right side of Southwest Virginia and Hokie fans for his expected 2005 run for governor — but if that were the case, he could have just as easily signed on at the start. I think Kilgore was originally trying to maintain plausible deniability if the suit were quickly shot down. Now that it appears the suit has legs, he can associate himself with it.

On the flipside, Florida Gov. Jeb Bush checked in (see bottom) against the lawsuit. I’d advise Jeb to shut up — or at least read the suit. It’s not about free association among universities, it’s about fraudulent conduct by universities, leading to damage to their supposed partners. (And it’s rather surprising to see a Bush defending a Clinton Cabinet member.)

The thing that gives me the most hope, strangely enough, is a wrathful statement attributed to the Miami administration a few days ago following a Tranghese outburst. Unfortunately, I can’t find a link, but basically it said “If we [Miami] stay in this conference, it will be with a new commissioner.” If they’re willing to consider that possibility, maybe there’s something we can work with there — because Lord knows we’re all sick of basketball-centric Mike Tranghese fumbling his way around our football conference. Maybe peace can be made.

All you need i$ love, a$ the old $ong $ay$.