Bbww 10/11 [Archive] - Aggiefans.com

The Massacre

10-11-2006, 07:37 PM

apparently it had to be changed or something and the server is down for maintenance. here is a copy that a poster on TA.com recovered from his cache.

don't kill me staff for posting the entire thing, but it wasn't available anywhere that i could find. in addition, i don't vouch for the correctness of this version, it was just posted on TA.com.

Over the last two weeks we've had the NCAA Certification team visiting in Aggie Athletics, and just yesterday the Big 12 Conference completed their review of our compliance operations. Both groups involved had terrific things to say about how we run our athletic department, and we're pleased with that.

One of the very valuable aspects of having someone from the outside take a detailed look at how you run your operation is that it requires you to take a hard look at your policies and procedures to make sure you're doing things the way you say you do on paper.

A good example of that is our change in policies on team travel involving drivers of vehicles transporting our student-athletes. We are now doing driving records checks on all drivers who transport our teams and coaches.

As part of the NCAA review, I went back and looked at our previous infractions cases starting in 1988 and running all the way up to the mid '90s when we had our last major infractions. We did some things we aren't proud of back then, but now I am so proud of all our Aggies who have really changed the culture here at A&M by always asking questions first about NCAA rules. Thanks to all of you for that.

One of the recent areas of emphasis by the NCAA centers on student-athlete gambling, and I have some real concerns in that area. Given the climate we have in colleges across the United States with gambling (it seems everyone is doing it) I feel that the brick is coming through the window one of these days.

That's one of the reasons I'm so dismayed by the emphasis on sports gambling in most of the newspapers I read. This trend has been bothering me for quite a while. Articles appear frequently about the rash of gambling on campuses, much of it on sports. Bookies are everywhere. It's a multi-billion dollar business. The gambling industry also has gained a stronghold on the internet. Many on-line gamblers are young people who lose thousands of dollars they don't have.

My concern is college student-athletes betting on games. We've seen it happen before, many years ago at Ohio State and more recently at Arizona State, and the young men both wound up in prison. We've seen it happen in pro sports, the most famous case being Pete Rose.

Student-athletes (and our staff, too, by the way) are not even allowed by NCAA rules to bet in office pools for things like the Final Four or World Series. We spend a lot of staff time and energy alerting our student-athletes to the perils of gambling. They have literature, they hear from NCAA and conference officials, and representatives of the FBI make presentations that include a video. Aggie student-athletes are certainly aware of all the consequences associated with gambling.

* * *

The newspapers that cover us contribute to the problem. I take several newspapers at home, and subscribe to several more on line. Just two – the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal – don't have active wagering opportunities on college and professional sports. The betting line is posted for every game.

Reporters pick games in their papers and on radio, and sometimes they pick against the line, or the over-under. Our local paper even has the sports editor's dog picking the game (and the dog seems to have more success than some of the humans).

* * *

Another thing related to all that troubles me, too. Reports become critical about the margins of victory in games, saying that one team was favored over another by x-number of points. Favored by whom?

As it turns out, it's by some fellow who sells a gambling line to the sports books in Las Vegas. I'm not sure that's healthy, having a team's performance berated in the news because they don't meet a gambler's expectations. Maybe I'm wrong, and I hope I am; but doesn't it seem to you that the brick has been thrown?

* * *

Many of you contacted us after the football games of October 21 were selected for network telecasts, and ours at Oklahoma State wasn't one of them. The question became, how about pay per view? By conference and TV contract rules, that would be Oklahoma State's call. They have chosen not to show the game by PPV. It remains a 6:05 p.m. kickoff.

* * *

This is a good time to remind you of a couple of sources for our games that aren't televised. Besides our over-the-air radio network, our broadcast is carried on Sirius satellite radio (Channel 146 for OSU), and on our AggieAthletics.com Web site under Aggies All-Access. By the way, the Missouri game Saturday will be on Sirius Channel 144.

The audio of all our football games is available both live and later in archives on the Web link, provided by CSTV. As soon as possible after the game an edited video of all the action appears there, as well.

After experiencing some trouble early in the season with this new, free service, it has operated efficiently the last several weeks. Even the Mac users have figured out how to download the right patch to make it work. CSTV reports to us that more Aggies have accessed their service than any of the other more than 100 schools they carry.

* * *

Have you driven past our complex on Wellborn, or looked at the live Web cam on AggieAthletics.com at the new indoor building? After a delay caused by rain, lightning and mud, the “ribs” are rising out of the ground. Now we're just a few weeks away from having the south portion finished housing a football practice field. Once the framework is standing, then come (a.) the covering, (b.) four layers of “floor” topped by Field Turf, and (c.) all the electrical wiring. Wiring and testing have begun on the center-hung scoreboard and video screens at Reed Arena, and the ribbon boards there are being fitted together.

A strong dose of reality struck home in a newspaper article on our trip to Kansas for football last weekend. The Jayhawks had a groundbreaking on their new $32 million version of our Bright Football Building and Alice and Erle Nye '59 Academic Center. The newspaper report was on the major improvements in facilities at Oklahoma State. The reality is that even though we're making great strides, it's not like the rest of our conference schools are sitting still. There's no end in sight to the so-called facilities “arms race” that is so crucial to recruiting the best and brightest in all sports.

* * *

Our thoughts and prayers go out this week to two Aggies prominent in A&M sports history who are under medical care: former head basketball coach Shelby Metcalf's reports that he is recovering from pneumonia....former All-American football player Jack Pardee is at home on his ranch in Gause, Texas, and told us he's getting better..

* * *

Lots of questions about our football schedule: one is about why we have 11 straight games with no off week until before the last game with our friends in the state capital? That's one of the down sides of the permanent 12-game schedule. It used to happen only in years when the calendar had enough weeks to accommodate an off week. Now, if the calendar doesn't have that 13th week, you're in trouble. It's a major issue in scheduling.

Oklahoma and Oklahoma State found a way to catch a break the last weekend in September, but they had to give up the off week before their archrival game that they moved to Thanksgiving weekend. We'll work with the conference on trying to find a break for our team in years like this one.

Many have written wondering about our 2007 and other future schedules. We stopped running them on the Web site until they are finalized and contracts are in hand. The reason is we got burned by announcing games that since have been cancelled, such as Florida State, Michigan State, and Air Force, who all asked out of their contracts with us.

The conference schedule for next year is near completion. We thought it would be out this week, but some late changes were made and it should be out soon. We do know that we'll be traveling to Miami, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Texas Tech – and that's in alphabetical, not calendar order.

* * *

Aggie student-athletes had a great week last week. Football won. No. 8-ranked Soccer shut out two opponents – 3-0 at No. 14 Colorado, and a tough 1-0 in strong winds at Kansas. Women's golf finished fifth in a tournament at North Carolina.

Individually, Ashley Knoll tied for first place against some of the nation's best, her second straight win in that Lady Tar Heel Invitational. She became the first Aggie woman golfer in school history to defend an individual title.

Goalie Kristin Arnold was Big 12 Soccer Defensive Player of the Week for the second time after making 17 saves in the two games; she has five shutouts already in her freshman year.

Matt Bain went 5-0 in singles to win his division of the IMG College Challenge in Bradenton, Fla., and Mike Beatty and Stephen Shields, another freshman, won doubles in the UT-San Antonio Invitational.

* * *

The Massacre

10-11-2006, 07:38 PM

here's the rest

This weekend, Aggies are in competition all over the place, with 23 events. Softball is home in exhibition games tonight and tomorrow. Our baseball team has its annual intrasquad Fall World Series over the weekend (6 p.m. Thursday and Friday, 10 a.m. Saturday). Men's and women's swimming and diving get their seasons started at the Big 12 Relays and some dual meets. And equestrian has its home opener Sunday at 2 p.m. against SMU.

But circle Friday the 13th as a maroon-letter day. There are six events to choose from on campus, and you'll have to plan your naps well to work in all the nighttime activity. Baseball will play at 6. Volleyball against Texas starts at 6:30. Soccer against Nebraska starts at 7:30. Then, three events go back-to-back-to-back, with our annual basketball Maroon Madness wrapped around Midnight Yell.

The portable court will be set up at Kyle Field, and the women's team starts off at 11:20, Yell Practice follows at midnight, and then the men's basketball takes place immediately following that. There will be plenty of time to catch some Z's before the football kickoff at 2:36 p.m. Saturday against No. 19 Missouri.

Attending the late-night functions and the football game will be about 40 former Aggie yell leaders, as part of their 13th annual reunion organized by the Association of Former Yell Leaders executive director Richard Biondi '60. Brant Ince '91 succeeds Ted Lowe '58 as president for 2007.

* * *

At most of those events you will see many of our student-athletes from various teams wearing really bright green T-shirts. They are collecting for the annual “Aggies Can” food drive. You can make donations of non-perishable food or cash that go to the Brazos Valley Food Bank. This wonderful community service takes place each year under the leadership of the Student-Athletes Advisory Committee (SAAC). These Aggies put as much heart and energy into gathering the food as they do their competitions.

* * *

I heard from a number of you about last week's column. It's plain that you are as frustrated as we are. I want to win every time we play a football game. The thing I will keep repeating is, on the whole we are getting better.

Our team showed real grit again last Saturday in Lawrence in coming back and winning against a Kansas team that is also improving, had won nine in a row at home, and was playing for pride on homecoming.

Now I'm looking forward to a ranked team, Missouri, coming to Kyle Field for our only home game in October. I've always thought Mizzou had the potential for an outstanding program, and they appear to be on the cusp of that. See you there.

Gig 'em, Ags!