Big 10 Expansion, The Masters and Vacations

Big 10 Expansion

It’s been awhile since I posted and I wanted to let people in on the fact that the Big 10 Expansion discussion on Frank The Tank’s blog is great reading, thought at times it does get a little long. However, I am currently still of the belief:

1. There will be an expansion announced at some point this year.
2. That expansion will include the University of Notre Dame.
3. The expansion will also include one Big East Team and one Big 12 team.
4. The Big 10 will never expand beyond 14 teams. 12 teams (Notre Dame) would be great, but 14 gives Delaney the “Seismic” change that he needs and provides many years of continued growth for the BTN.

If you want all the details of my prediction, well, read my other blogs and take about a day to sift through Frank’s blogs and all the comments. While there aren’t too many “U suck” and “There’s no way ND will ever join a conference” it has become apparent, to me anyway, that the $$$$ surrounding expansion simply makes too much sense. And the administrations will see that expanding into new markets will effectively insure increased revenue and growth opportunities for years to come. Read that last sentence again: Years to come. How I finally came to the conclusion that it will be 3 additional teams takes some time to summarize, but suffice it to say it’s about the aforementioned $$$$.

There aren’t many Big 10 schools that will ignore that as ticket prices have gone about as high as they can go and even Michigan “rolled back” their prices on certain games last year. The fans have cried uncle on ticket pricing, PSL’s, and the rest, but if you tack an extra buck on their cable bill, that seems to be something everyone can agree with and manage from a fan perspective.….

The Masters

I don’t usually get too emotional over athletic events. Yes, I shed a tear of happiness when Michigan beat OSU in 1997 and clinched the Rose Bowl berth with National Title Implications. But usually, I just watch the revelers and smile. However, anyone who watched the Masters this past weekend and watched Lefty finish up on Sunday got an opportunity to witness something really special. I guess in the back of my mind, I have always been a huge fan of Mickelson. It just used to really piss me off (I mean, REALLY PISS ME OFF) when I would watch this guy play well for three days and then completely melt down on Sunday. It was frustrating, but at the same time, if you play golf, you know how quickly the wheels can come off your game, and you’re not even playing for anything. So Lefty always has this human quality that he brings to the game and lets the fans see….Not to mention that 1 year ago, his wife and then his mother are diagnosed with breast cancer and he takes considerable time off from the tour.

Tiger’s mis-deeds are all in the headlines and Phil shows up to Augusta somewhat out of the limelight. He’s not on the pedestal and doesn’t have to answer all the media’s questions as they’ve all been asked. He goes out and plays well. But then he does something uncharacteristic of Phil: HE DOESN’T HAVE THE CLASSIC MICKELSON MELT DOWN! I was pulling for him all the way and while I watched the 2nd shot on the 13th, I wasn’t sure (and he later confirmed) that the shot was all that tough – for a pro, not for me – and he puts a great stroke on it and sticks it. I announced to my family, that wasn’t paying attention, that Phil had just won the Masters! And then of course, he missed the putt.

I can only say that if you pull for Phil, you have to get used to the roller coaster ride. And after the final putt, when it was all said and done, Amy was there. No one, not even Phil knew she would be coming, but he caught a glimpse of her on the 18th and he let himself smile and made the birdie. Then he walked over and hugged her. That was it, I was a mess – And I’m not afraid to admit it as I am sure there were several of you out there overcome as well. Don’t know why, but I do understand how important it is to have someone to share a moment like that with.

Vacation

Took the longest vacation that I have ever taken in recent memory and to say it was worth it was an understatement. However, coming back really sucks. I am convinced that if I was retired (with an income of some sort) I would not be bored or find myself looking for productive things to do. I know I would be a great professional goof off and also maintain some productivity along the way – just enough to feel that I’m making a contribution.

I guess I should have been a school teacher. I have several in the family and I don’t think they appreciate exactly what they have.

In fact, I need to find a job that will make it seem like I’m on vacation and then I will never have to work another day in my life….

That’s the ticket!