June 12, 2007
Here Come Da Judge …
If you’ve been reading these rants for a while, you have to know that I have a very low opinion of the folks who have a hyper sense of political correctness when it comes to team mascots and nicknames. These people definitely need to find another hobby to occupy their time and energy. Having said that, I was pleased to read that a judge in Illinois dismissed a lawsuit brought against the University of Illinois claiming that the university broke state law when it got rid of its mascot, Chief Illiniwek. I was pleased to read that on several levels:
1. I’m happy to know that the legislature in Illinois never found time to make laws regarding the tenure status of university mascots.
2. By dismissing the suit, the judge reduced the clutter on the judicial docket.
3. Maybe – just maybe – this action will put an end to all of this.
As I was reading the AP story on the end of this lawsuit, I was also glad to see that in a world swirling with change, some things remain constant. The NCAA remains a bunch of lying weasels. The now dismissed lawsuit claimed that the NCAA had coerced the University of Illinois into ending the appearances of Chief Illiniwek as its mascot. After the judge ruled, the NCAA through a spokesperson said:
“In no way did we force the school to take action.”
What a crock! Let’s see, the NCAA told schools with offensive mascots/nicknames/logos that they had to change or they could not host NCAA tournament events and that they could not use said mascots/nicknames/logos and have teams participate in NCAA tournament events. When the school appealed, the NCAA told them – in ever so politically correct terms – to go crap in a flat hat. But the NCAA never coerced the school…
In a totally separate legal setting, a judge in Arkansas issued another ruling that brought a smile to my face when I read about it. A fan of Arkansas football had filed a suit against the university Chancellor. This fan alleged that an Arkansas football booster had sent a “disparaging e-mail” to a former Arkansas QB, Mitch Mustain. Mustain has since left Arkansas to ply his trade elsewhere. The fan filing the suit charged that the Arkansas Chancellor failed to investigate thoroughly this alleged disparaging e-mail sent to this former scholar-athlete and he sought via discovery motions access to computer hard drives and phone records and files for various folks in the university. Say what? The judge dismissed the suit and punctuated his dismissal with the following terse and very cogent statement:
“I have not been shown any reason that a state court should get involved in the administration of the football program or athletic program.”
That’s the kind of legal insight that our society needs a lot more of …
The University of Minnesota hasn’t been a football power for quite a while now. The last time they won the Big Ten was in 1967; the last time they won the national title was in 1960. They have a new coach starting this year and you have to give him credit for thinking positively and thinking big. He has a few incentives built into his contract including:
Win the Big Ten title - - collect $200K
Play in National Championship Game - - collect $300K
Win National Championship Game - - collect $50K on top of that $300K
I found only one of the Internet sportsbooks that has a futures line posted for who will win the BCS Championship next year. Remember, most futures bets are sucker bets; the odds offered are usually far lower than the actual chances a team has to accomplish the goal of the bet. The way to look at futures bets is to see where a team ranks in relation to other teams. Here is what this one oddsmaker at this one sportsbook thinks of Minnesota’s chances to win the national championship next year:
South Carolina 80-1
Oregon 80-1
Mississippi 80-1
Minnesota 100-1
Kansas 100-1
Boise State 100-1
Southern Miss 100-1
Air Force 100-1
Army 125-1
South Florida 150-1
TCU 150-1
My suggestion for new Minnesota head coach, Tim Brewster, is that he not put a down payment on a Lamborghini with the idea of paying it off with his bonus money come January 2008…
Finally, here’s an observation from Scott Ostler in the San Francisco Chronicle:
“To help rest his legs in the clubhouse, why doesn’t [Barry] Bonds get one of those leather recliner chairs?”
But don’t get me wrong, I love sports…
