Been away for a while....

[Doc]

But given all this talk about expansion I thought I'd chime in on the topic, as well as other a few other things going on in sports...

1. If expansion is inevitable, lets get it over with. If I were the powers that be in the Big Ten(16), I'd invite Missouri, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh and if they have to have an east coast market - Rutgers. Personally, I can't get excited about Rutgers joining but I understand the rationale behind it.

2. Notre Dame HAS to join a conference or they will become less significant than they already are. If all these super conferences are created, the ability for the Irish to play decent teams will lessen because the conference teams will have to play at least 8 games against conference foes. Notre Dame will wind up playing a schedule similar to most non-BCS teams. (Maybe that would allow them to have a record worthy of making a major bowl!

3. The blown perfect game points out the need for replay to be available to MLB umpires. It does not mean the commissioner should be able to swoop in and change the call to allow it to be a perfect game! Had Selig done that it would have been a bigger joke than it already was. I give the pitcher and the umpire credit for handling the situation with class.

4. Lebron James will be staying Cleveland and the sooner he makes that known, the sooner we won't have to hear about it ad nauseum.

5. I hope the Lakers sweep the Celtics.

6. I'm encouraged by the Reds so far this season. Rolen was a great addition and Gomes is playing like an all star. If the pitching holds up, and they should be getting Volquez back in about 6-8 weeks, they may be there for the long run.

6. College football is getting closer - it should be a great season. Can't wait to talk about it.

[Lincoln Tower]

1. If expansion is inevitable, lets get it over with. If I were the powers that be in the Big Ten(16), I'd invite Missouri, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh and if they have to have an east coast market - Rutgers. Personally, I can't get excited about Rutgers joining but I understand the rationale behind it.

Jim Delany has been somewhat insistent that he wants to be "thorough" when doing expansion. With so many options available, I don't blame him.

Rutgers would be great for BT basketball. Not because Rutgers is a power, but it will open up the NYC area a little. It is a huge hotbed of HS Basketball, and the BT has no footprint.

2. Notre Dame HAS to join a conference or they will become less significant than they already are. If all these super conferences are created, the ability for the Irish to play decent teams will lessen because the conference teams will have to play at least 8 games against conference foes. Notre Dame will wind up playing a schedule similar to most non-BCS teams. (Maybe that would allow them to have a record worthy of making a major bowl!

For football, I still am skeptical of this line of thinking, even though you certainly have many on your side. ND football is still a huge draw, and they still have NBC.

For the other sports though, I could see the BE kicking them out, and then having logistical nightmares in all those sports.

3. The blown perfect game points out the need for replay to be available to MLB umpires. It does not mean the commissioner should be able to swoop in and change the call to allow it to be a perfect game! Had Selig done that it would have been a bigger joke than it already was. I give the pitcher and the umpire credit for handling the situation with class.

Replay, outside of HR boundary calls, would make the game even longer, and that is a huge issue.

Plus, if Bud Selig is implementing it, he will screw it up.

4. Lebron James will be staying Cleveland and the sooner he makes that known, the sooner we won't have to hear about it ad nauseum.

Which is exactly why he won't say where he's going for a while. He's gotten the President and the NY Mayor to publicly comment on him 2x, and it's only June 4th.

5. I hope the Lakers sweep the Celtics.

In Phil Jackson's last series as Lakers HC??????

6. I'm encouraged by the Reds so far this season. Rolen was a great addition and Gomes is playing like an all star. If the pitching holds up, and they should be getting Volquez back in about 6-8 weeks, they may be there for the long run.

Gomes hit homeruns really far. All I can add.

6. College football is getting closer - it should be a great season. Can't wait to talk about it.

How about Braxton Miller?

[Doc]

Great pick-up by the Buckeyes and I think he'll help recruit the rest of the class which could wind up being one of the top classes in OSU history. Tressel is such an impressive coach, he does it the right way and he doesn't blow smoke up the kid's asses or their parents, which apparently, a lot of kids and parents want their asses blown up. Tressel tells them what they need to hear not what they want to hear. We are friends with the family of family of Matt James (ND recruit who tragically died in April) and they said Tressel was the most honest and impressive coach they met. For Matt it was important that he was happy his freshman year and he felt like he had a chance to play right away. That wasn't going to happen at Ohio State with 4 returning line men. Kelly could tell him he'd have a chance even if he didn't. Anyway, I'm off topic here. I'm just so glad we have the coach we have because he is 100% class.

[Blue Hen]

I think Rutgers is stronger than half the B10 right now in FB and will continue to get better.....IMO.

[Lincoln Tower]

I think Rutgers is stronger than half the B10 right now in FB and will continue to get better.....IMO.

Probably around Michigan State, maybe a bit better. If they move to the BT, they might make enough $$$$$ to keep Schiano.

[ZOOMBAG]

Nothing will happen until November reference Big 10 Expansion. IF ND joins the Big 10 will stop at 12 (the perfect fit for a conference in all sports). If not, it could get interesting.

We'll see if the Big 12 passes a doubling of the exit fee....50-50 shot of that....next week. If that passes they will negotiate a joint TV deal with the PAC 10 to try and nip the expansion bug in the bud.

The most interesting thing about next season will be to see if Boise can get to the BCS title game if they go 12-0. I could care less if they win it, just if they can get in....