2018 NC State football: 8-4 overall; 4-4 ACC

The 2018 NC State football schedule was released yesterday. My quick prediction is for an overall 8-4 record and a 4-4 record in the Atlantic Coast Conference. There is no in-depth basis for this, just a gut feeling.

It will be Dave Doeren's sixth season, and, though he loses several excellent and key players, the Wolfpack should not only return a lot of good athletes, but it should also now be in a position to reload instead of wait another five seasons for a good team.

State has five home games in its first six, and program excitement should be at a season peak after the Wolfpack starts 6-0. Though not the easiest of non-conference games, tilts at home versus James Madison (Sept 1) and Georgia State (Sept 8) should be definite wins. There is no way in you-know-what that the Wolfpack program should ever lose to either of those.

With the team riding high from a two-game winning streak, West Virginia comes to Raleigh (Sept 15). The Wolfpack ekes out a third win. Interesting note: The Mountaineers current stadium in Morgantown is pretty much a duplicate of Carter-Finley Stadium, at least the original parts of both. When the program decided to build a new stadium in the late 1970s, NC State's stadium and plans were the basis for new digs. The Wolfpack will see it first hand in 2019. But I digress.

Next State travels to the state of West Virginia to play at Marshall (Sept 22). It's a tough road trip, but again, there is no way the program at Marshall should be as good as the program at NC State, especially in Doeren's sixth season of reloading and not rebuilding. The Wolfpack gets its fourth victory, all non-conference.

Now, for the start of tough stuff, the ACC schedule. First up is Virginia (Sept 29). It's a home game, the crowd should be rowdy and supportive, and the team should respond with a fifth straight win. The same for the next week when Boston College (Oct 6) plays in Carter-Finley Stadium. After six games, the Wolfpack should be 6-0, 2-0, heading into the final six games.

There are just two additional games in October, at Clemson (Oct 20) after an open date and at Syracuse (Oct 27). In my humble opinion and without knowing how good or bad Syracuse will be, NC State drops two straight and, after eight games, rests at 6-2 overall and 2-2 in the ACC.

The remainder of the schedule brings Florida State (Nov 3) and Wake Forest (Nov 8 and a quick turn-around) to Raleigh. Here's where science enters in: the Seminoles have a new coach and will be feeling its way along in 2018, and there is no way the Wolfpack should lose two in a row to Wake Forest. If Florida State is average, and if the Wolfpack doesn't take the Deacons too lightly as the Pck did last year, NC State gets two solid conference wins and is 8-2 and 4-2.

To make my math work, the Wolfpack loses at Louisville (the Cardinals need the home conference win to round out a good season) and at North Carolina (which can't possibly lose three in a row to what is now the Tar Heels biggest conference rival) to complete the season (8-4 and 4-4) and heads to a lower ACC tie-in bowl to play a directional team.

That's after coming off the 2017 disappointing (yes, disappointing because the Wolfpack left a lot on the table in the two conference losses, Clemson and Wake Forest, and one non-league game, South Carolina) 9-4, 6-2, Sun Bowl winner season.

Maybe 8-4 sounds good, but 4-4 in the ACC does not. So, after the 2018 season, the Wolfpack, under Doeren, goes to 42-34 overall and 19-29 in the ACC.

Your thoughts about my thoughts? You can agree, disagree and/or post a comment in the comment section below!
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If you didn't notice, the Wolfpack has seven home games: Season tickets are on sale now. Click "Wolfpack football season tickets" for more information.
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Joe Giglio at the News & Observer agrees with my record prediction: 8-4, 4-4. Read it here:
https://www.newsobserver.com/sports/article215094070.html

Beer and Pistachios! Better than "rope and corn"

My friend, Jim Valvano, (yes the Jim Valvano who coached the NC State Wolfpack to the 1983 NCAA National Championship and who died of cancer in 1993) used to joke about exercising and dieting.

“Exercise?” Jim would pilfer from other comedians while holding court in baseball coach Sam Esposito’s office just down the hall from his own on the top floor of the three story the Case Athletics Center. “When I get the urge, I usually just lie down and let it pass.”

He would joke about Jim Fixx, who wrote the best-seller “The Complete Book of Running” and started a fitness revolution in the United States. Valvano, in his early days at State, would say that Fixx would probably die while doing what he does best, running. Fixx, at the age of 52, died in July 1984 while running. He suffered a heart attack. Valvano quit telling that one.

There was never any evidence that Jim Valvano had organized and deliberate exercise unless you counted the energy he expended while coaching in practice and during games.

For a diet, Jim had many but his best was his “rope and corn” diet of late night after games in his office, a few feet from his cathedral, Reynolds Coliseum. His “rope” was a cigar, usually a brand that could have only been imported from, say, Cuba. And, “corn” was any variety of popcorn popped in the microwave. His diets usually worked for a while, but without exercising, his weight was dependant on eating less. And he kept in good shape.

Is there a point to this story? Yes, read on.

In the last 21 months, I’ve lost 30 pounds, due to exercise and diet and not from some medical condition. At age 65, both are important. In early April 2016 at a physical, I weighed 213.5 pounds. Prior to that, according to my faithful home scales, I was at least 215.

Today, I weigh 185, butt naked, of course. The first 10 pounds were easy, reducing intake, exercising a little with walks around the neighborhood. Losing the last 10 pounds has been tougher as has been maintaining my weight, though I would like to go lower, maybe to 180.

The exercise part is not effortless but it is routine. Daily, except some Sundays, I exercise. My wife and I go to the Workout Anytime in Cary. We each have our program. Mine is at least an hour on the treadmill, walking (no running) a minimum of 3.5 miles, sometimes longer and farther, sometimes at slight inclines (2-3 degrees). Then, if the urge hits, I lift weights, some free and some machine. We’re there no more than 90 minutes. 

There are days I miss Workout Anytime to play golf, walking 18 holes (about 8,000 yards) at hilly Lonnie Poole Golf Course, carrying my 23-pound bag of clubs and balls. This routine, either on the treadmill or on the golf course, is more than a year old.

Wonderful Pistachios

As far as my diet, well, because of weight loss, I’m not as hungry as I was so my diet can sometimes sound like Valvano’s “rope and corn” effort. But mine is better tasting than Jimmy's "rope and corn" diet. A few days ago, one of my golf partners asked what I had been doing to lose weight. (Glad he noticed.) I explained the exercise and then he asked about dieting.

“Currently, I’m on a beer and pistachios with a scoop of ice cream when desired,” I said. “Beer and pistachios before dinner. Ice cream after.” He laughed, thinking that was not the case, but it is. 

Even with a diet, I'm not depriving myself of drinking beer, but I do in moderation. I’m into any kind of nuts, usually peanuts and cashews, but recently my wife brought home a bag of Wonderful Pistachios. Now, a good combo for dieting is beer and pistachios; it requires arm lifts for the beer and it can be agonizing and difficult to pry open those pistachios. Always buy pistachios in the shells. Drink a high IBU IPA!

Reduced portions on my plate, not eating just to be eating and exercising are the keys to my weight loss and trimmer figure. Unfortunately, most of my clothes are too big for me, a much better situation that when I had a hard time fitting into them. And, fortunately, I think my bad cholesterol level is down, or at least it should be. I’ll find out at my next physical coming soon.

Black Uniforms? Not My Choice But...

So, we watched a DVRed "new" episode of Law and Order: Special Victim Unit last night just prior to settling in for the NC State-Duke basketball game. (The 14-year old girl, who was being repeatedly sexually abused by her father while her mother didn't stop it, planned the entire killing of her parents but was in the way of a bullet and ended up in the hospital where it was discovered she had herpes given to her by dear old Dad but her boyfriend loved her anyway as she was arrested for conspiring to kill her parents.)

Anyway, L&O:SVU ended right at 9:00 p.m. and I quickly switched to the basketball game only to see my beloved Wolfpack wearing black uniforms. At first I was appalled as I was last fall when the football team wore black uniforms trimmed in red, white and pink and as I was several years ago when the basketball team came out in all black attire. I made a snide comment; my wife Nancy said State should never wear a color other than red and white (official, if there is such a thing, school colors). She's big on talking about fashion during basketball games or any sporting event, for that matter. She thinks Phil Mickelson looks dumpy the way he dresses, but as long as he wins, who cares what he's wearing? Nancy does. (I'm not disparaging you, Nancy. I'm just saying...)

Then I realized I was wearing a charcoal gray sweatshirt with NC State and the Block "S" across the front. One of my favorite NC State items to wear. I think it makes a fashion statement. Looks good, feels good. As the game got underway, Nancy kept talking about how awful the black uniforms looked and I kept telling Nancy that fashion did not matter as long as the Wolfpack won. In other words, I realized what I was wearing. But, as far as the basketball team wearing black, it should be a no-no.

According to today's reporting in The News & Observer, last night was the first time since Feb. 6, 2000 that State wore black uniforms. The Wolfpack lost to Maryland, 78-73, that night and then lost seven straight games. Last night was Feb. 16 (close enough) and Duke won 78-73. This is where a Yogi Berra quote should be inserted. I hope a seven game losing streak is not ahead of us because if it is, if you include last night, the 7th loss would be in the first round of the ACC Tournament and that would be a terrible way to end this season which has been pretty good so far.

I was disappointed in losing after leading by 20 points at Duke. The effort was excellent for the first 29 minutes as we made Duke play like NC State wanted Duke to play, but the foul problems were disheartening to the players who backed off and became shooters not scorers. We let Duke back into the game. You could see misery and lack of understanding on the faces of our players. Dismayed is a good way to describe coach Mark Gottfried expression. Oh well, good effort for much of the game. To my fellow Wolfpackers: I see light at the end of this tunnel. Keep the faith; the Pack will be back. But, please discourage black uniforms. Let's stick with Red and White.
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It continues to be about the money and not the fans
From where I sit, the Atlantic Coast Conference and ESPN have again taken a small hand tool to the Wolfpack. This time, it's the football program. NC State is scheduled to play Tennessee in one of two Chick-fil-A Kickoff games in the Georgia Dome Labor Day Weekend. State's game is Friday, Aug. 31 and will be shown on ESPNU. The next day, Clemson and Auburn play and that game will probably be shown on ESPN, the Mother Ship.

State Athletics Director Debbie Yow and football coach Tom O'Brien put a positive spin on the game and the day it's to be played. "NC State fans love Atlanta...We think there will be a lot of State red there to cheer on our team," said Yow. And TOB said: "We know that our loyal fans will make sure that there is more red than there is orange in the dome that night." Exact time for kickoff is not known, but, as Tom suggested, it's a good guess the Wolfpack will be playing Friday night, not the best time for fans or the program.

Since most State fans live close to Raleigh, going to Atlanta will mean either a Thursday arrival or a long drive on Friday, and it's is Labor Day Weekend when attendance at home games has not been its best. Saturday would have been better. I sent a text to a friend who tries to put a good spin on everything ACC, and he responded: "Great trip. Play the game on Friday and then head to the beach for Labor Day weekend. Perfect scheduling instead of ruining a good Labor Day weekend."

Maybe he doesn't realize where Atlanta is in relation to most beach spots for Wolfpackers. So I replied we would have more fans if played on Saturday. Then he got serious: "It's a great time to play for recruits since they will all be playing that night. So much for the ACC

Even though most high schools in this area and possibly across the country play football games on Thursday before Labor Day instead of Friday, he's got a point about Friday night high school football. The Chick-fil-A Kickoff wanted two games and invited the teams. ESPN controls the play days and the kickoff times. It is all for the money. It'll be good exposure for the Wolfpack, but why not consider the fans?
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UP-DATE: February 18, 2012
Shortly after posting this Friday, two emails arrived at my in box and each shed a little more light on these subjects.

The first came from Athletics Director Debbie Yow who had read this post while at the NC State baseball opener at Doak Field against Marshall. Concerning the black uniforms, she wrote: "(The) players wanted a special uniform (for the Duke game). (They, the black uniforms are) not likely to become a fixture." And, as far as the game in Atlanta, she clarified by writing, "The contract with Tennessee I inherited gave the Peach Bowl (Chick-fil-A Kickoff) the choice for date 'between Thursday-Saturday' of Labor Day weekend. They chose Friday." I appreciate Debbie offering the explanation.

The second email came from a member of the ACC staff who wrote: "FYI, we didn't have anything to do with scheduling this game. But, let me see. You get a chance to spend a long weekend in a great city, watch the Pack play Tennessee (definitely not south Alabama), have a chance at a great start to the season, and you still don't like it? There was a time when Wolfpackers would jump for joy at any trip to Atlanta." He's right but we prefer that trip to include either a Saturday game or the Chick-fil-A Bowl game after Christmas! Maybe we will have a good crowd for the Aug. 31, Friday night game against Tennessee in Atlanta. I hope so.

I also received an email from someone enlightened me that most high school games around Labor day ARE played on Friday. Guess those kids will not be watching NC State that night.

"How About Another Beer?"

My soon-to-be 34 year old son, a UNC-Chapel Hill graduate, called yesterday to talk. He does that every now and then, sometimes just to update me on the progress of his daughter, my granddaughter, who is nearly two years old, and sometimes to talk about his home and his effort to sell and move to a larger house in a nicer neighborhood, and sometimes to talk sports, UNC-Chapel Hill athletics in general and spectacular recruiting classes by basketball coach Roy Williams and football coach Butch Davis and the prospects for the coming season, in particular. Nothing could be finer, he says in so many words.

Usually in the conversation, especially when talking about UNC-Chapel Hill athletics, especially when discussing—though it’s a one-sided talk (if you can believe I can listen without talking)—the UNC-Chapel Hill football and basketball programs, my son alludes to the respect his school and teams must be granted if for no reason other than the school is UNC-Chapel Hill and his teams are the UNC-Chapel Hill Tar Heels. I can hear it coming from day-dreaming miles away while he jabbers and when he pauses for a breath, which usually leads to some statement or comment on my part that riles his dander and turns the conversation into what seems like a heated debate, one that others in our family circle interpret as an argument to beat all arguments which usually ends with one of us saying, “How about another beer?”

This doesn’t happen when we just talk about college athletics and our educational preferences; we could be talking war and peace, religion, how to cook a steak, securing the car seat for his daughter/my granddaughter, navigating to pick up pizza for dinner, liberal-conservative, taxes…well…you probably get it. We really love each other but we also love to joust just long and loud enough to hear from others in the midst who want us to stop for fear of all out warfare. I think my son and I enjoy watching the others get upset as they think we are about to come to fisticuffs when we are really just debating with our own style. Did someone ask, “How about another beer?”

Yesterday, as he talked about UNC-Chapel Hill and I listened, which is very hard to do because of my allegiance to NC State University and my Wolfpack, as the conversation was more ho-hum than riling, he asked a favor of me. “Next time you’re talking with Tom O’Brien,” he said as if I have regular conversations with the Wolfpack football coach who is entering in his fourth season and has a 3-0 record against UNC-Chapel Hill, “next time you talk with him, would you tell him to quit referring to NC State as the Flagship University in the UNC system. You and I both know it’s North Carolina and not NC State.”

That’s when the conversation turned from mundane to Much Ado About Nothing especially when I told him TOB is correct, that NC State University is the Flagship of the State University system in North Carolina for various reasons including total attendance, number of degree granting programs. Then he gave me the company line that UNC-Chapel Hill is the oldest in the state and that there’s a reason the system is called the UNC System and not the NC State System. I told him that at one time UNC-Chapel Hill may have been considered the Flagship school, but that NC State had surpassed UNC-Chapel Hill in many important ways and that NC State University does much more for the State of North Carolina than UNC-Chapel Hill ever has. He counts doctors and lawyers as more important to the state than agriculturalists and textile people and engineers. And he retorted (firmly but mildly) with something about asking any person in the state and across the nation which school in the UNC System is the Flagship of the system and the response would be his choice, UNC-Chapel Hill, which by the way, is the official name of the school located in the same town as the General Administration offices for the University of North Carolina (system).

Uneducated may have been the word I used to describe those who would choose UNC-Chapel Hill over NC State University which officially is NC State University at Raleigh because the stupid and jealous legislators, mostly UNC-Chapel Hill degree holders of some type, who helped create the System of State Schools made my school add “at Raleigh” if their school, UNC, the first chartered public school in the Universe I’m told on many occasion by graduates thereof, had to add “-Chapel Hill” to the end of UNC. By the way, those ignorant legislators along with UNC System President Bill Friday, a graduate of NC State College (and a classmate one year ahead of my Dad) wanted to re-moniker NC State College which was originally NC A&M, or something like that, as UNC-Raleigh to, what words shall I put in their mouths, bring the school in line and not give it a name apart from the System, or something such as that. As a matter of fact, if Friday and his band of lawmakers had had their way, there would have been UNC-Boone; UNC-Cullowhee, UNC-Elizabeth City, and UNC-Durham (now that sounds just right).

About the time the conversation with my son was starting to get into the ditches because neither one of us will ever budge from this because he wants respect for namesake and I want to rile because of namesake, his mother, a graduate of UNC-Cullowhee and inherently a UNC-Chapel Hill faithful because her Dad and two brothers and one son and several nieces and nephews and cousins attended UNC-Chapel Hill (legacy is the damndest reason for loyalty but then of course, on my side of the ledger, one of my relatives with the last name of Brooks was a founder of NC State), returned home from work and could hear my side of the telephone talk. The unpleasant look on her face was a warning of terrible things to come if I just didn’t let it go, tell him he was right (but not in the condescending tone I seem to be so capable of at times as this) and move on.

“You’re Mom’s home,” I interrupted the debate. “I better talk with her.” Which I did and in which I had to explain the topic of the telephone talk and about which I had to quickly explain my reasoning because she was taking his side. Of course, not only because she’s his mother but because UNC-Chapel Hill fans demand respect based on age more than anything else. Oops, not her age, but the age of their favorite school.

I didn’t have to but I turned to Wikipedia and looked up Flagship. I’ve heard the word for most of my life, especially when listening to NC State Wolfpack athletics. “This is WPTF. 680 AM, the flagship station of the Wolfpack Sports Network.” Which was true then because that’s where the Wolfpack Sports Radio Network started. Today, there is no Flagship radio station, though, WRAL-FM 101.5 in Raleigh thinks it is because it’s the home for NC State football and basketball broadcasts in NC State’s hometown though sometimes the Wolfpack can be heard on 99.9 FM, the ESPN affiliate in Holly Springs. We also know that “Flagship” comes from the Navy fleet leading ship. But we also know that Flagship in a Navy fleet can change and has over time.

So, from Wikipedia:
The phrase flagship campus or flagship university is often used with reference to state university systems in the United States, which often comprise numerous campuses in widely-separated locations. In this context, flagship means the original campus from which the system grew. Fulfilling the naval analogy, it is often (though not always) the site of the administrative headquarters for the system. A flagship campus is often a land-grant school dating from the wave of state university foundings that followed the Morrill Act of 1863.

According to a Robert M. Berdahl, former Cal-Berkeley chancellor, “flagship” came into existence in the 1950s when the Morrill Act schools were joined by a newer campuses built in a wave of postwar expansion of state university system. Because of their age, the flagship campuses of a system are often the largest and best financed and are perceived as elite. Berdahl comments that “those of us in ‘systems’ of higher education are frequently actively discouraged from using the term ‘flagship’ to refer to our campuses because it is seen as hurtful to the self-esteem of colleagues at other institutions in our systems. The use of the term is seen by some as elitist and boastful. It is viewed by many, in the context of the politics of higher education, as ‘politically incorrect.’ Only in the safe company of alumni is one permitted to use the term.” Nevertheless, it is common for state university officials to use the term “flagship” in official contexts, e.g. “It is a pleasure to report to the General Assembly on the accomplishments and initiatives of the State's Flagship University,” said Dr. C. D. Mote, Jr, President, University of Maryland, College Park as he testified to the Maryland General Assembly in 2006.

Here’s the interesting part: Yes, UNC-Chapel Hill was founded first and was the only campus of the University of North Carolina for 136 years, at least that’s what the UNC General Administration website tells us. When NC State was established in 1887, while it was state-supported, it was not a subset of UNC-Chapel Hill. Neither was Women’s College in Greensboro, but in 1931, the General Assembly redefined the University of North Carolina and included all three, all equal partners in that definition of UNC. It was only logical to use that name to represent the State of North Carolina. The system grew from there to today: 17 campuses, not all with the UNC designation in front of the city of location.

So, in reality, though UNC-Chapel Hill may be the oldest, it is not necessarily the Flagship of the UNC System as the elitist and boastful want it to be. And, neither is NC State University; nor is Women’s College, now UNC-Greensboro. And because to say so might cause someone to think you are elitist and boastful, even if you have a three-game football winning streak, next time I see Tom O’Brien, I’ll relay the message from my son. We at NC State University do not want either to be hurtful to the self-esteem of our brethren at sister school UNC-Chapel Hill or to be seen as elitist and boastful; there are enough elitist and boastful associated with UNC-Chapel Hill, and they can think of themselves that way all they want.

Though I must admit to rile a UNC-Chapel Hill fan is fun and easy to do; those Carolina Gamecocks in Columbia SC do it regularly. “How about another beer?”

Charges Dropped! My NC State Boys Are Free!

Thank goodness for the letter of the law. Thank goodness for an off-duty Raleigh police officer who didn’t follow proper procedure in searching a residence of football players—NC State football players at that—and discovering marijuana and drug paraphernalia. Thank goodness for defense lawyers who asked a judge to toss out—or suppress—the evidence in the case against three of four football players with charges related to the find because proper legal procedures were not followed in the “bust,” which was by accident anyway. And, thank goodness for the judge, Keith Gregory, a graduate of the North Carolina Central University law school, who had the insight and courage to grant the motion to suppress to the defense lawyers.

Speaking about Judge Gregory, James Jackson, the lawyer representing Wolfpack defensive player J.R. Sweezy, is quoted in today’s The News & Observer: “Fortunately for us, we are a nation of laws, and it takes a highly courageous judge to follow those laws, especially when there's a case that has such high-profile status.” Once the evidence was hidden by the court, the charges were dropped. Justice speaks! My boys are free!

Now, thank goodness even more, that three of the marijuana four—Sweezy, Jake Vermiglio and Markus Kuhn—are liberated, that the charges are dropped, and the players return to fulltime status with Tom O’Brien’s—and my for goodness sake—NC State football team. The charges in total for the three were, but now gone, possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia and maintaining a dwelling for the use of a controlled substance. Another player, George Bryan, an all-Atlantic Coast Conference tight end, continues to face the charge about maintaining a dwelling and has a scheduled court date of Sept 3, the day before the Wolfpack opens the 2010 campaign against Western Carolina, Saturday, September 4. Kickoff set for 6 pm; tickets available, for sure, so call 919-865-1510; can be seen on ESPN3 unless you’re internet access is with Time Warner Cable.

The details of the incident have been much publicized so there is no need to rehash the particulars. I wrote about this situation April 27 (look it up and read it again if you wish) and at the time called for strong and swift action against the four by O’Brien. I even said the four could be found not-guilty, though it never crossed my mind that the charges could be dropped, but that the reputation of NC State and of O’Brien’s program had been tarnished because of the charges and arrests. I feel the same now and that public flogging would be a better solution than to say it was handled internally, if indeed it has been.

Just because the charges were dropped doesn’t mean those three didn’t have possession of marijuana or the paraphernalia, etc. It means the letter of the law wasn’t followed in conducting the search. Because O’Brien has not publically revealed what measures of punishment have been taken, we can only trust that some meaningful action has been transacted. Maybe there’s some Public Records Request that covers that. But, this is another chapter in college athletics that slaps black eye on the NC State program despite the growing idea that legalizing marijuana is the way to go. Even if it was, would O’Brien and other coaches allow their players to partake?

For the most part, it seems it is O’Brien’s method to keep disciplinary actions private, but such a method always makes one wonder. With the exception of Sweezy who was suspended from some of spring practice (wow!) because of a legal situation in Mooresville, O’Brien’s disciplinary actions have been private. Personally, I think it is best to be public with the actions even if legal action is pending. I trust that just because the charges were dropped, O’Brien hasn’t dropped disciplinary action. I trust that if he confronted the four and held a truth section, each would admit to him their obvious guilt.

That aside, thank goodness again for the legal system which has now done justice thus far, at least for three, and has kept O’Brien from suspending the players from actual playing time, we think but we do not know because O’Brien isn’t talking except to tell the media Monday that all the players will be with the team when it starts pre-season practice. Now, with much of the legal stuff out of the way and with the players, all who could have a positive impact on the team and its results this season, there are fewer places to lay blame if the Wolfpack has another losing season.

And, that’s good because I want O’Brien and the Wolfpack to have all available personnel. I want the team to succeed come hell or high water. That’s because I am a Wolfpack fan first, and always want the legal system to get our boys and girls out of the legal system as quickly and as quietly as possible. Thank goodness to all those involved in this case. Or should I be reminded of that famous John Selden quote about ignorance of the law excuses no man? Not the football players, not the coaches, not the off-duty police officer, not the judge. Oh well, life moves on.

Rah-Rah For Federal Judge Stephan Underhill

Excuse my huge ear to ear grin and my exuberance today, but I’m sending kudos and possibly several bouquets of flowers to United States District Court Judge Stephan Underhill who yesterday ruled what I and many others have been saying for years: Cheerleading is NOT a sport, at least it’s not an official sport as far as colleges using it to meet Title IX gender-equity requirements, those of the 1972 federal law that commands equal opportunities for men and women in athletics.

The ruling came out of a court case he heard in Connecticut involving Quinnipiac University—the same school that offers political polling results used by media and candidates—which had shelved its women’s volleyball team for budgetary reasons (isn’t that always the case) and replaced it with a cheerleading squad involved in competition, not a team just standing on sidelines of football and basketball games and other athletics events and say “Rah! Rah!” The story at Quinnipiac is bigger than just the Cheer Squad. It seems the University has been cooking the books with the Title IX requirements. More on that later, but a now a local-interest interlude:

In the Atlantic Coast Conference, three schools list Competitive Cheerleading on their websites: Virginia Tech is one of the three. The other two are: Maryland and NC State. Now we may know one of the reasons by Debbie Yow to want to move from being Athletics Director at Maryland to being Athletics Director at NC State: Competitive Cheerleading. And, this might have been the reason Chancellor Randy Woodson wanted Yow to come to Raleigh. While Purdue doesn’t have a competitive cheer squad, maybe he wanted to make sure the new AD wanted to keep it at State. It all makes sense now.

At Quinnipiac, it was announced in 2009 that the women’s volleyball team would be dropped for budgetary reasons and be replaced with the competitive cheer team. You should check out the Cheer Squad section of the Quinnipiac Bobcats website: 30 players (all women) and three fulltime coaches (all women). Over at the Volleyball page: nine players (all women); one paid coach (a woman) and one volunteer coach (a man). Amazing stuff, or maybe not.

It appears the school wants to make the move—eliminating nine and adding 30 (or more—to keep it in compliance with Title IX. But the Judge will have nothing to do with that. In his ruling, he wrote: “Competitive cheer may, sometime in the future, qualify as a sport under Title IX. Today, however, the activity is still too underdeveloped and disorganized to be treated as offering genuine varsity athletic participation opportunities for students.” He instructed the school to report back within 60 days with a plan to keep the volleyball team—members of which who had sued the school over the announced dropping of the sport—and comply with Title IX rules.

Quinnipiac officials responded by saying that instead of continuing the volleyball program, it would start a women’s rugby team. That’s probably because it needs bodies—female bodies—and if 30 women cheerleaders are eliminated as varsity competitors, the numbers from a rugby team would offset the differential. The Judge had good reason to rule in favor of the volleyball players and against the school. Title IX says, according to an Associated Press account of this case, “An activity can be considered a sport under Title IX if it meets specific criteria. It must have coaches, practices, competitions during a defined season and a governing organization. The activity also must have competition as its primary goal - not merely the support of other athletic teams.”

The trial, more importantly, also revealed how Quinnipiac has been cooking the books in the gender equity area. The Judge found something that’s common at all colleges and universities in reporting Title IX facts and figures: participation instead of athletes. For instance, at Quinnipiac, there’s a men’s cross country team and there are cross country, indoor track and outdoor track for women. When one female athlete participates in all three team sports, she’s counted as three different participants. At NC State, it’s likely that Russell Wilson, football quarterback and multi-purpose baseball player, is counted twice. And, any person on any team is counted. So, even at NC State, a women’s cross country runner is counted there as well as on the indoor and outdoor track teams, but then so are the duplicate men.

But, wait, there’s more to the evil doings at Quinnipiac that trusted name in political polling. The book-cooking gets a little deeper. For instance, the Judge discovered the baseball and men’s lacrosse teams were dropping names from the rosters for reporting purposes in the fall and then adding team members to the roster in the spring for the season. This reduces male participants. At the same time, names were added to the softball team for reporting purposes and them eliminating them for the season. Now that’s integrity.

While the headline in this matter is that a Federal Judge says cheerleading is NOT a sport, and while I sing praises for this opinion, one that I’ve had all along no matter how many national cheerleading titles NC State has won—and by the way, NC State does not report cheerleading for Title IX purposes and, anyway, there are equal number of men and women on the squad and because NC State feels cheerleading does not fall into the Title IX guidelines for being considered a sport—the real winner in this could be women’s athletics and female athletes. If Judge Underhill’s ruling stands, all colleges and universities and probably high schools will have to review how the numbers are counted, resulting in an increase for the women.

And, as far as the headline, I’ll say it again: It thrills me to no end for a federal judge to say that cheerleading is not a sport, no matter how hard they work to be in shape and do all those fancy twists, turns and flips. If it is, then remove them from the sidelines at football and basketball games and create a schedule of competition with other cheerleading squads from other universities. Train and hire rules officials and judges who do not host summer camps to prevent bias in point-giving. In other words, if cheerleading is to be a sport along the lines of football, basketball, tennis, golf, etc., then treat it the same. In all the years I been watching college sports, I have never seen a men’s or women’s tennis team along the sidelines at NC State’s Carter-Finley Stadium leading the fans in rah-rahing. Why is the competitive cheerleading squad doing that?

A problem I see to making cheerleading a full-fledged sport: Who will stand along those sidelines cheering on the cheerleaders? And, if a squad is chosen for that, then one day, it too will want varsity status. It just doesn’t end, does it? Anyway, Rah-Rah for Judge Underhill!

Hapless Duke Football; Hopeless Texting

Tuesday, when, at lunch in Miami (North Bay Village, actually, on the 79th Street Causeway), sitting on the deck at Shuckers overlooking the north bay with breezes to strong putting napkins in your lap was not possible, I finally got around to reading the sports section of USA Today and was quick to see a photo on page 3 of Carl Franks squatting along the sideline when he was head coach at Duke in 2003. The story came with a note that Duke has the number one historically hapless football program in the six major conferences according to the website LostLetterman.com.

I was quick to take a photo of the photo with my Blackberry phone and sent it via text message to two Duke fans who were just as quick to respond with something about the Blue Devils football win over NC State last fall. Just as quick as they were to respond with their response about a one-year superiority over the Wolfpack, they also failed to remember the category: Historically Hapless Football Programs. Enough said. Hand downs!

That was just after midday between appointments. It was later in the evening, just after 7:00 when I heard from one of the two again, this time through instant messaging as I was back at the bar at Shuckers, work done for the day, knocking back Amber Bocks and eating calamari while I think he was at home experimenting with Zinfandel instead of his standard Merlot or single malt something, though he claimed he was drinking a white zinfandel from the Biltmore Grape-Growing Land and Winery. Best I can figure out is he was licking the inside of the bottle of Biltmore’s Zinfandel Blanc de Noir. (“Pretty good with salsa,” he explained via text.) The phrase “blanc de noir” is a French term meaning “white wine from red grapes” and which could be a pale pink wine made from zinfandel grapes. How and why he came about with that bottle, there is probably no easy answer. Why and how I was drinking Amber Bock can be explained but not now.

Anyway, I noticed across the bottom of the SportsCenter screen hanging slightly above the Shuckers bar that Mike Garrett, the athletics director at Southern California, is out and Pat Hayden is in as the Trojans try to change its nasty and rule breaking image. I mentioned that in a text it to him. “Garret was an (expletive),” he returned. “He got (former Duke football coach) Mike McGee fired at his first USC job.” McGee was athletics director at USC west (LA CA) and USC east (Columbia SC), his second USC job. Actually, I believe, he was AD at both schools at the same time for several days, weeks, whatever, trying to wrap up one job while starting the other.

My response to his mention of McGee leaving Southern Cal for Southern Car was “Yeah” as I tried to steer away from a long discussion about anything Duke other than what I started several hours earlier. The short reaction was not what he wanted to hear or read, so, then he forced the conversation in this direction:

Him: “Wait. I start talking about Duke guys and all I get is ‘yeah’?”
Me: “They could have hired Debbie Yow. She’s available and has eight national titles in field hockey and women’s lacrosse.”
Him: “Yeah, you guys jumped too early.”
Me: “Not ‘you guys.’ Chancellor (Randy) Woodson jumped. He’s not one of us.”
Him: “So the Purdue guy isn’t a Wolfie?”
Me: “Not a Wolfie yet. You have to earn it.”
Him: “Yes, just like my daughter (a State student).”
Me: “She’s close but not there yet. Too much fuss about the importance of cheerleading.”
Him: “She will have a red class ring next year just like you Dad’s, which she will be very proud of.”
Me: “Not LIKE my dad’s. She’s close; just tell her to drop the rah-rah squad importance. She also pulls for Duke too much. Good Wolfies, true Wolfies, don’t do that.”
Him: “Smart ones do.”

Me: “No. To be a real, true Wolfie, you hope Carolina and Duke lose everything, and when the two play each other, we hope they finish the game so late the newspapers do not have coverage. She hasn’t taken the oath, not earned the right to be a Wolfie. Anyone, if they can get in, can pay to go (to State) and get a degree (if they do the work), but it takes a commitment to be a Wolfie for life. She sat at Carter-Finley Stadium last fall and pulled for Duke (to beat State), and two years ago, she was there pulling for South Carolina because one of her high school friends plays for South Carolina. That’s not a true Wolfie.”

Him: “Yeah, I guess just going to college for four years doesn’t count at State. That’s like earning a degree anywhere else in three years.”
Me: “Like at Duke where the requirements are only 75 percent of the NCSU requirements. Hard to get into Duke; easy to get a degree there. Half the students and most of the athletes couldn’t cut it at State. Sounds like my post for tomorrow.”
Him: “Right. You really believe that. I think State is a great school but academically it isn’t Duke. I’m good at helping you with column subjects.”
Me: “Other way around. Professors are easy at Duke to make sure they have high graduation rates. School policy.”
Him: “It only takes me 20 minutes, and you have another column.”
Me: “Battery going dead. This State grad lost his wall charger in Tampa. Keep it coming.”
Him: “Wonder who got Shakespeare going?”

Then it was back to talking about wine, before the battery really went dead and spent timeout in the rental-mobile getting its strength back on the car charger. When the Blackberry came back to life two hours later, the conversation continued and didn’t miss a beat.

Me: “The N&O got Marvin Austin’s Twitter transcript and wrote a story. Believe it or not, the writer actually used “(sic)” after misspelled and misused words. On Twitter! It’s okay on Twitter and the N&O writer does that!”

Him: “Oh, you State guys are so happy UNC may be in trouble after all your Wolfpack inequities. Almost like me reveling in the Wake County school system’s problems after all the grief Raleigh has given Durham.”

Me: “Only on probation or sanctions the last time Duke was: 1972-73.”
Him: “But we are mature enough to learn from our mistakes and not revel in the problems of our brother institutions.”
Me: “How much Zin have you had tonight?”
Him: “Enough. By the way, we both wish we have football players that agents wanted to take to South Beach.”

Maybe so, but Duke’s got to get over that top spot on that historically hapless football programs before that’ll happen. From the USA Today report: Duke is all kinds of atrocious on the gridiron, having won three bowl games in the program’s history—the last one 50 years ago. And the Blue Devils have been home for the holidays every year since the 1994 season. Duke has gone almost all downhill since Steve Spurrier left to coach Florida in 1990. That includes a 23-game losing streak from 1999-2001 because, as former head coach Carl Franks put it, “Winning football games has certainly been harder than I anticipated.”

Historically, speaking to my two buddies, NC State is nowhere close to the haplessness of Duke when it comes to football. On the other hand, if the Wolfpack has a fifth straight losing season…

Yow's Incentive Earnings Mind-Boggling

Whatever happened to the idea of being hired to do a specific job at a decent wage and then being rewarded at year end by your boss when your performance (or that of your department) exceeds, not just meets, expectations. In college athletics, unfortunately, there are incentives built into contracts for coaches and administrators. These motivations should be the desire of the coach or the administrator. Imagine hiring a coach to lead the football team and then giving him additional cash when his team has a winning season or wins a conference title or goes to a bowl, the primary reasons he's been added to the staff to begin with. It's the norm not the exception.

It's the standard these days to set an extravagant base salary and then toss out additional bucks when the team does things it should do anyway. Back to football. "Hey coach! We want you to head up the football program and we'll pay you hundreds of thousands just to be here. And, by the way, if you have a winning record, we'll give you more, and if you win a championship, you'll get more. And, if your players go to class, keep their academics up to the level that they remain in college, we'll give you more. And, if your players graduate, we'll give you the key to the ranch."

It all needs to be pulled back, if you ask me. Pay the coaches and the administrators a fair wage, and if their teams do not live up to expectations such as winning games, winning titles and graduating players as outlined when hired, terminate the contract and find someone else who is willing to the job at a better level for less. Which brings us to Debbie Yow and the absolutely crazy five-year contract approved by the NC State University Board of Trustees just prior to her hiring last Friday.

Probably the toughest part about being Yow's job as Athletics Director may be keeping a matrix of just how much money she can earn if Wolfpack teams are successful which they should be without incentives for her or the coaches. With multiple incentives for multiple bonuses, the contract is interesting reading, to say the least. Thanks to PackPride for obtaining it and thanks to wralsportsfan.com for running the information provided by PackPride. Below are the details. There's space at the end for your comments, anonymous or otherwise. Mine are already there:
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BASE SALARY
$350,000 based on a 12-month employment period. The salary is in place for five years.

SUPPLEMENTAL COMPENSATION
• N.C. State shall approve payments to Dr. Yow in the form of supplemental compensation in the amount of $100,000 for each year of the contract, contingent on funding from NC State's Marketing Rights Agreement.
• The supplemental compensation will be paid in two equal installments on December 31 and June 30 of each contract year.

TEAM PERFORMANCE INCENTIVES/COMPENSATION
Director's Cup
Dr. Yow is eligible for one of the following bonuses per contract year:
• $20,000 in contract years one through three in which NC State's performance ended during such contract year ranks in the top 50 and $15,000 in contract years four and five in which NC state's performance ended during such contract year ranks in the top 50 or $25,000 for a top 25 in the Final Director's Cup Standings
• These bonuses are not cumulative. Any amount earned will be paid no later than September 30 immediately following the end of the then applicable contract year.

Football
Dr. Yow is eligible for one of the following bonuses per contract year (ties decided by ACC tiebreakers):
• $50,000 in any contract year in which the Football team wins the ACC championship
• $25,000 in any contract year in which the Football team finishes the ACC regular season in second, third, or fourth place
• $15,000 in any contract year in which the Football team finishes the ACC regular season in fifth or sixth place
• $100,000 in any contract year in which the Football team wins the NCAA national championship
• These bonuses are not cumulative. Any amount earned will be paid within 90 days following the date of the bowl game.

Men's Basketball
Dr. Yow is eligible for one of the following bonuses per contract year:
• $25,000 in any contract year in which the Men's Basketball team wins the ACC regular season championship
• $10,000 in any contract year in which the Men's Basketball team wins the ACC Tournament championship
• $20,000 in contract years one through three in which the Men's Basketball team participates in the NCAA postseason tournament and $15,000 in contract years four through five for the same
• $25,000 in any contract year in which the Men's Basketball team participates in the Final Four of the NCAA postseason tournament
• $50,000 in any contract year in which the Men's Basketball team is named NCAA national champions
• These bonuses are not cumulative. Any amount earned will be paid within 90 days following the last game played by the team in the NCAA postseason basketball tournament.

Women's Basketball
Dr. Yow is eligible for one of the following bonuses per contract year:
• $25,000 in any contract year in which the Women's Basketball team wins the ACC regular season championship
• $10,000 in any contract year in which the Women's Basketball team wins the ACC Tournament championship
• $20,000 in contract years one through three in which the Women's Basketball team participates in the NCAA postseason tournament and $15,000 in contract years four through five for the same
• $25,000 in any contract year in which the Women's Basketball team participates in the Final Four of the NCAA postseason tournament
• $50,000 in any contract year in which the Women's Basketball team is named NCAA national champions
• These bonuses are not cumulative. Any amount earned will be paid within 90 days following the last game played by the team in the NCAA postseason basketball tournament.

Other Varsity Sports Teams
Dr. Yow is eligible for one of the following bonuses per contract year:
• $5,000 in any contract year for each varsity sports team that wins an ACC regular season championship
• $2,500 in any contract year for each varsity sports team that participates in postseason NCAA competition
• $10,000 in any contract year for each varsity sports team that wins a NCAA championship
• These bonuses are not cumulative per team. Any amount earned will be paid within 90 days following the last game/match/meet played by the team in the NCAA postseason competition.

ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE INCENTIVES/COMPENSATION
Graduation Rates
• In contract years one through two in which the scholarship student athletes' graduation rate meets or exceeds that of the undergraduate student population, a bonus of $25,000 will be awarded.
• In contract years three through five in which the scholarship student athletes' graduation rate meets or exceeds that of the undergraduate student population and the scholarship student athletes graduation rate qualifies for the top 50% of the ACC public university rates, a bonus of $25,000 will be awarded.
• Any amount earned will be paid within 90 days following the May Commencement.

ACADEMIC PROGRESS RATE
• Eligible for $1,000 for each varsity sports team which is in the upper 50% of the ACC Academic Progress Rate ("APR") public university rankings provided that no varsity sports team is below a rolling 4 year average APR of 925, the sanction level as established by the NCAA.
• The maximum bonus potential to earn in any contract year for APR would be $23,000 currently based on twenty-three varsity sports teams. Any amount earned will be paid within 90 days following the submission to the NCAA of the university's annual APR report.

MISCELLANEOUS
• N.C. State will reimburse Dr. Yow for documented personal moving expenses reasonably incurred by her to relocate initially to the Raleigh area within 12 months of the effective date of this agreement and two house hunting trips, in accordance with standard procedures. As part of the transition, reimbursement for up to 6 months of temporary housing expenses in North Carolina, up to $2,000 per month, shall be provided upon provision of appropriate rental receipts.
• N.C. State shall make arrangements for and provide one courtesy or leased vehicle for Dr. Yow to use. NC State shall be responsible for maintaining collision and comprehensive liability insurance on the vehicle. Alternatively, NC State may provide an annual automobile allowance in the amount of $7,500. Dr. Yow shall be responsible for providing maintenance on any vehicle.
• N.C. State shall make arrangements for one local country club, and State Club and/or University Club membership for the purpose of conducting university business.
• With the prior written approval of the Chancellor, and in compliance with State and Federal law, NCAA regulations, etc... the Student Aid Association a/k/a "Wolfpack Club," any other entity, organization, or individual may provide or fund supplemental benefits to Dr. Yow. These benefits are not guaranteed and the Chancellor's approval may be withdrawn.
• Dr. Yow can earn other compensation from sources outside of NC State while employed by NC State with prior approval by the Chancellor. Activities shall include, but not be limited to, engaging in any radio, television, motion picture, Internet, state, writing or any similar activity, personal appearances, commercial endorsements, and sports camps.
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Now, my take on this
Whew! Can someone tell me what the entire potential adds up to be or, when you think about it, does it really matter, especially if the teams and athletes do so well that her earnings are maximized? Here are my additional comments:
• Are there penalties built in when the football and men's and women's basketball programs have losing records or do not make post-season play?
• Are there penalties for every player who drops from or is dropped from any team for any reason including academics and brushes with the law or for simply not being good enough which falls back on the coach who recruited the player to begin with?
• And, what's so special about women's basketball? Why not baseball or soccer or some other sport that has a chance to operate in the black and not the red. We know that women's basketball, with all its glitz and glamour, is very expensive to operate, maybe the most expensive in the ACC when looking at revenue and expenses together.

Each one of the contract incentives should be Yow's desire for NC State athletics and nothing for which extra money should be paid. I know you have to pay a lot to get the best, and I want NC State athletics teams to be the best, to win games and championships, but this is ridiculous, if you ask me. But then that's the norm for college athletics. Maybe Yow should be gracious and eliminate some of these incentives from her contract just to show her desire to be successful at a job she has been hired to do.

Winning Will Make Debbie Yow Popular

“I, fortunately, do not have a great need to be popular. I’d rather win than be popular.” —Debbie Yow.
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It was with disbelief AND skepticism (if you can have both at the same time since the meaning of each is each other) that the appointment of Debbie Yow as the next Athletics Director at NC State University greeted me. Maybe it was because during the last couple of months as I considered possibilities for that Wolfpack leadership position, she never crossed my mind prior to the moment I received a text message late Thursday night as I enjoyed dinner and a beer or two while watching the College World Series at Shuckers Bar & Grill on the 79th Street Causeway in North Bay Village FL.

When the Blackberry, sitting on the bar next to the plate of lightly-fried calamari and the cold glass of Yuengling, started to vibrate, I put down my fork and reached for my hand-held access to the world. What I found was an instant message with two words: Debbie Yow. I knew immediately the meaning of the IM and, instead of responding, I started to surf the web for confirmation. It didn’t take long to realize the messenger knew what was to be announced the next afternoon.

A few exchanges of typed words and phrases of disbelief went quickly until the person on the other end said I was playing the part of the river that runs through Egypt. I was told I was in denial. Maybe so, but again, this was not a name or a person I or anyone else other than maybe a handful of people with the ear of Chancellor Randy Woodson and the official Search Committee along with the hired consultant used to seek and find the person to lead the Wolfpack Athletics Program to the Promised Land had considered as a possible replacement for Lee Fowler.

As noted in this space last Friday, I wondered if this—Debbie Yow—was the best selection. I admittedly was disappointed not to see Bobby Purcell get the chance to prove he’s the right person for the job. Even into Friday morning and before the official announcement was made Friday afternoon, I continued to read across the Internet to see how this was playing in Raleigh, in Maryland, and in other places just short of Peoria. Most reaction was, “What were they thinking?” That was the theme among many in attendance at the memorial service for the late Fred Barakat, the former Atlantic Coast Conference Associate Commissioner who passed away recently. You can imagine the number of college athletics savvy people at that gathering.

My long-time friend, John Feinstein, a writer for The Washington Post and an author of so many books that I’ve lost track of the number and titles, wasn’t kind at all to Debbie Yow when he heard of the choice by NC State. Friday, in his blog, Feinstein On The Brink, he combined the selection of John Wall by the Washington Wizards and the departure of Yow from Maryland as a reason for Washington area athletics fans to celebrate. Of the Maryland Athletics Director, he said: “Yow won’t be missed by many in College Park. She’ll have a certain honeymoon period at State because her sister Kay, who died in 2009 of cancer, was a beloved coach there for 34 years. My guess is that honeymoon won’t last terribly long.” FYI: John is a personal friend of Maryland basketball coach Gary Williams.

There was a lot more reading throughout the day and beyond the announcement, some positive towards the naming Yow and some not so flattering. Maybe the most humorous was on the WRALSportsFan.Com site where Jeff Gravely interviewed 99.9TheFan host Adam Gold who said this was a great hire. Two things: Gravely and Gold work for the same company and reduced journalism to its lowest levels with that story (if you don’t understand, well it would be like Chip Alexander of The News & Observer interviewing Ron Green Jr of the Charlotte Observer, both members of the shared sports staff of the two papers, about the renovation of Pinehurst #2 golf course) and Gold is a graduate of Maryland (or at least an attendee) and may have his own motives for Yow to move away from College Park.

While questions about the hiring and the process will persist, I was impressed with two short phrases Yow strung together when she was introduced to the public last Friday at Carter-Finley Stadium. “I, fortunately, do not have a great need to be popular,” she said. “I’d rather win than be popular.” That reminded me and others of the way Willis Casey, as far as I’m concerned the standard when it comes to being a college Athletics Director especially at NC State, was in doing his job. He ruled that department with an iron fist, kept pushing the program forward, demanded a lot of his coaches and created an overall winning atmosphere. He hired Debbie Yow’s sister, Kay, to head the women’s basketball program in its infancy.

As said earlier, questions will persist about the hiring, and, like it or not, both Yow and Chancellor Woodson will be under the microscope of Wolfpack fans. For instance, Woodson, from all we know, only met Yow for the first time earlier in the week last week and, with the recommendation of the Search Committee and the consultant, decided to offer her the job that day without the due diligence of talking with other athletics officials from across the nation. He also talked excitedly about Yow’s academic record at Maryland though Maryland ranks under NC State in the two major sports of football and basketball when it comes to the most recent Academic Progress Rate. This is something I mentioned in Friday’s posting.

Obviously, Debbie Yow is smart. In moving to NC State she will be working for a Chancellor who sought her employment, who wants her and who offers what it takes to be successful. Chancellor Woodson had to have said all the right things to get her to leave behind what she had at Maryland. And, if she had stayed at Maryland, she would have to convince a new President to like and keep her as the one who hired her is retiring.

At Maryland, part of Yow’s success was balancing a budget sorely in need of such and improving facilities, also needed for the Terrapins. She has expertise and success in two areas that do not need addressing at NC State. A solid, non-deficit budget and excellent facilities (as good as or better than any in the Atlantic Coast Conference), she said, “are two important elements to have in place.” So she comes into a program where her concentration can be on winning. In doing so, her efforts start with evaluating coaches and determining if the right people are in the right place. She said it is “critically important to match resources with expectations, to determine the needs” and to make sure everything is in place to give the coaches the opportunity to be successful.

This—asking the coaches what it will take to be successful and then providing it to them—is very much how Willis Casey governed: just enough rope to hang themselves unless they can avoid the noose. He would constantly ask the coaches, especially football and basketball, if their budgets were large enough, if the staff was right, if there was anything else they needed. The prospect for success was squarely placed on the coaches. Debbie Yow does not have to be another Willis Casey (not liked by all but respected by most), but right out of the gate she seems to be headed that way in her own style and fashion. And that’s a good thing. Maybe she’s not who I wanted as NC State Athletics Director, but then in the overall scheme of things it really doesn’t matter what I want.

But, I believe I speak for most Wolfpack fans when I say I want Wolfpack athletics—especially the football and men's basketball teams—to thrive, to win games and championships without sacrificing academics and good character. And, with a thriving program—especially the football and men's basketball teams—of winning games and bringing home championships, Debbie Yow, in winning over naysayers, will not only have her cake but she'll get to feast on a wave of her own popularity, needing it or not.

NACDA Honors Lee Fowler With ADOY

In the for what it’s worth department, Lee Fowler, the embattled NC State University Athletics Director whose days are numbered (is June 30th his last day on the job?), will be receiving a very nice honor and award this week from the National Association of College Directors of Athletics (NACDA) during the organization’s annual convention.

Fowler, who got the boot from former temporary interim transitory NC State Chancellor James Woodward, whose decision was upheld by Chancellor Randy Woodson when he took office in April, has been named one of the 29 winners of the NACDA’s Under Armour AD of the Year (ADOY) Award. His selection is for the southeast regional honor in the Football Bowl Subdivison. There are only four regional honorees in that category, of course, considered the highest level of being an Athletics Director. Other honorees come from these categories: Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA); Division I (formerly Division I-AAA); Division II; Division III; NAIA; and Junior/Community Colleges, along with one International winner.

From the NACDA new release: The ADOY award highlights the efforts of athletics directors at all levels for their commitment and positive contributions to campuses and their surrounding communities. Said Executive Director Mike Cleary: “Before the program’s inception, our Honors and Awards Committee recognized a need for an award such as the AD of the Year. The program brings to light the exceptional jobs done by athletics directors across the country. These 29 winners exemplify that, providing us with a group of outstanding athletics directors who excel at their jobs.”

In the same category as Fowler, the honorees are: Morgan Burke, Purdue University, Central; Bob De Carolis, Oregon State University, West; and, Jeff Hathaway, University of Connecticut, Northeast.

Also from the NACDA release and website: All NACDA-member directors of athletics in the United States, Canada and Mexico who met the criteria were eligible for the award. Among the criteria were service as an AD for a minimum of five academic years; demonstration of commitment to higher education and student-athletes; continuous teamwork, loyalty and excellence; and the ability to inspire individuals or groups to high levels of accomplishments. Additionally, each AD's institution must have passed a compliance check through its appropriate governing body (i.e., NCAA, NAIA, etc.), in which the institution could not have been on probation or cited for a lack of institutional control within the last five years during the tenure of the current athletics director.

Nominators were NACDA-member directors of athletics, institutional presidents and conference commissioners. Special Selection Committees composed of current and former directors of athletics, present and past NCAA and NAIA presidents, current and former commissioners and other key athletics administrators voted on nominees for the award.

Fowler will be honored this Thursday at the NACDA’s Awards Luncheon in Anaheim CA. For what it’s worth: Congratulations, Lee! You deserve the recognition.

Emails About Fowler Didn't Make A Difference

It’s not surprising that NC State University Chancellor Randy Woodson received emails about Wolfpack Athletics Director Lee Fowler before and shortly after Woodson took office. The faithful have been restless for several years, blaming the woes of the football and basketball programs on Fowler who hired both Sidney Lowe and Tom O’Brien.

What is surprising is the remote possibility that the opinions of 29 people who, according to a story in Sunday’s The News & Observer, emailed Woodson, former temporary Chancellor James Woodward and Fowler, had anything solid to do with Fowler’s dismissal.

From the newspaper’s article, written by Ken Tysiac: “The e-mails reveal a deep discontent among at least a faction of N.C. State fans who insisted on being heard by interim chancellor Woodward and then by Woodson as the university’s administration underwent changes at the top.”

Maybe Tysiac meant to say a small “fraction” instead of just a “faction” because if only 29 people wrote emails during that span there was not a lot of ground-swell to get rid of Fowler during the period of emails, Feb 1 through early May. And if decisions were made based on those emails only, then it’s time to either change administrations, again, or to fire several other people in the administration such as, for instance, Vice Chancellor of Advancement Nevin Kessler who is not doing his job in the more important role of chief fund-raiser for the University. His efforts pale in comparison to that of Fowler.

There was much more outrage when Kessler and his lackey Woodward fired then NCSU Alumni Association Executive Director Lennie Barton. I recall meeting Woodson at a reception in Reynolds Coliseum just after the UNC Board of Governors agreed with UNC President Erskine Bowles to hire Woodson. I extended my hand to his and introduced myself, “Chancellor Woodson, I’m Jim Pomeranz,” I said. Woodson, shaking my hand, looked me in the eye and said, “Very nice to meet you, and let me tell you I know of your concerns (about Kessler and Barton). And, there are many, many others who have your same concerns.”

Just based on that conversation, the outrage over Barton’s dismissal and Kessler’s inability was greater than the recent emailing about Fowler.

That said, the disappointment in Fowler, directly related to the results of the basketball and football teams as well as most all other sports, has been a sore subject for several years. In the past year, several regular Wolfpack followers have communicated that they refuse to buy season tickets to football and basketball or attend any Wolfpack sports event as long as Fowler is in charge. Now, they’ve changed their tune since the announcement of Fowler’s dismissal. They’re saying they’ve now applied for football tickets for the 2010 season and are looking forward to returning to the RBC Center for basketball games.

In reality, the idea of replacing Fowler has been stirring for several months, if not years. Chancellors prior to Woodward weren’t interested in replacing Fowler as much as they were interested in replacing head coaches. And, Fowler did himself no favors when Herb Sendek voluntarily left the Wolfpack basketball program and Fowler hop-scotched around the country looking for a head basketball coach before settling on Lowe who had no college coaching experience. And, when it was time to replace Chuck Amato as head football coach, Fowler settled on O’Brien who hasn’t done very well in that capacity.

So, when Woodward showed his true, weak colors and caved into the wishes of Kessler to fire Barton, it was obvious to several “high-rolling” supporters that Woodward could also make the decision to fire Fowler. One man’s lackey is another man’s salvation when it comes to decision-making. And, does anyone think that Woodson, who replaced Woodward, would reverse the decision? If so, there’s plenty of oil splattered beach front in the Gulf of Mexico for sale. Go get it.

Those emails from 29 people did nothing to continue or prevent the termination of Lee Fowler. Once Woodward made the decision to halt the contract of Fowler, it was a done deal. What would be interesting to know is who told Woodward to do it and when, possibly sometime last fall. I doubt Woodward made the decision on his own. Someone had his ear on this subject, and emails about that would be a lot more interesting to read than what was reported in Sunday’s newspaper.

Pitch Count Not Good For Good Baseball

Listening to the radio last Saturday morning, listening to the live broadcast of one of NC State’s games in the Atlantic Coast Conference baseball tournament, I heard the announcer, Tony Haynes, mention pitch count, telling and anyone else listening that the pitcher on the mound for the Wolfpack was soon to be done for the day. “He’s nearing 100 pitches and that’s just about his limit,” Haynes said, or something close to that.

He was right. After the next batter bounced out or walked or struck out or hit a fly ball to center, after the batter was retired, or after the batter reached base with a hit or by being hit by the limit in pitch count or by a base on balls, a change was made and the pitcher, doing a pretty good job at the time, was lifted for a relief pitcher. I was so focused on the term "pitch count." I couldn't tell you about the pitcher's last pitch.

Actually, the pitcher on the mound was a relief pitcher as well, taking the place Saturday morning for a pitcher who tossed through two outs the night before prior to the game being delayed because of rain, lightning, sleet, snow, hail and gloom of night, all impending reasons that the game Friday should never have been started in the first place. Are you following me?

Anyway, while cutting my grass Saturday morning (it may have been just after high noon), as I listened to the game being broadcast on WKNC-FM, 88.1, NC State’s student radio station that, many years ago, broadcasted the Wolfpack baseball games with actual student announcers but for some reason, maybe monetary, has given the airtime to Wolfpack Sports Marketing, a division of Capitol Broadcasting (can you say WRAL-TV and WRAL-FM and other television and radio stations, when "pitch count" was mentioned, I thought of an article in the May 24, 2010 edition of Sports Illustrated.

The article—Nolan Ryan’s Crusade—was about his transformation of the Texas Rangers’ pitching staff from a bunch of prima donna baseball pitchers being baby-sat to a group of tough guys who can actually approach, if not get to, pitching a complete game instead of being taken out when the pitch count became a road block and said to the manager and coaches it was time to stop throwing for the day.

In that article, speaking about pitchers, Ryan, maybe, just maybe the greatest, if not just one of the greatest, fast-ballers ever, was quoted in the article: “For one thing, they (pitchers) don’t learn to think for themselves anymore. Coaches started calling all the pitches in high schools and colleges. How do they know, sitting on the bench, what the guy on the mound has confidence in? That’s like going out there and telling the pitcher, ‘Don’t hang this curve ball.’ I call it robot baseball, and it drives me crazy.”

Ryan, president of the Rangers and probably soon to be an owner of the team, continued in the article of which there is no prior permission to reprint here but it fits today’s need: “Pitchers have been pampered. I’d go to spring training, and all they’d do is throw on the side. Now how in the world do you learn how a hitter’s going to react to your pitchers without a hitter in there? I always thought that was crazy. Our expectations of them have been lowered. There’s no reason why kids today can’t pitch as many innings as people did in my era. Today a quality start is six innings. What’s quality about that?”

He pointed out that, in 1987, he was the victim of the idea that pitchers can only throw a limited time, a determined number of tosses toward home plate when a batter is standing in the batter’s box. “I was put on a pitch count with the Astros when I had an arm problem…and hated it. I’d get to that pitch count, and they’d take me out with guys on base, but in my mind I knew I could get this out.”

As president of the organization, Ryan has made sure the coaching staff is of like mind, and one of those is pitching coach Mike Maddux. Here’s some of what he had to say for the article written by Albert Chen: “This generation of players has become a creature of the pitch count. Their ceiling has been lowered. It’s up to us to jack it back up." When hired by Ryan, Maddux told his pitchers: "Pitch counts are limits. You have no limits." And he says in general: "What we’re trying to get rid of is that thing in pitchers’ heads of how many pitches they have. I’d be out there asking how they feel, and they’d say, ‘Well, how many pitches do I have?’ And, I’d say, ‘Doesn’t matter. How do you feel?’ ”

In all of this, if you are a baseball fan, you understand from whence Ryan comes. He’s both a throw back to when pitchers wanted to throw complete games, all nine innings and a victim of the current protect-the-arm procedure. Arms were tough in his former life; bodies took a beating; rest came after the World Series. But, there’s a point in baseball, just as with anything other sport, it seems, where that changed. Again, listen to Ryan:

“Baseball got into allowing these kids to not do the work. Money is the reason and the excuse you get from organizations: that we’re protecting our investments. Well, protect the investment [too much], and you may not get the return.” My guess is that many of the pitchers also want to protect their arm from early dismissal (retirement) from the game, protecting their potential income for years to come.

I like Ryan’s approach to baseball. I’m not advocating Wolfpack baseball coach Elliott Avent or his pitching coach or any coach of any college team at this point in the season—the NCAA Tournament starts later this week—go from pitch counts to complete games. My guess is college staffs are not in shape to handle the extra tosses. What I’d like to see, though, is a conditioning program—also outlined in that Sports Illustrated article, if anyone is listening—that pushes starting college pitchers to go more innings which means fewer relief pitchers, probably just closers instead of long, middle and short relievers.

At this point, with young, out-of-shape-tender-arms, pitch counts might be necessary evils, but then while pulling a hurler at a pre-determined pitch count in a game might work in a team’s favor, it might also backfire. For instance, if a pitcher is good for 100 pitches, I wonder how many coaches leave a pitcher in the game, prior to 100, even if the opponent is getting hits or reaching base on four balls. Remember, over on the bench, the science goes deeper. Starter gets 100 pitches; reliever gets 30; next reliever 25; and so on and so forth. Taking a pitcher out before the limit could cause problems with who relieves when.

It’s all about trying to win games and less about the game. I hope for baseball’s sake that Ryan’s movement at Texas spreads to the rest of Major League Baseball, into the minors, at the college level and into the high schools. It’ll make for a better game. And a better radio broadcast. Please, please, please, Tony Haynes, give us a better reason to pull the pitcher than the pitch count.