Sounds like the new Rutgers Athletic Director did a lot of the same things that got Mike Rice fired

Comedian Phil Silvers once sang that 'Nobody Ever Died for Dear Old Rutgers,' that is until the story broke about the new Rutgers AD Julie Hermann saying a lot of the things that recently-fired Mike Rice said to his basketball team to her University of Tennessee women's volleyball team from back in 1996. At the time all 15 members of the Lady Vols volleyball team signed a letter to the Athletic Director saying:

The players say everyone, including the athletic director, had been brought together by a letter all 15 players on the team had submitted. In it, the players said, their coach had ruled through humiliation, fear and emotional abuse.

"The mental cruelty that we as a team have suffered is unbearable," the players wrote. Specifically, they said the coach had called them "whores, alcoholics and learning disabled."

Hermann says this never happened. She told Craig Wolff with the Star-Ledger she didn't remember the letter being signed by all 15 of her players. Mmmmm hmmmmm, suuuuure you don't.

Let us ask you readers a question if we may. At some point you may have been asked to be a bridesmaid or a groomsman. Perhaps more than once. Here's the question, do you remember all the weddings you stood up in? If you were fuzzy and were then shown VHS talkie movies of yourself at the event you'd probably remember it well in fact, yes? Not if you're Julie Hermann who during her intro presser at Rutgers was asked about comments she made on a tape at the wedding that led to Tennessee losing a $150K lawsuit over a ham-handed firing of one of Hermann's assistants who committed the crime of becoming pregnant.

"There's a video? I'm sorry, did you say there's a video? There's no video, trust me."

You know what happens next.

Remarks Hermann made at the wedding were caught on tape by the wedding videographer and would become central to the discrimination lawsuit against the university in 1997 that ended with the jury siding with Hineline.

"I hope it's good tonight," she says into the camera. "Because I know you've been waiting for a while, but I hope it's not too good, because I don't want you to come back February with any surprises, you know, the office and all, and it would be hard to have a baby in there."

Oh, and this wedding she's fuzzy on, she caught the bouquet.

Zero credibility this one. In our opinion these women have nothing to gain by sticking to their stories when being interviewed by the Star-Ledger. Read the article, it tells of a coach acting like Mike Rice who was just put in charge of making sure Rutgers never sees another Mike Rice.

Sounds like somebody found the old Michigan playbook on hiring Rich Rodriguez in a trash can...

How about Rutgers basketball last night?

How long has it been since the Rutgers men have had such a huge win at the RAC (or anywhere for that matter?). The Rutgers men, behind 31 points from super freshman Eli Carter dropped #10 Florida in double overtime last night. The Scarlet Knights answered every question posed to them against a team ready-made to win close games like this. Head coach Mike Rice has to be pleased by this win, it's one of those you work on and try to be ready when the opportunity to beat a higher ranked team comes along.

Rutgers sure passed this final exam.

Of news roundups and tidbits

*Hats off to Rutgers head basketball coach Mike Rice for taking the high road yesterday afternoon after sloppy, LAZY and unprofessional referees screwed Rutgers out of a chance to beat St. John's. There are bad calls that happen but indifferent referees (Jim Burr, Tim Higgins and Earl Walton should NEVER be allowed to referee ANY Big East games again such was their epic fail) should not be a part of the NCAA college game. Rice taught his team a valuable lesson in losing with grace yesterday.

*The Jersey City Council last night unanimously approved a $477 million 2011 municipal budget that city officials say will come with no municipal tax hike.

*Both Jersey City and Bayonne are pretty sure they will not have the same drunken and out of control St. Patrick's parades that plague Hoboken yearly.