The last straw

It happened this morning, about the time Johnny saw the Red Bulls feed on Twitter coming out with yet another change in bag policies wherein clear bags with draw strings are no longer allowed. What the fuckity fuck ever. Yes, treat everyone who wants to go to your event like a would-be terrorist. If you're to the point a clear bag with draw strings is somehow a McGyver terror kit then Johnny's just done with the lot of you. He had to deal with a shitty brand spanking new bag policy down in New Brunswick at the Michigan State vs Rutgers football game October 10th. Oh hey, we forgot to tell you, yeah her purse can't come in but if you go to the other side of the stadium we have a locker truck set up and for the low low one time price of 10$ we'll hold your wife's purse for the night. Yeah, no planned profiteering going on there. Just a quick explanation of "Well we just decided to go with the NFL policy." Well thanks for telling anyone.

So no Red Bulls, Johnny's enjoyed going in the past but no more. No NFL games, No RU football games, no to anywhere that acts like this. At Devils games they look in your bag and let you in, they haven't given in to this "The guest is not to be trusted" policy so you know it's not some set in stone mandated law as certain venues would like you to believe. Red Bulls, don't call Johnny anymore about ticket plans (he unsubscribed from your constant emails a while ago but that did nothing) or this or that. The team may well be playing deep into the playoffs. Swell, just sell that seat to someone else.

Yep, Maryland's in and Rutgers will follow suit today

Just a quick update to yesterday's story -- Maryland did indeed agree to join the Big Ten starting in 2014 and Rutgers will follow suit today.

Rutgers can start on expanding football seating and building a new basketball arena. In the Big Ten you're only allowed to have a dump basketball arena if your name is Minnesota. In fact the great former head coach at Michigan State Jud Heathcote was asked how to improve Williams Arena in Minneapolis and his words were "Burn it to the ground."

Don't be THAT school Rutgers, get digging.

Your thoughts?

Rutgers and Maryland are set to join the Big Ten Conference word around the campfire has it

The Rutgers Board of Governors is set to meet this morning before the usual trustees meeting and everyone believes that the closed door part of the meeting agenda is the approval (or not) of the Scarlet Knights to pick up new playdates aka Michigan State, Penn State, Minnesota, Iowa and the rest. Also expected to make the decision to join the Big Ten is the University of Maryland as there are currently no turtle-styled mascots in the Big Ten yet.

The choice is clear for Rutgers -- the Big East is disintegrating yearly and the Big Ten is a top flight and fairly stable conference. Teams leave FOR the Big Ten, not from it. While in Maryland's case the ACC is more stable it still is experiencing turnover. This also gives the Big Ten something it has long wanted, an in to the east coast and NYC media markets.

Each new school brings something to the table athletically. Maryland is a traditional power in basketball while Rutgers would more than be holding their own in the Big Ten football this year. The part Rutgers fans wouldn't like much is the basketball aspect. The Scarlet Knight five have already lost to MAAC team St. Peters and the Big Ten has three teams in the top ten nationally. One you'd expect to be there, Michigan State simply shows up at the Final Four so often Tom Izzo gets frequent coaching miles. So Big Ten hoops will force Rutgers to step up their recruiting game which in the end is a good thing.

But how will the Big Ten rejigger their stupid "Leaders and Legends divisions"? See in the Big Ten you can't have and east and west or north and south conference, no they hired consultants who somehow landed on Leaders and Legends. It's silly yes, while former Nebraska head football coach Tom Osborne is a leader and a legend he never coached much in the Big Ten but the Big Ten Network still hypes him like he did. So where is Johnny's guess they land in the brave new 14 team Big TEN?

LEGENDS: Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Nebraska, Northwestern
LEADERS: Illinois, Indiana, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue, Wisconsin

We'd guess Maryland to the Legends and Rutgers to the Leaders. We say Rutgers to the Leaders as no doubt the Big Ten will want some kind of Penn State-Rutgers rivalry, ie New Jersey vs. Pennsylvania. This of course is nothing but wild speculation at the current time. Rivalry games and crossover games will of course factor into scheduling/slotting.

Confused? Well take heart and enjoy the ride. Connecticut and Syracuse fans pay attention, you're next.

Rutgers athletics are hemorrhaging money leading to a huge deficit

In these austere times we're living in to hear that an athletic program is losing money would not be entirely surprising. People do have less money to spend on a football or basketball game. Hell they're worried about food in the cupboard and immunizations for the children, not Greg Schiano's Scarlet Knight football squad, no matter how many gams they win.

Well, that point is being driven home in a great piece from the Star-Ledger this morning about the financial difficulties affecting the Rutgers athletic department brass about how much money Rutgers athletics is losing and how they have been putting up sandbags to staunch the bleeding but those sandbags are currently filled with student fees, tuition money (!?) and your tax dollars.

It's a great read on a troubling problem that is siphoning cash from your wallet sitting on your nightstand even as you look at it.