If there were a split

If the BE were to split and add a 9th team who would it be?

The Candidates

Central Florida
FB: 2007 Record 10-4 (7-1 CUSA Champs)
BBall: 16-15 (9-7 CUSA)
Market: Orlando 2.7 million

They have potential in FB. But would having both UCF and USF in the BE prevent both programs from becoming Top 25 caliber? Also what happens with recruiting in Florida? UCF being a BCS team will hurt USF. But will it also hurt the other BE teams? UCF will steal some recruits they were not able to get before. But having UCF will make the other BE teams more attractive for recruits vs other conf teams. So is there a net gain or loss? BBall UCF adds nothing. However they do add a good media market and help Bowl tie ins.

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East Carolina
FB: 8-5 (6-2)
BBall: 5-11 (11-19 CUSA)
Market: Greenville 175K

They too have potential in FB but are a mess in BBall. They add only a small market. They have a history in FB with several BE teams.

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Memphis
FB: 7-6 (6-2)
BBall: 38-2 (16-0 CUSA Champs, lost Title game)
Market: Memphis 1.25 million

FB they dont add a whole lot, but could bring in a Bowl tie in. They have a decent market. But the real draw is the BBall team. The split will cause a void on the BBall side and Memphis would help fill that. This could be important for SU and UConn. Memphis has a relationship with UC and UL which helps their case. And finally USF wants anyone but UCF. So at least 5 teams look to be pro Memphis.

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Temple
FB: 4-8 (4-4 MAC)
BBall: 21-13 (11-5 A10)
Market: Philly 5.8 million

In FB Temple is the least attractive. And the BE just kicked Temple out. Adding them back makes the BE look foolish. However from a market perspective they are the most attractive. Losing cities in BBall like NYC, Philly, DC would hurt TV $. Keeping Philly would help a lot. The BBall team has a good tradition and will help with the loss from the split. Location wise Temple makes the most sense as they are a short trip. Money wise Temple has the least to pump into its programs.

Big East Conf records

The last 3 seasons

WV 17-4
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UL 14-7
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RU/USF 12-9
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Cincy 10-11
Pitt 9-12
UConn 8-13
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SU 2-19
ND 2-0
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GTown 0-0
Nova 0-1

Sopranos

I just caught the last episode again. When I first saw it I figured it was the show that got wacked. We (the viewers) didnt even see it coming. Reports that Steve Perry was assured the song wouldnt be used as Tony's demise support my original view. Also the fact that their lives didnt stop they went on and on and on and on. Why use that song?

However after analyzing the ending, I came to the conclusion it was Tony who was wacked. Which bring sup the questions why and by whom. My theory here is that Butchie took Tony out. When they met about Phil he just assured that he would back off. He honored that promise. Once Phil was taken out, you would assume Butch would become Boss. Now if you were him and were analyzing the situation would you keep Tony around?

It was plain and obvious that he never liked Tony. He wanted to take Tony out that time Tony blew up the Wire Room. Plus he knows in negotiations that Tony would want a 50/50 split on joint ventures. Tony pushed the envelope with Johnny Sac. Would he not do the same to the new Boss, Butchie, who Tony would likely think he is better than? Also there is always the fear that Tony would join up with Little Carmine to take over the Brooklyn family. Little Carmine was forced to retire because he is weak. But now that Brooklyn has been decimated it could be an opportunity to get back in. On the contrary Butchie could take over a decimated Jersey if he takes Tony out. Hit them while they are weak and least expect it. Do you not do this if you are Butchie?

Then of course there are quotes that back this up as well. Like the original script supposedly ending with the Members Only guy walking toward the table. Then there was flash back with Bobby form the seasons first episode. Although he could have been just thinking about Bobby dying and remembered that. However there is this quote:

"There had been indications of what the end is like. Remember when Jerry Torciano was killed? Silvio was not aware that the gun had been fired until after Jerry was on his way down to the floor. That's the way things happen: It's already going on by the time you even notice it."

However my original interpretation, that the viewer was the one who was wacked, can counter this argument. Which brings us back to what the hell happened? I think this quote may be the answer:

"I wasn't going to do this, but somebody said it would be a good idea if we said something about that ending. I really wasn't going to go into it, but I'll just say this...when I was going to Stanford University's graduate film school and was 23 [years old], I went to see Planet of the Apes with my wife. When it was over, I said, 'Wow...so they had a Statue of Liberty, too."

Is he saying that the ending is open to interpretation? Is this the final answer? My original thought was the viewer was wacked. After analyzing I came to the conclusion that Tony was wacked. But is the answer there is no ending? The ending is what you want it to be? Well since I have to have closure its RIP Tony Soprano.

Court Vision

If I had to pick now I would go with him in the Derby.

Cantor the Cannibal

http://www.dailyorange.com/home/index.cfm?event=displayArticlePrinterFriendly&uStory_id=17c8ad93-b0b9-44fa-a820-cc25b46af1eb



Interesting article on SU's budget

Lowlights:

-"Before RCM we were in pretty good shape," said Gross, who was hired in December 2004. "Now with RCM, it's a different animal for us because now we're paying a lot of (expenses) that we weren't paying for before. It's made it even more challenging. There's more revenues that we have to keep (generating)."

-First, while academic centers fund financial aid through tuition, Athletics has no tuition revenue to support its scholarships for its near-600 athletes. Second, the athletic department's facilities cover more area than most other centers on campus and demand higher utility costs. Part of the participation tax involves square footage.

-At Syracuse, the percentage of Athletics' revenue that comes from subvention is less than the national average at private schools - 20 percent compared to 28 percent.

Well that makes sense. A Sports school like SU is below avg in helping out Athletics. Brilliant!!!!