Author Archives: Kent Sterling

Verdict Is In – Brewers Suspended Outfielder Ryan Braun Is a Scumbag

by Kent Sterling

Ryan Braun serves as a role model to today’s youth as a weasel.

The “simple truth” is Ryan Braun is guilty, and has been suspended for the remainder of the 2013 baseball season.

Ryan Braun screamed from the rooftops that he was innocent two years ago when he appealed a suspension for the use of performance enhancing drugs, and called into serious question the professionalism of a deliveryman who simply held onto a vial of urine rather than send it immediately to a lab.

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The deliveryman’s reputation was irreversibly sullied, and Braun escaped suspension.

Today, he admitted to making some mistakes, but was vague about what mistakes were made, while Dino Laurenzi Jr. continues to suffer because of the angry invective Braun hurled at him as he tried to clear his name. That makes Braun an absolute scum, and the bizarre comments from the MLBPA extolling his virtues is inexcusable.

Braun is nothing more than an opportunist who tap danced, screamed, and sprinted from allegations that his urine sample showed a 20-to-1 ratio of testosterone to epitestosterone, while 4-to-1 is considered positive for PEDs.

It’s one thing to claim innocence when actually guilty, but it’s another when you take a wrecking ball to some anonymous working stiff reputation as an employee and man.

It was an inexcusable breach of manhood then – as though anyone bought urine sitting in a sealed container for an extra two or three days magically caused the testosterone to quintuple before being processed – but now that he has come out as a guy willing to admit a mistake, Braun looks much worse.

Fans have forgiven Pete Rose for the most part as a man who gambled on baseball as the manager of the Cincinnati Reds. Fans have forgiven Mark McGwire for using Andro to help build a physique capable of hitting baseballs 530 feet. Ryan Braun should never be forgiven – ever because he trampled the reputation of an innocent man to claim high ground when he knew he was guilty less than two years ago.

I would pay money to follow the Brewers just to boo his amoral ass.

And I would do the same to Michael Weiner, the MLBPA representative who praised Braun by saying, “I am deeply gratified to see Ryan take this bold step. It vindicates the rights of all players under the joint drug program. It is good for the game that Ryan will return soon to continue his great work both on and off the field.”

As for Laurenzi’s reputation, he is certainly vindicated, but what misery came to this man during the past 18 months because of the callous and cowardly acts of this same player who is now being seen as a bastion of contrition.

Braun’s comment as released by Major League Baseball reflect all the wrong type of responsibility taking, “As I have acknowledged in the past, I am not perfect. I realize now that I have made some mistakes. I am willing to accept the consequences of those actions.

“This situation has taken a toll on me and my entire family, and it is has been a distraction to my teammates and the Brewers organization. I am very grateful for the support I have received from players, ownership and the fans in Milwaukee and around the country.

“Finally, I wish to apologize to anyone I may have disappointed – all of the baseball fans especially those in Milwaukee, the great Brewers organization, and my teammates. I am glad to have this matter behind me once and for all, and I cannot wait to get back to the game I love.”

To ascribe willful cheating to a similar level of imperfection true of all human beings is a low and slimy level of noncontrition that admits to nothing more than being fallible. Pathetic again.

Braun’s comment doesn’t mention Laurenzi, and until it does, I hope the world boos this man so he knows the pain Laurenzi felt.

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Conference Commissioners Call for Immediate Change at the NCAA – and Delany Is Next

by Kent Sterling

ACC Commissioner John Swofford wants change at NCAA, and it’s going to come sooner rather than later.

The dancing around doing what’s right, and consistent laying of blame elsewhere rather than leading the charge to a logical resolution of the inequities that fill the college football and men’s college basketball landscape has gone on long enough.

After listening to ACC Commission John Swofford today and SEC Commission Mike Slive last week, my expectations for Big Ten boss Jim Delany to say something meaningful could not be lower.

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Not that he’s incapable of being a leader in actions as well as words – he’s one of the smartest guys in college athletics, and if you don’t believe me, just ask him – but conferences are doing everything they can to blame the NCAA for all societal wrongs.

Slive nauseated people who were actually listening to what he said by describing the letter he claims to have sent to the NCAA asking for leadership in the area of long term player health. There apparently is a four-part plan Slive authored that would address concussions and their effects later in life to football players. It was legal speak designed to deflect financial exposure.

Whether Slive has ever given any thought to the best football conference in America taking the reins of an effort to mandate the use of helmets that have proven more safe than the traditional shell and foam warheads that have remained mostly unchanged for over 30 years is unknown. He sure sounded like a guy more interested in lawsuit avoidance than doing some good for the players last week

When race drivers like Scott Brayton and Dale Earnhardt died after collisions with the wall, Indianapolis Motor Speedway CEO Tony George led the charge to develop the SAFR Barrier because it was the right thing to do. There is no way to know how many lives George’s expensive work saved.

Conversely, Slive’s efforts so far, according to his speech last week, has consisted of drafting a letter that he hopes serves as sufficient motivation for them to act. Pathetic.

Delany will likely address the payment of players above and beyond the traditional scholarship to cover, room, board, tuition, and books. The call to reward football and men’s basketball players commensurate to their value is a hot topic right now, and the compensatory system needs to evolve within the governance structure of the NCAA and the five major conferences, or it will continue to evolve outside it.

Money finds value, and that has always been the case in major college athletics. Whether it’s boosters giving a player a $300 hand shake, an agent handing an envelope to an athlete’s family member, or leased cars being given to athletes, the best players get cash. It’s always happened, and it always will, but student-athletes should still be able to monetize their images.

It’s time that those in charge recognize that college football and men’s college basketball at the BCS level are fundamentally different than anything else going on at the collegiate level.

There is no logic to keeping all collegiate athletics under the same regulatory umbrella, and a correction to manage football and men’s basketball differently from schools in the A-10, Horizon, Summit, and Patriot Leagues – among others – is long overdue.

Swofford spoke of the NCAA separating the regulatory work for the “Five Families” from the rest of the colleges and universities it oversees, or the next step might be for the ACC, SEC. Big Ten, Big 12, and Pac 12 to withdraw as members of the NCAA to form their own organization that will be better able to manage issues like recruiting, player compensation, and eligibility.

It’s time for someone to stand up and say that with the massive TV deals, coach contracts, and sold out stadiums, the only meaningful difference between major college football and professional football is the lack of compensation for players.

Nature abhors a vacuum and value finds cash. Those are two immutable laws of athletics and economics. It’s time for the heads of the Five Families to acknowledge that.

[ed. note: Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby said some similar things today, but his assertion that only a small percentage of football programs bend the rules is so far afield from reality that it negates the rest of his comments as the rantings of a lunatic. If there is anyone who is of the opinion that a single program among the Five Families schools is not complicit on some level of NCAA violation, they are mentally incapable of processing facts. That’s not to say programs themselves author the violations, but there is substantial evidence that kids or their families are getting cash from someone outside the program at many schools.]

Ohio State Running Back Carlos Hyde Dismissed by Urban Meyer

by Kent Sterling

Carlos Hyde is no longer a Buckeye.

College athletes – particularly football players – need to understand two realities or risk losing their careers. Nothing good happens after midnight, and this is not a good time to be arrested or accused.

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Carlos Hyde would have been a senior running back for the Ohio State Buckeyes expected to contribute toward another possible undefeated season, but is now is a “person of interest” in an assault of a woman at Sugar Bar Two in Columbus, and has been dismissed from the team.

Florida linebacker Antonio Morrison was arrested for allegedly punching a bouncer at a club that refused to waive the cover for him, and then pinched a second time for barking at a police dog and resisting the efforts of a cop to handcuff him.

The incident Hyde is connected to occurred at approximately two in the morning, and Morrison’s was after three.

When I was in high school and college, my Dad always tried to enforce a midnight curfew. When I would try to get him to extend it to one, he would always say, “Nothing good happens after midnight.” He was right. Every time I stayed out later, nutty things would happen – dangerous things, idiotic things.

ESPN’s Herm Edwards must have spent some time around my Dad. Edwards’ two mantras have become, “Nothing good happens after Midnight” and “Don’t press send.” Dad didn’t live long enough to see Facebook and Twitter, but I think he would have been an enormous troublemaker with tweets.

There is another problem – particularly at Ohio State. Football coach Urban Meyer needs to distance himself from former player Aaron Hernandez, and that means running a very tight ship, at least when confronted with police reports.

Meyer has no choice but to respond to troubled players stepping out of line by bringing down a heavy hammer with great force – more than is likely necessary.

There used to be a time when kids were allowed to act like morons as a rite of passage. Every college student breaks through societal boundaries at some point because they have never faced the consequences that provide those limits.

That time ended with Aaron Hernandez’s past being scrutinized as America demanded answers for the behavior he showed in allegedly shooting a friend in cold blood like he was a nephew of Tony Soprano.

With all hideous acts, the public looks for someone to blame, because without one we have to face the possibility for sociopathic rage to erupt from anyone at any time with the slightest provocation. That kind of randomness is terrifying, and so we want logic to intercede.

How could Meyer not see the homicidal urges in Hernandez, they want to know. Well, Meyer is not going to vouch for troubled kids anymore. Second mistakes tend to stick to a coach, and a another kid being allowed to wander beyond societal edges toward murder would become a significant footnote in Meyer’s legacy.

As a great man once said to me, “I like you, but I love my family.” Translation – “I’m not taking a bullet for your dumbass.”

Buckeyes should learn a lesson from Hyde. Make responsible choices, and put your head on a pillow at midnight. If you don’t, Meyer is not going to hesitate in sending you home.

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Indianapolis Colts 2013 Preview – Six Questions Must Be Answered for Colts to Return to Playoffs

by Kent Sterling

Andrew Luck was 10th in Ron Jaworski’s annual QB rankings. That will be the lowest he will ever rank if he can stay upright.

The Colts have added a lot of pieces to their roster, so GM Ryan Grigson didn’t make the mistake of falling in love with the magical 11-5 record posted in 2012.

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Prior to the Colts doing it in 2012, no team in NFL history won 11 games while being outscored by 30 or more points. Of their five losses, three were by 20 or more points, while a fourth was decided by 12. Their first five wins came by a combined 13 points in regulation (one OT game was eventually won by six).

Grigson was able to see many areas that required an upgrade, and they were addressed. One area where the Colts are as solid as anyone in the NFL is at quarterback where Andrew Luck showed every attribute that makes one special.

Here are the six questions that must be answered positively for the Colts to make a return to the postseason.

Can Luck limit the sacks and interceptions that came nearly as often as the touchdowns and positive plays?

Andrew Luck must take several steps forward with new offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton. Luck is a leader with ability to extend a play and make throws, but needs to reduce the number of sacks he’s subjected to. If Luck posts another season with 41 sacks and 18 picks, it could be a long season, but Luck is smart and diligent enough to evolve into an elite quarterback this season.

If Luck goes down, any chance for a special result for the 2013 Colts ends.

Can all the new blood on the Offensive Line gel?

There could be as many as four new starters on the Colts offensive line. Gosder Cherilus came over from the Detroit Lions to anchor the right tackle spot. Ben Ijalana is supposedly healthy and ready to be a productive member of the unit for the first time since tearing his ACL in game four of his rookie season in 2011. Hugh Thornton was drafted in the third round three months ago. Donald Thomas is a guard who started seven games last year for the Patriots. You can’t have too much depth on the o-line, but the five men trusted to protect Luck and open holes for Ahmad Bradshaw and Vick Ballard must play as one. The assembly of this group is a test for Grigson to not just grab disparate parts but bring together men who fit together.

Can Darrius Heyward Bey be a game breaker?

The Colts have weapons, but the wild card is new receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey, who signed as a free agent after escaping Oakland. He has great top end speed, but has been criticized because of his hands. DHB replaces Donnie Avery, who had similar speed and poor hands. Avery caught on 60 of the 125 balls thrown to him. That 48% rate ranked among the lowest in the NFL. DHB’s 51.2% wasn’t much better. With T.Y. Hilton, Dwayne Allen, Coby Fleener, and the venerable Reggie Wayne, the Colts receiving corps is robust.

Can Vick Ballard/Ahmad Bradshaw combine for 1,400 yards rushing?

The Colts offense needs balance, and 27 year-old former NY Giant Ahmad Bradshaw was brought in to bring it. He’s got bad feet and ankles which have limited his ability to stay on the field. Great talent seated doesn’t do anyone a lot of good. The Giants didn’t let Bradshaw walk because they were thrilled with his potential to produce moving forward. The Colts didn’t overpay, so his signing was a good risk that could pay off. He’ll platoon with Ballard, who had a fine rookie year with 814 rushing yards. Former first round pick Donald Brown appears a likely candidate to be cut in camp. He’s not a great blocker or receiver, and those attributes are key in Hamilton’s offense. His base salary of over $1.7 million paints a big target on his back if Bradshaw maintains health in camp.

Can Bjoern Werner net eight sacks?

The Colts grabbed Werner late in the first round after he was projected in the top ten if not top five in many mock drafts during the 2012 college football season. It’s not essential that Werner become a dynamic pass rush guy, but it is necessary for this defense filled will good but not great talent to play at a level greater than the sum of their parts. There is every chance that the secondary can be outstanding with Antoine Bethea and LaRon Landry at safety and Vontae Davis, Darius Butler, and Greg Toler at corner, but knowing in July what will happen in December is a fool’s game. Werner and Robert Mathis making quarterbacks uncomfortable will make or break the defense.

Can Fleener and Allen become Gronk/Hernandez?

We’re not talking about the body and surgery counts of the two former starting tight ends of the Patriots, but the on field impossibility of finding defensive schemes to take away all the weapons the Colts might employ with the combination of Allen and Fleener on the field with Bradshaw/Ballard in the backfield and Wayne/Hilton/Heyward-Bey wide. The options for Luck should be diverse and dynamic.

Colts fans should not expect their offense to be the Greatest Show on Turf quite yet, but there are a lot of pieces to this puzzle that could give defensive coordinators sleepless nights. Protection + weapons = nightmares.

The Colts could finish anywhere from 6-10 to 11-5. Playing the NFC West will be a tough test, but two contests each against Jacksonville and Tennessee, and games against the AFC West should help balance the schedule a bit.

The tilt fans will look forward to most will be Peyton Manning’s return to the building that would never have been built had Bill Polian chosen Ryan Leaf instead in the 1998 draft.

The best game might be the visit from the St. Louis Rams. I project both teams into the Super Bowl that will crown the champion of the 2015 season. Both teams are young, well coached, and have a growth curve that should peak in the 2015 season.

Here’s how the 2013 season will break down:

9/8 – vs. Raiders – Win
9/15 – vs. Dolphins – Win
9/22 – @ 49ers – Loss
9/29 – @ Jags – Win
10/6 – vs. Seahawks – Loss
10/14 – @ San Diego – Win
10/20 – vs. Denver – Loss
11/3 – @ Texans – Loss
11/10 – vs. Rams – Loss
11/14 – @ Titans – Win
11/24 @ Cardinals – Win
12/1 – vs. Titans – Win
12/8 – @ Bengals – Win
12/15 – vs. Texans – Loss
12/22 – @ Chiefs – Win
12/29 – vs. Jags – Win

That gives the Colts a 10-6 record, and that’s an optimistic look at a season that could go either way. It’s impossible to guess how injuries will affect a season, and for a team that went 9-1 in games decided by seven points or less in 2012, good luck picking games through your wits at a higher rate than by flipping a coin.

Logic would say that level of good fortune is impossible to maintain, but the Colts will be a better team in 2013 that 2012. It’s a good thing for the Colts that football is played by men, and not determined through a Venn diagram.

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“Ahead of the Curve” on 1070 the Fan with Hagan and Sterling Should Be Spectacular Today

by Kent Sterling

Hosting “Ahead of the Curve” is as much fun as I can have each Saturday from 11a-1p, but this wee is going to be especially interesting because we have two great guests. The first will be Tony Sanchez, a catcher for the Indianapolis Indians who is killing the ball as he waits for the call that will bring him to the majors. The second is former NCAA big wig Greg Shaheen, who is going to lend his perspective on a slew of college athletics related issues.

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Greg used to run all of the NCAA championships, including March Madness, so if you want to know whether playing a bunch of cupcakes during a non conference schedule is the best way to build a resume’ for an at-large big, he is the guy to ask, and we will.

He’s also a great resource for getting perspectives on a slew of other issues like what keeps the NCAA from running major conference athletics as well as fans expect it to, and in this transition period for college football and men’s basketball, where will it wind up. Should their be a separate organization that runs the FBS schools?

We only have a half hour with Greg starting at 12:30p, and we’ll make the most of it.

Tony is a great guy who watched Chris and I take batting practice last week, and was the fourth overall pick in the 2009 MLB Draft. He’s moved steadily up the ladder through the Pirates organization, and at 25 appears ready to achieve his dream of playing in the big leagues.

I want to know whether it’s more difficult to enjoy the experience of playing in the minors because of impatience in getting to the bigs, and how difficult it is to handle a pitching staff. There is so much more to being a catcher than squatting, throwing, and hitting. We’ll find out at 11:30a.

We almost never take calls, but I would like to today to find out whether you believe that college football players and men’s basketball players should be paid for their likenesses in video games and on jerseys, so we’ll open the phones throughout the show.

Yopu can hear the show throughout most of Indiana on 1070 the Fan (1070 AM/107.5 FM) or anywhere in the world by clicking 1070thefan.com.

Ben Ijalana Trying to Get Back to Health and Football with the Indianapolis Colts

by Kent Sterling

There are players who sail through their careers with manageable dings that allow them to maximize the earning potential, and then there are guys who have a very tough time staying healthy.

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Through the first two years of his career, 2011 Indianapolis Colts second round pick Ben Ijalana has been a member of the latter club, but he’s trying to find a way back to productivity after two ACL tears.

Ijalana was immediately likable in an interview with Chris Hagan and me on the morning after the Colts traded up in the second round to make him the highest draftee out of Villanova since Howie Long in 1981.

If you want a reason to root for Ijalana, listen to the interview from a time when his life was filled with promise of a long and productive career for one of the most consistently excellent franchises in NFL history.

He’ll come to camp in Anderson next week with full meedcal clearance on the troubled knee, and a heart filled with hope that it will stay that way.

Can’t Wait to Talk to Greg Shaheen Tomorrow on 1070 the Fan About College Athletics

by Kent Sterling

Greg Shaheen knows what’s right and wrong with college athletics, and where it’s headed. I can’t wait to talk to him tomorrow at 12:30p on 1070 the Fan.

If you talk to ten people who earn money from working within college basketball or the media covering college hoops, you will get ten reasons why the former head of the NCAA Championships – including the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament – is one of the best guys in college sports.

They use words like passionate, diligent, self-effacing, funny, invested, caring, and honest. They all trust him, and tomorrow at 12:30p, he will be a guest on “Ahead of the Curve,” on 1070 the Fan, and I cannot wait.

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It would be easy to book a flamethrower who would lash out at the inequities of college athletics and call the guys running the NCAA a bunch of addlepated dolts feasting at a table set by student-athletes who go by and large unrewarded for their efforts, but inflammatory rhetoric is no match for informed insight, and that is what Shaheen always brings whether in a Facebook message or in his work for ESPN.

Over two years ago I wrote a post that reflected my frustration with the construct of college athletics. I blamed virtually everyone involved in college athletics for not being able to hold renegade programs responsible for their corruption, the injustice of not allowing athletes to share in the receipts for their image, and all kinds of other madness. As I do with a few posts each week, I posted a link on Facebook.

The response from Greg read, “Kent, with all due respect, do you have any idea how legislation works? How the decision making process works? You can be critical of the NCAA all you’d like, I’m a complete advocate for free speech and your right to any opinion, but your writing on the NCAA implies the national office in Indianapolis controls football, casts the deciding vote on legislation, ignores academic priorities. For what its worth, the writing just lacks any understanding of how the process works. If at some point you’d like to know, I’d be pleased to arrange for that discussion. You can be assured there are a number of people attempting to bring about the very kinds of things you suggest. The issue is that the answer is more complex. Best, g”

I’ve been called a ranting idiot before, but never with that level of grace and decency. My Dad was always much more blunt. Greg was right, I did not have any idea how the NCAA operated, and my understanding is still rather shallow. I know the right answers, but that’s the easiest part of the process of correcting problems.

Everyone knows the correct end result for every problem in business, but navigating the steps needed to bring about the right outcome is tough stuff.

Tomorrow, I will look forward to asking Greg, who is no longer with the NCAA, about how things work, where collegiate athletics is headed, and whether playing a tough December schedule or a bunch of cupcakes is better for building the resume’ of a program hoping to earn an at-large bid in the NCAA Tourney.

This will definitely be one of those shows I wish could last another hour. The toughest part for me will be remembering that my job isn’t simply to listen to a great guest as he shares wisdom but to ask questions that makes it worthwhile for you to listen.

PEDs Knocking People Out of Sports – But Why Are They Against the Rules?

by Kent Sterling

Sosa, McGwire, and Palmeiro looked like lying tools at the senate hearing into PEDs in baseball, but why were they there in the first place?

Colts tight end Weslye Saunders has been suspended for the first eight games of the 2013 season because of a positive test for PEDs. Ryan Braun, Alex Rodriguez, and at least a dozen others await their fate in baseball’s ongoing crackdown against PEDs, and the induction ceremony at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown next weekend is going to be a lonely one as exactly zero players were elected by the Baseball Writers Association of America.

Outside the Hall of Fame are players who have amassed statistical evidence of greatness that would under ordinary circumstances make them sure fire first ballot inductees.

What’s all the fuss? Everyone seems to be on the same page that using steroids and human growth hormones to gain a competitive advantage is wrong, but why is it wrong?

Lance Armstrong has been vilified for being a cheater and a liar, and the anecdotal evidence that damn near everyone else was doing the same thing seems substantial enough. Armstrong’s greatest sin was in being the most successful cheater while treating teammates with arrogant indifference.

Why do we care that he doped? And why do we feel cheated by former baseball players like Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, Roger Clemens, and Rafael Palmiero?

The ballplayers did very little that most of us wouldn’t do in the same circumstance. If you were a talented player with an injury that needed a chemical goose to heal, wouldn’t you do everything you could to get back on the field to allow for that cash flow of millions per year to continue? And as a fan, did you care that McGwire was popping Ando like Chicklets?

Back in the day, ballplayers swallowed handfuls of amphetamines to get ready to play just like college students have always done to maintain a grueling study schedule. Do universities test kids to make sure their grades weren’t the result of wolfing down a couple of greenies?

I received an email this morning that frames the argument very well:

Kent,

I’m not a writer, a columnist, or blogger. I’m just a fan of baseball. The lack of inductees this year into the Baseball Hall of Fame is more of a travesty to baseball than steroids itself. I was a teenager during the steroid era. I chose not to use steroids to further my baseball career while I was in high school. I definitely needed something to strengthen my arm while I transitioned through puberty. I knew the risks of steroids at the time (this was 20 years ago), and chose it was not a path I wanted to follow.

With that being said, baseball was in major decline after the strike in 1994. Attendance was poor and fans were not taking to the game period! Suddenly, steroids happened and homeruns were hit at a ridiculous amount from Bonds, Sosa, McGuire, Palmero, etc. What happened? Excitement was restored to the game of baseball and fans returned. I’m not an expert, but I knew during my high school, college, and early post-graduate career everyone in baseball turned to steroids (the writers turned a blind eye at the time). I lived in San Francisco and St. Louis and witnessed the reaction crowds had to the homeruns first hand.

Writers want to be holier thou and exclude these players from baseball, when in reality steroids helped to save the game at that point in history. I don’t agree that we should exclude these players from the HOF. They will always have an asterisk by their names because of the generation they played, but there is a reason it is called the HALL OF FAME. Whether these players are ever inducted into the Hall of Fame or not, they will always be famous in the history of baseball.

Writers need to get over themselves.

Scott Kennedy

I get the outrage people have toward cheaters, but why are PEDs against the rules in the first place? For the illegal substances, there are laws that have been enacted to prevent use, and punish those who do.

As for the lying that the cheaters employed to stay out of trouble, I have no respect for that at all. They should have stood up and said, “Yeah, I did it, and so what!” That would be a guy I would put in my hall of fame.

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NABC Honors Kentucky’s Basketball Program for Academic Excellence

by Kent Sterling

At Coach Cal dot com, a post went up today that should silence all the people crapping on John Calipari and the University of Kentucky for existing only as a launching pad for NBA bound 18 year olds with no interest in education.

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The Kentucky Wildcats were one of 97 NCAA Division I, II, and III, NAIA Division I and II basketball programs to earn the National Association of Basketball Coaches first Team Excellence Award given to basketball teams with a “cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or better for the 2012-13 season.”

You know who did not earn this honor? Not a single Ivy League school. You know who else was not included in this list? The entire Big Ten and ACC.

For a complete list of the programs, click here. Universities the average basketball fan will recognize on the list are the University of Louisville, the University of Texas, Indiana State University, Rice University, Texas Tech, Utah, Western Michigan, and Belmont.

The rest are schools like Coe College, Endicott College, and Hope College. All are fine schools with fine basketball programs filled with hard working athletes, most of whom will never play professionally, much less in the NBA.

In order to receive the award, the programs must simply declare that they have earned it. Those who miss the notification to submit, simply don’t find value in awards of this type choose not to participate, or do not qualify are not listed.

This Team Academic Excellence Awards are a wonderful acknowledgement for the academic work done by student-athletes.

There is no audit of academic standards at the universities, or a sliding scale for the programs that encourage players to engage by the NABC. That’s not their job. They just want to give a nice award to schools who appear to be pursue scholastic ideals with the same zeal they pursue success on the hard court.

Calipari was quoted on Coach Cal dot com, “I’m proud of the hard work our guys have put in both on and off the court. When you come to Kentucky, you are either going pro or getting a degree — or both. We call it the success rate, and right now we’re batting 100 percent. When you run a players-first program, it’s not just about loving to play basketball; it’s about teaching our kids the love of learning.”

I’m all for the student-athletes doing great work wherever they are. I think the acknowledgement by the NABC is appropriate, but for Calipari to extoll the virtues of his program as “players-first” elevates his blather to beyond nauseating.

His players are paid nothing and Calipari takes home better than $5 million per year. To call Kentucky Basketball anything other than “Coach Cal first” is abject lunacy.

To the players who are doing everything they can to maximize the non-basketball part of their lives in Lexington, congratulations, but always remember that it’s Calipari who owes you for your work, not the other way around.

John Beilein Signs Extension That Won’t Pay Him What Tom Crean Makes

by Kent Sterling

Michigan coach John Beilein isn’t crying about his extension, but maybe he should be.

Maybe Indiana University Basketball Coach Tom Crean has a better agent. That’s the beginning and end of my list as to why he should be paid $710,000 more per year than Michigan coach John Beilein.

Michigan announced yesterday that Beilein had signed an extension that will keep him in Ann Arbor through 2019.

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The two coaches had virtually the same job – rebuild decimated Big Ten basketball programs as quickly as possible while regaining a measure of morality in recruiting and academics. Both have succeeded.

Beilein was hired a year prior to Crean, so he’s had a bit of a head start, but Michigan’s appearance in the NCAA Championship game against Louisville was a position Hoosiers fans thought might be reserved for them given the level of talent and maturity on that team.

Both teams sported two first round selections in last month’s NBA Draft with Indiana’s Victor Oladipo and Cody Zeller going #2 and #4, while Trey Burke and Tim Hardaway Jr. went #9 and #24.

Indiana won the Big Ten regular season title last year with an thrilling 72-71 victory at Michigan by virtue of a made bucket by Zeller on one end and a missed tip by Jordan Morgan on the other. Michigan won the title the year before.

Beilein is succeeding with Indiana kids that Crean either overlooked or couldn’t win. Next season, Beilein will have five Indiana kids with Glenn Robinson III, Spike Albrecht, Mitch McGary, Andrew Dakich, and last year’s Mr. Basketball Zak Irvin.

Indiana will have 11 Indiana kids in 2013-2014, but five of them are walk-ons for an 18 man roster. It’s not that Crean is being outrecruited in Indiana, but Indiana fans would certainly enjoy seeing McGary, Irvin, and Robinson in candy-stripes.

Michigan had the 13th ranked recruiting class for 2013 while Indiana’s was #6.

Beilein in almost every way appears to be the equal to Crean, and yet the $2.45 million paycheck, while quite hefty, will not be as substantial as the $3.16 million Indiana will pay Crean.

Crean, 47, came to Indiana through tradition means from Marquette, where he led the Golden Eagles to a Final Four and relentless 20+ win seasons after serving as an apprentice to Tom Izzo at Michigan State. Beilein, 60, was a little more circuitous in his career path with stops at Erie Community College, Nazareth, LeMoyne, Canisius, Richmond and West Virginia. Maybe that pedigree gave Crean a bit of a head start in earning earlier that continues to weigh in his favor.

See if you can guess whether this quote was from Indiana Athletic Director Fred Glass when the extension for Crean was announced or from Michigan AD Dave Brandon talking about Beilein, “He recruits outstanding young men to represent the men’s basketball program and develops them as players, students and future leaders. (Coach’s name) has built a program that will compete for Big Ten Championships on a regular basis and make exciting NCAA tournament runs.”

It could easily be for either, but it was Brandon talking about Beilein yesterday as the extension was announced.

So is Indiana overpaying for Crean, or did Michigan get a great deal on a slightly older model?

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