“Not so fast ‘Ke-mo sah-bee.’ Tonto says that it now looks like Pitt’s plans to desert the Big East Conference might not have been the best thing for the school to do after all.”
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Talkin’ about the chickens coming home to roost, they never left in the first place. For the past few years the Panthers men’s basketball program led by head coach Jamie Dixon has been getting by on reputation and hype but you can only get by on a chicken soup diet for so long. Contrary to popular belief, grandma’s solution to cure all that ails us is not quite effective in regards to healing a broken jaw.
This season the Panthers got slapped around by the Big East Conference as if they were caught stealing a slab of ribs from the grill at a family reunion. It just did not seem as if their hearts were in it. Oh I know the departure of Khem Birch and injuries to star guards Ashton Gibbs and Trevon Woodall had a major impact on the competitiveness of the team, but that is the time that you have to remove the suit and tie, put on a pair of sweats and “git to coaching.”
There is an NCAA rule that requires that an athlete sit out a year if they transfer to another school. It should be abolished immediately. Why? When it was officially announced that Pitt and Syracuse had intentions of bailing out of the Big East, Commissioner John Marinato had this to say in regards to both schools leaving prior to the end of their contractual agreement. “The bylaws are the bylaws are the bylaws,” he said with a certain conviction. Hold your horses, wait a minute, dig on this. After West Virginia reached a $20 million settlement so that they could prematurely and without delay “exit stage left” then all of a sudden “the bylaws are the bylaws” morphed into “the money is the money” or as we say in the hood; mo’ money, mo’ money.
The “Commish” recently had a complete and unabashed “about face” 180 in regards to the heartfelt anticipation of the eventual exodus of both the Pitt and Syracuse basketball and football programs (that is all that concerns me) from the “fireplace” comfort and the “security” of the Big East.
He now says; “our membership given the speed and success of our expansion initiatives I think it’s open to having the discussions with both Pittsburgh and Syracuse about them having an early departure. So we actually haven’t had those conversations yet but our membership is certainly willing to do that at this point given where we’ve landed.” Yeah, right under the money tree.
Was his change of heart based upon him again hearing the whistle of the money train and the screeching of the engines brakes as it grew nearer to the Big East station? Is the commissioner merely performing a greed laced tap dance or is he going the classical route doing the “potty dance” with a semi-pirouette attached as part of the choreography as he is zips into the bank with sparks flying off of his shoes, I.D in hand waiting for the teller to ask him the age old question; how do you want this, in $100, $50, $20, $10 dollar bills? I don’t suppose that he or anyone else would prefer being cashed out with $5 or $1 dollar bills because as we all know they are very hard to transport when you are vacationing in the Caribbean or Europe.
Right after the proposed move was made public, Louisville coach Rick Pitino had these very flattering words to say; “This was a basketball move taking Pittsburgh and Syracuse [because] it was not a football move. They (ACC) wanted to get back to what we remember 15-20 years ago, growing up a college basketball fan. The ACC was dominant. They don’t like the fact that the Big East has been the premier basketball conference [in the recent past]. My problem is not them leaving my problem is [they] did it in 48 hours. Don’t run away with a girl after one date when you’ve been dating someone else for three or four years. You’ve been dating this woman for 30 years, show a little respect. I can’t picture the Big East without Syracuse. I can picture the Big East without Pittsburgh.”
See Pitt fans, the writers “dawntawn” have you thinking that Pitt is very important but ya know what? When the smoke clears sometimes folks can be “legends in their own minds.” I am going to offer you a piece of unsolicited advice. Don’t become so important that you become “impotent.” So much has been made about Pitt winning numerous Big East Championships and yada, yada, yada. However, aren’t ya weary of the hype? Can’t you feel the spirit of “big” Al Davis just screaming at the top of his lungs; “just win baby.” I know and most of you know that Jamie Dixon is a snazzy dresser but my Dad used to say; “if you put a tuxedo on a gorilla, when you take it outside it will still climb up a telephone pole.” Sometimes looks may just be deceiving.
(Aubrey Bruce can be reached at: abruce@newpittsburghcourier.com or 412-583-6741.)
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