ORUJason Posted May 4, 2012 Share Posted May 4, 2012 I recall this question coming up in the past and being discussed on sports radio, and if I am not mistaken, it seems that I remember Bubba Cunningham being asked about it once either on the Bubba Cunningham show or during an interview. I remember it was said that it would take several million dollars (sorry I don't remember the exact amount) to start a program due to the need to build a stadium up to the quality of the other facilities on the TU campus. 1 million seems like a low number to me and would not be able to "endow" a baseball program. I'm sure the yearly budget for baseball with salaries, scholarships, supplies/equipment, recruiting and travel would probably be nearly 1 million by itself not counting the expense of building a stadium. Right now with education expenses going through the roof, very few athletic directors are looking for another 1 million dollar liability to add to their annual budget. That is why it probably will not happen, not to mention Title IX concerns. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Titan Posted May 4, 2012 Author Share Posted May 4, 2012 If a school adds baseball, it would have to do something to balance the equation on the girls' side, and TU already has softball, soccer, volleyball, tennis, golf, and track for the ladies - would have to add something like gymnastics or some other women's sport. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Titan Posted May 4, 2012 Author Share Posted May 4, 2012 Getting back on topic: by the end of today, Conference USA may have as many as five new members for 2013-2014: Florida International, Texas-San Antonio, North Texas, Louisiana Tech, and Charlotte. A possible sixth team, Old Dominion, is still weighing it's options. Meanwhile, I think Texas State made it's announcement about going to the Sunbelt that same season. No word yet on what Texas-Arlington plans to do year after next; appears they are waiting to see if the WAC will try to limp forward as something less than a D-1 football league. If it does and they asked, would ORU want any part of the WAC, or would that be like buying a ticket on the Titanic just before it left port? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BasPlayr Posted May 4, 2012 Share Posted May 4, 2012 Avoid the WAC!!!! After their Comissioner left for the Sunbelt is when the wheels started coming off of the cart. Besides, there is going to be nothing left there to speak of except New Mexico State and one other. If they are smart, they'll bail out before that thing hits the side of the mountain. You'd likely be better suited for the Sunbelt if the Southland doesn't work for you. I'm hearing some odd rumors that are sayiing this CUSA deal could be the first stage of a renewed effort to somehow merge CUSA & the MW. They are saying TU & UTEP would slide over to the MW, giving them 12, and that is why CUSA just bumped up to 14. IF TU & UTEP were to bolt, that would leave both leagues with 12 members. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Titan Posted May 4, 2012 Author Share Posted May 4, 2012 The reason you never see league mergers is due to the resulting reduction of automatic bids in basketball for the schools involved from two to one, cutting the tournament revenue share in half, made even worse by splitting that 50% among more mouths to feed in the new configuration. That's one big reason why I think the WAC will try to stay in business - that basketball automatic bid is worth a lot of money, and would be easy & simple to maintain, IF they could just get over their D-1 football obsession. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Titan Posted May 7, 2012 Author Share Posted May 7, 2012 The Big East school president's just fired their commissioner, thought technically he "resigned". Guess that's what happens when you hang your hat on adding the likes of Houston and SMU to a BCS league. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theeagleman5 Posted May 8, 2012 Share Posted May 8, 2012 Yep....Houston and SMU in the Big East is a real blunder.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ORU82 Posted May 8, 2012 Share Posted May 8, 2012 As I like to refer to them, not the "Big East" but the "Big Least". Their football has been nose-diving for several years. With WVU, Syracuse and Pitt gone, their football is really no different than CUSA, MWC or even the upper level MAC schools. The schools they are bringing in really are not powerhouses in football either. Finally, when Louisville bolts to the Big 12, look for Cincy to move on as well. Then they become a joke in football but still a great basketball conference. However, their AQ status in football will probably be gone. I have also heard that both UConn and Rutgers would love to abandon ship in football. However, I think both are being blocked by other schools already members of the ACC who do not want them in, such as BC and Va Tech. Could be wrong on that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BasPlayr Posted May 10, 2012 Share Posted May 10, 2012 The Big East school president's just fired their commissioner, thought technically he "resigned". Guess that's what happens when you hang your hat on adding the likes of Houston and SMU to a BCS league. This is beginning to sound like one of those things you hear about when a guy goes out and hangs one on, and wakes up to regret some things he said and did. I imagine if things keep going the way they appear to be. SMU & Houston would be begging to get back into a conference where they would have a lot fewer frequent flier miles accumulating. The way it stands now, their travel expenses will eat up the bigger portion of any increased revenue they would be seeing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ORUJason Posted May 10, 2012 Share Posted May 10, 2012 I'm sure Conference USA would take them back in a heartbeat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theeagleman5 Posted May 11, 2012 Share Posted May 11, 2012 SMU and Houston will get eaten alive in the Big East........and when Coach Brown comes into Philly to play Temple........well, the crowd will remind him about how we felt when he walked out on us for Detroit back in 2003.....he Piston us...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Titan Posted May 17, 2012 Author Share Posted May 17, 2012 The latest card shuffling: • Virginia Commonwealth (from the Colonial) to the A-10 • Old Dominion (from the Colonial) to C-USA • Colonial looks to add Charleston and Davidson from the Southern league to replace VCU and ODU. • New Orleans to apply for Southland Conference membership (see related thread) And, in the most bizarre move of the week (and maybe the entire spring), SMU just fired athletic director Steve Orsini, effective immediately, right after he hired Larry Brown. Or, DID he hire Brown? Maybe he never wanted Brown in the first place, but the SMU prez did - and once Brown got there, he and the prez decided they could do without Orsini in the middle. Whatever the reason, if there was any doubt before this move, SMU is now OFFICIALLY a 3-ring circus... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ORUTerry Posted May 17, 2012 Share Posted May 17, 2012 Makes you think that Orsini was not a part of the Brown hiring - or was hostile to it. Interesting development. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theeagleman5 Posted May 17, 2012 Share Posted May 17, 2012 The LB hiring had to come from the top....no AD in their right mind would hire the 71 yr old short timer..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BasPlayr Posted May 18, 2012 Share Posted May 18, 2012 We have a couple of members on out board that live in the Dallas Metroplex, and are regulars at the SMU athletic events. They have a little bit of "inside Infor" , so take this for what it is worth. In 8 years, Orsini has put SMU in a $113M Budget Deficit. HE is not well liked by many of the Board members, and reportedly has ticked off plenty of major donors. So, if the LB thing was the Presidents baliwag, and Orsini fought it, then of course this could be the result of that. My understanding is that the major money people down there put together a money coiffer to cover the salary demands for the level of coach that they expect for their program to get where they want it to be. Anothe factor to consider. Orsini headed this move to the Big East, and when it started to crumble with the BCS looking at no auto-qualifers, SMU was looking at a $5mil buyout that "Orsini agreed to." The donors thought that they could have gotten a better deal. This is another example where they(SMU) are thinking much bigger than they are. So, the LB thing coupled with the Big East looking more and more like it is going to come apart, and SMU is cleaning house in the athletic offices in order to bring in another guy they think can fanagel a deal that would put them in a position to bail if the Big East does fall apart. As to would TU welcome back SMU & Houston to C-USA. I can't say for certain, but I have a lot of doubts about SMU. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ORUTerry Posted May 29, 2012 Share Posted May 29, 2012 Butler is joining the A-10 a year earlier - in 2012-13 story Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theeagleman5 Posted May 30, 2012 Share Posted May 30, 2012 TheEagleman will enjoy seeing Butler come to Philly to play LaSalle and St. Joe's..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Titan Posted May 31, 2012 Author Share Posted May 31, 2012 With Butler's earlier-than-expected departure, could Oakland pull something similar on the Summit League this year, if the Horizon pops the question? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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