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Illinois Considers Adding D1 Hockey

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Interesting news out of the Land of Lincoln yesterday, where the University of Illinois released the results of a study into the feasibility of launching a Division I men’s ice hockey program. The feasibility study results state:

[T]here is growing excitement and anticipation about the University of Illinois starting Division I intercollegiate ice hockey. With a growing passion for ice hockey at all levels in the state of Illinois, the foundation appears to be in place for the University of Illinois to develop an intercollegiate men’s hockey program that will be financially successful and competitive on a conference and national level.

The University of Illinois Division of Intercollegiate Athletics said yesterday that no final decision had been made yet on whether or not to add a varsity men’s hockey program. If it were to launch a varsity men’s hockey program, the University of Illinois would become the tenth Power Five school to sponsor the sport, and the third to add it since 2012.

Penn State, which launched its program in 2012, has shown that success on the ice can come sooner rather than later. The Nittany Lions men’s hockey team showed improvement in each of its first four years and made the NCAA tournament for the first time in year four. This year the program is in good position to get back to the tournament again in year five. Progress for Arizona State, which launched its program in 2015, has been a little slower but that could change if/when they find a hockey conference to call home. Life as an independent can be tough for everyone other than Notre Dame football.

The University of Illinois wouldn’t have to worry about life as an independent, though, as they would be able to slide into the Big Ten hockey conference when they’re ready. As Penn State has already shown in that conference, being a newcomer to the sport doesn’t mean being a cellar dweller for years and years. And the University of Illinois could very well have a good amount of talent on its team in a short amount of time.

It was pointed out in the study results that Illinois produced 85 Division I hockey players in 2017. Only Minnesota, Michigan and Massachusetts produced more. Of the eight states that produced the most Division I hockey players, Illinois is the only one without a Division I program. Illinois is also home to an Original Six NHL franchise, the Chicago Blackhawks, so the interest in hockey is there.

If college hockey operated like professional hockey, investors, city leaders and fans would all be demanding the next “expansion” franchise be placed in Champaign. College hockey in Illinois just makes too much sense. There’s no way that program wouldn’t be successful. Adding a Big Ten team in the third largest media market in the country can only mean more exposure for the sport, and there’s nothing to not like about that.

Unless you’re a New England fan. Just one more midwest powerhouse for BU, BC and Maine to compete against for talent.

Happy Trails, Ed Hochuli

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Editor’s Note: We’ve experience a reblog today, but its Ed Hochuli; he deserves it.

It’s a sad day in the world of sports officiating, as 67-year-old Ed Hochuli has finally decided it’s time to hang up the boy’s medium referee uniform that he’s wearing for the past 28 NFL seasons.  It’s hard to believe that Guns McGee has been roaming NFL sidelines since before Tecmo Super Bowl for NES hit store shelves.

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Ed Hochuli is a legend in his own time. He’s the only official in sports that is known by name but not because he’s an insufferable bastard. [Looking at you, Joe West.] Countless hours at Gold’s Gym, before it was fashionable, is what made Hochuli a household name. That and his Juris Doctor degree.

Sure, some of Ed’s explanations could be a little bit long winded. But I always enjoyed a mini episode of Law & Order in between plays.

But every once in awhile, you’d actually learn something new about the NFL rule book from one of his soliloquies.

The good news today is that at least the NFL sidelines won’t be without a Hochuli next year. Back judge Shawn Hochuli has been promoted to referee and will take his dad’s place.

Only time will tell if Shawn, #83, will ever be able to fill his dad’s sleeves.

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The Big Ten Tournament at MSG Does Not Look Fun

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The idea of staging the Big Ten Tournament a week early just to play it at Madison Square Garden was a foolish idea from the start. It’s worked out pretty well for Rutgers so far, as the last place Scarlet Knights have already won two games in the tournament with the help of a little home court advantage, but that’s about it.

The Big Ten Tournament was held in either Chicago or Indianapolis every year between 1998 and 2016, before moving to Washington D.C. last year and MSG this year. Thankfully it’s slated to return to Chicago and Indianapolis for the next four years.

I understand trying to expand the conference’s footprint, but at some point the Big Ten has to accept that it is a Midwest conference. If they insist on trying out new tournament sites, Detroit and Minneapolis would be better options next time around. Ya know, cities with Big Ten teams and in driving distance of more Big Ten fans.

I understand that the early games of any college basketball tournament, especially on days with four games, can be sparsely attended. But I don’t seem to remember Syracuse, Villanova, or even Providence or Boston College ever playing in front of that many empty seats in the old Big East Tournament. Maybe that’s because the New York City area is loaded with Big East alumni and not nearly as many Big Ten alumni.

I also don’t remember a Big East tournament ever being played with this little buzz. Maybe that’s because these are the conference tournaments currently underway:

  • Atlantic Sun
  • Big South
  • Big Ten
  • MAAC
  • Missouri Valley
  • Northeast Conference
  • Ohio Valley Conference
  • Patriot League

Which doesn’t belong and why?

Only the Atlantic Sun, Big South and Patriot League started their conference tournaments earlier than the Big Ten Tournament. That’s because those conferences play tournament games at campus sites instead of at one venue. Only the Atlantic Sun, Big South, Missouri Valey and Ohio Valley Conference will crown a champion earlier than the Big Ten.

An eleven-day break might be nice for Florida Gulf Coast, UNC Asheville, or some other automatic-bid team as they prepare to enter the tournament as double-digit seed. But will it be too much time off for a serious national championship contender like Michigan State? If one of the top four seeds in the Big Ten tournament goes down today, they could have to wait two full weeks to play again. The Big Ten better have a good showing in the Big Dance or the experiment to play their conference tournament a week early at an empty Madison Square Garden will look a lot worse than it already does.

 

Red Sox Push to Rename Yawkey Way – Does Anyone Actually Care?

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I’ve never typed “4 Yawkey Way” into my phone for directions to Fenway Park. I’ve never texted a friend or tweeted “Heading to Yawkey Way!” before going to a Red Sox game. The Red Sox desire to change the name of Yawkey Way back to Jersey Street has zero impact on my life, and it will not affect how many Red Sox games I buy tickets to or watch on NESN.

I generally don’t get too worked up over people, places or things getting renamed, and this situation is no different. I think that the free market usually does a pretty good job of figuring these things out on its own. If the Red Sox believe this change will allow them to sell more tickets, more NESN subscriptions and more hats, more power to them. It feels a bit like virtue signaling from John Henry and Tom Werner, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a bad move.

Debates over Tom Yawkey’s racist image aside, from just a pure baseball standpoint he doesn’t deserve to have the street named after him. Yawkey owned the Red Sox for 43 years, from 1933 until his death in 1976. In that time the Red Sox won three pennants but not one World Series. His Hall of Fame plaque mentions the pennants his teams “narrowly missed” in 1948, 1949 and 1972. If the Hall of Fame has to mention your “narrow misses” on your plaque, it’s a good indication that you probably don’t deserve to be in the Hall of Fame. Wayne Huizenga won more rings than Tom Yawkey.

The Yawkey Foundation is not taking this news well and issued its own scathing response. They point to the foundation’s philanthropic endeavors across the region over the last 40 years. Perhaps a compromise could have been to rededicate Yawkey Way to the Yawkey Foundation, as opposed to Tom. Nuance doesn’t do well, though, in the age of the internet.

I think my response to this whole situation can be summed up in one word. Deep down, I think most Red Sox fans will agree.

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Time for the NCAA to Fire up the DeLorean!

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marty ul

ESPN – The Louisville men’s basketball program will have to vacate its 2013 national championship and 2012 Final Four appearance after the NCAA denied its appeal of what the school described as “Draconian penalties” levied against the team last year…

The Cardinals will become the first NCAA Division I men’s basketball program to vacate a national title during the Final Four era, according to ESPN Stats & Information…

The NCAA penalties, which were announced on June 15, included the vacation of basketball records in which ineligible student-athletes competed from 2011 to 2015. The school had previously said the penalties would affect 123 victories, including 15 NCAA Tournament wins and the 2013 national title.

Until the NCAA can hire Doc Brown, Marty McFly and/or Biff Tannen to go back in time to change the outcomes of games, stripping teams of wins or even championships will continue to be the most trivial punishment they can hand down. The only person who ever gained anything from wins being vacated was Bobby Bowden. When Joe Paterno had 111 wins vacated in 2012, Bowden snuck to the top of the all-time NCAA Division I FBS win list for three years, before the NCAA unvacated the 111 Paterno wins in 2015.

Sure, the NCAA can repossess Louisville’s 2013 National Champions trophy and demand that the championship banner come down from the rafters, but that won’t erase the game from history. If the NCAA wants to get serious they should go back and vacate the March Madness Tournament Bracket victories of the people who picked Louisville. Ask them to return their winnings. That’ll make this penalty a lot more real for lot more people in a hurry.

I’m sure the vacated wins hurt the folks inside the Louisville athletic department and on the Board of Trustees, but I’m sure the “forfeiture of any money received through conference revenue sharing from the 2012-15 NCAA tournaments” hurts a hell of a lot more. I’m also certain that most Louisville fans don’t care.

As a fan, I would rather my team win a championship and worry about the consequences later rather than never get close. Especially with how inconsistently the NCAA hands down penalties. Drive fast and take chances. That’s life in the NCAA.

If the TB12 Method Works for Hanley I Will Never Drink Pepsi Again

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hanley

AP – Coming off a career-worst batting average and sizeable drop in production, Red Sox DH Hanley Ramirez turned to a new offseason workout routine — he’s following Patriots star quarterback Tom Brady’s TB12 method.

The 34-year-old Ramirez felt like entering the later stages of his career that it was time to make a change. For him, who better to follow than a 40-year-old QB that just captured his third MVP award.

“I went on the Tom Brady side,” said Ramirez, who reported on Friday, a few days before full-squad workouts begin. “I think it’s 100 percent everything he says in the book, the work he does, makes sense.”

I’m on record as saying that I will never read The TB12 Method. I’m more of a Bartolo Colon Big Sexy Cookbook kind of guy. I love my nightshades. But if the TB12 Method works for Hanley Ramirez, I will gladly pour out my Pepsi bottles, dispose of my Frosted Flakes and move to “the Tom Brady side.” If the TB12 Method can work for Hanley Ramirez, that’s enough proof for me that it can work for anyone.

For the sake of this Red Sox season I hope that the TB12 Method does work for Hanley. Do I believe that he has read every word of the The TB12 Method, cover to cover? No. At least he’s saying the right things at the start of spring training, though. It shows that he is focused and that he is motivated. With or without J.D. Martinez the Red Sox need production out of Hanley to compete for a title this year. If Hanley’s 2018 looks anything like his 2017, the Red Sox would be lucky to win even one game in the playoffs.

It also happens to be a contract year for Hanley Ramirez, which might explain his focus this spring. If he makes 497 plate appearances this season his $22 million option for 2019 will kick in. Only three times in 12 years has Hanley failed to make at least 497 plate appearances. All the more reason for the Red Sox to sign J.D. Martinez and keep Hanley’s workload in check. Five years at $25 million a year for J.D. Martinez sounds a lot better if it also allows you to move on from Hanley Ramirez sooner.

Even if Hanley doesn’t make 497 plate appearances a strong 2018 will still allow him to maximize his earning ability as a 35-year-old free agent a year form now. If he’s adhering to the TB12 Method, even if his big-money days are behind him, maybe it’s a sign he would still like to play for a few more years and make some decent dough at the end of his career.

Baseball-Reference is projecting 539 plate appearances, a .255 batting average, 24 home runs and 73 RBIs for Hanley this year. If the Sox don’t add J.D. Martinez, I bet Hanley does make the necessary amount of plate appearances to come back for $22 million in 2019.

While his time in Boston as a whole has been disappointing, Hanley was a 30 HR / 100 RBI guy in 2016. He had offseason surgery on his left shoulder and said he was “hitting with one arm last year” when he hit 23 home runs and still made 553 plate appearances. I wouldn’t be surprised if a healthy, motivated and focused Hanley Ramirez puts up numbers more like 2016 (than 2017 or 2015) this season.

If Hanley has 20 HRs and 65 RBIs by the all-star break, I will head down to Patriot Place and buy The TB12 Method book, the TB12 weighted vest, medicine ball, looped band kit, and all the salt water electrolytes I can get my hands on.

WEEI to Get the Jon Taffer Treatment Friday

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It’s been a rough couple of weeks at WEEI. After Alex Reimer’s “pissant” comment late last month and Christian Fauria’s racist impression of Don Yee last week, the station has been getting all sorts of bad press and hemorrhaging advertisers. Something had to be done to address this situation, and it now appears that WEEI will shut down for the day on Friday to host mandatory sensitivity training for all employees.

The fact that WEEI’s sensitivity training will probably resemble Dunder Mifflin’s sensitivity training is irrelevant. Something had to be done. If nothing else this station, and its parent company, had to do something to show that it was taking these incidents seriously. They’ve had enough incidents lately for it to become a full-blow situation over there.

And based on the timing, right before the start of spring training, I wouldn’t be surprised if WEEI wanted to show the Boston Red Sox in particular that it was taking this situation seriously and handling it appropriately. Even with deals in place for years to come, I can’t imagine John Henry would want the logo of an embattled radio station all over his ballpark all summer. Especially since his club has plenty of its own marketing issues to worry about.

Friday seems as good a time as any for the station to take a much needed timeout. It should give everyone a chance to discuss, reflect and reset. As was written about in the Herald earlier today, WEEI needs to get back to basics, and fast. I don’t want WEEI to turn into some bland midwest “Sports Animal” sports talk station. Its brash style is what has made WEEI wildly funny and entertaining in the past. But if it can’t get back to basics, I don’t want to listen as it continues to spiral out of control.

Let the Brady Hate Flow Through You, Rob

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Mr. Parker, what you’ve just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul.

Honest to Christ, who could actually believe what Rob Parker said? How could Parker himself actually believe what he said? Had Tom Brady played like garbage in the Super Bowl maybe Parker could argue that his legacy took a hit. But Brady didn’t play like garbage. He actually played his best Super Bowl and had the best postseason of his career. After being named the league’s Most Valuable Player. At age 40. So give it a rest, Rob.

And by the way, Rob, no one is arguing that LeBron James has been better in the NBA Finals than Michael Jordan was. No one. But if LeBron can find a way to win three titles at the end of his career the way Jordan did, I will be the first in line to argue that 6-5 in the NBA Finals is better than 6-0. Why the hell should Jordan get bonus points for getting bounced in earlier rounds?

Same goes for Joe Montana. Brady has played in eight Super Bowls and has gone one-and-done in the playoffs twice. Montana appeared in four Super Bowls and went one-and-done in the playoffs four times. Outside of Super Bowls, Brady is 22-7 in the playoffs. Montana is 12-7. We’re gonna take off points because Brady won more games, put his team on his back more often, and lost Super Bowls that no other quarterback could get even get their team tickets to?

go away gtfo GIF