Monthly Archives: November 2007

Vince Young’s $5 million donation to UT

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dollar%20roll%20111307.jpgMichael Lewis (previous posts here) — author of Moneyball and The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game (previous post here) — pens this NY Times op-ed in which he addresses a frequent topic on this blog — that is, the shameful economic exploitation of athletes by many universities in the business of big-time college football (see previous posts here, here and here):

College footballís best trick play is its pretense that it has nothing to do with money, that itís simply an extension of the universityís mission to educate its students. Were the public to view college football as mainly a business, it might start asking questions. For instance: why are these enterprises that have nothing to do with education and everything to do with profits exempt from paying taxes? Or why donít they pay their employees?
This is maybe the oddest aspect of the college football business. Everyone associated with it is getting rich except the people whose labor creates the value. At this moment there are thousands of big-time college football players, many of whom are black and poor. They perform for the intense pleasure of millions of rabid college football fans, many of whom are rich and white. The worldís most enthusiastic racially integrated marketplace is waiting to happen. [. . .]
If the N.C.A.A. genuinely wanted to take the money out of college football itíd make the tickets free and broadcast the games on public television and set limits on how much universities could pay head coaches. But the N.C.A.A. confines its anti-market strictures to the players ó and God help the interior lineman who is caught breaking them. Each year some player who grew up with nothing is tempted by a boosterís offer of a car, or some cash, and is never heard from again. [. . .]
Last year the average N.F.L. team had revenue of about $200 million and ran payrolls of roughly $130 million: 60 percent to 70 percent of a teamís revenues, therefore, go directly to the players. Thereís no reason those numbers would be any lower on a college football team ó and thereís some reason to think theyíd be higher. Itís easy to imagine the Universities of Alabama ($44 million in revenue), Michigan ($50 million), Georgia ($59 million) and many others paying the players even more than they take in directly from their football operations, just to keep school spirit flowing. (Go Dawgs!)
But letís keep it conservative. In 2005, the 121 Division 1-A football teams generated $1.8 billion for their colleges. If the colleges paid out 65 percent of their revenues to the players, the annual college football payroll would come to $1.17 billion. A college football team has 85 scholarship players while an N.F.L. roster has only 53, and so the money might be distributed a bit differently. [. . .]
A star quarterback, . . . might command as much as 8 percent of his college teamís revenues. For instance, in 2005 the Texas Longhorns would have paid Vince Young roughly $5 million for the season. In quarterbacking the Longhorns free of charge, Young, in effect, was making a donation to the university of $5 million a year ó and also, by putting his health on the line, taking a huge career risk.
Perhaps he would have made this great gift on his own. The point is that Vince Young, as the creator of the economic value, should have had the power to choose what to do with it. Once the market is up and running players who want to go to enjoy the pure amateur experience can continue to play for free.

Read the entire piece.

UT’s Sooner legacy

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darrell%20Royal%20111307.jpgThis post from earlier this fall noted that this season was the 50th anniversary of the legendary University of Texas football coach Darrell K. Royal (previous posts here) taking the reins of the then faltering Longhorn football program and turning it into one of the most successful programs in the country over the next 20 years. If you are interested in this fascinating man, then don’t miss this excellent Wann Smith article on Coach Royal, which passes along the story of why Coach Royal elected not to return to his alma mater (the University of Oklahoma) after the 1963 season when famed OU coach Bud Wilkenson finally stepped down:

After Bud Wilkinson resigned following the 1963 season, there was a groundswell of support for the idea of bringing Darrell Royal back across the Red River. Royal was inundated by calls from old schoolmates and friends urging him to take the OU job.
But Royal wasn’t interested in returning to his home state. He had made it clear from the start that he had no interest in the Oklahoma coaching vacancy. However Royal’s decision to stay in Austin had nothing to do with any enmity for either the State of Okahoma or for his Alma Mater.
“I had been searching for something,” said Royal. “And I found it in Texas. . .”

Read the entire article.

The ins and outs of college football recruiting

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football%20recruiting.jpgAn all college football series of posts today starts out with this IndyStar.com article titled “Recruiting 101” by a former high school football coach who passes along his experience in what college coaches are looking for in high school football players. The article contains many interesting insights, including the former coach’s final one, which runs counter to the specialization of athletes that is the clear trend at most big high schools:

Regardless of position, it appears that in the recruiting of [big-time college football] players that being a multisport athlete at the high school level is the norm. I encourage athletes to play as many sports as long as they can. The benefits of multisport participation are many.

2007 Weekly local football review

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Jamaal%20Charles%20against%20Tech.jpg(Eric Gray/AP photo; previous weekly reviews here)
Texas Longhorns 59 Texas Tech 43

The Texas Longhorns (9-2/5-2) had been left for dead after losing to Oklahoma six weeks ago, but the resurgent Horns are in solid contention for a BCS bowl game after defeating the defenseless Red Raiders (7-4/3-4). Although Tech closed to within 10 points a couple of times during the 47 point 4th quarter, this one was really never in doubt because Tech’s defense simply could not slow down, much less stop, the Horns’ offense. At least Coach Leach didn’t fire his defensive coordinator or blame his players after this defeat. This time, Tech’s loss was apparently the fault of the referees. Referring to Randy Cristal, the head referee for Saturday’s game, being an Austin resident, Leach asserted the following in post-game comments:
“That can be argued in a variety of directions. Maybe it is something as simple as guys sitting over the water cooler in their office, in Austin, talking to their friends about the great game they are going to see, the great players they are going to see. Perhaps a preconceived notion has developed how it’s going to come out.”
Leach apparently forgot that Tech was the beneficiary of a couple of dubious hometown calls at the end of one of Tech’s rare victories against Oklahoma. The reality is that Leach is a mediocre coach of a one-dimensional program that is 1-11 against ranked teams and 2-13 against UT and OU during his tenure at Tech. The Horns close their regular season against Texas A&M (6-5/3-4) in their annual rivalry game the day after Thanksgiving.
Update: Here is Leach’s after-game rant. The remarks will almost certainly result in the Big 12 Conference levying sanctions on Leach.
Update 2: Leach was fined $10,000 by the Big 12 on Tuesday and received a public reprimand. According to a Big 12 press release, Leach is ìon notice that any future such behavior will result in a more serious penalty, including a possible suspension.î
ìCoach Leachís public statements called into question the integrity and competence of game officials and the Conferenceís officiating program,î Dan Beebe, the Big 12 commissioner, stated. ìAccordingly the seriousness of this violation warrants a public reprimand and the largest fine issued to date by the Conference.î

Tulsa 56 Houston Cougars 7

The Cougars (6-4/5-2) laid a major egg in their effort to win their second straight Conference USA title when they laid down and rolled over to Tulsa (7-3/5-2). Houston has had problems with its defensive unit for years, so giving up 56 points to Tulsa is not all that surprisng. But It’s hard to understand how a team such as the Cougars, that is averaging almost 550 yards per game, would generate less than 400 yards of total offense against a poor Tulsa defense, 97 of which came in the Coogs’ only TD drive of the game while behind 56-0. The Cougars will attempt to regroup next week against an improving Marshall (2-8/2-4) that has won their last two games. Meanwhile, perhaps Houston head coach Art Briles won’t be such a hot commodity for other head coaching jobs after the Tulsa debacle.

Missouri 40 Texas A&M 26

The Aggies (6-5/3-4) actually were in a position to pull ahead during the 2nd half of this one when Aggie head coach Dennis Franchione called a series of plays that is typical of why he will be fired come season end, if not before. Early 4th quarter, the Aggies were marching down the field pounding the rushing game against a tired Mizzou (9-1/5-1) defense after closing to within 24-19. After reaching a 1st and 10 on Mizzou’s 12 yard line, the Aggies telegraphed a dive play on first down that was stopped for a one yard gain, QB Stephen McGeen threw an incompletion on second down and, on 3rd and long, Franchione inexplicably called a middle screen pass that was completed for a seven yard loss. Thus, rather than continuing to pound the rushing game against an overwhelmed defense in clear four down territory, Franchione inexplicably turned to the Ags’ ineffectual passing game, which stifled the drive. After Aggie kicker Matt Szymanski pushed the 36 yard field goal attempt wide right, the Aggies had completely lost the momentum, prompting the Tigers to score 16 fourth quarter points to put the game away. The Aggies close their season on the Friday after Thanksgiving in their annual rivalry game against the Longhorns (9-2/5-2).

Rice 43 SMU 42

What more can you say about the resilient Owls (3-7/3-3)? This time, the Owls came back from a 15 point 4th quarter deficit to pull out the victory on a game-winning 31 yard field goal. The potent Owls offense generated 535 total offense, including 365 yards passing from QB Chase Clement. The Owls finish with two home games, next week against Tulane (3-7/2-4) and against Tulsa (7-3/5-2) on the Saturday after Thanksgiving.

The Texans (4-5) were off this past weekend. Next Sunday, they play Reggie Bush and New Orleans (4-5), which is coming off a loss yesterday to previously winless St. Louis.

Why is the Chronicle beating this dead horse?

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ReliantStadium%20and%20the%20Astrodome%20111207.jpgThe Chronicle continues its apparent campaign to breath life into the second largest local urban boondoggle (second only to the Metro light rail system) — the proposed Astrodome hotel project (previous posts here). Rice professor and local political pundit Bob Stein comments about the apparent dilemma:

“For public officials, it’s like being in a maze,” Stein said. “You don’t know which turn you make is going to help you. You have the rodeo and the Texans ó the stakeholders ó and then you have the public.”

In reality, there is no dilemma at all. As USC economics professor Peter Gordon observes with regard to such issues, three simple questions need to be addressed: 1) At what cost? 2) Compared to what? and 3) How do you know? Despite the public’s fondness for the Dome, it is an obsolescent hulk that serves no useful purpose and costs a considerable amount each year just to mothball. The cost of the renovation is enormous and will almost certainly require some type of public contribution, particularly given the currently spooked credit and equity markets. Even if the deal could be financed without a large public contribution (I doubt it can), the county still has to face the prospect that the project will fail (many new hotels do) and that large operating subsidies will be necessary in the future. To make matters worse, there is inadequate demand for the city’s existing supply of hotel rooms, much less a supply that is increased by 1,300 rooms that the Astrodome hotel project would contribute. Finally, the current tenants of Reliant Park object to the hotel project.
So, in the face of all of the foregoing, why does the Chronicle continue to beat the drum for the project? Inquiring minds would like to know.

More on the matter of Judge Kent

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sam%20kent%20111207.jpgThe Houston Chronicle continued its investigative series into the matter of Galveston U.S. District Judge Sam Kent with this Lisa Olsen/Sunday edition article that provides the most detailed account to date of courtroom deputy Cathy McBroom’s sexual harrassment allegations against Judge Kent (previous posts here). The Chron’s account is based primarily on the Chronicle’s interviews with a close friend — Charlene Clark, a San Antonio schoolteacher — with whom McBroom apparently confided after the alleged incident with Judge Kent, Ms. McBroom’s mother and another former courtroom deputy of Judge Kent, Felicia Williams.
Under the Judicial Council of the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals sanctions order relating to the matter, Judge Kent is barred from commenting on the matters relating to the investigation and his attorney — Maria Wyckoff Boyce of Baker & Botts — has refused all requests for interviews and referred all questions to the Fifth Circuit. Judge Edith H. Jones, chief judge for the Fifth Circuit, has also refused comment on the investigation.
According to the Chronicle’s account of McBroom’s friend, the following is what McBroom told her occurred:

McBroom was summoned to the judge’s chambers on Friday, March 23, at about 3 p.m.
Her hands were full of legal papers when the judge ó a former high school athlete who is more than 6 inches taller and at least 100 pounds heavier ó asked for a hug.
She told him she didn’t think that was appropriate, but reluctantly approached.
The judge grabbed Mc-Broom, pulled up her blouse and her bra and put his mouth on her breast. Then, Kent forced her head down toward his crotch.
As McBroom struggled, Kent kept telling the married mother of three what he wanted to do to her in words too graphic to publish. The papers fell to the floor. The pet bulldog Kent kept in his chambers began to bark.
The incident was interrupted by the sound of footsteps from another staff member in the corridor, and the judge loosened his grip. As she left, the judge said McBroom was a good case manager and then made suggestions about engaging in a sexual act.
McBroom ran out crying. [. . .]
Between 2003 and 2007, McBroom experienced about 15 to 20 other incidents of alleged harassment, five involving improper touching, according to Clark and another source.
“He talked incredibly crudely when he was under the influence,” Clark said. “He described sex acts. . . “

Olsen reports that McBroom, Ms. Williams (the other former case manager) and at least three other women later gave statements to Fifth Circuit investigators regarding Judge Kent’s alleged abuse of employees. According to Olsen, women with knowledge of Judge Kent’s actions contend that the first incidents of alleged harassment and unwanted physical contacts with female court employees began about ten years ago. Williams, who is now retired, also spoke with Olsen regarding her experience with Judge Kent:

Williams, who had worked for Kent from 1993 to 2002, said her firing came days after she apparently offended the judge with a comment she’d made about his arriving late for a hearing, though she says she was given no official reason at the time.
Williams told the Chronicle that over the years she frequently had seen Kent appear inebriated at work after long lunches with lawyer friends, was regularly asked for “hugs” and subjected to lewd remarks.
The judge said he could “service me when my husband was being treated for prostate cancer,” Williams said. “He told me sexual dirty jokes, and (I) was expected to listen to his rude comments regarding other people.”
Williams said she never told co-workers or even her husband about most of the comments out of loyalty to the judge ó and out of fear that he would retaliate.
“I need to relay how Cathy and I felt threatened due to (Kent’s) power and authority and were always concerned about our positions and knew we could be dismissed at a moment’s notice,” Williams said. “Since (I) no longer work for him, I feel more comfortable talking but will always feel the emotional pain.”
Williams later worked at the federal courthouse in Houston until her retirement in 2006 with 33 years of U.S. government service.

McBroom filed an internal judicial conduct complaint against Kent on May 21st. On Sept. 28th, the Judicial Council’s formal reprimand was issued and, about a month later, Judge Kent was reassigned to Houston. Judge Kent remains on a leave of absence until January, 2008.
With these latest revelations, my bet is that the matter of Judge Kent is headed to the House Judiciary Committee after the first of the new year.

Why Didn’t the MSM Expose Spitzer’s Abuses?

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Regular readers of this blog know that former New York attorney general and current NY governor Eliot Spitzer’s abuses of power have been a frequent topic for a long time, particularly Spitzer’s dubious prosecution of former New York Stock Exchange chairman, Richard Grasso.

Well, as the years pass from Spitzer’s odious term as AG, additional information is beginning to filter out that indicates that Spitzer’s abuses of power were every bit as bad as suspected.

Dealbreaker’s John Carney has posts here and here reviewing Charles Gasparino’s new book, King of the Club: Richard Grasso and the Survival of the New York Stock Exchange (Collins 2007) in which Carney summarizes Garparino’s research on Spitzer’s dubious tactics in investigating Grasso.

Suffice it to say that Spitzer’s tactics would have qualified him for a key position in any of the secret police units of the former Eastern European totalitarian regimes.

In Carney’s latter post, he makes an excellent point about the mainstream media’s myopia regarding Spitzer’s abuses of power, which were regularly noted in the blogosphere, but rarely mentioned in the mainstream media outside of the Wall Street Journal. Carney observes:

Why didn’t [the mainstream media covering Spitzer’s investigation of Grasso] reveal the slimy tactics of the Spitzer squad?

We suspect part of the problem was the fear of being “cut off” of access. Reporters compete for scoops, and often those scoops depend on sources who will leak information to them. In the NYSE case, reporters assigned to the story were largely at the mercy of the investigators, who could cut-off uncooperative reporters, leaving them without copy to bring to their editors while their competitors filed stories with the newest dirt.

They probably felt — not unrealistically — that their very jobs were on the line.

This reveals an unfortunate state of affairs. Playing bugle boy while government officials call the tunes from behind a veil of anonymity is not investigative journalism — it’s hardly journalism at all. It’s closer to propaganda.

It would have been far better had the journalists turned their backs on the Spitzer squad, or even revealed these tactics to the public. Sure they may have lost some “good” stories but they could have painted a truer picture of what was going on. But that’s probably too much to hope for.

Exactly.

Jerome Solomon’s real bad Aggie joke

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houston_chronicle%20sports%20logo%20111007.jpgKevin Whited catches Houston Chronicle sports columnist Jerome Solomon making arguably the worst attempt at an Aggie joke in history:

It is sad that Texas A&M has spent the ’00s playing the role of little brother to Texas’ big brother.
While the bratty Longhorns constantly rub A&M’s nose in national championships ó no matter how infrequently they come ó the Aggies have to play with matches to get attention. (emphasis added)

Earth to Jerome, Earth to Jerome. The Aggie Bonfire collapse in 1999 was a horrific tragedy for not only Texas A&M University, but the entire state. Making light of it is in extremely poor taste.
My sense is that Mr. Solomon should sit in the corner for awhile after that one.

The Lidge deal

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Lidge%20shocked.jpgNew Stros General Manager Ed Wade’s first major move was to end Brad Lidge’s career with the Stros. Wade traded Lidge and utilityman Eric Bruntlett to the Phillies for CF Michael Bourn (a Houston native and former University of Houston player), reliever Geoff Geary and AA 3B Michael Costanzo.
I’m a firm believer that you evaluate trades primarily on the front end. A Major League ballclub wants its general manager to take reasonable risks in an attempt to improve the club. Because of the nature of risk, a reasonable trade can turn out bad. The Jason Jennings trade is a good recent example. It was a decent trade on the front end, but injury risk undermined the Stros’ purpose for the trade. Sure, many local pundits condemned the trade after the Stros risk was realized, but that’s an unfair way to evaluate a trade. If a GM is going to be ridiculed after the fact for taking risks to help the club, then that’s going to deter the GM from taking those risks. That’s a poor policy for developing and maintaining a successful ballclub.
Thus, evaluating this trade on the front end, it looks like a pretty good deal for the Stros, despite having to give up Lidge. One of the favorite pastimes of Stros fans over the past couple of seasons has been to psychoanalyze Lidge, who has taken it all in good-natured stride. His story is a compelling one. During the 2004 season, Lidge burst on the scene in essentially his second season of Major Leage Baseball and was, at least for a part of that season, the best relief pitcher in MLB and one of the primary reasons why the Stros won 36 out of their final 46 regular season games to make the playoffs and eventually come within a game of the 2004 World Series. In 94.2 innings that season, Lidge had a microscopic 1.90 ERA and saved 26 more runs than an average National League pitcher would have saved in the same number of innings (RSAA, explained here).
Lidge was very good again during the 2005 season (2.29 ERA/14 RSAA in 70.2 innings), but the first cracks in his armor began to show late that season. With the Stros one out away from the 2005 World Series and Lidge dominating the Cardinals, Albert Pujols hammered a game-winning Game 5 NLCS shot that still has not come back down to Earth. Lidge’s confidence seemed to evaporate in the wake of Pujols’ massive tater.
By the end of the following season (2006), Lidge had performed worse over the course of the season than virtually any other regular member of the Stros’ pitching staff (5.28 ERA/-6 RSAA in 75 innings). It was not really difficult to understand why — Lidge lost the ability to throw his devastating slider for strikes consistently. As a result, hitters laid off Lidge’s slider and laid into his fastball, which Lidge does not locate particularly well. Moreover, Lidge has a long history of arm and specifically elbow problems owing to his violent mechanics — as a starter in the low minors, he appeared in just 19 games from 1999 to 2001. His struggles with his control over the past couple of seasons just might indicate that the future injury risk for Lidge is quite high.
Lidge did make a nice comeback in 2007 (6 RSAA/3.36 ERA in 67 IP) from his horrifying 2006 season, but he still struggled with his control frequently. Curiously, the Stros delayed his knee surgery to remove loose cartilage until after the season, so it’s clear now that they were showcasing him for a possible trade. Lidge is talented and an asset for any pitching staff, but his one dominant season (2004) does not mean that he will regain his stature as a dominant closer. My sense is that Chad Qualls may well end up being a better fit for that role.
Inasmuch as the Stros need to re-stock the young talent on their big league club and in their minor league system, trading veteran talent such as Lidge in his last year before free agency makes sense. Bourn is a potential leadoff man with on-base skills that Willy Taveras never mastered, and he runs and plays CF well. The downside risk on Bourn is that he will be an inexpensive OBP and defensive tool for a couple of years. Finally, picking up Bourn allows the Stros to move Hunter Pence to right field and dangle Luke Scott as trade bait for more pitching.
The prospect in the deal — Costanzo — is not a top notch prospect at third, but he projects as an average MLB 3B by his 270 AVG./.368 OBA/.490 SLG in his age-23 season in AA ball. Inasmuch as it is doubtful that Ty Wigginton is the long range answer for the Stros at 3B, it is conceivable that Constanzo could make Wigginton available as trade bait before the end of next season. That’s the kind of flexibility that the Stros have lacked over the past several seasons as their minor league system became depleted.
Geary can be a serviceable reliever for the Stros, but I’m not going to get too excited about him until I see how he adjusts to the short porch in Minute Maid Park’s left field. He pitched very well for the Phillies during their playoff stretch drive this past season, but ge is not a flamethrower. Right-handed offspeed pitchers (starting with the forgettable 2000 performance of Jose Lima) don’t generally do all that well at Minute Maid. especially pitchers such as Geary who do not generate an overabundance of ground balls.
Nevertheless, I like this trade. Bourn has the potential to be what Taveras probably will never be, Geary can contribute right away and Costanzo is a solid prospect. All in all, a good day’s work for the Stros new GM.
Update: Jeff Albert provides this optimistic analysis of the Lidge deal from the Phillies’ perspective.

The smog Olympics

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Bejing.jpgThe photo on the left is from this James Fallows post, which describes the dubious air quality at noon in downtown Beijing, the site of the 2008 Summer Olympics. As Fallows asks:

“But, seriously: how is this not an all-out emergency from the Olympic committee’s point of view?”