masthead.jpg

switchconcepts.com, U3dpdGNo-a25, DIRECT rubiconproject.com, 14766, RESELLER pubmatic.com, 30666, RESELLER, 5d62403b186f2ace appnexus.com, 1117, RESELLER thetradedesk.com, switchconcepts, RESELLER taboola.com, switchconceptopenrtb, RESELLER bidswitch.com, switchconcepts, RESELLER contextweb.com, 560031, RESELLER amazon-adsystem.com, 3160, RESELLER crimtan.com, switch, RESELLER quantcast.com, switchconcepts , RESELLER rhythmone.com, 1934627955, RESELLER ssphwy.com, switchconcepts, RESELLER emxdgt.com, 59, RESELLER appnexus.com, 1356, RESELLER sovrn.com, 96786, RESELLER, fafdf38b16bf6b2b indexexchange.com, 180008, RESELLER nativeads.com, 52853, RESELLER theagency.com, 1058, RESELLER google.com, pub-3515913239267445, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0
February 1, 2010

Cranky, Cranky, Cranky

Filed under: Big 11,Conference,Rumors — Chas @ 12:58 pm

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Pitt football beat writer Paul Zeise must have had a lousy weekend.

I’ve spoken with countless people at Pitt about this situation — and mostly because I am getting  bombarded with e-mails, voicemails, text messages and every other form of communication about it not because I believe any of it — over the last few days and this is the message I’ve gotten loud and clear —

There is no announcement planned (the phrases “total fabrication” and “absolutely 100 percent false” and “there is absolutely nothing to these rumors, nothing at all” have been used on more than one occassion) because there is nothing to this whole ‘Pitt to the Big Ten’ stuff. At least not right now and not in the near future. And to take it one step further, there have been no formal discussions (and I’ve been told there haven’t even been any informal discussions between Pitt and the Big Ten, in other words, there have been no discussions at all) between Pitt and the Big Ten and all of these rumors are just that.

He also points out that Pitt isn’t formally commenting because it is wiser to make sure the door is open if it ever gets to a point where the Big 11 expands.





He’s getting pounded about knowing nothing…I’d be cranky too. I wish he would have reported that the meeting at the Pete this morning with the coaches of every sport (doesn’t happen often) was strictly to address the false rumors and NOT to inform them of a decision to join the Big Ten…instead he said nothing.

Comment by Final Four 02.01.10 @ 1:48 pm

How’s he getting pounded? Its email for chrissakes.

I don’t know that its happening (although I talked to a player whose dad knows a woman who works at a coffee shop …), but bad, bad move if it does. The Big N is little more than a name now.

Given that tUofPgh would NOT be a destination for players who want to go to the Big N (and the fact that Wanny’s the HC), I doubt if football recruiting picks up at all. Its likely to decline, in fact.

Forget about BB recruits. And I think this is the event that makes Dixon leave for an elite program.

Comment by Spanky 02.01.10 @ 2:59 pm

Spanky, Alfalfa and Buckwheat differ. They told me that if Calhoun, Wright and Boeheim were to leave, BE hoops would implode…”be little more than a name now.”

And re: football. Wouldn’t Pitt like to have gotten a few of JoePa’s recruits who would rather play against Michigan, Ohio State and Happy Valley before crowds of hundreds of thousands instead of 30,000 or so in Storrs, Louisville and, um, Piscataway?

Comment by steve 02.01.10 @ 3:42 pm

Wanny is a good recruiter regardless of what you think of him as an HC. So I’m not sure how you equate that recruiting would decline due to the fact that he’s the HC.

Comment by PITTapotamus 02.01.10 @ 4:04 pm

steve. spanky here.

Big N hoops has already sucked for several years now. The Big East is the best hoops conf in the country. We’ll lose those recruits, and I think Dixon as well.

I’m sure Pitt would have loved to get some (but not all) of those football recruits, but they would more likely have ended up at tOSU, WVU North, or some other Big N school, not Pitt. Pitt doesn’t have the name to attract them.

Comment by Spanky 02.01.10 @ 4:08 pm

I’d like to be in the Big East for basketball and the Big Ten (11) for football. I’d also like to live year round in Cabo and have ten kids with Jennifer Aniston. But, damnit, I can’t get everything I want…..

Comment by Bobby 02.01.10 @ 4:11 pm

PS: just nice to know Zeise had a lousy weekend.

Thanks.
Drive Safely.

Comment by Spanky 02.01.10 @ 4:16 pm

Zeise is and has been a cranky (sob) sports obfuscating beatwriter.

Comment by shadyforpresident 02.01.10 @ 4:23 pm

Spanky, steve back. Enjoying the conversation.

Re: Big 10 hoops, they’ve got as storied a past as the BE, see the last 20 years for Indiana, MSU, Michigan and Illinois and compare to Georgetown, UConn and Syracuse.

Football, what can I say? Wouldn’t you want the ketchup field filled to capacity every Saturday instead of the peanut galleries you see for teams like UConn, Syracuse and yes, even RU? (Damn, they should even close off the upper deck like they do at the Rock for SJU and Nets games.)

C’mon now. Do you think recruiting would suffer if Pitt were in the Big 10, especially if UConn, W Va, Cincy and the like are abandoned?

Comment by steve 02.01.10 @ 4:51 pm

Spanky, 1st of all, the recuriting budget would bet much larger which certainly couldn’t hurt. Then they would receive much more TV exposure which certainly can’t hurt. And then they would play in higher profile bowls which again certainly can’t hurt.

Comment by wbb 02.01.10 @ 5:07 pm

wbb,
It could hurt a lot, you’re assuming (fb) that we would have a winning record in the Big Whatever. It’s probably better to be 10-3 in the Big East than 3-10 in the BiG 11.

Comment by shadyforpresident 02.01.10 @ 5:19 pm

I think Zeise is just bitter that he’s not at the Washington Post covering the Congressional beat or the Pentagon or something.

Comment by Jeff 02.01.10 @ 5:28 pm

shadyforpresident, what do you think the B10 is?

Do you realize that Syracuse took two B10 bowl teams into overtime thsi past year and even beat one of them (Northwestern) who later on beat Iowa, a BCS team? For as bad as the Cuse and UL were lately, do you not realize just how bad Indian stinks? My god, they were beaten 47 to 7 by Virginia … yes, that very same Virinia team that lost at home to Bill & Mary.

Pitt will certainly have more problem winning the B10 title than the BE title but there is no reason to believe that this year’s Pitt team wouldn’t have finished in the top of half of the conference. Just remember, the Pitt team of two years ago, which I believe was not nearly as good as this year’s team, beat a good Iowa team which tied for third place in the BE that year.

The B10 is a step up in FB than the BE but not nearly the large step that you seem to imply in your post .. not even close.

Comment by wbb 02.01.10 @ 5:29 pm

wbb,

I think we could count on 5 losses right off the bat, OSU, PSU, UM, MSU, UW, and Iowa. I think that we can beat the bottom 3 with maybe one loss to one of them and the rest being a toss-up. Northwestern just had a bad day, and we lost to NC State remember? When is the last time we beat MSU?

Comment by shadyforpresident 02.01.10 @ 6:05 pm

we played MSU when we had no line and still only lost by 4 to them at their place in a year when we only won 5 games. Again, we beat a Iowa team 2 years ago and we were much improved this year. And for you to think that we would have lost to UM just proves how totally clueless you are.

Comment by wbb 02.01.10 @ 6:09 pm

wbb,

Aren’t we cranky, cranky, cranky? Cutting little tidbits from sports pages an posting them here doesn’t make you clued in. You haven’t proved anything but your lack of class.

Comment by shadyforpresident 02.02.10 @ 8:53 am

I think its time to fire Paul Zeise. The guy has know good insight to anything and he’s a donner towards are team. When we played WVU 2 seasons ago in football i saw Zeise after the game, and I told him I like our chances to the Sun Bowl… YOu know what idiot told me. “Na I don’t think so man.” And then her walked away with an idiotic look on his face that a PITT student knows more about college football than he does. This guy is offfal and so is the post. I hope they continue to fall under so that way Paul, Bob, Ron, and Gene cant bash Pitt any more. Fuck those guys! Pardin my langauge if any kids read this. Hail to PITT!

Comment by Lou 02.02.10 @ 9:38 am

No offense, but I think you doofusses(sp.?) are missing the point. We could argue all day about whether or not going to the Big Ten AS THE 12th TEAM would be good or not for Pitt and honestly both arguments have merit. But that’s not where this is going.

Let’s face it, college sports is changing quickly. The Big Ten is on the rise and looking to expand. The fact that three Big East teams are rumored (re: interested) to be going to the Big Ten speaks volumes. No one is even suggesting that a Big Ten team would be interested in leaving and going to BE.

The Big Ten is NOT GOING TO STOP AT 12 TEAMS. They are going to 14 or 16 eventually. Ultimately, there will be more money for everyone in a bigger conference. And when the Big Ten does get bigger, stronger Pitt doesn’t want to be on the outside looking in with what is left of the BE.

Comment by Boubacar Aw 02.02.10 @ 10:56 am

doofus is spelled with one s. I’m not sure about the plural, doofi maybe? And doofus, who are you calling a doofus?

Comment by shadyforpresident 02.02.10 @ 11:25 am

Shady..thanks for the clarification. The doofus comment was just a poor attempt at humor. And don’t get mad, I did say “no offense”. 🙂

Comment by Boubacar Aw 02.02.10 @ 11:57 am

Thanks, Chas for trying to lend some sanity to the internet rumor mill. I was with a bunch of Pitt Alumni for the game in Tampa on Sunday and none of this made sense to anyone, since the Big 11 honchos were pretty adamant that they were only investigating expansion at this point.

Just a reminder: We have this basketball team that just came off a disappointing loss and has a game tomorrow night against the school many of us hate more than Penn State. No conversation about that at all, which is a little strange since Pitt’s national rep is currently based more on basketball than football.

Chas: I hope you’re working on some Pitt v. WVU basketball content so the talk can turn back to the here and now instead of something that still seems to be 1-3 YEARS away.

Thanks in advance, and Hail to PITT!

Comment by TampaT 02.02.10 @ 12:03 pm

Boubacar Aw,

No offense taken, just my attempt at humor also.

Comment by shadyforpresident 02.02.10 @ 12:31 pm

Powered by WordPress © PittBlather.com

Site Meter