Monday, August 22, 2011

Miami's Vices



I've intentionally taken some time to digest all the information coming out of Coral Gables, so as not to offer a emotional, knee-jerk reaction. That's what my weekly picks are for. And just so there's no confusion among some of you Hurricane fans, Coral Gables is where the University of Miami is actually located, not Sun Life Stadium.

What's telling about this whole fiasco is not what's been alleged by Nevin Shapiro, it's the reaction of former players, coaches and anyone who stood to gain financially or professionally from being associated with Nevin Shapiro. No one is saying, "Never met the guy....never seen his house....never been on his boat....he's lying about everything"....NO ONE. To a man, from former coach Jimmy Johnson to former players like Jonathan Vilma, they've all attacked Shapiro's credibility in spite of evidence presented in the Yahoo Sports article.

For you Miami fans who never bothered to go watch the Canes play, let alone stepped foot on campus or enrolled in a single class, this is called a "diversionary tactic". Google it and read the results before blindly supporting Da U. Read the Yahoo article while you're at it.  The article has plenty of pictures so you can follow along.

For you Miami alums and season ticket holders, people who actually support the program, please accept my condolences. Your Canes are fucked.

This Shapiro cat did his dirt for nearly a decade, right under the nose of Miami's athletic department and top administrators. The UM brass also failed to notice Shapiro was a stakeholder in a sports management agency that represented several high profile Canes after they went pro.

Essentially UM's administration enabled a guy who illegally brought in big-time recruits, kept them knee-deep in hookers and cash during their UM playing days, then made money off the few elite kids good enough to go pro. To show their appreciation, the UM brass allowed Shapiro to lead the team out of the tunnel and named a building after him.

Lack of institutional control? Try lack of institutional competency...lack of a clue. Worst case Miami's athletic department is guilty of just not giving a damn as long as Shapiro's donor checks cleared. Either way UM will pay dearly.

Southern Cal got hammered over paying OJ Mayo and Reggie Bush. Jim Tressel lost his job for covering up a "tattoos for memorabilia" barter deal involving no more than a half dozen Ohio State players. How much is a Big 10 championship ring worth...a butterfly tattoo? 

Meanwhile, the body count in Coral Gables is currently 72 players, and Shapiro's tab for this 8-year party has to be in the millions. SMU didn't spend anywhere near this much for talent.

Should Miami get the death penalty?  Yes they should, if for no other reason no one at UM in a position to stop Nevin Shapiro bothered to do so.  Throw in Miami's repeat offender status, coupled with the NCAA waiving the 4-year statute of limitations under the "willful violator" clause, there's a strong case for shutting down the program for a year.

Whether or not the death penalty happens is in the hands of an organization with about as much dirty laundry as UM's athletic department, right down to the head enforcement honcho who just so happened to be in charge of Miami's athletic department when Shapiro did his dirt.  Do us a favor and step down Paul Dee...you have about as much credibility as Michelle Bachmann wishing Elvis Presley a Happy Birthday last week.

As for you Miami, whatever penalties come your way, you earned them.  Congratulations from your good friends in Gainesville and Tallahassee.  As I understand it, Casey Anthony's legal team is available to work another miracle.  You might want to give Jose Baez a call.



Thursday, August 18, 2011



Conference realignment is the hot topic du jour, or at least is WAS until Yahoo Sports broke the Miami story, and from the looks of things the only sure survivors once all the smoke clears will be the Big 10, PAC-12 and the Southeastern Conference. 

Texas appears to hold all the cards, but I could care less what they do or where they go.  The NCAA's top athletic budget is worth exactly one football national championship since 1970.  Consider those of us in SEC country unimpressed.  Go independent for all we care...it's done wonders for Notre Dame's football program recently.

Speaking of the SEC, there’s speculation about Florida State, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Missouri and Clemson stepping up in weight class.  Texas A&M makes sense…Texas isn’t exactly playing fair with the TV money, the SEC gets to mess with the state of Texas AND begin laying the groundwork for re-negotiating that fat TV deal with ESPN and CBS.  I’m cool with that. 

Hell, add Missouri while we’re at it….the West could use a new Vanderbilt now that Dan Mullen has it rolling in Starkville. 

Oklahoma appears to be tied to the hip with Texas, but I wouldn't be surprised if they went west to PAC-12 or east to the SEC depending on how greedy Texas gets. 

Clemson?  See Missouri, but with better recruits and worse coaching.
As for Florida State, contrary to popular belief, some Gator fans are in favor of FSU joining the SEC.  This UF alum would welcome those bastard savages with open arms.  I want them to understand first-hand why no one in the SEC will ever finish ranked in the Top 5 for 14 consecutive years.  I want them to deal with LSU, Georgia, Auburn and UF in consecutive weeks.  I want them to wonder how 30,000 Alabama fans managed to get tickets inside their stadium.  Come on and join the Big Boy party….we’re waiting.

I haven't weighed in on the train wreck going on in Miami, but as I understand it the Sun Belt Conference will extend the Canes an invitation once the NCAA finishes up their investigation.

Stay tuned....

What Did I Miss?


Wanna get away?

Greetings everyone!
Having spent a long weekend in beautiful Key West, and after taking off the entire off-season…what an eventful off-season it was…eViLG is back in the saddle, here to give you one man’s humble, subjective and deliciously fallible opinions on this soap opera known as college football.
I don’t even know where to start....but just know I'm back, along with Coach E and Alabama superfan Keith "Did we really lose 3 games last year?" Edwards.

I'll weigh in on the Miami fiasco, conference realignment, the plot to assassinate Joe Paterno, Will Muschamp's beer gut and much more.

Until then, be good.