Smoke your cigars and enjoy the band while you can....

[steve dave]

Sam Mellinger frantically scrambles to save his job:

KC will be just fine after Missouri is gone from Big 12
By SAM MELLINGER
The Kansas City Star
Updated: 2011-10-26T13:21:09Z

COLUMBIA | I have checked Faurot Field, seen the columns on campus, even poked my head into Shakespeare’s, and can now report the following with near 100 percent certainty:

The grim reaper of the Kansas City sports scene is nowhere to be found here.

Missouri is as good as gone, of course, off to the Southeastern Conference and its voluntary class schedules for football players and disregard for the NCAA rulebook, and you know what?

Good for them.

Kansas City will probably lose something, of course, maybe even the Big 12 basketball tournament, but you know what else?

We’ll be fine. Actually, the potential addition of West Virginia is one more brick of credibility to a rebuilding Big 12, and as long as that continues, life for a Kansas City sports fan will be better than fine.

The more you think about this, the more something a bit unexpected becomes obvious:

Kansas City’s sports scene is about to get better — stronger and more interesting than ever before — as soon as MU finishes off the worst-kept secret since Paris Hilton’s sex tape.

Full disclosure, this is an about-face of my previously grumpy feelings (or a “fun-80,” if you read the blog). I’ve endured the last few weeks in something like a metaphorical fetal position, worry and sadness about losing a unique rivalry and watching a pillar of Kansas City sports drift south toward the accents and pickup trucks and pretty girls.

Insecurity and uncertainty and probably just an aversion to change made this all sound like such a horrible and unnecessary idea, raw emotion driving my reaction and maybe yours, and did you notice something?

Each day, the sun has come up, and each day has brought even more to argue about and obsess over.

Once Mizzou finally makes the move — can someone give Brady Deaton a hand with that, by the way? — each day that passes will come with an opportunity our region hasn’t had in at least a decade, since the opening of Kansas Speedway:

A genuine addition to our sports scene.

The ongoing conference realignment story has been best defined with marriage analogies — most regrettably with noted adulterer Rick Pitino chastising other schools for their lack of fidelity — so it’s with a bit of embarrassment I’ve previously missed one.

Kansas City is not losing Mizzou. We’re gaining the SEC.

Think about it. A two-hour drive and we can see Kentucky basketball or LSU football. We can get to know Nick Saban and Billy Donovan and Steve Spurrier and John Calipari as part of the region’s sports footprint.

If Mizzou were in the SEC the last four years, we might’ve seen Cam Newton, John Wall, Tim Tebow, Nick Fairley, Joakim Noah, Mark Ingram, A.J. Green and DeMarcus Cousins. Those are Heisman Trophy winners, No. 1 NBA draft picks, superstar coaches and national championship teams.

Who knows what we’ll see in the next four years?

Until now, the markets that have a presence in two major conferences are places like St. Louis, Atlanta and Baltimore/Washington D.C. Right away, Kansas City joins that list but with the benefit of being a city that actually appreciates college sports.

Maybe we lose the Big 12 basketball tournament, maybe not. But if you worry about that, you must also at least hope we pick up the SEC tournament. If this is really the college basketball capital of America, it’ll be a blast.

Even the arguments about what Kansas City is supposedly losing deserve scrutiny. MU fans aren’t going anywhere. Mizzou is likely to continue to play both football and basketball here.

How about a game against Nebraska at Arrowhead?

Look, the official stance of this column is that MU will regret going to the SEC and that either way Kansas should swallow its pride and continue to play Mizzou.

But with each side apparently marching on, the strange and unintended consequence is the Border War now effectively running on a case of Four Lokos.

Even in the midst of stiff public statements, there is private admission on both sides that KU and MU may very well resume playing each other in a few years. Now just isn’t the time, and even if that robs Kansas City of a few fun games, you gotta admit, the cold war is plenty entertaining for the moment.

The move to the SEC is already making things more interesting around here.

Just wait until it actually happens.

[ben ji]

Did he really just suggest the SEC would have their BBall tourney at the sprint center?

[steve dave]

Did he really just suggest the SEC would have their BBall tourney at the sprint center?

indeed he did 

[kstater]

Maybe the SEC could alternate between KC and Key West Florida.

[CNS]

@Couchburner(guy on twitter who's handle I prolly got wrong) said that the move is def happening and that the reports that will be coming out today are not to be trusted and are other schools scrambling to hold things together.

[mcmwcat]

jfc, smellinger.  next move: SEC football championship to St. Louis. 

[pissclams]

Thanks to Panj, I now have my heart set on ND and Louisville bb being in our league.  Somewhat excited about a BYU bb team, but let's face it, Jimmer is gone.

In football, distance is kind of meaningless.  Teams fly all over the place all of the time, so no big deal.

In every other sport, it makes a difference with the amount of times per year you have to travel.  So that makes BYU very unattractive.

However, if you can find a way to make them fit in football while finding a very deserving partner with geographical sanity to fill in all of the rest, who has a national following of their own, it's just gravy.

Then, if you can strike up an agreement for Notre Dame to play X number of Big 12 schools per year, it's just awesome.  That's more Tier 1 money right there for all of us to split and enjoy.

i don't understand the crap that's coming out of your mouth.  the non-revs are going to be flying to/from whomever joins the big12, just not on charter.

notre dame is closer to west virginia than byu is his point.  west virginia is 2 time zones from byu.  notre dame makes more geographical sense for all sports but wouldnt add a football program.  for football flying a long ways on the weekend isnt as a big of a deal as say a volleyball team in the middle of the weak flying half way across the country twice on the same day/night.

SBN isn't much easier to get to than Provo.  the travel differential between Provo/South Bend is a dumb talking point and the small variance in time it takes to get to one vs the other would not shape a decision on the matter of who joins the b12.

[steve dave]

South Bend would instantly become the biggest shithole city in the conference though.  Place is a disgusting dump.

[EMAWmeister]

South Bend would instantly become the biggest shithole city in the conference though.  Place is a disgusting dump.

outside of campus, yes.

[Rage Against the McKee]

South Bend would instantly become the biggest shithole city in the conference though.  Place is a disgusting dump.

I bet the tucks will love it.

[mcmwcat]

South Bend would instantly become the biggest shithole city in the conference though.  Place is a disgusting dump.

god yes.  just go to senior bar and stay on campus.

[doom]

This video is kind of hilarious.  Mocks Big East.

[Panjandrum]

Thanks to Panj, I now have my heart set on ND and Louisville bb being in our league.  Somewhat excited about a BYU bb team, but let's face it, Jimmer is gone.

In football, distance is kind of meaningless.  Teams fly all over the place all of the time, so no big deal.

In every other sport, it makes a difference with the amount of times per year you have to travel.  So that makes BYU very unattractive.

However, if you can find a way to make them fit in football while finding a very deserving partner with geographical sanity to fill in all of the rest, who has a national following of their own, it's just gravy.

Then, if you can strike up an agreement for Notre Dame to play X number of Big 12 schools per year, it's just awesome.  That's more Tier 1 money right there for all of us to split and enjoy.

i don't understand the crap that's coming out of your mouth.  the non-revs are going to be flying to/from whomever joins the big12, just not on charter.

notre dame is closer to west virginia than byu is his point.  west virginia is 2 time zones from byu.  notre dame makes more geographical sense for all sports but wouldnt add a football program.  for football flying a long ways on the weekend isnt as a big of a deal as say a volleyball team in the middle of the weak flying half way across the country twice on the same day/night.

SBN isn't much easier to get to than Provo.  the travel differential between Provo/South Bend is a dumb talking point and the small variance in time it takes to get to one vs the other would not shape a decision on the matter of who joins the b12.

Notre Dame wouldn't force you into Saturday double-headers in baseball because of the whole, "Joseph Smith says we can't travel on Sundays," thing.

[CNS]

Joseph Smith needs to take a second rough ridin' look into that hat and get this crap figured out.

[Emo EMAW]

Dum dum dum dum dum

[Belvis Noland]

Apparently, a late push has been made by UL. The press conference scheduled for today has been cancelled. An official for WVU says this is all UL's doing. It also appears that WVU jumped the gun just a bit yesterday in announcing this as done, and ruffled some feathers in Dallas.

Destroy Big East = Win for Big XII. 

--more TV $$$ for the other Conferences.
--one less AQ Conference = one more BCS bid for the Big4. 
--one less AQ Conference = more football/basketball recruits interested in the BigXII.

In order to destroy the Big East, we need to add Louisville and Cincy.  So, why is this decision hard?   

[Panjandrum]

Apparently, a late push has been made by UL. The press conference scheduled for today has been cancelled. An official for WVU says this is all UL's doing. It also appears that WVU jumped the gun just a bit yesterday in announcing this as done, and ruffled some feathers in Dallas.

Destroy Big East = Win for Big XII. 

--more TV $$$ for the other Conferences.
--one less AQ Conference = one more BCS bid for the Big4. 
--one less AQ Conference = more football/basketball recruits interested in the BigXII.

In order to destroy the Big East, we need to add Louisville and Cincy.  So, why is this decision hard?   

Notre Dame and the money from a scheduling alliance.

[wELLsculptedbrows]

Sam Mellinger frantically scrambles to save his job:

I just tried to imagine what it would be like to read Whitlock during all this. 

[Dr Rick Daris]

Apparently, a late push has been made by UL. The press conference scheduled for today has been cancelled. An official for WVU says this is all UL's doing. It also appears that WVU jumped the gun just a bit yesterday in announcing this as done, and ruffled some feathers in Dallas.

Destroy Big East = Win for Big XII. 

--more TV $$$ for the other Conferences.
--one less AQ Conference = one more BCS bid for the Big4. 
--one less AQ Conference = more football/basketball recruits interested in the BigXII.

In order to destroy the Big East, we need to add Louisville and Cincy.  So, why is this decision hard?   

cincinattti would be a horrible addition. just horrible.

[Belvis Noland]

cincinattti would be a horrible addition. just horrible.

Cincy isn't necessary.  I think the BigEast would fold if WVU and Louisville leave.  Frankly, I think the league will fold if either one of those schools leave. 

Cincy makes the most geographic sense, though. 

[doom]

cincinattti would be a horrible addition. just horrible.

Cincy isn't necessary.  I think the BigEast would fold if WVU and Louisville leave.  Frankly, I think the league will fold if either one of those schools leave. 

Cincy makes the most geographic sense, though. 

Really my argument for Cincy is 12, and the question of who would be better?

[Rage Against the McKee]

cincinattti would be a horrible addition. just horrible.

Cincy isn't necessary.  I think the BigEast would fold if WVU and Louisville leave.  Frankly, I think the league will fold if either one of those schools leave. 

Cincy makes the most geographic sense, though. 

Really my argument for Cincy is 12, and the question of who would be better?

BYU, South Florida, Central Florida, East Carolina, Colorado State, etc.

[bakerman]

cincinattti would be a horrible addition. just horrible.

Cincy isn't necessary.  I think the BigEast would fold if WVU and Louisville leave.  Frankly, I think the league will fold if either one of those schools leave. 

Cincy makes the most geographic sense, though. 

Really my argument for Cincy is 12, and the question of who would be better?

BYU, South Florida, Central Florida, East Carolina, Colorado State, etc.

Devalued your entire opinion

[theKSU]

http://mbd.scout.com/mb.aspx?s=159&f=4582&t=8153773

[doom]

cincinattti would be a horrible addition. just horrible.

Cincy isn't necessary.  I think the BigEast would fold if WVU and Louisville leave.  Frankly, I think the league will fold if either one of those schools leave. 

Cincy makes the most geographic sense, though. 

Really my argument for Cincy is 12, and the question of who would be better?

BYU, South Florida, Central Florida, East Carolina, Colorado State, etc.

Devalued your entire opinion

None of those seem any better.