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

[ben ji]

Interview with new commish, sounds like he has alot of people in his pocket. I'm assuming thats good  

COLUMBIA – On Friday morning The Star caught up with newly-hired interim Big 12 Conference Commissioner Charles M. Neinas.

Better knowm to a legion of collegiate officials and coaches as Chuck, Neinas brings a wealth of credentials to his new position.

He began his career in athletic administration with the NCAA in 1961. He moved on to take over as Big Eight Conference commissioner in 1971. In 1980 Neinas became executive director of the College Football Association.

For many years Neinas has worked as probably the most successful and influential headhunter in college athletics, helping schools around the nation in identifying and hiring 51 athletic directors or coaches. Including many on the job now in the Big 12 Conference.

Neinas was up early in his home in the Boulder, Co., area, providing his own preamble when he picked up a telephone and said:

“What goes around comes around, huh?”

Congratulations, Mr. Commissioner.

“Or condolences,” Neinas said, laughing easily.

Q: Hitting the elephant in the room, what is your read on Missouri and its stance (of demanding real Big 12 reform to keep Mizzou from looking to another league)?

A: “I’m going to ask the chancellor (Brady Deaton). They were vague, were they, yesterday?

Q: A big question in the Big 12 concerned whether Dan Beebe (who stepped down as Big 12 commissioner on Thursday) ever had the power to lead a conference in which individual school presidents kept so much decision-making in their own hands. How strong a commissioner, or interim commissioner, can you be?

A: “That’s a good question. I think my role is defined as trying to bring the team together, to work together.

“I’m not planning to be there long term, so my responsibility is to help mend fences if that has to be the case and try to make sure that everyone is operating and doing their best in the right direction.

“Obviously I have to get a better feel for the situation. I’m going to visit all campus sites and have private conversations so I can get a better understanding to try to help the conference move forward.

“What we need to do is relatively simple. To identity our objectives, address our concerns and then lay out a timetable and prioritize how we move forward and accomplish what we want.”

Q: Someone asked me what I would do if I were commissioner and I told them I would get all the presidents or CEOs in a Spartan setting, no fancy hotel, bring them all into a room, lock the door and show them the key and say that until everybody was on the same page and working together that I wasn’t going to let them out.

A: “I don’t think I’ll do that.

“What you do. . . I don’t think people understand or appreciate it. You develop your stature on the job, if you follow me.
“I was with the Big Eight for almost 10 years. I had more authority when I was leaving than when I came. But you earn that. You earn that. That’s given to you by your members.”

Q: Can you tell the situation of how you were approached and by who?

A: “By David Boren (president of the University of Oklahoma). I’ve known David a long time. If you recall I was involved in the AD search (Joe Castiglione) with Oklahoma and I was involved in the football search at Oklahoma (Bob Stoops).
Q: When did he call you? When was the first contact?

A: “It all happened very quickly. Last week. The original reason he called me was not about being commissioner.”

Q: When did he broach the possibility of you being the commissioner?

A: “It must have been early this week.”

Q: Did he approach you about being commissioner before the Pac 12 said they didn’t want people, to expand?

A: “I can’t put the timeline together immediately. I can’t say for sure.”

Q: Do you have a timeline for beginning work with the Big 12, getting everyone on the same page and determining if you can keep this conference together as it is so constructed? I’m figuring without Texas A&M.

A: “Technically, I have to talk to chancellor Deaton, as chairman of the conference. He and I talked briefly last night but I’ve got to talk to him today.

“I anticipate starting in a couple of weeks. That’s not going to be tomorrow. I’m going to be down in Dallas for some meetings next week.

“I’m going to attend the (Big 12) AD meetings, but there are also meetings of the 1-A athletic directors. I have a project I’ve been working on for others.

“I don’t think I’m going to be officially on board until maybe the week of October 3 or October 10th. We’ll see how that plays out.”

Q: Do you have any preconceived notion of the prospects, of your ability to heal the fractures?

A: “I’ve done it before. This is nine members. The CFA had 63.”

Q: Do you hire your replacement?

A: “No, the presidents hire the replacement.”

Q: But are you a commissioner who still has his hat in the ring as headhunter?

A: “I would probably offer to assist in the search, if that’s what you’re asking.”

Q: Anything that you have in mind, that I haven’t asked you about, that you feel is important to get out there?

A: “I look forward to working with the group. I know the ADs and I know the football coaches. I’ve known some of them for a long time. Some of them are good friends. I gave Kirby Hocutt (athletic director at Texas Tech) his first job. These are not uncharted waters when it comes to knowing the players.”




Read more: http://campuscorner.kansascity.com/node/2076#ixzz1YnExAfLd

[catzacker]

People are like “hey lets go out and get [insert 3 schools’ name], as if this conference could act that quickly.  Really?  I mean, REALLY?  THE CONFERENCE MEMBERS COULDN’T EVEN COORDINATE FREAKING CONFERENCE PRESS CONFERENCES TO SAY “HEY, WE’VE GOT ISSUES, WE’RE GOING TO WORK THROUGH THEM” NOR COULD THEY DECIDE ON ONE “VOICE” OR ONE FOCUS OF EACH PRESS CONFERENCE.

I seriously doubt this league could pull off a 3year old’s birthday party, let alone quickly moving to get universities…should MU leaving trigger the SEC, ACC, or Big 10 want to get to 16. 

Hopefully, Chuck Norris gets MU on board.  His interview makes it sound like he's going to try to address it immediately.  We'll see. 

[CNS]

People are like “hey lets go out and get [insert 3 schools’ name], as if this conference could act that quickly.  Really?  I mean, REALLY?  THE CONFERENCE MEMBERS COULDN’T EVEN COORDINATE FREAKING CONFERENCE PRESS CONFERENCES TO SAY “HEY, WE’VE GOT ISSUES, WE’RE GOING TO WORK THROUGH THEM” NOR COULD THEY DECIDE ON ONE “VOICE” OR ONE FOCUS OF EACH PRESS CONFERENCE.

I seriously doubt this league could pull off a 3year old’s birthday party, let alone quickly moving to get universities…should MU leaving trigger the SEC, ACC, or Big 10 want to get to 16. 

Hopefully, Chuck Norris gets MU on board.  His interview makes it sound like he's going to try to address it immediately.  We'll see. 

I agree with this.  If OU and MU had kept quiet the whole time, I could have been made to believe that they possibly were holding informal discussions with other teams for contingency plans, but with pretty much all major players in our confy looking to the other major confys as possible homes, I can't be convinced that anyone was discretely discussing bringing anyone in.  Given this, you gotta think that the discussions are starting near square one right now.  The only way I could see something different would be if we rekindled discussions we started last time around.

[Skipper44]

ChuckCarltonDMN Chuck Carlton
MT @ChrisLevel: Tech's Guy Bailey tells @AaronDickens and I that MU Chancellor Deaton told him MU doesn't have SEC offer, will stay in B12.
42 minutes ago

Could this thing be coming to a close?

[wetwillie]

So A&M has to have everyone sign a waiver but Mizzou gets a free pass into the league?  That makes no sense, which is why ultimately Mizzou to the SEC without something else to break up the conference outside the SEC makes no sense either.

[EMAWzified]

I think DeArmond found the SEC offer in the bottom of a bottle of scotch.

[mcmwcat]

IMO, I've come to the conclusion that the legal threats are just that.  threats.  in the end, lawyers will get fees, that's who will get any worthwhile money.

fees are expensive.  not sure if they are expensive enough to stop the exodus

[Panjandrum]

ftp://

I think DeArmond found the SEC offer in the bottom of a bottle of scotch.

I am sure the offer is there...provided the Big 12 officially dissolve by OU and UT first.

[chum1]

IMO, I've come to the conclusion that the legal threats are just that.  threats.  in the end, lawyers will get fees, that's who will get any worthwhile money.

fees are expensive.  not sure if they are expensive enough to stop the exodus

i don't think sec wouldn't be acting all scared the way they have been if it was just a matter of legal fees

[CNS]

My god.  Can you imagine if the SEC offer isn't there?  If it isn't that crap will come out eventually.  Then MU will be the girl who flirted with the hot guy only to have him choose a diff date, then turn around an make up some boyfriend from a neighboring town.

Could not ask for better than this, if true.

[0.42]

I'm fine with each school having their own network as long as it doesn't involve conference games.

[WillieWatanabe]

this article is very depressing. he makes some good points, but i don't believe it's as doom and gloom as he states. Plus he was hyperbolic(thanks Beth) with a lot of points, imo. The Big 12 CAN be stable with Texas involved.

http://outkickthecoverage.com/will-missouri-fans-fight-for-the-sec.php

[Rage Against the McKee]

I'm fine with each school having their own network as long as it doesn't involve conference games.

I don't mind the networks involving conference games, either, as long as those games fall to tier 3. Also, I think that both schools participating in the game should be able to broadcast it on their own network.

[sonofdaxjones]

I am perfectly fine with Missouri moving on, as long as the rest of the Big 12 stays together, plenty of opportunity to go get a couple of decent programs that will be happy to be in the Big 12 and will bring new markets.

If there's one school and fanbase that thinks they're way more important than they really are, it's Moo.

As a collective athletic department, with the kind of demographics they have, they've done pretty much nothing of any significance.  

[catzacker]

The offer was there or still might be there.  It's also plausible that the SEC got pissed about the leak and MU's posturing/leverage play and decided that they won't be used as leverage and "pulled" the offer.  

Has anyone been able to determine whether the 6 year agreement is an actual 6 year agreement (i.e. ends in 6 years from the date it is signed) or whether it is a 6 year penalty (i.e. if a member leaves it will lose its rights for 6 years).  The latter makes the most sense (or has the most teeth).  

My hope is that MU comes out of this like they usually do, with their pants around their ankles in a bathroom stall, but, I mean, something has to go right for them after a while, doesn't it?

[nicname]

I'm fine with each school having their own network as long as it doesn't involve conference games.

I don't mind the networks involving conference games, either, as long as those games fall to tier 3. Also, I think that both schools participating in the game should be able to broadcast it on their own network.

Leaves too much room for finagling.

[Rage Against the McKee]

I'm fine with each school having their own network as long as it doesn't involve conference games.

I don't mind the networks involving conference games, either, as long as those games fall to tier 3. Also, I think that both schools participating in the game should be able to broadcast it on their own network.

Leaves too much room for finagling.

I'd rather be on tv than not on tv.

[CNS]

God damn it, our crew needs to get better at finagling.  Then we can stop bitching about someting like that, and start taking advantage of sitches.

[OK_Cat]

I'm fine with each school having their own network as long as it doesn't involve conference games.

I don't mind the networks involving conference games, either, as long as those games fall to tier 3. Also, I think that both schools participating in the game should be able to broadcast it on their own network.

There is absolutely no reason in 2011 that a conference game should be played and not be on television.  ISU/KSU not going to be on ABC/ESPN/Fox?  Air that crap on the WTN (Wildcat Television Network) and the FNN (Flood News Network) at the same time.

[deputy dawg]

If there's one school and fanbase that thinks they're way more important than they really are, it's Moo.

I respectfully disagree, Sir Dax.  That honor definitely goes to ku. 

[kstater]

If there's one school and fanbase that thinks they're way more important than they really are, it's Moo.

I respectfully disagree, Sir Dax.  That honor definitely goes to ku.  

Thing is, KU has actually accomplished something in both football and basketball, Mizzou has that one time they made the CCG.

[The Whale]

The offer was there or still might be there.  It's also plausible that the SEC got pissed about the leak and MU's posturing/leverage play and decided that they won't be used as leverage and "pulled" the offer.  

Has anyone been able to determine whether the 6 year agreement is an actual 6 year agreement (i.e. ends in 6 years from the date it is signed) or whether it is a 6 year penalty (i.e. if a member leaves it will lose its rights for 6 years).  The latter makes the most sense (or has the most teeth).  

My hope is that MU comes out of this like they usually do, with their pants around their ankles in a bathroom stall, but, I mean, something has to go right for them after a while, doesn't it?

One of the articles posted earlier said it was the bolded.  So 4-5 years from now, this will come up again, but the new tv deal was supposed to keep everyone together at that point.

[oodfan]

UT mouthpiece has spoken again.

http://texas.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1269385

Granting Tier 1 and 2 rights.

[catzacker]

UT mouthpiece has spoken again.

http://texas.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1269385

Granting Tier 1 and 2 rights.

its absurd for a school to feel warm and cozy that they'll be in a conference for 6 years. 

[steve dave]

If everyone agrees to that and they make it six years from each year someone is a member this will hold the confy together pretty much forever.  If they get that second part through we are golden.  Big "if" as nobody has really addressed that though.