Big XII Basketball Play of the Day for 1/22/11

Kansas

Kansas and Texas in a good Big XII tilt this afternoon.  Kansas comes in undefeated and ranked #2.  Texas is 15-3 and ranked #11 heading to Lawrence.

Kansas is favored by only 7.  I think it should be more.  Texas is 3-10 ATS in their last 13 Sat. games, and 7-20-1 ATS in their last 28 vs. Big 12 teams.  Not looking good for Texas here.  Kansas is loaded and is looking like a Final Four team right now.  The Jayhawks are averaging over 83 points a game and only giving up 61.  

It will be tough for Texas to keep this within 10 points.  Take Kansas and give the paltry 7 points.
Bonus Pick:  This game has gone over the last 5 meetings between these two teams playing in Lawrence.  Take the over 143.  Good Luck!

FBI Trying to get to Bottom of Cam Newton Case

John Bond and Kenny Rogers, two of the key players in the ongoing Cam Newton saga are meeting with Federal authorities today, as in the FBI.

In reading The Jackson Clarion-Ledger, former Mississippi State quarterback John Bond met with officials this morning and pseudo sports agent Kenny Rogers will tell his story this afternoon.

Bond’s attorney confirmed his client’s meeting with the FBI. The FBI’s involvement in an NCAA scandal, overstepping the NCAAs bounds might be because Cam's father, Cecil Newton might have laundered payments through his tax-exempt church or construction company.

Both the FBI and the NCAA appear to be moving quickly, possible to make a ruling in the next week or so. Auburn has a regular season game remaining with Alabama, and then the SEC Championship Game. Everyone looking at this wants to get a ruling so we don't have a tarnished Heisman, SEC, or BCS Championship.

The SEC may play a part in this as well, since in the SEC bylaws it states:

If at any time before or after matriculation in a member institution a student-athlete or any member of his/her family receives or agrees to receive, directly or indirectly, any aid or assistance beyond or in addition to that permitted by the Bylaws of this Conference (except such aid or assistance as such student-athlete may receive from those persons on whom the student is naturally or legally dependent for support), such student- athlete shall be ineligible for competition in any intercollegiate sport within the Conference for the remainder of his/her college career."

Cecil and Cam Newton at the very least might have violated this bylaw and Cam Newton would be immediately ineligible.

The SEC Commissioner Mike Slive can make a determination on this even though he previously stated that it's in the NCAA's hands.

I think we'll have some more news later this week.

Current Questions in the Cam Newton Saga

I'm not sure where we stand right now in the investigation, but this morning we find out the FBI is now involved, more and more people are starting to talk, some media members are asking for Auburn to sit Newton, and the NCAA appears to be moving now at warp speed.

Here are some questions I have, and if any can be answered, I think we are getting closer to some decision.

1.  Why is the FBI now involved?  Former Mississippi St. player and a source for some of this info, John Bond said he's scheduled to meet with the FBI next Tuesday and plans to turn over phone records and anything else the FBI asks for at that point. He said the FBI reached out to his attorney earlier this week wanting to talk with him about the Newton situation, in particular if kids were being shopped out to colleges with price tags on their head.

2.  What did Kenny Rogers have to say?  Yesterday, Rogers appeared on a Dallas, TX radio station and said in the interview that Cecil Newton told him that it would take “Anywhere between $100,000 and $180,000″ for his son to sign with Mississippi State.  The other quote he mentioned and I think this is a telling quote, he said Cecil Newton told him, "It's not gonna be free this time."

3.  Where did the Cecil Newton, Cam Newton's father get the money to fix his church?  And who fixed his church?  Cecil Newton kept getting extensions to bring his church,  the Holy Zion Center of Deliverance up to code.  Newton claimed the church would be brought to code “within six months” after being classified as a “new construction”.  NBCSports.com asks this question, “Is there a link between Cecil’s recent ability to upgrade his church to the accusations that money was involved with Cam’s college selection?”  For a church that had no money, how were they able to complete the renovations so quickly and under the radar?  Also, even though this work on the church was a large undertaking, it was reported that an unnamed contractor did the necessary work to the church Pro Bono.  Pro Bono, what?  Construction Permits had to have been filed, there has to be a paper trail.  NBCSports.com also mentioned that Cecil Newton may now own part of a construction company.  Make your own determination at this point.

4.  When will this wrap up?  So we all hope.

5.  Should Newton be held out of games at this point?  Mark Bradley of the Atlanta Journal Constitution thinks so, and others may be soon saying the same thing.  Bradley thinks since it’s an NCAA violation for anyone to seek money or benefits on behalf of a prospect, and there’s now at least the suspicion that Cecil Newton did, he should be held out of action.

6.  Are any of the reported phone conversations taped?  That is a big question, and we may soon get an answer.

 

The Life of a College Basketball Ref: 26 Games in 27 Nights

The quality of officiating in sports is always under scrutiny, but in the age of instant replay and a rogue NBA referee, I think we need to take a look at the schedule of those officiating major college basketball, and are they working too much. 

In the 2007-08 season official Steve Welmer worked an astounding 106 games.  last season David Hall worked 104 games.  Keep in mind that teams play somewhere around 35-37 games at the most.  So that means workhorse officials are working almost everyday, and every game is a road game for these refs.

Let's look at David Hall so far this season.  The college basketball season isn't even a month old and Hall has worked 26 games in 12 states.  Hall even worked 2 games in one day in two different states; on November 13, his schedule shows he worked the UTEP/Texas Southern game in El paso, TX and then worked the BYU/Bradley game in Provo, UT.  How is this possible? 

The only day Hall has not worked a game this season is November 26, Thanksgiving.  I guess he took the day off to reintroduce himself to his wife and grab aturkey sandwich before heading out the door to Richmond, VA.  Hall mainly works Missouri Valley and Pac 10 games, but before conference play starts he works games all over the country. 

These referees are human and sooner or later these schedules have to catch up with them.  And that could happen come the end of the year, when it is most critical these officials are on top of their game.

In one five day stretch from 11/19 to11/23 Hall worked consecutively in California, Hawaii, Wyoming, Nebraska, and Oregon.  Where did he sleep, on planes?    How fresh and alert could he have been in Laramie, Wyoming after taking a red eye from Honolulu?

These refs are independent contractors so no one can tell them how much or little to work, but something needs to be done out of fairness to the players, coaches, and fans of these colleges and universities. 

I say these refs should be limited to a 5 game limit per week.  A regular work week to you and I.  They would be fresher in conference play and at the end of the year.

Here is David Hall's schedule for the first 27 days of 2009.

I see where top refs like Ed Hightower, John Higgins, and Ted Valentine work about 20% less games than the busiest refs.  I would trust these refs in big games because of that.  Let me know how you feel about this issue.  rclimpert003@yahoo.com