Joe on utepia

We missed Double-A chance

Regarding the subject of UTEP reinstituting a baseball program, and this being a baseball town, as some posters have been saying:

It passed our eyes and ears that in 2007 Wichita gave up its Double-A franchise, which went to Springdale, Ark. We put in no bids, at least any that became public.

Recall there were few teeth gnashing here when Diablos owner Bobby Brett and pals sold the El Paso Double-A franchise papers to a Springfield, Mo. magnate.

So we went from Double-A to the independents, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball. The team name remains Diablos, by the independent leagues are a long way from Double-A baseball.I guess we assumed we'd get the next Double-A franchise that opened.

Well, one did! Wichita gave up its rights to a new owner, in a new stadium, and the Northwest Arkansas Naturals are in their second season in the Texas League.

Here are the divisions:

Springfield, Tulsa, Northwest Arkansas and Arkansas.

And Midland, Corpus Christi, Frisco and San Antonio.

We should be in the latter division.

Note, too, that to get one of the 30 Double-A or Triple-A franchises in existence (one each per Major League team), you have to be in a geographical location to fit into one. We fit into the Texas League. We also fit into the Pacific Coast League (Albuquerque, Tucson, and others). But Triple-A franchises sell for a lot more money than do Double-A's.

UTEP in C-USA history

Some history here regarding why UTEP chose to leave the WAC and join Conference-USA. Posters on this blog seem to forget: UTEP didn't like C-USA because it could play against the East Carolinas, UABs and Southern Mississippis. UTEP joined because it would be in a "West" division with closer-by schools: SMU, Rice, Houston and even Tulsa and Tulane.

It was looked upon as a Southwest Airlines move, if you recall back then.

What hasn't panned out, however, is fans of UTEP or any of the "West" schools taking to each other. UTEP still has no rivalries in C-USA.

If UTEP could have its druthers, it would jump at the chance of getting back with the schools that dumped the Miners, what's now the Mountain West. Fans here could identify with New Mexico, BYU, Utah, et al, the "Original WAC" schools .

Latest on Stull saga

Word in Seattle today is that UTEP Athletic Director Bob Stull may be in town interviewing for the AD job at the University of Washington.

Stull's office at UTEP confirmed he'll be out of town this week.

Stull is still not considered the top candidate, according to Seattle Times' sources. Word there is he may have stopped off in Seattle on his way to Alaska (for vacation?) I don't think the Alaska AD job is open and Stull has no background in dog sledding. Word is it may be just a courtesy interview since Stull was to be in town and since he has long ties at UW.

This blog has been back and forth on Stull for some time now. He's been one of the favorites. He's been an also-ran.

Just trying to keep up the chronology of what's going on in the closed-mouth, secretive search for a new AD at Washington.

Stull and Washington AD

Here's a blog on a blog, just for info sake:

Bob Condotti, who's doing a good job of following the AD search at Washington, writes on his Seattle Times blog that UTEP's Bob Stull may not be a candidate there, as was previously thought.

Condotti writes: " ... the Times is hearing that Bob Stull of UTEP is not thought to be in the running despite likely being interested ..."

Condotti goes on that the latest candidate could be Doug Wollard, AD at South Florida, who was at Saint Louis when Washington AD search committee member Lorenzo Romar was hired there as basketball coach. Wollard has been at South Florida for just over four years.

Another name still in the speculation mix is former Oregon AD Bill Moos.

If Stull is bound to stay at UTEP, the question would be: Why? He's done more for UTEP, facilities upgrade-wise, than any AD in Utepia history. He seems to get along well with the money-people in town.

An obvious answer would be: He likes it here and doesn't want to leave. Then again, nobody can get away with that line, anymore. Note Billy Gillispie and Doc Sadler.

Plus, maybe he's not willing to take on the massive Washington rebuilding job (football team and ba-million-dollar stadium upgrade). He's got to be pushing 65 by now.

Maybe Washington doesn't want him?

The mystery is why some big school hasn't gotten Stull in all these years? He's been here a decade.

Theeeeen againnnnnn, Stull is playing this one just as mum as he was back in 1989 when, as UTEP's football coach, he was being courted for both the Stanford and Missouri jobs. At that time he acted like such a move was not even worth talking about, just some nonsense. So he didn't. Then he was outta here for Missouri.

Condotti ended his blog by saying about the only thing that can be said. He'll be keeping a close watch on the AD search this week.

Stull and Washington job

Bob Stull's name has resurfaced as a candidate for athletic director at the University of Washington, where he was once a football offensive coordinator and later an athletic department fund raiser — a raiser of millions of dollars.

Long shot for UTEP's AD? I don't think so.

Last week UW Interim AD Scott Woodward, a favorite for the full-time position, said he was not interested. And UW President Mark Emmert said the qualifications for the job have changed since the last time it was open, and given to the now-departed Todd Turner.

The job description seems to have changed to favor Stull, if he's interested.

According to Bob Condotta at the Seattle Times:

The job had been to reunite an athletic department wracked by scandals and inside confusion. Now, Emmert is saying the job description calls for someone who can reunite the fan base and raise a lot of money, especially for a needed renovation of the school's old football stadium. That will require many millions.

Condotta's list of possible choices would be the last list of possible choices when the job had been open:

Mike Cragg, an assistant AD at Duke, who's a Washington grad.

Chris Hill, the Utah AD who reportedly turned down UW the last time.

Jim Phillips, the Northern Illinois AD.

And Stull.

Note: Stull was the final engineer of the Larry Durham Center, turning it  from talk to a reality. Under Stull there's the new softball complex and now the construction of a new basketeball practice facility.

I'd say if Stull still wants that one more big challenge before he retires, he'd be going after the Washington job big time. It would be a chance for a big feather in his cap and a whole lot more money than he's making at UTEP in his pocket.

Time Warner/Comcast & UTEP on TV

Perhaps the new partnership between Comcast and Texas Time Warner Cable could be the link to getting more UTEP football and basketball games on TV?

Comcast-Charter Sports Southeast will televise three Marshall football games this fall. That was announced today (Thursday).

Both Marshall and UTEP are in Conference USA, which has that TV deal with CSTV, which is owned by CBS ...

Just thinking now:

The Brut Sun Bowl on CBS could be the Brut Sun Bowl on CSTV after the contract with CBS Sports runs out after the 2009 game.

When the Sunnies signed their present deal with CBS some felt it would be the last. (We'd figured ESPN would pick up the game).

CBS takes a hit when it interrupts its soap operas to televise the Sun Bowl at noon on Dec. 31, often a weekday. This year it's a Wednesday.

We've seen ABC use it's myriad of ESPN channels to do some of its sports ventures. And it has worked out well. Most homes get at least ESPN and ESPN2 on their basic cable package.

This could be the wave of the future — networks using their sports arms for games that have been on the main network all these years.

The problem with Time Warner/CSTV is that CSTV is not offered on TWC's basic package.

Maybe the Time Warner/Comcast technology can overcome that?

Miner bloggers' dementia

Over the years, I've often thought some of the e-mailers, and now bloggers, are really just teenage boys on their home computers, cola and chips at the elbows and their mom yelling at them to get off the dad-blamed computer and go out and get some exercise.

When I read that some Utepia bloggers actually believe the refs are rooking UTEP, the above comes to mind. C'mon. Go out and get some exercise.

Also, any blogger who's serious about UTEP having a shot at playing close with Texas next football season ... ahem, you're demented.

Back to UTEP getting shafted by the refs:

Remember one of Haskins' last years as coach when he was able to point out that the opponents shot something like triple the number of free throws as his Miners?

That was the year the Miners could not - absolutely could not - mount an inside game. The offense was all on the perimeter, where you don't get fouled very often (I believe Jim Bice was the point guard that year). Haskins was well aware of all that. But he knew most fans wouldn't catch on, and they'd help yell at refs during games. Helps the atmosphere in The Don.

Some teams play a style of ball that doesn't tend to pick up fouls. Sometimes just jacking up a wild jump shot doesn't give the other team any time to foul you. Sometimes poor footwork on defense is the culprit.

Refs don't rook anybody. You can't stay in the business if you rook people and play favorites.

Now go out and get some exercise.

Good move, UTEP

UTEP had it all wrong, but at least, as Athletic Director Bob Stull said, "Listened to what fans are telling us" and addressed "those issues."

Some ticket prices are going down, as are RV tailgate fees and rules. And it won't cost $20 a game to park in the new garage, anymore It'll be less. Good moves, UTEP.

Now the next fan-friendly move is for UTEP, and all of Conference-USA, to get out of that awful TV deal with CSTV. We're not getting any games on basic cable, and that's a shame. Yes, CSTV gives each C-USA school a lot of money for exclusive rights. But not a lot of people get to see the games. It's so important that youngsters see all the road games so they can pester Dad into taking them to the home games. That's how fans are born, cultured and eventually hit up for money.

But the home issues — tickets, fees — are being rectified, and that's a needed start.

Here's what put UTEP in its fan-unfriendly situation. It thought it could ride the prominence of Football Coach Mike Price, who's prominent, all right. Raise ticket prices (nothing lower than $20). Get as much as possible from the RVers. Just sock it to El Pasoans while saying costs here are still lower than at other places.

True. And it's that UTEP needs more income so it can pay Price if he meets incentives on his contract.

But it all led to bad blood. And it's never a good move to have more and more fans disliking the way they are treated.

Good move, UTEP. You probably got a lot of fans back.

Nebraska AD

So much for Bob Stull being on a short list for the AD job at Nebraska. Tom Osborne will continue to serve in that position until 2010, the AP has reported.

Stull to Nebraska?

Could UTEP's Bob Stull be Nebraska's next athletic director? Some here think he's on the short list to replace Steve Pederson.

This would be the best time for Stull to leave UTEP, if he wants to continue his career elsewhere. That's because:

• Not much more can be done at UTEP, at least facilities wise. Maybe the last project are skyboxes for the Sun Bowl.

• There's not much more money to squeeze out of El Paso's rich guys. The bigs have already been hit up. They've built the Durham Center and the Helen of Troy Softball Field and Complex. The Foster/Stevens basketball practice facility has broken ground.

• Right now football is down and basketball is a big question mark. If things get worse in either sport, Stull gets blamed. There's already grumbling about the higher costs for tickets. Attendance is way down from the 45,000-a-game averages. Yes it's getting hot for Stull as fans are getting hot under their collars.

• A minor point is Stull's roots are in Iowa, which is next door to Nebraska (he began his coaching career at Dubuque High in Dubuque, Iowa).

Bringing Nebraska football back to the top is a challenge that can be met. There's history and money galore in Nebraska. It's the only football program in the state. Nebraska has, and can continue, to win national championships. No such opportunity exists at UTEP.

Sez here, if Stull is offered the job he takes it.