Big East's fate: love or money?
Will feelings overcome ACC's lure?
BY MIKE HARRIS
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER May 20, 2003

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. - Mike Tranghese loves the Big East Conference. He should. He is the league's commissioner. Anyone who doubted his feelings needed only to hear him speak yesterday afternoon.

For the league to survive, Tranghese sounds as if he's counting on others sharing his feelings and making their decisions accordingly.

The Big East is under siege, with the Atlantic Coast Conference planning to offer invitations to Miami, Syracuse and Boston College.


Losing those three would be a severe blow to the Big East.

"This is a crisis," Tranghese said. "Make no mistake about it. I don't hide from that fact. This will be the most disastrous blow to intercollegiate athletics in my lifetime. It's wrong. I don't want to hear about previous expansion experiences. People were not damaged.

"This is about my schools fighting for their athletic lives."

Tranghese took a break from the Big East meetings to address the many media representatives who have descended to chronicle the league's situation.

Athletic directors, men's basketball coaches and women's basketball coaches all met separately yesterday morning.

Afterward, they spread the same message they've been spreading since the meetings started Saturday: Discussion is ongoing, representatives of the three targeted schools appear to have open minds, and nothing will be finalized by the time everyone scatters tomorrow.

"The dialogue continues," said Jim Weaver, Virginia Tech's athletic direc- tor.

Miami men's basketball coach Perry Clark said the meetings have been filled with "a lot of emotion, a lot of passion." He talked about the league's recent successes, "and all of a sudden it could be gone. There's a lot up for grabs. We're trying to do as much due diligence as we can and taking this step by step so we can make the best decision."

Tranghese certainly has passion and emotion to spare. With a number of league administrators and coaches listening in, Tranghese made his feelings clear.

He said he wouldn't discuss the various options facing the league, the most likely of which seems to be separating the football schools from the basketball schools. "I'm certain we've explored some things you haven't talked about," he said.

He noted the discussions here have centered on three things.

"Money, as always. Integrity and the irreparable harm that would be caused schools in my league if this act occurs," Tranghese said.

"I've heard about how what happens to us is an unintended consequence. It is not an unintended consequence. We're there. They see us."

Miami is at the center of the expansion turmoil. The decision to stay in the Big East or head to the ACC is in the hands of President Donna Shalala, who is not at these meetings. In effect, Miami is holding two leagues in limbo. Tranghese conceded as much.

"At the end of the day, Miami is going to make a decision. It's that decision that is going to drive the wagon," Tranghese said. "I think you have to gauge the consequences of acceptance because I think they are severe."

Tranghese reminded Miami that when the Big East offered an invitation to leave the independent ranks and join in 1990 "there was no one else there.

"We're going to end it and damage the people who extended this opportunity? I just find that to be unacceptable. But at the end of the day, it doesn't matter how I feel because President Shalala and obviously Syracuse and BC are going to have to make a decision."
 

Commissioner fears 'irreparable harm'
Big East chief rips into ACC

Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese criticized the ACC for its attempts to woo three Big East schools.

By MARK BERMAN
THE ROANOKE TIMES

   PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. - Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese vented his frustration Monday over the ACC's attempt to raid his league.

    The Atlantic Coast Conference voted Friday to hold formal talks with Big East members Miami, Syracuse and Boston College. The Big East is trying to persuade former national football champ ion Miami to stay put so the Big East can stay together.

    "This is a crisis, make no mistake about it," Tranghese said at a news conference at the Ponte Vedra Inn & Club, site of the Big East's annual meetings. "This will be the most disastrous blow to intercollegiate athletics in my lifetime. It's wrong.

    "This is about my schools fighting for their athletic lives. ... This decision has enormous implications on all of college athletics."

    When the athletic directors of all 14 Big East schools met Monday, Tranghese said they talked about the "irreparable harm" that the defections to the ACC would cause those left behind on the TV and bowl fronts. The Big East could lose its Bowl Championship Series berth if Miami leaves. That would be devastating to Virginia Tech and the four Big East football schools that would remain if Miami, Syracuse and Boston College go to the ACC.

    "They're going to be forced into a situation that clearly will not be as attractive, and it will probably not provide as many opportunities," Tranghese said. "This act will basically limit - limit - the playing field at the highest level in college football.

    "How do I tell Virginia Tech, who will arguably be a contender for the national championship, that they don't deserve to be in a conference that will have automatic [BCS] access? I can't.

    "We've had a football team finish either one or two [nationally] in the last four years, and we're supposed to accept the fact that we're not supposed to be a player? That's just an unacceptable conclusion."

    Virginia Tech athletic director Jim Weaver and Tech women's basketball coach Bonnie Henrickson attended Tranghese's news conference.

    Tranghese was highly critical of the ACC.

    "I don't want to hear about previous pieces of expansion. People were not damaged," Tranghese said. "Penn State was an independent, Miami was an independent, Florida State was an independent [before joining leagues].

    "There is no other situation in the history of intercollegiate athletics" like this one.

    Tranghese said he doesn't sense "one iota of concern" on the ACC's part about how it could hurt the Big East.

    "Welcome to the world of presidential control. ... Their presidents [in the ACC] are making this decision," Tranghese said. "When presidents begin to act this way with other presidents, I think it's wrong because I think you have to gauge the consequences of this act, and they're severe."

    Tranghese said the Big East could "without question" keep its BCS berth without Miami, but others disagree. The BCS involves six leagues with automatic bids - with Notre Dame also in the mix - and two at-large spots. Tranghese said the ACC shouldn't be so sure that swiping Miami will result in the Big East losing its BCS berth in favor of a third at-large slot being created.

    "I don't think there will be five champions and just three at-larges that's going to now be available to those five. They aren't going to get away with that," Tranghese said. "This act will exacerbate the political pressure that will be brought on the BCS."

    Tranghese scoffed at the notion that an expanded ACC would dominate the Eastern seaboard.

    "That's a marketing concoction that has no validity," he said. "If you think people in New York City are going to come to see Clemson play Boston College in Madison Square Garden, you're mistaken. And if you think that just with Boston College and Syracuse that the East [will embrace ACC football], and we've worked so hard to make football a part of the fabric in the East, it will not happen. I believe that with every ounce of emotion that I can muster."

    Tranghese said the athletic directors are evaluating "all conceivable things" to try to keep the league together. Persuading Miami President Donna Shalala to reject the ACC is the key to keeping the Big East together.

    "The University of Miami is going to make a decision, and it's that decision that's going to drive the wagon," Tranghese said. "If Miami doesn't go, there's not going to be any expansion.

    "President Shalala's going to have to look at the ... financial implications, going to have to look at the integrity issue - that she's been involved with 13 other presidents. And then going to have to factor in the irreparable harm that's going to be caused to the members of my league."

Syracuse waiting on Miami's decision
Syracuse AD Jake Crouthamel details ways in which his school would fit into an expanded ACC.

By MARK BERMAN
THE ROANOKE TIMES

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. - Tucked away up in Central New York, Syracuse University doesn't seem like an ideal fit for the ACC.
The ACC has voted to hold formal expansion talks with Big East members Miami, SU and Boston College. Syracuse athletic director Jake Crouthamel doesn't see the travel woes that would be caused by his school changing leagues as anything different from what it already deals with.

"We have to fly into the ACC to play Virginia Tech and Georgetown," Crouthamel said after a meeting of Big East athletic directors Monday. "We have to fly over the ACC to play Miami. We're in that location anyway. ... We've played in North Carolina any number of times. ... It's not a brand-new well. We know the ACC and they know us.

"If you're talking about traveling ... it's a matter of do you leave Friday afternoon at 3 o'clock or 2:30? I'm not sure what the student-athlete issues would be other than, 'Is this an increased burden on their time?' and I don't see that as apparent."

Crouthamel said Syracuse isn't going to make a decision about the ACC until Miami decides. Crouthamel feels the Big East will lose its BCS berth if Miami exits.

"I believe that firmly," he said.

Virginia Tech athletic director Jim Weaver said Monday the two schools have talked about a pact where SU would spurn the ACC and Tech would do the same if it were approached as a replacement candidate.

"That would seem to be an option that would be out there, and we're looking at all options," Weaver said. "We talked about that six, eight days ago. I don't know [if it will work]; we have to keep talking."

The ACC might be looking at backup candidates. Monday's Greensboro News & Record reported that Pittsburgh's chancellor wrote in an e-mail last Thursday that someone in the ACC made an "unofficial contact" to Pitt about potential ACC membership.

The athletic directors of all 14 Big East basketball schools discussed the ACC threat for about six hours Monday.

"We're trying to look at all the options that would keep the Big East together as it is currently," Weaver said.

"A lot of ideas were circulated. Some notions were discussed at great length," Miami AD Paul Dee said. "We took a look at a lot of the issues that could affect the decisions that have to be made."

One of the issues discussed was a Big East divorce along football-basketball lines.

"We're talking about that option," Weaver said.

"They've got to make a decision first," Rutgers AD Robert Mulcahy said of Miami. "It could happen, but we're not that far down the road yet."

The eight Big East football schools, including the trio wanted by the ACC and future Big East football member Connecticut, would separate from the five that don't play Division I-A football. It is unclear which group would gain the use of the Big East name or the basketball services of Notre Dame, a football independent that belongs to the Big East for other sports.

Seton Hall athletic director Jeff Fogelson said the football schools might pay the basketball schools to get them to exit.

"Football is what instigated this," Fogelson said.

Crouthamel said the options also include Big East football expanding to 12 teams, either in a new league after a divorce or with everyone staying together and just adding football-only members.

A lot of the discussion in the meeting involved money, said West Virginia athletic director Ed Pastilong. The schools are trying to see what financial arrangements will make Miami happier.

Dee "will tell you that we've been very successful on the playing field and we haven't been quite as successful economically, and I don't argue that," Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese said. "But the reason we're not as successful economically is when we negotiated that [TV] contract the last time, we were coming off of our worst seasons and we were in a marketplace with no option. ... What we want to do is get to the point where we can negotiate and get our fair share."

Crouthamel said a comparison of the Big East and ACC revenue possibilities won't be the key to Syracuse's decision. He said "comfort level" is even more important.

"Part of the process ... involves getting to know one another better, getting to understand what the ACC is up close and personal," he said. "Miami is driving the whole operation, has been for the last five years. If they're looking [in the ACC] to be a true Atlantic Coast conference, then why not expand the Atlantic Coast? From Miami to Boston. It makes sense to me if you're the Atlantic Coast Conference.

"Now, how Syracuse fits into that? We drive 2 1/2 hours to the Hudson River and end up in New York and we're in the big water then. Maybe that's how we get there," he said with a laugh.

The AD meetings continue today.

 

Lacrosse's showpiece weekend has ended up in the right spot
Mike Preston

ONLY RAINY weather could possibly put a damper on the NCAA Division I lacrosse final four at M&T Bank Stadium this weekend. But so far, the lacrosse gods have smiled down upon the field.

This is a dream weekend for fans. The games will be played in the lacrosse mecca of Baltimore, in a pro stadium complete with the most technologically advanced sound system and video screens. Two of the final four participants have storied pasts, two are located in Maryland and all four have large fan bases.

It just doesn't get any better than this.

"The Baltimore business community has gotten behind this lacrosse tournament," said Maryland coach Dave Cottle. "And to have it played in the state, with two teams from Maryland playing in it, really makes it special."

Johns Hopkins coach Dave Pietramala is jealous. As a Blue Jays player in the late 1980s, he never played in a place like the former Ravens Stadium.

"To be a local guy, to score a goal and then to see it on the JumboTron is awesome," Pietramala said. "To be a part of this history-making event, to bring this kind of recognition to our sport and to our school is a privilege. You have to be careful not to get caught up in all of this and remember it's just a sport."

But it couldn't have worked out much better. Hopkins, the No. 1 seed, is here. So is No. 2 seed Virginia, No. 3 Maryland and Syracuse. No. 4 Princeton would have been a good choice, too, but the Tigers got pounded by the Orangemen in the quarterfinals.

That's a shame. Watching those blood vessels swell out of Princeton coach Bill Tierney's head is always worth the price of admission.

But what would you rather see? The fast-paced transition game of Syracuse or the paint- drying, slow-down game of Princeton?

It's a tournament that has all kinds of subplots.

First, there is the revenge factor. It's revenge-mad. This season, Hopkins beat Maryland and Virginia by one goal each, but its only loss was 15-14 to Syracuse on March 15. Maryland beat Virginia, 8-7, this season and Virginia knocked off Syracuse, 16-15.

The only thing tighter than this competition is Washington Wizards owner Abe Pollin.

Then there is tradition. The Orangemen have had a remarkable run. This is their 21st straight final four appearance. Maryland and Virginia fans had to wait until the quarterfinals were over to begin ordering some of their semifinals tickets. Syracuse fans brought theirs in advance, like in 2000.

Hopkins wants to get back to that type of dominance, back to the days when Hopkins and lacrosse were synonymous. The Blue Jays have won seven NCAA championships and have been seeded No. 1 or No. 2 18 times. The Blue Jays' all-time winning percentage in 115 seasons is .755.

But they haven't won a title since 1987, when Pietramala was a star defenseman. Pietramala was hired two years ago to return Hopkins to prominence, and thus far he has done well. Realistically, no one expected him to win a title in his first two years, even though the Blue Jays advanced to the semifinals last year.

It's different this time around. The Blue Jays have the most balance of any team in the final four. They score a lot of goals and have lost just one game.

The pressure has been turned up.

Hey, Dave, are you feeling it?

"Me, personally, I feel blessed to be in this position," Pietramala said. "Everyone talks about the expectations and the pressure, but it's great to have administrators and fans who care instead of ones who don't. This job is like a dream come true. All the pressure comes from me, not from anyone else. It's reasonable to expect for Hopkins to win this tournament, but it's reasonable for all four teams to win this tournament. We're a good team, not a great one."

Besides Pietramala, Cottle is the only other among the four coaches without a national championship. You might root for Cottle because he hasn't won the big one in 21 years as a coach or because two years ago he replaced an ill Dick Edell, the longtime Terps coach who retired.

Cottle was gracious over the weekend, paying tribute to Edell after a quarterfinal win against Massachusetts, saying he won with Edell's players. How often do you hear a coach say that?

But maybe you don't want to root for a certain coach. Maybe you don't want to root for a certain team. Maybe you're into style. Well, there will be several on display this weekend.

There is no better show in lacrosse than Syracuse. The Orangemen just run and run and run. They feature the game's most exciting player in junior attackman Michael Powell, who has 216 career points and more magic tricks than Houdini. They also have a 6-foot-4 attackman named Michael Springer who has one of the hardest shots in the game.

As usual, the Orangemen have another young star. This time, it's freshman midfielder Brian Crockett, who has 20 goals and 10 assists.

Virginia can't get up and down the field like Syracuse, but the Cavaliers can push the ball. They have perhaps the game's fastest player in attackman Johnny Christmas, who has 31 goals and 11 assists this season. They also have a playmaking midfielder in Chris Rotelli, the Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year. If Virginia can't score, it has a goalie who can slow other teams down in Tillman Johnson.

If offense isn't your forte, then Maryland has perhaps the nation's best defense and slide packages with All-America defensemen Michael Howley, Chris Passavia and Lee Zink and goalie Danny McCormick.

For sheer balance and depth, though, Hopkins has the total package. Its overall depth allows Hopkins to run other teams down. The Blue Jays just grind and grind, and they seem to keep coming in waves, midfield after midfield after midfield.

There are a lot of contrasting styles. There are a lot of games inside the game. Syracuse has a hot goalie, but so does Virginia. It's all going to be interesting. Within the next couple of days, college lacrosse is going to have its own little coming-out party of sorts at one of the most beautiful sports complexes in America.

It just doesn't get any better.