There isn't a fan base more passionate about its sport than the wrestling community. Wrestlers are loud. They are proud.
They want to know why UNO wrestling can't work at Division I. There are accusations that Trev Alberts didn't want it to work and talk of a strained relationship with Mike Denney. And even Denney said, “He's been kind of external. We don't have a close relationship.”
This would be a good time for a reminder that Denney, who dominated Division II wrestling for years, has long been reluctant to move to Division I.
The most recent example came in a column by World-Herald metro columnist Mike Kelly on Sept. 2. In it, Kelly wrote that Alberts told him that his coaching staff was nearly unanimous about moving to Division I — the lone dissenter was Denney.
Kelly also spoke with Denney and wrote, “Denney told me he doesn't want to be an anchor holding UNO down. But he said the move to Division I would include a transition period in which UNO athletes couldn't compete for NCAA championships, which would hurt recruiting.”
I'm sure Denney would prefer Division I wrestling to no wrestling. But that lends some perspective to this story.
• There's no manual on how to cut sports, but I know in weeks or months to come that Alberts will wish he had broken the news to Denney in person. He could have missed UNO hockey for something this important. In the meantime, Alberts should also dial back the words like “excellence” for now. UNO is now Division I, but people don't associate the word “excellence” with “Summit League.”
I'm sure it was never an option, but several readers have asked why wrestling and football couldn't have been given one more season — more time for the coaches and athletes to find homes and a chance for the fans to say goodbye. At this point, I'm not sure dragging out a long goodbye and all the bitter feelings for another year would be good for anyone. I do hope that UNO builds galleries somewhere for UNO football and wrestling, complete with trophies, newspaper articles, photos and memorabilia for people to look at for years to come.
• Looks like the Big 12 is close to a TV deal with Fox for between $60 million and $70 million, according to the Sports Business Journal. That, combined with the league's ABC/ESPN deal, would mean $130 million per year split by the 10 schools, which is $13 million a year. Which is considerably less than the $20 million promised by commissioner Dan Beebe.
Also, there's talk of a conference-specific channel that would show a handful of football games and up to 60 basketball games of the eight schools not named Texas or Oklahoma. Those two are establishing their own networks. I hope they have a “Barry Switzer Show.”
• Looks like Doc Sadler is staying put in Nebraska for a sixth season, or fourth, if you go on Doc years.
Now that he's staying, priority one for Doc going into the Big Ten will be changing the bodies and the games of Jorge Brian Diaz and Andre Almeida. Seen a Big Ten game this year? They've got some bruisers. Nebraska's bigs had better be ready.
• So there's a chance Creighton could play Oregon? Now I have to pay attention to the CBI.
• Speaking of Dana Altman, the Eugene (Ore.) Register-Guard reported that Altman recently signed his seven-year, $1.8 million contract. Some of the details: 1) Altman has a base salary of $450,000 and a supplement of $1.35 million for activities relating to media broadcasts, coach's show, and activities related to IMG and Nike. 2) Altman gets 15 percent of gross receipts from season ticket sales in excess of $4 million. 3) Oregon agreed to pay Creighton $250,000 for Altman's buyout.
The paper reported that if Oregon terminates Altman without cause, it will owe him the entire amount of the guaranteed annual salary remaining on his contract. That phrase “without cause” is always an interesting one. No worry about that this year. Altman had a good first year.
• Beebe is always an easy target, but he likely had little to do with Colorado getting jobbed in the NCAA selection process. According to NCAA rules, Beebe had to leave the room when the committee discussed any Big 12 teams. Could he have tried to submarine CU during the dinner or ice cream break? Perhaps. But then he's hurting his league. Colorado's share of tourney revenue still would have ended up in the Big 12 bank.
• ESPN's Jay Bilas has been on a roll lately, but the smartest bit of wisdom he's delivered in the past few weeks was this suggestion: pick the NCAA field after the regular season. Leave automatic spots for the conference tournament champions. It makes a lot of sense. A loss in a conference tourney shouldn't cost a team an NCAA bid. Regular season should mean everything.
• Wichita State, Nebraska. Huskers, Shox. So who will Creighton fans root for Wednesday night? Sorry, but C) Neither is not an answer.
• If the NCAA can suspend Dez Bryant for an entire season for lying to the NCAA, and five Ohio State players get suspended five games for their dalliance, why would Buckeyes coach Jim Tressel get off easier? College football coaches should be held more accountable. They're setting the example. They're the adults.
The cover-up. The lying. I guess Tressel really is a senator.
• Question of the Day from my noon chat Monday: “Who will win an NCAA tournament game first, UNO or Nebraska?” Sorry, Husker fans. Not touching that one.
Contact the writer:
402-444-1025, tom.shatel@owh.com
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