Well things have taken quite a turn haven’t they? Baylor is threatening A&M with legal action to block the inevitable departure to the SEC. This feels like a stalling tactic so Baylor can get some time to figure out their next move.

Meanwhile, OU (and by default O-State) are re-kindling talks with the Pac-12 about possible admission. This has gotten the rest of the Big XII very spooked indeed. A&M’s departure can be withstood because SMU is waiting in the wings.  If the Oklahoma schools go it’s over.

The Big East is keeping a keen eye on developments. Rumor has it they will offer invitations in this order: Mizzou, KU, K-State. It increases the Big East’s total members but more importantly it increases the number of football schools as well. The Big East may not have to worry about poaching from other schools if they take the “heart” of the Big XII.

What will likely happen is the Pac-12 and SEC will fight for Texas (and maybe Texas Tech).  That leaves Baylor and Iowa State out in the cold. Baylor would have the toughest time being a small religious school. Iowa State fits in with the Big 10 culturally but they don’t have a great academic nor football pedigree.

For the Big XII to have any chance of survival the Oklahoma schools have to stay. Stank-0 is not nearly as worried as before because Mizzou and KU, eternal rivals, would be relocating to the same conference.

Stank-0 bought this book as Barnes & Noble was crashing and burning in the DMV.  Not being totally finished but Stank-0 is in complete agreement.  The BCS is dial up in a 4G world.  The BCS champion is not even officially recognized by the NCAA! What the hell kinda BS is that!

A few tidbits from the book

• The SEC Commish came up with the plus one idea: it was killed by the other commishes because they feared it would get too popular and fans would push for a playoff.
• In sworn testimony in front of Congress, the BCS mouthpieces have inferred they are “charities” when tax filings show they donated less than .05% of their revenue.
• The big 6 conferences (ACC, Pac-12, Big East, SEC, Big 10, Big XII)are actively poaching from each other and other smaller conferences.  As a result, the solidarity is eroding.
• The vast majority of schools that go to bowl games lose money, and lots of it. The school is required to “purchase” thousands of dollars worth of tickets among other things.  Most of them never get sold and the athletic dept has to eat the cost.
• A playoff could work, independent of the bowl games. It would also kill the bowl games that don’t draw viewers or make money. It could start at the end of the season and be finished in time for the bowl games to begin.

After reading it, Stank-0 is seriously contemplating not watching bowl games. The BCS doesn’t listen to anything but dollar signs.  The money is from people watching. Stank-0 is just one man, but it has to start somewhere.

The word is that A&M will formally notify the Big XII commish Don Beebe they are going to “explore” other options (read: leave the conference officially and join the SEC).  It’s sad but not shocking.  A&M tried to woo the SEC into inviting them while they were part of the Big XII and the SEC said not until you leave the Big XII.  So A&M is doing just that.

That brings the Big XII down to 10 right now, which is why the next story is very important.  SMU (yes that SMU of the death penalty fame) is actively looking to join the Big XII. SMU’s football program has been an afterthought since the death penalty but they would bring the Big XII back up to 10 member schools. They may or may not bring some of the Dallas media market considering there are already 3 other Texas schools.

The Big XII whiffed royally by not extending an invitation to TCU. Yes it would have been another Texas school but it would have been a school who’s star is clearly on the rise.

This rumor has been swirling for a little bit, and surprisingly Stank-0 thinks it’s a good move.  Considering the Titans are in low-key rebuilding mode.  They are starting the post-VY era, they drafted a lesser version of VY with Jake Locker.  Why not go the whole hog and deal CJ while there’s still value in him.  Jake Locker is not likely to turn into Sam Bradford (read: throw him in the deep end and he actually swims) or that would be my same advice for the Rams.  The Titans are in a tougher division and tougher conference.  He who hesitates is lost.  Let him go!

The Raiders may be on the upswing.  With D-Mac, Hey-Bey impersonating a WR, and Campbell as the stopgap while Pryor learns the offense. Imagine a two-headed running attack of D-Mac and CJ.  Hey-Bey could finally get open with that kind of playaction.

Everyone wins in this scenario. CJ will likely get his money, the Titans get rid of the headache, and the Raiders get another high quality offensive player.

The QB competition is quite serious for KC. Cassel is the man but Stanzi and Palko are fightin for the #2 spot and it’s not likely they will keep 3 QBs on the roster.  The Chiefs were up late 13-10 and then Tyrod Taylor took over the game.  Deep in the red zone, Taylor ran a naked bootleg and a defender had him dead to rights.

Taylor gave a slight take to his right, the defender bit, and Taylor scampered to the house.  Ballgame!

The Ravens are a deep team they had some back up caliber players playing with the 3rd and 4th stringers.

The NBA has this bad habit of doing the exact same thing another league did at the @ss wrong time. The NBA is knee deep in a lockout right after the NFL kissed and made up after the longest work stoppage in that league’s history.  It got real when the HOF Game became a casualty.  It made owners and players sit up and take notice.

Now it’s the NBA’s turn, and people already (including yours truly) don’t care because of NFL lockout-related fatigue.  We, as a fan collective, were on pins and cushions hoping and praying that the season would start.  Many of us conceded that games would be lost but perhaps there would still be a season.

That same optimism is not evident in the NBA.  David Stern would get down on his knees and thank God if the NBA had the “labor problems” the NFL had.  The NFL was trying to figure out how to split the pie so everyone could eat.  The NBA is saying the pie is so small very few people are eating.  No one forced any owner to overpay Rashard Lewis.  His salary has become the Exhibit A of runaway salaries for players.

The NBA also has something the NFL doesn’t have: competition.  These players are actively looking at playing in Europe if this thing drags out. Then there’s past history, we’ve been down this road before and it cost the NBA some games in the 99-00 season.

As sly as its kept there are alot of slots overseas for players to consider.  If Stank-0 is not mistaken, every continent has a basketball league.  If players start missing checks and bills gotta get paid, take a pay cut and go play somewhere else.  Then hope this thing blows over.

The NBA may have also expanded too quickly.  Contraction might not be such a bad thing, but this lockout won’t get serious until about October.

The news item right now is Jim Thome joining the 600 HR club, the 8th member to do so. It is quite a milestone and has ignited debate about his HOF credentials.

This is very very easy to decide.  Thome is NOT a HOFer precisely because you have to make the case for his entry.  It is NOT the Hall of Very Good but the Hall of Fame. If there is a any hesitation on a player’s bona fides then that alone settles the argument.

There are certain players as soon as you hear the name, you know they are going in.  Jim Thome has been resilient and kept his body together and that’s admirable but not Hall-worthy.

He’s 40 years old and just joined the 600 HR club. C’mon son!

After the initial glow of watching football faded (roughly after the starters were pulled in the Eagles @ Ravens game) it was time to see what could be learned from all the football.  Thankfully the NFL Network showed pretty much every game as well. Which was a colossal waste of time.  ESPN showed the important highlights.

Stank-0 is just glad they are playing football again.  Stank-0 will also go on record and put an asterisk on this season.  There will be sloppy play and lots of injuries.  Hopefully Stank-0 is wrong as two left shoes, but how can there not be helter skelter play this season? Rookies had training camp for 2 weeks. You know how much you can learn in two weeks? Nothing!

The Eagles will be must-see TV every week.  If they don’t have prime-time games for better than 70% of the season, then some TV execs need to be horse whipped and fired. You’ll need a separate cam for about 5-7 different people on the PHI sidelines this season.

Stank-0 will say this now and avoid the problems later.  In 3 years, Cam Newton will be leaps and bounds ahead of Tim Tebow.  Cam looked like he worked on his throwing mechanics the day after he won the national title.

NFC North and South as well as the AFC South will be murderous this  season.  Each of the aforementioned has three legit playoff teams in the division.

Stank-0 will attempt to blog more and more regularly.  Stick with me. Trying to build a team of writers in case Stank-0 can’t get in front of a computer.

Aside: Stank-0′s gf is a die-hard Panthers fan so occasionally Stank-0 will post her quotables from a game we watch together. On Julius Peppers:

“He’s a raggedy ba*tard! He made 1.6M per game his last season in Carolina and didn’t earn a penny of it.  If he wanted to leave he should have just said so.  At least he didn’t go to New England.”

Defenseless players cannot be hit in the head or neck area with the helmet, face mask, forearm or shoulder. The definition of such players now includes those throwing a pass; attempting or completing a catch without having time to ward off or avoid contact; a runner whose forward progress has been stopped by a tackler; kickoff or punt returners while the ball is in the air; kickers or punters during a kick or a return; a quarterback during a change of possession; a player who receives a blindside block from a blocker moving toward his own end zone.

Goodness that’s alot of things that defensive players CAN’T do.  Nothing much is said about what CAN be done.

It also seems that this is swinging the pendulum too far in favor of the offense.  Stank-0 understands that the NFL is trying to capitalize on the game’s popularity but be careful about fixing something that isn’t broken.

As far as defenseless receivers, possession shouldn’t be a condition, only the ability to avoid contact (in essence two feet on the ground).  Now this all sounds great in theory, but in practice these plays happen in real-time at split second intervals.  They have been conditioned to react instinctively.

Any lasting change will have to start at the youth level and work its way to the NFL.

Stank-0 is worried that the NFL waits for the pundits to weigh in on a hit before they decide if a fine should be levied.  That is fixed with clear guidelines about what a legal hit is.

As is Stank-0′s established practice, when draft time comes around, it’s time to look at the draft 3 years prior.

The top 5 picks are still contributors

Jake Long (MIA), Chris Long (STL), Matt Ryan (ATL), Darren McFadden (OAK), Glenn Dorsey (KC).  All solid.

Notable names from Round 1: Jerod Mayo, Joe Flacco, Chris Johnson, Jonathan Stewart, Aqib Talib, Rashad Mendenhall, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, Dustin Keller

Round 2: Brandon Flowers, Tracy Porter, Eddie Royal, Matt Forte, Fred Davis, DeSean Jackson, Ray Rice, Chad Henne, Martellus Bennett

Round 3: Jamaal Charles, Steve Slaton, Mario Manningham

Round 4: Tashard Choice

Round 5: John David Booty (not seeing the field), Tim Hightower, Dennis Dixon

Round 6: Colt Brennan (released from WSH), Mike Hart, Pierre Garcon

Round 7: Matt Flynn (played for Rodgers on a SNF game), Steve Johnson, Peyton Hillis (now in CLE)

When it’s all said and done, there’s not a whole lot of players that break through.

The next draft to be re-examined will be the 2008 NBA draft in late June.