the University of Maryland

Debbie Yow: Satan?

On December 18, 2009, In Maryland sports, By Scott

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So much for the holiday news cycle slowdown. As the world watches, health reform and Copenhagen are coming apart at the seams. In the sports world, Chris Henry falls out of a truck and dies, the Redskins fire and hire a GM (we’ll see if it makes any difference), and cocktail waitresses at VIP lounges nationwide gird their loins as Mrs. Tiger plans her exit strategy from Windermere.

And now, the Terps corner of the world gets rocked as well. The Washington Times’ Patrick Stevens, who may now officially be THE must-read Maryland beat writer, has discovered that Maryland is pretty low on the assistant coach pay scale. They’re last among the ACC’s public schools, lower than George Mason, and lower than their own freaking women’s team. How does that happen, by the way? How? How does that happen? “Arithmetic error” is the only thing that comes to mind.

Springing into damage control mode (which I understand they practice for two hours each day), the athletic department noted that the salaries were low because of a university-wide salary freeze, and that, oh yeah, right when Patrick called they were just about to unveil this super-generous new bonus structure that they had totally been working on for, like, months.

As may be expected, some people are making a pretty big deal out of this. The athletic department is incompetent, the athletic department is run by a bunch of ex-KGB agents, this university runs a third-class operation, the Terps will never be competitive again, and so on. For many fans, the only holiday songs that will be music to their ears this holiday are Debbie Yow’s hoarse and desperate screams as a demonic Hellbird pecks apart her ocular globes.

Now I admit that Yow and the AD don’t exactly live in the bright light of day when it comes to their decision-making, and perhaps Debbie baby needs to loosen up. I really have no idea, though, how that differs from other athletic departments. Also, the athletic department’s body of work by and large is pretty good. They made the right decision by keeping Ralph Friedgen (and, by and large, hiring him in the first place). They managed recent budget shortfalls without eliminating sports or making momentous cuts. Maryland has perennially elite programs in field hockey, men’s and women’s soccer, men’s and women’s lacrosse, women’s (and arguably men’s) basketball, and wrestling. As of December 17, Maryland sits fifth among D-1 schools in the Sears Director’s Cup, which ranks schools based on the performance of all their teams combined.

So yeah, they did a bad job here, but I’m not gonna say the athletic department isn’t running a tight ship or doing a good job. They could stand to be a bit more accountable (to themselves, really), and could stand to cut out what seems to be a decent bit of internal backbiting and length-of-urination competition, particularly in relation to the men’s basketball team, but overall, I think we’re in decent hands. Good reporting by a good journalist will in this case lead to a real problem receiving a good fix. In my book, nothing more to it than that.

(Photo credit: Washington Post…or is it HELL?!?!)

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Ralph Friedgen Fights For His Job: An Inside Look at the Negotiations

On December 1, 2009, In Maryland sports, By Scott

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The Diamondback has the story. Ralph Friedgen is still the coach of your Maryland Terrapins.

The D-back may have gotten that scoop, but we got the ultra-scoop. We’re the Maggie Moo’s of Ralph Friedgen news. We’re the Better Batter, big daddy. With a Snickers mix-in.

Ready? Athletic Director Debbie Yow said they would make the decision “very fast.” And so they did. Here’s how it all went down yesterday…behind closed doors.

Yow: Greetings, Coach Friedgen. Thank you for coming in this morning.
Friedgen: How you doing, Debbie.
Yow: Please address me as Doctor Yow.
Friedgen: Sure, doc. How ya doin, doc.
Yow: I’m fine, sir. A little stiff, but fine. Were you aware that if we fired you we would have to pay you four million dollars?
Friedgen: (Smiles. He produces a beer from somewhere, cracks it open. Takes long, satisfying swig.) AHHHHHHHHHHHH. MAN, is that good. Seriously though. GOOD. The first cold one of the offseason. Does it get any better than that? It’s like a little vacation in my hand.
Yow: So the buyout, then.
Friedgen: Oh, that. Now that you mention it, yes, I believe I may recall seeing a mention of that somewhere.
Yow: The university’s not gonna cough it up. And the boosters say they cannot collect that much.
Friedgen: (Wriggles hand down pants, takes another swig.) Yeah, even for rich guys that’s a lot of money to piss away. Can you imagine that? You’re in the bathroom, trying to get your stream going, and you look down and see that it’s money coming out of your dong! Oh, sorry about that, Deb. It could be coming out of a verjayjay, too. That’s totally cool with me. Either way, though, liquid money! And you want to put out your hand to catch it so it doesn’t go into the toilet, but it’s still pee, you know? I’d imagine you’d just let it go. It’s too gross to touch.
Yow: Would you care to know what activities I partook of last weekend? I set up a donation pot and rang a handbell outside of a Safeway grocery story. That is what I was reduced to. All I could get was 17 dollars and 61 cents. Three million, eighty-six dollars and thirty-nine cents short. It’s like those grocery shoppers were carved out of stone.
Friedgen: It’s tough around the holidays, Deb.
Yow: It’s the Salvation Army’s fault! I kept telling the guy, “get your own territory!” I kept leading him over to Mattress Discounters. I thought all those indoor beds might mesmerize him. But he kept finding his way back. Surprising for a Salvation Army guy. His apron was exceedingly shabby.
Friedgen: (Cracks another beer, loosens belt.) We through here, Doc?
Yow: Yes. Just, you know, try to do better next year.
Friedgen: (Stands up, salutes her.) Righty-o. Because after 2010 it’s only a $2 million buyout, right? (Shudders mockingly.) Woooo! I’m really on the hot seat now! State employees are wiping their bee-hinds with leaves, and you’re gonna be Miss Football Accountability! Or is it Mrs.? Ms.? I’ll just stick with Doc. Keep it real, Doc! Catch you at the “Terrapins Rising” preproduction meeting. (Walks out, clicking heels and singing “Have a Holly, Jolly Christmas”)

There you have it. In far less interesting news, The Diamondback is also reporting that his retention is contingent on him expanding some kind of improvement plan that he gave to Debbie Yow during their meeting yesterday. The plan will reportedly cover scheme changes, possible staff changes, and a new “recruiting philosophy.”

But again, that tells only half the story. That new recruiting philosophy they mentioned? We have the text. Word for word!

Stick gun in the barrell, start shooting.

And now you know…the rest of the story.

(Photo Credit: The Redshirt Senior)

Tagged with: Debbie Yow • Football • Maryland recruiting • next on Anderson Cooper 360 • Ralph Friedgen • the University of Maryland

In Buying the Fridge, Maryland Living Beyond its Means

On November 23, 2009, In Maryland sports, By Scott

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According to yesterday’s Washington Post, university sources believe a buyout of Ralph Friedgen’s contract might be possible.

Friedgen has two years left on his contract; buying him out would cost more than $4 million. The story doesn’t say they’re going to fire him, it just says this buyout figure won’t prevent them from pulling the trigger if that’s what they decide to do in the offseason.

I think it should.

No one’s happy with his performance this year as coach. I can’t believe we’re staring down the barrell of the first 10-loss season in school history. That’s a pretty lonely mountain right there. Ron Vanderlinden never lost 10 games. We’ve had our issues with recruiting (obviously a coaching issue), but we’re better than 2-9. And this is not the first year the Fridge has lamented that he’s lost his players (another obvious coaching problem). None of these things are positive. So what are they supposed to do?

I’ll tell you what: they hunker down, hold their cards, and take their medicine. Now is not the time to pull off the Mariah Carey Memorial Just Go Away Buyout. The university, as with many state institutions, is in dire financial straits. The school has slashed the athletic department budget to help address the shortfall. The state just made a bunch of severe cuts, which includes a $7 million reduction in financial aid for college students, and transferred millions more out of the University System of Maryland budget to plug other holes. Hundreds of students demonstrated a few weeks ago after a top diversity officer was laid off. They are destroying some valuable green space on campus to build more buildings.

And this is before we mention that the university was “forced” to lay off or eliminate 175 job positions over the summer. Presumably, these were not jobs that command seven-figure salaries and golden parachute buyout clauses. I have friends who work for UM who report taking mandatory furloughs and working in severely understaffed offices. Maybe ask them how that $4 million could be put to better use.

Not to put too fine a point on it, but elsewhere around the state, other painful cuts are also happening. A hospital is closing. Other services are suffering real setbacks. There’s no more fat to trim, so they’re amputating limbs. All told, the state has had to cut more than $1 billion out of the budget. All indications are that there is more to come.

Whether you agree with the specific cuts or not, this is the reality we’re in. What will people think if the school claims it can’t afford to keep its top diversity officer, but then pays Coach Friedgen $4 million just to not coach the football team anymore? If they do buy him out, it’s clear that they can’t just absorb that money. Other cuts will have to be made. Where will those come from? Student aid again? The other sports teams again? Will they build a Chipotle on McKeldin Mall?

Of course, it all comes down to dollars. Word is the school fell $600,000 short of its goal on football season ticket sales, to say nothing of single ticket costs, concessions, and the like. If they think any future Fridge team is going to be this bad, and might translate to enough lost revenue to justify the cost of the buyout, so be it. I’ll look forward to seeing the analysis. But I don’t see that happening. That’s a lot of unsold tickets. A lot of uneaten hot dogs.

So I say keep him. They’re 66-49 during his tenure. That’s not terrible. And yes, he’s on a bit of a downslope lately, and he’s 63, and he calls crazy plays, and this and that. But we can hang with him, can’t we? Remember the Medifast thing? How that made us all believe again? We can get back there. We literally can’t afford anything less.

(Photo credit: Brant Sanderlin/Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

Tagged with: Football • Ralph Friedgen • the University of Maryland

Unstoppable Starts Here! Dino Gregory Could Be Latest Ineligible Terp

On November 4, 2009, In Maryland sports, By Scott

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Listening to the Terps’ 75-54 exhibition win last night over the mighty Crimson Hawks of Indiana University of Pennsylvania, you never would have guessed that Maryland had, or ever had, anyone on their roster named Dino Gregory. And that’s noteworthy why, you ask? Quit bothering you with this stupid exhibition bullcrap, you say? Well, hold on to your hats; this is curious because the Terps do have someone who goes by that name. Look, here he is. And what’s more, he was supposedly the team’s fifth starter entering the season.

So why did Gregory not only not play, but have his very existence expunged from the broadcast as if he were a “Fire Snyder” sign at a Redskins tailgate? Well, now we have our answer. Actually, some people were informed minutes before the game. But I was not. For I have no access, you see.

But now that I’m informed and fully awake, I’m going to be serious for a second here. Gregory was suspended and barred from Comcast Center last night because of some previous team violations (alleged to be academic misconduct) that have yet to be resolved. The school isn’t commenting, citing privacy rules. This is not boding well. This could mean significant lost time for Dino.

If Gregory does miss real games, it would not be the first time for a Maryland athlete. Maryland QB Josh Portis was caught cheating, had to sit out the 2007 season, and never recovered. He transferred. And of course, in January 2006, Maryland guard Chris McCray was deemed ineligible for the rest of his senior season. This wasn’t some reserve who dropped off the radar; this was a big gaffe. He was the team’s leading scorer and they ended up missing the tournament. Earlier this year, the artist formerly known as Jin Soo Kim was declared academically ineligible before being reinstated a few days later.

This is to say nothing of the Tyree Evans or Gus Gilchrist eligibility fiascoes.

McCray, Kim/Choi, Evans, Gilchrist, Portis, and maybe Gregory. That’s a decent team right there.

I never had the feeling Maryland players and programs weren’t taking school seriously. (Although graduation stats are pretty poor, they’re improving and potentially misleading. But that’s another post.) But it seems fair to ask whether there is a disconnect somewhere. Isn’t someone accountable for making sure players know the rules and get their butts to class? It seems like someone keeps dropping the ball when it comes to making sure players understand expectations (and consequences). And it seems like this stuff happens at Maryland more than other schools. Is that just me? Either way, how many more times do players need to lose eligibility because of some ultimately silly mistake before we stop shooting ourselves in the foot?

Tagged with: Basketball • Dino Gregory • Gary Williams • Jin Soo Choi • the University of Maryland

i spent $250,000 and all i got was this crappy slogan

On October 15, 2009, In Maryland sports, By Ian

Next year UMD will be launching a new brand called University of Maryland Classic.

Do you remember “New Coke”? In 1985, the Coca-Cola Company decided to reformulate it’s classic soda and rebrand it. As part of a rebranding campaign, the company released New Coke with the slogan, “The new taste of Coca-Cola.” The new formula, and the branding campaign that went along with it, were a colossal failure. People hated New Coke. They just wanted the old formula. Shortly thereafter the company was forced to release a second brand, Coca-Cola Classic, which was actually just the old formula under a new label. I studied this case in business school and the lesson I learned was “don’t mess with a good thing”, especially if you don’t have a better alternative.

According to a report in the Diamondback, the University of Maryland got their New Coke today. They’re replacing “Fear the Turtle”, one of the most recognizable and endearing college slogans in history with (brace for it):

UNSTOPPABLE STARTS HERE

The article states that this is a “second slogan”, but this sounds like a hedging tactic so they can ease the school into accepting this new slogan. I guess the school needed to rebrand itself to escape the reputation it’s gained from a decade of improving academics, outstanding athletics, and rapid campus expansion and readjust expectations for a new, blander era. Student responses to the article have been overwhelmingly negative. Here’s my take on this new slogan…

THIS SLOGAN BLOWS

I’ll justify that comment if you disagree with me, but for now I’m just going to let it stand on its own. FEAR THE TURTLE!

Tagged with: Fear the Turtle • the University of Maryland

Terp Football Fans: Should I show up to boo, or just burn my ticket?

On September 23, 2009, In Maryland sports, By Scott

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I’m glad someone woke up John Feinstein. He must have finally finished his latest tell-all book about the William and Mary soccer team. Let me guess: it’s a place where sports still mean something.

Just a couple weeks after making some waves by claiming rightly that ACC football is irrelevant on the national stage, yesterday Feinstein noted the growing swarms of Boo Birds at Maryland and Redskin games. More fans seem to be eating their “Boo Berries,” if you get my drift. They’ve got a case of the “Boos.” Their teams ”make them sick” to the point where they want to “lash out like Huns after a break-in at the meadery.” If you take my meaning. Because mead is an intoxicant.

Sometimes I hear a little too much talk radio in Feinstein’s columns, but he’s right. Terp fans are angry over what could be a dreadful season. And I’m not talking about the overreactionist “OMG SOMEONE NEEDS TO THROW ACID IN DEBIE YOWS FACE” contingent. A lot of the rank-and-file fans seem to be getting fed up, too, and they’re fighting back with their mouths and, more ominously, their wallets. Another Post story today notes that attendance is down at Byrd by nearly every measure: last Saturday’s MTSU game had the smallest crowd since 2002. Season ticket sales are declining. And that’s even before we bring up the luxury boxes. These people, they just don’t know true poshness when they see it. That’s REAL particle board, people! That stuff doesn’t grow on trees.

Does the economy play a factor? Surely. But would the attendance dip be as bad if the team wasn’t also dipping like a bag of Scoops at an AA meeting? (zing.) No. Look at Michigan, one of the hardest-hit states economically. The Big House is packed every time. Byrd could be, too. The team doesn’t have to win the ACC every year — just be competitive. Don’t embarrass your fans. Is that too much to ask? For instance, what about that Murfreesboro vacation I was planning? You think I can still show my face there? And I heard they just got a Mattress Discounters.

Bottom line: we wouldn’t be having any of these conversations if the team was winning. In many ways, sports is an easy business.

(Non-topical final note: If you think the Lions don’t have Sunday’s game circled on their calendar, you haven’t been watching the Skins. Booo, Snyder!)

Tagged with: Byrd Stadium • Debbie Yow • Football • Ralph Friedgen • The Media • the University of Maryland

UMTerps.com: It's all about Technology

On August 31, 2009, In Maryland sports, By Scott

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I really have to tip my cap to the fine and hard-working folks at the University of Maryland athletic department. They know the score. They have seen the writing on the wall. Would you like to know what that writing says? It says “the future is now.” It is all around us. A scary thought, I know, but The Information Age — as I call it — will be loaded with opportunities. You wait and see. For example, the Internet? The World Wide Web? It’s going to change our lives.

I know what you’re thinking — that I’m freaking you out. But do not be afraid, son. This could be great for the Terps. Did you know that, one day, basketball games will be played not on a court, but in the fourth-dimensional world of cyberspace? Soon, I won’t have to write out these posts longhand on carbon paper and airmail them to processing facilities in Rochester and Cedar Rapids. If you can grasp that, then you’re catching on. There are no limits anymore! It’s all like, where do you want to go today? The Superhighway is open for business. Are you ready?

Behind the scenes at UMTerps.com

The Terps are. To wit, behold their newly updated home on the World Wide Web. It’s revamped for a new century. Gone are the clunky, not-regularly updated features. Instead witness the online auctions, sponsor ads, and premium ticket and apparel and seat purchasing opportunities. Opportunities! Business opportunities. That’s what it’s all about…driving your business. Twitter feeds abound…want to know what the women’s gymnastics team is up to? Check them out on their Twitter feed. That’s what we mean when we say connectivity. It’s a global marketplace…of ideas. Plus, the site looks much cooler now, with every sport receiving a periodic-table-style abbreviation on the home page (football, for example, is Fb…anytime you appropriate scientific or medical terminology for a non-scientific-or-medical use, it’s just cool. It’s a winning “formula.”).

So kudos to the athletic department for riding this wave to new shores of interactivity. It’s been a long time coming, and it looks absolutely terrific. But mark my words — mark them — this is not an end, but a beginning. Go Terps, dot com.

Tagged with: the University of Maryland • the wonders of technology

Terrapins Rising Recap: Episode 7

On August 26, 2009, In Maryland sports, By Scott

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The excitement is starting to build as Terrapins Rising moves from spring practices to summer training camp, meaning these episodes were filmed just weeks (or days) ago. It’s a great time of year, baby!

In this very special episode, we see some amusing home footage from senior d-lineman ~~Charlie Villanueva~~ ~~Sam Cassell~~ Jared Harrell. New players and coaches introduced themselves to the team, with the highlight being D-coordinator Don Brown’s observation that “I don’t have any hobbies, but I do like to get BEEEEEEEEP after a victory on Saturday.” All right! I also like to get beeeeeeep.

Another cool moment — maybe the coolest of the season — showed about 10 seconds of an actual pregame sideline, with the crowd chanting that “oh-oh-oh-OH-oh” song and the players about to lose their minds from the adrenaline. It was only 10 seconds. But I think I actually had to stand up off the couch, I got so pumped. That’s saying something.

But here’s where it went downhill. The rest of the episode was bascially one big commercial. Now before you call me a communist or Hitler or whatever, let me say that I understand the promotional aspect of this program. That’s the price CSN pays for its access. I like Under Armour as much as the next guy. I know we all gotta make this money. But I do think this episode got a little carried away.

First, some athletic department suit gives us a “tour” of the new luxury boxes, which we all know have been such a rousing success. I wonder if this little “tour” would have happened if the boxes were sold out. This wasn’t even the worst part, though. They spent a whole segment, or close to it, discussing Ralph Friedgen’s weight loss. And hey, the man lost 105 pounds. I take my hat off. Seriously, that’s incredible. But then he started talking about this great diet company he hooked up with, and how he can eat the food he wants, and how it fits with his lifestyle, and etc. They even interviewed the diet company guy — wearing his gay diet company logo-emblazoned golf shirt, no less – who was all like “[Diet company name redacted] was just so happy that our delicious line of entrees were able to” blah blah blah. What? But the coup d’etat was 10 solid seconds of Ralph eating one of the diet company bars. Just sitting at his desk. Eating the bar and smiling with chocolate all in his teeth. That airtime could have contained something interesting. But no. Had to get the pitch in. Sure, Fridge! No prob, we’ll do it for ya! What angle should we film you at while you’re eating the bar? Before you eat it all, can we do an interview with the remnants of the bar? That’d be an awesome get.

Bottom line: at this time of year, I believe they should be trying to get us fans as pumped up as possible for the season. Because in the end, isn’t that the best sales pitch of them all? Word up.

(Photo credit: Well, I took it, but the image was from Comcast SportsNet)

Tagged with: Byrd Stadium • Don Brown • Football • Jared Harrell • Ralph Friedgen • Terrapins Rising • The Media • the University of Maryland

Maryland Athletic Budget Slashed

On August 13, 2009, In Maryland sports, By Scott

Well, we kinda saw this coming, but that doesn’t make it any more fun.

The Terps athletic department is cutting $301,000 out of the football budget, according to the Baltimore Sun. That’s about a 3 percent reduction out of a $9.7 million overall budget.

So what are the ramifications. Well, the team now has to take the bus for some of its games, and the PR folks are sending out media guides on CDs instead of printing them. WHAT? Unacceptable. Oh wait…they won’t give a lowly blogger like me the time of day anyway. At least, I imagine they would not, if they knew I existed.

Lots of other sports are also affected. Men’s basketball, which has a $4.4 million budget, was trimmed $137,786, or about 3.1 percent. Women’s basketball saw its budget – about $2.6 million – cut $61,583, or about 2.4 percent. The “Olympic sports” of swimming and diving, track and field, gymnastics, tennis and other sports, are being cut by 9 percent (tennis is an Olympic sport?). Lots of Ramen noodles in their future, I’m afraid.

The good news is that it seems like no sports will be eliminated barring some catastrophe. AD Debbie Yow said “I’m pretty steadfast on the 27 [sports]. We’re just going to get through this period.”

So just a little general belt-tightening. It’s understandable. It could be worse. Besides, riding the bus builds character.

Tagged with: Basketball • Debbie Yow • Football • Swimming and Diving • Tennis • the athletic department • the University of Maryland • Track and Field

Are Maryland sports headed for leaner times?

On August 3, 2009, In Maryland sports, By Scott

I don’t have a lot of what you might call business acumen. I have no appetite for what some might refer to as “financial news.” I’m not someone who’s going to “check the stock ticker” for “hot tips” about a “company.” I “spend my money” like a “drunken sailor,” with little regard for “long-term prospects.” Instead of a “bank,” I keep my savings in “the toilet tank” of my “bathroom.” If I catch you poking around my toilet tank, I will “brain” you with a “tire iron.”

Nevertheless, I’ve been reading with interest a recent article series in the Orlando Sentinel about the economics of big-time college sports in the current economy. In part 1 of the series, who should be quoted but one Dr. William Kirwan, chancellor of a little system called the University of Maryland. His somewhat omnipotent position means his opinion might be somewhat important. Let’s take a look:

“Universities across the country are on the horns of a dilemma. We’ve built this enterprise with an insatiable appetite but we no longer have the revenue to feed it. We’re going to have to come to grips with that fact and move to a more rational model.”

Hmmm. The horns of a dilemma, you say. I can relate. Because I find myself astride the saddle of dubiousness, nervously eyeing the bucking flanks of programmatic instability. A more rational model for our athletic programs? Step back from the brink, doctor. After all, those posh new luxury suites don’t just undersell themselves. That takes capital, my friend. The mean green. The almighty somolean.

I was talking about something. Oh right, the overall point is, a lot of big college sports programs are high-profile but currently unprofitable ventures. And as education cuts and layoffs at universities (including good old UMCP) continue, soon, the argument goes, they will have little choice but to consider slashing athletic budgets. The average university athletic budget is $36 million. That’s a lot. Especially when people are losing their jobs. But let me ask you one question: do you want to be the one to tell Timmy there will be no water polo team this year? That the mirrors on the weight room walls will not be re-silvered as planned, thus gravely endangering douchey flex rates? Don’t kid yourself. Those are tough conversations to have. I don’t care who you are.

So what about Maryland? According to the Sentinel’s rankings (via The Diamondback and provided by the education department), Maryland ranks 41st out of the 118 Division 1-A schools, raking in more than $54 million. Not bad, not bad. However, how does it compare to what was spent? I couldn’t find this year’s athletic budget, but back in 2006 it was $51.2 million, and I’m guessing it hasn’t gone down. For comparision’s sake, the entire UM system’s budget shortfall is $37.8 million.

I may not know the difference between a “dime” and a “nickel,” but it’s not hard to see that the big universities are in a cutthroat competition for bragging rights on championship trophies, facilities, recruits, and the rest of it, and view athletics as a key part of a school’s reputation and “brand.” But if the operation isn’t making money — and maybe even coming at the expense of education programs, people’s livelihoods, or both — then, yeah, okay, it’s probably time to revisit. No one wants to see the athletic programs lose steam, and everyone knows about The Flutie Effect (just ask George Mason), but something tells me a tipping point is inevitable. Whether it affects the product on the playing field — and how or whether it will affect different schools in different ways — is the real question. I guess only TIME….will tell….

Tagged with: Maryland athletics department • the University of Maryland