Air Force is back out on the dating market.With Jeff Bzdelik dumping Air Force, Falcons athletic director Hans Mueh is free to look at others again. Yeah, he's bitter, but the good news is someone is going to badly want what he has -- a head coaching opening.
The problem he's going to face, however, is overreacting to getting left and becoming controlling, which we all know is the formula for another relationship disaster.
Mueh cried for loyalty and the need for stiff, expensive buyouts in a Jim Benton story in the Rocky Mountain News. Problem is, Mueh doesn't get it. Air Force is one difficult place to sustain excellence due to the obvious and consistent obstacles of recruiting talent. Why would any ambitious coach stay after achieving success? And the money? Come on, let's be honest, the Academy is not in business of being a minor-league sports franchise. Mueh is delusional to the world's reality if he believes otherwise.
To be fair, losing the best thing you ever had hurts. Who can't empathize with that? And who in Colorado doesn't want the Air Force to do good things?
The AD will heal and one day find new love and if he is smart about who he chooses, he can have a moderate degree of success and happiness. That's as good as it gets. Bzdelik was a short-lived fantasy that has left the building.
Nuances
How smart is Bzdelik or his agent for getting an "out" clause in his contract if CU proves to just be giving lip service about tangible improvements in the basketball program? Sure, it will cost some heavy lettuce but what price do you put on freedom from what you consider a prison?
No practice facility groundbreaking by the beginning of the fourth year -- no soup for you.
What a leap of faith by Bzdelik. No wonder he had to think so hard on whether to accept the offer. Four years is a long time to wait for a ribbon cutting and the busting up of rock and dirt.
Know what? I do think the new coach is accurate in describing himself as a "sicko" and that is a good thing. He comes across to the WSN as a no-excuses, all-out, dreamer and worker with a plan who isn't being foolish and guaranteeing success as he's not positive he can live up to other's expectations but yet he is quietly confident he can do good things.
He appears to be a good fit. Athletic director Mike Bohn thinks he is the only fit, the perfect one.
Yankees looking to become pirates again
So a rumor goes that New York is desiring former Colorado Rockies first baseman and current Royals rapper Ryan Shealy but lusts more for current hammers Matt Holliday and Garrett Atkins.
Well, unless the Yankees plan on giving up uber-pitching prospect Philip Hughes or fellow minor-leaguers Jose Tabata (OF) and Joba Chamberlain (ex-Husker pitcher), forget it. Colorado cannot let either Holliday or Atkins get away without a heavy booty in return or they will further alienate the paying public and pay the price at the ticket counter.
Karl's rap and NBA shortcoming
Coaches sure have a way with words. Just check out Nuggets' ringmaster George Karl, in a Chris Tomasson story in the Rocky Mountain News.
"When we run and penetrate and pass and play together and play defense, we’re good," Karl said. "When we shoot jump shots and hold the ball and get sticky and don’t run back (they aren’t). ... Unfortunately, that’s probably happened too many times (this season)."
Get sticky?
O.K., I get it, the players don't move, don't pass, the offense bogs down. But the phrasing just is a new drop on me but, I admit, I like it. Let's use it anytime here.
Come on, all together now -- get sticky.
But I digress. The Nuggets are adults, highly paid and should be "getting it" by now on how to do the things the boss thinks need to be done. Since it ain't happenin', that says the workers think Karl is clueless. Not saying that here in this space, the players are by their actions and the NBA, as we all know, is a player's party.
These two don't see the signs of a rocky relationship and the impending divorce. Regrettably, with all that dough in the Association, there is no counseling for players and coaches. That's why there are so many breakups between the two.
Coaching merry-go-round
Bob Huggins, a fantastic first season at Kansas State on the floor and in recruiting -- gone for West Virginia. The Wildcats' fans go from euphoric and secure to insecure overnight. However, like what Bzdelik did at Air Force, he raised the profile of that program for future coaches. K-State is now seen as a good job and it will get a quality replacement. But listen to the interviews with Wildcat officials and they are beyond steamed, much as Falcons' AD Hans Mueh was with his coach's departure. Everyone is feeling betrayed these days.
Kentucky fans wouldn't listen so they are likely crushed that Billy Donovan rejected them, as expected. They did it to themselves, throwing their hearts 100 percent into something they couldn't have. Why would Donovan leave a hot gig like Florida for Kentucky these days?
Could Texas A & M's Billy Gillispie be the next one UK shamelessly throws themselves at? The Aggies' coach is a native Texan but word I hear from my contacts is that Lexington is exactly the type of job that could tempt Gillispie. Think, at this point, with the commitment at College Station now, that's a better job but tradition might be tempting.
Scoreboard
The red-hot Avalanche ride the hat-trick power of Milan Hejduk and Paul Statsny's trio of assists in beating Vancouver, 3-1. This team has gone through a season of transition and has learned that talent isn't lacking. A total overhaul is not necessary. Tightening up the defense is priority one but with the proper moves Colorado can become a playoff force next season.
Think you're having a bad day
So why is it, or is it just me, that government has such a difficult time admitting possible wrong when people get hurt or lose their lives? Whether it's the Pat Tillman story or this one here, why can't it just be honest with the public? Well, outside the threat of litigation and embarrassment.
Uh-oh, all this guy intended to do was take home a little entertainment for him and his wife and all he did was create a national issue. Someone is going to lose all hope for a bright military future.
And to think I always disliked the normal smell of medical offices. This dentist tried to think outside the box, both with his new aroma and by making his tools multi-functional.
What are your fifth graders doing today at school? Guess down Louisiana way, at least in some parts, they like having sex, according to an AP video story yesterday. In...a...classroom. Seems the teachers left them and when they realized it, well the party was on. Trying to remember if I was all hot to score in fifth grade? When did the world change on me? Wonder how the next parent-teacher conferences at that joint are going to go down?
Quickie
For those of you with children, a little help.
Hot Points
- CU players highly respect Bzdelik because he's a proven winner
- They are also a little nervous about how they will react to his demands
- The profile of the Air Force job has gone way up
- Why do we know so much about Bzdelik but so little about Tim Miles
- The Nuggets acquistion of Allen Iverson was overrated then and now"
- Denver should try to trade him in the offseason for a younger point and another "tree"
- The Nuggets picked a bad year to have no first-round draft picks
- Did I miss who Mike Shanahan traded this week
- Jason Jennings looked good for Houston in his first start, ready to see Jason Hirsh
- If CSU's defense is not swiss cheese, the Rams will go bowling
- Interested to see how Air Force flies now on the football field with a new regime
- The Buffs might be the most confident team coming off "a 2-10" you'll find
I'm one who likes the reader's voice to be heard LOUDLY, so to that end, let me share that one passionate follower of the CU program is extremely concerned with the Buffs' attraction to Tom Abatemarco as a potential assistant coach on Bzdelik's staff, citing his past ugly behavior towards players, which led to revolts. With rumors of a high degree of degrading behavior from former assistant Paul Graham towards CU players, hiring of Abatemarco could be pouring battery acid into what appears to be a potentially good recipe for success.
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