As I perused the morning news on the interwebs about Ball State, most had to do with the failure of the Humanitarian Bowl to broker some sort of deal with the Cardinals about heading west and playing Boise State. Not surprising was the number of news outlets that picked up the story, and the general tone was one of disappointment that the game couldn't be worked out.Amidst the lipstick spin-job that Boise State, the WAC, and the Humanitarian Bowl has put on this pig, was the fact that Ball State had all the power, and they simply didn't want to play Boise. Well... isn't that special. I can't imagine a lucrative game financially would have been turned down. I also can't imagine any AD in his right mind would have taken a monetary loss and ignored his coach's wishes to accept a strong arm deal from a midmajor school and lower tier Bowl Game. So spin it how you want, Boise, your offer sucked, and rather than rooting for you as I sometimes do, I will now hope that whomever you play mops the floor with you.
One article in particular stood out to me, though. It was Chadd Cripe' s "news story" in the Idaho Statesmen. Viewable here. Somewhere amidst the drivel that Cripe managed to send out from a snowy remote location in Idaho were these gems:
- There, the No. 9 Broncos (12-0) likely will face No. 11 TCU (10-2) - a higher-ranked and more-respected opponent than No. 12 Ball State (12-0).
- Ball State turned down its prove-it opportunity - deciding to play an also-ran in the Motor City Bowl in Detroit or GMAC Bowl in Mobile, Ala., instead of traveling to Boise
- McDonald thought the problem would be navigating all the bowl contracts to create a dream matchup. Instead, the hang-up was the Broncos' 64-2 home record the past 10 years
This was my email to Chadd... I'm sure I won't get a response.
Chadd,
I read your article linked at http://www.idahostatesman.com/sports/story/592728.html and I have to say, I was a little surprised.
While surprised initially that Idaho even had a newspaper, I was truly surprised that your editor let you run a story that was basically backhanded slaps at Ball State rather than you know, reporting news. Which last I checked was the purpose of print newspapers. Though of course, it's hard to say what their purpose is anymore. I'll ask the next 60 year old who's reading one what he thinks.
Did you ever stop to consider that maybe it was a financial disaster for Ball State to travel to Idaho? How about contemplating that Ball State wanted to be loyal to its fans and conference which is why Boise wanted to stay? Of course, none of those angles crossed your mind because a real journalist would have investigated and found that out. Instead, you take the easy road and sit back and take potshots at Ball State.
Ball State and Boise State are totally irrelevant in the college football world. No one cares. The difference is our fans, and especially our journalists, don't lose sight of that fact. Boise State fans sit back and act like Oklahoma, dictating who plays whom and where and expecting us to cave. They shouldn't. You sit back and write pithy, half hearted tripe and expect anyone to think you're worthy of reading. You aren't. You write for a "respectable" newspaper and I've seen more impartial writing from football blogs from college students. Ball State told the Humanitarian Bowl and your bush league school and conference the same thing I am about to tell you...
Find your high horse, and ride it right into your silly ass.
Alan
What do you think about this story and the editor who let it run, Coach Gundy?
Posts
18 comments:
Whine much?!
All the points that he railed about being omitted have already been discussed. If we are "Bush League" then this response doesn't even rank that high. Ball State made a decision and that is fine with Boise State Fans who wanted to see a Boise State/TCU matchup even more. The H-Bowl isn't run by Boise State and they apparently assumed that Ball State would prefer the highest ranked opponent available as Boise State does and traveling wouldn't be an issue. The H-Bowl was wrong. Sorry if you were offended by an offer to an additional bowl game for the MAC. Good Luck to Ball State in whatever bowl game they choose to attend.
Normally when schools like Bawl State are trying to build their program, they look to compete against teams that are highly ranked. Bawl State coaches and their AD indicated (in print) many times one of their fears was playing Boise State IN BOISE.
Most articles running this story from CNNSI to ESPN indicated Ball State had one major objection: Playing BSU (Boise State) on the Blue in Boise.
So whine away whiner! Your team bawled and gave up a great matchup because of where the game was going to be played. BTW... no snow here! Bet it's colder in Muncie.
So, you are offended by some of the comments made by Chadd Cripe and decide to take pot-shots at Boise State fans? Do you really believe the only reason Ball State decided not to play is money? The Bowl sweetened the pot and so did ESPN. I heard Boise State was willing to travel to Indiana for a return game. Sounds like Ball State would have made a lot more money than they will in Detroit. Most Boise State fans want to see all three of the undefeated "Mid-Majors" remain unbeaten. Beating each other up will do us no good.
Best of luck to you and the Ball State football team. But please, next time you're offended by someone writing for the Idaho Statesman, leave the Bronco fans out of it. They aren't the same thing.
I call BS.
You highligted in BOLD as if you were offended to:
"a higher-ranked and more-respected opponent than No. 12 Ball State (12-0)."
Sorry it's true. TCU is higher ranked(check the polls) and more respected.(Look at their ranking in comparison to yours, again.)
Also,
"Did you ever stop to consider that maybe it was a financial disaster for Ball State to travel to Idaho? How about contemplating that Ball State wanted to be loyal to its fans and conference which is why Boise wanted to stay? "
This is major BS. Did you even read the article, or did you just get ButtHurt over a couple of little comments Chad made?
"The H-Bowl offered Ball State a significant increase in payout and the home-team designation, McDonald said. ESPN also tried to convince the Cardinals, he said. MAC commissioner Rick Chryst said taking care of the league's bowl partners and keeping the Cardinals close to their fan base were the key factors in the decision."
So there you have it. Chad did put additional reasons as to why the Cards turned it down.
ESPN AND McDonald(NOT AFFILIATED WITH BOISE STATE) tried to sweeten the deal for Ball State, but it wasn't enough to over come this so called "fairness" that your AD was whining about.
Bawl State indeed.
I can't tell if Anon is one Schizophrenic poster or you guys are just too lazy to be accountable for your posts.
I'm not really following the people that claim that 'Bawl State' (punny, very punny) is running away from this matchup. I find the lemming effect that ESPN and other media outlets have on the general population very troubling. While I don't expect everyone to sift through the bullshit and do their homework on a piece of journalism, I do expect them to take it with a grain of salt.
People point to Ball State not wanting to play their bowl game at someone else's home turf and say they're running scared. Let's get real, a (potentially) 13-0 season warrants more than the Humanitarian Bowl...for BOTH teams. What the hell would Boise or Ball State gain by playing each other? The battle of the undefeateds would be a great game, but would surely be less glitz and glamour than either team matching up against a 'supposed' big boy.
I think most fans from both team would rather see them playing in a game with a better location than Boise, Idaho (admit it) and a sponsorship that's less embarrassing than "Roady's".
And stop comparing the TCU/BSU matchup in 2003. Boise lost to an 8-5 Oregon State team. You may think this is an comparable season, but it was not.
Granted, the three of us that contribute here are Ball (or Bawl, whatever) State fans, but show some common sense.
As I spoke with someone at Ball (or Bawl, whatever) State this morning, he reiterated that selling tickets to Boise would be disastrous.
You have to take into account that the majority of the fanbase resides in and around east central Indiana. And of those, I'm willing to bet 70% are of the blue collar persuasion. Not enough of those fans are going to pony up the money to travel 3,800 miles round trip, plus hotel, plus food, plus ground transportation, plus, let us not forget, tickets. Not in this economic climate and certainly not during this holiday season.
While this has all been said, I should also like to repeat a "prove it" mentality. Ball (or Bawl, whatever) State needs to win a bowl. And they need to do it in their league. Yes, Boise would thump Ball (or Bawl, whatever) State on their home turf, and I agree it would be a neat experience. Fact is, and I hate to cry foul, it's not fair to head to the Humanitarian to play Boise, especially since it's a non-neutral site. That neutrality alone enhances the spirit of said competition. Sure, maybe ESPN would have offered an Outside the Lines segment for publicity, or perhaps a little more cash, but walking away with a big loss after the rejuvenating season we just had doesn't sit well.
Bottom line is that Ball (or Bawl, whatever) State needs to go forth with their bowl opportunity as if they were a 10-3 or 11-2 team. They need to have that JV bowl experience before jumping up to varsity. If they win the Motor City Bowl or the GMAC Bowl, then let the 2009 season ride out and make a bigger move for next year. They need to go this route not only for mid-major repect and legitimacy but also for the financial aspect.
I'm afraid to ask what you mean by ButtHurt, but I'll assume its something painfully capitalized.
"The H-Bowl offered Ball State a significant increase in payout and the home-team designation, McDonald said. ESPN also tried to convince the Cardinals, he said. MAC commissioner Rick Chryst said taking care of the league's bowl partners and keeping the Cardinals close to their fan base were the key factors in the decision."
ESPN AND McDonald(NOT AFFILIATED WITH BOISE STATE) tried to sweeten the deal for Ball State, but it wasn't enough to over come this so called "fairness" that your AD was whining about.
Your definition of sweeten the deal is completely baseless. Do you know the ramifications for the conference if their MAC champion doesn't play in one of their bowls? I assume that you do not. What is your definition of "significant increase of payout"? Is it 200k? Is it 750k? Is it determined (like the BCS and most bowls) filling their allocation of seats, thereby making it a backasswards attempt at 'sweetening' the deal?
Thankfully they offered the home designation to Ball State. It's obvious that they're pulling out all the stops. I'm disappointed they turned down the chance at getting a nacho cheese fountain and new jerseys from Champion. Spare me the holier-than-thou attitude when all you know is that 'attempts' were made. Unless those attempts included taking the game to a true neutral site somewhere that is accessible by both teams, they weren't making attempts at all.
RV, if you thought this was bad, you are gonna love this one.
Your AD and Program couldn't have handled the refusal any worse. National Media has you now, so you can quit worrying about the Idaho Statesman. Chad's version is on the tame side in comparison.
http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/news?slug=jn-ballst120408&prov=yhoo&type=lgns
The reason I'm bashing you and your school is because you tied a Statesman article to the team and the University which were not at fault or pointing fingers at your school's motives. You blast Boise State for this bad pub, when all you have to blame is your own program and this PR mess they have created.
The article you've linked is based off conjecture. They assume that since Ball State has played a bad schedule, they are in fact at fault. Boise State (115th) didn't play a schedule any better than Ball State (119th).
He says that any Ball State diehard would claim that the win over Indiana was our marquee win...yeah, except that Central and Western were much bigger wins on all levels. Maybe if he asked a Ball State diehard, he'd have some accurate information.
Think about it. If Ball State lost to Boise State on the Broncos’ home field, at least the Cardinals would’ve had an excuse. They still would’ve received credit for accepting the Humanitarian Bowl bid under such adverse circumstances, and their program would’ve continued to rise.
What? Is this hack really saying that Ball State would've received credit for accepting a lose/lose bowl bid? What credit? Can it be applied to future purchases at Roady's? This is a ridiculous statement and all he's doing is adding his own opinion into the mix.
You did a great job avoiding my response to the 'sweetening of the pot'. Instead, can you just explain to me what Ball State would've gained by playing Boise State? Please, explain because I must be missing something.
Your AD and Program couldn't have handled the refusal any worse. National Media has you now, so you can quit worrying about the Idaho Statesman. Chad's version is on the tame side in comparison.
http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/news?slug=jn-ballst120408&prov=yhoo&type=lgns
The reason I'm bashing you and your school is because you tied a Statesman article to the team and the University which were not at fault or pointing fingers at your school's motives. You blast Boise State for this bad pub, when all you have to blame is your own program and this PR mess they have created.
The "deal" most teams get to come to Boise, Idaho is essentially this:
* A ticket block that they buy (5000 @ $33)
* A requirement of hotel stays for the marching band and cheerleaders of three days. Five days for the football team and staff. Plus meals, airfare, transportation of equipment, etc.
* A $350,000 corporate sponsor is needed. If one cannot be found, the conference or school must fork over the money.
At minimum that's around $1.3 million. Our payoff would be approx. $750k, which doesn't to all to Ball State. It also goes to every other member of the MAC.
So no, the 1/12th of 750k wouldn't cover the expenses.
In comparison, Detroit is an easier travel, easier ticket sales, and airfare wouldn't be needed for the team, staff, or band. The payout is the same at $750k, and our fans would certainly snatch up all the tickets and then some.
It's a simple economics lesson.
Alan,
I call BS on your "requirements". The team is invited to several days of team activities, but their meals are paid for by local businesses and they get a discount for lodging. If they spend 1.3M$ then something is wrong with the school. No Cheerleaders or band is required and some schools haven't brought a band. The leftover tickets are returned and sold locally. I called a friend that works for the H-Bowl to verify costs and he would only say that your numbers are way too high.
I have no problem with Ball State's decision. I just doubt they were completely ready for how many people in the US feel they need to criticize a program that has success. If you were mad at Cripe, then I bet you went ballistic over what is being printed in the internet sports opinion pieces.
What was your real motivation for writing a piece that slams a bowl game, a fan base and a newspaper?
My name is Eric for the individual who think I am schizophrenic or lazy. The second post is mine. I don't want another registered username.
Call BS all you like, Eric. I have facts to back what I say up. http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/football/2001-12-05-bowl-focus.htm
It's an article that explains exactly why UCLA turned this bowl down in 2001.
Directly from the article:
"Dalis said he projected that going to the Humanitarian Bowl would have meant UCLA losing $300,000. The bowl pays $750,000 to each participating school but also requires each school to purchase at least 5,000 tickets at $33 apiece. Plus, Dalis said teams must stay in hotels in Boise for 5 nights and the band and spirit squads must be in town for 3 nights"
I'm willing to accept that the deal wasn't as financially appealing as communicated. Okay, whatever.
However, whether you like it or not, the national media sees Ball State as a program that was afraid of a challenge because of what your AD said and how he handled the situation.
If you guys would have lost to the Broncos, then people would have given you 'some' credit for taking such a tough match. A no big deal situation. However, if you would have won, people would be talking about Ball State as the next big BCS buster.
I hope for your sake you guys don't get NC State. They are a much tougher team than their record shows. A win against them does little for you other than make people think, "Hey, these guys can play against a middle of the road BCS team."
A loss against an unranked 6-6 ACC team is going to set you back further than a loss to #9 Boise State.
At this point, you guys are in the outside looking in and haven't proven yourself against a top25 program. You were given the chance, and turned it down.
Good Luck.
I hesitate to take seriously anything written under the moniker "Booger" but I'll bit for now.
Winning the Motor City Bowl does plenty for us...
#1... we win a Bowl Game. The first time that's happened in school history.
#2... the bowl game is in our prime recruiting area of Indiana, Ohio, and Michigan.
#3... it caps a perfect season and a Top 12 ranking. Both of which have never happened before.
#4... we actually make money rather than lose assloads of it. This allows us to increase Brady Hoke's salary, his assistants' salaries, and improve facilities.
#5... it allows the students and fans and conference that has supported this team the chance to see this dream season come to a close.
Booger,
Top 25 program? Barely beating Oregon with their 4th string red shirt freshman quarterback is not a quality win. If Ball State and the Motor City Bowl extended the offer to Boise would they accept? Doubtful. And this would be a totally different story. Your schedule was essentially the same as ours. Please stop tooting this "we're better than you because we miraculously beat #11 Oklahoma two years ago" horn. It's already very old.
Brady Hoke also has something called class and would never run up the score (See 61-10 over Fresno) just to gain a couple points in the BCS. The only reason Boise is higher than BSU is name recognition. Nothing more.
Oh, and Booger,
Just so you know, one assclown who writes for Rivals does not equal "the national media." (Especially when two national ESPN announcers spent time defending Ball State and criticizing Boise's offer as unfair during tonight's nationally-televised Louisville-Rutgers game).
BTW, I love how the Boise folks keep trotting out that "we would have let them wear their red jerseys" talking point, like that actually matters at all. You're going to have to play a road game instead of a bowl game, and almost none of your fans will be able to attend (and those that do will be treated like absolute crap by the locals, if the Boise fan reaction on this blog and on other Ball State media sites and message boards is any indication of the local hospitality up there). Oh, and you'll hemhorrage money compared to your other bowl options at a time when you're trying to give your coach a bigger contract and improve your facilities. But hey, you'll get to wear your red uniforms!
Whoopity. Fucking. Do.
(Alan covered the Ball State side of things better than I could... just want to add, though, that Boise's offer basically consisted of... hey, don't worry about the ticket minimum... we'll let you sell them all... to OUR fans.)
Yet, Boise is too chicken-shit to play us anywhere besides their home field, and they get up in OUR grill about it? Really? Project much, guys?
@Alan,
You actually bring up several good points. You might want to feed them to your AD or a press outlet to get your side of the story out there. It makes much more sense when you put it like that. Being an outsider I didn't realize the historic significance of what the Motor City Bowl would mean to Ball State. It actually makes me want to root for you guys again. Boise State took baby steps as well on it's way to success, and I see that the Cards are doing much of the same. When we beat Iowa State in '02 it was a HUGE deal to us as fans getting our first victory over a BCS team in a bowl.
Michael,
Tell me where the Fiesta Bowl was mentioned in any part of this discussion? Seems like you are more obsessed with it than we are.
While our schedule is anemic at best, what does that make yours? You beat Navy. Congrats. AND you never played a ranked team this year.
Also as Alan indicated Ball State hasn't really accomplished anything yet at this level. So you calling out our accomplishments is laughable at best.
@PL
You are right, it's not national. I consider the front page of Yahoo global. My bad.
Show me where an official offer was refused by Boise State to play you guys, and I will believe your "chicken-shit" theory. TCU is a better team than Ball State, and Boise State is actively seeking that match up. I'd hardly call that chicken-shit. Yeah, so San Diego vs. a HIGHER RANKED team or Detroit? Hmmmm that's a tough one.
Our AD would gladly trade our Miami OH game next year and play you guys. I guarantee it. You probably wouldn't like the results though.
And trust me. We will have several thousand fans travel to what ever bowl we end up in and be happy with it. If you are ever in the Boise area, I encourage you to go to a game. The atmosphere is fun and friendly even to the opposing fans. (so long as you aren't an Idaho Vandal)
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