Miami's hearing in front of the NCAA's Committee on Infractions begins today. That means it's time to break out the caffeine pills and play, "Are you excited, or are you scared?"
After more than 2 years of investigating by the NCAA, the U finally gets it's day in court. I've forgotten what it's like to not be under investigation for all this stuff. So finally getting to this stage is kind of a big deal. Everybody is there. Coach Golden, Coach Larranaga, President Shalala, Blake James, Frank Haith, Clint Hurtt, Aubrey Hill, your mom...basically anyone affiliated with this case is there in Indianapolis. Except for Nevin Shapiro, he's gonna be about 20 years too late. And also Mark Emmert, but he sucks so I'm pretty sure he doesn't even count.
In between stuffing his fat face with custard-drenched chicken fingers, Manny Navarro was stalking everyone in attendance and managed to get some Zapruder-esque shots of the key players there.
[video=youtube;PkdikAithag]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PkdikAithag[/video]
Check out the excellent form displayed by the Prez. Also if you look closely, the skirt is above the knees...we back. Manny's also been tweeting updates all day so if you have a twitter account, giving him a follow at @Manny_Navarro would be a smart thing. I'd post a screenshot of his tweets, but he blocked me. No idea why.
Knowing that we're so close to the end is a great thing. But there's a big pit in my stomach and I bet you got one too. Problem is, I can't tell if it's because I'm excited or scared. Just as I've done before, lets run through the top reasons to be both excited and scared about what will come from these hearings.
Reasons to be Excited:
3. We've Suffered Enough
2 Bowl bans. Reputation beyond sullied because of the stigma of investigation. Not to mention the salacious accusations about hookers and abortions and whatnot. A few months ago, when asked to quantify the damage done by all of this, Al Golden put the number of recruits lost at more than 40. When you consider all the nefarious tactics used by the investigation staff. Enough is enough.
2. UM Athletic Director Blake James
This guy took the job because he wanted to be here. Not to mention he understands the internal strengths and weaknesses the program has. Also, unlike Hocutt and Eichorst, James doesn't suck. So he's got that going for him. Some woman at ESPN wrote a story about him today that reminds everyone how awesome he is. It gives you hope that should we get hit with sanctions harder than we'd like that he's capable of steering us through it. There's already a thread on it here so go there if you want to talk about it. Also, does he look scared in the video above?
Dude is probably hitting on his secretary, that's how concerned he is.
1. President Shalala
Going back to January when news broke that the NCAA was paying Shapiro's attorney, Donna has been picking a fight in the media. And her response to the charge of "Lack of Institutional Control" is the stuff of legend. From the video above, this was Shalala after she gave her opening remarks:
She ain't never scared. She probably challenged everyone in the room to a fight.
Reasons to be Scared:
2. The NCAA Sucks
As was previously noted here and here, ...these ******** egregiously bent their own rules to try and hammer us. The vast majority of the national media wouldn't bat an eye if the whole case got dropped. In fact, ESPravda talking heads Jay Bilas, **** Vitale, and Rod Gilmore are clamoring for exactly that to happen. Their own stupidity is our biggest trump card walking into this.
However, these ******** have spent millions of dollars on this investigation. GTFOH if you really think they're just gonna dismiss it after 2 1/2 years of digging just because they got caught doing some unscrupulous ****. They're going to want more than just the usual pound of flesh.
The COI has representatives from FSU, Notre Dame, and the SEC deciding our fate. No conflicts of interest here. No sir. One member of the COI is former Georgia Tech basketball coach Bobby Cremins. A few months ago he was very critical of the NCAA's handling of our case and said everything against us should be dropped and that we should essentially be given time served. He went a step further and told Sirius Radio that the NCAA should have been "really, really skeptical" of Nevin Shapiro. He wasn't selected to be included on the Committee for our case. Imagine that.
1. Mark Emmert Sucks
If he were a man of honor, he would have shown up today. At least a token appearance. But alas, he was too much of a ***** to show up at the 1st day of the hearings. He probably was too scared of having an awkward run-in with Donna on an elevator. He's got to be so butt-hurt that this case has become so fubar that he's gonna want to see to it that we hang just because of all the embarrassment to him. $100 says he makes the Committee render judgment on us the day before the Florida game.
There you have it. Are you guys excited? Or are you scared?
