VU’s Stallings Takes Issue With UK’s Schedule
January 18th, 2012 03:24 PM║ Posted By: John Pennington ║ Permalink
║ Schools: Kentucky, Vanderbilt
Tags: CBS, ESPN, SEC, UK
Kentucky’s John Calipari might line up one of the nation’s tougher non-conference schedules each year, but Vanderbilt’s Kevin Stallings thinks UK’s coach has a pretty cushy ride once league play begins. Specifically, two things stick in the Vandy coach’s craw:
1. For the second year in a row UK will not have a quick Thursday-Saturday turnaround.
2. Kentucky will play four Saturday games against teams coming off Thursday games and that’s more than any other team in the league.
Stallings wants to know whazzup with that:
“Go figure that one out for me, would you? We all agreed to do it, so if you have one, like we have one, I’m not going to complain. To not have any and to be able to play four teams that have to do it to play you… that’s not right.”
Not sure about you, but to this writer it sure sounds like Stallings is complaining.
But let’s give the explanation part a try. First and foremost, the league’s basketball schedule is created in concert with ESPN for television purposes. Guess who the SEC’s biggest TV draw is by far. Now realize that ESPN’s main SEC basketball night is its “Super Tuesday” block. When UK gets moved off of the standard Wednesday night routine, it typically slides to Tuesday, not to Thursday.
The Cats have five such Tuesday night games this season and they will not play again on Wednesday for the rest of the year. They do have one Thursday nighter (against Georgia on March 1st) but that will be followed by a Sunday noon game against Florida. Know why? CBS traditionally kicks a UK game into the noon timeslot on final day of the regular season (this year Florida replaces Tennessee as UK’s last day opponent).
Stallings’ issue with Kentucky’s schedule has more to do with ESPN and CBS than it does the SEC office. But before he barks too loudly, he might want to keep these points in mind:
1. The SEC’s highest-rated games tend to involve Kentucky.
2. The higher the ratings for SEC basketball, the better the cashflow into the league long-term via TV contracts.
3. The better the cashflow into the SEC, the more money trickles back to Vanderbilt… who pays Stallings’ salary.
Television rules college sports these days. And with ESPN and CBS already paying the SEC about three billion dollars — that’s billion with a B — over a 15-year span, those two networks are typically going to get exactly what they want from Mike Slive and league office.
And for the record, LSU and Auburn will not play Thursday-Saturday turnarounds, either.
Just another observation. Vanderbilt never plays at Bridgestone except for the once every 5 (?) year SEC tourney rotation. By the way, the racist Rupp is the one that had the benches moved in Memorial Gym to satisfy him. Look it up.
I'm sure Stallings made his feelings known about the inequity of the SEC schedule to the SEC office. He knows the SEC lets the networks determine basketball schedules. And Kentucky is and always will be the beneficiaries as long as they aren't on probation.
And here's another observation, I'd rather have a coach on the NCAA ethics panel than one who plays in the shadows. Make sure any banners associated with Calipari are attached with velcro.
So the truth hurts a little. On the ethics panel defense, just because a cat has kittens in the oven dont make them biscuits.
UK already has a final four banner hanging with Calipari as coach. Maybe you can drop by Rupp Arena and see what one looks like. Just having fun, don't be so sensitive.
ukalum87 Not sensitive, just answering your foolish and tiresome comments. Didn't know that about Rupp? We all know the reason you ran off Tubby - just like it's well known that Rupp liked to wear a pillow case on his head.
Kinda ruins your standard reply, huh? You should have a better response about ethics and coaches than that nonsense. But then again, all you have to fall back on is Joe B. Hall. It's ironic he went into banking oncce he left the bench.
You're right. This is fun!
dee6634 I wondered how long it would take someone to bring up the racist comment about coach Rupp. Why did MSU threaten to pull out of the SEC if "Kentucky and Rupp bring a black to Starkville?" Look this up...UK was recruiting black athletes to play basketball in the SEC before Perry Wallace was recruited, and ultimately played for Vandy. Because I respect John's great site, I won't link three SI articles from the early 60s to prove that point. Call Rupp a racist all you want, but Perry Wallace knew better. Here is the text of a letter, verbatim he wrote about coach Rupp..."During my senior year at Vandy, Coach Rupp coached me in one of those post-season, college all-star games. I believe the game was played in Tennessee. I remember that Coach Rupp was very nice to me, even to the point of offering to help me in getting tryouts with pro teams. I understand that this adds to the considerable complexity in and around the myth of Adolph Rupp, but I always like to relate the story where I can--mainly because it is true and deserves to be told. Just as the South is more complex than the usual stereotypes, so also are its people and its institutions. And Coach Rupp, especially given his transcendent presence, deserves to be seen in all his complexity--however hard it makes people have to work to understand him and this amazing phenomenon called humanity.
Best regards,
Perry E. Wallace
Badgercatdee6634 Badger you are trying to convince an ignorant person (deedee) with facts.That is all people like that have to bring up is racism. They have nothing else to argue with besides stupid crap like that. Being a Vandy fan, Dee, that is about all you have to argue about. Dee I believe it is you with the all to tiring comments about racism. Back that whiny coach all you want and be sitting home after the first weekend of the NCAA tourny and stop bringing up things that you know nothing about.
ukalum87Badgercat
Perry Wallace was a great player for Vanderbilt and a standard bearer for equality. He, not Rupp, championed the cause. Before Perry Wallace changed the face of basketball in the SEC, Rupp ran rough shot over the league. He recruited minority players later simply because he had to. Please allow me to delve into a NYT article that shows a different Rupp:
"Tim Bassett, 58, is a former broadcaster and professional basketball player who played in the American Basketball Association and the N.B.A.
Bassett was a muscular 6-foot-8 forward when he attended Georgia from 1971 to 1973… while playing at Georgia, he encountered a racist dimension of American culture.
Claude Felton, the associate athletic director for communications at Georgia, said the university had only a handful of black athletes before Bassett. One of Bassett’s teammates, Ronnie Hogue, became the first black athlete to play a major sport at Georgia in 1970.
The first time Bassett and the Bulldogs played Kentucky was a home game on Jan. 17, 1972. Georgia won that game, 85-73. Bassett had 27 points and 13 rebounds. After the game, the legendary Kentucky coach Adolph Rupp approached Bassett.
“He said I didn’t belong in the Southeast Conference, and he said, ‘We’ll get you back when you come to Lexington,’ ” Bassett said.
When the Bulldogs went to Lexington a month later, they entered the gym to find Bassett hanging in effigy from the ceiling. Stunned, Bassett’s teammates offered not to play the game if Bassett were too uncomfortable there. A motivated Bassett played anyway and had 17 points and 17 rebounds, but Georgia lost, 87-63.
After the game, Bassett wanted to let Rupp know just how he felt about Rupp’s allowing the effigy in Kentucky’s gym… "(read more at the New York Times)
http://www.interbasket.net/news/4546/2009/09/former-hoops-star-recalls-adolph-rupps-racism/
Stay on your high horse. You are the only ones defending the sanctity of the honorable John Calipari and the Ghandi-like Adolf Rupp.
dee6634ukalum87
dee, relax. No one is on a high horse but you. If John is going to allow links, you'll be in front of your computer for months reading counter arguments. I have little doubt that Rupp, and just about every SEC coach, AD and President of the time had tendencies that we abhor today. In fact, history proves it. There are too many letters from black coaches, black players, and retractions from media people to paint Rupp as the demon that haters have so desperately tried to paint. He built what today is still the winningest program in the history of D-I revenue generating athletics. He won. He bragged about it. So what? It wasn't PC, but if you wanted to do something about it - he told you to lace 'em up and see why the basketball has "my signature on it." Black. White. Purple. Color didn't matter. All he wanted to do was continue winning. He did it longer and at a better clip than anyone. He wanted to win. Period. Again, Rupp recruited black basketball players years before the first played for Vandy. Perry Wallace did not have to write what he wrote. In fact, Rupp coached black players decades - d-e-c-a-d-e-s before the SEC or Vandy even thought about breaking a color barrier. All you have to do is check the history books from his high school in Illinois, the US Olympic team, and all-star games. Do you think he had to coach his kids in high school? Do you think he had to coach the kids he picked for the Olympic team? I suspect that we'll next read slams on UK waxing folks in a basketball conference since the race card and velcro banners have been used. Typically retorts. GO BIG BLUE!
Dee you seem obsessed with this issue, so much so that you apparently have spent hours researching articles to try and defend your point of view. Like Badger said if a person wanted to they could find just as many or more articles that contradict what you have said. You seem full of hate. When all else fails pull out the racism card and if Calipari ever gets charged with anything then you can sing from the mountain top. Until then give it a rest.
Just an observation, KS probably likes the SEC tourny being held in Nashville so his players do not have to travel and can sleep in their own beds. Also, that ridiculous Vandy floor is good for 3-5 wins each year for Vandy. KS continues to underachieve in the NCAA tourny. He needs to take care of his business and stop being whiny. He is about to over take coach K with his whiny attitude.
Just a dig at Stallings. He's made his opinion known to the SEC. They chose to do nothing about it. ESPN runs the basketball side of the SEC.
Slive should be ashamed.
So, John's explanation is"sure it isn't fair, but Kentucky gets high TV ratings and therefore, deserves the advantage. So, stop complaining about it"
Think I understand now.
Vols fan...
My point is, it's not going to be fair. And if you thought it was fair for you Vols, some UK fan or Vandy fans would claim otherwise. And if they think it's fair, then you're going to cry.
Beat who's on your schedule. That's my take. Always has been, always will be. The SEC isn't out to screw over any school because the SEC IS all the schools.
Many fans and few coaches don't seem to grasp that.
John
John at MrSECYour point is that is isn't gonna be fair? Why not? Are you saying that since TV gives SEC lots of money they have the right to make schedules that favor one team over another? It's one thing to switch gametimes for TV but quite another to say to one team that you will play Thurs-Sat turnaround games while another will not solely for TV purposes. Even you should have a hard time defending that one. Since it is two years in a row, you can't chalk it up to coincidence and yes, I would feel the same way about fairness on something as obvious as this, whether my team was the team with the advantage or one who did not get it. Come on man, we are just saying make the conference schedule equal for all schools and don't let TV allow one school to have an unfair advantage over others. That's not whining or crying, that's just pointing out truth. Similar to Bama's complaints about their football schedule and teams with open dates before their game, which the SEC did address and try to correct.
Vols fan...
Unless the SEC adopts a 26-game league schedule with every team playing all the others at home and on the road, no, it's not going to be fair. Someone's always going to get an advantage. That's why I said it's not going to be fair.
John
John at MrSEC So, the reason UK doesn't have to play a Thurs-Sat turnaround two years in a row is because the SEC doesn't play a 26 game schedule. Got it, I understand completely now. Thanks for your enlightening explanation.
Vols fan..
Uh, no, that's the reason there's no such thing as a truly fair schedule. But feel free to continue to take pieces of one answer and apply them to another question... as you have here.
John
TV can explain UK not having the brutal thursday night -travel- saturday turnaround, but how do they end up getting the advantage of facing teams that had to do the turnaround on four Saturdays. That is almost every Saturday in the SEC season.
Stallings needs to stop complaining and understand if he were to learn from Thursday-Saturday scheduling - his overrated clubs might fare a bit better when Thursday-Saturday or Friday-Sunday games count for keeps in March...
Badgercat
Did you actually read the Tennessean's article or just the biased one on here?? It noted that UK lost the last time it played the SEC Thursday - Saturday games. Add to that NCAA games are played in the same location where as these teams have to travel.
Dynamite fan I did read the article. I am biased, yet Stallings never masks his disdain for Calipari. He took a shot at UK's roster during media days- which was a reflection on Calipari's approach. It's been common since Calipari was in Memphis. As to the same location situation in the NCAA, that should make things much easier for Stallings (LOL) - yet his teams have historically underachieved in the Big Dance. As you know, UK has done better than any other program in the SEC during that tournament and the reference to UK's last Thursday-Saturday games was an historic anomaly. Heck, it's won more SEC tourney titles than all other schools combined. I know that's something that everyone knows. Including Stallings. Perhaps someday, a Stallings coached team will play up to its seed, and not exit early, which has been his history. He's got his best chance to win the SEC this year with UK's youth and his team's experience. Just let it play out on the court. Not in the play pen...
Badgercat
My dad's a huge UK fan BTW. I don't need a history lesson. 90% of SEC basketball is UK no doubt. Hugh Durham Used to call it "Blue mist". Stallings was just pointing UK's advantage in the schedule. But he was attacked for it.
Dynamite fan...
How was this article biased? "Stallings said X." "Here are the facts." "Here's why UK gets good schedules." Like it, don't like it... be a man and stop weeping that everything you don't like is biased.
John
Dynamite fan Former Vandy coach Eddie Fogler likes to claim credit for the moniker "The Big Blue Mist" in regards to the legendary UK traveling posse in hoops. As for coach Durham, I know he understands the history of UK basketball, having grown up in the Commonwealth. He has some great stories about his relationship with coach Rupp and coach Hall. Good fellow, Hugh Durham.
Badgercat
It actually was Hugh Durham. Fogler admits to "borrowing" it from him. He was on a local Radio station and someone asked him about it once. Having been to the SEC tourney the Blue mist is a real thing. UK wasn't even playing that night! I love Kentucky BTW I just thought that KS did have a point about the schedule advantage. He didn't even bring it up he was asked to comment on it..
Basically I'm just sick of the attack Vandy articles on here recently. Jelousy breeds contempt especially from a rival team fan. UGA just beat them!!
John at MrSEC
Maybe write a positive article about A Vandy Coach every once and a while. Your recent articles about James Frankin makes him out to be Satan And now coach Stallings is a whiner??? What's next Tim Corbin muder charges? You must really hate him with his recent success.
Is that the best Photo of KS you could find or just one to make him look angry or crazy?
It's biased from the point if Conzo Martin had said it it wouldn't be as big to warrant an article. Probably most SEC coaches agree with KS. You left out where he said understands it's part of the TV package. Your Vols looked tired near the end of their game Saturday vs UK. Could it have been from playing on Thursday?
Biased may not be the right word, but it's interesting and noteworthy that the page is filed under "Kentucky" rather than "VU."
Also, your explanation of the TV contracts and its relation to Stalling's salary is a gross oversimplification. You can do better than that.
Dynamite fan Just to be sure...UK has already had a nationally televised Thursday-Saturday swing this season against St. John's and UNC. Both at home. Both nationally televised. Ratings and brand name are key of course. UK won both.
Dynamite fan...
And you prove your nonsense. The last article I wrote about Franklin had Tennessee fans -- might be the only whiners as bad as Vandy fans -- saying that I'd written a pro-Vandy, anti-UT piece.
Why do you call Tennessee my Vols? Because I live in Knoxville? What the hell does that have to do with anything?
I also lived in Columbus, Ohio. So am I a Buckeye fan or a Vol fan? If I could I'd move today to Charleston. So am I Gamecock fan? I grew up in Kentucky. So am I a Wildcat fan?
Anyone who wants to be insulted by this, feel free: I can tell when someone has a tiny IQ when they start whining that this site LOVES or HATES a school. We don't. I don't. Started this site to weed out the homer crap most people like yourself love.
Go enjoy a Vandy messageboard.
Oh, and here's some of our Franklin hating, I supppose:
http://mrsec.com/2011/11/heres-a-longshot-name-for-ole-miss-consideration-james-franklin/
http://mrsec.com/2011/10/grantham-and-franklin-get-into-it-after-vu-uga-game/
HoneDawg...
You might want to learn to read. This story was and is clearly tagged as: Kentucky and Vanderbilt. It involves both schools.
John
John at MrSEC I agree...I would never call UT your team. I have left a few posts saying you spun your stories against the Vols.
Clockwatcher...
I don't spin against them, either, but thanks for backing me up. Sort of.
Thanks for reading,
John
John at MrSEC
When UT played MTSU and LSU played Bama Which game did you attend?? Which game did you cover the next day? In One article your suggesting he should leave Vandy, In the other it's hardly praise. But you had an article about Ole Miss hiring a Vandy coach and then linked an article accuising Vandy coaches of lying to recruites. But it was only one recruit and it was his father that wanted to be promised his son a starting position. What coaches ever promise that? Then another suggesting that Franklin is running off players something that happens at every SEC school but you forgot to mention most of those players already had degrees. Then he pokes some fun at Dooley and he's raked over the coals again. I liked the site until I read those articles misrepresenting things
Imagine That!! MrUT.com writing a negative article attacking a Vandy Coach.
Stalling's points are somewhat valid UK is getting some favoritism in the schedule. Not so much in not Playing Thursday but playing teams after a Thursday game, but instead of pointing out that fact, MrUT just calls him a complainer. Interesting that this quote was ignored "But we agreed to take that on. So that’s just part of the deal. It’s part of the TV package, and we can live with that.”
Of course the year that UT's Football team had to 4 teams after and bye week was never complained about by UT's fans or coaches.
It was ESPN pushing for the Thursday games. Why wouldn't they want UK on Thursday night to get better ratings there also?? Stallings better be quiet though he did have one year where he played 5 straight road games and 7 of his 1st 10 were road games Vandy was the only team in the SEC to be given that type of schedule. With A&M and Mizzou joining, next year he may have to play all road games.
[...] year. (Like the one Vandy faces against Alabama and MSU tonight and Saturday.)Yesterday, we gave you our take — that ESPN and CBS will always beg to get Kentucky (especially when at home at Rupp) lined [...]