www.firerickgreenspan.com

It appears that Coach Sampson is gone. Dan Dakich (a good guy) will be the interim guy and likely have no chance short of a Steve Fisher situation of keeping the job. Well, after the dust has settled on Sampson, can we also take out the person that put this fine university into this situation? Rick Greenspan knew that Sampson had baggage when he hired him, and now must also be removed for his inability to control him.

It would be epically disproportional for Sampson to be fired (and effectively blackballed inthe profession) while Greenspan would keep his job.

All I know is that if Greenspan keeps his job, the new basketball coach better be a guy who will win, and win big, and not come close to Knight-like misanthropy or Sampson-era violations.

If Sampson Goes, Greenspan Must Follow

So, it looks like Indiana University is going to fire its coach. Why? For overzealous recruitment of players. What he did not do was choke his players, put tampons in their lockers, headbutt them, throw chairs in response to bad referee calls, and generally act like a bully.

The person that hired this coach, the athletic director, is taking all of seven days to report back to the president, and make a recommendation.

The reason that everyone thinks that Coach Kelvin Sampson is gone is because he is repeating the same mistakes (or violations) that he did while at Oklahoma. He is being fired for being a repeat offender. So, why is the person that hired Sampson, Rick Greenspan, not getting fired himself? He brought this mess to the university that is so bent on not being tainted by a cheater.

Will this satisfy the Knight fans? Getting rid of a guy who violated NCAA rules but never was an ass like Knight. Do they want Knight and his by-gone system back? Will they mind a .500 team if that means 100% graduation and not even a sniff of scandal?

Yes, I realize that you can win and be clean, but dumping Sampson and not the guy who hired him? Wouldn’t make sense.

OK, hire Tom Crean, Bo Ryan, Sean Miller, or maybe even Kevin Stallings.

All I know is the new guy better win.

Am I Confused, or is this Hypocrisy?

As I will find out in person tonight, the Orange Krush section and all lame-brained Crying Illini fans are all upset over Eric Gordon committing to Illinois, then signing with Indiana.

But now, from today’s Chicago Tribune story about College Football Signing Day, we get this:

Illinois benefited from the decommitment craze. Corey Lewis, a 6-6, 278-pound offensive tackle from East Stroudsburg, Pa., switched from Virginia recently.Earlier, Illinois picked up Ford and Homewood-Flossmoor linebacker Russell Ellington, both of whom had committed to Iowa, and Cahokia tight end London Davis, who had committted to Missouri.

So, it’s OK in football?

Then there is the fecal matter coming from this nimrod columnist at the Daily Illini.

Nice comments from a school that gave away Chevy Blazers during the Henson/Collins era and has had multiple NCAA violations (i.e. Mike White). Illinois, lest you forget, went before the NCAA Infractions Committee three times for violations in Men's Basketball and Football.

Let's not forget last year's car wreck involving illini players. Was Jamar Smith punished? He was red-shirted so the story would die down.

Why Bobby Knight Retired Now

Sure, he could wait, he could do a "victory lap," and gather a bunch of rocking chairs and golf clubs, and he could be made to make gracious remarks all around a conference where he landed after being ignominiously shitcanned eight years ago.

But the real reason he quit now, in the middle of the season, is a simple one: Nepotism. Bob Knight (or someone in his circle) announced at least a few years ago that his son Pat, would take over once the Classic Bully quit. The story then was that Pat's recruiting was so bad that his dad would have to renege on scholarship offers.

But by quitting so abruptly in the middle of the season, he can command the continuity of his son in this major conference program. Even if he stinks.

If he quit effective at the end of the season, the athlectic director, et.al. could do a search for a real coach. Now, Little Knight will get the half season, then demand his own chance, not just 10-odd games.

The same thing is done all over American coaching, business, and politics. It still stinks, and hopefully Texas Tech will have the guts to make Pat the Passer earn his job.