Friday News Bits

Blaire Kerkhoff (of the KC Star) has gotten his wish, sort of. The Big 12 has named Dan Beebe its interim commissioner. So Beebe will do whatever it is the Big 12 commish does while Nebraska chancellor Harvey Perlman searches for a new flunky.

The more I hear about Beebe, the more I like him. He's had solid experience with the Ohio Valley Conference, he's familiar with the inner-workings (and inner strife) of the Big 12, and he's a lawyer. Seems like a natural fit, but I'm sure Perlman will show up and tell us he's hired Tex McLonghorn for the job, and that the conference headquarters will now be split between Austin, College Station, Norman and Lincoln. Stay tuned...

***



Apparently some Big 12 schools just can't keep their hands out of the cookie jar. In the last two weeks, it's been revealed there are new allegations against Oklahoma, and Colorado has been sanctioned. Ordinarily, I'd start with the program that has been in trouble more often, but in this case it's hard to decide whether that's the Dirt-Burglars or the Hippies. I'll start with OU...

So Sooner officials reported themselves after they discovered they were distributing "two nutritional supplements that contained impermissible substances." They said they didn't realize the substances were illegal initially, which sounds a little like Barry Bonds saying he thought he was using flaxseed oil when he was actually using the cream and the clear. On the other hand, they did self-report themselves, and stopped the practice immediately. Kudos, Schooners. I sure would have hated to see the NCAA smash you with probation (and then suspend it) and loss of scholarships (also suspended) because you gave your players juiced milkshakes.

Colorado's violations were probably a bit more egregious, at least as far as the NCAA is concerned. Also, CU is not one of those elite programs that can get away with giving its players free houses or cars and cash and not have the NCAA land on it. Basically, the Buffs committed the unforgivable sin of allowing prospective student athletes eat training-table meals while paying dining hall prices. That certainly rivals the old $100-handshakes of the SEC and the old SWC. But as minor as that seems to me, the compliance people at CU ought to be fired (or, in the alternative, shot) for not recognizing and stopping this. I know the NCAA rulebook is thicker than most legal treatises, but is it so hard to figure out that getting one thing for the price of something cheaper is probably a violation? Good Gawd, it doesn't take the head clerk at Steak-N-Shake to figure that out.

***

Have a great weekend everybody. I'm off to Arthur Bryant's for some real barbeque, then off to observe the goings-on at the Great Lenexa Barbeque Battle. Word is you can smell the smoke and meat for miles...