The Big Coward: Jim Delany

Remember when the Big Ten announced its new divisional names and people were not only confused, but upset?

Well, it seems that the criticism displayed thus far by fans has taken somewhat of a toll on Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany.

It's really hard to believe he had no idea there would be such a backlash against his conference's decision to dub the new Big Ten divisions "Legends" and "Leaders" as a way of paying homage to the history and tradition of the conference.

I think we have enough experience with names, and expansion and development of divisions, to know that you never, rarely, get 90 percent approval rating. But to get a 90 percent non-approval rating was, you know, really surprising.

According to an interview with WGN AM-720 in Chicago, Delany acknowledged that his officials will potentially reconsider the names  once the new year hits.

Perhaps the most striking comment made in the interview was Delany's admittance that little consideration was given to changing the conference name from the Big Ten since conference officials including alumni, administrators, and university faculty think of the Big Ten as a powerful brand.

I don't know about you, but I don't think any conference that cannot count deserves the moniker of a 'power' brand.

Back to Mr. Delany, after serving as the Big Ten commissioner for more than two decades it is probably time for him to move onto greener pastures.

As a side note, the only Delany worth its weight in gold is the Portland, OR band Delaney. One of my friends from the Notre Dame Drumline shows off his chops on what I know of as the band's first and only album. Good work Cheese.

2010 Brian vs Justin CFB Predictions - Final

Much like the course of the tracking this season I'll keep this short and sweet.

It was an up and down year for both teams. ND clearly had more downs than VT, though it is debatable who had the deepest low considering the Hokies' loss to FCS school JMU.

Regardless, neither team wound up in the bowl destination it had hoped to arrive at before the year began but considering the slow starts to the year both are (relatively) happy to have ended up where they did.

Speaking of being relatively happy, I for one am at least somewhat pleased with how the final standings in mine and Justin's competition turned out: 16-9 for me to 14-11 for my associate.

Point differentials weren't nearly as close, with my overall for the year coming in at +9 and Justin's at -119.

All in all, I think we both expect more from ourselves but are satisfied with the momentum heading into the postseason. Let's hope that momentum carries itself into spring practice and next fall...

Counting: As Easy As 1, 2, 4...

Last weekend Michigan Stadium, affectionately known as The Big House, was host to The Big Chill. No, there was not a special viewing of the 1983 classic film of the same name featuring Jeff Goldbloom, Tom Berenger and Glenn Close.

Instead of film, the people of Ann Arbor took to sport and, namely, an event unlike any other its sport had seen before.

In-state rivals Michigan and Michigan State squared off in the most heavily attended outdoor hockey game according to the Guinness World Records. The event was so successful and heavily attended that people actually forgot how to count.

When initially reported, University of Michigan officials stated attendance was an astonishing 113,411 people.

A few days later, however, Guinness World Records informed the Detroit Free Press that the actual attendance mark according to its records was 85,451.

Did 27,960 people go missing?

No, Michigan just forgot how to count. Well, they just have a different view on what counts as actual attendance compared to how Guinness World Records tabulates attendance marks.

Evidently the Wolverines' officials included people working the game (media, staff, etc.) along with the count of spectators with tickets. Guinness, on the contrary, excludes people working the game.

Although the number recorded by Guinness was smaller than originally reported, it still surpassed the previous record set earlier this year at the IIHF (International Ice Hockey Federation) World Championships in Germany.

As for the game itself? The Wolverines embarrassed the Spartans 5-0 in what was quite the appealing sight with throwback uniforms dawned by both teams.

Legends, Leaders, and Losers

Not only did the Big Ten fail Math 101 (12 = 10?) they also come up short in the common sense department.

For background, ask yourself this question: Since when do divisions entitled 'Legends' and 'Leaders' accurately describe the sum of their parts, let alone any of their parts?

In all seriousness, some of the football teams comprising the Big Ten do have rich tradition. Michigan has Fielding Yost and Bo Schembechler. Ohio State has Woody Hayes and Jim Tressel. Newcomer Nebraska has Bob Devaney and Tom Osborne. Michigan State has Hugh Daugherty. Certainly not to be outdone, Joe Paterno still leads Penn State. All schools have multiple national titles to their name, even if the multiple consists merely of two.

But is there much beyond those core teams? Wisconsin fans are sure to be offended by their exclusion, but they have yet to win the big one (the Billingsley and Helms do not count).

Here is a look at the new divisional alignment as released by the Big Ten earlier this week.

Legends
Iowa
Michigan
Michigan State
Minnesota
Nebraska
Northwestern

Leaders
Illinois
Indiana
Ohio State
Penn State
Purdue
Wisconsin

With names like 'leaders' and 'legends' the Big Ten divisional alignment sounds a lot like something you would see on Capitol Hill or an old WW1 movie.

Why stray away from something that would make more sense, like east and west? By utilizing the gift of mother nature a natural divisional line could have been established. However, the Big Ten failed to align its divisions geographically.

Indiana and Illinois could switch divisions to solve the problem but the changes of that happening anytime soon are slim.

Give Jim Delaney, the Big Ten commissioner, points for creativity with the out of the box names. If the Pac-10 follows suit he could be viewed as a trend setter, but they are much more likely to use geography to divvy up their teams (presumably north and south).

Mr. Delaney had the following to say about the logic behind choosing the odd names for his conference's divisions.

Legends is a nod to our history and to the people associated with our schools who are widely recognized as legends - student-athletes, coaches, alumni and faculty. Leaders looks to the future as we remain committed to fostering leaders, the student-athletes who are encouraged to lead in their own way for the rest of their lives, in their families, in their communities and in their chosen professions.

We're proud of our many legends and even prouder of our member institutions that develop future leaders every day.

Alas, the biggest mistake Mr. Delaney made was omitting the third division: Losers.

Its composition? Himself and the committee tasked with determining the new divisional names.

Back In Black

Literally. If you're a frequent reader of Stars and Slights you've probably noticed the facelift we've given to the site.

If you're not yet a frequent reader do yourself a favor and us to your list of blogs or daily website check-ins. You can thank us later.

During our first annual review we decided to break away from the old design that has served us well for the first two years of the site. Actually, there was no annual review but it sounded cooler than saying we got bored with the old design.

Anyhow, take a spin and let us know what you think of the new digs. Leave a comment or two, or send us nasty emails if you have our addresses.

In honor of the new look it is only fitting to pay tribute to the AC/DC classic off of the eponymous album, Back In Black.

This album was the first recorded after the death of longtime singer Bon Scott and accordingly served as a tribute to the fallen band member.

Let this video serve as the Stars and Slights tribute to not only Bon Scott but the entire ACDC family.

Metrodome Collapse

As much as mother nature tried to give Minnesota Vikings fans their first outdoor home game in over three decades the NFL had other plans.

Early this morning, due to significant snow accumulation in excess of 1.5 feet in the Twin Cities, the roof atop of the Metrodome collapsed.

The incident put a wrench in today's planned meeting between the NY Giants and the Vikings. Originally scheduled for a noon CST kickoff, event planners in the NFL scrambled to find an alternative solution so the two teams could play.

League officials contemplated hosting the game at TCF Bank stadium, the new home to the University of Minnesota Gold Gophers football team, which would have made for a chilly matchup with subzero temperatures. But school officials said the stadium had been shut down for too long already this year and would take nearly a week to prepare for an NFL game.

Without a local option, the NFL announced the game would be moved to Detroit tomorrow night at 7:20pm EST. The rescheduling provides a unique two-game slate for a Monday, which is traditionally reserved for just one game per week.

The thought of lost revenue was too great to overcome, however, setting the stage for a unique 'home' game for the Vikings in Detroit.

Vikings officials said that ticket holders who wish to travel to the game would immediately be upgraded to the best available 50 yard-line seats at Ford Field in Detroit tomorrow night.

While nice in theory I find it hard to believe many fans, if any at all, will make the voyage on a work day. Last minute flights are not cheap and the 12 hour drive is far too much to handle. Throw in the thought of having to stay overnight in a hotel and list of potential travelers to the game dwindles to slim and none.

At least the ticket holders to the original game scheduled today will be issued refunds.

To help fill the seats, the NFL decided to release free general admission tickets to the public beginning at 9am EST tomorrow morning.

Anyone in Detroit want to see an NFL game for free? Now's your chance. This ploy will surely draw at least a few fans who would otherwise watch from the confines of their homes or not watch at all.

Even though I'm not a Vikings fan despite my close proximity to the dome (about a mile) I will certainly tune into this unique sporting event. My main reason for watching will be to see how full, or empty, the crowd is.

Tomorrow's matchup makes me wonder: If two teams play a game in an unaffiliated city and nobody shows up to watch it, did it actually occur?

Only viewers in New York City, Minneapolis, Rochester, and Mankato, Minnesota markets in addition to DirecTV Sunday Ticket subscribers will know for certain.