Notre Dame's Move to the ACC is about More than Dollars and Cents

Long title, I know. I have to preface this entire article with this: I am not a Notre Dame fan. I grew up in the heart of Buckeye country, and always cheered for the University of Dayton. Then my best friend decided to become a member of the Fighting Irish nation, and I became a casual fan. In the past few weeks, there has been a lot in the media about Notre Dame, some bad (like Rick Reilly's article) and some good. I do really enjoy the business side of sport. Whether it is professionally or collegiately, there is always a financial reason behind every major decision. This move for Notre Dame is just a tad different though.

Everyone has always said that Notre Dame should join the Big Ten. I want people (especially some of the tweeters from Notre Dame) to know, this isn't because we think of the Big Ten as the supreme conference in the Midwest. If you want to make the argument that other conferences are stronger, you have every right to do so. The reason Notre Dame would join the Big Ten isn't because of sports though. The Irish joining the likes of Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Indiana, Purdue, etc. would be because financially it is MUCH more affordable. How? Think of the travel between these cities. I know that a big program like Notre Dame doesn't think about that too much, but the difference between sending an entire team to Syracuse, NY isn't going to be nearly as expensive as it is to send them to Bloomington, IN, or any of the other schools in the conference. A team like Notre Dame doesn't really need to worry too much about this, but this is my main reason why the Big Ten and Notre Dame would be a great fit. "Minor" sports (like baseball, soccer, golf, tennis, etc.) can't fly everywhere like the basketball and football teams. A move to the Big Ten would make absolute sense for those programs who, even though part of a great athletic tradition, have to worry about a budget.

Staying in the Big East is no longer a viable option, and I completely understand the move to a new conference. With teams like Boise State, UCF, Houston and SMU joining the conference, the travel aspect of things are out the window, and suddenly the Big East has become the Big Joke. Those teams being in the conference for football is fine, but Notre Dame is still independent in football, so this means nothing to them. Pitt and Syracuse are already leaving, so two of the best basketball programs in the conference have made the switch. If trying to make the most money, amass the most wins, and keep the football program happy, then staying in the Big East makes sense. Notre Dame is about more than making money though (which it clearly does: sell outs for every home game and that NBC TV deal are huge), and that brings me to why the ACC actually makes sense with the University of Notre Dame's philosophy.

The current Big East, has one university in conference that is in the Top 40 of US News Top College rankings (Georgetown). The Big Ten has two (Northwestern, Michigan) and the Big Twelve has zero. The ACC, with Notre Dame included, now has six institutions in the Top 40 (Duke, ND, North Carolina, Virginia, Wake Forest, and Boston College). When the Notre Dame officials say that they want to move to the ACC because they will be with like-minded universities, THIS is what they mean.

I used to think that Kentucky basketball and Notre Dame football were very similar: they won a bunch of championships before schools really cared about athletics. Now I realize there is so much more to the University of Notre Dame. Here's another great article about Notre Dame from Pat Forde that I have to include in this post. I am proud of what Notre Dame is doing as both an institution and an athletic organization, and my only tie to the school is my best friend. This is an institution whose students, faculty, staff, alumni, and die-hard fans around the country deserve to be proud of.

Day 9: Designated Hitter

I apologize for not posting anything the last few days. Palm Beach Atlantic hosted a seven-team volleyball tournament that ran my life from Friday morning until about 7 PM on Saturday. After a mini-coma Saturday night and two naps Sunday, I'm feeling better and ready to get back at it today!

Here's another option for the Indians that seems to be a no-brainer. The designated hitter has been a spot that hasn't given us much production since Pronk was awarded his fat contract. I have to say, I love Travis Hafner as a clubhouse guy, but have to admit I think he was on the juice. He doesn't have that pop he used to, and I know we could blame the constant injuries for that, but let's just be honest with ourselves here.

It is time to move on from Hafner (which as a sidenote, does anyone have an idea of when he last hit a ball into "Pronkville"? I feel like its been at least 2+ seasons) and start using the DH as the majority of minor league teams do. What do I mean by that? Well, I personally don't see the advantage with a team with limited talent (like the Indians) to handicap themselves with a full-time DH. Its a perfect spot to rotate guys like Santana, Kipnis, Choo and Cabrera during the week to give them time off without completely taking their bats out of the lineup. I would much rather have a revolving door there that includes our best hitters as opposed to trying to work matchups out (like this years' team tried with Jose Lopez, Shelley Duncan, and Johnny Damon). On the days that all of those guys are playing, it'd be great to see Russ Canzler there. The Indians don't have a lot of sluggers in the minor league system, so unless there's a trade made to accommodate that weakness, which I highly doubt, this is probably the best option.

Now, would I give Hafner a very small, incentive-based contract like the one I'd give Sizemore? No. Sorry Pronk, but you can't play any position BUT designated hitter, you aren't worth one of the twenty-five spots anymore. Love the guy, but the final verdict is let him walk.