After we left the ASun, there were a number of posters from ASun teams who expressed their pleasure with us leaving the conference. I thought teams wanted to play other teams with higher RPIs in basketball. But, I don’t think it has helped the ASun. According to Real Time RPI, the ASun was the 20th ranked conference while this year the ASun has dropped 6 places to 26.

They seemed excited that there was another team that will win the conference this year in men's basketball, but that hasn’t translated into an attendance boost. Attendance is down by 80 per game overall.

There are a lot of posters in the OVC that weren’t too excited about our arrival either. The chief complaint is that we don’t have football and we’re a private school, so funding for all sports is not the same.

I’d like to think we’ve brought something good to the OVC. Conference rankings for men's basketball in the OVC have jumped from 21st in 2011-12 to 16th this year. I also think we’ve helped a few other team’s funding in a small way with attendance bumps. Murray drew 2,235 more for the Belmont game than their average. Like wise for EKU (3,605 above their average), TN Tech (+1,835), and Morehead (+1,135).

I think the OVC move was good for BU, I hope that it will be viewed as a positive for the rest of the OVC too.

.

I'm surprised to hear any of that. I could see where the ASun fans would try and convince themselves that they didn't need you considering you pretty much dominated the conference didn't you?

I don't know much about the OVC, but I do understand the concerns about some privates. In the MVC we've had our debates about schools like Evansville that for the most part, haven't been able to compete in the upper half often and don't have a strong budget or programs in general. However, if the MVC loses Creighton to the C7 or if Evansville goes to the Horizon, Belmont is one of the few privates I'd like to see considered to replace them. Not sure if the interest would be mutual, but you're not that far from a lot of our eastern schools.

You guys are one of the schools outside of the MVC that I've kept an eye on the past 5 or so years. I'm pulling for you guys and can't wait to see what you can show in March.

I'm torn on adding you guys. As a Murray fan, it's nice to see a team come in with the kind of commitment to your hoops program that you have. Honestly, over the years, nobody else in the Valley has put close to the commitment that Murray has into their programs. Kudos for that. At the same time, for years the conference has required its affiliates to play BOTH D-1 basketball and I-AA (FCS) football, period. Think of the expense! You have the coaching staff to pay, from the head coach down to his coordinators/assistants and all the other staff members (trainers, strength and conditioning). Imagine the travel costs for the team and personnel compared with a basketball team. My God, imagine the difference in the budgeted amount for uniforms/equipment between the bball team and the football team. That doesn't even begin to get into building, staffing and maintaining a playing facility. We are talking MILLIONS of $ here and all this at a time of severe belt-tightening and competition for scarce state $ for our budget. We'd love to have that extra capital to retain the best coaching staff in the country, instead of being a coaching stepping stone. Remember all that the next time you mention that Coach Byrd is the highest paid coach in the OVC. No, I don't like it and nothing personal, but I would have voted "no" to your admission to the OVC.

Outside of that, since you are here and aren't going away, I say welcome to the Valley and I'm sure we will be seeing some classics in the years to come. Good luck.

How has OVC football done in the NCAA Tournament of late?

I'm guessing that win/loss record might be one reason the OVC had zero issue with Belmont not participating in FCS football. The OVC is a significantly better conference for adding Belmont. I'm glad several Bruin sports are seeing/will see success as a member of their new conference.

You don't have to sell me on how bad peewee football sucks man. I agree. You totally missed my point that it isn't right or fair for teams saddled with the expense of FCS football, for teams to come in without the burden. I never once endorsed FCS football. YOU are preaching to a Murray State fan about it being all about D-1 basketball? lmao! Ya think?

(02-12-2013 06:17 PM)smidge34 Wrote:  You don't have to sell me on how bad peewee football sucks man. I agree. You totally missed my point that it isn't right or fair for teams saddled with the expense of FCS football, for teams to come in without the burden. I never once endorsed FCS football. YOU are preaching to a Murray State fan about it being all about D-1 basketball? lmao! Ya think?

Smidge, it's good to see your post here. I've seen your posts on other OVC boards and enjoy reading them. I understand your position on BU and respect it.

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(02-12-2013 06:33 PM)Belmont Bruin Fan Wrote:  

(02-12-2013 10:09 AM)smidge34 Wrote:  I'm torn on adding you guys. As a Murray fan, it's nice to see a team come in with the kind of commitment to your hoops program that you have. Honestly, over the years, nobody else in the Valley has put close to the commitment that Murray has into their programs. Kudos for that. At the same time, for years the conference has required its affiliates to play BOTH D-1 basketball and I-AA (FCS) football, period. Think of the expense! You have the coaching staff to pay, from the head coach down to his coordinators/assistants and all the other staff members (trainers, strength and conditioning). Imagine the travel costs for the team and personnel compared with a basketball team. My God, imagine the difference in the budgeted amount for uniforms/equipment between the bball team and the football team. That doesn't even begin to get into building, staffing and maintaining a playing facility. We are talking MILLIONS of $ here and all this at a time of severe belt-tightening and competition for scarce state $ for our budget. We'd love to have that extra capital to retain the best coaching staff in the country, instead of being a coaching stepping stone. Remember all that the next time you mention that Coach Byrd is the highest paid coach in the OVC. No, I don't like it and nothing personal, but I would have voted "no" to your admission to the OVC.

Outside of that, since you are here and aren't going away, I say welcome to the Valley and I'm sure we will be seeing some classics in the years to come. Good luck.

You seem bitter that we're in the OVC. Could it possibly be that in front of a packed house on your own court, you barely escaped Belmont by only a mere 4 points? Neutral court = you lose. Belmont court = you lose really, really bad. If you think basketball is rough, just wait until you have to play us in baseball. Or even worse than that, just wait until you see our volleyball team . . . oh, wait . . . you already have.



I don't recall anyone ever mentioning that Coach Byrd is the highest paid coach in the OVC. If you could, please specifically reference that post. The fact is, Belmont is a private school. The university doesn't submit its budget to a Board of Regents where, in turn, gets made public. As far as I know, there are only 4 people that know how much Coach Byrd makes: Dr. Fisher, A.D. Strickland, Rick Byrd, and Mrs. Rick Byrd. Any outside claim on knowledge of Coach Byrd's salary is pure speculation.

Bruin Fan, were you a cheerleade?. You sure sound like one. You sound a little cocky for me.

By the way, before you shoot off your mouth too much, it has been published that Byrd makes over $500K. See the link.

http://www.celebritynetworth.com/article...l-coaches/

And, smidge doesn't sound bitter to me. He sounds like a level headed fan who thinks through the issues.

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(02-12-2013 07:04 PM)Belmont Bruin Fan Wrote:  

(02-12-2013 06:40 PM)Bruin2002 Wrote:  Bruin Fan, were you a cheerleade?. You sure sound like one. You sound a little cocky for me.

By the way, before you shoot off your mouth too much, it has been published that Byrd makes over $500K. See the link.

http://www.celebritynetworth.com/article...l-coaches/

Cocky? You also sound a little gullible for me. If it's written in a blog posting on the internet, it must be true! Right? It MUST BE TRUE! If it is published, then it is absolute and accurate fact and therefore must be believed!

Before YOU go shooting YOUR mouth off, go behind the post. What are Brian Warner's sources? Did Coach Byrd or anyone in-the-know at Belmont provide Brian Warner with Byrd's private financial information? They must have, because the number was published and therefore, it must be true! Besides, who in the hell cares how much anyone else makes? It's nobody's business how much Coach Byrd makes except for Coach Byrd and his employer.

Oh, and no, I wasn't a "cheerleade." Neither was I a cheerleader.

That wasn't the only place I've seen it posted. It was the first I came to. I'm not getting into a pissing match with you. I was hoping that you wouldn't attack anyone who comes on the site that isn't a big Bruin fan. I like to hear what they have to say.

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(02-12-2013 07:28 PM)Belmont Bruin Fan Wrote:  

(02-12-2013 07:07 PM)Bruin2002 Wrote:  That wasn't the only place I've seen it posted.

So, it must be true. I'm guessing Rick Byrd held a press conference to provide intimate details about his personal finances to all of those multiple sources.

Quote:I'm not getting into a pissing match with you.

Quote:attack anyone

"Bruin Fan, were you a cheerleade?. You sure sound like one. You sound a little cocky for me."

Quote:I like to hear what they have to say.

Me too. But, obviously, I have no right to respond. If a murray fan wants to come on THIS board and cry foul because we're not burdened with money-sucker like football, then he can damn well expect my response. If he feels it's not fair, then that's just too bad. There's been people from other schools that have posted on here, and that's just fine. The murray guy overstepped the line of basic decency and respect, and I called him on it. If you don't like it, you are free not to read anything I type. Isn't that easy?

If you can objectively read, he gave us kudos first and finished with a balanced observation. I did the same on the ETSU board and you got your panties in a wad and made more out of my post than it was. Rah Rah Belmont.

We might not be as smart as you are oh great one, but check the link out below from USA Today. It reports Byrd's salary at nearly $500K. Did I check it out? No, it's not that big of a deal, but I see where he comes to the conclusion that Byrd is the highest paid.

http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/printedit...tb.art.htm

I read on some other boards that Belmont fans are cocky. I didn't know where they got that from, but I do now.

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(02-12-2013 06:17 PM)smidge34 Wrote:  You don't have to sell me on how bad peewee football sucks man. I agree. You totally missed my point that it isn't right or fair for teams saddled with the expense of FCS football, for teams to come in without the burden. I never once endorsed FCS football. YOU are preaching to a Murray State fan about it being all about D-1 basketball? lmao! Ya think?

Touche smidge, but although you may find it unfair, I would argue that the addition of Belmont bolsters the OVC's resume in not just basketball, but several sports (obviously not football). This is a good thing for ANY member of the OVC.

Our competitive advantage might be "millions of dollars," but, quite frankly, it's an easy comp out. Murray State basketball has, probably, better facilities/resources than Belmont basketball. Competitors compete, like our two teams did the other night (with your team winning), without complaint.

The fact remains, the OVC remains better because of Belmont's addition (I'm sincerely not trying to sound cocky) and all members of the conference are beneficiaries, especially the Racers - for basketball.

I dig the peewee football reference though. I was amused... it's unfortunately true.

That one smart aleck bothers me none, 'cause you'll have that when folks can hide behind a screen name.

Anyway, to be perfectly clear, in order for Belmont to enter, I do believe a vote of the school presidents was necessary. My point was that in the sense of fairness, the rules that the rest of us played by for decades were set aside with the admission of SIUE 3 years ago and has continued with you. My point has nothing to do with what Belmont brings to the OVC, which is a tremendous amount, if a compliment makes you feel any better about it. No, it was laid out exactly as good reading comprehension would reveal and that is the fact that funding an FCS program is more expensive than a basketball program and puts all that do fund one at a distinct financial advantage.

I have no idea what your coach's salary is if the numerous published reports of $500,000+++ are erroneous. Our coach received a salary increase to $350,000 last season, after turning down $1.5 million from Miss St., so it's tough to see how we will retain him in the future. I sure would like the luxury of having access to the money we pay our football coaching staff/employees, when it comes time to pony up again to keep him or one of his assistants.

It's a huge advantage that has NOTHING to do with any axe to grind, so why turn it personal man? I explained my position in a clear, rational manner and either you agree or you don't. No sense getting all cocky and smart aleck about it. Agree or disagree, I don't give a crap.

(02-13-2013 10:49 AM)smidge34 Wrote:  That one smart aleck bothers me none, 'cause you'll have that when folks can hide behind a screen name.

Anyway, to be perfectly clear, in order for Belmont to enter, I do believe a vote of the school presidents was necessary. My point was that in the sense of fairness, the rules that the rest of us played by for decades were set aside with the admission of SIUE 3 years ago and has continued with you. My point has nothing to do with what Belmont brings to the OVC, which is a tremendous amount, if a compliment makes you feel any better about it. No, it was laid out exactly as good reading comprehension would reveal and that is the fact that funding an FCS program is more expensive than a basketball program and puts all that do fund one at a distinct financial advantage.

I have no idea what your coach's salary is if the numerous published reports of $500,000+++ are erroneous. Our coach received a salary increase to $350,000 last season, after turning down $1.5 million from Miss St., so it's tough to see how we will retain him in the future. I sure would like the luxury of having access to the money we pay our football coaching staff/employees, when it comes time to pony up again to keep him or one of his assistants.

It's a huge advantage that has NOTHING to do with any axe to grind, so why turn it personal man? I explained my position in a clear, rational manner and either you agree or you don't. No sense getting all cocky and smart aleck about it. Agree or disagree, I don't give a crap.

+1

Now, to answer the thread's question, the only sport that matters personally to me is men's basketball and obviously it's a coup for the conference as a whole as it was like adding another Murray State when you guys came in. It certainly leap-frogs our conference several spots higher, RPI-wise, and moves us a step closer to one day being a multi-bid conference.

(02-12-2013 09:17 PM)Belmont Bruin Fan Wrote:  

(02-12-2013 07:57 PM)Bruin2002 Wrote:  If you can objectively read

I can. However, just to point out the blatantly obvious, this is a BELMONT board (sorry, I hate to break that earth shattering news to you). That stated, I don't read these posts objectively. I read them from a perspective. Guess what perspective from which I read posts on this board? Could it be . . . possibly . . . uh . . . NO!!! . . . a Belmont perspective. Imagine that! A BELMONT perspective on a BELMONT board. Ugh . . . I've never heard of such a thing!

Quote:I did the same on the ETSU board and you got your panties in a wad and made more out of my post than it was.

What were you doing contradicting ME on the ETSU board anyway? Why are YOU even reading the ETSU board? Is it because they are a conference rival (I got news for you...)? Is it because you grew up in Johnson City, went to ETSU games as a kid, and still travel back for several games a year? Is it because that you remember sitting in Brooks Gym and watching Harley Swift, Ron Richardson, and Marsha Cowart? You must have a fascination with ETSU because you attended Buc football games at the old on-campus outdoor field, the downtown Memorial Field, and the Mini Dome. Oh, I'm sorry . . . that's me. You are beginning to smell like an antagonistic trouble making post-jumping troll.

Quote:Rah Rah Belmont.

That level of sarcasm referencing the good name of Belmont raises suspicion to me. I'm beginning to think that you never even attended Belmont and are just on here to be an antagonistic trouble making post-jumping troll.

Quote:We might not be as smart as you are oh great one,

Well, you are making it perfectly clear that at least you aren't.

Quote:It reports Byrd's salary at nearly $500K.

Now I'm confused. Which is it? Does he make over $500,000 ($524,674) as stated as fact in the one list, or does he make nearly $500,000 ($498,285) as stated as fact in the other list? That's a $26,389 spread! To look at it another way, that is about 5.3% of your magic $500,000 number. I don't know what world you live in, but a $26,389 discrepancy is somewhat eyebrow raising to non-billionaires. The ONLY thing I see in common with both of those lists is that neither give the source from where they get their precise and accurate information about the payroll from within a private institution. But, I suppose if you believe everything you read on the internet, then Rick Byrd MUST make both over and nearly $500,000.

Quote:it's not that big of a deal

Then why are you trying to scarf information about Rick Byrd's personal salary?

Quote:but I see where he comes to the conclusion that Byrd is the highest paid.

Well, isn't that nice. I'm so proud of you.

Quote:I read on some other boards that Belmont fans are cocky. I didn't know where they got that from, but I do now.

This is what you call an over reaction. No need to attack anyone on the forum here, people are merely just expressing their viewpoints. Also just as a sidebar it has been widely known that Byrd makes around $500k.