(01-02-2013 05:06 PM)MtownTigers916 Wrote:  Really, though, if you take UT off the schedule, you HAVE to replace them with a marquis opponent-- even though UT isn't one, per se. Kansas, Texas, UCLA, someone like that.

Our current home schedule, without Louisville, is awful. And with the implosion of the Big East, we need 3 home opponents every year that will generate excitement.

My vote for replacing UT is Florida-- stick it to them by playing a rival.

We need to lessen the influence of the SEC inside the city. You do not do this by replacing one SEC team with another. Don't worry Bowen will step in and continue the series even if Pastner doesn't want to. He already forced Pastner to schedule Ole Miss so why not UT also?

I don't care about playing UT in any sport. They have the dominant university in the state and if I was in charge of the Memphis athletic program, I would try to marginalize them as best I could. I would attempt to build the Memphis brand so that anything west of Jackson (maybe the Tennessee river) was considered Memphis territory.

It's not as much about them playing in FedEx forum every other year, it's about about keeping our name atop theirs in each and every media outlet in west Tennessee. Even though they have the dominant athletic programs in the state, Memphis enjoys a position as the dominant D1 basketball program in the state. We have extremely little to gain by beating them and much to lose if they beat us.

I want marquis games at home, better than we have had lately. I just want someone other than Tennessee.

As Pastner said, if the SEC wants to play us, invite us to join.

(01-02-2013 05:34 PM)daonepro Wrote:  If they want to play us, vote us into the SEC. Yeah, I know already. Time to move on, schedule a relevant power house team. They think we are beneath them, F'em!

^^^ THIS ^^^
You wanna play us?
Work to get us in the SEC and then you can play us 2 or 3 times a year.
I agree about the football issue, too. They flatout dodged us in 2004 and have now pushed out the return game a total of 13 years. Btw. Arkansas still owes us a game, too. (NOTE: I am in no hurry to makeup these games - let Fuente get us going a bit, first).

(01-02-2013 04:57 PM)boss man Wrote:  The "excuse" is simple IMHO. Here is how Coach Bossman would respond:

It is amazing that people keep bringing this up. I know Geoff is seeking a story since we play at their place on Friday; that's why he mentioned it.

Everyone wonders what the reason is for MEMPHIS to end the series.

Well, here is a newsflash - it's not the recruiting here locally. We dominate that as the current # 3 ranked class proves.

Geoff asks if it is fear. No, not really. We whipped them twice last year.

No, the reason is simple. Tennessee exhibited a tendency to abuse the MEMPHIS FB contract at its leisure, and YES, I am talking about the postponed game from 2004. Since then, that home game has been postponed again from 2013 to 2017. I've been told the Tennessee reaction to MEMPHIS' anger in 2004 was "we did this to show who controls this relationship".

We have enjoyed the series but things change. MEMPHIS is moving into the Big East. Yes, we are all aware it is not the old Big East with all the shuffling of teams. But it has pretty good BB. We quite frankly will not schedule Tennessee. EVER. If the NCAA decides to match us up in the NCAA, cool. But, MEMPHIS controls the BB scheduling relationship.

If the Volunteer fans down here feel a need to go watch UT BB, they should hop in their vehicles and drive up to Knoxville and check them out. I see no reason whatsoever to schedule Tennessee in BB.

I don't expect them to like our decision just like MEMPHIS didn't like that 2004 postponed FB game. We dealt with that frustration. Tennessee can deal with this frustration.

Next question?

+1

(01-02-2013 06:18 PM)83msu Wrote:  As Pastner said, if the SEC wants to play us, invite us to join.

I believe Cal was preaching this when he was wanting to kill the series. I love playing UTK when we win....fall into deep miserable depression when we lose to them....

Pastner must not understand that Calkins is the most powerful man in the city. Pastner can now expect to be crushed in Calkin's formulaic columns --- if he saved his RC templates.

(01-02-2013 04:57 PM)boss man Wrote:  No, the reason is simple. Tennessee exhibited a tendency to abuse the MEMPHIS FB contract at its leisure, and YES, I am talking about the postponed game from 2004. Since then, that home game has been postponed again from 2013 to 2017. I've been told the Tennessee reaction to MEMPHIS' anger in 2004 was "we did this to show who controls this relationship".

In fact I've heard a suggestion on the TN side that the 2017 football game should now be bought out. POWER. They've got it just so we know.

We don't need Tennessee. Yes, Josh needs to get bigger home games. However, how about we get games vs teams who have seen the elite eight more than once in the past 100 years?

(01-02-2013 06:24 PM)Tiger_Lurch Wrote:  

(01-02-2013 06:18 PM)83msu Wrote:  As Pastner said, if the SEC wants to play us, invite us to join.

I believe Cal was preaching this when he was wanting to kill the series. I love playing UTK when we win....fall into deep miserable depression when we lose to them....

Sounds like a rivalry to me.

(01-02-2013 06:58 PM)transitt Wrote:  We don't need Tennessee. Yes, Josh needs to get bigger home games. However, how about we get games vs teams who have seen the elite eight more than once in the past 100 years?

Like Old Miss? That was a brilliant move.

(01-02-2013 07:03 PM)JMSTiger Wrote:  

(01-02-2013 06:58 PM)transitt Wrote:  We don't need Tennessee. Yes, Josh needs to get bigger home games. However, how about we get games vs teams who have seen the elite eight more than once in the past 100 years?

Like Old Miss? That was a brilliant move.

and against Pastner's wishes.

(01-02-2013 07:04 PM)transitt Wrote:  

(01-02-2013 07:03 PM)JMSTiger Wrote:  

(01-02-2013 06:58 PM)transitt Wrote:  We don't need Tennessee. Yes, Josh needs to get bigger home games. However, how about we get games vs teams who have seen the elite eight more than once in the past 100 years?

Like Old Miss? That was a brilliant move.

and against Pastner's wishes.

I agree. I actually agree with both Calipari and Pastner that Memphis should avoid scheduling SEC opponents. However, I don't think they should be replaced with more cupcakes. That is what they seem to want to do.

(01-02-2013 04:56 PM)missjtiger Wrote:  Brad Logan ‏@BradLoganCA
Josh Pastner is teetering on the edge of completely losing the #Memphis fanbase. The rhetoric is stale.

and who is Brad Logan ?
Columnist for MS Sports Magazine.

Brad Logan ‏@BradLoganCA
Dead wrong RT @chrabe Pastner: "Our fanbase wants to play Louisville every single year They don't want to play Tennessee every single year"

As for this fan , I respect Louisville . As for Tn. I have no respect at all , they're not a BB program and not much of a football program either anymore . I hear they're good at buttchuggin though .

(01-02-2013 07:05 PM)JMSTiger Wrote:  

(01-02-2013 07:04 PM)transitt Wrote:  

(01-02-2013 07:03 PM)JMSTiger Wrote:  

(01-02-2013 06:58 PM)transitt Wrote:  We don't need Tennessee. Yes, Josh needs to get bigger home games. However, how about we get games vs teams who have seen the elite eight more than once in the past 100 years?

Like Old Miss? That was a brilliant move.

and against Pastner's wishes.

I agree. I actually agree with both Calipari and Pastner that Memphis should avoid scheduling SEC opponents. However, I don't think they should be replaced with more cupcakes. That is what they seem to want to do.

Anything but more cupcakes

(01-02-2013 05:02 PM)salukiblue Wrote:  That is some big print.

That must make it more truthful.

Well.... it WAS easier to read for me. He actually has me reconsidering my position on this.

I see no reason to play the SEC in football or men's basketball. However, in either sport, I'd rather play either of the Mississippi teams than any of the others. Those are actual regional institutions that make sense to associate with from a cultural and geographical standpoint.

(01-02-2013 07:05 PM)JMSTiger Wrote:  

(01-02-2013 07:04 PM)transitt Wrote:  

(01-02-2013 07:03 PM)JMSTiger Wrote:  

(01-02-2013 06:58 PM)transitt Wrote:  We don't need Tennessee. Yes, Josh needs to get bigger home games. However, how about we get games vs teams who have seen the elite eight more than once in the past 100 years?

Like Old Miss? That was a brilliant move.

and against Pastner's wishes.

I agree. I actually agree with both Calipari and Pastner that Memphis should avoid scheduling SEC opponents. However, I don't think they should be replaced with more cupcakes. That is what they seem to want to do.

Agreed. If Memphis wants to drop cupcake basketball programs from their schedule (as they should), they should work to replace them with at least tier two or, preferably, tier one programs. They need to play their peers. They should not feel obligated to help out programs just because they reside in the same state or general area.

(01-02-2013 05:01 PM)DDrum1961 Wrote:  Playing SEC teams does nothing positive for Memphis .... I'm tired of hearing how playing Ole Miss in the 60's saved the program ... We have no hopes of being invited to the SEC, so why continue to play them ... Focus on Big 12, ACC, Big 10 for Non-conference BCS opponents....

I've been preaching this for years. Good for Josh. Tell utk and the rest of the $ec to go eff themselves.

Bossman , you hit it on the head, F UT and the mule they road in on. They stuck it to us in FB in 2003 and will on the 2017 game.
They more than likely strung that game out to 2017 to force us to re-up hoops in 2014.

How can the Commercial Appeal afford to keep all these guys running around chasing stories about the U of M.
Jason is the beat writer and does a good job, plus he's a nice guy.
Have they ever heard of synergy , profits, content ? if they keep running it like they do now we'll be in need of a new daily soon.

Having a sports page with 4 pages of car ads is an embarassment. Guy from Dallas I gave paper to on flight to LA even
laughed and said " are car sales a sport in Memphis...funny.

END RANT: