Just read this article about Wisconsin's NIL situation. It is behind a paywall but there are ways to read it if you don't want to pay. In my opinion this was a very well done Q&A and the coach did not shy away from questions.

He acknowledged that they initially were not prepared when the budget for players skyrocketed and they lost a bunch of players to the portal, but they have since turned it around.

The coach makes an effort to talk to donors face to face and actually keeps it real with them that players are asking for X amount this is how much I need to stay competitive. His strategy is working because of that face to face encounter as fans are starting to get it and jump on board.

He acknowledged you have to be at least a little transparent if you are going ask people to take their hard earned money to pay players. Just my opinion but this is what I would have been looking for in the Q&A that was done with McBride. Don't want to hear everything is good and we are competitive. Acknowledge your shortcomings, discuss where you have succeeded, and what is next for the future.

The big we all were waiting on, wonderful pick up this late

Suburban NJ i went to a low tier Italian spot previously reviewed by portnoy and left because all i got was a menu in 20 min..went to another spot on major highway and couldn't believe prices for pasta plates and protein entrees. I spend business time in midtown west and these rates are not far off from del friscos grille. I have had pasta at dfg for a 27 dollar plate, healthy portion. I have had their pork chop i believe about 40, well sourced and treated great on plate

Typically i buy at local supermarket and go to costco and sams for protein i can buy in larger quantities and portion for home use. I do go to chain spots maybe twice a month with pf chang and cheesecake factory being my favs.

https://www.newsnationnow.com/danab...Your Morning Newsletter - WEEKDAYS 2024-05-10

News Nation this week if you want a balanced view of the crisis.

Not SHU news but was told by an A+ source that UCONN informed Luke Murray the jobs his if Hurley goes to the Lakers as expected. Obviously things can change but no sexy names for Uconn at this moment anyway

34 counts? first president ever.

cue the board spinning and defending this in any which way.

the only takeaway is that he is a convicted felon.

One game left in the season. Now 6-14 in conference with one game left at Creighton. They will finish in 7th place. Overall record is 23-30. So, they really need to evaluate what they want this program to be at Seton Hall. Maybe they have and this is what it will be. I looked forward to the SHU Baseball season, but that is no longer the case. I guess the question is do they have enough young talent to turn this around moving forward? The players seem to represent the University well and that's a positive. We all get that much of the talent departs the area, but they are struggling with most of the local schools too.

First up Jerry Carino. This will be a long Q&A so many questions will be appreciated from our members.

Fire away....

Associated Press

IRVING, Texas -- Big 12 schools will share in a record $470 million of revenue distribution, the conference announced Friday while wrapping up its first spring meetings as a 14-team league and before growing by two more universities.

While the 10 full-share members will get smaller amounts than they got last year because of the addition of the four schools that joined the league for the 2023-24 academic year, commissioner Brett Yormark said the conference is more relevant than it has ever been.

"We went with stability as a conference and we felt it was investing in all the right ways and for all the right reasons," Yormark said. "Clearly that was the right one for this conference as we think about where we're going."

First-year members BYU, Cincinnati, Houston and UCF each will get partial shares of about $18 million each. That leaves about $398 million to be split among the league's other 10 schools, including Oklahoma and Texas before they move this summer to the Southeastern Conference.

About $440 million was distributed last year.

The Big 12 will grow to 16 teams with the additions of Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah from the Pac-12 officially on Aug. 1. The four incoming schools took part in this week's meetings, while Oklahoma and Texas did not.

Yormark said the increases came as a result of bigger College Football Playoff and bowl revenues, growth in ticket revenue across all of the conference championships and sponsorship after streamlining that to be handled directly by the conference instead of using outside parties.

According to tax filings released last week, the five power conferences generated $3.55 billion in the 2022-23 fiscal year, with the Big Ten reporting revenue of $879.9 million compared with $852.6 million for the SEC. The ACC saw the most significant increase, going from $617 million in 2021-22 to $707 million.

The Pac-12, which will see 10 of its 12 members disperse to other conferences in 2024-25, generated $603.9 million. The Big 12 was fifth at $510.7 million, which was before distributions when it was still only a 10-member league.

Like the other leagues, the Big 12 is preparing for big changes after news of a landmark $2.8 billion settlement that will transform how athletes are compensated. The power conferences last week agreed to settle a host of antitrust claims that could start steering millions of dollars directly to athletes as soon as the 2025 fall semester.


"I think we ended up in a fair and reasonable place," Yormark said. "Obviously, it's going to be a changing landscape. But I also do see opportunities in that changing landscape, and the work really starts now. A lot of work to be done. I look at this as a bit of a reset for our industry. And we're prepared for that. The ADs, myself, the board, we've been discussing that reset for quite some time. So it's not coming as a surprise."

When he became the Big 12 commissioner two summers ago, Yormark was an executive with Jay-Z's Roc Nation and a former CEO of the NBA's Brooklyn Nets. He spent almost 15 years with the Nets, overseeing the club's move from New Jersey and construction of Barclays Center, and previously was with NASCAR, where he oversaw a $750 million agreement with Nextel Communications for naming rights to the circuit's top racing series.

"Since I took this job, you know, I said from day one, I was open for business. And I guess you could say we're open for business now more so than ever before," Yormark said. "When I think about my background, I certainly do believe that collegiate athletics is shifting, more closely to where I came from than where we are today."

I gave a pretty decent amount to our matching NIL efforts and it’s hard to get past the pay for play and one year commitments that now rule the sport

Paysite

SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. – Seton Hall women's basketball head coach Anthony Bozzella announced today the addition of Mississippi State transfer Ramani Parker (Fresno, Calif.) to the program.

Parker is a graduate transfer and will have one year of eligibility remaining.

"Ramani has great size and length and will undoubtedly provide a boost to our front court," Bozzella said. "We're so happy to welcome Ramani to the Seton Hall family."

Parker, a 6-foot-4 forward, instantly becomes one of the tallest players in Seton Hall history. She spent the last two years at Mississippi State following three years at Louisville. Parker averaged 4.8 points and 3.9 rebounds in 15.0 minutes per game in Starkville during the 2022-23 season and helped lift Mississippi State to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Last year, she suffered a season-ending injury after only two games, which earned her a medical redshirt.

In high school, Parker was a four-star prospect and ranked No. 99 overall in the class of 2019 according to ESPNW HoopGurlz. She was rated as the No. 13 forward in the class by ESPNW and the seventh-best forward by Prospects Nation.

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The Inaugural Onward Setonia Golf Sweepstakes launched on May 2, during Corks & Forks at the Highlawn Pavilion in West Orange, NJ. Those who purchase a ticket for the sweepstakes will be entered into a live drawing on June 5, 2024 at Magnify Brewing in Fairfield, NJ. Ten amazing golf courses are featured in the drawing and each round of golf will be for three (3) golfers and their host.

Rules: Tickets are $500 each (purchase as many as you like) with a limit of 100 total tickets sold. Each individual’s name can only win one time. Once a course is selected, it is no longer available for subsequent drawn names. Ten distinct names drawn; ten courses selected for ten total winners. Each course’s host restrictions and hospitality may differ, please read the course notes before selection.

Courses: Baltusrol Golf Club, Bayonne Golf Club, Canoe Brook Country Club, Essex County Country Club, Hamilton Farm Golf Club, Mountain Ridge Country Club, Morris County Golf Club, Somerset Hills Country Club, Spring Lake Golf Club, Trump National Golf Club Bedminster

I thought I would let you know of an encounter my son had with your coach this weekend. My kid and Sha's were at the same facility for a basketball tournament. He was waiting for my kid's game to finish before his son started his game. He told my son he played well and they had a nice 10 minute conversation. Sha laughed pretty hard when my son told him he is a Rutgers fan. He could not of been nicer and is a great representative of Seton Hall.

It is with the heaviest of hearts that I post that my father, Gerald Mackey, surprisingly went to be with the Lord early this morning. Playing basketball at The Hall and the relationships he made were some of the proudest moments of his life.

He lived and breathed Seton Hall, especially basketball. Because of him I have been a lifelong fan and rode all the highs and lows over the years. The great run in 1989 was one of the most enjoyable few weeks we ever had together during the run to the Final as I was still in high school so we were able to watch together.

I always enjoyed the phone calls and texts we shared during and after Hall games all the way through this year.

He always loved coming to this website and all the content shared and all the work HallDan did over the years.

For any who knew him, he truly was a remarkable man and I’ve never known someone with a better heart.

Rest in Peace Dad!…

Team profile - power players

PF
Prince Aligbe
6-7 (Boston College)

Dave Tubek
6-7 (Seton Hall)




C/PF

Emmanuel Okorafor
6-9 (Louisville)

Gus Yalden
6-9 (Wisconsin)


C
Godswill Erheriene
6-9 (Long Island Lutheran)

Assane Mbaye
7-3 (The Patrick School)

It's no secret these two positions (with one more commitment to be announced) are the weak link for the Pirate team. Last season there might not have been much depth but this group (to date) is not going to come close to replacing Dre Davis and Jaden Bediako.

Davis, an all-around offensive dynamo and major force on the boards and Bediako a high quality surprise transfer center from Santa Clara were stalwarts for the Hall last season.

Prince Aligbe will be given first shot to replace Davis at PF. The Boston College transfer played in all 35 games for the Eagles but only averaged 18.6 MPG and his stats were modest in that time. He'll be given the chance to vastly improve in all categories but it's doubtful he will have close to the impact of his predecessor.

If Aligbe struggles there's a good chance we'll see more of returning David Tubek. Maybe even if Aligbe plays well Tubek could get minutes. His time as a Pirate in his first year was hampered by a back injury and though his stats were minimal he did show glimpses of his athletic ability and hard nose play. He's an unknown at this time but I would keep an eye on him.

Another unknown is the Gus Bus from Wisconsin. Yalden sat out his entire freshman year in the Big Ten due to injuries and off the court issues. As a Pirate the 4 star big man is looking for a fresh start in South Orange and If he gets in better shape, he been overweight his whole life but did lose about 30 pounds in his sitout year, he might surprise. But for now much like Tubek he's an unknown.

The refrain continues with another unknown. But this player reeks of potential. Long Island Lutheran freshman Godswill Erheriene. Raw but explosively athletic in the paint on both sides of the court. In a perfect world he would probably get minimal PT in his first year, but with this roster the Pirates might not have that luxury. Erheriene, unless Holloway can strike gold with his last 'ship might have to play major minutes next season in the paint. That could spell disaster for the Hall.

Another player who has done little to date is Emmanuel Okorafor. He played at Louisville for two years but barely made a dent in that time. Last season at the Ville he played all of 140 minutes on a very bad team and his contribution in those minutes were almost nil. Until he shows more I would not expect anything different now at Seton Hall.

Finally we have Mbaye. 7-3 but raw as all hell. Mark him down as nothing more than a practice player next season and hope that with experience and work in the weight room he can be a surprise down the road.

Here's my sight unseen very early and very tentative starters heading into the 2024/25 season.

PF
Prince Aligbe

C Not a clue but for now
Godswill Erheriene

That's it to date. The hope will be that SHU can bring in a quality big to fill out the roster. But until that happens I will have to rate this bunch a very low C- and hope that one or more of the unknowns surprise us in 2024/25 like Bediako did this past season.

By Matt Ehalt

Congratulations, baseball fans on social media.

You helped pave the way for Angel Hernandez to retire and mercifully end his reign of brutal calls.

ESPN’s Jeff Passan said the constant social media backlash — which he said he contributed to — played a role in Hernandez ending his career after 33 seasons.

“A lot of that stuff, frankly, led to him going away. He got tired of it. He got tired of the social media firestorm that exists,” Passan said on the “Rich Eisen Show” on Tuesday. “Frankly, I will acknowledge this is understandable because there are parts of his job where he was genuinely bad. And it was magnified by the ubiquity of baseball on social media now. And how every time he would do something wrong, it would get put out there and then it would almost just compound upon itself, the last time, and it would bring up the Angel Hernandez highlight reel. You just had this echo chamber of Angel Hernández awfulness that, I think, in the end, wound up being part of his undoing.”

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Hernandez started his career in 1991, a much-different era than 2024 where every single pitch and blown call can be seen by millions within a span of one minute.

Umpires like Hernandez found all of their blown calls scrutinized and highlighted, and with Hernandez there were plenty of “How did he miss that?” moments.

Many had wondered how long MLB would allow Hernandez to keep ruining games, with Eisen noting how it seemed players had lost respect for Hernandez and that Hernandez’s brashness made it seem as if he never thought he made a mistake.

“I think it was just that we expect a certain level of competence from our officials,” Passan said. “And when that level of competence is not reached, and when that compact between the league and its fans that we’re going to give you competent enough umpiring, refereeing, whatever it is, when that compact is breached, as frequently as it seemed to be with Angel Hernández, that’s where the league, frankly, needed to step in and do something.

“And in this case it was say, ‘Hey, we’re going to offer you a handsome retirement package, so you stop being one of the main characters in our daily program.’ Because that’s what he was. He had become like the villain who comes back every so often when you least expect it. It’s like, ‘Oh, boy, Angel’s trending again. We got an Angel day today. What’d he do this time?’ As opposed to, ‘Oh, boy, we’ve got a big home run from Shohei Ohtani.’ Or, ‘Oh, boy, the Cleveland Guardians are playing amazing baseball this year.’

“No, it always went back to Angel. And it’s like we had fallen as baseball-viewing fans into this almost habit of waiting for an Angel day to happen because it was inevitable.”

MLB reportedly approached Hernandez earlier this year about retiring, although Hernandez’s lawyer told The Athletic that “He was NOT forced out”

Passan labeled it as a “meeting in the middle, a mutual understanding” between the parties.

“Everybody recognized that, ‘OK, it ain’t working,'” Passan said.

Passan did offer some nice words about Hernandez, saying that “90-plus” percent, he was “really good.”

But that 10 percent outweighed the majority.

“But good as an umpire is not good enough,” Passan said. “You have to be great. You have to be spectacular. You have to be the best in the world at what you do, especially when you have a reputation like he did. Especially when you sue your employer like he has. There was just so much baggage there with Angel Hernández that I think everyone involved recognized in the end this ultimately will be a better thing for him and the league too.”

By Zach Braziller

Only a matter of time before Caitlin Clark gets hurt. Watch the WNBA ratings free-fall if that happens.