Boston College and the Search for a New Basketball Coach

2012 09 11_0119BC has fired its basketball coach. It is searching for another. Many names have been floated. Some are of people who are too old, others of people who work nearby. BC’s athletic director is a guy named Brad Bates. He did a good job of picking a football coach so probably doesn’t need my advise but just in case, I thought I’d proffer it.

I know nothing about college basketball other than I usually come in near last in the March Madness polls. One year was different. That year I worked in the Norfolk DA’s office and probably had done a wiretap or two against those involved in accepting bets. I ended up winning. That must have been a year my son was at Duke and I had them all the way and that’s where they went.

You are right if you suggest I’m a hypocrite prosecuting bookies while making bets myself but I never considered March Madness betting; it was more a harmless game with a small amount waged on a chance to win. I know, that is the definition of what is outlawed by the Massachusetts General Laws under chapter 271. But as with all things when it comes to ourselves we have the ability to tell ourselves that things that seem the same are not.

To this date I’ve never understood why sports betting is outlawed. Anyone who wishes to bet on a game can always find a bookie. I’ve heard people say they couldn’t enjoy watching a game without having money on it; I’m in the opposite camp where if I had bet I wouldn’t enjoy it. But my nature’s such I don’t enjoy betting but certainly have no problems with others doing it.

It’s always been a curious situation where knowing it was illegal the newspapers would carry the odds of every game being played, some even carry the so-called professional prognosticators setting out the bet of the week, and on and on, thus, one could say, aiding and abetting the criminal act. (Please don’t let the federal prosecutors in Boston know this. They could come up with a clever racketeering charge.)

Sports betting is legal in Las Vegas and the last I looked publishing the line or getting it over the internet or telephone was legal. With the NFL, there is so much betting going on with the Sports Fantasy teams and a thousand other schemes that to pretend it’s not seems to make all of us hypocrites, which by the way is not yet a federal crime under the racketeering statute.

By the way, speaking of March Madness, didn’t that guy Buffet out in Omaha just put up a billion dollars betting that no one could have a perfect bracket in the playoffs. I guess if Warren can do it no one would second guess its legality. So tell me why the state doesn’t make the money off of sports betting rather than giving it to the bookies, you know, the guys who used to pay rent to Whitey to operate and are now paying it to someone else but the federals now don’t seem to care.

It’s probably because all the guys making the dough are top-level informants of the FBI and protected. Do you know there was a guy in Chelsea who corrupted that city but was protected by the FBI.. He operated openly because he had that godfather. He was so well protected that when they talked about him during FBI agent John Connolly’s trial he was referred to as Mr. X. I asked a cop who he was and his name was Berkowitz. John Morris was his handler. Yes, the same Morris who took money from Whitey and also took money from him, although he said the money from Berkowitz was a loan.

I’ve digressed from my subject. Here what Mr. Bates of BC should know. If he hires a coach who does really well you can expect him to leave after three years; if you hire one who is lousy or just OK you can expect he will never want to leave. From my vast study I’ve determined that you will know whether you have a winner or loser coach into the third year, probably sooner. Good coaches win early and often.

So give the guy (I assume it will be a male) a three-year contract. Stop wasting money on four or five-year deals. If he’s good and wants to stay make it worth his while, otherwise admit you mistake and try again.

It was clear the present coach who just got fired was never going to be good at BC.  You held him a year too long. Yeah, I know he was a nice guy, he proved the adage.

Look, all I want is simple. There are 68 teams that qualify for March Madness. I want to be able to see BC among them. Duke’s there every year but after this year I can never again have them going to the championship. I want to be able to see BC go all the way, at least on my bracket card.

2 Comments

  1. Good post, Mr. C.

    Where I grew up, loads of BC alums reside and have resided. Lots of friends, cousins and siblings are BC alums. That said, I’m glad you digressed from the main topic. Having gone to a competing institution, I have little or no interest in all things BC!

    BTW: Have you abandoned your HubGab blog?

    • GOK:

      Thanks – it will be interesting to see who is hired at BC but more interesting would have been to eavesdrop on the latest Putin/Obama conversation on Ukraine. As far as the HubGab blog I have put it off for now; it just became too much to maintain both sites. I planned to switch over to it but then figured I’d stay here. Thanks for inquiring and good to hear from you.