Money Players

Pat Tillman’s mom is pissed

By Marc Isenberg

I mostly write about sports and business, not politics. But perhaps sports and politics aren’t all that different, especially if you believe metaphorically-challenged coaches who can't help but describe sports as war. Then there are those in the military who pitch the benefits of war (good for something, despite what the song says) just like some ADs push woeful graduation rates (apparently not that bad after all).

All this brings me to the military’s handling of Pat Tillman’s death. Pat Tillman gave up a $3.6 million NFL contract to serve his country as an Army Ranger. Everything that has happened since the moment Pat Tillman was shot dead by an American soldier has been characterized as one lie after another.

Pat's mom, Mary Tillman, makes a compelling case that the aftermath of her son's death is the absolute lowpoint of the War on Terror.

The death of Pat Tillman, as unfortunate as it might sound, was a huge opportunity for the military and the Administration to generate interest in a just war. Despite the fact that high-ranking military officials (perhaps as high as Rumsfeld) knew that Tillman had not died by enemy fire, as was touted, no one stopped the charade until after Pat Tillman's nationally televised memorial service.

Pat Tillman will always be the symbol of everything that is great in our country. Great intellect, sports icon, patriot. Everybody's All-American. He was a hero in life and in death (although not in the way the military had in mind).

As if the Tillman family hasn't been through enough, high-ranking "leaders" keep giving them different accounts of what really happened. Perhaps Bob Arum could serve as a military spokesperson. At least he was honest about his lying when he famously said, "Yesterday I was lying. Today I’m telling the truth."

The Tillman family has released a statement pushing for Congressional hearings to uncover the truth. Also, Pat’s mother Mary appeared today on the Dan Patrick Show. Definitely worth listening to, whatever beliefs you have about this war. (Look under Pat Tillman Investigation for the audio from The Dan Patrick Show.)

Here are some of the lowlights:

Mary Tillman: They also said they had Pat’s diary. Pat’s diary in our minds has been missing for three years. And they said well no, they did find Pat’s diary. They burned it. They said there was information in there that had to do with operations or missions or something like that which was kind of ridiculous because Pat was really only an E4. He wouldn’t have had anything that was classified in his little notebook. That diary would belong to Pat’s wife.

Patrick: On the essential question, are you convinced that they are not lying to you when they tell you this was an accident?

Mary Tillman: I don’t know what you deem an accident. I think there was such gross negligence. In fact, the first investigative officer said there was evidence of homicidal negligence and criminal intent. And he stands by that. But yet his report has been devalued because it does not go along with what they want out there in the public eye.

Patrick: Why would they try to cover this up given the notoriety of your son?

Mary Tillman: Their attempts to cover it up are so outrageous from the outset that if they started admitting wrong then they would have to keep admitting such atrocious lies that it would get out of hand. The idea in my mind that this was not something that possibly even Rumsfeld was aware of is kind of ludicrous. You have admittedly four generals who are claiming they knew it was fratricide, didn’t act appropriately or there was errors and missteps. It seems to me that Rumsfeld would  have to be aware of it.

They’re not going to destroy the uniform of their most high-profile soldier who was killed by fratricide without the knowledge of the Secretary of Defense. That’s my opinion.

Dan Patrick: In death do you believe this Administration used your son as a sales tool for war?

Mary Tillman: Absolutely...I definitely think Pat was used, When he was killed I think they saw this as an opportunity.

Mary also revealed that Pat Tillman had turned against the war and at the time of his death believed the war in Iraq was "illegal," which may explain why Pat's diary was destroyed.

UPDATE: The $25,000 Question

I followed up with Wally Renfro, senior advisor to NCAA president Myles Brand, after he told CNBC's Darren Rovell that NCAA rules would have allowed Drew Tate to accept the $25,000 prize for hitting a hole in one.

Renfro emailed, "It is my understanding that it is not a violation to accept the car. Iowa wouldn't let him keep it, not the NCAA."

See, the NCAA is kindler and gentler. They just need to get the word out to its members to do the same.

Randolph Morris signs with NY Knicks

By Marc Isenberg

Former Kentucky basketball player Randoph Morris signed a two-year deal today with the NY Knicks, less than week after he played his final collegiate game. ESPN reports the deal is worth $1.6 million.

I previously explained the circumstances that made Morris a free agent.

The short version: In 2004 Morris "tested the NBA waters" after his freshman year. He wasn't drafted. NCAA rules allow players who are not drafted to return as long they don't agree to be represented by an agent (The NCAA asserted that Morris violated this rule, but the initial season-long banishment was reduced to 14 games). Players are only eligible for draft one time. Therefore, Morris enters the NBA as a free agent.

While some have suggested that this sets a bad precedent, keep in mind that all players who aren't drafted become free agents. If they sign a pro contract it is almost always for the league minimum. The only difference in this situation is that Morris played well his Junior year and increased his market value.

While many are calling on the NBA and NCAA to close the loophole that allowed Morris to enter the NBA as a free agent, I don't think it is necessary. It was just an unusual situation that will likely never be repeated.

More Morris the (former) Cat

Part IV: My Journey with Coach Wooden

By Bill Bennett

Monday, Nov. 20

NABC Interview
That morning in the Hyatt Regency, Coach Wooden sits for more than an hour for an interview that can be viewed once the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame opens next season at the Sprint Center in Kansas City.

The interview spans his entire life, from his upbringing in rural Indiana, to his college days at Purdue, through his UCLA head coaching years.

Coach Wooden will always say one of the great influences in his life was his father, Joshua Hugh Wooden. He talks about the philosophies his father handed down to him: “Two Sets of Threes” –

1. Never lie.
2. Never cheat.
3. Never steal

1. Don’t whine
2. Don’t complain
3. Don’t make excuses

On the day Coach Wooden graduated from elementary school in Centerton IN, he received from his father a two-dollar bill (which Coach Wooden would give to his own son Jim) and a 3 x 5 card. Written on one side of that card was a verse by the Rev. Henry Van Dyke and on the opposite side, Joshua’s  personal Seven Point Creed (Coach Wooden still carries a copy of the Creed with him) –

1. Be true to yourself.
2. Make each day your masterpiece.
3. Help others.
4. Drink deeply from good books, including the Good Book.
5. Make friendship a fine art.
6. Build a shelter against a rainy day.
7. Pray for guidance and give thanks for your blessings every day.

Four things a man must learn to do
If he would make his life more true:
To think without confusion clearly,
To love his fellow-man sincerely,
To act from honest motives purely,
To trust in God and Heaven securely.
            --Henry Van Dyke

Basketball Game in Municipal Auditorium
Municipal Auditorium is quite the historic site for college basketball, hosting nine NCAA men’s basketball Final Fours between 1950 and 1964, including three of the first four.
There is a VIP reception at Municipal before the games. Sitting there with Coach  Wooden, Nan and Craig, a family asks if they can have their picture taken with the Coach. Of course he agrees, but the family’s husband is perturbed because his friend, who was to take the picture, was nowhere to be found. Craig then jumps up and happily volunteers to take the portrait – it is a great shot, Coach Wooden with that beaming family. Everywhere we go, everyone wants a photo with Coach.

From the reception, we walk Coach Wooden into the arena and everyone stands and applauds. His front row seat is behind the ESPN broadcast desk. Coach Wooden sits next to Smith, Russell, Robertson and their families. Vitale, who is the ESPN color analyst for the games, turns around and spends a few minutes with all the honorees.

We watch all of the Duke-Air Force game and most of the Marquette-Texas Tech contest. Early in the second half of the Marquette-Texas Tech game, the Hall of Fame inductees are introduced at center court. Back in his seat, Coach Wooden notes that he was most impressed with Marquette’s athleticism and aggressiveness.

Reprinted with permission from Bruin Blue. © 2007 Bill Bennett and Bruin Blue. All rights reserved.

The $25,000 Question

By Marc Isenberg

Darren Rovell, who covers the sports biz for CNBC, is at the World Congress of Sports in NYC. He notes that NCAA president Myles Brand isn't opposed to student-athletes filling out NCAA brackets as long as it wasn't for money. Said Brand, "A student-athlete can walk into a supermarket and be the millionth customer and win a prize."

I have no problem with Brand's comment, although I am quite sure that brackets are used to not gamble for money about as much as bongs are used to not smoke pot.

Rovell then wondered what the difference is between Brand's hypothetical and Drew Tate, a University of Iowa football player, who in 2006 hit a hole-in-one worth $25,000, but was told he could not accept the prize money per NCAA rules.

According to Rovell, he then "spoke with the NCAA's Wally Renfro, who told [Darren] that he didn't believe that Tate's accepting of the prize was against NCAA rules."

No wonder we have so many problems understanding NCAA rules. Wally Renfro, senior advisor to NCAA president Myles Brand, has been working at the NCAA since the 1970s, and he just offered an interpretation that contradicted Bob Bowslby, then AD at Iowa. Bowlsby "let Tate know that he couldn't accept the prize. That would be against NCAA regulations, since Tate, the 2004 all-Big Ten quarterback, [had] a year of eligibility left." In Renfro's defense, he works in PR, not in enforcement. I'm guessing Renfro's interpretation is wrong, even if I like what he said.

Why would it have been against NCAA rules for Tate to pocket the $25k? Because the NCAA views a hole-in-one as a function of athletic ability, not luck. Payment for athletic skill violates the NCAA's definition of amateurism. Whereas filling out a winning NCAA bracket is pure luck. In reality, it is the opposite.

I have played golf since I was in high school and, at my best, I was probably a 12-handicap.

Here's my scorecard:

Number of career hole in ones: Zero
Number of NCAA tournament pools won: 2 (and I haven't participated in one in the last 5 or so years)

Hopefully someone from the NCAA can clear up the confusion for Drew Tate. I'm guessing the kind, generous Iowa boosters who organized the golf outing would gladly correct the mistake, if a mistake, in fact, occurred.

Part III: My Journey with Coach

By Bill Bennett

The Induction Ceremony

It is a first class, elite event from start to finish.

CBS analyst Billy Packer is the Master of Ceremonies. There are speeches from - Duke Head Coach Mike Krzyzewski; a prerecorded video presentation by ESPN's Dick Vitale; Tom Jernstedt, NCAA Executive Vice President; Kansas City's mayor Kay Barnes and Jim Haney, the executive director of the NABC.

"This is a big night for college basketball," Haney said. "It captures more than 100 years of history and lays the groundwork for the future of it."

Brown presents his college coach, Dean Smith. During his presentation, he looks out into the audience at Coach Wooden and says, "I always felt kind of uncomfortable being introduced as the UCLA head coach, because we all know there is only one UCLA head coach and that's John Wooden (acknowledging and pointing to where Coach Wooden is sitting in the crowd)."

Texas Tech's Bobby Knight, who this season passed Smith to become college basketball's all-time winningest coach, inducts Bill Russell and describes him as the "all-time MVP."

In his speech, Russell says it was the "highest honor he ever had in basketball." He commends coaches Smith and Wooden for their work and efforts during the civil rights movement. Coach Smith participated in sit-ins in North Carolina in the 1960s and Russell says Coach Wooden was the only head coach who played more than one Black player on the West Coast.

Walton's gives a 22-minute tribute to Coach Wooden. It is serious, it is comedy, it is opinionated – it is Bill Walton at his best. Some of Bill's comments include-

"To play for John Wooden was the greatest thrill of my life. They were the most challenging, demanding things I've done in my life".

"We never started a day with Coach Wooden looking at us and saying – What do you men want to do today?"

"Coach Wooden never speaks of himself, he never draws attention to anything he's ever done."

"In four years, Wooden taught us everything we'd ever need to know. Not about basketball, about life."

"Wait a minute Coach, if basketball isn't about size and strength, how come Shaq's got all the money, Kareem's got all the records and Wilt had 20,000 girlfriends?"

Walton then introduces Coach Wooden - "It is now my deepest honor to present the most positive, the most upbeat, the most constructive person I have ever known – John Wooden, a man who never looks back and who's always about what's next."

Coach's speech

Coach Wooden then comes to the stage and looking at Walton, jokingly says, "Now you all know what I had to put up with all those years."

He says it's nice for him to come back to Kansas City. Coach Wooden reminisces about the Bruins' first NCAA title in 1964 at Kansas City's Municipal Auditorium.

He then talks about his two teams from Indiana State that had a chance to play in the NAIA Tournament, hosted by Kansas City. In 1947, Wooden refused to bring his Sycamore squad because the NAIA did not allow African-Americans in the event and Indiana State had a Black player (Clarence Walker) on its roster. In 1948, Wooden again refused to bring Indiana State to Kansas City. But before the tournament started, the NAIA allowed African-Americans to play (according the Kansas City Star sportswriter Blair Kerkhoff, 1948 was an Olympic year and the NAIA team champion had a spot in the Olympic Trials tournament. The Olympic Committee threatened to pull the invitation if African-Americans were not allowed to play in the NAIA Tournament). The NAACP, Indiana State's university president and Walker's parents also urged Coach Wooden to take his team to Kansas City. While there, the Sycamores stayed at the Muehlebach Hotel and Walker housed with a local minister.

"I'm pleased whenever I think of that NAIA Tournament," Coach Wooden says. "I think that was a big moment in our sports history. A few years later, an All-Black team (Tennessee State) won that tournament. Maybe we opened the door a little bit."

Coach Wooden goes on to say he is proud to have been selected into the Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame and is "so grateful to those that love this wonderful game."

He ends his acceptance with a poem, entitled God's Hall of Fame:
 
          God's Hall of Fame

This crowd on Earth, they soon forget, the heroes of the past.
They cheer like mad, until you fall and that's how long you last.
But God, He never does forget, and in his Hall of Fame, inscribed up there beyond the stars, engraved you'll find your name.
I'll tell you friends I wouldn't trade, my name however small – inscribed up there beyond the stars in that celestial hall.
For any famous name on earth or glory that they share – I'd rather be an unknown here and have my name up There
                                                --Author Unknown

After Coach Wooden's poem recital, you could hear a pin drop as the tears flowed.

Reprinted with permission from Bruin Blue. © 2007 Bill Bennett and Bruin Blue. All rights reserved.

Part II: My Journey with Coach Wooden

By Bill Bennett

Daily Diary
Sunday, Nov. 19

Leaving for Kansas City
You get very spoiled traveling with Coach Wooden. There’s the town car that picks him up at his condo in Encino and drives him to the Raytheon private terminal in Van Nuys. There, the private jet is waiting, and in less than three hours, you arrive in Kansas City, where a limousine is waiting to take us to the Kansas City Hyatt Regency.

VIP Reception
Coach Wooden and his daughter are in adjoining rooms on the 15th floor, where I head to escort them to the private reception on the 40th floor of the hotel. Upon entering Coach Wooden’s room, there sits Lee Hunt, with his wife, Elizabeth. Hunt was a Bruin assistant under Gene Bartow, the first UCLA head coach after Coach Wooden’s retirement in 1975. Hunt ended his career as the head basketball coach and athletic director at Missouri-Kansas City.

When the Hunts depart, I escort the Wooden’s to the 40th floor. Walking into the reception, there sit Smith, Russell and Robertson, joined by Coach Wooden. As people gather around the four Hall of Famers, everyone is frantically taking pictures.

Press Conference/Public Reception
From the reception, we head down to the adjoining Crown Center Exhibit Hall for the press conference and induction ceremony. Although this is a celebration for the history of college basketball, it could just as well be a highlight reel for UCLA basketball. Present in the Exhibit Hall for the press conference are –

Coach Wooden, who guided the Bruins to a record 10 NCAA Championships, including seven consecutive from 1967-73 and who led UCLA to a record 88-game overall winning streak and a 38 -game NCAA Tournament winning streak.

Larry Brown, UCLA’s head coach from 1979-81 who led the Bruins to the 1980 NCAA Championship game. He’s the only coach in history to win an NBA Title (Detroit Pistons/2004) and an NCAA Championship (Kansas/1988). Brown was inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame in 2002. He is there to present his former coach, Dean Smith.

Denny Crum, a UCLA letterman (1958-59) under Coach Wooden, he was also a Bruin assistant (1959-60/1968-71) under Coach Wooden and was on the UCLA varsity staff for three NCAA Championship Bruin runs (1969-71). After his UCLA days, Crum was the head coach at Louisville for 30 seasons, leading the Cardinals to two NCAA Championships (1980/1986) and six Final Fours. He was inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame in 1994. Crum traveled to Kansas City to accompany Coach Wooden to all of Sunday’s events.

Bill Walton, the Bruin star center led UCLA to two NCAA titles (1972-73) and was a three-time National Player of the Year (1972-74). He was inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame in 1993.

Following the press conference, at the public reception, Coach Wooden stayed seated at the dais signing a steady steam of autographs. The Air Force basketball team is also there, in their military uniform, roaming the Exhibit Hall, taking their picture with every basketball luminary in the place.

Next up: The Induction Ceremony

Reprinted with permission from Bruin Blue. © 2007 Bill Bennett and Bruin Blue. All rights reserved.

My Journey with the Master Teacher and Coach

Editor's note: "My Journey with the Master Teacher and Coach," a phenomenal piece on Coach John Wooden by my good friend Bill Bennett (not Bill Bennett, the one talks virtues while gambling away huge sums) on Coach's induction last year into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame in Kansas City. Thank you to Bruin Blue, a publication of UCLA Athletics, and Bill Bennett for granting Money Players permission to use.

Bill's article will be posted in four parts.

Part 1: The College Basketball Experience
Part 2: Daily Dairy of Hall of Fame Induction
Part 3: Daily Dairy, Continued
Part 4: NABC interview

Part I: The College Basketball Experience
By Bill Bennett

The National Basketball Coaches Association (NABC) is the sponsor of the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame and the weekend was entitled the "College Basketball Experience." On Sunday (Nov. 19) was the press conference, reception and induction ceremony. Coach Wooden joined a phenomenal inaugural class:

Dean Smith, college basketball's all-time second-winningest coach (879 wins) at North Carolina, who directed the Tar Heels to two NCAA Championships (1993/1982). He also led NC to 11 Final Fours and 13 Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament championships. While a player at Kansas, the Jayhawks won the NCAA title in 1952.

Bill Russell, led the University of San Francisco to consecutive NCAA Championships in 1955 and '56 and was the National Player of the Year in 1956. The 6-10 center's rebounding and shot blocking skills established a defensive mentality that remains a focal part of championship basketball at every level. In the NBA with the Boston Celtics, he was a member of 11 NBA Championship teams in 13 seasons.

Oscar Robertson, the "Big O" was named "Player of the Century" by the NABC. The 6-5 guard led the University of Cincinnati to the NCAA Championship game in 1959 and 1960. He was the first collegiate player to lead the NCAA in scoring for three consecutive years and the first player to be named National Player of the Year three times.  In then played 14 seasons in the NBA with the Cincinnati Royals and the Milwaukee Bucks and was a 12-time NBA All-Star.

Dr. James Naismith, the inventor of the game of basketball, he established the original 13 rules in a YMCA gymnasium in Springfield, MA back in 1891. Naismith, who spent his final 41 years as a professor at Kansas and who was the Jayhawks' first basketball coach, was represented by his grandson, Ian.

Reprinted with permission from Bruin Blue. © 2007 Bill Bennett and Bruin Blue. All rights reserved.

March Moderation in the middle of the Madness

The gym lights gleam like a beacon beam
And a million motors hum
In a good will flight on a Friday night;
For basketball beckons, "Come!"
A sharp-shooting mite is king tonight.
The madness of March is running.

--Excerpted from a poem about the Illinois High School Association's boys' basketball tournament

March Madness is in full effect. Growing up in Illinois, "March Madness" meant the Illinois State High School Athletic Association (ISHA) boy's basketball tournament. Then in 1982 Brent Musburger, who once worked in Chicago as a sports writer and then sports anchor, used the phrase in connection with the NCAA tournament. The phrase caught on. In the 1990s the ISHA sued the NCAA, but both parties agreed to a settlement in order to stop the legal madness.

Now it's full-on Madness. Insanity sells, I suppose, like the current Pontiac ad featuring a crazed Kansas fan abducting Bobby Knight.

Treating mental illness
If March Madness is a psychological condition, 99 out of 100 doctors agree "brackets" is the prescribed drug of choice. I am not a doctor, but I was wondering if we could treat the "Madness" more holistically, say by encouraging fans to passionately celebrate in a civilized, sensible, let's-not-run-over-Jim-Plunkett's-lovely wife kind of way?

Bad Marketing 101, but hopefully good blogging
Here's a not-so-brilliant marketing idea: How about March Moderation?

Moderation is a term often used by Coach John Wooden, the architect of one of -- if not the greatest -- sports dynasties of all time, who won excessive NCAA championships (10 in 12 years). "Coach" definitely favored moderation over delirium.

In the remaining days of March, the Money Players blog will honor Coach Wooden and others who have managed to keep their sanity (if not their jobs) in a basketball world gone mad.

Read Bill Bennett's article: My Journey with the Master Teacher and Coach

Roy Williams won't drink the Kool Aid...

...but he will pour Coke reluctantly into a Dasani cup.

According to the Charlotte Observer's Scott Fowler, Williams grumbled, "Everybody pay attention. Kids are getting killed in a foreign country and people are worried about me putting drinks in an NCAA-sponsored cup."

Roy is probably my favorite college basketball coach.  Roy doesn't give a flip that he's biting the two hands that feed -- and refresh -- him, the NCAA and Coke (which owns Dasani).

But Roy doesn't see the connection: If we don't support NCAA sponsors, we're supporting terrorists. Victory begins at home!

More flipping fun...
Roy Williams Strikes Back A hilarious cartoon by the Charlotte Observer's Grey Blackwell