Plati-'tudes
December 13, 2000
A bi-weekly notes column penned by David Plati, who is in his 17th year as Colorado's Assistant Athletic Director for Media Relations.
The Supreme Court voted 5-4 not to recommend Plati-'Tudes for a Pulitzer... Justice Souter's opinion cited a lack of creative Godfather trivia, though Justice Scalia dissented, finding it most cerebral. Okay, enough of that.
TRIVIA QUESTIONS... CU -- Colorado is averaging 90.5 points per outing, eight games into the 2000-01 men's basketball season. The school record is 82.3 set a decade ago (1990-91); who led CU in scoring that year? Godfather -- Actor John Cazale played Fredo Corleone in Godfather I and II (he died of bone cancer in 1978). At the time of the death, what actress was he living with and what movie had the two just appeared in?
It's another Q&A Plati-'Tudes... thanks for the tremendous response; unfortunately, the same questions were asked by multiple people, so there's only a dozen included this time around. But I'll do it again near the end of basketball season.
Q: What is the status of the CU-CSU football game in Denver? (Many. The most popular question--over 50.)
A: I had hoped that I would be able to have answered this by now, but we're probably still a few days away. We know what we want to do, but will be fully in concert with CSU prior to making a final announcement. Included will be an extension of the series, which right now only has signed contracts through 2002. Check our website daily because we'll post it as soon as we can release it. Though hardly scientific, of the 52 E-mails I received on this subject, 30 said they'd like to see the game return to Boulder, and only one said keep it in Denver (the other 21 didn't indicate where as I didn't pose the question).
Q: How much truth is there to the rumor that CU will play Louisville in a (preseason) game next year in football? (Rich Engel, Colorado)
A: At this point, Louisville and Colorado are simply among the many who desire a 12th game, or preseason game as many call it, in 2001 (Oklahoma is hot to host one as well). I believe three of the games have been set, and at least two more, possibly a third, are looking to fill games with the requirement that each school receive a $600,000 payment. Those are almost always final by mid-February. It's been reported in the papers that we're trying to secure a home-and-home with Louisville in men's basketball, and we've had some preliminary talks about scheduling each other in football as well; remember, Louisville's athletic director is Tom Jurich, who previously held the same position at Colorado State. He and Dick Tharp have a solid working relationship and are also good friends.
Q: Oh, and how is "The Count?" (Rich Engel, Colorado)
A: "The Count" is Fred Casotti, our current historian and 35-year employee of the athletic department between 1952 and 1987. Fred suffered a couple of strokes, a minor one in late August and a more severe one on Oct. 14. But as Fred will tell you, he's "back from the dead," as he is easily at least 95 percent of his old self. He is currently in an assisted living environment in Louisville, but with the proper medication, he hopes he'll be able to return to his Boulder home by the spring.
Q: I've looked at both web sites, and why wasn't Craig Ochs listed among the Big 12 or NCAA leaders? (Robert Miller, Boulder)
A: Good question, especially since the answer will probably muddy things further. To be listed in the NCAA statistics, a player must have participated in 75 percent of his team's games. So the magic number is thus nine; eight out of 11 is under that 75% figure; nine of 11 obviously better it and nine of 12 hit it on the nose. Then there is the requirement of at least 15 pass attempts per game; so players can qualify if they have at least 135 attempts in nine games, or 165 in an 11-game season. Craig, even though he had 245 attempts, played in only eight games and couldn't qualify. Based solely on attempts (but not knowing if others were in his situation), he would have ranked 46th in the NCAA (the fifth freshman) and fifth in the Big 12 in efficiency.
Q: What are some of the factors that decide whom and where CU plays its non-conference (football) games? (Nick Costa, Stoughton, Mass.)
A: In a nutshell, there are quite a few factors, centering on the philosophy that we want and need six home games in an 11-game season (we'd play six or seven in a 12-game season). First, is the opponent the caliber of school our coaches and players want to line up against? Who else is on the schedule in a particular year? (While this year's schedule was tough, it wasn't really the non-league portion that wore us down; you wouldn't play Florida State, Michigan and Ohio State back-to-back-to-back for example, but we're not going to do what other schools do and schedule three patsies, either.) Where are those games? (You wouldn't want to travel to California one week and Florida the next, or even zip out to the west coast in back-to-back weeks.) Is the opponent a candidate for a game only in Boulder or for a home-and-home, where we'd return a game to their stadium? That's where it gets tough with the 6-5 balance of home to road; basically, we can only return one out of every two non-conference home games, so some have to be one-time visits to Boulder, like San Jose State both last year and in 2001. The going rate for one of these games is in the $300-400,000 range, depending on when the original contract was signed. And there's competition for these one-time visit schools as well; those who seat 70,000 or more in their home stadiums often pay up to $750,000 if not more because of the extra revenue from ticket sales. Another consideration is if we can pitch a network to televise the game; such games mean at least $300,000 for our budget. Since 1993, 21 of CU's 27 non-league games have been televised nationally or regionally, and I guarantee you that might be topped only by Notre Dame (the Irish have their own network in NBC) and maybe a school here or there, but it's easily the most by any Big 12 school.
Q: What is CU's stance on the situation between Gary Barnett and Denver Post Columnist Mark Kiszla? (Kind of a summation of over two-dozen E-mails)
A: Without totally rehashing what happened, a quick review is that Mark wrote something that Gary and most of us at CU objected to on one level or another on Dec. 10, and Gary held a press conference the next day to rebut what was written. I talked with Post sports editor Kevin Dale on Dec. 12, and as things stand right now, I am satisfied that Mark isn't out to "kick our butts." His future columns will continue voice his opinions, positive or negative, as they have in the past, but I have been assured that he does not have a vendetta of any kind against the program. I told Kevin that while we obviously don't like negative columns, if the facts are accurate, that's all we can ask for (of course we'd like "fair" to be thrown in there as well, but life isn't fair). Our take is simply this: if Mark or any reporter bases a story on facts we know not to be true, and they know not to be true, we will then revisit the situation with the Post (or with any media outlet, for that matter). Mark has since publicly stated that he supports and likes Gary and hopes we can win a national championship and be ranked No. 1 under him. At this point, I have no reason not to believe him and obviously time will tell.
In listening to talk shows the afternoon after Gary's press conference, there is this feeling out there by some that the media, in general, has it in for CU. I don't agree with that statement. At times, sure, it could appear that way, but for the most part, something on CU athletics is in the local papers all but maybe five-to-10 days a year. CU football and basketball are regular topics on the radio talk shows and get solid coverage on television. Most of the coverage is positive or results-based; but when things are going well here, most of the columnists have been positive. When they're not, they tend to be a little more negative, but you can say that about any of the sports teams in the Denver metro area. Sometimes you have to take a step back and look at the big picture (not to throw a clich? festival at you, but in this case, it works). What happens is as soon as a media person hits the multiple count in the negative story department, often the positive and fluffy pieces or interviews they've done are forgotten. If I whined to the local sports editors and directors about having it in for CU, they'd laugh me out of town. My only gripe would be I wish the Denver media would pay more attention to our non-revenue sports, but I also know, from working for the Rocky Mountain News' for two years (as a lowly compiler of state-wide high school stats back in the early 1980s) that there is no human way possible to cover all the schools and teams in this area. You have 21 colleges that compete intercollegiately on some level in the state; if each had just 10 athletic teams, that's 210 different teams right there before you take into account the pros, high schools and recreational competitions. And most are sending stories to the sports desks at one time or another and there simply is just not enough space.
Q: In Mark Kiszla's column following the CU-CSU women's basketball game, he implied that CU started ducking CSU in the sport a few years ago. I doubt that's true, but what can you tell me? (Jane Zundel, Lakewood)
A: I guess Mark presumed that was the case, but didn't check with us before he wrote it. The fact is, back in July of 1994, CSU asked out of the game with CU that season. Not coincidentally, CU went 30-3 that year and just missed out on the Final Four when Georgia rallied from a double figure deficit to win, 82-79. If memory serves, we replaced CSU on the schedule with Montana State; CSU didn't immediately ask back on our schedule and we didn't offer. Has CSU been a top national program the last two years? You won't find anyone here who will say no. But to have implied that we were dodging them for years was flat-out incorrect. CU was a national powerhouse from the late 1980s through the 1996-97 season, when it won the first Big 12 postseason tournament, and CSU didn't become nationally prominent until the 1998-99 season. The two schools agreed to reschedule one another after that season, and both agree that it is very good for the state and the series will continue.
Q: I live in Dallas; what needs to be done on our end to get a broadcast partner for CU football in the (Dallas) market? (Todd Vanyo, Dallas)
A: Todd mentioned that it was painful to have to listen to the end of the game on Nebraska's Radio Network (though I can tell you Warren Swain, NU's play-by-play man, is a consummate professional and is a very good guy). I'm sure Todd just wanted the CU version, as most CU fans presumably would. This would apply to anyone in any market: You would have to find a station willing to look into carrying the games, because basically it is a business decision. On a Saturday afternoon, AM stations usually feature specialty shows or talk, so if there is enough revenue from potential advertisers, the station might listen seriously to adding the games (stations on the network get a certain amount of inventory to sell in addition to carrying those advertisements that the network feeds along with the broadcast). If there is enough interest and you think there is a decent base for local advertising, contact with Larry Zimmer at KOA-Radio in Denver (303/713-8000) and he or someone at KOA will get in touch with the potential station's program manager. And the same goes for men's or women's basketball.
Q: Who does your basketball schedule and why is the CU-CSU game scheduled for Dec. 23? (This was nasty, so I cleaned it up quite a bit, and of course, it was anonymous-some weird lettering at hotmail for an address)
A: The basketball departments handle their own scheduling; it is usually done by one of the assistant coaches, the standard practice at most schools (David Moe coordinates Colorado's). It is never as easy as it sounds, because the men and women are trying to schedule 8-to-10 non-conference home games at the same time, and in our case, there are also tests in the Events Center to schedule around and we also do not play games during finals week (most schools do not, and final exams at schools seldom match up). Graduation set-up knocks a day or sometimes two out of the mix, and we have to also blackout a few days for the volleyball team in case we host NCAA championship matches. Then you have to find dates that agree with the team you're trying to schedule, and Big 12 play begins the first week in January. No one is saying Dec. 23 is an optimum date, but it was one of very few that worked for both schools when taking in account of all of the above. Our schedule was also done before we knew it would coincide with the Broncos' last regular season home game at Mile High. It's real easy to criticize when one doesn't know the facts, and as usual, when I provided the rather immature E-mailer with the above list, I never heard back from him/her.
Q: You're a stat geek... what do you think of the BCS standings, mainly the computer input? (Greg Knowles, Portland, Ore.)
A: Ouch! Are you the same Greg Knowles who nicknamed me "Stats Plats" my freshman year at CU? What do I make of the BCS computer input? Well I, like most, probably wonder why the Seattle Times has Washington No. 2 while Dunkel has the Huskies at No. 11... and why the Dunkel Index really "dissed" Nebraska and Oregon (Nos. 13 and 17, respectively). But the low one gets tossed anyway. I don't really have a solution; I'm personally against a playoff, and the first two BCS years produced a true No. 1 vs. No. 2. But is it fair that a 9-2 Notre Dame team that lost to a 9- 2 Nebraska team goes to the BCS and gets to keep $14 million itself? What I'd like to see is the following: 1) losses should count for more than 1 point; and 2) some kind of mechanism added to allow if you've beaten a team in the top 15 of the BCS standings; say, 2 points off if you've beat a top five BCS team, 1 point off for beating a 6-10 team and .50 off for an 11-15 team. I don't think anyone would argue that the Pac 10 was much tougher than the ACC or Big East this year, but Big East schools play one less league game than the Pac 10 and ACC, and after looking at what schools each league played in the non-conference portions of their schedule, the ACC and the Big East play a lot more cupcakes and that helps to inflate strength-of-schedule numbers. Otherwise, Washington should be No. 2 since they beat Miami; Miami should be No. 3 since they beat Florida State; Florida State should be No. 4. I agree with many coaches who say results on the field should count, regardless of whether the game was played in September or November. You beat that team when you had to (and teams are generally at their healthiest on the front end of the year).
Why am I against a playoff? If anyone cares, for the same reason most people are-three or four games in December, while they would wreak some havoc academically, put a tremendous burden on those fans that follow their schools. Can you imagine coming up with the money to follow your team to three sites? It's the holiday season, so air travel is already taxed, unlike in basketball, where many times the first and second round games and then the regionals are within driving distance of most schools (unless you're shipped to another regional). Plus in basketball, you're usually talking about anywhere from 1,000 to 5,000 fans. Football playoff games figure to be in warm weather locales (or domes), but bowls are built around 12,000 fans and conference championship games around 20,000 or so fans. That's a travel nightmare. The bowls are unique to Division I, and I've seen the benefits first-hand from playing in every tier of those games through the years.
Q: Why didn't the CU Athletic Department meet its own deadline for announcing the start of its $94 million facility plan/What is the status of the project? (Included in three inquiries)
A: We still can't go into particulars simply because we're not ready to, it's not that we don't want to. The October 1 date has taken on a life of its own: senior associate AD John Meadows threw out that date last spring as a target date; we never formally had anything set up that we had to cancel or delay. But as John will tell you, he learned not to suggest a date because it did, in fact, bring a lot of expectations along with it. All I can say is that talks with major donors are on going, and we could announce something at any time. I know that's vague, but you just don't publicize fund raising efforts in the middle of an "ask." A corporation or individual usually does just ante up $10 or $20 million donations; lawyers and tax people get involved and it takes some time. Once a lead donor or two is secured, many things will fall into place and we'll know a lot more ourselves; then we will be able to communicate more, both within the University infrastructure and to the general public.
An addendum (thanks to the tipster, you know who you are):
Secured, as defined by the American Heritage dictionary, means: "to make certain, guarantee." As in once we have contracts signed and 100% finalized; I'm sorry there are some who have chose to twist answers to serve their own needs in criticizing the athletic department. John Meadows certainly has not been hung out to dry by our own website; in fact, I simply paraphrased what he said to B.G. Brooks in November about never putting a date out there unless you know for sure you can meet it. Meadows is coordinating this rather massive undertaking and is making contacts, presentations and proposals all the time. Nobody wants this to come together, and to come together fast, more than Dick Tharp and John Meadows.
Q: Why does CU charge $2 for men's games (for students) and women's games are free? Shouldn't all games be free to all athletic fee paying students? (John, a.k.a. "CU Big Bird" on line)
A: We don't charge students for women's basketball (or volleyball) because the athletic fee goes to help fund women's sports. We charge minimal amounts for football and men's basketball because we want to make it a reasonable cost for students in attendance.
Q: Was that really only the second technical foul on Ceal Barry (last week versus CSU)? (Sharon T., Boulder)
A: Ceal's pretty sure it was, and our records back her up. The first was about a decade ago. In watching Ceal "patrol" courtside for 17 years, there are only a handful of other times where she appeared to be even close to getting "teed" up. She's almost always the three C's: cool, calm and collected.
ESPN CLASSIC... Don't know if it's been promoted yet or not, but on Friday, Dec. 22, ESPN Classic will be in town for a two-hour live broadcast looking back at the history of Mile High Stadium. The show will air from 7-9 p.m., and will feature several Broncos and some baseball ties, from the old Denver Bears to the Colorado Rockies. They'll also touch upon the CU-CSU games there as well as the many concerts and the Pope's visit back in 1993. The host will be none other than CU and Athletic Media Relations alum Chris Fowler, and the producer is CU alum and old Turner Network NFL vet Peter Lasser. Why do I know all this, you might ask? As one of the many public relations directors through the years for the Denver Bears (back in 1982, when I had hair... well, more hair than present), I've been helping in hunting down some old-time minor league baseball info for the special. Both Denver papers are planning in-depth sections as the Mile High era comes to a close. The Post is running people's favorite memories; I e-mailed down the text of Mark Holtz' famous call after the Bears rallied to beat Omaha, 16-14, after trailing 14-7 with two outs in the ninth inning on a three-run home run by Jim Cox in the 1979 Fireworks game. A Plati-'Tudes bonus: listen to that call in RealAudio format.
THIS WEEK'S NUMBER ... 0. With all the media talk about CSU winning nine straight games over CU, it has to be qualified that is for four sports (albeit the most visible ones). CU has dominated forever in men's and women's cross country and the Buff men have won CSU's golf invitational the last two years. But in tennis, CU really has the edge: the Buffs have never lost to CSU in women's tennis (leading 22-0), and are 19-0 in men's play dating back to 1976-77, when records can be totally researched. In men's tennis, the Buffs have won those matches by a combined 156-3 with the women holding a 180-11 advantage.
WHERE ARE THEY NOW?... Caught up a bit with CU's all-time leading tackler Barry Remington last week. Barry made 493 tackles in his CU career that spanned five years between 1982 and 1986, and it's very possible that it is a record that will never be broken. (Matt Russell is a distant second with 446; CU's active leader is junior Jashon Sykes with 297, so he would need 197 next year for the record.) He graduated in the spring in 1987 with a degree in marketing, and he's "Actually doing what my degree was in," he boldly states. He is in his fourth year as the sales manager for KOA-Radio in Denver, a position he accepted in 1997 after working two years as the sales manager at then-Boulder based KBPI. He's worked in radio sales since 1988, when he started at KFRX, better known as "The Fox" in Denver, as he got involved in the business thanks to his older brother and former Buff Mark. He is now the director of sales for Clear Channel's five FM stations in the Denver metro area. Barry is married (Bridgitte, whom he met at CU), is the father of three girls, and is a long-time CU season ticket holder. He immensely enjoys the Buffs and still remains active in CU alumni activities. On the side, he has assisted Tom McCartney on the Fairview High School football staff for the past four years, coaching the linebackers. As to whether he wants to go into coaching full-time some day, he simply says, "I keep my options open. After all, I am in radio." His most riveting question is, "Has anyone heard from Don Fairbanks (former CU defensive tackle)?" And as to his fondest CU memory, it's hands down, "When we beat Nebraska 20-10 (in 1986). Could there be any other answer?"
TRIVIA ANSWERS... CU -- Shaun Vandiver led the Buffs in the 1990-91, averaging 21.2 points per game in leading CU to a 19-14 record and third place NIT finish in Joe Harrington's first year as head coach. Godfather -- He was living with Meryl Streep, and the two were in a blockbuster cast that included Robert DeNiro and Christopher Walken in "The Deerhunter."
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"Plati-'Tudes" features notes and stories that may not get much play from the mainstream media; offers CU's take on issues raised by those who have an interest in the program; answers questions and concerns; and provides CU's point of view if we should disagree with what may have been written or broadcast. Have a question or want to know CU's take on something? E-mail Dave at david.plati@colorado.edu, and the subject may appear in the next Plati-'Tudes.