MORGANTOWN - In the early days of the forward pass, an incompletion was considered a turnover and the defense took possession at the spot from which the ball was thrown. For a short time, the turnover part was eliminated, but an incompletion was still costly - in the form of a 15-yard penalty.
Good question. But if you bothered to subscribe to your own local newspaper you would know everything about Ackerman except his preference for boxers or briefs. And I'm sure that was just an oversight.
Here's the deal, and in drawing it out I'm going to expend perhaps all eight column inches the story deserves.
Ackerman is an old buddy of Dana Holgorsen, a former college football assistant coach on the Division II level who is now a sports radio host in Florida. He was awkwardly and mistakenly hired by West Virginia's athletic department - certainly at the urging of Holgorsen - in January in what amounted to a consultant's role, supposedly for academics.
We say mistakenly because there is absolutely no obvious reason to believe Ackerman has any astute or unique knowledge of academic programs as they pertain to college athletes, yet he was hired to analyze segments of WVU's athletic academics and offer suggestions for improvement. But hey, maybe he knew what he was doing.
More than likely, though, that was merely a temporary position to justify his spot on the payroll until Holgorsen assumes control of the football program and could then name him to a more permanent position, perhaps as director of football operations. Yes, that job is already filled, but if Holgorsen wants his own guy (in that job or another) he's perfectly free to go get him.
Trouble is, WVU didn't exactly scrutinize Ackerman, his background or anything else before putting him on the payroll. And so when Ackerman said some stupid stuff to some smart people during the Big East basketball tournament in New York (among other transgressions real or imagined), eyes were opened and Ackerman's temporary position became even more temporary than planned. As in, here's your hat, don't let the door hit you on the way out.
The bottom line? West Virginia made a mistake hiring the guy and rectified the situation by unhiring him, fast. And now everyone wants to know who forked over the mere loose change it cost for his trip to New York, what nefarious plans were in place to oust some long-time WVU employee so that Ackerman could have his chair and why is Oliver Luck going out of his way to change things so much?
Yawn.
Dear Zuppe,
I'm feeling a bit lonely here because it seems I still have to look down to see almost all of my teammates. Any chance of rectifying that anytime soon?
Deniz K.
Morgantown
Dear Deniz,
Don't hold your breath. The guy Bob Huggins was trying to get to provide some size to his West Virginia basketball team for next year, 6-foot-11 Philip Jurick, instead decided to go to Oklahoma State. The next target in line seems to be LaSalle transfer Aaric Murray, but the 6-10 center will have to sit out next year regardless of where he decides to go, which seems to be either Kansas or WVU.
And again, it's Dude. I thought you'd forgotten all your Turkish.
Reach The Answer Dude at 304-348-1734 or dphickm...@aol.com.
MORGANTOWN - In the early days of the forward pass, an incompletion was considered a turnover and the defense took possession at the spot from which the ball was thrown. For a short time, the turnover part was eliminated, but an incompletion was still costly - in the form of a 15-yard penalty.
Barbie's full name is Barbara Millicent Roberts. I kid you not.
In 1968, Hans-Gunar Liljenwall became the first Olympian ever disqualified for drug use. His drug of choice? Alcohol. He had two beers to calm his nerves before the pistol-shooting competition in the modern pentathlon. Just so you know, there is no pistol shooting allowed at Mountaineer Field. Yet.
Why do I know these things? I don't. But Answer Dude does. He's just weird that way.
And today he's yours:
Dear Dude,
During the 2001-02 school year, West Virginia's football and basketball teams were a combined 11-28 and didn't qualify for either a bowl game or the Big East basketball tournament.
At least from the perspective of suffering fans, wouldn't that have been a better time to institute the sale of beer at games. Or maybe during the entirety of the Joedy Gardner-Frank Cignetti era? Forget $6 to $9. Shoot, I'd have paid 20 bucks for a drink during some of those debacles.
Mickey F.
Morgantown
Dear Mick,
Good point. In fact, if this whole thing goes through I'm going to make it a point after a year or two to try to break down the numbers and see if beer sales go up or down relative to the outcome of the games.
Of course, then again, we're talking about a fan base that traditionally burns couches both after the best of wins and the worst of losses with equal fervor. I'm not sure drinking will be much different.
Dear Dude,
Who is Brady Ackerman and why should I care about him?
M. Kerin
Morgantown
Dear M.,
Good question. But if you bothered to subscribe to your own local newspaper you would know everything about Ackerman except his preference for boxers or briefs. And I'm sure that was just an oversight.
Here's the deal, and in drawing it out I'm going to expend perhaps all eight column inches the story deserves.
Ackerman is an old buddy of Dana Holgorsen, a former college football assistant coach on the Division II level who is now a sports radio host in Florida. He was awkwardly and mistakenly hired by West Virginia's athletic department - certainly at the urging of Holgorsen - in January in what amounted to a consultant's role, supposedly for academics.
We say mistakenly because there is absolutely no obvious reason to believe Ackerman has any astute or unique knowledge of academic programs as they pertain to college athletes, yet he was hired to analyze segments of WVU's athletic academics and offer suggestions for improvement. But hey, maybe he knew what he was doing.
More than likely, though, that was merely a temporary position to justify his spot on the payroll until Holgorsen assumes control of the football program and could then name him to a more permanent position, perhaps as director of football operations. Yes, that job is already filled, but if Holgorsen wants his own guy (in that job or another) he's perfectly free to go get him.
Trouble is, WVU didn't exactly scrutinize Ackerman, his background or anything else before putting him on the payroll. And so when Ackerman said some stupid stuff to some smart people during the Big East basketball tournament in New York (among other transgressions real or imagined), eyes were opened and Ackerman's temporary position became even more temporary than planned. As in, here's your hat, don't let the door hit you on the way out.
The bottom line? West Virginia made a mistake hiring the guy and rectified the situation by unhiring him, fast. And now everyone wants to know who forked over the mere loose change it cost for his trip to New York, what nefarious plans were in place to oust some long-time WVU employee so that Ackerman could have his chair and why is Oliver Luck going out of his way to change things so much?
Yawn.
Dear Zuppe,
I'm feeling a bit lonely here because it seems I still have to look down to see almost all of my teammates. Any chance of rectifying that anytime soon?
Deniz K.
Morgantown
Dear Deniz,
Don't hold your breath. The guy Bob Huggins was trying to get to provide some size to his West Virginia basketball team for next year, 6-foot-11 Philip Jurick, instead decided to go to Oklahoma State. The next target in line seems to be LaSalle transfer Aaric Murray, but the 6-10 center will have to sit out next year regardless of where he decides to go, which seems to be either Kansas or WVU.
And again, it's Dude. I thought you'd forgotten all your Turkish.
Reach The Answer Dude at 304-348-1734 or dphickm...@aol.com.
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