As I have said before, your arguments are not backed by facts. The numbers might be fact, but the story you paint around those numbers are pure fiction. You haven't provided proof of anything you say. First, the recruiting budget. While the numbers may be correct, the story is fiction. This was a news story at the time. Brooks and Joker, who was the recruiting coordinator at the time, were both interviewed about the recruiting budget. Both said they had the budget they wanted and needed. Both said if they felt like they needed more, they could get more. Mitch was also interviewed and said he put no restrictions on the football recruiting budget. The coaches asked for the amount in the budget and if they needed more he would have provided them with more. Those are facts. If you want to argue that Brooks and Joker didn't know how money they needed to recruit the areas they planned on recruiting, that is fine, but you can't blame the level of the recruiting budget on Mitch when he gave them what they asked for and was open to a higher spending level if they had wanted it.
You also talk about investing in football when it became evident that it was an emerging money cow. Explain exactly what you mean by investing in the program at time? What should Mitch have invested in during that time that he didn't?
LOL, at that time he should have done something, ANYTHING, for the "RR" (tired of typing it), you know, the one in use for about FIFTEEN years, about TWELVE after he took over, with NO improvements, the corner of a warehouse with the concrete floors, folding chairs and projection screen, etc etc. You know the one don't you, is there a fan that doesn't, the one that the coaches still had to use even with all the pictures of it out there. I even argued that at the time he got his huge raise (about $100,000??, in the middle of destroying football, as Lawyer correctly observed) and while Brooks was having sellouts all year while getting raises that averaged about 3% a year (PLUS giving part of it to Joker when he got offers in order to keep him) that he should have donated his old house furniture to the "RR", ANYTHING would have been a big improvement, lol.
Didn't both coaches work for him, and wasn't he and Joker "buddies", maybe that helped Joker get the job, no waves there.
If they were OK with it then he should have fired both of them (although Joker might have thought he might have to spend 60% of his time on the road instead of 50% doing most of the recruiting if they raised the budget), obviously the budget ONE THIRD of Thug U's that had every advantage in the world (not counting the "Orange Pride" and their recruiting trips, the not allowed $1200 ($1200??? Don't think anything came of that) plane tickets to fly the Houston prospect in, paying for the "recruiting service" that got Oregon in trouble (dropped immediately), free admission to the night club where the EIGHT thugs kicked TWO separate men into the hospital with NO problems, using public money to buy off the rape plaintiffs, never to be heard from again, how many $100 handshakes we don't know about? Probably not as many as hurtt passed out, the $5000 "loan" that was repaid by hurtt AFTER the check was found, and immediately replaced with $100 bills no doubt. Or was that to keep hurtt from having his power cut off, lol. AND that budget was 60% of basketball's budget for LESS than ONE SIXTH the players, it obviously wasn't getting the job done, if you didn't need over about $300,000 for 85 football players why in hell did you need over $500,000 for basketball with LESS than one sixth the players AND every other possible advantage in the world, what did their "recruiting room" and free living quarters palace have over football? Brooks (and Joker, IMO, not as a HC, but who would have won at UK when he took over, with TWO JC four stars against Florida that had about FIFTY four stars and ten FIVE stars on their roster, where the TWO DEEP starters (FORTY FOUR) averaged over a 5.9, while we STARTED more two stars than three stars, lol) both did great work at UK IMO, (not up to Sluggo's standards, of course) not sure if Saban would have done a lot better. But then of course he would have left in the middle of the season OR before the first game, kind of like he did at Miami and BP did at Atlanta in the Pros.
Would you please explain how it was humanly possible for the operating budget for football, a more expensive sport, more coaches, with EIGHTY FIVE RIDES vs basketball's thirteen, to be about the same as basketball's, about $11M for football and over $10M for basketball? Paying the full out of state tuition probably cost football about a million more (over $13,000 MORE per OOS scholarship a few years ago) than it does basketball. Or do the bb players all pay instate tuition, wouldn't be at all surprised, lol. What crucial games did our passed out drunk on the highway bb player miss, and what CRUCIAL BOWL GAME did the only QB that gave us a chance of winning miss, lol again. I think that alone cost Joker the support of THE WHOLE TEAM, not just the seniors, because he got credit for it although there is NO WAY IN HELL he put his millions on the line for playing a LEGAL AGE player that got drunk, (the shame of it all) with out it coming from his "buddy" up above. The legal age fifth year senior college student that took a taxi home instead of driving after drinking------unlike the bb player passed out drunk on the highway? Of course Cal had to have another special AD, smart man. And how about that kangaroo court, headed by jealous faculty (and they do have reason to be jealous, football has gotten stupid) that didn't want to LOAN the money to replace the TWO YEARS OVERDUE scoreboards when football has GIVEN them millions over the years-------AND overdid it by obligating the athletic department for over $60M of money above the cost that couldn't possibly be raised before. Right.
But thanks for confirming that my budget numbers ARE correct, contrary to my critics saying none of it is correct, while NEVER bothering to TRY (because they CAN'T) to contradict my numbers--------numbers from the SAME source, by the way, UK, if they are off they both should be off about the same. I have always respected your information, if not your alliances.
Oh, I don't know, how about firing Brown instead of keeping him on as the "Co-DC to save his buyout (about SIXTY times less than Stoops, lol), how about allowing Brooks to give part of his salary (Only $7M when he started, only $9M when he "gave up", average raise for EIGHT years LESS than 3%, what did mitch get in the middle of his football incompetence, at least five times that in one year), what about actually using the "recruiting room" for about FIFTEEN YEARS, (without even replacing the folding chairs? Of course Tee didn't use it, just lied to recruits), I still firmly believe that the $156,000 that would have made a relative palace of that corner of a warehouse that was spent on putting some pictures up on a wall somewhere was his way to tell those "microwave fans, (LOL) who was in charge, NOTHING for the laughing stock but $156,000 for that, wonder how many fans on here were all over him to do something about that bare space on that wall. Geez.
I think my long post is pretty accurate, and I have to wonder where all the "microwave fans" are that gave up season tickets in the family for generations in protest of primarily mitch, imo, of course they may not even read this board again let alone go to games, lol. Of course some are happy, they got even better seats even though they had season tickets for over thirty years, because about TWENTY THOUSAND, a lot with even longer longevity, gave their tickets up, now one of mitch's biggest fans while trying to get our coach that has brought in unbelievable talent for UK AND has improved the team AND staff every year run off But then he would have his favorite AD to pick his successor, that had Brooks come out of retirement to rescue him when no one else wanted to come to this dumpster fire facing PROBATION with his SUPPORT, the one that kept Tubby too long, IMO, that hired CBG on a scrap of paper without proper vetting, delayed Cal for two years (same stupid vetting as Billie, I guess), promoted Joker, sounded logical at the time, just doomed his "buddy" with more abysmal support, AND had Stoops come in with an excellent plan (Marrow and recruiting his home state nearest the SEC genius moves) that sold mitch on getting the job because he knew what kind of "microwave fans" we had.
More, but I am getting tired of wasting my time, not my way to give up without a fight though. OK, we are in a good place now, should mitch be given ANY credit for it when it HAD to be done (ask Lawyer) AND the money was flowing in from OTHER SEC teams supporting football. TV money indirectly, bowl games directly, selling CW down the road much more lucrative than it would have been without SEC football. For quite a time our football fans paid to see a LOT of super talent ON THE OTHER TEAM------and a few on UK's team.
Sorry for the diversion on Thug U, and some repeats, but I have wasted too much time already------and of course I will HAVE TO come back and contradict some of the other posts on here, probably lining up now, one I need to answer now, but no worry.
Wheeeeen will they ever learn, wheeeeen will they evvvveeeeer learn, speaking of those that want the thread to end, but keep posting on here trying to defend the indefensible, lol.