courtside

Youtube TV announced today a whopping $15 a month price increase. They are adding a few channels that had been in the works a while. The amount of the increase, after multiple recent increases, especially considering everything that is going on these days, seems a bit out of touch. $64.99 new price beginning this summer.All things considered it is still better than many alternatives. But they will lose some customers over this.

Add me to the YouTube TV converts last year. Our only regret was not doing it sooner. (We previously had all of the other carriers.) Being able to have six accounts on one subscription was a big sell factor for us. Reasonably priced internet helped as well. And finally, $50 monthly cost spread out. With YouTube TV we lost NFL Network (not a big deal to us as we only watch games not talk or shows) and Pac 12 Network (which we liked and watched a lot on Dish, but there is an app for Pac 12 Network) Most others are included or have been recently added. Price went from $35 to $40 to now $50 per month. You will still have to monitor price buy much more casually than before at least for now. Obviously DirecTV offered more sports channels and more sports packages than Dish, but if you are coming from Dish, those won't be an issue with YTTV. Prior to the Pandemic customer service was good, swift. Less availability temporarily, but it is rarely needed. Dish has been moving away from the sports model for a long time. They are moving toward the cell phone industry. The old days are over. There was zero chance my family would have gone long without Fox Sport Midwest. In the old days there would be a dispute and threats of blackouts that didn't happen. Eventually that became shorter period blackouts, then longer ones, then no resolution for years. For us, YouTube TV is by far the closest thing to Satellite or Cable. Charter was non-competitive when we talked with them. And one of our accounts was unable to get DirecTV (which we have had as well) So comparing streaming options, it was pretty quick and easy to pick YouTube TV. It gets most channels as before, including a lot or sports channels, and you can add premium channels or drop any time. You also don't have to be concerned about the satellite going out. It's also convenient to add/drop/watch other apps. The past couple of years has been the first time in I can't tell you how many years that I don't have to closely monitor the TV stuff monthly or weekly. I needed the break from that where it can be a bit more casual for a while.

Yep. That's correct 9.9 and 14. The entire SEC is women's only soccer with the exceptions of Kentucky and South Carolina. Pac 12 has far more women's soccer teams than men. Budgets? Baseball has 11.7 scholarships per team. For many years coaches have lobbied for a 3rd paid full time assistant but it keeps getting rejected. The latest version included an additional softball assistant, but it didn't pass. Many schools have several more women's only sports to offset football scholarship numbers. With non-football schools, budgets are spread around more evenly.

Title IX requires gender equality in scholarships but not spending and budgets. For example, at some schools, football has become more than 60% of total athletic budget. Football coach pay can take up 75% of a school's total athletics coaching budget. There has been a growing trend the past ten years of many Power 5 schools using some of that big donor money, tv money etc...to increase coach pay and budgets for some of its non-revenue sports teams.

I didn't want to post this in the recruiting thread. There was a discussion about Power 5 vs Big East vs other leagues. One way to see and show how it works is taking a look at non-revenue sports. Let's take women's basketball for example. Nancy Fahey coached women's hoops at D-3 Wash U. for 31 years before becoming the head coach at Illinois. (Power 5) Her deal is six years, $3.3 million not including other perks. She recently received a two year extension this Spring. Let's take that a step further. Fahey recently hired two new assistant coaches to shake up her slow start at Illinois. Both assistants came from Marquette U, (not Power 5) Scott Merritt and Vernette Skeete, both six year assistants at Marquette under both Carolyn Kieger and Megan Duffy. They had a lot of success in the Big East and NCAA's. Speaking of Carolyn Kieger, she was one of the all time great Marquette players who was a young rising coaching star. After being an assistant at U of Miami, she landed her deam job, her alma mater. After having success for a number of years, Penn St. (Power 5) came calling and offered her their head coaching position. The previous Penn St. coach Coquese Washington was making $1 million (including perks) at Penn St. Kieger had replaced a long time higher salaried coach at Marquette. Her salary at best was no more than $300k at Marquette. Assistant coaches at previously mentioned Illinois were making more money than that. It wasn't even a second thought, Kieger left for Penn St. and she had everyone's blessing. Coquese Washington landed at Oklahoma (Power 5) as an assistant and now her alma mater Notre Dame as an assistant under St. Louisan (Power 5) Niele Ivey. When Shimmy Gray left SLU she made $165k as an assistant at Nebraska before moving on to Florida, Texas Tech, and Clemson. The BIg East is doing well and it has more money than many other leagues, but it still doesn't have Power 5 money. However, it is more competitive in men's basketball with Power 5 schools with regards to budgets and salaries compared to many other leagues. And of course, it has had high level on court success with a variety of teams. You will find a Chris Mack leaving for Louisville (his wife is from there) or Chris Holtmann leaving for Ohio St. once in a while) It's never going to have football money. For a school like SLU, it is the best attainable conference in a variety of ways for a variety of reasons including money.

Very, very sad. Justin was top class on and off the floor.

SLU commit Sophia Stram named 2020 Kansas Gatorade Player of the Year. https://amp.kansascity.com/sports/high-school/article243677537.html?__twitter_impression=true

Speaking of assistant coaches, Blake Ahearn named assistant coach with the Memphis Grizzlies.

https://www.stltoday.com/sports/college/slu/slu-soccer-caps-recruiting-class-with-emerging-liberian-star/article_cf555bb4-7dc0-5df8-b9b2-0ec749b6f7d8.amp.html?utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter&utm_campaign=user-share&__twitter_impression=true

Multiple outlets reporting including the Green Bay Press Gazette that Will Ryan, son of former Wisconsin head coach Bo Ryan will be named next head coach at Green Bay (UWGB). He was chosen over three other finalists, which included former SLU head coach, and current Virginia assistant Brad Soderberg. https://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/story/sports/2020/06/06/uwgb-name-ryan-its-new-mens-basketball-coach/3158834001/

Some activity in Springfield, MO......2021 guard Isaac Haney, two time Missouri Class 1 Player of the Year at Dora, and Missouri St. Commit, is transferring to Kickapoo, which already has Mizzou commit Anton Brookshire. Greenwood (Boo Williams) has 2021 uncommitted 5 star guard/wing Aminu Mohammed who is wide open with a long list of high major suitors. He is targeting a possible November commitment somewhere. Both schools will be playing in Tourney of Champions next season.

6'3 combo guard Jalen Carey transferred from Syracuse to Rhode Island today. He had a thumb injury this past year and is expected to apply for a waiver to play immediately the next three years. He was originally a top 10 rated combo guard in his class out of Harlem. Chose Syracuse over UConn. As a transfer, he chose Rhode Island over Alabama. (Also received interest from four Big East schools.

SLU's Brian Kunderman has been digging up some old SLU soccer clips the past few months, including this gem some may enjoy of John D and Vedad from 2003: https://twitter.com/BKunderman/status/1265815703799631878?s=19

Keshon Gilbert, 2021 point guard out of Las Vegas, (Durango) a UNLV commit, said he is transferring to Vashon for next season. He was born in St. Louis, lived in Peoria until high school before moving to Las Vegas. Runs with Las Vegas Knicks.

35 year old Vedad Ibisevic continues to keep doing Vedad things. Another goal and assist for Hertha BSC today after the same last week. The former Billiken All American, and NCAA National Freshman of the year, is the only player in the German Bundesliga to score a goal in each calendar year from 2006-2020.