stop the the schedule bitch***

[slufanskip]

My main thing is I want to see the team win and make the tournament on a regular basis. Who we play is second to me. I have been going to the games since I was five and have seem enough mediocre teams in my lifetime. If this is how a coach that has more success than any Billiken coach in my lifetime thinks he needs to schedule this year............I am not going to ***** about it. I am going to give him a break on the schedule.

You get better by playing better competition, RM said it would take a few years, so lets play someone and let the chips fall where they may.

UMSL? The Slaten kid started for them, can it get worse?

[GOSLU68]

Member's Only jacket with your Izod shirt collar turned up is cool. I don't know what the HELL you're smok***!

Furthermore, I would never play Augusta they don't allow Women to be members of the club. Also I think they KILL gophers and other rodents that dig on their course. The fertilizer also goes into the ground water and gives kids cancer. How could anyone support those sexist murdering child poisoners?

I'm not a season tix holder but I think that expectations are playing the biggest role in this let down. You know it's like you are really praying for the Dream Ticket and what do you end up with? A crusty white guy with hair plugs. That's a let down. People were expecting some marque games maybe make a cool sign and wear a shiny blue wig get on ESPN2 now we won't even be on the CW with this sched. As the Dude said, "It's a bummer man."

RM and his recruits haven't won one game for us yet this season and if they win the first couple in the new arena they will be against local teams of

lesser talent-how can he get ahead of this curve without some time elapse?

[brianstl]

You get better by playing better competition, RM said it would take a few years, so lets play someone and let the chips fall where they may.

UMSL? The Slaten kid started for them, can it get worse?

While we are on the topic of Slaten

http://www.riverfronttimes.com/2008-08-27/...off-his-chest/1

[kevinfootes]

by far the post of the day, maybe the month

That post actually makes little sense. It's up to the AD and coach to set up a schedule that not only gives the team an opportunity to win, but also helps sell a few tickets. I don't think anyone wants or expects Kentucky, UCLA, Florida, etc. to come to St. Louis every year. However, I DO think it's helpful to really challenge your team once or twice in non-conference schedule. Doing at at home isn't bad either. Heck, Grawer was able to get hame and homes with Purdue and Georgia Tech when he was here and SLU was in much worse shape.

I agree with some of the others on here that you should at least try to schedule regional teams if you're bringing in patsies.

[kevinfootes]

While we are on the topic of Slaten

http://www.riverfronttimes.com/2008-08-27/...off-his-chest/1

I have to chuckle about Slaten beign born again. What would Jesus do? Call Tony LaRussa a long-haried freak!

[Pistol]

I have to chuckle about Slaten beign born again. What would Jesus do? Call Tony LaRussa a long-haried freak!

What an amazing combination- Kevin Slaten and born-again evangelical. All the pieces are in place for the world's most annoying human being.

[Box and Won]

What an amazing combination- Kevin Slaten and born-again evangelical.

And living in St. Charles. This may be the signal of a pending apocalypse.

[3star_recruit]

All of you guys are missing the most prescient point about our schedule. Chris May and the bean counters at SLU know that there is going to be at least a one year honeymoon as far as attendance is concerned with the new building.

Then they're as deluded as the Mizzou administrators were regarding attendance in their new building.

[Box and Won]

Then they're as deluded as the Mizzou administrators were regarding attendance in their new building.

Especially with regards to student attendance.

[Pistol]

And living in St. Charles. This may be the signal of a pending apocalypse.

Haha, I forgot about that part. His quote about moving there is great, too- Chesterfield was getting "too snobby" for him. He's just so down-to-earth. What better way to combat those Chesterfield snobs than to move to a slightly less snobby area across the river? "Move to St. Charles: Our McMansions and balloon frame houses are a little less expensive than Chesterfield's McMansions and balloon frame houses." And the megachurches have a few more square feet, as well.

For as much as he stresses details, the man lacks a certain degree of self-awareness. And as fair as I thought the article was, they were pretty easy on him about his single dad image. Perhaps they didn't have anyone in attendance at any of Troy's high school games, where Kevin would routinely be ejected from the gym for screaming at the refs from the middle of the front row. Never have I been more embarrassed for a high school athlete than I was for Troy the few times I saw him play.

[davidnark]

From a top 50 program's perspective, why would you want to play SLU? I see know upside for these schools. We are not an RPI booster. The benefit of a win to these programs is nominal, but the downside of a loss is significant. Plus, even a bad Billiken's team will be dangerous in a medium-sized on-campus arena with Majerus as coach. (Dayton is in the same boat. Does anyone remember Romar complaining ten years ago about having to play Dayton for these exact reasons.)

Until we improve as a program, the only means to improve the schedule will be by scheduling home-and-home series with other quality mid-majors from the Valley and Horizon or by getting a spot in the various holiday tournaments. If we ever achieve the level of success of a Xavier or Gonzaga, these problems will resolve themselves, but we are still a long way from there.

[billiken_roy]

From a top 50 program's perspective, why would you want to play SLU? I see know upside for these schools. We are not an RPI booster. The benefit of a win to these programs is nominal, but the downside of a loss is significant. Plus, even a bad Billiken's team will be dangerous in a medium-sized on-campus arena with Majerus as coach. (Dayton is in the same boat. Does anyone remember Romar complaining ten years ago about having to play Dayton for these exact reasons.)

Until we improve as a program, the only means to improve the schedule will be by scheduling home-and-home series with other quality mid-majors from the Valley and Horizon or by getting a spot in the various holiday tournaments. If we ever achieve the level of success of a Xavier or Gonzaga, these problems will resolve themselves, but we are still a long way from there.

so why did ucla, arizona, iowa, iowa state, gonzaga, mi$$ouri, illinois, etc play us in the past then? what's changed. it appears to me we are basically the same program as we were in the past.

also for the 4th time and you said it yourself david above, i think the bigger problem is the 6 buy games instead of scheduling a couple or three new home and away with the 75-150 rpi like teams that somewhat mirror the billikens. we were doing that, and now we have taken a step backwards with these rpi disaster in waiting games with zero explanation.

[3star_recruit]

Until we improve as a program, the only means to improve the schedule will be by scheduling home-and-home series with other quality mid-majors from the Valley and Horizon or by getting a spot in the various holiday tournaments.

We were ALREADY scheduling home-and-home series with other quality mid-majors AND playing good BCS teams. It's not an either/or proposition.

[brianstl]

so why did ucla, arizona, iowa, iowa state, gonzaga, mi$$ouri, illinois, etc play us in the past then? what's changed. it appears to me we are basically the same program as we were in the past.

also for the 4th time and you said it yourself david above, i think the bigger problem is the 6 buy games instead of scheduling a couple or three new home and away with the 75-150 rpi like teams that somewhat mirror the billikens. we were doing that, and now we have taken a step backwards with these rpi disaster in waiting games with zero explanation.

Roy there are 30 teams in that range and I don't think the Billikens are number one on their list when it comes to scheduling. I understand the buy games because they give the program a chance to put better programs on the schedule next year if they get a chance.

[brianstl]

We were ALREADY scheduling home-and-home series with other quality mid-majors AND playing good BCS teams. It's not an either/or proposition.

That has worked out pretty well for us in the past.............. all the conference title and NCAA touney banners prove it.

[3star_recruit]

That has worked out pretty well for us in the past.............. all the conference title and NCAA touney banners prove it.

No, it only worked for the programs we're trying to emulate.

[davidnark]

so why did ucla, arizona, iowa, iowa state, gonzaga, mi$$ouri, illinois, etc play us in the past then? what's changed. it appears to me we are basically the same program as we were in the past.

There are several key differences. First, Illinois and MU (in one case) played us in the dome, not in our home court. (I would guess we could still get some BCS home-and-homes if our "home" game wasn't really at home.) At least half of those teams committed to play us when we were in C-USA and still had NCAA appearances in recent memory. We also got luck in a few instances with Roy Williams promised big games in St. Louis for certain players. And, most importantly, there is a big difference between committing to play a game in a typically half-empty NBA-sized arena against a team coached by Brad Soderberg and playing in a 10,500 seat on-campus arena against a team coached by Rick Majerus.

I think the schedule is somewhat disappointing. However, I don't think it is that much worse than it was last season. I also believe we are going to have a tough time getting BCS teams to agree to play at Chaifetz until we put our name back on the map. What concerns me most about the schedule is that we play 5 of the toughest non-conference games right off the bat; I would have liked to see the degree of difficulty ramp up a little slower with a young team.

[cheeseman]

Most scheduling isn't done as far out in advance as you say. There are the home-and-home contracts that could lock you in a year or two ahead and early-season tournaments that require more advance notice, but most non-conference scheduling is done between March and August for the coming year. That's why you see websites like the one that is essentially a classified ad for teams looking for games (can't remember the name of it, but it's been posted here before). The process involves a lot of phone work by the coaches and a few others in the AD. There are years like Brad's second season (2003-2004) that are mostly set ahead of time, and that one was mostly because of long-term contracts and home-and-home contracts; the non-conference schedules in 2002-2003 and 2003-2004 were very similar. It's not like that every year, though, and most of our games this year are one-year deals.

In May's case, I don't think he had a hand in any of this scheduling. I'm guessing this was mostly the work of Majerus and his staff, and it is reflective of comments he made several months ago that he wasn't going to load this year's schedule with big-time opponents.

You just proved the point about advance scheduling. Home and Home series - that is what people want who are complaining - are done well in advance of the season not the summer before. The games people are complaining about are the buy games that are lined up during the summer/spring. We can get all those we want if we will play away and not expect a home game in exchange. I am not defending the schedule just pointing out that it is not that easy to schedule and upgrade it at the same time. I am not saying it is not possible but just not simple.

[TEE]

All these great home and homes, which we all like and enjoy, usually have ESPN/ABC/CBS/FSN as part of the deal these days.

I know Rickma has his connections at ESPN, but with the lack of NCAA appearences, etc.. SLU just isn't a great draw these

days outside of the conference schedule.

Rick/Chris May: "Hey Lew Perkins/Bill Self, how about we set up a home and home

between the Billikens and Jayhawks?"

Lew/Bill: "Well guys, we'll do a home and home at the Scottrade, we won't play you at your new arena, not enough seats for our fans,

but really we would like you to come to Allen Fieldhouse and play us this year, we'll offer you cash. Folks we just won the

NCAA Tournament, we'll play you on our terms, when is the last time you played in the tournament?"

Rick/Chris: "Have a nice day!"

[moytoy12]

All these great home and homes, which we all like and enjoy, usually have ESPN/ABC/CBS/FSN as part of the deal these days.

I know Rickma has his connections at ESPN, but with the lack of NCAA appearences, etc.. SLU just isn't a great draw these

days outside of the conference schedule.

Rick/Chris May: "Hey Lew Perkins/Bill Self, how about we set up a home and home

between the Billikens and Jayhawks?"

Lew/Bill: "Well guys, we'll do a home and home at the Scottrade, we won't play you at your new arena, not enough seats for our fans,

but really we would like you to come to Allen Fieldhouse and play us this year, we'll offer you cash. Folks we just won the

NCAA Tournament, we'll play you on our terms, when is the last time you played in the tournament?"

Rick/Chris: "Have a nice day!"

Good to see you're paying attention to what most people are saying.

[billiken_roy]

Roy there are 30 teams in that range and I don't think the Billikens are number one on their list when it comes to scheduling. I understand the buy games because they give the program a chance to put better programs on the schedule next year if they get a chance.

i am currently rereading "my life on a napkin" as we speak. all i know is you cant go two pages without rickma name dropping about his contacts and friends and what they would do for each other. if he were to call in two or three favors a year, we could schedule max for the next 100 years.

[brianstl]

i am currently rereading "my life on a napkin" as we speak. all i know is you cant go two pages without rickma name dropping about his contacts and friends and what they would do for each other. if he were to call in two or three favors a year, we could schedule max for the next 100 years.

If the schedule sucks like this in a couple years then I undstand the complaints. I just don't get them this year.

[billiken_roy]

If the schedule sucks like this in a couple years then I undstand the complaints. I just don't get them this year.

brian, help me understand your position. you think the schedule sucks because rickma did so to ease the freshmen into division one basketball or because we just arent good enough to schedule better?

i would agree to a point with the first. i refuse to believe the second. the program has been more distressed in previous years and we still out scheduled this season schedule.

and if it is the freshmen ease, again, i just dont see why we had to have 6 buy games with teams from the nether regions instead of a couple/three fellow 75-150 rpi programs or at least substitute the buy opponents for more regional buy teams.

[Box and Won]

i am currently rereading "my life on a napkin" as we speak. all i know is you cant go two pages without rickma name dropping about his contacts and friends and what they would do for each other. if he were to call in two or three favors a year, we could schedule max for the next 100 years.

He could probably get us a game with the Golden State Warriors.

[brianstl]

brian, help me understand your position. you think the schedule sucks because rickma did so to ease the freshmen into division one basketball or because we just arent good enough to schedule better?

i would agree to a point with the first. i refuse to believe the second. the program has been more distressed in previous years and we still out scheduled this season schedule.

and if it is the freshmen ease, again, i just dont see why we had to have 6 buy games with teams from the nether regions instead of a couple/three fellow 75-150 rpi programs or at least substitute the buy opponents for more regional buy teams.

I think it is a combination of things. I think easing in the freshman is a part of it. I think getting some teams to come here for a home and home is part of it too. I don't think some of Rick's buddies will play us at Chaifetz until a loss won't hurt them as much as one this year could potentailly. SLU needed to have a certain number of home games this year and that put them in a bind. I think this schedule was hurt a lot by the late start Rickma got in scheduling last year. The reason MSU is not on the schedule is because they needed a certain amount of home games this year just like us. We could have played MSU if we would have went to Springfield, but I don't think that would have been a good idea after playing there last year.

I would rather play UMKC and SEMO, but I am not going to assume that we didn't try to schedule them. It may have been that the dates were not able to match up.