Revenue Sports Rankings-Illinois Poor

The folks at rivals.com have done a fascinating study of how the revenue sports of football & men's basketball have fared at NCAA schools. You can read it here along with the factors used to rank the programs.

Unsurprisingly, since 1998 (beginning of BCS) Illinois has been so bad that it doesn't even sniff the "others considered" category. This is due, of course, to football being so bad under the Football Guy. What is even sadder is that Ron Guenther has been on the job since 1992!!

Illinois did make the "since 1974" category, mostly thanks to our hero, Neale Stoner. However, most of that is due to men's basketball, not football. And now men's basketball is in decline due to Guenther hiring a "loyal" guy instead of someone who can recruit well.

The Hypocrisy of Ron Guenther

Ok, Ron is 62 now. If he agrees to the proposed extension of his contract with Illinois, he will be 65 at the end of 2010 when the contract expires. Yet Ron had no hesitation shoving Lou Henson, Jim Turpin or Jim Shepard out the door for being too old. What a joke!

Starting a Fund to Fire Ron Guenther

Hey if this guy can start a fund to fire Bruce Weber, WHY NOT ILLINOIS!!!!

So it is ok to scalp tickets if the money goes to the DIA???? Unbelievable. Meanwhile, with the worst basketball season in years, Loren Tate says fans should just accept it. Double Unbelievable!

RON GUENTHER STAYING THROUGH 2010

Sadly my fellow members of the Illini Nation, that is not a misprint. Was it not back in December that the News-Gazoo reported that the Football Guy would stay through the end of 2008 and groom his successor? What changed? The lousy men's basketball program that Guenther allowed to go to pieces under the mid-major LOYAL coach he hired? And of course, leave it to friendly East Central Illinois scribe Loren Tate to praise the move. Hey Loren, why is it that you treat Ron Guenther with kid gloves but waited until the very end to hammer my friend Neale Stoner? Shame on you!

This is just awful news on many fronts. First, it means that Bruce "Mid Major" Weber is as safe as kittens, despite taking a team to the NCAA title game and turning it into crap in just four years. Second, expect the Football Guy to renew the contract with WIND and its lame signal in Chicagoland. Third, more lousy marketing. Fourth, he'll probably renew that dumb football game in St. Louis with Missouri. I could go on and on.

But one bright spot-this blog will still be here to make everyone aware of how bad an Athletic Director Ron Guenther is for Illinois. As Warren Carter would say: "Board of Trustees-YOU IDIOTS!!!!"

Ron Turner + Lou Tepper=Bruce Weber???

Well our mid-major coach had a BCS-sized locker room tirade after losing @Purdue. BOILER UP! TOOT TOOT!!! Just watching this guy, he is just like Ron Turner as neither was good at recruiting. He is just like Lou Tepper because neither could coach offense (although Weber looked good when he had NBA talent).

Weber's winning percentage is .600 when he is coaching guys who didn't play for Bill Self. Come on Guenther, pull the plug on this clown!

Guenther Publicly Defends Weber

Wow, if Coach Guenther is standing up for Bruce despite the lousy won-loss record and equally disturbing off-court behavior, then the big donors must be telling the Football Guy that they are not happy. Gee, I thought only the internet nut jobs wanted Weber fired for taking a team from the National Championship game to garbage in just 4 years?

Ron, you won't be giving Bruce a contract extension because you are retiring, thankfully. The next AD will have to clean up this mess you created by hiring a mid-major coach.

WANTED: Wealthy UI Donor Who Hates Coach Guenther

Please condition your next donation to UI on whether or not the school terminates Coach Guenther. That is what this guy did at Washington. Sounds good to me!!!

DIA Honors 1998 Big Ten Champs, Screws Up Anyhow

So the DIA honored the 1998 Big Ten Champion Men's Basketball team today. Apparently no mention was made of the late Matt Heldman. Um, hello DIA? You can't even bother to mention the point guard from that team? The guy who has a scholarship named after him, thanks to Orange Krush? Un freaking believable!

Oh, and Illinois lost at home to freaking Penn State. Penn State has won their last two games at Assembly Hall. Great job, Bruce Weber & Ron Guenther!


RON GUENTHER, RESIGN NOW!

Men's Basketball Is Awful

Hey at least our mid-major coach didn't throw the team under the bus on the postgame show. But he did call Gene Keady for advice! Purdue West! BOILER UP! TOOT TOOT!

Post-Mortem on the Rose Bowl

The game sucked, but Coach Zook and the program deserve a big round of applause from Illini Nation. The challenge now is to build on this for 2008 and beyond. Hey Ron, make sure you schedule a cupcake for September 20!

Oh, and next time, make sure the pregame party doesn't suck. $75 for lousy food, long bathroom lines and you run out of beer? *BOGGLE*