My analysis of Mike Leach and Texas Tech a week ago proved correct. Even when it appeared a pre-emptive strike under the Gerald Myers Doctrine on Leach was imminent - like Israel on the Egyptian air force in '67 - I was pretty sure adults were going to step in and salvage the deal.
The mechanics of striking the deal were fairly simple: Tech Chancellor Kent Hance told Myers to hit the skids, invited Leach in for a three hour heart-to-heart, and Leach agreed to leave IMG in the freezer. You can all but picture Hance sighing, rubbing his eyes, and telling Myers that the adults need to talk now while flicking Myers a dry cleaning claim stub and his grocery list. See you in three, Gerald.
Send in the clown
Texas Tech AD Gerald Myers comes out badly in all of this. Which isn't surprising given that this is a man delusional enough to believe that he could rein in Bobby Knight. He's a cautionary tale as to why you don't give over the reins of a complex business enterprise to an education major. He hectored Leach publically in the media, released statements that looked like they were penned by a 5th grader aping what they think grown-ups write like, and generally came off as a small-time hack who was well out his depth; masking personal and institutional insecurity with bravado and lines in the sand.
It's believed that a buyout no longer exists on Leach. Details aren't available on the other three sticking points, but I'm wagering that they're victories for Leach in sum. We'll know soon enough.
The short term crisis has been averted, but this isn't the last of this. Leach and Tech are still married, but a greater understanding by each party of their shared incapacity to upgrade means that both will be working to raise their profile for potential new partners down the road.
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See Seth and the crew at Double T Nation for more analysis. We expect dedfischer at Tortilla Retort to opine as soon as he returns from his helicopter hog hunting expedition.