Bill Byrne: I've Been Turned Down More Times Than A Bed Sheet

No offense, but I wish we would just stop talking about those Aggies. They’re irrelevant, let’s please move on. Let’s talk about our new Big 12 members instead.

hahahaha.
I wouldn’t mind if A&M forged a new identity and had success in the SEC. But that doesn’t mean I won’t laugh at their misfortune.

OMG, it just gets better and better!

I damn sure would mind, Nickel Rover. I wish them untold misery for eternity. And I’m going to get my wish for the foreseeable near-term future.

Via MySA

"We knew we were going to need one game by joining the (Southeastern Conference), because the Big 12 plays nine conference games, and the SEC will play eight conference games," Byrne wrote. "We made an assumption that our friends from the state capital (Texas) would want to play us, but as that became clear it was a non-starter for them, we found ourselves needing two games."

I love Bill. Seems like we made it pretty clear we aren’t his friends.

This is all Mack Brown’s fault! Did I mention that he only has 2 conference championships? The guy SUX!

Interesting. They want to remodel the stadium, but can’t afford the drop in ticket revenue and increased costs if they move to Reliant Stadium.

My question on doing it in phases is would they have to reduce seating during the rennovation period?

I know that with the rebuild at TCU the new upper deck on the west side was not opened up and during the season the crowds literally would walk through marked off areas of the construction project.

Primary reason why you never saw a crowd over 40K this year in Fort Worth. Big difference is we had the money for our rennovation project and aren’t running in the red where the drop in ticket revenue would be a big issue for TCU.

My question on doing it in phases is would they have to reduce seating during the renovation period?

Yes.

Is that standard operating procedure to play a game nearly two hours away from your home field while it is being renovated? Why was Texas able to do this without moving all of the home games for one season? Or anyone else for that matter.

That administration is one giant abortion. They cannot do anything right. This SEC move is going to kill them financially.

They could always play in Memorial-DKR during our away games.

I was thinking Sam Houston or A&M Consolidated has a fairly nice field. Saw a play-off game there a couple of years ago.

There is no way I am going to “put the aggies behind.” From Day 1 I thought the move to the SEC was a monumental act of stupidity and I’m going to enjoy every bit of this slow speed train wreck.

The scheduling this year is a bitch, next year they will have construction move them from their stadium, the year after will be about dealing with construction delays and cost overruns. By the 2015 season, the majic of the move will be wearing off. If the new stadium isn’t something special, the ags are going to be even bigger laughingstoicks. The only thing that would make this better is if we make a strong run at a MNC.

I can’t wait to see this unravel.

Bill: Stop calling DeLoss.

It’ll reduce your blood pressure.

And your phone bill!!!

Here is a bit of trivia - the first win ever by a&m was in 1894 and came against Galveston Ball High School. Maybe they bring that tradition back and return to playing high school teams.

Big Al,

Ball was a much, much stronger program prior to the hurricaine.

The ags used to annoy the shit out of me. Now they amuse the shit out of me. I love this move.

agricultural is like the comedy speed relief of college athletics. I was a little annoyed that we would lose the entertainment value of them just being aggy by their move to the confederacy. I was wrong…we’ll still be able to enjoy the gift that keeps on giving.

“They could always play in Memorial-DKR during our away games.”

We’d even broadcast it on the LHN and not charge them for the courtesy!

Now we are their friends? Right.

By the way, I read a couple of threads about this on Texags last night, needless to say, it was hilarious. One enterprising fellow wanted to know if they were going to bus the students to Houston for the game. Not one person mentioned the lack of money.

They did manage to mention that DKR wasn’t particularly nice. HaHaHaHa!

Truly the gift that keeps giving and giving, but no worries, the 12th man will solve it at their next meeting.

Why do we keep talking about these tards. I know, like the jelly of the month club, the Ags are the gift that keeps on giving, but enough.

We made an assumption that our friends from the state capital (Texas) would want to play us, but as that became clear it was a non-starter for them, we found ourselves needing two games.

Y’all don’t think Byrne honesty believed that, do you?

He’s just playing to his base like a politician who doesn’t have much else to run on, so the default is to reference the great evil of his base.

Why wasn’t all this crap discussed months ago when these bastards were trying to force the Big 12 to crumble while planning their exit strategy?

Seriously, how the frack can any of their fan base trust the decisions these dimwitted morons continue to make?

Season completed at end of November, it’s almost February, and they’re still trying to figure this out?

YEAH…the Dixie Chicken Brain Trust has really thought everything through…clearly this is a program on the rise that will challenge for conference and national championships immediately…

Great post, SRR. Some thoughts-

1. I’ve posted about the Ags’ finances before- the interest free (and only 33% paid back) loan from the university, the Big 12 fee, paying some of the lowest coaching salaries in the Big 12 (and now the SEC), the need to renovate, etc. Here’s the deal, though. Their financial problems are all short term. In 3 years, the SEC broadcast income should have them in good shape. Now, they would be in similarly good shape if they stayed in the Big 12, with its new contracts, but the Ags aren’t going to have cash flow problems forever.
2. Of those financial issues, remember that very few people care about their “loan” from the school’s general fund. Basically, only dart-throwing rivals (i.e. “us”) care. The Ags could decide not to repay it, or even make a new one, and all they would have to weather is some carping in the legislature from the McClennan County representative. The Governor is supposed to care about fiscal responsibility, but this governor…not here and not now.
3. The Ags can raise money just as effectively as Texas. When they have something to sell to their fans, they can raise more. 20 years ago, nobody would have argued the counterpoint. They can get that stadium funded.
4. Kyle Field needs a major redo. The Ags have made short term decisions on prior additions, foregoing any kind of master vision for the stadium, and it shows. A stadium consists of the structure, the power and plumbing infrastructure, the amenities, and the avenues for access and egress. Kyle Field is a mess on all facets, plagued by events where people can’t get to their seats, can’t use the bathrooms, and suffer a weird smell at times…basically like the Cotton Bowl in 1999. The Ags have an opportunity to do this right. In my opinion, that means a clean sheet, a willingness to tear down whatever needs to be torn down, and a desire to really produce a stadium for the next century. If they do it right, they’ll have a better stadium than DKR-TMS (it will cost a lot more to achieve this than it took to get DKR-TMS to where it is currently). Doing it right may mean moving for 2 years to Reliant, or it may mean 4 - 5 seasons of piecemeal additions with a reduced capacity for those years, or it may mean building a new stadium at a different campus site. To me, all of those options would be superior to scabbing on some suites, patching the powerplant, and bribing the county inspectors to look the other way (i.e. business as usual).
3. The Ags are supposedly entering final negotiations over the Big 12 exit fee. Why in the world are they advertising to everybody that they expect to have a lot of funds raised soon?

Oops. That last point should be #5.

One more thing- the idea of building a new stadium at a new site should receive serious consideration, if a good on-campus site can be found. There is nothing sacred about that site. In teh late ’60s, UT considered a new stadium built at Balcones. That would have been a bad idea because it would have been so far from campus. There was no other on-campus location that would work. Texas had to stick with TMS at its current site, and has done a pretty good job with it.

I believe the correct phrase is “been turned down more times than a WHORE’S bed sheet.”

Fong: +2

Taylor: Speaking of the governor, could you imagine a better example of the exact value of an aggie education?

TaylorT, I saw a video from a guy who is running the new stadium/renovation. All options are on the table. My personal preference would be a new stadium near the BBall one. But the must have said the phrase hallowed ground about 20 times, so in the end i’m sure we’ll end up with a new stadium on the same site. There is plenty of land on the west campus to put a new stadium as it is not landlocked like the 40 acres. As far as the exit fees, Nebraska set the bar and it doesn’t really matter if you talk about it or not. We’re not going to pay anymore than they did.

Taylor-

All the advantages you say the ags have now have been at their disposal for decades, yet their decision making has put them in their current predicament. The problem with the ags is not the lack of available options, rather it is their decision making process.

The momentum they currently enjoy due their carefully thought out and well planned decision to change conferences will fade within 5 years unless the have substantial success in football. There is so long the faithful will throw hundreds of millions of dollars at bad decisions without seeing and return on their investments.

The possibility of their AAU accreditation being pulled is real. After just 10 years, that would be a sizable embarrassment. The added travel may or may not affect football recruiting, but it will affect other sports, those being the only sports the ags have seen success in. The argument they will be a recruiting powerhouse and therefore I force to be reconed with on the national football scene is specious.

While their finances may or may not rival those of Texas within 5 years, the ags have sizable hurdles to surmount and face a lot of issues that could reflect unfavorably on their school. The move to the SEC wasn’t about money, it was about prestiege. I don’t see their football recruiting changing much, their traditions will be in turmoil but the construction, the fan base has been promised a lot, they risk backsliding on the progress they have made, they have a small margin of error and a horrible decision making track record. Its going to be fun to watch to see how they manage this.

“we’re not going to pay anymore than they did”

Don’t spend those extra dollars from that low ball settlement yet.

Move to a new conference, coaching changes, major stadium reconstruction, athletic department financial issues, alumni satisfaction questions, poor recruiting.

Has any university faced this plethora of problems in the past fifteen years?

What could possibly be the answer to all these questions?

Only one thing.

Winning.

Can A&M do that?

I say no.

Kilgore, I agree that a new stadium at a new location offers the best chance for a first class stadium at a good price with no impact on games during construction.

As for the Big 12 exit fees, here’s how I see it going-

Big 12 asks for $28 million.
TAMU offers $9 million (the NU fee).
Big 12 points out that it is holding $16 million from networks earmarked for TAMU, and says it will keep it, and sue for the rest.
TAMU sues for all of their money.
Court battle potentially lasts as long as the US Navy/GD-MacDonnell Douglas A-12 suit (20 years and counting).
No Big 12 teams schedule TAMU for as long as legal battle continues.

Now that is has been revealed that tAMU actually tried to destroy the Big 12 and Misery was so selfish, maybe it is time now to turn the tables on them?

Aggots suffer from a severe case of inferiority complex. Really no reason for that other than the massive brainwashing that one undergoes when they matriculate at the school in College Station.
Upon being accepted at A&M, incoming freshmen are immediately told that the reason they are retarded, their girl friends are ugly, and their breath stinks is that it is caused by The University of Texas. They are told that beating UT in some sort of a game is worth 10 victories and will insure that they will get a high paying job once they get their sheep—er—. that’s sheepskin.

The best way to get rid of that inferiority complex is to leave a play pen where you are like anywhere from the second to 5th dog and go to a play pen where you are the 10th to the 14th dog. There will be nothing inferior about your complex, you will definitely know you are a loser.

Snide -

We don’t need to to anything to the ags to try to increase their misery. They will self inflict enough grief that anything heaped upon them from outside will seem mean spirited.

The ags have for so long sought to be just what Texas wasn’t that they have perfected it. We became the most financially successful program in the game, they have allowed their finances to become a shambles. We created a string of 10 win seasons, they created a string of futility. We upgraded our stadium, they allowed their stadium to become dilapidated. I guess in their own minds, they have accomplished all they set out to do by being the opposite of what Texas is.

The conference should hold firm to the exit provision of the by-laws. Other than that, let the ags be their own worst enemy. They are quite accomplised at that.

Taylor, I foresee a settlement for the withheld money. If there is no agreement, it is more likely that A&M will be the one to hire the first lawyer.

aggy agrees to play all home games at Javelina Stadium in Kingsville… Still within the A&M core University system and should allow the other SEC schools to see Texas and really appreciate the later visit to College Station…

The reasons for considering doing the renovations in one fell swoop while unoccupied is it is easier, safer and above all, cheaper. Doing the work in phases while the facility is in use costs more then if it is not occupied. It is also cheaper to do one larger project than several smaller projects. Economy of scale and only one mobilization cost for the contractor(s)

A&M (and NU, CU, etc.) not paying the full exit fee is exhibit A of what is wrong with the world today.

Mini-rant over

“the state capital (Texas)”

I love the fact that he has to point out which state he is talking about.

I wonder if the decision makers at A&M are floating the notion of playing at Reliant to make building a new stadium at a different campus location more palatable to the traditionalists.

Also, building on campus means reburial of the dead dogs would be less complicated than digging them up, moving them to Houston, burying them in Reliant parking lot, digging them up and then moving them back home to their original graves whence they watch the games. Building on campus saves an exhumation. That’s money in the bank right there.

My reasoning is faulty. They’d only save on transportation costs and the difficulties of parking lot burial. There is still a savings, however.

Well done, Roma. Nice.

Actually Aggie will pay more than Nebraska because they were one of the schools that split the exit fees from NU and CO and then reupped their membership.

If the Ags build a new stadium, from the ground up, at a new site, they have the (rare) opportunity to build the nation’s finest facility, something that would be the envy of us all. They could incorporate all that is now known about sight lines, comfort, and amenities. It would also probably be cheaper than rebuilding existing upper decks.

TaylorTRoom-

To do that they would literally need hundreds of millions of dollars. How on earth is that even remotely possible for a school that is currently cash strapped?

Will they sell Aggie Bonds to their fans and alumni?

They’d issue bonds that would be repaid by the revenue from the stadium. I was told once that UT’s philosophy was that facilities for non-revenue sports were to be funded by donations and facilities for revenue sports were to be funded by bonds.

A new stadium could be impressive without costing as much as Reliant or the Deathstar (especially considering Zachry will build it at no profit). Say, $550 million. All they need for a superior fan experience is larger concourses, great sightlines, updated video, lights, and speakers, and spanking new suites and hospitality areas (bars, like Texas has).

Let’s say they have a capital drive for $200 million, “exchange” some existing facilities (weight rooms, etc.) to the university for another $100 million from the PUF, and then borrow $200 million. That’s do-able.

I’m sure my numbers are off (they’re just guesses), but I think that’s the way the Ags should be thinking. I get that Kyle Field is hallowed ground. After all, it is the site of many a Longhorn victory. Still, is that worth shooting yourself in the foot on this deal?

Oh, need to mention a new stadium wouldn’t have a retractable roof and air-conditioning/heating like Cowboys Stadium or Reliant, making it much more affordable.

Time to move on, We have WV and TCU to talk about. We know all there is to know about aggie. We really dont know squat about WV. I hear they will be pretty good next season.

So all they have to do is come up with 300-400 million dollars while they are currently nearly bankrupt.

Seems perfectly plausible.

If the Ags build a new stadium, from the ground up, at a new site, they have the (rare) opportunity to build the nation’s finest facility, something that would be the envy of us all. They could incorporate all that is now known about sight lines, comfort, and amenities. It would also probably be cheaper than rebuilding existing upper decks

In my experience, no matter what anyone tells you, its almost never cheaper to build from the ground up. That said, you’re right, this is a very rare opportunity for Aggie to build a new state- of-the-art facility. I can’t think of another major university that could/would build a new stadium. Of course it won’t happen for three reasons.

1.) Aggie leadership—even though Aggie is an engineering school, it’s hard to believe that a bunch of engineers would run around as half-cocked and seemingly without a plan as aggie has recently. If engineers do anything right, it’s planning and yet aggie hasn’t seemed to have anticipated anything they have done in the past 2 years, from re-upping with the Big 12 to joining the SEC to (not) playing Texas and rebuilding their stadium. It seems like their jumping from one idea to the next with no idea where they are going to end up.

2.) Aggie is an engineering school—Engineers do not seek beauty or comfort, engineers seek efficiency. I can pretty much guarantee you that what ever stadium HOK comes up with aggie engineers will rip out all the amenities in the interest of value engineering and efficiency.

3.) Aggie Tradition—Even though aggie may be the only major university with the financial where-with-all and more importantly the available land to build a new on-campus stadium, aggies love tradition more than any school in the country. Old army will literally take up arms against anyone who dares to move their dead dogs and the sacred field.

Nope Aggie will renovate, no matter the consequences or the opportunity they may lose.

I can’t think of another major university that could/would build a new stadium.

Baylor has plans. Hence the qualifier?

Bob

Exactly, Colorado State also has stated they would like to build an on-campus stadium, but when you’re talking 80,000+, I can’t think of anyone with the resources, the room and the desire to do it.

Interesting. According to the Ag’s website, their stadium’s current capacity is 83,002, and according to Reliant’s website, their capacity is 71,500. If the Ag’s games were truly sold out this year, who gets screwed?

I didn’t bother to look up how many tickets they must provide to their S.E.C. brethren, but would assume that their conference mates would consider stadium seating a personal problem. Agreed?

Who knows, by the second year in the SEC, maybe the Ag fans won’t care.

You would figure a aggie recruit would want to play on the home field to make some aggie memories. These new recruits may never play on that field.

I think you guys are radically overestimating the cost of any new stadium for Aggie…or at least not including a major opportunity for savings. Aggies stand for the entire game. They don’t need seats !

I recall when the first upper deck was added to Memorial Stadium. The original estimates on scheduling were extended so many times the students began calling the construction firm
Lied-A-Lot, as opposed to Lyda-Lott (which I think was the actual name).

Very inconvenient!

Java ,sounds the same to me in my native Texas Panhandle tongue. Lied A lot , Lyda Lott.

The construction phase was UGLY. I wasn’t inconvenienced at all, unless you consider that all games were played @ 11am, 12 noon, or 2 pm, because there were no lights on the west side of the stadium during construction. And, we had AstroTurf, the preferred field surface of the day. That meant that the temperature on the field was frequently 120 degrees ( or above).

It was blistering, and I mean that literally.

Dollar Bill says “When you’re the neighborhood herpes ho, you’re gonna’ get turned down. I’m ready for my anal to mouth, Mr. Saban.”