103.7 FM "The BUZZ"

Thursday Nov. 13, 2008

11/14/2008 7:37 AM

It has been a great week.  Today Pat's pops came in.  Ole Rich Bradley finally makes it to the Rock!!  Great guy.  Hard to understand how a guy with two fine, upstanding parents can end up like the Shooter.  Could be worse.  They could have ended up with Acri.  Speaking of the neckless one, he has been on a one-man warpath against the NCAA for hosing the UCA football program out of a Southland Conference "official" title if they take care of business due to a ridiculous bylaw in the NCAA rules.  Here's Justin's latest letter to the folks at the evil empire after getting a half-hearted response from them on Wednesday...   

Thank you for your response.  I appreciate you taking the time.  I must ask a couple of follow-up questions again though if you would indulge me once again.

1)     Why was this rule instituted almost 10 years ago? Who is it designed to help and in what way does it benefit student-athletes?  Does the NCAA think that players on the second place team in the standings feel like “Champions” if they do not end the season with the most wins?

2)     And MOST importantly here is what I do not understand and I hope you will answer this:

If UCA wins out and claims the best record in the league (by potentially a couple of full games), the rule requires the league (at least if it wants to utilize its automatic qualifier) to send the team that finished second in the standings.  Even though UCA earned the championship on the field and even though UCA is willing to forgo a playoff spot that it earned because of its transitional status, it cannot be called “Southland Conference Champion” because that would cause the conference to forgo the AQ spot.  Your explanation is as follows from your earlier email:

      The purpose of this legislation is to reinforce the integrity of the automatic qualification system by ensuring that conferences with AQ status can fulfill their commitment of providing their conference champion to the NCAA championship. The rule is also designed to promote the quality of the NCAA championship and preserve the integrity of the divisional membership process.

 That is all fine in principle and sounds nice on paper, but I am sure that all the people at the NCAA can still understand that they are still getting the SECOND BEST TEAM IN THE SOUTHLAND CONFERENCE in the postseason tournament.  So the question is, do they?

 In addition I would add because I cannot help myself, that you can call the SECOND place team in the Southland Conference “The President of the United States”, but that doesn’t make it so.  You see where I am going I am sure.  We are taught from the time we are able to keep score that the team with the most points wins and the team with the most wins is champ.  Now the NCAA is trying to justify taking a second place team and by the rationale you sent me putting a bow on a second place prize and calling it first place.  That, my friend, does not encourage the principles of competition on which the NCAA is supposed to be based.  I would go so far as to say that it flies in the face of the American way.  As I am sure that the NCAA does not want to be unpatriotic, I will rest easier if I know that this unnecessary and offensive portion of the bylaws will be addressed and some day stricken from history to the benefit of the next team that tries to better itself by playing a higher level of competition.

 Thank you for your answers,

Justin

You can catch the Bears on the Buzz this weekend at 5:45 as well as our sister station the Point 94.1.  Also this weekend you get Razorback hoops on Friday night at 6:30 as they open the season against SE LA.  UALR will play it's second game of 2008 on the Buzz Sunday at 4:45.