So how in the world did the University of Connecticut get this so wrong?  This story (see excerpt below) details UConn booster Robert Burton and his demand to have  some of his donation money refunded.  Burton donated 2.5 million dollars to have the Huskies’ new football complex named in his honor, ala Kilkenny Field in Eugene.  But Burton now wants his money refunded because he wasn’t included in the search process for UConn’s new head football coach.

Burton called the situation “a slap in the face and embarrassment to my family,” and said he planned “to let the correct people know that you did not listen to your number one football donor.  He called the search process flawed.

“We want our money and respect back,” Burton wrote to (UConn athletic director Jeff) Hathaway.

I’m not even going to delve into whether Burton is justified, insane, egotistical, etc.   From afar, what strikes me is how the athletic department brass managed to let the situation deteriorate to this point.  Can you imagine Pat Kilkenny going public with demands for a refund because he’s been excluded?  No chance.  You don’t bite the hand the feeds.  You also don’t exclude it.  Like it or not, part of what these mega-rich athletics boosters are buying is access and consideration.  Was UConn booster Robert Burton disrespected or kept out of the loop?  We’ll never really know.  But if the university’s athletics leadership was doing its job, it’s hard to imagine the situation boiling over as it has.

It’s brutal news tonight for Trail Blazers fans.  Marcus Camby is set to become the fifth Blazers player in three months to have some sort of surgery.  In Camby’s case, it’ll be arthroscopic surgery on his left knee.  Camby partially tore his left meniscus during the first quarter of last night’s game.

It’s an odd turn of events, considering the day started with the Blazers announcing Camby’s MRI was negative and he had not been ruled out for Wednesday night’s game.  Apparently that verdict was based only on the MRI being examined by the staff at the imaging center where the MRI was performed.  Team doctors still had not seen the MRI.  But when team physician Don Roberts examined the MRI report this evening, he dropped the bomb.

It’s a tough turn for the team, but even tougher for Camby himself.  In March, Camby will be 37 years old.  At a certain point, the body starts failing a professional athlete.  And Marcus Camby is well inside of that age range.  Anyone who’s consistently watched the Blazers this season has seen Camby go down on numerous occasions with various knee tweaks and ankle turns.  Several times, he’s left the game with said injuries.  But the fact is — in his mid-thirties — Marcus Camby has remained one of the premier big men in the league.  He’s that good.  So you just hope what we’re seeing this week isn’t part of an irrecoverable downward slide.

Here’s the official team release about Camby’s injury:

MARCUS CAMBY TO UNDERGO SURGERY

MRI reveals Portland center has slight meniscus tear in left knee

PORTLAND — Portland Trail Blazers center Marcus Camby will undergo arthroscopic surgery later this week to repair a partial medial meniscus tear in his left knee, it was announced today by General Manager Rich Cho.

“The MRI taken earlier today did not show anything significant,” said Cho. “However, a more thorough review tonight from our team physician did reveal a partial tear.”

The exact date for Camby’s arthroscopy has yet to be determined. A timeline for his return will be set following surgery.

In 39 games (all starts) this season, Camby has averaged 5.9 points, 11.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.87 blocks in 28.7 minutes. He ranks fifth in the NBA in rebounds and 10th in blocked shots per game.

Camby is the only player in the Western Conference averaging at least 11.0 rebounds and 1.50 blocks. He has grabbed at least 10 boards in 26 games and led the team in rebounding a team-high 28 times this season.

Let’s face it, we live in a world in which you’ll usually be best served to operate within the framework, whatever that framework might be.  In the case of the BCS, the goal is to play in a major conference and win all your games.  That’s how you end up in the BCS National Championship game.  This season the Ducks and Tigers operated within the framework, and now they’re playing for the title.

But consider for a moment another football national championship game, the one taking place at the NCAA Division I-AA level (I refuse to use that nonsensical jargon the NCAA marketing department came up with a few years back.  Football Championship Subdivision?  What does that even mean?).  This year it’ll be #1 ranked Eastern Washington playing #5 Delaware in the championship game.  You see, for the last 24 years I-AA has utilized a 16-team playoff to determine its national champion.  So a team like Delaware, with 2 losses and a #5 ranking, still has a chance to prove itself on the field.  Under the BCS system, a computer would have determined long ago that the kids at Delaware don’t have what it takes.

All of this is why, back in BCS-ville, something stinks.  TCU finished undefeated,  Stanford absolutely walloped Virginia Tech.  A three-loss Alabama team embarrassed Michigan State (and Alabama is ranked #16 – playoff eligible in I-AA).  And none of these teams has a chance to keep the dream alive.

Can you imagine the two teams with the best records in the NFL getting a free pass to the Super Bowl?  Absurd, right?  So here’s to hoping the Ducks win this year’s BCS title, and then miraculously the powers-that-be put this thing to rest.  I really miss the sweet smell of competition.

On a related programming note, tonight we will be doing a special Ducks/BCS edition of Oregon Sports Final from Eugene.  We have a lot of good stuff lined up, including the latest from the team.  We’ll also hear from ESPN analysts about how the Ducks are being perceived outside of the Northwest.  And Register-Guard sports columnist George Schroeder will join us.  Some fans in Portland may not be familiar with George’s work because he writes for a Eugene paper, but he’s one of the best in the state and knows this program inside and out.

I hope you can join us tonight at 11pm.

That said, I’m pretty certain the 1983 game goes down as the worst.  In miserable weather, the Ducks and Beavers battled to a 0-0 tie (afterward, they had to consult soccer fans to process the event).  That 1983 was game subsequently dubbed the “toilet bowl.”  And now, 27 years later, that theme has resurfaced.

This morning I found the following pics in my inbox.  Over at Portland’s Chown Hardware, apparently Al Burrell had some extra time on his hands…. and some extra toilets.  And the rest of the story sort of tells itself.  No doubt, that’s custom craftsmanship.  Having installed several toilets in my time, I notice Al choose the elongated seat for the Beavers commode, while opting for the more traditional round design on the Ducks version.  Not sure what statement that makes, but there you have it.  Just in time for the holidays.

Click for larger version: