… And you can’t wait until the Blue and Gold Scrimmage on Tax Day, then you can go see Pitt at an open practice this Friday.

The Pitt football team will take spring drills on the road when it visits Center Area High School this Friday, March 24. The Panthers will hold a two-hour workout from 7 to 9 p.m.

Practice attendance is free and open to the public. Center Area is located on 160 Baker Road Extension in Monaca, Pa. In addition to getting a sneak peak of the 2006 Panthers, fans can purchase Pitt merchandise and season tickets. Concessions will also be available.

There are directions in the press release.

From a PR and attention getter, I like it. As far as actual productive practice…

Well, I have my doubts.

It looks like Iowa and Steve Alford are stuck with each other.

Another day, another name dropped lower — if not completely off — the list of potential hoops coaching candidates at Missouri.

Sources told The Star on Wednesday that Steve Alford, contrary to a report Tuesday night on ESPN.com, is not high on MU’s list of replacements for Quin Snyder. In fact, the sports information director at the University of Iowa, Alford’s current employer, told The Star that Alford would not be interviewing for the MU or any other job.

“We expect to have a release to that effect within the next hour or two,” Phil Haddy, the Iowa SID, told The Star shortly before noon on Wednesday.

That’s a little bit of a switch from earlier. It still seems that the top names on the list are John Beilein (WVU), Dana Altman (Creighton) and Jamie Dixon. My guess is that is the favored order. Seems Missouri is definitely looking for a coach with some success and is clean.

Here’s the press release from Iowa and Alford.

University of Iowa’s men’s basketball Coach Steve Alford is looking forward to continued success with the Hawkeye program and has scheduled no interviews for vacant coaching positions.

“I’m the head coach at Iowa. My family and I love the Iowa program and the community,” said Alford. “We had a record-setting season with a second Big Ten Tournament championship and I look forward to continued success with this program.”

Of course he does.

Just as some asides, over at SI.com, Stewart Mandel gets self-righteous about Bob Huggins even being considered for another job at a major college. Then he pisses on the mid-majors.

Does this mean Huggins should be exiled from coaching altogether? Of course not. He’s certainly entitled to a second chance. But much like Larry Eustachy, whose alcohol-related ouster at Iowa State has left him rebuilding his reputation at Southern Miss, or football’s George O’Leary (Central Florida), who took several steps down the ladder following his own scandal, Huggins’ second chance should not come at the sport’s highest level. To hand Huggins the keys to a Big 12-caliber program just to make a “big splash” is tantamount to endorsing and encouraging his renegade behavior.

In other words, Huggins is good enough for a “lesser” school, but not a BCS.

Fred Hill was promoted by Rutgers as their head basketball coach to the surprise of no one.

You can pour through the archives of this blog and find plenty of posts by me saying and (on occasion) explaining why the Big East will split by the end of 2010 between b-ball only and football schools.

I’ve always felt that the main reason would be the way ESPN has and will increasingly shunt televised Big East football to weekday nights — Fridays and Wednesdays — while minimizing the broadcasts on weekends.

Well I may have to hedge on the time, at a minimum, since the Big East is apparently close to a new deal with ESPN.

The Big East is close to a six-year contract extension with ESPN to televise conference basketball and football games, according to a network source.

Financial terms are not known, but the deal apparently would extend ESPN’s considerable commitment to men’s basketball and perhaps grant exclusive conference football rights to ABC and ESPN.

The basketball part looks especially good for the conference.

According to the source, the deal, which would start in 2007 and run through 2013, would increase regular season basketball coverage, including the addition of a second weekly prime time game to go along with Big Monday.

Under the terms, ESPN would agree to show every intraconference basketball game (except for those on CBS) on one of its outlets.

Games would be shown on ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN Classic, ESPNU, ESPN 360 – a broadband service that allows fans to watch games on their home computers – or the ESPN regional network.

The Big East is already part of the network’s prime time Big Monday package, but under the new deal the network would add a nationally televised Thursday game to be shown in prime time on either ESPN or ESPN2.

Basketball games would also be part of the ESPN Full Court package, a pay-per-view plan that allows fans to see games not broadcast in their area.

In addition, every game of the Big East tournament would be televised by ESPN or ESPN2.

That would maintain the BET as the primary and marquee tournament on ESPN. Two national games on the weekdays is also a big deal considering the conference size. That would mean all 128 of the BE Conference games would be on some TV outlet, and likely would go to 144 if the BE expands to an 18 game schedule.

All games being on a national TV outlet is also huge — provided they can ever expand ESPNU to more then ten people.

As for the football side,

As for football, the details, in terms of the number of games, have not been finalized, but fans could expect to see Saturday games on ABC as well as weeknight and weekend games on ESPN.

ESPN would probably also broadcast a Labor Day or Thanksgiving weekend game.

Football games would also be included in the Game Plan package, which is the college football version of Full Court.

It doesn’t sound much better, to be honest. Except perhaps insuring that all games are televised — even in it’s through GamePlan. But if the deal is extended to 2013, breaking up the conference sooner seems less likely.

There is one glimmer of hope. The Big 11 is negotiating with FOX.

Fox Sports would love to seize a Big Ten football package after nailing down rights to four of the five BCS bowl games. Fox will break into the college game after the new year by broadcasting the Jan. 1 Fiesta Bowl, followed by the Orange, Sugar and national championship game, which figures to add a title sponsor. (The Rose Bowl remains an ABC property.)

Fox made a run at Notre Dame before the Irish re-upped with NBC in December 2003. And the network wants to join forces with the Big Ten to add a season-long buildup to the BCS games.

But ESPN has to be considered the strong favorite to retain its Big Ten rights, in large part because of its continued commitment to college athletics.
…
So while Fox might offer more money, ESPN would be nearly impossible to top in terms of national exposure. The NHL and Senior PGA Tour (now the Champions Tour) have not exactly flourished after leaving those omnipresent four letters.

The Big Ten could take an entirely different route by forming its own network and partnering with a cable distributor, such as Comcast.

The New York Yankees and New Jersey Nets live and breathe on the YES Network, and the NFL Network has boosted its availability to 65 million homes.

Such a move would be a radical departure for the Big Ten, which, since its first deal with ESPN more than 20 years ago, has thrived. If only its 2005-06 basketball teams could say the same.

Last year, ESPN’s networks and GamePlan had 42 of the 44 Big 11 games on TV. I just don’t see the Big 11 jumping to FOX unless they could get some sort of guaranteed set-up that would put other games on all of the Fox regional sports channels.

It would be a short-sighted move to get more money for less national exposure. And unlike the Big East’s issue with being shunted to weekday games increasingly, that isn’t an issue for the Big 11 in football.

Still, if that were to happen, that would open things up for more Saturday BE games on ESPN.

The big star in the first couple padless spring practices: Freshman Jovani Chappel.

When practice got under way Sunday, Chappel knocked three passes away from veteran receivers. Defensive coordinator Paul Rhoads was impressed that the rookie did not blow any assignments.

“That’s unexpected, quite truthfully,” Rhoads said. “I’m most pleased with how well he’s picking up the system. He’s worn out the playbook. Quite frankly, he’s moved ahead of some veterans from a knowledge standpoint. He’s extremely self-motivated.”

Chappel began studying film soon after arriving on campus Jan. 3. So he expected to have a sudden impact on the field.

“That’s one of the reasons I’m here, to show what I’ve got early,” Chappel said. “A lot of guys tell me I’m doing pretty good. So, I’m ready to get things really rolling so I can show what I’m all about.”

Chappel did early enrollment after completing high school early. He is battling Redshirt Freshman Irvan Brown (converted from RB), Junior Kennard Cox and Senior Reggie Carter for the open starting CB position. Come the fall, there will be additional competition from Freshmen Aaron Berry and Ricky Gary. Chappel’s biggest issue would be his size — 5′ 8″. The advantages are obviously that he works hard at understanding the routes and not being in a position to get beat. Couple that with his speed and athleticism and he compensates nicely, most of the time, for the height disadvantage.

“My best trait is that I’m a real physical corner and I play smart,” Chappel said.

“I don’t like to blow a lot of coverages. I spend a lot of time in the film room studying what I have to do right first. I think the game starts mentally more than physically.”

Just a few days into spring drills and Defensive Coordinator Paul Rhoads is calling out Sophomore DB Tommie Campbell.

“Given his physical skills and tools, I’d like to see a large amount of improvement,” Rhoads said. “Tommie has to help this football team and he has to help it a number of ways — on special teams and he has to become a regular-down contributor as far as the defense goes. He can easily win a starting position in our nickel and dime packages if he applies himself.”

Joe Starkey provides a capsulized look around the Big East for ESPN.com.

Second-year coach Dave Wannstedt will have an incredibly young team that likely is a year away from contending in the Big East. Wannstedt has a long-term contract and the administration’s backing on his rebuilding job. Some look at the fact that previous coach Walt Harris took the team to the Fiesta Bowl in 2004 and wonder why there is so much patience for Wannstedt. It’s a good question, but it’s also true that Harris’ final team finished in a four-way tie for the conference title in a watered-down, seven-team Big East, barely beat Temple and Division I-AA Furman and lost to Connecticut and Syracuse. Athletic director Jeff Long braced for a drop-off last season — though likely not a loss at Ohio — and isn’t expecting a quick fix.

Oh, there’s no doubt this is long term with Coach Wannstedt.

As stories detailed earlier in the week, the incoming talented receivers were literally looking over the shoulders of the rest of the corps. Now, would someone please tell me what the hell happened to John Pelusi’s right knee?

Sophomore TE John Pelusi had reconstructive right knee surgery and is a long shot to play this season.

Yesterday, I noted a press release saying he might be ready come the fall.

Sophomore DL Gus Mustakas is recovering from offseason shoulder surgery, but when he returns might find himself moved from DE to DT.

“We’re going to look at him at both spots,” coach Dave Wannstedt said Tuesday.

“But there is a high possibility he’ll be moved inside. We’re looking at all possibilities — him, Vernon Botts. Whoever can make a tackle, we’ll get on the field.”

The veteran Pitt players are finding their second spring practice with Coach Wannstedt a little smoother than the first time round.

“Everybody’s comfortable now, and everybody knows what’s going on,” middle linebacker H.B. Blades said. “Last year, everybody was feeling each other out, but we know what everybody else can do now.

“And that way, we can go out and make everybody else better. And we know what the coaches expect from us, so nothing surprises us now.”
…
“It’s going to be easier for everybody, because the system isn’t as new,” Palko said. “But on offense, you’re continually learning. It’s not like we have guys in their 14th year here … It’s a constant learning process of your reads and continuing to progress through the offense so you can master it.

“It’s going to be a little easier, because it’s not so foreign, and we’re all speaking the same language now. We might be at step one or two, but it’s going to be a continual learning process for everybody on offense.”

And what can the offseason rubber chicken speaking circuit in Pennsylvania for Coach Wannstedt entail but discussion of Pitt playing Penn St. (hat tip, Chris). Nothing new. Just the usual rehashing, but worth noting because even in Wilkes-Barre it seems no one really buys the Paterno excuses. Not that it matters right now, but it will after Paterno is gone.

Maybe it’s the egos and money involved. Maybe it’s because to some degree it involves a little exposure on incompetent bureaucracies, but I do find myself following all the coaching moves with great amusement.

I do love this rumored interest that Arizona State might want to consider Bob Knight. Seems quite unlikely, but then that is why it’s a fun rumor. Heck, any rumor involving Knight tends to be fun. It means another chance to dreg up his antics and insanity. Shooting his friend during a hunting trip seems to be a popular one to rehash at the moment. Not sure why.

Iowa Head Coach Steve Alford going back to his alma mater Indiana seemed like fait accompli for the last month or so. Now reports are that Indiana will interview only two candidates. Neither of whom will be Alford. Not that Iowa and Alford are necessarily stuck with each other. Missouri sought and received permission from Iowa AD Bruce Bowlsby to interview Alford. The Missouri search is far from close to complete, though.

Sources confirmed that representatives for Missouri have contacted the intermediaries for LSU’s John Brady and Pitt’s Jamie Dixon to test their interest. Another source said Creighton’s Dana Altman is a strong choice for Missouri and might be interviewed as well. A source said Missouri has also had interest in UAB’s Mike Anderson.

No actual word, though, as to any of these coaches interest.

In a surprising burst of confidence, and much to the dismay of at least one member of Missouri’s search committee, Rick Majerus and Bob Huggins are not on the Missouri short list.

About the only high-profile names left on the list are Jamie Dixon of Pitt and John Beilein of West Virginia. If either of those coaches doesn’t wind up at Missouri, the choices might fall back to some coaches who once were considered in the lower level of possible candidates.

My sense is they are dying to try and nab Beilein, but are stuck while he is still coaching and just aren’t getting clear enough signals whether to wait on him or find another. For some reason, I don’t put a lot of stock in their interest in Jamie Dixon. There just hasn’t been much talk about him.

I really hope someone offers Majerus a job and he takes it. Anything to get him off ESPN and doing “analysis” of games. Between always sounding like he just crammed another donut in his mouth and not actually saying anything useful, he has rapidly risen on my dread list for people calling games.

As for Coach Dixon and Pitt, the news seems fluid from day to day. Today seems like an optimistic day.

The matter could be resolved as early as this week, according to multiple sources connected to Pitt.

Dixon confirmed that athletic director Jeff Long has offered him an extension, even though the coach’s current pact, worth upwards of $600,000 annually, has four years remaining.

“Jeff and I have talked about it. They want me to coach here for a long time,” Dixon said.

While Dixon and his staff continue to woo Hargrave (Va.) Military Academy star Tyler Smith, two recruits — Gilbert Brown of South Kent (R.I.) Prep and Austin Wallace of New York La Salle High School — already are committed to Pitt for next season. Both say they hope Dixon remains with the Panthers.

Brown, by the way, stated that he was coming to Pitt regardless of what happens with Dixon. He doesn’t have a lot of leverage since he signed an early letter of intent.