Tuesday, April 08, 2008

Self-Interest

On Saturday, when Memphis beat UCLA and Kansas beat UNC, a friend asked me “So, who are you rooting for now?” My answer to that question was that, basically, I was rooting for a tornado to sweep through San Antonio. I couldn’t bring myself to root for either team in large part because both coaches have such greasy personalities.

12 hours after winning a national title with Kansas, Coach Bill Self was revealing his true colors:

“What I’d like to have is like everybody’d like to have,” Self said. “I’d like to have some security...When I say security, I mean years, so hopefully that’ll happen.”...The school gave Self a five-year contract extension last season, increasing his annual compensation to more than $1.3 million with a chance to make another $350,000 each year if he meets incentives.

I believe in free agency and I defend an individual’s right to get the best deal for him or herself. I also believe in the value of a contract. If Kansas gave Self a five year extension last year, wouldn’t that mean he has four years left? Does four years at $1.3M per season not represent security? Scumbag.

The best congratulations I can give KU is if they do the right thing and let Self walk to Oklahoma State – where the program is in shambles – for his payday. KU won’t have a hard time replacing their head coach. A top program like that will have the pick of the litter.

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