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MISSISSIPPIAN
WEDNESDAY, JULY 27, 2011 | VOL. 100, NO. 165 | THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER
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THE UNIVERSITY
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MISSISSIPPI | SERVING OLE MISS
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SEC EXPANSION HOT TOPIC AT MEDIA DAYS SEC DIVISIONS AFTER RUMORED REALIGNMENT
Includes current Big 12 members Missouri, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas A&M and all 12 current SEC members.
North Division: Arkansas Kentucky Missouri Tennessee South Division: Auburn Ole Miss Mississippi State Vanderbilt
East Division: Alabama Florida Georgia South Carolina West Division: LSU Oklahoma Oklahoma State Texas A&M
GRAPHIC BY PETRE THOMAS | The Daily Mississippian
BY DAVID COLLIER The Daily Mississippian
The hot topic heading into the Big 12 Football Media Days in Dallas this week was the University of Texas’ Longhorn Network and what could possibly become of the conference itself. And it didn’t take long to surface. Texas A&M head coach Mike Sherman was first to address the media Monday morning and his response to the burning debate seemed to be a repeating one. “Truthfully, I’m just focusing on what I’ve got to do and with my job, and let’s win our first game,” he said. “I’m sure you all can sort that one out yourselves.” Throughout the past couple of weeks, rumors have flurried around the Longhorn Network. Speculation that Texas could pick up high school football games to air on their network threw up red flags in not only the conference, but also the nation. “I would agree that my antenna
went up when I started to hear that information,” Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy said. Missouri head coach Gary Pinkel was not as calm. “It’s a lack of common sense to think that the network — the university network — can coach or have high school games on their network,” he said. “To me, there’s no common sense there.” However, Art Briles, Baylor’s head coach, seems to not care about playing the role of “little brother” to Texas. “Do I worry about it? Not a bit,” he said. “They can do that. If there’s a need for it, people are going to pay for it. More power to them. Let them have it. If it helps the Big 12, if we have to recruit harder against Texas, we’ll do a better job, work harder and see if we can get a little better.” Oklahoma, who is a favorite to win the BCS National Championship this season, is getting restless dealing with the Longhorns’ antics.
“To me, the lifeblood of every program is recruiting,” Oklahoma head coach Bob Stoops said. “And so we either all recruit by the same rules or we don’t. So I’ve got total trust in our administration and leadership of the league and the NCAA that we’ll all play under the same rules. And if not, then let’s change the rules so that we can all do it the same way.” Because of the frustrations many Big 12 institutions are having with Texas and their Longhorn Network, television, radio and newspapers, alike, have begun to speculate about what the fallout will be from this whole debate. Many believe Texas A&M could be the next team to depart from the crumbling conference – Nebraska and Colorado made the switch to the Big Ten and Pac 12, respectively, last summer for this upcoming season – followed by Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and even Missouri. The conference shake-up wouldn’t be something new for
those currently in the Big 12. In 1994, the eight teams of the Big 8 Conference joined forces with Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech and Baylor of the Southwest Conference to become what is now the Big 12. The destination of the possible departing schools is rumored to be the Southeastern Conference. A change in the conference would be the first in 20 years, when Arkansas and South Carolina entered the league in 1991. With that expansion, the SEC would now reach markets in Texas, Oklahoma, as well as Missouri. Many, however, think Texas A&M and Oklahoma would be the only teams from the fading Big 12 to join the SEC. A few Atlantic Coast Conference teams, including Florida State, Clemson and SEC charter member Georgia Tech are also candidates to join the SEC in a conference realignment. While some say the Big 12 will survive with only 10 teams, sports personality Gus Johnson knows there is a good reason for concern.
“I think the Longhorn Network is a very lucrative business opportunity for the University of Texas,” he said. “When you’re paid over $300 million for anything, I think you’re doing well. “They’re going to have to learn how to run a network, which I’m sure they will have no problem with since it is ESPN and Texas. That’s a great combination. In terms of the Big 12, there have been a lot of rumors. We know Colorado left. We know Nebraska left. Now the question is would Texas A&M leave to go to the SEC? There have been rumors to their future and departure. But I think the conference is doing everything it can to establish itself as one of the most dominating conferences in the country. I think the Big 12 still has a lot to offer. Nothing is set in stone, but I think that universities now are trying to take advantage of every situation possible.” The Big 12 is approaching its 16th season, but there can only be speculation of what will happen next.
BAPTIST HOSPITAL SALE NEARS COMPLETION BY AUSTIN SIGL The Daily Mississippian
Baptist Memorial Health Care and Lafayette County officials are close to reaching a deal that would give Baptist ownership of the hospital and allow it to be relocated to a new location in Oxford. This process began almost two years ago when Baptist approached the county with an offer to build a new hospital in Oxford. This has required significant work from
both sides. “We approached the city and county almost two years ago with a proposal to build a new hospital,” said Don Hutson, CEO of Baptist Memorial Hospital in North Mississippi. “The first step in that process would be to buy out the lease that’s been in existence since 1989. So, at that point, we started all the negotiations and the due diligence to effect that lease buyout.” The sale is ultimately a deal in excess of $300 million, according
to hospital officials, and it will likely be finalized by the middle of August. The completion for the new hospital is estimated for 2015. Oxford Mayor George Patterson said he believes a deal will be reached shortly. “It’s a complicated transaction,” Patterson said. “But it’s just a giveand-take between a fleet of lawyers on a very complicated and convoluted real estate and business transaction. So, I think it’s just a matter of working through many things,
and I think that it will probably be resolved in the next couple of weeks.” Under the terms of this deal, the new hospital will be built within the city limits, which will make the facility more accessible to residents. There are currently several possible locations under consideration for the new hospital. Hutson said land owners have come forward and asked that their property be considered, but Baptist has not made a decision as to
where to build. However, both Baptist Health Care officials and Patterson have declined to comment on the specific proposed locations. Patterson said Baptist was asked to find potential locations without his involvement. “How I told Baptist to handle the situation (of finding a location) is that I don’t want to know,” Patterson said. “I have absolutely no idea (where the hospital will be located).”