 |
| With Temple in the BE, Villanova basketball now becomes as irrelevant as DePaul. |
I've never seen a more apt word describing the press conference to introduce Temple as the newest Big East member a couple of weeks ago.
Don't let Villanova being at the table confuse you.
The part of the press conference (really, too much) that promoted Villanova's involvement in this was a complete charade.
And Temple should never forget that.
 |
| Villanova resident Andy Reid will be rooting for the Owls. |
Villanova fought tooth and nail to keep Temple out of the Big East in football, basketball and hop-scotch (if the BE offered hop-scotch).
In early October, the Owls were all set to be introduced as a new member but, as Lenn Robbins of the New York Post reported, the "conference call deteriorated into 'Nova bashing Temple" and the Wildcats were able to form a voting block of Big East Catholic schools (St. John's, Georgetown, Seton Hall, Providence, DePaul) that denied Temple a spot at the Big East table.
According to our sources, Seton Hall and St. John's decided to break away from that block a little over a month ago and the writing was on the wall. Villanova no longer had the votes to block Temple.
Villanova already had taken a huge public relations' hit in the Philadelphia area over the last five months for blocking Temple and decided to show up at the press conference and call this its own idea.
Liars.
Although BOT trustees' member Lewis Katz was effusive in his praise of Villanova, you could see at times the look of utter amazement on his face at some of the things coming out of the mouth of Villanova president, the Rev. Peter Donahue.
 |
| If I was Monangai (No. 26) ,I'd keep my head on a swivel 8/31 |
I like being in the Big East, but I'm not buying the charade.
Nor should any Temple person. Villanova fans took great pride at coming over to Owlscoop.com and delighting in the demise of the Temple basketball Owls and taking swipes at Fran Dunphy, a guy I consider a great coach, man and representative of Temple University. I've met Dunph only once and that was for a brief period of five seconds or so in the concourse of Lincoln Financial Field, but there is no bigger fan of the man and the coach out there than I am. Temple is blessed to have Fran Dunphy and Steve Addazio as coaches of its two flagship sports programs.
The loss to South Florida was no more his fault than it was Al Golden's (and I'm pretty sure Al Golden had nothing to do with it). Dunphy can't make Ramone Moore take it to the basket when Moore seemed totally disinterested to beat an overmatched defender. He can't make Juan Fernandez shoot. He had nothing to do with Khalif Wyatt being called for an ill-timed technical foul.
But Villanova's days of delight are a precious few now.
"I want you to come out to (Lincoln Financial Field) and see us kick Villanova's butt again," said Katz, who came out of that press conference as a star in my mind.
Daz, consider that an order, not a request. The only knees the Owls should take in that game should be the post-game prayer, thankful for an 88-0 win.
When it comes to Villanova, never forgive and never forget.
