ROCKABILLY RULES

ROCKABILLY RULES
The Rockin Johnny B

Saturday, December 31, 2011

Rhoades

Cost of Rhoades execution? About $53K
Department says costs broke down into employee overtime and operational expenses
By IDAHO PRESS-TRIBUNE STAFF
   newsroom@idahopress.com 
   BOISE — The Nov. 18 execution of Paul Ezra Rhoades cost the Idaho Department of Correction $53,411, IDOC spokesman Jeff Ray announced Friday.
   Of the total, $25,583 went to employee overtime and $27,828 went to operating costs.
   The department made a commitment to conducting the execution with professionalism and dignity,
   IDOC Director Brent Reinke said in a prepared statement.
   “We believe we met those standards while at the same time being careful stewards of taxpayer dollars,” Reinke said.
   Rhoades was executed Nov. 18 by lethal injection at the Idaho Maximum Security Institution south of Boise. In 1988, he was sentenced to death for the murders of 34-year-old school teacher Susan Michelbacher and 21-yearold newlywed Stacy Baldwin, and sentenced to life in prison for the murder of 20-year-old convenience store clerk Nolan Haddon. 
   Operating expenses related to the execution included medical supplies, equipment rentals and meals. The total cost figure does not include salary and benefits paid to IDOC staff who would have been working regardless of whether or not there had been an execution. Only overtime costs that were accrued as a result of the event were included in the final tally.
   For comparison, Ray referenced the Oregon Department of Corrections’ preparation for the execution of death row inmate Gary Haugen. The ODOC reportedly spent $57,574 before Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber granted Haugen a temporary reprieve just weeks before his planned Nov. 22 execution.
   Haugen has been on death row for four years for the fatal 2003 stabbing of inmate David Polin. He is also serving a life sentence for the 1981 beating of Mary Archer, his ex-girlfriend’s mother.
   After Rhoades’ execution, Reinke expressed thanks to Kuna Fire, Boise Police, Ada County Sheriff, Ada County Highway District, Idaho State Police, and the other city, county and state agencies that assisted with the events surrounding the execution.
   Rhoades execution was performed using a new lethal injection protocol in the state’s new chamber at the Idaho Maximum Security Institution. Fourteen inmates remain on Death Row in Idaho.



Ain't this just great.  By the time this guy gets the needle, we taxpayers have shelled out over a half-million dollars to house the guy and kill him.  My question, was he worth it?
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Friday, December 30, 2011

Here we go again

Disabled Canyon County residents fight for benefits
State Health and Welfare says cuts have to be made
By MIKE BUTTS
   mbutts@idahopress.com 
   © 2011 Idaho Press-Tribune
   TREASURE VALLEY — Thirty-nine severely disabled local residents are named in a court petition filed this week to get an Idaho Health and Welfare hearing on proposed cuts to their government-funded living expenses.
   Supporters of the petition say the cuts could force disabled adults from private homes to more costly and less desirable institutions.
   The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare agreed Wednesday to postpone the cuts until Jan. 4 when the 4th District Court in Boise continues a hearing on the petition.
   Seventy disabled people are named in the petition brought by Idaho Legal Aid Services. Thirty-nine are from Nampa or Caldwell.
   The petition asks that the cuts be 
postponed until those affected can have their objections heard by Idaho Health and Welfare. Department officials argue they have already taken the necessary steps to uphold the cuts.
   Karen Grabow, 50, gets the Aged, Blind and Disabled, or AABD, cash grants to support two disabled adults she cares for in her certified family home in Caldwell. She said the proposed cuts would be $200 a month for each of her clients.
   “They’re wasting money on everything, and then they’re taking money away from people who can’t take care of themselves,” Grabow said.
   Health and Welfare officials selected for cuts those Aged, Blind and Disabled grant recipients who had the best financial safety nets, spokesman Tom Shanahan said, such those in certified family homes.
   “Idaho has been pretty generous with that payment,” Shanahan said. “Most states (have) a lot lower payments.”
   Idaho Health and Welfare decided last year to reduce or cut payments to about 2,000 people in the Aged, Blind and Disabled cash grant program after the Legislature cut about $45 million from the department’s overall budget. At the time, agency administrator Russ Barron said the program, which served nearly 15,000 Idaho adults, faced a $1.1 million deficit.
   The payment reductions range from $33 a month to $198 a month for daily living expenses for those who live in certified family homes. The cost of medical care is generally handled through separate programs.



Here we go again, stealing from the poor and disenfranchised.  Tell ya what, let's take the funds from the rich people and give to the poor.  Let's take from the bloated salaries of some of the "Peter Principal" employees who don't deserve what they're getting paid and stop blaming the victims.  God, I just hate government sometimes.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Moore, three BSU teammates heading to Senior Bowl
By IDAHO PRESS-TRIBUNE STAFF
   sports@idahopress.com 
   Record-setting Boise State quarterback Kellen Moore and three teammates have accepted invitations to play in the Senior Bowl.
   Moore will be joined by running back Doug Martin, defensive tackle Billy Winn and safety George Iloka on the North team.
   The Senior Bowl will be played at 2 p.m. on Jan. 28 in Mobile, Ala., and televised nationally on the NFL Network.
   Moore finished his college career at Boise State as the all-time 
leader for wins by a quarterback, posting a 50-3 record from 2008 to 2011. He also ranks second all-time for touchdowns (142) and fifth for career yards passing (14,667).
   Moore finished his senior season with 3,800 yards and 43 touchdowns passing and was named Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year. He was a Heisman Trophy finalist as a junior in 2010 and a Maxwell Award finalist in 2011.
   “I’m very aware of the unique opportunity that the Senior Bowl presents,” Moore said in a press 
release. “There’s been so many great players throughout history that have had the opportunity to play in this game and it’s really the first big step in this process of trying to play professionally.”
   Martin set a Maaco Bowl Las Vegas record with 301 all-purpose yards, including a 100-yard kickoff return to start the game and 151 yards rushing, in the Broncos’ 56-24 victory over Arizona State on Dec. 22.
   The first-team All-Mountain West selection wrapped up his senior season with 1,299 rushing yards and 19 total touchdowns.
   He also accounted for 1,892 all-purpose yards in 2011, good enough for second-best in the MWC.
   For his career, Martin rushed for 3,431 yards and 43 touchdowns.
   Iloka earned first-team All-Mountain West Conference honors for the Broncos after tallying 58 total tackles. He was also a third-team All-America selection by the Associated Press.
   “It’s definitely a great opportunity to showcase what you got especially for guys like me, Kellen, Doug and Billy coming
from Boise State,” Iloka said in the press release. “Obviously we don’t play against some of the bigger schools and don’t receive some of the media attention some of these other guys get, so it’s always a great opportunity to showcase what you have against other good talents across the United States.”
   Winn was a second team Mountain West Conference selection in 2011 and had two sacks for the Broncos in their bowl victory. He finished his career with 36.5 tackles for loss and 16 sacks



SO VERY, VERY PROUD!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

More Idiocy

Listen to this idiot...


YOUR VIEWS Obama reelection, taxes and tyranny
   On Dec. 6, the leader of the present administration went all the way to Osawatomie, Kan., to start his campaign for reelection. It seems a waste of time, since he has never quit campaigning.  No candidate stops campaigning.  Obama started late if you look at the opposition.  They started last year.
   What he said there lets everyone know what he stands for and why he has been writing all those executive orders. Change a few words in his speech and it is the same speech given by Marx, Lenin, Hitler, and is now given by Chavez and Castro.  OH COME ON!
   He hates the system of government and economics that made the USA the greatest nation of all times. He blames everyone but himself, and his rail against the greedy is hollow.  Rail against the greedy?  Yes indeedy.  No, what made the USA the greatest nation on earth is one word.  FREEDOM.  It has nothing to do with our economics.  We are a capitalistic society which means we believe in the power of money and that's how we rank or rate success in this society.  Is it right?  Probably not.  However, it has worked until it doesn't work and we've seen the result of Capitalism run riot without restraint from Reagan to George Dubya.  Our economics, such as it is, is not the greatest in the world right now.  China, for example, has more money than we do...in fact, we owe them, they do not owe us.  We are deeply in debt because of the rich raping the system.  And you say Obama blames the rich?  Yes he does and he should...you dimwit.
   The government interference in all things is responsible for the loans to people who had no income to pay [deregulation by the Republicans beginning with Reagan did this]. The big lenders and speculators just took that as an opening to transfer accounts to other countries where the regulations on leveraging were not as restrictive. Just a small hiccup and the accounts disappear into the black hole of derivatives.  Oh phooie.  They went to different countries because they could rape the labor forces in those countries and pay pennies on the dollar for workmen.  And derivatives?  Who caused that debacle?  George Dubya and his republican palsies.  Obama wants to rein in the rich and the only way to do that is to regulate trade. 
   Tax the top 1 percent more, you say? The income tax as “ratified” was to tax only the top 1 percent, sound familiar? Confiscate all salaries above $250,000 a year and you get enough to fund the federal government for 140 days or balance the budget for one year. Take your choice.  No again, dimwit.  It is a restructuring of the tax tables.  And it gets rid of the favoritism of the tax breaks for the rich.  They Have to Pay their fair share.
   Cut spending! Save us all!  I know you REALLY think that's the answer.  But what it is, is the problem.  Cut spending and you will cause a collapse of our system.  If the government can't spend, it can't govern.  Is that really what you want, anarchy?  Where would you cut?  Education?  The Military?  Medicare?  Government is not a BUSINESS forgodsake...and thank God for that.  Government is there to distribute wealth that they get in the form of taxation.  Let's make this easy even for a dimwit.  Imagine cutting taxes you pay to your city.  That would be things like garbage and property, etc.  What do you think would happen.  Well, cut property tax and you cut school's incomes and cutting garbage incomes just flat-out stinks.  In a recession or depression, you do not cut, you spend.  That's how you end it.  Spend money on projects that will put money in people's pockets which they will spend creating work for people who build widgets.  You cut spending and you'll send us down the drain just like all you Republicans have done since the God Ronnie did.
   Senate 1867 as passed 93-7 contained a section written in secret 
by our nominated to lose (and carry Sarah down with him) 2008 candidate and his buddy Levin. The section allows our leader to use the military on U.S. soil to hold citizens without charges or trials indefinitely, if said leader defines us as terrorists! Tyranny completed.  Another Bush debacle.  Gotta agree, that was a stupid thing to do and a hard thing to stop cause you grant too much power to the Military within our borders.  Vote it out...if you can. 
   Joshua said it best. Our best choice in times like these is, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” God be with you.  Or in other words, I will stick my head in the sand and stick a grenade up my ass and say Save me Lord!
   Glen Benedict, Nampa

Friday, December 16, 2011

Obama: Bad President?

Let's see if I've got this right:

  1. President Obama said he would bring the troupes home from Iraq.  He did.
  2. President Obama said he would 'get' Osama Bin Ladin.  He did.
  3. President Obama said he would keep us from another 'Great Depression'.  He did.
  4. President Obama said he would not take from Medicare and would keep it from privatization.  He did.
  5. President Obama said he would lower taxes.  He did.
  6. President Obama said he would put people back to work.  He's trying but the Republicans will not pass his jobs act that would help put the infrastructure of this country back in shape and put people to work.
  7. President Obama said he would make the rich pay their fair share in taxes.  He's trying but the Republican obstructionists won't let him.
  8. President Obama would like every American to be health insured.  He has...Partially.  Again, the Obstructionistic Republicas opposed his sweeping bill to insure all Americans.  Again, they want to keep the broken private insurance programs in place.
Tell me, if you can, what makes him a 'bad' President?  Somehow, I just can't see it.  Maybe my tired old septuagenarian mind just can't see it?  Maybe I'm just too old.  Having lived through presidents from FDR through Obama, I can honestly say that the good changes in government have been made by Democrats.  Republicans...ever since Reaganomics "Trickle Down" theory gained popularity and the theory that Capitalism is a 'self-correcting' system of government, i.e., supply vs demand will automatically balance the system.

As we have learned, the very nature of Supply and Demand Theory of Capitalism by its very nature demands that the system has to be 'UNBALANCED' in order to work.  If this system is balanced, there would be no movement and, as we all know, if you aren't going forward you are going backward in this system.  Therefore, the system will be manipulated however necessary.

Example of Supply/Demand:  If the wages of the individual is too high, and the cost of the item is too large, there will be no demand.  Therefore, we must do one of two things, lower the price of the item by firing many people so the price of labor is less and keep the wages the same.  Or, move the operation to a less costly labor friendly country and put thousands of people out of work.  Or, tell the labor force they have to take less money even though goods still cost the same and they cannot buy them, therefore, no demand and the company still has to lower the cost of their product...one way or the other.  As you can see, the system cannot ever be balanced.  And, the rich will get richer, no matter what and the poor will get poorer no matter what.

Ever since the Republicans [under Reagan] cancelled the regulations regarding trade in this country, we have steadily been creating a rich upper class and a poor lower and middle class.  There is no fairness in this system.  Obama is against this system.  My question is does this make him a bad president?

Small business owners gripe and complain and yell that Obama is killing them with his policy of regulation.  This is simply not true...AT ALL:
  1. Regulation of out-of-control businesses is good for everyone including the small business man who cannot compete with the rich businesses.
  2. Regulation protects average citizens from the thieves in the business world who scam them with mortgages they cannot pay and hedge funds that are a Ponzi Scheme.
  3. Regulations make the business playing field more competitive not less competitive.  It makes more business men chase the dollar cause they feel they can compete.
Every time the public hears the word Regulation, they think Big Brother is coming to take their guns away [for example], when in fact regulations are there as as protection as long as the regulators are held to certain rules [that's what various Congressional Committees are for].

Friday, December 9, 2011

BSU and BCS

This from the LA Times...


It's fitting only 0.0086 ended up separating No. 3 Oklahoma State from No. 2 Alabama in the finalBowl Championship Series standings.

This is the year everything got 0.0086'd.


It was never accurate to say before Sunday that Louisiana State and Alabama were "clearly" the two best teams in the country.

And you still can't, because in the final BCS standings Alabama and Oklahoma State nearly ended up in a statistical draw.

Had one BCS computer flipped and a few more voters considered Oklahoma State's case, we'd be getting an entirely more festive bowl season.

LSU and Alabama might be the best teams. But if those teams have already played and "Team 3" is an equal alternative and champion from a great conference, to me it's a no-BCS brainer.

Thanks a coal-in-your-stockings lot, coaches and Harris voters and all you myopic bowl directors who couldn't see Wake Forest for the fees.

And you wonder why people loathe the BCS? A chimp could have picked better bowl matchups out of Les Miles' hat.

Imagine if Oklahoma State had prevailed by .0.0086 over Alabama. The BCS title game would have been LSU vs. Oklahoma State with Alabama also in New Orleans to play in the Sugar Bowl.

Brain cells harvested in a Petri dish could have seen that Boise State against Alabama would be almost as compelling as the title game.

But hey, that's just me and 49 other states talking.

Because Alabama prevailed by 0.0086, the Sugar Bowl is matching Michigan against a two-loss Virginia Tech team coming off a 28-point loss to Clemson.

Because the Sugar Bowl didn't have Alabama (thanks again, BCS), it went into panic mode and reverted to the back-room days when you booked bowl teams in October based on their fight songs.

Michigan and Virginia Tech is the first Sugar Bowl matchup not featuring top-10 teams since USA Today started administrating the coaches' poll in 1991. Boise State andKansas State finished Nos. 7 and 8 in the BCS, compared to Nos. 11 and 13 for Virginia Tech and Michigan.

The BCS is designed to give schools flexibility in bowl selection, but every 10 or 15 years common sense should prevail.

Leaving Boise State out of the BCS is the reason the Broncoscan't get to the Big East Conference fast enough. Quarterback Kellen Moore is 49-3 in his career, with the losses by a total of five points.

Boise State is one play and two kicks from possibly playing in consecutive national title games, yet is headed to its second straight Las Vegas Bowl.

The BCS and Sugar Bowl owe Moore a hand-written apology on a Hallmark card.

Isn't this Interesting: Michigan, needing to move up two spots in the final BCS standings to be eligible, moved up three. Meanwhile, tadpole Texas Christian, needing to move up two BCS positions to earn an automatic bid, didn't budge a spot

Micheal Reagan

Gingrich hits nail on head about work ethic
   Tom Brokaw has written a book about the Greatest Generation, a generation that grew up with fathers in the home who saw it as their duty to instill in their sons a work ethic. The Greatest Generation went on to win World War II.
   Newt Gingrich is right when he warns that the newest generation does not understand or appreciate the value of good, hard work.
   Tragically, 40 million children will go to bed tonight without a father in the home to teach them the economic facts of life. One wonders how exactly these children will ever learn any kind of work ethic.
   While in some cases there is a fine mother like mine who can instill it in them, more often than not it’s simply not possible.
   When I was 10 years old I wanted an expensive, new 10-speed Schwinn bike. I asked my mother — the late Hollywood actress Jane Wyman, who could easily afford it — if she would simply buy the bike for me.
   She said she would loan me the money if I signed a note acknowledging the debt. 
I said, “Mom, I am only 10 years old. What can I possibly do to make enough money to pay you back?” She told me I could earn money by selling newspapers. I signed the note, and every Sunday until I fully paid for that bike I sold papers in front of Good Shepherd Catholic Church in Beverly Hills. Later I asked Mom why she made me work for that bike when the other kids’ parents simply gave them their bikes.
   I’ll never forget what she told me. She said, “I build men, not boys, and if you don’t learn to work for what you want now, you will end up as a 40-year-old boy.
   “I want a man.”
   I pray that that’s what she got in her only son. At least that’s what I try to be.
   On that issue alone, Mom would have voted for Newt Gingrich, who holds the same convictions she did.
   World War II was followed by incredible economic growth, which gave the false impression that prosperity was no longer just around the corner, but guaranteed by the power and majesty of 
the federal government as here and forever present.
   What we have now is what has been called “the entitlement generation,” Americans who believe that by merely existing they are entitled to a host of unearned benefits paid for by money extracted from their fellow Americans’ tax payments.
   That the pockets of those American tax payers are not bottomless — and sooner or later will no longer be available to the tax-and-spend crowd that infests Washington, D.C. — has not reached into the minds of this spoiled generation. They really believe that money somehow grows on trees, or at least on printing presses.
   We are fast approaching the time when the feds will no longer be able to print enough paper dollars to finance their multiple programs which are designed to buy the votes of the nation’s taxpayers.
   Hard work gave birth to the Greatest Generation; we are giving birth to the neediest.
   n Michael Reagan is author of “The New Reagan Revolution.”Visit his website at www.reagan.com  , or e-mail comments to Reagan@caglecartoons.com  .



Sorry Micheal.  I heartily disagree with your philosophy regarding children and work.  IF you and Newt had your way kids would be working in sweat shops at 6 years old.  Yes, they would learn how to work, but at what cost?  We got rid of child labor a long, long time ago.  Let's let it continue to RIP.  You and Newt are also great victim blamers.  Let's blame children for being needy or the parents that make them that way.  Oh phooey!  Neither of you know what you are talking about.  Children don't know "needy."  They are children forgodsake.  I say put your heads back in the sand where geology tells us where the past is located.  This is today!  Kids will grow up to be adults no matter what their fathers or mothers teach 'em.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Big East Move

OUR VIEW
Might as well look at bright side on move to Big East
Besides, if you don’t like Boise State’s future football home, be patient — with all the changes in college athletics, there’s a chance the Broncos will relocate again in a few years
   Well, Boise State fans, it looks as though the Broncos will finally be in a conference with an automatic Bowl Championship Series bid in 2013. That’s the good news. And if you’re a glass-is-half-full kind of fan, you can take solace in knowing that you’ll rack up lots of frequent flier miles if you plan on attending their road games.
   Yes, BSU has accepted an invitation to join the Big East Conference which — at least as of now — is guaranteed at least one slot in a big-money BCS bowl 
game. Boise State, which lost one game by a single point to Texas Christian this season, was once again snubbed by the controversial Bowl Championship Series. There’s little doubt that’s what drove university officials to jump conferences for the second time in 18 months. The school joined the Mountain West Conference in June. It will become an official Big East member in football only in 2013, and the other sports will go back to the Western Athletic Conference.
   So now that it’s a done deal, we might as well look on the bright side. In addition to being in an automatic qualifier conference, here’s what’s good about the move:
   For starters, you’ll be able to see more of their games on TV. The ESPN series of networks covers many Big East games but no Mountain West games. Most of the latter are on smaller networks not available on most basic cable and satellite TV packages.
   The media markets for Big East teams are much larger than Mountain West markets, and that translates into more revenue for the schools. Television advertisers pay by the eyeball. Boise State will have more money coming in, which benefits not only athletics programs but academic ones.
   New opponents on the blue. Houston, Louisville, Cincinnati are just a few of the schools the Broncos will face, and new blood is always exciting.
   For those of you who are disappointed in the move because of the long distances you’d have to travel to watch road games, consider this: with all the rapidfire, seemingly endless changes in college athletics these days, this one might not last very long, either. Who knows? Maybe the Pac-12 Conference will come to its senses and invite BSU to compete in football. We can dream, can’t we?
   After all, TCU announced it was going to join the Big East too, but changed its mind and went to the Big 12 instead. The Horned Frogs never played a single game in the Big East — which, by the way, really needs to change its name now that it has teams from California, Idaho, Florida, Connecticut and New Jersey.
   Maybe it should drop the “East” and just be “The Big Conference.”
   Don’t like it? Wait a few months. It, too, would probably change by then.
   Our view is based on the majority opinions of the Idaho Press-Tribune editorial board. Members of the board are Publisher Matt Davison, Managing Editor Vickie Holbrook and community members Tim Vandeventer and Sandi Levi, all of Nampa; Opinion Editor Phil Bridges and community member John Blaisdell of Caldwell, and Alex Zamora of Wilder.
One thing I like about this opinion is that things could change in the next few years.  After the shakeup this year, anything is possible.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thursday, December 8, 2011

BSU Big East

EASTERN BOUND
Boise State will join conference in football in 2013, along with four other schools
By DAVE SOUTHORN
   dsouthorn@idahopress.com 
   © 2011 Idaho Press-Tribune
   BOISE — Boise State president Bob Kustra called it “a Christmas present,” though it was one that sat under the tree for quite a while before it could be opened.
   Reports emerged two months ago about a potential move by the Boise State football team into the Big East Conference, and it was something Kustra publicly pined for the last month.
   On Wednesday, it became official –—the Broncos will leave the Mountain West for the Big East in 2013.
   “A good number of you have speculated why something could possibly take so long, and I’ve wondered that myself many times,” Kustra said to a media gathering. “The fact is, there’s been considerable 
due diligence applied to this decision. This is an important decision. It’s one we’re going to live with.”
   The conference announced the Broncos, along with San Diego State, will join as footballonly members, while Central Florida, Houston and SMU will join in all sports. The move not only expands Boise State’s reach, and Kustra’s goal of spreading the Broncos’ brand, but also gives the Big East reach across the country.
   “Four different time zones will also allow us the potential to schedule four football games on a given Saturday back-toback-to-back-to-back without any overlap,” commissioner John Marinatto said. “It’s a powerful model and one that we believe will be unmatched by any other conference.” 
   Boise State will be part of a west division that will include San Diego State, Houston, SMU and current members Cincinnati and Louisville. The Big East has lost a commitment from TCU to join in 2012 and also has seen Pittsburgh, Syracuse and West Virginia declare their intent to leave. The conference has a 27-month departure notice, and Marinatto spoke Wednesday hoping to keep all three through 2013, making a 13-team football conference.
   Even if all three leave before the Broncos join, they’ll be in a five-team division, with Cincinnati moving to the east, according to Kustra, though Marinatto and BSU interim athletic director Curt Apsey said that has not been decided.
   Marinatto said with six-team divisions, there will be five conference games in the division, and three against teams from the other. He also said the conference is still looking into adding schools, mainly in the west.
   “Growing our football program is something that we are always working on, and joining the Big East Conference will help us do just that,” Boise State coach Chris Petersen said in a statement. “This move is going to be great for our program.”
Petersen said in October “if the money thing all makes sense … then you take the next step.” On Monday, he railed against the BCS system and its flaws in passing over the Broncos. On Wednesday, television revenue and automatic-qualifying status were prime discussion points. Under the Mountain West television contract, schools receive approximately $1.5 million apiece in TV revenue, but Big East schools currently get about $3.7 million. The conference currently has tie-ins with ESPN and CBS, while the Mountain West is on lower-tier networks. The Big East television deal will be re-negotiated next summer.
   “I’ve heard from a half-dozen people … and $6 million (per year) 
was always used as the floor — and then going up to perhaps anywhere from $10-12 (million),” Kustra said.
   The Big East’s champion this year, West Virginia, at No. 23, is the lowest-ranked team in the BCS standings going to a bowl since the conference champ gets an automatic berth. Connecticut, last year’s champ, was unranked in the BCS. The conference received a waiver for the 2008 and 2009 seasons after lackluster showings, but teams like West Virginia helped provide some stability.
   Now that West Virginia (three BCS berths) and Pittsburgh (one) are departing, some 
have questioned if the league will maintain its status as a BCS automatic-qualifying conference when the BCS is re-evaluated after the 2013 season.
   With Boise State’s top 10 finishes in recent years, along with Houston’s top 20 finish this 
year, keep AQ status in the future.
   “We recognize obviously the departure of the schools leaving the conference affected us,” Marinatto said. “But we always felt confident that if we made the right moves, we would keep our BCS AQ status and we’ve done that.”
   Even though the league now stretches from San Diego up to Boise, down to Tampa, Fla., and east to Storrs, Conn., it will remain the Big East.
   “If a conference called the Big Ten can have 12 schools, a conference called the Big East can have schools that are not necessarily in the east,” Marinatto said.
   Boise State accepted a Mountain West invitation hours after receiving it. It was almost as quick to jump on the Big East offer, but this time, it had a long time to figure out if the gamble was worth it. The Bronco brass believes the risk is a calculated one with a big payoff.
   “This was 100 times more complicated,” Kustra said. “Mainly because it was footballonly … there were just so many other considerations.”

____________________________________________________

BCS isn’t changing yet, so BSU does
   Chris Petersen unleashed on the BCS on Monday because his team was denied access despite an 11-1 record and No. 7 national ranking. One day earlier, Dr. Robert Kustra dotted the I and crossed the T on a certain document with a different conference. It was time for change at Boise State. Enough was enough. If college football’s sacred system was not going to change, Boise State proved Wednesday it was. And it didn’t matter if the Broncos had to pack up and travel away from the comfort of their neighbors in the still-new Mountain West Conference.
   It didn’t matter that they had not completed one full football season in the conference.
   Boise State’s football coach, president and the Broncos are heading east, to join the Big East as football-only members.

     “There’s no question that we’ve been frustrated over recent years, as to how the BCS has handled those who are not automatic qualifiers, but the time has come for us to deal with what we can control and not worry about the rest and I think it’s fair to say that’s why I’m on this teleconference today,” Kustra said during a press conference at the Allen Nobel Hall of Fame on the Boise State campus.
   Boise State posted undefeated regular seasons in 2004 and 2008 and was left out of the five bigmoney bowls.
   The Broncos had one defeat during each of the past two seasons, yet they were left out of the BCS again.
   Enough was enough, and Kustra finally packed up his team and hauled them to the first available taker that could ensure a BCS bid for a conference champion.
   “Certainly we look forward to joining a conference with automatic qualifying status,” Kustra said. “And that was clearly one of the reasons that drove us to this decision.
   “That certainly was paramount given the frustrations we’ve experienced over the past few years.”
   The fret for some was if the BCS system would change, if the Big East would retain its automatic-qualifying status. Kustra didn’t waver Wednesday.
   “Even if AQ status changes, the value of the media contract and our ability to grow the football program as far as the Big East side of things is absolutely 
essential,” he said. “And that’s a major reason why we have moved in this direction.
   “I’m confident that these new schools going into the Big East will be a stronger candidate for continued AQ status, but again, no body can predict what’s going to happen in 2013 and beyond.”
   As frustrated as officials, coaches, and you can imagine players were the past few years, leaving the Mountain West in 2013 for the Big East was not the No. 1 priority for the departure.
   Money was.
   The Big East’s television contract pays its members more than double what the Broncos would have received in the Mountain West. And their new conference is getting ready to deal with media companies for a richer deal next September.
Kustra said the bidding should start at $6 million per team and reach as high as $12 million.
   “I think it’s fair to say in my mind that was the most important consideration that we must take into account,” Kustra said.
So, Boise State is not going to a BCS bowl game this season, but they are eventually going big, even if they have to travel to Piscataway, N.J. — to play Rutgers to do it. Even if they have to travel to Tampa, Fla. — to play South Florida to get it done. Even Storrs, Conn. — to face UConn for a fair shot. They’re leaving. They’ve made up their minds. Money, automatic BCS qualification and some more exposure along the way. And that won’t be the only change. When they return home for games at Bronco Stadium, there will be blue on the blue again. Boise State will return to freely wear whatever uniforms they want on their home turf. “Boise State is moving forward to put itself in a position for greater success,” Kustra said. Even if it’s in Louisville, Ky.
I have a feeling Kustra has shot us in the foot.  We should have stayed in the Mountain West for at least a couple of more years.  There's no guarantee that the Big East will still be in business a year from now.  And, what about the other sports...they are sucking hind tit.  They stay in the WAC?  That's just bullshit.  I hope you know what you're doing Kustra, cause I've got no idea!
__________________________________________________
CONFERENCE EXPANSION
   Back in blue?
   Part of the agreement in joining the Mountain West, Boise State could not wear all-blue uniforms on the blue turf at Bronco Stadium. Is there a similar clause in joining the Big East?
   “Absolutely none,” Boise State general counsel Kevin Satterlee said.
   The question got a hearty laugh from president Bob Kustra.
   “I don’t think we could hold on to Chris Petersen if that was the case,” he joked.
   WAC welcomes back Broncos
   Inside: One year after leaving the Western Athletic Conference, Boise State’s non-football sports will return to the conference most of Broncos’ sports competed in from 2001 to 2010, while wrestling will stay in Pac-12.
WAC welcomes Boise State back into the fold
Boise State’s non-football sports will return to former home, wrestling to stay in Pac-12
By DAVE SOUTHORN
   dsouthorn@idahopress.com 
   © 2011 Idaho Press-Tribune
   BOISE — Even though Boise State had wanted to leave the Western Athletic Conference for a few years, they didn’t burn any bridges on the way out.
   After leaving the WAC officially over the summer for the Mountain West after calling it their home since 2001, the Broncos are coming back July 1, 2013 — in all sports other than football and wrestling.
   “The decision to have Boise State back under the WAC umbrella is one that is looking toward 
the future and provide greater stability, greater value and greater structure,” said WAC commissioner Karl Benson, who praised Boise State’s handling of its exit and fulfilling all contractual obligations.
   Though Boise State interim athletic director Curt Apsey admitted to discussions with the Big West Conference, the WAC seemed to be the most logical destination. The conference still has stalwarts Utah State, Louisiana Tech, New Mexico State, San Jose State, and will reignite a rivalry with Idaho. Air Force’s commitment to remain in the Mountain West and the MWC-Conference USA merger could stifle any raiding of the WAC.
   “That’s the way it is now in college athletics,” Boise State men’s 
basketball coach Leon Rice said. “Even the Mountain West we joined isn’t the same. There’s no BYU, no Utah. Who knows where it goes in three years? All we can do is focus on our program and making it better.”
   Benson said he’d be open to adding San Diego State, which joined the Big East in football along with Boise State, and Air Force, should it reconsider.
   When Boise State returns to the WAC, it will have added new members in Texas State, Texas-San Antonio, Texas-Arlington, Denver and Seattle, moves made in part after Boise State, Hawaii, Fresno State and Nevada all announced their intent to leave in the last 18 months.
   Even though many Broncos were recruited with the opportunity 
to play in the Mountain West, it wasn’t the deciding factor for most.
   “All of us came here to play for this coaching staff, to play with these guys — we’re just looking forward to winning games and having success wherever we go,” Boise State sophomore forward Ryan Watkins said.
   The move likely will have the biggest impact on Rice’s team. The Broncos are currently in a conference rated No. 4 in the RPI last year — the WAC was 13th.
   “I don’t think your conference affiliation matters that much,” Rice said. “Yes, it will be nice to at least play in the Mountain West for two years, but look where I came from (Gonzaga). Look at what the football team here has done. If you can build a winning 
program, that other stuff isn’t a big deal.”
   One possible enticement, however, is the possibility of playing as many as four games per year in basketball against Big East teams. General counsel Kevin Satterlee said Wednesday that Boise State could host two teams and travel to play two, though that is not mandatory.
   The conference has basketball heavyweights in Connecticut, Georgetown, Louisville and Villanova — it sent a record 11 teams to the NCAA tournament in the spring.
   “We are excited about the prospect of bringing some basketball teams in here that Boiseans don’t normally get to see,” Boise State president Bob Kustra said.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------