The Big Blue Daily Mail -- Early Signing Period Edition

Today, the Big Blue Daily Mail asks the question -- is the early signing period a good thing, especially in light of the new restrictions on National Letters of Intent that forbid extra conditions being attached to the letter, a la addendums allowing recruits to get out of their commitment in the event of a coaching change?

Most coaches are in favor of course, and according to this article by ESPN's Andy Katz, some coaches think the new restrictions are no problem:

"If there is a coaching change, they can get out of it,'' Ohio State's Thad Matta said. "They always do anyway.

I think that's right.  Almost no school is willing to risk the negative recruiting consequences of not letting a recruit out of his NLI in the event of a coaching change.  And it's fairly obvious why coaches like the early signing period:

"I don't want to be on planes flying all over the place as the head coach during the season,'' Self said. "You want November recruiting to be done so you can have a leg up on the next year during the year.''

But it seems like the top recruits are not sold on the benefits of signing early, and aren't really interested in freeing up mercurial coaches to just coach:

"The top guys are realizing that they have the leverage to wait," said Rivals.com recruiting analyst Jerry Meyer. "And the guys who are not the top guys know that more opportunities can open up for them later. So, if you don't feel confident in where you stand, if you're not ready, it only makes sense to wait with all the coaching changes that occur and the springtime roster changes that occur."

I don't think you can blame these guys for feeling this way, and I think waiting is smart from the standpoint of a top recruit.  For the other guys, I think the early signing period makes much more sense, because it prevents them from being edged out of a scholarship by a really good recruit suddenly becoming available with no scholarships left.

The news follows the jump.

• 20 points about the college basketball season | Philadelphia Inquirer | 11/11/2009

• Dribble-drive originator says it's all about attacking | KentuckySports.com
  "Cal did it a little disservice," Vance Walberg said in a telephone interview Tuesday. "Everybody thinks it's a dribble-dribble-dribble offense. That's not what it is. It's an attacking offense."
  
  I don't think that. I suppose the name is a little deceptive, but doesn't "dribble-drive" imply an attack?

• UK Football Fan: Pundits' UK Bowl Projections

• Kentucky Sports Radio " Blog Archive " Andy Katz puts together the worst conference ranking list ever
  I agree. This is not a proud effort by Katz.

• ESPN Columnist Forde diagnosed with "romantic abnormality" " The Adams Group
  Clinical researchers and sex doctors have completed a two-year examination of ESPN.com senior writer Pat Forde and concluded that he has a bizarre "romantic abnormality" the likes of which no other human has ever been diagnosed with.
  
  Read, and don't be drinking anything while doing so. Fair warning.

• Tom Leach has lots of stuff on his blog today.
  Morehead state preview podcast, Vandy radio voice podcast, and lots more.

• Tobias Harris Journal: It's Crunch Time
  Tobias Harris, the #5 recruit on the Rivals150 List for 2010, is now 12 days away from announcing his college choice. This is the Tobias Harris Journal, an all access feature from AllKYHoops.com that intends to illustrate the high-major recruiting process through the eyes of the recruit.

• Karen Sypher Evicted from Home
  The woman accused in a plot to extort $10 million from Rick Pitino was forced to move from her home Tuesday.
  
  Weirder and weirder.

• I Can See (the Suspensions) Clearly Now - Arkansas Expats
  Both Courtney Fortson and Stefan Welsh have been suspended indefinitely. Welsh we knew about, but the news on Fortson is at least somewhat surprising. It was known that he would face some type of suspension after his infamous tweet, but Pelphrey's comments make it sound like additional factors are at work as well.
  
  Double uh oh.

• Duke Basketball is Geigh (Not That There’s Anything Wrong with That)
  Heh.

• Forde Minutes: A look back and a look forward - ESPN
  Louisville-Kentucky (23). When: Jan. 2, in Lexington. Why: The feud is back to molten temperature with Calipari's arrival at UK. He and Pitino have had some memorable battles over the years, and should go at one another with maximum ferocity now that they're just 75 miles apart.

• Goin' Back To Indiana
  The only team that can challenge Kansas for the title, at least in terms of talent, is the Kentucky Wildcats. New coach John Calipari has the country's best recruiting haul, led by next June's no. 1 pick in the NBA draft, John Wall.

• College basketball is back ... with a whimper - Seth Davis - SI.com
  • I wonder if Arizona fans realize just how close they were to getting John Calipari as their coach. If the Kentucky job hadn't opened, I'd say there was about a 75 percent chance Cal was going to end up in Tucson. That's why Arizona's coaching search looked so disorganized at the end. They thought they had their man.
  
  Like most of Seth Davis' assertions, I find this one unpersuasive.

• Jeff Jordan Suspended Two Games For Offseason Violation - SB Nation
• UK women have fun in exhibition rout | KentuckySports.com
• McGinnis Named SEC Swimmer of the Week - KENTUCKY OFFICIAL ATHLETIC SITE

• " Matt Pilgrim stars in first Oklahoma State exhibition John Clay’s Sidelines
  Great for Matt.

• " Rich Brooks next-to-last in SEC coaching salaries John Clay’s Sidelines
  Well, we knew this.

• You're On Your Own. - Maize n Brew
  These past three years, barring some fleeting bright spots, have been unrelentingly painful for anybody who follows Michigan football with any kind of passion. For the first time in my life, I can honestly say that I look forward to watching the NFL on Sundays. I can't wait for basketball season to start. When was the last time you heard that from a Michigan fan?
  
  A Michigan fan's lament. As a Kentucky fan who has just suffered through four long years of Hell, and who is still recovering from the burn scars, I am totally sympathetic.

• 5 Razorback Basketball Players Suspended - Razorbacks News Story - KHBS NW Arkansas
  University of Arkansas head basketball coach John Pelphrey suspended five of his players Tuesday, with suspensions ranging from two games to indefinitely.
  
  Uh oh...

• #4 Kentucky Wildcats - Storming The Floor
  Nice job by Storming the Floor. Interesting that the author has the same name as a member on A Sea of Blue. Could they be one and the same?
  
  I even get quoted!

• Dick Vitale defends Calipari
  Until someone comes to me and proves without a doubt that Calipari is involved in those shenanigans and is involved … I can’t hold them guilty. If you’re anti-Calipari, you’re going to use that to bury him. If you’re a guy who just looks at what’s right, and see what he’s done, and about the graduation - that’s another thing he gets a bum rap for … his kids have graduated; he’s got a terrific graduation rate - but yet nobody wants to hear that.
  
  Very impressive and well-executed defense by Dick Vitale, despite attempts by the interviewer to lead him to a different conclusion. Via Bluegrass State Basketball.

• Hartline Returns to Practice
  "Hartline did some good things, and then a couple of times looked like he had a little rust on him," Brooks said. "Now, the question is how that knee will respond in the next 24 hours. We’ll have to see how that goes. He moved around well and executed the whole offense."
  
  I'd be surprised if he is ready for much action at Vanderbilt.

• More High School Sports Titles Decided By Technicalities - gymnastics - Deadspin
  A Kansas gymnastics team was docked one point at the state championship meet—enough to drop them from first to third in the final standings—because their coach made an "illegal inquiry." She asked was the score was.
  
  Wow.

• Let the Cal-i-parti begin! | Vaught's Views
  Let the Cal-i-parti start.
  
  Why not?