Unbelievable: Bluder's contract and Deace's tweets
A tweet:
'Not an endorsement but a prediction: the 2012 GOP presidential ticket will
be Trump-Huckabee.' - Steve Deace, May 14.
Two facts:
Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee announces he will not seek the Republican
presidential nomination. - May 14.
Blow-dried blowhard Donald Trump announces he will not seek the Republican
presidential nomination. - May 16.
A tweet:
'This GOP field is so wide open, I'm going to cease making foolish predictions
and just enjoy watching this bloodbath play out.' - Steve Deace, May
16. ...
A comment:
For Deace, 'foolish predictions' is redundant.
A quote:
'On Tuesday, [the University of] Iowa announced that [women's basketball
coach Lisa] Bluder was given a new seven-year contract, making her
the Iowa coach through the 2018 season.' - Hawk Central, the sports sheet
produced by The Des Moines Register and the Iowa City Press-Citizen.
A fact:
Unless she doesn't want to be.
The story:
That 'contract' is no contract at all, which none of the sports pages
bothered to point out. And it's out-of-whack with reality or
common sense, which
none of the editorial pages bothered to point out. It pays her
a minimum of nearly
three times the entire revenue that women's basketball takes
in at Iowa each year. It's the equivalent of paying Kirk Ferentz more than
$50 million
a
year - which, of course, the university might do in the next
go-round.
Here's the unbelievable deal: Bluder gets base pay of $393,000
in the academic year that starts July 1 and annual raises that
take
her to
$497,000 a year
in the year starting July 1, 2017. Plus $50,000 a year for running
camps and endorsing shoes and stuff like that. Plus incentives
that could total
as much as $570,000 a year if her team wins the NCAA title and
she is national coach of the year and her players turn out to
be good
students as well
as good players. Plus a 'longevity bonus' of $50,000 a year for
the first
two
years, then $60,000 a year, then $65,000 a year for two years,
then $70,000 a year for the final two years of the 'contract.'
Plus a
bonus ranging
up to $50,000 a year if ticket revenue hits certain levels -
including $20,000
a year if the revenue merely stays at the current budgeted level
of $175,000 annually.
Repeat: The entire revenue of the women's basketball operation
is budgeted at $175,000 for this year.
Oh, also she gets two cars (make and model not specified) and
'appropriate automobile insurance.' And a family membership at
the University
Athletic Club. And 'free golf privileges' at the university's
Finkbine Golf
Course. And 20 tickets to each of her home games. And up to five
free season
passes for Iowa men's basketball, volleyball, wrestling and 'men's
football' seasons
- which raises the question as to whether there is a football
team at Iowa other than the 'men's football' team. Oh yeah, and
her
family gets
to travel
with her team to away games, 'space permitting' and on the university's
nickel. The university will also pay for the family's meals on
those trips.
The university can fire her for cause - though 'cause' does not
mean having a crappy team. If it fires her without cause - for
having
crappy seasons,
for instance - it must pay out her base salary for every year
through 2018.
But what if Bluder decides to go coach somewhere else, even though
she has a 'contract' through 2018? 'Coach may terminate this
contract without
cause
upon thirty (30) days written notice to University.'
That's the 'contract.'
No kidding.
'Nice job by Bluder; she gets a contract worth $4 million to
$10 million, a guarantee of more than $3 million and in return
agrees
to give 30
days notice if she quits,' says a lawyer who looked at the contract
for Skinny.
And he adds: 'The Regents should step in on these and require
board approval of multimillion-dollar deals that bear no relation
to
education or revenues.'
Fat chance.
In case you were wondering, the women's basketball team loses
more than $2.7 million a year. According to university documents,
it
has budgeted
revenue
of $175,000 and budgeted expenses of $2.9 million this year.
And here's a little tip for Bluder, not that she needs any advice:
If the revenue
hits
$175,000, she gets a $25,000 bonus; if it hits $200,000, she
gets
a $35,000 bonus; if it hits $250,000, she gets a $50,000 bonus.
So if
it hits $245,000,
she should go out and buy $5,000 worth of tickets; that would
get her an extra $10,000 in bonus.
Once again: Even if she has a lousy team and gets no incentives,
in just the first year of her contract she will earn nearly three
times
as much
as the entire season's revenue for women's basketball at Iowa.
'I'm obviously happy with the outcome here,' Bluder told the
Press-Citizen.
Obviously.
A comment: And who's the genius who decided to make this deal
while the Legislature was still in session and still debating
university
appropriations?
...
A footnote: The University of Iowa last week promoted Barry Butler
to become executive vice president and provost, the top academic
post at
the university.
His salary will be $375,000 a year, some $100,000 less than the
minimum Bluder will earn. It's unclear if he gets free golf privileges
at
Finkbine or five
passes to 'men's football' games. ...
Now, on to some political bits and pieces. The absence of Huckabee
and Trump and Mitch Daniels from the Iowa caucuses is great news
for Mitt
Romney, who
suddenly becomes the front-runner. The implosion of Newt Gingrich
helps Romney, too. None of that may help him pick up more votes,
but it eliminates
the
top competition. ...
Late last week three legislators told Skinny the Legislature
probably won't adjourn until the end of June. None was happy
about that.
...
Life's little coincidences. On Wednesday afternoon, June 15,
the United States Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit will meet
in
St. Louis
to consider the
appeal of Sholom Rubashkin, the Agriprocessors executive who
was found guilty on 86 counts of fraud, ordered to pay $26 million
in restitution,
and sentenced
to 27 years in prison. The sentence was handed down by Chief
Federal
Judge Linda Reade of Cedar Rapids, and many considered it harsh
(including that
old softy Ed Meese) - particularly in light of the fact that
the judge seemed to be in on the planning of the immigration
raid on
the Agriprocessors
plant
in Postville in 2008.
The judges hearing the appeal will be Chief Judge William Riley
and judges Diana Murphy and Lavenski Smith. The previous day,
and on
the morning
of the 15th itself, Judges Murphy and Smith will be joined by
another judge
to hear 10 other appeals. That judge will be Linda Reade, who
is sitting with the appellate court that week as a visiting judge.
That doesn't look good, says a guy who watches such things. Particularly
if your name is Rubashkin. CV
