Midweek Links: Vote for Sapong & Why the Virginia Pilot is Wrong

While we continue to play the waiting game until the CAA expansion candidates are announced, here’s your fix of JMU related links.

Reigning MLS Rookie of the Year and JMU alum, C.J. Sapong is on the ballot for the MLS All Star game. Fan voting will determine the starting 11 from MLS who get to take on 2012 European Champion Chelsea FC on July 25. Vote early and vote often.

Sapong had a brace (look it up) in Sporting KC’s win over Dayton Dutch Lions to advance to the US Open Cup Semifinals.

This Washington Examiner headline says “More Bad News for the CAA”, but it’s really not news if we all knew about it months ago is it?

Redshirt freshman Kenyan Pittman is considering transferring from JMU according to the DNR’s Mark Selig. I’m trying to muster up some outrage, but I’m sort of numb at this point.

The CAA announced its schedule for the 2012-2013 championships, including for the Magnificent Seven hoops tourney next March. It looks like Drexel and George Mason will play the final on Monday, March 11.

And finally, the Virginia Pilot’s editorial board took an entirely predictable (yet entirely wrong) stance on ODU’s ineligibility for CAA championships. First of all, get the facts straight. It’s not accurate to say that last week the CAA presidents “voted to bar the Monarchs from conference tournaments in the school’s last season in the CAA.” They didn’t. They voted to deny ODU’s request to overturn the rule that prevented teams leaving the CAA from competing for CAA championships. A rule that has existed for years, yet ODU never felt the need to challenge until after they were subject to its consequences. Second of all, just reread that last sentence again. The ODU administration knew the rule when they decided to jump to C-USA.

The editorial goes on to state that “each championship for each athlete in each team sport is an achievement, a validation of the sacrifices a student makes to compete, proof of her devotion to her alma mater.” No argument here. Of course making a move purely for football to a conference that doesn’t even sponsor competition for four of your university’s varsity teams (including the 9 time National Champion field hockey team), doesn’t really give each of those athletes the chance for that validation to prove her devotion to good ol’ ODU does it? This does suck for the ODU student athletes. I feel bad for them. I really do. The blame falls on their own administration though, not on the other CAA presidents. And while I’m sure some ODU fans will accuse me of being bitter and vindictive (just like those nasty CAA presidents), I’m in favor of doing what’s best for the student athletes. And that’s why I think the CAA should push ODU out right now. Let them pull a VCU and make the move to their new conference ASAP. It’s better for everyone.