Road Trip Isolation

When I started travelling for my job in sports I was an NBA announcer. In those days with the Spurs and later Rockets and Pacers the teams did not have chartered jets. We travelled commercial with early morning flights. We also stayed on the road for a few days if that made financial sense even if it meant spending more off days away from home.

It was very easy to get behind what was going in the the hometown. There was no internet and access to local papers was rare.

For the last 25 years I have been affiliated with major league baseball. For the last number of years that has included every game with the Astros and has included long road trips. The travel is a lot better than my NBA days. We have chartered planes and top flight hotels. We also have the internet. It is not hard to keep up with what has been going on in Houston.

Even so, this long trip that started in Denver, is now in New York and will wind up next week in Kansas City is making us all feel like we have been away from Houston for ages.

Just consider what has been going on since we left.

The Big 12 was one of the major college sports conferences in the country.

Baylor was a member of the league. So was Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech. Outside Texas Nebraska and Colorado were proud members.

The Pacific 10 Conference had only ten members. The Big 10 had eleven. Texas and Texas A&M, thanks to their long relationship in the old SWC and Big 12 were practically joined at the hip.

Oliver Luck was the guiding force behind the Houston Dynamo.

The University of Houston had no public plans for any football or basketball facility renovations.

It wasn't really hot in Houston yet.

The BP disaster was still leaking oil. OK, so that one is still a continuing story which is actually the most serious of all. It is costing billions of dollars and doing extensive damage. The ramifications are far greater than anything in sports.

But since we are a sports business let us consider all the changes that have occurred since the Astros left on this road trip. EVERYTHING is tied into money. In some cases to make more of it. In other cases to stay afloat and pay the bills.

As this is written there are reports that in addition to Colorado, four other teams from the Big 12 are headed toward the Pac 10 (or whatever new name it ultimately has) in the near future. Texas A&M is reportedly considering separating itself from Texas and moving to the SEC. Odd may still be greater that the Aggies will go Pac 10ing, too, but it is not certain.

Nebraska has already committed to the Big 10. Colorado has already committed to the Pac 10 in an early strike to keep UT from insisting (if they actually would) that Baylor move West, too, and not Colorado. Yet, if the Aggies head to the SEC that would open a spot for Baylor perhaps. So, you can bet a lot of Baylor Bears are trying to sell their Aggie brethren on the joys of the SEC. Baylor would be in a tough spot if they are left behind.

With Nebraska out of the Big 12 it might have been possible to consider adding more Texas based schools to the Big 12 as replacements. Nebraska was reportedly the most concerned about the growing influence of the state in league matters. It does not appear Big 12 Commissioner Dan Beebe will have that option. He may be left with only Baylor, Kansas, Kansas State, Iowa State and Missouri. The basketball programs for the five are strong enough, but there are no potential football powers among them. And football pays most of the bills.

There are not enough 0r maybe no schools that could be added to the Big 5 that would change that.

This is a continuing story. Who knows what will have totally happened by the time we return home next week. With our last stop in Kansas City only a stone's throw from both Kansas and Kansas State I bet we have a pretty good idea of the thinking from that end. We will just have to catch up later in our own hometown.