[KcMizzou]

Originally Posted by |Zach|

Pinkel isn't a bullshit artist.

Hell, he was the only one at B12 media days who didn't kiss Texas' ring when asked about the Longhorn Network.

Nothing I know of Pinkel points to him making that statement would make it untrue.

Pinkel: "There's just no common sense"

By Dave Matter

Posted July 25, 2011 at 5:04 p.m.

DALLAS — Last week on Twitter I wondered aloud which Big 12 coach would raise the biggest stink on the Longhorn Network and its controversial plan to televise high school football games. I never would have guessed Gary Pinkel. But there he was in interview after interview Monday offering some frank opinions on the league's divisive issue du jour. Let's call him the Thomas Paine of the Big 12, because for Pinkel, his theme of the day was "Common Sense."

"I don’t know the details of this, but you’re going to sit there and show high school games, you’re going to advertise your school on there, where you list all the great recruits you have on there," Pinkel said of the yet-to-launch Longhorn Network's plan to televise high school games featuring Texas recruits. "You can do anything you want on there. There’s just no common sense there. That can’t happen. Are you kidding me? That’s my observation. I haven’t talked to anybody about it. … But what are we doing here?"

Just as Pinkel spoke with a small cluster of writers, Texas Coach Mack Brown was holding court with a swarm of reporters about 30 feet away. In defense of the Longhorn Network, Brown reasoned that Missouri will ultimately benefit because its high school recruits will also be featured in televised games on the LHN. Told of Brown's comments, Pinkel shared some zingers for his longtime colleague.

"That doesn’t surprise me. He’s my buddy," Pinkel said, nodding at Brown and laughing. "We’re very appreciative of that. I’ll send him a bottle of wine."

Pinkel's tone was measured and good humored, but he was clearly agitated by the developments. And unlike the other coaches gathered here Monday, he shared some candid assessments on the state of the league.

"You want a degree of fairness in any league," he said. "The fairness in the Southeast Conference is every single team in that league gets the same revenue share. That’s one of the reasons it’s a great league. That’s why the Pac-10 is going to that. That’s going to make that league better. You want to ... do what’s right for the Big 12. That’s what we all want. That’s how this new Big 12, to me, in my opinion, will become a great league. You do what’s right for the Big 12. Every member is a part of it."

I asked Pinkel if he senses much long-term cohesion in the newly formed Big 12.

"Well, yeah, until what happened last week happened," he said, referring to the dust-up over bickering over the new network. "I can expand on that but I’m not going to. There just doesn’t seem to be any common sense in that. And I can’t believe that that’s going to happen. But we’ll see."

He saved what might have been his best line for the end of his time in Dallas.

"You just want to do what’s best for your league," he said. "That’s why it’s a league. If you don’t want to do that, you become an independent. Go do what you got to do. It’s a great league.l Texas is a great member of it. We just have to make sure there’s an even playing field, in my opinion."

http://www.columbiatribune.com/weblo...-common-sense/