This news about this week's blockbuster trade shocked me. I couldn't believe that Notre Dame and Oklahoma agreed to it.
If you haven't heard, Heisman quarterback Jason White is headed to South Bend to fight for the Irish in his sixth and final year of eligibility next season. In return, the Sooners are getting the talented but unproven sophomore quarterback Brady Quinn, as well as an offensive lineman to be named later.
The trade is the latest in a line of big-name exchanges that have highlighted this year's college football hot stove league.
Just two weeks ago, LSU announced it had worked out a trade with Florida to nab sophomore quarterback Chris Leak. He will replace the outgoing Matt Mauck, who chose to leave LSU for dental school. LSU saw the chance to improve its offense by offering up four members of its strong returning defense.
By and large, however, it has been Notre Dame that has been running the table this offseason. Their deep pockets - deepest in the nation, thanks in no small part to financial support from noted alumni like Regis Philbin - have enabled them to shore up the team in hopes of bringing a national championship back to South Bend.
Other than the trade for White, which made him the highest-paid athlete in the NCAA, Notre Dame has built its 2004 squad mainly by luring top players away from smaller schools. Since the bowl season closed, the Irish have traded down for Eastern Michigan running back Anthony Sherrell, Tulsa tight end Garrett Mills and Troy State defensive back Derrick Ansley.
The effects of Notre Dame's harvest might even reach Athens. Trade rumors are currently circulating around Ohio wide receiver Scott Mayle. Details of a deal have yet to be worked out, however, because Ohio is concerned with the side effects a trade will have on the Bobcats' track and field program.
Sources within the Notre Dame athletic department have told me, however, that Tyrone Willlingham and the Irish will do what they have to to get Mayle. Ohio backers insist Mayle is worth at least a tailback and three high school signees, one each over the next three years.
Notre Dame's offseason trades have been hotly debated among college football experts and fans alike. Some argue that a national title for Notre Dame - America's team, supposedly - would be good for the sport. Others argue the gap is growing dangerously wide between the powerhouses and the so-called mid-majors.
(Expletive) the Irish
said one irate fan. All they do is buy all their players. Of course they're going to be good when they've got their own television contract. They've got money coming out their (expletives) but people down in the MAC and the A-10 and C-USA and all these other small conferences got squat. The rich keep getting richer and the poor keep getting poorer.
Anyway, like I said, I couldn't believe the news about the trade this week. I kept hope alive that college football wouldn't sink this far. I had tried to ignore the writing on the wall, instead choosing to believe that college sports were still pure and wholesome, that they still focused on what's important - the game.
But now I see the light. Now I see that the game means nothing. Now I see that it's all about the money. I never thought college sports would betray their fans like this.
I was so naïve. I thought this kind of thing only happened in Major League Baseball.
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Joe Rominiecki
