The Columbia Tribune reports that Missouri curator Don Walsworth contributes $50,000 per year out of his own pocket to Mike Alden's salary. Mr. Walsworth also owns a printing company named Walsworth Publishing, which provides materials and sports programs to the athletic department and Mizzou Sports Properties. According to the article, Walsworth Publishing provides some materials free of charge or at cost to the athletic department, but no one would comment on any deals between Walsworth Publishing and Mizzou Sports Properties, which has an exclusive media rights agreement with the athletic department.

At first blush, this raises serious questions of conflict of interest and other unsavory words. Being a curator, Walsworth has a fiduciary relationship with the University of Missouri and oversees (indirectly) the athletic department, which in turn contracts out publishing work.

So let me break it down for everyone. Here's what I'd like to know:

1. What contracts does Walsworth Publishing have with the University of Missouri Athletic Department...particularly any no-bid contracts (if any)?;
   
2. What contracts does Walsworth Publishing have with Mizzou Sports Properties?;
   
3. Does Walsworth Publishing have an advantage in gaining contracts with either Mizzou Sports Properties or the athletic department by having this financial relationship with the director of athletics?
   
4. What do the rest of the curators think about one of their colleagues having this relationship with the director of athletics?
   

I'm not suggesting impropriety at this point, only the appearance of it. As a state university, the public is entitled to some answers.

The strategy of the University is to simply buy enough time with this silly investigation until the furor subsides. The investigation is simply a stalling mechanism. But Mike Alden is like a sore tooth. You know you have it, but the thought of going to the dentist and getting your mouth drilled up sounds bad, so you just ignore it a while longer.

Mark my words, we will be facing another athletic scandal on Alden's watch and it will involve the same poor management, poor communication and indecisive leadership. It's simply a matter of time.

I'm not a real athlete. I'm a 40 year old guy whose glory days involved nights long ago in CYC soccer. However, I do engage in the occassional pickup basketball game, some indoor soccer, a softball game here and there, etc. One thing I cannot relate to is not throwing your entire heart, mind and body into a game. I would rather saw off a limb than not give everything I have to win a game, even if it's one-on-one with a friend at the playground.

Missouri's basketball team is a collection of quitters right now. They were quitters under Quin and their attitude has only been magnified since he left. Each of those young men should carry a deep personal shame that they would be willing to mail it in like they have. Personal pride is apparently not one of the qualities Quin strived for. No, he was too busy stumbling around Columbia. What a shame, this once proud program is now a disgrace.

The independent investigation that was announced is irrelevant. The only issue that matters at this point is Alden falling out of favor with the fans and big money contributors of Mizzou. Whether you personally feel it is justified, Mike Alden needs to step down for no other reason than he can not effectively lead a group that doesn't want him to be there. No amount of investigation and no amount of statements of confidence from Elson Floyd (who has his own issues with the fans) will change this.

At this point, Mike Alden is finished at Mizzou. It has come unraveled for him much like it did for Norm Stewart in his final days. I didn't want to see Norm go, but I didn't feel he could effectively recruit at that stage in his career with the turmoil he had on the team. He was thin on talent and what talent he had was apparently threatening to leave unless he was replaced. Likewise, Alden has suffered tremendous blows to his reputation during multiple scandals at Mizzou. This latest is simply the final blow and with big money donors and long time boosters of the program severing ties, Elson Floyd has no choice but to cut Alden loose and begin the arduous healing process.

For Alden, this allows him an opportunity to resign and save face. He can make a straight-faced argument that he was simply the scapegoat of a frustrated fanbase hellbent on making someone pay for the basketball fiasco. Mike will land on his feet somewhere and I wish him well. He has accomplished some fine things at Mizzou and it hasn't all been bad, but let's just agree to part ways.

The long term fallout of Mike Alden's mismanagement of the athletic department will be the micromanagement of it by academics. There already is a movement to change the power structure so that the A.D. reports directly to the university president. The call for the board of curators and President Floyd to intervene is a double edge sword. While we want Alden to feel the heat, we also don't want overmanagement by a collection of eggheads. The only solution is to find an athletic director who has the credibility and personality to win the trust of the curators and the president.

What a difference a week makes.

This time last week, Mike Alden was adamently denying he sent Gary Link to do his dirty work. After a week of scrutiny and pressure, his story briefly took an opposite direction, then reverted back to his original version.

Alden wants us to believe that he sent Gary Link to innocently gauge Quin's mood. The problem is Quin's resignation came from that conversation, so it is difficult to believe Link was stopping by to say "how ya doin', Quin?" Further, why did Alden express regret over sending Link to check on Quin? Alden's changing story is the first crack in the armor. The inconsistencies are significant in light of past mismanagement of the athletic department in times of crisis.

The bottom line is it's this type of arrogance and weasely management that the Missouri athletic department does not need. Mike Alden must be removed. If President Floyd and Chancellor Deaton support this decision, they will have atoned for past mismanagement and will deserve our support in moving forward.

The University of Missouri has disgraced the alumni and fan base for far too long. The same crew that brought us non-decisions after Quin's numerous scandals now bring us a non-decision regarding Mike Alden's ineptitude. However, a couple of the members of the Board appear to be as fed up as the rest of us. Please turn up the heat and contact all of the members of the board to demand new leadership at Mizzou.

University of Missouri Board of Curators
316 University Hall
Columbia, Missouri 65211

Also, I had an online petition, but because 75% of people are idiots and think it's funny to sign for other people, I had to take it down.

Some 24 hours late, here is Chancellor Deaton's statement:

COLUMBIA, Mo. - "I have completed my review in response to President Elson Floyd's request and have given him a verbal report regarding my assessment of the decision process preceding Quin Snyder's resignation. The President emphasized that this is a campus matter and that I should proceed as I deem appropriate.

"Each party involved in this issue was well aware of the expectations concerning the performance of the basketball team, and that these expectations had been conveyed to former Head Basketball Coach Quin Snyder on more than one occasion. My assessment is that each of the three principal people involved sought to bring the process to a reasonable conclusion. Individual perceptions differ somewhat, but the facts remain consistent.

"As he explained in his news conference, Quin Snyder had the option to continue as head basketball coach until the end of the season or to resign. Tuesday night he gave his reasons for resigning. I have great respect for him and the reasons he gave for making this decision.

"I am, however, very concerned about the negative image that has been created for the University due to poor communications surrounding the process. As a result of my review, I plan to work with Athletic Director Mike Alden to improve the athletic department's internal and external communications processes, and I will be making recommendations to improve future communications.

"This completes a difficult decision-making process for Mizzou. Everyone involved with this issue had the best interests of the University at heart, and that includes Mike Alden, Gary Link and Quin Snyder. It is time to move ahead, and Athletic Director Mike Alden and Interim Head Coach Melvin Watkins have my support. I plan to work closely with Mike and the Athletic Department staff to assess the basketball program and its future as we anticipate the search for a new basketball coach."

Just read below to see how predictable this was, except Deaton didn't even reach my low expectations. He went straight to "this was a misunderstanding".

Now I have a statement for Chancellor Deaton: You're a coward.

There is a serious issue of competence and integrity surrounding the ouster of Snyder, yet you failed to deal with it. Thanks to your inaction, there will be no consequences as a result of this latest athletic department fiasco. Please be advised, Chancellor Deaton, this will not be the last fiasco. This type of garbage has become commonplace at Mizzou and your refusal to deal with it only ensures that there will be more of the same on your desk in the future. Trust me, we all saw this coming. Your non-decision today prolongs the travesty of Missouri athletics, further alienates an outraged fanbase and adds another chapter to this saga.

I do have a couple of questions. Deaton confirmed that Snyder resigned. According to the contract, Quin owes the University of Missouri some $390,000. Instead, we're paying him $574,000. Why? Would this be considered a misappropriation of funds? Further, according to Alden, he only sent Link to see how Quin was doing. However, Deaton says Quin was given the option to resign now or finish until the end of the season. Presumably, Deaton is saying Snyder would be fired at the end of the season. This contradicts what Alden said publicly. Then Deaton conveniently sweeps the entire episode under the rug by declaring it a miscommunication. I guess we must look that stupid. After all, this is the new Ivy League-esque Mizzou. I can't decide if this is the height of arrogance or the depths of gutlessness.

Personally, I will not attend another Missouri athletic event while Mike Alden is the athletic director and I urge other Missouri fans to do the same. Some how, some way we will take back our public university from the grip of the inane.

Chancellor Deaton announced that he would release his findings regarding the ouster of Quin Snyder last night. Then he said he'd release them this morning. The day is almost over and there isn't so much as a peep out of the University of Missouri. Meanwhile, it's all anyone is talking about on call in radio shows and message boards. This administration is redefining 'self destruction'.

We find out today what Deaton found in his 24 hour investigation. Here's what he will say (my prediction, of course)...

Mike Alden did, indeed send Gary Link to find out "how Quin was doing." Link was privy to Alden's position that Quin would not be the coach next year. Link and Quin are good friends and Quin pressed Link for information about his future. Being a friend, Link confessed Alden's intentions. Deaton will consider the matter miscommunication and closed.

Now on to my post game analysis. If Alden really did send Link to "see how Quin is doing", Mike actually meant "let's get severance negotiations going." It was simply a passive/aggressive attempt to get Quin to initiate the conversation. It was bait. I think the more likely scenario is it played out exactly how Quin said it did and Alden acted without consulting the board, Deaton or Floyd.

The problem at Mizzou is when they needed an athletic director and a coach, they hired a fundraiser and a recruiter. Consequently, you see the course of the past eight years.

We'll see how things develop throughout the day...

Gary Link: thrown under the bus by Mike Alden
Mike Alden: thrown under the bus by Deaton, Floyd, Quin Snyder, Harpo's, Jon Sundvold and the Board of Curators
Quin Snyder, Floyd, Deaton and the Board of Curators: thrown under the bus by Mike Alden
Harpo's, Deaton, Floyd, Quin Snyder, Jon Sundvold, board of curators and Tiger Nation: thrown under the bus by Ricky Clemons
Ricky Clemons: thrown under the bus by Jessica Bunge
Elson Floyd: thrown under the bus by Carmento Floyd
Ed Stewart: thrown under the bus by Amy Stewart
Tony Harvey, Lane Odum: thrown under the bus by Quin Snyder
Norm Stewart: thrown under the bus by Bill Laurie and Mike Alden

I'm renaming Mizzou Arena The Bus Stop.

Amy Stewart, lawyer, philosopher, orator and wife of assistant A.D. Ed Stewart now can add 'prophet' to her resume.

The one single issue that all Mizzou fans can agree on is that there has been a lack of leadership within the athletic department through various scandals and crises. Now we learn that athletic director Mike Alden lied to the public when he told us he only asked Gary Link to gauge how Quin was doing this week. An avalanche of evidence points to the same story: Alden sent Link to inform him he could either resign or be fired at the end of the season.

At a time when Mizzou is dog paddling to keep its reputation above water, Mike Alden failed. He failed when he refused to comment on the situation. He failed when he left for California rather than stay back in Columbia to deal with this and he failed when he lied to an already cynical and skeptical fan base.

Elson Floyd now has the easiest decision since it was obvious Quin Snyder should have been fired when the program went on probation. Alden must be fired immediately. No soap opera. No committee. No word smithing.

Mr. Floyd, we've had enough.

By ordering an investigation into the ouster of Quin, Missouri president Elson Floyd is manning up to the situation. I like it.

Fellow Tiger fan rage dave has the following message for Tiger Nation:

Folks:

I say this with great sadness, I considered myself a strong supporter of Alden at one point. However, as of now, I think it is time for Alden to go.

Now I give him high marks for upgrading the facilities—practice, training, and the new arena. However, as a manager of the department I think there are serious problems going back to the initial handling of the Clemons issue, his handling of Snyder after the NCAA investigation, his putting Snyder in a no-win situation this year by giving him an unreasonable ultimatum, his handling of the O’Neal tragedy, and now the dishonesty regarding the Snyder termination.

I’ve heard from some sources that people like Lon Kruger are near the top of the list for new hires. I’ve also heard that he back-doored an interview at Georgia Tech.

Fortunately they were able to reach agreement on a buy-out of Snyder’s contract. But I have serious concerns about Alden's ability to land the kind of coach that we want.

What I urged people to do last night was to send a snail-mail letter to the board of curators and ask them to terminate Alden.

University of Missouri Board of Curators
316 University Hall
Columbia, Missouri 65211

This is very important--if you make an emotional and profanity laced appeal, the curators will not take your plea seriously.

You need to write an actual snail mail letter. An email can be ignored. A ton of letters piled up in their offices cannot.

You need to be polite and professional. No slang. No profanity.

Tell them:

Who you are--we want ordinary fans to be writing, do not be ashamed
Tell them of your love for this program
Tell them why you are unhappy with the current director
Tell them you would like to see the director removed
Thank them for your consideration...

if you have questions, email me at: rage_dave@msn.com

rage dave

Apparently the University of Missouri has reached an agreement with Quin Snyder to buy out his contract for $574,000...more than what he is owed. We'll see soon enough, but I'm guessing there's a confidentiality agreement in there that's worth oh, say, $200,000. Earlier today, Harpo's announced it kicked out Tiger Talk. Harpo's and Tiger Talk have been a combo for many years. Harpo's owner Dennis Harper said, "I don't feel like there's some honesty going on over there. They threw my friend Gary Link under the bus."

That's simply some plain-speaking Missouri talk in response to U.N. Mike's long, rambling non-response to a simple question yesterday about whether he instructed Gary Link to inform Quin he wouldn't be back next year. Good for Harpo's.

Like I said, only regime change will fix things at Mizzou.

Missouri fans have suffered mightily for seven years now. We're entitled to a little something here and there. The overwhelming fan choice and sentimental favorite is for the Tigers to wear the uniforms they wore against K-State. Few like the spacesuits they wear now and nobody likes the mustard-colored road uniforms. Please, bring back the black and gold the way we like it. Check them out at Becking.com.

It all started with Joe Castiglione leaving for Oklahoma. My initial reaction to that news was "wow, I didn't know Joe was that hot of an item." The University of Oklahoma knows athletics and knows how to win. They plucked a shining star right out of our back pocket. Usher in Mike Alden.

Under Alden's leadership, Mizzou pushed out a legendary coach, sold its soul to the Laurie family, hired a kid with zero track record and if you believe the rumors, plenty of baggage, and put into motion a series of events over the next seven years that almost seem destructive on purpose.

It was obvious early on and I wrote some five years ago that Snyder lacked both leadership and coaching abilities and was completely out of his depth. Still, Alden stuck with him, even offering a contract extension in the face of Snyder's shady recruiting and program management that led to NCAA sanctions. Snyder's propensity to take shortcuts and recruit high risk players became his calling card. This pattern began the day he took office and continued through probation.

But Quin is gone. He's no longer the story. Now the story is the board of curators, Elson Floyd and Mike Alden. Let's take the Ricky Clemons fiasco, for example. While Clemons was supposed to be sitting in a Boone County jail, he was at Missouri president Elson Floyd's house riding around on an ATV. It turns out that the wives of Floyd and assistant athletic director Ed Stewart had befriended Clemons. Stewart's wife Amy in a taped conversation with Clemons said "Ed come home, every time he come home, he be like, 'Them crackers shaking. They going crazy. They don't know what to do. They shaking. They can't talk to Ricky.' They're like some crackheads running around there. You're going to take them down. You know that right? You're taking them down. I'm taking great pleasure."

So here you have the wives of two prominent Missouri officials involved in conversations with Ricky Clemons about information that could damage the University and when it comes to light, what does the board and Floyd do about it? Absolutely nothing. The board met with Floyd for all of five minutes and declared the matter closed.

What should have been done about it? Floyd and Stewart should have been fired. While it is true that it was their wives who were involved in the relationship with Clemons, Missouri cannot stand idly by while members of its own staff and/or family who have access to information and key characters undermine the University.

Today comes word that Snyder was told that he woudn't be returning next year not by Alden, but by Gary Link. I have independent confirmation that Alden fired another member of his staff in this same way previously. That to me just serves as corroborating evidence of what we already know about Alden from his track record. He put into play shady characters, couldn't manage the results and then sent an underling to deal with the mess. Today is a day of crisis for the Missouri athletic department. Where's Mike Alden? He has no comment.

Neither the board, Floyd or Alden have demonstrated the leadership needed by the University of Missouri to lead it through this crisis of reputation. Only regime change will fix Missouri athletics.

That's Rush taking the shot after Stokes dribbles for 30 seconds. Gilbert, Bryant and AJ look on. How things have improved. The Tigers took 700 three point attempts tonight against the 1-7 (whoops, 2-7) Baylor Bears in front of 42 people. Glad things have developed so far under Quin's leadership.

Notice the date...thanks, Quin.

In the interest of saving time, I'm going to write some Baylor game notes 2 hours before the game starts...

Missouri lost tonight to one of the worst teams in college basketball in front of nearly nobody.

At least 25 times a day someone says something like "So I heard so and so's real estate agent was sited in Columbia today..." or "So and so was seen house hunting in Columbia..." We get it. We all get it. It was funny the first 400 times I heard it. Now it makes me want to break things. If you're not a particularly clever person, then accept it and don't try to be clever because chances are you're just making people like me angry.

Consider Quin's career in hospice care. Tonight marks the last few appearances by Quin Snyder as Missouri's basketball coach. I might even go so far as to say his last few appearances as a head coach anywhere. Snyder has done such a complete and spectacular job at destroying Missouri basketball that he will forever be associated with it, much like Bob Denver and Gilligan's Island. Mizzou may very well be a career killer for Snyder.