LITTLE ROCK — Vandy coach pays to play Down Under
Vanderbilt men's basketball Coach Kevin Stallings was a little shy when asked about his latest trip with the Commodores - at least about how it was funded.
Stallings paid for the team's trip to Australia earlier this month by declining a $100,000 raise he was supposed to receive as part of his contract this summer.
According to Jeff Lockridge of The Tennessean in Nashville, Stallings wanted it kept quiet. But word eventually leaked.
"It's a little embarrassing," Stallings said.
The NCAA permits teams to take an international trip every four years. Vanderbilt went to Spain in 2003 and had been eligible to travel again since 2007. Stallings had been planning the Australia trip for some time and never thought money would be an issue.
"I can't say there was a time when money was earmarked for the trip," Stallings said. "I sort of assumed when time came it would be there."
By the time Stallings and David Williams, the vice chancellor for university affairs and athletics, addressed the trip in early spring, it was too late to seek donations. Some down payments had to be made in May. That's when Stallings stepped up. The money owed him would match the trip cost almost exactly.
NCAA rules don't allow coaches to pay for such things directly.
"When he told us, it hit us like, 'Wow!' He cares about this team enough to take a lot of money outof his own pocket," sophomore Brad Tinsley said. "It would have been pretty disappointing for a lot of guys because we had gotten our hopes up. This shows his true character."
The Commodores, including Australia native A.J. Ogilvy, traveled to Australia from Aug. 7-17. The team went 3-2 and saw four cities: Sydney, Melbourne, Townsville and Canberra.
The trip also included a visit to a zoo where senior Jermaine Beal hand-fed a kangaroo.
"It put its claw in my hand and that kind of scared me, but it was fun," Beal said.
"Coach knows and the whole team knows this can be a very special year. He thought this trip could bring us a lot of benefits, and if you ask anybody on team, they'll say we gained a lot from this trip.
We had a blast." Keepsake
All those World Series wagers put down by snowbirding Chicago Cubs fans every year in Las Vegas?
They do make nifty keepsakes.
As David Pemberton, director of specialty games at The Rio, told the Chicago Sun-Times: "Everybody wants to come in and get a Cub ticket and go home, 'Look, I bet on the Cubs.' The money just keeps coming in.
"The Midwest, they just come in here and got to get a souvenir. One of the jokes is when people buy a Cubs ticket, we tell people, 'No one's ever cashed one.' " They said it ...
Headline at Fark.com: "[HoustonAstros'] Mike Hampton placed on DL after injuring ... (spins wheel) ... right shoulder ... (bonus spin) ... and right knee."
Gary Loewen of the Toronto Sun, on the two Nippon Ham Fighters with swine flu: "Hopefully they will be cured soon."This school is Boss
George Steinbrenner High School opens its doors to 2,000 students for the first time Tuesday in Lutz, Fla.
According to Dwight Perry of The Seattle Times, "School officials plan to kick off the school year in style, signing a free-agent chemistry teacher to a $10 million deal and firing the baseball coach."Quote of the day
"We still have some things to work on, but we've come a long way. We're proud about that." Arkansas Razorbacks senior tailback Michael Smith
Sports, Pages 14 on 08/24/2009