Pat Fitzgerald's contract is extended to 2020. I'm glad to see him stay in purple. May not be the best coach (he ain't), but I feel like he's gonna run a clean ship. He's the face of the program, and really pleased he's embraced that. I'd sacrifice 10 national championships to not be going through what dOSU is going through right now.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/breaking/cbsports-ink-to-dry-on-fitzgerald-20110509,0,3363061.story

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In the Lindsay Wilhite article, they kinda suggest that there will be a much needed facilities upgrade too.

When I met with Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald on Friday, I asked whether any progress had been made on the contract extension that has been four months in the making.

“No,” Fitz said. “We’re just working on a lot of things.”

Apparently those things all were resolved in rapid-fire fashion because Northwestern will announce Fitzgerald’s contract extension on Tuesday. The plans to adjust Fitzgerald’s contract (which already stretched out to 2015) began in early January.

Perhaps coincidentally --- or perhaps not --- the plans arose between the day Jim Harbaugh spurned Michigan for the San Francisco 49ers (on Jan. 7) and the day Michigan hired Brady Hoke (Jan. 11).

Because I’m not a big believer in coincidences, I had to ask.

Me: “So did Michigan approach you or no?”

Fitz: “Me? No. No.”

Fitz’s contract extension will be about more than him. Look for his assistants to receive a pay upgrade. And while it won’t necessarily be attached officially to the extension, Northwestern’s football facilities are going to receive a significant boost.

While Northwestern continues to work on its master plan for the entire athletic department’s facilities, there’s an excellent chance Trienens Hall will take on a dramatically new look in the years to come.

“I think there’ll be something completely different for football operations,” Fitz said. “What it is, how it is and where it is and all that, I have no idea yet. We haven’t had those kind of discussions...but we're closer to that destination that we were (in early March). Much closer. Is it days? Is it months? Is it weeks? I don't know.”

When the master planning began, Fitz said everybody in the department was encouraged to think out of the box…to brainstorm in any direction they pleased.

Now Northwestern and Populous (formerly HOK) are getting to the point where the athletic department learns the prices for each option…how various options jibe with each other…whether certain layouts are feasible based on the available land.

Ryan Field also will be affected as AD Jim Phillips and his crew try to improve the stadium’s infrastructure to provide a better experience for fans. And, of course, Welsh-Ryan Arena will either receive an upgrade...or a razing in favor of a new facility entirely.

Stay tuned…

Twitter nerd fest about who broke the story!


So Northwestern head coach Pat Fitzgerald has himself a new contract extension that will keep him in Evanston until at least 2020. Which is news that you probably don't even care about. That is not the case with the papers reporting it, however.

Back in January, the Tribune's Teddy Greenstein first mentioned that a new deal was in the works for Fitzgerald. I know this because I used his report in a post over at CBS. Well, apparently today the Sun-Times ran a story on Fitzgerald's new deal and called it an exclusive. Which Greenstein didn't like.

Then, a mighty slap fight broke out on Twitter.


Hey, @ChrisDeLuca, what does "exclusively" mean? And while we're at it, let's discuss "first reported."
Tue May 10 14:46:06 via TweetDeck
Teddy Greenstein

@TeddyGreenstein It's clear to everyone you don't know the meaning of exclusive. Sad, really.
Tue May 10 15:00:05 via TweetDeck
Chris De Luca

@ChrisDeLuca I'll assume someone has either hacked into your twitter acct or you are heavily medicated.
Tue May 10 15:02:19 via TweetDeck
Teddy Greenstein

@TeddyGreenstein Sorry you got beaten so badly today. But thanks for drawing more attention to it. #gosuntimes!
Tue May 10 15:06:59 via TweetDeck
Chris De Luca

@ChrisDeLuca Beaten on what? Pick one thing out of that story. I broke it in January. You are a pathetic joke.
Tue May 10 15:10:17 via TweetDeck
Teddy Greenstein

At the risk of a @ChrisDeLuca heist, I can report Fitz's new salary will be in the $1.8m range. Michigan would have gone to $3m, maybe $3.5.
Tue May 10 15:38:29 via TweetDeck
Teddy Greenstein

@TeddyGreenstein Heist? Hmm. James Baldwin, Joe Cowley, 9 lives, 1999. Let's see if twitter world can figure out the "heist" involving Teddy
Tue May 10 15:42:26 via TweetDeck
Chris De Luca

@ChrisDeLuca You're going back to 1999? You're beginning to achieve "Jay the Joke" status now.
Tue May 10 15:43:47 via TweetDeck
Teddy Greenstein

@TeddyGreenstein Maybe, but i never had to resort to plagiarism on the baseball beat.
Tue May 10 15:48:49 via TweetDeck
Chris De Luca

@ChrisDeLuca Since I've never been accused of that in my 15 years at the Trib, how bout sharing with the audience what you mean?
Tue May 10 15:49:49 via TweetDeck
Teddy Greenstein

I'm glad to hear those field hockey trophies are safe.

Fitzgerald has a great situation. There are low expectations. If he goes .500 in the Big Ten and goes to a bowl game 2 out of 3 years, which is not very difficult, the fan base gushes over him. He will have a contract for life with pay raises every year and significant pay raises every time another team shows interest. All the while he gets to coach smart kids who aren't going to be a problem.

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O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.

There are high expectations... they just are allowed to happen gradually at Northwestern. If you talk to most fans they'll tell you the same thing... "We'll be happy to win less championships (and less often). But when we do win them, we win them the right way."

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Hey McCracken

You stole my bit from the Mac thread

What are you, heavily medicated?

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How about they focus on getting more than 20K on most Saturdays first before investing in that place? But if they got time, how about a few extra bathrooms on the concourse?

if i were fitz or his agent i would have explored the michigan job and some others..i agree that he could have made twice that amount in a bigger program.

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Please like anyone reads the Mac threads....you are reaching "whistler the joke" status now

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Let's see, plagarism, 2011, Jay the Joke,

You know what...fuck this. 222 N LaSalle, by the flagpole, 3 o'clock, motherfucker.

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You really think that Michigan would want him? You really think Penn State wants him? I just don't get it. He's a great representative of our program. I get why WE want him... South Side Chicago guy, his player history, the character, his alma mater, etc. But for the football factories, you have to win and win often. I don't think he's proven that at all. You agree?

i think he is a pretty decent coach..he is almost always playing an opponent with better talent. more success than purdue, illinois, michigan , minnesota indiana with less talent.

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Talk about a cripple fight...

Not by much.

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

Interesting stat:
Team 1: 16-24
Team 2: 16-24
Team 3: 19-21
Team 4: 18-22

Above are the Big Ten records of four teams since Pat Fitzgerald started at Northwestern.



Team 1 is Purdue, 2 is Illinois, 3 is Michigan, 4 is Northwestern.

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

BR, I'm not surprised at those stats. Fitz's first year was a shit show. Took over weeks before the season was to begin and had a really poor first year. He got his shit together and did reasonably well. Maybe that's all we can hope for at Northwestern. Regardless, I'm really pleased to have him as my coach... I don't think schools like Michigan or Penn State would feel the same way.

i am a little surprised by those stats, thought n.w. had done a bit better than that..maybe you are right and michigan was not interested

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WTF...I wrote "Cripple" not "Cripple". How'd it get changed?

You are one funny m'fer

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At the risk of getting jumped on - the DeLuca/Greenstein thing may need it's own thread (it's buried here - sorry MUD).

That is fantastic stuff!!!!

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Cowley is jumping in on the DeLuca/Greenstein thing too. Threatening to "drop plagiarism bombs" on Greenstein if he doesn't just stop right now.

And he gave us this one as an example to support DeLuca:

"Cubs Breaking News: Castro will sign a big contract that will keep him with the Cubs until a date to be reported later. Bam! It's Cowley's."

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Yeah, they havent said anything in a while.


I asked Cowley how he was gonna make it ugly

Maybe I was too nice

This really should be a bigger deal on this board. Can you imagine if it was two radio guys doing that? Even small time ones like Boers and Waddle.

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Newspapers really are dead.

No kidding. Could this be a big ploy in an attempt to grab some headlines? No way these two can hate each other this much, right? I mean, the name calling and everything?

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It kind of feels like a work just reading it. Like they got together and got drunk down in Atlanta and and decided a twitter war would be a good idea. The Trib and Sun Times should run with this and promote it and it can all end in a PPV cage match.

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Northwestern is typically 4-4 in the Big Ten (and beats Iowa - fuckers). I'm not surprised at all by those.