THE BROO VIEW with Ken Broo

OK, Sean Miller took the money and ran, all the way to the desert. Am I surprised? In a sense, no. There's no right thinking American who wouldn't look at the current economic landscape and say "you know what? I don't really need to make $14 million in the next seven years". But let's be honest about this: it was all about the money.

And I'm wondering if there isn't some college president out there today, anywhere at any Division I school, who isn't thinking "what is the point of writing contracts for coaches?" They never bind a coach to a school. The coach is always looking to better the deal after a winning season (funny how they never want to give money back after their team tanks). I'm wondering if it wouldn't take a school president or two to just say "no, you can't talk to my coach. He's under contract until 2015, get back to me then." And correct me if I'm wrong: doesn't the school HAVE to pay the coach for the life of the deal, unless there are some mitigating circumstances other than not winning basketball games?

Good luck Sean. You're a good guy. But don't try to tell anyone that this wasn't about money.

I'm wondering if Arizona is that much of an easier place to win a national championship than Xavier. The stars would have to line up perfectly for Xavier to win it all. That might MIGHT happen once every 100 years. But if I'm not mistaken, the only national championship Arizona has won was in 1997.

I’m also wondering where the Reds are going to find all of the runs they’re going to need to compete this season. Adam Dunn is gone, so is his 100 RBI. Remember, this team didn’t score a whole lot of runs last season. Now, pitching, speed and defense are supposed to carry the day. Playing half of their games in a ball park built for home runs,? Really? I’m wondering…

I’m wondering if the Bengals really do want to trade Chad Ocho Cinco now, why didn’t they want to trade him last season? They’d have gotten a first and a third round pick from the Redskins, maybe two firsts. Now, we hear some blogger out in Oakland ran into the Raiders head coach in a rest room and got the scoop that the Raiders are sending the Bengals a first round pick and running back Michael Bush in exchange for the artist formerly known as Chad Johnson. Wait a year and the Bengals might be able to get Derek Anderson from the Browns for Ocho No Show. Or maybe Kyle Boller.

I’m also wondering when every newspaper in America folds and TV stations start running Who Wants To Marry My Gardener instead of news, where will we get our credible news from? Think about that the next time you read a blog and run with it. This blogger out in California, the one who met the Raiders’ coach at a Wendy’s or wherever may be right. They deal could happen. But more often that not, the guy writing the blog you’re taking as gospel is probably living in his parents’ basement.

Here’s something else I’m wondering about today. I’m wondering why Billy Gillispie never signed his contract at Kentucky. Because despite what he thinks, Gillispie may have kissed away six million dollars in severance. Somebody got ahold of the letter that informed Billy Clyde that he was no longer welcomed at Rupp Arena. The only thing that was listed as a reason why he’s no longer the head coach in Lexington, the ONLY reason, was that he failed to sign his contract. Let me ask you a question. If all you have to do is sign your name to piece of paper to guarantee that you’ll get six mil if your boss wants to fire you, how many pens do you bring to the signing ceremony? I don’t want to call Billy Clyde dumb. Because I don’t have to.

I told you I wonder about a lot of things. Here’s something else that popped into my head before I passed out on my couch Monday. I'm wondering why we all had to freeze our assets off Monday watching the Reds on Opening Day.

Nine of the last eleven Opening Days here in Cincinnati have been miserable. Years ago, not that long ago, Opening day was the middle of the month. A long time ago, like in 1919, Opening Day was April 23. They used to play a 154 game schedule, so teams could open later. Now, the season opens with the threat of snow and ends with the threat of Thanksgiving. I’m wondering today, where did all of the scheduled double-headers go? Remember the Sunday double-headers? Why can’t they play a half dozen of those during the season and start everything a week later?

I know why, the players union didn’t want it because it was too much to ask a multi-million dollar ballplayer to hang around a stadium for eight hours on a Sunday. And the owners didn’t want it, because a doubleheader is basically baseball’s version of ‘happy hour’: two for the price of one. You ever see a happy owner in baseball? But for us, once you get by the initial rush of Opening Day and the first half dozen beers, you’re just sitting in the cold, getting rained on and tempting the flu. I’m wondering, why isn’t anyone else thinking about that.

I'll see you tonight at 6p & 11p on WLWT Channel 5