It’s February 17^th…not March 2^nd.  And even though, on February 16^th, news regarding the future of the WIAA state basketball tournaments and the Resch Center smelled rosy, a lot can happen in the next two weeks.  As Outkast once sang, “Lean a little bit closer, see that roses really smell like poo-oo-oo.”

This one smells funny to me, and I can’t shake the feeling that we’re being played.

If the WIAA board was all set to turn the tournament over to Green Bay and the Resch, why give Madison one last chance to again assure clearance of the schedule?  The schedule is either clear or it’s not, and though UW made arrangements to have the new Big Ten hockey conference tournament at a neutral site beginning in 2014, the issue of booking conflicts is pretty black-and-white.  The “try again, UW” approach suggests to me that the WIAA isn’t quite ready to say “adios” to MadTown.

And then there’s the whole publicity of this.  If talks are ongoing, if this isn’t yet a done deal, if UW is being permitted ANOTHER opportunity to tweak the bid, why issue any statements at all?  There’s truly nothing to discuss if the board is still entertaining arguments.  The old “it’s looking good for you guys” public decree reeks of a negotiating ploy.

Maybe I’m wrong.  I hope I am.  But I think we all should postpone the party until March 2^nd.