The guaranteed sell-out happens if UA has the product on the field, which it is striving for now.  And, if someone like the top tier teams I mentioned above, or Oklahoma, Nebraska (payback?) or Notre Dame, let’s say, were to sign on.  You know, the Irish already have their own network in NBC, they love taking on all comers and I don’t recall the ‘Cats ever playing on that network, so why not?  Would be fun! 

There’s got to be a huge ND following in the Valley of the Sun and throughout the state.  I know that we as ‘Cat faithful love nothing more than replaying UA announcer Peter A. Solomon’s “Down go the Fightin’ Irish of Noter Dame!” account of Max Zendejas’ heroics all those years ago.  And if  Coach Stoops charges can’t give brand new ND Coach Kelly and his team a fight right now, when will they ever be able to do so?

That Duke (Gibbons) and Kansas (Pump brothers) can continue doing what they do, and that Arizona can’t do a damn thing about it, is a disparity of the worst kind.  Isn’t it enough that ESPN, ABC, CBS and Fox, not to mention all those in the print media as well, do the bidding for Coach K and Coach Self?  Do they need to have every single last advantage?  And then we get Coach K complaining – whining, make that - about how Duke is hated and for no other reason than the rest of us who love college basketball – pure college basketball – are jealous of them!  But that’s another argument for another day, right?  Wish you would take it up.

But back to the matter at hand.  One important point you’ve made regarding the UA game in Phoenix and not Tucson has to do with the economic impact.  We don’t want this thing, should it fly, to backfire and take from what was already a decent thing revenue-wise, and that would be 3-4 home non-conference games every year.  Games the Tucson and surrounding area economies depend on. 

But look at it this way: Like the Super Bowl, there could be a week’s worth of build-up for this made for TV, made for pre-holidays, made for pre-conference extravaganza.  Why not make the Old Pueblo, southern Arizona even, a part of the ticket?  Tucson businesses could market themselves to the state, to the visiting big time team – they who travel in bunches and wouldn’t mind spending some QT and buckage in Tucson before and after The Game – if you catch my drift.  It’s only an hour and a half drive either way, so…it can be done.  

C’mon, can you imagine UA playing Alabama, Florida, Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State, LSU or any of the longtime big shots in September or early October and not in any other place but our home state?  In a stadium where Super Bowls are played, in a city where our hated rivals reside, in the fertile ground for recruiting that is the Valley?  Who here hasn’t wanted to redo that Penn State and LSU game from way back and on our terms, finally?  Especially now that we have 6-4, 225 lb. DB s prowling the defensive backfield, go 2-3 deep at all positions just about, have a kicking game that rivals any other, have an NFL-caliber QB or 2 or 3, employ coaches who know how to recruit and coach ‘em up! 

You’re right, Jay.  Now’s the time.  I don’t know why Coach Stoops is being so gun-shy.

OK, name ONE “home” basketball game that was either “moved” or “scheduled” to the Phoenix area.

And, how much do you want to wager the total financial impact of a home football game for Tucson is?