12.10.2012 Daily Bears Report: Where a Buyout is Not a Sale Price

Before I get to the links, I want to address something that came up in my Google Translate thread from Saturday evening: the rumor that Texas Tech has amassed the $4 million reportedly necessary to satisfy Art Briles' buyout from Baylor University.

Let's assume for a second that A) the buyout is actually only $4 million, and B) Tech has it in-hand, meaning we're not going to argue about the veracity of those two points. In any employment situation where a contract is in place and a buyout exists, that buyout works to the advantage of the employer and the detriment of the employee if and only if the employee actually wants to leave. The buyout operates as a surcharge to the employee assuming they try to get out of the deal. Third parties can and often do step up to pay the buyout in order to sway the employee to come their way, but simply offering to pay the buyout itself doesn't actually do anything with respect to the employee's contractual obligations. The contract still exists whether that offer is or can be made in earnest or not. Because a buyout is not a sale price.

Assuming what I said above and Tech has everything they need to satisfy Art Briles' buyout, it's still up to Briles to decide that he wants to leave Baylor University for Texas Tech, a decision we already know he refused two years ago. Just having the money to buy him out doesn't mean you get to do so. Yes, potentially removing the buyout from the equation means one less hurdle to pass, but the choice still lies with Briles. Until I see something more than his known ties to the University he already spurned once, I'm not going to get worked up about the possibility that Tech can pay the buyout. Stated differently: until I see something, anything indicating that Art Briles is actually interested in that job and might leave if given the chance, every radio station, Lubbock newspaper writer, or twitter "source" with an axe to grind is irrelevant to me. Simply having Art Briles on your list of preferred coaches doesn't make his departure any more likely. And if the fact that he played at and graduated from Tech supposedly means so much, know now that he's been in Waco as a head coach (5 years) just as long as he was in Lubbock as a player (2 years) and coach (3).

Now, on to the more serious matters. Here's a video of a kid with more swagger than I could earn in a thousand lifetimes:

Holiday Bowl Tickets On Sale to Public - Baylor Bears Official Athletic Site - BaylorBears.com
All remaining tickets from Baylor's allotment for the 2012 Bridgepoint Education Holiday Bowl are now on sale to the general public. The Bears will face UCLA in the Holiday Bowl at 8:45 p.m. CT on Dec. 27 at San Diego's Qualcomm Stadium.

Baylor Football - Bridgepoint Education Holiday Bowl Central

New Baylor Stadium Suites Selling Fast - Baylor Bears Official Athletic Site - BaylorBears.com
Fueled by the enthusiasm of three consecutive bowl game appearances for the first time in school history, the sold-out sign has been placed on two of the four premium suite categories at the new 45,000-seat Baylor Stadium--as the six Founder's Suites and nine Midfield suites have all been sold.

This is big news that I hadn't seen reported. That kind of a commitment to fundraising means there shouldn't be any issues going forward.

Baylor has direct impact on last two Heisman Trophy winners, including Johnny Manziel’s victory | College Sports Blog
Texas A&M fans and recent Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel should be grateful for Baylor.

2012 Heisman Trophy winner: Johnny Manziel's win drives college football forward - SBNation.com
Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel just became the first freshman, albeit a redshirt, to win a Heisman Trophy. Notre Dame's Manti Te'o and Kansas State's Collin Klein were honored as finalists.

Texas Tech Head Football Coaching Candidates | Kingsbury, Morris and Venables Lead Pack? - Viva The Matadors
Texas Tech has a handful of options for head coaching candidates.

Notice Tech's SBNation site doesn't even have Briles as a candidate.

ESPN.com's 2012 All-Big 12 Team - Big 12 Blog - ESPN
Congrats to all these guys for turning in fantastic seasons. Naturally, there will be some snubs and some things that need to be explained.