The Big East Has A Network Too

Woo Hoo! Well, not really a network like the Big Ten. But most certainly this was a lot less painful than the Big Ten's fight with Comcast. The Big East announced yesterday that it has signed an agreement with SNY to carry Big East football and basketball.

The deal, terms of which were not disclosed, gives SNY, which televises 120 Mets games and 250 hours of New York Jets-related National Football League fare, a 16-game Big East football slate in the New York area. In addition to the "game of the week" coverage, SNY will produce pre-, halftime and post-game shows, as well as an array of football coaches shows.

This is great news for Big East fans in the New York area, but I would guess the rest of us will plod along as if nothing ever happened. This shouldn't have any effect on the ESPN Plus Big East football game of the week. That's a shame, because the Dave Simms/John Congemi announcing duo make Pam Ward look like Howard Cosell by comparison. And that's not a good thing.

Since no terms were disclosed, we have no idea how long the agreement is set for. With the possible split of the Big East in 2010 looming, I doubt it's more than two years. Hats off to outgoing Big East commissioner, Mike Tranghese, for putting this together. Especially with so much uncertainty in the future of the Big East as it currently stands. The possible split of the football and basketball schools along with the possibility of the Big Ten picking off Syracuse, Rutgers, or Pitt makes a long term deal look bad in my eyes. For now, though, more money for us!