By Jay Jones, June 16, 2008

Our friend The Wiz (don’t hold the musical or flying monkeys against him for his name), at The Wizard of Odds, has posted a nice, tidy summation of the Big Ten Network-Comcast feud.

You can click here for the story.

And why is this of any particular interest to Duck fans?

Because I believe this is the direction the Pac-10 is headed in. And the inevitable Pac-10 Network will impact Duck fans, just as it has Big 10 (11) fans. Don’t worry. It’s still a few years off. But it is coming.

I don’t know the current numbers for televised Pac-10 events, but click here for a look at the BTN numbers. And they are impressive.

As impressive as that programming is, however, the road for the Big Ten Network has not been a smooth one, leaving many Big Ten fans in the dust, not able to watch their school’s sports.

This is where the Pac-10 comes in. And this is where Pac-10 commissioner Tom Hansen’s retirement announcement (Ding Dong!) plays a critical role.

Jon Wilner at the San Jose Mercury News has posted a list of possible candidates for Pac-10 commissioner. After my initial reading, all of the candidates looked very reasonable. Exactly what you would expect. But in light of an impending Pac-10 Network, I think it’s important to take a closer look at one of Wilner’s possible candidates:

Duane Lindberg, Pac-10 associate commisisoner: Lindberg, who’s well liked by member schools, handles the league’s TV contracts. In other words, he’s the front man in the league’s most vital area.

“The league’s most vital area.” Television contracts. And that’s exactly why I think most of the other candidates are rubbish. Especially, this one:

Kevin Weiberg, ex-Big 12 commissioner: He stepped down last summer to take a job with the Big Ten Network. Some industry insiders believe he’s less-than-thrilled with the new gig and might want to run a conference again.

The future of the Pac-10 is in a Pac-10 Network. Why would the Pac-10 consider a candidate who is less than thrilled in a position that stares the future of this conference right in the face?

Sure. They’ve probably all handled television contracts in some way or form in the past. But that’s not the point.

That is why I like the thinking behind Dan Weber’s flyer that current Arena Football League commissioner, and USC parent, Dave Baker should be considered for the position.

What does considering Baker say? It says exactly what we all know: sports is entertainment. Pac-10 sports is entertainment. Oregon sports is entertainment.

And that’s why the Pac-10 should look to someone primarily from the world of media and entertainment as the next Pac-10 commissioner.

This entry is just a little pixie spark on a Monday morning.

But in order to avoid the early curses of the Big Ten Network, it’s going to take some real magic from the next Pac-10 commissioner right from the very beginning to ease on down the yellow brick road over the next decade, navigating the colliding worlds of college athletics, media, and entertainment.

So, the Pac-10 better find a real wizard for that task. Not just some sorcerer’s apprentice.

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