Damned if you do ...

Oh, the thankless lot of a compliance officer

More in this column: • Hardball junk • No thanks, Miami

Compliance officers are sort of the in-house detectives of university athletic programs. As a friend and former compliance guy tells us, most find themselves in a Catch-22 situation. The NCAA is often wary of compliance folks because they’re paid to protect the school’s interest, while their coaches worry that they'll be unnecessarily zealous in their snooping.

And if the college sports program he guards is hit with NCAA sanctions, the compliance officer can turn into the fall guy.

That’s what Dave Ridpath says happened to him after Marshall University got slapped with NCAA probation last year. The difference is that Ridpath and his attorney, Robert Tscholl, are fighting back, claiming a violation of due process and threatening a lawsuit against the university and its outside counsel, Richard Hilliard.

CNNSI.com obtained a copy of a draft complaint in which Tscholl told Marshall attorneys, “I am not interested in suing Marshall University. I would much rather work these issues out."

Apparently, Ridpath isn’t looking for any money. Maybe his attorney recognizes the home field advantage Marshall enjoys in Huntington, W. Va., or perhaps he suspects that his case is weak. Mostly, Ridpath just wants help landing another compliance job.

Ridpath was reassigned last fall as director of judicial affairs, a sleepy post with the same pay and benefits. But in trumpeting the shuffle to the NCAA, Marshall officials cited it as a “corrective action" in response to the investigation -- a potential career killer that came as a surprise to Ridpath.

Because of “MU’s malicious and wrongful acts," Tscholl alleges in the draft complaint, Ridpath’s professional reputation has been permanently sullied. As evidence, he notes that Ridpath has unsuccessfully applied to over 30 colleges for a compliance position.

What's next? Ridpath doesn’t seem to have an overwhelming case and Marshall wants this NCAA business in the past, so the guess here is it goes away with the university rescinding its corrective measure and offering a positive reference.

Hardball junk

It’s the time of year that general managers earn their keep. And this fall -- with a few exceptions like Jim Thome ($87 million over six years) and David Bell ($17 million over four years) in Philadelphia -- the baseball braintrust has been busy trying to undo horrific deals from years past.

Running the club from the front office has always been a lot more secure than calling shots down in the dugout, but how some of these characters survive to attempt to fix their messes is a mystery. Next time commissioner Bud Selig decides to moan about the players' union driving up salaries, he ought to mention the dubious work of GMs like Dan O’Dowd in Colorado and Steve Phillips of the New York Mets.

Two years ago, the Rockies signed left-hander Mike Hampton to the largest guarantee ever for a pitcher -- $121 million over eight years. O’Dowd just dumped portions of Hampton's remaining salary on Florida and Atlanta in a deal shuffling him to the Braves. Along the way, he picked up the unwanted contracts of Preston Wilson and Charles Johnson, worth a combined $50 million, from the Marlins.

He’s out in the market now trying to unload Denny Neagle, signed two years ago to a five-year, $51 million deal. Not surprisingly, one of the interested parties is Phillips, who is trying to move his flops from last winter, Jeromy Burnitz and Roger Cedeno.

So who are this winter’s biggest free-agent risks? One AL club official thought Thome would have been wise not to change leagues, but the consensus is that likely future Hall of Fame pitchers Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine have the biggest downside. Agent Scott Boras wants a five year deal for Maddux, who turns 37 in April, while Glavine, who’ll be 37 in March, is likely to get a four-year deal from either the Phillies or Mets.

Maddux still has pin-point control, but he’s shown signs of starting to wear down; last season’s 199 1/3 innings were the fewest he’s worked since his first full season in 1987. Glavine is coming off the better overall season, but he was just 7-7 with a 3.93 ERA after the All-Star break.

“It seems like Glavine is in better shape pitching-wise than Maddux," said the AL official. “Still, it’s a big gamble to sign him for four years because of age and wear and tear. But it’s a different situation with Philadelphia and the Mets. Philadelphia is going into a new stadium [in 2004] and they are in market where they can draw if they perform well. And the Mets are in a market where they can draw well.

“I’m also sure he’s thought about it, but if [Glavine] signs with Philadelphia it could be a tough year before they go into the new park. Those soft pitches that guys don’t quite get that stay in the ballpark in Atlanta, they’ll be home runs or off the wall. He’ll get killed in that ballpark."

The good news in all this is that the Rockies have stayed out of the bidding, apparently having learned their lesson. Then again, perhaps O’Dowd has been too busy conducting fire sales.

No thanks, Miami

When Miami athletic director Paul Dee had to hire a successor for Dennis Erickson after the 1994 season, one of his first calls was to Youngstown State coach Jim Tressel. The name didn’t resonate with fans in South Florida, with Wisconsin coach Barry Alvarez and Butch Davis also on the short list.

However, those close to the search committee say Tressel -- now the head man at Ohio State -- was extremely impressive during an interview in Chicago, and might have eventually landed the job had he agreed to visit Miami for a follow-up interview and meet then-UM president Tad Foote. Instead, Tressel declined and Davis, a former UM assistant under Jimmy Johnson, got the job and eventually rebuilt the program before leaving for the NFL.

Give the Miami AD credit for knowing talent. Davis did well enough to get a bundle of cash to leave for the Cleveland Browns and his replacement, longtime assistant Larry Coker, is 23-0 and owns a national championship ring. Tressel just led the Buckeyes to the first-ever 13-0 season and a Fiesta Bowl date.

If Miami takes care of business against Virginia Tech, Coker and Tressel will hook up in the game for the national title.

Mike Fish is a senior writer for CNNSI.com.

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