Brunson, Negreanu, Helmuth, and now Alleva. As of today this is my personal Mount Rushmore of poker players. These are some of the most ruthless and calculating figures in history. They are men with ice water in their veins willing to take immense risks and not flinch at all. Today I carve the newest face of poker greats onto the mountain top; LSU athletic director Joe Alleva.
The SEC is a high stakes game for any A.D., but with this hurricane, the firing of a tenured coach, and the biggest hire he will ever make all on the table, the stakes couldn’t have been any hire for Joe Alleva. Alleva, whose legacy as a prominent figure in LSU history is being tested and scrutinized with the most powerful of microscopes. It was a key moment in defining his “legacy” when Alleva was dealt a hand in a no holds barred game of hold ’em with Florida A.D. Jeremy Foley and SEC commissioner Greg Sankey.
Florida was hoping to win the pot by checking the entire time LSU offered concessions and options for moving and rescheduling last week’s game before the deadline. The weekend ended without any football being played in Gainesville or Baton Rouge. Alleva then raised the stakes a bit when he firmly stated that LSU would not fold and concede a home game in order to reschedule and that left the next move up to SEC commissioner Greg Sankey. Sankey raised the stakes to their highest when he not so subtly reminded Foley and Alleva that both teams would not be eligible to play for an SEC title in Atlanta if they did not play the required 8 conference games.
We can only imagine what went through Florida A.D. Jeremy Foley’s mind when Sankey made this perfect play, because remember, this whole thing was quickly turning into an indictment on what a weak commish Sankey was turning out to be. In the end though, Foley had no move to make besides folding and conceding the home game over to LSU lest he leave his post in disgrace and forever be known as the A.D. who cost Florida a chance at an SEC title. Alleva’s decision to dig his heels in paid off marvelously. Baton Rouge will get the business it expected on November 19th, LSU’s slim SEC title hopes are still alive, and Alleva has finally won some good will with LSU fans by giving them a home game as scheduled and calling Foley’s bluff.
Credit to Greg Sankey too. He comes out of this thing looking unprepared but at the end of the day he earned himself more power as the rules get re-written to give the commissioner the final decision over future reschedules that schools are unable to agree upon. This was a victory for Joe Alleva more than anybody though and he should enjoy it while it lasts because as good of a move as this was for LSU, he still has his biggest hand ahead of him with the decision on a head coach. I am sure this shrewd move has made other SEC suited up suckers wary of Joey Aces, the best poker player in the SEC.