On formalities, and links

Does it bother you when you hear high-ranking people say stuff like John Swofford said yesterday when asked about the Florida State/Big 12 hysteria?

According to this AP article, Swofford said the possibility of FSU leaving the ACC was not brought up "in any formal way" during the ACC meetings.

Before we go any further, this is not a huge deal. Swofford is not a bad, devious person for saying what he said.

But here's my quibble: This is 2012. People are cynical. They can see right through corporate buzzwords and glossed-over phrases like "not in any formal way" or "no official contact."

The obvious question most of us have after Swofford's "not in any formal way" is: "So ... uh ... how about in an informal way?"

Imagine if these kinds of answers were applied to everyday life, and the absurdity of it becomes self-evident.

Wife: "Honey, where did that lipstick on your collar come from? Are you sleeping with someone else?"

Husband: "Um, well, not in any formal way."

Or...

Cop who's pulled over weaving drunk driver: "Sir, have you been drinking tonight?"

Drunk driver: "Ocifer, I've had no official contact with any alcohol tonight."

In fairness, when you're talking about big business and millions of dollars at stake, there are a lot of things that have to remain secret whether it's a coaching search, a firing or a dalliance with another conference.

But it's so much less of an insult to our intelligence when you dispense with the "in no formal way" and just say something like: "No comment."

A few Thursday links:

-- Dan Wetzel on the Big Ten's sickening love affair with the Rose Bowl.

-- Bruce Feldman on the topic of selection committees in a college football playoff.

-- David Teel of the Newport News Daily Press talks with Swofford.

Opinions, statements and/or rants from Florida State Board of Trustees chairman Andy Haggard, university president Eric Barron, media knotheads and fans of every stripe burst into cyberspace. Good thing Swofford isn’t on Twitter, where Chicken Littles, with no basis in fact, forecasted the ACC’s demise.

Florida State and Clemson to the Big 12! Virginia Tech and North Carolina State to the Southeastern Conference! Maryland and Virginia to the Big Ten!

“It hasn’t affected our meetings and business sessions,” Swofford said. “The work here has been pretty much business as usual. I’ve had a conversation or two with Dr. Barron. Very positive ones. Beyond that, it hasn’t been anything that interfered with or hijacked our meetings. We’re moving forward implementing what needs to be implemented for a 14-team conference.”

-- This Tulsa columnist says money talks when it comes to Big 12 expansion.

LW