The Big 12 expansion groundswell

**TripletDaddy** · 08-31-2011, 02:33 PM

Originally posted by Senioritis View Post

Don't put words in my mouth! YOU are the one who cited "as the crow flies." I, trying to give you the benefit of the doubt, assumed you meant the Eurasian Jackdaw, as it's clear that the Common Raven wouldn't be caught near, around, under, or over the type of deciduous tree that is between the pop-up tent and the parking garage.

However, it is clear from subsequent posts that, indeed, you meant the Common Raven when you cited the "crow." Therefore, we agree that a Common Raven wouldn't be caught dead near an Emerald Ash.

The invasive root system of the Emerald Ash is perfect for such a location, as the wind currents generated from a northerly flow would only be intensified when whipping through that particular parking garage. Any tree without such an invasive root system, such as the Speckled Alder, would be ripped out of the ground by such a magnified wind.

Therefore, the Emerald Ash in the photo is well placed, and perfectly suited to that location, but some moron placed a pop-up tent right underneath it, jeopardizing invasive root system by opening it to the possibility of human foot traffic. Don't hate the Ash, hate the tent placer.

Finally, and I think most importantly, the distance from the tent to the parking garage is the key issue here. Without proper surveying equipment, or at least a common measurement with a standard gauge measuring tape, we are left to rely on your estimate of 15 feet "as the crow flies" between the rear of the tent and the parking garage. I do not believe your estimate, as the Emerald Ash in the photo appears to me to be well beyond the girth that would be required to place the tent within the 15 foot radius.

I don't think the importance of this can be overstated. If the tent is within 15 feet of the parking structure, BYU goes the Big 12, with all of its attendant glory and treasure. If, however, the tent is outside the 15 foot perimeter, BYU might totally fail or die or something.

I am considering bringing my surveying equipment downtown in the next 24 hours to put this issue to rest.

In the interest of science, I conducted an informal field experiment to gauge the distance between the BYU pop-up tent and the parking structure. This picture was taken minutes ago:

Note the Chevy Tahoe in the background as a frame of reference. Based on publicly available information here, the length of the 2011 Chevy Tahoe is 202 inches (I am willing to stipulate that the tahoe in the picture is a 2011, although I don't really believe it to be). 202 inches would equate to roughly 16.8 feet.

It is obvious that the BYU pop-up tent is NOT within the aforementioned 15 foot radius, hence it does appear that BYU will not be invited to the B12.

It does appear that the joke is on both of us, however, as upon closer inspection, those are clearly not the leaves of an Emerald Ash tree.

**Maximus** · 08-31-2011, 02:34 PM

Bad news: BYU to release statement re: big 12 today. Joining the big 12 would require more than a statement

**TripletDaddy** · 08-31-2011, 02:35 PM