Sports

New commish set to fight for Big East

After being introduced as new Big East Conference commissioner Wednesday at the venerable New York Athletic Club, Mike Aresco was recounting his halcyon days as a high school freshman quarterback and later as a freshman shortstop Tufts, two positions that require mental toughness, quick thinking and leadership.

Those were not the characteristics attributed to Aresco in the first news cycle after his hiring. His expertise in college sports TV was trumpeted, this space included.

The fact is Aresco, and media consultants Bevilacqua Helfant, almost are guaranteed of landing the Big East a lucrative TV deal.

Top-flight, live sports programming is like a classic black cocktail dress. It’s never not in demand, and the Big East is the last good one on the rack.

After the ink is dry on the new deal, the league will need a leader, a quick thinker, a man of mental toughness. It needs a fighter and Aresco gave every indication yesterday he’s up for the fight.

“I want the schools that left, I want them to regret leaving,’’ Aresco said. “My job is to make this a state of the art conference in every respect.’’

Did you hear that, Boston College, which has become all but irrelevant on the college sports landscape since joining the ACC? Did you hear that Pittsburgh and Syracuse, which have turned their backs on their own backyards?

The late great Dave Gavitt, the league’s first commissioner, was a visionary who saw what was needed in the Northeast and created the Big East.

Mike Tranghese was a back-room deal maker who could settle squabbles and maintain confidence. John Marinatto was an intellectual.

The Big East needs someone else now, because it is something else now.

l It needs someone who will get into the room with the college football heavyweights and fight for a fair shot as the new playoff model is implemented.

l It needs someone who can remind the masses that even with the loss of Syracuse and Pittsburgh, the basketball conference, which is adding Memphis and Houston, still is pretty darn formidable.

“I think everyone understands that the Big East is different,’’ Aresco said. “It’s not going to be the same Northeastern Big East. But I believe frankly that that gives them some significant strength. They’ve always been strong. They’ve always had a proud tradition. But now they have a reach.’’

Now the Big East just might have the right fighter, one who does his talking in the rink. Aresco wouldn’t speculate on the new TV deal, or increased exit fees or how the process that led to his hiring went.

Like a veteran boxer with a great reach, Aresco, wearing a subdued gray suit, white shirt, blue and gray print tie and black wing tips, spoke with a quiet confidence.

“The interest from this hire, from what I’ve seen in the media shows that the Big East matters,’’ he said. “The Big East is absolutely one of the six major conferences.’’

Did you hear that ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac 10 and SEC?

That has not been the rhetoric since Pittsburgh and Syracuse bolted for the ACC and West Virginia checked into the Big 12. The Big East has been the pitcher whom everyone hits.

Now someone is hitting back.