Texas Tech’s Mike Leach may not be Texas Tech’s Mike Leach for much longer as both sides play hard(foot)ball on a new contract to replace the one that currently extends through the 2010 season.  Therefore, both sides are playing the media with the deft footwork one usually attributes to alum Bam Morris.

(Kiss it… KISS IT!)

The school tells the media that Leach needs to accept its 5-yr/$12.7m offer by 5 pm CT today or try again after next season while hinting more quietly that they could just cut loose the man that brought the franchise to the Cotton Bowl in January. After all, how could Leach be so cruel as to take money away from poor college students with his crass greed?

Meanwhile, Leach won’t be outconsulted and has hired someone to sell his side of the story to the public, including organizing a rally on his behalf today to shame the school into caving to his demands.

We hope there’s plenty of children there today, weeping uncontrollably at the prospect of Unca Mikey taking on another opportunity where the athletic department treasures football.

Sez Leach’s media relations consultant:

“It is not a protest. It’s all in support of Coach Leach.  It’s student driven and business-leader driven, just fans of Coach Leach who will be there to say, ‘We love you’ and ‘We want you to stay.’ “

You know… Coach Leach.  Ol’ Ballcoach.  The warm, familiar guy who can’t stop himself from weird rants on national television.  Jus’ tryin’ to get what a man needs to get by, seein’ he’s the biggest cash cow for fundraising in North Texas since… well, they first brought steer to North Texas.

We hope these crazy kids can work it out, at least for the children.  Won’t someone think of the children?