You can't always get what you want, unless you work for U athletics

Athletic Director Joel Maturi and his wife, Lois, joined the Gophers women's basketball team on its 10-day trip to Italy last month. It included visits to Rome, Florence, Venice and Como, which was one more stop than games played.

Clearly, Maturi was impressed with coach Pam Borton's sideline work, even with the limited schedule.

There were victories over feisty Italian opponents by scores of 101-40 and 104-31, but my guess is what really dazzled Maturi about Borton's preparation of her athletes was when the Gophers traveled to the other side of Lake Como and fought off the challenge of Bellinzona, Switzerland 108-18.

On return from the Continent, Maturi waited only a few days to announce the three years remaining on Borton's contract were being shredded and she was being awarded a six-year deal with hefty raises.

Borton is 2 1/2 years removed from a mass defection of players that forced Maturi to order an investigation. This wasn't exactly Ken Starr looking into Whitewater, and the results were whitewashed to the AD's satisfaction.

The 2007-08 Gophers rallied to reach the NCAA tournament, and went one and out.

From the outside, it appeared there still was proving of herself needed before Borton was due this second new contract from Maturi.

Maturi's generosity with Borton might have been inspired by the euphoria of knowing he was about to get a two-year extension from the university president.

Robert Bruininks loves the idea of getting a "how high?" when he tells his AD to jump, and he now has Jumpin' Joel signed through 2012.

There was speculation that Maturi, 63, planned to retire when his contract expired in 2010, but now that we have a 31-27 victory over Northern Illinois as evidence the AD has straightened out the football situation ... why not two more years for him?

The athletic department has been tossing dollars to the wind as if this were the operation with T. Boone Pickens in its pocket, not Oklahoma State.

To review: Maturi choked when he was supposed to fire men's basketball coach Dan Monson at the end of the 2005-06 season, then fired him seven games into the next season and paid him off. He paid off football coach Glen Mason for four years because a Texas Tech kicker made a long field goal in a third-rate bowl game.

The good news is that while Maturi is spending as extravagantly as Rev. Mac Hammond, the AD has a faithful flock that he can fleece at any time.

The latest example came on Wednesday, when Smith released his nonconference schedule. A year ago, Tubby said a low-level collection of nonconference opponents was the best he could do on short notice. He strongly suggested that Gophers patrons would be getting more for their ticket money in November and December 2008.

He was fibbing.

The season ticket price stands at $600. The schedule includes nine conference games and an appearance by Virginia in the ACC's annual blowout of the Big Ten.

And that means a season-ticket holder is spending $300 for the other half of the schedule that consists of the following: discounted exhibitions with St. Cloud State and Northern State, followed by nine full-fare games against Concordia-St. Paul, Bowling Green, Georgia State, Eastern Washington, North Dakota State, Cornell, South Dakota State, Southeastern Louisiana and High Point.

This nonconference schedule would embarrass Mason, the university's former creampuff king.

It's there for all to see: Jumpin' Joel has approved taking the money of loyal men's basketball fans under shoddy circumstances to help pay for tasty new contracts for Pam Borton ... and himself.