Sailing On?

Could college football's favorite pirate enthusiast really be walking the plank in Lubbock?

Tuesday's deadline for coach Mike Leach to sign a contract extension with Texas Tech passed without a resolution. Next up in this standoff: a meeting of the Tech Board of Regents on Friday to further discuss Leach's future with the Red Raiders.

Tech's options are somewhat unclear. After all, Leach's current deal runs through the end of the 2010 season. Tech's chancellor has said Leach and the university would continue to work under the coach's existing agreement if they failed to seal a new deal.

However, ESPN's reporting intimates that Tech will either fire its coach or accept his counterproposal to the school's extension offer.

Leach found creative ways over the weekend to take his mind off the stress of the entire ordeal. On Saturday, he was in Wales taking in a rugby match. Sunday found him in Florida for the Daytona 500.

If they do decide to part ways, Red Raider fans may find comfort in the words of Queen Amidala and the Commodores:

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