Just when you thought the New York Times company was teetering on the brink of irrelevance, its sports staff invests some energy and resources into this extraordinary package, “The Quick fix,” from Pete Thamel and Duff Wilson in Sunday’s New York Times. Thamel, a Syracuse grad, is also a native of Ware, Mass.

Complete with web-based multi-media elements, deep, deep reporting and compelling storytelling, it’s the kind of juicy sports journalism that has been on the wane for much of the past decade. Let’s hope the little sports sister, Globie, is paying attention.

The most immediate impact from the piece might be felt at Tennessee, where Phil Fulmer’s future is shaky, at best. This could be the type of thing that tips a scale one way or the other. The Vols’ compliance guy did semi-due diligence, but the smell of rotten eggs permeates the entire sordid tale. And let’s be real: University High is not the only “diploma mill” in business these days.