D's Notebook

Month: March 2016 (Page 1 of 2)

Pre-Spring Break Notes

March 31, 2016 /

Note: I began this Thursday morning but failed to post it. Please excuse my use of what appears to be the incorrect tense.

Spring break is almost here. Today is the girls’ last day of school before vacation. I have a full day of laundry, errands, and packing ahead of me. So a few quick notes before I jump into all that.

TV

I did not watch season one of Fargo, but after hearing so many raves about it, I set the DVR to record season two. And since I always put jumping into series off for awhile, I finally started it about three weeks ago. I wrapped it up last week and OH MY GOD! What a great show, in every way. Incredible story and writing. Brilliant acting, from the main players to the supporting ones. I absolutely loved the look and feel, with the Kodachrome-like colors fooling my child-of-the–70s brain into thinking I was actually watching something from 1979. And all the complimentary bits were perfect, too, such as the music choices and the little pop culture/society elements to ground the show even more firmly in 1979. The inclusion of a campaigning Ronald Reagan in the early episodes was the perfect cherry on top.

Kirsten Dunst, Ted Danson, Patrick Wilson, Bokeem Woodbine, and Jean Smart were all amazing.

I loved how tight the show was. With only 10 episodes there wasn’t much time for throw-away or set-up episodes. In fact, with most of the story getting wrapped up in the brutal ninth episode, the final episode functioned as a proper denouement with a few elements in there to build for future seasons.

The whole UFO thing was a little weird, though.

And there’s never anything wrong with those upper Midwestern, Scandinavia-derived accents. You betcha. Ok then.

It’s always tough to balance out what the “Best Show On TV” is, whether you’re talking about shows airing currently, or looking at a broader selection to determine best overall show. With my viewing of Fargo so fresh in my memory, it may get a little boost. But it’s right up there with The Americans, Better Call Saul, Breaking Bad, and The Wire as my favorite dramas of recent years.

Final Four

Carolina’s to lose. Which is certainly possible. I think the Oklahoma – Villanova game will likely be the best of the weekend. OU pounded ‘Nova back in December. Buddy Hield is locked in, and the rest of the Sooners have shaken their February funk. But Villanova has that feel of a team that might be capable of doing more than you expect.

Carolina is going to roll Syracuse in the battle of scandal-laden traditional powers.

I had two predictions regarding North Carolina during the season. One, they win the title, Roy retires, and then the NCAA absolutely hammers the school for its academic scandal. The other, Carolina wins title, Roy retires, then the NCAA sweeps the scandal under the rug, saying “No former players would talk to us, we don’t know what happened.”

Heels over Sooners in final, Roy stubbornly refuses to retire and threatens to fight anyone who thinks Carolina did something wrong in giving kids passing grades for classes that didn’t exist. Then he pulls a Dean Smith and quits just as practice is beginning next October so his choice as successor gets the job.

Baseball

I’m ready.

‘Ville Wrap Up

March 30, 2016 /

To wrap up my Louisville weekend review, some notes about what else I did down there in my brief visit.

My KC homie E$ flew into Indy Friday and we headed south around lunchtime Saturday. He had been to the ‘Ville many times so had a solid plan for how to spend our pregame hours. First, we dined at Mark’s Feed Store[1], an excellent name for an establishment that specializes in smoked meats. I had a fantastic brisket sandwich, along with a cup of the local delicacy, burgoo, which was amazing.

After lunch we headed downtown. Our first stop, as I mentioned yesterday, was the Louisville Slugger factory and museum. It was 2-for–1 on tours if you were wearing NCAA gear, which was quite the coincidence! Speaking of coincidences, they just happened to be making bats for Alex Gordon on the day a bunch of folks from the Kansas City area were taking tours. What were the odds?!?! E$ and I joked about that a little bit. Later we heard from KU friends who took the tour on Friday that, amazingly, they were making bats for Gordon then, too! I mean, the guy breaks a lot of bats but seriously…

There were tons of KU people on he streets. You never went more than a few minutes without seeing Villanova fans, or even the occasional Maryland or Miami fan, but it was definitely a heavy KU town that afternoon. Plenty of Kentucky fans had their gear on, as well. I learned last year that, surprisingly, Louisville probably has more UK fans than UL fans.

We met some friends for a beer at an outdoor bar, which was fun because it was nearly perfect outside.

Next, we stopped off at the team hotel, where we ran into a few acquaintances, saw Uncle Anthony, Greg Gurley, and Wayne Selden, Sr. We watched about half of the team and coaching staff walk through the packed lobby to the bus before we had to depart to meet our ticket contacts.

E$ has KU friends who live in the ‘Ville, and we were meeting them and a friend of theirs who had our tickets. We went to a place called the Troll Pub Under the Bridge, which was, yes, under one of the bridges crossing the Ohio River to Indiana. You had to go down some steep steps to get to the bar, and the interior was this cool, old-looking brickwork. It felt kind of like a subterranean dungeon that had been there for about 250 years. Being right across the street from the KFC Yum! Center, it was the ideal spot for that last beer (or two) before heading to the game.

Our ticket contact had a very cool story. He was a Louisville native and UL season ticket holder who played baseball at Kentucky. I didn’t get that whole story until later so I didn’t get the chance to ask him how that works when UK and UL play each other. Even more interestingly, his dad was UL’s first basketball All-American, the #2 pick in the 1957 NBA draft, and still the school’s all-time leading rebounder. Which seems crazy.

After the game, we headed to our friends’ house just outside downtown. We commiserated over the game while drinking some very good bourbon. I’ve always been more of a Scotch/Irish whiskey guy, but based on what we drank that night, I could be convinced to drink more bourbon.

In all, I spent less than 24 hours in Louisville. Aside from the 2.5 hours that were taken up by the KU game, it was a pretty fun trip. It is a cool city, with lots to do downtown, especially on days when something big is drawing lots of folks that direction. E$ has been to the Kentucky Derby several times over the years. I’m thinking it might be a good idea to do that sometime in the future and spend another weekend exploring the city.

  1. Highlands location, for those of you who know the area.  ↩

User Error

March 29, 2016 /

This post-Louisville entry centers on one particular moment of my visit, and explains why I missed the first four minutes of the game on Saturday.

I took my fancy camera to the ‘Ville. I got a few decent pictures with it, but each time we made a pit stop, I questioned whether I should leave it with the truck or keep lugging it around.

It became problematic when we toured the Louisville Slugger factory and museum. Photography is not allowed when you’re inside the factory. We joined our tour group late and as we were catching up, we passed a guy who was shamelessly snapping pics of everything with his phone. The tour guide said, “Please, sir, in the back, photography is not allowed inside the factory.” Everyone looked to the back of the group, saw me with my camera hanging around my neck, and assumed the guide was talking to me. When he had to repeat himself three times I started getting some pointed looks. But homeboy was now taking videos with his phone. I put my camera back in the bag to make sure folks knew I was a rule-follower.

Later in the day, I took some good-natured ribbing from some friends.

“What’s the deal with the real camera?” one asked.

“I’m getting old and needed a hobby, and it’s cheaper than a sports car.”

That seemed to work.

Anyway, perhaps you see where this is headed.

To enter the KFC Yum! Center, you have to walk through metal detectors and have your bags searched. A security person looked at my bag and informed me that cameras of that size/type were not allowed inside. I was about one beer short of saying “Are you fucking kidding me?” to her face. Instead I said “Are you serious?” She had zero sympathy for my plight. In fact, she seemed annoyed that a guest to her town wouldn’t be fully versed in all the rules of the venue.

So, with about five minutes to tip off, I pushed my way back out through the crowd waiting to get in and ran 10 blocks to throw the camera in my vehicle, then ran back to the arena. It was warm, I was wearing jeans and a jacket, and I was both pissed and nervous about the game. I was sweating quite a bit by the time I got back and gained entry. I was also wearing boots, not the ideal footwear for making a jaunt through city streets. I still have blisters and shinsplints.

In retrospect, I probably should have checked the rules on what you’re allowed to take in before we left the truck for the last time. I know some other stadiums don’t allow certain kinds of cameras in, but I wasn’t even thinking about that at the time.

And, yes, I did consider trying a different door, or not telling them there was a camera in my bag. But I also figured that would just delay the inevitable and I should get to my truck and back as quickly as possible.

I finally walked in just as the game hit the first TV timeout. Then I went to the wrong side of my section and had to wait until the second TV timeout to work my way around to my seat. It was a terrible start to the game. And, obviously, I am to blame for KU’s loss because of my struggles.

Feel free to file this under Stupid Things Happen To Stupid People.

Not Quite Elite Enough

March 28, 2016 /

So yeah, the purpose of my weekend visit to Louisville ended up sucking quite a bit. That didn’t mean the whole weekend was a bust, though.

There are quite a few stories to share, so I think I’ll split this up into two or even three posts to keep it manageable/readable.

Let’s start with the game and KU going out of the tournament a week too early.

It was insanely frustrating watching the game in person. Even when KU had rather choppy games during their 17-game winning streak, there was almost always the sense that they were in control of the game. If they played poorly in the first half, you knew they were going to make adjustments at halftime and take control before the final buzzer.

There was never that feeling in the arena Saturday. Any time KU put together a mini-run, Villanova immediately answered. KU could not get out in transition. They couldn’t run their offense. When they got shots, they couldn’t hit them. All that combined with the stakes of the game meant my blood pressure was at least 15% higher than ideal for the entire contest. I don’t think I sent any texts with steady hands in the final 10:00 of the game.

I give great credit to Villanova. Jay Wright had a gutsy game plan: shut down Perry Ellis and dare the rest of the Jayhawks to beat them from outside. I say that’s gutsy because KU was the second-best 3-point shooting team in the country this year. That’s a big gamble. If Frank Mason and Wayne Selden could have joined Devonte’ Graham in hitting some threes early, the Wildcats could have been both down big and forced to play KU straight-up, allowing Ellis to go to work down low.

But that gamble paid off.

The most frustrating thing to me was how this game fit the pattern of so many KU losses in March over the past 25 years: the Jayhawks were ice-cold from behind the arc and it absolutely killed them. Aside from Graham, the rest of the Jayhawks combined to go 1–13 from three. That was like the VCU, Northern Iowa, Arizona, and UTEP games of Marches past. Hit just a few of those misses and KU is in Houston.

Frustration number two: Villanova played incredible scouting report defense. They kept blowing up KU’s dribble hand-offs at the top of the key. In fact, take away the points ‘Nova got on those plays alone and KU wins. That wasn’t frustrating because they played so well. It was frustrating because they got those steals by being very aggressive and physical, basically running through the screener/passer to get the ball. There was never a whistle on those plays. But Graham fouled out and three of his fouls were on plays awfully similar to what Villanova was not getting whistled for. Balance out even two of those calls – take a foul away from Graham and call one on ‘Nova – and it’s a different game.

Frustration number three: KU actually played really well on defense. They held Villanova to 20 points below their tournament average and by far their worst outside shooting percentage of the tournament. That should have been good enough to get the win. But Villanova was just a little bit better on defense. And where KU couldn’t string together makes, ‘Nova did just enough on offense to put together three runs that were the difference.

What a terrible way for Perry Ellis to go out. Thursday against Maryland he looked like that classic senior who was absolutely locked in and would not let his team lose. We hung around in the lobby of the team hotel before they left for the arena Saturday, and Perry was the first guy on the bus. He looked like he was ready to go, and we were sure he was 40 minutes away from getting his team to the Final Four. For perhaps the first time all season, he reverted to passive Perry, though, as Villanova surrounded and hounded him. He had a fabulous career. It was a rare one in that I don’t know that he was really loved by a lot of KU fans until this year. You couldn’t ask for a better face of the program, though. He will be missed.

The KFC Yum! Center is an amazing building. With a terrible name, obviously. It is huge, gorgeous, and a fine place to watch a game. We had really good seats, in the corner on the Villanova bench side, maybe half way up. Still fairly close to the floor but high enough that we could see the action. The arena was probably 65–70% KU fans, but we were right on the edge of the main Villanova section. Which was not a lot of fun. At least they had a reason to celebrate. The Louisville fans who couldn’t sell their tickets and came to the game were more annoying, though. They kept doing their stupid “C-A-R-D-S!” cheer during timeouts and putting their “L” sign with their thumbs, index, and middle fingers up in the air.[1] If KU had been up by 10 I could have asked them where their team was and why they didn’t make the tournament.

By the way, I am now 0–2 career at NCAA tournament games. And KU is 0–3 while I’ve watched them in person in the eastern time zone. Guess I better not try to go to the game in Lexington next season. Or any games ever in Cincinnati should they join the Big 12 at some point. Luckily I don’t have to worry about KU every playing in Indy in the NCAA tournament. With one exception, they lose early when that is a possibility.

In the end, it is terribly disappointing that KU’s season is over. Despite going to the game, I feel less bad about this loss than any pre-Final Four loss in a long time. Part of that is because I’ve watched Villanova a lot the past few years. I knew they were really, really good. I like their coach and several of their players. Maybe they should have been a #1 seed, or maybe KU deserved a different #2 as the overall #1. That doesn’t matter. I think we got beat by a fine team that was just a little better than us. If these teams played 10 times, it would probably be pretty even over that span.

This team won 33 games. They won the Big 12 regular season and tournament. They got much better over the course of the season. They were the #1 overall seed in the tournament. They didn’t lose for two months, winning 17-straight games in that span. They made it to the Elite 8. They probably played about as well as they possibly could. It’s a shame they fell one game short of getting to hang their own banner in Allen Fieldhouse. But I don’t think there’s any reason to feel devastated or angry about this loss. I understand people who do, but to me, this loss isn’t one that’s going to cause great regret as I look back on it in a year or five.

Losing sucks. It sucks more when you travel to watch in person. But losing by five in the Elite 8 to a team that had a legit argument for being a #1 seed hurts a lot less than some of KU’s shittier loses over the years.

This was a hell of a team. They just game up a game short of being historic.

Rock Chalk, bitches.

  1. Rule of Fandom #18: 90% of other team’s traditions are stupid and your team’s traditions are above reproach.  ↩

A Very Sweet Day

March 24, 2016 /

Sweet 16 day has arrived! I woke up with a little nervousness, but with a bigger feeling of excitement. As I always say, this is the best week of the tournament, and it is much easier for your mind to contemplate bigger scenarios when there are a maximum of four games left in your favorite team’s season.

Of course, being excited makes me nervous, so I’m sure by approximately 9:00 eastern tonight, I’ll be a big ball of frazzled nerves, snapping at the kids and worrying about whether I’m sitting in the right spot on the couch, if I’m drinking the right beer, etc.

The golden fan rule this time of year is to never look too far ahead. Never assume that a game is won until the final buzzer sounds. Never make plans based on the possibility of victory. I’ve had to throw that rule out the window this year, as I am planning for a potential trip to Louisville Saturday. I imagine my excitement is based as much on that as anything else. The chance to see my Jayhawks play for a regional championship in person. Hanging out with a buddy and some other folks I know casually. Drinking real Kentucky bourbon and eating real Kentucky Fried Chicken! How can you not get excited about those prospects?

Hopefully Perry, Frank, Devonte’, Wayne, Landen, and company come through tonight and make that trip reality.

I have a friend who is married to a Maryland alum. She is also a writer, so she put together a little essay about how they are getting through this week for the KU alumni association. It’s a fun read whether there are any divided loyalties in your house or not.

Duo’s dueling loyalties: She loves Jayhawks and he treasures Terps

Let’s win this thing.

Rock Chalk, bitches.

Street Photography 101

March 22, 2016 /

Last week C marched in the Indianapolis St. Patrick’s Day parade, as is custom for third graders at St. P’s. It was a fabulous day, especially compared to when M marched two years ago. It was bright and sunny, in the mid–50s when the parade began, and eased into the low 60s by the time it ended. Two years ago, it was maybe 30, with windchills much lower, and flurries blowing around. A truly miserable day.[1]

C had fun. I was perched on the side of the street with a few parents both from St. P’s and our old preschool. When St. P’s marched by, I couldn’t find C in the mass of bodies. I ran with them for a couple blocks until I could cross to the other side. Finally I found her buried in the middle of the group, standing between two boys. After the parade I asked why she stayed in the same spot and didn’t move to the side when she saw me so I could get some good pictures.

“We couldn’t move, Dad!”

Ok then.

I didn’t get too many great pics of C, just because she was always in a big group and it’s tough to find one where she’s looking in my general direction and can be cropped down so I can post it on Facebook without putting a dozen other kids’ faces online.

I was looking forward to walking around and taking some pictures of the festivities of the day. I’m testing out a new camera,[2] and this was my first real chance to use it somewhere other than just on the kids at home. And a St. Patrick’s Day parade is the perfect chance to get some interesting shots of interesting people doing interesting things.

I’m fascinated by the concept of street photography, where you take random, candid shots of strangers, often at close range. I love looking at street photography collections and reading about how they shots were captured. But, as friends will likely guess, my personality doesn’t exactly fit walking up to total strangers and taking quick pics without asking for permission first, or talking with them after. Which I know is weird, since everyone has a phone with a camera in it these days and people are constantly taking quick shots of people they don’t know. There’s something about having a proper camera with a good-sized lens, though, that makes me feel a little uncomfortable doing it.

Anyway, I walked around and, somewhat inconspicuously, took shots of people celebrating the day. Not true street photography, but a start to an introvert I guess. As I walked through the main party area, I saw a table set up where some folks were handing out St. Paddy’s Day baked goods. A guy behind the table was putting on some kind of wacky, costume head. I stopped, maybe 10–15 feet away, put the camera to my eye, and snapped off a few pics. As I was putting it down, I noticed his hand was up, and his middle finger was extended my direction. I started laughing and walked away. I didn’t know if he was pissed I was taking his picture, being a jerk, or just adding to the festive mood of the day.

When I got home, that’s the first pic I looked at. It turned out pretty good. I don’t know that I’ll ever turn into a real street photographer, but this one is fun.

title

  1. But also one we’ll never forget.  ↩
  2. Not even one year into camera ownership, and I already had bad GAS: Gear Acquisition Syndrome.  ↩

First Weekend Madness

March 21, 2016 /

Some first weekend of the NCAA tournament! There are no great surprises as we glance at the sixteen teams still standing. When Gonzaga and Syracuse are the lowest seeds still playing, you can’t really call them Cinderellas. But there was a lot of fun in getting to this point.

First, my Jayhawks. A nearly perfect first weekend. Which means nothing going forward, other than they’re still playing. Which is something the last two KU teams could not say.

They took care of business in style in their first game, thoroughly whipping an over-matched Austin Peay team. And then they jumped all over UConn in the round of 32, basically putting the game out of reach before the 10:00 mark of the first half. UConn made a nice run to open the second half, but were always one basket away from making it really interesting.

Experience was the key for KU. Perry Ellis and Wayne Selden made the big plays to quash the UConn rally. Landen Lucas was dominant on defense and the boards. Jamari Traylor brought energy in his minutes. All guys who have played at least three years.

Devonte’ Graham didn’t do much in the first game. Frank Mason was off offensively in the second. But the rest of the team was always there to pull them through. Just like all year.

Now an intriguing match-up with Maryland. The Terps are one of the biggest teams in the country, were ranked in the top 5 much of the year, and like KU are playing to erase the memories of bad experiences last year. But they’ve also been a bit up-and-down at times. I expect a very good battle, and KU’s experience is the difference late.

Worth noting that should KU win Thursday, I will be attempting to obtain tickets to Saturday’s regional final. It’s only a couple hours to Louisville, you know.

And now I’ve jinxed them.

A Sweet 16 without Calipari or Izzo? Cancel the tournament!

Michigan State’s absence is, obviously, the biggest shock. Izzo’s teams just do not have losses like that in March. They were, in many ways, absolutely pounded by Middle Tennessee. There have been other 15-over–2 upsets, but this feels like the biggest in tournament history. And it destroyed my bracket, taking out my champion before they won a game.

And then Indiana knocking out Kentucky wiped out the whole right-side of my bracket. I hedged my bets in my predictions, pointing out that Indiana was fully capable of beating the Wildcats. But I figured Calipari >>> Crean, and that would be the difference.

Indiana’s almost frightening athletic ability was the difference. Kentucky’s front court did absolutely nothing all day, which meant the Cats were often playing 2-on–5 on offense. Tyler Ulis can only do so much, especially when Jamal Murray isn’t hitting shots. Meanwhile the Hoosiers were slashing through, around, and over the bigger Wildcats for dunks, tips, and loose balls. They were more athletic, hungrier, and flat-out better.

As fun as that game was, the Hoosiers running up-and-down the court with North Carolina should be fantastic.

I’ve thanked the Hoops Gods for 13 years that Bill Self said yes to replacing Roy Williams at KU. Not just because of all his accomplishments over that span, but because the assumed second choice for the job was Tom Crean. Crean isn’t a terrible coach, but I also don’t think he’s one of the top 10 in the game. Or even 15 or 20. Worse, he’s a complete lunatic on the sidelines. What if I hated the head coach of my alma mater? Would have I stopped watching KU games completely a decade ago if Crean had taken the job and turned the Jayhawks into a team that only competes for the conference title every 4–5 years while he ranted and raved on the sideline?

All that said, he’s done an amazing job with this year’s Indiana team. He lost arguably his best player in James Blackmon, Jr. in January when the team was already floundering. But losing Blackmon, who is a fantastic scorer but a complete black hole with the ball, freed up Troy Williams, OG Anunoby[1], and Thomas Bryant to take on bigger roles. And it made Yogi Ferrell the focus of the offense, which is where it should have been.

I still think Crean is a freak show and overrated as a coach. But I’ll give him immense credit for what he’s done over the past 10–12 weeks.

Hey Baylor and West Virginia: thanks for nothing. The two Big 12 teams who play styles that are supposed to be “hell to play in March!” both went out to huge underdogs. And West Virginia got flat blown out in the final five minutes of their loss to Stephen F. Austin. Scott Drew likes to trumpet his March success, but he’s never made a deep run where he had to beat higher seeded teams. And he’s accumulating quite a collection of bad losses to balance those Elite 8 runs.

Poor Northern Iowa. Not sure there’s ever been that big of a swing in a team’s fortune’s, either over a two-game span, or over a 40-some second span. The half-court winner against Texas on Friday followed by the epic meltdown against Texas A&M Sunday were fan whiplash of the highest order. The end to the game last night was so insane I completely forgot about the Wisconsin-Xavier game and missed that buzzer-beater. I bet you could play out the last minute of the A&M game a thousand times and not get that same result on more than a handful of occasions.

I’m not one of those KU fans who hates UNI for their win over the Jayhawks in 2010. I was pulling for them hard both Friday and Sunday. Their win in 2010 was one of the signature moments in the tournament this decade. And their loss last night will go down in history as well. Perhaps that’s when you’ve made it to the big time as a program: when you have both monumental wins and losses that fans everywhere remember. Not sure if that will keep them from being under-seeded every year, though.

Obviously a big part of televised sports is showing the emotions of the fans. But do we really have to have the long, awkward shots of crying fans and cheerleaders when games end? It’s especially bad when the cameras go back to the same person multiple times. Please stop. Show the winners.

My updated Final Four picks:
Kansas
Oregon
North Carolina
Virginia

(Rock) Chalk.

And now it’s time for the best week of the tournament: Sweet 16 week!

  1. How did this kid get out of Jefferson City, MO to Indiana?  ↩

Let’s Go!!!!

March 17, 2016 /

You know, for all this talk about how wide open this year is, I find myself agreeing with all the folks who are not going out on any limbs in picking their Final Four. I think a lot of that can be explained away rather easily: while there were no dominant teams in November, December, and January, in February and March a few teams did separate themselves from the pack.

Now are we putting too much stock in the last six weeks, and pushing the rest of the field, which we thought all year was solid, down a notch as we elevate those elite six or seven? Probably.

I also think since the bulk of those teams that have created distance between themselves and the field are name programs, we’re elevating them even more. Beyond Oregon, it feels right for Kansas, North Carolina, and Michigan State to be considered the favorites regardless of the year.

Still, as I look at my bracket, my only stretch pick is a team that is the most dominant program over the past five seasons. Which means that is not much of a stretch.

Anyway, he are my picks:

Final Four

Kansas
Oregon
Kentucky
Michigan State

My heart pick is Kansas over Michigan State for the title.
My brain pick is Sparty over my Jayhawks.

I kind of hate myself for all those picks.

KU’s going to get shut down by someone in their difficult region, right?
Oregon has done nothing in recent years to make a run to Houston seem likely, right?
Kentucky? Seriously? They’re going to lose to Indiana in the round of 32, how can I have them in the Final Four?
And everyone is picking Michigan State in the Midwest. Isn’t Virginia exactly the kind of team that is going to take that and use it as fuel to get out of Chicago?

But, then…

KU is playing the best ball of any Jayhawk team since the 2012 team that lost in the national title game. And Devonte’ Graham isn’t letting them lose.[1]
Oregon has been destroying people out west all year.
John Calipari has only gone national title game (losing in OT after blowing a nine-point lead with 2:00 to play), Sweet 16, Elite 8, Final Four, National Champs, National title game, Final Four in his last seven NCAA appearances. Dude’s teams just win in March, and I think he’s finally figuring out this year’s team. Plus Tyler Ulis is not letting them lose.
And Tom Izzo is John Calipari with less talent: the Spartans are peaking and playing with the confidence that it will take a perfect game to beat them.

I’m not picking any huge upsets. I have a five seed in the Sweet 16, but no teams seeded lower than that making it out of the first weekend. I have five Big 12 teams in the Sweet 16, which I realize is optimistic.

So, basically, my bracket sucks.

But screw it.

This is the March where my Jayhawks get right with the Hoops Gods. After two years of being punished for some transgression(s), the luck will change this year. Perry Ellis is going to slice-and-dice teams up inside. Graham will play so well that in three weeks KU fans will be worried about him declaring for the NBA draft. Frank Mason is going to be steady, making huge plays that win at least one game. Wayne Selden is going to shake off his troubles and be a consistent, solid contributor every game. Landen Lucas is going to continue to be the rock inside that makes everything else work. And every night one guy off the bench is going to have an impact on the final result.

Let’s win this muther.

Rock Chalk, bitches!

  1. Jinx!  ↩

On Witches and Wizards

March 16, 2016 /

For several years I’ve been trying to get M to read the Harry Potter series. She loves reading to begin with, and is especially fond of lengthy series, so it seemed like a perfect match. However, each time I recommended the books to her, she said she wasn’t interested. I would point out other kids her age, or even younger, who had read them, but she always said no.

That finally changed a couple months back. When S was packing to bring the girls back to Missouri for my stepdad’s funeral, S was looking for ways to keep them occupied in the car. They all got a new book and toy, but she thought they needed one more thing. So she picked up the audio edition of Harry Potter & The Sorcerer’s Stone. That was an inspired purchase. All three girls loved the limited amount they were able to listen to on the drives to-and-from mid-Missouri. When we got back to Indy, they immediately asked me to put the CDs onto their iPods so they could listen to them on their own.

Soon all three girls were walking around with headphones on most of their waking hours. M especially would pop them on as soon as she woke in the morning, wear them all the way to school, then put them back on as soon as we got home in the afternoon. C, who has the newest iPod with bluetooth, beams it to her bluetooth speaker in her room. L would fall asleep each night with her headphones on.

Both C and L decided to go ahead and read the series, as well. C went to book 2, but L decided she wanted to read The Sorcerer’s Stone first. M just wanted to listen, so I’ve been going to the library every week or so to pick up the next audio book to rip and then import it to their iPods.

I never read the series. I figured one day M would read it and I would read along with her. However, since the sisters were all listening/reading with her, she was more interested in talking about it with them than me so I’ve stuck to my own books. We did watch The Sorcerer’s Stone a few weeks back, so S and I have some idea what is going on. I still might read the whole series over the summer.

Their obsession goes beyond just physical and audio books, though. They have their own Hogwarts game they play quite a bit. M, of course, is the instructor while C and L are students. They’ve harvested sticks from the backyard for wands, C carries our broom around as her magical broomstick, and M prints up lessons for them to follow. Like every game that involves all three, it has become contentious at times. They’ve argued about how to play and where to play. Over the weekend they were acting especially jackass-like and we had to temporarily ban the game. But even yesterday, which was probably the most beautiful day of the year so far, they stayed inside after school playing their game.

It only took three years of cajoling, but perhaps we just needed to wait until all three girls were ready to tackle the series. Which adds an extra level of coolness to their interest. I think this is the first big-kid obsession that they’ve all shared together. It’s certainly better than when they used to play My Little Ponies together all the time!

Tourney Time

March 14, 2016 /

Yep, I’m frightened.

Sure, there’s the normal fright that comes this time of year when you support a school that has been a top-four seed for nearly two decades and has a number of early flameouts over that span.

There’s the hand-wringing that fans of every school go through when they begin breaking down the bracket, sure that their favorite team has an unfairly difficult path to get to the Final Four.

But this year those annual fears aren’t quite as bad as they have been in recent years. They’ve been replaced, though, by a new fear. The fear that, in a year where everyone has said all year that there are no great teams and there isn’t a clear favorite, when anything can happen in March, when the Field is a better bet than normal, KU has suddenly become the favorite.

There are the 14-straight wins over the past seven weeks. Thirteen of those against the toughest conference in the nation and the 14th against Kentucky. Outside last year’s Kentucky team, not many programs can string together 20-straight wins in the back half of the college basketball season.

There was the romp through the Big 12 tournament, where they answered every challenge with the aplomb of a team that is completely locked in.

There was the steadiness that was apparent in wins at Oklahoma, at Baylor, against West Virginia at home, and then again against Baylor and WVU in Kansas City over the weekend. Every night, when things looked dire, this team shrugged its shoulders, almost casually strung big plays together, and got the win.

There was Devonte’ Graham taking the leap from Nice Player to Stud Who Makes Huge Plays That Keeps His Team From Losing.

Finally, there was the map some online site published last week that showed who people around the country were picking to win the national title. The methodology was simple: the team that got the most votes in each state had its logo plastered on the state. KU was the overwhelming favorite, in terms of states won.[1]

Scary.

Without even looking at who KU plays and where, there’s so much good surrounding this squad that I can’t help but wonder when the luck runs out, when the shots will stop falling, when the odds will catch up with them and bring their season to an end.

I’m trying, though. I’m trying really hard to appreciate what this team has done over the last two months. I’m trying to hold on to how they’ve answered so many challenges this season. I’m trying to focus on the truth that this is a damn good team and what happened last year, or the year before, or in 2010, or in 1998 doesn’t mean a thing in the 2016 tournament. And I’m going to try to enjoy their time in the tournament, no matter how long it lasts.

Call me cautiously optimistic. This team is capable of great things over the next three weeks. Hopefully they’re less worried about the past than I am and will make this a March to remember for KU fans.

Regarding the bracket, I think KU got a tough but fair draw. That’s good for this team, though. It should keep them focused. If it were up to me I’d swap a few teams for ones in other brackets, but I don’t think the committee conspired against KU.

During the selection show, we had guests and I had to run out to get pizza. So I missed a lot of the actual unveiling, the CBS/TNT nuttiness, and general discussion of the bracket at large. Clearly the full reveal of all 68 teams is stretched out entirely too long. That’s why it’s been years since I sat down and watch the entire show live with a blank bracket to fill in as teams are announced. It’s easier for me just to catch up 90 minutes later when CBS finally gets around to announcing everyone.

I haven’t looked too hard at the bracket as a whole. As much as I hate to agree with him, I liked John Calipari’s comment about Kentucky’s seed, when he wondered if the NCAA realized they had played a game earlier in the day and beaten Texas A&M. And while the numbers generally favor Oklahoma over West Virginia, I was still a little surprised the Sooners got a higher seed than the Mountaineers, a team that beat them twice (and nearly beat them a third time), not to mention finished ahead of them in the toughest conference in the country. I imagine Bob Huggins will use that to his motivational advantage.

I’ll wait until Thursday to share my picks, but at first glance I seem to be awfully chalky, at least in who makes it to Houston. I think the East regional has the potential to be the most entertaining. Kentucky should have to face Indiana in the round of 32, then are rewarded with a likely date with North Carolina if they get past the Hoosiers. That’s good stuff, right there.

Rejoice! It’s the most wonderful/terrible time of the year!

  1. The electoral college of NCAA picks, I guess.  ↩
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