Weekend Notes
Here we are, the week many of us – a plurality of those who voted four years ago – have been looking forward to for an entire election cycle. And it dawns dominated by a sense of dread. Regardless of the results of tomorrow’s election, I think the US is on a horrible course, one where democracy is constantly subverted…
Unexpected Goodbyes
A couple recent departures from the University of Kansas athletic program that deserve a few words. Silvio First, late last week Silvio De Sousa announced he was leaving the basketball program. KU, like every Power 5 sports program, has a long list of players who were “disappointments.” Silvio might be at the top of KU’s list. During the 2017–18 season,…
Weekend and Kid Notes
A lot of ground to cover so let’s get into it. Today is a first: first sick kid day of the year. M is home for the first time in her high school career with an upset stomach. L also seems to be getting a cold, which is delightful. Usually C is the first to fall when illnesses begin circulating.…
Sports!
It’s taken me awhile to get into them, but sports are back! Kind of, sort of, that is. As I type this fall college sports are looking nervously at the drain, aware that a hand is lingering near the handle to flush them away to 2021. But the pros have been keeping us entertained for a few weeks now. And…
Old School Gaming
It should be national championship night. Maybe KU would be playing tonight in the school’s ninth title game seeking their fourth NCAA title. The Chicago Tribune ran a simulation and had the Jayhawks beating Michigan State tonight to indeed grab the 2020 nets. USA Today had KU beating Dayton on a buzzer-beating shot. Alas, there was no tournament this year…
March Memories
Kudos to ESPN and CBS for dropping some classic college basketball games on us to help pass time. I’ve recorded every KU game that has been on so far. I’ve watched a few minutes of the triple overtime Oklahoma game from 2016 and the 2007 Big 12 tournament championship game. In anticipation of Sunday’s airing of the 2008 national championship…
Corona Chronicles
And then life got even crazier… I suppose this is the second in what will be an on-going series sharing my thoughts and observations on the most insane era of my lifetime. I’ll work a little out of order to get caught up. First, my girls are all out of school. Cathedral was scheduled to be off today for the…
Ben the Tournament Savior?
March is the time to relive both the glories and horrors of NCAA tournaments past. This excellent piece of speculative sports history brought back some bad memories. But it was also a very enjoyable read. What If Ben Affleck Had Stayed on the Kansas Basketball Team in ‘The Way Back’?
KU: Champs Again
About a month ago, my KU buddies I text with daily and I had a lengthy exchange fearing what was ahead of us. The conversation went something like, “I’m not sure if we can win the Big 12, but we need Baylor to lose to someone so they don’t go 18–0.” At that point the Bears were rolling. They had…
Round Two
It’s been awhile since KU played a huge Big 12 game. The game at Texas Tech two years ago, when the Jayhawks clinched their 14th straight conference title was a big game. ESPN Gameday was in town, Tech had beaten KU in Lawrence a month earlier. But that game didn’t feel massive because A) KU was in first place coming…