Inconceivable
I am sooo reluctant to write this, but I can’t put it off any longer: the Kansas State Wildcats are the best story in sports right now. Blech. Who, even among the most optimistic of K-Staters, saw this coming? With two winnable games left, the Wildcats are almost certainly going to play in the BCS title game. If they luck…
Headlines
Thursday. All three girls in school. Which means I can sit down, scan the headlines, and pick out something to write about. So… Jim Calhoun retires from UConn I’ll throw this out: no coach has had as much success as Calhoun with as little respect. Seriously, when was the last time someone drew up a Best Coach in the Game…
Velvet Hammer
The NCAA has spoken and now Penn State gets to deal with another part of the rebuilding process after the Sandusky Affair. A $60 million fine. A four-year bowl ban. The loss of ten scholarships per year for four years. And vacating all wins from 1998 to 2011. That fine is not insignificant. Neither is the loss of bowl games…
The Morning After
Since I remember things like this, a good time to look back at how I felt on four mornings that were similar to today. April 5, 1988. Exhilaration, amazement. April 2, 1991. Disappointment, sadness. April 8, 2003. Depression, anger. April 8, 2008. Relief, pure joy. April 3, 2012. Proud, at peace. One last deficit that could not be wiped out.…
All The Marbles
Monday night, for the fifth time in my life, my alma mater will play for the National Championship in men’s basketball. 1988. 1991. 2003. 2008. And now 2012. If this year, in which I’ve pulled back my obsession for the Jayhawks in order to find a better, healthier way of following them, has meant anything it’s appreciating that fact more…
Against The Grain
I find myself in the uncomfortable position of defending John Calipari. With the long week before the National Semifinals, columnists around the country have been laying into Calipari, saying if Kentucky wins the National Championship with their Rent-A-Star system, it’s going to somehow destroy college basketball. I don’t get it. What is Calipari doing that every coach of an elite…
The Cherry
KU’s Midwest Regional championship was the cherry on top of both the basketball season and our trip to Kansas City. Oddly enough I never felt nervous Sunday. Not before the game, not during the game. I was at peace with the season and satisfied with how far the team had advanced in the tournament. I was just hoping they would…
Some Quick Follow-Up
A couple more notes I forgot to include in Monday’s post. A couple people asked if I watched with any of my Purdue friends. I did not. The late start on a Sunday made it difficult to get people together. My closest Purdue buddy had another obligation that night, but we did send a few texts back-and-forth during the game.…
The Thinnest Of Margins
There was a moment, late in Sunday’s KU-Purdue game, when I admitted that it had been a terrific game and I could live with a loss. It certainly helped that KU was the better team for the last three minutes of the game, but I have a feeling I would still feel that way today had Purdue been able to…
NCAA Quick Thoughts
It’s mid-March, which means I should be sharing some NCAA tournament thoughts, right? This has, of course, not been a normal basketball season for me. So I honestly don’t have a whole lot to say. I’m pleased KU got a #2 seed. That seems right. I’m pleased they get to start in Omaha, and should they be fortunate enough to…