Football Notes
After two weeks, I’ll follow the lead of pretty much every other football commentator and make broad assertions based on limited data. Therefore, 2012 will be the Wacky Year. One week teams and players will look great, the next totally lost. See the Cowboys, who went from Super Bowl favorites to Same Old Cowboys in 10 days’ time. And Peyton…
Brush With Greatness
I have a few friends who are masters of the random celebrity encounter. They have no problem either approaching or breaking the ice with a famous person and have many stories about running into Quincy Jones, Milton Berle, Dave Matthews, or Lawrence Taylor, to name a few. On the other hand, in those rare situations when I see a celebrity,…
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…
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…
The Last, Greatest Game
And thus, it ends. This isn’t going to be another post rehashing the hows and whys of the end of the Kansas-Missouri rivalry. I’m not going to advocate for the continuation of it, nor argue who is more at fault for its demise. No, this post is about that special feeling you get each year when the schedule comes out…
The Good Life
Yes, I’m biased, but I love Nick Collison. He’s pushing ten years in the NBA and, while he was a great college player, I’m not sure anyone expected that kind of pro career for him. And I’ve always enjoyed his thoughtful take on things. He is blogging for GQ magazine on what life is like for a role-player in the…
I’m Not The Fan I Used To Be
Some posts are a form of therapy for me. This is one of those. Below, I’ll explain why I didn’t watch the Kansas-Missouri game Saturday, which will also explain the why I’ve hardly watched any KU games this year. Basically, I’ve become an old man and can’t handle the highs and lows of basketball the way I used to. I…