Monthly Archives: January 2008

Kansas-Kansas State

Jan. 30, 20086:24 p.m.

I missed my assignment for Saturday’s blog. Sorry. I was on assignment for The Eagle and coming down with the flu and the blog became an afterthought. So I didn’t get to it. But I’m here today, sitting courtside at Bramlage Coliseum awaiting the big game. It’s an interesting atmosphere. Kansas’ players are out doing some shooting and stretch and the K-State students are all over them. Some of it is even in good taste. For the most part, though, it’s stuff you wouldn’t want your kid to hear.

I think this is going to be an interesting game. It better be. I’ve never seen so many media members at a KU-KSU game. And this place is not equipped for a large group of media. Bramlage Coliseum is, to be blunt, a bad venue. It really doesn’t have much going for it. But I won’t dwell on the negatives tonight. This game is just too important for negative vibes.

I’ve spent much of the past three days in bed because of this flu, which came on me slowly and kicked my butt. I’m not good at being sick. I don’t get sick very often. And when I do, I whine. Except there’s nobody there to hear me, so my whining is really for naught. But it makes me feel better.  Last night, while I was in bed, I heard what sounded like moaning. No, not that kind of moaning. Anyway, I woke up my son to ask if he was all right. He said he was and that he didn’t hear the moaning. So I went back to bed and heard it again. This time, I knew it was coming from just outside my front door. So I opened the door and a cat was making all kind of noise. I ran at the cat and it scampered away, which was my intent. Had the cat not scampered away as I ran toward it, I would have felt quite silly.

I’m a dog person, hands down. I would never own a cat, but I have had several dogs in my life. I don’t have one now because I’m out of town too much and I wouldn’t want to drop off my dog at a shelter as much as I would have to. But I would someway like to have a Black Lab. Those dogs are the best.

Tomorrow night, my friend Denise Neil is having me over to her house to . . . . watch the return of Lost. I wanted to keep you people in suspense about her reasoning, maybe start some rumors. But it is what it is. Her husband, Nick, will be there. So will Lori Linenberger, another co-worker. We’re all big fans of the show, even though I’m at an advanced age now that makes it difficult for me to follow the series from one episode to the other. I probably need to watch each episode four or five times before moving on to the next one, but who has time for that? I do plan to watch last season’s two-hour season finale before I embark on the new season. I think Lost is one of the most incredible television shows in history because of its complexities. I admit to having no idea what’s going on most of the time, but I enjoy trying to figure it out.

Lost is probably my favorite television show of the moment. I’m not watching nearly as much TV this season as I’m accustomed to watching and I blame the writer’s strike. It’s just so hard to know what’s on and when it’s on and whether it’s a rerun or not. I sure do wish the writer’s were back at work.

I didn’t make a prediction about the KU-KSU game in the newspaper. At least not in our newspaper. I received an e-mail from Tim Bisel of the Topeka Capital-Journal on Tuesday, asking if I would pick the score. I obliged, picking Kansas to win, 80-75. I think it could be worse than that, but I’m giving K-State some home-court friendliness. And with a player like Michael Beasley, the Wildcats are capable of making this a great game. Beasley could score 30 points and grab 20 rebounds and it wouldn’t shock anyone. If the Wildcats can get another 45 points out of everyone else, they could win this game. I think it’s all about the Jayhawks’ experience. They’ve been in so many tough places to play and I believe these players relish their 24-game winning streak in Manhattan. The crowd will amp up Kansas State, but it will do the same to the Kansas players. So, I’m sticking by my 80-75 pick.

We’ll talk more Saturday.

By Bob | Filed under Uncategorized | Comments (7)

Extra Points

Jan. 23, 20083:54 p.m.

Gregg Marshall and those closest to him would have you believe the media created this frenzy about speculation concerning his interest in the basketball coaching position at South Carolina. I’ll admit, the media can create a frenzy. But almost always, that frenzy is a reflection of the rancor of fans, readers, listeners, etc.

I have written two columns on the Marshall/South Carolina speculation. And that’s absolutely all it is _ speculation. We have discussed this matter in depth on our radio sports talk show, Sports Daily. It carried the conversation Monday and Tuesday and died down today. My columns were among the most-read items of the day at Kansas.com, the Eagle’s website. People want to know what’s going on and since Marshall has issued only a carefully-worded, non-committal response, their thirst has not been quenched.

In the meantime, I understand Marshall’s desire to make this a non-story. He is busy coaching at Wichita State and recruiting players he hopes will make the Shockers better in the future. Constant talk about speculation could damage his ties with those recruits. But if Marshall is so adamant about this discussion ending, why wasn’t his response more forceful? Why did it leave wiggle room?

It’s an unfortunate situation in that it is happening during Marshall’s first season at Wichita State. Shocker fans, for the most part, have adopted him as one of their own. Even though it has been a tough season, Marshall has maintained his popularity because fans can tell he’s a genuinely good guy with a passion for coaching and that he’s ultimately going to be successful.

I would like nothing more than for this story to go away. Especially because there is so much speculation involved. Reporters don’t handle speculative stories very well; our nature is to dig for facts. There are no real facts here yet, except that South Carolina has a coaching opening, Marshall has told people in that state that it’s his dream job and a good number of Wichita State basketball fans are nervous. Draw from that what you will.

Working on a Sunday story about Kansas’ 24-game winning streak at Kansas State, including 19 in a row at Bramlage Coliseum. Incredible. I’m really anticipating next Wednesday’s KU-KSU game in Manhattan. Hopefully, the Wildcats will take care of business tonight at Colorado, a game that might not be as easy as it appears. Is this young K-State team capable of avoiding another setback like the one it had just more than three weeks ago at Xavier? If not, the game at Colorado is one that could sneak up on the Wildcats. If K-State can win tonight, and again Saturday at home against Iowa State, the Wildcats and Jayhawks probably will be unbeaten in Big 12 play when they meet next week. I think it’ll be a game. The Streak is in peril.

Brent Kemnitz has only a couple of shows to do with us on Sports Daily _ tomorrow and next Thursday _ before he again concentrates solely on his gig as pitching coach for Wichita State’s baseball team. Speaking of that, baseball season is coming. In less than one month, the Shockers play their first game of the season, at Eck Stadium against Fordham. Kemnitz does a great job on the radio. He’s funny, opinionated and just a touch goofy, which is a good combination for sports-talk radio. He’ll be replaced in his once-a-week radio appearance by Shane Dennis, who is also very good on the radio. Dennis has knowledge of all sports and an easy-going radio manner that, I believe, connects well with listeners. When Mike Kennedy steps down as the radio voice of the Shockers in the year 2187, Dennis would be a great replacement.

Time for a Top 10 list. OK, my 10 favorite Wichita State basketball players, in no particular order except for No. 1, which is clearly Dave Stallworth. The rest: Xavier McDaniel, Nate Bowman, Cheese Johnson, Paul Miller, Aubrey Sherrod, Randy Smithson, John Cooper, Jason Perez, Cliff Levingston. Again, I’m pretty certain I’m leaving out a lot of players I really liked. But I do like these 10 a lot. There are just so many to choose from.

The new Batman movie coming out this summer, The Dark Knight, looks really good. But now it’s going to be really weird because Heath Ledger, who died Tuesday, plays The Joker in the new movie. Ledger’s performance is reportedly very dark, and so is his death. I was impressed by him in one of his first roles, alongside Mel Gibson in The Patriot, made in 2000. I followed his career after that and thought his performance in Brokeback Mountain was a breakthrough. His death is very sad.

So is that of character actor Allan Melvin, who appeared as a different character in eight episodes of The Andy Griffith Show. I remember him mostly as a nemesis for Don Knotts’ Barney Fife. But he also appeared in a lot of other shows and might have been best known for playing Ann B. Davis’ boyfriend on The Brady Bunch.

Started watching American Idol last night and, of course, I will weigh in regularly during the season on Wednesday’s. I don’t much care for all the bad singing and the tryouts. I zone in on the show when the best singers begin to compete head to head. But there is some entertainment value to these early episodes, although the longer this show is on the air the more it seems like been there, done that.

Take care. See you Saturday.

By Bob | Filed under Uncategorized | Comments (5)

Saturday’s Extra Points

Jan. 19, 20082:47 p.m.

Hi, everyone. I’m courtside in Manhattan, awaiting the tip of the K-State-Texas A&M game. No sign yet of A&M coach Mark Turgeon, formerly of Wichita State. But I have seen former Shocker assistants Scott Spinelli and Pooh Williamson, in case you’re curious. Then again, if you are, that’s kind of scary. But you might be, who knows?

I saw a very strange thing on my drive up to Manhattan this morning. Which isn’t uncommon, by the way. I always take Highway 15 through Abilene, and Abilene is strange enough. Just kidding, you Abileneians, or whatever you call yourselves. Abileneites? I have no idea. Anyway, I was driving past a farm and noticed a cow doing something against a fence post. As I got closer, I could see the cow rubbing against the post as if to scratch an itch. I had no idea cows were smart enough to scratch an itch, let alone find an innovative way to do so. It reminded me of me because there are times when I will scratch my back against a wall or a door. I had no idea I had something in common with a cow.

Really looking forward to the two NFL conference championship games tomorrow. How could any football fan outside of New York and San Diego be pulling for any team other than Green Bay and New England? A Brett Favre-Tom Brady matchup in the Super Bowl is almost too good to be true. I don’t see any way those two home teams don’t win. It’s going to be cold in both places, but especially in Green Bay where some are predicting Ice Bowl II. I’ll go ahead and predict both scores, although we all know how good I am at predicting. Actually, I’m not that bad. But there’s no way to convince you of that in this blog, so I’ll just shut up. Anyway, I like New England to beat San Diego, 34-17. And I think the Giants will be shell-shocked by the frigid temperatures in Green Bay. So I’m picking the Packers, 27-17.

My top 10 lists aren’t going so hot because I consistently forget to include someone who definitely belongs. In my last blog, I neglected to mention Denise Head as one of the women I care most about, even though she is near the top of that list. So, after giving considerable thought to discontinuing the Top 10, I have decided instead to forge ahead, just to do a lot more thinking before I actually put it up for the world to consume. Today’s list: my 10 favorite Wichita Eagle sports department co-workers. As always, this list is in no particular order. Here goes: Duane Frazier, Reid Hanley, Charlie Smith, Randy Brown, Rod Smith, Merrill Cox, Bob Stewart, Tony Jimenez, Russ Corbitt, James Wangemann. I’m almost positive I am forgetting somebody. I’m sure that somebody, or those somebodies, will let me know.

Oh, I already see someone I forgot. Current Kansas State assistant athletic director Casey Scott worked at The Eagle for a few years in the 1980s. He’s one of my favorites, too.

Still don’t see Turgeon, but I do see Mike Rohn on the A&M bench during pre-game warmups. Rohn is another former WSU assistant.

I have been a NetFlix subscriber for several months and have a movie _ I can’t even remember what it is _ sitting on my desk in the basement that I have had for probably four months. I’m paying $10 a month for NetFlix and used it quite a bit early. What is wrong with me? I see that you can now put a NetFlix movie on your PC, which I might do if this game becomes boring. No, I would never do that.

I’m covering the KSU game today with one of our young writers, Levi Wolters, who has done a very fine job in support of our full-time K-State beat writer, Jeffrey Martin. It’s interesting to see all of the new faces as I have a very old face in this business. There are a lot of young reporters breaking into this business. And with the state of the newspaper business, I wonder how encouraged they are about the future? Newspapers are changing very quickly. Who would have thought there would be blogs that we would be writing? But the blog is a nice change of pace and I’m enjoying the twice-weekly format. I have heard from some people that posting a comment on this blog has become impossible. Is that true? If so, e-mail me at blutz@wichitaeagle.com.

I now see Mark Turgeon. He’s wearing a maroon tie. Texas A&M colors. I have always liked Mark. He’s wired a little differently than most, but he’s a head college basketball coach. Most of those guys are wired differently.

Gregg Marshall to South Carolina? Let me just say that if he does leave Wichita State after one season, it will be the worst hiring of Jim Schaus’ regime as the Shockers’ athletic director. Schaus surely did his homework before bringing Marshall aboard. He had to realize Dave Odom wasn’t long for South Carolina for several reasons. First, Odom is 65. Second, he hasn’t won big with the Gamecocks. So if Schaus had any inkling Marshall would be interested in the South Carolina job, it’s difficult for me to believe he would have hired Marshall in the first place. Stay tuned. Marshall plans to address the situation Monday. But don’t expect him to say a whole lot.

That’s all for now. See you Wednesday.

By Bob | Filed under Uncategorized | Comments (5)

Wednesday’s Extra Points

Jan. 16, 20083:23 p.m.

Hey, everybody. Love that sleet, cold and wind. Can’t get enough. I’m already looking forward to sliding home after work tonight.

It’s interesting working here with my son, Jeff. Mostly, it’s awesome. But occasionally I do something really silly. Just a few minutes ago I told him to stop biting on the cap of a pen. Now, that’s something I would tell him as a father, but not as a co-worker. Unless it was irritating me, which it was. Still, with most people I might hold my breath, for at least an hour or so. But not with my son. I told him to stop chewing the cap and he did. One thing about Jeff, he has always been obedient. Cough, cough.

I just got news that Arbry Butler has decided to transfer from Wichita State for personal reasons. First, let me be one of the first to wish Arbry good luck. Next, let me say this is a good thing for him and the Wichita State basketball program. He wasn’t going to see the light of the day for the Shockers and his leaving gives Coach Gregg Marshall another scholarship to use for next season. We are going to see a new-look Wichita State basketball team in 2008-09 and that’s kind of exciting. Especially because of Marshall’s penchant as a recruiter.

There has been some talk about Marshall being interested in the South Carolina job, should it become open. The Gamecocks’ current coach, Dave Odom, isn’t having much success and Marshall is a local. But I can’t imagine Marshall leaving Wichita State after one season with so much unfinished business. I think WSU athletic director Jim Schaus had to know the South Carolina job could be available soon when he brought Marshall to Wichita State. I’m also thinking they had to talk about what would happen in such a scenario. And how good is the South Carolina job, really? The Gamecocks have never been much of a factor in the SEC. I would be surprised if Marshall left after one season at Wichita State, even if South Carolina came calling.

I had the opportunity to be down at the new arena site Tuesday and it’s exciting. There’s a lot of work being done and it’s happening fairly quickly. At least as quickly as it can happen considering the arena isn’t scheduled to open for almost two years. It will be interesting to see how the area around the arena develops. I was excited to hear that a daiquiri bar and a comedy club are going to open at the WaterWalk. I love new things going up in this city, although from reading Opinion Line I know there are a lot of people who don’t. I’m glad I’m not them.

It’s time for my list 10 women I really like. This one should be sure to ruffle some feathers for who I inadvertently omit. Let me apologize to them (they know who they are) before we begin. These are limited to my friends, no family. And no ex-wives, although I remain close to two of them. In no particular order, here goes: Maggie Gifford, Jenny Smith, Denise Head, Denise Neil, Lori Linenberger, Karen I and Karen II, Andrea Gordon, Udaya, Nancy Schartz, Shari, Trish, Joanna Chadwick. That’s 13, I know. Get over it. (Editor’s Note: Denise Head is one of the most interesting women I have ever known. She’s my former girlfriend from last year and we’re still close. And always will be.)

I think Shane Dennis, who was my co-host on Sports Daily this morning, is a really talented play-by-play announcer. I hope he gets his shot in a baseball booth someday. He knows the game, he’s good at painting a picture and he has a penchant for conversation.

It’s the time of year to nominate stories and columns for Associated Press Sports Editors awards. I don’t much like awards, but I know they mean something to the newspaper and to my sports editor, Kirk Seminoff, who works extremely hard to produce a standout section. I feel better when we are awarded for our section than I do for any personal award. Not that I’ve received that many. Anyway, I have to go through my columns from last year and pick out the best. Yeah, I hear you saying, “That shouldn’t take long.” Smart aleck. Anyway, I’ll do that as soon as I wrap up these Extra Points. But I just want you to know I dread it. OK?

The Eagles are kicking off an early spring tour with four dates in London. I think it’s March 20-28. That’s in the middle of the NCAA basketball tournament, so I won’t be headed overseas. However, I am committed to seeing the Eagles on the U.S. leg of their Long Road Out of Eden tour. I have seen the Eagles 17 times and would like to make it 20 before either I die or they do. So, I could be up for three dates in the summer. I’m starting to save my pennies.

Drake and Baylor are tied for the lead in the Missouri Valley and Big 12, respectively. What’s wrong with that picture? I’ll be writing about Drake later in the week in the newspaper. A little shameless plug for my column.

I’m looking forward to a quiet, peaceful evening at home. I don’t have many. I bowled Tuesday night (a 511 series, way down from last week’s 629) and set my TiVo to record American Idol. But my satellite went out and I didn’t get it recorded. I also missed Law and Order: SVU. But I did get home in time to watch the great Don Rickles on The Late Show With David Letterman. Rickles hasn’t lost much at the ripe old age of 81. And Letterman is so great with Rickles because he adores him. I have laughed more in my life because of Don Rickles than almost anybody else I can think of, certainly any entertainer. I love the man.

That’s all for this edition. Come back Saturday. And welcome to the St. Louis Cardinals, Troy Glaus. I know you’re an avid reader of this blog.

By Bob | Filed under Uncategorized | Comments (0)

Saturday Extra Points

Jan. 12, 20086:46 p.m.

Hi, again. Sitting court-side at Koch Arena awaiting the tip of the Creighton-Wichita State basketball game. It’ll be interesting to see how Wichita State approaches this game against a young, but talented, Bluejays team. I’m concerned that after the Shockers’ last game, a flat-line performance at Missouri State, they’ll have a difficult time finding that “on” switch again. We’ll see. This is an important game for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that WSU plays on the road at Illinois State and Southern Illinois next week. It’s difficult to imagine the Shockers winning either of those games. So if they lose tonight, they could easily be 1-6 after seven Missouri Valley Conference games.

I planned to see a bunch of movies this weekend. I saw one: I Am Legend. It was very good, not great. Will Smith, though, is a stud. That man is put together. Wow! In one year, I will look like Will Smith. Well, as much as I can look like Will Smith. In truth, I’ll never look anything like Will Smith. Oh well. Wanted to see Charlie Wilson’s War but I didn’t make it. Today was such a nice day, I went for a walk in the park instead. Washed my car. Cleaned my house _ a little. I need to find someone to clean my house a couple of times a month because I’m sick of doing it. Any suggestions?

Big trade pending with the Cardinals as I write. Reportedly, a deal to send third baseman Scott Rolen to Toronto for third baseman Troy Glaus is awaiting only physicals for both players. Rolen has not seen eye to eye recently with Cardinals manager Tony La Russa, unfortunately. It’s best for him to go and getting Glaus, a legitimate power hitter, is probably the best the Cardinals can do. However, Glaus has been implicated in the steroids scandal, so that’s not good. And, like Rolen, he has been injury prone. This is simply a move by the Cardinals to appease a disgruntled player. They get a player who has one fewer year remaining on his contract and is one year younger. I like the deal, although I hate to lose a player like Rolen. At least a player like Rolen used to be before he was beset by injuries.

My top 10 lists have been a big hit, except to the people who aren’t on them. In my most recent _ 10 people who make me laugh _ I neglected to mention a bunch of people who make me laugh. That’s because a lot of people make me laugh. I could easily do 100 people who make me laugh, but that would be tiresome reading. However, I do want to say that Ted Woodward and Tom Kosich are two of the funniest people I know and neither was on that list. They should have been. OK?

Now for today’s list. Let’s see, how about my 10 favorite bands? Yeah, that’ll do. Eagles, Beatles, Three Dog Night, Rolling Stones, Pearl Jam, Collective Soul, Chicago, Fleetwood Mac, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, The Who.

I was impressed with Missouri today in its win over Texas. The Tigers, though, are one of those Big 12 teams that will have to prove itself on the road. They can score and I like Mike Anderson’s coaching style. Kansas could have some trouble at Mizzou. I’ll be in Lawrence to watch the Jayhawks against Oklahoma on Monday night.

The Shocker pep band sounds really good tonight. I’ve picked on the band in the past for playing the same old tired songs season after season. Tonight, though, they’re jacked. Or is this an alumni version of the band since school doesn’t start for a while? I’m looking up at that and it does look like an older bunch.

The first NFL playoff game of the day is over and Brett Favre is the man. He tore up the Seattle defense in a snowstorm. I think the Packers are going to the Super Bowl. A lot of people I know are picking Jacksonville to upset New England tonight. That’s not gonna happen. There are a lot of Patriots haters around. Of course, they’re my team and have been since about mid-July. That’s how I approach the NFL. I pick a couple of teams to follow _ a couple of teams I’m pretty sure are going to be really good. It relieves stress. I have enough stress during baseball season following the Cardinals.

Game is about ready to begin. I’ll check back Wednesday with a lot of really good stuff. We might even play a game of Who Is the Opinion Line Caller. Can you wait?

By Bob | Filed under Uncategorized | Comments (1)

Wednesday’s Extra Points

Jan. 9, 20083:26 p.m.

There’s a lot of discussion about Wichita State basketball and especially about first-year coach Gregg Marshall and how he’s relating to his team. We had a great phone call on Sports Daily this morning about the matter and the caller, Ronnie, suggested that during the WSU-Missouri State game Tuesday night it appeared Marshall didn’t like his players and his players didn’t like him. Interesting. It’s always a transition for a new coach who inherits players he had no hand in recruiting. And this transition isn’t going as smoothly as Shocker fans had hoped.

However, it’s far, far too early to begin to question Marshall because of his outstanding track record at Winthrop. Wichita State, of course, plays in a much tougher conference than Winthrop (Big South), but I like Marshall’s style and I still believe, once he puts his stamp on this team, it will be successful. It might not happen this season, but it will happen. I think.

As for this season, I’m not sure where the Shockers go from here. My fear, especially after Tuesday night’s performance, is that the players will abandon, because of frustration, the defense and rebounding that has helped them compete effectively in most games this season. If that happens, it could get ugly fast. Let’s hope Marshall can hold this team together. For now, that’s his No. 1 challenge.

There is big news to report on the bowling front. I had my best night ever Tuesday at Seneca Lanes, and I used a beat-up house ball to do so. I rolled a 629 series with games of 244, 189 and 196. That’s nearly a 210 average for those of you whose math skills are deficient. Now, the kicker is the bowling ball. I arrived at Seneca as I always do, around 5:30, and went to get my ball out of the trunk of my car. Except it wasn’t there. I looked and I looked and it was nowhere to be found. So, what could I do. I picked out a bright green house ball first and was prepared to use it. But something about it didn’t feel right. So I went with another way, with a dark blue ball that had chips and scruffs but felt wonderful in my hand. I threw a strike on my first practice ball and I continued to do amazing things throughout the night. The 244 is 13 pins better than my previous high game; the 629 series is easily a personal best. And I made sure the blue ball was put away in a special place for me to use next week.

As for my ball, there is a rumor that a friend of mine has it after I left it at Seneca Lanes three weeks ago. However, my friend, Greg Vance, would really have no business being at Seneca Lanes. He doesn’t bowl there, as far as I know. But he insists he has my ball. I’ll let you know more about this fascinating story in my Saturday Extra Points.

I am going to make this a movie weekend. At least, that’s what I’m planning. However, I do have a Wichita State-Creighton game Saturday night. I want to watch the Kansas State-Oklahoma game that evening an there is a lot of football on all weekend long. So. . . we’ll see. But there are six movies showing that I want to see: The Bucket List, Charlie Wilson’s War, I Am Legend, Juno, Sweeney Todd and Atonement. I might be the only person who hasn’t seen I Am Legend. I love movies, I really do. But I haven’t been to one in a few weeks and that’s ridiculous. I also want to read more books this year. OK, reading one book would be more than I read in 2007, I’m ashamed to admit. I really need to work on my life, don’t I?

Back to bowling for a moment. I was at the lanes Tuesday night and a very nice gentleman and fellow bowler, whose name escapes me, remarked about something that was on my most recent blog. It surprises me when I hear from people who take the time to read. I am very appreciative.

Time for a Top 10 list. Hmmm. How about this one: 10 People Who Make Me Laugh. I’m going to limit this to people I know in my daily life, not professional comedians. Wayne Gifford (Derby classmate who has always, from the first second I met him, been hilarious); Doug Baber (another Derby guy); Jeff Griffith (ditto); David Jabara (my accountant. How many people can say their accountant makes them laugh?); Randy Smith (good friend and former coaching comrade); Denise Neil (Eagle columnist); Lori Linenberger (Denise’s editor); Duane Frazier (former colleague who left the paper a month ago to go to Hawker-Beechcraft); Brent Kemnitz (Wichita State pitching coach); Tyler Gordon (buddy and co-owner of Side Pockets). There are a lot more people who make me laugh so don’t feel offended if you didn’t make this list. I have a feeling this Top 10 thing wasn’t such a good idea. But I’m going to continue with it.

I like New England and Indianapolis to win their AFC home playoff games this weekend, although a voice inside my head is adamant that San Diego will give the Colts a real game. In the NFC, I’m picking Green Bay to win at home against Seattle and, in my upset special, I’m going with the New York Giants to beat Dallas at Texas Stadium. The Giants are 8-1 on the road this season and they have a look to them. I think Dallas can be had.

By Bob | Filed under Uncategorized | Comments (6)

I’m here for you

Jan. 5, 20087:59 p.m.

This is how dedicated I am to my blogging promise, which I consider a New Year’s resolution. I am at Side Pockets, where I spend quite a bit of time, and remembered I had not blogged today. So, my good friend Tyler Gordon, one of the owners, allowed me to use his office and his computer to do so.

What a guy, huh? I think he believes I’m nuts.

Anyway, returned from Miami on Friday afternoon and was happy to be home. Although I have to tell you, being in Florida was a lot of fun. And covering Kansas in its win over Virginia Tech in the Orange Bowl was a memorable moment for me in my career, too. I compared it to what Kansas State accomplished under Bill Snyder with the understanding that KU will have to sustain its success for a few years to make that a valid comparison. I think the Jayhawks have a chance to be good for years to come and am highly impressed by Mark Mangino, who was on the verge of losing his job after the 2006 season. At least, a lot of KU fans hoped he was headed out the door. Those fans won’t admit it now, though.

Went out to Koch Arena today to watch some high school basketball. Was going to the East-Southeast game tonight, but things were running behind so I decided to come to Side Pockets, instead. I did see the Northwest girls upset Kapaun Mount Carmel. The daughter of one of our assistant managing editors at The Eagle, Tom Shine, had a big game. Alaina Shine is a 5-foot-11 freshman at Northwest and she scored 23 points, I believe. I was happy for Tom and his wife, Sharon. That’s the kind of guy I am; happy for the success of others and their offspring.

This is the blog to read if you’re a St. Louis Cardinals fan, because I’m one, too. So, here’s my analysis of the Cardinals’ move to sign right-handed pitcher Matt Clement to a one-year deal. It can’t hurt. When he’s right, Clement is a ground-ball machine because of his heavy sinker. There are questions about his arm as he missed last season after surgery. But signing Clement was a low-risk move and he helps a depleted starting rotation. I still would like to see St. Louis sign another starter. That, or I would like to see Anthony Reyes come into his own. I know it hasn’t worked out so far for Reyes, but I’m scared that if he’s traded he’ll come back to haunt the Cardinals.

I hear a lot of pool being played just outside the office, in case you’re wondering.

The highlight of Miami, besides the game, was walking along the shore and looking at yachts. I saw some really amazing yachts including my favorite, My Marilyn. I’m estimating it cost about $4 million, give or take a million. Being a sports writer, I have accepted that I’ll never be able to afford a yacht. A pontoon boat, maybe, but not a yacht. I think I could live in Ft. Lauderdale, though. Maybe I’ll retire there. Or to Augusta, I haven’t decided yet.

The Shockers really need to steal a victory somewhere along the line to regain some confidence. I really thought they were on the right track after being LSU and UAB at home. I was shocked they lost their first two Missouri Valley Conference games at home, to Drake and Illinois State. We have to give Gregg Marshall a pass on this season, although I think the Shockers will have some moments. They just don’t score enough to have too many of them.

Time for a Top 10 list. My 10 favorite people who I have met through Side Pockets seems appropriate: Tyler Gordon, Matthew Robinson, Andrea Gordon, Shari Laurent, Rex Befort, Karen Befort, Ron Gordon, Big Will, C.Y., Kim West, Trish, Jennifer Coleman. That’s 12, I know. Shoot me.

How good was Kansas today in its blowout win over Boston College? Has any player come as far in a season as Darnell Jackson? I’m telling you, the Jayhawks are going to have a long unbeaten run this season. It’s conceivable to me they could go to Texas A&M, for their regular-season finale, with an unbeaten season on the line. That game is March 8, by the way. It will be the first time Mark Turgeon has coached against his alma mater. There could be a lot of good story lines for that one.

Read a good piece in ESPN The Magazine on Kansas State’s Bill Walker. Give it a look if you can.

That’s all for now. I am borrowing an office, you know. And a computer. I think I have over-stayed my welcome.

More to come Wednesday.

By Bob | Filed under Uncategorized | Comments (3)

Almost Game Day

Jan. 2, 20085:07 p.m.

Hey, who turned on the air conditioning here? It feels like Wichita today in Miami. Nothing against Wichita, but I didn’t come here to get cold.

Complaining? No, not me. The first four days here were spectacular, so I guess one cold day doesn’t ruin the trip. But it was so cold today, and I brought so few clothes, that I considered going out to buy a jacket. I didn’t do it, though, but I did turn on the heat in my hotel room.

Today’s column, about Mark Mangino, was very personal for me. I don’t know whether you read it or not, but it dealt some with Mangino’s compassion during a tragedy that involved the grandson of my Eagle cohort Rick Plumlee nearly three years ago. Rick is one of my best friends. I saw today while reading Kansas.com some of the reader comments to that story. Some were absolutely inappropriate and makes you wonder about the people who made them. I am probably in the minority, but I don’t see the purpose served of printing reader comments to stories online, with anonymity. In fact, I think it’s a terrible practice. There, got that off my chest.

The more I learn about the KU-Virginia Tech matchup in tomorrow night’s Orange Bowl, the more I anticipate the game. It’s about time we had a decent BCS bowl, isn’t it? I think this game sets up as a very close one. But if I were Kansas, I would be concerned about handling the various pressure schemes that Virginia Tech will deliver. I know KU’s offensive line is a strength, but the Jayhawks haven’t had to block against the kind of speed they’ll see tomorrow night. That’s definitely one of the biggest keys to the game. Another is the Kansas running game. Brandon McAnderson and Jake Sharp need to get in the neighborhood of 120-150 yards for the Jayhawks to have a chance. Virginia Tech has allowed more than 23 points only once this season; giving up 48 to LSU in the second week of the season. The Hokies are totally legit.

For those of you who are wondering (and are there really any of you who do?) I visited Coyote Ugly in Ft. Lauderdale for New Year’s Eve. I went with my Eagle buddy Scott Paske as well as Kevin Haskin from the Topeka Capital-Journal and Harold Bechard from the Hutchinson News. Here’s all I’ll say about the night: tequila still doesn’t agree with me. I knew that, it has been well documented throughout my adult life. And I still let it win another battle. It’s now something like Tequila 110, Lutz 0.

Looking forward to the weekend’s NFL matchups. I’m becoming a Tampa Bay aficionado, mostly because of my good friends like the Bucs. Well, one of them likes the Bucs. The others, both women, like Tampa Bay coach John Gruden. So we’ll venture out somewhere to watch the Bucs play the New York Giants, who are 7-1 on the road. Tampa Bay’s home-field advantage might not mean much. And whatever momentum the Bucs had went out the window when the mighty Gruden (OK, I’m jealous) rested many starters during the final two weeks of the season. Tampa Bay lost both games and three of its final four. Jacksonville at Pittsburgh is the most intriguing AFC wild-card matchup of the weekend. And I like Washington to go into Seattle and win, even though the Seahawks are 7-1 at home. San Diego will thump Tennessee.

Shockers? More of the same. Can’t shoot. Don’t win many games when you can’t shoot. What else is there to say? Frustration will set in soon, if it hasn’t already. And with four of the next five on the road. . .

We did the radio show, Sports Daily, from the hotel this morning and will do it again tomorrow, from 9 to 11 a.m. on KFH (1240-AM, 98.7 FM). Give it a listen. Really enjoy doing radio. It’s a perfect complement to the newspaper work.

Have to get out to Koch Arena on Saturday night and check out the East-Southeast game. My kid, Jeff, is talking like Southeast is the best high school team he’s seen. Of course, no team will ever come close to the 1976-77 Heights team. It’s almost unfair to have to compare any team to that Falcons group, led by Darnell Valentine, Calvin Alexander and Antoine Carr.

I forgot to do my 10 best list in the last blog. So before I forget again, let’s get it out of the way. Here are the 10 favorite teachers I had in junior high and high school. Some of you are saying: How can he remember that long ago? Funny, really funny. Here goes: Mr. Nikkel (junior high civics); Mr. Harper (high school math who let me slide in geometry because I was a baseball player and he was the coach); Mr. Blackwell (high school PE and baseball coach); Mrs. Bourn (don’t remember what she taught in high school, but she was hot); Mrs. Barclay (fifth grade); Mrs. Robinson (third grade); Mrs. Gubitz (high school drama); Mr. Heidebrecht (high school P.E.); Mrs. Coffin (junior high English). Compiling that list, I realized I don’t really have a lot of favorite teachers. Wonder why that is?

What a letdown from Hawaii last night in the Sugar Bowl against Georgia. The Hawaii offensive tackles aren’t going to soon forget the speed of the Bulldogs’ defensive ends. It was a total mismatch. And how, again, did the Rose Bowl decide Illinois was deserving? The Rose Bowl committee could have chosen Georgia to play Southern California. On paper, that looks like it would be one heck of a game.

I was really doing well playing spades online until this morning, when I was blown out two games in a row. It has damaged my psyche.

Kansas football coach Mark Mangino addressed the media for 45 minutes this morning and was outstanding. So was Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer. These are two coaches who are easy to root for.

The players on these teams have to be itching to play. I know I’m itching to see the game.

Have fun everyone. Happy New Year’s. I’ll be back Saturday.

By Bob | Filed under Uncategorized | Comments (4)