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.