Those of us not from Kansas City are getting a little tired of all the boasting being done by the Kansas Citians because of their new downtown arena. But I have to admit, this place is nice. It has changed the landscape of downtown and, even though the city doesn’t have a professional sports franchise, the Sprint Center is attracting the kind of concerts and events that will make it successful. It’s just too bad nobody in Kansas City could figure out how to put the baseball and football stadiums downtown.
There is so much hoopla for this tournament, yet not much is on the line. I think Kansas State is in the NCAA Tournament, regardless of what the Wildcats do tonight against Texas A&M. Oklahoma, Kansas, Texas A&M and Texas also are in, I believe, while Baylor is on the bubble. So what am I looking for? I’m looking to see if Kansas State can find that spark the Wildcats have been missing for a few weeks. They really haven’t been impressive in a game for nearly a month and that’s not a good sign at all with the NCAA Tournament looming. As for KU, I’m looking to see if they can avoid the kind of malaise that struck them in their three losses: at Kansas State, at Texas, at Oklahoma State. Although it’s not really fair to say they were in a malaise at K-State or Texas; those two teams played extremely well in beating Kansas.
There are a ton of media folks in the room here where I’m typing this. Within my sight are Arne Green from the Salina Journal, Blair Kerkhoff and Jason Whitlock from the Kansas City Star, Tom Keegan from the Lawrence Journal-World and a bunch of guys whose faces I know but whose names I have not yet applied to memory. I just know you all were interested in who was working in the media room.
Glad to see the Cardinals pick up another pitcher, even if it was right-hander Kyle Lohse. His numbers don’t jump off the page, but he’s healthy and he is capable of pitching a lot of innings. That’s what the Cardinals need most right now _ a workhorse. I’m almost always optimistic about the Cardinals’ chances at this time of the year, but I feel a lot of apprehension about 2008. For it to be better than I expect, the Cardinals need to get injured pitchers Matt Clement and Joel Pineiro healthy and they need to get some production from middle infielders Adam Kennedy and Cesar Izturis. Not a lot, just some. Much more later on the Cardinals. I’ll preview the baseball season in a blog soon.
I’m going to wait until next week to divulge my all-time state of Kansas top five college basketball players to allow you readers more time to weigh in. I’m telling you: This state can hold its own with any other when it comes to the quality of college players. If you’ve spent any time trying to come up with a list of five, I’m not telling you anything you don’t already know.
Why am I suddenly so prolific on this blog? These are the questions that pop into my mind. As for this one, I have no answer.
Looking forward to sitting next to my Eagle cohort Rick Plumlee during the KU-Nebraska game. Rick and I go back a long time; we started at the Eagle in the mid-1970s together. Rick has mellowed in all of those years, but not much. Which is why I love him. Mellowing isn’t what it’s cracked up to be.
Check back soon.