Monthly Archives: April 2008

The weekend

April 28, 20083:08 p.m.

It was tough, but it was fun. And it showed my inability to stand firm in my resolution. Because on Friday night, before the Kid Rock concert at the Kansas Coliseum, I vowed to keep it low-key (i.e. not to partake in much happy sauce). Alas, when I arrived at the hacienda of Tyler and Andrea Gordon, my dear friends, a mixer full of margaritas had been made and, being a gentleman, I could not refuse one.

One.

Which turned into two and then three and then all bets were off. So, yes, I’m weak. And while I very much enjoyed the concert, unlike any I have seen, my head was not as enthusiastic when it hit the pillow at around 1:30 a.m. I set my alarm for 7 on Saturday morning for the drive to Dallas to see my second Jimmy Buffett concert in two years.

And my last.

I enjoy Buffett, but that’s a long way to go to see a show you’ve seen before. I know there isn’t a Parrothead alive who doesn’t want a piece of me for making that sacrilegious statement, but I stand by it. Buffett is a lot of fun, but he’s made a gazillion dollars off of about 20 songs. Am I right?

The crowd at Pizza Hut Park in Frisco, a Dallas suburb, was unbelievable, even bigger than last year. And these people know how to party. And since we’ve established that have no backbone, so once again I did more partaking than I should have. Which means I had very little sleep over the weekend. But I do know how to party.

It was a fantastic week of Sheryl Crow, Kid Rock and Jimmy Buffett. I enjoyed the Crow concert at Century II the most; I relate to her music and she’s darn cute. Kid Rock was my second favorite concert with Buffett coming in at No. 3. That’s no knock on Buffett, because all three shows were memorable.

I have a feeling, though, that none of them will stand up to my May 31 experience at Madison Square Garden to see the Eagles for the 18th time. I’m so excited about that one. And no matter what, I will not partake before the show.

Gee, where have you heard that before?

By Bob | Filed under Uncategorized | Comments (1)

A K-Stater

April 24, 20083:45 p.m.

I’m probably not going to have a chance to get this into a column any time soon. So I’m going to use this blog, instead, to communicate with you an e-mail I received a couple of weeks ago from a Kansas State fan after KU won the national championship in basketball. It’s one of the best e-mails I’ve ever gotten _ funny, interesting, astute. So I have to share. It concerns the current state of K-State athletics as it compares to the athletic program at Kansas. Enjoy.

Tuesday morning, I awoke to a hail-damaged home, a 3-year-old nephew who is scared of the Easter Bunny and now “loves the Jayhawk,” and the prospect of another 20 years of condescending elitism from KU fans.

This year, our basketball team lost one of its best returning players, David Hoskins, to injury for the season. In contrast, KU would have lost its best returning player, Brandon Rush, except for an injury that kept him from bolting for the NBA. He proceeds to lead the Jayhawks to an NCAA championship, following the most unbelievable on-court meltdown this side of Pervis Pasco.

Although I am happy for my KU friends _ or to be more accurate, I try to be happy for them _ if there is a more spoiled fan base in the country than the Jayhawk basketball fan, I would like to know who it is.

At least in the recent past I could look forward to football season. That is, before KU hired Mark Mangino, reviled as a traitor by the Wildcats not just for leaving us for Oklahoma, but for the way in which he did so. He proceeds to use the Bill Snyder formula to win the Orange Bowl _ a bowl which, by the way, Missouri deserved to be playing in _ while our own coach was at home perfecting his “I am smarter than you are” routine. This attitude would be difficult to stomach under any circumstance, but especially when he has gone 0-for-2 against KU.

And while the future looks bright for KU, ours is in the hands of a university president who owes his career to one good hire.

I told you it was good stuff.

By Bob | Filed under Uncategorized | Comments (5)

Sheryl Crow

April 23, 200812:14 a.m.

The first of three concerts this week is in the book and I’m going to be hoarse in the morning. Sheryl (we’re on a first-name basis) was fantastic tonight at Century II. She was fantastic, her band was fantastic, the lighting was fantastic, the crowd was fantastic, my company was fantastic. Except for the people consistently getting up out of their seats and crossing in front of us to do whatever it is they were going to do, it was a perfect night.

Sheryl did all of her hits and a bunch of songs off of her new CD/record/iTunes/whatever the hell you call new releases, Detours. I have to admit, the first time I listened to this record, I wasn’t crazy about it. It’s very personal and a little slower than most of her stuff. But the lyrics are great and the performance of her news songs _ she must have done seven or eight of them _ made them feel comfortable to the audience.

One of the highlights of the night came on the second and final song of her only encore when she belted out Led Zeppelin’s Rock and Roll, complete with a little butt wiggling. The band really cut loose on this one and it was definitely her most rocked-out performance of the night. It was a packed house and I think Sheryl liked us Wichitans. She did make reference to how “we” beat the brains out of Memphis in college basketball’s national championship game, surely not realizing that there were probably more Wichita State fans in the crowd than KU fans. But that wasn’t a big deal and it was cute that Sheryl, who grew up in Missouri, close to Memphis, acknowledged the Jayhawks’ championship.

It was an even better show than I expected. And from Sheryl, I expected a lot.

Oh, by the way, listen to Sports Daily the next few days. It’s on from 9-11 a.m. and airs on KFH (1240-AM, 98.7 FM). We’re having our NFL mock draft tomorrow and we’ll be talking to Woody Austin on Thursday. On Friday, KU football coach Mark Mangino will be a guest on the show at about 9:15.

Later, everybody.

By Bob | Filed under Uncategorized | Comments (0)

Old dog

April 21, 20089:46 p.m.

I was talking with some friends recently and it came up that I still write checks. Lots and lots of checks. I even write checks to pay for groceries, which I’m told makes me appear ancient and drastically out of touch. I tried to argue with the folks, who are my age, who let me in on this news. But I have to admit, the only people I see writing checks in line at the grocery store are people who ain’t young. Bad grammar, but you get my point.

So, I’m going to get a debit card. I might be the last person on earth to get a debit card, except for those older folks ahead of me in line at the grocery store. I’m excited about all of the possibilities with a debit card, but a little concerned that I’ll pull it out with so much regularity that I will wind up with no money in my account. But I’m a good money manager, so that shouldn’t be a problem.

Anyway, really looking forward to the Sheryl Crow show tomorrow night at Century II. I wonder when Ms. Crow will arrive in our fair city? Where will she stay? What will she do? If you happen to know the answers to any of those questions (perhaps you work in a hotel, a restaurant, etc., or you’re a stalker) please let me know. I’m curious.

More soon.

By Bob | Filed under Uncategorized | Comments (4)

Back to work

April 18, 20084:21 p.m.

We have new hard drives here at The Eagle. This qualifies as big news, since the new hard drives replace really, really soft drives, drives that have been here since the days of the old Beacon. Not really, but I just know that the speed with which I’m now able to surf the Internet has increased exponentially over what it was. Not that I’m spending my time here surfing the Internet. No, no, no. It’s all work here.

Our very technologically minded Kim Rice installed my new hard drive just a couple of hours ago. When I read back that sentence, it sounds a little strange. But I’m not going to change it. Anyway, Kim has worked at The Eagle even longer than I have and I think he deserves a little plug on my blog. While Kim was working, he told me about his son, who is an actor living in Austin. At least he wants to be an actor and has his own page on some actor’s website. It was something I didn’t know about Kim and his family, one of those nice little moments where you actually take time to talk to a co-worker. I did the same just a few minutes ago with our assistant sports editor, Tom Seals. Apparently, this is the new me. I now talk to my co-workers.

OK, it’s time to write a notes column for Saturday’s paper. And I’ll be blogging with regularity, especially if I continue to feel like I do right now. I’m in a strange mood. This is my first day back in the office for some time and, usually, being in the office doesn’t bring out the best in me. Today, though, it has. And I’m not sure why. But I’m not going to try and figure it out; I’m just going to accept it for what it is.

By Bob | Filed under Uncategorized | Comments (0)

Spring (and Summer) of Music

April 18, 20088:17 a.m.

Hey, everybody. I took some time off after the NCAA Tournament. Didn’t think about blogs, columns, girls. Well, I thought about girls. But now I’m back and ready to go.

This is my year to go to concerts. It starts next week, when I’ll see Sheryl Crow (Tuesday, Century II), Kid Rock (Friday, Kansas Coliseum) and Jimmy Buffett (Saturday in Dallas). I also bought tickets to see the Eagles, my favorite band, at Madison Square Garden on May 31. That’s the one that excites me most because, while I’ve seen the Eagles 17 times, I have always wanted to see them perform in America’s most-famous venue. And I love New York, so this is going to be so much fun.

I’m looking forward to the Crow concert because I have always had a major crush on her. One of the many reasons I’m so attracted to my friend, Denise, is because she looks like Sheryl Crow. That’s just one of the reasons, Denise. There are so many more. (She reads this blog.) I’m going down to Dallas with my pal, Doug Baber, to see Buffett. We went last year at this time for my first Buffett concert and I seem to remember it being a lot of fun. I’m not really sure, since, like most of the Parrot Heads, we were a little out of it by the time the show started.

Then, in July, a group of us are headed to Kansas City to see Tom Petty and Steve Winwood at the Sprint Center. I also have my eye on a couple of other shows, including a Dave Matthews/Black Crowes show in St. Louis.

Sounds like fun, huh? Any other concert suggestions? What are your favorite bands and best concerts you’ve seen?

I’ll write more later on my thoughts about sports, of all things, and what’s been going on at Kansas and Kansas State, as well as Wichita State. Talk to you soon.

By Bob | Filed under Uncategorized | Comments (2)

More from Roy

April 7, 20088:33 p.m.

It’s the All Roy, All the Time Tournament. I see, from the monitors in front of me, that Roy Williams, former Kansas coach, is being interviewed on CBS’ halftime show by Seth Davis and Clark Kellogg. Here’s a transcript that was just handed to me:

Clark: Roy, it must seem strange to watch your former team, Kansas, on the verge of winning a national championship.

Roy: Well, by gosh, I was just telling my wife, Wanda, that I really screwed up when I left Lawrence. What was I thinking? I believe Dean Smith dropped something into my iced tea the night I accepted this job.

Seth: You mean to tell me, Roy, that agreeing to coach at North Carolina was a mistake?

Roy: Did you see us play the other night. Dad gum right it was a mistake. Why do you think I’m wearing this KU emblem on my shirt?

Clark: This is unbelievable, Roy. What will the people back in Carolina think?

Roy: I don’t plan on going back. I’ve accepted the job at Southern Mississippi.

OK, the KU game is back on. Enough of my silliness.

By Bob | Filed under Uncategorized | Comments (1)

The championship

April 7, 20086:56 p.m.

This is cool. I’m sitting courtside (OK, three rows back) for tonight’s national championship game between Kansas and Memphis. Lucky guy, aren’t I? Kansas is just now coming out on the floor, it’s about 30 minutes until the tip. The Alamodome is going to be jammed with people and most of the crowd is pro-KU. That doesn’t mean Memphis doesn’t have its supporters. This should be a classic game. I know everybody back home _ everybody _ is excited about watching. My two dear friends, Lori and Denise from The Eagle, are out at Fox and Hounds where Denise is doing a live blog during the game. That should be fun, because Denise knows about as much about basketball as Billy Packer knows about (fill in the blank).

Oh my goodness, I just looked up to see that Ed Hightower is working this game on the officiating crew. Hightower might have been a good official back in the day, but now he’s just a pompous authority freak, in my opinion. I don’t know of a single coach who thinks Hightower is a quality official, so it amazes me that he’s working the biggest game of the year. It’s been a while since Hightower worked a championship game, I think. Why is he here now? You should plan on a long game and one in which Hightower will get a lot of television time. He likes the cameras. This is not good.

On radio today, I predicted a 73-70 Kansas win. I’m sticking with that, although most of my newspaper friends are going with Memphis. And these are people from Kansas who just don’t believe the Jayhawks stack up against Memphis’ athletes. I disagree. By the way, my friend and KU beat writer Rick Plumlee is one of those picking Memphis. His e-mail is . . . I wouldn’t do that to Rick.

We’re getting ready for the National Anthem now. The place is a little nuts. This is cool. Did I mention that?

Have fun. I’ll check back at halftime.

By Bob | Filed under Uncategorized | Comments (1)

Kansas-Carolina

April 5, 20086:52 p.m.

We’re six minutes from the opening tip and I have no prediction. Other than to say I believe the team that wins this one will have its hands completely full Monday night with Memphis, which is a much better team than I anticipated. And I anticipated the Tigers would be good. They’re really, really, really good and could have beaten UCLA by much more than 15 points, which was the final margin. The Bruins were never really even the game.

I’m sitting about 15 feet from Jim Nantz and Billy Packer, who call the Final Four for CBS. I’m not normally a name-dropper, but while I’m at it let me also say that I just walked past The Admiral, David Robinson, who, of course, played all of those years for the San Antonio Spurs. I see Kansas athletic director Lew Perkins down the way and I’m seated two spots from ESPN analyst Fran Fraschilla, who is doing the broadcast for listeners overseas.

The UCLA dance team, in case you’re wondering, is probably now on the way back to Los Angeles. I hardly knew ye.

Both teams are on the floor for pre-game warmups. Tight deadlines tonight, so you won’t be hearing from me during the game. But, hey, you’ve heard from me twice already tonight. How much more could you possibly want.

Have fun watching this one. I know you KU fans are a little nervous. But, remember, North Carolina fans are nervous, too. It balances out.

By Bob | Filed under Uncategorized | Comments (3)

The Final Four

April 5, 20085:42 p.m.

We’re five minutes into the second half of the UCLA-Memphis game and the Tigers lead 48-41. Some highlights: Memphis freshman guard Derrick Rose is something. You see him on television, but it doesn’t do him justice. He’s so quick and so smart and he is unselfish. If I had the first pick in the NBA draft, I would at least give a thought to picking Rose. Also, the UCLA dance team is a highlight, if you know what I mean. It’s the one dance team that catches virtually everybody’s attention during their routines, if you know what I mean. And their routines are very good, if you know what I mean. I’m particularly fond of No. 21 on the dance squad, but since they’re all wearing UCLA jersey No. 21 during the second half, you know what I mean.

It’s funny, we just got our wireless connection up and running and some people were beginning to panic. The most panicky member of the media I saw was New York Daily News columnist Mike Lupica, who was cussing and fuming before the Memphis-UCLA game about the lack of connectivity. Lupica is one of those media big-ego guys, of which there are many at the Final Four. I have an ego, folks, but some of these people are ridiculous. I’m sure most of them are very nice people when you get them away from the people they think they need to impress.

The Alamodome is full and there are people at least 100 yards from the action, I would guess, seated in the upper deck. I wonder what they can see. I don’t wonder what they can see enough to walk all the way up there and find out. I just wonder. And I feel sorry for them. I wonder if Mike Lupica feels sorry for them? I’m guessing he doesn’t.

UCLA has cut into the Memphis lead some. From the way this game has gone, the Tigers should be leading by at least 12 or so. Right now, they’re up 52-45 with 12:26 remaining in the game. Memphis is a serious threat to win it all. I was talking to my buddy and KU beat writer Rick Plumlee. We’re both convinced, by the way, that Bill Self will be staying at Kansas and not taking the money that inevitably will be offered by Oklahoma State. But, I did throw out this what-if scenario: What if Self were to leave and the Jayhawks hired Memphis coach John Calpari, a former Kansas assistant? Would KU fans be upset? Or would they think they were getting a better coach? Just something to think about.

My St. Louis Cardinals are playing a little better than anticipated in the early going. They’re 4-1 after beating the Washington Nationals today. Should I be optimistic? I see all the flaws on this team, but I know Tony La Russa is a really good manager and I think this is going to be a better team than we anticipated. By “we” I mean “you.” “I” knew all along the Cardinals were going to be all right.

More later, provided the wireless stays up and running and Lupica doesn’t have a severe meltdown.

By Bob | Filed under Uncategorized | Comments (0)