Monthly Archives: March 2009

Here’s what happened

March 7, 20092:14 p.m.

I’ve been at this a while and can’t remember covering a crazier game than the one last night between Creighton and Wichita State in the Valley tournament. It was crazy to the point of being stressful, especially with the way the game ended and the controversy about the clock. Memo to Valley: I hope whomever was manning the clock during Friday’s games, when there were issues all day long, wasn’t back at his post for Saturday’s semifinals.

As the winning shot by Creighton’s Booker Woodfox was unfolding, I thought for sure he had been unable to get everything he needed to get done _ the catch, two dribbles and the shot _ in the allotted 1.9 seconds. As I wrote in my column this morning, my mind changed when Valley commissioner Doug Elgin asked me to look at the replay in the Metro Sports production truck.

I know WSU fans are eager to think there’s some big conspiracy going on here; that the Valley badly needed Creighton to win the game to keep alive its NCAA at-large hopes. Well, if there’s such a conspiracy, how do you explain the Shockers’ comeback from a 22-point second-half deficit? Take your conspiracy theories to the next X-Files movie.

This was a case of an incompetent shot-clock operator making a huge mistake at the end of the game. Turns out, the mistake didn’t cost Wichita State the game, but it was close. Much too close.

I was preparing to write a much different column from the one that appeared in the newspaper and on Kansas.com today until I was able to look at the replay, in regular time and slow motion, several times. I was prepared to write that Wichita State had had a victory stolen away and that the Valley hadn’t done nearly enough after the fact to get things straightened out.

As I watched the play in real time while it was happening, I didn’t think there was any way Woodfox could have gotten a shot up in time. I immediately turned to my buddy and WSU beat writer, Paul Suellentrop, and told him the Shockers had been cheated. I asked Creighton coach Dana Altman about it in post-game news conference and I asked WSU coach Gregg Marshall whether he had been able to watch any replays when he took the podium after the game.

I also asked Elgin about allowing a pool reporter to look at the replay, a common practice when there is controversy at the end of a game. At first, he didn’t sound enthused about the idea but he later approached me and Omaha World-Herald columnist Tom Shatel about looking at the final 1.9 seconds, and at the play that led to that final 1.9 when WSU’s Clevin Hannah dropped the ball out of bounds and time on the clock ran out. Officials put 1.9 back on the clock, which also was the correct call.

I want to stress that Wichita State athletic director Eric Sexton was also in the production truck and did not question the call after being allowed to look at the same replays that were shown to me.

Listen, I would have loved for Wichita State to have won Friday night’s game. It has nothing to do with being a Shocker homer; it’s all about that it would have been such a great, unbelievable story because of Toure Murry’s three-pointer with nine seconds to play that put WSU up by a point after it trailed by 16 with just 4:19 to play. It was an amazing comeback by a WSU team that never quit and should be proud of itself for the way it recovered from more than 30 minutes of uninspired and lethargic play.

I would love to be in St. Louis again today covering the Valley semifinals. Had the Shockers beaten Creighton, who’s to say they couldn’t have also beaten Illinois State today to get to Sunday’s championship game?

Instead, I got out of bed at 8 this morning _ after a rather long night in the Valley’s hospitality room _ and drove to Lawrence for this afternoon’s KU-Texas game. It’s Senior Day here and the Jayhawks can wrap up the Big 12 championship. As I write this, Missouri is getting drubbed at Texas A&M, by the way. Nice job, Mizzou.

My mind, though, is still on the WSU-Creighton game from last night. The last five minutes were so incredibly wild. What ensued after the game was even wilder. I’ve never covered a more draining game. I’m sure it left the players and coaches for both sides emotionally spent. I know that’s how it left me.

Thanks for reading.

By Bob | Filed under Uncategorized | Comments (1)

Valley tournament

March 6, 20093:19 p.m.

This is a great event and it’s always fun being in St. Louis. I could see Busch Stadium from the workout room at the Sheraton, which is where I’m rooming with WSU beat writer Paul Suellentrop this weekend. Of course, baseball season can’t get here soon enough. I like the way the Cardinals are going this spring. Bringing in left-handed reliever Dennys Reyes is a huge signing because of the way St. Louis’ bullpen faltered last season. If things go right, the bullpen could be a strength this year. I like Josh Kinney and Ryan Franklin and the young guns, Chris Perez and Jason Motte, have the ability to be unhittable with their 95-mph-plus fastballs. Pitching is definitely the key and while there are question marks, the Cardinals have a chance to be decent on the mound. Maybe even better.

Back to the tournament. The Valley really knows how to run one of these things. Some of us writers were remarking about how many snacks are around us. There are donuts, mini-muffins, ice cream, pop, chips and a small plate full of fruit. The fruit doesn’t seem to do that well. In this job, it’s always temping to gorge yourself with the wrong things, especially during March when there are so many basketball tournaments. Confession: I just had a bag of Cheetos and a Diet Pepsi. And this morning I had two mini-donuts. I’d give my will power a B-minus so far; I’m going to try and do better the rest of the day.

I figured Indiana State would give Northern Iowa a game today and the Sycamores did just that. This just isn’t a very strong conference this season and it wouldn’t surprise me if any one of about five teams won the championship. Is Wichita State one of those teams? Probably not. But only because the Shockers have drawn No. 2 seed Creighton in tonight’s quarterfinals. There are those who think the pressure the Bluejays must feel, needing at least a win and perhaps as many as two to solidify their at-large profile for the NCAA Tournament, will work against them. I disagree. I think the added pressure will give Creighton a boost. I would be shocked to see a Dana Altman-coached team have a letdown or play at anything less than a high level tonight. That doesn’t mean the Shockers are without hope. They have played so much better during the second half of the season and they actually feel pretty confident about facing Creighton, a team they beat by 14 points in mid-January. I’m looking forward to the game.

I see where Terrell Owens’ agent, Drew Rosenhaus, is adamant that there are a number of teams interested in the services of the recently-released receiver. Oh, really? Who are they, Drew? Let’s name names. I think somebody will give in and sign Owens. But that somebody _ whoever it is _ will soon regret the decision to bring Owens aboard. How many bridges does this guy have to burn before the bridge collapses? Here are the teams that could, in my opinion, potentially bring Owens aboard: Oakland, Seattle, Detroit, Denver, Houston. Any others? Where do you think Owens will play next season?

If the Shockers lose tonight, I’m headed to Lawrence tomorrow for KU’s game against Texas. Suddenly, I have no feel for the Jayhawks after last night’s confusing loss at Texas Tech. I know KU wasn’t mentally into that game, but to lose by 19 points to the Red Raiders is beyond weird. I just don’t get it.

How good is Missouri? Great at home, so-so on the road. The Tigers are probably headed toward being a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament and, with that seed, should win at least a couple of games. Anything short of that will be a disappointment. And the Tigers have a way of disappointing.

I’m always in the market for new music suggestions. So if you have any, drop them here. I have recently downloaded some All-American Rejects, Kelly Clarkson, Beyonce and Katy Perry on my I-pod. I’m going to give the new U2 record a listen, even though I’m hard on the guys sometimes. I think U2 is a rather pretentious band, but I enjoyed a couple of their appearances with David Letterman this week as they were promoting their new music. So, anyway, I’m looking for suggestions here. I need to get out of the classic rock rut.

Talk to you soon.

By Bob | Filed under Uncategorized | Comments Off

Bowling night

March 3, 20095:07 p.m.

Bowling was fun last year, even though the season went on and on and on. For more than eight months. But it was fun. It was new; I hadn’t bowled in a league since my early 20s. I enjoyed meeting some new people.

The novelty has worn off. I would much rather be at home tonight watching Kansas State play Oklahoma State in Stillwater. Instead, I’m going to record that game and watch it after bowling and after I go to the YMCA, which I plan to do after bowling.

I’m a 160-average bowler. That’s it. I’m never going to be much better and I’ll only get worse. So today I am announcing my retirement from league bowling after the 2009 season. I vow never again to pick up a bowling ball and to turn my attention toward golf, another game in which I’m not very good but at least enjoy a lot more than bowling.

Golf is outdoors. Bowling, of course, is indoors. Golf courses are usually beautiful. Bowling alleys are usually . . . bowling alleys. Golf requires a lot of thinking. Bowling requires a lot of drinking. Golf is relaxing. Bowling is drudgery. Golf is something I anticipate. Bowling is something I dread.

I spent two years in a bowling league and I do appreciate all the people out there who love the sport and who are so good at it. There are people in my league who average 220 and above. It’s amazing to watch them. But I do wonder, just a little bit, what thrill they’re getting out of the repetition of bowling. It is a very good social game; all the hand slapping and back-patting after a strike or a spare. But when I don’t get a strike or a spare, I get really angry. And getting really angry about bowling seems pretty childish to me. Yet I can’t seem to shake the disappointment/rage I feel when I screw up at bowling.

So this is it. In just a few more weeks, I’ll store my bowling ball and shoes in a closet somewhere and, within a few weeks, probably forget I own them. I’ll go to Golf Warehouse and look for a new set of irons and dedicate my spring and summer to trying to get just a little bit better at that game. Doing so will require practice, which is a problem. I love to play golf; I don’t particularly care about going to a golf course and hitting balls off the practice tee.

But I’m going to be better about that this year. Without bowling to tie me down, I’ll feel like a new man.

By Bob | Filed under Uncategorized | Comments Off

Sunday at the Phog

March 1, 200912:21 p.m.

Judging by the number of media people here, this KU-MU game is large. For the first time in a while, I think the Tigers believe they can come to Lawrence and beat Kansas. I think this is a confident Missouri team and that the Tigers get that air of swagger from their coach, Mike Anderson. I expect Mizzou to play tough today, but I think the atmosphere will definitely help Kansas.

It’s going to be a big-time game, though. Hard to believe that if KU wins today, the Jayhawks will have put themselves in prime position to win a fifth straight Big 12 championship.

Some of us were talking about how there were four negative callers to Bill Self’s radio show this past week. Self wasn’t there; he was replaced by assistant Joe Dooley. But four negative calls? Can you imagine? A couple of callers said they were disappointed that KU gave back most of its 20-point second-half lead at Oklahoma. Another wondered whether the Jayhawks ever practiced against full-court pressure.

It made me think that some of these Kansas fans deserve a .500 season. How would they handle finishing in the middle of the pack in the Big 12 and perhaps not even getting an NCAA bid?

Some other matters:

Wichita State has not earned my trust when the Shockers play on the road. Southern Illinois limped toward the finish line this season, but WSU couldn’t win at Carbondale, where the Shocks haven’t won since 1998. Now they have to compete in Thursday’s play-in round of the Valley tournament, taking on Missouri State in St. Louis. If WSU wins that one, it gets No. 2 seed Creighton, which probably needs just one win in the tournament to lock up an NCAA Tournament at-large bid.

It looks like it will be another short St. Louis stay for Wichita State, which becomes a different team when it strays outside of Koch Arena. Too bad. The Shockers have made strides this season, but the program won’t arrive until this team figures out a way to win games away from home.

I think Tuesday night’s Kansas State-Oklahoma State game could be for a bid to the NCAA Tournament. K-State has its hands full; OSU is playing well and has a much higher RPI than the Wildcats. I don’t think the Cats get in unless they beat Oklahoma State.

The eight boys teams in the Derby sub-state have a combined record of 109-51. The eight boys teams in the Wichita Northwest sub-state have a combined record of 65-95.  That’s ridiculous. I’ll be writing more about this subject in the newspaper this week with comments from Kansas State High School Activities Association director Gary Musselman. There are many other examples of injustice in sub-state pairings, but this is the most glaring.

By Bob | Filed under Uncategorized | Comments (1)