A number of items to comment on since last time:
KU plastered Nebraska on Saturday. Big thanks to Ryan for giving up his ticket. I went with Chad and his little (or, should I say "younger" as he's 14 and playing football now) brother, John. It was John's first game at Allen Fieldhouse and it turned out to be a good way to start out: KU 96 - NU 54. KU shot lights-out from the beginning and Nebraska had no chance. Jeff Hawkins was 5-5 from 3-point range while Brandon Rush and Russell Robinson shot extremely well from the outside, too. The inside play was rough and each team's physical play neutralized the other's. As ususal, our guards shut down the opponents guards, with Robinson doing a fine job on an out-of-shape Joe McCray.
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Yesterday, we found out that heralded freshman Micah Downs decided to quit the team to attend to "personal issues". While it's disappointing to lose a player with so much potential, I don't think it really hurts our team that much. He's been unable to crack the rotation on a team where every spot was up for grabs to the guys who worked the hardest. Considering we have one of the top prep guards in the country coming to Lawrence next year, opportunities for playing time weren't getting any easier. I wish him luck, personally, as he seems to have had a history of conflicts that are going to dog him in his basketball career and life until he figures out a way to resolve them.
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The Royals and Chiefs continued their quest to blackmail Jackson County residents by signing the newly proposed leases to appear on the April 11 ballot. You can view the leases here.
After reading some materials and listening to talk radio, this plan is not in the best interests of the fans and residents of the Kansas City area. Figures posted at downtownkc.org lend credence to the fact that for the amount of tax money generated by this proposal, a new ballpark can be built downtown for the Royals, while renovating Arrowhead. The best example I heard was this: It would be like fixing up your 1984 Honda Accord to original factory condition, adding a CD-player but paying the same amount it would cost to purchase a new Cadillac. Doesn't seem to make much sense. Hopefully, the voters will reject this proposal and the right people can get a plan in place that benefits everyone, not just Lamar Hunt and David Glass.
Wednesday, January 25, 2006
Tuesday, January 17, 2006
A Dose of Reality (TV Stars)
Some buddies and I went to Columbia for the KU-MU basketball game yesterday. We got some pizza and beer at this popular Mizzou hangout, Shakespeare's. While we were there, my friend Ryan is getting another pitcher and this couple walks in behind him. The guy was a big dude, wearing a KU shirt and hat and the girl was wearing a KU shirt also. So Ryan says "Rock chalk" to the guy and he just kind of looks at him like he's from another planet. They end up sitting at a table next to our booth and we start to discuss the fact that this big guy looks like Casey Wiegmann, the center for the Chiefs. Someone also mentions that the girls sort of looks like Danni from "Survivor".
We finished eating and headed to the arena. Lo and behold, across the aisle in our row are Wiegmann and this girl. We start arguing about whether that is Danni or not until a couple of girls go up to her and ask for her autograph. At that point, we knew it was her.
Apparently, she knew some other KU fans that were sitting a few seats down from us on the other side and she came over and talked to them briefly. There were a couple of open seats in front of us, so they stayed there for a while until the rightful owners of those seats arrived, and they retreated back to their seats across the aisle from us.
So at halftime, she comes back and is trying to get some mints from the folks she was talking to earlier in our row. She's standing right next to my friend Doug who says "So, do you still talk to Lydia?" She laughed and said that, actually, she does. So then we started talking about how the game was going and Doug asks her what she's up to now. She says she's working for the new Kansas City Arena League Football team, the Brigade and that CBS hired her to do some human interest-type stories for the NCAA tournament. She ended up going back to her seat, but whenever anything would happen during the game, she would look over at us and occasionally mouth a comment about what was going on during the game.
All in all, she was pretty cool and MUCH more attractive in person, though still a pretty thin chick. Unfortunately, she didn't bring much luck to the ol' Jayhawks and neither did we.
Now, in anticipation of potential questions and rebuttals, I've prepared a FAQ sheet:
Q: Did meeting Danni, the winner of "Survivor: Guatemala", ease the torture of a painful loss to Mizzou?
A: Nearly, but not quite. My first thought was, "I can't believe we just blew this game." My second thought was, "Get the hell out of this place before someone chucks something at me." My third thought was, "Isn't that cool? She waved at me as we were leaving." So, while it certainly softened the blow, it still bites to lose to Missouri.
Q: Did you get her digits?
A: No. Common sense says you don't try to hit on someone who's accompanied by a 285-lb. football player. At least, that's what MY common sense tells me and I'm still alive to this day.
Q: Did you drool and stutter when attempting to talk to her?
A: Contrary to what Doug will tell you, the answer is no. While Doug deserves some credit for opening the conversation with his lame Lydia question, I did manage to steer the conversation to basketball with an eloquence few have ever been witness to.
Q: Should Christian Moody be hung by his thumbs for missing two free throws with .4 seconds left that would have won the game?
A: No, his index fingers would be fine. Actually, the team shot 21-35 on free throws, so there's plenty of blame to pass around.
Q: Was anyone freaking guarding Thomas Gardner?
A: Yes. In the first half, Brandon Rush drew the assignment and allowed him to score 20 points. Coach Self adjusted by switching to Russell Robinson who, while an improvement, still allowed him to score an additional 20 points in the second half/overtime.
Q: Were there any positives for KU in this game?
A: Yes. The offense, particularly in the last 10 minutes of the game, scored or managed to draw a foul nearly every time down the court, matching Missouri's effort. Given the lows we've seen from this offense, that was amazing. Also, Mario Chalmers and Russell Robinson are quickly becoming All-Conference-caliber guards. If you had told me last year that Russell Robinson would give me great confidence at the end of a game like this, I would have laughed in your face.
Q: Any specific negatives?
A: Yes. Sasha Kaun and C.J. Giles continue to play below their abilities. On the other hand, Darnell Jackson has proved solid in picking up for these two. Julian Wright only saw 9 minutes of action, further perplexing the KU faithful. And Brandon Rush needs to continue to improve mentally, realizing that it's okay for him to take the big shot. If he had taken the ball to the rim in overtime rather than dump it off to an unsuspecting Darnell Jackson, we might still be playing.
Q: Were Missouri fans obnoxious and violent?
A: No more so than normal. Actually, we only had one guy really heckling us, screaming at us to sit down until he was blue in the face. Naturally, we continued to stand. Also, there was a mixed bag of comments as we waited for Nate (a Mizzou guy) and Ryan (who were sitting on the opposite side of the arena) to meet us after the game. If KU had won, things might have been different, but the MU fans were generally tolerable. Special thanks to Nate for hanging us out to dry in enemy territory.
Q: Will Kansas win it's next game against Nebraska?
A: If they don't, I may never write another word ever again.
We finished eating and headed to the arena. Lo and behold, across the aisle in our row are Wiegmann and this girl. We start arguing about whether that is Danni or not until a couple of girls go up to her and ask for her autograph. At that point, we knew it was her.
Apparently, she knew some other KU fans that were sitting a few seats down from us on the other side and she came over and talked to them briefly. There were a couple of open seats in front of us, so they stayed there for a while until the rightful owners of those seats arrived, and they retreated back to their seats across the aisle from us.
So at halftime, she comes back and is trying to get some mints from the folks she was talking to earlier in our row. She's standing right next to my friend Doug who says "So, do you still talk to Lydia?" She laughed and said that, actually, she does. So then we started talking about how the game was going and Doug asks her what she's up to now. She says she's working for the new Kansas City Arena League Football team, the Brigade and that CBS hired her to do some human interest-type stories for the NCAA tournament. She ended up going back to her seat, but whenever anything would happen during the game, she would look over at us and occasionally mouth a comment about what was going on during the game.
All in all, she was pretty cool and MUCH more attractive in person, though still a pretty thin chick. Unfortunately, she didn't bring much luck to the ol' Jayhawks and neither did we.
Now, in anticipation of potential questions and rebuttals, I've prepared a FAQ sheet:
Q: Did meeting Danni, the winner of "Survivor: Guatemala", ease the torture of a painful loss to Mizzou?
A: Nearly, but not quite. My first thought was, "I can't believe we just blew this game." My second thought was, "Get the hell out of this place before someone chucks something at me." My third thought was, "Isn't that cool? She waved at me as we were leaving." So, while it certainly softened the blow, it still bites to lose to Missouri.
Q: Did you get her digits?
A: No. Common sense says you don't try to hit on someone who's accompanied by a 285-lb. football player. At least, that's what MY common sense tells me and I'm still alive to this day.
Q: Did you drool and stutter when attempting to talk to her?
A: Contrary to what Doug will tell you, the answer is no. While Doug deserves some credit for opening the conversation with his lame Lydia question, I did manage to steer the conversation to basketball with an eloquence few have ever been witness to.
Q: Should Christian Moody be hung by his thumbs for missing two free throws with .4 seconds left that would have won the game?
A: No, his index fingers would be fine. Actually, the team shot 21-35 on free throws, so there's plenty of blame to pass around.
Q: Was anyone freaking guarding Thomas Gardner?
A: Yes. In the first half, Brandon Rush drew the assignment and allowed him to score 20 points. Coach Self adjusted by switching to Russell Robinson who, while an improvement, still allowed him to score an additional 20 points in the second half/overtime.
Q: Were there any positives for KU in this game?
A: Yes. The offense, particularly in the last 10 minutes of the game, scored or managed to draw a foul nearly every time down the court, matching Missouri's effort. Given the lows we've seen from this offense, that was amazing. Also, Mario Chalmers and Russell Robinson are quickly becoming All-Conference-caliber guards. If you had told me last year that Russell Robinson would give me great confidence at the end of a game like this, I would have laughed in your face.
Q: Any specific negatives?
A: Yes. Sasha Kaun and C.J. Giles continue to play below their abilities. On the other hand, Darnell Jackson has proved solid in picking up for these two. Julian Wright only saw 9 minutes of action, further perplexing the KU faithful. And Brandon Rush needs to continue to improve mentally, realizing that it's okay for him to take the big shot. If he had taken the ball to the rim in overtime rather than dump it off to an unsuspecting Darnell Jackson, we might still be playing.
Q: Were Missouri fans obnoxious and violent?
A: No more so than normal. Actually, we only had one guy really heckling us, screaming at us to sit down until he was blue in the face. Naturally, we continued to stand. Also, there was a mixed bag of comments as we waited for Nate (a Mizzou guy) and Ryan (who were sitting on the opposite side of the arena) to meet us after the game. If KU had won, things might have been different, but the MU fans were generally tolerable. Special thanks to Nate for hanging us out to dry in enemy territory.
Q: Will Kansas win it's next game against Nebraska?
A: If they don't, I may never write another word ever again.
Saturday, January 14, 2006
Ups and Downs (Not Micah Downs)
When you have a team with four freshman and five sophomores, you're going to have ups and downs. The early part of the season proved that theory to be accurate. But recently, the 7-game winning streak and the games versus Kentucky and Colorado have provided an inordinate number of ups. Today's game against Kansas State brought the Jayhawks back to the ugly side of the Up/Down ledger and was essentially a microcosm of the season so far.
Really, it was a tale of two halves. There was little to criticize in Kansas' performance the first half. Mario Chalmers and Russell Robinson were dominating both ends of the floor, with Chalmers having his best game to date. Eleven points, three assists and three steals indicated that Chalmers was the best player on the floor in the early going. Both Chalmers and Robinson were hitting shots from the outside and penetrating the Wildcat defense with drives to the hoop. The officials continued a recent trend in KU games of allowing a more physical game, which certainly gave the defensive-minded Hawks an advantage. KSU could not make a pass without a KU player getting a hand on or foot on the ball. Eight KU steals in the first half led to numerous easy buckets on the offensive end. And KU's defensive intensity wore down K-State to the point that they lost focus on their own defensive end, allowing KU to run their offense with little resistance.
Then came the second half. After leading by as many as 12 points in the first half and going into the locker room up by eight, the young Jayhawks rejected the techniques that had allowed them to grasp the game by the throat. Early in the second half, the issue was not challenging 3-point shots. But the KU guards were doing a better job of feeding Sasha Kaun in the post and managed to revisit a 12-point lead.
But K-State adjusted. And Kansas did not.
KSU coach Jim Woolridge employed a zone defense and the Jayhawk offense soon became non-existent. Maddeningly, Julian Wright, arguably our best weapon against the zone with his ability to find the holes in the defense and make crisp passes both to the post and the wings, was not inserted into the game initially against the zone. The offense stagnated and the Wildcats started to fight their way back into the game. Equally frustrating was the lack of effort and any ability to adjust on the defensive end. KSU ran the same play over and over, setting screens and getting open 17-footers time and time again. The Jayhawks refused to recognize the defense that was being played against them and, disappointingly, showed little effort in trying to get around the screens to challenge the shots. The Wildcats regained the lead with around 4:00 remaining in the game and the momentum completely shifted. K-State continued to run their offense and their zone defense continued to befuddle the Hawks. Our young guards could not find the big men in the post and were repeatedly turned back when they tried to drive to the basket. Three-pointers were not falling and Brandon Rush had been pretty well bottled up all afternoon.
So what should have been a coming out party for Mario Chalmers turned into KU's first loss to K-State in 31 games. And while terribly dissapointing, this doesn't come as a huge surprise. KU had been flying high and K-State had just been humiliated by Nebraska in Manhattan. You knew KSU would come out with a lot of energy and enthusiasm. And the potential for a letdown from the inexeperienced Jayhawks was clearly a possibility. Unfortunately, this will probably be an ongoing theme throughout the season. Hopefully, the Hawks will flip back to the Up side for Monday's matchup with Missouri in Columbia.
Really, it was a tale of two halves. There was little to criticize in Kansas' performance the first half. Mario Chalmers and Russell Robinson were dominating both ends of the floor, with Chalmers having his best game to date. Eleven points, three assists and three steals indicated that Chalmers was the best player on the floor in the early going. Both Chalmers and Robinson were hitting shots from the outside and penetrating the Wildcat defense with drives to the hoop. The officials continued a recent trend in KU games of allowing a more physical game, which certainly gave the defensive-minded Hawks an advantage. KSU could not make a pass without a KU player getting a hand on or foot on the ball. Eight KU steals in the first half led to numerous easy buckets on the offensive end. And KU's defensive intensity wore down K-State to the point that they lost focus on their own defensive end, allowing KU to run their offense with little resistance.
Then came the second half. After leading by as many as 12 points in the first half and going into the locker room up by eight, the young Jayhawks rejected the techniques that had allowed them to grasp the game by the throat. Early in the second half, the issue was not challenging 3-point shots. But the KU guards were doing a better job of feeding Sasha Kaun in the post and managed to revisit a 12-point lead.
But K-State adjusted. And Kansas did not.
KSU coach Jim Woolridge employed a zone defense and the Jayhawk offense soon became non-existent. Maddeningly, Julian Wright, arguably our best weapon against the zone with his ability to find the holes in the defense and make crisp passes both to the post and the wings, was not inserted into the game initially against the zone. The offense stagnated and the Wildcats started to fight their way back into the game. Equally frustrating was the lack of effort and any ability to adjust on the defensive end. KSU ran the same play over and over, setting screens and getting open 17-footers time and time again. The Jayhawks refused to recognize the defense that was being played against them and, disappointingly, showed little effort in trying to get around the screens to challenge the shots. The Wildcats regained the lead with around 4:00 remaining in the game and the momentum completely shifted. K-State continued to run their offense and their zone defense continued to befuddle the Hawks. Our young guards could not find the big men in the post and were repeatedly turned back when they tried to drive to the basket. Three-pointers were not falling and Brandon Rush had been pretty well bottled up all afternoon.
So what should have been a coming out party for Mario Chalmers turned into KU's first loss to K-State in 31 games. And while terribly dissapointing, this doesn't come as a huge surprise. KU had been flying high and K-State had just been humiliated by Nebraska in Manhattan. You knew KSU would come out with a lot of energy and enthusiasm. And the potential for a letdown from the inexeperienced Jayhawks was clearly a possibility. Unfortunately, this will probably be an ongoing theme throughout the season. Hopefully, the Hawks will flip back to the Up side for Monday's matchup with Missouri in Columbia.
Thursday, January 12, 2006
Rocky Mountain High
This is what we've been waiting for.
The genius of all of the seemingly hare-brained decisions that Bill Self has made over the past year and a half is starting to show. The constant lineup shifting, the benching of players, the extreme emphasis on defense; the investment in his own system paid off in spades last night in Boulder.
You knew Colorado would be ready to play. They were off to their best start in over 20 years. They could smell blood with a young and inexperienced KU team coming into their environment. They have a lot of athletes and an aggressive defense. But the beauty of Bill Self's coaching shined through. The Jayhawks held their ground in the opening minutes against Colorado's attacking style of play. The young players seemed rattled at first, but stuck to playing the tough defense that Self has been preaching. And that defense is what kept them in this game and will keep them in every game this season. If your opponent is missing two-thirds of their shots, you almost always have a chance to win.
Additionally, Christian Moody provided a settling influence with what might have been his best game. Moody reverted to what made him such an effective player last year, picking his spots and, save for his 3-pointer, not trying to do too much. He provided some much-needed stability until Brandon Rush could find his game.
And, boy did he. After looking lost and intimidated in the first half, Rush flipped on the same switch that he triggered during the Kentucky game, scoring all of his 17 points in the second half. Offensively, this team will go as Rush goes. And luckily for KU, Rush was feeling it in the second half. His highlight dunk sent the message that you won't be able to hold him down for very long.
And Self's insistence that defense and protecting the basketball come first justifies his haphazard substitution patterns. If those messages had not been emphasized early on to Russell Robinson and Mario Chalmers, we would not have beat Colorado. The young guards combined for 20 points, 11 assists and only 3 turnovers in addition to their relentless pressure on the opposing guards. And their numerous forays into the lane kept the Colorado defense honest, regardless of the fact that many of the shots were blocked and no one could knock down a 3-pointer.
One of the unsung heroes was Darnell Jackson. Jackson provided high levels of energy and picked up the slumping Sasha Kaun and C.J. Giles. Neither Kaun nor Giles could seem to get anything going, but it didn't matter as Jackson stepped up with 10 points and 7 rebounds in 17 minutes. He and with Moody provided the Jayhawks with an inside presence that was desperately needed.
To be fair to Kaun, though, Moody's inspired play kept Julian Wright on the bench. How does that affect Kaun? Wright opens up the offense more than anyone besides Rush. He seems to be the only person who can consistently get the ball inside to Kaun. Of all Self's lineup machinations, Wright and Kaun together is a combination that he hasn't taken full advantage of yet.
Amazingly, though Giles and Kaun only played a total of 25 minutes, the Jayhawks annihilated the Buffaloes on the boards, 50-28. Colorado had ranked second in the conference in rebounding, yet Kansas managed to beat them on the offensive glass as well by a margin of 13-8.
Really, the only blemish was the poor performance of Jeff Hawkins. And it looked like we might have been spared as he got into early foul trouble. Unfortunately, so did Robinson and Chalmers, forcing Hawkins back in the game. Hawkins was clearly overmatched handling the ball and chimed in with a team-high 4 turnovers. But Self managed to steal a few minutes with Stephen Vinson and Jeremy Case until the time was right to get Chalmers and Robinson back in the game.
Any road win in the Big XII is significant, but this one was particularly special. After suffering through the ups and downs of the non-conference season, the lessons that Self has been teaching have begun to reap some benefits. And if the Jayhawks continue to stay tough and execute like they have the last two games, this could be a very dangerous team come March.
The genius of all of the seemingly hare-brained decisions that Bill Self has made over the past year and a half is starting to show. The constant lineup shifting, the benching of players, the extreme emphasis on defense; the investment in his own system paid off in spades last night in Boulder.
You knew Colorado would be ready to play. They were off to their best start in over 20 years. They could smell blood with a young and inexperienced KU team coming into their environment. They have a lot of athletes and an aggressive defense. But the beauty of Bill Self's coaching shined through. The Jayhawks held their ground in the opening minutes against Colorado's attacking style of play. The young players seemed rattled at first, but stuck to playing the tough defense that Self has been preaching. And that defense is what kept them in this game and will keep them in every game this season. If your opponent is missing two-thirds of their shots, you almost always have a chance to win.
Additionally, Christian Moody provided a settling influence with what might have been his best game. Moody reverted to what made him such an effective player last year, picking his spots and, save for his 3-pointer, not trying to do too much. He provided some much-needed stability until Brandon Rush could find his game.
And, boy did he. After looking lost and intimidated in the first half, Rush flipped on the same switch that he triggered during the Kentucky game, scoring all of his 17 points in the second half. Offensively, this team will go as Rush goes. And luckily for KU, Rush was feeling it in the second half. His highlight dunk sent the message that you won't be able to hold him down for very long.
And Self's insistence that defense and protecting the basketball come first justifies his haphazard substitution patterns. If those messages had not been emphasized early on to Russell Robinson and Mario Chalmers, we would not have beat Colorado. The young guards combined for 20 points, 11 assists and only 3 turnovers in addition to their relentless pressure on the opposing guards. And their numerous forays into the lane kept the Colorado defense honest, regardless of the fact that many of the shots were blocked and no one could knock down a 3-pointer.
One of the unsung heroes was Darnell Jackson. Jackson provided high levels of energy and picked up the slumping Sasha Kaun and C.J. Giles. Neither Kaun nor Giles could seem to get anything going, but it didn't matter as Jackson stepped up with 10 points and 7 rebounds in 17 minutes. He and with Moody provided the Jayhawks with an inside presence that was desperately needed.
To be fair to Kaun, though, Moody's inspired play kept Julian Wright on the bench. How does that affect Kaun? Wright opens up the offense more than anyone besides Rush. He seems to be the only person who can consistently get the ball inside to Kaun. Of all Self's lineup machinations, Wright and Kaun together is a combination that he hasn't taken full advantage of yet.
Amazingly, though Giles and Kaun only played a total of 25 minutes, the Jayhawks annihilated the Buffaloes on the boards, 50-28. Colorado had ranked second in the conference in rebounding, yet Kansas managed to beat them on the offensive glass as well by a margin of 13-8.
Really, the only blemish was the poor performance of Jeff Hawkins. And it looked like we might have been spared as he got into early foul trouble. Unfortunately, so did Robinson and Chalmers, forcing Hawkins back in the game. Hawkins was clearly overmatched handling the ball and chimed in with a team-high 4 turnovers. But Self managed to steal a few minutes with Stephen Vinson and Jeremy Case until the time was right to get Chalmers and Robinson back in the game.
Any road win in the Big XII is significant, but this one was particularly special. After suffering through the ups and downs of the non-conference season, the lessons that Self has been teaching have begun to reap some benefits. And if the Jayhawks continue to stay tough and execute like they have the last two games, this could be a very dangerous team come March.
Monday, January 09, 2006
It's All Over, Part Two
Finally, a promise kept! If you hadn't noticed during the previous year, I've done a poor job of following up with articles that I promised to post. Well, maybe this will be the beginning of a more responsible New Year. Anyway, the 2005 Year in Review is now at your fingertips:
January -
* The Junior Blakeleys and I ring in the New Year by eating a lot of chips and watching Regis Philbin fill in for Dick Clark. The excitement can hardly be contained by my two-bedroom apartment.
February -
* I set a personal record by receiving three separate birthday lunches from people at work.
* Samantha celebrates birthday #9 by generously allowing the family to congregate somewhere other than KFC.
* The Junior Blakeleys and I visit the Colorado Blakeleys, complete with new member Ella. I manage to hold Ella for 6 consecutive seconds without her crying. Coincidentally, Seth sets a new personal record by spending 6 consecutive seconds NOT bouncing on his exercise ball.
March -
* For the first time, I remember to take vacation days during the NCAA basketball tournament. Nirvana is achieved.
* Nirvana is cruelly stripped away when the Bucknell Bison defeat the Kansas Jayhawks in the first round of the tournament.
* Royals Spring Training begins. Royals fall 10 games back of the White Sox.
April -
* All existing Blakeleys (minus the Junior Blakeleys) converge on West Palm Beach, Florida for Seth and Kira's wedding ceremony and Ella's baby naming ceremony. The Pinskys graciously host the ceremonies and the Passover feast. Vicki is so caught up in the Jewish customs that she actually utters the phrase "Oy vey."
* Royals begin regular season, fall 78 games back of the White Sox.
May -
* Jeremy Mai gets married, cutting the population of single folk among my friends by one. Apparently for those of us who are left, "Mrs. Right" is harder to find than Saddam Hussein at the bottom of a spider hole.
* Tony Pena resigns as manager of the Royals. The change affects the standings only minimally. Royals 262 games back of the White Sox.
* I catch a foul ball at the Royals game while skipping out on an afternoon of work. This may be the only Royals highlight of the season.
* I attend the Atkinson's annual "Norway or the Highway" party, celebrating Norway's 100th year of independence from Sweden. The corresponding "100 years Swede-free" t-shirt elicits immediate embarrassment as I meet a family of Swedish descent soon after.
June -
* I returned to the hallowed fields of All-American Indoor Soccer Complex after a 20-year hiatus, helping our team claim the divisional crown. The stench of sweat-soaked goalie gloves has never smelled so sweet.
* Royals fall an even 400 games back of the White Sox.
July -
* Buddy Bell is hired as new Royals manager. Royals sweep Yankees. Seriously. You can look it up.
August -
* Royals lose 19 straight games, fall 612 games back of the White Sox. The Chiefs training camp somehow manages to elicit my interest.
September -
* Royals finish season 832 games back of the White Sox.
* Chiefs help Jake Plummer patent "The Bootleg" in embarrassing Monday Night loss. Plummer instantly makes $3 million in royalties.
October -
* David turns 12, making me feel old. David wears bigger shoes than I do, making me feel small. Both events, ironically, make me feel proud.
* The Colorado Blakeleys come to town for a splendid visit. Vicki manages to stay off her cell phone long enough to say "Hey!". Foreshadowing of her new relationship is lost on the rest of us.
*Inspired by my filming her, Samantha turns in the best performance of her soccer career. Maybe I should film her cleaning her room...
November -
* KU beats Nebraska in football. Lincoln freezes over.
* KU basketball season begins. Bill Self still retains respect of KU faithful. Until Thanksgiving.
* The Junior Blakeleys and I visit the Hawaii Blakeleys over Thanksgiving. Everyone is thankful for the visit. No one is thankful for the departure.
* Bill Snyder announces his retirement from coaching the K-State football team, effective at the end of the season. University of Kansas head football coach Mark Mangino announces that he'll gladly finish what Bill Snyder didn't eat.
December -
* The Royals complete their off-season by signing Ed Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.
* "Survivor" is won by someone from the Kansas City area. Unfortunately, it's not me.
* The Jayhawks win the Fort Worth Bowl. Fort Worth freezes over.
* The Junior Blakeleys and I celebrate Christmas Eve with a traditional burrito bol from Chipotle. I celebrate Christmas with a traditional half dozen buffalo wings from The Peanut.
Here's hoping 2006 is as quirky and entertaining as 2005!
January -
* The Junior Blakeleys and I ring in the New Year by eating a lot of chips and watching Regis Philbin fill in for Dick Clark. The excitement can hardly be contained by my two-bedroom apartment.
February -
* I set a personal record by receiving three separate birthday lunches from people at work.
* Samantha celebrates birthday #9 by generously allowing the family to congregate somewhere other than KFC.
* The Junior Blakeleys and I visit the Colorado Blakeleys, complete with new member Ella. I manage to hold Ella for 6 consecutive seconds without her crying. Coincidentally, Seth sets a new personal record by spending 6 consecutive seconds NOT bouncing on his exercise ball.
March -
* For the first time, I remember to take vacation days during the NCAA basketball tournament. Nirvana is achieved.
* Nirvana is cruelly stripped away when the Bucknell Bison defeat the Kansas Jayhawks in the first round of the tournament.
* Royals Spring Training begins. Royals fall 10 games back of the White Sox.
April -
* All existing Blakeleys (minus the Junior Blakeleys) converge on West Palm Beach, Florida for Seth and Kira's wedding ceremony and Ella's baby naming ceremony. The Pinskys graciously host the ceremonies and the Passover feast. Vicki is so caught up in the Jewish customs that she actually utters the phrase "Oy vey."
* Royals begin regular season, fall 78 games back of the White Sox.
May -
* Jeremy Mai gets married, cutting the population of single folk among my friends by one. Apparently for those of us who are left, "Mrs. Right" is harder to find than Saddam Hussein at the bottom of a spider hole.
* Tony Pena resigns as manager of the Royals. The change affects the standings only minimally. Royals 262 games back of the White Sox.
* I catch a foul ball at the Royals game while skipping out on an afternoon of work. This may be the only Royals highlight of the season.
* I attend the Atkinson's annual "Norway or the Highway" party, celebrating Norway's 100th year of independence from Sweden. The corresponding "100 years Swede-free" t-shirt elicits immediate embarrassment as I meet a family of Swedish descent soon after.
June -
* I returned to the hallowed fields of All-American Indoor Soccer Complex after a 20-year hiatus, helping our team claim the divisional crown. The stench of sweat-soaked goalie gloves has never smelled so sweet.
* Royals fall an even 400 games back of the White Sox.
July -
* Buddy Bell is hired as new Royals manager. Royals sweep Yankees. Seriously. You can look it up.
August -
* Royals lose 19 straight games, fall 612 games back of the White Sox. The Chiefs training camp somehow manages to elicit my interest.
September -
* Royals finish season 832 games back of the White Sox.
* Chiefs help Jake Plummer patent "The Bootleg" in embarrassing Monday Night loss. Plummer instantly makes $3 million in royalties.
October -
* David turns 12, making me feel old. David wears bigger shoes than I do, making me feel small. Both events, ironically, make me feel proud.
* The Colorado Blakeleys come to town for a splendid visit. Vicki manages to stay off her cell phone long enough to say "Hey!". Foreshadowing of her new relationship is lost on the rest of us.
*Inspired by my filming her, Samantha turns in the best performance of her soccer career. Maybe I should film her cleaning her room...
November -
* KU beats Nebraska in football. Lincoln freezes over.
* KU basketball season begins. Bill Self still retains respect of KU faithful. Until Thanksgiving.
* The Junior Blakeleys and I visit the Hawaii Blakeleys over Thanksgiving. Everyone is thankful for the visit. No one is thankful for the departure.
* Bill Snyder announces his retirement from coaching the K-State football team, effective at the end of the season. University of Kansas head football coach Mark Mangino announces that he'll gladly finish what Bill Snyder didn't eat.
December -
* The Royals complete their off-season by signing Ed Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.
* "Survivor" is won by someone from the Kansas City area. Unfortunately, it's not me.
* The Jayhawks win the Fort Worth Bowl. Fort Worth freezes over.
* The Junior Blakeleys and I celebrate Christmas Eve with a traditional burrito bol from Chipotle. I celebrate Christmas with a traditional half dozen buffalo wings from The Peanut.
Here's hoping 2006 is as quirky and entertaining as 2005!
Thursday, January 05, 2006
It's All Over, Part One
It's all over. The year Twenty-Oh-Five. The Holiday Season. The College Bowl season. And because of this, I now have adequate time to comment on the world around me (and KU basketball). (For those of you who find unending analysis of sports unappetizing, hang in there; the more interesting stuff is toward the end of this post.)
---------------------------------
Last night's KU-Yale game was nothing original. The Jayhawks looked like total crap for the first 10 or 15 minutes of the game. Then they cranked up the defense against a totally overmatched team and put the game out of reach. As usual, there were things to like and things to dislike about the game.
LIKED
* The starting lineup. C.J. Giles, Christian Moody, Brandon Rush, Mario Chalmers and Russell Robinson. Gone were Jeff Hawkins and Sasha Kaun. Which proved to be beneficial in a number of ways. Chalmers looked a lot better to me at the off-guard position, where he was less responsible for distributing and was able to look for his own shot. Robinson seemed more comfortable looking to set people up rather than score. Hawkins seemed to have a fire lit beneath him as he had his best game in a Kansas uniform. Sasha Kaun got more minutes alongside Julian Wright.
* The relentless defensive intensity from the guards. Hawkins brought a lot of energy when he came in and combined with Robinson and Chalmers to rack up 8 steals. If the guards can consistently play with that much fervor, we will have a chance in every game. In addition, their combined 14-5 assist-to-turnover ratio was much improved and much needed.
* Julian Wright. This guy needs to get as many minutes as possible. One of the things the commentators mentioned was the fact that Wright always looks inside, whether the big guys are open or not. This is crucial in keeping our offense flowing, rather than spinning the ball around the perimeter for 25 seconds at a time. His play elevates Kaun's as Wright looks for him every time down the floor. I think Kaun works harder to get position when Wright is in the game because he knows the ball will be coming his direction. I hope Bill Self realizes this and gets these guys in the game together more often.
DISLIKED
* Our opponent. All these good things happened against Yale. This is a school that has won exactly one postseason game in their entire history as a basketball program. Yet we played the first 10 minutes as if we were trying to grind out a win against Oklahoma. I have a feeling that once the conference season starts, it will be like starting the season all over again. It will take a handful of games for these youngsters to acclimate to the physical and intense basketball that defines the Big XII.
* The continued tentativeness of Brandon Rush. Brandon Rush has enough talent to take over any game he plays. Unfortunately, he's always been the bright, shining star throughout his career and now he wants to be a part of the team and learn the more subtle aspects of the game. Which is fine, except that this team will lose many more games if he doesn't assert himself immediately and completely every time he steps on the floor. I'm tired of seeing him swing the ball from the wing over to Hawkins or Robinson when he could clearly blow past the inferior athlete that is trying to guard him. Our team will live and die during the Big XII season depending on what Rush brings to each game.
Our final tune-up for the conference season come against Kentucky in Allen Fieldhouse this Saturday. We can win this game and gain much-needed confidence if three things happen: A)the guards put unending pressure on Rajon Rondo, B) Julian Wright gets a healthy dose of minutes and feeds the inside guys who should have an advantage with Randolph Morris being out, and C) Brandon Rush comes out of his shell and puts up 20 points. All of these things are well within reason and could propel the Jayhawks into the conference season with the proper attitude.
---------------------------------
The college football season ended with one of the best championship games I've ever seen. The 1991 Orange Bowl when Colorado beat Notre Dame 10-9 is the only other championship game that comes close, in my book. This year's game had the two best teams and the four best offensive players. And the game was decided by those players. Heisman Trophy winner Reggie Bush gave away a scoring opportunity when he foolishly tried to lateral to a teammate after a 35-yard run. Matt Leinart methodically picked apart the Texas defense. LenDale White gave his best Larry Johnson impression. But Vince Young stood out among the rest. He threw for 267 yards and ran for 200(!) yards. He gave the impression that he could run for a touchdown on every play. And he played his best game against the best competition on the biggest stage and came out on top. You couldn't really ask for anything more.
---------------------------------
Dick Vermeil ended his five-year run as head coach of the Chiefs. Let's recap, Vermeil-style, what was accomplished during his rein:
-- 0 Super Bowl wins, in five seasons
-- 0 playoff wins, in five seasons
-- 1 playoff berth, in five seasons
-- 1 divisional title, in five seasons
-- 2 winning seasons, in five seasons
Don't get me wrong; I think Dick Vermeil is a great guy and a very good football coach. Unfortunately, winning the Super Bowl is the only goal in the NFL and Vermeil came up short. Part of that is on him and part of that is on Carl Peterson. The bottom line is that this city has gone over 30 years without sniffing a Super Bowl and we don't seem to be any nearer to that goal. At this point, I'm waiting for Lamar Hunt and his profit-oriented ownership style and his toady Carl Peterson to leave our fair city and let us take a new path to the ultimate goal. Because we're just not going to get there with these fellas at the helm, no matter who the next head coach may be.
---------------------------------
I had a splendid Christmas and a thoroughly enjoyable New Year's Eve. I had the Junior Blakeleys on Christmas Eve. Blakeley tradition normally constitutes the family sitting around and biding their time until dinner. Once dinner is wolfed down, the kids pester the adults for the opportunity to open some gifts. The adults, traditionally, make playful excuses such as "Hold on, kids; I'm waiting for my food to settle," and "Let me smoke one more cigarette." This year, though, had none of the traditional trappings.
All family (smoking members and non-) were out of town and it came down to just myself and the youngsters. Dave and Sam arrived at 10:00 am and immediately upon bursting through the front door pleaded to open presents right away. Since the kids were being picked up at 6:00 that evening to go to Christmas Eve Service, dinner was going to be thrown together, and I don't smoke, I decided that it would be fine to open presents right then and there. The kids were not expecting this answer but quickly adjusted from being shocked to ripping open wrapping paper.
After the carnage was complete, we decided to take the numerous Target gift cards we had received and go shopping. First, we had lunch at Chipotle. We were going to need some energy to brave Christmas Eve crowds at the most popular store in town. Surprisingly, though, the crowds were not terrible and seemed to be well-distributed around the store. After some initial hesitation, Samantha turned on the after-burners and came within $1.90 of her spending limit. David blew past his limit and into his own pocket for about 18 bucks and I managed to find a handful of worthy gifts while saving a little for later.
Once home, we enjoyed Phase II of Christmas Eve, unwrapping the cellophane from our new purchases and trying out our new toys. We played some Sorry! and watched the Chiefs until it was time for them to go. All-in-all, it was one of the better Christmases we've had.
New Year's Eve found me at Tuttle's mom's lake house with eight other good buddies. Much food and alcohol were packed for the 2-hour drive and 24-hour stay. After avoiding near death at the hands of an over-zealous trucker on the back-roads of Missouri (and a "stopping short" episode that won't soon be forgotten), we arrived. We unpacked said nourishments and other unnecessary articles like clothes and blankets and explored the lake front. I can't say that I would want to retire to a lake-front community, but it sure is fun to visit.
We opened some snacks and hung out until we were made aware of an enormous bonfire across the street. I've been around a number of bonfires/campfires in my life, but this was the hottest fire of them all. We were ten feet away and you still had to turn your face away from the flames to avoid looking like George Hamilton.
Following the bonfire activity, we retired to our quarters for some food and a rousing game of Apples to Apples. If you haven't played it, you need to. It's best played with a large group of people. Each person gets 5 cards with different nouns on them (pigs, Helen Keller, clowns). Each round, one person throws out a card with an adjective on it (exciting, sanguine, masculine) for everyone to play against. Everyone but the person who threw out the adjective decides which of the cards in their hands would best fit the description and throws it in the middle, face-down. The adjective person gathers the noun cards and judges which one he or she finds most appropriate. Since a new person is the judge each round, the key is to play based on how that person judges. Some judges may play it straight. For example, the adjective might be "mischievous" and the judge might select the card labeled "kids". The person who threw out the "kids" card would win that point. You play until someone has come acquired the pre-determined number of points. What was most fun, though, were the folks who took a less-traditional slant in their judgments. It opened up the group to throw out wholly inappropriate material and still win. My favorite was the winner for the adjective "melodramatic": Anne Frank. You might find it funny, cruel or unusual, but I found it to be absolutely hysterical. Anyway, we played that game well into the evening, straining abdominal and facial muscles along the way from all the laughing.
Eventually, midnight came around and we all got the disappointment and displeasure of seeing a less-than-perfect Dick Clark ring in the New Year. Champagne was imbibed, friends were hugged and the less-rugged headed for bed. Our hearty foursome decided to stay up and play some pool and discuss the issues of the day until 3:30 or so. It was a delightful way to ring in the New Year.
---------------------------------
Wow. Well, that's a lot to digest. I'll come back with Part Two and recall the highlights of the past year.
---------------------------------
Last night's KU-Yale game was nothing original. The Jayhawks looked like total crap for the first 10 or 15 minutes of the game. Then they cranked up the defense against a totally overmatched team and put the game out of reach. As usual, there were things to like and things to dislike about the game.
LIKED
* The starting lineup. C.J. Giles, Christian Moody, Brandon Rush, Mario Chalmers and Russell Robinson. Gone were Jeff Hawkins and Sasha Kaun. Which proved to be beneficial in a number of ways. Chalmers looked a lot better to me at the off-guard position, where he was less responsible for distributing and was able to look for his own shot. Robinson seemed more comfortable looking to set people up rather than score. Hawkins seemed to have a fire lit beneath him as he had his best game in a Kansas uniform. Sasha Kaun got more minutes alongside Julian Wright.
* The relentless defensive intensity from the guards. Hawkins brought a lot of energy when he came in and combined with Robinson and Chalmers to rack up 8 steals. If the guards can consistently play with that much fervor, we will have a chance in every game. In addition, their combined 14-5 assist-to-turnover ratio was much improved and much needed.
* Julian Wright. This guy needs to get as many minutes as possible. One of the things the commentators mentioned was the fact that Wright always looks inside, whether the big guys are open or not. This is crucial in keeping our offense flowing, rather than spinning the ball around the perimeter for 25 seconds at a time. His play elevates Kaun's as Wright looks for him every time down the floor. I think Kaun works harder to get position when Wright is in the game because he knows the ball will be coming his direction. I hope Bill Self realizes this and gets these guys in the game together more often.
DISLIKED
* Our opponent. All these good things happened against Yale. This is a school that has won exactly one postseason game in their entire history as a basketball program. Yet we played the first 10 minutes as if we were trying to grind out a win against Oklahoma. I have a feeling that once the conference season starts, it will be like starting the season all over again. It will take a handful of games for these youngsters to acclimate to the physical and intense basketball that defines the Big XII.
* The continued tentativeness of Brandon Rush. Brandon Rush has enough talent to take over any game he plays. Unfortunately, he's always been the bright, shining star throughout his career and now he wants to be a part of the team and learn the more subtle aspects of the game. Which is fine, except that this team will lose many more games if he doesn't assert himself immediately and completely every time he steps on the floor. I'm tired of seeing him swing the ball from the wing over to Hawkins or Robinson when he could clearly blow past the inferior athlete that is trying to guard him. Our team will live and die during the Big XII season depending on what Rush brings to each game.
Our final tune-up for the conference season come against Kentucky in Allen Fieldhouse this Saturday. We can win this game and gain much-needed confidence if three things happen: A)the guards put unending pressure on Rajon Rondo, B) Julian Wright gets a healthy dose of minutes and feeds the inside guys who should have an advantage with Randolph Morris being out, and C) Brandon Rush comes out of his shell and puts up 20 points. All of these things are well within reason and could propel the Jayhawks into the conference season with the proper attitude.
---------------------------------
The college football season ended with one of the best championship games I've ever seen. The 1991 Orange Bowl when Colorado beat Notre Dame 10-9 is the only other championship game that comes close, in my book. This year's game had the two best teams and the four best offensive players. And the game was decided by those players. Heisman Trophy winner Reggie Bush gave away a scoring opportunity when he foolishly tried to lateral to a teammate after a 35-yard run. Matt Leinart methodically picked apart the Texas defense. LenDale White gave his best Larry Johnson impression. But Vince Young stood out among the rest. He threw for 267 yards and ran for 200(!) yards. He gave the impression that he could run for a touchdown on every play. And he played his best game against the best competition on the biggest stage and came out on top. You couldn't really ask for anything more.
---------------------------------
Dick Vermeil ended his five-year run as head coach of the Chiefs. Let's recap, Vermeil-style, what was accomplished during his rein:
-- 0 Super Bowl wins, in five seasons
-- 0 playoff wins, in five seasons
-- 1 playoff berth, in five seasons
-- 1 divisional title, in five seasons
-- 2 winning seasons, in five seasons
Don't get me wrong; I think Dick Vermeil is a great guy and a very good football coach. Unfortunately, winning the Super Bowl is the only goal in the NFL and Vermeil came up short. Part of that is on him and part of that is on Carl Peterson. The bottom line is that this city has gone over 30 years without sniffing a Super Bowl and we don't seem to be any nearer to that goal. At this point, I'm waiting for Lamar Hunt and his profit-oriented ownership style and his toady Carl Peterson to leave our fair city and let us take a new path to the ultimate goal. Because we're just not going to get there with these fellas at the helm, no matter who the next head coach may be.
---------------------------------
I had a splendid Christmas and a thoroughly enjoyable New Year's Eve. I had the Junior Blakeleys on Christmas Eve. Blakeley tradition normally constitutes the family sitting around and biding their time until dinner. Once dinner is wolfed down, the kids pester the adults for the opportunity to open some gifts. The adults, traditionally, make playful excuses such as "Hold on, kids; I'm waiting for my food to settle," and "Let me smoke one more cigarette." This year, though, had none of the traditional trappings.
All family (smoking members and non-) were out of town and it came down to just myself and the youngsters. Dave and Sam arrived at 10:00 am and immediately upon bursting through the front door pleaded to open presents right away. Since the kids were being picked up at 6:00 that evening to go to Christmas Eve Service, dinner was going to be thrown together, and I don't smoke, I decided that it would be fine to open presents right then and there. The kids were not expecting this answer but quickly adjusted from being shocked to ripping open wrapping paper.
After the carnage was complete, we decided to take the numerous Target gift cards we had received and go shopping. First, we had lunch at Chipotle. We were going to need some energy to brave Christmas Eve crowds at the most popular store in town. Surprisingly, though, the crowds were not terrible and seemed to be well-distributed around the store. After some initial hesitation, Samantha turned on the after-burners and came within $1.90 of her spending limit. David blew past his limit and into his own pocket for about 18 bucks and I managed to find a handful of worthy gifts while saving a little for later.
Once home, we enjoyed Phase II of Christmas Eve, unwrapping the cellophane from our new purchases and trying out our new toys. We played some Sorry! and watched the Chiefs until it was time for them to go. All-in-all, it was one of the better Christmases we've had.
New Year's Eve found me at Tuttle's mom's lake house with eight other good buddies. Much food and alcohol were packed for the 2-hour drive and 24-hour stay. After avoiding near death at the hands of an over-zealous trucker on the back-roads of Missouri (and a "stopping short" episode that won't soon be forgotten), we arrived. We unpacked said nourishments and other unnecessary articles like clothes and blankets and explored the lake front. I can't say that I would want to retire to a lake-front community, but it sure is fun to visit.
We opened some snacks and hung out until we were made aware of an enormous bonfire across the street. I've been around a number of bonfires/campfires in my life, but this was the hottest fire of them all. We were ten feet away and you still had to turn your face away from the flames to avoid looking like George Hamilton.
Following the bonfire activity, we retired to our quarters for some food and a rousing game of Apples to Apples. If you haven't played it, you need to. It's best played with a large group of people. Each person gets 5 cards with different nouns on them (pigs, Helen Keller, clowns). Each round, one person throws out a card with an adjective on it (exciting, sanguine, masculine) for everyone to play against. Everyone but the person who threw out the adjective decides which of the cards in their hands would best fit the description and throws it in the middle, face-down. The adjective person gathers the noun cards and judges which one he or she finds most appropriate. Since a new person is the judge each round, the key is to play based on how that person judges. Some judges may play it straight. For example, the adjective might be "mischievous" and the judge might select the card labeled "kids". The person who threw out the "kids" card would win that point. You play until someone has come acquired the pre-determined number of points. What was most fun, though, were the folks who took a less-traditional slant in their judgments. It opened up the group to throw out wholly inappropriate material and still win. My favorite was the winner for the adjective "melodramatic": Anne Frank. You might find it funny, cruel or unusual, but I found it to be absolutely hysterical. Anyway, we played that game well into the evening, straining abdominal and facial muscles along the way from all the laughing.
Eventually, midnight came around and we all got the disappointment and displeasure of seeing a less-than-perfect Dick Clark ring in the New Year. Champagne was imbibed, friends were hugged and the less-rugged headed for bed. Our hearty foursome decided to stay up and play some pool and discuss the issues of the day until 3:30 or so. It was a delightful way to ring in the New Year.
---------------------------------
Wow. Well, that's a lot to digest. I'll come back with Part Two and recall the highlights of the past year.
Wednesday, December 21, 2005
Warm Up The Ol' Slide Projector!
"Hey, jerk! I know you went to Hawaii over Thanksgiving. Why haven't you said anything about it? At least show me some pictures, for crying out loud!"
Good idea. In chronological order:
To begin with, the weather was, how you say?, ah, yes: Crappy. So we spent the first two days inside as evidenced by the first couple of pics. Samantha was still enthusiastic, though.
David was looking foward to spending some of his hard-earned cash on some lovely Hawai'ian trinkets.
Dad (and Mom) cooked up a lovely Thanksgiving dinner.
Plenty of football was watched.
Poi was harassed, I mean, played with by Dave and Sam.
This was dawn of the first day we saw the sun. Time to hit the beach!
Not your typical Midwestern day-after-Thanksgiving kind of photos, eh?
Below is the first sighting of a pasty, white, wild-haired individual that just kept hanging around.
"Look out, kids; he's in the water!"
Along came some more showers and we decided that we ought to take a drive around the island. We ended up at the Kaumalapa'u Harbor, checking out the ocean and some menacing clouds.
"There's that freak with the afro again. Run!"
A behind the scenes look at the making of a model...
...and the photo that resulted.
The sun eventually came back out, so we decided to hike up to Pu'u Pehe (Sweetheart Rock).
Mom zipped ahead with her newly smoke-free lungs!
Dave posed at the top while trying to appear as though there was a giant head sticking out of the ocean.
Samantha flashed her million-dollar smile. Again.
The views were lovely...
"Oh my gosh! Get your hands off those kids, you maniac!"
Here are the kids on the early morning ferry to Maui.
...where we went to a super-cool aquarium, complete with sharks and stingrays. VERY cool.
Later on, we took the kids to ride some go-carts. Dave tried to pass Sam as many times as possible while, guess what?, Samantha was smiling.
After months of fielding questions like, "Dad, am I old enough to go to shoot sporting clays ?", we were able to appease David by going to the air rifle range. After blasting away in the practice rounds, we all choked big time when it came to the prize round and a chance to win the Crystal Pineapple. The competitive Blakeley nature was fully in attendance.
Finally, photographic proof that David got to drive a golf cart. We only drove off two cliffs!
I hope you enjoyed this modern-day slide show.
Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah and Happy New Year!
Good idea. In chronological order:
To begin with, the weather was, how you say?, ah, yes: Crappy. So we spent the first two days inside as evidenced by the first couple of pics. Samantha was still enthusiastic, though.
David was looking foward to spending some of his hard-earned cash on some lovely Hawai'ian trinkets.
Dad (and Mom) cooked up a lovely Thanksgiving dinner.
Plenty of football was watched.
Poi was harassed, I mean, played with by Dave and Sam.
This was dawn of the first day we saw the sun. Time to hit the beach!
Not your typical Midwestern day-after-Thanksgiving kind of photos, eh?
Below is the first sighting of a pasty, white, wild-haired individual that just kept hanging around.
"Look out, kids; he's in the water!"
Along came some more showers and we decided that we ought to take a drive around the island. We ended up at the Kaumalapa'u Harbor, checking out the ocean and some menacing clouds.
"There's that freak with the afro again. Run!"
A behind the scenes look at the making of a model...
...and the photo that resulted.
The sun eventually came back out, so we decided to hike up to Pu'u Pehe (Sweetheart Rock).
Mom zipped ahead with her newly smoke-free lungs!
Dave posed at the top while trying to appear as though there was a giant head sticking out of the ocean.
Samantha flashed her million-dollar smile. Again.
The views were lovely...
"Oh my gosh! Get your hands off those kids, you maniac!"
Here are the kids on the early morning ferry to Maui.
...where we went to a super-cool aquarium, complete with sharks and stingrays. VERY cool.
Later on, we took the kids to ride some go-carts. Dave tried to pass Sam as many times as possible while, guess what?, Samantha was smiling.
After months of fielding questions like, "Dad, am I old enough to go to shoot sporting clays ?", we were able to appease David by going to the air rifle range. After blasting away in the practice rounds, we all choked big time when it came to the prize round and a chance to win the Crystal Pineapple. The competitive Blakeley nature was fully in attendance.
Finally, photographic proof that David got to drive a golf cart. We only drove off two cliffs!
I hope you enjoyed this modern-day slide show.
Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah and Happy New Year!
Tuesday, December 20, 2005
There's Gotta Be Some Way To Root For This Team
The Royals made what might be the four most uninteresting signings in baseball history recently when they inked contracts for 2B Mark Grudzielanek, 1B Doug Mientkiewicz, SP Scott Elarton and C Paul Bako.
Both arguments have been made as to the significance of these transactions:
A) "Allard Baird is an idiot and needs to be fired. What the hell do we need a 35-year old second baseman for when we have no fewer than three second base prospects who could be utilized? Why do we need a good glove/no hit first baseman when we could split those duties with some combination of Mike Sweeney/Matt Stairs/Justin Huber? Isn't Scott Elarton a Jose Lima clone, minus the histrionics? Aren't backup catchers a dime a dozen? Why pay Paul Bako $700,000 when we had Paul Phillips readily available?"
OR
B) "Allard Baird has finally put a plan together. Bringing in a handful of 'experienced Major League veterans' will give much-needed development time for the youngsters who proved they weren't quite ready this year. The short-term contracts they signed ensure that they won't be blocking those prospects paths once they're ready to contribute. The improved infield defense will help restore the confidence of a young pitching staff that has been continually betrayed by one of the worst defenses in baseball. And Paul Bako will act as a sort of a catching instructor to young starter John Buck."
Well, you know what? There's probably some truth in both arguments. Allowing the youngsters to develop is a much better idea than letting them crash and burn in the same fashion they did last year. On the other hand, Baird had a bucket-load of cash to spend and still couldn't come up with his fabled "impact bat".
"So," I thought to myself, "I had better come up with some reason to follow these guys other than rooting against another 100-loss season."
Here's what I came up with:
First base/DH - Mientkiewicz is a gritty, dirt-on-the-uniform, eye-black-under-the-eyes kind of player. That's fun. He'll scoop up more errant throws than Sweeney or Stairs could ever dream of. That'll be refreshing. His nickname is "Minky". I don't know how I feel about that other than I'm glad he's got a nickname.
Sweeney will no doubt be in the best shape he's ever been in (again) come spring training. With that declaration will come his usual enthusiasm at the beginning of the season. I vow to enjoy watching him swing harder than anyone I've ever seen without thinking about how he will inevitably wrench his back sometime in late May or early June.
I will enjoy watching Stairs continue to compete at the major league level despite having the body of a slow-pitch softball player. I will continue to enjoy the two nicknames Ryan and I have come up with for him: "Beer League" and "Stairs, Son of Gloin".
Second base/shortstop - Grudzielanek will botch fewer plays at second than the kiddie corps before him. And he has the endearing nickname "Grudz".
Angel Berroa will surely be more confident throwing to a first baseman who isn't made of stone and turning double-plays with a guy who knows that you need to be relatively near second base for it to count.
Third base - I will be glad to see the inevitable improvement from Mark Teahen after playing a full season in the majors. And if not, I can continue to daydream about super prospects Billy Butler and Alex Gordon who also man that position.
Catcher - John Buck is a guy who will never quit trying to improve. Even if he doesn't do well, it's nice to see him be a stand-up guy and answer all the humiliating questions in the locker room, day after day. I still hold out hope that he can be a Mike Macfarlane clone. (To me, that's a good thing.)
Outfield - Watching David DeJesus' tiny little legs motor around like a Bugs Bunny cartoon while covering for "outfielders" Emil Brown and Matt Stairs is highly entertaining. Actually, DeJesus is one of the more underrated players in the game. He fields his position well, doesn't force anything at the plate and has a little pop in his bat.
I suppose watching Emil Brown become the next Raul Ibanez is at least moderately interesting. I'll just have to forget the fact that he's our cleanup hitter.
Aaron Guiel puts in a hearty effort every time he's out there and Chip Ambres brings the promise of once being a highly-touted prospect.
Starting pitchers - Runelvys Hernandez should be much improved in his second season coming off arm surgery.
Zack Greinke, struggling or not, has one of the most enjoyable repertoires of any pitcher I've ever seen.
Mark Redman and Scott Elarton will (hopefully) keep us in games long enough for our bullpen to take over.
Maybe, just maybe, Jeremy Affeldt can fulfill his potential and land a spot in the rotation with his blazing fastball and big curve.
Bullpen - After watching DeJesus run down a plethora of fly balls from our starters, it will be fun to watch our Young Guns blow people away in the late innings.
Andy Sisco (who ought to get a chance at the last rotation slot, as well), Ambiorix Burgos and Mike MacDougal all heat up the radar gun.
Throw in crafty long relief guys like Mike Wood and Older Mike Wood, a.k.a. newly acquired Elmer Dessens and this should be one of the better bullpens in baseball.
Now I'll have a few handy answers to use when someone asks, "Why do you continue to watch these losers?!" that doesn't start with, "Well, they play in Kansas City and I live in Kansas City; who else am I supposed to watch?."
Both arguments have been made as to the significance of these transactions:
A) "Allard Baird is an idiot and needs to be fired. What the hell do we need a 35-year old second baseman for when we have no fewer than three second base prospects who could be utilized? Why do we need a good glove/no hit first baseman when we could split those duties with some combination of Mike Sweeney/Matt Stairs/Justin Huber? Isn't Scott Elarton a Jose Lima clone, minus the histrionics? Aren't backup catchers a dime a dozen? Why pay Paul Bako $700,000 when we had Paul Phillips readily available?"
OR
B) "Allard Baird has finally put a plan together. Bringing in a handful of 'experienced Major League veterans' will give much-needed development time for the youngsters who proved they weren't quite ready this year. The short-term contracts they signed ensure that they won't be blocking those prospects paths once they're ready to contribute. The improved infield defense will help restore the confidence of a young pitching staff that has been continually betrayed by one of the worst defenses in baseball. And Paul Bako will act as a sort of a catching instructor to young starter John Buck."
Well, you know what? There's probably some truth in both arguments. Allowing the youngsters to develop is a much better idea than letting them crash and burn in the same fashion they did last year. On the other hand, Baird had a bucket-load of cash to spend and still couldn't come up with his fabled "impact bat".
"So," I thought to myself, "I had better come up with some reason to follow these guys other than rooting against another 100-loss season."
Here's what I came up with:
First base/DH - Mientkiewicz is a gritty, dirt-on-the-uniform, eye-black-under-the-eyes kind of player. That's fun. He'll scoop up more errant throws than Sweeney or Stairs could ever dream of. That'll be refreshing. His nickname is "Minky". I don't know how I feel about that other than I'm glad he's got a nickname.
Sweeney will no doubt be in the best shape he's ever been in (again) come spring training. With that declaration will come his usual enthusiasm at the beginning of the season. I vow to enjoy watching him swing harder than anyone I've ever seen without thinking about how he will inevitably wrench his back sometime in late May or early June.
I will enjoy watching Stairs continue to compete at the major league level despite having the body of a slow-pitch softball player. I will continue to enjoy the two nicknames Ryan and I have come up with for him: "Beer League" and "Stairs, Son of Gloin".
Second base/shortstop - Grudzielanek will botch fewer plays at second than the kiddie corps before him. And he has the endearing nickname "Grudz".
Angel Berroa will surely be more confident throwing to a first baseman who isn't made of stone and turning double-plays with a guy who knows that you need to be relatively near second base for it to count.
Third base - I will be glad to see the inevitable improvement from Mark Teahen after playing a full season in the majors. And if not, I can continue to daydream about super prospects Billy Butler and Alex Gordon who also man that position.
Catcher - John Buck is a guy who will never quit trying to improve. Even if he doesn't do well, it's nice to see him be a stand-up guy and answer all the humiliating questions in the locker room, day after day. I still hold out hope that he can be a Mike Macfarlane clone. (To me, that's a good thing.)
Outfield - Watching David DeJesus' tiny little legs motor around like a Bugs Bunny cartoon while covering for "outfielders" Emil Brown and Matt Stairs is highly entertaining. Actually, DeJesus is one of the more underrated players in the game. He fields his position well, doesn't force anything at the plate and has a little pop in his bat.
I suppose watching Emil Brown become the next Raul Ibanez is at least moderately interesting. I'll just have to forget the fact that he's our cleanup hitter.
Aaron Guiel puts in a hearty effort every time he's out there and Chip Ambres brings the promise of once being a highly-touted prospect.
Starting pitchers - Runelvys Hernandez should be much improved in his second season coming off arm surgery.
Zack Greinke, struggling or not, has one of the most enjoyable repertoires of any pitcher I've ever seen.
Mark Redman and Scott Elarton will (hopefully) keep us in games long enough for our bullpen to take over.
Maybe, just maybe, Jeremy Affeldt can fulfill his potential and land a spot in the rotation with his blazing fastball and big curve.
Bullpen - After watching DeJesus run down a plethora of fly balls from our starters, it will be fun to watch our Young Guns blow people away in the late innings.
Andy Sisco (who ought to get a chance at the last rotation slot, as well), Ambiorix Burgos and Mike MacDougal all heat up the radar gun.
Throw in crafty long relief guys like Mike Wood and Older Mike Wood, a.k.a. newly acquired Elmer Dessens and this should be one of the better bullpens in baseball.
Now I'll have a few handy answers to use when someone asks, "Why do you continue to watch these losers?!" that doesn't start with, "Well, they play in Kansas City and I live in Kansas City; who else am I supposed to watch?."
Friday, December 09, 2005
Lotsa Stuff
Several things to cover today as much has happened during my absence.
First, by request of a faithful reader, I need to comment on the Hot Stove League, baseball's off-season transaction circus. All sorts of interesting and befuddling things have transpired over the last couple of weeks.
The most interesting team in my opinion has been the Red Sox. They started off by trading for Josh Beckett and Mike Lowell. I really think Beckett has a chance to be a number one starter and any time you can acquire a guy like that, you have to seriously consider it. If he stays healthy, he could be the cornerstone of the Sox pitching staff for a decade. And they'll need it considering Curt Schilling isn't getting any younger and Matt Clement was a little iffy last year. Then you throw in Mike Lowell, who struggled mightily for the Marlins last year. He's past his prime, but the only was the trade was going to be made was by Boston taking on his contract. That's the luxury of having the second-highest payroll in baseball. But he could produce if he can stay on the field. (Plus, they stole Mark Loretta from the Padres for backup catcher Doug Mirabelli. Padres GM Kevin Towers: "Hmm, All-Star second baseman for a guy whose only measurable talent includes catching Tim Wakefield's knuckleball every fifth day. What the hell, gimme Mirabelli!")
If not, they picked up Andy Marte, who Baseball Prospectus considered the top prospect in all of baseball at the beginning of last season. This was another excellent transaction, sending Edgar Renteria and the majority of his contract away after a disappointing 2005. And while that may leave them thin at shortstop, they have highly-touted prospect Dustin Pedroia waiting in the wings.
That's assuming the latest high-octane rumor doesn't pan out: Manny Ramirez for Miguel Tejada. Tejada came out and said that he's unhappy with the way the Orioles have built their team and suggested that a change of scenery might do him good. With ongoing rumors about trading Ramirez and the sudden vacancy at the shortstop position in Boston, this seems like a viable trade.
But I'm not sure it's the best thing to do.
Manny Ramirez is one of the best hitters of all time. Sure, he acts a little kooky on occasion but he's never done anything but produce at the highest level. I just don't see why the Sox would feel obligated to ship him off. That being said, if the pressure to trade Manny becomes too great, at least they're getting a high-quality bat in return. And at a traditionally defensive position, to boot.
But that would leave a gaping hole in left field with no apparent successor at the ready. Add in the fact that Johnny Damon may not re-sign with the Sox and they're outfield is suddenly barren. You keep Manny and you've got Pedroia on the way. You get Tejada and Pedroia is blocked and only usable as trade bait for a left or center fielder.
I think I'd keep Manny.
----------------------------------
The hometown Royals have not been nearly as splashy. Check out this list of winners the Royals have acquired so far:
P Adam Bernero, signed to minor league contract
P Elmer Dessens, 2 years @ $3.4 million
P Mark Redman, in exchange for minor leaguer Jonah Bayliss
2B Esteban German, in exchange for Fabio Castro, the Royals first pick in the Rule 5 Draft.
The Bad News: The Royals have not acquired anyone that could be considered "high-impact".
The Good News: The Royals have not flushed the extra $22 million available to them down the toilet by giving in and overpaying for mediocre talent.
Allard Baird has stuck to his strengths, scouring for "piece-of-the-puzzle guys", but still hasn't made been able to land any players who can make an immediate difference. The sad thing is that he's accumulated a lot of talent and fill-in guys, but because he hasn't brought in any superstars (or even stars, for that matter), he'll likely be gone by the end of next season.
There's still time left, though. I wouldn't mind seeing him pony up some cash for Kevin Millwood. Or take a flier on Richard Hidalgo or Nomar or Byung-Hyun Kim. Instead, the ancient names "Reggie Sanders" and "Mark Grudzielanek" keep popping up. Why not get in on the Julio Franco sweepstakes? He's only 47 years old!
----------------------------------
Some short thoughts on other off-season activities:
Toronto signs starting pitcher A.J. Burnett for 5 years/$55 million. Toronto is trying to keep up with the Joneses, but signing an injury-prone #2 starter to that kind of contract is ludicrous. Though not as ludicrous as...
Toronto signs relief pitcher B.J. Ryan for 5 years/$47 million. Apparently the Jays took a look at fellow AL East also-ran Baltimore and decided to copy their plan. By the looks of the Orioles, I wouldn't say that was a very smart decision.
New York Yankees sign relief pitcher Kyle Farnsworth for 3 years/$17 million.
New York Mets sign relief pitcher Billy Wagner for 4 years/$43 million.
Philadelphia signs relief pitcher Tom Gordon for 3 years/$18 million.
Chicago Cubs sign relief pitcher Scott Eyre for 3 years/$11 million. Including B.J. Ryan, major league owners have pissed away $136 million on relief pitchers who have one of the following qualities: a) have had short-term success, b) have had long-term success, but are now old enough to have grandchildren, or c) have learned the ways of hypnotism and therefore managed to fleece their current boss out of inordinate amounts of money. Look at it this way: A lot of teams would love to have $136 million to spend on an ENTIRE ROSTER, much less five relief pitchers.
Chicago White Sox acquire first baseman/DH Jim Thome. Gee, I can't wait to have this guy blast 15 homers in 18 games off my Royals.
New York Mets acquire first baseman Carlos Delgado. For some strange reason, I kind of like the Mets. But I don't think Delgado will be enough to push them into championship contender status.
Florida Marlins retain one player from last year's Opening Day starting lineup. You'd have thought they won the World Series last year...
Chicago Cubs acquire centerfielder Juan Pierre. You thought Cubs fans were whiny about Corey Patterson last year? Just wait until Juan Pierre hits .265 and completely submarines his on-base percentage. Wait 'til next year, Cubs fans. Well, I guess, wait 'til the year after that.
----------------------------------
Fans of Kansas basketball are officially freaking out. And, quite frankly, I'm annoyed by it.
Yes, we're 3-4.
Yes, Bill Self has used more lineups than Bob Boone.
Yes, it looks like we'll be lucky to make the NCAA tournament.
But I'll let you in on something: Bill Self did not make it this far in his career by being indecisive, unable to adjust and relying strictly on recruiting. Here is his career head coaching record:
Oral Roberts University
1993-94 6-21 .222
1994-95 10-17 .370
1995-96 18-9 .667
1996-97 21-7 .750
Total 55-54 .505
Tulsa
1997-98 19-12 .612
1998-99 23-10 .697
1999-2000 32-5 .865
Total 74-27 .733
Illinois
2000-01 27-8 .771
2001-02 26-9 .743
2002-03 25-7 .781
Total 78-24 .765
Kansas
2003-04 24-9 .727
2004-05 23-7 .766
Total 47-16 .746
Grand Total 254-121 .677
Does this look like a coach that doesn't know what he's doing? That's what many KU fans would have you think. But he made Oral Roberts a winning program in his tenure there. He won 32(!) games at Tulsa. He had one of the consistently toughest teams every year at Illinois (and his guys played for the National Championship last year).
So he's had a tough time adjusting at Kansas. Give him a break. He inherited a talented, yet disillusioned team. Gone were Nick Collison and Kirk Hinrich, the best players of the young century. What he had left were guys who were good, but not as good as those who left. Wayne Simien, as good as he was, was no Nick Collison. Combine the skills of Aaron Miles, Keith Langford and J.R. Giddens and you come up with Kirk Hinrich. The guys who were left were used to running fun-and-gun basketball. Self had to implement his defense-first system and it probably cost us in the short term.
But he's got his guys in place now. And it looks like he's starting to realize that minutes for Jeff Hawkins, Christian Moody and (are you kidding me?) Stephen Vinson are getting us nowhere, if the St. Joe's game is any indication. Anyone with half a brain in his head noticed that the team played much better offensively when the four freshman were all out on the floor. Unfortunately, the defense was lacking. So that put Self in a bind: go for the short-term, feel good wins against St. Joe's and the like or continue to plant the defense-first philosophy and reap the benefits next year and beyond.
The thing is, Self's not an idiot. He's the one who put those freshman out there in the second half. He's that one who limited the minutes of our dreadful senior class. He'll get things sorted out. But we're going to have to live with the growing pains.
We've (I include myself) become spoiled beyond belief as KU basketball fans. Contending for the National Championship every year is a blessing all but a handful of teams don't receive. It's been a tumultuous couple of years in Lawrence, but things will come out looking as good or better than they ever have. A slow start and the prospect of missing the tournament is no reason lynch Bill Self.
----------------------------------
It's come down to the Final Four in Survivor, with the winner to be determined Sunday night. This has been an odd season for me as I never really felt like I got to know the contestants that well, even though the group included Stephenie (from last season), Danni (from Kansas City) and Brandon (from Kansas). Anyway, here are my thoughts on the chances of the remaining Survivors:
Lydia: Couldn't win because no one in the jury would respect her for sliding by the entire game.
Danni: Unlikely to win because I don't see her winning an immunity challenge and avoid being voted out before the final two.
(Side note: I'll be curious to see what she looks like on the reunion show. You know how everyone always puts on a few pounds and some makeup? It'll be interesting to see if she gains any weight. For everyone's sake, I hope so. Yikes.)
Stephenie: Could win if she continues to get immunity, but if she doesn't she'll be gone. Though, if it comes down to Rafe and Steph, I don't see all the people Steph has screwed over voting for her to win unless it's one of those backwards "I respect her for playing the game hard even though I got betrayed" votes.
(Side note: Last season, Stephenie became my all-time favorite player. She epitomized the definition of survivor, enduring the worst tribe in Survivor history, clawing her way past Bobby Jon and even spending a night alone in the wild. But her personality has taken a big hit this season. Now that she's actually had to play the mental game, she's just as conniving as the next guy. That just doesn't come off as well and leaves me mildly disappointed. Oh, well; that's what you get rooting for a reality show contestant.)
Rafe: I think he probably wins because he's strong and smart enough to win the last couple challenges and everyone likes him and will have little problem voting for him. I don't recall him backstabbing anyone, either.
When it comes down to it, though, I vote for Lydia's Hair as the "Ultimate Survivor". Have you noticed that it hasn't changed at all in 34 days, deep in the jungle of Guatemala? She ought to get a hefty endorsement contract from the hair product company she currently patronizes.
----------------------------------
Last and least, the Chiefs take a 3-game winning streak into Sunday's matchup against the Cowboys in Dallas. After jerking Kansas City's collective chain, the Chiefs have actually put themselves in a position to grab a playoff spot. The road ahead is still tough, though. At worst, they need to split the next two road games against the Cowboys and the Giants. And they absolutely MUST beat San Diego and Cincinnati at Arrowhead to close out the season. Of course, even if they do happen to make it into the playoffs, there's that pesky little monkey on their backs of not winning a first round playoff game since the Lincoln administration. But I suppose it's better to contend for a playoff game with a foregone conclusion than it is to have no shot at all. Like the Royals.
First, by request of a faithful reader, I need to comment on the Hot Stove League, baseball's off-season transaction circus. All sorts of interesting and befuddling things have transpired over the last couple of weeks.
The most interesting team in my opinion has been the Red Sox. They started off by trading for Josh Beckett and Mike Lowell. I really think Beckett has a chance to be a number one starter and any time you can acquire a guy like that, you have to seriously consider it. If he stays healthy, he could be the cornerstone of the Sox pitching staff for a decade. And they'll need it considering Curt Schilling isn't getting any younger and Matt Clement was a little iffy last year. Then you throw in Mike Lowell, who struggled mightily for the Marlins last year. He's past his prime, but the only was the trade was going to be made was by Boston taking on his contract. That's the luxury of having the second-highest payroll in baseball. But he could produce if he can stay on the field. (Plus, they stole Mark Loretta from the Padres for backup catcher Doug Mirabelli. Padres GM Kevin Towers: "Hmm, All-Star second baseman for a guy whose only measurable talent includes catching Tim Wakefield's knuckleball every fifth day. What the hell, gimme Mirabelli!")
If not, they picked up Andy Marte, who Baseball Prospectus considered the top prospect in all of baseball at the beginning of last season. This was another excellent transaction, sending Edgar Renteria and the majority of his contract away after a disappointing 2005. And while that may leave them thin at shortstop, they have highly-touted prospect Dustin Pedroia waiting in the wings.
That's assuming the latest high-octane rumor doesn't pan out: Manny Ramirez for Miguel Tejada. Tejada came out and said that he's unhappy with the way the Orioles have built their team and suggested that a change of scenery might do him good. With ongoing rumors about trading Ramirez and the sudden vacancy at the shortstop position in Boston, this seems like a viable trade.
But I'm not sure it's the best thing to do.
Manny Ramirez is one of the best hitters of all time. Sure, he acts a little kooky on occasion but he's never done anything but produce at the highest level. I just don't see why the Sox would feel obligated to ship him off. That being said, if the pressure to trade Manny becomes too great, at least they're getting a high-quality bat in return. And at a traditionally defensive position, to boot.
But that would leave a gaping hole in left field with no apparent successor at the ready. Add in the fact that Johnny Damon may not re-sign with the Sox and they're outfield is suddenly barren. You keep Manny and you've got Pedroia on the way. You get Tejada and Pedroia is blocked and only usable as trade bait for a left or center fielder.
I think I'd keep Manny.
----------------------------------
The hometown Royals have not been nearly as splashy. Check out this list of winners the Royals have acquired so far:
P Adam Bernero, signed to minor league contract
P Elmer Dessens, 2 years @ $3.4 million
P Mark Redman, in exchange for minor leaguer Jonah Bayliss
2B Esteban German, in exchange for Fabio Castro, the Royals first pick in the Rule 5 Draft.
The Bad News: The Royals have not acquired anyone that could be considered "high-impact".
The Good News: The Royals have not flushed the extra $22 million available to them down the toilet by giving in and overpaying for mediocre talent.
Allard Baird has stuck to his strengths, scouring for "piece-of-the-puzzle guys", but still hasn't made been able to land any players who can make an immediate difference. The sad thing is that he's accumulated a lot of talent and fill-in guys, but because he hasn't brought in any superstars (or even stars, for that matter), he'll likely be gone by the end of next season.
There's still time left, though. I wouldn't mind seeing him pony up some cash for Kevin Millwood. Or take a flier on Richard Hidalgo or Nomar or Byung-Hyun Kim. Instead, the ancient names "Reggie Sanders" and "Mark Grudzielanek" keep popping up. Why not get in on the Julio Franco sweepstakes? He's only 47 years old!
----------------------------------
Some short thoughts on other off-season activities:
Toronto signs starting pitcher A.J. Burnett for 5 years/$55 million. Toronto is trying to keep up with the Joneses, but signing an injury-prone #2 starter to that kind of contract is ludicrous. Though not as ludicrous as...
Toronto signs relief pitcher B.J. Ryan for 5 years/$47 million. Apparently the Jays took a look at fellow AL East also-ran Baltimore and decided to copy their plan. By the looks of the Orioles, I wouldn't say that was a very smart decision.
New York Yankees sign relief pitcher Kyle Farnsworth for 3 years/$17 million.
New York Mets sign relief pitcher Billy Wagner for 4 years/$43 million.
Philadelphia signs relief pitcher Tom Gordon for 3 years/$18 million.
Chicago Cubs sign relief pitcher Scott Eyre for 3 years/$11 million. Including B.J. Ryan, major league owners have pissed away $136 million on relief pitchers who have one of the following qualities: a) have had short-term success, b) have had long-term success, but are now old enough to have grandchildren, or c) have learned the ways of hypnotism and therefore managed to fleece their current boss out of inordinate amounts of money. Look at it this way: A lot of teams would love to have $136 million to spend on an ENTIRE ROSTER, much less five relief pitchers.
Chicago White Sox acquire first baseman/DH Jim Thome. Gee, I can't wait to have this guy blast 15 homers in 18 games off my Royals.
New York Mets acquire first baseman Carlos Delgado. For some strange reason, I kind of like the Mets. But I don't think Delgado will be enough to push them into championship contender status.
Florida Marlins retain one player from last year's Opening Day starting lineup. You'd have thought they won the World Series last year...
Chicago Cubs acquire centerfielder Juan Pierre. You thought Cubs fans were whiny about Corey Patterson last year? Just wait until Juan Pierre hits .265 and completely submarines his on-base percentage. Wait 'til next year, Cubs fans. Well, I guess, wait 'til the year after that.
----------------------------------
Fans of Kansas basketball are officially freaking out. And, quite frankly, I'm annoyed by it.
Yes, we're 3-4.
Yes, Bill Self has used more lineups than Bob Boone.
Yes, it looks like we'll be lucky to make the NCAA tournament.
But I'll let you in on something: Bill Self did not make it this far in his career by being indecisive, unable to adjust and relying strictly on recruiting. Here is his career head coaching record:
Oral Roberts University
1993-94 6-21 .222
1994-95 10-17 .370
1995-96 18-9 .667
1996-97 21-7 .750
Total 55-54 .505
Tulsa
1997-98 19-12 .612
1998-99 23-10 .697
1999-2000 32-5 .865
Total 74-27 .733
Illinois
2000-01 27-8 .771
2001-02 26-9 .743
2002-03 25-7 .781
Total 78-24 .765
Kansas
2003-04 24-9 .727
2004-05 23-7 .766
Total 47-16 .746
Grand Total 254-121 .677
Does this look like a coach that doesn't know what he's doing? That's what many KU fans would have you think. But he made Oral Roberts a winning program in his tenure there. He won 32(!) games at Tulsa. He had one of the consistently toughest teams every year at Illinois (and his guys played for the National Championship last year).
So he's had a tough time adjusting at Kansas. Give him a break. He inherited a talented, yet disillusioned team. Gone were Nick Collison and Kirk Hinrich, the best players of the young century. What he had left were guys who were good, but not as good as those who left. Wayne Simien, as good as he was, was no Nick Collison. Combine the skills of Aaron Miles, Keith Langford and J.R. Giddens and you come up with Kirk Hinrich. The guys who were left were used to running fun-and-gun basketball. Self had to implement his defense-first system and it probably cost us in the short term.
But he's got his guys in place now. And it looks like he's starting to realize that minutes for Jeff Hawkins, Christian Moody and (are you kidding me?) Stephen Vinson are getting us nowhere, if the St. Joe's game is any indication. Anyone with half a brain in his head noticed that the team played much better offensively when the four freshman were all out on the floor. Unfortunately, the defense was lacking. So that put Self in a bind: go for the short-term, feel good wins against St. Joe's and the like or continue to plant the defense-first philosophy and reap the benefits next year and beyond.
The thing is, Self's not an idiot. He's the one who put those freshman out there in the second half. He's that one who limited the minutes of our dreadful senior class. He'll get things sorted out. But we're going to have to live with the growing pains.
We've (I include myself) become spoiled beyond belief as KU basketball fans. Contending for the National Championship every year is a blessing all but a handful of teams don't receive. It's been a tumultuous couple of years in Lawrence, but things will come out looking as good or better than they ever have. A slow start and the prospect of missing the tournament is no reason lynch Bill Self.
----------------------------------
It's come down to the Final Four in Survivor, with the winner to be determined Sunday night. This has been an odd season for me as I never really felt like I got to know the contestants that well, even though the group included Stephenie (from last season), Danni (from Kansas City) and Brandon (from Kansas). Anyway, here are my thoughts on the chances of the remaining Survivors:
Lydia: Couldn't win because no one in the jury would respect her for sliding by the entire game.
Danni: Unlikely to win because I don't see her winning an immunity challenge and avoid being voted out before the final two.
(Side note: I'll be curious to see what she looks like on the reunion show. You know how everyone always puts on a few pounds and some makeup? It'll be interesting to see if she gains any weight. For everyone's sake, I hope so. Yikes.)
Stephenie: Could win if she continues to get immunity, but if she doesn't she'll be gone. Though, if it comes down to Rafe and Steph, I don't see all the people Steph has screwed over voting for her to win unless it's one of those backwards "I respect her for playing the game hard even though I got betrayed" votes.
(Side note: Last season, Stephenie became my all-time favorite player. She epitomized the definition of survivor, enduring the worst tribe in Survivor history, clawing her way past Bobby Jon and even spending a night alone in the wild. But her personality has taken a big hit this season. Now that she's actually had to play the mental game, she's just as conniving as the next guy. That just doesn't come off as well and leaves me mildly disappointed. Oh, well; that's what you get rooting for a reality show contestant.)
Rafe: I think he probably wins because he's strong and smart enough to win the last couple challenges and everyone likes him and will have little problem voting for him. I don't recall him backstabbing anyone, either.
When it comes down to it, though, I vote for Lydia's Hair as the "Ultimate Survivor". Have you noticed that it hasn't changed at all in 34 days, deep in the jungle of Guatemala? She ought to get a hefty endorsement contract from the hair product company she currently patronizes.
----------------------------------
Last and least, the Chiefs take a 3-game winning streak into Sunday's matchup against the Cowboys in Dallas. After jerking Kansas City's collective chain, the Chiefs have actually put themselves in a position to grab a playoff spot. The road ahead is still tough, though. At worst, they need to split the next two road games against the Cowboys and the Giants. And they absolutely MUST beat San Diego and Cincinnati at Arrowhead to close out the season. Of course, even if they do happen to make it into the playoffs, there's that pesky little monkey on their backs of not winning a first round playoff game since the Lincoln administration. But I suppose it's better to contend for a playoff game with a foregone conclusion than it is to have no shot at all. Like the Royals.
Thursday, November 17, 2005
The Sporting News
The pop culture take is a little more involved than I thought. I want to do it right, so it may take me an additional day or two. Fret not, though; I will have something soon. In the meantime, I wanted to comment on recent and timely sporting news:
** The Royals have reportedly targeted Reggie Sanders as a free agent solution to their abysmal outfield production. I think Reggie Sanders is a stand-up guy, but he's 37-years old and has an extensive injury history. How this fits into our youth plan is beyond me. Additionally, GM Allard Baird is interested in Elmer Dessens as a middle reliever. The same Elmer Dessens with the 4.40 career ERA. Of course, he had a 3.56 ERA last year for the Dodgers. But Baird obviously isn't aware of the existence of park effects which give Dodger pitchers shinier resumes because they pitch half their games in Dodger Stadium. Think of Dodger stadium as the opposite of Coors Field in Colorado: pitchers thrive in L.A. and die in Denver. Jose Lima reminded us of that when he was re-signed by the Royals a year after posting a 4.07 ERA for the Dodgers. His 6.99 ERA for the Royals last year was the worst in baseball history by a pitcher who started at least 30 games. All of this is to reiterate that Allard Baird has absolutely no idea how to acquire proven major league talent.
** The NCAA suspended KU forward Darnell Jackson for nine games. The suspension came as a result of Jackson's friendship with KU football alumnus and booster Don Davis. Davis met Jackson when Jackson was in high school and had yet to even be recruited by KU. Davis befriended Jackson and his family, becoming a mentor and spiritual leader to the boy who had previously lost his father.
I realize that the NCAA has to have strict guidelines in place to avoid unfair treatment of athletes and universities, but this just doesn't seem appropriate. How can you punish a kid for a sincere relationship he had with someone before he was even a college recruit? On top of that, Davis, who is one of the few successful KU football players currently in the NFL, has been disassociated from the university, revoking his ticket privileges and ability to donate to the Williams Fund. All I can say is that this is all very unfortunate.
** The NFL announced that Kansas City is eligible to host a Super Bowl, assuming they make renovations to Arrowhead Stadium that include a roof and climate control. This should have been a happy day, but the $500 million estimate to renovate and add a roof has dampened enthusiasm. Since Lamar Hunt tried earlier this year to bilk Kansas City taxpayers out of hundreds of millions of dollars (and was voted down), it seems he's been holed up, trying to figure out how to leverage his enormous clout into getting these renovation dollars. And he seems to have found the perfect plan: Throw your weight around with the NFL offices and owners ("I founded the AFL, after all!") to ensure an opportunity to host the Super Bowl and then pawn off the ever-increasing costs to the Kansas City taxpayer. That way, if the taxpayers vote it down, they'll be stuck with the stigma of not doing enough to help attract a Super Bowl and improve Kansas City while Hunt sits back and says, "Hey, I did my part." I'm tired of this crap. Maybe if we had won more than one Super Bowl since 1970 I'd be more willing to pony up some dough for this ridiculous proposal.
** The Royals have reportedly targeted Reggie Sanders as a free agent solution to their abysmal outfield production. I think Reggie Sanders is a stand-up guy, but he's 37-years old and has an extensive injury history. How this fits into our youth plan is beyond me. Additionally, GM Allard Baird is interested in Elmer Dessens as a middle reliever. The same Elmer Dessens with the 4.40 career ERA. Of course, he had a 3.56 ERA last year for the Dodgers. But Baird obviously isn't aware of the existence of park effects which give Dodger pitchers shinier resumes because they pitch half their games in Dodger Stadium. Think of Dodger stadium as the opposite of Coors Field in Colorado: pitchers thrive in L.A. and die in Denver. Jose Lima reminded us of that when he was re-signed by the Royals a year after posting a 4.07 ERA for the Dodgers. His 6.99 ERA for the Royals last year was the worst in baseball history by a pitcher who started at least 30 games. All of this is to reiterate that Allard Baird has absolutely no idea how to acquire proven major league talent.
** The NCAA suspended KU forward Darnell Jackson for nine games. The suspension came as a result of Jackson's friendship with KU football alumnus and booster Don Davis. Davis met Jackson when Jackson was in high school and had yet to even be recruited by KU. Davis befriended Jackson and his family, becoming a mentor and spiritual leader to the boy who had previously lost his father.
I realize that the NCAA has to have strict guidelines in place to avoid unfair treatment of athletes and universities, but this just doesn't seem appropriate. How can you punish a kid for a sincere relationship he had with someone before he was even a college recruit? On top of that, Davis, who is one of the few successful KU football players currently in the NFL, has been disassociated from the university, revoking his ticket privileges and ability to donate to the Williams Fund. All I can say is that this is all very unfortunate.
** The NFL announced that Kansas City is eligible to host a Super Bowl, assuming they make renovations to Arrowhead Stadium that include a roof and climate control. This should have been a happy day, but the $500 million estimate to renovate and add a roof has dampened enthusiasm. Since Lamar Hunt tried earlier this year to bilk Kansas City taxpayers out of hundreds of millions of dollars (and was voted down), it seems he's been holed up, trying to figure out how to leverage his enormous clout into getting these renovation dollars. And he seems to have found the perfect plan: Throw your weight around with the NFL offices and owners ("I founded the AFL, after all!") to ensure an opportunity to host the Super Bowl and then pawn off the ever-increasing costs to the Kansas City taxpayer. That way, if the taxpayers vote it down, they'll be stuck with the stigma of not doing enough to help attract a Super Bowl and improve Kansas City while Hunt sits back and says, "Hey, I did my part." I'm tired of this crap. Maybe if we had won more than one Super Bowl since 1970 I'd be more willing to pony up some dough for this ridiculous proposal.
Tuesday, November 15, 2005
Opposition
Kansas State and Missouri. One's a respectable, good-natured, in-state rival. The other is a low-down, mangy, despicable screw-up. I'm sure you'll figure out where I stand after reading the following opinions:
**Bill Snyder is retiring at the end of the season as Kansas State's head football coach. Though it seems like an appropriate time, it's still kind of a shocker. Snyder transformed the worst college football program in history into a national power. And while the team has slipped of late, he has left the program in a position to reclaim some of the glory he had once brought the school. Though it would be great fun to write about what how wooden he's been and so on, I'll prefer to just give the man his due. He accomplished a monumental task at K-State, sacrificing many years of family time that he can never recapture, in order to put that program on the map. And regardless of the fact that he coaches on of KU's main rivals, this is a time to put that aside and give him his much-deserved respect. Unlike the recipient of the next topic...
**Quin Snyder's Missouri Tigers lose (at home!) to SAM HOUSTON STATE. Blink a couple of times and read that again: SAM HOUSTON STATE. This gives Missouri losses three years in a row to teams that have absolutely no business beating them. Belmont, Davidson and now SAM HOUSTON STATE. In Missouri's home opener. A game they haven't lost in 32 years. If this doesn't begins Quin's death march, I don't know what it takes. Get a load of these quotes:
“Obviously,” Snyder said, “if we play like this, it’s going to be an awfully long season.”
“I think it’s reflective of us not accepting who we are,” Snyder said of the implication that Missouri took this opponent lightly. “And frankly I’m really surprised by that in light of what these guys have been through.
“I’m shocked that we don’t understand that. I thought that’s something that would be burned on our heart, the lessons about how much energy we have to play with.”
Maybe it's just me, but I'm pretty sure the coach's main responsibility is to make sure he puts his charges in a position to do the best they can. That might entail having them run to achieve superior cardio-vascular fitness. That might also entail imploring to them to understand that each game is important and deserves maximum focus. Old Sam Houston managed to do that, defeating Santa Anna after Texas forces got whupped at the Alamo. Looks like Quin needs to take a page out of history if he wants to stay at Missouri much longer.
**I'm working up some thoughts for a take on pop culture. Stay tuned in the next day or two...
**Bill Snyder is retiring at the end of the season as Kansas State's head football coach. Though it seems like an appropriate time, it's still kind of a shocker. Snyder transformed the worst college football program in history into a national power. And while the team has slipped of late, he has left the program in a position to reclaim some of the glory he had once brought the school. Though it would be great fun to write about what how wooden he's been and so on, I'll prefer to just give the man his due. He accomplished a monumental task at K-State, sacrificing many years of family time that he can never recapture, in order to put that program on the map. And regardless of the fact that he coaches on of KU's main rivals, this is a time to put that aside and give him his much-deserved respect. Unlike the recipient of the next topic...
**Quin Snyder's Missouri Tigers lose (at home!) to SAM HOUSTON STATE. Blink a couple of times and read that again: SAM HOUSTON STATE. This gives Missouri losses three years in a row to teams that have absolutely no business beating them. Belmont, Davidson and now SAM HOUSTON STATE. In Missouri's home opener. A game they haven't lost in 32 years. If this doesn't begins Quin's death march, I don't know what it takes. Get a load of these quotes:
“Obviously,” Snyder said, “if we play like this, it’s going to be an awfully long season.”
“I think it’s reflective of us not accepting who we are,” Snyder said of the implication that Missouri took this opponent lightly. “And frankly I’m really surprised by that in light of what these guys have been through.
“I’m shocked that we don’t understand that. I thought that’s something that would be burned on our heart, the lessons about how much energy we have to play with.”
Maybe it's just me, but I'm pretty sure the coach's main responsibility is to make sure he puts his charges in a position to do the best they can. That might entail having them run to achieve superior cardio-vascular fitness. That might also entail imploring to them to understand that each game is important and deserves maximum focus. Old Sam Houston managed to do that, defeating Santa Anna after Texas forces got whupped at the Alamo. Looks like Quin needs to take a page out of history if he wants to stay at Missouri much longer.
**I'm working up some thoughts for a take on pop culture. Stay tuned in the next day or two...
Yin/Yang
Up and down.
Good and bad.
Exciting and boring.
In my opinion, this is the sort of game that is going to define the upcoming regular season for KU basketball.
A decent first half showing followed by a sloppy and out-of-rythm performance in the second half. On a team so young and inexperienced, there is little reason to expect anything other than this. There were flashes of brilliance and flashes of immaturity. In the end, it makes me dream of what's to come.
The Kansas big men were aggressive once again, with C.J. Giles having the banner game with 24 points. Both Giles and Sasha Kaun looked to score nearly every time they received the ball. The willingness to be assertive and take a leadership role was certainly appreciated, but that willingness needs to be balanced with the ability to kick the ball out to the wings when the shot isn't available. I can remember less than a handful of times that the ball entered the hands of a Kansas big man and was subsequently kicked back out.
Joining the inside game was Darnell Jackson, making an impressive debut this season after being cleared by the NCAA regarding mysterious "eligibility" issues. After the game, Coach Self said they hoped to have these issues cleared up in the next 48 hours. But during this game, Jackson asserted himself, looking to score, rebound and defend. His presence will be much needed as these big men learn how to keep themselves out of foul trouble.
KU's perimeter players were less impressive, making one of their first eleven from three-point range. To be fair, the guards had plenty of good looks and open shots, but it was just one of those nights where the shots just weren't falling. Russell Robinson did manage to direct a couple of floaters for alley oops to Giles and Brandon Rush, but he was unable to finish on several drives to the basket. Mario Chalmers made some nice passes, including a no-look, behind the back dish on the fast break to Julian Wright, who was able to finish for two points. And Jeff Hawkins was pestering Pittsburgh State guards with his quick hands and quick feet.
As Coach Self mentioned in his post-game interview with Max Falkenstein, the Jayhawks were definitely lacking energy when compared to their game versus Fort Hays State. Rush and Wright didn't seem to be in just the right spot every time as they were in the previous game. And Robinson and Chalmers seemed to lack the quickness on defense that caused Fort Hays so much trouble.
But there were plenty of bright spots that left me to daydream about what's to come: Alley-oops to Giles and Rush; great entry passes by Micah Downs and Chalmers; several blocked shots by Giles; the picture-perfect shooting technique of Downs; Jackson ripping down rebounds; the unselfishness of the freshmen.
This year will have its share of highs and lows, shouts of delight and groans of despair and blowouts from both the winning and losing sides. But it will be great to watch this team grow up and dish out a little damage along the way.
Good and bad.
Exciting and boring.
In my opinion, this is the sort of game that is going to define the upcoming regular season for KU basketball.
A decent first half showing followed by a sloppy and out-of-rythm performance in the second half. On a team so young and inexperienced, there is little reason to expect anything other than this. There were flashes of brilliance and flashes of immaturity. In the end, it makes me dream of what's to come.
The Kansas big men were aggressive once again, with C.J. Giles having the banner game with 24 points. Both Giles and Sasha Kaun looked to score nearly every time they received the ball. The willingness to be assertive and take a leadership role was certainly appreciated, but that willingness needs to be balanced with the ability to kick the ball out to the wings when the shot isn't available. I can remember less than a handful of times that the ball entered the hands of a Kansas big man and was subsequently kicked back out.
Joining the inside game was Darnell Jackson, making an impressive debut this season after being cleared by the NCAA regarding mysterious "eligibility" issues. After the game, Coach Self said they hoped to have these issues cleared up in the next 48 hours. But during this game, Jackson asserted himself, looking to score, rebound and defend. His presence will be much needed as these big men learn how to keep themselves out of foul trouble.
KU's perimeter players were less impressive, making one of their first eleven from three-point range. To be fair, the guards had plenty of good looks and open shots, but it was just one of those nights where the shots just weren't falling. Russell Robinson did manage to direct a couple of floaters for alley oops to Giles and Brandon Rush, but he was unable to finish on several drives to the basket. Mario Chalmers made some nice passes, including a no-look, behind the back dish on the fast break to Julian Wright, who was able to finish for two points. And Jeff Hawkins was pestering Pittsburgh State guards with his quick hands and quick feet.
As Coach Self mentioned in his post-game interview with Max Falkenstein, the Jayhawks were definitely lacking energy when compared to their game versus Fort Hays State. Rush and Wright didn't seem to be in just the right spot every time as they were in the previous game. And Robinson and Chalmers seemed to lack the quickness on defense that caused Fort Hays so much trouble.
But there were plenty of bright spots that left me to daydream about what's to come: Alley-oops to Giles and Rush; great entry passes by Micah Downs and Chalmers; several blocked shots by Giles; the picture-perfect shooting technique of Downs; Jackson ripping down rebounds; the unselfishness of the freshmen.
This year will have its share of highs and lows, shouts of delight and groans of despair and blowouts from both the winning and losing sides. But it will be great to watch this team grow up and dish out a little damage along the way.
Monday, November 14, 2005
Weekend at Gurney's
Well, that weekend sucked.
The sports portion of the weekend, anyway. KU gets a nationally televised football game for the first time in at least ten years and the game was over before we were even able to see it. Because the OU-A&M game went late, ABC didn't cut over to the KU-Texas game until it was already 14-0 in favor of the Longhorns. And it wasn't really worth watching after that anyway. In fact, spirits were so low at Chad's, Ryan busted out the 2002 KU basketball highlight video. Watching Collison/Hinrich/Gooden and Boschee and Simien/Langford/Miles helped ease the pain of watching KU's football team get loaded onto hospital gurneys and wheeled out of the State of Competitiveness. Of course, when the highlight video ended, we flipped back to the game and saw the finishing touches of the 66-14 flogging. Oh, well. At least I won a game of poker during it all.
Following that football downer was the Chiefs game on Sunday. The Chiefs were fresh off a last second victory over Oakland and looking to stay in the thick of the AFC West race. Turns out that the team was fitted with some new footwear: toe tags. Those guys were D.O.A. The offensive line played very politely. They simply stepped out of the way of oncoming Buffalo linemen, so as to not obstruct their journey. Poor Trent Green looked like the guy from the NFL Apparel commercial who zipped himself into the tackling dummy and took a beating all day just to get some NFL jerseys.
But I'm not sure what's worse: Getting beat up or getting torched. Which is what happened to Eric Warfield. Twice he was beaten deep for touchdowns.
Really, though, Larry Johnson was the only guy who seemed to show up for the game. He ripped off 130+ yards on the ground and ran with his usual angst. It just so happened that no one else was up to the challenge. And now the Chiefs playoffs hopes are dim at best. With the exception of Houston, every remaining team on the schedule has a winning record. And we would have to go 6-1 to have a reasonable shot at the division.
Chiefs fans, say hello to a long, cold winter. This team is going nowhere this year or in the near future. Coach Dick Vermeil will likely retire after the season. Priest Holmes best days are behind him, even if he is able to play again. Willie Roaf and Will Shields are beginning their trek to Canton. And Trent Green's hair just keeps getting grayer.
At least we've got basketball, though. Tonight, the Kiddie Crew takes on Pittsburgh State in what will most likely be a carbon copy of the Fort Hays State game. Tune in tomorrow for another look at the basketball Jayhawks through rose-colored glasses.
The sports portion of the weekend, anyway. KU gets a nationally televised football game for the first time in at least ten years and the game was over before we were even able to see it. Because the OU-A&M game went late, ABC didn't cut over to the KU-Texas game until it was already 14-0 in favor of the Longhorns. And it wasn't really worth watching after that anyway. In fact, spirits were so low at Chad's, Ryan busted out the 2002 KU basketball highlight video. Watching Collison/Hinrich/Gooden and Boschee and Simien/Langford/Miles helped ease the pain of watching KU's football team get loaded onto hospital gurneys and wheeled out of the State of Competitiveness. Of course, when the highlight video ended, we flipped back to the game and saw the finishing touches of the 66-14 flogging. Oh, well. At least I won a game of poker during it all.
Following that football downer was the Chiefs game on Sunday. The Chiefs were fresh off a last second victory over Oakland and looking to stay in the thick of the AFC West race. Turns out that the team was fitted with some new footwear: toe tags. Those guys were D.O.A. The offensive line played very politely. They simply stepped out of the way of oncoming Buffalo linemen, so as to not obstruct their journey. Poor Trent Green looked like the guy from the NFL Apparel commercial who zipped himself into the tackling dummy and took a beating all day just to get some NFL jerseys.
But I'm not sure what's worse: Getting beat up or getting torched. Which is what happened to Eric Warfield. Twice he was beaten deep for touchdowns.
Really, though, Larry Johnson was the only guy who seemed to show up for the game. He ripped off 130+ yards on the ground and ran with his usual angst. It just so happened that no one else was up to the challenge. And now the Chiefs playoffs hopes are dim at best. With the exception of Houston, every remaining team on the schedule has a winning record. And we would have to go 6-1 to have a reasonable shot at the division.
Chiefs fans, say hello to a long, cold winter. This team is going nowhere this year or in the near future. Coach Dick Vermeil will likely retire after the season. Priest Holmes best days are behind him, even if he is able to play again. Willie Roaf and Will Shields are beginning their trek to Canton. And Trent Green's hair just keeps getting grayer.
At least we've got basketball, though. Tonight, the Kiddie Crew takes on Pittsburgh State in what will most likely be a carbon copy of the Fort Hays State game. Tune in tomorrow for another look at the basketball Jayhawks through rose-colored glasses.
Thursday, November 10, 2005
Lowered Expectations
All during this off-season for KU basketball, I've been pretty realistic (some would say pessimistic) about our team's chances this year. We just lost four seniors, three of whom started and one of which (Wayne Simien) was an All-American. J.R. Giddens was involved in a bar fight and was stabbed in the leg, another data point on his ledger sheet that was filled with erratic behavior. Giddens transferred to New Mexico, stripping the team of yet another starter. The only returning starter just happened to be a walk-on.
That left the bulk of this year's minutes in the hands of four sophomores and four freshman. There is no question that these underclassmen contain bucketfuls of talent (particularly the freshman), but experience, strength and toughness generally win out in a league as tough as the Big XII.
So, I figured we would definitely take our lumps this season and build toward next season. With that in mind, I was really looking forward to seeing just how talented these freshman were and to see if the sophomores had bulked up any and improved their games.
Watching last night's exhibition game (the first of the season), I was pleasantly surprised. The sophomores were aggressive and looking to take charge. The freshman were active and eager to display their much-hyped talent.
To break down my impressions on the first Jayhawk action of the season, I'll go over the good and the bad, first for the whole team, then for each player.
**TEAM**
GOOD
* Perimeter defense. Jeff Hawkins, Mario Chalmers, and Russell Robinson were all relentless in pressuring the Fort Hays guards. Those three only combined for four steals, but the constantly harassed their opponents into making poor decisions.
* Ball distribution. The ball didn't stay in one place too long when the 'Hawks were on offense. Lots of unselfish play. The team had 24 assists on 35 made field goals. A very good sign.
* Hustle. KU was never beat down the floor on defense. There were several instances of players diving for loose balls. This is a central theme of a Bill Self-coached team.
BAD
* Fort Hays is a Division II school. This wasn't much of a test. There are something like 300 Division I schools and Fort Hays was picked to finish third in their conference. There are scores of much better teams than this. They had no size inside and were clearly overmatched.
* Free-throw shooting. Sasha Kaun was the main culprit, making only 3 of 10 from the line. But Christian Moody and Russell Robinson were a combined 2-7, as well. Considering that big guys get fouled a lot during the game, Kaun and Moody missing free throws is troubling. And if Robinson is going to be handling the ball at the end of close games, you want him to be more reliable from the stripe.
* Strength. Only Kaun looked like a regular in the weight room. C.J. Giles reportedly put on some weight, but didn't look noticeably beefier. All the freshman have typically svelte builds. This team is going to need to hit the weight room and training table with the same intensity they take to the practice floor.
**PLAYERS**
GUARDS
* Jeff Hawkins. Hawkins started the game at the point and played well. He ran the team and shot well from three-point range (3-5). As mentioned previously, he played tenacious perimeter defense, something that has been consistent from the fifth year senior throughout his career.
* Russell Robinson. A somewhat surprising starter considering his troubles with turnovers last year and the hype of incoming freshman Mario Chalmers. But Robinson turned the ball over only twice in 27 minutes and handed out 11 assists. He and Sasha Kaun seemed to be on the same page as exemplified by Robinson's lobs for Kaun dunks. And Robinson was a major pest on defense to the Fort Hays guards.
* Steven Vinson. Definitely a surprise starter. Bill Self has not been shy about experimenting with different lineups or playing walk-ons. Vinson came out and contributed immediately with a three before giving way to Chalmers and Brandon Rush.
* Mario Chalmers. This is the one freshman nearly everyone expected to start. He didn't. But he did show why people had such high hopes. He shot the ball well, his only two misses coming behind the arc. He showed the ability to drive to the bucket and finish. And he displayed tough perimeter defense.
* Jeremy Case. Case didn't play much but did score with the home crowd when he hit a three with one second left in the game, making sure that every available player scored.
SWINGMEN
* Julian Wright. Possibly the most highly touted player of the freshman class, Wright looked like he wasn't quite up to speed yet. He did seem to possess excellent court vision and the desire to find the open man. He was also quite active on the boards. His shot looks like it could use a little work, but he also showed the ability to put the ball on the floor and finish.
* Micah Downs. Has a nice looking shot from long from long range. He'll need to put on a significant amount of muscle in order to endure the intense grind of the college season. Downs does seem to have long arms and athleticism that will help him on the defensive end. Blocked a shot with his elbow, which was both odd and impressive.
* Brandon Rush. Probably the crown jewel of the freshman class. Rush didn't start the game, but ended up with the most complete stat line of the night: 17 points on 6-of-9 shooting from the field, 5-of-6 from the line; 10 rebounds, seven on the offensive end; a team-leading four steals; three assists. Rush employed a complete offensive game, taking his man off the dribble; pulling up for the mid-range jumper; even a reverse dunk on a breakaway steal. Very impressive debut.
FRONT COURT
* Christian Moody. Got the start and played his typical solid, though unimpressive, game.
* C.J. Giles. Also started and took the initiative as a scorer in the first half. He showed off the 15-foot range Self had touted from practice and was confident in taking what the defense was giving him. Giles blocked a couple of shots and altered numerous others, though his aggressive defensive style did result in four fouls. This is something he'll need to improve given the lack of depth in the front court this year as opposed to last year.
* Sasha Kaun. Kaun had a very encouraging beginning to the season. Taking advantage of the lack of size in the players guarding him, he repeatedly took the ball to the rim and finished with powerful dunks. Unfortunately, he was miserable at converting his free throws after being fouled repeatedly. And he seemed to disappear on the boards, only collecting three in 19 minutes.
* Matt Kleinmann. The big redheaded walk-on got some garbage time minutes and made the most of his opportunity, scoring on a decent move around the basket.
All in all, the team performed much better than I had expected. We've had lots of highly touted freshman over the years at Kansas and even the best ones are generally pretty inconsistent. I don't think that will be any different with this class, but the talent is there, without question. If we make it to the tournament this year, I will be more than pleased. Anything more than that will just be icing. I guess that's the good thing about having lowered expectations.
That left the bulk of this year's minutes in the hands of four sophomores and four freshman. There is no question that these underclassmen contain bucketfuls of talent (particularly the freshman), but experience, strength and toughness generally win out in a league as tough as the Big XII.
So, I figured we would definitely take our lumps this season and build toward next season. With that in mind, I was really looking forward to seeing just how talented these freshman were and to see if the sophomores had bulked up any and improved their games.
Watching last night's exhibition game (the first of the season), I was pleasantly surprised. The sophomores were aggressive and looking to take charge. The freshman were active and eager to display their much-hyped talent.
To break down my impressions on the first Jayhawk action of the season, I'll go over the good and the bad, first for the whole team, then for each player.
**TEAM**
GOOD
* Perimeter defense. Jeff Hawkins, Mario Chalmers, and Russell Robinson were all relentless in pressuring the Fort Hays guards. Those three only combined for four steals, but the constantly harassed their opponents into making poor decisions.
* Ball distribution. The ball didn't stay in one place too long when the 'Hawks were on offense. Lots of unselfish play. The team had 24 assists on 35 made field goals. A very good sign.
* Hustle. KU was never beat down the floor on defense. There were several instances of players diving for loose balls. This is a central theme of a Bill Self-coached team.
BAD
* Fort Hays is a Division II school. This wasn't much of a test. There are something like 300 Division I schools and Fort Hays was picked to finish third in their conference. There are scores of much better teams than this. They had no size inside and were clearly overmatched.
* Free-throw shooting. Sasha Kaun was the main culprit, making only 3 of 10 from the line. But Christian Moody and Russell Robinson were a combined 2-7, as well. Considering that big guys get fouled a lot during the game, Kaun and Moody missing free throws is troubling. And if Robinson is going to be handling the ball at the end of close games, you want him to be more reliable from the stripe.
* Strength. Only Kaun looked like a regular in the weight room. C.J. Giles reportedly put on some weight, but didn't look noticeably beefier. All the freshman have typically svelte builds. This team is going to need to hit the weight room and training table with the same intensity they take to the practice floor.
**PLAYERS**
GUARDS
* Jeff Hawkins. Hawkins started the game at the point and played well. He ran the team and shot well from three-point range (3-5). As mentioned previously, he played tenacious perimeter defense, something that has been consistent from the fifth year senior throughout his career.
* Russell Robinson. A somewhat surprising starter considering his troubles with turnovers last year and the hype of incoming freshman Mario Chalmers. But Robinson turned the ball over only twice in 27 minutes and handed out 11 assists. He and Sasha Kaun seemed to be on the same page as exemplified by Robinson's lobs for Kaun dunks. And Robinson was a major pest on defense to the Fort Hays guards.
* Steven Vinson. Definitely a surprise starter. Bill Self has not been shy about experimenting with different lineups or playing walk-ons. Vinson came out and contributed immediately with a three before giving way to Chalmers and Brandon Rush.
* Mario Chalmers. This is the one freshman nearly everyone expected to start. He didn't. But he did show why people had such high hopes. He shot the ball well, his only two misses coming behind the arc. He showed the ability to drive to the bucket and finish. And he displayed tough perimeter defense.
* Jeremy Case. Case didn't play much but did score with the home crowd when he hit a three with one second left in the game, making sure that every available player scored.
SWINGMEN
* Julian Wright. Possibly the most highly touted player of the freshman class, Wright looked like he wasn't quite up to speed yet. He did seem to possess excellent court vision and the desire to find the open man. He was also quite active on the boards. His shot looks like it could use a little work, but he also showed the ability to put the ball on the floor and finish.
* Micah Downs. Has a nice looking shot from long from long range. He'll need to put on a significant amount of muscle in order to endure the intense grind of the college season. Downs does seem to have long arms and athleticism that will help him on the defensive end. Blocked a shot with his elbow, which was both odd and impressive.
* Brandon Rush. Probably the crown jewel of the freshman class. Rush didn't start the game, but ended up with the most complete stat line of the night: 17 points on 6-of-9 shooting from the field, 5-of-6 from the line; 10 rebounds, seven on the offensive end; a team-leading four steals; three assists. Rush employed a complete offensive game, taking his man off the dribble; pulling up for the mid-range jumper; even a reverse dunk on a breakaway steal. Very impressive debut.
FRONT COURT
* Christian Moody. Got the start and played his typical solid, though unimpressive, game.
* C.J. Giles. Also started and took the initiative as a scorer in the first half. He showed off the 15-foot range Self had touted from practice and was confident in taking what the defense was giving him. Giles blocked a couple of shots and altered numerous others, though his aggressive defensive style did result in four fouls. This is something he'll need to improve given the lack of depth in the front court this year as opposed to last year.
* Sasha Kaun. Kaun had a very encouraging beginning to the season. Taking advantage of the lack of size in the players guarding him, he repeatedly took the ball to the rim and finished with powerful dunks. Unfortunately, he was miserable at converting his free throws after being fouled repeatedly. And he seemed to disappear on the boards, only collecting three in 19 minutes.
* Matt Kleinmann. The big redheaded walk-on got some garbage time minutes and made the most of his opportunity, scoring on a decent move around the basket.
All in all, the team performed much better than I had expected. We've had lots of highly touted freshman over the years at Kansas and even the best ones are generally pretty inconsistent. I don't think that will be any different with this class, but the talent is there, without question. If we make it to the tournament this year, I will be more than pleased. Anything more than that will just be icing. I guess that's the good thing about having lowered expectations.
Monday, November 07, 2005
Good Times
How about this lineup for the football games of weekend past?
University of Kansas: 40
University of Kick-Kansas-Ass-36-Years-In-A-Row: 15
University of Colorado: 41
University of Perpetual-Mediocrity: 12
Iowa State University: 45
Quickly-Losing-Respectability-As-A-Top-25-University: 17
Kansas City Chiefs: 27
Oakland Raiders: 23
In case you haven't been notified of the name-changes of several universities within the Big XII, KU beat Nebraska; Colorado beat Missouri; and Iowa State beat K-State. First and foremost,
KANSAS BEAT NEBRASKA IN FOOTBALL.
No one has been able to truthfully write this sentence since before I was born. I guess all bad things must come to an end, and the Jayhawks were finally able to put 36 years of futility behind them. Of course, a lot of stars had to align to make this even a remote possibility:
1) Tom Osborne retires as head coach at Nebraska, begetting Frank Solich. Solich wins "only" 9 games per year and is forced out, begetting former Raider head coach Bill Calahan. Bill Calahan decides the best way to pick up the tattered remains of the recruiting classes Solich brought in was to institute the vaunted "West Coast Offense", even though none of these kids were recruited with this system in mind.
2) Roy Williams decides to accept his "dream job" at North Carolina, releasing his stranglehold on the rest of the KU athletic department. Lew Perkins decides to leave the burgeoning empire he created from scratch at UConn and try his hand at boosting the *entire* KU athletic department, rather than just the basketball program. Noted friend of Roy, Terry Allen, finally receives his just desserts and is fired, replaced by sizable head coach Mark Mangino.
3) Calahan institutes a system of confusion and turmoil into the Nebraska football program and winds up missing a bowl game for the first time since football was invented.
4) Mangino institutes a system of hard work and preparation and winds up taking the Jayhawks to the Phillip Rivers Bowl, er, Tangerine Bowl, the team's first bowl game since 1995.
And, finally, Memorial Stadium was not filled with Husker Red, but overflowing with Jayhawk Blue as a new stadium attendance record was set. Over 51,000 people got to witness something that a whole generation of KU football fans had never seen. Unfortunately, Kansas football still doesn't carry the same weight as Kansas basketball and so the game wasn't televised locally. But I was able to listen to Bob and Max on the radio as Bob screamed at the top of his lungs after every noteworthy play. And there were plenty of noteworthy plays:
* 40-yard TD pass on KU's opening offensive drive
* KU blocks a punt and recovers for a touchdown
* KU RB John Cornish rips off a 72-yard touchdown scamper
* A Kansas safety
* Mark Simmons catches his second TD pass for KU
* KU linebacker Kevin Kane picks off a screen pass and runs it 40 yards for a TD
I'm not sure Bob still had working vocal chords after this game. And to top off the day, main rivals MU and KSU get completely destroyed, seriously hindering their chances at ending the season in a bowl game. Meanwhile, KU needs to beat Iowa State in Lawrence (a tough, but winnable game) to make itself bowl-eligible, two weeks after at the possibility of a lost season.
This team has been both exciting and maddening at the same time. The offense, until the last two weeks, has been wretched. The defense, on the other hand, has been one of the nation's best. It had been disappointing watching the defense play its heart out only to have the offense piss away victories, game after game. Add in the fact that it's a senior-heavy defense and you could just see a potentially special season going down the drain. Now, after dismantling Brad Smith and Missouri for the third straight year and finally ending the streak against Nebraska, there is some hope again for this team.
This week, the Jayhawks travel to Austin to play second-ranked Texas. Normally, that would sound like a momentum buster, but KU was one horribly-botched call away from beating Texas last year. I'm not saying Kansas won't get annihilated by UT, but these guys have seen the possibility of beating this team and won't be intimidated in the least.
It doesn't take much to brighten the spirits of a Jayhawk football fan. Here's hoping we can send these seniors out on a bright note.
---
And as if all that college lunacy wasn't enough, the Chiefs managed to pull a game directly out of their collective ass.
The first half was a terrible snoozer, with both teams combining for five field goals and a 3-point lead by Oakland. But the second half saw KC's offense start to wake up, even though it was without Pro Bowl lineman Willie Roaf and Pro Bowl running back Priest Holmes. And once it looked like the Chiefs might take Oakland by the throat, Kerry Collins finds Jerry Porter in the end zone and makes it a 5-point game. And with time running out in the game, Randy Moss decides to show up and makes his first catch of the day: a 7-yard touchdown that, with the two-point conversion, puts the Raiders up by three. The Chiefs somehow manage to chip away and get the ball down the field, aided by a leg whip call that goes against the Raiders and negates yet another late game sack of Trent Green. With new life breathed into the offense, Green finds Eddie Kennison along the sidelines and gets close to field goal range for Lawrence Tynes. After a time-out with nineteen seconds left, Green checks off and dumps a short pass over the line to Larry Johnson.
**SIDE NOTE**
Larry Johnson has been itching to be in this situation from the moment the Chiefs drafted him and hasn't been afraid to tell anyone who will listen. After being drafted as a bargaining chip in Priest Holmes's contract negotiation, though, Johnson had been stuck riding the pine. After much whining, Johnson was able to take advantage of opportunities that presented themselves in the way of Priest Holmes injuries. He had a respectable second half of the season last year after Holmes went down and parlayed that into more carries in the preseason this year. He had added patience to his repertoire and was ripping off 15 yard runs left and right, forcing the Kansas City coaching staff to find a larger role for him in the offense. The staff settled on a rotation that alternated Holmes carrying the ball for two series and Johnson for one. Johnson has thrived, scoring as many touchdowns as Holmes in less carries and keeping himself ready for the inevitable Holmes injury. And ready he was when it was announced that Holmes would not play against the Raiders and Johnson would get his first start of the year.
**BACK TO THE GAME**
Larry Johnson catches the dump pass and turns to find no Raiders within 15 yards of him. In his most impressive run to date, he took off, full-speed, toward the goal line. Johnson is a big guy, but can make people miss if he wants to, but most of the time he runs as if oncoming tacklers have burned down his house and stolen his girlfriend and he's looking for revenge. I've never seen a more "angry" runner than Larry Johnson. Anyway, he sprints 35 yards downfield and just lowers his head as two Raiders finally realize that they'd better do something or else they'd end up like Brian Bosworth after a Bo Jackson steamrolling. They manage to stop Johnson at the one-yard line with five seconds left. The Chiefs immediately call time-out and try to decide whether to take the safe route or go for the win.
Thankfully, Vermeil decided that the offense was good enough to get one yard and didn't put the pressure back on the defense to potentially get torched in overtime. And Larry Johnson and the offensive line came through. Johnson leaped over the line for the winning score with time running out while the line blew open several hole for him to run through. The Chiefs were celebrating wildly and deservedly while the Raiders walked off the field.
It's always fun to beat the Raiders (even though we do it all the time), but this was a particularly rewarding victory. Trent Green has been mourning his father's unexpected death and his focus has been understandably distracted. The best offensive player in Chiefs history (Holmes) suffers yet another injury. Willie Roaf, arguably the best left tackle in the game, missed another game. Off-season acquisition Patrick Surtain was out due to injury. All these things could have easily derailed this team and no one would have batted an eye. But the revolving door of mediocre lineman filled in and gutted it out, just enough; our increasingly suspect secondary sustained injuries, but managed to limit Randy Moss to just one catch; and Larry Johnson turned in a much-needed professional performance when his team needed it the most. Now, instead of allowing Oakland to join the fight in the AFC West, the Chiefs put them away and remained a game back of Denver and a half-game in front of San Diego. I'm not sure this was a "season-saving" win, but it sure was a good one.
University of Kansas: 40
University of Kick-Kansas-Ass-36-Years-In-A-Row: 15
University of Colorado: 41
University of Perpetual-Mediocrity: 12
Iowa State University: 45
Quickly-Losing-Respectability-As-A-Top-25-University: 17
Kansas City Chiefs: 27
Oakland Raiders: 23
In case you haven't been notified of the name-changes of several universities within the Big XII, KU beat Nebraska; Colorado beat Missouri; and Iowa State beat K-State. First and foremost,
KANSAS BEAT NEBRASKA IN FOOTBALL.
No one has been able to truthfully write this sentence since before I was born. I guess all bad things must come to an end, and the Jayhawks were finally able to put 36 years of futility behind them. Of course, a lot of stars had to align to make this even a remote possibility:
1) Tom Osborne retires as head coach at Nebraska, begetting Frank Solich. Solich wins "only" 9 games per year and is forced out, begetting former Raider head coach Bill Calahan. Bill Calahan decides the best way to pick up the tattered remains of the recruiting classes Solich brought in was to institute the vaunted "West Coast Offense", even though none of these kids were recruited with this system in mind.
2) Roy Williams decides to accept his "dream job" at North Carolina, releasing his stranglehold on the rest of the KU athletic department. Lew Perkins decides to leave the burgeoning empire he created from scratch at UConn and try his hand at boosting the *entire* KU athletic department, rather than just the basketball program. Noted friend of Roy, Terry Allen, finally receives his just desserts and is fired, replaced by sizable head coach Mark Mangino.
3) Calahan institutes a system of confusion and turmoil into the Nebraska football program and winds up missing a bowl game for the first time since football was invented.
4) Mangino institutes a system of hard work and preparation and winds up taking the Jayhawks to the Phillip Rivers Bowl, er, Tangerine Bowl, the team's first bowl game since 1995.
And, finally, Memorial Stadium was not filled with Husker Red, but overflowing with Jayhawk Blue as a new stadium attendance record was set. Over 51,000 people got to witness something that a whole generation of KU football fans had never seen. Unfortunately, Kansas football still doesn't carry the same weight as Kansas basketball and so the game wasn't televised locally. But I was able to listen to Bob and Max on the radio as Bob screamed at the top of his lungs after every noteworthy play. And there were plenty of noteworthy plays:
* 40-yard TD pass on KU's opening offensive drive
* KU blocks a punt and recovers for a touchdown
* KU RB John Cornish rips off a 72-yard touchdown scamper
* A Kansas safety
* Mark Simmons catches his second TD pass for KU
* KU linebacker Kevin Kane picks off a screen pass and runs it 40 yards for a TD
I'm not sure Bob still had working vocal chords after this game. And to top off the day, main rivals MU and KSU get completely destroyed, seriously hindering their chances at ending the season in a bowl game. Meanwhile, KU needs to beat Iowa State in Lawrence (a tough, but winnable game) to make itself bowl-eligible, two weeks after at the possibility of a lost season.
This team has been both exciting and maddening at the same time. The offense, until the last two weeks, has been wretched. The defense, on the other hand, has been one of the nation's best. It had been disappointing watching the defense play its heart out only to have the offense piss away victories, game after game. Add in the fact that it's a senior-heavy defense and you could just see a potentially special season going down the drain. Now, after dismantling Brad Smith and Missouri for the third straight year and finally ending the streak against Nebraska, there is some hope again for this team.
This week, the Jayhawks travel to Austin to play second-ranked Texas. Normally, that would sound like a momentum buster, but KU was one horribly-botched call away from beating Texas last year. I'm not saying Kansas won't get annihilated by UT, but these guys have seen the possibility of beating this team and won't be intimidated in the least.
It doesn't take much to brighten the spirits of a Jayhawk football fan. Here's hoping we can send these seniors out on a bright note.
---
And as if all that college lunacy wasn't enough, the Chiefs managed to pull a game directly out of their collective ass.
The first half was a terrible snoozer, with both teams combining for five field goals and a 3-point lead by Oakland. But the second half saw KC's offense start to wake up, even though it was without Pro Bowl lineman Willie Roaf and Pro Bowl running back Priest Holmes. And once it looked like the Chiefs might take Oakland by the throat, Kerry Collins finds Jerry Porter in the end zone and makes it a 5-point game. And with time running out in the game, Randy Moss decides to show up and makes his first catch of the day: a 7-yard touchdown that, with the two-point conversion, puts the Raiders up by three. The Chiefs somehow manage to chip away and get the ball down the field, aided by a leg whip call that goes against the Raiders and negates yet another late game sack of Trent Green. With new life breathed into the offense, Green finds Eddie Kennison along the sidelines and gets close to field goal range for Lawrence Tynes. After a time-out with nineteen seconds left, Green checks off and dumps a short pass over the line to Larry Johnson.
**SIDE NOTE**
Larry Johnson has been itching to be in this situation from the moment the Chiefs drafted him and hasn't been afraid to tell anyone who will listen. After being drafted as a bargaining chip in Priest Holmes's contract negotiation, though, Johnson had been stuck riding the pine. After much whining, Johnson was able to take advantage of opportunities that presented themselves in the way of Priest Holmes injuries. He had a respectable second half of the season last year after Holmes went down and parlayed that into more carries in the preseason this year. He had added patience to his repertoire and was ripping off 15 yard runs left and right, forcing the Kansas City coaching staff to find a larger role for him in the offense. The staff settled on a rotation that alternated Holmes carrying the ball for two series and Johnson for one. Johnson has thrived, scoring as many touchdowns as Holmes in less carries and keeping himself ready for the inevitable Holmes injury. And ready he was when it was announced that Holmes would not play against the Raiders and Johnson would get his first start of the year.
**BACK TO THE GAME**
Larry Johnson catches the dump pass and turns to find no Raiders within 15 yards of him. In his most impressive run to date, he took off, full-speed, toward the goal line. Johnson is a big guy, but can make people miss if he wants to, but most of the time he runs as if oncoming tacklers have burned down his house and stolen his girlfriend and he's looking for revenge. I've never seen a more "angry" runner than Larry Johnson. Anyway, he sprints 35 yards downfield and just lowers his head as two Raiders finally realize that they'd better do something or else they'd end up like Brian Bosworth after a Bo Jackson steamrolling. They manage to stop Johnson at the one-yard line with five seconds left. The Chiefs immediately call time-out and try to decide whether to take the safe route or go for the win.
Thankfully, Vermeil decided that the offense was good enough to get one yard and didn't put the pressure back on the defense to potentially get torched in overtime. And Larry Johnson and the offensive line came through. Johnson leaped over the line for the winning score with time running out while the line blew open several hole for him to run through. The Chiefs were celebrating wildly and deservedly while the Raiders walked off the field.
It's always fun to beat the Raiders (even though we do it all the time), but this was a particularly rewarding victory. Trent Green has been mourning his father's unexpected death and his focus has been understandably distracted. The best offensive player in Chiefs history (Holmes) suffers yet another injury. Willie Roaf, arguably the best left tackle in the game, missed another game. Off-season acquisition Patrick Surtain was out due to injury. All these things could have easily derailed this team and no one would have batted an eye. But the revolving door of mediocre lineman filled in and gutted it out, just enough; our increasingly suspect secondary sustained injuries, but managed to limit Randy Moss to just one catch; and Larry Johnson turned in a much-needed professional performance when his team needed it the most. Now, instead of allowing Oakland to join the fight in the AFC West, the Chiefs put them away and remained a game back of Denver and a half-game in front of San Diego. I'm not sure this was a "season-saving" win, but it sure was a good one.
Friday, November 04, 2005
SPORTS!
There's a guy who works at the Wendy's down the street from my office that I suspect might have Tourette's Syndrome. Why? While he's bussing tables, he'll often let out an emphatic, "SPORTS!" With that in mind, let's dig in:
--The Jayhawks come off an impressive victory over hated rival Missouri to face the Nebraska Cornhuskers in Lawrence. KU has lost 36 straight times to Nebraska, the second-longest streak in Division 1-A football. They had a great opportunity to end the streak last year in Lincoln, but couldn't quite do it. This year, the Hawks' defense is one of the best in the country and should keep Nebraska bottled up. The huge question mark is whether their "Without A Trace" offense can score any points. They managed to have a fairly effective running game versus Missouri, but the quarterback situation is a revolving door of ineptitude. If Mangino can somehow convince Swanson to hold on to the football and not turn it over, I think KU probably wins this game. One of my former co-workers, a 61-year old cornhusker fanatic, told me that he wouldn't live to see the day that KU beats Nebraska in football. I told him that I thought this would be a very short and uncomfortable weekend for him.
--Chiefs coach Dick Vermeil intimated that Trent Green may not start this Sunday against the Raiders. Green's father passed away last week apparently Vermeil wants to make sure that Green is "OK" before he makes a decision. If Green doesn't play at all this week, the Chiefs are screwed. He's the one indispensable player on the roster. We've managed to gut out wins without the amazing Priest Holmes; we've won some games when we started a defense that would have a hard time stopping 10-year olds in a game of "Red Rover"; we were able to get by while Big Willie Roaf was out a couple of games. But if we have to rely on backup QB Todd Collins for more than a couple of snaps, we're doomed. Trent Green is one of the most underrated quarterbacks in the league. Not because he has tremendous physical ability, but because he knows exactly what needs to be done in this offense and is completely comfortable executing it week after week. Even with Priest looking more and more doubtful for this week's game, we could still get by with Green under center and Larry Johnson getting all the carries. Unfortunately, what this all boils down to is that the Chiefs' offense is aging like Mel Gibson in "Forever Young". Priest can't stay healthy, Roaf and Shields are starting to break down and Eddie Kennison's not anyone's idea of a spring chicken. We could be getting our first possible glimpse of a post-Green/Holmes/Roaf offense and it doesn't look good.
--A positive off-season Royals note: Mike Sweeney won the Marvin Miller Man of the Year Award, voted on by his peers as the player who best combined skill in the field with positive impact in the community. Of all the whining I do about the Royals, it IS nice to have a stand-up guy as the face and cornerstone of your franchise. Even if he only plays 120 games a year.
--Another note on off-season baseball: the first trade of the winter was pulled off yesterday. Washington Nationals GM Jim Bowden, roundly considered an overrated and egomaniacal GM, pulled the wool over the eyes of Padres GM Kevin Towers, widely considered one of the sharper minds in the game. Washington pawns off the desiccated remains of third baseman Vinny Castilla for the unspectacular, yet serviceable arm of Brian Lawrence. This quote by Towers helps explain the apparent George Costanza/Elaine Benes personality swap that must have transpired as well:
"In the 10 years I've been a general manager, I was tired of Vinny hitting home runs against us, either in Colorado or Washington," San Diego GM Kevin Towers said. "He's always been a Padres nemesis, not only from the offensive standpoint, but from a defensive standpoint. This guy, I think, is one of the best defensive third basemen in the game."
Castilla is going to have to be the second coming of Brooks Robinson to justify that deal. In addition, what does this say about Sean Burroughs? After failing miserably to live up to his Little League potential, the Padres brought in Joe Randa and sent Burroughs to the minors to help restore his ability/confidence. Randa files for free agency and apparently Burroughs didn't register on Towers' radar screen enough to avoid bringing in one of the worst regular third basemen in the game. Sorry, kid; looks like it may be time to see what that high school degree has in store for you.
--Bad news for the Miami Heat: Shaq is out 2-4 weeks with a sprained ankle. That's not the worst news, though; more minutes just opened up for Antoine Walker. Even though the Heat would have made the Finals if it weren't for Dwyane Wade's injury, Mad Scientist Pat Riley decided to blow up the roster and bring in noted "shoot first, ask questions later" Hall of Famer, Antoine Walker. Walker might be the most maddening player in the league, alternating 30-point, 12-rebound, game-winning shot performances with 3-for-19, 1-for-14 from 3-point range, shoot-my-team-out-of-the-game-in-the-first-quarter performances. How do you trade for a guy like that on a team that should be funneling the ball into Shaq 65% of the time and letting Wade do his thing the other 35%? Mind boggling.
--Last night, the guard lined up beside Kobe Bryant in the Lakers' starting lineup?
Smush Parker.
That's gotta be the best nickname in major sports right now.
**UPDATE**
Trent Green WILL play this Sunday versus Oakland, Willie Roaf and Priest Holmes are "very doubtful". We'll avoid our first taste of a Green-less lineup, but the mere thought of it should make Chiefs fans shudder.
--The Jayhawks come off an impressive victory over hated rival Missouri to face the Nebraska Cornhuskers in Lawrence. KU has lost 36 straight times to Nebraska, the second-longest streak in Division 1-A football. They had a great opportunity to end the streak last year in Lincoln, but couldn't quite do it. This year, the Hawks' defense is one of the best in the country and should keep Nebraska bottled up. The huge question mark is whether their "Without A Trace" offense can score any points. They managed to have a fairly effective running game versus Missouri, but the quarterback situation is a revolving door of ineptitude. If Mangino can somehow convince Swanson to hold on to the football and not turn it over, I think KU probably wins this game. One of my former co-workers, a 61-year old cornhusker fanatic, told me that he wouldn't live to see the day that KU beats Nebraska in football. I told him that I thought this would be a very short and uncomfortable weekend for him.
--Chiefs coach Dick Vermeil intimated that Trent Green may not start this Sunday against the Raiders. Green's father passed away last week apparently Vermeil wants to make sure that Green is "OK" before he makes a decision. If Green doesn't play at all this week, the Chiefs are screwed. He's the one indispensable player on the roster. We've managed to gut out wins without the amazing Priest Holmes; we've won some games when we started a defense that would have a hard time stopping 10-year olds in a game of "Red Rover"; we were able to get by while Big Willie Roaf was out a couple of games. But if we have to rely on backup QB Todd Collins for more than a couple of snaps, we're doomed. Trent Green is one of the most underrated quarterbacks in the league. Not because he has tremendous physical ability, but because he knows exactly what needs to be done in this offense and is completely comfortable executing it week after week. Even with Priest looking more and more doubtful for this week's game, we could still get by with Green under center and Larry Johnson getting all the carries. Unfortunately, what this all boils down to is that the Chiefs' offense is aging like Mel Gibson in "Forever Young". Priest can't stay healthy, Roaf and Shields are starting to break down and Eddie Kennison's not anyone's idea of a spring chicken. We could be getting our first possible glimpse of a post-Green/Holmes/Roaf offense and it doesn't look good.
--A positive off-season Royals note: Mike Sweeney won the Marvin Miller Man of the Year Award, voted on by his peers as the player who best combined skill in the field with positive impact in the community. Of all the whining I do about the Royals, it IS nice to have a stand-up guy as the face and cornerstone of your franchise. Even if he only plays 120 games a year.
--Another note on off-season baseball: the first trade of the winter was pulled off yesterday. Washington Nationals GM Jim Bowden, roundly considered an overrated and egomaniacal GM, pulled the wool over the eyes of Padres GM Kevin Towers, widely considered one of the sharper minds in the game. Washington pawns off the desiccated remains of third baseman Vinny Castilla for the unspectacular, yet serviceable arm of Brian Lawrence. This quote by Towers helps explain the apparent George Costanza/Elaine Benes personality swap that must have transpired as well:
"In the 10 years I've been a general manager, I was tired of Vinny hitting home runs against us, either in Colorado or Washington," San Diego GM Kevin Towers said. "He's always been a Padres nemesis, not only from the offensive standpoint, but from a defensive standpoint. This guy, I think, is one of the best defensive third basemen in the game."
Castilla is going to have to be the second coming of Brooks Robinson to justify that deal. In addition, what does this say about Sean Burroughs? After failing miserably to live up to his Little League potential, the Padres brought in Joe Randa and sent Burroughs to the minors to help restore his ability/confidence. Randa files for free agency and apparently Burroughs didn't register on Towers' radar screen enough to avoid bringing in one of the worst regular third basemen in the game. Sorry, kid; looks like it may be time to see what that high school degree has in store for you.
--Bad news for the Miami Heat: Shaq is out 2-4 weeks with a sprained ankle. That's not the worst news, though; more minutes just opened up for Antoine Walker. Even though the Heat would have made the Finals if it weren't for Dwyane Wade's injury, Mad Scientist Pat Riley decided to blow up the roster and bring in noted "shoot first, ask questions later" Hall of Famer, Antoine Walker. Walker might be the most maddening player in the league, alternating 30-point, 12-rebound, game-winning shot performances with 3-for-19, 1-for-14 from 3-point range, shoot-my-team-out-of-the-game-in-the-first-quarter performances. How do you trade for a guy like that on a team that should be funneling the ball into Shaq 65% of the time and letting Wade do his thing the other 35%? Mind boggling.
--Last night, the guard lined up beside Kobe Bryant in the Lakers' starting lineup?
Smush Parker.
That's gotta be the best nickname in major sports right now.
**UPDATE**
Trent Green WILL play this Sunday versus Oakland, Willie Roaf and Priest Holmes are "very doubtful". We'll avoid our first taste of a Green-less lineup, but the mere thought of it should make Chiefs fans shudder.
Tuesday, November 01, 2005
Opportunity Knocks
Two highly-qualified and highly-attractive general manager candidates arrived on the market this week. Paul DePodesta, recently dumped unceremoniously by the Dodgers, and Theo Epstein, the architect of the much-ballyhooed 2004 Red Sox world championship are available at this very second. DePodesta was the one-time assistant to Billy Beane in Oakland who first found fame by appearing in Michael Lewis' Moneyball. Theo Epstein was apparently fed up with the constant lunacy and obsession of Red Sox Nation and decided to step down from his post rather than accept a 3-year, $4.5 million contract extension.
I realize that the Royals are still in the "honeymoon phase" of the Allard Baird era (wink, wink), but allow a guy to dream a little. Wouldn't it be amazing (and so totally out of character) if Royals owner David Glass actually used some of the creativity and business sense that made him successful in other aspects of his life and hired one of these fellows? Sure, he'd have to kick Allard Baird to the curb - or would he?
If Glass had the cajones to hire one of these young, brilliant and thoroughly competent general managers, couldn't he offer Baird the proverbial "job within the organization"? I think Allard Baird is a hard-working man of high character, but I think he's in over his head as a big league GM. He would fit in well as an assistant GM or director of scouting (a position he used to hold). The idea of demoting the GM isn't as far-fetched as it seems. The Chiefs hired Gunther Cunningham to be their defensive coordinator after his failed attempt to be the Chiefs' head coach. Why couldn't it work in this situation?
Even if Baird didn't want to accept the demotion, this would be a risk worth taking. These are both guys with something to prove. DePodesta was canned after two years of a five year contract. He didn't get a chance to fully implement his system with the Dodgers before the McCourt family went with the knee-jerk decision to let him go. DePodesta was a master at identifying talent when with the A's, a skill that needed in Kansas City's front office as much as anything. Building and maintaing a quality farm system is the only way to compete in today's economic climate and he's got the skills to see that through. Epstein was adept at finding cheap, high-impact talent. Not to be confused with Baird who was proficient at finding cheap, mid- to low-impact talent. He was also quite skilled at handling the press and personalities of his various high-paid stars. If Glass ever decided to open up the checkbook, Epstein would know how to use it. Both guys have vaunted educational pedigrees, a passion for baseball and, now, the additional motivation of wanting to show that they can succeed in a new situation.
Obviously, there are more attractive vacancies available. But the Royals do have some young talent to build upon and a relatively weak division to operate in. And stranger things have happened. Like a 29-year old GM leading the supposedly-cursed Red Sox to a world title. Maybe, just maybe, David Glass will hear the knock this time and actually be brave enough to open the door.
I realize that the Royals are still in the "honeymoon phase" of the Allard Baird era (wink, wink), but allow a guy to dream a little. Wouldn't it be amazing (and so totally out of character) if Royals owner David Glass actually used some of the creativity and business sense that made him successful in other aspects of his life and hired one of these fellows? Sure, he'd have to kick Allard Baird to the curb - or would he?
If Glass had the cajones to hire one of these young, brilliant and thoroughly competent general managers, couldn't he offer Baird the proverbial "job within the organization"? I think Allard Baird is a hard-working man of high character, but I think he's in over his head as a big league GM. He would fit in well as an assistant GM or director of scouting (a position he used to hold). The idea of demoting the GM isn't as far-fetched as it seems. The Chiefs hired Gunther Cunningham to be their defensive coordinator after his failed attempt to be the Chiefs' head coach. Why couldn't it work in this situation?
Even if Baird didn't want to accept the demotion, this would be a risk worth taking. These are both guys with something to prove. DePodesta was canned after two years of a five year contract. He didn't get a chance to fully implement his system with the Dodgers before the McCourt family went with the knee-jerk decision to let him go. DePodesta was a master at identifying talent when with the A's, a skill that needed in Kansas City's front office as much as anything. Building and maintaing a quality farm system is the only way to compete in today's economic climate and he's got the skills to see that through. Epstein was adept at finding cheap, high-impact talent. Not to be confused with Baird who was proficient at finding cheap, mid- to low-impact talent. He was also quite skilled at handling the press and personalities of his various high-paid stars. If Glass ever decided to open up the checkbook, Epstein would know how to use it. Both guys have vaunted educational pedigrees, a passion for baseball and, now, the additional motivation of wanting to show that they can succeed in a new situation.
Obviously, there are more attractive vacancies available. But the Royals do have some young talent to build upon and a relatively weak division to operate in. And stranger things have happened. Like a 29-year old GM leading the supposedly-cursed Red Sox to a world title. Maybe, just maybe, David Glass will hear the knock this time and actually be brave enough to open the door.
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