Mike Kennedy

Mike Kennedy was the first person we've talked with all year for whom I had no preconceived notions. I didn't know what he'd be like or what he'd say. When I saw him at Homecoming, he just seemed like a normal guy who happened to be the "Voice of the Shockers." Talking with him only reinforced that idea, but in a good way.

Listening to him reminded me a little bit of myself, but I'm sure I'm not the only one. I can imagine a lot of little sports fans turn down the volume during games and do the play-by-play themselves. I know I did when I was a little kid watching the NBA and Peter Vecsey or Mike Fratello was on the air (which was a lot). The way he talked about playing solo baseball games in his backyard was pretty cool, too. I used to do a similar thing in my backyard when I was five years old.

It's nice to know that there's somebody in the broadcasting business that seems normal. I always feel like most of the on-air people in broadcast just hide behind smiles and charisma. They don't feel like real people, and that notion was a little bit reinforced by our visit to Channel 12/CatchItKansas. I mean, Bruce Haertl and Jenn Bates seem okay, but the people I didn't recognize were the ones that I could relate to. Kennedy just seemed genuine.

As for what he does on the airwaves, it's unbelievable. He's got a lot of things to balance, and he has to do it all with an analyst by his side. That's something I think I take for granted during broadcasts, the chemistry between partners. I really liked hearing Kennedy talk about that because I've never thought about it before. You have to know when to come in, fade out, and when to use the appropriate stat/fun fact. I'm sure that it takes some time to learn your cues when working with a new/different partner.

Hearing him talk about volleyball was pretty funny, too. I guess I've never listened to a volleyball broadcast, but I imagine it would be pretty stressful to do. I thought it was interesting that Kennedy believed Lamb was wrong when told that he couldn't "call every touch like basketball." Volleyball is a sport that is so fast-paced it really needs the visual element to get a good grip on what's going on. I'm sure it's hard as a radio broadcaster to attempt to explain every point to the listening audience.

Good Ole Boys' Club

The day before our Monday open gym at Heights, I woke up from my nap to about a dozen texts: "Hey, you gonna be there with all those coaches tomorrow?" "Bill Self at Hts tom?" "Spit on Calipari 4 me...you will b there right?"

I didn't realize our little open gym at Heights had become national recruiting news. But, as Johnny Dawkins of Stanford would tell me later, "If you're a big-time college coach, this is the place to be tonight." Of course, the 13 D-I coaches were there to see Perry, but for everyone involved, it was quite the experience. Eric Bossi of ScoutHoops later wrote that a "murderer's row of coaches" was there. Amen to that, brother.

When I pulled into Heights, behind Gregg Marshall's silver Mercedes, I was pretty nervous. I had helped with our open gyms in the fall, but the feeling never changes. I am always nervous before I step into the gym, but once I do, I'm relaxed. And, being that I was the only unpaid assistant there, I was the only one allowed to run the open gym (per KSHSAA rules).

In the fall, our open gyms drew smaller crowds (7 at most, 3 at least) because we had four of them. But now that there were 13 of these guys (and 3 from JC's and NAIA's), it was like a good ole boys' club. Coaches were joking with each other, talking trash, and reminiscing. It was a fun scene to be a part of.

Some things I overheard or were said to me:

Frank Martin gets ribbed by Bill Self for use of the word "silly" during his halftime speech against Xavier in Sweet 16. "I didn't know 'silly' was in your vocabulary, Frank. It's not a four-letter word."

John Calipari to Bill Self on championship game: "We should've been there, man. The two most-talented teams, man. That should've been us."

Bill Self to WSU commit Evan Wessel: "You know where UNI is?" "Yeah, why?" "Well, we didn't. You better take care of 'em for me while you're at WSU."

Johnny Dawkins to me on Stanford job: "Well, I took the Stanford job because I didn't want to compete with Duke. I went as far away from Duke as possible, 3000 miles away. I mean, I still bleed blue. I don't want to recruit against those guys."

Frank Martin jokingly to MU asst. Matt Zimmerman: "Oh, you're wearin' a Mizzou logo now? It always seems like you're wearing a different logo. How about you go back out to your car, grab your UAB logo, and put that on. I'll probably like you better then."

Reaction to Joe Drape

I really enjoyed having Joe Drape in class. Getting to talk with a New York Times writer about his book is pretty cool to be able to do. I also thought it was cool that he was a fellow KCMO kid.

One of the things that really struck me about Drape and his attitude toward his book was that he made no excuses. He recognizes the flaws that people see in parts of the writing. The large number of names, too many details, etc. didn't really bother him. In fact, when it was mentioned that there were so many names, he laughed about it. He acknowledged that he had heard that criticism a lot and that the original draft had even more names than that.

I definitely think that's one sign of a good writer. It's great that a guy as big-time as Drape is (a New York Times sports writer) can still take a critique from anybody. That's pretty refreshing to see.

I also liked how honest he was about the way he fell in love with the town. He was pretty blunt with his feelings for the town in the book and that carried over into his discussion with us. I also thought it was interesting that the only place in Smith Center that Drape didn't go was the town bar because he didn't want to see the underage Redmen downing cold brews.

This is College Tennis?

Last week, I went out to Emporia with a friend to see some college tennis action. I played tennis in high school and have serious respect for those that can play at the collegiate level. Now, I'm not a big tennis fan, but when my buddy said he was going to see a friend from high school play, I couldn't resist.

I don't know what I thought it would be like, but I sure didn't expect the match to be played at Emporia High. There were maybe a dozen and a half people there (mostly parents) and the match was delayed by two hours because there was a high school tournament finishing up. The players weren't provided Gatorade or anything, so they brought their own water bottles or bought a drink from the concession stand. I couldn't help but think, 'This is college tennis?'

But I don't think many people realize what it is like to be a collegiate athlete in a non-revenue sport. The university doesn't care about you and nobody comes to see you play. The competition level is higher, but other than that, it's a lot like high school. And to think that these players don't get much many (if any) to play their respective sports. What a rip off!

The girl my friend was there to see play came up to us after her match and told us what it's like to be a Division II tennis player.

"I got back to Maryville from my match yesterday at 4:30 in the morning. We drove all night, and I couldn't sleep because there's no air conditioning in our bus. I woke up this morning, got on the bus again, came here, and had to wait for hours to play. But I said I loved tennis and wanted to play in college, so I guess I'm living up to it now, right?"

Reaction to Sports Anchors

"If you could go back to school and do it all over again the same way (be a sports broadcaster), would you?"

I don't remember who asked the question, but it seemed simple enough. I figured that they would say something to the effect of "Yeah, I love my job." Nope. Only "wet-behind-the-ears" Chris said that. Bruce and J-Kobbe had a more sobering reality. Haertl said he'd probably do it all over again but did so reluctantly. And, as for Kobbe, his answer was almost depressing.

"No, I wouldn't. It's more of a personal thing, though. I don't feel good about my life that I've spent years reading box scores to a camera."

Ouch. And that sad reality was pretty much the theme for the day. For two of them, they like the careers they've chosen, just not the way that those careers have changed. And, for the other, there was the realization that he will likely be a super-stressed "one-man band" for the rest of his career.

I guess I've never thought of sports broadcasters that way. Growing up, watching guys like Len Dawson on the local news, I figured all sports news guys loved their job. Now, with the way it has changed, it seems that the old-timers no longer do.

It made me think about the way print journalism is changing. How many old-timers still love what they do? How many of them understand how to work the internet, social media, etc? How many of them liked their careers when they chose them, but don't anymore?

Anyway, I didn't realize that people like Chris existed even in the broadcast world. I didn't know there were guys shooting their own stand-ups, managing online content, etc. Hearing those guys talk was definitely a revelation for me.

Reaction to Larry Rankin & Co.

I'm not 100% sure what I expected Larry Rankin to say to us on our trip to Koch. I thought he would tell us how much he loved his job and have some exciting stories to share. He didn't. Instead, he opted to tell us how little he gets paid, how he works long hours, and how his job is not all that much fun.

I recognize the importance of a guy like Larry Rankin. Without guys like Rankin, it would be difficult to be a media member covering the Shockers. I'm sure he makes Paul Suellentrop's job much easier and the media guides that he puts together are vital for guys putting together game stories. But I guess I believed that being the liaison between a school's athletic department and the media would be much more thrilling.

I liked hearing from the person who handles the academic side for Shocker athletes. She had a lot of information that I'd never heard before (i.e. the number of hours an athlete is required to be in study hall at WSU). I had to laugh when she told me she had a class checker in every athlete's class, though. There's no way. She said that players owe her $25 for every class they miss. In that case, Clevin Hannah and Demetric Williams should be debt-ridden by now. Demetric missed a ton of classes when he was not on the road for games first semester (was in one of his classes that he missed for a whole week). I have been told by others that Clevin can often be found spitting game in the RSC while his classes are going on. Not saying these guys are bad students, but they're normal college students. They miss quite a few classes, but they show up on test days and when a paper is due. I have no problem with that; but I do have a problem with the assertion that there are diligent class checkers lurking in every classroom, ready to rat on athletes and steal from their wallets.

The last guy, the head of the sports management program, had some good things to say. I liked his use of Tiger Woods as an example, but he basically gave a lecture. It was informative as to the basics of sports management, but it was a tad dry at times. I did not realize how competitive our sports management graduate program is here at WSU. It was a revelation to hear that only 30 graduate students are admitted each year.

There Is Always Tomorrow

A little over a year ago, I was a sports columnist/editorial leadership on my high school's newspaper staff. I had the dream sportswriting high school job, a back page column (a la Rick Reilly) that was well-read and a little controversial. I had a lot of fun writing my columns and was getting ready to explain to people why I loved writing sports.

There is little doubt that some in the general public believe that sports writing is unimportant. I was getting ready to explain in my last column why I loved sportswriting and about the athletes at our school whose stories had been worth telling that year. I wanted to tell people that sports was not all about the game; it's the athletes behind the game (and their stories) that make it all worthwhile. I felt strongly about this and, the day after I wrote my column, I got bad news. A friend of mine named Andrew, and a fellow sports editor with me the previous year, had died.

It was coming up on baseball season, his favorite time of year, and I was preparing for the endless stream of hopeful texts he would send after each Royals game. He was a die-hard Royals fan who rocked the baby blue almost daily and couldn't get the game off his mind. He saw himself as the underdog and, in a way, lived vicariously through an underdog baseball team from April to October.

Ditching my original column idea, I began writing about him. My last column would be my saddest, but it ended up being my most important. I ended up writing about how much passion Andrew had for the Royals, how he never gave up hope, and how he was buried in his trademark baby blue jersey. I talked about how much our opinions on sports differed, but how we became friends because we found out we had one thing in common: we loved to argue with each other.

After the column was published, I remembered a blog he had maintained for a couple months the previous summer. I went back and read it. It oozed hope for a team that he knew had none. A few months later, his family and I put together a volleyball tournament in his honor. It raised some money; but in the midst of putting the tournament together, his mother and sister were diagnosed with the same aggressive disorder that had killed Andrew. Through it all, though, they maintained hope.

On Monday, while watching the Royals forfeit a 4-1 lead when Zack Greinke stepped off the mound, I tried to remember the optimism that his family had. I still keep up with his mom and, even now, she roots for the Royals with hope. Seeing his family, knowing that they could die unannounced as he did, has given me a whole new perspective on the Royals.

Their situation is hopeless, just like that of Andrew's family, but that doesn't mean that I should be hopeless, too. So, every time I watch a Royals game this season, I'll try to remember something he wrote about the Royals.

"There is always tomorrow," he said.

Yes, in baseball, there always is.

KWCH

I had never been to a TV news station before last Thursday, so my idea of what I would see there was pretty far off. I imagined well-manicured, egotistical anchors looking down on the peons, those poor souls who ran around the newsroom looking for stories. I imagined serious meetings with heated debates over what was newsworthy and what was crap.

Instead, I got this: "Hey, I need to go back to listening to the scanner. It sounds like some guy went hunting and shot someone, instead of something." Laughs followed and so did jokes. You've got to be kidding me. This is what a TV newsroom is like?

Don't get me wrong, I love the sense of humor at KWCH; but I don't know if there was a serious person in that place.

As for CatchItKansas, I liked what those people had to say. They were very up front about how it all works and how much time it takes. They didn't put a polish on anything. I like that they know and truly have a passion for high school sports. They look to cover events that they enjoy that are also relevant to the website (i.e. Michael covering boxing).

Overall, the trip was very fun and shattered my idea of the work atmosphere at a news station. It also helped me develop a greater respect for what the people at CatchItKansas do.

The Not Basketball Association

On Sunday night, I went to Oklahoma City to see the Thunder. A buddy had offered me a free ticket to go with him and a group of his friends and, being the hoops junkie that I am, I took him up on his offer. I knew that the basketball wouldn't be fundamentally sound, but I figured I could ignore that enough to appreciate the talent of athleticism of guys like Kevin Durant.

When we got to the game, I felt like I had just stepped into a Vegas casino. There were just too many barely dressed 'dancers' (yeah right) and lights for my taste. The video intro was flashy and the horde of fairweather fans slid into their seats just in time for the game. They gave half-hearted cheers to guys like Nenad Krstic, but they nearly threw up when they announced Kevin Durant's name.

Then, right before tipoff, the Ford Center became an insanely annoying sea of inflatable plastic boomsticks. I got hit in the head four times before I finally turned around and told the guy behind me to shove his clappers under his seat before I shoved them somewhere he didn't want me to shove them.

The game started and, within the first few minutes, 34-year-old Andre Miller drove down the court past four Thunder players who thought 'transition defense' was some kind of foreign term. Miller's rickety knees carried him to 24 points that night, primarily because nobody cared enough to stop him.

The most disappointing part of the game, though, was Kevin Durant. I remember the Durant Era at Texas (which lasted all of one year), and it was fun to watch. As a Longhorn, Durant was a guy who played so hard that you started sweating just watching him. He had heart, intensity, and any other cheesy word you can use to describe that intangible 'it' factor. Now, as the Thunder's superstar, Durant was a lazy diva. He jumped around every two seconds to call for the ball, played defense five feet off his man, and took contested 30-footers that were bad shots even for him. On one possession, teammate Russell Westbrook took a wide-open shot while Durant was calling for the ball. Only a few ticks later, Durant stormed over to Westbrook to give him a piece of his mind.

Only one player really played like he cared: Eric Maynor, formerly of VCU. Watching the game, I loved how Maynor played. He never came out of defensive stance, had good pace on offense, and was smooth with the ball. Everything Maynor did was smart and with effort. But, as I walked out, I realized that all of that is likely because he is only a rookie. Just because he is not yet corrupted by the NBA money tree doesn't mean that he never will be.

With a minute left, and the game still slightly in question, Thunder fans headed for the exits. Their team was down by 8, but they hadn't really come to see basketball anyway. They had come to see the booty-shaking Thunder girls, clap some cheap inflatable sticks together, and get drunk off $6 Bud Lights.

All of this leads me to one conclusion: NBA fans aren't fans of basketball because the NBA isn't real basketball at all. It is an overhyped, oversexed, money-corrupted league where the rich get richer and the fans are naive fools who want only to be entertained.

No Feeling Like This...

As a kid, shooting hoops in my driveway, I dreamt of winning championships. I wanted it all. I wanted to be a state champion, NCAA Tournament champion, and an NBA Finals champion. And heck, if I'd known about the Euroleague when I was five, I probably would've wanted their championship, too.

Dreams die, though. I lost my NBA Finals and national championship dreams before I hit middle school, but I didn't lose my state championship dreams 'til I hit high school. Stuck in a 6A school in Missouri that was oozing with talent, I saw a world I didn't believe in. It was no longer about how well you played the game. It was politics at its worst (or best, depending on your point of view). I played on the freshman team that year and led the JV team in scoring at a tournament the following summer. I was far from a varsity player, but I was getting better. Most of my teammates figured I was a lock to start on the sophomore team.

But, like I said, dreams die. And when I walked into the coaches' office three days into practice (when everyone thought cuts were over) my championship dream evaporated. I was just too small, they told me, for a 6' guard. They said not to come back and try out the next year. I was 125 pounds and was never going to be big enough. I was relegated to pickup games where I was nothing more than a serviceable role player. Guys like Mike Dixon (freshman PG at Mizzou) and Todd Fletcher (starting SG at Air Force) made me feel like I was still playing, but I knew there was no box score for these games.

Fast forward to a few weeks ago when I realized I never should've stopped dreaming. Sitting in the locker room before the championship game, I knew I was about to be part of something big. I had done a large part of the scouting for our opponent and knew it wouldn't be a close game. Two hours later, I was part of a championship. But, looking at the distraught underdogs (the 7 seed, overcame huge odds to meet us in the final), I couldn't help but feel sorry for them. For their seniors, it was over. They had fallen short.

For all but one the season ends with a loss. And for the champion, it rarely works out exactly as you envision.

The Epitome of Hospitality

Back in December, I went with Heights to Avila University in Kansas City for our game in the Hy-Vee Shootout. As I walked in the door, Gary Thomason, our JV head coach and varsity assistant, told me that there is only one way to tell a good coach from a bad coach: "How fast can he find the hospitality room? And you can't ask anyone, either. You have to have a nose for it. I'm a damn good coach. No one finds a hospitality room like Gary Thomason."

And he was right. Within two minutes, Gary had food and drink in hand, enjoying all the free concessions that Avila had to offer. I thought his whole speech was kind of a joke. I just didn't understand, though. A couple of weeks ago, back in Emporia, I finally figured out what he meant.

Gary and I arrived in Emporia early on the first day to scout the two first-round games preceding us. We walked in, shook a couple of hands, chatted with Joanna Chadwick, then made our way to the hospitality room.

"This place is great. They have the best chicken dumplings. Everything is good," he said.

As I walked in, I saw no chicken dumplings. I did, however, see a smorgasbord of food fit for a king. Every type of potato chip known to mankind was scattered on the row of tables. There were cheesy potato casseroles, pulled pork sandwiches, soups, and all the caffeine you could possibly want to put through your veins. This place was incredible. Being that I had to scout three games that day, as well as be on the bench for the Heights game, my trips to this magical place were short. However, though they were short, they were frequent.

On the second day, I walked by concession stands feeling sorry for the people in line.

'Those sorry saps don't know what they're missing,' I thought. 'Nachos? Please, I prefer pulled pork with butt sauce (still not sure what that is, but I liked it).'

By the third day, I was feeling cocky. I would walk in to the W.L. White Civic Center with a strut in my step. I was unstoppable, and I had a stamp on my hand to prove it. I would walk into heaven--I mean the hospitality room--talk to Jeffrey Lutz, make my way to the food, plop down for ten minutes, and inject some false energy in the form of a few cups of Coke.

Of course, without a doubt, winning the 6A state championship was my favorite part of Emporia. It's not even close. The hospitality room, though, was pretty darn good, too.

So Emporia, I thank you. You were quite hospitable.

Marshall Could Leave? What a Shocker! (Pun Intended)

I love the coaching rumor mill. It shows the true colors of a fan base and displays their affection (or lack thereof) for their current coach. That is why I said around midseason that I hoped Gregg Marshall's name would be thrown around this time of year. I just wanted to see the ensuing reaction. And now, I am seeing it.

In the past week or so, Marshall's name has been thrown into the pot for two jobs: Iowa and Auburn. Auburn makes sense because Marshall is from the southeast and many speculate he has always wanted to be an SEC coach. Iowa doesn't make much sense (logistically, at least); but, then again, neither did his hiring here at WSU. It doesn't matter who may be ahead of him in these coaching searches or in the searches to come. The drama of the whole thing is just fun to watch, especially if you read ShockerNet (which I do, but do not post).

Yesterday, I found this:

"There have been two openings come available that Marshall's name has been thrown out for: Iowa and Auburn. If for some reason he decides to leave, who would replace him? Now Sexton doesn't have as many connections as we would hope for, so the pool would probably be limited. Maybe a middle Mid-Major coach or KU/K-State assistants. Now, picture this: Danny Manning. A strong post coach, he would be able to help Stutz, Jerome, and EO. This could lead to stronger post play, and with an assistant who is strong with guards, we could set up to be a strong team. Also, Danny Manning is familiar with Evan Wessel's style of play, do to his recruiting of Perry Ellis. Now, Perry Ellis loves Danny Manning. IF Danny can pull PE, think of how amazing that would be."

-http://www.shockernet.net/sn/viewtopic.php?t=16668&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0

This made me laugh. Marshall hasn't even left yet, and people are already selecting Danny Manning as his replacement. I also found it funny that part of his reason was to bring Perry to WSU. What?

Of course, if/when Marshall does leave, that is when the real ridiculousness will begin. I'll be tuning in to see what crazy things people will say. Will you?

Experts of Nothing

Back in high school, I religiously followed recruiting sites. They provided me 'access' into a world that I would not have known anything about otherwise. Recruiting sites were great because I could find out about incoming freshman that were going to make an impact and sound smart when I was right. I could see which coaches could successfully recruit high-level players and which coaches found diamonds in the rough. I thought that reading the opinions of these so-called experts made me one, too. I thought wrong.

By my senior year, I started to see the light. A guy I used to play pickup games with, current Missouri point guard Mike Dixon, kept dropping in the rankings in favor of guys from the coasts. But no recruiting expert had come to see Mike lately. Then, another guy I played with a couple times, current Colorado guard Alec Burks, was rated as a three-star (out of five stars) prospect. I didn't understand. I had seen other 'four-star' guys and saw a huge difference--Dixon and Burks were better. What was the deal?

(Oh, and by the way, Burks and Dixon are now two of the best freshman in the Big 12. Burks is projected as the third pick in the 2011 NBA Draft by NBADraft.net.)

Then, this past October, I'm sitting on my laptop when I see an article about one of my Heights guys, Perry Ellis (duh), pop up on ESPN. This guy says that, based on one day of watching Perry, that he "has peaked" as a sophomore in high school and will be a "good high-major four man," but not a superstar. What? Based on one day?

In December, after a game in Kansas City, some overweight twenty-something guy, who looks like his frat days weren't too long ago, knocks on our locker room door asking for an interview with Perry. I direct the request to Coach Auer who looks at the guy and says it's cool. He says he knows the guy but asks me to monitor the interview. This guy asks Perry some of the dumbest questions I have ever heard.

For example:

"Where do you think you should be ranked among players in your class?"

"How do you feel about being the best player in Kansas?"

"Do you like playing for Wichita Heights?"

I thought the guy might be an amateur blogger. I look online a few days later and find the story this guy wrote. Turns out, the guy was Eric Bossi, a midwest scouting 'expert' for recruiting giant ScoutHoops.com. I'd read this guy's stuff for years, as he was familiar with the KC area and Big 12 recruiting. But when I finally saw him, I thought he was a joke. Turns out that not only does he not know basketball, but he is not qualified as a journalist, either. His twitter occasionally looks more like a running commentary of girls' posteriors and his beer-filled nights than that of a basketball scout.

My other run-ins with recruiting types have all been similar. The info on Perry and WSU commit Evan Wessel is not only outdated, but often downright inaccurate. I realize now that these recruiting 'experts' are just peddling wrong information to people who, otherwise, have no information at all. In the end, these people I trusted for reliable basketball knowledge for a few years are not experts of anything at all.

Our Boys

When I first heard we would be reading this book for class, I was pretty excited. I have always loved high school football and "Friday Night Lights" is one of my favorite movies. There is just something about the atmosphere around high school football. I figured that there could be nothing better than a story about a small town with a passion for its pigskin. However, after reading the book, I am somewhat disappointed.

Now, I don't want to sound too critical here because Joe Drape is an excellent writer. His attention to detail is unbelievable, but maybe that's the problem for me. I have always enjoyed sportswriters who refuse to put a polish on a story. They don't focus on numbers and names, but they are all about describing the emotion of the situation. My favorite book, "To Hate Like This is to be Happy Forever" by Will Blythe, is a perfect example of that. He gets so into the story that he wants to portray the raw, uncensored emotion that he sees and feels. I didn't get the same vibe from Drape. I felt like he fleshed out the story with statistics, names, and details instead. It's not that I don't think Drape is a great writer, but his writing style is not my favorite.

One thing that I definitely like about Drape's writing style in this book is how he transitions in and out of the first person (which I believe someone mentioned in an earlier post). He brings himself into the story seamlessly and takes himself out as needed. I think that authors of some sports books put themselves into a story too often. Drape doesn't do that, which I appreciate.

As far as the story is concerned, I love the book. Coach Barta seems to be one of those rare coaches who demands integrity from his athletes and makes winning the goal without having it trump all else. I was kind of surprised that Barta approached winning the way he did. Having the tradition that the Redmen have, I made the assumption that their coach was probably a "winning is the only thing" type of guy. I was wrong. Barta, in many ways, reminds me of Ed Thomas, the Applington-Parkersburg football coach that was shot several months ago. Thomas was known to be a winner, but not at the expense of the character of his young men. I love that approach to coaching and, in a high school sports world that gets more political every day, it's refreshing to see a coach like Barta.

Overall, the book feels like a more detailed, happier, non-Texas version of "Friday Night Lights" to me. It's about a small town that cares about its young men and loves watching them play football on Friday nights. It's about a town that, despite its financial hardships, finds hope in its young men. I found it interesting in the opening few pages when Drape talks about how poor Smith County is. His number for the average income per capita was around $14,000 if I remember correctly. To me, it sounds like a town that should be wallowing in misery, but I didn't feel that when I read the book. No doubt, I think the attitude of Smith Center and its football coach are contagious, and it's obvious that Drape came away from the book in love with the town.

Bob Lutz

I'm so glad that Bob Lutz was able to come speak to our class last Thursday. He is far more hilarious in person than I thought he would be, and he seemed like he enjoyed being there.

As far as the journalism business is concerned, Lutz didn't say much. I didn't feel like he really had to, though. He was simply being honest. He doesn't know how online journalism will work financially, and that's fine. I don't know, either. I'd be shocked if anyone really knows. I also think it may have bothered some people that he didn't really care where journalism was headed. He's been in the business for awhile; so maybe he thinks if things change, he'll just ride off into the sunset.

The basketball coach in me loved hearing about the back-and-forth between Lutz and Coach Marshall. I think Marshall often treats the media like dirt and believes that writers should serve his purposes. I liked what Lutz said about how he can't be a fan, but it's better when the team wins. I think coaches don't realize it, but wins sell newspapers. Losses, if they are constant, don't do a beat writer any good.

I like his views on column writing and television, too. I like the fact that he doesn't buy into putting sports columnists on TV. Those guys are gifted with the written word, rarely the spoken (and broadcast) word. They should accept that and stick to their guns.

Overall, I'm very glad Lutz came and loved what he had to say. His stuff is fun to read, and he's a heck of a personality face to face.

Duke Point Guard Syndrome

Back in early December, I made the 5-hour trip to Columbia, Mo., to scout Rock Bridge HS for an upcoming game in Kansas City. The big name for Rock Bridge was a 6'6" senior sniper named Ricky Kreklow. Kreklow had committed to Missouri a few months earlier and, sitting in the stands at Columbia College, all I could hear was his name. The kid was a legendary shooter in mid-Missouri. His parents were volleyball coaches at Missouri and rumor had it that he could set a volleyball in from mid-court without hitting rim.

But I knew Rock Bridge had a lot more to offer than Kreklow. There was junior guard Justin Miller, who had interest from almost the entire Missouri Valley, as well as UConn and Virginia. They also had a slew of 6'6"-6'8" kids, some with college-ready bodies, who were offensively skilled. These kids were freakin' scary, with every player in their 9-man rotation virtually guaranteed a spot on a DI or DII roster. The one player I didn't know about, however, was Travis Jorgensen.

When they announced Jorgensen's name in the starting lineup, I had to gag back a chuckle. They're starting a 5'7" freshman point guard? Are they nuts? The kid looks like a twelve-year-old nerd who skipped a few grades. Then, a few minutes into the game, little Jorgensen buried a 26-foot bomb without hesitation. He looked up at the opposing student section, thumped his chest, and yelled like a man possessed. Scrambling to jot some notes down about this kid, all my pen would write was "Duke pg syndrome."

When I came back from the game, I was asked what that note meant. "What the hell is the Duke Point Guard Syndrome?" I struggled to explain it then, but I got the point across. The kid was scrappy, slapped the floor, talked trash, had great court vision, and played with an arrogant sense of entitlement. But I think I have a better grip on it now. So, let me explain:

The Duke Point Guard Syndrome (DPGS) is not exclusive to Dukies or guards. The name is what it is because this basketball-related illness is commonly found in Duke point guards. Jon Scheyer, Greg Paulus, Quinn Snyder, etc. all displayed many of the symptoms found in DPGS.

Some symptoms of DPGS are: constant slapping of the floor, never-ending trash talk, antagonizing of opposing fans, yelling (at nothing at all), and an overall cockiness. Players afflicted with DPGS generally play defense as close to their man as possible, even though they don't have much foot speed. They are team leaders, but they don't dunk on anybody or break legs. They just break hearts. These are guys we love to hate and love our hate.

Previous players afflicted with DPGS include, but by no means are limited to: Syracuse's Eric Devendorf, Duke's Greg Paulus, North Carolina's Tyler Hansbrough, and Syracuse's Gerry McNamara.

If you are still struggling with this concept, think the opposite of what Michael Beasley was at K-State. I'm sure Beasley wanted to win, but he rarely looked like it. Players with DPGS have a constant, unchangeable game face. They never look like they're going to fall asleep in the middle of a game.

I have been told the reason for DPGS is twofold: skin color and talent. Everybody told Michael Beasley he was good. He didn't have to beat the hell out of or scare the hell out of anyone. His talent was intimidation enough. But how intimidating is a little white kid? So the only thing they can do is act insane, knowing that they probably weren't born with as much athleticism as the guy they're guarding. They had to work and, even with All-American accolades, they know they'd get beat up if they tried to play at Rucker Park.

Later in December, while Rock Bridge was playing us (Heights), Jorgensen sank an almost 30-footer like it was nothing. He screamed, thumped his chest, kicked a leg in the air, and had his arms twitching like he had momentary Tourettes. Behind me, all-state point guard and Alabama commit Travis Releford looked on in amazement. I'm sure he thought the kid was crazy. I wanted to turn around and explain, "The kid's not crazy, he's just a little ill. He's a tiny white kid who thinks he's still the underdog."

Lane Kiffin Loves Middle Schoolers

Believe me, I know. I know the title makes it sound like Lane Kiffin is a pedophile, but his obsession with middle-school kids is bordering on absurd. Here's a little background: At Tennessee, Kiffin offered eighth-grade football player Evan Berry. Berry is the younger brother of former Tennessee All-American safety Eric Berry and, even as a middle-school kid, showed lots of promise on the football field. But...oh yeah, he was 14 at the time.

Now Kiffin, who said he was done with his attention-grabbing antics when he was hired as the head man at USC, is at it again. On February 5th, 13-year-old (yes, you did read that right) quarterback David Sills committed to USC immediately after being offered a scholarship by Kiffin. Recruiting coordinator Ed Orgeron, defensive coordinator (and Lane's father) Monte Kiffin, and another member of the USC staff sat alongside Kiffin as he sold the bony, physically immature seventh-grader on being a Trojan. And, of course, the flattered kid accepted.

Now, once again, this kid shows a lot of promise. He works with quarterback guru extraordinaire Steve Clarkson, who also trained the likes of Matt Barkley and Jimmy Clausen. The kid has great technique, but...he probably doesn't even has chest hair yet. Only time will tell if he sticks to his verbal commitment and becomes a great quarterback; but in the meantime, check out this kid's highlight tape.

(Yes, you read that right. The thirteen-year-old kid already has a highlight video.)

Judge for yourself:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUb8F8Ltru0&feature=related

Wichita Eagle Reaction

Despite my tardiness (sorry Les), I really enjoyed the trip to the Eagle last Thursday. Hearing from Kirk Seminoff and Tom Seales was informative and relaxed. The tour of the newsroom was also interesting.

Having never been to the Eagle, or any other newsroom for that matter, I was not completely sure what to expect. Call me naive, but I thought it might be something like the LA Times newsroom in the Soloist: chaotic, cramped, and messy. It was two out of those three for sure, and I can imagine that closer to deadline time, it is quite chaotic. I also enjoyed seeing Bob Lutz the day after he got ripped by Gregg Marshall and replied with his column. I wanted to go up and give him a high-five, simply because I like to see a writer stand up for himself every once in awhile.

The discussion with Tom Seales and Kirk Seminoff was also pretty cool. They were honest, sarcastic, and didn't polish up the current state of journalism. Their story about the former sports writer at the Eagle who had to switch departments was a good way to show the flexibility that is probably necessary in today's newspaper world. I also liked how they talked about their struggle with the sharing of Kellis Robinett and J. Brady McCullough with the Kansas City Star. Being a Kansas City person(and a K-State football fan), I recognized what was going on pretty quickly after it happened. I'm kind of curious how commonplace that is in the sports world in general or if that's a direction things are heading. Are beat writers for teams going to be sharing their content with multiple news outlets often now? I sure hope not, but I don't know the answer.

Overall, it was a great trip and very informative.

Reaction to Tom Witherspoon (VYPE)

When Tom Witherspoon came into class last Thursday, I expected him to tell us how much we needed to pay attention in class. I expected him to tell us to get out and write for somebody while we get our degree. I expected a lot of things, and I was surprised because he said none of them.

Not only did Witherspoon not stress the importance of a journalism degree or its equivalent, but he was a history major. This surprised me more than anything. Nonetheless, Witherspoon does an excellent job as a one-man magazine machine. He obviously knows what he is doing and his "niche" magazine's role in the Wichita sports market. I had read VYPE several times before Witherspoon spoke, and for him to take on the amount of work he does while putting out a good publication, is impressive.

I also liked the way he prioritizes the parts of his magazine. He knows that good photography and design are important because VYPE is a high-gloss publication. With good photography and design, the magazine cannot help but stand out. However, even with the emphasis on photography and design, Witherspoon knows that his top concern should be the writing.

With the passion and time that Witherspoon seems to put into VYPE on a constant basis, it almost cannot help but be successful. There is definitely room for it in Wichita, and as he pointed out, VYPE has no true direct competitors. I will definitely continue to read VYPE every month, and I hope that Witherspoon continues to put out strong, timely content.

The Mid-Majority

This is a site I stumbled upon a few years ago. It is definitely made for college basketball fans like myself, but this guy's writing is hilarious. His name is Kyle Whelliston. He is a failed software developer who made lots of money in the late '90s, then went broke. He started this site about 7 years ago and, after a few years, got hired for little money to write about mid-majors for ESPN. He got fired last year, but the site continues with donations from his dedicated readers. He normally attends about 100 college basketball games each season and loved the project so much it caused he and his wife to divorce last year.

This recent post from his basketball travels should give a taste of his writing style:

http://www.midmajority.com/2010/02/why-things-suck.php#more