Joe Drape, Smith Center and writing

Not sure how the rest of you viewed Joe Drape's visit to our class, but I was happy with his offerings/observations. I'm anxious for your thoughts.

To many in the sports world, Joe has a dream job: writing for The New York Times, covering horse racing and cherry-picking other assignments in college and pro ranks. I'm not sure I'd like that much travel. It had to be easier when he was younger and single. Now, with a wife and 5-year-old son, I'd bet he has a different view.

I'm a big fan of Our Boys, his look at a season of Smith Center football. He fell in love with the people and the community. Maybe he envies that way of life and would like a similar situation for his son. He said his son thinks they'll return to Smith Center when he's a seventh-grader so he can become a full-fledged member of the Redmen.

I liked Joe's take on community, family and Kansas. That's what I got out of his book, which was about much more than just a highly successful football program. I also appreciated his tips for writers and reporters.

In a week, we can look forward to his coverage of the Kentucky Derby in The Times.

Still alive — barely — in my bracket picks

How’s your NCAA bracket looking heading into Final Four weekend?

Like a few others out there, I cast my lot in NCAA men’s basketball bracket pools. Unlike most in the state, however, I didn’t have KU in my Final Four.

In fact, I had the Jayhawks losing to Michigan State in the Sweet 16 in St. Louis. Unfortunately, they didn’t make it out of Oklahoma City.

I had Michigan State meeting Kansas State in one semifinal, and West Virginia-Baylor in the other. Unfortunately, Butler and Duke ruined my chances.

I do have Bob Huggins’ West Virginia team winning it all. My plan was for West Virginia and K-State to meet in the championship game.

I still could be half right.

A late night for KWCH, K-State fans

Like the folks at Channel 12, I wasn't counting on the K-State game going two overtimes.

When we visited Catch It Kansas and the KWCH news meeting Thursday afternoon, everyone was focused on the big game that night. They all knew it would be a late news night since the game didn't start until 8:37 or so. But two overtimes? Bet there were some tired pups at the station.

It was a great game to watch. What I liked was the praise each coach had afterward for not only his team, but the opponent, too. Xavier certainly is better than it was earlier in the season when the Wildcats won handily. Peaking at the right time of the season is crucial. Witness the Jayhawks, who might have hit their best in the Big 12 tourney finale against K-State.

Becky Nordyke, a diehard KSU fan who teaches with me, has more of a spring in her step today. Even better, her sister has promised her a ticket to the Final Four if the Wildcats make it. I think she'd melt if that happens.

And, after West Virginia's win last night, my hopes for a Huggins-Martin matchup are still alive.

What happened in OKC?

All the KU detractors are at again. Let the Jayhawks lose, which they seldom do, and more than K-State fans are at their throats (see link, video below). A K-State friend of one of my sons now refers to Northern Iowa guard Ali Farokhmanesh, who hit that last 3-point dagger, as the "KU Killer," "Jayhawk Assassin" or "My New Best Friend."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3uejv2zz6bU

http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/story/13090780/its-a-crying-shame-kansas-didnt-want-it-sooner

I was fortunate enough to attend the Thursday games in Oklahoma City (great arena, by the way), so I got to see both KU and K-State. Their games on Thursday were boring — K-State because it was a blowout against North Texas, and KU because the Jayhawks were lackluster against Lehigh. Had the Jayhawks been up against a better team, they'd have gone out in the first round.

Northern Iowa and BYU had great first-round games. Hated to see Lon Kruger's UNLV team lose, but I wanted the matchup between BYU's and K-State's guards. I'm not a huge Northern Iowa fan, but I like coach Ben Jacobson, and I always cheer for the Missouri Valley, which always gets slighted at NCAA selection time (can you say Big East?).

The weather was as bad as KU in Oklahoma City, so we came home before Saturday's regional finals because we didn't want to get snowed in. We actually had a better view at home on TV, but you can't beat the live arena atmosphere.

Once again, K-State — especially Pullen and Clemente — looked good. KU, on the other hand, lost to an inspired, disciplined Northern Iowa team.

I have K-State in the Final Four in one of my brackets, along with West Virginia, which I have winning it all. Wouldn't a Huggins-Martin matchup in the title game be great, especially for the Wildcat faithful?

Incidentally, I had KU losing to Michigan State in the first game in St. Louis anyway. I'm a Bill Self fan, who is far less arrogant than Roy Williams and a much better coach. Roy and his North Carolina team may end up winning the NIT, though.

Front-row seat at the Olympics

Good friend Larry Smith — a great sports photographer — just returned from the Winter Olympics. The shot above was immediately after the Canadians won the hockey gold medal against the United States.

Larry shoots locally, for The Eagle and other publications, but he's building his reputation nationally and internationally. Larry spent 26 days in Vancouver, covering the opening ceremony and practices for speed skating, hockey and figure skating. He then covered men's hockey every day until the gold medal game between the United States and Canada.

Larry was shooting for European Pressphoto Agency/EPA out of Frankfurt, Germany. He is under contract with the agency to cover events all year long, including the Super Bowl, NBA Finals, PGA Championship and numerous other events.

EPA is a worldwide wire service similar to the Associated Press in the States. EPA images are used all around the world, including the United States, with most East and West coast papers as clients.

Larry averaged shooting three hockey games a day for two weeks straight, so he spent about 14 hours a day in the hockey arena,

“I had three remote cameras in the catwalk and one on ice level, as well as my handheld cameras, for every game," he said. “All the remote cameras were hard-wired in so all images went straight to our desk editors, and I edited my handheld cameras. We had a hard line run directly to my spot on ice level, where I shot and sent images directly from there."

Larry said there were photographers from all over the world working with his team. The person who worked with him in the hockey arena most days was from Serbia.

In the overtime gold medal hockey game, not only did Larry shoot the tying goal by the United States with 24.4 seconds remaining, he caught the Canadians' winning goal and celebration with the awesome accompanying photo.

Check out more of Larry's photos from the Winter Olympics on his Web site —www.sportsshooter.com/lwsphotos — and also the EPA site — www.EPA.EU.

Clemson goes yard in class department

One of our bloggers, Becky Nordyke, the ever-present K-State fan, showed me this story. All university athletic departments and PR folks should read it.

Posted by John Taylor on February 4, 2010 2:07 PM ET

There are a lot of things to not like about the game of college football sometimes. From shady recruiting tactics to Lane Kiffin (wait, is that redundant?) to the BCS to the NCAA itself, there are a plethora of things to bitch about when it comes to the sport this Web site covers.

Then you stumble across a story like the one we are about to post, and it makes you realize that, more than some would care to admit, there are some really good people involved in the game at the collegiate level.

Back in December, linebacker Jake Nicolopulos, a Clemson verbal commitment since February 2009, suffered a stroke, which made it likely that the high schooler would never be able to play football again.

Fast forward two months, and Nicolopulos faxed Clemson his signed letter of intent. And the university will honor it.

That's right, a player who likely will never step on the field for the Tigers will be on scholarship and receive a college education because of some very classy people at the university. This move is not a surprise to those in the program because Athletic Director Terry Don Phillips told head coach Dabo Swinney shortly after the stroke that the school would honor the scholarship.

"This is realized dream for him that he achieved, that he earned," said one observer close to the situation. "God had a little bit of a different plan for him. But I don't have doubt at all Jake Nicolopulos will make an impact at Clemson."

Speaking of impact, what the people at Clemson did for this teenager and his family should be roundly and loudly applauded, and serve as a reminder that, regardless of how cynical we all are, there are indeed some very classy people in the game.

Blame the media?

Check out the post-game interview on kansas.com with WSU men's basketball coach Gregg Marshall after the Shockers' nail-biter, overtime win over Evansville Wednesday night.

Read Bob Lutz's column that appeared on kansas.com and also in today's Eagle. What do you think?

Taylor on video

Check out classmate Taylor Eldridge on Joanna Chadwick's Prep Talk blog on kansas.com.

They discuss high school sports, from swimming to basketball.

Fooled them!

When Olathe Northwest girls' basketball coach Joel Branstrom hit the half-court shot while blindfolded during a pep assembly, the best part was that he wrecked a student prank.

He got a lot more attention than he did when he was a walk-on for the KU men's team in the mid-1990s. The plan was to tell Branstrom that he'd win four Final Four tickets if he made the shot. Students at the pep assembly were instructed to cheer as if he made the shot. Students shot video of the shot. Planners had little doubt he'd miss.

The prank collaborators had no tickets, but after his shot appeared on national TV and YouTube, he got several offers of free tickets.

The best part, though, was what he said in a Kansas City Star story: "There are much more important things going on in the world, but it is a fun time and a moment to smile and enjoy, too."

That should be memorized by every little league parent.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3heqhwoqVTE