@Maryland congratulations on winning the 2014 CBE Hall of Fame Classic in Kansas City at the Sprint Center! Great upset win against #13 ranked Iowa State. Awesome tournament with Alabama and Arizona State participating as well!
Props to Bobby Voelker for fighting his way into the UFC, giving it everything he has, and making Kansas City proud!
@JackWestMemorialGolfTournament2013 @JonOler @AdamNitsche @TylerFruehling great work on Saturday for a great cause. Coach Oler, thank you for putting together the team for this year. We tied for first but got second when we lost a scorecard playoff. Adam, you played incredible golf today and carried the team. Really unbelievable play. Tyler, big shots in key situations. All around a great effort
@BobbyVoelker great performance at UFC 158. You won the fight. Most of the media said you won and so did Dana White. Patrick Cote got the decision because he was fighting out of Montreal where the fight took place and due to his name being more well known. Keep your head up. We are going to see you in the UFC again #thosejudgeswereterrible
Leo Lyons, former MU basketball standout, and I last Saturday
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Mike Johnson, Ultimate Fighter Season 12 runner up |
Carl Resurfaces
So I’m sitting at the Capitol Grille bar drinking by myself a couple of weeks ago. Pretty pathetic. Would you really expect anything less? As I’m sipping on a delicious vodka tonic I look to my left and who do I see? King Carl himself throwing back a dirty martini. I had to do a double take. How fitting that I would run into him.
I say to him “Hey man I have to ask you something.” Carl gives me a look like wtf is this guy about to say to me. “How are the Chiefs going to do this year?” His reply: “I don’t work for the Chiefs anymore.” Cool Carl. I’m thinking what a nice guy. Then he gives me the old cliché comment “any given Sunday anything can happen.” It is true and especially with the Chiefs. I proceed to discuss with him his tenure in Kansas City.
For as much as I rip on Carl I will say this. The guy had a hell of a run in the 90’s. Before Carl the Chiefs made it to the playoffs one time in nineteen years. Carl took us to the playoffs eight times in twenty years. I know it sounds like I’m jocking him, but statistics don’t lie. The golden question: what was Carl’s overall record? 176-141-1 (the Chiefs tied Cleveland ten to ten in November of 89).
The ultimate downfall for Carl was and is the fact that we live in a what have you done for me lately society. Nobody cares what you did twenty, ten, and even five years ago. Look at Bobby Bowden getting shoved out of Florida State. Carl isn’t a coach, but you get the drift. I will tell you what Carl hasn’t done lately; win a playoff game. The last time that happened was in 1994 when I was eight years old.
Carl also made questionable trade decisions. The Jared Allen trade was the final straw for Carl along with trading Trent Green for a mere conditional fifth rounder to Miami.
Ultimately, Carl won a lot in the first decade and lost a lot in the last decade. Did he lose focus after becoming wealthy like many have speculated? Did he quit caring because he knew his job would be there for him year after year? Would he still have his job if Clark Hunt was still alive? No one can answer these questions, but what I can say is this; Carl’s record speaks for itself. For twenty years in Kansas City Carl Peterson had a 56% winning percentage along with a 40% playoff appearance rate. Not bad if you ask me.
I say to him “Hey man I have to ask you something.” Carl gives me a look like wtf is this guy about to say to me. “How are the Chiefs going to do this year?” His reply: “I don’t work for the Chiefs anymore.” Cool Carl. I’m thinking what a nice guy. Then he gives me the old cliché comment “any given Sunday anything can happen.” It is true and especially with the Chiefs. I proceed to discuss with him his tenure in Kansas City.
For as much as I rip on Carl I will say this. The guy had a hell of a run in the 90’s. Before Carl the Chiefs made it to the playoffs one time in nineteen years. Carl took us to the playoffs eight times in twenty years. I know it sounds like I’m jocking him, but statistics don’t lie. The golden question: what was Carl’s overall record? 176-141-1 (the Chiefs tied Cleveland ten to ten in November of 89).
The ultimate downfall for Carl was and is the fact that we live in a what have you done for me lately society. Nobody cares what you did twenty, ten, and even five years ago. Look at Bobby Bowden getting shoved out of Florida State. Carl isn’t a coach, but you get the drift. I will tell you what Carl hasn’t done lately; win a playoff game. The last time that happened was in 1994 when I was eight years old.
Carl also made questionable trade decisions. The Jared Allen trade was the final straw for Carl along with trading Trent Green for a mere conditional fifth rounder to Miami.
Ultimately, Carl won a lot in the first decade and lost a lot in the last decade. Did he lose focus after becoming wealthy like many have speculated? Did he quit caring because he knew his job would be there for him year after year? Would he still have his job if Clark Hunt was still alive? No one can answer these questions, but what I can say is this; Carl’s record speaks for itself. For twenty years in Kansas City Carl Peterson had a 56% winning percentage along with a 40% playoff appearance rate. Not bad if you ask me.
Random musings on 2003 Chiefs... don't ask why by David Vranicar
You can read more of David's thoughts at: http://vranifieldhouse.blogspot.com
For no good reason, my thoughts, six years later, on the 2003 Chiefs!
When you’re really in love, you even love the shortcomings. You accept the good with the bad, the sickness with the health, the gaffes with the genius
But you have to embrace everything about your beloved if it’s the Real Thing, not just the good stuff. And that’s why I can say that my truest Kansas City Chiefs love affair was with the 2003 squad. They were maddening, sure, but also breathtaking, exhilarating, the best show in football – despite falling weeks short of the Super Bowl. Even if the Chiefs, under new GM Scott Pioli and new coach Todd Haley, turn into a championship contender, I will have a hard time being as enthralled by any Chiefs team – Super Bowl or no – like I was with that ‘03 edition. And not just despite their flaws. Because of them, too.
The 2003 Chiefs were prodigious – in good and bad ways. Priest Holmes tallied 2,110 yards from scrimmage, but the Chiefs were 30th in the league in rush defense. The Chiefs didn’t have to punt the ball a single time in their playoff loss to the Colts, but then again, neither did Indy. They averaged more than 30 points per game, but gave up at least 34 points four times. Indeed, to love the 2003 Chiefs is to love a split-personality, a mercurial team. It was a 13-3 team that didn’t win a playoff game, a team with home-field advantage that didn’t take advantage, a team that is my favorite of all time, even though they packed a wicked punch of heartache.
When it was good, though, boy was it good. Look at Week 5. That was the Hall punt return game, one of the great plays in NFL history. Trailing by six with less than seven minutes left, Hall fielded a punt inside his own 10 and proceeded to juke the entire Broncos roster. A 23-17 deficit turned into a 24-23 win on the strength of that (Dante) Hall of Fame play.
Then there was Week 6. The Chiefs were down 31-14 at the end of the third quarter, at Lambeau Field. But a late pick-six by Jerome Woods and an overtime fumble by Ahman Green set up the game-winning 51-yard TD strike to Eddie Kennison. The Chiefs gave up 34 points, but who cares? They scored 40.
Or what about Week 8, when the Chiefs ran their record to 8-0 with a 38-5 drubbing of the Bills. That was a chilly Sunday night game, and the Chiefs (and Arrowhead crowd) were ready for the limelight. Amid a cacophony that I was lucky enough to be a part of, the Chiefs reeled off a 28-3 run from about 6:00 to go in the first quarter through halftime. The Chiefs went undefeated at home during the 2003 regular season, and that game was a case study in why: The crowd was bonkers, and the team was operating at a pace that couldn’t possibly be matched.
There were other great games. In Week 12, Morten Andersen eked a 35-yard field goal over the crossbar to break a 24-24 tie with four seconds left. Week 17 was a 31-3 season-ending party at Arrowhead, a prelude to the playoffs and a celebration of a team that had put together arguably the best season in Chiefs history.
And heck, even the playoff game was fun. Yeah, the Chiefs lost at home to the Colts 38-31 in their first game, extending a post-season winless streak that started in 1994. (It’s still in tact, by the way.) But like I said earlier, you have to take the good (offense) with the bad (defense). The Chiefs couldn’t slow down Indianapolis, but Indy couldn’t stop the Chiefs, either. Holmes had 176 yards rushing, Dante Hall had an electric kickoff-return TD, the atmosphere before and during the game was chill-inducing – even if the mood afterward was heart-breaking.
Those 2003 Chiefs were descendants of the 1999-2001 St. Louis Rams – The Greatest Show on Turf. Those Rams put up outlandish numbers under coach Dick Vermeil, who presided over the Rams during their nutty three-year span from 1999-2001. In 2003, the fruits of Vermeil’s move to the other side of Missouri were realized. The 2003 Chiefs compare well with those Rams teams. Kansas City had 484 points that season – more than 30 per game, and the Rams averaged 523 from ‘99-’01 – while operating under the Greatest Show moniker – a difference of less than 2.5 points per game. Sure, the Rams had longevity, scoring more than 500 points in three straight seasons. But the Chiefs captured similar magic, even if just briefly. No Super Bowl, but a Super Show nonetheless.
And there were some individual Chiefs who had all-world seasons. Hall broke the single-season record for kick-return TDs…in Week 5!? There was literally MVP talk after that Denver game. A punt returner. And then there was Priest Holmes, who rushed for 1,420 yards with 27 TDs – then an NFL record – and caught 74 passes for another 690 yards, good for more than 2,100 yards. Compare that to 2005 NFL MVP Shaun Alexander, who rushed 1,880 yards but caught for well under 100. And Trent Green – all he did was throw for more than 4,000 yards to go with 24 touchdowns and just 12 picks.
That 2003 Chiefs team was great. They were horrible, too, but they were great. I loved that team, and not just Holmes and Green and the 13 wins. I loved the way that team played, how fun they were. Even if the Chiefs start winning, I just don’t think they’ll bethat entertaining. That’d be impossible.
Demonstrating The Walk By Tom Wilbur
Legendary basketball coach John Wooden has always said, “"Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are."
Kansas basketball coach Bill Self has always impressed me as being a guy of sound character. Family man. Community minded. Leader. Successful basketball coach. Today, one of my fraternity brothers, Steve Purdy, called to tell me a story that solidified my impressions of Coach Bill Self, and I thought it worth sharing.
A little background—as a young man, I grew up in a household that was crimson and blue—my parents went to KU, I had grandparents that went to KU—and so, yeah, it was pretty well engrained in my soul. I played basketball at Salina Central here in Kansas and had some success--- playing alongside some tremendous teammates---basketball was something I truly loved. In the summer, I would work odd jobs to earn enough money to go to Ted Owens Jayhawk Basketball Camp. And that was a great thrill, as well. I met guys like JoJo White, and other NBA players who had attended Kansas who would work the Camp during the summer—as well as kids from all over the United States.
Completing my high school career, I decided to head to KU. I wasn’t good enough to get a full ride scholarship at Kansas, and didn’t really want to play small college ball, so I thought I’d join a fraternity (Phi Gamma Delta) and just go to school in Lawrence. It came to enrollment time, and fraternity brother Steve Purdy told me that they were having tryouts for the KU basketball squad, and that I should come along with him—to see if we could make the team as walk-ons. So I decided to give it a try.
45 guys showed up for three spots and when they posted names on the bulletin board outside the locker room, Steve and I had both made the squad. We were officially Jayhawks. Coach Owens called me up to the office to congratulate me, and welcomed me to the team—and politely mentioned it might be a good idea for Steve and me to get haircuts (hey, it was the early 70’s). So Steve and I found the only barber in Lawrence open on a Monday, and we got crew cuts-- eliminating the hair locks that formerly touched our shoulders. We would have done anything to be part of the team—and we were pumped.
You have to know Steve Purdy to understand as a fraternity brother (or in that case--- a real brother) why you would want him on your team. He is one of a kind—loyal like the mutt you had as a kid—and one of the most fun guys you will ever meet. He’s built for fun and has a lot of energy. That was kind of a good and bad thing in college, but man, I love him just the way he is. Its guys like Steve that still keep our pledge class corresponding now some 30 years out of college.
The next day, we went to check in and that’s when I learned that Steve Purdy’s brother, Chuck Purdy, was the team manager.
Chuck was great as a manager, and checked us out our shoes, and issued us our reversible Jayhawk jerseys—one side crimson, one side blue. The words Kansas were printed across our chests, and walking into Allen Field House as a player for the first time, was like a dream. Chuck would always have an encouraging word for us as we made our way toward the court—where Assistant Coach Sam Miranda was waiting for us like a bulldog--- as he began to put us through our paces, and whip us into shape.
We young Jayhawks would be required to learn the plays of incoming teams, so that the varsity group could prepare for the next game. I was a scrub, and loved it. Tom Kivisto was the on-court leader of the team, and I played with every day with guys like Danny Knight, Randy Canfield, Rick Suttle, Dale Greenlee, Tommy Smith, and Brady Morningstar’s Dad—Roger Morningstar.
Chuck Purdy was always there. Helping us with equipment. Keeping our stuff clean for the next day. He was a terrific manager. He was, in point of fact, our only manager. And this story is about Chuck.
Fast forward to today—as Chuck approaches his 58th birthday. Steve called to tell me this afternoon that Chuck has been fighting cancer for awhile. He’s had it for five or six years and he has fought the good fight—but even with lots of chemo, and radiation, the cancer has just migrated to his liver. Chuck probably doesn’t have long to live.
So Steve and Chuck have made up a “bucket list” for Chuck—you know, those important things to do before Chuck transitions from this life to the next.
On the list--- Chuck wanted to go back to visit KU and see some guys from the team…. so his old pals Tommy Smith and Roger Morningstar set up a time, and they brought Chuck down to Lawrence from South Dakota. They met and had lunch at “The Wheel”—one of our old stomping grounds at KU. They were about halfway through lunch, and who walks in? It was KU basketball Coach Bill Self. They had a great little visit and Coach Self invited Chuck to come sit in on practice. First came the tour of the new facilities, and then Chuck, Roger, and Tommy settled in to watch the team at work. Chuck’s cell phone rang, and on the other end, was Coach Ted Owens. Coach Owens had heard from one of the players that Chuck was on campus, and wanted to check on how he was doing. They had a great discussion, and Coach Owens wished him the best.
About midway through practice, a voice called up to the stands, “Hey Chuck! Chuck! Why don’t you come down here?” It was Coach Self, motioning him down. Chuck happily obliged as Coach Self introduced Chuck to each of the team members—telling them Chuck was the one manager of our team, back when one manager did it all. (Today, there are over a dozen managers at KU). Coach Self asked Chuck to say a few words about what he was going through, and to give the players some words to live by. Chuck spoke to things like “never giving up” and “rising to the challenge”—and spent about 30 minutes in the middle of practice with the team, as the squad listened on.
As Chuck finished speaking, he looked around, and noticed that the team had dropped to a knee, and with heads bowed, someone began to lift Chuck and his battle with cancer up in prayer—as the entire Jayhawk team, the managers, and coaching staff prayed together for him. It had to be a very special moment for Chuck.
You see, Chuck is part of the legacy of Kansas basketball—but he’s a very real person. And this team was demonstrating its walk--- in the decision they made to be involved with collegiate athletics, in playing ball at Kansas, and in affiliating with Coach Bill Self. It’s clearly a relationship that goes well past being a basketball player. It’s very much about who you will be--- and how you will conduct yourself in life. It’s top down stuff, and it’s not done for the cameras, for the press, or for show—but it comes from the heart.
It’s also about developing character, and it’s something Bill Self demonstrates in his walk, as he leads by example. This will be a great Kansas team to watch, as they compete, and further as they grow into men, and then head out into the world. I’m guessing (I believe correctly) that regardless of the number of hoops they make, or line drills they run while players at Kansas, they’ll be better people for their experience under a coach like Self—a guy who cares about people first—a proven leader and a great person.
Chuck Purdy called Steve on the road home from Lawrence and spoke to him for about an hour as to what this visit had meant to him. Steve could hear it in Chuck’s voice—it had been an incredible day in Chuck’s life, and he was thankful for the support and love from everyone who had taken time for him.
Kudos to Coach Self and the Jayhawk team for recognizing what’s really important in life, and good luck this season. Winning may be the goal, but it’s the journeys in life which define true success. There’s no doubt that this journey will have its set of highs and lows—but traveling the road ahead, with character and integrity, will always lead upward—regardless of the W’s and L’s.
And to Chuck—from everyone you selflessly helped each day---and from everyone who is part of the KU family--- we send our thoughts and our prayers your way.
God’s blessings to you.
Hang in there, bud.
tw
Kansas basketball coach Bill Self has always impressed me as being a guy of sound character. Family man. Community minded. Leader. Successful basketball coach. Today, one of my fraternity brothers, Steve Purdy, called to tell me a story that solidified my impressions of Coach Bill Self, and I thought it worth sharing.
A little background—as a young man, I grew up in a household that was crimson and blue—my parents went to KU, I had grandparents that went to KU—and so, yeah, it was pretty well engrained in my soul. I played basketball at Salina Central here in Kansas and had some success--- playing alongside some tremendous teammates---basketball was something I truly loved. In the summer, I would work odd jobs to earn enough money to go to Ted Owens Jayhawk Basketball Camp. And that was a great thrill, as well. I met guys like JoJo White, and other NBA players who had attended Kansas who would work the Camp during the summer—as well as kids from all over the United States.
Completing my high school career, I decided to head to KU. I wasn’t good enough to get a full ride scholarship at Kansas, and didn’t really want to play small college ball, so I thought I’d join a fraternity (Phi Gamma Delta) and just go to school in Lawrence. It came to enrollment time, and fraternity brother Steve Purdy told me that they were having tryouts for the KU basketball squad, and that I should come along with him—to see if we could make the team as walk-ons. So I decided to give it a try.
45 guys showed up for three spots and when they posted names on the bulletin board outside the locker room, Steve and I had both made the squad. We were officially Jayhawks. Coach Owens called me up to the office to congratulate me, and welcomed me to the team—and politely mentioned it might be a good idea for Steve and me to get haircuts (hey, it was the early 70’s). So Steve and I found the only barber in Lawrence open on a Monday, and we got crew cuts-- eliminating the hair locks that formerly touched our shoulders. We would have done anything to be part of the team—and we were pumped.
You have to know Steve Purdy to understand as a fraternity brother (or in that case--- a real brother) why you would want him on your team. He is one of a kind—loyal like the mutt you had as a kid—and one of the most fun guys you will ever meet. He’s built for fun and has a lot of energy. That was kind of a good and bad thing in college, but man, I love him just the way he is. Its guys like Steve that still keep our pledge class corresponding now some 30 years out of college.
The next day, we went to check in and that’s when I learned that Steve Purdy’s brother, Chuck Purdy, was the team manager.
Chuck was great as a manager, and checked us out our shoes, and issued us our reversible Jayhawk jerseys—one side crimson, one side blue. The words Kansas were printed across our chests, and walking into Allen Field House as a player for the first time, was like a dream. Chuck would always have an encouraging word for us as we made our way toward the court—where Assistant Coach Sam Miranda was waiting for us like a bulldog--- as he began to put us through our paces, and whip us into shape.
We young Jayhawks would be required to learn the plays of incoming teams, so that the varsity group could prepare for the next game. I was a scrub, and loved it. Tom Kivisto was the on-court leader of the team, and I played with every day with guys like Danny Knight, Randy Canfield, Rick Suttle, Dale Greenlee, Tommy Smith, and Brady Morningstar’s Dad—Roger Morningstar.
Chuck Purdy was always there. Helping us with equipment. Keeping our stuff clean for the next day. He was a terrific manager. He was, in point of fact, our only manager. And this story is about Chuck.
Fast forward to today—as Chuck approaches his 58th birthday. Steve called to tell me this afternoon that Chuck has been fighting cancer for awhile. He’s had it for five or six years and he has fought the good fight—but even with lots of chemo, and radiation, the cancer has just migrated to his liver. Chuck probably doesn’t have long to live.
So Steve and Chuck have made up a “bucket list” for Chuck—you know, those important things to do before Chuck transitions from this life to the next.
On the list--- Chuck wanted to go back to visit KU and see some guys from the team…. so his old pals Tommy Smith and Roger Morningstar set up a time, and they brought Chuck down to Lawrence from South Dakota. They met and had lunch at “The Wheel”—one of our old stomping grounds at KU. They were about halfway through lunch, and who walks in? It was KU basketball Coach Bill Self. They had a great little visit and Coach Self invited Chuck to come sit in on practice. First came the tour of the new facilities, and then Chuck, Roger, and Tommy settled in to watch the team at work. Chuck’s cell phone rang, and on the other end, was Coach Ted Owens. Coach Owens had heard from one of the players that Chuck was on campus, and wanted to check on how he was doing. They had a great discussion, and Coach Owens wished him the best.
About midway through practice, a voice called up to the stands, “Hey Chuck! Chuck! Why don’t you come down here?” It was Coach Self, motioning him down. Chuck happily obliged as Coach Self introduced Chuck to each of the team members—telling them Chuck was the one manager of our team, back when one manager did it all. (Today, there are over a dozen managers at KU). Coach Self asked Chuck to say a few words about what he was going through, and to give the players some words to live by. Chuck spoke to things like “never giving up” and “rising to the challenge”—and spent about 30 minutes in the middle of practice with the team, as the squad listened on.
As Chuck finished speaking, he looked around, and noticed that the team had dropped to a knee, and with heads bowed, someone began to lift Chuck and his battle with cancer up in prayer—as the entire Jayhawk team, the managers, and coaching staff prayed together for him. It had to be a very special moment for Chuck.
You see, Chuck is part of the legacy of Kansas basketball—but he’s a very real person. And this team was demonstrating its walk--- in the decision they made to be involved with collegiate athletics, in playing ball at Kansas, and in affiliating with Coach Bill Self. It’s clearly a relationship that goes well past being a basketball player. It’s very much about who you will be--- and how you will conduct yourself in life. It’s top down stuff, and it’s not done for the cameras, for the press, or for show—but it comes from the heart.
It’s also about developing character, and it’s something Bill Self demonstrates in his walk, as he leads by example. This will be a great Kansas team to watch, as they compete, and further as they grow into men, and then head out into the world. I’m guessing (I believe correctly) that regardless of the number of hoops they make, or line drills they run while players at Kansas, they’ll be better people for their experience under a coach like Self—a guy who cares about people first—a proven leader and a great person.
Chuck Purdy called Steve on the road home from Lawrence and spoke to him for about an hour as to what this visit had meant to him. Steve could hear it in Chuck’s voice—it had been an incredible day in Chuck’s life, and he was thankful for the support and love from everyone who had taken time for him.
Kudos to Coach Self and the Jayhawk team for recognizing what’s really important in life, and good luck this season. Winning may be the goal, but it’s the journeys in life which define true success. There’s no doubt that this journey will have its set of highs and lows—but traveling the road ahead, with character and integrity, will always lead upward—regardless of the W’s and L’s.
And to Chuck—from everyone you selflessly helped each day---and from everyone who is part of the KU family--- we send our thoughts and our prayers your way.
God’s blessings to you.
Hang in there, bud.
tw
Operation: Cash Money
I'd like to pose a question to Colorado and Nebraska. Are you going to switch conferences every five to ten years when the television contracts with the networks run up? If switching conferences is all about money then these teams should potentially be looking for a bigger tv deal elsewhere in a few years.
Switching conferences is a joke. You throw away tradition, rivalries, and alumni respect (donations). A smarter person could list more.
I guess it's every man for himself. Yeah, Nebraska and Colorado stood to make more cash in the PAC 10 and Big Ten. They also used the academic play, but no one buys that. It's almost insulting they would even use that as a reason. On the other hand, you have KU, KSTATE, and MU winding up in the Mountain West Conference. Are you kidding me? I have a better shot at naming the capital of Botswana before naming four teams in the Mountain West Conference. While Colorado and the Huskers are out making millions KU is stuck playing the likes of UNLV, San Diego State, and Air Force. Adding to that, KU is bringing home significantly less revenue.
Texas saved us. But did they really save KU or MU and KState? For now they saved us, but for the next five to ten years all the other conference contract negotians will be taking place with networks and someone will eye to pick them up. It didn't happen this time around. In round two of "Let's get the biggest TV contract possible" Texas will get swooped up by the PAC 10 or the SEC. It is inevitable that we, KU, will be washed aside someday.
I don't like the game played by Nebraska and Colorado, but if others are playing it, we, KU, should play as well. Let's try to get an early bid from the SEC. They would take us if we developed an early integration plan into their conference that was reviewed by all of the athletic directors within the SEC. I know it sounds hypocritical, but I don't want to be stuck on the sidelines when deals go down and KU winds up in the Mountain West Conference. I don't see why all of the major conferences wouldn't want one of top four most famous basketball programs ever in the history of NCAA basketball in their very own conference.
This whole situation reminds me of a show on CNBC entitled "American Greed." Many of you are probably fairly familiar with the reality series that depicts individuals across the country who screw other people and swindle their way into cashing in millions, sometimes billions, enter their bank accounts. That familiar tale is eerily close to the path chosen by certain schools (Nebraska and Colorado). The only difference between the two schools that left the Big 12 and the people featured on American Greed is that the first did it legally. It all comes down to greed. At the end of the day this is all about money like most things in life. I don't have a problem that most things in life are about money, but I do have a problem with money and the greed for it ruining traditions that have been built and glorified over years and years of battle. Its a complete crock, and everyone knows it.
Only time can tell what will happen to this mess. I call it a mess because I don't feeling right calling this conference the Big 12 or the Big 10. I just hope KU, K State, and MU can find a way to still be a player within a major conference.
Switching conferences is a joke. You throw away tradition, rivalries, and alumni respect (donations). A smarter person could list more.
I guess it's every man for himself. Yeah, Nebraska and Colorado stood to make more cash in the PAC 10 and Big Ten. They also used the academic play, but no one buys that. It's almost insulting they would even use that as a reason. On the other hand, you have KU, KSTATE, and MU winding up in the Mountain West Conference. Are you kidding me? I have a better shot at naming the capital of Botswana before naming four teams in the Mountain West Conference. While Colorado and the Huskers are out making millions KU is stuck playing the likes of UNLV, San Diego State, and Air Force. Adding to that, KU is bringing home significantly less revenue.
Texas saved us. But did they really save KU or MU and KState? For now they saved us, but for the next five to ten years all the other conference contract negotians will be taking place with networks and someone will eye to pick them up. It didn't happen this time around. In round two of "Let's get the biggest TV contract possible" Texas will get swooped up by the PAC 10 or the SEC. It is inevitable that we, KU, will be washed aside someday.
I don't like the game played by Nebraska and Colorado, but if others are playing it, we, KU, should play as well. Let's try to get an early bid from the SEC. They would take us if we developed an early integration plan into their conference that was reviewed by all of the athletic directors within the SEC. I know it sounds hypocritical, but I don't want to be stuck on the sidelines when deals go down and KU winds up in the Mountain West Conference. I don't see why all of the major conferences wouldn't want one of top four most famous basketball programs ever in the history of NCAA basketball in their very own conference.
This whole situation reminds me of a show on CNBC entitled "American Greed." Many of you are probably fairly familiar with the reality series that depicts individuals across the country who screw other people and swindle their way into cashing in millions, sometimes billions, enter their bank accounts. That familiar tale is eerily close to the path chosen by certain schools (Nebraska and Colorado). The only difference between the two schools that left the Big 12 and the people featured on American Greed is that the first did it legally. It all comes down to greed. At the end of the day this is all about money like most things in life. I don't have a problem that most things in life are about money, but I do have a problem with money and the greed for it ruining traditions that have been built and glorified over years and years of battle. Its a complete crock, and everyone knows it.
Only time can tell what will happen to this mess. I call it a mess because I don't feeling right calling this conference the Big 12 or the Big 10. I just hope KU, K State, and MU can find a way to still be a player within a major conference.