Oh Well

Results of the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl Oregon Ducks 35, Kansas State Wildcats 17.

Yeah, my guys lost. Been hearing a bunch of crap from haters that are very happy to see this, most notably Kansas University Jayhawk fans.

Which is fine and normal, that is what makes rooting for sports teams so much fun. But one of the reasons I've been hearing is that KState is a relative newbie to the bowl scene compared to the long tradition of winning at other schools. KU is actually slightly better than KState in the long term, but that is damning with faint praise, frankly.

When I attended KState in the early eighties, I went to several football games, but the one I distinctly remember was the Nebraska Cornhusker game. Of course, the Wildcats (long called the Mildcats) were stomped, but the abiding memory was how red the stands were. There were more people rooting for the Huskers than Cat fans. This was actually a fairly common occurrence, because for many of those attending, Manhattan was closer than Lincoln to them. The student section had sold out in a big way - I had Nebraska fans surrounding me.

Well, now things are different. We actually have teams that make it to bowl games. We may not have the tradition of winning, and the bright lights seem to faze us, but By God I'm not gonna be ashamed of the Cats losing tonight.

For too long we've had nothing. Now we have something to cheer about. There is validity in the saying "Maybe next year" because they seem to improve. For the first time ever, the Wildcats actually were ranked number one this year. We have a quarterback who was considered in the running for a Heisman Trophy.

All thrilling stuff we just aren't used to seeing.

So, even though our guys lost, I'm not hanging my head. The Cats did a fine job this year, and I'm proud of them. They were sure an entertaining bunch to watch, and there is certainly promise for the future. Gotta love it!

EMAW!