Thanks, Coach

GeneStephenson in1977, photo courtesy KWCH

Highly successful and popular Wichita State University's long time baseball coach has been fired. When Gene Stephenson started as the head coach at WSU there was no baseball program. There was no place to practice or play, no equipment and no uniforms. He started it all from scratch.

Stephenson recently completed his 36th season as head coach at Wichita State after two losses in the 2013 Manhattan Regional, the first tournament appearance for WSU since 2009. His overall accomplishments also include the 1989 National Championship, seven College World Series appearances, 20 Missouri Valley Conference regular-season titles, 18 MVC Tournament titles and 54 All-Americans.Stephenson won more games in 36 years than any other Division I program, and he has a career record of 1,837-675-3 (.731).  He currently sits in second place in number of career Division I victories.

1977. The year I graduated high school. I gotta admit, I sure never noticed him and what he was up to until his teams started winning. I'm not even a baseball fan, but it was fun to watch his teams when they did appear on the tube.

There had been rumbling about his job for the past few years, so it wasn't a complete shock. His current and former players are not happy about this, either.

Perhaps he should have exited while it was his idea, but he's too much of a competitor to quit, and has stated he would still like to coach somewhere.

I wish Coach Stephenson all the best, and thank you, sir.

image goshockers.com

Big Doings Going on in Kansas Today!

Yep, the State of Kansas is one hundred fifty years old today. From it's bloody start to becoming the Breadbasket of America - well, it's been interesting. Even if it is flyover country to many or something that drivers suffering from boredom between Denver and Kansas City on I70 have to deal with - well, frankly I don't care.  I like it here.

Plus, today is the annual KU vs K-State basketball game. KU has dominated this contest for years. This year, the game is played in Allen Fieldhouse at KU. As in Phog Allen. As in "The Father of Basketball Coaching." Of course, if you know your basketball history, you also know that Phog got his start as a player for James Naismith. As in "The Inventor of Basketball."

Ya think there might, just might, be a tad bit of tradition in Phog's arena? How about the Rock Chalk Jayhawk - KU chant? Of course, the answer from the K-State Wildcat fans is Rock Chalk Chickenhawk Go K-State. However, to a KU fan, they aren't Wildcats - they are the Mildcats. The Chickenhawks had a sixty nine game winning streak on the James Naismith Court, but Texas kinda put the quietus on that last Saturday.

KU supporters are "way up there on Nob Hill," while K-Staters are a bunch of farm rubes (since KSU is the state ag university. There really is a bit of class warfare - if you are a rural type, K-State is your place, while if Daddy is an Old Moneyed Kansan from Johnson County - well, little Missy is gonna be in a sorority at KU. End of story. Not that there aren't moneyed types at K-State or rural farm types at KU - but that is the impression one gets.

Here at The Poor Farm - well, it's a house divided. My father was a major KU fan, while my uncle graduated from K-State. I am also a former student at K-State. But, I enjoy watching both teams. I'd like to see the Wildcats win this one tonight, but frankly, I doubt it will happen. I'd like to see some of the more rabid KU fans taken down a notch. Last year, there was a picture that made the email rounds that a KU fan had displayed at a conference showdown that said "K- State - can we borrow your trophy case? Ours is full."

Gotta give that guy his props. Beats a big D and a mini white picket fence all to hell.

Didn't Even Get A Reacharound

link

Last night. The New Era Pinstripe Bowl in it's inaugural debut. Played at Yankee Stadium. Yep, that Yankee Stadium. The Kansas State Wildcats vs the Syracuse Orangemen. It was a back and forth battle, with neither defense able to consistently contain the opposing offense. In the closing minutes of the game, K-State was behind 36 to 28 - eight points behind. A touchdown and a two point conversion. With 1:13 left, Carson Kaufman, the Wildcat QB, lobbed a pass to Adrian Hilburn, Wildcat WR - which you see in the video. By the bye, that end zone was where most of the K-State fans were congregated. Hilburn's brief salute was considered excessive celebration:

Rule 9-2-1d


"Any delayed, excessive, prolonged or choreographed act by which a player attempts to focus attention on himself (or themselves)."

Fifteen yard penalty, enforced on the PAT attempt. The Wilcats didn't succeed in the two point conversion. Syracuse took over and ran the clock out.

The referees were Big 10. They also covered the Music City Bowl, Tennessee Volunteers vs the North Carolina Tar Heels. Tennessee players routinely made throat cutting motions after plays at the Tar Heel bench and saluting. Were they called out by the same conference refs?

Nyet.

After the game, I heard one of the color commentators, who was a former referee, field a question from his broadcast partner. He was asked if the penalty was appropriate. The former ref said he would have warned the player rather than throwing the flag, considering the circumstances.

Now, if K-State had dominated the game, this would not be an issue. They had plenty of opportunities to take control and failed to do so - because Syracuse was a well matched opponent. Conversely, Syracuse had similar chances to put the Wildcats away and couldn't do it, either. And it's impossible to say whether the Wildcats would have scored those two points to put the game into overtime if they didn't have to overcome the fifteen yard penalty, much less win in overtime.

However, to change the game with a judgment call that definitely displayed excessive, finicky pickiness against a "visiting" team in a bowl game instead of letting the players settle it between themselves?

Despicable.

I'd Always Wondered

Now I know. Heh.


I fear "Amy" and I would have a very serious heart to heart were March Madness off the television schedule in my humble abode. Kansas is a bit of a college hoops state, particularly when we've the KU Jayhawks (ranked #1) to root for. Plus, we also have the KSU Wildcats (#6), who appear to have the Texas Tech Red Raiders handled as I write this.

I'm pretty proud of the "Boys in Blue" this year and just about any year, frankly. Bill Self generally has some pretty well coached players on the court, and this year is no different. I hear a lot of my friends crab about how KU has won so many squeakers - that if they were a true number one team, apparently they'd do a better job crushing their opponents. The better to hear the lamentation of the women, I guess.

To this I say hogwash. Even though these young men are more than likely at the threshold of lucrative NBA careers, they are still kids in many ways. Get ahead, get bored and sloppy, let the other team back in the game. This drives me nuts as well. I can understand how it happens, though.

I never even went out for basketball, so I know I miss out on some of the finer points. I've noticed I really appreciate Bobby Knight as a color commentator these days. I think we'll look back on he and Brent Musburger as one of the finest college basketball broadcasting duos ever. Coach Knight seems to be fair in his assessments of players actions, and while he's quite capable of criticizing the play, he's also quick to praise good plays as well. He's pretty toned down from his chair tossing days. Musburger is great at utilizing Knight's knowledge by setting up timely and effective questions or statements for the coach to play off. Pat Summerall could play John Madden like a violin, and Brent has the same abilities.

So, yeah, the boob tube is gonna be on and tuned in to March Madness. End of story.

Rivalry

I actually am a K-State guy. I went to school there. My heart pumps purple blood. I do root for KU except when K-State is playing against them. I was pretty tickled when the Wildcats gave KU one of the 'Hawks three defeats this season. I was also proud of how well the 'Cats did in the tournament. For such a young team, they have every right to be happy with their performances this season.

But, when you've got one of your state's teams doing well, you just have to root for them, too. And since the KU/K-State rivalry is legendary, when one team wins the big enchilada, there will be gloating:



Segregation in Kansas


Sunday in Lawrence


Sunday in Manhattan



H/T Thanks to many of my friends who emailed these to me.

For You, Dad

My father was a huge Kansas University men's basketball fan. Back when I had a Cband dish, and the networks put up March Madness "in the clear," he'd be glued to the screen all of March. He loved watching college basketball, but he particularly loved KU basketball. When the networks started messing with the broadcasts - he had them figured out. They'd start a game on one transponder on a satellite, but then they would switch to another transponder on a different satellite. They didn't fool Dad - he'd winkled out where they went and had them figured out.

He was hooked well before Danny Manning and Larry Brown winning the big enchilada back in '88. He had high hopes that Roy Williams would hit the jackpot as well. Dad passed well before Roy pulled his stunt. In 2000, Roy claimed he wasn't going to go anywhere - that he was going to stay at KU. He turned down the Tarheels job. Not so much in 2003. He announced his departure during the tournament!

It looked like the soil above Dad's grave had been disturbed, possibly by some sort of massive rotation underneath the surface. I know without a doubt he would have been pissed. I know I was.

Ahhh, but revenge is a dish best served cold, as Khan said in Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan. The quarterfinals saw the boys in blue take on the Tarheels, and whup them rather convincingly. That would have probably been enough, but in the finals, wow! What a game!

I thought the 'Hawks were done for when they were nine down. They managed to fight back and tie the game with a three pointer with 2.9 seconds left. Memphis tried a hail mary that failed. Overtime it was, and KU seemed to control the tempo, and ended up winning. I'm sure there will be controversy, already John Calipari, the head coach for Memphis, is complaining about the referees repealing a three point call because they used video to see that the shooter had his left foot inside the arc. That was a major turning point in the game - I'll give him that. But, his kids didn't capitalize on their free throws, and they were unable to handle the Jayhawks in the closing moments of the game. They were beaten.

To be fair, I thought the refereeing could have been tighter. I felt there should have been more fouls called, but I'm always one that bitches about "letting them play." So, they let the guys play. It was really a great game to watch, and if the "boys in blue" lost, I'd still be proud of them. They did, after all, show up Roy Williams!