Showdown

Those of you who know me know that I'm not some crazed sports nut. Sure, I like the Chiefs, and I like to watch the Royals play when I can. But if I miss the game, its no big deal. I've never been much into sports. Probably because growing up I was simply too fat and too slow to play sports to any degree of anything.

We played neighborhood pick up baseball games, and they were always fun, and I cherish those memories. But I was never part of a real team. My older brother was exceptional at baseball. He was in the summer leagues up through junior high (yes, that's right, back then we didn't have middle schools, we had junior highs). And he was good. Real good. I believe to this day he could have played, at least in the minors, with success. I also believe the reason he quit was because the Ol' Man was just too pushy and overbearing about it all. So much so that my brother would choose to walk away from a game he loved, rather than put up with the Ol' Man.

I can't remember the last basketball game I watched clean through (other than at college when it really wasn't about watching the game so much as socializing). But tomorrow I'll have my eyes on the tube watching the KU/KSU game. I really don't know anything about these two teams. Other than what has been in the headlines. KU is currently undefeated. KSU is 14-4, undefeated in conference play. Both teams are in the AP Top 25 (KU at 2 and KSU at 22). KU is once again getting, in my opinion, the raw deal. They are 20-0 and the AP #1 team is 19-0. But that is the curse of being in Kansas. You get no respect. I remember the World Series between the Kansas City Royals and the St. Louis Cardinals. It was the first series I ever remember where the Goodyear blimp wasn't present. But who cared? It was only Missouri right? This kind of thing is all to familiar to those of us in fly-over country.

Against common sense (not to mention everyone in my family) I'm rooting for the 'Cats. Yes, that's right, I'm hoping that KSU beats the 'Hawks. Why? Living only 30 minutes from Jayhawk HQ (Lawrence) and about 70 minutes for Wildcat HQ (Manhattan), and having spent a couple of years attending KU, it would seem natural for me to be rooting for the 'Hawks.

But I'm an underdog kind of guy. I don't have any love for either brand, but KSU is certainly due. It's been something like 24 years since KSU has beaten KU at basketball at KSU. With a record like that, the law of averages has to, just has to catch up at some point. Plus, KU has to lose a game sometime (yeah, that's probably what people said about the football team), and I'd like that loss to be handed to them by KSU. If KSU were to pull off a win, it would certainly be one of those David and Goliath style upsets (and I don't mean that kid and his dog).

Either way, it is sure to be an exciting game, and I'm looking forward to watching it.