I grew up a Kansas Jayhawk fan. What I mean is I am a KU basketball fan. KU has rarely put a good football product on the field. The notable exceptions are the 1995 Aloha Bowl, which was essentially the last/weakest bowl game in that time, and the wild Mangino era. Not looking to cover the Mangio area today, but that was a fun time for a few years. This all made it difficult to get into college football, and I cannot say I have ever recovered. I watch and follow the sport, but it is not with the same passion of my friends and family went to or root for the Ohio States and Clemsons.
My alma mater is Fort Hays State University, and I am a huge Tiger fan as well. The Tigers are DII, so a heavy rooting interest in KU sports is not a conflict. It’s quite common for smaller school kids like me to have a DI rooting interest, and it usually ends up being regional. Fort Hays of my middle school, high school, and college-era reinforce the football/basketball dynamic in me. I cannot recall a truly threatening football squad during that time frame. The best game I can recall is a tie with Pittsburg State, who are a DII powerhouse, in the 95ish season. Conversely, the men’s basketball team won the title going 34-0 in ’95-96. College basketball is my jam and March is the best.
Ode to the Tigers
I was a freshman in high school when the above-mentioned title happened. That remains one of the wildest sports times in my life. Games play at Gross Memorial Coliseum, which opened in 1973 (just in time for my parents’ time there). According to the Fort Hays site it seats just over 6000. However, I recall hearing numbers of 7K+ during pack the house nights of that title-era team. That was roughly 50% of the Hays population back then. I went to tons of games with my neighbors and family. Tiger basketball games were the place to be from 1994-1998. The men’s basketball team owned that era to the point Hays became an All-American City in 1996.
There were other things on the application, I’m sure, but all knew where this win came from. The men’s and women’s teams were good and fun to watch through college. We made many a Fraternity and Greek night attending, and we saw tons of wins. The rivalry games against Nebraska-Kearny (Luck the Fopers) were always classics. DII tournament is regional until the Elite Eight, so we saw playoff games at Gross throughout middle school to college time. College basketball has always been in my blood.
Cheers to the Lady Tigers
The recent years have belonged to the women’s team. I was expecting this year to finally culminate in a trip to the Elite 8, but they fell just short. The Lady Tigers fell to division-rival Missouri Western on Monday capping another stellar season. Fort Hays women’s basketball has been the toast of the town recently, and I wanted to travel to Birmingham to see them. It was not to be this year. My only hope is a repeat of that 1996 men’s team. That team DOMINATED home games, had all their scares on the road, and won the title. The crazy thing I remember was expecting the 1995 team to be the title hopeful. They were the ones to turn the corner but fell short.
Maybe fate has a Tiger fantasy repeat on tap for us. The game recap mentions a dynamic senior duo, but also many freshmen. Cheers to this team for the great memories, and cheers to the future.
An Anniversary of Note
I have written often about being a wedding DJ and music fan. My tastes are all over the map. I recapped an Alabama concert a couple of months ago, which checks the country box. This past weekend I saw Journey and Toto, and I sure do love my classic rock. However, for this edition, I will talk a bit more about my music love that matches the college-era Tigers. High school was heavy metal and the likes of Korn. My college jams were the likes of Blink-182, New Found Glory, Green Day, and many more like them. Here is a 13-hour playlist of the music I still love. Many of these bands still tour to this day.
The noted anniversary involves Fall Out Boy, which is a Chicago band. The band formed in Chicago, but the drummer, Andy Hurley, is from a Milwaukee suburb. I had to point that out. He certainly does when they play live in MKE. Green Day is the elder statesman of this music, and they are also the kings. Blink-182 made a massive commercial mark in the late 90’s/early 00s and grabbed the world’s attention. New Found Glory took the torch from them for a few years starting around 2002 with their album “Sticks and Stones.” Fall Out Boy grabbed from them in 2005 when they released “Under the Cork Tree.”
Cock it and Pull It
Fall Out Boy built a following with their 2003 album “Take This to Your Grave.” The album cover is iconic in this circle of music for its perfection in simplicity. The Top track is undoubtedly “Grand Theft Autumn / Where is Your Boy.” Their growing popularity became a breakthrough with the release of the 2005 single “Sugar, We’re Goin Down” from “under the Cork Tree.” This track was a godsend to a DJ like me yearning for ways to infuse my personal tastes into weddings. It was a dancefloor-filling banger then, and it remains one today. My favorite thing about this song is lead singer Patrick Stump slurring the lyrics to make it more punk rock. Genius.
This album followed with “Dance, Dance” and the FOB revolution was on.
Infinity on High
Many bands produce hits, and many assemble great albums. Fall Out Boy checks those boxes hard with “Under the Cork Tree.” Their spot in my upper echelon was solidified even if they never released another track. On February 6, 2007, they followed it up with “Infinity on High” forever making their mark on the genre. This album bursts with hits, but the second single, “This Ain’t A Scene, It’s an Arms Race” is my favorite.
The Arms Race
Shawn and David wrote excellent articles about the pre-FA/legal tamper/whatever we want to call this time of year. I love Shawn Sorter’s title calling the AFC an arms race, which is accurate. See his article, here! https://arrowheadone.com/the-afc-arms-race/
There is no other way to describe what is going on in the NFL. The AFC is the superior top-to-bottom conference, so the NFC has naturally won the last two Super Bowls. Maybe that is why the AFC is stocking up. Let’s move past that thought as quickly as it is relevant. The AFC arms race is a result of the success of Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City CHIEFS. KC has lost 3 meaningful, do-or-die games in the last 4 years. Two to Tom Brady and one to themselves.
Buffalo stocked the pantry last season to fall short in the Divisional round. The Bengals, the recipient of the win the CHIEFS gave away, stocked it too. Cinci ran out a top 5 RB and a trio WR1/2. The CHIEFS couldn’t ID a WR2 because no one wanted to step into the role Sammy Watkins vacated. The Bengals couldn’t ID a WR2 because they had too many claims to WR1 status. And they went to the Super Bowl. By winning at Arrowhead on a last-second OT field goal.
March Madness
Shawn accurately called this past week an arms race. I call it March Madness. Teams are in a contest with each other to throw around the most money, sign the most FA, and win the offseason. There is no division madness-er than the AFC West, which is my overall point. Denver fans and media will tell you the Broncos got a deal with the Wilson trade and will point to the Rams as proof. I view that commentary as madness. This does not feel like the glorious emancipation from a perennially horrible Lions situation. Russ spent much of last year, and that is a fact. It is also a fact that the healthy time was bad. Bronco fans will also point to the Peyton Manning/noodle arm situation as a reinvention.
I may look like a fool if this all comes together from Denver, but I do not see this as the same thing. Here are my takes:
- Manning walked into a WR corp of Demaryius Thomas and Eric Decker with Julius Thomas at TE. That looks significantly better than Jerry Jeudy and Courtland Sutton.
- Russell Wilson rode DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett and bevy of solid (yes, often injured) RB to a 7-10, 4th place record against Matt Stafford, Kyler Murray and Jimmy G. His next step is to walk into the AFC West with a first time head coach and take down Patrick Mahomes, Justin Herbert and Derek Carr? I don’t think so.
Denver made an all-in move, and I respect and applaud that. I expect them, like fate, in the 2003 Blink-182 song “Feelin’ This” to fall short this time. And the rest of the time they spend digging out of this no draft hole they dug for themselves.
Charged Up
The Chargers are making moves that make a ton more sense. They also make them a ton scarier if that’s possible. Keeping Mike Williams (at what looks like a deal, no less) and signing J.C. Jackson are great pieces of business. The Khalil Mack trade is sickening to me as a CHIEFS fan. I would gladly give a 2nd and 6th for that and am furious that he will pair with Bosa. We are mere months away from this year’s edition of “Chargers will win the West” headlines, so get excited for that.
Un-Mad at the CHIEFS
We as fans love to win FA. Good front offices understand the futility of that endeavor and save us from ourselves. I believe in our front office. My preference was to keep Ward, but San Fran snagged him. The deal with Texans S Justin Reid should age well.
I hate that I like it, but good job letting Honey Badger walk. Anything beyond a 1-2 year deal has the serious risk of becoming bad business. This is a great example of the front office saving us from ourselves. I also like the Frank Clark restructure.
Has he been worth his contract these past two seasons? Heck no, but EDGE rushers do not grow on trees and $14.5M is the going price for a serviceable one.
Veach still has work on the D side of the ball, and I expect him to perform. My attention is strongly on the WR position. I want a solid WR2 for Mahomes. He needs to be a guy that can eat up first downs, win 1:1, be able to contest for the tough catches, and essentially do what a healthy Sammy Watkins did for us. I was salivating at the potential of Amari Cooper until Dallas gave him away for a box of Thin Mints. Cooper has the distinct pleasure of being the next guy Baker Mayfield regresses. We may get him for a bag of Hydrox cookies next offseason. Top of my wish list is Allen Robinson, and JuJu comes directly after. Rumors are tying Jarvis Landry as well, and he could fit the bill as well.
We have to get this right.
One More March Madness Take
I will end with my starting point: KU basketball. This appears to be Gonzaga’s year. I see another Final 4 in their future, and they have a strong shot to finally close the deal. They are the logical choice, but that is not why I root and fill out brackets. My bracket the year, like pretty much every year, has KU winning the title. One of these years I will get it right. I have Gonzaga over Kentucky and KU over Tennessee in the Final 4, and KU relegating the Zags to another runner-up.
The tourney can go ahead and start now.
Josh Kingsley – ArrowheadOne