By KEVIN HASKIN
TopSports.news
Musings at the mid … dang, February flies by:
• Kinda enjoy hearing all the whiners sick of the Chiefs.
• The complaints don’t stand up to scrutiny. Like …
• How can you call defensive holding for the first time … inside the 2-minute warning?.
• How can you call Patrick Mahomes one of the all-time great QBs … when he looks so lucky?
• How can you call bad footing equal for both teams … when Kansas City’s own George Toma plays a role in preparing the turf?
• You can’t revise rules as you go. I won’t try to explain the accepted norms behind this.
• It ain’t luck; it’s precision. Mahomes belongs in the Hall of Fame. Now. Especially after posting a second Super Bowl win on one ankle.
• At 94, Toma is an American legend, but yes, the field was bad. But for both teams, not just one. Be good enough as a staff to figure out the right cleats.
• The week I spent before writing this gave me time for additional Superlatives:
• Biggest whiff: The unanimous Eagles picks by everyone on the Fox crew who desperately wanted their conference, the NFC, to win.
• Worst announcer: Terry Bradshaw. He’s not funny. Nor do I don’t want any of his money.
• Best coach: Andy Reid. In part for putting up with Bradshaw.
• Dumbest stat emphasized: Time of possession. Psst, Fox, the Chiefs scored a defensive touchdown, so yes, the Eagles controlled the ball longer.
• Best ad: Busch Light. “Wrong shelter, Sarah.”
• Non-QB MVP: Nick Bolton. Psst, Fox, he scored the defensive touchdown and had another called back by review.
• Unsung heroes: Chiefs medical team. They made the most of the lengthy halftime treating Mahomes.
• Actually I thought of all those Superlatives during the game, but they still make sense.
• Been sunning south of Cancun, so pardon the delay in providing those insightful tidbits.
• And pardon me for missing the parade. Like all parades, I paid no attention.
• You must be impressed by my Valentine’s Day skills, taking my sweetheart to the beach.
• Spoiler: The company trip was courtesy of Advisors Excel.
• Vacationing alongside 600 co-workers gave it away for my wife.
• Cannot say I am surprised by KU’s surge and talk of an NCAA title repeat.
• Best coach, best player, best homecourt, best schedule.
• Every season, that kind of thing puts the Jayhawks in position to rule the Big 12 and beyond.
• And yes, Jalen Wilson is my choice as Big 12 player of the year.
• His supporting cast is damn good too, and getting better with strides from KU’s bigs.
• Bill Self figures things out. At crunch time, halftime, practice time, whenever. Even does it in his sleep.
• So, when the Big 12 is stronger than any conference in America (again, only stronger), it figures that KU is in contention.
• Jay Bilas may beat out Fran Fraschilla this season for KU games called by an ESPN analyst.
• I know most fans like that, but I respect Fran. He’s a league fixture, and that gets tough sometimes.
• Bilas is great, as long as he’s not auditioning to be grand poobah of college sports.
• Actually, he’d be pretty good at that job if college sports would change its governing structure.
• With the transfer portal and open bidding for talent, some structure is in order.
• What if the Big 12 got 10 bids to the NCAA Tournament, and each team advanced through the first round?
• The committee won’t write that blank check, but if it did, I’m not sure I’d bet against a Big 12 team in the first round.
• I like the concept of keeping Ahearn Fieldhouse but tearing down add-ons to the old barn.
• The old press box that sat above the court was one of the best views ever. Could shake from noise, but a whistle pitch is always worth remembering.
• I loved the place, but I don’t associate a decline in K-State basketball fortunes with moving into Bramlage Coliseum.
• Tom Asbury and Jim Wooldridge played far more significant roles over their collective 12 years.
• Ahearn would be a helluva venue for women’s wrestling. While not sanctioned yet by the NCAA, I predict it will gain such status.
• Maybe after Jay Bilas becomes poobah.
• As I write that, I realize one of the sounder sports moves ever by K-State has been to field a bare minimum number of sports. Wise financially.
• What kind of position Jerome Tang puts K-State in come tournament time will be interesting.
• His first season as coach cannot be described as anything but successful.
• Groundbreaking, actually, to be the person who ended the f-bombs and got people chanting KSU.
