By KEVIN HASKIN
TopSports.news
Musings at the mid-month:
• Sorry I am tardy on this dispatch. A Vegas trip wrecked my timing.
• After walking 20,000-plus steps the first day there, fatigue set in a bit.
• Tough to keep up with the Petersons and all the racket they made hitting the machines for big payouts.
• Cheap tendencies left me longing for the faded carpet at Jerry’s Nugget and the faded tile at Ellis Island.
• The allure of a $5 dollar table prompted me to unlock seedy treasure at both casinos.
• Even with higher prices on everything, the trip had its highlights.
• We witnessed the illustrious transformation of Rickie Peterson … from Popgun to Mr. Vegas.
• Money well spent.
• Bill Griffin offered a glowing state of the union on the TopSports website, which received cheers from all sides of the table.
• Happy hour helped set the mood, but I am happy for my friends and this website, which easily tops any traditional media source for Shawnee County sports coverage.
• While waving goodbye to the Strip, the return off the $20 future bet I hit for KU capturing the national title was all that had gone missing.
• The Jayhawks going off at 18:1 seemed like good value last summer, and indeed, they came through.
• Never dismiss a Bill Self team loaded with experience.
• Didn’t see Ochai Agbaji having the kind of season he enjoyed.
• Not sure we would have seen it either had Remy Martin played all year like he did at tournament time.
• Doubt Ochai would have been an All-American under such circumstances, though he made the most of his opportunity to boost himself in the draft.
• Good to see David McCormack go out on top considering his uneven performances and popularity. Big Dave won over everyone’s hearts.
• Not sure why I must inject this reminder on occasion, but Self knows what he’s doing.
• Does a second national title change Self’s legacy?
• Of course. It also changes his stature in real time.
• Sure, the result of the ongoing proceedings for rules infractions could change things too but the best Mark Emmert could do so far is call the university, Kansas City.
• That really inspires confidence in the NCAA chief.
• Count me among those intrigued by what’s happening with the basketball overhaul at K-State.
• Depth could be an issue for Jerome Tang but I’m willing to see everything play out before wondering when on-campus tryouts will be scheduled.
• Look, if your style doesn’t appeal to veteran players, no sense changing yourself.
• Tang got hired based on his approach, energy and intensity. Also, what happened with Baylor in his time as an assistant carries weight too.
• It’s just that we all know K-State is not the easiest place to recruit to at times.
• On that note, RIP to one of K-State’s greatest ambassadors, Jon Wefald.
• His vision and his capacity to interact made him the most personable university administrator I ever met. Hands down.
• We talked boxing one night while attending the same fight card; we talked architecture once while together at the Statehouse; we spoke about Pete Goering’s influence after Pete passed.
• Wefald was into everything because he took a genuine interest in people.
• So much so, one attribute that should never be forgotten was his desire to stage events that brought high school kids to K-State.
• He understood the importance of recruiting and grew K-State like no university president before or since.
• During the time Silver Lake football was part of my beat, an uprising surfaced to boot Santa Fe Trail from the Mid-East League.
• The league got its way but Silver Lake objected, in part because C.J. Hamilton approved of the competition from a larger school.
• Hamilton announced his retirement this week as the state’s all-time winningest prep football coach.
• Systematic tradition is the surest way to win consistently in high school football.
• Few ever sustained a dominant edge and belief quite like C.J.
• To denote what Jerry Farley achieved as Washburn president, just tour the campus.
• If you’re familiar with what WU looked like a quarter-century ago, progress is evident, obvious and vivid.
• It’s time for new ideas and new blood but Ichabods everywhere benefitted from Farley’s oversight.
• I will forever remember his commencement speech at my daughter’s graduation.
• His message touched on empathy, grace, kindness and diplomacy, values that continue to erode in our society.
• This spring I offer my annual public service reminder that I do not receive the Royals as a viewing option on my television subscription service.
• As long as such broadcasts are expressly forbidden by the franchise and by Major League Baseball, I have grown fine with it too.
• I know it doesn’t matter to any baseball executive, but you’ve lost a follower.
