Friday Recycler: Gale Sayers

I was going to skip the recycler today as I have about four "real content" posts that I'm dying to put out. However, the quotes from Gale Sayers this morning were too good to pass on ...

Kansas Comet If He Played Today | kusports.com

"If backs today had those hash marks like that, I don’t know how many yards they would get, but not a whole lot. If I had the hash marks the way they have them today, I’d gain 20,000 yards. I guarantee you.”

Comet on the Facilities | Same article:

“There’s too many programs around the country that have good basketball teams and good football teams,” he said. “Why can’t we do that? We have one of the most beautiful campuses in the country. Basketball has always been good here. All we have to do is give some more funding to the (football) program, where they can go out and recruit. (KU athletic director) Lew (Perkins) has done a great job of building facilities, no question about it. We need that. Our facilities now will match probably 10 of the 12 teams in the Big 12. When recruits come to KU, they see what we’re doing.”

Family Plan Ticket Sellout? | That's the nice thing about running a blog. You can use the message boards as a source. Sevenyearhawk posted about receiving a letter from the athletic department indicating a likely sellout in July. I just checked my mail and no letter for me. Let's just say I'm desparate for info on the possibility of achieving 40k in season ticket holders. That would be a pretty major turning point.

25 to 1 | If you like to bet on the Heisman race, you can check the odds at DXP. Our man Todd Reesing is at 25 to 1. C'mon what else are you going to do with your paycheck?

Matt Hayes Hates KU | A Sporting News ranking of the non-con schedules for the Big 12. Eleven?

Phil Steele Awards Tigers Lombardi Trophy (Speed Cycle)

“I really don’t think anyone is going to challenge Missouri in the North.”
   --Phil Steele

Pretty interesting KU football article from the UDK with lots of KU bashing from Steele. Honestly, I'm not even sure if the Jayhawk football program should even bother to field a team this year.

Also, this site from the article entertained me: http://preseason.stassen.com/

Weekend Scraps: Facilities and ADs

Indoor Facilities | The Oklahoman had a comparison of Big 12 indoor facilities. KSU largest in the nation?
http://newsok.com/article/3257394

Another Big 12 Preview | Quick and dirty, the internet way.
http://newsok.com/article/3257394

Anderson Nears Completion | KUsports.com has full piece on the new football facility with photos and video. One question as I look at the seating in the main meeting room. Are those fancy student desks big enough for the linemen? http://www2.kusports.com/news/2008/jun/15/final_countdown/?football

Q&A With the ADs | The Dallas Morning News caught of few of the athletic directors at an AD convention in Dallas last week. Good questions about a playoff and a possible Big 12 Network.
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spt/stories/061508dnsponacda.37f8fe6.html

Big 12 Teams Looking For Answers | The Columbia Tribune put together a list of personnel holes that Big 12 football teams will be trying to fill this season. A pretty good rundown on some priority spots for the conference.
http://www.columbiatribune.com/2008/Jun/20080615Spor002.asp

Tuesday Recycler: Mike Rivera + Dawg Sports Joins the Choir

Future Leader | The boys at the LJW put up a nice piece on Mike "God of Thunder" Rivera this morning. We all saw the leadership conference a few weeks ago and what can I say -- Rivera is exactly the kind of student athlete that we are after for KU football.

“I’m definitely trying to get everybody involved,” Rivera said. “It’s a lot of fun. We do a lot of good things. It’s definitely important to do well academically and in the community. It says a lot about a person. If you don’t do well off the field, chances are you’re not going to do well on the field.”

http://www2.kusports.com/news/2008/jun/10/ku_linebacker_uses_football_means_end/#comments 

Dawg Sports Hates KU | Another "fresh" take: http://www.dawgsports.com/2008/6/9/549099/which-four-college-footbal 

... without so much as a single regular-season win against a legitimate quality opponent in 2007.

But they were all great the week before we played them. The qualifier helps ... no regular season wins. V-Tech and bowl games don't count anymore.

and the ‘Hawks are apt to discover that the Sunshine State is a mite more hot and humid in Tampa in September than it is in Miami in January.

That's a new one. Now we can't win when it's too hot. Will it really be hotter in September in Florida than it is January? I'm confused, I thought Florida was in Australia. 

This program hasn’t been to a bowl game in an even-numbered year since 1992, hasn’t posted back-to-back seasons above .500 since 1995 ...

Hee Hee ... now channeling Field House Drinker.

Required Reading | The Cap-Journal caught up with Mark Mangino and Bill Self in Topeka and as they offered kind words on  Otto Schnellbacher. There's some good stuff from Fambrough in there. Here's a quote from Mangino that gives a little clue about plans inside the new facility:

  "He was one of the all-time greats and his name will forever be part of the Ring of Honor," Mangino said of the shrine in Memorial Stadium recognizing KU's football greats. "When we move into our new complex, we'll have a mini ring of honor there. We'll make sure his memory lives on."

Weekend Scraps: David McMillan, SB Nation and Jersey #3

Keegan Likes The D | Tom Keegan output a little rundown on the expectations for the 2008 D minus James McClinton and Aqib Talib. Here's a quote from Mike Rivera:

"Linebacker's the heart, baby. It's been that way for a long time. It was last year, and it was the year before. We learned well from Banks (Floodman), Kevin (Kane) and Nick (Reid)."

Talking NCAA 09 on the Huddle | This thread has a link to the player rankings plus it tipped me off to the KU official site listing Jocques Crawford as #3. High expectations indeed.

SB Nation-Unsportsmanlike Conduct | C'mon, you're running stats and schedule feeds into each of your sites. How can I compete with that?

David McMillan Website | Saw this on the grid. Some nice KU memories in the photo album. Go there.

KU Scholarship Offers | According to recruitingplanet.com, the following recruits received offers over the weekend:

OH -- CB Bradley McDougald
TX -- DE Brayden Burnett
KS -- DE/TE Kevin Young
AR -- WR Neal Barlow
TX -- RB Kendial Lawrence

Thursday Recycle: Bo Pelini Hates K-State + DVD University

Rock Chalk Talkin' Football | There's been a new emphasis on football at RockChalkTalk.com. Here's a primer on the QBs plus a look at Florida International. My take is that Kerry Meier is a pretty good quarterback -- would hate to lose him at wideout.

James McClinton Game Worn Jersey | Link to the auction

Aqib Talib Game Worn Jersey | $210 for shipping seems a little steep. Here's the link.

DVD University | Saw it on the Grid. Here's a little something for your Christmas wish list: http://www.snyderbowlsdvd.com/

(also from the grid) I don't think this guy is going to buy the the DVD:

Weekend Scraps: Don Fambrough Edition

Sports Blog Values | HD didn't make the list, but BON sure did. Tipped from KF-IBT.

Tom Keegan's Tips For New KU Football Players | Maybe should have run yesterday morning.

Gale Sayers Turns 65

“Deacon Jones was a great football player. Ray Nitschke, all those people hit very, very hard. But in practice — Dick Butkus.”

Don Fambrough "Three Little Jayhawks" Book Signing

a book signing and sale from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at HyVee on West Sixth Street.

More On Don Fambrough From A Sporting News Blog -- Brian Wheeler

“You read about how they’re calling this the Missouri-Kansas Showdown,” he said. “Showdown (expletive)! It’s (expletive) war!

“They started the war! They sent that (expletive) (William) Quantrill over here! That (expletive) killed all the men, raped all the women, burned the town down!

“It’s war!,” Fambrough used to scream to his players in the locker room before taking the field. “They started the damn war, and Quantrill was a Missouri alum!”

Thursday Recycle: Speed Version + Robot Dog

Summer Conditioning Starts Monday (6/2)
http://www2.kusports.com/news/2008/may/29/ryan_woods_ku_football_notebook/

Katie Martincich, a junior on the 2007 Jayhawk volleyball squad takes Big 12 Sportsperson of the year -- kinda cool
http://www.cstv.com/sports/w-volley/stories/052808aab.html

We're Still Talking About Glen?
http://www2.kusports.com/news/2008/may/29/mason_makes_career_change/

Tom Keegan Is Clearly Bored
http://www2.kusports.com/news/2008/may/28/keegan_barber_poll/?football

And then there was a voice in the wilderness, Rockie Browning of Images on Ninth Street. Friends, he said, call him a curmudgeon when it comes to KU football. He predicted 7-5.

“It’s KU football,” he said. “That pretty much sums it up. I hope I’m wrong, but I’ve always been a realist when it comes to football.”

Later today, I'll be heading down to the Olathe small engine repair shop to see what the boys down there think about the 2008 KU football season. I'll ride my bike to save on gas. Rocky -- that's the old KU mentality. Get on board with the program.

Hawk Digest is Clearly Bored This Week -- Is It Wrong To Kick A Robot Dog?

Sunday Recycle: Tony Stubbs in AF2

Tony Stubbs Gets A Mention | I love it when an ex-KU player pops in one of the feeds. Looks like Tony Stubbs (senior in '04) is kickin' around in the Arena Football 2 league. Always good to hear about a former Jayhawk warrior:

"Florida defensive back and former Kansas Jayhawk Tony Stubbs broke up a would-be Wildcats touchdown pass in the end zone on fourth down."

Nebraska Paper Previews KU | The Lincoln Journal-Star offered a preview of Husker opponents. Excerpt:

"The Jayhawks are also looking for a replacement for cornerback and playmaker Aqib Talib, though chances of finding someone who can match all that Talib did for the team is remote."

Mostly the leadership and bravado will be missed. We feel good about corner and the wideouts are pretty deep as well.

Also should mention that Mangino is all about understatement. There are subtle signs that the '08 squad could be the best defense of the Mangino era -- which I guess would be the best defense at KU ever.

Saturday Recycle: Big 12 Revenue and Phil Steele Is Wrong

Big 12 Revenue Sharing | Via Blair Kerkoff and the Kansas City Star:

"And after a year in which two mid-to-smaller-budget programs — the Jayhawks and Tigers — wound up as the league’s highest-ranked Big 12 teams, it’s difficult to argue for change."

I guess, if you say so. All I care about it is getting all of KU's away games televised, so bring on the Big 12 Network. Here's a companion article by Blair on this year's Big 12 ABC/ESPN schedule. I also liked Husker Mike's take from Corn Nation, noting that ABC passed on Virginia Tech vs Nebraska.

Phil Steele No Like Todd Reesing? | C'mon. I know the Corn is kind of a big deal, but leaving TR off is a football sin. Put Sam Bradford on the Texas cover since he plays in the Texas division ... not the North. Do something. Full line-up of Phil Steele covers, but don't go there. Phil should be boycotted.

Friday Recycler: Charles Gordon is Still The Man + Joe Paterno

Charles Gordon Graduates | Ryan Wood is reporting that CG will walk the hill Sunday as a business administration major. Great news for Charles -- Congratulations and what a great example.

Paterno on A Playoff | I guess I didn't know that Joe Paterno was a playoff man. Definitely some interesting comments in this SI article:

"I don't think so right now, and I don't know why," said Paterno, who is entering his 43rd season as Penn State's head coach. "I'm only going to be a head coach another 10 or 15 years, and I don't think it will happen by then."

"Not that I'm against what other people want to do, it's just that  philosophically I think you ought to win it on the field. If I have to vote for somebody only because people have said these are the two teams that ought to be in the BCS championship game and I think they left somebody out that probably ought to be in it, that's when I'll feel a playoff ought to be appropriate. I've always been for a playoff."

Here's A Song I Don't Care For | But this text/photo version by JoshuaTheGreat on the Gridiron Forum may change my mind. A nice offseason pick me up.

QUICK LINKS:

Big 12 Top Players by Position - Sporting News

Athlon Ranking #13

Top 10 College Coaches-Rivals

Weekend Scraps: Memorial Stadium, Mack Brown and the FSU President Speaks Out

Florida State President Tells It Like It Is | FSU president T.K. Wetherell laid it all out at the National Football Forum in Grapevine, Texas last week. He called a playoff inevitable and spoke pretty bluntly about what it will come down to -- money. Also, should note that Mark Mangino was on hand for this meeting. Here's an excerpt:

According to Wetherell, schools are happy to stick with the status quo because budgets are padded with money from the 12th game, which was added for the 2006 season.

“We’ll spend all that money. We’re not going to bank it,” Wetherell said. “Then the question will be, `Where do I get me more money?”’

A playoff will be the logical alternative, Wetherell said.

“And the fight won’t be over whether we do it or not anymore,” he said during a break following the session. “The fight’s going to be on the split. It’s going to be a totally different discussion.”

Texas Fans Analyze Mack | There's a massive piece this a.m. from Burnt Orange Nation on Mack Brown. Since they're on the schedule this year and we pretty much always have to keep an eye on the massive beast from the south anyway, it's good to check in and understand what UT fans are thinking. My take from the distant north on Mack Brown and Texas -- yes, he starts from a conservative base, but the big key is that it takes a special kind of coach to organize talent. The kind of talent that UT brings in comes with a lot of individual egos with individual goals. Getting those guys to function as single-minded unit, live and die together for school pride presents a different kind of challenge. A lot of the success KU had last year had to with a buy-in to the concept that if they don't play as a team -- they lose. It'll be interesting to watch Nebraska over the next few years as they consciously move away from talent only type players to more of "school pride" mentality type mix of athletes. 

More Reports on Track Removal | A thread on the huddle indicating 42k in season tickets sold sparked a whole lot of message board chatter the track removal. As I mentioned in an earlier post, there is a desire to lower the field to increase the field visibility from the first few rows. In addition, moving the field north closer to the bowl is in the talks as well, but there is the issue of re-ordering the suite holders. Anyway, no further verification on the 42,000 number, but if true, that obviously means a full year of sellouts and this would be the exact right time to have this conversation.

Bonus: Fans Play Architect | Thought I'd go ahead and post a couple of the fan mock-ups of future Memorial Stadium. Both are from the gridiron board. The first one from Brocktoon23 is pretty much my dream vision of Memorial, except for expanding the bowl to full capacity, which you can see in version #2 from ACforPREZ. I prefer the separate structure for the south stands. There's something very pure and clean about the architecture of Memorial as it stands now. So, I'm also opposed to squaring the north bowl -- besides the massive expensive to re-build from scratch, I think you'd lose that coliseum feel.

Brocktoon23 Plan

ACforPREZ Plan