Tag Archives: Missouri Tigers

Hell Freezes Over

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Posted by L. Wood Kellogg on 02/11/2010 – 3:55pm
Filed under Local College

So I am sitting here perusing one of the Mizzou message boards because, well, I have nothing better to do.  As a journalist (term used very loosely) who covers Big XII basketball, I wanted to know what the feelings were about Mizzou’s narrow victory at home last night over lowly Iowa State.  I am getting the usual; for some the sky is falling.  For others, this was just a mild hiccup.  But then I stumbled across this discussion thread:

“If you were to write a book on sports psychology and the KU fan, what would your title be?”

Interesting.  Being that this is a Missouri board, one can conclude that the responses won’t exactly be a glowing review of people like me, but I thought it would at least be mildly amusing.  Some responses…

“The Cheating Culture”

“The Jayhawk, Christianity, and Homosexuality”

“Balls, Chicken, Choke, KU”

But then there was this one: “Profiles in Entitlement”

This caught my eye because I had noticed this “entitlement” theory in other posts over the last few weeks.  I find MU fans to be quite arrogant (for what reason, I have no idea.  Write in to lwood@kcsportspodcast.com and explain it to me), and I had been very interested in why they despise KU fans.  I always thought it was jealousy because they had never even been to a Final Four.  But I now know that it’s because Mizzou fans believe that KU fans have a false sense of entitlement. 

First of all, KU basketball fans certainly have some reasons to be proud.  KU is one of the most prestigious programs in the entire country, has been to 13 Final Fours, and won five national championships including one just two years ago.  The sense of pride that a Jayhawk fan feels for their team is earned and appropriate.  So they can’t be talking about that.

Maybe they are talking about our expectation level.  Every year, KU fans expect our team to compete for not only the Big XII, but a national title.  We expect to get great coaching, fantastic recruits, and wins.  What is wrong with that???  Surely Mizzou fans have some sort of expectation for their team.  They may not be (and should not be) as lofty as KU’s, but I am sure they expect something, and feel disappointed when it is not achieved.  So it would be unfair for them to come down on us for the same thing, right?

Someone else once mentioned to me the idea of KU fans needing validation from Mizzou fans; that we have a “look at me, look at me” attitude.  There may be some truth to that.  It is certainly nice to hear from a rival that you are good, or in this case, better than them.  I don’t think we seek that out, though.  I mean, if I want to hear about how great KU is, I can certainly just turn on ESPN.  God knows that, even with their decidedly east coast bias, just about everyone on there thinks KU is awesome.  I sure as hell wouldn’t go looking for validation on a Missouri fan website.  That’s like Tiger Woods hoping for sympathy from Steve Phillips.  So that really can’t be it either.  Dammit.  What to do?

So I asked the person what they meant by this.  His impressive response???

“Exactly.”

So, since Mizzou fans won’t clue me in on this, I figured I’d do some research.  I looked up “entitlement” in the dictionary.

Entitlement – noun, the state of being entitled.

Okay, so that’s as helpful as a Mizzou fan.  Let’s try again.

Entitle – verb, to give a person or thing a title, right, or claim to something

In one respect, they may be saying that we feel like we are owed something.  I couldn’t disagree more.  KU fans are not guaranteed wins by anyone.  KU provides them through superior talent and coaching.  So that doesn’t make sense.  But wait a second…

Entitle – verb, to call something by a particular title

You mean like National Champions?  Okay Mizzou fans, I agree with you.*

*I will now torch my clothes and take a three hour shower.

Episode 11: 01/28

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Posted by KCSportsPodcast.com on 01/28/2010 – 11:26pm
Filed under Podcasts

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Conor Jay and D-Lee talk with contributing KCSportsPodcast.com writer L. Wood Kellogg for the first time to discuss web rankings, infamous MU/Vikings fans, free KU tickets, and the MU shellacking.

We’re Goin’ Streaking!

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Posted by L. Wood Kellogg on 01/26/2010 – 2:18pm
Filed under Local College

I promise not to dwell on what happened last night.  It was not a surprise that KU ran MU out of the gym.  The Tigers haven’t won in Lawrence in 11 years now; so I am not shocked.  I will give a brief two part comparison between my opinion on the game, and the opinion of the MU fans on Mizzou message boards.

Why KU won:

Me: Because they are a better basketball team, have better players, played at home, and are better coached.

MU Fans: Because Cole Aldrich murdered a number of players during the game, and the refs are all from Lawrence

On the Refs:

Me: I thought they let them play a little bit.  Cole’s tip in off the missed free throw was over the back, but Xavier was hacked on a breakaway (that’s a hockey term that I may have misused there).

MU Fans:  The refs were clearly an Al Qaeda sleeper cell placed here to advance the  terrorist scheme of Cole Aldrich.

On what will happen in Columbia:

Me: It will be closer, but KU isn’t going to get any worse between now and March.  KU wins 75-67.

MU Fans: KU should not even come.  We will provide our own refs, give Morningstar some cocktails, and poison Aldrich.  Mizzou wins 185-4.

On why my fiancée won’t talk to me today:

Me: it’s a simple misunderstanding.  We are adults, we like two different teams.  It’s no big deal.  We’ll make up, don’t worry.

MU Fans: She’s an idiot for even dating me.  She isn’t giving me the silent treatment.  She is merely busy writing her final goodbye to me before her father tracks me down, and blows my head off with a shotgun.

So that is that.  I am looking forward to that final game of the season (if I make it that long). 

Now, KU ran it’s home win streak to 54 including 15 this season.  That’s a really long time.  So when will it end?  I mean, the Big XII, with the exception of Missouri, is no slouch.  (Sorry honey…)  The Jayhawks have five home games remaining.  So I took the time to handicap who has the best chance to end “The Streak for The Beak”.  Yeah, I made that up.  Feel free to use it.  In order of likelihood…

5. Colorado 25:1

The Buffs aren’t the worst team in the Big XII (see Tigers, Missouri)*, but they also aren’t a real threat for much. They did beat Baylor at home, which is impressive.  But they also lost to Tulsa on the road.  This just isn’t the year CU.  Thanks.

*I should be prepared for a few nights on the couch.

4. Iowa State 15:1

I know that KU stomped on the Cyclones in Ames, but I think that ISU is better than that.  Brackens and Gilstrap can play.  Plus, they get the customary “Eustachy odds bump”.  Despite all of that, it just isn’t going to happen for you either.

3. Nebraska 7:1

You lost to Mizzou, and have only one guy who averages double digits in ppg.  No.  As a matter of fact, I am bumping you behind Iowa State.  Sorry Colorado, They’re still better than you.

2. Oklahoma 5:1

I don’t know what to think of OU this season.  Why have they underachieved?  Oh, that’s right; Blake Griffin was given the curse of the Clippers.  They still have Willie Warren and a guy named Tiny Gallon (yeah, I am serious).  Besides, they may overlook this one waiting for the rematch against…

1. Kansas State 3:1

Come on, who else on this list was going to be in this spot?  Look, I think that K-State is good.  I think KU is better.  If KU loses on Saturday at Bramlage, then I give the Cats no chance in this game.  But, if KU manages to smear shit in the collective faces of this team in their home litter box, then watch for the wrath of Manhattan on March 3rd.

At the end of the day, I don’t expect KU to lose any of these games.  I expect the streak to stay alive until Mizzou visits again next year.  I would assume, based on the following post I lifted from a discussion board today, that we have no chance next season.

“we will own lowrents next season!  when they loose collins, henry and they dont have that toothless thug inside getting away with plying like a bull in side”

Okay, maybe we should just wait and see.  Rock Chalk!

To Each His Own

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Posted by L. Wood Kellogg on 01/23/2010 – 11:22am
Filed under Feature

Anyone that knows me knows that I have my teams, and I root for them hard.  No one questions my passion for the Jayhawks, Chiefs, Royals, and Wild.  So I am certainly not questioning anyone else’s love of their teams.  You can root for anyone you like*.   But anyone that really knows me knows that, along with my teams, I have the teams that I hate, loath, and generally wish ill will upon. You have these teams too.  They may be different than mine, but you have them.  You know the ones where even if your team loses, it’s okay because they lost too.   I wouldn’t piss on these teams if they were on fire.  Though I might piss on them if they aren’t on fire.

*I do request that you have some legitimate reason for liking who you like.  My future brother-in-law loves the Cowboys and the Oklahoma Sooners despite the fact that he appears to have never left the state of Missouri.  He just jumped on a bandwagon in the 90’s.  Now that’s irritating. 

I have many reasons for hating a team.  They may be a rival like the Vancouver Canucks.  They may have players that I dislike like A-Roid.  But the two teams that I hate more than any other two teams in the world have something in common: Their fans are arrogant for absolutely no reason at all. 

The Minnesota Vikings and the Missouri Tigers

What have either of these teams ever done to warrant the amount of trash talking that comes from their fans?  Nothing, that’s what.

What do you call a Viking with a Super Bowl ring?  Thief.  Yes, that is one of my favorite jokes ever.  They have been to four Super Bowls, and lost them all.  They haven’t been back to the big game since 1976.  They have lost a couple of NFC championship games.*  They lost one NFC championship to the Giants 41-0.  Not exactly a resume that lends itself to shit talking.  You shouldn’t be talking shit when all the other person has to do is tell that joke again. 

*In college, my roommate Grant was a huge Vikings fan.  On January 17, 1999 we were driving back to Des Moines after a weekend back home.  The Vikings were playing in the NFC championship game against the Falcons.  Grant begged me to let him put his little Vikings car flag on the passenger window of my car.  I eventually agreed.  However, Gary Anderson (who had not missed a field goal all season) pushed one left that would have sealed the game. Then the Falcons drove down, and tied the game with 49 seconds left.  And then Morten Andersen nailed a 38 yarder to send the Vikes home.  It may have been the most satisfying moment of my life seeing Grant slowly, manually crank down the window of my 1996 Chevy Cavalier, and let that flag just fly away into a cold field in Iowa some where.

Oh, Mizzou.  Please Tiger fans, tell me why you are so great.  Seriously, e-mail me at lwood@kcsportspodcast.com, and tell me.  I just don’t see it.  At least the Vikings can say they have been to the championship game.  You can’t even get to the semi-finals.  No final fours…EVER.   No BCS bowl games…EVER.  Even Kansas went to a BCS game, and KU football was a joke for a couple of decades.  You haven’t had an All-American basketball player since 1994, and even then it was Melvin Booker! (Most of you probably didn’t even know that) You aren’t ranked this season, and won’t be.  You might make the tournament, but will lose…again.

I can’t stand listening to Missouri fans claims that they were Big XII Basketball champs last season.  You weren’t.  You were Big XII tournament champions.  There’s a difference.  KU won the Big XII championship last season by beating just about everyone, and finishing at the top.  You won the tournament by beating the 11 seed, 7 seed, and 9 seed.  Good work.

I have already been hearing from MU fans here in St. Louis that they are sure that they will walk into Allen Field House on Monday and dismantle KU.  How?  If I were you, I would be more concerned about beating Nebraska on Saturday.   As Bellwether said on the last podcast; call me when you break the top ten in the polls. 

Bottom line is that no matter the outcome of the Vikings-Saints or Missouri-Kansas games, these fans will continue to boast about their teams until the end of time.  And these boasts will continue to irritate me to the core.  But I suppose that’s what makes sports great.  Maybe I am being a little hard on some of you.  Now that I think of it…

To all Vikings fans, good luck this weekend.  I’ll still be rooting for the Saints, but I wish you the best.  This may be your time.  Enjoy Jared Allen.

And to all you Missouri fans…wait, I just can’t do it.

Muck Fizzou!

Episode 10: 01/21

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Posted by KCSportsPodcast.com on 01/22/2010 – 12:08am
Filed under Podcasts

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

New Year – New Season!

Conor Jay and Big Pat talk with head writer Bellwether Johnson on Frank “The Tank” Martin and the team as a whole, KU’s scare against Baylor, and why MU sucks (Sorry Steve).

Week In Review Grab Bag

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Posted by Bellwether Johnson on 12/19/2009 – 12:00pm
Filed under Local College

– Programming Note:

For those that follow our Twitter Feed @KCSportsPodcast we plan to be much more active, so, you know…tweet us (??)  Logg and myself have joined the fray as well. 

Follow us:

@BWetherJohnson
@LWoodKellogg

Time for a Week in Review Grab Bag!!  Let’s see what we find!!  (I hope it’s a Zhu Zhu Pet!!)

Nebraska + Iowa = Kansas

Looks like Lew Perkins was resigned to take his third choice thrilled to hire former Nebraska QB and Buffalo head coach Turner Gill.  Gill has been listed as one of the “Neat’o Awesome Up-And-Coming Coaches” (official title) for the past couple of years.  He’s had some moderate success at a place where nobody expects even moderate success, and took Buffalo to their first bowl game ever.

These are all (yawn) good things, but what most people are talking about is the crack staff of assistant coaches that Gill has assembled to serve on his staff.*  These names include such also-rans as Carl Torbush and former Iowa QB Chuck Long.  

* ”Serve on his staff”…This sounds a lot dirtier than it should…

Many are hoping that the recruiting trail will open up a little wider* with both on board, because, you know, nothing says Kansas Football like former Iowa and Nebraska Quarterbacks!!  Still, from experience, people in Iowa are fucking crazy.  Chuck Long’s name still holds a shit ton of water down here, and it’s a hell of a lot easier to convince a corn-fed half-ton youngster to take the trek to Lawrence, KS than it is to get him to go to either Buffalo or San Diego.

* “The recruiting trail will open up a little wider” …This also sounds a lot dirtier than it should…

Oh, and I’d be remised if I didn’t mention Whitlock’s take.

If you’re scoring at home:

Turner Gill: “I’ll give [him] two years before offering a strong opinion.”
Todd Haley: “Fuck that guy”
Trey Hillman: “Who??”

My advice, Turner??  Invite Ole’ Whitty over for a nice all-you-can-eat buffet before the season so that you can butter him up.  You don’t want to face the wrath of a Whitty scorned.  And if that fails??  I’m sure Charles Barkley will be more than willing to take you up on your offer.

High Powered Recruits + Overmatched Opponents = Kansas

It’s that time of year again!!  Snow on the ground??  Check.  Fifty point victories??  Check.  Sherron Collins trying to shed the last few pound of off-season McDonalds weight??  Check and mate. 

It’s College Basketball Season!!  Yeeay!!

It’s a little hard to tell about these Jayhawks.  They are absolutely rolling right now, and if not for a single renegade Texas vote, they’d be a unanimous #1.  Now, traditionally, there’s not much to be said for CBB before January, and KU’s pre-Big XII season in the past hasn’t been filled with heavy-hitters either, but this season is particularly void of nearly any competition.

Really, the only time KU has struggled this year was against Memphis, and boy was that scary.  As down as Memphis is talent-wise this year, they’re still the most formidable opponent they’ve faced this year, and they just barely squeaked it out.

Still, with as bad as their pre-conference schedule is this year, the Big XII itself is looking better and better.  Mizzou is always a tough out and only two years removed from an Elite Eight run.  K-State is no longer an afterthought, and back in the Top 25.  Texas Tech is finally buying into Knight Jr.-ball.  Even Iowa State is improved; returning their top scorer for the first time in five years.  Looks like the conference is bound to give the KU steamroller some speed bumps this winter…and that’s not necessarily a bad thing…

Also, is this a bad time to mention that I had a dream last night that KU was beaten by Wisconsin in the second round of the tourney in a game in which Cole Aldrich scored only five points??  Also (in real life) I already have tickets to go with HP to the Midwest Regional Final in St. Louis in March. 

OK…I’ll shut up now…

Mizzou + Big Ten = Cash Cow

The Big Ten, as they do every couple of years, has made some noise this week by stating that they will be looking at the possibility of adding a twelfth team to the conference, or as I like to call it, “Shit, we’re insignificant after Thanksgiving…let’s stir the pot.”

The usual names of Pitt and Notre Dame, of course came up, but one, Missouri, might sound surprising.  Missouri, after all, is not viewed as a traditional Big Ten school.  But take this into consideration.

Plus for Mizzou: The Big Ten Network has been a financial boon for the conference, with the proceeds split between all conference members.  The Big XII TV Contract with FSN is heavily geared toward the southern half of the conference.  Also, they already have a natural Big Ten rival in Illinois.  Not quite the Border War, but an established rivalry none-the-less.

Plus for the Big Eleven:  Despite gaining another team for the purposes of hosting a conference championship game, the Big Ten would figure to expand their reach to not one but two metropolitan areas; St Louis and Kansas City.  Oh, sorry…that’s $t. Loui$ and Kan$a$ City.

But, it being college athletics and all, it probably makes WAY too much sense for anybody to actually go for it.