I think I am glad I was able to deal with all the great traumas in my life–my failures, my decades of depression, my disappointments, and my inability to meet the expectations of others–out of the public eye. With that perspective, a few impressions:

I look at Grimes, and it is obvious he is clueless about how to be that fluid 1st rounder, and how to fix things when the game is going too fast. I see a guy who would have benefitted from expecting to develop more gradually, but modern cbb doesn’t allow that anymore.

I look at Dedrick, who has put up AA stats this year despite inconsistent passing to him and with no help in the post where he has been forced to play as the only big, and I see people questioning his effort? or his character? And I think, wow, has he ever complained? Is his stoic expression more important to people than his single-handedly keeping us as competitive as we have been?

I look at Mitch and wish he had been allowed to play the small forward position, and I marvel at his ability to stay enthusiastic. Despite having to come in as a 1.5 ppg undersized player expected to turn it around in the middle when everyone is floundering.

I look at Charlie Moore, and the only flaw I see is that he tries too hard, goes too fast, and tries to change every game with boneheaded “hero” shot selection. His passes would have led to twice as many assists but for the team’s crappy shooting.

And Vick. I look at Vick, and like everyone I wonder what is going on. If it is a mental issue, it is largely beyond both his control and his own understanding. If it is emotional distraction from outside, I can only hope he can learn to deal with it–maybe getting out of the glare will help. I see someone whose face alternates reflecting either a wild fierceness or a bizarre disconnect to the game around him. I see someone whose talent belies the ropes holding him back. And I wonder how heavy it may be for him, knowing at times he is the savior of the team and at other times the anchor dragging the team down.

Finally, I see fans dealing with seeing a team of lofty expectations appearing to dismantle as we watch. Disappointment, anger, cynicism, hopelessness and helplessness all combining to just sap the joy out of us.

I know 2 things, going way back to my very first post a couple or three years ago: those kids are out there trying so freaking hard, and they are vastly more crushed than we are when they lose. So, I am going to do what I can to remind myself that there is always a lot of fun watching KU, and that I can be both disappointed and appreciative for the team, and that if this year is a bust I guess reality had to come sometime. Almost a decade and a half of championship ball (conference AND an NC) is something no other fanbase has ever had. I refuse to let the possibility of it ending get in the way of my unbridled pride in the kids who have made it possible. I hope I never join KU’s enemies by thinking of ANY KU team as losers.

If the suggestion to designate Gr-asshole-nola as a booster as a hypothetical truly came from the NCAA, I think this is all a lot of worrying over something that won’t be as much of a slam dunk as KU and fans are fearing. Here is why:

First, assuming it is true that the NCAA would not consider SDS’s petition for reinstatement without KU agreeing to the hypothetical, that would mean the NCAA was not willing to perform its job without exacting this designation. Courts generally don’t get into second-guessing private organizations’ adjudicatory processes except when an organization does not follow its own rules. To allow deference, those rules must set out the procedures to be followed, must meet minimum standards of notice and right to be heard, and must require initial judgment or appeal to be decided by impartial adjuicators. Here, the NCAA’s rules require determinations on eligibility, both preliminarily and on reinstatement. The NCAA cannot possibly extort a procedural advantage in another case before doing its job.

Second, I fail to see how a hypothetical for one purpose could be used in an enforcement case. A hypothetical is not an admission, and it is not evidence, so it has no res judicata effect. A hypothetical in a circumstance like this is like a statement made in a settlement discussion–it cannot be used in court against the person making the statement.

An example: Victim falls on a sidewalk and is injured. The claim is made that the property owner negligently failed to clear ice from a storm several days before. In settlement conference, the owner breaks in to the lawyers’ negotiations and says, “Okay, if I didn’t clear the ice because the sidewalk was closed, how much do you want?” His statement cannot be offered in any subsequent proceeding to prove he did not clear the ice. Protected–we encourage candid discussions to facilitate settlements.

Here, I can imagine that the NCAA stonewalling involved claiming they would not resolve SDS’s case unless KU accepted a hypothetical to cement Gassnola’s role. KU says, “Okay, if–hypothetically–he was a booster who slipped $2,500 to SDS’s guardian, please determine his eligibility and any sanction for him.”

No way that statement can be used to establish the booster relationship.

I tend to think this story is based on discussions with scared peripheral people who are second-guessing the lawyers because of the brutal 2 year decision, but who have no clue. Chances are, in my view, the lawyers knew precisely what they were doing. I think they have a strong case against any preclusive use of the hypothetical. The NCAA likely knows that, too.

This issue is not something to be upset about. However, I think the NCAA can prove he was a booster without too much trouble, so I think the hypothetical is irrelevant. Kind of like a case I had where the highest military appeals court agreed with me that a certain hearsay statement by an unknown utterer should not be admitted against my client, but it did not matter because my client hand wrote his confession anyway.

If all the NCAA has is the hypothetical, however, KU’s lawyers should go to federal court and stomp their ass. Heck, I am still licensed in Kansas!

Udoka has a long ways to go in most regards but the look is perfected! And, we have to remember, Jeff Withey himself wasn’t Jeff Withey for the first couple of years…

From ESPN:

URI’s Hurley not talking job future after defeat Rhode Island coach Dan Hurley, who sources say is the front-runner for the UConn job, had no interest in addressing speculation about potential openings after his team’s loss to Duke, saying, ‘I could give a crap about who’s got an opening anywhere.’

So, this means he is definitely going, right?

Well, dammit, Mitch just might have to redshirt again. Maybe for a couple more years with these recruits and transfers coming in.

When he finally leaves KU, he will probably get a gold watch and a pension.

@BeddieKU23 If I used drugs, I might prefer Walton, but I’d rather have Bilas.

“It is unclear whether Jayhawks coach Bill Self will be charged with a coach control violation…”

Well, nice journalism here. I think the whole damn thing is “unclear” since it is just rumor getting repeated based on nothing new since the June statements by the NCAA.

@BShark Great article by CJ Moore. Here is a highlight that is amazing:

https://theathletic.com/2537301/2021/04/23/marcus-garrett-kansas-defensive-specialist-bill-self/ An appreciation of Marcus Garrett, Kansas defender extraordinaire – The Athletic

**Self’s way of making sure everyone appreciated how special Garrett was this year was to point out the man he defended never scored double-digit points against him, a claim that seemed maybe to have a hint of hyperbole.

Out of curiosity, I started keeping track, rewatching all of the defensive possessions that got tagged to Garrett on Synergy and charting them to see if Self’s claim was true. It was. The most points he legitimately gave up in the 29 games he played as a senior was six on two contested 3s against North Dakota State. If you really wanted to challenge Self’s claim, you could contend that Garrett allowed 11 points in a Feb. 8 win over Oklahoma State. That night his man made three 3s when he was helping in the post or tagging a roller, which made him late to closeouts, but he was simply carrying out assignments. Avery Anderson driving past him on a closeout was really the only bucket surrendered that day. In total, opponents scored 58 points on Garrett where he was the primary defender. That’s 58 points in the 956 minutes he was on the floor.

When revealed to Self, that number, not surprisingly, got him excited. He started doing the math in his head, figuring there are about 40 points in every game where you can say X-player on his team allowed that basket, and because Garrett played 29 games, that means he gave up on average one bucket a game.

“Unbelievable,” Self said.**

@RockChalkinTexas You are someone who makes this place beyond special. I have appreciated for years how much excitement and joyous fandom you bring to every post. When you also share your pain, your humanity and openness are so deeply moving that words are inadequate in expressing how I come even more to understand how wonderful your marriage was, and what a loss you feel. Especially while surrounded by celebration.

I am so happy for you to have the girls, and I am deeply moved that in all of the tears you come here to wish us merriment!

May your holidays be brightened by the happiest of memories, and may you and your family make many more this and every year as you share the blessings you all had, and have!!!

My dad and I watched SB I and IV together (I was 10 and 13 on those), but the only game I remember really well was the infamous Christmas Day game a couple years later when Stenerud broke my Dad’s heart. The Chiefs were no good for the rest of the 70’s and he passed away in 1978.

I started crying today! I was watching all those fans going nuts, thinking, “That’s my city! This one’s for Dad.”

Blitzing is fun but when it doesn’t get home you are very thin in the defensive backfield.

@Crimsonorblue22 said in Kansas-BYOB (bring your own bibles):

Not all of us threw in the towel!

But it doesn’t count because you NEVER throw in the towel!!! And we all admire that… 🫡

@bskeet Pressure doesn’t do any good if receivers get wide open.

@wissox said in Kansas-BYOB (bring your own bibles):

How can they not see that hold?

There were at least 3 on that play so they might have just been overwhelmed and gave up.

I just want the KU linebackers to prove they have some idea that if a guy is running toward the end zone, you can’t aim where he is right now. You need to aim for where he will be.

This is my dearest wish. This is my fondest dream. This is my reverent prayer.

@BShark said in Boxing:

Other than Netflix shitting the bed.

Floria on Pro Football Talk on NBC sports has a long article about how Netflix better get its act together before its Christmas schedule. Screwing up the boxing thing is one thing but screwing up KC at Pittsburgh would be something else!

https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/week-17-will-present-multiple-flex-issues-for-the-nfl

@kjayhawks

Hunter ain’t loved so much, neither.

@kjayhawks I agree there is no reason to put Bill on a pedastal. I gripe about both him and Andy Reid during games on specific decisions (get someone out before a 3rd foul in the first half; give Morris more chip blocks to seal the left side; etc).

But it is a huge stretch from that to constantly be bitching about his strategic decision-making. For example, I don’t know anything about why they make certain choices on whom to play but I would infer that a heckuvalot more info is available to the coaches than to me. (Practices, trainer’s reports, ass’t coaches’ scouting, etc.)

What gets my dander up (now there is an old fogey phrase) is when people attribute those decisions to some presumed reason they set forth (Bill just plays favorites who hurt the team; Andy is dumb to never let PM do a QB sneak on 4th and <1; etc.), and then go on rants about how wrong that reason is.

In other words, both these guys have more experience AND more information about the small and large pictures both, and over time I have gained perspective about how in contrast much of my analysis is colored by my reactions that are often emotional in the heat of the moment. That doesn’t make these guys infalible, but their records so far give me great confidence in giving them the benefit of the doubt that on the whole they are much smarter coaches than I ever could be. They’ve earned it.

@approxinfinity The Athletic article generated almost 200 comments, almost all of which were “karma” comments saying he deserved it and other vile hateful stuff.

Seems like election frustration getting directed at Butker. Not proud of my fellow libs.

Blocking win rates help evaluate OL regardless of whether that directly correlates to rushing yardage averages because of other factors. There is a reason our 3 interior linemen were selected by numerous players as midseason All Pros.

Incidentally, look at how low the Chiefs’ pressure and sack rates are in the pass blocking chart.

https://www.sharpfootballanalysis.com/analysis/nfl-offensive-line-pass-run-block-rankings-win-rate/

The article says ESPN created these metrics but I have seen the win rates cited for years by many sources, including for college players in the draft.