Monday, October 6, 2008
Everyone loves comebacks. They’re about adventure, about improvisation, about knowing nothing more can go wrong so you might as well try something out of the ordinary.
This KU football team is built for comebacks. The Jayhawks have a fiery coach who can get downright scary when he’s angry. They have a funslinger at quarterback who’s only lost twice since his senior year of high school as a starter. They have a defense that, generally, gets better as the game goes on. They have an offensive coordinator who lives for calling unorthodox plays.
And on Saturday, we saw all that. A show started in the second half.
Jake Sharp finally got playing time, got open and busted through a few holes. Kerry Meier showed why he’s arguably the best wide receiver in the Big 12. Todd Reesing kept slinging the fun.
The Jayhawks were able to come back because Iowa State doesn’t know how to win and has no talent. Other teams do. If Texas Tech gets an early lead in three weeks, it’s not going to let up. Oklahoma will win by 60 if it gets the first three scores. Even Nebraska won’t fall on itself like the Cyclones did.
Other than the South Florida game, Kansas has struggled early in games. It doesn’t matter how good the Jayhawks are at coming back, prepared teams don’t give up leads. Their identity must change.
The games might not be adventures. They might not be quite as fun. But ditching this comeback persona and finding a way to play from ahead is the only way the Jayhawks will have a chance in the North.
The Sporting Life
Few other pieces of fashion get other people’s attention as much as a sports shirt.
Everyone wears Abercrombie or Polo or American Eagle or Gap. Not so much a soccer jersey or a shirt of any team that’s not the Jayhawks. Clothes like that are natural conversation starters.
Example: Friday night. A friend of mine wore an Argentina national team jersey to Chipotle. On the way back to the car, a woman across the street yelled at him. She was wearing the same jersey and was originally from Argentina.
Better example: Saturday night, two friends were wearing Chicago Cubs gear at Brother’s. At least 10 people approached them at some point during the night. The conversations ranged from brief calls of pity about the loss to long discussions about where they were from in Chicago. In a friendly mood? Wear something sports-related. You’ll probably get some kind of a reaction.
— — Edited by Arthur Hur
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