Rock Chalk Jayhawk!

Rock Chalk Jayhawk!

This post is going to be about College Basketball, not just any team, but the Kansas Jayhawks!

If you have read any of my sports posts to this Blog, you will know that I am a big Jayhawk fan.

Monday evening, February 10… the Kansas Jayhawks played their in-state rival, the Kansas State Wildcats and after a really tight game, going into overtime…Kansas lost.

 

It was a hard defeat to take… as Kansas University (KU) has won 48 of the last 51 games in this rivalry. In fact, the Kansas State Wildcats had not beaten Kansas since a meeting on Feb 14, 2011 and yes, Kansas lost that game too. As I watched the hundreds of students flood the court when the final buzzer sounded, it reminded me of that other lost game in February 2011. 

After losing to K-State, Kansas went on to finish the regular season 26–5, earned their 8th consecutive Big 12 title, and advanced to their 14th Final Four in school history.  No small feat!

The Jayhawks did well at the 2011-2012 NCAA Tournament (what the sports world refers to as “The Dance”) …Kansas advanced all the way to the Final Four (Teams) of the tournament.

 The Final Four was down to the Final two teams. The Kansas Jayhawks and the Kentucky Wildcats. …another Wildcat team 🙂  and they would face off in the Championship Game! 

It was a great game but in the end…the Kansas Jayhawks ..would fall to the Kentucky Wildcats, 67–59.

The Kentucky Wildcats are a good team, coached by John Calipari, but each year most of the players on this team of talented players, do what the collegiate world calls “one and done”!  

Coach Calipari recruits some of the best players in the nation and they go to University of Kentucky (UK) for one year and then they move on to the professional world of basketball, where all the money is.  

You will find the college sports world divided on which is the best for the players and the school.  I say that, to say this…when you read the poem I wrote in 2012 (below)…you will see the term “one and done” and you will understand its meaning….  If you didn’t already 😉 

The Championship Game and KU’s loss to UK, inspired me to write a poem right after that game,… a parody of the 1888 poem “Casey at the Bat” by Ernest L. Thayer.  I resurrected that poem for this post.

I took the liberty of using the first 3 lines of Mr. Thayer’s famous poem and added more of my own prose!  

I am hoping the loss last night to Kansas State can be turned into a positive with KU returning to their winning streak and going on to the Final Four again this year… right up to winning the Championship Game in the March Madness.  It is time, KU…It is time! 

 

My Ode to the Jayhawks!

Oh, somewhere in this favored land the sun is shining bright;

The band is playing somewhere, and somewhere hearts are light,

And somewhere men are laughing, and somewhere children shout;

There is no joy in Lawrence — the mighty Jayhawks have struck out.

 

“They” say UK was better with their stars who will move on 

We’ll see how these will do …these college one and done

There is honor in education and years of working as a team

The KU guys are “Self” taught, now headed for their dreams.

 

BUT We made it to the BIG Dance when no one said we would

We danced with different partners…winning like we knew we could

We danced amidst the jeers and shouts…this team from Kansas U

So there is a joy in Lawrence…we are so very proud of you! 

 

Kari        April 2012