March Madness

Only in March can you greet someone by asking, "So how's your bracket going?" It is the month that the office sports expert is humiliated by the admin assistant who wins the office pool by picking teams that have the "cutest outfits." True basketball fans fake illness to watch first round action. Every year there are inevitably upsets, buzzer beaters, overtimes, and Cinderella stories. The NCAA tournament has been crowned as the king of sports tournaments, and the phrase "like basketball" is used in nearly every argument against the BCS.

This year will be a personal litmus test for the tourneys actual greatness. After making the Elite 8 last year, the Sooners failed to even make the NIT, so I have very little rooting interest in the teams involved. I would love to see San Diego State do well, but they got hosed in the seeding which forces them to play a first round game against a very tough Tennessee team. I am also not participating in any pools, so my bracket doesn't matter monetarily. It is amazing how much more interesting things become when you have money riding on the outcome. It will be up to fantastic games and interesting match ups to keep my attention.

There has been a lot of debate on whether the tournament should expand its field from the already enormous 65 team slate. This year's first round should do a lot to support or quell that idea. Supporters of an expansion would need several unlikely upsets to prove there is value in adding more inferior teams. The importance of regular season records would diminish with an expansion. It seems silly to tinker with a format that is so popular, but it would make for a wild first couple of rounds.

Despite what many say about the NCAA tournament, there are no flawless systems to crown a champion. The hot topic leading into the tourney is unfair scheduling for #1 seeds. Kansas was clearly the best of the four #1 seeds, but have the toughest path to the Final Four. Conversely, conspiracy theorists got great fodder from the extremely favorable schedule Duke received. Most years there are several teams upset about getting snubbed by the tournament committee. The snubs were minimal this year, but many teams are upset about nonsensical seedings. I won't bore you with all the examples, but after going 7-9 down the stretch the Texas Longhorns still secured an #8 seed. Hmmm?

It makes me wonder how this would change if football had their own tournament. It is easy to bash the BCS and say a tournament would crown a true champion, but there would still be a litany of problems. Unlike basketball, the attention given to every decision, every seeding, every match up, and every location would be monumental with football. There are 65 teams that are included in basketball's tournament and there are still serious grumblings about who gets left out. Can you imagine the arguments that would ensue if you could only include eight teams? I will stop there before I get out of control and make the March Madness post about football.

Regardless of problems, the NCAA tournament is a wonderful event for fans. Games are usually very competitive and highlights are filled with last second heroics. The tournament has a reputation of being kind to the little guy because of its inclusion of small conference champions and several mid majors. Unfortunately, these teams rarely make a real impact. Since the tournament's inception only two teams seeded worse than #9 have made the Final Four. There has never been a #1 seed knocked off by a #16. That being said, there are always huge upsets which is my favorite aspect of the tournament. The wild nature of the first round is thrilling if you can get invested in teams rarely televised. After the first round the likelihood of an upset plummets. Once the field is pared down to eight teams, schools with the most NBA prospects and most experienced coaches are the ones that win.

Hopefully, the passion and excitement these college kids play with will draw me into the action. If not, I will continue to wait patiently for baseball season. That is one thing I always count on when tournament time rolls around. No matter what happens I know baseball is just around the corner. I can already taste the hot dogs.

My Final Four teams include: Kansas, West Virginia, Syracuse, and Baylor. I should have Kentucky in there, but despite their tremendous talent, they are very young. I know that doesn't count for as much as it once did, but it still has to count for something. Right? I really don't see anyone beating Kansas either way. The Big XII was the best conference in the NCAA this year, and KU only lost one conference game. Picking against those guys would be a pure guess. In the end, the rich get richer as Kansas cuts down the nets again. Just don't ask them to play football.

Smells Like Barbeque

Is Mark Mangino getting fired?

The past week has been rough on Kansas University head football coach Mark Mangino. Allegations of verbal abuse and chest poking, excuse me, "inappropriate physical contact" by Mangino surfaced after he blasted senior linebacker Arist Wright for laughing during a walkthrough prior to the Colorado game, October 17. A game the Jayhawks later lost and one that started a five game losing streak. This incident led KU Athletic Director, Lew Perkins, to launch an investigation of Mangino's alleged mistreatment of players. Fanning these flames is the five game losing streak which will most likely continue this week when KU plays the Texas Longhorns in Austin.

After launching the investigation, several former KU players have come forward and described Mangino as a heartless maniac who insults players with personal attacks. More than one former player has suggested he seek treatment to manage his rage. The issue received more attention than the Jayhawks have for their play, and many speculate that Mangino will be removed as head coach, possibly before the season ends.

What? What's going on in Lawrence?

Last time I checked on the Jayhawks they were coming off of an Orange Bowl victory over Virginia Tech, finishing the 2007 season 12-1, and the Associated Press was naming Mangino Coach of the Year. A lot can happen to a football coach at a basketball school in two years, I guess.

Do you know who Mangino's actions remind me of (assuming they're true)? 99 percent of the football coaches in the country, right down to Pop Warner levels. It doesn't stop at football either. There are coaches in every sport that are demanding and verbally abusive. Is it wrong? Possibly, but it is the status quo in a world where win at any cost is the mantra, and fans wouldn't have it any other way. If you want to hear some serious verbal abuse, listen to the fans during a game. College football is big business and hard nosed coaches get through to kids. I am not saying Mangino is justified in his actions. I'm saying he does not deserve to be fired.

The real culprit of Mangino's problems is the current five game losing streak, and 5-5 record. Somehow Mangino managed to spoil Jayhawks fans during his seven year tenure. That accomplishment by itself is amazing. KU is a basketball school and always will be. KU cuts down the net, they don't win BCS games. Mangino taking KU football to a top five ranking is as unlikely as Navy beating Notre Dame two years in a row. Bad example. As unlikely as wings on a pig. Making KU football relevant is a feat that fans would be wise to recognize before judging Mangino's methods.

I imagine someone would point out that we need to change the culture of coaching and preach sportsmanship and education in college. I can't disagree with that sentiment, but we can't condemn one man for the offenses of many. Money, fans, athletic directors and the physical, emotional nature of the sport breed coaches like Mangino. Players who play at that level must know what they are getting themselves into. He might be insensitive, but he has never physically harmed any players. Players who get their feelings hurt from coaches yelling at them are not likely to succeed in football.

My theory to KU's struggles this season is the lack of talent depth, mostly due to the fact they are traditionally not a football juggernaut. You show me a basketball power house, and I'll show you a weak football program. It's the law of the land. There are some years where the two might parallel, but traditionally there is a dominant program. KU plays in one of the top two conferences in college football and is forced to compete with programs that are among the country's best, year in and year out. It's pretty tough to recruit against those programs. The top players coming out of Texas usually don't make it further north than Norman.

You can argue about the toughness of KU's players when you have seniors complaining about being poked when they are admittedly goofing off. It's not like it was done without reason. Imagine if someone hits that player with a chop block, you could probably expect to hear from his lawyer. How can your senior leaders be upset by that? Most take worse from their junior high baseball coaches. Despite his old school methodology, Mangino is still producing babies. That fact is more of a problem than the act itself. Mangino's methods have not been successful this year.

Mangino's antics are wrong but defensible. Firing a football coach for poking a player, yelling at him or insulting him is a joke. You could dig into any program and find the same type of allegations. Don't forget Mangino comes from a coaching tree that has branches all over the Big XII. He is connected and respected by many around the league and it starts with Bill Snyder at Kansas State. Bill Snyder is someone who nobody would paint with the same brush as Mangino, and yet, Snyder played a major role in Mangino's coaching make up. He coached under Snyder for eight years. Do you think he was much different then?

Unfortunately for Mangino, he has no sense of humor and lacks the ability to properly defend himself. His typical response to questions of the allegations is to blame the upbringing and parenting of the disgruntled players. The same type of generalizing that some claim is abusive. That is also not a smart way to attract future recruits. His responses to the investigation have harmed his position more than if he refused to participate. He also has the misfortune of looking like the human embodiment of Slimer from Ghostbusters. Let's be honest. If he was handsome and well spoken this would be a non issue.

Mangino's Jayhawks were ranked 16th in the nation at one point this season. Voters in each poll respect the Jayhawks enough to give them the benefit of decent rankings early in the year. KU fans should realize that is the pinnacle of their football program, no matter who takes over. Just to be mentioned in the polls is an accomplishment in Lawrence. Results might fluctuate, but generally KU fits in the league as a six to seven win team. If a coach can take that program and give them a BCS win, he should be a keeper.

Mangino is two wins away from becoming the winningest coach in KU history. Seriously. He is hard nosed, old school, whatever cliche you want to use, but he has overachieved in his tenure. He set the expectations that will eventually lead him to be fired, not his verbal abuse of players.