Almost no actual Mizzou-related links today, but some interesting conversation topics nonetheless.
Big 12 Links
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Aldrich
Yahoo.com: Kansas' Cole Aldrich leaving early for NBA
Rush the Court: Aldrich Leaves Kansas Leaving Us Wanting More -
Baylor
Houston Chronicle: Talented Baylor ready to pick up where it left off
The Trib (Steve Walentik): Baylor loss ends Big 12's disappointment -
Oklahoma State
Daily Oklahoman: Travis Ford: Season was probably better than he anticipated
Final Four Links
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ESPN.com: Ten things to know about this Final Four
Big 12 Football Links
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ESPN.com: Q&A: Kansas State coach Bill Snyder (Part One)
ESPN.com: Q&A: Kansas State coach Bill Snyder (Part Two) - Ralphie Report: Dan Hawkins to Answer Questions from Fans
Other Mizzou Links
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Mizzou Baseball: Mizzou Baseball Player & Pitcher of the Week
Other
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NY Times (The Quad): St. John's Set to Hire Steve Lavin as its Coach
East Coast Bias: Steve Lavin: the solution or the question
The Beef and I were exchanging e-mails about this yesterday: we both REALLY like this hire by St. John's. It's pretty clear that St. John's is a job where recruiting is priority #1, #2 and #3, and we know Lavin can do that. Yes, his teams tended to underachieve, and who knows what kind of staying power he'll have there, but if they "underachieve" by "only" making the tourney and not winning as many games as it seems they could ... that's a huge step up for the Johnnnies, right? I'm not Lavin's biggest fan, but I think he could fit in quite well there. And what's the worst that can happen ... he doesn't work out? Neither have the last two guys.
Finally, I just have to link to this Ball Don't Lie piece from my old dorm mate Kelly Dwyer. He's great, and this is potentially the best thing he's ever written. Colin Cowherd apparently called Kevin Durant "overrated" a couple of days ago -- because this is what Cowherd does -- and Dwyer responded, not necessarily to the claim but to the personality itself.
What I want to get to, besides the fish-in-a-barrel nonsense regarding this utter pillock named "Colin Cowherd," is how little of this tripe we have to watch.
We just don't have to. Cable stations like ESPN and your closest big-town newspaper still seem obsessed with shoving general columnist-types down our throats, and they just don't work in 2010. A fan's knowledge of their particular favorite sport is so great that these people can't possibly keep up. Nobody, not the hardest worker out there, can keep up with four major pro sports plus colleges and have a fighting chance of knowing half as much as an obsessed fan who is sneaking in bits of analysis and game-watching when his or her lifestyle and responsibilities allow for it.
...In the culture of sports analysis, however, these general columnists will constantly have their work held up against the most obsessive of team bloggers, one-sport analysts or the local at-game media. And that's just not going to work. McDonald's doesn't shoot for Michelin stars alongside the likes of Le Bernadin, but because the access to proper sports analysis is so quick and cheap and satisfying (unlike, say, getting a table and/or being able to afford a meal at Le Bernadin), the all-in-one types are left to look like a dope.
(Prick)ishness results, as you see in the clip above. Because it's the only way to stand out, when you have nothing to stand for.
Like KD (Dwyer, not Durant), I catch PTI whenever I can simply because I love the personalities involved (I know many don't), but MAN did PTI's success lead ESPN (and everybody else) down a dangerous, annoying road. Now you get personalities to go on TV, ask "Which position am I taking today? Got it," and go out and yell at each other and pretend to make salient points because America wants "debate." Or they trot out quirky old coaches to be folksy and offer opinions I literally could not care less about if I tried. Either way, for the highlights-hungry among us, we're rather screwed. And worse, we continue to get sucked into the stupid debates and gives these programs the viewers they need to continue.