SB Nation User Blog: Panjandrum

Currie makes a hire...

Panjandrum — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 18:54:07 -0000

Currie makes a hire...

AD John Currie hires an associate AD.

So...does that mean Epps isn't coming back?

(snicker)

Asprilla Watch: Freddy May Sue

Panjandrum — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 13:33:12 -0000

Asprilla Watch: Freddy May Sue

Freddy may sue to get his scholarship release from FIU. Isiah Thomas points at the AD and says that it's on the other guy.

Happy 4th of July

Panjandrum — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 06:01:09 -0000

Considering that this offseason has made as much sense as this picture, I thought this would be appropriate.

I mean, we declared ourselves free of the tyranny of the English crown on Independence Day, so there's some symbolism in the guy waving a flag attached to a 2x4 while wearing a crown. I think.

Happy 4th of July. Try not to blow your fingers off or die in a freak pontoon boating accident.

Computer generated image of Bob Krause and Jon Wefald's love child

BOTC Exclusive Audio: Curtis Kitchen Interviews Bill Snyder

Panjandrum — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 00:49:07 -0000

Curtis Kitchen, Sports Radio 810 WHB's blogger and K-State repoter, interviewed Bill Snyder a couple of weeks ago regarding the recent Big 12 Offensive explosion.

Kitchen was kind enough to give us the audio from that interview. Listen to both parts after the jump!

Curtis Kitchen Bill Snyder Interview (Part 1)

Curtis Kitchen Bill Snyder Interview (Part 2)

A Blogger, A Barbecue, and An Existential Dilemma

Panjandrum — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 05:33:49 -0000

Associated Press

View full size photo uploaded June 27, 2009

Thursday night, TB and I took a mini-road trip to Topeka to attend the Kaw Valley Catbackers 27^th Annual Family Barbecue with my father. While neither TB or myself are Catbackers (nor is my father for that matter), we couldn't miss an opportunity to see the new University President, Kirk Schulz, and Athletic Director, John Currie, stand in front of several hundred K-Staters after the nefarious "audit" had been released. Of course, it's much easier to drum up support and instill pep when you bring Bill Snyder, Frank Martin, and Deb Patterson along for the ride.

I wish that they would've given us some inside information or something outside of what we've learned in the past few news cycles, but that wasn't the case. Mostly, Schulz and Currie talked about the importance of transparency and trust, and both men were vocal about how they were excited to assume their respective positions regardless of the current situation. Again, this isn't anything new or exciting. There were a few references to the audit throughout the evening, but there wasn't anything juicy or scandalous. A lot of money was wasted, no NCAA violations were committed, and ultimately, the lion's share of the blame and potential repercussions fell on two men who I can't recall being mentioned (by name) at all during the three and a half hour affair.

As far as the individual speakers were concerned, each of them were engaging and entertaining in their own way. Schulz and Currie said all of the right things, Deb Patterson was spunky and playful, Frank was extremely funny and charismatic, and Bill Snyder was, well, Bill Snyder. Truthfully, if a meteor the size of Ohio was headed straight for Earth, and it was obvious that the world was about to end, if Snyder stepped up to a podium and told you everything would be okay, you'd probably believe him. He just has that kind of mesmerizing effect on you.

Outside of the standard morale boost you receive when you attend such an affair, one comment by Frank Martin stood out amongst the standard pep rally chatter. When he opened himself up to questions from the crowd, a couple of people threw out some pedestrian queries, and there was a long silence. Martin looked at the crowd and said (I'm paraphrasing), "No more questions? I know that I'll go home tonight, get on GoPowercat, and you'll have questions about the team." There were some very hearty, knowing chuckles from those that frequent Tim Fitzgerald's site (like myself), but what he said hit home with me. I couldn't quite figure out why at the time, but it did.

While driving back to Kansas City, TB and I discussed a myriad of topics, but we had a lengthy discussion about Frank's comment, and a hypothetical situation where he said "Bring On The Cats" as opposed to GoPowercat.com. Neither TB or myself harbor any misconceptions about where we rank in the K-State cyber-universe, but what if something we'd written in the past few months caught his attention in a negative way? What would happen if I were to stand in front of Frank Martin, or Bill Snyder for that matter, and they didn't greet me warmly because of something I've written on this site?

Over the course of our discussion, I started to verbalize a series of sporadic feelings I've had lately regarding a paradigm shift in how I view my fandom because of this site, and how it's made me somewhat uncomfortable. I initially got into blogging because I wanted to make people laugh. However, in the past few months, we've continued to see our core readership solidify and increase, and our posts have been linked on sites like ESPN.com and the NY Times college football blog, The Quad. We're a source on 'Google News' alongside ESPN, the Topeka Capital Journal, Wichita Eagle, Manhattan Mercury, etc. We're considered to be a legitimate source for you to get information regarding Kansas State and it's various teams. Because of these things the bar continues to raise, and with that so do our individual efforts. Personally, I feel like I have to be more detached and offer the cruelly objective viewpoint of a journalist. For a guy that's made a name for himself (or, more appropriately, his avatar) on finding ways to personify Texas A&M as Forrest Gump humping inanimate objects, it's pretty intimidating.

That's not to say that I don't enjoy writing for this site. I really, really like sharing my thoughts with folks that are interested in reading them, and all of the accolades that we've received are extremely flattering and humbling at the same time. In no way, shape, or form do I consider myself a journalist, and as TB has said before, we aren't in any hurry to get the kind of access a press pass provides. We like living on the outside and being observers and commentators. In some ways, we exist out on the fringes of the Fourth Estate, but unlike members of the press, we can easily hop back-and-forth across the fine line where the requirement of unbiased objectivity requires you to suppress the part of your soul that simply wants to be a fan. That kind of freedom may seem trivial to some of you reading this post, but to me, it's what allows me to continue blogging.

See, while several journalists were in attendance last night, presumably working, I was at the end of a long table, eating barbecue and drinking Bud Light, and I listened to my administrators and my coaches talk about my teams. I wasn't thinking about the fears that I've shared on this site regarding the football program when Bill Snyder steps down again, and I wasn't wondering what kind of statistical impact players from certain geographic areas would have on Frank Martin's team next season. Instead, my cup ranneth over with optimism and excitement, and I thought, "Ah, Hell, why can't we win nine games next year?" and, "Dude, Frank could take these guys on a serious run." All of the cautious pragmatism that I attempt to display on this site is definitely a part of who I am, but sometimes, I like to get my "rah rah" on, and when I do, I can become as big of a homer as there is. It wears off like a good buzz after a night of drinking with your buddies, but sometimes I like to unleash the foolish optimist that I've tried so hard to bury into the deepest reaches of my psyche just to remind myself that I'm a fan first and a blogger (or whatever I am) second.

So, for that evening, I suspended my frustrations, anxieties, and pragmatism in favor of optimism and unconditional support for coaches that have earned my respect and admiration. Tomorrow, I may go back to looking at things with a much more critical eye, and I may say something that will ultimately draw their ire, but from time to time, I feel the need to say, openly, that I'm a fan, and I'm not the enemy. Because I promise you that the day I feel like I've become the enemy, you will have read my last post.

And what would the world do without Texas A&M trying to make it with a leaf blower?

Rich Zvosec Q&A with Frank Martin

Panjandrum — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 14:20:04 -0000

Rich Zvosec Q&A with Frank Martin

2. What is your favorite movie?
The Godfather Series

God, he is awesome.

As for Freddy Asprilla, if FIU athletic director Pete Garcia continues to refuse to grant Asprilla...

Panjandrum — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 21:55:32 -0000

As for Freddy Asprilla, if FIU athletic director Pete Garcia continues to refuse to grant Asprilla his release, then Asprilla will appeal his case to a university committee. Should he lose that appeal, Asprilla insists he won't return to FIU. "I'm definitely transferring," he said. "I came to FIU because of coach Ruoco. Now that he got fired, I don't see the point of staying there."

Seth Davis has a nice article on the Freddy Asprilla situation.

Recruit Update: Tony Mitchell Attends Vince Carter Skills Academy

Panjandrum — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 18:28:35 -0000

Recruit Update: Tony Mitchell Attends Vince Carter Skills Academy

Current Kansas State basketball commit, Tony Mitchell, is one of twenty prep players set to attend the Nike-sponsored Vince Carter Skills Academy in Orlando, FL from 6/23-6/26/2009.

You can see the impressive roster of players when you hit this link. Wichita freshman phenom, Perry Ellis, is also in attendance.

Your Mission, Mr. Currie, Should You Choose to Accept It

Panjandrum — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 02:00:14 -0000

Associated Press

View full size photo uploaded June 23, 2009

Last week, TB sent me a link to an article about former KU Athletic Director, Bob Fredrick. In this article, Bill Mayer of the Lawrence Journal World talks about the class, dignity, and integrity that Fredrick displayed, and how his warm, gentle nature ultimately cost him his job as KU sought a much more aggressive personality to head their department. Ultimately, this move paid off considering that KU had the third highest revenue stream in the Big 12 during the 2007-2008 academic year, and that same year they won the Orange Bowl and the NCAA Men's Basketball Championship. But at what cost? Mayer claims that the University of Kansas has taken a hit to their reputation, and that the qualities that Bob Fredrick embodied were cast aside for victories and the almighty dollar.

This is not meant to be an anti-KU post, nor is it meant to be about Bob Fredrick. However, what interested me about the story was that regardless of how many games you win, or how financially successful your department becomes, there will always be a segment of your fan base that desires more. If you are doing things in an ethical and "classy" way, but you aren't winning championships, there will most likely be a segment of your fan base that would like to see you move towards that proverbial "gray area" in an attempt to hang banners. On the other hand, as Mayer's article suggests, at what point do the victories lose meaning because of ethical gray areas and misconduct? KU was on NCAA probation for "Lack of Institutional Control" when they reached their apex of success in 2008, and the athletic director that replaced Fredrick, Al Bohl, supposedly (and famously) stated what could possibly become the mission statement for many BCS universities in today's cutthroat environment:

"Compliance doesn't sell tickets."

That said, after the complete and total mess that Jon Wefald and Bob Krause left the Kansas State athletic department in with their unethical behavior, new KSU AD John Currie finds himself in a precarious position. Given that many Kansas State fans feel scorned to the point that they want to withold their donations, and regardless of the fact that the offending parties have moved on or been placed on indefinate suspension, and knowing that our divisional rivals seem to be firing on all cylinders right now, Currie has the unenviable task of cleaning up the mess while keeping up with the Joneses.

Mr. Currie, your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to rebuild the image of the Kansas State athletic department, regain the faith of the fans, and breathe new life into the seemingly lifeless Wildcat Victory campaign.

This message will self-destruct after the jump.

John, as I said, this is not going to be an easy task. Obviously, you're already aware of this after attending several different Catbacker functions. Kansas State fans are a tough bunch, and we expect a lot of you. Not only do we demand that you do things ethically, but we demand that you win. A lot. Especially against KU.

Not only do we demand winning, in a classy way, but you must also do it with a smaller budget. According to the article linked from Rock Chalk Talk, Kansas State is in the bottom third of the conference in terms of revenue. Our main in-state rival has nearly double the revenue that we do, and the conference's leader, Texas has nearly three times the budget. If you're going to dig out of the "Who knows how many millions at this point?" hole that Krausfald left you, you're going to have to do it with a limited budget.

Speaking of that limited budget, two of our high profile coaches, Frank Martin and Brad Hill, are probably going to be due new paydays in the near future. It's only a matter of time before Frank's program turns the proverbial corner due to recruiting prowess of his staff, and let's face it, after beating KU at home in 2008, the man has already started to develop a cult following. That following has several dedicated members on this site, so if finding a way to keep Frank Martin in Manhattan isn't near the top of your list of priorities, you will not be a friend of this particular blog.

Obviously, Brad Hill did a fantastic job this year, and while we haven't heard about any schools looking to hire him away just yet, again, it's just a matter of time before his improving program begins to catch the attention of schools with bigger budgets and better facilities. Of course, that depends on how much money you are willing to give to a coach of a non-revenue sport in times like these.

But, remember, when generating new revenue streams and finding ways to pay these coaches, be warned that we don't take well to secret agreements and weird methods of deferred compensation. We don't really care whether or not you pay them via some funny LLC, but we do care that you have that compensation clearly documented. Somewhere. Preferably not in some Excel spreadsheet on a flash drive you have attached to your keychain.

So, we want you to win, ethically, at a high level, with a limited budget, in a transparent and reportable fashion, while making sure that our coaches are well compensated (even in the non-revenue sports). Even though KU, with their impressive revenues, apparently couldn't have it all, we expect you to do it. I know that it isn't fair, but hey, you apparently knew what you were getting into when you took this job, so all excuses are thrown out the window.

Oh, and speaking of KU, have you heard about their proposed facility upgrades? If you haven't, I just linked the video. That's right, a video. See, unlike the previous administration here at Kansas State, the folks at KU decided to use their video editing equipment to create a vision of their athletic future. In the past, at Kansas State, our video editing equipment was used for Kiss Cams and very, very awful videos about Power Towels. If you ever get around to starting up the Wildcat Victory campaign again, we'd like to see something like this. I'd even take a slide show created with PowerPoint. It would obviously be an upgrade from anything we've seen in the past. Also, if you could mix in some Coldplay and U2 in said slide show, that would be great. It would make us seem 'hip'.

So, after you get done winning, ethically, at a high level, with a limited budget, in a transparent fashion, and you've locked up our coaches to long-term lucrative contracts and started breaking ground on our new $70 million dollar athletic facility, we'll know, without a doubt, that you were the right guy for the job.

Of course, in the meantime, you could have a reduced price hot dog promotion, have more than enough product and short concession lines for everyone, and we'd love you forever. If you think that's an odd comment, just ask Tim Weiser, "What happened with the hot dogs?" It's a mistake he, and you, won't soon forget (should you attempt it).

Best of luck, John. Being the AD at Kansas State can be a thankless job, but we're all rooting for you. Godspeed, and don't forget the hot dogs.

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Queen - I Want It All (Single Version) (Lyrics) (via Fritzes007)

K-State is ranked #70 according to "The Quad"

Panjandrum — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 18:08:07 -0000

K-State is ranked #70 according to "The Quad"

Hard to argue, really.

I can cross another item off of my bucket list now that we've been somewhat associated to the NY Times.