Nobody is planning any World Series parades down Broadway just yet, but regardless, the club is relevant. 2012 is the year fans have been waiting for, and maybe those fans are still right. But for now, 2011 has brought its share of early excitement to Kauffman Stadium. Three of the team’s 12 wins have come in the walk off variety. Bruce Chen is 3-0 while the team is 4-0 in his starts, and familiar faces like Billy Butler and Alex Gordon are finally hitting the ball like they were supposed to. With arguably the best minor league system in baseball, the future is looking good, even if this season turns out to be another dud. According to scoutingbook.com, the Royals currently have six prospects in the top 100, including five in the top 30. Three of those -Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas, and Mike Montgomery- are expected to be called up this summer. The others could be in Kansas City as early as next season. Throw in the fact that with an average age of only 26, things look bright in Kansas City. The playoff drought could be on its last legs, but the front office will need to do something it hasn’t really done in the 25 years since the team has seen postseason action: Open up the checkbook.
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Jayhawk basketball, looking to the future.
The under-appreciated and often overlooked run of seven straight Big 12 regular season titles by Bill Self and the Jayhawks may finally be in jeopardy in 2012. With the Morris twins likely foregoing their senior seasons and the draft status’ of sophomore forward Thomas Robinson and freshman guard Josh Selby still in limbo, next year’s rotation could be a mere shell of its 2011 self. In his end-of-season press conference, Self said he needed to hit a grand slam in recruiting this spring. Maybe he’s just compensating for the graduating Tyrel Reed, Brady Morningstar, and Mario Little. Maybe he fears his three-headed monster in the front court is bolting for the NBA. With multiple reports saying the Morris twins met with an agent on Friday, Self’s quest for that home run makes a whole lot of sense.
Sweet 16 synopsis and Kansas debated road to glory.
In the world of sports, I believe that you make your own luck. You get fortunate bounces because as a player or coach, you put yourself in the situation to get those bounces. Whether it’s a call from a ref or a bracket that opened up faster than presents on Christmas morning, don’t apologize.
It’s not KU’s fault that its fellow top seeds in the Southwest region couldn’t handle the little guys. The 2, 3, 4, and 5 seeds couldn’t survive the first weekend, leaving the Jayhawks with a more than generous path to Houston and the school’s 14th Final Four. A “cakewalk to the Final 4” as the worldwide leader said on Monday.
Now, I can’t pretend that Richmond, VCU, or Florida State would be in the Sweet 16 if this tournament was replayed. But as last year reminded Kansas fans all too harshly, the best teams don’t always win. This tournament is a cruel more often then pleasant, so when you get a fortunate bounce, make the most of it with no apologies.
Northern Iowa ain’t walking through that door. Don’t count on a Bradley or Bucknell either, for that matter. Not this year.
For all of the myriad of accomplishments of Bill Self while at Kansas, his knack for struggling against disciplined mid-majors in the NCAA tournament is somewhat puzzling. Bradley, Bucknell, and Northern Iowa are the obvious ones. Even when victorious, Self’s Kansas teams have often struggled against mid-majors in March. He narrowly escaped with a 2-point win over Southern Illinois in the 2007 Sweet 16. Even his national championship team needed a last second shot to fall short against Davidson to clinch a spot in the Final Four.
Luckily for Kansas fans, the Southwest regional doesn’t have any giant slayers. It looks to be the easiest region this year as well. Soon after the brackets were announced on Sunday, statistical guru Nate Silver (@fivethirtyeight) from the NY times tweeted this: “Also, Kansas may as well book hotel rooms in Houston right now.” Houston, of course, is the site of this year’s Final Four. And Kansas, as the overall No. 2 seed in the tournament, looks to have the easiest road to the Space City.
