The Bitter Rivalry

(Chris Lee/STLPost-Dispatch)

If you've never experienced the rivalry between the Universities of Missouri and Kansas, you may find it comparable to that of New York and Boston or the not far off rivalry between St. Louis and Chicago. Neither side likes each other, and that's about as big an understatement as you can make. There is actual hatred between these two schools.

While the rivalries between New York and Boston or St. Louis and Chicago might have been convenient for sport, the rivalry between Missouri and Kansas is that and more. The rivalry finds its roots in actual war and battle. War is often an overused metaphor for sports, but really it's the only thing that seems to fit the situation that falls between these two entities.

It's safe to say that both sides hate each other.

For some that battle still rages, though it's more internal now. Now you have to battle with yourself not to either deck that guy with that weird bird on his shirt or honk at the car that's got a fluffy stripped tail hanging from the back of it. However, that sense of bitterness is nestled down deep for those at both schools.

This deep seated hatred on both sides shows in almost every way that both schools converge, and none more prominent than in sports. Basketball is certainly a part of that, and it certainly showed this weekend in what could very well be the last game played between these rivals in Columbia, Missouri.


The Fuse Is Lit

Tensions are always high with a rivalry game, and everyone has some pent up energy ready to explode. The fact that this time around both teams are highly ranked and are in a fight for the conference title only continues to push things to the breaking point.

Even before the game, Mizzou students were on edge. Almost as soon the doors opened, order fell to the back of the mind. One person makes a fast break from the end of the line and the whole body of likely over 1,000 students rush to war. Sprinting to meet their enemy head on at the gates. Of course, some order had to be restored, and it did in the form of some doorframes that forced the giant mass into a funnel of sanity.

Fortunately, that sanity remained, at least until game time.

As the lights dimmed, the roar began. It was a roar that overcame all. It was a tidal wave that would not be stopped. Anything that tried to overtake it was quickly drowned out. Like water it had its ebbs and flows. It would rise as the Mizzou mascot, Truman, was lowered from the rafters, a nod to a tradition at the Hearnes Center only a few hundred feet away. It would rise once again as the sparks and fire would shoot out of the scoreboard during the introductions, and roar ever more at tipoff.


The Game

As the smoke from the pre-game ceremonies continued to hover around the court, the fire in the hearts of the fans and players continued to rage. Both sides exchanged blows throughout much of the first half. Kansas quickly found its fouls beginning to pile up, but Missouri found turnovers and travels as their worst enemy.

With smoke all around and a battle below, war is here.
(L. G. Patterson/AP)

Missouri's seven for nine free throw shooting in the first half was essentially the difference in what was a 39-34 Missouri lead at the end of the half.

As the players returned to their locker-rooms, that sense of pent up energy returned to the crowd. It was as if the halftime break couldn't be short enough. Some used the moments to catch their breath, but everyone was still anticipatory of what was to come. This was where everything was leading to, the final score. The final stretch.

Finally, the countdown ended and the players were on the court once more. The second half began much like the first, punches exchanged back and forth. Except now the faces of both teams were well bruised and swollen. Both teams were beginning to feel out where the weaknesses lied and were beginning to exploit them.

Kanas was beginning to use its size and big men down low to its full advantage. Missouri was being outmuscled and it seemed things were unravelling. This seems at its peek when Kansas was up 71-63 with just 3:24 to go.

Marcus Denmon (left) certainly made his presence known.
(Bill Greenblatt/UPI)

However, the flame had not gone out within the Tigers and they went on the attack. The one leading this pack? Marcus Denmon. The senior guard was already Missouri's player of the game, already 20 points on the night, but he made himself the player of the game in the final 3 minutes of play. He scored 9 of Missouri's final 11 points and made shots that seemed to define destiny. It was a destiny that pointed toward Missouri.

Denmon couldn't miss and Kansas needed a map to find the basket. Fortunately, for the Tigers, there are no maps in Bill Self's suit or at the gift shop. The game was Kansas' to lose at that point, but when they didn't show up Mizzou took over.

Denmon made baskets when they needed it, and some seemed almost unbelievable to behold. Of course, Kansas had plenty of chances, but at this point the crowd would have no part of a Kansas win. Every possession by Kansas was met by the loud roar that was now accompanied by the war drums of the metal bench in front of you. The ground seemed to shake and the walls reverberate to the whim of the crowd.

The awful din of the crowd seemed to even last past the final buzzer. As tension was replaced by exhilaration, the ringing in the ears of the fans of Missouri mixed well with a very pleasant word: triumph.

Kim English and the Mizzou faithful will never forget this night.
(L. G. Patterson/AP)

Brawling Embarrassment

Anyone who followed college basketball on Saturday probably saw some upsets and good games, but they all will be overshadowed by what happened on the court of the Cintas Center and not for good reasons. A fight at a bar or party is one thing, still not good but certainly different. However, when you are on national television, in front of thousands of fans, and carry the name of your school on your chest then there's no excuse.

Whether this were in a game or not, it would be a bad thing, but the situation has only compounded the issue. When it came to the players, no side one. Cincinnati got things started by calling out Xavier player Tu Holloway before the game. While that can be good fun at times, don't do something like that and expect the other side to sit quietly and take it. They should, but don't expect it.

Both teams got down and dirtied their own reputations.
Al Behrman-Associated Press

Unfortunately, Holloway didn't as he was instigating the entire Cincy bench near the end of the game, and then things got way out of control. Yancy Gates blindsided Kenny Frease with a punch and Cheikh Mbodj literally tried to kick him while he was down. Then Gates looked to try and go on a rampage against the entire Xavier team.

Of course, Xavier is almost just as guilty given their taunts at the end, and, quite frankly, some poor words after the game by Holloway. "That's what you're going to see from Xavier and Cincinnati... We're a tougher team. We're grown men over here. We've got a whole bunch of gangstas in the locker room. Not thugs, but tough guys on the court."

So, not only is Holloway showing no remorse for his own lack of dignity on the court, but he's got the guts to continue to talk trash about the other team after the scuffle. I understand a heated rivalry, I've been a part of the Missouri and Kanasa rivalry, but that's not an excuse. Some jostling, a hard fought game, and the cheers and jeers of fans make a good rivalry. Holloway does mention letting your play do the talking, but he clearly had some extra words to go along with his play.

The only bright spot has come from the coaches thus far. This may seem like a "duh" kind of thing, but Cincinnati coach Mick Cronin's sincere frustration over the whole thing is good to see. Throughout his entire interview you can see the anger he has with his players and himself.

Coach Cronin won't take this lying down, and that's good
for everyone.

"I have never been this embarrassed in my entire career. It's a complete embarrassment. Toughness is doing the right thing. ... If my players don't act the right way, they will never play another game at Cincinnati."

He also mentioned how every player lost there jersey until this gets sorted out. That's a blow right there. Those players have lost a symbol of their identity. That's a very good demonstration by Coach Cronin that he won't take this from any of his players. His words were very strong after the game, and very nice to hear.

What will happen to the players on both teams remains to be seen, but both institutions should be outraged and the players ashamed. There's no place for this on any level, and if they are the "grown men" that Holloway claims, they have a strange way of showing it.

BCS or Not?

I'll say right off the bat that I am not in favor of the BCS. It's motivated by money and that's really all. Most of the other reasons that I've seen for those that favor it are hardly believable. There still be plenty of money to be had with a playoff system because there are still games, more in fact. The extra games would be during winter break. So, what class time are the athletes missing? As for the concern of more injuries, it's football. They take the risk every time they step out onto the practice field, let alone an actual game.

The look that on the face of many college football fans after the final BCS standings.
Brett Deering/Getty Images

Regardless, here's a little something I put together on this year's BCS mishap. I disagree with the final decision this year, but I tried to stay somewhat neutral overall.

http://storify.com/JonStraub/lsu-bama-part-2

Paid to Play?

Eric Dickerson and Craig James were members of
the SMU team that almost lost it all.

The last thing I talked about what was whether those gifted with athletic ability should attend college or jump right into professional play. Much of my argument was for the different kinds of education that the athlete will receive in college both in the books and in life.

You Want 500 Dolla?

But what about when an athlete makes that decision to take his talents to the college level? Recently the idea of paying these athletes has become a popular topic. To me, this is absurd. If you really want to get paid then go pro. Otherwise, get your education and be happy.

That basically sums up what I'm about to talk about further. I've already mentioned that the reason someone goes to college, or what the reason should be, is to get an education. This is something that seems to have been forgotten, not only recently but for years. It's a common joke about athletes that cruise through school on their talent and not their brains, and jokes are almost always based on truth.

Terrelle Pryor has been in the center of
 much of the controversy at Ohio State.

But something more concrete has come to light in more recent years. Further back were the incidents at Southern Methodist University where players were played under the table and the university almost lost it's football program due to the severity. More recent issues have been found at Ohio State and Miami University. All of these have shown instances where money and benefits for players became more pivotal than their education.

The NCAA has handed out suspensions and penalties in each of these instances, and that is certainly a good thing to see. I don't necessarily agree with the NCAA all the time, but this is an important thing to happen. Some might say that it is their job, but it's still good to see. Unfortunately, these penalties probably won't change the mindset about college athletics and its athletes.

Most will shrug off these penalties and maybe make some small changes to their programs, but that won't change the big picture. These kinds of deals will continue to go on even after the NCAA is done, simply because the ideals have not changed.

I'm not going to pretend to have the answers, just an understanding of the problem. The true question is not about whether college athletes should be paid, but rather if we should acknowledge that we pay them. Players receive benefits and money all the time, but schools aren't willing to acknowledge it.

Of course, scholarships are one form of payment that NCAA is okay with, and I'm not against it either. Do athletes dedicate more of their free time than most students? Possibly, depending on your thoughts of the "joke" I mentioned earlier. If you don't buy the joke, then these players have the same school work as the rest of us but add all of their athletic obligations on top of that work.

If this is the case, and many would believe it's so, then there is absolutely no reason that some athletes shouldn't be allowed some sort of compensation for their time and representing their respective schools. However, beyond this basic compensation is where the issue begins.

The point of college is education. That is priority one. Some athletes believe that they are special and deserve special privileges, and schools oblige because they are afraid to lose the athlete.

This concern by the schools stems from universities being more business than education. Schools have become more concerned with image and filling seats for a game rather than graduation.

Blame doesn't sit with any one group. Athletes, schools, and even fans need to collaborate to change how we think about college athletics. Then the conversation of whether athletes should be paid wouldn't even be necessary. College is for education. If you want to get paid, go pro.

College or Career?

Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

Speaking with a friend the other day, we were on the topic of LeBron James and we got onto the topic of whether athletes should jump right into a professional career or take their talents to college. This, of course, has been a topic in athletics for years now, and is a part of the debate for paying college athletes which I'll discuss at a later date.


Check Yourself...

Let's start with going to college. What are the advantages to going to college? There are quite a few. The first is what most seem to forget when discussing college athletics, education. Most people go to college to get an education that will help them be better prepared for the rest of their lives. And I'm not just talking about those boring elective classes that teach you how to grind through long, boring meetings that seem to drag on forever. What I'm more concerned with are the lessons learned that have an impact on the everyday.

In college, you understand that you are part of a bigger picture of things. Whether that is because your university is literally bigger than you or because you realize the importance of teamwork and working with others. You meet a number of characters in college and each presents you with the opportunity to learn how to handle different people. YOU GROW UP!

Now, I don't want this to be simply a Lebron bashing, because that's a band wagon that's easily ridden, but also because I don't have a huge problem with the man himself. He's made some bad "decisions" this year and beyond, but he is still a nice guy with a ton of talent.

Some call Bryce Harper "The Chosen One." Chosen to do what?

Basketball is not the only sport with this problem, Baseball might be even worse about the number of kids that sign with teams right out of high school, or at least at a young age. The Washington Nationals Bryce Harper is an example of this point.

In my mind, both he and James are still kids that still thinks that the world revolves around them and they can get away with what they want. Harper has already been ejected from a number of games in his brief minor league career, and how it happens just demonstrates how much of grown up he has become. His antics don't always get him ejected but they are bad just the same. Whether it's drawing lines in the dirt, spiking his helmet, rushing the approaching dugout, or blowing the apposing pitcher a kiss, Harper still thinks that just because he signed the big contract that he is a big deal.






Harper hasn't even proven that he can play in the big leagues yet, and James chokes under playoff pressure. I don't think there is any doubt that both of these guys are tremendous athletes, but there comes a point where you need to bear down and just do your job.

It's certainly painful, but do they always recover?

But let's pretend that an athlete is not full of themselves and won't get the billion dollar contract. Why should they go to college? The same reasons still apply, because no one graduates high school fully mature. In addition, let's look at the assurance of athletics: none. An athlete can brake their leg or tear a tendon or any number of injuries. If nothing else, injuries can diminish an athletes skills if not completely end their career, and this can happen in an instant at any time. This is the danger of sports, and what do the athletes have after that? Some get into broadcasting, which is hit or miss, but otherwise they can fall off the face of the earth.
A sports career can last, typically, 10-20 years at best, and then they live off their name. But if you don't end up making a name for yourself then you are back to square one. A college education is something that lasts a lifetime and will always leave options in the future. It's just a safe bet and makes sense.
The biggest potential wrench for an athlete becomes affording for college. Some institutions provide full-rides for athletes, but not all do and not all athletes get them. Money is a big player in athletics, and college athletics is no exception. But that's for another time.
Like I said, I know these aren't the only two guys, and I also know that college isn't a complete fix. Some have attended college but still have issues. And there are those who haven't gone to college, have a ton of talent, and still have respect for the the game and their opponents. Atlanta Brave's Jason Heyward is the first to come to mind. He's playing for a contending team and has been a pretty good addition for them.
However, when it comes down to it college is a valuable asset to anyone, and athletes need an education as well. They need to learn how to handle relationships. They need to learn how to handle being on their own. They need to learn how handle life "in the real world," where the world is bigger than them.

The Heat is On

Another year, another opening week of college football, and everyone is hoping that this year will be the year for their team. They hope that they can compete for the big prize at the end of the year. Every year it’s the same thing, whether expectations are higher or lower than last year.

This is similar in every sport, but it seems that college football holds something universal. Fans sacrifice, suffer, and enjoy more than fans of most other sports.

For the city of Columbia, Mizzou, and all its fans the excitement has been building up to see how the uncertainties of the season would be answered and if hope for a championship was reasonable. However, when it came to the day itself, fans just looked to enjoy the day.

This would be difficult task for some, given the fact that the game was at 11 o’clock in the morning and that means getting up early for tailgating. On the other hand, that was the least of the worries for the rest.

Mother Nature decided that sweating proverbial bullets over the beginning of the season wasn’t enough, fans had to sweat the natural kind in over 90 degree heat all day.

Whether fans arrived early or late for the game, everyone had to endure a scorching heat that barely let a bead of sweat reach the surface before expiring it. Everyone had to find his or her own way to fight through the heat.

Some tried to drown it by downing bottle after bottle of water or your preferred beverage. There were enough hand fans to make a wind farm jealous, and yes there were poor souls who had nothing to subdue the heat they found themselves enduring.

Some simply baked in the oven that seconds as a football field known as Faurot Field. Unfortunately, not everyone got off unscathed.  One girl sitting in Mizzou’s student section tried to brave the heat, but fought a losing battle when she fainted in the second half or maybe a player waved to her.

Either way, many fans stopped waiving and bottles were put down. Fans who had been waiting months to see their team on the field had diverted concern to this girl. Fortunately, she did come to and her friends followed her to be cooled off. In the end, that will probably stick with those who witnessed it for the rest of this season, at least.

Sometimes things get to us. It could be a bad call, a bad season, or even the heat. But fans never let that stop them from hoping for the next game, for their team, or for their fellow fans.