Posts Tagged swag

Episode 37 – KU-Duke, Champ Classic, Alexander and Hats, KU-WV, and GOALPOSTS

Posted on: November 19th, 2013 by jayhawktalk No Comments

Kevin and Andrew return for a loaded podcast after a huge KU week. We start with KU-Duke and also talk about Kevin’s escapades in Chicago breaking up fights with drunk UK fans. We talk in depth about Cliff Alexander’s recruitment and his hilarious diss of Illinois breaking the KU hat curse forever. We also talk KU-WVU and recap our favorite experiences with tearing down goalposts (complete with photos!). We also preview Iona and do our weekly Johnny’s Taverns giveaway.

Come on in, have a beer, and enjoy the Jayhawk Talk Podcast!

LISTEN ON iTUNES HERE (all devices except non-Apple mobile devices)

LISTEN ON PODBEAN HERE (non-Apple mobile devices)

If you’d like to support the show, please remember to go to iTunes and rate the show, leave a comment, and of course, subscribe. It takes about 30 seconds and truly helps a ton in boosting the podcast.

ROCK CHALK!

 

Video: KU-MU Goalposts coming down! (2003)

Video: KU-MU Goalposts go swimming (2003)

More old goalpost pics:

 

 

 

2013-2014 KU basketball preview and predictions

Posted on: November 8th, 2013 by jayhawktalk No Comments

My favorite quote about predictors and prognosticators comes from former Kansas City Star columnist, Bill Vaughan. He wrote: ”The groundhog is like most prophets; it delivers its prediction then disappears.” I generally have the same feeling about sports handicapping and preseason predictions.

They’re all made by groundhogs.

So let’s get this out of the way. I’m not a handicapper. I’m a fan. But I also hold my team to a higher standard than just about anyone else because I want what is best for them. In short, I like to think I can make impartial predictions, and I am happy to stand by them for the season and beyond.

This is the third iteration of the Jayhawk Talk season predictions blog post. The 2011-12 and 2012-13 predictions are linked. In 2011, I predicted KU to be a #2 seed in UNC’s bracket. Also predicted T-Rob to go from a 7 and 6 guy to a 17 and 10 guy. Nailed those. In 2012, I predicted KU’s non-conference and conference records accurately and said Withey wins defensive player of the year easily. Nailed those too.

I also predicted Big 12 championships for those two years, but that isn’t much of a prediction these days.

To be fair, I missed a bunch of stuff too. Namely that OSU would be #2 behind KU in 2011 (7th) and that Perry Ellis would lead us in scoring last year early in the season (lost his starting job). But the misses aren’t any fun to talk about. The same goes for this intro.

Let’s get into the 2013-14 Jayhawks, shall we?

(1) This Wiggins Fella. Forget talking about the Big 12 season or postseason. No Kansas blog post would be complete without spending an exorbitant amount of time on Andrew Wiggins. My prediction? He has a terrific season. Every reasonable college basketball fan will praise his athleticism and impact on the game. But to many, he’ll be a disappointment. That’s because I think he’ll average something like 15.5 points, 5.5 boards, 2 blocks, and 3 assists. He’ll potentially affect the game more on defense than offense (I think he’ll lead the team in blocks). And his presence on the court alone will open up the offense in other places. In short, I think he’ll be a difference maker. Even if his stats don’t bear it out.

(2) Non-Conference Record.  There are 13 non-conference games with marquee matchups against Duke, Florida, Colorado, New Mexico, and Georgetown. It is a ridiculously difficult schedule — one that will be nearly impossible to navigate without yielding a loss. My prediction is that KU ends up at 11-2, which I think most reasonable fans would take. Most likely losses include Duke and Florida. The good news is that the Big 12 season should be an easier slate than the non-conference season, leaving the possibility for a great tournament seed and very high ranking by the end of the year.

(3) Conference Record. KU has an enormous advantage over the Big 12 due to its ridiculous home court advantage. Barring injury, the Jayhawks will be favored in every game played at home. With a 9-0 head start on the league, the team only has to go 6-3 or better on the road to pretty much guarantee a share of the season title. I believe that will be the exact record at the end of the conference season, 15-3. Losses could occur @KSU, @ISU, @OSU, or @Baylor. I will say this… I don’t think TCU will be one of the losses for the second year in a row.

(4) Big 12 Champs. It’s impossible to predict any other team to win the Big 12 regular season title until it actually happens. And, well, I don’t think it’s going to happen this year. It’s not that KU is overwhelmingly better than teams like OSU, Baylor, or ISU. There are some really good players in the league this year. The difference is KU’s incredible home court advantage, Bill Self’s in-season coaching, and the general pedigree of winning these things. The only remaining question is how long it takes to see a picture of Self wearing all ten rings.

(5) Rotation. The rotation seems to be the hot button topic among KU diehards. For the first time in a long time, there is a ridiculous amount of depth on this KU team. We know the starters are going to be Ellis, Tharpe, Black, Wiggins, and Selden. What we don’t know is how deep Self will go on the bench. I predict the main rotation to include Embiid, Traylor, White, and Mason. That’s 9 guys. Rarely has a Bill Self team gone beyond 8 or 9, much less 10. As a result, I don’t think we’ll see a whole lot of Greene or Frankamp this season, except when the team needs a spark.

(6) Don’t forget about the veterans. This team has a great deal of hype, largely due to the best recruiting class Bill Self has ever brought to KU. Wiggins, Selden, and Embiid will all play a lot of minutes and will be a huge part of the success of the team. But even though KU returns no starters from the 2012-13 season, it does have legitimate veteran presence. Perry Ellis is a monster (more to come on that) and if the two exhibition games are any representation at all, Naadir Tharpe is a different player (15 assists, 0 turnovers). Jamari Traylor also has a role on this team (reports are that Self has been having him watch tape of Kevin Young to show him the type of energy he needs to bring to get minutes). In short, the vets will be just as important as the freshmen, especially early on when the lights are still bright.

(7) Perry Ellis. This is a bad, bad man. He may be quiet. He may not do anything flashy. But Perry is a true assassin with the basketball in his hands. The last third of the 2012-13 season was his coming out party, even if some fans expected to see it earlier. My prediction is that he will lead this team in scoring. Even over that Wiggins guy. Sure, Baylor’s Isaiah Austin and Cory Jefferson have been named Preseason All-Big 12 first teamers and Ellis was not on the list. I predict Ellis will force voters to remove one of these guys at the end of the season.

(8) Offense. I believe the normal Bill Self offense will be on display most of the time. In fact if you aren’t watching closely, it may seem similar to past years. You’ll still see the high-low motion. You’ll still see the same ball movement and inside-out attack. There will be a few differences, though. Self will most certainly install a “Wiggins Package” of plays, designed to get Andrew one-on-one against a single defender. The same can be said for Selden, though his plays may revolve more around posting up his (much smaller) defender. These two players are too valuable on the offensive end not to feature them in NBA-type isolation sets. It will be interesting to see how often these plays occur and how they assimilate into the overall offense. It is also worth noting that because of the team’s depth, there are multiple opportunities for mismatches on the offensive end that could change game to game. We have the low block banger bigs (Black, Jamari), the skilled and quicker bigs (Perry, Embiid), the jet off the bench (Mason), and the 3-point assassins (Greene, Frankamp, White). Depending on the defense, the game plan could change from game to game when it comes to the rotation.

(9) Defense. It is impossible to replace Jeff Withey. His impact on the defensive side of the ball was immeasurable. He allowed our guards to gamble a bit because the guards knew Withey was behind them scaring penetration away from the paint. This team will need to be much more sound when it comes to on-ball defense because there isn’t a bonafide rim protector in the paint this year. Through two exhibition games, you have probably heard Self mention more than once that on-ball defense is the area where the team could use the most improvement. The good news is the starters should, in theory, be great on-ball defenders. Tharpe was a bit of a liability on the defensive end last year, but hopefully he has improved. Wiggins and Selden are both so long and athletic that they should, in theory, be able to learn to play great defense. Black also provides a new dynamic on defense that we did not have before he transferred to KU. Remember how Perry got knocked around the block by bigger guys last year? That won’t be the case with Black. He is the one who knocks.

(10) Overall Record. For those math majors out there, I have predicted 11-2 for the non-con schedule and 15-3 for the conference slate. That’s a lovely 26-5 record, good for a #2 seed in the tourney.

(11) Tourney. Last year I said the Jayhawks were an “Elite 8 caliber” team. This year is different. While college basketball as a whole has some great teams this year, it’s hard to argue with the sentiment that this team has the talent to compete at the very highest level. Success in the tournament has so many variables, including luck of the draw, so it is often difficult to predict. That said, I think most KU fans would be disappointed not to make it out of the second weekend this year. KU ran into a buzz saw with Michigan last year. I predict this team has a little bit of luck and the Jayhawks reach the Final Four in Dallas. Dallas…an enormous KU alumni city.

From there, you never know what could happen.

 

 

 

 

Episode 32 – Wiggins’ Shoe Deal, Okafor/Jones, Late Morning in the Phog, Interview with Rob Dauster and Fun with Fake Jeff Withey

Posted on: October 18th, 2013 by jayhawktalk No Comments

Kevin and (bye week fill-in) Ty Gardner (aka Fake Jeff Withey) co-host Episode 32, which includes an interview with College Basketball Talk’s Rob Dauster, Wiggins’ crazy shoe deals, discussion about Late Morning in the Phog scrimmages, Okafor, Jones, Tyler Self, Charlie Weis, preview of OU and more. Come on in, grab a beer, and enjoy Episode 32 of the Jayhawk Talk Podcast.

Be sure to follow Rob Dauster on Twitter at @RobDauster. And feel free to annoy Ty Gardner on Twitter at @TyGardner.

Check out the podcast on iTunes HERE. (Be sure to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes and it will come up right away on your iPhone and iPad via the podcast app).

Check out the podcast on Podbean HERE. (For those with non-Apple mobile devices)

ROCK CHALK

 

 

OFFICIAL @FAKEJOEDOOLEY 2012-13 DRINKING GAME RULES

Posted on: November 13th, 2012 by jayhawktalk 1 Comment

(Editor’s Note: The following comes courtesy of @FakeJoeDooley, a phenomenal follow on Twitter and growing legend in Lawrence and surrounding areas. We here at Jayhawk-Talk fully endorse beer, so we were happy to post these for your enjoyment. Reminder to check out the Jayhawk-Talk podcast and “Like” us on Facebook. Looking VERY forward to playing this drinking game tonight. I think I’m drafting Ben. Rock Chalk!)

 

 

Kicking some ref ass.

I. THE “PLAYER DRAFT”

Before the game begins, you must conduct a player “draft.” You’re responsible for draft order. Drafters choose from one of the five starters on the team: Jeff, Ben, Elijah, Travis, or Perry. If you have more than five playing the game, you choose a starter that has already been chosen (two people may have the same starter). Don’t worry about the reserve players. They’ll come into play later on.

II. YOUR INDIVIDUAL DRAFTED PLAYER RULES: (Refer to the draft)

All of Section II is specific to your drafted starting player.

Scoring Rule:

  • Drink one (1) for every point your drafted player scores (E.g., You drafted Ben and he makes a layup – drink two; or, you drafted Elijah and he makes a 3-pointer – drink three). Always remember that these drinks are not meant to be a burden. It’s a celebration. We just fucking scored.

Superpower Rule:

Each starter has a freaking SUPERPOWER. This superpower is specific to only that player. When your drafted player uses his superpower in the course of the game, you give drinks out instead of take them. The individual superpowers are as follows:
  • Travis Releford: Every time Travis makes a “hustle play” (e.g., takes a charge, attempts a charge, flops, drops, dives, or scrambles), give out three (3) drinks to anyone in the room. Feel free to slap the floor with two hands before delivering.
  • Jeff Withey: Every time Jeff has a blocked shot, give out three (3) drinks. Feel free to rub it in by giving the recipient the Dikembe Mutombo finger wag.
  • Elijah Johnson: Every time Elijah attempts a 3-pointer, give out two (2) drinks. If he makes the 3-pointer, give out five (5) drinks.
  • Ben McLemore: Every time Ben gets an offensive rebound, give out two (2) drinks. If he does a put back dunk off that rebound, give out five (5) drinks.
  • Perry Ellis: The Perry Ellis Aggressive Meter (Give out the number of drinks (1-5) corresponding to Perry’s aggressiveness inside the paint as described below:
      • Fruit Fly – Simple, easy lay-up (non-dunk) around the basket.  Allen Fieldhouse gives a golf-clap. (give out one 1)
      • Rabbit – Tough lay-up or dunk with minimal contact with the rim.  Causes high-fives among the crowd. (give out 2)
      • Bulldog – Strong lay-up/dunk that causes a slight rattle of the basket. Fieldhouse’s country club section rises to their feet.  (give out 3)       
      • Lion – Powerful dunk with some rim hanging. Causes the student section to jump up and down. (give out 4)
      • Sasquatch – Thunder dunk or alley-oop dunk (causes Allen Fieldhouse crowd to lose their shit). (give out 5)  

Special Individual Player Rules: (Rare individual player rules)
These are rare instances that your drafted player may play a part in during the course of a game. Watch for these both for your player and other players in the room.

  • Technical Foul: Drink 10 if your drafted player gets a technical foul. Also punch your neighbor and give him or her 10 as well (don’t need to inflict real pain, but it’s your world). You may spread these 10 around the room if you’d prefer.  If Perry Ellis gets a technical, go to your shelter because the world is ending.
  • Posterized: If your drafted player posterizes another team’s player, give out 5 drinks to the room. If you get up and re-enact the play, give out 15.
  • Career High: If your drafted player achieves a career high in points, you can give out drinks to the room up to that total (e.g., if Releford bests his career high by scoring 30 points, you can give out 30 drinks).

 

@FakeJoeDooley is “March Swagness”

III. UNIVERSAL TEAM RULES: (Everyone in the room takes part in these)

These are meant to be community rules and are separate from the individual drafted player rules.

  • 3-Point Rule: Every time a Kansas three-point basket is made, everyone has to throw up the 3-goggles sign over your eye (hold up three fingers in the “a-ok” formation and putting the circle over your eye). The LAST player to do it has to drink 5.
  • Frustration Time-Out Rule: If the other team calls a timeout in frustration after a big KU run or exciting play, find a partner and do a jumping back-bump. Or invent your own “back to the huddle” celebration and tweet it to @FakeJoeDooley and I will post it.
  • Doom$day Rule: If Doom$day is pictured on your television screen at any time take two (2) drinks and cover your girlfriend’s eyes because she’s probably thinking bad thoughts.
  • Pizza Commercial Rule: If your television shows a pizza commercial, take one (1) drink and order another pizza. No pizza days off.

IV. RESERVE RULES:

  • The Kevin Young Rule: Kevin Young is a lot like Mario when he gets a star because he runs around all crazy.  When Kevin Young enters the game, everyone drink 4 because its about to get wild.
  • The Bench Holdback Rule: Dunks are often very dangerous and cause people to freak out. If the bench players are shown holding out their arms to prevent the rest of the players from jumping on the court, stretch your arms out and prevent your neighbor from jumping into your TV and drink (2).  Send me your best holdback pictures.
  • Coach’s Son Rule: If Tyler Self, Evan Manning, or Niko Roberts score, the first one to yell “coach’s son!” gives out 5 drinks.

TWITTER SHIT: Send @FakeJoeDooley pictures of your group playing this drinking game and use the hashtag #DooleyDrinkingGame. If it’s an especially good example of how the game is to be played, it will be retweeted. If your picture is retweeted, give out twenty (20) drinks courtesy of ME.

HELL YEAH DOOLEYBEAR EVEN HAS CHEAT SHEETS: Courtesy of @JoshDutcher on Twitter, download and use these cheat sheets if you need some extra help on gameday. The cheat sheets don’t include every nuance of every rule, but they’ll definitely prove helpful after you start feeling the effects of this game.

DooleyDrinkingGame_CheatSheets_2012-13