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Sawin' Wood

San Antonio sights and sounds, Big(gest) Monday edition

By Ryan Wood
April 7, 2008 | 10 comments

1:20 a.m. — I stuck a tape recorder in the face of Jacque Vaughn and hoped I could hear it later.

Vaughn talked to reporters for a minute, but he was doing it just as Bill Self climbed up the ladder to cut down the rest of the net. The crowd was going bonkers. We asked Vaughn questions, but I doubt any of us heard the answers.

After listening to my tape recorder, though, you could sense the pride Vaughn had. After all, he was a member of the 1997 team that might have been KU's greatest ever. It lost in the Sweet 16 despite a 34-1 record going in, so Vaughn has to know just how hard it is to win six in the NCAA Tournament.

Vaughn, who plays for the San Antonio Spurs, said he was relaxed the whole day leading up to the game.

"A lot of guys asked me if I was nervous," Vaughn said. "I wasn't. I was very poised today. I was very confident in this team.

"I'm very proud of the way they played this year and the obstacles they overcame. I really had a belief that this year would be it."

Kansas has caught some serious heat in the last 20 years for being that tradition-rich program that doesn't win the big one enough. The pressure passed from Adonis Jordan to Greg Ostertag to Vaughn to Paul Pierce to Drew Gooden to Kirk Hinrich, Nick Collison, Wayne Simien and Keith Langford. Even Roy Williams, who was at Monday's game with a big KU sticker on his shirt for the world to see, had to live with falling just short too often.

Think about them tonight. This title took the big gorilla off the shoulders of 20 years of players. Everyone in the Kansas basketball family has to be feeling just super right about now.




12:09 a.m. — KU coach Bill Self was asked about the game-tying three-pointer heroically nailed by Mario Chalmers at the end of regulation.

"It'll probably be the biggest shot ever made in Kansas history," Self said.




10:30 p.m. — Holy cow.




9:27 p.m. — Another former player spotted: Julian Wright, who went over and said hi to walk-ons Chase Buford, Brennan Bechard and Brad Witherspoon during halftime. Those walk-ons can't dress because of a roster limit during the postseason




9:15 p.m. — Former KU guard Jacques Vaughn came down to do a halftime interview with Bob Davis and Chris Piper on the KU radio call. He's sporting a gray KU basketball T-shirt.

Two of his former teammates, Scot Pollard and Greg Gurley, are here again as well.

— Six members of the 2008 Hall of Fame class were introduced at halftime. Among Patrick Ewing, Hakeen Olajuwon and Pat Riley, the loudest ovation went to ESPN's Dick Vitale.

The power of television.




9:01 p.m. — North Carolina coach Roy Williams is at the game, sitting in the section formerly belonging to UNC. And over in the UCLA section, I either see UCLA forward Luc Richard Mbah a Moute or somebody that looks like him.




8:42 p.m. — I would estimate that the KU crowd is louder than the Memphis crowd, although both cheering sections are completely jacked right now.

It's tied, 13-13. I have no idea who's going to win. None.




8:01 p.m. — The Memphis mascot, a Tiger of all things, is wearing a blue Elvis costume. Big Jay is wearing a home white Mario Kinsey No. 1 jersey.

I kid, I kid.

Enjoy the game. I'll check back after tipoff.




7:50 p.m. — The Alamodome has been invaded by blinky blue lights.

The northwest corner of the dome is stocked with Memphis fans, and part of their m.o. is blinky blue lights. Many of the fans have a button they're wearing on their shirt that features a blue light that blinks every other second.

When there's a bunch of them in a section, a sea of blinky blue lights is really neat. I don't know if it's the reason the Tigers have won an NCAA-record 38 games, but it might be.

— Celebrity sighting just behind press row on the south side of the court: Jesse Jackson, who visited a Memphis practice earlier this week and now presumably is here cheering them on. R.G. got a paparazzi photo of him that he'll post eventually.




7:08 p.m. — KU football coach Mark Mangino is going to have a crazy 24 hours.

Just chatted with him here at the Alamodome, where he arrived by private plane with his wife Mary Jane about an hour ago to take in tonight's game. He actually moved Monday's practice to Sunday so he could make the trip and his team could have the day off to watch the game.

Mangino said he's leaving immediately after the game to head back to Lawrence. He will be working Tuesday morning, then he's heading out to Kauffman Stadium to throw out the first pitch of the Royals' home opener against the New York Yankees on Tuesday afternoon.

Mangino said he went out and played a little catch to get the noodle loosened up for tomorrow, but he admits he won't be as confident on the mound as he is coaching.

"I just hope I get it to home plate," he chuckled.




6:12 p.m. — Stopped by KU's pep rally at the convention center in downtown San Antonio. And get this — everyone was happy!

On your left is Kansas governer Kathleen Sebelius, a Jayhawk fan who's done a lot of traveling to see her boys in blue play both football and basketball. This photo is blurry, but I swear it's my camera phone's fault. I took it because the governer has a sweet Jayhawk tatoo on her chest. I didn't ask, but I think it's just a temporary one. (By the way, is that guy behind her double-fisting?)

In all, a couple of thousand people plopped down $50 to be at this event, with the promise of free food, beer, wine and margaritas.

One of the other celebrites I ran into was KU die-hard Hilary Smith, who's marrying a North Carolina die-hard in June. Guess which one of these love birds is in a better mood today?

I just showed up at the Alamodome, and I kid you not, a bird flew right over my head and almost killed me. I thought I was in Kemper Arena again.

Talk to you soon.




4:51 p.m. — Some Vegas odds made their way into my e-mail box, courtesty of the Las Vegas Hilton.

— Total three-pointers made combined: Over/under at 12.5.

— Largest lead of game by either team: Over/under at 14.5

— Total number of different players to score 10+ points: Over/under at 6.5.

— Total number of different players to score: Over/under at 15.

— Total points by Brandon Rush: Over/under at 15.5.

— Total three-pointers by Rush: Over/under at 2.

— Total points by Darnell Jackson: Over/under at 10.5.

— Total points + assists by Russell Robinson: Over/under at 11.

— Total points + rebounds by Darrell Arthur: Over/under at 16.

— Total points by Mario Chalmers: Over/under at 13.5.

— Total points by Sherron Collins: Over/under at 8.5.

— Total points + rebounds by Sasha Kaun: Over/under at 9.5.

— Total points by Chris Douglas-Roberts: Over/under at 20.5.

— Total points by Derrick Rose: Over/under at 19.5.

Judging by the spread and the over/under, Vegas is predicting a Memphis victory, 73-71.

Thoughts?




3:50 p.m. — There is a lot of blue at the River Walk today.

So many happy people. The Memphis and Kansas fans appear to be co-existing, both fan bases too giddy to really be enemies at this point. I'm sure that will change when they file into the Alamodome for tonight's game.

As if the school spirit wasn't already busting through everyone's skin, the Hard Rock Cafe occasionally stopped its constant playing of rock music to blare the fight songs of both schools. Each time, half of the restaurant went into rhythmic clapping and random cheering. Thankfully, the KU fight song finished just in time to get back to the Mr. Big song "To Be With You" (Trivia: Name the year that song was huge).

Walking through the River Walk for lunch confirmed it for me: San Antonio is a wonderful, wonderful site for a Final Four. It's almost perfect.




2:58 p.m. — For those of you following my blog closely, I have sad news to report: I did not see anyone fall in the river last night.

However, I was intrigued by the frequency of such events occuring. So I asked a bouncer at Coyote Ugly, right next to the River Walk, about how much he sees it.

"All the time," he said.

He then went on to tell the story of a common occurance at the River Walk. He pointed out to a bridge that goes across the river (which I snapped a picture of, to your left). He said that sauced idiots often will go on the ledge of this bridge and try to balance-beam all the way to the other side. Often, disaster ensues. Obviously, depending on how far they advance, it could be quite a fall into the river below.

Oh, and one more thing: Jumping in the river is illegal. You can get thrown in jail for it and pay quite a fine. Obviously, you probably won't be arrested if someone body-checks you into it. But I think a failed tightrope across the bridge won't bring you any mercy.

Be back in a bit with more from wild San Antonio. You can just feel the energy in this town. It's really something.

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