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Saturday, May 20, 2006

Mayer

Mayer: Payola not rampant at Kansas

By Bill Mayer

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A college lands a high-profile athlete and there's no instrument that can measure how quickly people in opposing camps ask, "How much you slipping him under the table?" Loyalists may be equally inquisitive, but they don't go public with their queries.

Phog Allen's pursuit of Clyde Lovellette spawned countless rumors; Wilt Chamberlain's choice of Kansas University drew sheets of derogatory rain; ultimately KU got penalized when some people helped Uncle Dippy on a car deal. What else? He never went hungry or hurt for gasoline, but I cannot document one thing.

Larry Brown was barbed for hiring Danny Manning's dad as an assistant. Many are amazed at various KU athletes who drive around in Escalades and Hummer-types. Lester Earl got $6,000 and wound up with a truck while at LSU. No taint here.

Payoffs are everywhere, but we media folks are the last to learn.

Kansas recently got a commitment from touted Texan Darrell Arthur. Kansas State has lined up promising people like 7-foot-3 Jason Bennett and 6-10 Luis Colon. Considering KU is getting deep scrutiny under an NCAA microscope and had that $5,000 goof involving Darnell Jackson, you can guess Bill Self and Co. have the cleanest noses in the country. The infamous Bob Huggins at KSU, well, you can be sure there'll be plenty of unfavorable speculation about how he's assembling such a promising crew so fast.

You'd think that in some 60 years of association with college sports and people in them I could delineate innumerable examples of payoffs for jocks. Stablemate Tom Keegan asked me what I might have seen; I admitted to a virtual blank. He, too, said that he has no such fodder, and he's also been to the picnic and back plenty of times.

I personally have witnessed only one payola for a KU superstar, and it happened AFTER he'd finished college eligibility, so call off the NCAA firing squad.

KU was playing NIT champion LaSalle in New York in 1952 to gain seven berths on the U.S. Olympic team. Night before the game, Mitt Allen, Phog's lawyer son, half-jokingly told Clyde Lovellette that if he got 40 points against LaSalle, he'd buy Clyde a dozen tailor-made shirts at one of the shops around the Paramount Hotel. Cumulus Clyde needed special shirts, had seen some he liked.

Mt. Lovellette erupted for 40 as KU won, and the next morning I went with Mitt and him to the store. The shirts Clyde picked cost a whole $10 each. Mitt nearly busted an aorta when they brought that $120 bill, plus tax. But he kept his word, Clyde savored the moment and the new duds.

Couldn't mention it, though, because the "Amateur" Athletic Union was the gateway outfit to the Olympics and anti-Phog officials like Avery Brundage and Harry Henschel would have loved to get at Doc by declaring Clyde a pro, unfit for the Helsinki Games. But that's the ONLY thing like that I can attest to.

Oh, I've seen people buy kids hamburgers or ice cream bars, illegal though they may be under today's silly rules. And one time a KU basketeer of terribly modest means showed up at the train station here for a bitter winter trip to Colorado wearing only a summer suit, which was all he had. Jayhawks dressed for trips those days.

A couple women fans there to see off the team ran out and bought a topcoat and some gloves for the kid, who eventually became a top-level physician.

Good heavens, the venal sins KU fans have committed to benefit their beloved Jayhawks!

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Comments

cobweb (anonymous) says...

Come on phog. How about some cheap shots.

May 20, 2006 at 7:20 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

wtarush (anonymous) says...

I have a hypothesis concerning our good friend Phog. First, we have to ask ouselves a question: How does someone so clearly anti-Jayhawk pick up a $50 handle like Phog in the first place? It was hard enough for me to get my username (It means "What A Rush" by the way). Second, I have come to notice that he/she/it (hesh*t) rarely answers much of the stabs aimed toward hesh*t. Third, hesh*t is very successful in keeping the message board full. Many of the comments posted are rebukes to what hesh*t says. Now I know it is common place for most to label him a Tiger fan, but what if... just what if hesh*t is a ljworld plant? That would explain how hesh*t picked up the cool username, how hesh*t seems to answer every article at the times of day hes*it does, and how hesh*t successfully keeps the message board full; further increasing the popularity of this sight among the Jayhawk fans. If this is in fact the case it is a great and insightful ploy by ljworld. I'm a life-long KU fan, am often sickened by phog's idiocracy, and do my best not to respond to his unfounded comments... Just thought I would throw a little slop in the trough to chew on.

May 20, 2006 at 9:02 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

cobweb (anonymous) says...

Phog was his second choice after "dbag".

May 20, 2006 at 9:13 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

seattlehawk_78 (anonymous) says...

Don't let Phog bother you. The underlying sentiment beneath every cheap, inane and groundless comment he makes is jealousy and envy. He lacks the courage to defend his team so he goes after one that is superior. He wouldn't be here if his team wasn't inferior to KU. As an out-of-towner I enjoy reading comments from a KU perspective. Seeing the daily frustration from some anal-retentive mamma's boy is an added bonus. Bring it on Phog.

May 20, 2006 at 12:27 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

jhwker26 (anonymous) says...

Did anyone else think this was not only a stupid article but pointless as well?

May 20, 2006 at 1:01 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

kingw67 (anonymous) says...

There is always ways to slip athletes a little extra money. Wilt Chamberlain sold football programs. He would show up at the football games with a hundred or so programs. He could be seen from a half mile away with a crowd of well healed alumni around. He would be given a 5, 10, or 20 dollar bill and told to keep the change. It may have been shady, who is to complain. If anyone had problems with that, they would have left town by rail (tied to it).

May 20, 2006 at 2:01 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

angryyardgnome (anonymous) says...

we all can see that phog must be a kstate/mu fan...he can't even spell............the NCAA is doing (going) to slap you silly in October.

May 20, 2006 at 6:24 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

charger (anonymous) says...

phog
do you want us to except the facts, or accept the facts?

May 20, 2006 at 6:35 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

tdub (anonymous) says...

Dirty is a relative term. Of course some things go on under the table that we will never know of, but when put on par with Mizzou (or now the 'Cats in Thuggieville) we are in line for sainthood (bring on the Popemobile!). You need to accept the facts of life, phog, that all programs have their moments of corruption. I find it interesting that you fail to mention Mizzou and its Paige-crazed, pill-popping maniac and what went on under his former reign of terror. I guess that would be too big of you.

May 20, 2006 at 7 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

seattlehawk_78 (anonymous) says...

Nice try Phog. But since you lack the courage to defend the program for which you are a fan of, (one can only speculate as to which sorry excuse of a team you follow) your speculation is a moot point at best.

May 20, 2006 at 9:32 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

ku_bringback_danny (anonymous) says...

Hay, Phog stick to may-king pee-zaas. I spelt it this way so you can understand. Mizzou grad!!!

May 20, 2006 at 9:36 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

100 (anonymous) says...

note to editor: i represent "the everyman" and this comment should help your website get back the readers who have flocked to the other KU website: Instead of having reader comments directly underneath each and every story, why not have a simple link for comments so that people can read them only if they want to? Most of us want to read your writers' stories, which are researched and written by professional journalists. Most of us also would like to be spared the comment section, unless the story is truly controversial. On the other hand, for those who want to read and write comments on every single story, a link below the story should suffice. Thank you and good luck with the revamping of your website.

May 20, 2006 at 10:59 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

wtarush (anonymous) says...

Phog, normally I would thank someone who might comment upon my intellect, but being called "genius" by you does not amount to much more than a pile of hesh*t drying in the sun.

May 20, 2006 at 11:02 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

wtarush (anonymous) says...

100, I have a suggestion. At the end of the story... stop scrolling down. Therefore your eyes aren't magically drawn to the comments and your brain does not unwillingly comprehend the words you are FORCED to read.

May 20, 2006 at 11:10 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

tdub (anonymous) says...

Good call wtarush. 100, you see the dotted line beneath the end of the article.... stop there!

May 20, 2006 at 11:55 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

JBurtin (anonymous) says...

Just curious, would anyone here like to discuss sports? I've been reading for half an hour and have yet to read anything other than rebuttals against idiots.

Here, I'll show you how a message board works. How about a discussion about starting lineups and the backups for next years basketball team.

My picks by the end of the year.

PG-Collins starting Robinson backing up
SG-Robinson starts Chalmers backs up
SF-Rush backed up by Wright
PF-Arthur backed up by Jackson
C- Kaun backed up by Giles

Collins is a pure point guard so you wouldn't want to play him at the two spot, so he takes over point. When he needs a rest Robinson slides to point and Chalmers comes in. When Robinson needs a rest himself Chamlers comes in. There are eighty minutes total between the two postions, so each of them plays roughly 27 minutes.

Rush is the obvious starter at small forward. But now with Arthur in the mix (a natural power forward) by years end Wright can slide over to his favorite postion and create a matchup nightmare.

Finally, underneath the rotation remains similar to what it was by the end of 05-06. Arthur and Kaun (the smaller PF with the larger C) play together, when they need a rest you rotate in Jackson and Giles together (the larger PF with the smaller C).

Anyone else have a rotation?

May 21, 2006 at 5:16 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

patton6 (anonymous) says...

No way that Chalmers doesn't start. Collins has looked great,and I hope that he gets better and better, but he will definitely not take a starting spot from Chalmers.

May 21, 2006 at 9:43 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

Huskerhawk (anonymous) says...

JBurtin, I like your idea of a true discussion but I disagree a little with your starting five. A lot of true Kansas fans are getting giddy with the new prospects (okay, so am I a little) but lets not go putting these guys into the starting line up ahead of guys who have a year experience or more under theit belts and have worked so hard when they (the new prospects) have yet to lace up a pair of sneakers for the Jayhawks.

May 21, 2006 at 11:37 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

seattlehawk_78 (anonymous) says...

JBurtin,

Messing with Phog's "brain" is fun and soooo easy. Isn't there room on this message board to do both?

May 21, 2006 at 12:29 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

StarHawk92 (anonymous) says...

phog? Who is phog?

May 22, 2006 at 8:08 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

lalawguy (anonymous) says...

So come October and no charges are brought, phog could be looking at a big lawsuit for making false statements!

May 22, 2006 at 11:52 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

jayloco (anonymous) says...

JBurtin- You lost all credibility when you said Chalmers sits. Are you F'ING crazy?? I agree with a lot of your other comments, but you are smoking serious peyote if you think Chalmers is not a starter. Better put Collins in Chalmers spot in your little rotation. Come on dude, you tried to come correct and then you make a silly statement like that??

May 26, 2006 at 10:54 a.m. ( | suggest removal )