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March 19, 2008
9:41 p.m. - Last post of the evening. Walking with the World Company crew to a restaurant when we passed a tent selling sports apparel, presumably for NCAA Tournament fans walking by.Among the items for sale? A Todd Reesing jersey.There you have it. KU football is BIG in the state of Nebraska. Something about [scoring touchdowns on 10 consecutive drives][1] earns respect.See ya tomorrow.4:40 p.m. - It was the most painful question they've ever been asked. I felt horrible.I decided to do a random survey of dressed-up fans sitting in the Qwest Center stands during the public practices Wednesday.To the KU fans, I asked: Will you root for Kansas State tomorrow?A painful grimace crossed about everyone's face. Finally, KU grad Shane Collins spoke up."Yeah, I will," he said. "When it's after the season, now you've got to pull for the conference."He then corrected himself, slightly."Now, if it's Missouri?" he said. "It's a different story."It will be interesting to see how it plays out Thursday. Kansas plays at 11:25 a.m., while Kansas State battles USC at 6:10 p.m. in what easily is the most anticipated matchup in Omaha, if not the entire first round. Surely, Kansas fans with first-day tickets will be interested in sticking around to see phenom freshmen Michael Beasley, O.J. Mayo, Bill Walker and Davon Jefferson battle it out in a potential classic.Trae Priest and Levi Brennan, two 13-year-old KU fans living in Omaha and hanging out at Qwest, said they'd root for K-State. Sort of."I'll root for Michael Beasley," Brennan said. "He's the man."Brennan became a KU fan because of the smooth game of Mario Chalmers. Priest's father is a big Kansas fans and passed the gene on. Both are rooting hard for KU, and of course, both think the Jayhawks are winning it all this year.But pulling for K-State, too? The question is too unconventional to have a unanimous response. Scott Slupianek is a KU fan living in Omaha. Once he moved to Nebraska, he bought Creighton season tickets, bought NCAA Tournament tickets through Creighton and will be at every game this weekend - including Kansas State-USC.He won't be cheering for the Wildcats, though."Nope," he said. "Can't do it. I want to, but I just can't."We'll see what side - if either - is in the majority Thursday night.12:34 p.m. - Portland State is finishing up its public practice at the Qwest Center. There are - I kid you not - 100 times more Kansas fans here than Portland St. fans.OK, so there are just two fans in the Qwest Center seats wearing PSU attire. One is Richard Fink, a 1973 Portland State grad who came to Omaha with a buddy.Here's how dedicated they are to Viking basketball: They left Portland at 4 p.m. Tuesday and landed in Sacramento. They then left Sacramento and landed in Las Vegas. They then got out of Las Vegas and landed in Omaha at 2 a.m. Wednesday morning."That's only midnight at our house," he quipped.Fink wouldn't have done things any differently, though, saying Portland State's NCAA Tournament berth is "beyond our wildest dreams."That's a neat thing to remember about the NCAA Tournament, which seems almost impossible to realize in Lawrence. As much as it's expected - even demanded - by some programs, it's an absolute thrill for others. - Oh, by the way, go check out [NCAASports.com][2] all the time. Don't [ask why][3].9:15 a.m. - Heading over to the Qwest Center in a little bit to really get this blog rolling, so keep checking back throughout the day (and every day for that matter). But first, some Portland State links to keep you informed on KU's opponent, and keep you unproductive at work:Ian Ruder, Vancouver Sun: Portland State's Tyrell Mara and Scott Morrison were [high school rivals][4] in British Columbia before joining forces at PSU and helping the Vikings to the NCAA Tournament.John Canzano, The Oregonian: One of the finest players in Portland State basketball history [is struggling in life][5], now. A good read.Jeff Eisenberg, Riverside Press-Enterprise: No 16 seed has ever beaten a 1, but [it's only a matter of time][6]. A good history of 16-versus-1 showdowns.Also, check out The Oregonian's [Portland State blog][7] for other little tidbits.That's all for now. I'll go people watch at the Qwest Center soon and let you know what I see. [1]: http://www2.kusports.com/news/2007/nov/04/kansas_cruises_90/ [2]: http://www.ncaasports.com [3]: http://www.ncaa.org/wps/wcm/connect/resources/file/eb36304452f4ead/2008_blogging_policy.pdf?MOD=AJPERES [4]: http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/story.html?id=823ddaee-d328-47b8-a485-68d965f1c2f5 [5]: http://www.oregonlive.com/sports/oregonian/john_canzano/index.ssf?/base/sports/1205906115297560.xml&coll=7&thispage=1 [6]: http://www.pe.com/sports/breakout/stories/PE_Sports_Local_D_ncaa_feat_19.3fdd5e3.html [7]: http://blog.oregonlive.com/portlandstatevikings/
Comments
leikness (anonymous) says...
I bet you see fat Omaha people who eat too many cheeseburgers (sorry, not a big fan of my town).
March 19, 2008 at 9:55 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
CaramelMacchMan (anonymous) says...
Can you find out if Warren Buffet is showing up at the game?
March 19, 2008 at 10:04 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
okjhok (anonymous) says...
Yeah, there may be fat people, but I've always enjoyed my time in Omaha. I guess it just depends on who you're with and what you're doing. I was always with a Creighton crowd and it was a good time. Old Market is fun and the music scene is pretty solid...not L'town, but solid. What's dragging you down, leikness?
March 19, 2008 at 11:27 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
leikness (anonymous) says...
The cheeseburgers...they're fricking everywhere up here.
March 19, 2008 at 1:18 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
5DecadeHawk (anonymous) says...
Ryan,
Pry a few dollars out of your editor's wallet and buy a freekin' ticket. If you don't use a media credential you can blog every 3 seconds if you want to.
March 19, 2008 at 2:43 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
McT (Matt Tait) says...
Wonder how Portland natives Aaron Miles and Michael Lee feel about the Vikings making the dance.
Wonder if PSU was even on their radar back in the day. Not as a school they'd consider attending but just as a school that existed.
March 19, 2008 at 2:58 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Rod_Farva (anonymous) says...
I heard there's going to be a repeat wing eating contest stemming from OKC last year.. I think you should blog that action Wood..
March 19, 2008 at 4:49 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
chuckberry32 (anonymous) says...
I've always had a great time in Omaha for the college world series but it's never a good idea to go when Nebraska gets in because they buy up all the tickets. Check out the zoo and aquarium both good trips!
March 20, 2008 at 8:46 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )