**MIAMI** – On this somewhat off-day in Miami for the media, I’m killing the time by watching Rome is Burning on ESPN right now and on the verge of laughing my butt off. Being interviewed right now is heavyweight champ Wladimir Klitschko. He has a thick russian accent, but is trying to talk trash leading up to his next fight as if he were Apollo Creed, and it’s just not working. To put this in KU terminology, it’s basically what Sasha Kaun would sound like talking trash on Michael Beasley before KU takes on K-State (I say this because Klitschko and Kaun actually sound a lot alike). It’s a good think Klitschko, I can surely assume, doesn’t read this blog, because he could put a good hurtin’ on me…One more sidenote – for those of you in Ft. Lauderdale this week, if you’re looking for a good pregame meal, hit up [Tom Jenkins’ Bar-B-Q][1] at 1236 S. Federal Highway. I know, coming from the backyard of KCMO and saying go to a place in south Florida for ribs and chicken sounds completely moronic, but I swear it’s not. The ribs were delicious, and you leave the place smelling like it, which as we know is the true barometer for measuring good BBQ…Anyways, on with todays nuggets…**-The final player/coach media availability took place** this morning (just head coaches, actually) downstairs here at the Hyatt Pier 66 in Ft. Lauderdale, and [Mark Mangino truly held court][2]. The Kansas coach spoke in a different tone than the one he usually displays during the season in that he was largely about putting things in perspective today.While being grilled with questions about his rise to prominence in the profession along with the KU football program, Mangino said his piece…here’s a few quotes…**Mangino on his friends from his hometown visiting to watch the game this week**: _”Well, you know, I think a lot of my friends back home have had more fun than I’ve had during this run here at Kansas. And that’s great. You know, I’m glad to see, you know, they’re all taking an interest. It’s had a positive impact on them. As far as me personally, you know, those guys would be my friend if I was out digging a ditch somewhere, it wouldn’t change. It’s just they’re kind of excited it’s one of them. One of their guys that’s having this opportunity to coach in the Big 12. Having an opportunity to coach in the Orange Bowl. I think the thing that is strong about those bonds is that, you know, no matter what I was doing, we all care about each other. I don’t think the feelings would change, you’re just kind of excited that somebody from the old neighborhood is doing something that’s getting a little attention. Lot of those guys are successful business men, attorneys, own their own businesses, corporate executives that work just as hard as I do. But for some reason, they take joy in a football coach having success. Society’s a little screwed up in that way. I have a friend who is a doctor, and he’s keeping people alive. He’s a cardiologist. He helps hundreds and hundreds of people every year stay alive and keep their health. And he has patents on different things for heart disease. Nobody knows him. I coach football, and it’s a big deal. That’s the way our society is.”_**Mangino on putting his job in perspective**: _”Well, I think I’ve got things in perspective. I don’t think what I do is not important. I think there are people who do things that are more important. I think dealing with 105 young people every day, it’s kind of like, shoot, it’s like being a father to 105 kids, if you want to know the truth. Make sure they get to class every day. Make sure they do their tutoring work, they prepare for their tests. They do their community service work. You get a call in the middle of the night lot of coaches first thing they think is who got arrested? I don’t think that way. I think who got in a car accident? Who got hurt? Whose parents do I got to call because something went wrong. If he got in trouble, I’ll take care of that. I can repair that. I’ve got a little way to do that. But if something happens to them, I got to explain that to his folks. In that sense, I feel like I have a great responsibility for these kids. There’s people in this world that are changing the way we live with technology. Changing health care. Changing the way we do business. Changing the way we communicate with each other. Those are really important jobs. Coaching football, they shouldn’t put job at the end of my description anyhow. This isn’t a job. My grandfather, he had a job. He worked with a pick and shovel for 40 years on the Pennsylvania railroad. That’s a job. This? This is fun. This is just hanging out and having a good time with your players.”_**Mangino on his loyalty to Kansas**: _”Well I’ve made myself pretty clear from the outset that we not only have a good football team this year, we’re going to be even better next year. I’m not going anywhere. I never say never. I’m not going to say never, but the grass isn’t always greener on the other side, and I know some people that would be glad to tell you that story firsthand. I’ve invested a lot of hard work and time at Kansas in the face of adversity, among doubters for much of my time here. We’re getting it where we want it to be, and I think we’re only going to be better next year. I’m not looking to go anywhere else. I’m looking to making another run next season, and who knows, the season after that, and the season after that. As I said, I’ll never say never. You’re not going to have to worry about me running off in the middle of the night to some strange town interviewing for a job and not telling anybody at Kansas. That’s not how I operate. The people I’ve been associated with in this profession are loyal people, and they usually stick around. That’s my intent.”_Gotta tip your cap to Mangino’s words today. He was relating himself to what the public eye considers the ‘common man,’ while the coach sees himself as just that in hitting on key points such as hard work and loyalty. It was unique for a bowl game press conference and, honestly, refreshing.When he was explaining where he thinks his job lies in the grand scheme of things, I thought about the scene from [All the Right Moves][3], when Tom Cruise tells Craig T. Nelson towards the end that ‘you’re just a high school football coach.’ It was a good press conference to be at……Good movie, by the way, despite Cruise looking completely unathletic and unbuyable in the football scenes.**-The most interesting nugget** to come from [Frank Beamer’s presser][4] was an injury update on stud senior linebacker Vince Hall.Beamer listed Hall as a game-time decision in terms of whether he’ll play in tomorrow night’s game. Hall’s injury, as it turns out, _did_ occur while he was on a Jet ski during the Hokies’ beach party. It is being termed a bruised knee.If Hall plays, it’s like the college football equivalent of adding Brian Urlacher to the New England Patriots’ defense just in time for the playoff run. Hall is one of the nation’s finest at his post, with 92 tackles this year in just nine games played. He’s tough, too, having tried to play earlier this season when maybe he shouldn’t have with a broken wrist. That said, if I had my guess, I’d say he plays.The defense is still stout outside of Hall. Between senior linebacker Xavier Adibi (19 tackles, 12 tackles for loss), senior d-end Chris Ellis (8.5 sacks) and the pair of junior cornerbacks in Brandon Flowers and Victor “Macho” Harris (5 picks each), that makes for five guys who could legitimately be playing in the NFL _next season_.Though one name to keep in mind in terms of the VT defense is Kam Chancellor, a 6-foot-3, 220-pound sophomore safety. I’ve watched two Hokie games on television this season and thought he was just an animal. He’s huge, he can hit and seems to be always around the ball. Chancellor had 72 tackles (fifth on the team) this year.**A few quick hits to leave you with…****_-Not to put any more pressure on KU for this game, but_** Missouri taking Arkansas out with several vicious thumps is going to turn a good deal of the public eye onto Thursday’s Orange Bowl game. Not only is America wanting close games to finish out the BCS run following Tuesday’s big bowl bludgeonings, but now the Jayhawks have to justify their belonging in the BCS in a large portion of the public eye. Do I think that’s fair? No. But neither is the two-team-per-conference rule which kept Mizzou from the bowl game it deserved.**_-Did anyone catch Bobby Bowden_** whining to the ESPN sideline reporter at halftime of the Music City Bowl after one of his players was flagged for diving into the end zone? He complained that he sees it everywhere on TV and it’s never been flagged…apparently he didn’t see KU-Central Michigan…oh, wait, it wasn’t televised…oh, wait, that clip still lives on YouTube……but still, in terms of the end zone flipping, it either needs to be flagged throughout all levels of football or not. After all, college players imitate NFL players, high school players imitate college players and so-on and so-on.**_-It’s in the 50s down here this afternoon_**, and the temps in the 40s tonight are supposed to be the year’s coldest. With that said, folks in the Miami area are stockpiling canned goods and bottled water. Maybe all they need to do is go to weather.com and type ‘66049’ into the search field.**_-As far as this week’s [Twisted Pick ’em][5]_**, I’m 2-4 so far. Good thing I’m not your gambling consultant (at least, I hope not). Though I’m 2-0 in the BCS games (gotta pat my back somewhere). Though I bet I’ll struggle the rest of the way. The karma gods are going to punish me for predicting my Wolverines to get throttled…by the way…**_-…Thanks for 13 great years, Lloyd._**I’ll talk to you all tomorrow live both before and during the game. [1]: http://www.tomjenkinsbbq.com/ [2]: http://www2.kusports.com/podcasts/press_conferences_postgame_interviews/2008/jan/02/mark_manginos_jan_2_press_conference/ [3]: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHrZXV2YuMM [4]: http://www2.kusports.com/podcasts/press_conferences_postgame_interviews/2008/jan/02/frank_beamers_jan_2_press_conference/ [5]: http://www2.kusports.com/blogs/greene_room/2008/jan/01/orangebowl_1/
