There’s an old saying that goes, “you can’t be afraid of stepping on toes if you want to go dancing.”For the first time in years, KU is dancing with the big boys in the spring sports season. And the credit goes to the biggest toe-stepper of all, athletics director Lew Perkins.As you probably know by now, this space is hardly reserved for praise of KU’s controversial AD. ![][1]But I’ve really got to give it to the big fella right now. This spring, his vision for the KU athletics department is really starting to show.You need proof? Just look around.In front of Allen Fieldhouse are the markings for the most closely-guarded secret this side of Bin Laden’s whereabouts: the Booth Family Hall of Athletics. If anybody has seen the plans, they aren’t talking, but somehow construction is scheduled to begin this summer.When it’s finished, the university will finally have a place to showcase the 107-year-old tradition of Kansas basketball.Speaking of tradition, Perkins reportedly dug up $100,000 to pay top-notch track athletes to compete in this weekend’s Kansas Relays. For the first time in years, there’s a reason to care about the annual track extravaganza. During a three-hour window on Saturday, you can see former Olympians such as Maurice Greene, Stacy Dragila, and Charlie Gruber run at Memorial Stadium.Even Marion Jones, with her [suspicious boyfriend in tow,][2] is scheduled to run in the 4X100 meter relay.That is, if the feds don’t track her down first.For years, the Lawrence community and KU, to a certain degree has chosen to ignore the relays, like a relative who drinks too much wine at Christmas. In the late 1990s, the event was thrown to the scrapheap before its 2000 resurrection.If the relays don’t work this year, they never will.Along with ignoring the relays, the good people of Lawrence have also chosen to turn their backs on college baseball. At times, Lawrence High softball games draw more fans than the Jayhawks.It’s understandable, really, when you consider that for several years the high school teams played in better facilities.But not anymore. Just outside Hoglund’s right field wall, construction on a brand new scoreboard is drawing to a close. KU baseball guru Adam Quisenberry said the new board will dwarf its predecessor, and will eventually feature a video screen. Anything is better than [what’s currently in place.][3]Also, an indoor hitting facility has been added down the right field line, and a clubhouse is in the planning stages.On May 6, ESPN will travel to Lawrence to televise the Texas series, and KU baseball should be ready for its close-up.It’s been years since we’ve seen a bona-fide, well-rounded athletics department in Lawrence.Perkins deserves credit for the upgrade, no matter how many toes he had to step on to do it. [1]: http://www.kusports.com/art/perkinsheader.jpg [2]: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A61502-2005Apr17.html [3]: http://www.kusports.com/news/baseball/story/110298