**6:28 p.m.** – I’m wrapping this blog up early today for one super-important reason: I’m going to the River Walk tonight, intent on seeing someone fall in the river.This is my fourth trip to San Antonio since 2001. I’ve been at the River Walk every time. I’ve probably spent a total of 12 nights at the River Walk in those four trips, either eating dinner, drinking responsibly, both or neither. But I have yet to see someone take a plunge.It’s disappointing. The river that rolls through the nightlife area of downtown San Antonio is only about four feet deep, I hear. But for those of you who haven’t seen it, there’s hardly any railings alongside the edges of the river, and restaurants and bars hug up quite close to it. Any 20-something who’s had about 41 margaritas could easily tippy-tommy right into it. His friends would laugh their tails off, and everyone who remembers it would have a story to tell for the rest of their lives.That’s a story I want to tell – not being the victim, of course, but rather the witness.So wish me luck. And if you have any stories to tell about similar, hilarious, harmless accidents, by all means pass them on.-** By the way** any KU students out there actually going to class tomorrow? I was a senior at KU in 2003 when Kansas played Syracuse, and I did go to a morning class because I was such a great student (sarcasm alert). I do remember it being a very, very long day, though. Maybe class can distract you from 12 hours of waiting. Just a thought, though I realize it’s a terrible one we expect from our mothers.Have a good night.
**3:10 p.m.** – Another press release passed out. This one just confirms what we should have suspected: “Derrick Rose was unable to attend Sunday’s media sessions due to an upset stomach : Rose will play in Monday night’s national championship game against Kansas.”
**1:55 p.m.** – A press release was just passed out. There’s a press conference at 1 p.m. on Monday here in San Antonio. It’s set up for “NCAA president **Myles Brand** and NBA commissioner **David Stern** to make a major announcement.”Start speculating. We can get real creative here, at least until it leaks.
**1:44 p.m.** – Memphis point guard **Derrick Rose** is M.I.A. during today’s media sessions because of illness.His teammates don’t seem concerned. **Chris Douglas-Roberts**, for one, blamed Rose’s absence on an upset stomach, and hinted that it’s probably caused by Rose’s notorious junk-food diet.Rose did appear briefly. He walked in at the beginning of the press conference, whispered something in the ear of coach **John Calipari,** and left to go see the trainer.If I were a betting man, I’d bet on Rose being fine by Monday night.
**1:01 p.m.** – Real quick before I head back to the locker rooms:- **As you may have heard,** former Kansas great **Danny Manning** has been elected to the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame. He will be enshrined on Nov. 23 along with **Nolan Richardson**, **Jim Phelan**, **Billy Packer**, **Arnie Ferrin**, **Charles Barkley** and **Dick Vitale**.- ** Memphis point guard Derrick Rose** has not been participating in media sessions because of an upset stomach. We haven’t seen him since, but I’m about to head to the locker room. I have a feeling it will have little impact on Monday’s game.- ** Memphis shooting guard Chris Douglas-Roberts** had us cracking up the whole time. A genuinely funny guy. We will have much more on him.
**11:20 a.m.** – Since the first pep rally led to good things, KU is having another one.Actually, it was always in the plans to have a Monday rally so long as the Jayhawks advanced to Monday’s national championship game, which, if you just got back from a business trip on Jupiter, [did indeed happen.][1]**So here’s the plans for Monday’s pep rally** if you’re down here in San Antonio:- The rally will take place from 5 to 7 p.m. Monday at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center (Ballroom C) near the River Walk.- The cost is $50 for adults and $35 for children 18 and under. The price includes all the festivities, as well as a Mexican buffet and all-you-can-drink beer, wine and margaritas (please don’t take that as a challenge).- Tickets will be sold from 3 to 5 p.m. Monday at the convention center right outside where the rally is held.Monday’s game starts at 8:21 p.m.
**10:38 a.m.** – Heading over to the Alamodome soon, but I wanted to throw some links your way. Lets call this one the national columnist edition:**Mike Freeman, CBS Sports:** North Carolina [picked a lousy time][2] to get full of themselves, and Kansas took advantage.**Pat Forde, ESPN.com:** Kansas survived [a soap opera][3] Saturday in San Antonio.**Mike DeCourcy, Sporting News:** The Jayhawks were brilliant [at two different points in Saturday’s game][4].**Ken Davis, MSNBC:** KU’s first 15 minutes against UNC [took your breath away.][5] The reason? KU didn’t feel pressure.**Mark Kriegel, Fox Sports:** Memphis [made a statement][6] that it might be the team to beat when it crushed UCLA.**NCAA.com** – [Do it.][7] [1]: http://www2.kusports.com/news/2008/apr/06/ku_cools_heels/ [2]: http://cbs.sportsline.com/collegebasketball/story/10762646 [3]: http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/columns/story?columnist=forde_pat&id=3332083&sportCat=ncb [4]: http://www.sportingnews.com/yourturn/viewtopic.php?t=396234 [5]: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/23975536/ [6]: http://msn.foxsports.com/cbk/story/7993384/Memphis-makes-statement-by-handling-UCLA [7]: http://www.ncaa.com
