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Maicke: Only the uneducated hate Tony Romo
Associated Press arts and Dallas
Associated Press
Former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo takes a shot during warm ups before an NBA basketball game between the Denver Nuggets and Dallas Mavericks in Dallas, Tuesday, April 11, 2017. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
▶ MIKE MAICKE
@MJ_Maicke
'm not letting you guys off the hook just yet, at least one more column will be talking about Tony Romo.
Forget the Cowboys decision to kick him to the curb after one good season by a rookie playing behind an ungody offensive line. Forget the 248 career touchdown passes and the 34,183 career passing yards. Forget the ridiculously bad call in Green Bay that knocked the Cowboys out of the playoffs in 2015.
Oh, right, also forget that he played in the most high-pressure situation in the entire sports world as quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys.
The hate that Romo receives has always baffled me. Truly, I don't understand it. It's not like the guy had a plethora of off-field issues. He's been a great ambassador of the game and has always handled himself with class.
The only thing Romo is guilty of is being injured. I know, what a bad guy, right? How dare you get injured in the NFL.
And, unlike other stars who happen to be injury prone *cough* Derrick Rose
*cough,* Romo does nothing but support his team and rehab as quickly as possible. He never thought about saving himself for his son's graduation, he only thought about different ways to help his team off the field while rehabbing.
So, again, whv the hate?
Are you haters mad at Romo for the Cowboys complete ineptitude in the rushing department before DeMarco Murray stopped by for a year? Is it Romo's fault that the Cowboys' secondary has been an absolute joke
throughout essentially his entire career?
No.
Dak Prescott walked into an offensive line that was performing higher than any year Romo was under center. Dak also had a little help with NFL leading rusher
Prescott's sophomore slump is coming, I absolutely promise it.
People have such short memories, not just owner Jerry Jones, but everyone
Ezekiel Elliott going off for 1,631 rushing yards this season.
around the Cowboys. Romo was replaced (I believe unjustly), but still couldn't have been classier about it.
But, that's still not enough for you guys,the hate and "Tony Romo dying" jokes transcended the football field.
In case you haven't watched ESPN, Romo was honored as a "Maverick for the Day" by Mark Cuban's NBA franchise, essentially allowing him to get in the locker room, engage in warm up drills and dress up for the game on the bench.
How easy would it be to decline it, how easy it would be to take it as an offense, but even in the most vulnerable moment of his career, Romo was defiant.
Romo went through the entire process with gratitude, positivity and the signature quarterback smile.
The stats were there while the team around him was average at best, while the running game was nothing for 90 percent of his career, while vigorously trying to overcome injury.
So go ahead, pathetically, blindly, incorrectly hate Romo. Proudly wear that sports ignorance on your sleeve. I guess it's the cool thing to do nowadays.
Long ball, two-out RBIs lift baseball to win over WSU
MITCH GEORGE @MitchLGeorge
Andrew Rosenthal/KANSAN Senior first baseman Marcus Wheeler hit a home run in the bottom of the fifth to make the score 4-5. The Jayhawks beat the Shockers 8-6 Tuesday night.
With 70 degree tem per atures complementing the cloudless skies, the scene was set for Kansas baseball to duel the Wichita State Shockers in what felt like the first true baseball climate of the year.
Due to the injury absence of starting pitcher Sean Rackoski, Kansas coach Ritch Price accommodated the void by handing the pitching duties entirely to the bullpen in the Jayhawks' home win, 8-6, on Tuesday night.
Price's usual setup man, sophomore right-hander Zack Leban, made his first career start on the mound for Kansas.
Since no Kansas reliever is normally expected to pitch more than three innings in any given appearance, Price entered the game with a revolving door pitching philosophy.
In total, six Kansas pitchers were utilized in the ballgame.
"I thought obviously that we struggled with our command," Price said. "We walked too many guys, and obviously they were physical with their two home runs."
On the other side of the ball, the Jayhawk offense maintained its momentum from its Sunday win
against West Virginia. The runs scored in this game, combined with those recorded in Sunday's matchup, total 15 runs - a number equaling the run total posted by Kansas' offense in its previous six games.
Of the eight runs scored against the Shockers, five of them came with two outs in the inning.
The first of these RBIs was driven in by sophomore left fielder Devin Foyle in the first inning. Foyle headlined the Jayhawks' offensive attack by reaching base three times and driving in two runs.
thought
obviously that we struggled with our command."
Ritch Price Kansas coach
earned run in an appearance.
Wichita State countered Kansas' first inning run with a two-run home run off of Leban in the top of the second. Leban finished the inning, but was replaced by sophomore right-hander Blake Goldsberry to begin the third.
Leban's two earned runs given up marked the first occasion this season where he has allowed more than one
In addition to Leban and Goldsberry, juniors Jeider Rincon, Tyler Davis, Chase Kaplan and senior Stephen Villines were also called upon to work against the Shockers.
As a unit, Kansas pitchers allowed six runs on eight hits
- five of which were extrabase hits.
Villines culminated the team effort by posting his eighth save of the season.
Freshman Jaxx Groshans, who is normally penciled into the lineup as a catcher, received a night off from fielding as he took his at-bats from the designated hitter position. The Magnolia Texas, native entered the game batting 1-for-15 in his last four games. Although he only he only recorded one hit in the game, he recorded the final two RBIs that ultimately won the game for Kansas.
After two two-out runs scored in the seventh inning that tied the game, Groshans stepped to the plate with two runs in scoring position. Wichita State's pitcher, sophomore right-hander Clayton McGinnness, had gotten ahead of Groshans with a 1-2 count. Groshans fouled off two pitches before lofting the ball over the right side of the Shocker infield - a hit that plated junior shortstop Matt McLaughlin and freshman second baseman James Cosentino.
"I get to the plate in situations like that and the only thing that goes through my head is, 'We gotta win it,' Groshans said. "I haven't been performing so well at the plate so that hit right there was something I really needed."
Before the game began, Price approached Groshans regarding his recent slump.
"I got on him about getting out of his own way," Price said. "We need him to swing the bat and protect the three guys ahead of him in the lineup in order for us to be a good offensive club ... If he starts being as consistent as he's capable of being, we'll get a lot better offensively."
Partially due to the warm weather and lack of wind, hitters drove balls farther and harder than spectators have seen at Hoglund Ballpark all season. This was particularly evident in the home run totals for both teams: two for Kansas and two for Wichita State.
"It was really nice to see the ballpark play fair tonight, and to see some players really rail some balls," Price said.
Driving Kansas' two home runs were senior first baseman Marcus Wheeler and freshman right fielder Brett Vosik, whose homer was his first of his collegiate career.
conditions were favorable for hitting, the Jayhawks have been upward-trending in the hitting department as of late.
"We had good at-bats," Price said. "Balls were hit hard, outs were hit hard. It's good to see the quality of our at-bats improving ... The next step is for us to do it on a consistent basis, game-in and game-out."
Even though the
The Jayhawks continue their homestand on Thursday, April 13, when Oklahoma State arrives for a three-game set. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m.
BANQUET FROM
PAGE 10
Robertson Trophy and the Bob Cousy Award.
"Wow, another award, I really don't know what to say," Mason joked. "All jokes aside, I just want to thank Danny for leading the way. I heard enough great things about him. I didn't really see him play but he was a great guy; he's a great coach now. I'm just thankful for him for leading the way. I couldn't do this without my teammates. They played a large part in
this. My coaches, my family, you fans. I just thank everybody."Before presenting Mason with the Danny Manning Award, Self gave his season wrap-up speech. During said
What he's given us goes way beyond awards. He's just so damn tough and so competitive."
Bill Self
Kansas Coach
speech, Self saved Mason for the end.
"You always want good things to happen to good people." Self said.
And then, he couldn't get out the words. Self stood at the podium, in a rare display of emotion, and fought back tears.
"I think we all wanted Frank to win these awards," Self continued, looking around him at all the trophies Mason won this season. "But it wouldn't have made any difference to win. What he's given us goes way beyond
awards. He's just so damn tough and so competitive. He has done as much for our culture as much as anybody we've ever been around."
Next steps
Junior guard Devonte' Graham announced via social media that he was returning to wear the Kansas uniform one more time.
After the banquet, Self gave his thoughts on Graham's decision to return.
"We had one long sit-down visit," Self said of he and Graham discussing his
"He was like, 'I haven't finished what I wanna do here.'"
future. "I told him if he wants to test, test. There's nothing wrong with testing. He said, 'Well if I don't think I'm gonna go, why would I test?' I said, 'That's something you should talk to your mother about.' His mother obviously felt the same way. 'If you're not gonna go, why do something half-hearted?'
Freshman guard Josh Jackson and junior guard Svi Mykhailiuk didn't announce their decisions before the
Jackson wasn't available to speak with the media on Tuesday to address his future, but Self spoke for him.
banquet. But Mykhailiuk declared for the draft on Wednesday.
"I think Josh, I'm not gonna hold my breath on that one," Self said of Jackson. "Josh will decide whatever he's gonna do when the time is right for him. It's gonna happen. He'll make some decision, I'm sure, in the near future but I don't know what day or anything like that."
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