Section B · Page 8
The University Daily Kansan
Friday, October 22, 1999
Quit griping Mizzou fans: Just relish Kansas' success
There is so little to hate in life, but there are things out there that I do hate.
Hate is a strong word, but my feelings for rush-hour traffic, meat loaf and Oakland Raiders' owner Al Davis are just that — hate
But when you combine those together, it still doesn't even begin to explain how much I hate the University of Missouri.
The thing
hate most about
Missouri is the
students and
alumni who
constantly grieve
Brad Hallier
sports@kansan.com
that Jayhawk fans live in the past.
Tiger fans want us to forget our 1988 National Championship, our 10 Final Four appearances, our College World Series appearance of 1993, two bowl wins this decade and Tony Sands' NCAA record 396-yard rushing game against Missouri in 1991.
How's that for a claim to fame in college football? Rather pathetic isn't it?
But don't worry. We'll forget about all of the Jayhawks' success when you drop the 5th down against Colorado, the kicked ball against Nebraska, Tyus Edney and every win against the Jayhawks.
Kansan columnist
That is what is most pathetic about Missouri. Tiger fans can tell you virtually every detail of every win against Kansas. How sad is it when an athletics program bases its success around how well it does against its arch rival? If Missouri basketball went 2-32 but beat Kansas once, it would be a successful season. But if the Tigers go 31-3, lose twice to Kansas and again in the Elite Eight, it would be kind of a down year. I would have said a Final Four loss, but Missouri joins Nebraska as the only two schools of the old Big Eight Conference never to have made it to a Final Four.
That's Missouri's claim to fame in college basketball.
Oh sure, Kansas has its share of idiots and ignorant alumni and classless students. Every school has those. But Tiger fans take the cake.
A Missouri fan called The Kansas City Star last year after Kansas beat Missouri in Columbia and graped that Ryan Robertson lacked class by spitting on center court when the game ended.
Why was that lacking in class? When Missouri fans threw whiskey bottles and water bottles at our band last year, that gave the term a new meaning.
By the way, Robertson is not from Missouri. He grew up in Oklahoma but played high school
basketball in Missouri. Tiger fans booed him just because he wanted to play for a winner. Can you blame him?
And more ignorance came from a Missouri fan when Kansas won the inaugural Big 12 Conference basketball tournament in 1996.
by beating Missouri in the final. During that game.
final. During that game,
Jerod Haase and his personal rival, Jason Sutherland, got into a small scuffle. From then on, Jayhawk fans booed the Sutherland whenever he
had the ball. A disgruntled Tiger fan wrote The Star and whined that Sutherland's poor parents had to sit there and listen to their son being booed by the classless
Kansas fans. So booing Sutherland was wrong, but it was fine for Missouri to boo Robertson, right?
In closing, here's a final idea for Kansas students and fans. If the Missouri band comes tomorrow, do not boo it, do not cheer it, do not throw things at it
Just don't even acknowledge its existence. Few Missouri fans deserve that from us.
And by the way: It's pronounced Mi-zoor-EE, not Mi-zoor-AH. Kansas 17. Missouri 10.
Hallier is a Mission senior in journalism.
As all of you probably know, and no amount of time spent swilling beers at the Free State Brewery or The Bottleneck can change, Kansas recently outlawed evolution.
Chickenhawks play basketball; Tigers play 'real man's' sport
And that's perfectly under-
have no first-hand experience with evolution. It's only natural to disbelieve what you've seen
I also think that now is the time to mention that the only reason Kansas exists is because, hey, you have to get to Denver somehow.
I mean, God, the drive through Kansas on Interstate 70 is hell on earth. When you are in the city of Lecompont and there are no radio stations to be picked up — not even Tupac songs, you get, that very
moment, know exactly how Columbus felt in 1492.
Because you, like ol' Chris, have fallen off the face of the earth
Missouri columnist
Did you know that the only reason Wilt Chamberlain — God rest his, uh, soul — slept with more than 20,000 women is because, while attending Kansas, he got some leg up on the competition?
A couple of more things before we get this discussion started in earnest.
And since we're talking about Kansas, evolution is such a
great jumping-off point, don't you think?
You see, Missouri has evolved. Klar Larry Smith lost Devin West, Corby Jones and nearly his entire team. Admittedly, he
and his team are struggling this year.
A cursory glance at the statistics, however, will tell you that juniors and seniors have scored only three touchdowns
Wright Thompson
c089349 © showme mis-
souu.edu
Freshmen and sophomores howeys
er, have scored 19 times, or 66 percent of Missouri's touchdowns.
The Missouri media guide in two years is sure to have the big-play trio of Darius Outlaw, Eric Spencer and Travis Garvin on it.
Oh, and Justin Smith is a sophomore. Tailback Zain Gilmore is a sophomore. Three starting offensive linemen are sophomores. Garvin is a freshman. Spencer is a sophomore. Starting to get the point?
Kansas is 0-3 in the Big 12 Conference because the Chickenhawks suck. Missouri
is 0-3 because the Tigers are young.
No matter the outcome tomorrow — and I'm calling a Tiger win — remember the youth as you walk out of the stadium on the same campus where basketball (and not football) was invented.
After this season is finished, Mizzou fans will head to the ticket office in anticipation of the next two years of football. Kansas fans, however, will head straight to Allen Fieldhouse, secure in the knowledge that Kansas is a basketball school and that the Chickenhawks should leave a real man's game — football — to the men from the east.
A hated team — well, that's where K-State and Nebraska come in. Missouri fans hate those schools. Kansas is more of, well, a practice rivalry nowadays. It's fun to act all mad and pay lip service to hatred, at the same time knowing that all Kansas has to look forward to is basketball season and its annual split with the Tiger basketball team.
"Wait until basketball season.
Jayhawk fans always say after Missouri drops wood on the Chickenhawk gridironers.
Oh, and do you know what you call a Missourian who hasn't made it to Colorado?
You got it. A Kansan.
Thompson is a Missouri student in journalism.
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840 Massachusetts 842-NIKE (6453)
Inside sale
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Outside Sidewalk Sale
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Big Blue rally Fri. at 6:00
Columbia Sportswear Company
Sale
Sale
We have plexiglass cut to order
on all Champion Items Oct.21-24
Buy two or more Champion Items Receive a Champion T-Shirt
785-864-4640
www.jayhawks.com
KU Bookstore, Kansas Union, Level 2 Open Game Day Oct. 23, 10 a.m.- 5:30 p.m.
(30) N.W. H.S.T. AW.H.N.C. K66444
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VISIONS
Hawk Club Members!!
WHAT: Football Tailgate Free food & drink for Club members
WHEN: Sat. 11 am - 1 pm
WHERE: The Hill
WHY: To get fired up for the game against the Tiger!
VS.
1 pm kickoff
Big Blue Pep Rally
108th KU-MU Game Presented by:
UMB
BANK
Big Blue Pep Rally
Terminate the Tigers!
TONIGHT at 5:30pm
Downtown Lawrence - Bth St.
(between Mass & New Hampshire)
Paint the Stadium Blue! Wear your KU Blue to help Hawk Club paint the stadium blue against the Tigers on Saturday!
Join Head Coach Terry Allen, the Jayhawk Football Team, the KU Band and Spirit Squad as we gear up for the 100th Border War with Mizzou! Enjoy a tasty "Tiger" Burger, tons of fun, and some rockin' live jazz in the street following the rally.
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