2B
SPORTS
THE UNIVERSITY BIRY KANSAN
THURSDAY MARCH 29.2007
》 60 SECONDS TO GRADUATION
Cross-country quest
---
Tuning into Jayhawk basketball proves to be difficult
It's really a shame that the layhawks run in the NCAA tournament always seems to coincide with spring break.
As students, we head to all corners of the country (maybe the world?) in order to pursue sunshine and relaxation. But as KU students, we still want to see the Jayhawks play into March Madness.
And therein lies the rub. Trying to find a KU game on an out-of-Kansas television can be an exercise as difficult as it was for the layhaws to hit lay ups and durks against UCLA. I tried to watch the layhaws' first game at home in St. Louis. I got home just minutes before the game, only to find out that Charter, the local cable provider, was offering the Illinois-Virginia Tech game on the local cable station
I tried to call Charter and ask them about it, but was entirely frustrated by the cable company's horrendous customer service. I spent 45 minutes on hold, being passed between operators who had no idea what channels even the most basic stations were on.
No problem, I assumed.
Sunflower here in Lawrence has an extra game available for its sports tier subscribers. My parents get the sports channels in St. Louis, so I assumed wed be getting an extra game.
They tried to tell me the KMOV channel 4, the CBS affiliate, was on channel 6. I politely told them I was staring at my cable box, which showed it on channel 4.
When I got irritated and asked the foolish customer service representative for a supervisor, I was put on indefinite hold until I wung up on. My anger at not being able to watch the KU game had been exacerbated by a company that so foolish believes it can mistreat its customer.
I tried to call Charter back, but was, again, left on hold. What passes for customer service at that company is shameful.
By this point it was halftime of the KU game, which I had on my laptop. I elected to watch it that way, rather than try and get any information from the folks at Charter.
For games three and four, I was in New York City. As a soon-to-be KU alum, I visited the Web site of the KU Alumni Association to get information on where all of the local jayhawks would be watching games three and four.
For some reason, I assumed that the local alumni chapter would have made sure to update its Web site on where it would be watching Kansas' run in the NCAA tournament. Imagine my dismay when I found out that a private party had booked the local watch party site.
I suppose it's possible that the Alumni Association e-mailled its active New York members about the change, but several recent alumni I know were as surprised as I was.
I ended up watching the first half of the game at a local restaurant before moving to a better location at halftime.
The past two years I've made plans to follow the Jayhawks wherever they went in the tournament during spring break. This year, I decided I wasn't going to pin my spring break hopes to a Jayhawk basketball team. It turned out well in that for the first time since 2004 the Jayhawks advanced out of the first weekend, but it made it incredibly difficult to catch games.
Next year, it's back to following the Jayhawks. I hope my employer understands.
Kealing is a Chesterfield, Mo. senior in journalism and political science.
- Edited by Jyl Unruh
1105 Massachusetts St. • Lawrence • 1105 Massachusetts St.
THURSDAY! MUG CLUB
$3 Buys a filled mug $1.00 Refills of domestic draws or well mixers $2.00 Double Well Refills
FRIDAY!
$1.00
Domestic
Draws
& Rail mixers!
$1.00
JAGER
BOMBS!
athletics calendar
Baseball vs. Missouri, 6:30 p.m. Columbia Mo
Baseball vs. Missouri, 2 p.m.
Softball vs. Baylor, 2 p.m.
Tennis vs. Baylor, 6 p.m.,
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
Rowing vs. Tulsa/Drake, 2
a Ballpark
Tennis vs. Texas Tech, 10 a.m., Lubbock Texas
p. m., Kansas River
SUNDAY
Softball vs. Baylor, noon,
Baseball vs. Missouri, 1 p.m.
Columbia Mo.
>> WWE
Wrestler Stone Cold Steve Austin, center, watches closely as Vince McMahon, right, World Wrestling Entertainment president, pushes on the nose of Donald Trump, real estate magnate and star of the reality series "The Apprentice," as they face off during a press conference in New York on Wednesday. Trum and McMahon will each have a representative represent them in the "Battle of the Billionaires" match at WrestleMania 23 on Sunday.
Trump's famous hair could be shaved Outcome of WrestleMania match determines his next'do
It could become reality, thanks to World Wrestling Entertainment owner Vince McMahon.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
INDIANAPOLIS — Imagine The Donald — without the hair.
On April 1, he and Donald Trump will have a wrestler compete on each's behalf in the "Battle of the Billionaires" at WrestleMania 23 in Detroit — the WWE's biggest annual pay-per view event.
Trump, the real estate mogul and star of NBC's "The Apprentice", knows his do isnt popular with some fans.
"A lot of people want to see it shaved," he told the Associated Press in a phone interview from his New York office. "I do get criticized, there's no question about it, although I've never had any problem with it. It certainly has seemed to work."
If Umaga beats Bobby Lashley, McMahon will give Trump what some might call a long-overdue buzz. If Lashley, Trumps rep. wins, McMahon will sport a new look.
Trump deserves to be humiliated.
"Hopefully, I have really dull scissors so I can yank the rest of it out that I can't cut." McMahon said. "But I may be surprised how much Mother Nature has already beaten me to the punch. I won't know that until I start cutting."
McMahon said during an interview before an edition of "WWE Monday Night Raw" in Indianapolis.
"Donald Trump, to a certain extent, represents a great deal of Americana." McMahon said. "Hes larger than life, which really fits into what the WWE is."
McMahon credited Bonnie Hammer, president of the USA and Sci-Fi networks, with the idea to get Trump involved in WrestleMania.
Trump, 60, was hesitant to participate. He said the 61 year old McMalon persuaded him by making a "sizable" donation to charity. Both Trump and McMalon will donate their checks, an amount that should exceed $5 million.
"When he wanted me to be on, I thought about it," Trump said. "Actually, it was hard because I prefer not having my head shaved."
If the 6-foot-3273-pound Lasheley
That's sure to annoy his real boss, McMahon, who takes exception to Trump using that phrase.
loses to Umaga, a 6-foot-4 348-
pound "Samoa Bulldozer," before
an expected 70,000 fans, he'll likely
hear these words: You're fired.
McMahon argued he first used it with his wrestlers a few years ago, long before Trump popularized it on "The Apprentice"
"Why would he?" McMahon said, "He's such an elitist, he wouldn't watch our product. He wouldn't know what's going on in the real world."
"I'll take credit for that line," Trump said. "I didn't know Vince used that line."
That reaction was no surprise to McMahon.
He does know WWE, WrestleMania IV in 1988 and WrestleMania V in 1989 were held at Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City, N.J.
Now, the partnership is paying off again. WrestleMania 31 already has topped $5 million in ticket sales, making it the highest grossing one-day event in WWE history.
KU Students' Graduation Headquarters Jayhawk Bookstore ...at the top of Naismith Hill
The Students' Jeweler
Thank You 'Hawks for an exciting season!
From the staff at Hurst Fine Diamonds
Hurst FINE DIAMONDS
SINCE 1908
OPEN 9 DAYS A WEEK
785-749-5552 | www.hurstdiamonds.com | Pike Ridge Plaza 3140 Iowa St. (Next to Bath & Body Works)
,