2B
SPORTS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAS
TUESDAY, MARCH 13, 2007
>> 'HORN BORN, 'HAWK BRED
Road trip leads to witnessing 'best game ever'
In the stupor of my 22nd birthday, I somehow ended.
Up in the passenger seat of a dark-blue '99 Chevy Malibu at 3 a.m. on Sunday. I was heading south to the Ford Center in Oklahoma City.
Fruck R. Schmidt, a fellow writer at The University Daily Kansan and a friend of mine for three and half years, had the wheel.
I'm normally reserved about spontaneity, but something urged me to go. I just knew it would be worth it and it was. Let's call it instinct.
None of it would happen if Ericke girlfriend and Kassan photo editor, Amanda Sellers, hadn't put the idea in his head.
Oklahoma State fans were selling tickets for as low as $10 a piece, she told him.
A live rematch against Texas for two tanks of gas and a $10 dollar ticket? Where do I sign up?
We both knew that if we went to sleep the trip would never start. So we made it happen right then, with coffee, soda, an iPod blasting music through the stereo and our own adrenaline to keep our eyes wide awake.
At every tall bouth and convenience store we stopped at along the
way, we provoked the employees into giving an upside down Hook Em. But most of these nocturnal souls had no clue the game was about to be played. One, a toll collector, was a bit hostile.
Tin for two teams, K-State and who's ever playing KU" she said.
We arrived at the Candlewood Suites at about 8:30 a.m., where our colleagues from The Kansan were staying.
I was too wired to sleep. So were a few other Kansas fans walking through the lobby.
jerry Dawson, the desk attendant, said that Kansas easily had the most fans in the hotel.
With nothing else to do, I went next door to Mama Lou's Restaurant to have a short stack and mingle with some laid back country folk from Oklahoma.
"You want to sit in the Kansas section?" "One of the two middle-aged waitresses asked me." "Tell him where the Kansas section is."
Then the other one pointed out the window where the weather was steadily raining and said, "It's over there, in that field." I'm not sure what these Oklahomaans had against Kansas. Maybe its because Kansas beat Oklahoma two days before. I don't care, though, because they
BY TRAVIS ROBINETT
BY TRAVIS ROBINETT
KANSAN SPORTS COLUMNIST
TROBINITT@KANSAN.COM
made some tasty pancakes.
Erick and I left for the Ford Center at about noon. Our plan was to be patient, agreeing that $40 was the most we would spend.
The first guy we waved down, an Oklahoma State fan named Mike, offered us two tickets for $15 a piece.
Before I could get out my wallet,
another seller offered us tickets for $10 a piece. A bargain war was at hand.
"I've got a price he can't beat," Mike said. "Free." He handed us the tickets with no cost or obligation.
I asked him why and he said, "I was hoping for an all 'state' final, so I'm just going home."
Lucky us, I guess. We soon found out that the seats were free for a reason. They were one row from the top (Id guess about 300 feet above the floor) and directly behind the
It's a good thing Texas fans don't appreciate a great basketball team when they see one. Kansas probably sextupled Texas' numbers, even though Oklahoma City is halfway between Austin and Lawrence.
basket.
From where we sat, our newest mission was to upgrade our view. Erick found a ticket to a lower level section on a paper-towel rack in the bathroom.
We went to the section, using the ticket to convince the usher that we belonged there, and sat down a without a reservation. About three minutes later, the seat's rightful owner showed up.
"Where did you get this ticket?" he asked.
"I bought it off a scalper," Erick said.
"Bought it off a scalper? How is that possible!" he yelled in a nearly comedic pitch. At that point we knew the jig was through, so we moved up a row.
"Don't worry," someone told us when we sat down. "No one has been in these two seats all week."
We breathed a sigh of relief but before we could exhale, the guy whose seat we stole had told the usher everything. We were kicked out.
Our next stop was our last, settling into two seats that were even with the baseline and on the second row of the mezzanine, at a near-perfect angle.
To this point, everything had fallen into place. All Kansas had to do was win.
Then came the game and with the game came Kevin Durant — a demi-god with the basketball. Give him half an inch and you're invisible to him.
With Kansas facing a 22-point first-half deficit, my heart sank along with my back into the chair. We were depressed.
Then our luck changed. My phone buzzed in a text message from a high school friend named Justin: "Enjoy the long ride home. Hook 'Em."
I'm not superstitious, but in light of what was about to unfold, I would like to thank Justin for jixing the 'Horns.
If I could, I would write 2,000 words about the game. But that's not my job, that's for the Karsan sports-writers, Michael and Mark.
Every basket during the comeback sent a common current of electricity through the Kansas fans.
Instead I will only write three best game ever. Considering our
effort to be there, it was fated that way.
Sell said in the press conference that the Big 12 Tournament final, in general, was "one of the most fun games to play or coach in, because when it's over, it's over."
But as lams, once it was all over the game, the trophy presentation, the selection show and the press conference — we stayed around to let it set in.
We were fatigued and starting to wind down, but the blissful feeling of knowing that Kansas was the best in the Big 12, and knowing that we were there for it, kept growing.
The cleanup crew, the media and the silly grits on our faces were all that was left of the best KU game I've ever seen.
Eventually a man in a suit came and stood by us for a second.
"What are you waiting for?" he asked, trying to clear out everyone who didn't have a job to do.
We weren't waiting, just savoring the taste of victory.
Robinett is an Austin, Texas senior in journalism.
Edited by Darla Slipke
NFL
New Broncos player sets high goals for season
DENVER — Travis Henry has arrived in Denver with some lofty ambitions in mind.
But the newly signed Broncos tailback prefers to keep his rushing
goals private, at least for now.
"I'll let it out soon," Henry said with a smile. "I want to put up numbers like T.D. (Terrell Davis) did when he was here."
Henry, who signed a five-year deal with Denver on March 5 with 152 million in guaranteed bonuses, is setting the bar high. Davis rushed for 1,538 yards in 1996.
"My main thing is coming in ready to tote the load and keep the legacy going." Henry said, "It's a challenge knowing that every back that they ve had has gone over 1,000 yards."
recently signed a five-year deal that includes $15 million in guaranteed money.
Henry was in town with tight end Daniel Graham for a meet-and-greet Monday afternoon. Graham
"Denver is a team that every year is a contender," said Henry, who rushed for 1,211 yards last season for Tennessee. "That's one thing I looked at."
Associated Press
RED MOTORAZR™ V3m
Motorola and Sprint are collaborating with (PRODUCT) to help eliminate AIDS in Africa.
JOINRED.COM
This feature packed phone is the only RED MOTORA2R that lets you download music wirelessly from the Spirt Music Store™
$59^{99}
$109.99 2 year rate
Plus $50 mail in rebate
With new line activation and 2 year agreement
MOTOROLA IS A PROUD PARTNER OF (PRODUCT) ****
SPRINT IS A CONTRIBUTING PARTY TO (PRODUCT) **
1-800-Sprint-1
sprint.com/powered
to the nearest Sprint or Nextel store
OLATHE
20132 W. 153rd St.
913-829 0832 ♦
14245 Blackbob Rd.
913-390 6366
- Hablamos Español
Sprint stores
PREFERRED DEALERS
IPMORAIL
Sprint logo - Style Spint
2715 Wooddale Court
620 340 0044
TOPEKA
2130 SW Wanamaker Rd
785-228 6500
PREFERRED DEALERS
LAWRENCE
Wireless Lifestyle - Sprint
2108 W. 27th st.
843-7851 2701
LENEXA
Wireless Lifestyle - Sprint
913-599-1920
OLATTE
Sprint Solutions
913 390-1260
Wildlife Lifestyle - Sprint
913 768-4645
TOPEKA
Wireless lifestyle - Sprint
1801 SW Wamanaker R
782.775-473
Coverage not available everywhere. Available features and services will vary by phone and network. The Nationwide Sprint PCs Network reach over 290 million people. Voice calling area reaches over 165 million people in the U.S., Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands and Guam. Offer not available in all markets. Additional terms and restrictions apply to credit approval. Store or sprint com for details *Service Plan*. Up to 363 activation and $200 early termination费 apply per laptop. Deposit may be required. Instant Savings. Activation at a time of purchase require. No cash back. Malin Receiver Requires purchase @ 0/11/17 and activation @ 0/3/10/17. Rebates cannot exceed price purchase. Taxes excluded. Line must be active 30 consecutive days. Allow 8 to 12 weeks for retarte *Free Text Messaging*. text message agreement ≤ 510 per month. To avoid charges, you must contact us prior to the billing end of the 12th month. Risk Free Guarantee. Call us to deactivate and return (to place of purchase) complete, undamaged phone with recent calls. responsible for all charges based on actual usage (partial monthly charge service), taxes, Spint fees, etc.). Project EDI *Motorola* and Spint will collectively make a $10 contribution on the sale of each RED MOTOROZAR phone to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria in Africa. See www.motorola.com/rcd/we@motorolab.org/en for more details. KS Residents: in those areas in which Spint Ntelie is eligible to receive support from the federal universal service fund, Spint Ntelie must meet all reasonable requests for service. Unresolved questions concerning service availability can be directed to the Kansas Corporation Commission Office of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection at 800 662 0027 ©2007 Spint Ntelie. All rights reserved. SPINT, the logo and other trademarks are trademarks of Spint Ntelie. All third party product or service names are property of their respective owners. All rights reserved.
- Softball vs. UMKC, 2 p.m.
and 4 p.m., Arrocha Ballpark
athletics calendar
TODAY
Baseball vs. Penn State, 5 p.m., Hoqlund Ballpark
WEDNESDAY
Baseball vs. Wichita State 6 p.m., Hoglund Ballpark
FRIDAY
Baseball vs. Texas A&M,
6:30 p.m., College Station,
Texas
Softball vs. Idaho State, 5 p.m., Sacramento, Calif.
Men's basketball vs. TBA 6:10 p.m., Chicago
Softball vs. Cal Poly, Noon; Sacramento, Calif
- Women's golf, all day,
Austin, Texas
SATURDAY
Softball vs. Georgia South
ern, 2:30 p.m., Sacramento,
Calif.
Softball vs. Pittsburgh, 5 n.m. Sacramento Calif.
Baseball vs. Texas A&M, 2 p.m., College Station, Texas
Women's golf, all day Austin, Texas
Softball vs. Colorado State 1 p.m. Sacramento, Calif.
SUNDAY
Women's golf, all day Austin, Texas
Baseball vs. Texas A&M, 1
nm. College Station, Texas
KU Bookworms your drink is ready.
The Perfect Place to Study for Mid-terms Open tonight Until 11pm
DUNN BROS COFFEE.
THE LOCAL FLAVOR OF
1841 Village Museum
Collective Moviegoing Experience
The Ultimate Moviemakers WITH VALID COLLEGE ID BOX OFFICE PURCHASE ONLY FREE UPGRADE TO VIP FOR THOSE 21 OVER
Legendare Films and Legendare Fun
RETRO MOVIE NIGHT AT THE LEGENDS 14 THEATRE
See classic, unforgettable films the way they were meant to be seen... THURSDAYS In our Main Attraction
SHOWS START AT 7/30pm
MARCH
8th The Wizard of Oz 1939 (G)
15th The Shawshank Redemption 1994 (R)
22nd The Shining 1980 (R)
29th The Gonies 1985 (R)
APRIL
5th Top Gun 1986 (PG)
12th Friday the 13th 1980 (R)
19th Scarface 1983 (R)
26th Pink Floyd The Wall 1992 (R)
PURCHASE TICKETS NOW!
STUDENT TICKETS ARE $6.50 WITH COLLEGE ID
Almost 20J seat
Collossal 4-story movie screen
JBL Digital Surround Sound
Luxurious Kickback Chair Seats
HP SERVER AVAILABLE
for those 21 & over)
Free upgrade to VIP seating,
limited to capacity
Free 55 VIP card with each RETRO NIGHT Ticket purchase
For more information, please visit www.phoenixtheatres.com