LAWRENCE, Kansas — Even after the Kansas men’s basketball team had escaped with a one-point victory against UCLA last night, something just didn’t feel right. How could officials have put 0.7 seconds back on the clock after reviewing the same footage I’d seen on television?

The issue to me was not whether KU’s Mario Little was in fact fouled but whether the official had called the foul before time had expired in the second half. After the replay had aired several times, it was clear that the official hadn’t raised his arm until after time had run out.

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Opinion/Editorial, Sports TV, Technology by Scott A. Winer

LAWRENCE, Kan. – What is it with male athletes in the Big 12 these days? Specifically, I’m talking about the Big 12 North. Okay, so to be fair, it’s hardly a trend. But being in the heart of Jayhawk country, it is definitely a theme that stood out immediately.

While the blogosphere is having mixed reactions to Deadspin’s rumor-based exposé on sex scandals involving ESPN management and talent, I was drawn to a different sex-related story on their home page, one about Chase Mejia.

To be honest, what caught my attention even more than “X-Rated” in the story’s headline was the mention of “Kansas State” in its description. That piqued my interest. Sure, I’m typically neutral with regard to sports teams, but I’m still a Jayhawk. I can’t help it.

After reading through Barry Petchesky’s post, I was led to a story on Herm’s Perm, posted yesterday. Already entertained by the header image and slogan, I read more about Mejia, who apparently attended the Herm’s Perm crew’s high school alma mater, Shawnee Mission Northwest.

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College, Opinion/Editorial by Scott A. Winer

LAWRENCE, Kan. – What has gotten into the Kansas Jayhawks? Two incidents of fighting between members of the school’s football and basketball teams in less than 24 hours are inexcusable and embarrassing.

At a time when Kansas football has started their season 3-0, breaking into the top 20 in all polls, and Kansas basketball is the preseason number one, these guys should be enjoying themselves and prepping for opponents.

Instead, word spreads of an altercation involving guard Tyshawn Taylor and other players on both teams. It turns out that, according to a KU Public Safety report published on the Lawrence-Journal World website, an argument involving 8 people escalated to an all out fight with more than 100 people present.

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College, Opinion/Editorial by Scott A. Winer

LAWRENCE, Kan. – On a cold January night in Eastern Kansas, the heated rivalry between the Kansas Jayhawks and Missouri Tigers was reignited inside Allen Fieldhouse. The gates opened and the students poured in, decked out in their crimson and blue, filling the highly-sought-after student sections to the brim.

Meanwhile, outside the venue in the 53-foot-long high definition production truck for ESPN’s first night of “Student Spirit Week,” temperatures were also rising beneath the collars of some of the telecast’s key production personnel. As has become the custom at KU, countless students donned their royal blue “Muck Fizzou” t-shirts, displaying the now-trite spoonerism reflecting the student body’s hatred for the Tigers. And, while ESPN may be on cable, it still has standards for what it will and won’t allow on the air. The t-shirts did not make the cut.

Often the case – as with the Fieldhouse’s TV-unfriendly layout – since the school won’t change, the network must. The result: director Ken Dennis and his team of camera operators must be constantly vigilant to keep the shirts off the air. So, no matter how brilliant the paint job is on your face, if your torso is covered in a “Muck Fizzou” shirt, don’t count on getting any air time. To complicate matters further, since the game is in high definition, Dennis must be aware of the wider frame that HD allows, ruling out even more shots.

Filed under:
College, Opinion/Editorial, Sports TV, Television by Scott A. Winer

ROSWELL, Ga. – As the 2006 NCAA Tournament enters its second week of competition, I will be in Atlanta, somewhere neither of “my teams” – the Kansas Jayhawks and Syracuse Orange – will be: the Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight. In the Atlanta bracket, a superior #12 Texas A&M team defeated Syracuse, an overrated 5 seed that only made the tournament because of its unlikely run in the Big East Tournament. Meanwhile, #4 Kansas was in early-season form, looking like a shadow of the Jayhawks that won the Big 12 Tournament the week before, losing to Missouri Valley runners up Bradley, an at-large 13 seed triumphant in the opening weekend. Bradley will play top-seeded Memphis in the Oakland regional semifinal tomorrow night. The early departure for the Jayhawks and Orange marks the second straight year that both 2003 finalists have failed to win their first round games.

Filed under:
Opinion/Editorial, Sports TV, Television by Scott A. Winer

ROSWELL, Ga. – During the chaotic first round of the NCAA Tournament, details are likely to fall through the cracks. Such was the case on CBS Sports’ broadcast of the Kansas-Bradley game Friday night when a graphic, identifying legendary Kansas broadcaster Max Falkenstien, contained an incorrect spelling of Falkenstien’s last name. While it’s an easy mistake, and one that I made on a graphic promoting Falkenstien’s appearance on Jayhawk Sports Talk: Monday, the error is just as inexcusable on KUJH as it is on CBS. Falkenstien, who has been calling KU football and basketball games since 1946, ended his 60-year career as the voice of the Jayhawks when Kansas lost to the Bradley Braves, 77-73, in their opening round game at The Palace of Auburn Hills. On February 27, he was a guest on Jayhawk Sports Talk: Monday two days before calling his final home game at Allen Fieldhouse. The first-round broadcast was produced by Mark Wolff and directed by Suzanne Smith.

Filed under:
College, Opinion/Editorial, Sports TV, Television by Scott A. Winer