Old-school news, just in time
by Kevin Burton The NCAA Final Four is Saturday. Those of us with no favorite teams playing, merely hope for close games. In honor of March Madness, Merriam-Webster has looked into the origin of the idiom “barn-burner.” I have mostly heard this refer to football, but it could apply to basketball as well. …
Continue reading “A Smokin’ Hot Game Can Be A “Barn Burner””
by Kevin Burton Perhaps you noticed that all the teams in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA basketball tournament this year were from the Big Four conferences. That and Kansas losing in the second round has dialed my enthusiasm down very close to zero. A pox on all 16 of their houses …
by Merriam-Webster Dictionary Cinderella is arguably the most iconic of fairy tales, an archetype of what is known as the rags-to-riches story. You know how it goes: living under the oppression of her evil stepmother, she finds her chance at happiness and fortune only after a fairy godmother makes her over for the …
Continue reading “How Sports Underdogs Became ‘Cinderellas’”
by Kevin Burton My underdog heart beat just a little bit faster Wednesday, thanks to Miami of Ohio winning a play-in game. I would love the RedHawks to have a nice long run in March Madness, beginning with their 3:25 p.m. matchup with Tennessee today, but I’m happy with what they have done …
Continue reading “Miami Of Ohio Strikes A Blow For Underdogs”
by Kevin Burton My most recent place of employment was a three-story church, which had, on the third floor, a gymnasium. I almost never went up there because my work was on the other two floors. But the whole time I worked there, there was a basketball on the floor, in the office, …
Continue reading “The Last Jump Shot Of A Confirmed Gym Rat”
by Kevin Burton Tomorrow Mike Kennedy will call his final regular-season game after 46 years as the voice of Wichita State basketball. This is one of those blog ideas that showed up on the spreadsheet long ago. But it keeps moving down the page. I’m having trouble delivering it. I don’t want …
Continue reading “Mike Kennedy, Forever Voice Of The Shockers”
by Kevin Burton I can’t imagine a scenario where I am completely immune to the madness. While you and your office mates filled out brackets last week, that was only a fleeting thought for me. Didn’t come close to working up the enthusiasm. But that doesn’t mean I can’t be found on the …
by Kevin Burton I printed an NIT bracket Sunday night, because I always do. I was looking for one thing, but got myself a shocker. Make that a Shocker, capital S Shocker. Just two days after Wichita State lost in the American Athletic Conference Tournament, and one day after I posted a …
Continue reading “A Wichita State, Post-Season Resurrection”
by Kevin Burton Well, at least it’s over. The 2024-25 version of Wichita State basketball bowed out yesterday, when the Shockers lost an American Athletic Conference tournament quarterfinal game to Memphis 83-80. The team went 19-14 this year and will not go to a post-season tournament. They were far from sublime, not …
Continue reading “Deflated Wichita State Program Limps Offstage”
by Kevin Burton Today my reading of an Alistair Begg message has me thinking about basketball? Basketball, really? Begg is the speaker on the Truth for Life radio ministry. I get an e-mail from that website every day with some kind of message – a challenge, encouragement, call to joyfulness – all …
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