Best Pictures #11-20

Okay, so now that I've seen every Best Picture winner available on DVD (the only exceptions are 1934's Calvalcade and 1929's Wings), I feel it's time to put some more movies in order. Especially since I've heard that Calvalcade is one of the worst movies ever to win best picture and Wings is the only silent film ever to win Best Picture (also the first winner of the award) which puts it in a category by itself. Anyway, here goes.



11. Schindler's List (1994)
Steven Spielberg's masterpiece. Black and white cinematography for the ages, acting that takes your breath away, music that moves you deeply and a story that you can't stop watching. The best Holocaust movie ever made, and made in the best way possible. It will live on forever, telling its story to all of those that must hear it.

12. Amadeus (1985)
Some incredible acting combined with a brilliant score taken and rearranged from the master himself of course. Dark and sinister at times, light and fluffy at others, though much of it may be historical fiction, it's one of the most entertaining I've ever seen.

13. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
One of only three movies to win the Big Five: Best Director (Jonathan Demme), Best Writing, Best Actress (Jodie Foster), Best Actor (Anthony Hopkins - one of my favorites), and of course Best Picture. All deservedly so. The plot makes your skin tingle, as does Hopkins' performance, and who could ever forget the fava beans quote?

14. The Sting (1974)
Some more brilliant acting by one of my favorite actors of all time Robert Redford combined with brilliant acting by a more widely accepted "great" actor Paul Newman and you've got it all. The story twists and weaves around, and I had to watch it twice when I was in high school to understand what had happened and why. Part of what makes it great is watching the story unfold time and again as I pick up more pieces each go around.

15. Rocky (1977)
This movie may seem campy and overdone today, but for its time it was original. No one could've guessed that Stallone would make eight, nine more or whatever it is. All they knew was that this movie was GREAT. It wasn't about winning, it was about showing you were man enough to go the distance with one of the greatest boxers of all time (Carl Weathers in a perfect role). To prove that you were somebody. To prove you didn't have to win to be the greatest, you just had to prove that you had it in you to stay with the greatest. Awesome. I also saw it when I was an impressionable teenager, and that's made it stick with me a little more as well.

16. The Godfather (1973)
I know this should probably be higher. It's widely thought of as the second-greatest movie of ALL-TIME, best picture winner or not (2nd to Citizen Kane of course). But I was a little slow getting around to watching it and didn't see it until just a few years ago, and that was the only time I've seen it. I feel I need to see it again to fully appreciate the beauty, the music, and the acting, which I could tell from the start was one of the greatest combinations in history.

17. On the Waterfront (1955)
This is also one I've only seen once, and one a lot of people probably haven't seen. But you need to see it. It was revolutionary for its day, taking in a subject not often breached about the slums and how hard it was working for the mob. A bit of a predecessor to Rocky, really. And none of it really surprised me or made an impression until the end, apart from Marlon Brando's usual superb acting. The end seen is one I will never forget, and one that totally caught me off guard. It captured the emotion and struggle that was unique for a movie made in the 50s and made my heart leap with pleasure and pain at the same time. Incredible.

18. Braveheart (1996)
Another amazing epic that was really a fore-runner to Gladiator, so of course how would I not like it? The same tune is played throughout, but it's done in a way you hardly notice that you're hearing the same thing over and over again and instead just enjoy it, and are even moved by it. Gibson's acting is at its best, and the story is as gut-wrenching as ever. Again, historical inaccuracies abound, but remember I did say it was a fore-runner to Gladiator...

19. No Country for Old Men (2008)
You're probably wondering what this movie is doing on here, as it is rather depressing and the story comes to a dissatisfying ending leaving many people complaining. But it left an impression on me from the very first time I saw it, and I've continued to dissect its nuances every time I watch. Apart from the intricate and life-contemplating plot, the acting and cinematography make this movie fantastic to watch as well.

20. West Side Story (1962)
What can I say, I'm a sucker for musicals, especially ones that were introduced to me at a youngish age. The music captured me from the beginning, as did the story. I've seen it played out a couple times on stage, but the movie does the most justice I feel, even though they fudged the singing a bit. "Maria," "Somewhere," and of course my favorite "Tonight" get me singing and feeling every time I watch.

So there ya go. Maybe I'll order to rest sometime in the future, but for now you have 1-20 to disagree with me about. As always, I'd appreciate any comments and feedback you all have. Thanks!

B-Mac

Spring Game Memories

As I reflect back on this spring game, I can't help but think of all the spring games I've been to in the past. Here are a few of my reflections.

The first spring game memory I have didn't involve any game. It was what happened after the game. In the past, K-State has had players greet the fans after the game, allowing them to come down on the field and get autographs and shake hands with their college-aged heroes. It was targeted at the kids of course, but the parents were quick to happily allow their children to get the autographs they wanted but felt too funny to ask for. My dad was one of those parents. I was ten in 1999 when Josh Buhl was a freshman. He'd been highly recruited and my dad knew it. The only thing I remember from the time, however, was him eagerly pushing me towards the small crowd around the massive 18-year-old, and saying, "Get his autograph, Brian. He's going to be good." He couldn't have been more right.

My next memory actually didn't take place at KSU Stadium as it used to be known. The stadium was getting a face-lift in 2002 and so the spring game took place at Manhattan High School. I remember feeling packed in with the rest of the purple people to see if K-State could improve on a disappointing 6-6 season from the year before. I don't remember any of the game - I just remember how big the football players looked on the tiny high school field and how crunched I was in the packed high school football stadium.

In 2004, K-State was coming off a Big XII Championship and hopes were high for the next season, even though we had to replace yet another great quarterback in Ell Roberson. The reason for that hope was Darren Sproles. The game was mostly boring devoid of any good quarterback play, which should have been a warning sign, but the lone bright spot was Sproles. He bursted for a 60-yard run late in the game. And I missed the beginning of it getting concessions for my dad. I was so mad at him, and I would have been more mad had I not sprinted from the stand as I heard the crowd cheering just in time to see him cross the 50-yard-line and with a wide-open field welcoming him to score the touchdown.

I'm not quite sure when the next memory comes from, except that it was from the Ron Prince era. A bad start, I know. Unfortunately it gets worse. He implemented a draft system in which his coordinators drafted players to make their teams. So instead of the first teamers playing with the guys they were familiar with, they ran plays with unadjusted rosters and odd matchups. Even Josh Freeman, Ron Prince's favorite son, couldn't adjust. Needless to say, it didn't work out well. Final score: 6-3. Most spring games are boring, I'll grant you that. This was by far the most boring game, spring or otherwise, game I've ever been to.

I remember last year's well, as might be expected, but the reason I bring it up is because of what it meant for the season. Carson Coffman slinging it around, throwing for 6 or 7 touchdowns, over 300 yards, and looking great. This might be somewhat of an indictment of our defense, which was indeed horrible last year, but it also showed that Coffman was capable. I know a lot of people were fed up with Coffman and thought Klein would have been a better option, but what game did he lose for us? I might grant you the Missouri game, but when our defense gives up 38 points, how can you really say that the quarterback lost it for us? Perhaps the Oklahoma State game too, but the entire offense was incapable that day, even the great Daniel Thomas. Coffman showed he can run the offense in that spring game and continued to show that throughout the season, getting K-State 7 wins even with the worst rushing defense in the country.

This year I think I'll remember similar things as last year. Klein had a great game, showing he is far and away the front-runner for the quarterback job. And I know he was doing it against the second-team defense, as Coffman was last year, but it still shows he has command of the offense. Does this portend for the future? We will see. What most people were looking forward to was the debuts of the Brown brothers and the celebrated transfer QB Justin Tuggle. Tuggle and Bryce had mediocre performances, though Bryce did show a bit more promise as he's been in the system for over a year now. Arthur's performance was a noteworthy 14 tackles, but making plays when there's no one else there to make them hardly speaks well for the defense. What speaks well for these Wildcats is again Klein. And I can't wait to see what that means for the coming season with years (and spring games) to come.

B-Mac

Twitter

So I realized that I haven't done a blog post in a while and I've been wondering why. Then I realized: it's because I have a new love. This love keeps me entertained, up to date, and there's always something new. That love is twitter.

Ok, so maybe I don't LOVE it, but I do like it. A lot. I'm constantly trying to figure out how to stay up to date on information. K-State information, sports information, and world in general information. I've tried reading blogs (bringonthecats.com is a wonderful place, by the way), going to CNN.com every once in a while, and trying other various places, but I always fall by the wayside and just find that it doesn't keep me interested enough. Maybe I'm fickle, maybe I have no attention span, but whatever the reason, none of these have worked. Twitter, so far, has delivered in all these aspects. I found out about the earthquake/tsunami in Japan through Twitter. I follow K-State scores through Twitter when I can't watch. I can see friends' reactions to things happening in their lives and also to things happening in the world. It's a place that is more personal than Facebook yet also more discreet. You can share whatever you want, but you aren't pressured into sharing everything. And it's only your thoughts or ideas, not specific information about you. It's the things people want to know about you after they know who you are. Or if you're a celebrity. I don't follow many celebrities and don't really see the point, but I do follow a lot of ESPN broadcasters and my views of different things in sports are constantly being challenged by them. Jay Bilas has recently been all about how we can make changes to the NCAA and I find that I haven't even thought about the ideas in his ways. Fascinating. Twitter is changing the way I think, and is thus where I spend a lot of my time.

All of this "learning" aside, it's also an incredible place to communicate with people you couldn't normally communicate with. All things I mentioned above are available in different forms throughout the internet, whether they are in blogs or websites or whatever. What Twitter alone offers, however, is the ability to communicate with people you wouldn't normally be able to communicate with. Some people block their Twitters to only people they want, sure, but they still communicate with those people that they may be more wary to accept in a place like Facebook. It's also much easier to respond to people on Twitter by mentioning them in your tweets. Amazing. I was blown away by this one afternoon when I was wanting to listen to a K-State pregame show by the guys on K-State sports. I follow one of them, Tim Fitzgerald, and was wondering how I could listen to this pregame show on the internet. So I mentioned him in a tweet and asked. Amazingly enough, he responded! I know it's not an incredible revelation or a deep communication, but there would be no way I could have done that through any other format. That episode alone sealed my love/extreme liking of Twitter. And I don't see it lessening any time soon.

So if you'd like more of my thoughts, get a twitter and follow ksubmac. I'll try to post my more elaborate ideas here, but the rest of my time will be taken by my new like.

B-Mac

K-State Unrelated #1: Best Picture Winners

In honor of the Academy Awards tonight, I'm doing my first non-K-State sports post. The topic: Winners of the Academy Award for Best Picture. Since around two years ago, I've been working my way through all of them and up till now I've seen every Best Picture Winner since 1939 (winner- You Can't Take It With You). I'm not exactly proud of this, as it means I've wasted A LOT of my time watching movies, but it makes for an interesting blog post nonetheless. Following is my top 10 winners of Best Picture. Remember, this is NOT my top 10 movies of all time. It is my top 10 OF MOVIES WHO HAVE WON BEST PICTURE. So here goes.

1. Gladiator (2001)
This movie has everything. Incredible acting from Russel Crowe, Joakin Phoenix, and practically everyone else. Moving, original music. Sweet battle scenes. Themes, motifs, history, and just an overall epic story. Not only is this my favorite best picture-winner, it's my favorite movie of all time.

2. Forrest Gump (1995)
Witty, smart, charming, hilariously funny. Watching this movie I feel like I can quote every single line and still laugh till I cry. Tom Hanks is perfect, the story is moving, and I just can't get enough.

3. Slumdog Millionaire (2009)
Call me a sap, but I love this movie. Anything that has to do with fate, I usually fall for, and this story told in a unique fashion about love in the slums of India takes the cake. It is written.

4. Crash (2006)
Many people criticize this movie for being too cynical, not offering ways to fix racism, only bringing our attention to it. But anyone that believes racism is dead should watch this movie, because it shows very clearly how it is not. Combine that with an interweaving story, beautiful scenes and depictions, and some great cinematography, and you've got a fantastic movie that makes me cry every single time I watch it.

5. Rain Man (1989)
Two epic performances from Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman fuel this beautiful, funny, moving movie that I just love. Quotable throughout and a story that instantly grips you, I once watched this movie three times in one day.

6. Titanic (1998)
I know, I know. But sappy romance movie aside, this movie is just plain epic. The graphics (for the day), the cinematography, the story, and the music (my God, the MUSIC!) make this movie one of the best ever. Any time it's on TV (and that's plenty), I can't miss it.

7. The Sound of Music (1966)
Julie Andrews at her greatest. Rogers and Hammerstein at their best. Those two statements alone make this movie one of the greatest. I sing along, enjoy every second, and feel so much better after listening to "Climb Every Mountain" among all the amazing others.

8. Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (2004)
Even though it was only the third movie in this trilogy that won, everyone knew it was for the series as a whole, and really it's probably the greatest trilogy of all time. (And yes, I love Star Wars too). Peter Jackson created these epic masterpieces of Middle Earth just as I believe Tolkein would have done himself. The acting is impeccable, the music great, and the cinematography and scenes will make you desperately want to visit Middle Earth (or is it New Zealand?)

9. Casablanca (1944)
Even if you've never seen it, you'll feel like you've heard every line from this movie. And you probably have. But that's what makes it so epic. Almost every movie made after this took something from this masterpiece of black-and-white film-making. Innovative, beautiful, and once again some great acting make it another great one.

10. Gone With the Wind (1940)
Yes, it's four hours. But it's four hours of gloriousness. Not only is the music awesome, the acting incredible, and the story just plain epic, IT'S IN AMAZINGLY BEAUTIFUL TECHNICOLOR. In 1940. I was blown away by the cinematography. Nothing like it was seen for at least another twenty years. And if that isn't enough to convince you well, frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn. ;)

So there you have it. My top 10 best pictures. I'd appreciate any comments on agree/disagree.

And if you want a prediction for tonight here's a quick one: Best Picture is, I believe, between The Social Network and The King's Speech. The Social Network has the contemporary commentary that the Academy loves, but The King's Speech has the acting, cinematography, story-telling, and pretty much everything else. I'm thinking King's Speech.

B-Mac

Meet Brian Smoller

Ok K-State fans, time for another article on things you never knew about K-State sports. Well, maybe you did know some of this stuff, but hopefully it'll be enjoyable anyway.

I want to start with a brief history of K-State sportscasters. Not the most interesting topic, I know, but stay with me.


It essentially started with Mitch Holthus (above) in 1983, a Kansas State University graduate who was absolutely fantastic and just another memorable piece of Bill Snyder's greatest turnaround in college football history. He worked as the main play-by-play man for K-State men's basketball and football all the way up until 1996. That meant he was there for the key building years of Snyder's reign, including the first-ever K-State bowl victory in the 1993 Copper Bowl and another in the 1995 Holiday Bowl. He used a signature phrase, repeating "big, big, big, big" anytime something important happened for K-State. Holthus was amazing and may have even stayed at K-State forever if the Kansas City Chiefs hadn't come calling. Holthus has worked for them ever since, using a new catch phrase that I'm sure everyone knows. "Good for and a Kansas City Chiefs TOUCHDOOOOOOOOOWN!!!"


Replacing Holthus was another Kansas State graduate in Greg Sharpe (above). Sharpe was intelligent, easily likable, and great to listen to. Plus, he was a K-State guy, and that made it all the more fun. Sharpe was there through the real glory years: the win against Nebraska in 1998, the #1 ranking that same year, two 11-1 seasons in '97 and '99 and three other eleven-win seasons in '98, 2000, and 2002. Unfortunately Sharpe had a falling out with K-State when a new contract was formed because of a new radio service provider for K-State sports and Sharpe was left out. He continued working for WIBW in Topeka until just recently accepting a job with the Nebraska Cornhuskers as play-by-play man. The very fact that Nebraska was willing to hire someone from K-State should speak volumes for how good he really is.


Finally, in 2003, Wyatt Thompson (above right) took over as play-by-play man for Kansas State and is still in that role today. A native Kansan and former play-by-play man for Colorado State, Thompson is one of the friendliest people you'll ever meet, does a tremendous job with interviews and public relations events, and has a voice that is really very soothing. Unfortunately Thompson can be hard to follow at times. He doesn't very often say the score, what yard line the play is on, or how much time is left - all things essential for someone wanting to know the situation of the game. He knows the players and plays well and is certainly buoyed by his color man Stan Weber (above left), former quarterback at Kansas State, all of which make him acceptable for the time being.

So why do I bring this all up, you ask? Well, it is obvious that Thompson doesn't exactly stack up to K-State's former radio announcers. He's not much fun to listen to, as Holthus was, and he doesn't have quite the insight that came with Sharpe. So is there someone that might be better? I say there is, and you don't have to go far to find him.


Meet Brian Smoller (above), play-by-play man for K-State women's basketball, volleyball and part-time baseball for at least the last five years. If you've never heard him, click on the link below and listen to the enthusiasm in his voice as he calls plays for his beloved wildcats.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qveK5mP2Gg

Do you year the enthusiasm? The clarity? The intelligence? The love for all things K-State? I sure do. And I love every second of it.

I've never heard Smoller call football, but he definitely knows basketball as good as if not better than Thompson. As far as accolades are concerned, both Smoller and Thompson have been awarded Kansas Sportscaster of the Year awards - Thompson in 1983 and Smoller in 2003. A bit of a difference, yes? Smoller undoubtedly has more enthusiasm than Thompson and really gets me going any time I listen to a K-State game (though it doesn't really take much), much like Thompson's predecessors. Smoller has more of the qualities of Sharpe and Holthus than Thompson does, and it becomes more and more apparent every year. Smoller also has more ties to K-State. His brother manages kstatesports.com and his wife is in charge of K-State Athletic Department's Marketing. Quite the K-State family indeed. I'm not exactly saying that he should go ahead and replace Thompson, but I do know one thing for sure: at this moment, at K-State, the best sportscaster's name is Brian Smoller.

B-Mac

K-State Basketball Posters and the Seasons They Represent

This post will be nowhere near as entertaining as the first, but hopefully you K-Staters out there will appreciate another trip down memory lane, though this one doesn’t go nearly as far back.

Over the last few years, I’ve noticed that the K-State basketball posters seem to represent the seasons they accompany. Not as strong of a point as it is solely judgmental on my part, but I like playing with the idea nonetheless. Any additional comments would be welcome.

My freshman year at K-State, 200-6-07, marked the first year that I even owned a K-State basketball poster. I couldn’t find a picture of it anywhere to post in this article, but what it basically was, was a dark poster with half the face of our coach lit up. That coach was Bob Huggins and there were mixed feelings about him being in Manhattan at all – thus the half of a face. His eye was purple in the poster, showing he was interested in and liked K-State, both of which I strongly believe. However, he wasn’t invested in K-State, as the end of the season proved. The bottom of the poster read "Welcome to Huggieville" - a play on words on Huggins and Aggieville, Manhattan's beloved bar district. Maybe that should have told us something too. That year, Huggins transformed a ragtag team of players that had never been better than 6-10 in the Big 12 into a legitimate threat to many teams, beating Texas on the road (we did fortunately “own Texas” that year) and gaining a bye in the Big 12 tournament. Despite these successes, K-State was still viewed as a bubble team by many and failed to make the NCAA tournament, accepting a bid to play in the NIT instead. As the poster suggests, it was about Huggins after all, and no one knew a soul on K-State’s actual team (though Cartier Martin, David Hoskins, and Lance Harris were all a joy to watch for many K-State fans). The lasting image of the poster, however, is the fact that Huggins left for West Virginia that year, leaving K-State in a seemingly even more flux position than it had been. The image that follows was what happened to most of these posters and is probably a good reason why I can’t find a picture of a single one.

The next year, 2007-08, was all about two guys: Michael Beasley and Bill Walker, both of whom were on the poster.

Though they were in the center of the poster, the rest of the team was on there as well. And that’s the reason that despite having the best player in the country in Beasley the Wildcats could do no better than 10-6 in the Big 12 and an 11 seed in the NCAA tournament. The rest of that team essentially contributed nothing, highlighted by a game against Baylor in which Beasley scored 44 points and Walker 31 and K-State still lost to the Bears. Walker was even at times absent, as K-State had a big game at home against Texas in which he didn’t make a single basket, finishing with one point. The players are all lined up on the poster, making all their own moves, and that’s exactly how they played out the season, never really working together as a team. Beasley was still great, and brought K-State its first win in Bramlage against KU and its first NCAA tournament win in over ten years, but ultimately the Wildcats were left with wanting more from such a sensational talent.

2008-09 was another unknown year for the Wildcats, and that’s exactly what the poster reflects.

We knew Frank Martin was a decent coach, having proved that from the year before, but we didn’t know what talent we really had left after Beasley and Walker left for the NBA and Clent Stewart, David Hoskins, and Blake Young graduated. There were newcomers no one had heard of (Buchi Awaji, Denis Clemente, Jamar Samuels, Victor Ojeleye) and there were freshmen who showed signs of talent from the year before but no one could be certain as to what their future held (Jacob Pullen, Dominique Sutton, Ron Anderson, Fred Brown). All that was reflected in the simple huddle of a cohesive team on the poster. Purple background, hands raised in the air. Maybe they didn’t have a tremendous amount of talent, but they proved to be a cohesive team and battled to a 9-7 Big 12 record, with a win at Texas in which Clemente tied Beasley’s Big 12 record 44 points and the Wildcats earned themselves a bye in the Big 12 tournament. This lack of talent and big name players once again turned K-State into a bubble NCAA tournament team and they went back to the NIT. The future loomed brightly.

The 2009-10 poster was cool, pure and simple.

A black background with five focused faces ready for a grueling season. All of the above describes this squad. Clemente was their leader, as he is on the poster, and newcomer Curtis Kelly in the back helped Sutton, Pullen, and Samuels lead a team that was considered by many a Final Four contender. They swept through the non-conference season with only one loss and continued their momentum into the Big 12, posting a record of 11-5 and making it to the Big 12 Championship game where they once again lost to KU. They made it all the way to the Elite Eight before losing to the eventual National Runner-Up Butler Bulldogs. They were just great and played some great games. K-State fans were happy for once with basketball and loved every minute of it. I was so grateful for that season, and it was all about those five guys on that poster, really. Others contributed but the five of them made it go, especially Clemente.

And now we come to this season. I should have known by the poster.

It’s a joke, all a big joke. Pullen and Kelly looking ridiculous as they burst through white paper and try to show how fierce they are. And imagine that, Pullen and Kelly do look ridiculous this year. Pullen has struggled finding his groove and a consistent guard to play with him as Denis did. Rodney McGruder is the best option he has, and even he struggles at times with ball handling and even shooting. It was as if the athletic department forgot to make a poster and at the last minute drew one up. This year’s team has forgotten to show up at times as well, with Kelly and Pullen actually not showing up to several games because of suspensions. They are the only two players on the poster. They are the only two seniors on the team. We need them to step up their basketball skills, their leadership skills. And instead they look ridiculous. This of course isn’t to say that they can’t turn this season around and somehow make the NCAA tournament. But with a record of 13-6, 1-3 in the Big 12 with some tough games coming up, it’s not looking likely. I hope I’m wrong. But if the past posters teach us anything, I may not be…

Sorry for the depressing ending. Maybe the athletic department will take this all into consideration in the coming years when they draw up their basketball posters. But I doubt it. Instead, lets enjoy the fact that once we did have a great basketball team and that the 2009-10 season was a blast that none of us will ever forget. And I’ll always have the poster to remind me.

K-State Football Doesn't Play Overtime

So no one should be surprised that my first post should be about K-State sports, especially about something that I’ve never heard anyone notice or talk about. For the last few years, I’ve wanted to share my ideas on this subject dealing with K-State sports but haven’t had a whole lot of evidence or motivation to do it. Today, my friends, I’m feeling motivated. And the most recent K-State football game, the infamous Pinstripe “Salute” Bowl, has given me more evidence.

Now that I’ve mentioned the Pinstripe Bowl, I might as well get into it and my feelings on it. I hate that the game is defined by a flag. I don’t want to be labeled as a complainer. All my life I’ve rolled my eyes at those who continue to complain about a bad call in years past and that’s exactly what’s going to happen with this game. Nebraska fans always complain about the facemask in 1998 of quarterback Eric Crouch against K-State. Granted, it was one of the most obvious facemasks ever, but it wasn’t called. That was 4^th down for Nebraska and K-State took over. However, Nebraska still got the ball back and had another chance to win the game, only down 34-30, but Crouch threw an interception and K-State returned it for a touchdown to seal the victory, their first over the Huskers in more than 40 years and keeping K-State undefeated, making it the biggest win in the 100 year history of K-State football up to that point.

However, if Nebraska wanted to win, regardless of the facemask, they should have scored on that last drive or prevented K-State from scoring 40 points, or prevented Michael Bishop from running and passing all over them in the second half. The same can be said for the Pinstripe Bowl. If K-State really wanted to win, then Josh Cherry should have made his field goal, or they shouldn’t have gone for a fake field goal (actually I was okay with the fake, the play they ran was awful though), or they should have prevented Syracuse from gaining 400+ yards, including 198 yards to a mediocre running back. Yet no matter what I say, people are still going to complain. This bowl will be forever remembered for the salute that Adrian Hillburn offered after scoring a touchdown to put K-State within two at 36-34. A flag followed that salute, making K-State’s two-point conversion from the 18 instead of the 3, and Carson Coffman’s pass sailed over Aubrey Quarles’ head (another note here – if they really wanted to tie it, Coffman should have hit Quarles WHO WAS WIDE OPEN IN THE END ZONE. Unfortunately, Coffman just isn’t that good, despite having one of his best games of his career).

Ok, so now we all know what happened and what I think about it. However, I still haven’t said why this offers more evidence for the point of my post, or even what the point of my post is. So here it is. It wasn’t the Big 10 official’s fault that we didn’t tie that game, who so many people want to blame; it wasn’t even the 2010 wildcats, who others want to blame. It was fate. Fate threw that flag. It was fate that prevented K-State from playing overtime and after reading the rest of this (if you aren’t bored already, that is) you may just agree with that silly statement.

I’m sorry in advance for bringing up one of the most painful moments in K-State sports history, but in the end, it’s really integral. It’s 1998 and K-State is 11-0, including their first victory over Nebraska in 40+ years (see previous). They are playing a decent Texas A&M team, who is 9-2, for the Big XII Championship. At the beginning of the game, K-State is on the outside looking in as far as the National Championship went, which was only in its very first year of BCS existence. UCLA and Tennessee were both undefeated and ranked ahead of K-State in the BCS standings (despite being ranked #1 by the coaches). UCLA was playing a 7-3 Miami team that didn’t look like anything special, though it was at Miami and Tennessee was playing Mississippi State in the SEC Championship. It didn’t look like K-State was going to even get a chance to play for a National Championship, despite having a fast, physical defense, and a quarterback who was good enough to finish second in the Heisman race to Ricky Williams, who set the record that year for most rushing yards in a career in NCAA history. It actually reminds me of a Boise State or TCU situation. Granted, K-State was in a BCS conference, but they were still looked down upon like those mid-majors are, having played a soft schedule and having a less-than-respectable football history (actually they had the second most losses of any football program in the nation). So K-State wasn’t getting in, but they still wanted to take care of business against A&M. All the way up to the fourth quarter, they seemed to be doing that. K-State was up 27-12 going into the fourth quarter, Bishop having his usual fantastic day and the defense really roughing up the Aggies. Here’s where things started to go awry. The inexplicable was about to happen, in more than one way. First, UCLA and Tennessee had been losing for their entire games, and they continued to show the score in the Trans World Dome where the game was being played in St. Louis, Missouri. Tennessee wrapped up a comeback, scoring two touchdowns in the fourth quarter to win 24-14, ending sometime in the first half of the Big XII Championship. UCLA, however, continued to struggle and lost to Miami, 49-45. K-State didn’t find this out until they were up 15 in the fourth quarter and victory seemed all but guaranteed, and now a National Championship berth was as well. Everyone went crazy. Players jumped up and down, fans hugged and kissed, the unthinkable was going to happen. Unfortunately for K-State, the unthinkable did happen, but in a way no one but the Aggies of Texas A&M wanted. Bishop threw an interception that led to an Aggie touchdown with 9 minutes left in the quarter, leaving K-State still ahead 27-19. K-State and A&M would trade possessions until K-State got the ball back with just a few minutes left, with the opportunity to run out the clock with just a few first downs. Bishop dropped back and took off as he had done so many times in the game. He was on his way to a first down – K-State was going to win after all – and then he fumbled. A&M recovered. A&M scored with one minute left, complete with a two point conversion to tie it (no salute was apparently given). K-State and A&M go into overtime. A&M is held to a field goal. So is K-State. A second overtime. K-State is held to a field goal. A&M isn’t. The Aggies score a touchdown, capping the biggest comeback in the three-year history of the Big XII Championship, and winning 36-33. K-State fans are heartbroken. There will be no National Championship.

Furthermore, K-State wouldn’t even get a consolation prize. Nowadays undefeated teams who lose their conference championships are nearly guaranteed a BCS or at least prestigious bowl berth. Not so for the 1998 Wildcats. Due to pre-arranged bowl deals that there would later be a rule against, K-State would fall to the Alamo Bowl, which back in those days picked fourth in the Big XII order. The team would be so upset with just having to be there that they would lose to the Drew Brees-led Purdue Boilermakers 37-34, putting the finishing awful touches on the greatest season in K-State history.

So what does this all mean? Just because K-State played one bad overtime game, fate decided they wouldn’t play another one in the Pinstripe Bowl? Well, what if I told you that fate decided they would NEVER play another overtime? Indeed, K-State has only played one overtime game in the history of its program. Granted, the overtime rule has only been in effect in college football since 1996, but nonetheless, 395 overtime games have been played, an average of just over 3 per team. There are others like K-State who have only played one overtime game, all under strange and even disheartening conditions as well. One of those teams is the University of Texas of all schools. Their single overtime game was against Oklahoma in 1996, the first overtime game in the young history of the Big XII and the first overtime game in the incredible lengthy history of the Red River Shootout between OU and Texas (though it’s interesting to note that in the previous year, OU and Texas did tie). OU would win that overtime game and Texas hasn’t played one since. The only other two FBS (formerly 1-A) schools who have played only one overtime game was actually played against each other – North Texas and Florida International. If that isn’t odd enough, the game they played in 2006 went into SEVEN OVERTIMES and included a slew of missed field goals and turnovers that ended in an ugly 25-22 North Texas victory. Florida International would finish the season winless.

Score by Quarters 1 2 3 4 OT [ 5 6 7 8 91011 ] Score

----------------- -- -- -- -- -- [ - - - - - - - ] -----

Fla. International.. 0 0 13 3 6 [ 0 0 3 0 0 3 0 ] - 22

North Texas......... 5 0 0 11 9 [ 0 3 0 0 0 3 3 ] - 25

So what makes K-State special if there are three other teams who have only played one overtime game? First of all, none of those overtime games meant as much as that 1998 Big XII Championship. Secondly, though the extent of my research is limited, I doubt that those other three teams have played in as many weird games as K-State that should have gone to overtime and didn’t (especially since FIU has only been FBS for five years). Following now are some examples.

The first game that comes to mind is 2002 against USC. K-State won 27-20 against Pete Carroll and Carson Palmer in Manhattan, another one of the greatest wins in the history of K-State. Maybe these circumstances weren’t unusual, as plenty of games are decided by one touchdown, but what I remember from this game is USC driving at the end. My brother sat next to me and kept saying, “They’re going to tie it and we’re going to overtime.” And with Carson Palmer, it was a distinct possibility. However, USC came up to fourth down and didn’t convert, giving K-State the victory, no overtime needed.

Later that year, K-State played Texas in Manhattan in another duel of two ranked teams. Despite K-State’s history of “owning Texas,” this was not a good example of that. Texas was up 17-14 and K-State was driving towards the end. The drive stalled and K-State was forced to try a field goal. Jared Brite wasn’t the best of kickers and asking him to kick a 50-yarder with four seconds left may have been asking a lot. Nevertheless, Texas would block the field goal and win the game 17-14. No overtime needed.

The final game of 2002 was a close one as well. K-State played Arizona State in the Holiday Bowl and trailed the Sun Devils for most of the game. They would rally, however, and the game would be tied with just a few minutes left. Lo and behold, K-State would go on a game-defining drive, score the game winning touchdown with just over a minute left and win the game 34-27. No overtime needed.

In 2003 K-State played Marshall in Manhattan. Ell Roberson, one of the most celebrated quarterbacks in K-State history, was out with a wrist injury, and so was his backup. The duty to lead the #6 Wildcats was left to third-stringer Jeff Schwinn (but really it was up to the greatest running back in K-State history Darren Sproles). Schwinn didn’t play well, turning the ball over three times, and Marshall would hold the advantage 27-20 with just 3 minutes left. Schwinn would lead K-State on a furious drive, getting down to the 3 yard line with 25 seconds left. But guess what? K-State wouldn’t convert and lose 27-20. No overtime needed.

In 2004 K-State played Colorado in Boulder, Colorado. The game was wild, with each team trading scores back and forth, both desperate for bowl eligibility as CU sat on 5 wins and K-State with 4 (and two games left). With just over a minute left the score was tied at 31. Colorado took over deep in their own territory and had little chance of scoring. Inexplicably, however, K-State’s prevent defense would falter and give up play after play. Colorado was still more than 40 yards out with just a few seconds left, too far for a field goal. Instead the Buffalo quarterback lofted his pass to a wide open receiver, giving Colorado the win 38-31. No overtime needed.

In 2005 K-State played Colorado in another close game, this time in Manhattan. With less than a minute left, the game was tied at 20. K-State stopped Colorado and the Buffaloes punted to K-State receiver Jermaine Moreira. Moreira would fumble to punt and Colorado would recover. Outstanding Colorado kicker Mason Crosby would kick the 52 yard field goal with ease, giving Colorado the win 23-20. No overtime needed.

The first game of 2006, Coach Ron Prince’s very first game, was played against Illinois State in Manhattan. K-State would trail the entire game until finding touchdowns late with special teams and defense and lead 24-17 with just a few minutes left. The Redbirds would go on a late drive and actually scored a touchdown with less than a minute left. However, the coach of the Redbirds would inexplicably go for two and fail to get it, giving K-State the victory 24-23. No overtime needed.

In 2007 K-State played Oklahoma State in Stillwater, Oklahoma. It was another crazy game, as Ron Prince’s teams could score at will yet couldn’t stop a baby in a stroller on defense. Oklahoma State led 38-31 with just a few minutes left. K-State took over and drove to score a touchdown with just over a minute left. Oddly, K-State would go for two and actually get it to lead 39-38. The Cowboys would drive right back down the field however, and kick a field goal as time expired to win 41-39. This one might be a stretch as it was never tied, but that’s the point right? No overtime needed.

In 2009 K-State played Iowa State at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. K-State led 24-17 with just a few minutes left when the Cyclones took over and drove on the K-State defense. They scored a touchdown with 32 seconds left, all but guaranteeing overtime. But I bet at this point you can guess what happened. K-State inexplicably blocked the extra point and won 24-23. No overtime needed.

And then the 2010 Pinstripe Bowl against Syracuse. Another crazy game trading scores back and forth, K-State scoring with just over a minute left, needing a two-point conversion to tie it. The salute. The penalty. The failed conversion. But it was no surprise to me.

So what does this all mean? That a 1998 game has cursed K-State for all time from playing overtime? Not necessarily. I’m not saying that K-State will never play another overtime game, that’s just ridiculous. But it is worthy of note that the most heartbreaking, and thus most defining, game in K-State history was played in overtime and that no overtime game has been played since. And I doubt K-State really wants to play overtime. Any time a game is played in overtime, it’s compared to past overtime games in the school’s history, and Lord knows no one at K-State wants to be reminded of that fateful day in 1998.