PICKS OF THE WEEK
by Tee Kane
January 24, 2008
Fred Thompson vs. Your favorite leather recliner: It's a tough call on who worked harder this election season. What did Thompson think he was doing when he decided to run for president? Did he hire Michael Brown to run his campaign? How disappointed could he REALLY be when he dropped out this week after a third-place finish in South Carolina?
If he was really serious about becoming president, wouldn't he have picked a job that might provide him with some final preparation for the White House? I think it's fair to say that the last five minutes of "Law & Order" isn't exactly the kind of grueling mental test you'd like. He didn't even have to prepare for the L&O role; all he had to do was watch tapes of himself from EVERY SINGLE MOVIE.
I'm not saying there aren't dedicated actors out there, but before any more of them can run for president they ought to have to prove they can play more than one type of role. I'm sorry if this eliminates Sean William Scott from future presidential consideration, but I think we will just have to live with it.
Kansas vs. Kansas State (January 30th): This is a delicious match-up for anyone in America's heartland. Kansas will likely remain undefeated when it travels to take on its upstart in-state rival, and Kansas State might have its best team in at least a decade. Kansas State is definitely playing the role of the lesser-known kid brother with a gigantic chip on his shoulder. At one point in this "Sunflower Showdown," Kansas won every single game between 1994 and 2005 (a streak of 31 straight games!).
Kansas State finally thought it had the star power to compete with Kansas when it hired Bob Huggins in 2006, but that dream quickly faded when Huggins left after just one year to coach his alma mater, West Virginia. The sting of Huggins' departure was soothed by the news that incoming super freshman Michael Beasley would honor his commitment to Kansas State. The 6'9" freshman Beasley has not disappointed so far, leading the Wildcats to a strong start in conference play with signature wins over Oklahoma and Texas A&M.
As much as the faithful of Manhattan, Kansas, want this victory, I just don't think they will ultimately have what it takes to score enough points against Kansas' lock-down defense. The Wildcats are extremely turnover-prone, which feeds right into the Jayhawks' strengths.
Final Prediction: Kansas 68, Kansas State 63