Here in the heartland, few things are as sure a bet as Kansas winning in basketball. A three-game losing streak is thus cause for a meltdown within the Jayhawk Nation, and reason for gloating and tsk-tsking by local rivals. "What's wrong with your team?" "Are you in mourning?" I couldn't even get away from the recent misfortunes of my team while attending church this morning.
I never want to take for granted the unprecedented success of my Jayhawks, but it's hard not to when one considers the level of success of this program:
- Best winning percentage in the nation, 1990-2010: .774., followed next by Duke, .771; North Carolina, .765; Kentucky, .761; and Syracuse, .730.
- Longest streak of consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances: 23, followed next by Duke at 17.
- Eight consecutive conference titles.
- A combined 67-10 record for the 2010-2011/2011-2012 seasons, for a .870 winning percentage.
- A 69 game home winning streak, starting in 2007, that ended on January 22, 2011, the day after Thomas Robinson's mother was found dead. The program then had a 34 game home winning streak which ended against Oklahoma State on February 2. That means that Kansas has won 103 of its last 105 home games headed into tomorrow's Big Monday matchup versus Kansas State.
The prolonged excellence of this program has made these three losses startling. But, really, is anyone who closely follows this team surprised? One, no team can continue to win at this clip. And, two, the Jayhawks are missing several key pieces which have distinguished their better teams:
- It's been over-reported, but it's true--Kansas does not have a premier point guard on its roster. Elijah Johnson is playing out of position and insider reports out of Lawrence would indicate that Johnson may not be fully recovered from leg injury problems. Let's also point out that head coach Bill Self has struck out on some high profile PG recruits and was not able to backfill the vacancy left by Tyshawn Taylor's departure after last year's national championship game.
- This Kansas team does not have a player, or players, who have exhibited the mean streak of Thomas Robinson, Taylor, the Morris twins or Sherron Collins. Those players, at various times in their career, took over games not only with their skill but also with their attitude.
- Highly touted recruit Perry Ellis has struggled to adapt to the college game. And, fellow bench mates Naadir Tharpe and Jamari Traylor have been inconsistent, at best. Solid bench play was an earmark of Self's past five or six teams.
What will happen tomorrow night in Allen Fieldhouse? Well, let's not discount the work that Bruce Weber has done in Manhattan but it's hard to imagine KU losing four straight games--something that hasn't happened since 1989. The last time KU lost three straight was in 2005 and the game coming out of that streak was the classic 81-79 Jayhawk victory over Oklahoma State.
One thing's for sure--the KU losses, combined with Kansas State's ascension into first place in the Big 12, has suddenly elevated this game and this rivalry back into the national spotlight. And, the rest of the league is watching, wondering if Superman has suddenly been dealt a dose of Kryptonite.
Sunday, February 10, 2013
Monday, February 4, 2013
Super Bowl winners and losers
Super Bowl XLVII is in the books and what appeared to be a potential disaster ended with a stunning comeback, a dazzling halftime show, and a much talked-about power outage that Twitter all aflutter.
Let's break down last night's winners and losers:
Winner - Tide. No ad on last night's broadcast captured the product benefit like this brand's story about a Joe Montana silhouette which appears on a Niners jersey via a salsa spill.
Loser - Anheuser Busch. Can you remember a Super Bowl with a less distinguished ad effort from A-B? Yeah, I can't either.
Winner - The Harbaugh family. Let's face it, the storyline was compelling, both coaches were amped, and the game ended up being another in a recent line of close championship contests. Good stuff...
Loser - The Superdome. I rhetorically asked the question last night, "what venue has hosted a Final Four and Super Bowl in the same 12 months?" After last night's power outage, the NFL and NCAA will likely take a long look at this dome before coming back. Perhaps the outage was caused by some other oddity but the immediate reaction was "ouch--this isn't good for the Superdome and the city of New Orleans."
Winner - Twitter. Once again, this social networking and news site was the place to be, particularly during the 35 minute delay due to the power outage. And, let's give props to those brands (e.g., Oreo) who capitalized on the outage in a witty, respectful way.
Winner - The automotive category. Auto manufacturers were the overall spending winners on the broadcast as Jeep, Dodge, Audi, Mercedes Benz, Hyundai, , VW, Mazda and Kia were all represented with ad buys, pre-game shows, and/or venue entitlement. Among the brands, Audi's spot for the S6 stood out, as did VW's controversial commercial, while Jeep and Dodge effectively pulled at viewer heartstrings.
Other winners - CBS, whose broadcast was solid, from pre-game to in-game; Coke's security camera spot; and the girl power of Beyonce, with a fun appearance from Destiny's Child mates, plus pre-game performances by Jennifer Hudson and Alicia Keys.
Let's break down last night's winners and losers:
Winner - Tide. No ad on last night's broadcast captured the product benefit like this brand's story about a Joe Montana silhouette which appears on a Niners jersey via a salsa spill.
Loser - Anheuser Busch. Can you remember a Super Bowl with a less distinguished ad effort from A-B? Yeah, I can't either.
Winner - The Harbaugh family. Let's face it, the storyline was compelling, both coaches were amped, and the game ended up being another in a recent line of close championship contests. Good stuff...
Loser - The Superdome. I rhetorically asked the question last night, "what venue has hosted a Final Four and Super Bowl in the same 12 months?" After last night's power outage, the NFL and NCAA will likely take a long look at this dome before coming back. Perhaps the outage was caused by some other oddity but the immediate reaction was "ouch--this isn't good for the Superdome and the city of New Orleans."
Winner - Twitter. Once again, this social networking and news site was the place to be, particularly during the 35 minute delay due to the power outage. And, let's give props to those brands (e.g., Oreo) who capitalized on the outage in a witty, respectful way.
Winner - The automotive category. Auto manufacturers were the overall spending winners on the broadcast as Jeep, Dodge, Audi, Mercedes Benz, Hyundai, , VW, Mazda and Kia were all represented with ad buys, pre-game shows, and/or venue entitlement. Among the brands, Audi's spot for the S6 stood out, as did VW's controversial commercial, while Jeep and Dodge effectively pulled at viewer heartstrings.
Other winners - CBS, whose broadcast was solid, from pre-game to in-game; Coke's security camera spot; and the girl power of Beyonce, with a fun appearance from Destiny's Child mates, plus pre-game performances by Jennifer Hudson and Alicia Keys.
Sunday, February 3, 2013
It's Super Bowl Ad Sunday!
Super Bowl Sunday--the bacchanalian feast of food, football and...advertising. I'm not sure when the first advertising person thought, "hmm, there are a lot of eyeballs watching this game on TV," and thus considered the brand benefits of launching a product or key message on the game telecast. We now know, of course, that the advertising is, for many, as big a draw as the game itself, tracked by AdMeter and numerous pundits who opine on who "won" the Super Bowl ad wars.
I've personally lived through those ad wars on three different occasions where my company was an advertiser. And, I was intimately involved in the determination of our message and the creation of the commercial which would cost millions of dollars, not only for the media time but for the development and production as well.
The creative process, at any time, is one where the line between great and mundane is very, very thin. When it comes to Super Bowl advertising, that line becomes razor-thin. Creative legacies are built on spots that resonate and become a part of popular culture. Brands are derided for spots that fall flat, failing to capture the public's imagination and thus risking being thought of, by management and critics, as wasted media dollars.
What's the best Super Bowl spot ever? It depends--if you ask an ad-type, you'll automatically get "1984," the Orwellian spot from Apple that launched the brand mystique of that company; if it's a consumer, aged 45+, you'll likely get the Mean Joe Green commercial for Coke as the response. One tugged at the consumer's heartstrings, the other tried to portray the vision of a brand where "think differently" became much more than a corporate slogan.
Which spot will win on today's telecast? Maybe it'll be Audi and the Venables Bell spot, featuring a bookish teenager who goes to the prom solo, but gets a heavy dose of swag by getting to drive his Pops S6. If it's a tearjerker spot you want, stay tuned for Budweiser's Clydesdale spot where the trainer of the horse reunites with the adult animal.
I'll be tweeting about my take on the Super Bowl advertising, on behalf of Premier Sports, at @PremierKC. Follow us on Twitter and let me know what you think--advertising game on!
I've personally lived through those ad wars on three different occasions where my company was an advertiser. And, I was intimately involved in the determination of our message and the creation of the commercial which would cost millions of dollars, not only for the media time but for the development and production as well.
The creative process, at any time, is one where the line between great and mundane is very, very thin. When it comes to Super Bowl advertising, that line becomes razor-thin. Creative legacies are built on spots that resonate and become a part of popular culture. Brands are derided for spots that fall flat, failing to capture the public's imagination and thus risking being thought of, by management and critics, as wasted media dollars.
What's the best Super Bowl spot ever? It depends--if you ask an ad-type, you'll automatically get "1984," the Orwellian spot from Apple that launched the brand mystique of that company; if it's a consumer, aged 45+, you'll likely get the Mean Joe Green commercial for Coke as the response. One tugged at the consumer's heartstrings, the other tried to portray the vision of a brand where "think differently" became much more than a corporate slogan.
Which spot will win on today's telecast? Maybe it'll be Audi and the Venables Bell spot, featuring a bookish teenager who goes to the prom solo, but gets a heavy dose of swag by getting to drive his Pops S6. If it's a tearjerker spot you want, stay tuned for Budweiser's Clydesdale spot where the trainer of the horse reunites with the adult animal.
I'll be tweeting about my take on the Super Bowl advertising, on behalf of Premier Sports, at @PremierKC. Follow us on Twitter and let me know what you think--advertising game on!
Sunday, January 20, 2013
It's hard when heroes die
Perhaps it's fitting that yesterday, amidst headlines of fictitious girlfriends and admissions of doping, we had a sports hero who, just as quietly as he excelled, passed away at the age of 92.
Stan Musial was my first sports hero. Musial was, as to many men of that generation, my father's hero and thus he became my hero as well. It didn't take much to bond my father and I together, as I worshipped the man that he was, but I now realize that it was Musial who, in many ways, was a key link for us when I was initially developing my interest in sports.
My dad was a St. Louis Cardinals fan as it was the closest franchise to our small town in eastern Kansas, and the Kansas City Athletics were a major league franchise in name only. Many were the Sunday afternoon or weekday night that we would tune in Harry Caray on the transistor or car radio, listening to the tinny speakers carry descriptions of our Cardinals versus their National League foes.
I can remember my father straightening up in his seat or lawn chair when Caray announced that Musial was coming to bat. And, I had seen enough television and photos of "the Man" to picture, in my mind's eye, the at-plate crouch and the number six turned to face the pitcher.
My favorite memory of Musial, my dad, and me was on a warm Sunday afternoon--July 8, 1962. Dad and I were out by the orchard of fruit trees, lawn chairs in place, cool beverages in hand, and battery-powered transistor tuned in. On that special day, a 41-year-old Stan the Man became the oldest player ever to hit three home runs in one game. I vividly recall my father's glee as each Musial at bat brought the excitement of what he would accomplish that day.
I have found, in the past 24 hours plus, that many of my friends had similar bonds with their fathers via Musial. And, I've re-connected, through the writing of Joe Posnanski and others, to Musial's unparalleled achievements and the humility in which he carried himself, both on the field and off.
An athlete who never was kicked out of a game and who seldom refused an autograph--what a contrast to the headline-stealing antics of others in sports over the past few days. We miss you, Stan the Man--you were our hero.
Stan Musial was my first sports hero. Musial was, as to many men of that generation, my father's hero and thus he became my hero as well. It didn't take much to bond my father and I together, as I worshipped the man that he was, but I now realize that it was Musial who, in many ways, was a key link for us when I was initially developing my interest in sports.
My dad was a St. Louis Cardinals fan as it was the closest franchise to our small town in eastern Kansas, and the Kansas City Athletics were a major league franchise in name only. Many were the Sunday afternoon or weekday night that we would tune in Harry Caray on the transistor or car radio, listening to the tinny speakers carry descriptions of our Cardinals versus their National League foes.
I can remember my father straightening up in his seat or lawn chair when Caray announced that Musial was coming to bat. And, I had seen enough television and photos of "the Man" to picture, in my mind's eye, the at-plate crouch and the number six turned to face the pitcher.
My favorite memory of Musial, my dad, and me was on a warm Sunday afternoon--July 8, 1962. Dad and I were out by the orchard of fruit trees, lawn chairs in place, cool beverages in hand, and battery-powered transistor tuned in. On that special day, a 41-year-old Stan the Man became the oldest player ever to hit three home runs in one game. I vividly recall my father's glee as each Musial at bat brought the excitement of what he would accomplish that day.
I have found, in the past 24 hours plus, that many of my friends had similar bonds with their fathers via Musial. And, I've re-connected, through the writing of Joe Posnanski and others, to Musial's unparalleled achievements and the humility in which he carried himself, both on the field and off.
An athlete who never was kicked out of a game and who seldom refused an autograph--what a contrast to the headline-stealing antics of others in sports over the past few days. We miss you, Stan the Man--you were our hero.
Sunday, January 6, 2013
On the ground in South Florida
Greetings, all my cold-climate peeps, from sunny South Florida. You're on-the-ground correspondent is reporting in on all of the festivities surrounding the national championship game tomorrow night between Notre Dame and Alabama.
- Reports of ticket demand among the Notre Dame faithful are being supported by the overall presence of Notre Dame fans, as measured by adornment of licensed apparel, here in Miami and Fort Lauderdale. Reports from the Miami Herald indicate that 95% of available hotel rooms are booked for the weekend.
- A reported 50,000 Notre Dame fans attended the Irish pep rally last night on South Beach.
- The Notre Dame team hotel is The Diplomat in Hollywood; the Alabama team hotel is the Fontainebleau in South Beach.
- There is one more BCS national championship game, in 2014, before the new four-team college football playoff kicks off at the end of the 2014 regular season. Next year's BCS championship game will be held at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, CA.
- While this year's game has been a boon to South Florida, there is concern here about the ability of the region to attract future national championship games. The playoff's championship game will move, year-to-year, from venue-to-venue based upon host markets who bid for the right to host the game. South Floridians are concerned about the size of Sun Life Stadium, compared to other venues, as well as the aggressiveness of other regions who may be willing to offer larger subsidies in order to host the event.
- Favorite t-shirt to date: "Catholics vs Cousins."
- Reports of ticket demand among the Notre Dame faithful are being supported by the overall presence of Notre Dame fans, as measured by adornment of licensed apparel, here in Miami and Fort Lauderdale. Reports from the Miami Herald indicate that 95% of available hotel rooms are booked for the weekend.
- A reported 50,000 Notre Dame fans attended the Irish pep rally last night on South Beach.
- The Notre Dame team hotel is The Diplomat in Hollywood; the Alabama team hotel is the Fontainebleau in South Beach.
- There is one more BCS national championship game, in 2014, before the new four-team college football playoff kicks off at the end of the 2014 regular season. Next year's BCS championship game will be held at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, CA.
- While this year's game has been a boon to South Florida, there is concern here about the ability of the region to attract future national championship games. The playoff's championship game will move, year-to-year, from venue-to-venue based upon host markets who bid for the right to host the game. South Floridians are concerned about the size of Sun Life Stadium, compared to other venues, as well as the aggressiveness of other regions who may be willing to offer larger subsidies in order to host the event.
- Favorite t-shirt to date: "Catholics vs Cousins."
Thursday, January 3, 2013
Championship game could provide record viewership
It should come as no surprise, given the extreme demand for tickets to Monday night's national championship game, that television viewership for Notre Dame-Alabama may break BCS records for most eyeballs tuned into the final game.
The highest rated championship game in the BCS era is Texas-USC in the 2006 Rose Bowl. That dramatic game, won by the Longhorns, was seen by 21.7 percent of U.S. households. The 2006 game was broadcast on ABC, meaning the game was available to more viewers, but experts speculate that this year's game, on ESPN, will compete with those lofty '06 numbers.
Other highly rated past national championship games include:
2001 - Oklahoma and Florida State (17.8)
2000 - Florida State and Virginia Tech (17.5)
2007 - Ohio State and Florida (17.4)
2010 - Alabama and Texas (17.2)
Last year's Alabama-LSU contest had 14% of U.S. households tuned in; the lowest rated championship game was in 2005, USC and Oklahoma, which had 13.7% viewership.
Source: Birmingham News
The highest rated championship game in the BCS era is Texas-USC in the 2006 Rose Bowl. That dramatic game, won by the Longhorns, was seen by 21.7 percent of U.S. households. The 2006 game was broadcast on ABC, meaning the game was available to more viewers, but experts speculate that this year's game, on ESPN, will compete with those lofty '06 numbers.
Other highly rated past national championship games include:
2001 - Oklahoma and Florida State (17.8)
2000 - Florida State and Virginia Tech (17.5)
2007 - Ohio State and Florida (17.4)
2010 - Alabama and Texas (17.2)
Last year's Alabama-LSU contest had 14% of U.S. households tuned in; the lowest rated championship game was in 2005, USC and Oklahoma, which had 13.7% viewership.
Source: Birmingham News
Sunday, December 30, 2012
Grading the Jayhawks
Kansas has one final non-conference game, against Temple at home, and then begins defense of its Big 12 conference championship, seeking an unprecedented ninth straight league title. Oklahoma State will provide stout competition but the stage is set for yet another conference championship for the Jayhawks.
Let's take a look at how these Jayhawks have graded out as we prepare for conference play.
Overall: It's hard to complain about a 11-1 record to date and a likely top five ranking for the coming week. Highlight: A road win over Ohio State. Lowlight: A Champions Classic loss to Michigan State where KU could not hold a lead down the stretch. Grade: A-.
Elijah Johnson: Johnson started slow and had a pretty horrid first half against Ohio State. Overall, though, let's give E.J. the benefit of the doubt as he battled some early-season health issues and also had to adjust to being the point guard and the leader of this team. He's grown comfortable in both roles, and the emergence of Nadir Tharpe as a very capable PG back-up will help Johnson immensely. Grade: B.
Travis Releford: Early on, Jayhawk fans had to wonder what was up with Releford given the number of turnovers and bonehead plays by this fifth-year senior. He then played two games in the CBE Classic at Sprint Center, was named MVP, and hasn't looked back. Releford is Kansas' best on-ball defender, a tremendous finisher, and can score, particularly when needed most. One could make the case that T-Rel is KU's season MVP to date. Grade: A.
Jeff Withey: Is this the same Jeff Withey who struggled in the past against smaller teams and appeared apathetic at times on the court? Withey has parlayed his tremendous 2012 second-half-of-the-season and NCAA Tournament into vying for national defensive player-of-the-year honors in 2012-2013. Withey anchors what has become a suffocating Kansas defense through his shot-blocking ability and altering presence in the paint. Grade: A-.
Kevin Young: Let's see a show of hands by KU fans--who thought that Young would start at the beginning of the season but would quickly give way to either Perry Ellis or Jamari Traylor as the four man in the Kansas lineup? Yep, pretty much all of you, right? Young is the energy guy for KU and has more impact on a game than any other non-scoring starter in a top ten program in America. Grade: A.
Ben McLemore: Did anyone other than Bill Self see this coming? McLemore was touted as a good player but no one forecast his current standing as a top five pick on NBA draft boards. Benny Mac is still very much learning the game and his potential impact on a team led by four seniors but improvement, and learning, happens with each game. If he continues to progress, McLemore will leave KU at the end of this season and will become the best Kansas pro since Paul Pierce. Grade: A.
Bench: What's to like--the emergence of Tharpe, Ellis' double-double against American last night, the motor of Traylor, and the sweet-shooting potential of Andrew White III. What's not to like--to date, there has been no real consistency from Kansas' bench, save for Tharpe's performance over the past three games. The only under-performing area of the team to date is the play of the seventh, eighth and ninth guys off of the bench--the potential is there but the game-to-game consistency is not. Grade: B-.
Coaching: It feels like Bill Self has this team right where he wants them--10 and 1 at the break with two weeks of practice focus and seniors who finally seem to be leading the youngsters out on the court. This team will not be one of Self's toughest, but it could be one of his smartest. Self knows that this squad will be disadvantaged by playing in a league that, top to bottom, is weaker than normal. He'll have to pull different levers to keep the toughness quotient--both physical and mental--dialed up for a hoped-for deep run in March/April. Grade: A-.
Schedule: Temple comes to Allen Fieldhouse on January 6, followed by Iowa State on January 9 in the conference opener. Key January games--Baylor on January 14; at Texas, January 19; at Kansas State, January 22.
Let's take a look at how these Jayhawks have graded out as we prepare for conference play.
Overall: It's hard to complain about a 11-1 record to date and a likely top five ranking for the coming week. Highlight: A road win over Ohio State. Lowlight: A Champions Classic loss to Michigan State where KU could not hold a lead down the stretch. Grade: A-.
Elijah Johnson: Johnson started slow and had a pretty horrid first half against Ohio State. Overall, though, let's give E.J. the benefit of the doubt as he battled some early-season health issues and also had to adjust to being the point guard and the leader of this team. He's grown comfortable in both roles, and the emergence of Nadir Tharpe as a very capable PG back-up will help Johnson immensely. Grade: B.
Travis Releford: Early on, Jayhawk fans had to wonder what was up with Releford given the number of turnovers and bonehead plays by this fifth-year senior. He then played two games in the CBE Classic at Sprint Center, was named MVP, and hasn't looked back. Releford is Kansas' best on-ball defender, a tremendous finisher, and can score, particularly when needed most. One could make the case that T-Rel is KU's season MVP to date. Grade: A.
Jeff Withey: Is this the same Jeff Withey who struggled in the past against smaller teams and appeared apathetic at times on the court? Withey has parlayed his tremendous 2012 second-half-of-the-season and NCAA Tournament into vying for national defensive player-of-the-year honors in 2012-2013. Withey anchors what has become a suffocating Kansas defense through his shot-blocking ability and altering presence in the paint. Grade: A-.
Kevin Young: Let's see a show of hands by KU fans--who thought that Young would start at the beginning of the season but would quickly give way to either Perry Ellis or Jamari Traylor as the four man in the Kansas lineup? Yep, pretty much all of you, right? Young is the energy guy for KU and has more impact on a game than any other non-scoring starter in a top ten program in America. Grade: A.
Ben McLemore: Did anyone other than Bill Self see this coming? McLemore was touted as a good player but no one forecast his current standing as a top five pick on NBA draft boards. Benny Mac is still very much learning the game and his potential impact on a team led by four seniors but improvement, and learning, happens with each game. If he continues to progress, McLemore will leave KU at the end of this season and will become the best Kansas pro since Paul Pierce. Grade: A.
Bench: What's to like--the emergence of Tharpe, Ellis' double-double against American last night, the motor of Traylor, and the sweet-shooting potential of Andrew White III. What's not to like--to date, there has been no real consistency from Kansas' bench, save for Tharpe's performance over the past three games. The only under-performing area of the team to date is the play of the seventh, eighth and ninth guys off of the bench--the potential is there but the game-to-game consistency is not. Grade: B-.
Coaching: It feels like Bill Self has this team right where he wants them--10 and 1 at the break with two weeks of practice focus and seniors who finally seem to be leading the youngsters out on the court. This team will not be one of Self's toughest, but it could be one of his smartest. Self knows that this squad will be disadvantaged by playing in a league that, top to bottom, is weaker than normal. He'll have to pull different levers to keep the toughness quotient--both physical and mental--dialed up for a hoped-for deep run in March/April. Grade: A-.
Schedule: Temple comes to Allen Fieldhouse on January 6, followed by Iowa State on January 9 in the conference opener. Key January games--Baylor on January 14; at Texas, January 19; at Kansas State, January 22.
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