My Hopes and Dreams for Big 12 Media Day

My mind started wandering today when I was mapquesting directions to the Downtown Kansas City Marriott to help with Phog.net’s Peabody-winning coverage of Big 12 media days.

Kansas will be the first of four schools to visit with the media Tuesday, starting things off at 9 a.m. Coach Mark Mangino will have LB Mike Rivera, QB Todd Reesing and DB Darrell Stuckey in tow to talk about the upcoming football season. The Jayhawks will be followed that morning by Colorado, Kansas State and Oklahoma State.

Usually, media days are reminders that the Crash Davis School of Sports Interviews must be doing a booming business. There’s lots of, “We were blessed last season,” “We’re just going to take it one day at a time,” and, “We’ve got a hungry group of players.” Ooh – and don’t forget, “But that was last year, and we have to put that behind us.”

This will be my first trip to Big 12 media day, and I’ve only been to KU media day a few times, so I’m still new enough to this to believe that something, well, interesting will happen.

Here’s a list of things that – even if I knew just one of them was going to happen – would make me a lot more excited about covering media day.

•    Colorado coach Dan Hawkins presents an encore presentation of his award-winning lecture, “Intramurals and the Big 12: A Study in Contrasts.”
•    Mike Rivera concludes his interview by saying, “I’m out. I’m going to the hotel lobby to scare some little kids and old people.” And then does it.
•    Wildcat coach Ron Prince says he’s resigning after this season to spend more time with fans in Hays.
•    Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy announces his declaration of his age and sex has earned him a lucrative deal with America Online.
•    Better yet, Gundy announces both an off-season surgical procedure and a birthday by screaming, “I’m a woman! I’m 41!”
•    Darrell Stuckey reveals that his chain of roadside restaurants will no longer serve pecan log rolls after Christmas 2008.
•    When talking about his own team, Prince keeps referring to them as the Butler County Wildcats.
•    A lean, mean KU coach Mark Mangino proudly announces, “This team is no longer a work in progress, and we no longer have to keep sawin’ wood.”
•    Jayhawks QB Todd Reesing says he’s leaving school after this season to spend more time with Bret Favre’s family.
•    Wildcat QB Josh Freeman tells reporters, “I know how important it is for all the fans in Kansas City to see me. At least, that’s what Coach says.”
•    oSu QB Zac Robinson asks for Jenni Carlson’s phone number.
•    Somehow, Prince manages to say something even more headscratchingly goofy than, “We’ve burned the ships and gone ashore.”

How many days till kickoff? I promise: it’s not soon enough.