Rock Chock Jayhawk!!

Never before had I been such a Kansas fan, but sometimes conference allegiance and respect for a magical team demands putting aside any past animosity and rivalry. Held up in my La Quinta hotel room here in Shreveport I cheered as Kansas defeated the Memphis Tigers to win the NCAA Championship, their first since defeating my Sooners in 1988. The game was exactly what any fan and player dreams - hair raising, nail biting, down to the wire, all energy spent excitement! After an up and down second half, which found me pounding, jumping, and yelling, I quietly joined the blue and clad fans in the famous "Rock Chock Jayhawk, KU" seance and for a moment was a converted fan. My hats off to a deserving team.

Let the rumors fly! With Sean Sutton out at Oklahoma State, Boone Pickens can open the wallet and dangle quite a carrot to any coach in the country. But OSU wants Bill Self. And with the win last night, Self's number just went up. I can't imagine that anything could tear Self away from one of the best jobs in the country, but the circus act attempting to get him back to his native state will be quite an entertaining show. Just how many millions will it take to bring someone to podunk Stillwater, Oklahoma?

5 Weeks in Shreveport...

It sounds like a sentence that has been leveled against me. "Matthew Price, you are hereby sentenced to serve six weeks of your time in backwards Louisiana." I say six weeks, because it has been decided that one more week will be it. And if I never have to return, it will be too soon. No, in all honesty, it has indeed been a great learning experience. Each day has brought new challenges that we have overcome - with only minor headache and pain. While there is still yet a lot to be done, it is nice to step back and see how far we have come in these five weeks. The local staff has sacrificed a lot of their time and energy to making the necessary adjustments. And the corporate staff from OKC has buckled down and dealt with the reality of spending so much time away from home. We will get it done, no matter what - that's the mindset. And I can't complain much. I'm the only unwed down here, with little to no pressure from the home front.

Work hard - Play hard. Ten years from now, when we look back on this chapter of our lives I bet we remember the fun we've had these past weeks as much or more than we remember the aches and pains of the transition. I think we've hit every restaurant by now and spent three weeks at Sam's Town Casino. Some stories will live in legend and myth forever - thanks to Vickie Eustice, Andrew Gilley, and Andy Walker. Being the only sober participant in the nightly adventures, I've got blackmail and clear memories. They may come in handy at some point and will make for some great conversation.