Given the excitement surrounding the basketball national championship I didn't get around to updating the baseball RPI rankings last week so this update will reflect two weeks of action.

Looks like K-State didn't want to lose to Fresno State for a third time.  It's pretty pathetic that your school requested to cancel the game so that you could play Montana State.  That is emabarrassing for any program.

Fresno State agreed though and we replaced you with a road game at Rutgers on Labor Day on ESPN at 1:30.  Oh yeah, we also play Wisconsin at home and at UCLA.  We go out of our way to play good programs, you go out of your way to avoid them.

Kansas State Wildcats?  I think not.  Kansas State Scaredy Cats would be much more appropriate.  

I may be a little late to the party with this, but Special Steve hooked me up with this awesome bracket generator via email today.  It's done by an Iowa State fan, so unfortunately he has to generate brackets with his team near the bottom, but we thank him nonetheless.

Just fill in the blanks with different scenarios for Saturday/Sunday and click "Submit" to see what those games would yield in terms of seeding.

Bumped from the diaries...TB

For all the lucky K-Staters who will be in Bramlage tonight, I have one favor to ask; Do the right thing and honor and support the real seniors tonight. Clent Stewart, Blake Young, David Hoskins, and James Franklin. I tip my hat to all these guys. Clent Stewart's presence on and off the court has been without a doubt a difference maker. David Hoskins, which I hope this is not the last time he steps on the court, was a beast. Before the likes of MB and BW came to town, Hoskins was the one doing all the dirty work. Let's hope he can make a full comeback and get a medical redshirt.

As for Mr. Beasley and Mr. Walker - if they decide to dart to the money and the NBA, honor their contributions at a different time. Hold a pep rally, tell them thanks when you see them passing by on campus, or shut the city of Manhattan down and call it Michael Beasley Day - hell change the name of the year from 2008 to the MB year. I don't care when just as long as it is not tonight.

They're called seniors for a reason. Don't ruin tonight's atmosphere by chanting, "Please come back." Honor these four men.

Do the right thing Manhattan

There are few better feature story writers than Elizabeth Merrill.  Today, we get another outstanding piece from her from the southwestern plains of Kansas and hear again about how sports are helping the people of Greensburg, Kan., recover from the devastating EF-5 tornado that his the town a little less than one year ago.

I have no idea if any the readers of this blog are from Greensburg, but if you are, my hat is off to all of you.

Former K-State running back James Johnson and current linebacker Chris Patterson were injured in an altercation in Manhattan last weekend (or here at GoPowercat, $).  My best to both, and I'm encouraged to hear the injuries apparently aren't serious.  Let's hope this remains an isolated incident during this football offseason.

Dear Loyal and New Readers Alike,
I have been trying desperately for months to find tickets to the Big 12 men's basketball tournament in Kansas City.  Both my girlfriend and I really want to go to the games, all of them, but have so far been unable to find tickets for face value.  Being a broke-arse college student, I don't have the money to get in the market for tickets from brokers, so I'm trying to find a couple passes.  If you have a couple all-session passes you can't use, or know somebody who needs to get rid of them, please email me at bringonthecats@gmail.com.  Otherwise, I'll be standing outside the Sprint Center Thursday morning with two fingers in the air.

Sincerely,
TB

At this point I don't have any sources that include non-premium information, but there is big news coming later today in the K-State athletic department.  If you have a GoPowercat subscription, check out that site for more.

For now, just know that athletic director Tim Weiser will speak at a press conference at 4:30 p.m.  Check out your local radio station (in Kansas) or 1350 KMAN at that time for more.

For those of you who don't know, Mike DeArmond is the Missouri Tigers' beat writer for the Kansas City Star.  Like several of the other Star writers, he has a weekly video weblog (or vlog).  DeArmond could probably also serve as an uglier and crankier body double for Lou Piniella.

This week, he apparently didn't have any interest in talking about how Mizzou got its arse run out of Manhattan on a rail, so he instead focused on talking about how he thinks Michael Beasley and Bill Walker whine too much.

The funniest thing about the video?  Watching a 251-year-old man call a couple college freshmen whiners while sounding like the most spoiled child at day care himself.  Somebody give this man his toy back.

It isn't officially official, but it's all but official that K-State will be busting out some new jerseys later this year.

These are the Nike Elite jerseys, similar to what Texas and Syracuse (among other teams) wear.  I love the use of "K-State" above the number, rather than "Kansas" above the number and "State" below it.  Maybe they look a little plain, but it's also a clean, sharp look.  I found these pics on Ebay, in case any of you are interested in trying to pick one up early.  Let's see, it'll be one month until I'm back in Kansas City, hope they have them in stock when I get there.

Fellow Wildcat fans, I want to let you in on an offer to see the Houston Rockets play that you can't pass up.  A good friend of mine works with the Rockets ticket office and has a promotion for the February 11, 2008, game against the Portland Trail Blazers.  Here is the information:

When: Monday, Feb. 11, 2008, 7:00 p.m.
Who: Houston Rockets vs. Portland Trail Blazers
Contact: Adam Barnes, (713) 758-7434, or email insidesales@rocketball.com (ATTN: Adam)

The tickets are discounted from the regular rate as follows (Actual price/Regular price):

$50/$70
$40/$58
$30/$46
$25/$40
$15/$30

I will most likely be at this game with some friends.  Let's get some Purple in the Toyota Center to cheer on the Rockets.

EMAW!

National Commitment List Rankings by Rivals.com
OU - 7th
TX - 10th
TX A&M - 15th
MU - 21st
OSU - 25th
CU - 26th
NU - 29th
KSU - 30th
KU - 35th
TTU - 40th
BU - 54th
ISU - 66th