It should really come as no surprise that Jason Whitlock has again wasted good trees and ink. He's become quite the regular at doing that. Of course, when you get booed and harrassed at a basketball game to the point where you walk out and never return, I guess that fanbase should expect that you will not be particularly fond of them.
In today's article, Jason takes his place as K-State fans' moral compass. And for that, we should all thank him. Let's get started!
If Beasley goes, Kansas State shouldn't act jilted
This is the title of Jason's column today. Apparently he thinks K-State fans are going to act like a bunch of 14-year-old girls if/when Michael Beasley announces he's going pro today at 5 p.m. Yes, certainly Jason, because we have so much to feel jilted over. We broke a long home losing streak to this year's national champion, finished solo third in one of the toughest conferences in America, and won an NCAA tournament game for the first time since before I started kindergarten.
I have no doubt there will be a few fans who think Beasley was unfair to us because he said he was having a tough time with his decision, and really liked college and all that, but every fanbase has its elements. Or don't you remember my 12-part series last summer?
I don’t want to see Kansas State fans embarrassed again. They’ve spent the last three weeks convincing themselves that Beasley is agonizing over his decision to turn pro. If you believe the e-mailers, the bloggers and the message-board posters, the only reason Beasley might leave Manhattan is because of his desire to take care of his family.
First of all, let's be honest here, Jason. You don't give a damn if K-State fans are embarrassed. Just as you stated earlier in the article that Beasley returning is better for you as a columnist, anything potentially embarrassing is gold because of your shock-jock style. Or have you already forgotten the field day you had with Mizzou's troubles back in the Ricky Clemons era?
Second, I defy you to find any place on this blog or any of the other K-State blogs or message boards I read where anything approaching a large percentage of K-State fans have said the only reason Beasley would leave is to take care of his family. (Yes, I realize that was a very long, poorly written sentence.--Ed.) Any rational K-State fan has realized since day one that Beasley is likely one and done. But we're sports fans. We'll look for any piece of evidence that points to the possibility that something good will happen for our team. Beasley has been nothing but great with the fans in Manhattan and seems to have geniunely enjoyed his time here. Does that mean he'll stay? No. He'll stay if he feels like he can accomplish something by coming back, not because he loved the town or fans. We fully realize that.
Other than that, Beasley had such a good time in Aggieville, learned so much playing for Frank Martin and so thoroughly enjoyed K-State’s unforgettable, 21-12 season that he’d really prefer to build a home in Manhattan and work on his master’s degree.
First of all, I hope Beasley didn't have much fun in Aggieville, considering he's 19 years old. If he was having a lot of fun in the 'ville, the Kansas ABC probably would like to know about it.
The second part really needs no amplification. It's typical facetiousness from you, Jason.
If Beasley is indeed bouncing to the NBA, there’s no need for a press conference. A short, simple press release would do the job. Heck, people are now breaking up with a couple of quick text messages.
"It’s just nt wrkng. C U latr."
Do you always include apostrophes in your texts, Jason? J-school dork!
A departure press conference — even though K-State administrators may have insisted on one — will only serve to embarrass Kansas State.
This sounds like pure speculation on your part, Jason. Given your track record for being right (or, more accurately, wrong) when it comes to K-State, I'm skeptical that our admins required a press conference. You were the only one who said Beasley drives a Hummer, while I've heard from multiple sources that it's a five-year-old Tahoe. Do you need glasses, too?
Also, your colleague Jeffrey Martin at the Wichita Eagle has noted twice recently that Beasley's decision hasn't been as easy as you seem to think. More on that later...
(By the way, my apologies to Jeffrey Martin for degrading his name by mentioning it in the same paragraph as Whitlock's.)
Had Beasley signed on to play at a traditional power, he probably would’ve won the player-of-the-year awards that Tyler Hansbrough won and Beasley certainly would’ve enjoyed an extended tournament run.
Just because your industry, the media, is so thoroughly backward that it decides the national player of the year based on who plays for the best team rather than who is actually the best player, is that any reason for a player to choose a "traditional power"? Beasley doesn't need the awards. The scouts know how good he is. He knows he's the best player in the country. Everyone knows it. Even the ones who voted for Hansbrough admitted it.
Hell, Derrick Rose would have been a better pick for player of the year than Hansbrough. As an aside, check out this hilarious pictorial look at Hansbrough's stunningly average performance against the 'beakers.
Send Beasley to UCLA instead of Kevin Love, and the Bruins likely win the national championship and Beasley is hailed as the greatest freshman in the history of college basketball. Beasley could’ve stayed closer to home and attended Georgetown, and the Hoyas would’ve won the national title.
I love your style here, Jason! Acting as though you know for certain what hypothetical situations would have yielded! Beasley in Ben Howland's rigid system at UCLA? A surefire national title! Oh, and those Georgetown Hoyas, who advanced, well, exactly as far as K-State did? Just one more player was all they needed to beat Stephen Curry!
Right now K-State fans think they’ll never forget Michael Beasley. That’s what they’re saying right now because Beasley hasn’t broken up with them yet. They’re still holding on to the desperate belief that the relationship isn’t over.
Is the relationship really over? In the sense that Beasley plays for K-State, probably yes. I've admitted as much in this post and in the past. But K-Staters will never forget Michael Beasley and what he brought to our program. I remember when I got to campus in 2002. Basketball was sort of an afterthought because the football team was playing so well, but once January rolled around and football was over, the frustration set in. Oh, we used to have such great teams and players, the old-timers told us. Wish we could get that back.
Beasley started us back down that road. There's more work to be done, but it's a start.
But before I let this go, back to a point I began to make earlier: is it a foregone conclusion that Beasley is leaving? As I said, the odds are strongly in favor of us hearing Beasley say he's going to the NBA today. But as I mentioned, Jeffrey Martin has twice (Oops, make that thrice--Ed.) informed us recently that the decision is much tougher than some of us--especially you, Jason--seem to realize. Also, considering that J-Mart has far more contact with Beasley and his mother than you do, Jason, I'm going to go with his opinion on this one.
That’s all likely to change around 5 p.m. today. I hope I’m wrong. I’m a fan of dysfunctional relationships. They’re pretty much all I’ve ever known.
Let's translate...
Jason: With all due respect, you K-Staters are a bunch of morons.
K-Staters: What did you say to us?
Jason: What? I said it with all due respect!
K-Staters: Just because you say that doesn't mean you can say whatever you want!
Jason: Yes I can! It's in the Geneva Conventions, look it up!
With all due respect, Jason, you're an asshat. What!? I said it with all due respect, and I do mean all due respect!