SLATE: K-State soccer snaps 12-match winless streak

Saturday was the first time in over a decade that your benevolent despot was completely unable to watch a Kansas State football game. As some of you already know, my stepmom passed away last weekend, and her service was Saturday afternoon. Thanks to everyone who reached out with their condolences; it was much appreciated here at BotC World HQ.

Of course, that means that I wasn’t able to actually see the methodical demolition of Nicholls State, because I had to get back home Saturday night. I wasn’t even able to listen to part of it because the Kansas City affiliate of the K-State Radio Network couldn’t be bothered, the Pittsburg affiliate only carries women’s basketball for some reason, and there’s a 5G dead zone between Fort Scott and Pittsburg.

This is a real problem. Having the Kansas City affiliate also be the Royals flagship station creates a real issue for games in September (and late August, and when the Royals make the playoffs, and you get the idea). The entire eastern flank of the state is completely radio-silent if the Royals are playing at the same time as the Wildcats, except for the area south of Pittsburg which is covered by the Coffeyville affiliate.

I get it. It’s 2019, and radio is almost an afterthought for every sports league except baseball, where listening to the game on the radio is still a traditional thing for a lot of people. But sometimes people have to be on the road, and having any part of your home state — especially the most populated part — in a radio dead zone is a bad thing.

(Note: TB tells me he was able to get the game on KMBZ 980 while he was on the road between KC and Topeka. But (a) I have no idea how anyone would be expected to know that, and (b) I was already out of 980’s range when the TuneIn app died due to lack of 5G bandwidth.)

Anyway. Enough complaining. On with the news of the day.

Soccer

Our long nightmare has come to an end. Sunday afternoon at Buser Family Stadium, K-State finally got a win, snapping a 12-match winless streak which dated back to a September 16, 2018 win at Tulsa. (An eight-match home losing streak also died, one that quite literally lasted over a full year.) The benefactors were the South Dakota State Jackrabbits, who were kind enough to allow the Cats to post a 2-0 win. Ashley Zane scored what would ultimately be the game-winner in the final minute of the first half, while Laramie Hall added some padding 13 minutes later.

Our old pal Greg Woods has an in-depth story on the game over at the Mercury.

Basketball

A bird’s-eye preview of the women’s basketball season is Corbin McGuire’s offering in today’s Sports Extra.

Football

Just a couple of quick hits to close our Monday, both from Ryan Black at the Mercury: some odds, ends, and numbers, and some quotes from Nicholls head coach Tim Rebowe, who’d like you to understand K-State’s defense seemed awesome in the first half because they were only on the field for 17 plays.