Winds of Change: A look at Big 12 basketball coaching changes

By Big12-Fans Writer Jason Brooks

I was watching the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday and something occurred to me. For a solid month I have been looking forward to this day. I sat by the TV eagerly waiting for ABC to start their pre-race coverage more than an hour before it actually started. There were so many stories I wanted to hear; stories from past races, and all of the behind the scenes stories of this month. Danica Patrick having to live up to the expectations that she set last year. The Drama surrounding the Andretti family, and all of the hard luck they have had to endure (much to my glee). Al Unser Jr.’s tale of hardship and coming back to race yet once again. The Star-Spangled Banner was played, and of course…Jim Neighbors sang Home in Indiana. The Pomp and Pageantry surrounding and and leading up to the race makes it all so exciting. I had been waiting for those magical words to be spoken: "Lady and Gentlemen…Start Your Engines!" For a solid month, and most of the last year, I have been waiting for this year’s race.

It made me think of how much I missed the NHL, and when the new CBA was signed I couldn’t wait for the beginning of this season. Similarly, I am excited for the football season, and as each agonizing day passes it puts me one day closer to kickoff. I’m excited for Midnight Madness to get started here in the Big 12. I’m excited to see the start of the College World Series, provided the Huskers make it. It made me think of the Daytona 500 in NASCAR, and how NASCAR fans wait for that fateful day in February when all speculation will be laid to rest. It made me think of how we all look forward to the start of something. The anticipation is agonizing; we spend so many months sitting idly by, trying to keep our minds busy until the next time our favorite sporting events and seasons start up again. Whether that sporting event is Football, Basketball, Hockey, Baseball, Lacrosse, IRL, NASCAR; whatever that something may be, we look forward to the start of it.

We speculate, postulate, and prognosticate our sport. We have arguments on how bad or good our favorite team is going to be. We get into arguments during the off-season. Don’t believe me? Look on our message boards here on Big12-Fans.com, more specifically look in the football forums and look at some of the arguments that have raged on and on and on.

Then the race started. I watched the cars circle that track 200 times. I saw Pit-Crews doing their jobs, and the drivers doing theirs. Throughout the entire race strategies were laid out. Some failed, and one succeeded. Much like the regular season in our respective sports we do the same. We discuss strategies for the upcoming game and from past games. We discuss the bad calls, the blowouts, the close games and the big wins.

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Then it all came down to the last three laps of the race. Marco Andretti is in 1st place, Michael Andretti is in Second place, and Sam Hornish Jr. is in third. I don’t have to tell everyone that Sam Hornish Jr. won the race by passing Marco Andretti on the final stretch of the front straight away. Nor do I have to tell you about all of the joy I felt in that yet another Andretti suffered the infamous Andretti fate. The race was over, and I’m left waiting till May 1st, 2007, for all of the hype to start again, and to see if Danica can pull out a win.

So now it is time to set our sights on the upcoming college football season. I’m even more excited for the start of Big 12 football this fall than ever before. So now I want you to tell me now honestly… Are you ready some football?

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