It’ll Be Tough, but Somehow We’ll Get Through This

It was a 12-step program for Kansas State’s football team to reach the national-championship game, but the Wildcats (11-1) failed the last step by losing to Texas A&M; in the Big 12 Conference championship game.

Now comes the 12-step recovery process. Step one, according to Mechelle Voepel of the Kansas City Star, starts this way:

“You are not allowed to slug anyone, scream at innocent checkout clerks, drive like an idiot or destroy property that doesn’t belong exclusively to you. But you are allowed to sulk through dinner, not get much done at work, feel sad and be ticked off.”

*

Trivia time: Who holds the Rose Bowl record for receptions in a game?

*

Don’t rent an apartment: San Jose Shark Coach Darryl Sutter, when asked about minor league call-up Steve Guolla: “Guolla is day to day. If he doesn’t play well, he’s outta here.”

*

All’s fair in love and war: Roughly 50 police and four dogs awaited as fans poured over the walls and onto the field at the Orange Bowl after Miami’s 49-45 victory over UCLA.

There were only eight arrests, one person was hit with a nightstick before being subdued, and another fan was bitten on the leg by one of the dogs.

What was it like to be in the middle of the mayhem?

Hurricane cornerback Leonard Myers said, “We were giving each other love. It was like a dream. There were stars everywhere.”

*

Unhappy hour: Boston Bruin defenseman Dave Ellett owns a sports bar in Ottawa with King defenseman Garry Galley. Playing time has been tough to come by for both players, and business is down.

“It’s hurting sales,” Ellett said. “People don’t see us in the lineup so they leave.”

*

Lamar’s university: Who is going to be the No. 1 selection in the next NBA draft, whenever that might be?

A safe bet would be Rhode Island freshman Lamar Odom, writes Skip Bayless of the Chicago Tribune:

“He turned down $150,000 from the CBA, $500,000 in Greece--chicken feed. He needed to prove himself against America’s best student-athletes for one season. Odom doesn’t pretend to be doing anything but auditioning--you might say he’s making millions while at Rhode Island--and [Utah Coach Rick] Majerus clearly finds this difficult to stomach.

“ ‘I don’t know that he’s too interested in being a student,’ Majerus said.”

*

Trivia answer: J.J. Stokes of UCLA, 14 in 1994 against Wisconsin.

*

And finally: Vancouver Canuck General Manager Brian Burke is in no hurry to trade disgruntled right wing Pavel Bure, despite public pressure.

“Panic should not be part of a general manager’s vocabulary,” he said. “And it’s certainly not part of mine. It’s like being in love with a woman who’s not in love with you. You’ve got to wait.”