Jug Of News (06.05.12)

Welcome to our humble abode. Pull up a seat and grab a glass for a sip from today’s Jug of News. Hit the jump for a new column featuring former BatCats in the pros, 8 K-State tracksters pursuing national championships, some Bob Bowlsby/NCAA football playoff news, Skretta on KSU basketball coach Bruce Weber, and more.

First, an internal plug. We here at JOS are in the midst of exciting times. Adding writers, breaking news, and working hard, we are doing our best to establish ourselves as a go-to source for K-State news of all types. In that spirit, we have been (and will be) rolling out new columns with some frequency. Yesterday we unveiled what we hope will be a weekly feature, “Kansas State Baseball In The Pros.” In it, we will track the progress of our baseball alumni, as they pursue their goals on a professional level. We also will be putting together feature articles on each young man at some point. We hope you’ll check out this column, and continue to follow these young men as they chase their dreams.

On the subject of athletic dreams, eight K-Staters will be participating in the track & field NCAA championships this weekend. The meet will be held in Iowa, and will feature such K-State tracksters as Olympic hopefuls Ryann Krais (pictured above) and Erik Kynard.

Apparently, new Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby is hitting the ground running. Though I’m not a fan of things written by Dennis Dodd, his piece on Bowlsby’s potential role in shaping the coming college football playoff is quite interesting, and well worth a read.

And finally, Dave Skretta (K-State beat writer for the Associated Press) has a very good story on how new basketball coach Bruce Weber’s first months on the job have gone. From some of the player quotes, those who doubted JOS’s initial reporting regarding Frank Martin’s exit may want to reevaluate. Initially not a fan of the Weber hire, I’ve come around completely, and now feel that he is the right man for the right time at KSU.

Teaser: I’m working on a conference expansion story that will shake things up a bit, if and when I decide to post it. For all our past coverage of conference expansion, visit our page dedicated to that issue. Also, like us on Facebook when you get the chance.