Jug Of News (05.15.12)

Editor’s Note: Don’t forget to check out Fanning’s first column, in which he dispenses some sage dating advice. Worth the read.

Welcome to our humble abode. Pull up a seat and grab a glass for a sip from todays Jug of News. Hit the jump for some surprising news about Bryce Brown’s relationship with Bill Snyder, more Realignmentapalooza 2012, an undergraduate KSU cancer researcher makes research waves very early in her career, and another Kansas State baseball player wins the Big 12 Player-of-the-Week.

First, I was somewhat surprised by the news that Bryce Brown likes Coach Snyder so much. What with his very premature departure from the squad last year, and his almost-total “radio silence” since then, I had assumed he was holding some type of grudge against both the school and our coach. He’s not. Quite the opposite, in fact:

"I tell a lot of people, Coach Snyder had a lot more to do with my process than just (letting) me participate in the pro day. He helped me find an agent and we used all of his resources. He was heavily involved and I appreciate that. Coach Snyder and I have a good relationship and we still talk from time to time. Our relationship is good."

That is refreshing to hear, and I hope it will allow the K-State community to truly embrace Bryce Brown as “one of us”, even though his time here was very short.

As was posted here yesterday, undergraduate K-State cancer researcher Kristina Bigelow is doing some great work. Check out the article that Greg Tammen wrote about her work. It’s worth the read.

More stories confirming the basic premise of the two articles JOS posted last week on realignment are coming out now. (first article on JOS; second article on JOS). ESPN blogger David Ubben writes about how the “buzz” surrounding a potential move to the Big 12 by Florida State is beginning to build. He also reports on–and refutes–the contention by ESPN’s ACC blogger that FSU couldn’t compete in the Big 12. And GoPowercat posted a very interesting story from fellow Rivals website Warchant.com, detailing some of the behind-the-scenes machinations happening at FSU at this very moment.

Finally, the Bat Cats continued the process of turning around what was starting to look like a lost season. They finished off a series win over the Kansas Jayhawks, winning a game that was truly a “must win” by a score of 9-3 on Sunday evening. As a result of his play in that series, KSU senior first baseman Wade Hinkle won Big 12 Player-of-the-Week honors. Hinkle collected four hits in eight at-bats against the Hawks, including a 3-4 performance in the rubber match on Sunday.