This glass is half empty

This was supposed to be the year of the Jayhawk. Roy Williams rolled into New Orleans with a team that was riding high after defeating Mike Krzyzewski's upstart Blue Devils, Lute Olson's battle-tested Wildcats, and Marquette in one of the most lopsided Final Four victories in recent memory. It was supposed to be Williams' turn and seniors Kirk Heinrich and Nick Collison were supposed to be rewarded with a championship trophy for staying in school.

It was just not meant to be for the Jayhawks. In the moments following the loss to Syrcause, CBS's Bonnie Bernstein wasted little time asking Williams whether or not he would return to Kansas or bolt for his alma mater, North Carolina. Some people are up in arms wondering how he could leave the program that he built after Larry Brown flew the coop. Would he abandon his team and fans who support and adore him?

I have two things to say to the Kansas faithful. First, get used to it. Second, you're crying to the wrong guy.

I'm sure it has been really tough for the Kansas faithful not to win a championship since 1988, but try 84 years and then bitch and moan about it to me. It is not fun being the butt end of practically every baseball joke when it comes to championships; at least the Sox have the Cubs to keep them company.

You think that it's difficult being a Jayhawks fan? Try being a Red Sox fan for one season. I guarantee that you'll look older and your friends will tell you that you are more cynical. Not that I know about the latter ...

Boston sports fans have endured some of the greatest heartaches in history and watched some of their most beloved stars depart for greener pastures, championship banners, ticker-tape parades, and archrival pinstripes. The likes of Boggs, Clemens, and Bourque were immortalized in the eyes of so many, only to break the hearts of those same millions.

We understood why Bourque had to leave. He loved the Bruins and adored Beantown. There was just no way he was going to win that coveted ring with the jokers that the Bruins' front office had playing alongside him. We cheered the Colorado Avalanche when they made their title run in 2000-01. It brought a tear to your eye watching him raise Lord Stanley's Cup in triumph. Bourque had fulfilled a dream, and Boston fans felt that they had played a small role in his quest.

Clemens and Boggs ... It's no secret of the kind of heresy that those turncoats committed. It was clear that Boggs wouldn't be returning to Boston in 1993, but there were more than 20 teams that could have enjoyed his services. He chose the New York Yankees instead, and played for the organization that represents all that is wrong with professional sports.

I sincerely hope that when Cooperstown opens its doors to both former members of the Red Sox, each of them wears the colors of the Bronx Bombers. It's one thing to leave the team that a player made a name with, but it's something entirely different to leave for that team's rival.

I suppose the next dominoes to fall would be Jerry York leaving the Eagles' bench for that of the BU Terriers or Tom O'Brien departing for South Bend to coach our Catholic cousins. When that happens, the eagle in front Gasson Hall will fly away and that will be followed by the passing of the Middle Campus Project, along with a retractable dome built over Alumni Stadium.

To the Jayhawk faithful, I'm sorry that this was not your year, but no Boston fan wants to hear the crying. They know the feeling all too well. If Roy Williams bolts to coach the Missouri Tigers and wins a national championship, then perhaps I might care about your plight.