6News sports director Kevin Romary has an intimate knowledge of the Lawrence sports scene – Jayhawks, Lions, Firebirds and more. He’ll tell you how those programs are shaping up as the fall sports scene approaches.

Moderator

Hi folks:

We’ll start with Kevin here in a few minutes. He’s looking forward to taking your questions.

A reminder: We’re starting with new chat technology today. To ask questions, you’ll need to create an ljworld.com account (or sign in, if you already have one). You can ask your question once you’ve signed in.

Hope that helps. Kevin will start taking questions shortly…

Kevin Romary

Hello everyone. Thanks for joining us. It’s the middle of July and I’m very bored. Let’s get started!

oscarfactor

When is our beloved Coach Self going to learn that KU needs a beefy, 6’7″ to 6’9″ presence on the offensive boards? Look at LSU, George Mason, etc. last year – they had that one guy who could pound anyone and everyone. Is that player on Coach Self’s recruiting horizon?

Kevin Romary

Truthfully, those guys are hard to find. Darnell Jackson would kinda fit that mold wouldn’t he? I’m sure coach is recruiting some of the best players in the nation. And, I bet LSU and George Mason fans are wondering why their coach doesn’t recruit a guy like Julian Wright!!! It’s because there aren’t many of those guys out there.

hawkfan06

Couple of questions about KU Baseball:
* Did Kodiak Quick ever sign with the Detroit Tigers? If so, what minor league team is he with?

* With school starting in a month, has Coach Price found any replacement pitchers for Sean Land and Aaron Breit?

Thanks!

Kevin Romary

No, Kodiak Wuick has not signed with the Tigers. And, if he hasn’t signed now, you wonder if he wants to try a baseball career. As far as pitching replacements, I don’t know of any that coach Price has brought in. However, keep an eye on last minute transfers(ex: Ricky Fairchild) or juco transfers.

johngalt

When will the Jayhawks play WSU in Wichita? Why are they so scared to play them even in Lawrence.

Kevin Romary

At this rate, never. KU wants a 2 for 1. WSU wants a 1 for 1. I say play one game at Allen, one game at Henry Levitt Arena and a third at White Auditorium in Emporia. Wouldn’t that be great. That’s of course if you’re talking basketball. If you’re talking football, well, that could be a while!

Moderator

Everybody’s talking basketball. How’re things looking for KU football this year? Another victory over Nebraska?

Kevin Romary

The schedule is very favorable. I like KU’s chances of going to a second straight bowl game. Just keep Kerry Meier healthy for the love of God!!!! As for beating Nebraska in Lincoln, let’s just wait and see!

Raider

Kevin,

Will we see improved and expanded coverage of the Big XII this upcoming football season? It would be nice to see scores and highlights from all twelve schools and not just the local one. Thanks! David

Kevin Romary

Thanks for the input. However, our number one priority is to cover the local schools. If time permits, I’d be happy to add a few Big 12 scores when we can. But, if it comes at the expense of some of our local stories, it probably won’t happen. Thanks for watching, we’ll see what we can do!

lberger

Kevin Is it true you picked the dallas mavericks to win the finals this year?

Kevin Romary

Wow, getting heckled by my own colleagues. Miss Berger, sometimes even a blind squirrel finds a nut!! That’s all I have to say about that! For those of you reading, I did mistakenly take the Mavs!

Moderator

What’s the latest word on the new football facility? When will construction start?

Kevin Romary

Ryan Wood tells me that construction is due to start sometime in the Spring of 2007. Expect the groundbreaking to happen sometime in January (if there’s not 12 feet of snow on the ground). So far though, we’ve seen no drawings of the proposed facility!

Moderator

Looks like K-State lost out on Oscar Mayo, to USC. What’s the early line on the relative recruiting abilities of Bill Self and Bob Huggins?

Kevin Romary

I think Bill’s ability speaks for itself. Check out the talent on the current KU team. Have you ever seen a more talented group in crimson and blue? As for Huggins, no doubt he can rectruit. But, can he recruit to Manhattan? I have my doubts. KSU will be better, but, I wouldn’t be buying Final Four tickets just yet if I was a kitty-cat fan.

Moderator

That’s all we have time for today. Kevin and the 6Sports staff — and their guests — will be online every Monday at this time to take your questions about the Lawrence scene.

Any final thoughts Kevin?

Kevin Romary

Thanks for the questions. Hopefully, we can answer your questions every Monday. Be sure to tune in to 6News Sunday-Friday at 6 and 10 and log on to our websites at ljworld.com, 6newslawrence.com and kusports.com. Also, tell us what guests you’d like to have on these chats!!! Have a good week!