Rants and raves while wondering if the stretch of I-29 between Kansas City and Omaha will be dubbed the Shane Costa Highway. :

¢ Known more for her home run power when she was chosen Big 12 Conference softball player of the year in 2006, former Kansas University standout Serena Settlemier made the All-National Pro Fastpitch team this summer as a pitcher. While hurling for the Rockford (Ill.) Thunder, Settlemier led the league in complete games and finished fourth in earned-run average at 1.46. Her real job is as an assistant coach at Fordham University. :

¢ Is there anything more ridiculous than those college watch lists? In their ceaseless zeal to ensure credibility through publicity, postseason-awards drumbeaters created these watch lists to enhance awareness. They’re the worst example today of manufactured news. :

¢ KU’s Bonnie Henrickson took over as secretary of the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association this month. That’s the third highest executive position in the WBCA behind president Sherri Coale of Oklahoma and veep Geno Auriemma of UConn. :

¢ Former KU football coach Glen Mason (1988-96) will make his debut as an analyst on the fledging Big Ten Network on Saturday when he works the Florida International-Penn State game. Mason will be paired with Mark Neely, who also does radio play-by-play for the Tulsa Drillers, a minor-league baseball team. Among the network’s play-by-play announcers is Roger Twibell, a KU grad and former sports anchor for Sunflower Broadband Channel 6. :

¢ Max Falkenstien, the ageless former KU radio analyst, is hardly lying low in retirement. Falkenstien will throw out the ceremonial first pitch at next Wednesday’s Royals game, then sign copies of his book. :

¢ Iowa State athletics officials couldn’t decide among three options for a 2008 helmet logo, so they’re letting fans vote for their favorite on the athletic department Web site. Maybe Kansas officials should take a similar approach and allow fans to vote on whether they’d like to see the Jayhawk on the helmets again instead of that uninspiring new Trajan “KU.” :

¢ Move over Boone Pickens. Nike co-founder Phil Knight has pledged $100 million to Oregon University, with much of the monstrous gift ticketed to help build a new basketball arena to replace McArthur Court, the Ducks’ anachronistic snake pit. :

¢ Nebraska wins the prize for producing the longest job title in NCAA Division I history. Former Sprint executive Randy York, hired last month, is NU’s associate athletic director for strategic communications and chief communications officer. Or AADSC and CCO, if you prefer acronymese :

¢ Complications from internal surgery forced Bob Frederick to spend nearly two weeks in the hospital late last month, but the former KU athletic director (1987-2001) is back teaching courses in sports law and athletic facilities this semester on Mount Oread.