It’s easy to see why Kansas University’s basketball team prefers traveling to Canada over, say, Mexico or France for the Jayhawks’ once-every-four-years foreign tour.

¢ Travel is easy … as in flying an hour to Chicago and connecting for another hour and a half on to Ottawa, Ontario.

¢ The government is accommodating: Wait in a short line, show your passport, state your business, and you are in.

¢ Accomodations are sweet. The downtown Fairmont Chateau Laurier is relatively inexpensive for a big city at $170 a night and is located right next to the Parliament and other tourist attractions. Plenty of restaurants are within walking distance of the hotel.

¢ And perhaps most importantly, it’s convenient for KU’s legion of fans, who never cease to amaze.

There were about 200 KU fans, maybe 20 McGill fans at Saturday’s exhibition game at the University of Ottawa’s Montpetit Hall, which seats about 800 fans.

The Jayhawk Nation seemed to enjoy itself, especially after somebody turned on the air conditioning in the muggy building.

I’ve always liked Canada, perhaps because it’s the home of one of my favorite Jayhawks of all time – former KU All-America javelin thrower Scott Russell. Perhaps also because its national anthem is easy to sing, hence the renditions have always been riveting throughout the years.

Keep coming to Canada, KU.

Vancouver was great four years ago; Ottawahas been an excellent adventure so far in ’08.

I’ve yet to run into a hoser of any kind up here.