If the punch line comes too easy, maybe it’s better to pass on making the joke.

On Monday, the day after Kansas lost its game with Virginia Commonwealth and a chance to advance to the Final Four, the Wall Street Journal played to the lowest common denominator. The venerable newspaper published a photo of a dejected Jayhawk opposite a photo of Toto and Judy Garland as Dorothy. Between the photos was the headline, “Toto, I’ve got a feeling Kansas is not in it anymore.”

Funny, right? Um, no. You see, the joke is just plain old.

Once a Kansan steps out of the Sunflower State and is asked, “So, where are you from?” it’s likely the next thing you will hear from your new friend is, “So, how’s Dorothy?”

Like we’ve never heard that one at least 100 times before, and each time it gets more grating. There’s nothing original about it.

Sure, we’re smarting from the loss to VCU, but that doesn’t mean we don’t have a sense of humor. Tell us a good joke and we will laugh.

So, enough with the banal “Wizard of Oz” references.

Can’t we just talk about the weather instead?