Since that large segment of fans of Kansas University’s basketball team that double as supporters of the Kansas City Royals so enjoyed my comparison between the Jahyawks of the hardwood and the Yankees of the baseball diamond, I have another Yankees-KU comparison.

The key to the Yankees’ run of four World Championships in Derek Jeter’s first five full seasons and KU’s unlikely run to an Orange Bowl championship to end a 12-1 season share a seldom discussed yet crucial seed: Sanctions.

That’s right, both teams broke rules, were punished for it and benefited from the sanctions.

The late, colorful (language used by some about him) owner of the Yankees was suspended for two-plus years from day-to-day management of his ballclub because he paid gambler Howie Spira $40,000 to spy on Dave Winfield (whom The Boss had dubbed as Mr. May because he didn’t dominate the postseason the way Mr. October, Reggie Jackson, did. Winfield had sued the Yankees for not meeting a contractual obligation to donate money to his charity. Steinbrenner wasn’t convinced the money from Winfield’s charity was being spent properly.

Anyway, during Steinbrenner’s suspension, which originally was termed permanent by then commissioner Fay Vincent, The Boss wasn’t interested in the Yankees winning and unofficially sent word that no money should be spent on superstar free agents, no young talent traded for veteran stars.

Upon Steinbrenner’s return, he liked what he saw of how the prospects had developed and they became the nucleus of the championship teams. If he had not been suspended there is no way of knowing how many key pieces would have been sent out of town in a fit of panic.

Mark Mangino inherited such a weak roster that he impulsively recruited way too many junior-college football players (14) in his second recruiting class. Too many players scrambling to catch up on school work led to serious problems.

Although Mangino was absolved of any knowledge of wrong-doing, there were sanctions self-imposed by the university when a graduate assistant football coach provided answers to two juco recruits who had taken a correspondence course.

The NCAA deemed appropriate KU’s self-imposed limit of three junior-college transfers in 2006 and 2007 and 22 instead of 25 scholarships in 2008 and 2009.

Just one junior-college transfer — offensive linemen Chet Hartley — started in the 2008 Orange Bowl for KU.

Charlie Weis’ over-reliance on jucos has caused scholarship shortages that will haunt the program for at least a few more seasons.

So far, nine of the 20 players who have committed orally to become part of David Beaty’s first class are from junior colleges. With roster numbers being what they are, it was almost unavoidable, but in future years, look for Beaty to make at least 20 of the 25 high school recruits, most of them from Texas, Kansas, Oklahoma and Missouri.

The patient approach beats the quick fix. That goes for rushing players with promising futures onto the field as well.

For example, KU’s local boy, Free State High graduate Joe Dineen, would benefit from a red-shirt season to familiarize himself with the outside linebacker position after playing most of the season as an emergency running back. He’ll be able to give the program a great deal more in his fifth season of college practices than in his second.