I was the guest author on Tuesday at Oread Books at the Kansas Union, there for a reading, discussion and book-signing for my novel, “Buffalo Spirits.” The event was scheduled three months in advance, posters were printed, fliers distributed, press releases, radio ads, notices in the newspaper, the whole 9 yards.

Then something happened. KU won the NCAA championship, and the team came home to a rousing homecoming celebration at Memorial Stadium, across the street from Oread Books at precisely the same time as my scheduled reading. That day, Bill Self and the team drew a crowd of 25,000. I, My Self drew … well, a crowd of about a dozen. From my podium in the bookstore’s lounge with its magnificent windows facing west, I could look directly into the assembled stadium crowd. And as I read emotion-laden passages from my book, the rousing sounds of the band and the cheering roars of thousands rose up to form an exciting but distracting backdrop.

I didn’t mind. I was happy to make the sacrifice. I would rather see KU basketball seize the championship and my event be a bust, than the other way around. I actually mean that. It was one of the most electric albeit soggy days in the history of KU. And I was glad for the chance to be on the periphery of it and celebrate it in my own way.

Plus I was really relieved. You see it was my fault that the team almost lost the game against Memphis. Why, you ask.

It has to do with my choice of wearing attire during the game. Let me explain.

But first, let me tell you that when I moved to Lawrence, my friend Ginger informed me that if I was going to live in Lawrence, I had better learn to love basketball. That was not hard for me. Although I hadn’t watched a game in 40 years, I had once loved basketball … and a tall, shy basketball player. I never missed a game, and was enthralled with watching his strong lanky form move gracefully up and down the court.

The basketball player’s roommate, a drama buddy of mine who saw right through me, informed me one day that his basketball hero roommate had told him that as soon as basketball season was over he intended to make a move on me.

That “move” turned out to be his asking me to manage his campaign for student body president. I ran a great campaign and won the election for him, and the entire college thereafter hated me for helping to elect a “do nothing” president. Ah, those wonderful college memories.

But I meant to tell you how I almost jinxed KU’s final championship game. I have noticed that on game days everyone wears the blue KU T-shirt. I have never done that, and have felt mighty guilty for it. So this time, in the middle of the game, I impulsively decided I must wear the colors. I rummaged through my drawers and found a blue T-shirt given away at last year’s rousing women’s basketball game against K-State. That was the game that went into three overtimes with our magnificent women finally winning.

The shirt, however, is an XL, which I wouldn’t be caught dead in out on the street since it hangs to my knees. Anyway, I found it and put it on shortly after halftime. And suddenly, our boys started missing every shot. They seemed to be helplessly throwing away the game. When we were nine points down with two minutes to go, I suddenly realized what had turned the game, and I tore off the shirt. There is no such thing as coincidence (that’s a line right out of my book). Then the most amazing thing happened. Nanoseconds after I ditched the shirt, everything changed. Those last two minutes turned out to be the most exciting two minutes in KU basketball history. Then when Mario Chalmers, in the last two seconds of the game, threw that 3-pointer from way out there and it swished through the basket, throwing the game into overtime, I jumped up and down shirtless, screaming so loud my cat bolted from the couch. We all knew in that moment we would win the game.

And so I make a promise to Bill Self and My Self, and all the guys who aren’t seniors and will return, and all the fans, I will never, ever, ever jinx a game by the wearing of the blue. You have my sacred word.

I will also try hard to finish my second novel in time for next year’s March Madness, so that I can sacrifice another book reading to the greater good.

Go Jayhawks.