(Writer’s note: I’m not going anywhere near the big-boned Jayhawk coach telling anybody to “lighten up”. I think.)
Texas Tech head coach Mike Leach made a few ripples in the politically correct pool when, on back-to-back days, he referred to his players listening to their “fat little girlfriends” and their platitudes as part of the reason for their embarrassing loss to Texas A&M.
Today, at his press conference, Kansas head coach Mark Mangino backed his longtime friend. And, in the process, told people they really need to loosen the necktie a little bit.
“I don’t want to get into all of that. There’s pretty girls everywhere,” Mangino said. “Tech’s got their share, and KU has their share. We’re partial. We think KU has the best. I think you can have fun with it. That’s what Mike’s trying to do. He’s trying to have fun with it.
“We’re really uptight in society. We’re really politically correct. I love watching Joe Paterno‘s press conferences. We watch them on tape. I think they’re the best. He is the king of college football. He can say anything he wants, and I love it. He’s earned the right to do that. I sit there and I say, ‘Jeez, if I said something like that, I’d have to apologize.’
“We need a little bit of that. We’re too uptight in this society. We need to loosen up and have some fun and not everybody take everything so literally. I don’t want to get into the girls. We’ll leave that to Mike. I’ll focus on football. I got my hands full doing that.”
Agreed, but I’m still having a hard time pulling the typing reins back on the husky coach telling somebody to “lighten up”. A very, very hard time.
