What came first, the chicken or the egg? Or, to put it another way, the Belichick or Eric the so-called "Mangenius?"
I understand the whole Mangini/Mangenius similarity, but the nickname seems wholly inappropriate given said Mangini's inability to capitalize on a flukily-successful [ed note: yes, I realize "flukily" is not a real word] 2006 NFL season and the fact that Bill Belichick essentially handed him some street cred on a silver platter. The Jets added a peaking Thomas Jones, drafted well, and still managed to have an abysmal 2007 campaign. Add in the fact that Mangini somehow received cameo-time in one of the final episodes of The Sopranos and my level of rage goes into full lather.
The real "Mangenius," ladies and gentlemen, was rocking a track suit last night as sophomore Todd Reesing, his 5-foot 9-inch (listed as 5-feet 11-inches in the KU media guide) quarterback, guided the Kansas Jayhawks to an Orange Bowl upset victory over Beamer-ball and the Hokies of Virginia Tech. It wasn't just the win that cemented his status. No sirree. It's his career-long espousal of the velour jumpsuit that sealed the deal.
Meet Mark Mangino, The Effrontery's "official" Mangenius:
[Mesmerized by velour splendor, Stacey Dales attempts to keep her mic from being eaten]Honestly, how can anyone not absolutely love this guy? He's a helluva coach, took the freaking Jayhawks to a BCS game(!!), and did I mention velour? And if you think that isn't enough, he literally wears his Stunna Shades at Night (see above pic).
The real Mangenius? Done and done.
The only thing that concerns me about Mark Mangino is what might happen when authorities finally solve the case of Obie-the-Orange-Bowl-Mascot's sudden disappearance:
[Obie's eyes betray his otherwise affable grin: "Please, Coach, don't eat meeeee"]In all seriousness, though, congratulations to Rock Chalk Jayhawk Nation. Its team played inspired football and proved to be more than just a one-dimensional squad with great offensive talent, little defense and a crap schedule. They won with defense. They beat the Special Teams Guru Par Excellence, Frank Beamer--progenitor of the term Beamer-ball, at his own game. They blocked a field goal, set up great field position with an effective return game and even managed the first Orange Bowl pick-six since Greg Mather of Navy did it (albeit with a lateral) against Missouri way back in 1961. Aqib Talib, Kansas' All-America cornerback and 2-way threat, delivered the aforementioned score and received the game's MVP award for his efforts. If there was any prior doubt as to whether or not he would be returning for a final season, well, he gone! Although, I think the bigger issue here is that Kansas would be losing its entire All-Cab Driver Team defensive backfield. Senior safety Sadiq Muhammed has used up his final year of eligibility and Talib, the redshirt junior stud, might as well be placing calls to Jacob the Jeweler right about now.
I'm sure the real Mangenius has things covered, though, even if he is lacking a little Allah in his life next season. I mean, did I not mention the velour?
